Depp or Anyone? Are you serious ?

       Whether it is being a pirate, a mad hatter, a man with scissors as hands or a overwhellmed protective big brother  Johnny Depp has a way of forming into any role that is presented to him. A chameleon as you could say which ironically was one of his roles. We know from the countless Tim Burton films that Depp can play the insane card very well but he can also portray a serious one as well, like in Whats Killing Gilbert Grape. As an actor he is extremely versatile and as a person he is genuinely amazing for a lack of a better word. On numerous acations Depp visited children's hospitals in his complete Jack Sparrow outfit. Also he has donated millions to the same hospital who saved his daughters life when she was an infant. Without a doubt the great and slightly errie Johnny Depp over powers anyone put in his way, and lets be honest who doesn't love that face!

You Cant Take It With You

         Frank Capra’s film You Cant Take It With was released, in 1938 in New York City.  The Story, a play which began on Broadway in 1936 and showed for two years, and preformed over three hundred and eighty times. Written by George S Kaufman and Moss Hart, it was the first play to be made into a film while still being performed.

The romantic comedy takes place in New York City, about two families who are polar opposites. The Kriby’s are wealthy to-good-for-you people, while the Vanderhof’s are an out of control, spontaneous, free spirited bunch.  Not long after the film beings you learn that Kirby is trying to finalize his plans to own an entire neighborhood to beat out his competitors. The final part of the deal is on hold due to Martin Vanderholf (Lionel Barrymore), refusing to sell his home to the banker Anthony P. Kirby. To make the situation worse Kirby’s son and Vanderhof’s granddaughter are in love and plan to be married.  Barrymore’s character lives in his chaotic home with his family and a few extras the came in one day who loved it so much, decided never to leave. With the random dancing, to sporadic firework explosions coming from the basement, there is certainly never a dull moment in this house.

            Vanderhof shows that he is a firm believer in doing what makes you happy in life, feeling that it is pointless to have a job you hate just for the money.  He himself quit his big office job to live his life free to do whatever he felt like doing that day. Throughout the film you see Vanderhof speak of choosing happiness over money and how it can change your life completely. He says, “ The only thing you can take with you is the love of your friends”. Frank Capra does an excellent job of fitting in multiple lessons of this during the film, teaching the viewers that even the richest people in the city can be full of sadness and can be terribly lonely in life.  Wealth is not only measured by money, it can also be measured the love you give out and the love you also receive.  

            The cast of this film is filled with talent on top of talent, James Stewart and Jean Arthur both have appeared in many of Frank Capra’s films such as It’s a Wonderful Life, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, and You Cant Take It With You.  Capra by 1983 had six box office films, and three academy awards for best director.   Capra has experience when it comes to directing romantic comedies, which were often produced in the 1930’s. With The Great Depression in motion the majority of films being released were upbeat with a positive storyline, giving viewers a break from the ongoing worry of the economy crashing to fill their lives with joy even if only four hundred and twenty-six minutes.  

            Frank Capra paints the story of how two families who were completely different and how they came together as one and ended with one singular achievement. Happiness. It is single handedly the one thing that people in this world want the most. You Cant Take It With You kept me on my toes and I could not stop watching the heartwarming story.  With the star cast and the never ending question of what crazy thing is going to happen next, You Cant Take It With You is a classic that will never be forgotten. 

leeves breaking with rhymin

         The British rock sensation know as Led Zeppelin made its way on the scene in 1968.  Influenced by blues and folk music, their hard rock style made them just different enough to piss off the critic and land in the hearts of millions of rebellious teens.  “When the levee breaks” is the band greatest accomplishment from their fourth consecutive untitled album. The country blues married couple Kansas Joe McCoy and Memphis Minnie originally recorded it in 1929. The song is about the great Mississippi flood in early 1927 when the levees did in fact break, forcing more than thirteen thousand people to be evacuated to higher ground. 

The John Bonham’s steady rock solid background drums playing in the background are truly the back bone to this single.  In an interview with Bonham he said that they recorded the beat in a stairwell of a three-story apartment complex, which gives it a muffled sound.  Lead singer, Robert Plant accompanies the mood by adding the legendary harmonica tune that is echoed through the guitar riffs from Jimmy Page’s electric guitar.  Led Zeppelin IV (as the album is know by) is the third best selling album in US history, resulting in it achieving the sixty-sixth spot on the Rolling Stones Magazines “ The Top 500 Albums of All Time”.

They’re raunchy, annoying but you can’t help but love them, Ad- Rock, Mike D, and MCA make up the infamous Beastie Boys.  The hip-hop rap group is one of the longest active worldwide, forming in 1981, and they finally called it quits in 2012 after vocalist MCA passed away from cancer. The group has a knack for sampling other well-known songs and adding their own twist to them. Their song “ Rhymin’ & Stealin’” samples the drumbeat from the Led Zeppelin song “When the Levee Breaks”. The eerie repetitive loop is revamped to add a hip-hop flare, which is signature to the Beastie Boys. “When the Levee breaks” is not the only song sampled on this track. The guitar riff that Tony Iommi plays over top of the drums is from the Black Sabbath song “Sweet Leaf”.

 The three different members of the Beastie Boys each have their own unique voices that range from slightly irritating, high pitched to raspy deep, to somewhere in-between.  The group molded the two different samples together to make it their own and they did it well enough that it’s not a direct rip off of the original songs. Whether it is dancing on stage in their underwear, or crashing parties, the Beastie Boys’ off the wall personalities are demonstrated in their lyrics and music choices. Pairing these two factors together is what makes Beastie Boys one of the greatest Hip-Hop groups of their time.

The picky eaters worst nightmare

Bombay Indian restaurant in Egg Harbor Township is a popular place to eat if you are interested in exotic foods.  Lunch is served buffet style with few options in my opinion. The atmosphere shines with authentic decorations and paintings hanging on the walls. I have experienced Indian cuisine in the past and I was not a fan but I wanted to be open minded coming into this lunch. I decided to with the Chicken Makhni which was boneless chicken cooked in a mild tomato butter sauce. With the color of the sauce looking much like a mystery substance found in the garbage disposal I obviously was not excited to actually eat it, but there I was cutting a small section off to try. I was shocked to find out that it did in fact taste like chicken, but the sauce was extremely bland and did nothing to compliment the meat. Next was the Tandoori chicken, which is chicken, marinated in yogurt and mild spiced and roasted over charcoal in the tandoor. This looked much more appetizing then first thing I tried. The chicken was tandoori chicken was absolutely my favorite thing that I ate for lunch, but at the same time I felt like I could barely taste the meat, the species that it was marinated with completely over powered the taste. Lastly I tried Alu Gobhi, which is potatoes and cauliflower cooked with special spices, and rice that had cumin seeds, cloves and cinnamon in it. The Alu Gobhi were basically undercooked potatoes that were cooked in extremely strong spices, they overpower the potatoes completely. The rice was cooked perfectly and looked beautiful with all the different colors from the spices that it was mixed with but the taste of cinnamon ruined this dish for me. Over all I do not think I will be returning to the Bombay Indian restaurant simply because the food was not appealing to me at all.

Selfie Review

Imagine a man holding a seven-foot gun, surrounded by countless dead rabbits and birds, with two of his most loyal hunting dogs.   Francois Desportes’ painting “Self- portrait as Hunter” portrays him with a look of power and a touch of unsettling bliss upon his face as he admires the pile of game he acquired. His dogs are shown looking up at him almost as if they’re waiting for his next command.  Juan Ibarra’s rendition of this painting titled “One with nature” has a more kind hearted and humorous intention.  Ibarra with a soft welcoming smile upon his face is accompanied by a fairly large fluffy German Shepard who appears to be giving out a great big sigh of apathy towards the business of selfie taking.

A Brain, a Doctor and A Lot of Mystery

So we have a brilliant detective with a killer jaw line, a timid yet unmistakably adorable doctor with a case of psychosomatic PTSD as a trusty sidekick, and a never-ending amount of murders, robberies, and questions. What’s not to like about Sherlock Holmes?   Benedict Cumberbatch who plays the well-known London sleuth, Sherlock Holmes in the 21st century rendition of the Scottish author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s many works of novels and short stories pertaining to Holmes.  Martin Freeman plays the military doctor who has a limp due to PTSD from a tore in Afghanistan.  Freeman finds himself always annoyed yet excited for the next adventure Holmes drags him to.  We have to give him props; he is probably the only person in London who can stand being around a guy who can tell what your thinking even before you have time to process it!  Yes this show is full of grade A looking men but it is also a great story line, one down flaw is there is only three to four episodes a season.  Unlike television series in America that normal have up to fifteen a season, in London they keep it short and sweet with around four.  Great acting, and pretty faces, I ask again what’s not to love about Sherlock Holmes?