2016 can really kiss my ass with the way it keeps stealing the souls of some of my favorite musicians and this past Wednesday was no different. Diabetes robbed us of one of the greats, friends, as Phife Dawg was the real deal. When those lyrics start to flow and the throwback beats come booming out of my speakers, it's impossible to mistake that sound for anything but A Tribe Called Quest. If you don't know albums like "Midnight Marauders" or "The Low End Theory" then you should think about moving out from under the rock you've been living under... Continue reading

Feisty on a Friday and raring to go, I’m shaking things up a bit and instead of mourning the de-civilization of our culture, we are embracing it- fast, loud and out of control here at the Casa of Burning Love. I’m knee deep in rockabilly tunes and I haven’t wanted a cigarette this badly in quite some time, and the only thing that could distract me is The King. I love how rock and roll this film is before even it knew what it was. The generation gap is obvious and glares you in the face and the counter culture... Continue reading

If you're not watching Master of None, then get thee to an internet source and get your ass on Netflix immediately. The best way to describe it is that it's like Louie for those who haven't been married, divorced and are still child-free. Aziz is endearing with his sincerity, awkward slices of reality and is both funny and sad. The themes are relevant and the content is solidly backed with storylines that only illuminate how out of touch so many network shows are. Not even half way into its first season, they cover everything from plan b pills to racism... Continue reading

The horror (or dream, if we're honest and stuck in traffic) scenario of being stranded on a desert island with only five movies to watch continues. The Dame ended up there after being chased offshore by Johnny Depp's wife: The Princess Bride– If you’re going to be stuck with just five films on an island, then it’s downright mandatory to have at least one film written by William Goldman in the mix. Go ahead and try to find a single thing negative to say about it. Save for the time passed since it was released, it doesn’t feel dated or... Continue reading

While most of the Casa is chilled to the bone due to a certain Madame's paleness and the physics theorem that the Countess and Baroness have both proven with the clever use of some dry erase markers and a couple of Cabana Boys, I've resigned myself to the patio basking in the heat of the outdoors. What stirs a certain peace in myself causes hysteria in others, which is fascinating to me, much like one of my favorite films that is an adaptation of a novel by one of my most revered authors, starring two actors who were at one... Continue reading

What's your favorite instrument, readers? Sure, the drums, maracas, and trumpets all get the head nod, but the most underrated of 'em all - barely considered an instrument by most- the turntable is treated like the artist formerly known as the planet Pluto within the music world. Shame on us. Though created strictly as equipment, somewhere in a shitty apartment in NY in the late '70s someone decided it wasn't and we've never been the same since. No longer the bastard stepchild to the MC, our DJs are as beloved as the music they fade in and out of our... Continue reading

Do you ever hear a piece of classical music in the background somewhere and catch yourself humming along without realizing you know the tune? More likely than not, your next thought is probably a vague recollection of a Saturday morning cartoon and then you’re stuck in some weird nostalgic wormhole that even Neil deGrasse Tyson can’t get you out of. You can pretty much thank all of the studio animators and directors in the 1950s Golden Age of Animation for most of it. Most of the ones that come to mind are due in part to the fine folks behind... Continue reading

I know you thought I was going to be all pro-Hollywood today because one of my favorite comedians is starring in her first film that hits theaters this weekend, because yay girl power. However, as most of us in the real world know, the sweet never comes without a bit of salt, too. Why is it that when we finally get a film with an honest, funny, sexual female character it has to be within the framework that the outdated Hollywood agenda dictates? The obvious face-to-punch in this case would be ol’ Uncle Judd and his heavy-handed conservative wash on... Continue reading

Forget Hot Pursuit. Watch Feds instead. If Hollywood wants to keep perpetuating shitty female stereotypes, then we need to combat that shit. Even if the ammunition is from 1988. Even the damn trailer is better. Deep sigh. Hollywood really should get out more, Dame Derision Continue reading

Lest ye forget, those in high places have still eaten the low-hanging fruit at one point in their careers or another. Though he didn't direct this fine slice of classic '70s cinema, and despite being one of my favorite Clint Eastwood performances, that orangutan steals the show every time. Bonus points for Ruth Gordon, always, Dame Derision Continue reading

Number 1: "Hero" by Chad Kroeger This is the dude from that crap band Nickelback, number two in sheer douchery only to that Scott guy and his shittier band Creed. I don’t even know where to begin I have so many questions. The hair on the faces or the hair on the heads of these tools with guitars that whine and call themselves rock stars? Are these guys still playing Dungeons & Dragons on Saturday nights? Or is this what happened to Jay & Silent Bob when they stopped being funny? The lyrics are confusing and I’m distracted by the... Continue reading

Number 7: "I Had the Time of My Life" by Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes When taking on a period piece film, it can be confining because perhaps there’s a certain song or phrase that would be perfect to use but just can’t because it doesn’t sound right. It can be done if you do it consistently, say the way they did for A Knight’s Tale for example, not that I necessarily agree with that choice, but at least they stuck with it throughout its entirety. The point is that you can’t cherry pick and that’s exactly what happened with... Continue reading

Why anyone would want to go to the movies this weekend instead of having a House of Cards new season marathon session from the comforts of home is beyond me. It's dark, moody, smart and best of all Kevin Spacey devours the role in the most delightful way. His deadpan is as killer as his character and it's what makes him all the more the lovable anti-hero, which as we know I am such a sucker for. I have an affection for the man's acting talents so it seems natural to parlay that into two days of immersing myself in... Continue reading

After yesterday's announcement, you should've known that we'd be in 007 teaser heaven (or to be more precise, anticipatory hell until it's made) in light of the next installment of everyone's favorite spy, so of course I've got Bond on the brain. One of my favorite things about this particular franchise is that the opening sequence never fails to disappoint. Some critics say that starting with a big action sequence where the threat of Bond's death is absent has no suspense, but this is irrelevant because let's be honest, we know he won't die anyway, whether it's at the beginning... Continue reading

I should've known that it wouldn't be long before I'd be writing about another living great who has left us suddenly; I just had no idea it would be the man who happened to direct some of the most truly touching, compelling and humane films in American cinema (several of which happen to be in my all-time faves personal archives). When I was a bright-eyed film student many moons ago, I aspired to make films along this line and his were ones I found to be an inspiration towards that dream. As you well know, The Graduate is a film... Continue reading

This may end up being blasphemous to say aloud, but I have no shame nor guilt that I have absolutely zero desire to see Interstellar, despite any and all hype or acclaim its gotten (and it has barely even hit any screens in your local theaters yet). If I want to watch a Christopher Nolan movie, I'd watch The Dark Knight or Memento. Matthew has flooded the market with himself (again) and even though she's not in the trailers, I just know that Anne Hathaway is singing and congratulating herself all over space somewhere. That is not a torture I... Continue reading

The other day I just happened to be flipping around TV and came across a back-to-back showing of the Kill Bill series and it reminded me of how much I can still truly enjoy being an audience member of the film factory. Besides the fact that it’s a post-modernist’s dream to pick out all of the pop cultural references, trying to catch all of the cameos that it’s chock-full of all the while being visually stimulated and enjoying the witty banter that is so classic Quentin. It is actually the secondary thoughts that come with watching these two particular films... Continue reading

"Forever In Blue Jeans" with Dame Derision One never truly knows where our tastes necessarily derive from naturally. Some music preferences we have come from our parents' tastes while others may be inspired by something you heard in a movie or even in a commercial. As you're well aware, we here at the Taj MaMock have a wide array of tastes and opinions on such tastes, but we also understand that sometimes there are songs that just speak to your inner DJ and putting it on repeat for ten listens is still not enough. Yeah, we get that. "Cracklin' Rosie"... Continue reading

Number One: "Boyz In The Hood" by Dynamite Hack The only legitimately postive thing I can say for this music "artist" is that "Dynamite Hack" is a slang term for weed used in the film Caddyshack*. That is all I can muster. It's all downhill from here, much like humanity if we keep letting nuggets of shit like this persist. If you google "boyz in the hood" the first thing that pops up is not the original by the late, great Eazy-E, but this: It's been almost twenty years since Eazy died (R.I.P.) and as I cruise down the street... Continue reading

It's that time of the week again and I'm not gonna lie, I am not thrilled about it because that means I have to think about Russell Crowe and that is never a good thing. Did you know that he, too, thinks he's a musician? WHY?????? Cap off those flasks and start swigging, because I can't do this sober. I love how yet again, The Madame snags the week with the Muppets but I get fucking Ah-Nold. What kind of fuckery is this? There will be hell to pay tonight! (Read: No vodka for Madame Taunt). Oh Hell No: Sabotage... Continue reading

Check your calendars, fuckers, because it's Friday and you know what that means...the day of days, the one you look forward to every week, the one that brings you the best of what the Internet has to give, the Mockingbird Movie Guide. While everyone else complained and berated the time change, The Dame here looks forward to that extra hour of sunshine because that means that ol' Man Winter has moved the fuck on and Mother Summer is not far from the horizon. Rejoice, the Ides of March have passed, so bring on the Spring. And the best way to... Continue reading

Number 12: "When A Man Loves A Woman" by Michael Bolton Of course, this comes as no great shock. One might even argue that this song is a given in the long history of Crimes Against Humanity; in fact it could very well be one of the very songs that inspired this list to begin with. It would be a crime to not include it nonetheless. And so it goes, Michael Bolton is a cornerstone in the very foundations of why this blog was even created. His cover of this particular soulful classic of the '60s is living proof of... Continue reading

Number 20: "Baby I Love Your Way" by Big Mountain The funny thing is, I don’t even particularly care for the original version, but the cover makes it so unappealing that it begs to make the list. As much as I love the 1994 film Reality Bites it is because of this movie that Big Mountain’s cover of “Baby I Love Your Way” was even forced upon us. First off, there are probably about a handful of white people who have been able to pull of dread locks without it looking silly. The lead singer of Big Mountain is not... Continue reading

Another week, another round of sadness being served up, readers. And I’m not talking about what’s being released in the theaters. I don't think it's valid to waste time telling you to skip Liam Neeson pretending to be Harrison Ford nor do I even need to mention whatever this is. What is more important here, what I’m talking about has to do with a critical loss to our pop culture and Hollywood. I’m sorry to be the harbinger of bad news yet again but it is important to acknowledge and pay proper respects to a man who is so important... Continue reading

Why don't I get the weekend with Mr. Clooney's movie, or even better, the Lego Movie?!? Instead, I have to continue to fight the good fight and forewarn you of ghastly cinema experiences and failed attempts at cinematic greatness (uh, mediocrity if we're lucky). This weekend proves to be no exception. Why, God, Why?: Labor Day Are we being punished? Two great actors and this is what they choose to take the next step in their careers? Confusion abounds as to why either would agree to this. Did they lose a poker bet? Did they just want an excuse to... Continue reading