DonKing Kong

Ever wonder what a hybrid of King Kong, Donkey Kong, and Don King would look like? Well rest easy, world, because I have found the answer:

You're welcome.

The Egret of Regret

The Egret of Regret

The Egret of Regret

This is the alternate version to yesterday's comic.

The Egret of Regret

Movies: Inception

This movie was smart, suspenseful, and intensely creative. It also had a dynamite cast. This is my pick for best movie of the year. Go see it.

Spirit Animals

The Egret of Regret

The Egret of Regret

The Wednesday/Sunday postings of The Egret of Regret have been so much fun this month. The dates have been 7/4/10, 7/7/10/, 7/11/10, 7/14/10. Lucky sevens! 7-11! Ah, numbers make me so happy in such simple and meaningless ways

The Egret of Regret

Movies: Despicable Me

I had hopes for this movie going into the theater. The concept? Good. The design? Great. The execution? Eh, so-so. This movie, by definition an animated kids movie, had trouble navigating the kid-friendly, adult-entertaining divide. Films by rivals Dreamworks and Pixar often have little trouble balancing the comedic with the dramatic, offering movies that appeal to children and adults simultaneously. Despicable Me, however, falls a bit short.

The story follows Gru (voiced perfectly by Steve Carrel), a supervillain looking to pull off the greatest crime of all time. His plans quickly go askew however, when he becomes the guardian of three orphan girls. Russian supervillain meets three feisty kids. Shenanigans ensue.

The film floats along buoyed by the charm and likeability of the three orphan girls; Margo, Edith, and Agnes. However, despite a couple of cutesy, warm & fuzzy moments, this film lacks a lot of real feeling.

Pacing and development are lacking in this movie, so that the dramatic moments and emotional turning points really lack the pathos to create a moving experience. It doesn't help that this isn't the funniest movie ever. The humor relies mostly on physical comedy, much of which was already seen in the film's numerous promo trailers. Gru's pint-sized, jibberish-speaking minions, when not on the receiving end of slapstick violence, tend to be slightly annoying.

However, there are a few good laughs and, overall, the viewer is left satisfied by the movie if not completely filled. The animation in this film is a definite treat for the eyes. Also, Steve Carell and Russel Brand prove themselves to be excellent voice actors. Throughout the entire movie I didn't even know which character was voiced by Brand.

The Egret of Regret

Fighting Fire With Fire

This comic was inspired by true story.

Happy Independence Day!

The Egret of Regret

Album Review: "How I Got Over" by The Roots

Despite their success in nighttime television, The Roots haven't lost their edge. They're still sharp, delivering a mature album that deals with despair and how it. If you felt, like me, that the first half of the album was hard to get through, it's because the album is divided into halves. The first half is steeped in melancholy and introspection whereas the second half is all about self-improvement and empowerment.

The album starts off slow with A Peace of Light, an instrumental featuring a capella vocals by members of The Dirty Projectors. Walk Alone follows next, saddled by a heavy, uninspired piano part and a chorus that sounds's like The River of Dreams by Billy Joel. Finally, the album gets a pulse with Dear God 2.0, which couples harps with tender vocals provided by the Monsters of Folk.

We don't get the familiar smooth Roots sound until Now or Never and How I Got Over, which together serve as the emotional tipping point on the album. Now or Never illustrates the decision to stand up and make a change in order to get your shit together. How I Got Over is easily the catchiest track on the album. Black Thought and Dice Raw both give strong singing performances as Black Thought raps about life in the streets and importance of lending a helping hand.

The rest of the album continues the upbeat trend set by the last two tracks. The Day is a sunny call to action and Right On combines a catchy drum break with Joanna Newsom's quirky vocal stylings. Black Thought proceeds to lay his cards out on the table with the help of John Legend on, Doin' It Again and The Fire, returning to his hard-hitting form, confidence restored.

Overall, How I Got Over is a streamlined, focus work. This album has a solid concept, taking a journey from the depths of despair to the heights of empowerment. While it may be hard to get into at first, multiple playthroughs should prove rewarding.

Check it out.