Not hard to "COPE" with

I'm in love with a man named Randy, a brother named Lee, and a musician named Citizen Cope. From his mellow coffee drinking demeanor to rasta like beats, Cope is a truly entertaining artist. His lyrics, simple in phrasing, carry some of the greatest slow head bouncing sounds I have ever heard.

A fan of him prior to the show, I must say that the chance of catching him solo with just his guitar was more than I could have hoped for. From the staples, 'Pablo Picasso, Bullet and a Target, and 107 Degrees', he also played damn near everyother song I've ever heard from him.

Disappointment was not a possibility during this show. A few sound problems aside, it was perfect. And even the small malfunctions came to show the crowd what a 'real' guy Cope is.

Though a small fish in a large ocean of alternative/rock/reggae/blues, Cope's beats set him apart. I challenge anyone to listen to one of his Cd's and not be able to pick out 2-5 songs that you would immediately add to any play list in your life.

In closing, find him if you can and enjoy every second of it.

A true pleasure all the way through.

American Gangster

Nov 2007, Ridley Scott, 157 mins

There hasn't been a classic gangster movie in a long time, and unfortunately its going to be a little longer. That's not to say that 'American Gangster' doesn't have its better moments but the film is by no means the new 'Goodfellas' or 'Scarface'. The overly long 'Gangster' does offer a splendid performance from both of its leads. Denzel puts in his best work since 'Training Day' while Russell Crowe and director Ridley Scott have found a picture that can fully overshadow their collaboration of last year, the terrible 'A Good Year'.

This crime epic is at times flirting with perfection but at other times flirting with disaster. The understuffed 160 minute running time is filled with 3-5 solid scenes of crime drama but shot down by 5-7 10 minute periods of borderline filler.

'Gangster' should have been better. It had all the pieces it needed to succeed ( as a great film, box office is already cashing in), 2 A list stars, and A list director, and one of the most exciting genres. However, the film failed to be anything more than just GOOD ENOUGH.

Overall, the film could have benefited from more violence, less talk, and about a 40 minute shorter running time.