Share chad2julius's profile
 
Facebook Twitter
 
 
chad2julius
 
 
 
chad2julius's stats
 
  • Review count
    13
  • Helpfulness votes
    5
  • First review
    September 10, 2007
  • Last review
    February 19, 2008
  • Featured reviews
    0
  • Average rating
    4.1
 
Reviews comments
  • Review comment count
    0
  • Helpfulness votes
    0
  • First review comment
    None
  • Last review comment
    None
  • Featured review comments
    0
 
Questions
  • Question count
    0
  • Helpfulness votes
    0
  • First question
    None
  • Last question
    None
  • Featured questions
    0
 
Answers
  • Answer count
    0
  • Helpfulness votes
    0
  • First answer
    None
  • Last answer
    None
  • Featured answers
    0
  • Best answers
    0
 
 
chad2julius's Reviews
1 2 >>
 
Customer Rating
1 out of 5
1
Worst movie of 2007
on February 19, 2008
Posted by: chad2julius
from Seattle, WA
Lots of things wrong with this muddled mess: bad pacing, sub-par acting, weak story telling, far fetched, boring at times, laughable (in a bad way)....it's just not effective. A bad movie and one of the worst (if not THE worst) that I saw in 2007.
What's great about it: Jim Carrey is hilarious....
What's not so great: ....but in the wrong way
No, I would not recommend this to a friend.
-3points
0of 3voted this as helpful.
 
Customer Rating
2 out of 5
2
Nothing special here
on February 19, 2008
Posted by: chad2julius
from Seattle, WA
I didn't really have high hopes for "Mr. Brooks" going into it. Kevin Costner is way past his prime and I can't remember anything he's done that's been worth my time since the 90's (or was it the 80's?). Dane Cook? I think I'll pass next time. And as for Demi Moore, well, she is absolutely pathetic in this one (what's new). Mr. Brooks starts off promising, but quickly things turn for the worst; the invisible friend was a bit of a stretch, as was the story itself. Not the worst movie ever, but I fell like I wasted my time.
What's great about it: Promising start
What's not so great: Horrible finish....and nothing much in between
No, I would not recommend this to a friend.
-4points
0of 4voted this as helpful.
 
Customer Rating
5 out of 5
5
Radiohead create their own genre/planet on "Kid A"
on February 19, 2008
Posted by: chad2julius
from Seattle, WA
Comparing this to other albums is like comparing an aquarium to blue construction paper. "Kid A" is truly in a galaxy of it's own; it's another world with no limitations, rules, or boundaries.
The moment you start the record with "Everything In It's Right Place", those first synth notes roll over you like a mammoth wave of clouds and you are completely submerged into a new world. "Everything" then flows perfectly into the dreamlike title track. "The National Anthem" follows and bludgeons you upside the head like a sledgehammer with it's heavy bass line, horns, and saxophone fusing into some weird hybrid world. The calm "How to Disappear Completely" becomes one with the ambient "TreeFingers", which by itself it a preposterous track, but in the context of the album as a whole, it fits and makes perfect sense; and it's the calm before the climactic storm of "Optimistic". "In Limbo" feels like a nightmarish purgatory, with the final minute of the song sending you spiraling down the rabbit hole. Next is the apocalyptic "Idioteque", which uses electronica, drum machines, and eerie chords to create one of the more impressive Radiohead songs to date. "Idioteque" morphs perfectly into the gloomy "Morning Bell". But the very last track is where "Kid A" seals the deal; "Motion Picture Soundtrack" is staggeringly gorgeous, with Tom Yorke ending it with the words "I think you're crazy" and "I'll see you in the next life".
Well...."Kid A", in one word, is a: Masterpiece.
What's great about it: One of the Best Albums Ever
I would recommend this to a friend!
0points
0of 0voted this as helpful.
 
Customer Rating
5 out of 5
5
Not as good as Everything All the Time, but great
on November 17, 2007
Posted by: chad2julius
from Seattle, WA
Cease To Begin is only a step below Everything All the Time (the best album of 2006-2007). "Is There a Ghost" is a stadium rock song, with a slow build up, much like that of "The Funeral" (from Everything All the Time); "Is There a Ghost" is definitely going to catch some ears, but it's nothing special and probably a weak point on the album. "Ode to LRC" is poppy track that is disguised as folk, where lead singer Ben Bridwell gets away with shouting "the world is such a wonderful place(!)". But it works, because of the conviction in Bridwell's voice and that young-Neil Young drawl he uses. "No One's Gonna Love You" is a beautiful track where you can't help but sing along with Bridwell when he sings "When things start splitting at the seams...". Which leads into "Detlef Schrempf" (yes, the basketball player from the Seattle SuperSonics) which picks up where "No One's Gonna Love You" left off; a beauty of an acoustic track. "The General Specific" is an upbeat country track and my personal favorite track "Islands on the Coast" which is catchy as..........
What's great about it: Howling vocals, beautiful song arrangements
What's not so great: only 10 short songs
I would recommend this to a friend!
0points
0of 0voted this as helpful.
 
Customer Rating
5 out of 5
5
One of the Best Albums Ever
on November 17, 2007
Posted by: chad2julius
from Seattle, WA
For my money, Illmatic is the second best Hip-Hop Album ever, just behind Stankonia by Outkast; not only that, but Illmatic is one of the best albums ever. You can't really go wrong on this one. Nas tops the rap world with such classics as "Memory Lane", "New York State of Mind" and there is the fantastic Hip-Hop anthem "The World Is Yours". Only one downfall: only ten songs; besides that, Illmatic is air tight.
What's great about it: tight raps over throwback beats
What's not so great: only 10 songs
I would recommend this to a friend!
-1point
0of 1voted this as helpful.
 
Customer Rating
5 out of 5
5
Best Hip-Hop Album Ever? Possibly
on October 30, 2007
Posted by: chad2julius
from Seattle, WA
"Stankonia" is not only the best Hip-Hop album, but definitely one of the finest albums ever made. "Stankonia" is really a transcendent musical experience: it's not only Hip-Hop, it's R&B, it's Rap, it's Jazz, it's Rock, it's Funk, and so much more. With classics such as the piano jam of "Ms. Jackson", the insanely smooth and cool "So Fresh, So Clean", and "B.O.B", the perfectly mixed rap and rock banger, it's easy to just listen to the first half of the CD and call it good; but that's a big mistake because there are some hidden gems on the second half of the album, such as the rain forest-esque "Humble Mumble", "Gangsta S**t"", "Toilet Tisha" (check out the beat on this one; you can feel the sweat dripping), "Slum Beautiful", and the amazing "Red Velvet". "Stankonia" is stacked and I would put it up against any Hip-Hop album.
What's great about it: Everything. Filthy beats with Andre and Big Boi's lyrics and style.
What's not so great: None really. But I could live without some of the skits.
I would recommend this to a friend!
0points
0of 0voted this as helpful.
 
The special edition of The Usual Suspects has much going for it, on both sides of the disc. Naturally there is a commentary track with director Bryan Singer and Oscar-winning writer Christopher McQuarrie. Naturally, it is very interesting and detail heavy. There is also another commentary track featuring composer John Ottman, who offers insights the other two do not. With such a dialogue-intensive script as this, the soundtrack has to be up to snuff, and the Dolby Digital 5.1 surround here has been designed to highlight the words without muting the ambient noise. This DVD makes the best case yet in the argument for widescreen vs. pan-and-scan because it gives you the option. Choose the 2.35:1 anamorphic letterboxed version and you'll see a digitized movie the way it was supposed to be seen, in sharp colors and remarkable clarity; choose the TV-style full-frame version and you'll see scenes where the person talking isn't on the screen, and the visual image is slightly dreary. New supplements include "Pursuing the Suspects," a documentary about the casting choices, and "Doin' Time With The Usual Suspects," which collects interviews with the cast members as they talk about the movie and their lives after. "Heisting Cannes with The Usual Suspects" goes to France with the cast and feels like an elaborate home movie. "Keyser Soze: Lie or Legend" continues the parlor game of Who Was Soze? that fans of the movie love to play. Speaking of games, an easter egg is solved if you can piece together the order the clues to Soze's identity appear in the film, with your reward being even more documentary material, one having to do with the film's composer. Less interesting is an elaborate, indulgent gag reel of outtakes introduced by Singer that is nearly a short movie in itself. It's not very interesting, but the rest of the disc is fascinating.
 
Customer Rating
3 out of 5
3
A Confusing, Beautiful, but Flawed Mess
on September 17, 2007
Posted by: chad2julius
from Seattle, WA
"The Usual Suspects" is, quite honestly, one of the most overrated movies of all time. While it does have some exceptional acting, a fascinating story line, and one of the best endings ever, it's still a confusing mess. It appears that even director Bryan Singer was confused as he was making it. You'll love Kevin Spacey's performance as Roger "Verbal" Kint, but you'll hate that "The Usual Suspects" is only a poor man's "Pulp Fiction". But I will recommend this movie, if only because it has to be seen twice to fully appreciate the extravagant mess they've created. It's an admirable effort, but it's just not a great movie. Oh, what could have been.......
I would recommend this to a friend!
-2points
0of 2voted this as helpful.
 
Customer Rating
5 out of 5
5
An Instant Classic
on September 17, 2007
Posted by: chad2julius
from Seattle, WA
"Knocked Up" is one of the funniest and well made comedies of all time. Because it was released a couple of months before the amazing "Superbad" (made by the same crew that creat "Knocked Up") it was a little over-shadowed, but this one might be as good. It doesn't have as many 'laughs-per-minute' as "Superbad" but it has a more complex and emotional plot, which makes it the slighty superior movie. Knocked Up is definitely on of the best 10 comedies of all time.
I would recommend this to a friend!
0points
0of 0voted this as helpful.
 
Customer Rating
5 out of 5
5
One of the greatest hip-hop albums ever.
on September 17, 2007
Posted by: chad2julius
from Seattle, WA
Severely underrated and supremely great, The Pretty Toney Album is a lesson in amazing hip-hop. Ghostface, always a standout in the Wu-Tang Clan crowd, kills it on this one with Grade A lyrics (arguably the best lyricist in all of music) and old school, throwback beats. "Biscuits" is the star track on this one, with Ghost spitting out the catchy chorus and Trife as his back up. "Run" (featuring Jadakiss)sounds like an old school Wu-Tang song, with a new school twist. "Tush" is a club banger featuring Missy Elliot, and and insanely disturbing chorus from Missy. On tracks like "Beat The Clock" and "Metal Lungies" shows off his brilliant gift of mixing '70 and '80s blaxploitation style beats with edgy and smart lyrics for a new era. The Pretty Toney is an under-appreciated an amazing genius album from Ghostfaced Killah.
I would recommend this to a friend!
0points
0of 0voted this as helpful.
 
Customer Rating
2 out of 5
2
Skip this movie and try the brilliant The Departed
on September 12, 2007
Posted by: chad2julius
from Seattle, WA
Boondock Saints could have been a good movie, but with it's cheap production values, over the top gun fighting scenes, and cheesy dialogue it swings an misses. Because of it's numerous 'fanboys' it's become quite a cult hit and, quite frankly, very overrated. While this DVD edition is decent, (although it has the always good William Dafoe) it doesn't make up for the fact that this is a sub-par movie with no brains; I'd give it 2.5 stars, but since I can't, I'll round it down to 2. So Skip this movie and try the brilliant "The Departed" instead.
No, I would not recommend this to a friend.
-10points
0of 10voted this as helpful.
 
chad2julius's Review Comments
 
chad2julius has not submitted comments on any reviews.
 
chad2julius's Questions
 
chad2julius has not submitted any questions.
 
chad2julius's Answers
 
chad2julius has not submitted any answers.