Classic Album Review, Reflection Eternal, "Train of Thought"

From Rakim and Eric B. to DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince, collaborations have been a long-standing tradition in hip-hop. Sometimes when two artists come together, things just click.

That’s exactly what happened when Talib Kweli and DJ Hi-Tek first met in Cincinnati, Tek’s hometown, in the late 90’s. The two formed the group Reflection Eternal and signed to the upstart underground hip-hop label Rawkus Records, where they started to collaborate on tracks.

But before they put out an album of their own, Kweli teamed up with fellow Brooklyn MC Mos Def to release the album, “Mos Def and Kweli are Black Star”, which received great critical acclaim.

Hi-Tek produced some of the best tracks on the album including "Definition" and "Respiration" and the success of Black Star put the three at the forefront of the underground hip hop scene and paved the way for Reflection Eternal’s debut album, “Train of Thought”.

At 70 minutes and 20 tracks, “Train of Thought” is longer than most hip-hop albums and that’s just one of the reasons why it stands apart from the flock.

Released in October 2000, the album was produced primarily by Hi-Tek himself and features Kweli intelligently rapping about some interesting and diverse topics including love, the state of hip-hop, modern American culture and the revolutionary mentality.

Talib Kweli has always been on point with his social criticisms, and all through “Train of Thought” he really shows it. On the tracks "Ghetto Afterlife", "Africa Dream" and "Soul Rebels" in particular, Kweli conveys his feelings on society and culture in an extremely articulate and intelligent way.

The entire album is filled with some memorable tracks, but “Love Language”, “Good Morning”, "Love Speakeasy", "On My Way" and “Big Del From da Natti" stand out above the rest.

"Love Language" is one of the most unique tracks on the album. The theme throughout the track is perfectly conveyed by the line “The language of love can never be translated”. Using symbolism and metaphor Kweli describes one of the world’s most universally debated topics: love.



Kweli describes the feeling in such a detailed, illustrative way as he raps: “Love is blind, you just see bright light/You up in the club feelin' the night life, lookin' for the right type/Blood rushing to your heart making it beat/When she swept you off your feet and made it complete/You know the plan you had to conquer the world/Thinking you Scarface, looking for that perfect girl.”

My favorite aspect of the track is how Kweli has the chorus drop in French. Throughout the track he mentions how love is a universal language, and by using a different language Kweli shows that love is exclusive to no one.

“Move Somethin” is the second track on the album and may be the most energetic of the bunch. Kweli is extremely skilled at rapping in a calm, serious demeanor, but I honestly think he is at his best when he is quick and ferocious. He brings it hard and with a huge dose of energy over a beat that is just fantastic.



Kweli is clever and you can almost hear the fire he has within himself as he raps: “Takin you high like sky divers/When we spark with live wires/Original, cavemen quest for my fire/Express my desire to drop this new shit/These record executives keep tellin me y'all stupid/Now if they right, Shut The Fuck Up!/Revolutionaries throw your guns up.”

"Good Mourning" is one of the best tracks and is my favorite one on the album. Kweli describes the Brooklyn neighborhood where he came from in vivid detail and also links hip-hop’s obsession with death by looking at it through a lens of life.



The beat is simple yet haunting, and on the chorus Kweli perfectly describes what the track really means: “Good mourning, good afternoon, good night/What have you done with your life?/Everybody time comes to be embraced by the light/You only scared to die when you ain't livin right, man/I'm puttin up a hellafied fight.”

On the last verse Kweli mentions the names of some fallen artists, including Big L, and Curtis Mayfield, which shows Kweli is well versed in his music history.

Kweli is a rare MC, as his lyrics show off a knowledge that easily transcends his age. Coupled with Tek's loping keyboard wails, soulful claps, and shimmering piano loops, Kweli shows off that he is one of the most talented and skilled rappers in the game.

It’s fitting that Reflection Eternal is dropping a new album, because on “Train of Thought” it’s abundantly clear that these two have something to say about hip-hop, and we should all listen. Their debut is one of the most poignant, interesting and intelligent hip-hop album ever released, and is definitely a classic.

Zoe Saldana Goes To "Columbiana"

Zoe Saldana ("The Losers," "Star Trek") is in negotiations to join the Luc Besson-produced drama "Columbiana" says Heat Vision.

According to Heat Vision: Zoe Saldana is in early negotiations to star in "Colombiana," a drama that Luc Besson is producing under his Europa Corp. The project is slated for late-summer start with Olivier Megaton ("Transporter 3") directing.

Saldana will play a stone-cold assassin who commits contract killings for her uncle's company by day. On her time off though, she commits vigilante murders in the hope of finding the mobster responsible for her parents' murder, which she witnessed as a child in Bogota, Columbia.

Saldana soared to fame in the past year by starring in "Avatar" and "Star Trek." Her other recent credits include "The Losers" and "Death at a Funeral." I really think Saldana is great, and she has been for a while.

A few years ago she starred in the film “Haven” which was grossly underrated and her past few roles in “Star Trek” and “The Losers” proved she was ready for some more action roles. Teaming with Besson should only help establish her as one of the most badass babes in Hollywood.

Besson and Robert Mark Kamen wrote the script while Olivier Megaton ("Transporter 3") will helm the project, which begins filming later this summer.

Ethan Hawke Counts "Numbers"

Ethan Hawke has signed on to the sub-$10 million CIA thriller "The Numbers Station" for Content Film International says Variety.

According to Variety: The film “The Numbers Station,” directed by Kasper Barfoed and starring Ethan Hawke, has been acquired for worldwide distribution by ContentFilm International. The acquisition was announced at Cannes on Sunday.

Hawke plays Emerson, a disgraced black ops agent tasked with a dead-end job protecting 20-year-old Katherine, the code operator for a small CIA broadcast station in the middle of the Nevada desert. Emerson’s mission is simple: protect Katherine. Keep her safe and keep her secure. When the station is under attack, their priority is to make it out alive.

Ethan Hawke has been one of my favorite actors for a while, but he hasn’t taken on a really decent role for a while, so hopefully this one will turn out to be another quality performance like he put on in “Training Day”. I loved him in both “Gattaca” and “Assault on Precinct 13”, and I think he has the perfect look and style to play a disgraced former agent.

Principal photography on the film will begin in September.

Matthew Goode Goes To Bondi For "Man"

British actor Matthew Goode ("Watchmen," "Leap Year") has joined Jonathan Teplitzky's Australian-set romantic comedy "Burning Man" says The Hollywood Reporter.

According to the Hollywood Reporter: Matthew Goode is playing rough with a bevy of beauties including Bojana Novakovic, Rachel Griffiths, Essie Davis, Kerry Fox, Kate Beahan and Gia Carides in writer-director Jonathan Teplitzky's "Burning Man."

Goode plays an English chef with a hot restaurant on Sydney's Bondi Beach trying to get his life together and re-establish his relationship with his son. Things aren't helped by all the gorgeous women that surround him.

Although at times Goode can seem a bit hollow (aka in “Watchmen”) anyone who saw him in Tom Ford’s “A Single Man” last year knows Goode is an excellent actor and he should be perfect for this role. He has the charm and charisma to take on all those females and be the leading man.

Teplitzky and Andy Paterson will produce. Produced by U.K. producer Andy Paterson and Teplitzky, the film will shoot on location in Sydney.

Courtney Hunt Takes Over "Human Resources"

After winning Sundance in 2008 with the acclaimed "Frozen River", filmmaker Courtney Hunt has finally selected her next project - "Human Resources" at Focus Features reports Variety.

According to Variety: Courtney Hunt has her next project figured out at Focus Features. She is currently writing the script for a remake of the 1999 French film, “Human Resources”.

The story involves a young man who returns to his hometown to take a management position at a local factory. When pushed to make personnel changes, he examine his feelings about what it means to be in management. Laurent Cantet, who was behind the fantastic Oscar-nominated The Class, directed the original.

Hunt's version will be set in contemporary America though will follow the original film's storyline.

Anyone who saw “Frozen River” knows that Hunt can take on any type of story and make it gripping. She could have done a lot of projects after the success of “Frozen River” so I’m glad she took her time and waited for something she really wanted to do.

This remake sounds as if it could end being a really great project, especially with adapting the script to a US location. With the economy and the job market the way it is, this script could turn out to be a pretty good allegory for what’s really going on today.

Stephanie Danan and Alain Chabat are producing.

Fassbender, Macy, Church Fire A "Shot" (400!)

Michael Fassbender, William H. Macy and Thomas Haden Church have joined the cast of the film adaptation "A Single Shot" for HanWay Films and Unanimous Pictures reports The Playlist.

According to the Playlist: Michael Fassbender, William H. Macy and Thomas Haden Church will star in David Jacobson's adaptation of Matthew F. Jones thriller "A Single Shot."

Matthew F. Jones adapted the screenplay from his own novel about a poacher (Fassbender) who accidentally kills a young runaway girl while hunting. Trying to hide the evidence, he finds a large sum of money and soon has ruthless killers on his tail while his mental state begins to quickly deteriorate.

This is another interesting role for Fassbender, who has risen to leading man status after his turn in Quentin Tarantino's "Inglourious Basterds” last summer. He was fantastic in that film and it will be nice to see him take on a role like this.

David Jacobson will direct and shooting kicks off this summer once Fassbender has wrapped David Cronenberg's "A Dangerous Method" which stars Viggo Mortensen, Keira Knightley and Vincent Cassell.

Chris Coen and Christine Sola are producing.

Classic Album Review, Common, "Resurrection"

Over the years the city of Chicago hasn’t been quite as successful as New York or Los Angeles when it comes to producing hip-hop stars. But what Chicago lacks in quantity, it makes up for in quality.

Kanye West, Lupe Fiasco, and Common Sense all hail from the Second City, and each of the three are bonafide rap stars, some of the best in the business.

Although you’d most likely say that Kanye is the biggest star of the group, it’s Common that has been in the game the longest. After debuting with “Can I Borrow A Dollar?” which received a lot of underground attention, he released “Resurrection” in 1994.

Although “Resurrection” didn’t have much mainstream success, it did very well with critics and proved how truly skilled Common is as an MC. The South Side native doesn’t hesitate to show off how original he is, with his complex style of rapping, intelligent lyrics and witty lines.

The jazzy flavored sound of the album combined with Common’s socially conscious lyrics inspire comparisons to “A Tribe Called Quest”, “De La Soul” and “The Fugees”, but Common really is in a league of his own.

He doesn’t let you forget where he’s from either. Inspired by the city he hails from, the album is divided into two sections, the "East Side of Stony" and "West Side of Stony". Stony Island Avenue is a street that runs through the South Side of Chicago, which was where Common was raised.

“Resurrection” has a ton of great tracks, including "Watermelon", "Nuthin' to Do", "Pop's Rap" and "Book of Life", but standout track on the album easily is "I Used to Love H.E.R.”, which arguably is best track that Common ever made.

The album opens up with the title track, “Resurrection”, which perfectly combines the scratches by Mista Sinista with the jazzy melody. Common opens it up by rapping how he is literally immersed in his music: “In spite I've been indicted as a freak of all trades/I got it made/I bathe in basslines, rinse in riffs, dry in drums/Come from a tribe of bums.”



On "Nuthin' to Do", Common speaks out on the deterioration of Chicago's neighborhoods, and describes some of the best ways to kill time on the South Side.

He illustrates a perfect picture of what it’s like to grow up in Chi-town as he raps: “The days of Old Chicago and Fun Town and shorties we run round/Play strike outs till sun down, but the shit ain't as fun now/And the city is all run down, we troop down to Jew Town/Talking cat down on some gear, have enough for a Polish incom fair/I stare, at what use to be Bubbles and think about who use to cop our liquior.”

"Book of Life," is the most introspective track on the album. The track is an autobiographical look at Common’s struggles over the years, and gives him a chance to put things in perspective over the mellow beat.



You can hear the realism and truthfulness from Common as he raps: “It's my life I live it up/The cup I gotta give it up/One day/I'm cruisin' down a one way street and I done passed fun day/Three blocks ago/It itself life is an obstacle/As I maneuver through the manure I try to be responsible/I want a job but I ain't lookin - how come?”

“I Used to Love H.E.R.” is my favorite track, and is easily the best track on the album. The track is genius in its use of metaphor and symbolism. On its face the track seemingly describes a lover's moral and spiritual decline, but it’s about much more than that. The track employs the use of an extended metaphor, with a woman representing hip-hop music itself. The acronym “H.E.R.” in fact stands for Hip Hop in its Essence and Real, so when spelled out the track really reads: "I Used to Love Hip Hop in its Essence and Real.”



On the track Common give us a history lesson into how hip-hop has changed and criticizes the direction that hip-hop was taking during the late 1980s and early 1990s. Specifically he refers to the fall of conscious rap as well as the rising popularity of West Coast hip-hop and G-funk.

He also intelligently makes an analogy comparing the degradation of a woman with the deterioration of hip-hop music after its commercial success brought it into the mainstream. Common is able to convey his feelings so well through his lyrics as he raps: ”She said that the pro-black, was goin out of style/She said, afrocentricity, was of the past/So she got into R&B hip-house bass and jazz/Now black music is black music and it's all good/I wasn't salty, she was with the boys in the hood.”

The track boasts one of the best beats ever constructed, a simple yet sleek melody, and opens with some of Common’s best written lines: "I met this girl, when I was ten years old/And what I loved most she had so much soul/ She was old school, when I was just a shorty/ Never knew throughout my life she would be there for me."

“I Used to Love H.E.R.” perfectly epitomizes what Common is all about and is one reason why “Resurrection” is such a great album. One thing that makes Common stand out as such a unique MC is that he never tried to change who he is, or use an image to sell records and he proves it with his truthfulness and intelligence on this album.

It has a timeless quality about it, and to me it is on par with some of the other great albums of the early 90’s like “Illmatic”, by Nas, “Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)”, by Wu-Tang Clan, and “Ready to Die”, by the Notorious B.I.G.". “Resurrection” is Common’s defining work, and is definitely a hip-hop classic.

Anthony Mackie, Evangeline Lilly Join "Real Steel"

Anthony Mackie ("Eagle Eye," "Notorious") and Evangeline Lilly ("Lost," "Afterwards") have joined the cast of Hugh Jackman led "Real Steel" for DreamWorks Pictures.

According to ComingSoon: Mackie and Lilly ("Lost"), who each had roles in "The Hurt Locker," are joining Hugh Jackman in the Shawn Levy-directed film.

The film is based on a short story by Richard Matheson that was originally adapted into an original "Twilight Zone" episode that starred Lee Marvin.

Set in the near future, in which boxers have been replaced by human-controlled two-ton robots, Hugh Jackman portrays a former boxer-turned-manager who reunites with his estranged son to take his fighter to the championships.

Jackman will play an ex-fighter who becomes a promoter when human boxing is outlawed for being too violent. The new gladiators are 2,000-pound robots with human qualities.

The ex-fighter's access to sub-standard robot parts hampers his hopes for glory in Robot Boxing, until he discovers a discarded robot that always seems to win. The ex-fighter also has discovered he's the father of a 13-year old son (Dakota Goyo), and they bond as the robot brawls its way toward the top.

Mackie will play a boxing promoter while Lilly will portray a friend of Jackman's character.

I love Jackman, but I’m even more excited about Mackie and Lilly being added to the cast. Anyone who watches “Lost” knows Lilly is great, but Mackie might be the best actor of the bunch. He was fantastic in “The Hurt Locker” and over the years, he has put together some fine acting roles.

The story sounds a bit weird, but knowing that it is adapted from a Richard Matheson short story makes it better. He is considered to be one of the best sci-fi writers of his time, and many of the “Twilight Zone” episodes he was involved in are considered classics.

Shawn Levy will direct and produce alongside Don Murphy and Susan Montford.

Sharlto Copley Out of “I Am Number Four,” Timothy Olyphant In

Timothy Olyphant ("Justified," "The Crazies") will replace Sharlto Copley ("District 9," "The A-Team") on thriller "I Am Number Four" at Dreamworks Pictures.

According to Variety: Based on the novel series by James Frey and Jobie Hughes, the story follows nine aliens who flee to Earth disguised as teenagers. The titular character, now disguised as a human high schooler (Alex Pettyfer), soon learns the enemy alien race that caused them to abandon their home planet are still hunting them.

Copley, who had to bow out due to scheduling conflicts, was to play Henri, a guardian and mentor to the story's title character

Olyphant, who is also on the rise thanks to the critical hit "Justified," will shoot the film during his hiatus from the FX series.

After seeing “District 9” last year, I, like most everyone else who saw it, fell in love with Sharlto Copley. He put on an amazing performance in that film, and I was happy to hear he had been up for a lot more roles following it. So, it’s sad he’s out of this film, which sounds like it could potentially be really cool, but I couldn’t ask for a better replacement that Tim Olyphant.

I’ve been a fan of Olyphant’s since his early days of “Scream 2” and he has been just amazing as US Marshall Raylon Givens on “Justified.” The show has easily been one of the best new shows on TV this year and he has been one of the best actors.

Michael Bay is producing, while David Valdes, Chris Bender, J.C. Spink exec produce. D.J. Caruso will direct from a script by Al Gough, Marti Noxon and Miles Millar.

Darren Aronofsky, Brad Pitt Team For "The Tiger"

After two failed attempts, Brad Pitt and Darren Aronofsky are trying to team again for the adventure thriller "The Tiger" at Focus Features.

According to Cinematical: Once upon a time, Brad Pitt and Darren Aronofsky were lined up to do “The Fountain” together. Pitt dropped out, the project fell apart, and there have always been rumors of hurt feelings.

They were set to do “The Fighter” together until both abandoned it, and were replaced. But now it’s clear that Pitt's Plan B and Aronofsky's Protozoa Pictures will produce “The Tiger” and the project is being lined up as a possible starring vehicle for Pitt.

Based on John Vaillant's upcoming non-fiction book, the story takes place on the Siberian plain, where humanity is encroaching on the tigers' habitat -- and one tiger turns on the intruders.

As townspeople are being hunted with an almost supernatural power, a conservationist game warden must face the tiger in a fight to the death. Guillermo Arriaga ("Babel," "21 Grams") will pen the script.

I’ll try not to get my hopes up too high about Aronofsky and Pitt teaming up because based on past events this project will probably be made with someone else starring. Either way, my fingers are still crossed because Aronofsky is brilliant, and Pitt is the type of intelligent, high-profile actor that could work well with him.

Here’s hoping this project comes together.