ModestGeniusXL

Random (XL-Images) Pic of the Day

You'll have to excuse the back-to-back posts of pics from the same shoot, but I'm rather geeked about how much I nailed this one.  It was my first maternity shoot and I just flat out knocked it out the park.  Don't think I'm being modest?  Check it out for yourself and see. 

Plus, I wanted to put this pic on Pinterest and you can't pin FB pics out there for some reason so I had to put it here also.  Now Pinterest would be a good topic for me to post about.  Coming soon...but fow now, the maternity epicness...

Random (XL-Images) Pic of the Day

Later Pa

Well folks tried their best to kill him off yesterday on The Book and Twitter.  So much so that one news source even had to retract their story and apologize for jumping the gun.  But I think we all knew that the end was just around the corner.

Legendary former Penn State coach Joe Paterno died earlier today after losing his fight with cancer.  He was 85-years-old.

It's unfortunate that everything had to come down on Joe Pa the way it all did in his final days.  It could not have been a better example of it raining when it pours.  He had to deal with the whole child rape scandal going on in his program at the same time he's diagnosed with cancer.  Although, to be fair, he really could have made part of that easier on himself by doing a better job of dealing with that monster he had on his staff.

It's amazing when you think about how long he had that gig at Penn State.  He was the head football coach for longer than I've been alive.  And I know I'm old.  There are college coaches that are lucky to last a full season.  Penn State let him stick around for almost forever.  He'd still be there today if that whole mess hadn't popped off.  Cancer or not.

I'm a firm believer that the older a person gets, the more their ability to continue living relies just as much on their desire to live as it does their health.  Especially in a case like Joe Pa where he had a treatable form of cancer.  The continued passion he had to coach football gave him a reason to keep going strong year after year.  The moment that was taken from him so was a lot of that fire he had for life itself. 

Regardless of how his tenure ended, there was no denying the contribution that Joe Pa made to not only Penn State but also college football in general.  Just when you thought he didn't have what it takes anymore after a couple of losing seasons he was able to get Penn State back near the top of the elite programs again.  You would have thought that more programs would have learned from Penn State's example that commitment can often breed success.  At least from a coaching standpoint, Joe Pa was class act literally in a class all his own.

Rest in peace, Coach Pa.

At Last

That was probably a very predictable title to give this particular entry.  I'm sure I'm not the only one who thought it up as the world learned of this latest celebrity passing.  But sometimes something is just so appropriate that it's just too good to pass up.  That was certainly the case here.

Blues legend Etta James passed away yesterday due to complications from leukemia.  She was 73-years-old.

I know there are going to be some folks out there who weren't aware of who Ms. James was until the movie "Cadillac Records".  Many of the kids today don't have the same exposure to music that we had.  They don't have the parents that played oldies for them so they could appreciate the greats from back in the day  So it did help that a modern star like Beyonce helped introduce them to the greatness of Ms. James.

Admittedly, I had no idea she was such a brash woman until that flick came out.  But I admired her even more for it.  Even more so when there was that very brief controversy about how she was offended by the fact that some folks were saying Bey sang "At Last" better than Ms. James.  She wasn't about to put up with that.  And rightfully so.  You don't do a legend like that.

As soon as I heard the news that she had been hospitalized for leukemia I knew she was on borrowed time.  I have heard of folks recovering from that, but not at her age.  Although it's good that she had the opportunity to live a full life it's still sad to see someone have to end their final days in such a manner.  At least she doesn't have to suffer any longer. 

Rest in peace, Ms. James.  At last.

Red Tails

It's being called the most controversial movie of our time!  Okay..it really is not THAT serious.  However, I was a bit surprised over the fuss that was being made over this before it even hit theaters.  Especially for a George Lucas project.  He, of all people, was having trouble getting funding for a film?  Oh..because it didn't have a major white star in it.  Now I see why.  Then add to that the fact that it was getting negative reviews and I was already on edge going in.

If you don't already know what the story is about "Red Tails" it's the story of African-American pilots known as the Tuskegee Airmen.  I'm still surprised that there are some folks who don't know about their contribution to WWII.  This film depicts the young pilots slowly transitioning from doing non-essential missions to getting real aerial combat that would eventually prove how dominant their dogfighting skills were.

Let me first say that I went into this film with a bit of a bias.  I'm a huge George Lucas fan.  There's little wrong he could do in my book.  But even with the good faith he has eternally built up with the original "Star Wars" trilogy AND the "Indiana Jones" flicks (we won't even count the last one), I will be the first to admit when he screws up.  Like he did with much of second "Star Wars" trilogy and even with the last "Indiana Jones" film.  So as much as I wanted to LOVE this flick because of the subject matter and Lucas, I still pull no punches.

It was obvious from the very beginning that money was an issue with getting "Red Tails" made.  I never knew until this movie how much I could appreciate little things like the opening credits.  I've been spoiled with movies going over the top with top-notch graphics on them that it really bothered me to see some that looked like they were made with Windows Live Movie Maker.  I'm going to chalk that up to the fact that Lucas wasn't accustomed to doing those.  Any true "Star Wars" geek will recall that those films never had opening credits.  Of course they did have the epic scrolls that really would have been much better here than the shoddy graphics they went with.

What I did like in particular was how much more action-oriented this one was as opposed to the HBO-movie that was released in 1995.  That one focused more on the drama aspect.  "Red Tails" really delved into the Airmen's aerial battles.  That is by far one of Lucas's fortes.  Every single dogfight scene keeps you on the edge of your seat.  Those sequences drive the film so much that it helped to overlook some of the other minor flaws like cliche dialog at times.  But let's face it...any action junkie knows that cliche dialog is a must. 

By keeping it more action-oriented Lucas was able to have a more family-friendly film to appeal to all ages.  It's the perfect opportunity to expose our children to the significant impact the Tuskegee Airmen had on American history.  I could personally get more out of the more superior film like "The Tuskegee Airmen"; however, my 11-year-old son would easily appreciate this version more because it was more visually stimulating.  

The acting was a little bit suspect in some parts.  It had nothing to do with the fact that it was a predominantly Black cast.  It had more to do with the fact that several of the actors (non-Black included) just didn't have much major motion picture experience.  I didn't think it was possible that Ne-Yo could do a better job in "Stomp the Yard" then he would in this film but that was clearly the case.  I'm chalking that up to the fault of director Anthony Hemingway (who I've never heard of until this one).  He should have done a better job in getting more out of the cast.

The person who really impressed me was Denzel Jr. as Easy.  His real name is Nate Parker, but I defy you to look at him and tell me he doesn't look and even act like a yong Denzel.  You may remember him from "The Great Debaters".  I know I did.  I knew then that he was destined for greatness.  It's a shame it took this long for him to get another shot in a big role.  However, he ran with it and his performance helped greatly in covering up the shortcomings of his less-experienced co-stars.

All in all, "Red Tails" was an excellent experience.  I would be lying if I didn't admit that it could have been better.  It's obvious from watching it that if Lucas had the big-budget funding he was looking for then this could have been a classic.  He did the most with what had to work with and came out with a very admirable product. 


My rating:  B

Random (XL-Images) Pic of the Day

Lost Ones

I knew it was just a matter of time before I would take some photo that would be impactful in one way or another.  To be fair (and actually a little modest) I would like to think that I have done that already.  Probably in more ways than one but I just haven't been aware of it.  Well this most recent example was one that was so blatantly obvious that I had to speak on it.  And I almost missed it myself until someone else brought it to my attention.

This past First Fridays was just another First Fridays for me.  Nothing out of the ordinary.  I went and did my thing knocking out dozens and dozens of shots as usual.  I made sure that I got a lot of the same looks I always get from familiar angles.  The views are the same but the scenery (as in the people) is always different so it works out.  Then I left thinking nothing else about it.  Until I happened to see folks talking on The Book early the next morning about a tragedy that occurred in our city.  The first homicide of 2012.  A young brotha was shot and killed in a drive-by around 3am Saturday morning.

It wasn't long before folks started flooding Facebook with their favorite pictures of the young man.  His face didn't look familiar to me at all.  Neither did his name.  I knew a lot of younger folks from my interactions with First Fridays and the like but he wasn't one of them.  Even though it turns out he knew several of the same people that I knew.

So I edited my First Fridays pics and posted them like I always do.  Folks were going out there as normal, finding themselves and/or their friends and commenting accordingly.  The photos had been up for few days when I noticed that someone had pointed out that the slain young man was in one of them.  I went to the picture to see if I could recognize him.  What I found was very eerie.

The photo you see here is the group shot that he is in.  For those of you that know nothing about the brotha that passed or what he looks like, what's the very first thing about this picture that jumps out at you?  Did you see the brotha near the front who's looking directly at the camera?  And the reason that stands out is because out of that crowd of over 100 people, he is the ONLY one looking directly at the camera.  He's the one who would end up being murdered only a couple of hours after this picture was taken.

I just found it very odd how completely random and yet purely coincidental this picture turned out to be.  It was a shot where I was just trying to capture as much as the First Fridays crowd as possible.  A random shot of everyone doing their own thing.  Just as I wanted, no one was paying attention as they were all in their own little world.  No one even noticing I was taking the picture.  Except for him.  I wouldn't realize that until it was brought to my attention in a comment days later.

Here am I thinking that I was just taking my standard First Friday pictures.  I had no idea that I would end up capturing the last recorded memory of this young man.  And maybe it's just me but the look on his face almost seemed rather prophetic.  Sure, it could have been happenstance that I just caught that expression at that moment.  However, it also has a look of serenity.  As if he that picture at that moment was meant to be taken to preserve his last photographed moment in time. 

Rest in peace, Teandre.

 

Movies Galore

I just realized that I've seen a handful of movies and haven't given you all any insight on my thoughts on them.  Actually too many to run off full length reviews on all of them.  Who actually reads the entire review anyway?  My dude E keeps telling me he doesn't even do it until after he's seen the movie.  If even then because he's always asking me if I've seen a movie which has my review out here.  Anyways...I thought I would just do a quick cliff notes version of the ones I've seen recently.  Just enough to tease you and you still get the grade of the flick.  So here goes...

Kevin Hart : Laugh at My Pain
The first stand-up concert movie I've seen in a while.  Very much worth it too.  Admittedly, it's not his best stand-up by far though. If you're looking for that then you definitely need to check out his special "I'm a Grown Little Man".  I'm STILL laughing about jokes from that one.  But "Laugh at My Pain" did have some real good moments.  If you are a Kevin Hart fan at all then you will be busting a gut quite a few times throughout.  If you're not, check out "Grown Little Man" first then kick yourself in the head for sleeping on him for so long.
My rating :  B

30 Minutes or Less
Almost forgot about this movie until I was at Redbox the other day looking for something else.  The main reason I wanted to see this was to see how easy it would be for Jesse Eisenberg to fall back into his typecast that helped make him famous after nailing "The Social Network".  Apparently pretty easy.  He did have a lot of help in this one.  Dude from "Community" in his first co-starring role in a feature film was decent.  Danny McBride was money as usual.  Nick Swardson about stole the show though.  This one got off to a slow start but ended up picking up. Although not quite as funny as I expected it to be with that type of cast it was still pretty good for your typical mindless comedy.
My rating: B -

The Change-Up
Yeah, I thought the same thing when I initially saw the preview for this one:  It's just yet another "Freaky Friday" type movie with different actors, right?  Well one of these actors is Jason Bateman.  The other is Ryan Reynolds.  Those two put it a cut above the rest.  Plus, it turns out they went the extreme route of making this one a raunchy comedy with a solid "R" rating.  Now add to that that it actually has a meaningful ending without trying to get overly sappy like some comedies have been doing lately.  Quite the pleasant surprise although I still wish there were more laughs.
My rating : B

Madea's Big Happy Family
I'm still trying to figure out exactly when Tyler Perry turned the corner with me.  Exactly when was it that I had reached TP overload and it was bordering on backlash?  I'm thinking it may have been the television shows.  That's probably why I was turned off on even seeing this movie for the longest.  Needless to say I was not expecting much from this at all.  A brotha was in for another pleasant surprise.  Okay..yes..he did have some of the same played storylines.  However, I was really diggin' the acting.  Especially from Old Spice dude in his first starring role.  And even the Madea moments weren't that bad.  I won't go as far as to say I'm looking forward to the next Madea movie but I'm at least willing to keep giving his movies a shot.  Now his tv shows are another thing altogether.
My rating : C+

Straw Dogs
Hollywood is really getting out of hand with the way they promote movies lately.  They were making this out to be one of the most graphically violent revenge films ever.  Not even close.  In fact, had they not pumped it up like that I probably could have appreciated it a little more.  Still, I was diggin' the slow dramatic build up they played through the entire end through to the inevitable conclusion.  I'm still not understanding how an old house was that impenetrable but okay.  I absolutely LOVED the ultimate payback that James Marsden's character hit us off with.  But even more than that was the very last scene which spoke volumes without saying a single word.
My rating : B

Hostel Part III
There are some horror movies that I will always watch their sequels no matter how inferior they may be. "Saw" and "Final Destination" fall into that category only because I'm always interested to see what type of new deaths they come up with.  "Hostel" can now be added as well because I now want to see how people keep getting duped and taken hostage for some sickos to torture them.  Who is still accepting drinks from strangers in strange places?  I suppose these people.  I wasn't totally feeling the fact that they brought it home and put the setting in Vegas.  I know crazy stuff happens there but how could a torture palace be going on and the authorities hadn't stumbled on it before now?  The story was more believable when it was happening in foreign countries.  And when they make that change for the fourth one (because you know there will be a Part IV) they need to bring the excessive gore back.  I want to see Hostel, not Bad Holiday Inn.
My rating : C -

 

Pineapples

Has it really been almost two weeks since my last post?  Here it is a new year and I'm already up to the pattern of delaying posts, huh?  Well look at it this way...I give you something to look forward to.  Now that there is longer time in between entries that means they will probably be more substantial.  I wouldn't hold your breath on that fact though.  A lot of it may probably just end up be me rambling aimlessly again.  Case in point would be the title of this post which has absolutely nothing to do with the post itself.

I was thinking that maybe I would make my entries more photo oriented this year.  Maybe give a little more insight into how XL-Images is going with various shoots and whatnot.  I had an excellent chance to kick that off with a very successful shoot I had with a beauty salon this past weekend.  However, then I ultimately decided against going that direction.  I will most likely still talk about some of the work I do with XL-Images but don't want to go overboard with it.  I can't let folks too much behind the curtain.

I did have some really great shoots that folks wouldn't have been privy to unless you are on The Book.  Plus, the compression rate out there doesn't make my photos look the best anyway.  So let me catch you up on some of my recent highlights since the last time we chatted.  Enjoy and I'll talk with you all again very soon...