What's Poppin': Movie Trilogies

It's been a while since I wrote a feature for my "What's Poppin'" column. The last couple of months have been somewhat hectic to say the least -- I finally graduated from law and grad school (Rant: I left school with a student loan debt that totals nearly $200 grand. If you are thinking about going back to school, please feel free to contact me. I may not talk you out of it, but I will definitely give you information admission boards, employers, and loan companies conveniently leave out), moved to Dallas, was best man at one of my closest friend's wedding, and found a job.

Fortunately for the movie studios in Hollywood, all of that didn't deter me from going out to the theaters. In fact, I watched The Dark Knight Rises (TDKR) at a 5AM showing on the Saturday morning of opening weekend. It ruined my sleep schedule and made me completely worthless for a few days, but it was definitely worth it.

(I watched the movie a total of three times in the first week, but let's not get into that.)

As many of you may/should already know, TDKR is the last installment of Christopher Nolan's brilliant remake of the Batman story. In my opinion, the aforementioned set of three movies will go down in history as our generation's defining cinematic trilogy -- similar to what Star Wars was for our parents' era.

So to further elaborate on the ever-popular idea of creating and watching movie trilogies, I've narrowed my list down to its most basic and true forms. For those who may not know me well, I was born in the mid 80s, so these movie titles are directly correlated to that specific time frame.

My Personal Top 5 Trilogies

1. Batman Begins, The Dark Knight, The Dark Knight Rises

In my opinion, each movie was so good individually that they may be even somewhat underrated as stand-alone films. Batman Begins is often overlooked because of the late Heath Ledger's Joker in part II, but it was the perfect opening chapter to the series. It had the right blend of character development and action and could be my favorite out of the three. The Dark Knight, 'nuff said. Ledger's performance has to go down as the best antagonist of all time -- just imagine if he played Lord Voldermort in Harry Potter. At the outset, TDKR was destined to not be good enough in people's eyes. I think when we all look back at Nolan's Batman movies, we're going to appreciate the brilliance that is Bane and *spoiler alert* Robin in the last movie. You know you are the GOAT when all people complain about is the inflection in characters' voices.

2. Toy Story 1, Toy Story 2, Toy Story 3

The first Toy Story is still my favorite animated movie ever. It catapulted this particular genre to the heights they are currently at today. It was the first feature film to be created entirely by CGI. Think about that. Also, how did Toy Story 3 not win an Academy Award for best comedy in 2010? I'm cracking up just thinking about Buzz Lightyear, the Latin lover.

3. The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, The Return of the King

Pure epicness. I realize that is not a real word, but it basically sums of the Lord of the Rings series. All three movies were aesthetically beautiful, even taking your breath away at times. To be honest, the graphics may be a little dated now, but let's remember the Fellowship of the Ring was released over a decade ago (2001)! The Return of the King finished off the series with a bang -- the battle scenes seemed to last for hours, which is exactly how I imagined them when I read the novels.

4. The Mighty Ducks, D2, D3

I've polled a bunch of my friends on the subject of movie trilogies, and for some reason, the Mighty Ducks films are always left out. How can people forget the amazingly cheesy character development that just screamed 1990s? Basically, all of the decade's corniness is lumped into this one movie franchise. You hated Gordon Bombay at first, but then you find out he's just been smothered by the game of hockey and the pressures that come with it. We instantly relate and cheer for Charlie because he represents the average Joe. Not everyone can be the most talented (Adam Banks), the most charismatic (Goldberg), the fastest (Luis Mendoza), or the strongest (Fulton Reed).

To add to all of the amazing characters, the way the plots were created simply made you want to stand up and cheer for the Ducks. People often overlook the fact that it was a co-ed team (do they even have those?), there were figure skaters who were converted into hockey players because not many people knew how to skate, there was a goalie who could catch everything with her glove, and there was the amazing Flying-V that made you quack in anticipation. Wow.

5. Infernal Affairs I, Infernal Affairs II, Infernal Affairs: End Inferno 3

I still don't understand the name change. Why wasn't the third movie just Infernal Affairs III? Anyways, if you are a fan of The Departed, then please watch the IA series. The Departed is essentially a copycat of Infernal Affairs, which is incredible in every way.

Honorable Mention: The Man With No Name trilogy (A Fistful of Dollars, For a Few Dollars More, The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly) and the Back to the Future trilogy.

I would have included the Terminator triology, but they just HAD to make a fourth one, which of course was downright horrible (sorry, Christian Bale). Just Terminator 2 alone would have vaulted the would-be trilogy into legendary status. What a waste.

And on the other side of the spectrum, if Hollywood had the audacity to ruin not only the Terminator trilogy, but the Indiana Jones one as well, why can't they find a way to make a third Bad Boys?! Will Smith and Martin Lawrence -- let's not wait until you guys are 50. And no, I do not want to watch a Bad Boys starring Will Smith's son (it's going to happen). While we're on the subject, I'm still waiting for a third installment of Shanghai Noon and Shanghai Knights.

What Could Have Been

- The Matrix, The Matrix Reloaded, The Matrix Revolutions

When The Matrix first came out in 1999, it completely revolutionized the movie industry. But the rest of the movies just never lived up to the first one. In the summer of 2000, I watched and re-watched The Matrix no less than 30 times.

Underrated

- The Silence of the Lambs, Hannibal, Red Dragon

This is coming from someone who absolutely despises scary movies. Anthony Hopkins played this role perfectly. He depicts the character as twisted, misunderstood, and just hungry. I don't know about you guys, but I can definitely relate to that.

Overrated

- Austin Powers: The International Man of Mystery, Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me, Austin Powers: Goldmember

Am I the only person that doesn't think Austin Powers is funny? Mike Meyers was awesome in Wayne's World and Shrek, but I think it was just too much in Austin Powers. I realize that's what they were going for, but I liken Mike Meyers to someone like Will Ferrell. Hilarious, but not good enough to carry a movie by himself.

Don't Waste Your Time With These

1. The Phantom Menace, Attack of the Clones, Revenge of the Sith

Maybe the expectations were too high, but you CANNOT screw up Star Wars!

Jar Jar Binks, really?!

2. Big Momma's House, Big Momma's House 2, Big Momma: Like Father, Like Son

I love Martin Lawrence, but these movies were just plain horrible.

3. The Mummy, The Mummy Returns, The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor

Many people don't know this, but the trilogy starring Brendan Fraser is actually a remake from a six-installment series that dates from the 1930s to the 1950s. I'm pretty sure those movies are better. Attention, Mummy lovers! Hollywood is completely rebooting the franchise in 2014.

What are some of the movies I failed to mention? What are your personal favorites? Do you completely disagree with my list? Please comment in the section below and you may be featured in the next GCAST.

Photo and video content courtesy of: allmoviephoto.com, wordpress.com, matrix.wikia.com, hoopsjournal.com, tumblr.com,

Connect with Albert Nguyen!

Bio: http://www.gymclassallstars.com/p/albert-nguyen_26.html

Email: albertn@gymclassallstars.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/alnguyen84

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What's Poppin': Hip Hop and Basketball

Ever since I was kid, I have repeatedly seen instances of rappers who want to be in the NBA and players in the NBA who want to be rappers. But why? Is it the entertainment aspect? Is it because both professions are built around the art of performing? Is it an issue of race? Is it due to the fact that many of these individuals come from poor backgrounds?

What about the era before the emergence of the culture of hip hop? Back in the day, were guys like Wilt Chamberlain dreaming of playing with John Lennon and the Beatles? Did Bono ever think about putting down the mic and picking up a basketball?

I really can’t give you a concrete answer, but there is an undoubtedly interesting dichotomy between the two industries. I mean, in the real world, an accountant can’t genuinely believe he or she can just wake up one day and be a dentist -- it requires sufficient education, training, and experience.

A lot of hip hop’s growth into the mainstream can be attributed to the Michgan Fab 5. If you haven’t seen this ESPN documentary, I highly recommend it. In a nutshell, these five freshman basketball players exuded hip hop in their everyday lives -- their demeanor, their dress, their style, how they played the game of basketball, how they talked to the media, and just the way they carried themselves on and off the court. Ultimately, they were leading the charge with the next generation of kids without even knowing it. It obviously didn’t stop there, considering the fact that hip hop culture is now the new normal.

Back to the topic of rap artists thinking they can ball and ball players thinking they can flow -- throughout the years, we’ve seen so many failed attempts by both sides. Here are just a few NBA stars who thought they could go platinum:

Kenny Smith rap video (link): Kenny, there’s a reason why the guys on TNT show this video about once a year -- you’re horrible.

Tony Parker rap video (link): Tony, please don’t tell me that this was a hit in France.

Kobe Bryant rap video (link): Kobe, it’s pretty obvious why you haven’t come out with much music after this, but did you have to kill Brian McKnight’s career too?!

Thanks to the NBA All-Star weekend, we’ve been given the opportunity to see what type of skills rappers have. Guys like Nelly, Master P, Common, Pitbul, J.Cole, Bow Wow, and Chris Brown have all laced it up for our viewing pleasure, but these guys almost never play well. In fact, most of them are always leading their respective teams in double dribbles, traveling violations, and airballs. This year especially, the best player on the court by far was 47-year-old Arne Duncan, the US Secretary of Education. If you are getting dominated by the US secretary of anything, you should probably just focus on your day job.

With that being said, hip hop artists have come out with some amazing raps throughout the years when it comes to talking about the NBA. If I was allowed to, I would list my top-100 lyrics of all time, but not all of us can be Bill Simmons and write 10,000 word columns.

1. “As fate would have it, Jay’s status appears to be at an all-time high, perfect time to say good bye.
When I come back like Jordan, wearing the 4-5 -- it ain’t to play games with you, it’s to aim at you.” (Jay-Z’s “Encore” from The Black Album)

The brilliance behind these four bars are predicated on the fact that Jay-Z, at the time, was announcing his retirement from rapping. The Black Album was supposed to be his last hurrah. We all know he never really left, but that’s not the point. Not only was Jay referring to Jordan’s jersey number when he came out of retirement in 1995 (45), but he also had a play on words by turning it into a gun reference and attacking other rap artists. Whether he was condoning violence or not is unimportant -- that’s just how the hip hop music industry works -- but that he was clever enough to depict a double meaning with a number is pretty awesome.

2. “You know the best medicine go to people that’s paid. If Magic Johnson got a cure for AIDS. And all the broke motherf*ckers passed away. You telling me if my grandma was in the NBA, right now she’d be OK?” (Kanye West's "Roses" from Late Registration)

Hate him or love him, at the end of the day, you have to respect the depth of Kanye’s music. When he’s on his game, there is nobody in the business that can invoke the types of emotions he can stir up. He can make you pissed off, nod your head, question life’s meanings, or a combination of all three. In the “Roses” record, he talks about his grandmother in the hospital and how his emotions are overtaking him as he reminisces back to happier times with her. He gets frustrated about the notion of inequality in our country -- in this case our healthcare system specifically -- when it comes to the distinct differences in social classes. Obviously, he isn’t singling out the issue of race here, but alluding to something much bigger than that. Kanye, as we all know, is a complicated and eccentric individual who sometimes allows his mouth to get him into trouble. It’s great to see this side of him.

3. “Get me on the court and I’m trouble. Last week f*cked around and got a triple-double. Freaking niggas every way like MJ. I can’t believe, today was a good day.” (Ice Cube’s “It Was a Good Day” from The Predator)

If you’ve watched SportsCenter the last couple of months, you’ve probably heard the guys doing the highlights referring to this classic Ice Cube song whenever someone like Rajon Rondo gets a triple double in a game. Anyone who is a fan of hip hop music has this track on their iPod. It’s almost been 20 years since the song’s initial release, but it has remained timeless. Ice Cube does a beautiful job painting a picture of a perfect day amidst an imperfect life in South Central Los Angeles. Of course the definition of what is perfect varies from person to person, but the true greatness of this song, as seen at the end of the music video, is that perfection is fleeting.

I would love to know what hip hop songs have resonated with you throughout the years. So feel free to let me know what your favorite rap lines of all time are!

May's Haterade topic: The State of Boxing: Miguel Cotto v. Floyd Mayweather

Photo and video content courtesy of: myjet247.com, popularlamonade.com, hiphoparchive.org, and youtube.com

Connect with Albert Nguyen!

Bio: http://www.gymclassallstars.com/p/albert-nguyen_26.html

Email: albertn@gymclassallstars.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/alnguyen84

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What’s Poppin’: The Hunger Games

I would like to thank Gym Class All Stars for giving me an outlet to release my inner “hater” when it comes to all things in the sports world. Fortunately for those around me, I do enjoy certain things in life -- especially topics regarding the entertainment industry in pop culture.

This month I will focus on the much-anticipated movie, The Hunger Games, which is based on the first of three installments of the popular book trilogy written by Suzanne Collins. The movie will be released in theaters across the country on Friday, March 23rd.

Still not sure about watching the movie or not? Here are my guidelines...

Why you SHOULD watch:

• Jennifer Lawrence - She is arguably the “it” girl in Hollywood at the moment. Per the IMDb app on my iPhone (which is one of the best apps around, by the way), she was in three movies a year ago including the science fiction blockbuster, X-Men: First Class. Upon meeting her, Suzanne Collins strongly vouched for the actress, stating that Jennifer Lawrence was the "only one who truly captured the character I wrote in the book." This is a rousing endorsement coming from the author, so I’m expecting a great performance out of Lawrence. Then when you add the fact that she trained with an Olympic medalist in archery for the role of Katniss, it’s evident she took this opportunity with serious conviction. And looking forward to the rest of 2012, she will also be in Devil You Know, House at the End of the Street, and The Silver Linings Playbook. Jennifer Lawrence is well on her way to establishing herself as one of the marquee women in the business for years to come. This is our chance to follow an actress as she grows and develops into a bona fide superstar.

• Be part of history - Let’s break down the sheer numbers. When the trailer was officially introduced last November, there were 8 million views in the first 24 hours. The last Twilight movie, with all of its screaming teenage fans, had a budget of $35 million; The Hunger Games cost the studio close to $100 million to make. On February 22, a solid month before the film even opens, Fandango (the nation's leading online movie ticket seller) announced that The Hunger Games’ first-day ticket sales set a new record. There are estimates for the opening weekend to gross anywhere from $70-$100 million dollars. This is an astronomical figure for the debut installment of a movie series. By comparison, The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring opened up at $47 million (2001), Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone at $90 million (2001), Batman Begins at $48 million (2005), and Twilight at $69 million (2008). And currently, the three Hunger Games books take up the top 3 spots on the New York Times Best-sellers List. This is going to be BIG.

• The production - Suzanne Collins adapted the novel for film herself. She closely worked with the screenwriters and directors to keep the message of the book genuine. The executive director is Gary Ross, who has been nominated for Oscars in writing on multiple occasions in the past. Even the renowned director, Stephen Soderbergh, played a vital role in the creative process serving as the movie’s second-unit director.

• The studio’s budget - After several months of filming on location, there were over 1,200 CGI shots to complete the movie. Additionally, Lionsgate Films has really taken the concept of marketing a movie to a new level. Capitol Couture, one of the more original initiatives coming out of Hollywood, is a blog dedicated to the fashion in the film focusing on things such as clothing, nail polish, hair-dos, makeup, accessories, etc.

• Faking it - During Harry Potter’s run, I came across so many fans of the movie franchise that never even picked up the books. At first I was a little upset by this because I felt like only readers were entitled to fully enjoy Hogwarts, Quidditch matches, and butter beer; but these same sentiments do not exist with The Hunger Games. I have an inkling that the movies can be enjoyed equally by both the readers and non-readers.

• Woody Harrelson, Lenny Kravitz, Elizabeth Banks, and Donald Sutherland - Overall, the main characters of the story are played by a relatively unknown cast. However, you do have these aforementioned names that many people have heard of or are fans of. There’s a nice dichotomy between new up-and-comers and experienced veterans that have been around the block.

• Cool for guys too - It’s like when your girlfriend drags you to Victoria’s Secret; when you arrive at the store, there’s only a couple of other guys in there with you. Instantly, there is this quiet connection between the three of you because each guy realizes the extent of the sacrifice taking place. This is usually confirmed by the patented bro head nod. Joining your significant other to watch the Hunger Games falls along the same lines. It’s one of those few unique times when your man card isn’t in question even though the girl-to-guy ratio suggests otherwise.

Why you SHOULD NOT watch:

• The expectations - I can see the conversation now.

The hardcore fan: “Did you read the book?”

The regular moviegoer: “No. I didn’t get to.”

The hardcore fan: “The books are so much better than the movie.”

The regular moviegoer: “I’m not a big reader.”

The hardcore fan: “They are really easy to read! Do you want to borrow them?”

The regular moviegoer: “No. I don’t like reading.”

This is usually followed by an awkward silence where the two are judging each other for either reading too much or not reading enough. The hardcore fan then spends the remainder of the night regurgitating what he or she remembers from the books and what the movie missed. As a result, the regular moviegoer then feels shafted because not every detail was shown on the big screen. At the end of the day, no matter how good the film is, it will not live up to the expectations of the books -- ironically -- whether you’ve read them or not.

Basically all signs point to watching The Hunger Games unless that absurd conversation is somewhat realistic for you and your friends. If that’s the case, you are probably taking life a little too seriously. My advice is to sit back in your chairs, enjoy some outrageously buttered popcorn, and experience one of the cinematic blockbusters of the year.

For those who have decided to boycott the movie because you argue the concept has already been done in the past, that's like saying you're not watching basketball anymore because you've already seen someone pull off a windmill dunk. This is how the movie industry works -- films will get remade, and story lines will be retold. It's similar to what Jay-Z says when referring to the beef between hip hop artists: "Nothing is going to change. Only thing that changes is the participants."

So now I ask you, what district are you from?

April’s Haterade topic: The Golfers Not Named Tiger Woods

Photos and video courtesy of collider.com and youtube.com

Connect with Albert Nguyen!

Bio: http://www.gymclassallstars.com/p/albert-nguyen_26.html

Email: albertn@gymclassallstars.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/alnguyen84

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