Exodus

For the folks who still check this thing, I just wanted to let you know that I got a new home on xanga. The Treat Suite may be closed, but Afro Left is wide open. Everyone’s welcome to drop by.

One.

Currently In Rotation: Techno

 Leftfield – Leftism

Halcyon

It's time to say peace out to the yellow brick road. 

The Treat Suite is officially outta business.

Thanks for all the fun, folks. One love.

Currently In Rotation: Hip-Hop

 Kanye West – College Dropout

Tru Calling

A man… can be an artist… in anything. In food, whatever… depending on how good he is at it. Creasey’s art is death. He’s about to paint his masterpiece. I don’t have anything else to say.

- Rayburn,  Man on Fire

Another mouse got in the house today, and once again, I set up an elaborate trap and caught it. Three years ago when I lived in the frat house, I trapped and killed 10 mice. A year later in the apartment complex, I trapped one in my apartment and one in Angie’s place. Since I’ve been back and living at home, I’ve now trapped two mice inside the house and dispatched about five outside the house.

The last time I caught one in the house, my dad jokingly said that I must have been an exterminator in a previous life because I have a natural knack for handling pests. In addition to catching mice, I’ve also gotten good at eliminating common bugs, from ants and roaches to mosquitoes and fleas.

Above all, I’m a writer by nature. I’ve worked as a music critic/reviewer for four years now and it’s something I plan on continuing in the future. I’ve been a sports writer for only two months, but that’s also something I will continue to do.  I’ve also been writing screenplays for a while, and that’s another thing I will always do. And in addition to those, I coach track and soccer. But even with all of these gigs, I still have a lotta free time and not enough adventure.

So I’m thinking about becoming an exterminator. I figure, I’m not afraid of the pests and I’m somewhat an artist in (pest) death. I have the free time and I think I would actually derive some pleasure outta killing pests. This week I’m gonna flip through the phone book and call around to some exterminators. I'll  see if they are hiring and find out what qualifications I'll need to get hired. If I can’t become one immediately, then maybe I’ll train to be one, be an assistant, or work as an intern at an exterminator’s office (how ambitious of me).  

You’re probably thinking, how does killing a few pests make me qualified to become an exterminator? Or  how does a nerdy college grad who majored in English make a good exterminator?

I don’t have the answers, folks. I just feel that this might be a calling. At the very least, I  should have a lotta fun. Most of you are disgusted by the thought of killing, or repulsed by the thought of rats and mice and roaches and the like. Personally, the thought of terminating vermin is alluring and exhilarating. It’s a dirty job, but someone’s gotta do it. And since I’ve been doing it for free all this time, might as well step up to getting paid in the trade.

I can’t wait. I just might be the first guy on the planet who will rid your house of pests and recite Frost or Keats while I do it.

Question: Can ladies dig an exterminator? I don’t wanna further ruin my already dormant love life by taking a job that’s considered gross or morbid.  

Currently in Rotation: Experimental

 Cibo Matto – Stereo Type A

Halftime

I covered a game last night between Bonita and Charter Oak @ Bonita High School. Bonita is the Bearcats and Charter Oak is the Chargers. I never paid much thought to what the hell either of those mascots really are until halftime of the game, when two curious kids, both no more than 9-years old, approached me with some questions. I didn't catch their names, but I'll call them Kid A and Kid B.

Kid A: Hi.

P. Rexxx: Hey there.

Kid B: What’cha doin?

P. Rexxx: Adding up some stats.

Kids: Oh cool.

Kid A: I have a question.

P. Rexxx: What’s on your mind, son?

Kid A: Do you know what a bearcat is?

P. Rexxx: I’m not sure, but I don’t think bearcats exist. Their mascot is that cat, but

                I think they made that up.

Kid B (to Kid A): See, I told you, stupid.

Kid A (to Kid B): I’m not stupid, you’re stupid, you dumb-ass.

P. Rexxx: Hey, both of you watch your mouths.

Kid B: Why me? I didn’t say ass.

P. Rexxx: That’s not what I’m talking about. I don’t care about that. But don’t call

                 each other stupid…or dumb…at least not in front of me. As far as saying

                 ass goes…eh, your parents can deal with that.

Kid B: Okay.   

P. Rexxx:  Now say sorry to each other.

Kids: Sorry.

P. Rexxx: That’s better.

Kid A: Hey what’s a charger?

P. Rexxx: I don’t think chargers exist either. They have the lightning bolts on their

                helmets, but I don’t think that there are any people who can carry an

                an electric charge. It could be someone who charges, but that could be

                anyone.

Kid B: Okay.

Kid A: Where’d the football team go?

P. Rexxx: They’re in the locker room.

Kid B: Where’s the locker room?

P. Rexxx: Somewhere over there.

Kid A (To Kid B): Hey, let’s go to the locker room

Kids take off.

P. Rexxx: Hey, you two. Be careful…and don’t talk to any strangers.

Kids: Okay.

Kids run away.

As you can tell, ya boy P. Rexxx just loves the kids. Anyways, I came home after the game and decided to look in the dictionary.  Did these words have real meaning? After all, I’d hate to know that I told the kids faulty information. Here’s what I found.

 bear•cat (bâr kat), n. 1. a panda Ailurus Fulgens. 2. binturong. 3. Informal. one who fights or conducts himself with fierceness. [BEAR² + CAT¹] .

charg•er (char jәr), n. 1. one who or that which charges. 2. a horse of a kind suitable to be ridden in battle. 3. Elec. an apparatus which charges storage batteries. [CHARGE + -ER¹]

So I guess that I was right about the charger, but it turns out that bearcats technically do exist. However, I’ve never heard anyone refer to a panda as a bearcat and I’ve never even seen a binturong. I’ll just go ahead and say that I was right about that too.

Since I wasn't wrong, I can go on being Uncle P. Rexxx, droppin knowledge on kids and answering their questions at football games. Hopefully I won't have to field any more questions that will make me consult a dictionary.

Currently in Rotation: Underground Hip-Hop

 Boot Camp Clik – Chosen Few

Dial Tone

Pop quiz, hotshot! There’s a bomb on a bus. Once the bus goes above 50 miles an hour, the bomb is armed. If the bus drops below 50, it blows up.  What do you do? What do you do?

-         Howard Payne, Speed

Anyone who has seen the classic action flick, Speed, can recognize that quote immediately. After witnessing a bus explosion, Jack (Keanu Reeves) hears a phone ringing in a nearby booth. As soon as he answers, he’s greeted by the voice of Dennis Hopper, the bomber. The movie takes off at a fever pitch from there as Jack tries to save the bus riders. The main form of communication between Jack and Howard is a phone, and Jack – entirely at Howard’s mercy – is forced to play along with Howard’s game of cat and mouse. If Jack loses, he and the passengers die.

Sorry to disappoint you folks, but I’m not going to review Speed, simply because it doesn’t need a review. Bottom line, it’s one of the definitive, action-packed summer blockbusters that everyone needs to see. Even if you don’t like action flicks or Keanu Reeves, you gotta watch it.

Instead, I’m going to review a movie that reminded me a lot of Speed, but the opinions of this movie are much more polarized. The movie is Phone Booth.

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Phone Booth stars Colin Farrell as Stu Shepherd, a sneaky, arrogant publicist who uses a phone booth to make calls to a potential mistress (he’s married). One day, the phone rings and he answers, only to find out that the guy on the other end claims to be a sniper. The sniper has stalked Stu for some time and knows all about him and his secrets. Stu’s not the type to listen to a jerk-off making empty threats, but the sniper gets his undivided attention when he tells Stu that he is in a window of a nearby building, and if he hangs up and doesn’t do what he’s told, he will be shot.

So how are these two movies similar? Speed begins when Jack picks up the phone in the booth. Everything before that is just an explanation of what leads to that situation. Phone Booth also gets going when Stu picks up the phone in the booth; everything before then sets up the story. Once both characters pick up, they are at the mercy of the unknown, crazy person on the other end, in one case a bomber, in the other case, a sniper. Both movies also manage to create a terrific level of tension and maintain it throughout.

Speed was an original, near-perfect blueprint for an action film. Phone Booth is also very original, but highly flawed. There are a lot of questions that go through the viewer’s head that are never answered. There are many plot holes and lapses and logic that will turn off perceptive viewers. The snipers demands (and the sniper in general) are also curious.

The fast pace of the movie allows for it to take place in real time, just like the TV show 24. So I guess it should be no surprise that the sniper in Phone Booth is played by Kiefer Sutherland, star of 24. I thought that was a nice touch, especially because Sutherland has the kind of voice that can hold your attention. Ultimately, it works against the movie because his voice is so distinct that the “surprise” in the ending wasn’t much of a surprise at all.  

Although the acting here is damn good all around, it isn’t quite showcased as well as it could be. The sniper is off-screen for the entire movie and is only heard over the phone. The camera stays on Colin Farrell, and because he can’t do much in a phone booth, his talents are somewhat wasted. There are some moments when they use a spilt-screen technique to keep the camera on him while also showing things that are happening in his surrounding. In general, I think split-screening is misused and it seldom works. It makes sense to keep the camera on him because this is a character study and psychological thriller, and we do need to know what is happening in his surrounding, but it detracts from the movie. The viewer does more listening and less viewing because what is being said is more important than what is been done on-screen.

This probably sounds like I’m building up for a bad review, but actually, I’m not. I enjoyed this movie and I’m recommending it. Despite all of the things I mentioned, Phone Booth worked for me. It’s not about the plot or the script, this movie is purely an acting vehicle. I was previously unsure about Farrell as an actor, mostly because I figured he was another attractive lead man who got gigs for his looks and not his acting.  Tigerland and Minority Report proved me slightly wrong, but Phone Booth proved me dead wrong. The boy is good. I have to give him props because a lesser actor with a camera on him for that long would probably fail.

I spoke earlier about the pacing and atmosphere, and if you get into the movie, it can be a very intense ride. Although many would credit the intensity to the script, I think this also has more to do with the acting. So much relies on Farrell's timing and his reactions because this is all about the danger he perceives rather than what he sees.

Joel Schumacher directs this, and let’s be real, he’s done some bad movies (Batman & Robin, Bad Company, etc.) However, he is a talented director who is willing to take on ambitious projects that few in Hollywood are able or willing to approach. Phone Booth is just that. It was made on a budget of 12 million dollars and shot in only 10 days. It’s a meager 80 minutes long, which is a good thing because it sticks to the topic, doesn’t venture into any unnecessary or irrelevant sub-plots, and doesn’t wear out its welcome. If this movie went to 120 minutes, or maybe even 90 minutes, it would definitely lag.

In the future, I think that Phone Booth should be resurrected as a play, or better yet, a one-man play. This is an effort that’s all about the acting. A strong, versatile lead man can carry the roll of Stu Shepherd, a weak one can’t. As an overall film, I would say that Phone Booth can be passed on. The script is original, but flawed. The camera-work  is on an amateur level and there really isn’t much to see here (although I honestly feel that all of these are by design and not because of bad filmmaking.). I think this movie is more enjoyable if viewed as an acting vehicle, for both the lead and the supporting roles.

Final Verdict: Recommended

Question 1: Have you seen Phone Booth? What’s your final take?

Question 2: Do any of you still use phone booths?

Currently in Rotation: Experimental

 Cornershop – When I Was Born For The 7th Time