Sunday, January 11, 2015

My top Movies of the Year 2014

       
Okay here it is with much pain and agony I present my top ten movies of 2014. I do this because I feel movie dates are still the best type of dates to go on.  That said 2014 by volume may have been the best year for movie dates because there were just so many good movies to see.  On my list I have my top 10 but my honorable mentions are just as good as my top ten.   However, there were a lot of good movies 2014 didn’t many GREAT movies.  Many my top 4 are great but that is a low great.  And my 5-10 where low okay.  2014 had more repeated brands than I ever remembering one year having.  There were remakes and sequels hardly any room for an original film story.  Don’t get me wrong remakes and sequels can be great films.  I think of the Fugitive as a great remake or the Rise of the Planet of the Apes, which followed a bad remake.  I think the Lords of the Rings was an excellent series.  Each of the sequels was just as good as the original.  I think the Terminator had good sequels.  So, I’m not knocking a movie because it’s a sequel or a remake.  I do feel that sequels and remakes have to have their own stories and fresh ideas.  I think that’s why some of 2014’s remakes and sequels didn’t hit the ball out of the park.  That said it does look like it’s a trend because 2015 has almost as many remakes and reboots of successful brands as 2014 did.  That’s starting with the reboot of Star Wars.  Anyway, here is my list with some explanation.

1.                  Dawn of the Planet of the Apes.  Good almost great movie.  I love this new rebooted angle.  The only part that dragged a little was the fight scene at the end.  I hope they continue the series.
2.                  The Equalizer.  I had to give Denzel this spot.  He had been crushing movies since Training Day.  This movie he goes back to his Man on Fire roots.  I hope that do a sequel.
3.                  The Edge of Tomorrow.  I never liked Tom Cruise in a movie before but seeing him get his butt beat and killed over and over again was fun.  I love the story.  The ending was medium but didn’t ruin it.
4.                  Guardians of the Galaxy.  Marvel had to go here.  So many super heroes are not from Earth that this allows them to include them.  Sure it’s all about Earth but now we get to see another take on a populated Universe besides Star Wars version.
5.                  Interstellar.  This is many people’s number one movie but to me it was to focused on the scientific fantasy of the story and not the entertainment aspect.  I don’t think having a few monsters or alien life forms would have messed up the science.  But so what if it did save the true scientific discussion for the documentary.  Writers are liars anyway so find a way to make it happen.
6.                  The Hunger Games Mocking Jay PT 1.  I like Katness so much that I can tolerate all of the extra loves elements added to the story. I love the additions to expand the sci-fi of the story.  I think it is what Hunger Games was meant to be.
7.                  X-Men Days of Future Past.  Well, I ain’t going to lie it took me a minute to get over the shape shifting sentinels I was able to enjoy the film.  I was disappointed that the story didn’t focus on the X Men battling the Sentinels.  However, I enjoyed seeing Biship on the big screen.  
8.                  The Hobbit the Battle of the Five Armies.  Now, this film sums up what was missing in the films of 2014.  How I explained this movies’s short comings is image a boxing match with a Dragon and when you go to the fight the Dragon goes down in the first round.
9.                  The Maze Runner.  I enjoyed this film.  I took a lot from The Lord of the Rings and while I don’t agree with the concept of man’s savage nature the question of how will human children behave if left to construct their own society is a interesting question.  I also liked how they answered the question in this story.  
10.              The Giver.  This was the first book to have children killings.  This was the book that influenced the Hunger Games and Maze Runner.  It wasn’t as action packed but it also didn’t have big boring love element.
Honorable mentions.  These are all films that are just as good as the films 5-10 but the part that messed them up was a little bigger or more prominent.  I will just list what messed up the film for me.
1.                  Sin City, A Dame to Kill for.  Nothing really stood out but the was less smart or diverse plot wise.  The first Sin City had many different stories but this one just had one.  Really I don’t know what this story missed I just didn’t think it was great.  Maybe I have to see it again which I will.
2.                  RoboCop. New and fresh reboot but less racial diverse and the story was the same.  They should have stole from all of the headlines about Police and civilian relations and wrote a new RoboCop story like JJ Abrams did with Star Trek and they did with Planet of the Apes.
3.                  Purge 2.  This is the only movie on this list which I didn’t see in the theater.  I enjoyed this sequel better than I did the first part.
4.                  Dracula Untold. The special effects were great but the story wasn’t fresh enough.  Underworld changed the game.  This was a low budget story.  It needed more fighting and more story.  Something.  But good none the less.  I don’t even think I liked the ending.  The reboot of the Wolfman was better.
5.                  300 Rise of an Empire.  Again you go to see a Mike Tyson fight and when you get there he’s not there.  I wanted to see King Xerxes get his big ass fight on but no it’s a story about a crazy woman.  Not bad but I can count the films I liked where the main character was somebody I wasn’t supposed to like.
6.                  Tyler Perry Single Mom’s Club.  Hot film.  No complaints.  The only problems is that it’s a comedy and comedies have to be Rush Hour to contend with Sci-fi for me.
7.                  Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Good reboot got me interested in a story I don’t like.  This time the turtles didn’t seem like white boys acting like black kids as much.  Maybe because white kids act cooler now and the contrast isn’t as big as it was before.
8.                  Pompeii.  For a movie were everyone knew what was going to happen it did a good job of writing a background story.  The ending was a little weak also.
9.                  Captain America Winter Soldier.  Man there’s no way if you would have told me this movie would not have made my top ten in 2013 I would have not believed you.  However it didn’t make my top ten.  I only became a fan of Captain America after his 2011 movie.  Now the magic has worn off maybe.  Or maybe it was just the weak story.  No matter what this movie was medium.
10.              Godzilla.  This is another movie that could have been so much more.  I should have put it in my top ten just because it was so much better than the 1998 remake.  I felt jept because again I wanted to Godzilla fight more.  But what could I complain ALL of the old Godzilla movies are told the same way.  I think that Pacific Rim was a game changer for all of these large monster films. 
11.              Transformers Age of Extinction.  I have never put a Transformer film in my top ten but this came the closest.   I think Mark Wahlberg was the big factor.  I also think that it wasn’t too slap stick.  Who knows I doubt I will ever watch it again.


Horrible I only feel two movies got me for my money last year.  These two movies missed there trailers mark.
I Frankenstein.  I don’t know what happened to my man Kevin Greviox but this was far from Underworld.  It was like a bad knock off of Underworld.
Divergent.  This was bad all the way around.  I was a bad book and a even worse movie.  I thought they would allow the film production process to work out all of the correctable parts.

What’s or the forefront. 2015 looks to be another good year of film.  I’m looking forward to bunch of films.   Road Warrior, Star Wars, Avengers Age of Ultron and Jurassic Park 

As always I include my wife’s top ten and my son’s.
My wife
1.      The Equalizer
2.      Guardians of the Galaxy
3.      The Giver
4.      Maze Runner
5.      The Hobbit Desolation of Smoug
6.      Planet of the Apes
7.      Captain America Winter Soldier
8.      Malificent
9.      Pampeii
10.  X Men Days of Future Past.
My son
1.      Interstellar
2.      Guardians of the Galaxy
3.      The Giver
4.      X Men Days of Future Past
5.      Maze Runner
6.      The Hunger Games Mocking Jay PT 1
7.      RoboCop
8.      Dawn of Planet of the Apes
9.      Purge 2
10.  Ninja Turtles

Saturday, August 30, 2014

Shatterpoint was Shattered Dreams.


Book review by Jeff Carroll ATTENTION Spoiler Alert.

Shatterpoint was supposed to be the highlight of my year of reading Star Wars books but it wasn't.  I remember when I saw a book about Mace Windu I was very excited because he was a top Jedi and second black guy I saw in the Star Wars universe.  So when I picked up the book I expected to learn about his history and meet other Black people in Star Wars.  Unfortunately, the story was boring.  It was heavy with detail and military strategy.  I know he is a Jedi and it is the Star wars Universe I just wanted it to have a personal feel.  This story was all fighting and little background.  400 hundred pages and three books in one and I still don't know much about Mace.  Who were his parents? How did he become a Jedi?  In the story he was like a robot, only siting rules and regulations.
                Shatterpoint even disappointed me as a Black man.  Okay let me explain.  Mace Windu is the baddest black man in Star Wars.  Not that there were a lot of Black people to begin with.  Mace Windu and Lando Calrissian that’s it for Black people in the Star Wars Universe.  There are more Black people in the expanded universe but there are only two which have made it to the big screen and that’s what matters.  In Shatterpoint the story was set in Mace’s home planet and go figure it’s a jungle planet.  Okay, that’s not racist because there are other jungle planets in the Star Wars universe but it didn't feel real creative having it be a planet of black people. Next, Mace Windu is revered as the best lightsaber swordsman of his time and in his first stand allow story he loses his two fights.  You can image how let down I felt.  I’m not going to tell you about who he fights because it doesn't matter because I've read other Star Wars books and the heroes win and loose.  Mace on the other hand lost his first one on one fight.  He lost so bad the villain spared him.  Mace was sitting there like a punk.  Then in his second fight he got his ass handed to him again.  The only reason why he didn't get killed is because some regular person saved him.  Not even another Jedi, a regular human.  How corny is that? Mace is the Jedi who beat Jango Fett and could beat Count Dooku.  Hell he beat the Dark Lord of the Sith in quick time.  That’s like Wolvervine almost killed and being saved by some kid off the street in a Wolvervine movie.
                This book had to be written by someone who wasn’t a big fan of Mace Windu or the Star Wars universe curators wanted to back track on creating such a powerful character. In 2013 I decided to only read Star Wars books.  I read The Lost Tribe of the Sith (1 star),   Lando Calrissian and the Mindharp of Sharu (4 Stars), Death Troopers (3 Stars), The Force Unleashed (5 Stars), The Paradise Snare, a Han Solo story (4 Stars), Imperial Commando: 501st (2 Stars) and Shatterpoint (2 Stars). 
                Star Wars is my favorite universe and I love the expanded universe I hope they continue to conform to the diversity of the changing world.  I recommend watching the last 3 seasons of the Clone Wars as well as the new season coming this fall, Rebels.  All of the books I gave 4 or more stars are books I recommend. Don’t take my word for the final word, I like action stories with not so much strategic description.  Many of the Star Wars books seem to be written by Star Wars scholars rather than fun loving fans.  Maybe Star Wars needs to ease back on the precision and let writers have fun.  The books were more like military Sci-fi than fun action children friendly type stories.  So, by all means please read and make up your own opinion. I plan on reading The Force Unleashed Two and some more Han Solo stories. I even plan on writing a fan Mace Windu story. Enjoy Please enjoy reading Star Wars books I just hope Shatterpoint doesn't shatter your dreams.  

Wednesday, August 6, 2014

Jeff Carroll releases his scariest most horrifying tale It Happened on Negro Mountain.

Florida July 2014 Black Bed Sheet Publishing announces the release of the streetlit horror story It Happened on Negro Mountain by Jeff Carroll.  It Happened on Negro Mountain is a real place located in Maryland. It Happened on Negro Mountain is available everywhere books are sold.

Negro Mountain is located in west Maryland, on the West Virginia boarder, which divided the Colonial North and South most popularly known as the Mason Dixon Line.  The Mountain was named “Negro” because of a heroic Africa Slave who single handedly fought off the Confederate Army soldiers and Native Americans.  Now, Negro Mountain is said to be protected by the spirit of the African.  The saying is Negro Mountain is a place where bad things happen to bad people.  So, when negative energy meets with the energy resting in Negro Mountain the outcome is always the same, The Mountain wins.

“After having success with my first horror story Thug Angel Rebirth of a Gargoyle I wanted to craft another story where I could send chills down the spins of the hardest street thug. No one has ever met a vampire and werewolf but Negro Mountain is real, you can visit it and that makes it ever more scary,” said Jeff Carroll of his work.

It Happened on Negro Mountain (Black Bed Sheet Publishing Paperback, July 25, 2014, ISBN: 978-0692255650-7$16.00 and $3.99 ebook) set to change the face of Streetlit and Horror with author Jeff Carroll. Jeff Carroll a lover of good old fashion horror stories with a creepy origins and not lots of special effects.  He found Negro Mountain while road managing a trip to West Virginia.  After seeing the highway sign for Negro Mountain he and his partner quickly jumped out of their cars and took picture.  Jeff came home a google Negro Mountain and the rest is history.

It Happened on Negro Mountain is a story about a Drug Dealer who has been forced out of his empire.  Rather than just submitting he decides to destroy his empire instead of agreeing to the demands of the younger drug dealers whom he started off.  His plans to leave his neighborhood turf with his babymother and seven year old daughter for a year.  This will allow chaos to erupt and let the young dealers kill each other before he returns to reclaim his post.  The place he chooses to hide out is NEGRO MOUNTAIN.

Jeff Carroll lives in South Florida, with his wife and son.  He is a writer, a filmmaker and owner of Hip Hop Comix N Flix.  He enjoys writing Sci/fi, Horror and fantasy stories with lots of action and a social edge.  He has written and produced 2 films, his second film was Gold Digger Killer won 3 film awards including BEST Picture at the International Hip Hop film festival. Jeff Carroll is the author of the non-fiction book The Hip Hop Dating Guide.  When he is not writing horror stories he enjoys speaking on Healthy Dating to college and high school students everywhere and goes by Yo Jeff.


http://www.amazon.com/Happened-Negro-Mountain-Jeff-Carroll-ebook/dp/B00LWXBDRI

Thursday, July 17, 2014

Yo Jeff shares fun group exercises in the Hip Hop Dating Activities book.

PRESS RELEASE
FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT:
954-441-4457

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Florida, 2014 The Dibble Institute announces the release of The Hip Hop Dating Guide Activities book.  The Hip Hop Dating Guide Activities book is available to everyone for only $34.00.

The Hip Hop Dating Guide Activity Book is the “street-smart” approach to healthy dating for young adults. The Hip Hop Dating Guide Activity Book contains 15 fresh and engaging activities that resonate with today's youth. It teaches practical dating strategies to young adults, especially those who identify with the “street scene” - a sub-culture whose influence is powerful, but whose rules are fluid and unproven. It is for ages 14-24.  

The Hip Hop Dating Guide is the product of more than 25 years of research and firsthand experiences. Like most people, Yo Jeff has been speaking on male and female relations since he was in high school. This book presents solutions to some of the most irritating problems. This book follows his breadcrumb trail to the happily ever after. It covers how to meet people and how to maximize your dating process. It shows you how to deal with the “dating predators” who seek to break hearts and spread disease. You will learn how to maximize your personal dating process and get the most from your dating experience.

The Dibble Institute is a non-profit company which promotes relationship training for youth—especially in the context of dating and romantic connections.  The goal of the Dibble Institute is to help youth build a foundation for healthy romantic relationships now, and for lasting, positive family environments in the future.  Dibble offers Developing research-based teaching materials for schools and other youth settings, Educating opinion leaders and policy makers on the need for and value of relationship education and Training for teachers and youth instructors.  Dibble has received extensive professional recognition for our efforts in youth relationship education. Their teaching materials are used nationwide in classrooms, social agencies, community groups, and other youth settings.  http://www.dibbleinstitute.org

Yo Jeff Carroll is an author, filmmaker and Hip Hop 1st Dating coach.  Yo Jeff uses healthy dating ideas and combines them with the fun and lively subculture of Hip Hop to show people how to address STDs, and Drama.  He lives with his wife and son in South Florida.  He is a contributor to Real Health magazine.  Yo Jeff has written for Swerv magazine America’s leader in Black LGBT health issues as well as College magazines and newspapers nationwide.  He wrote and produced the award-winning movie Gold Digger Killer and in 2005 his Hip Hop Dating Codes were endorsed by Hip Hop Culturalist KRS-ONE.  His workshop Stop the GAME is enjoyed by college students and people everywhere.  He has been a guest on NBC 6 Miami, New York’s Hot 97 and Air America with respected Hip Hop intellectual Chuck D. For more information visit his weekly blog at http://blogs.realhealthmag.com

To view him in action goto  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_22asKR-3-Y


Wednesday, July 24, 2013

The South Florida Book Festival gets CLAWS as Jeff Carroll sets to kick off the release of THUG ANGEL Rebirth of a Gargoyle!

Florida on Friday, July 26 and Saturday, July 27, 2013 Jeff Carroll announces the kickoff of his promotion for his streetlit vampire and werewolf storyThe South Florida Book Festival is hosted by the African-American Research Library and Cultural Center(AARLCC), located at 2650 Sistrunk Blvd., Fort Lauderdale, FL 33311.

The South Florida Book Festival brings together an array of African-American authors, and a couple of basketball players (Earl the Pearl and Miami Heat star Tim Hardaway) for a weekend of panels, discussions and family-oriented events.

Thug Angel Rebirth of a gargoyle is a science fiction, horror story set in the same streets walked by drug dealers and fast women. Published through his company Hip Hop Comix N Flix Thug Angel Rebirth of a gargoyle is available at selective stores across the country.

Amidst the darkest demons there are heroes/forces/beings, which speak the same language of violence, and terror that the demons do.  These are the guardians who protect us.  We call them angels but to the vampires and werewolves they are called thugs.

THUG ANGEL Rebirth of a gargoyle (Hip Hop Comix N Flix Publishing Paperback, June 19, 2013, ISBN: 978-0-9820087-3-7$15.00) set to change the face of Streetlit and Black Scifi by author Jeff Carroll. Jeff Carroll a lover of Scifi films and action stories sought to bring his two loves together in his second novel.  It was when he novelized his award winning movie Gold Digger Killer and it was classified as a streetlit story he then realized the lack of diversity in the streetlit genre.  The goal he set for himself was to write a story in a universe like the movie Underworld with the energy of the movie Training Day.  By accomplishing this mixture he hopes to bring the two worlds of streetlit and Scifi together.

Look for my table and pick up an autographed copy of my book.


Tuesday, June 25, 2013

THUG ANGEL, Rebirth of a gargoyle set to change the face of Streetlit and Black Scifi with its new approach to werewolves and vampires!

Florida June 2013 Jeff Carroll announces the release of the streetlit vampire and werewolf story Thug Angel Rebirth of a gargoyle.  Thug Angel is a science fiction, horror story set in the same streets walked by drug dealers and fast women. Published through his company Hip Hop Comix N Flix Thug Angel Rebirth of a gargoyle will be available everywhere in the fall of 2012.

Amidst the darkest demons there are heroes/forces/beings, which speak the same language of violence, and terror that the demons do.  These are the guardians who protect us.  We call them angels but to the vampires and werewolves they are just other thugs.

THUG ANGEL Rebirth of a gargoyle (Hip Hop Comix N Flix Publishing Paperback, June 19, 2013, ISBN: 978-0-9820087-3-7$15.00) set to change the face of Streetlit and Black Scifi by author Jeff Carroll. Jeff Carroll a lover of Scifi films and action stories sort to bring his two loves together in his second novel.  It was when he novelized his award winning movie Gold Digger Killer and it was classified as a streetlit story he then realized the lack of diversity in the streetlit genre.  The goal he set for himself was to write a story in a universe like the movie Underworld with the energy of the movie Training Day.  By accomplishing this mixture he hopes to bring the two worlds of streetlit and Scifi together.


Thug Angel Rebirth of a gargoyle tells the story of Maurice Keita a thousand year old gargoyle who is peacefully raising his daughter but when werewolves attempt to stake claim to his turf they find out he is the wrong immortal to mess with. Since becoming a father sitting in the shadows perched on the top of a buildings just couldn’t do it for him anymore.  Gargoyles have been protecting human souls since long before the pyramids were built.  Their battles have been fought in underworld environments where humans are not aware of.  Maurice could contain his battles to shadows of humans when he was just protecting random people but when his daughter gets mixed up with a gang of vampire his fury will not be limited. For years vampires only fought hunters wielding wooden stakes and werewolves fought off silver bullets now they will have to fight someone who will go full out gangster on them.  A gargoyle who is tough enough to match their evil.  Someone who will kill their human helpers just to get to them.  Another immortal who is not scared of them, a Thug Angel.  The devil has a new enemy and it is Maurice Keita!

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