Throwback Thursday - 11/18/2010 - Jay-Z "Decoded" Edition

In honor of Jigga Man's behind the lyrics book 'Decoded', I decided to base todays Throwback Thursday on the songs that I am most lookng forward to reading about in the pages of "Decoded". I can not wait to hear how he made these gems... the battles, the disses, the drama... where he was in his mind at the time of recording all of these timeless tracks. With no further ado, I present my Jay-Z picks:

Jay-Z - Song Cry

*****Please click Read more below for the rest of my Jay-Z picks*****

It's Saturday: Lets All Go To The Movies

OK, OK... you made it through another week. And even though the weekend starts at 5 pm on Friday, most of us really don't start to enjoy our weekend until Saturday morning. Waking up and not having to go to the hell hole of a job that you occupy during the week is a relief of epic proportions. You can do whatever you want, and usually for me that involves wanting to hit up a movie theater at some point. The reasons why its a great idea to go to the movies are endless, but one reason I like it is that its a short term event (like 2,3 hours tops) that you can fit in anytime during a busy weekend. We all know whats playing at the Multiplex... everyday we are bombarded with ad's for movies in the newspaper, on the train, and on the radio. My then 3 year old son used to ask me what the date was, and when I would tell him, he would then immediately shout out the big movie that was opening that week. But in most cities across the US, there are alternative/boutique type theaters that show mostly independent and revival films. The independents are cool, but the revival films are the best. What better way to relive your childhood then seeing "Gremlins" on the big scree en after 20 years. Or maybe getting a chance to see something at the movies that you weren't around to see during it's original run. Either way it's a great activity for day or night. Here was going on in movies this week. Enjoy the fresh popcorn !!!


Opening March 5th: Alice In Wonderland (3-D and Imax), Brooklyn's Finest, Harlem Aria

Independent/International Releases: The Secret of the Kells (Animated, Ireland), A Prophet (France), Harlan: In The Shadow of Jew Suss (Documentary, Germany)

Special Screenings:

The Abyss, El Topo and Antichrist playing midnight shows on Saturday @ IFC Center (212) 924-7771

Raging Bull playing at 9:15 on Saturday, The Godfather playing at 1:30 pm on Sunday, Annie Hall playing at 4:45 on Sunday @ The Film Society of Lincoln Center (212) 875-5600

The Wizard of Oz is playing at 1 pm, 5:10 pm and 9:30 pm on Sunday @ The Film Forum (212)-727-8110

All of Tim Burtons classics playing @ Moma (various showtimes) (212)-708- 9480

Pick of the Week:

In Cameron's 1986 classic sequel to Alien, Sigourney Weaver rehashes her role as Ellen Ripley. She travels back to the planet where the original crew encountered the alien monsters in Alien, and she gets the pay back that she had been looking foward to for 57 years. Excellent effects, Cameron's penchant for a the deatails being just right, and allstar cast make this one of the greatest sci-fi movies in history. As Cameron hopes to hoist up the Academy Award this weekend, watching him earlier in his career will make you appreciate his genius that much more.

Playing a midnight show @ Landmark Sunshine Cinemas (212)-330-8182

The Return Of Wesley Snipes... Trailer for Brooklyn's Finest

I am a huge Wesley Snipes fan. It was hard to be a kid in the early 90's and not be. Wesley's portrayal of Crack Kingpin Nino Brown is the quintessential performance of a drug dealer... it ranks right up there with Pacino in Scarface and Johnny Depp in Blow. His no nonsense style and the fact that he was always one step ahead made Nino a great movie villian. He was that bad guy that you rooted for, and that came directly from Wesleys charm and flair that he put into the character. He made lots of movies after that, some good some bad. Highlights would be Sugar Hill, The Blade Trilogy, and US Marshalls. The lowlights would have to be To Wong Fu (He was the ugliest drag queen ever!!!) In the past few years Wesley has gone through some personal issues with the IRS. He had been dipping in and out of the country trying to hammer out a deal with prosecutors to avod jail time. This limited the amount of films he could shoot. But now the issue is resolved, and we got Wesley back 20 years later hit the streets once again.

Brooklyn's Finest looks to be a great film showing both sides of the coin... the drug dealers and criminals who plague hoods all over the country and the police that try to control them. Antoine Farqua did an excellent job protraying the West Coast in Training Day, garnering star Denzel Washington a Oscar win for Best Actor. California never looked so gritty, yet so beautiful then when it played the backdrop for Farqua's film. I am eager to see what he does with the NYC project backdrop, and even more excited to see what he does with this star filled cast. Richard Gere, Ethan Hawke, and Don Cheadle join Snipes as three cops at very different points in their careers trying to toe the line between good and bad. This should be a fun one to watch at the theaters. It comes out March 5, 2010 and provides excellent counter programming to Burton's Alice in Wonderland.