Issue 20 by The Peach Review®

20 Edition Arts & Culture The King and I Turandot Ashley Bryan

Events Jeffrey Fashion Cares #Bentley10 MomoCon

Movies IT Wonder Woman Gifted

SPORTS Chick-fil-a Kickoff Atlanta United BB&T Atlanta Open No. 20

*Cover: It's the biggest fashion event in Atlanta with the most anticipated runway show of the year! JeďŹ&#x20AC;rey Fashion Cares takes center stage in our events section for 2017.

Photo: Hakim Wright

Contents Arts & culture 2 The King and I Turandot Ashley Bryan Andy Warhol

4 6 9 11

Beauty 12 Birthday Makeup Tutorial Pretty and Blue Makeup Tutorial Nicole Glow Tutorial

Events 14 Bentley 10 Guardians of the Galaxy Red Carpet Momocon Dragon Con Jeffrey Fashion Cares

14 16 18 21 24

13 13 13

Movies 28 Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 Detroit Dunkirk Kidnap Valerian Gifted Alien: Covenant Baywatch

28 31 33 34 36 38 40 42

Pirates of the Caribbean Wonder Woman Baby Driver Leap! War for the Planet of the Apes IT

44 46 49 50 52 57

Music 60 Jay Z 4:44 Ed Sheeran WCLK & Gregory Porter

60 63 66

Sports 68 Chick-fil-A Kickoff Atlanta United Atlanta Falcons BB&T Atlanta Open

69 72 74 76

Travel & 78 Recreation Street Fighter IV Mobile App

Above: IT film poster

Left: Atlanta United FC celebrate after sealing their third straight shutout. (Photo: Anna Lira)

The King and I

One of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s finest works, THE KING AND I tells the story of the unconventional and tempestuous relationship that develops between the King of Siam and Anna Leonowens, a British schoolteacher, whom the King, in an imperialistic world, brings to Siam to teach his many wives and children about the Western World.

Set in 1860’s Bangkok, Anna (Laura Michelle Kelly) and her son Louis (Rhyees Stump) arrive by boat to Siam in high spirits about their new adventure that’s been set into motion. With the sole responsibility of teaching the women and children of the palace, Anna promptly meets the King of Siam (Jose Llana). Now the King isn’t one to take orders or even ‘suggestions’ from other people but, Anna arrived on the scene with the sort of British forthrightness that the King had never experienced before. At one point he even says under his breath, “Nobody has ever spoken to me like this before!”

During her first initial encounter, she wasted no time in challenging the King because of their initial agreement: for Anna to have her own house for her and her child to live in. The King reneged on this agreement and forced her to stay in the palace to her chagrin. Whilst sulking after hearing the disappointing news, the King was presented a gift from Burma in Tuptim (Q Lim). Anna was disgusted that the King would accept such a gift as humans should not be treated as slaves. Again, he was shocked at how she approached him.

As you can imagine, the main characters in the story have a type of “Beauty and the Beast” relationship, as the more positive and softer Anna begins to tear down that wall of anger and fear from the King of Siam. While their story begins with an argument about her living quarters it buds into teaching him how to dance to assisting him with entertaining foreign dignitaries.

The King and I (directed by Bartlett Sher) was absolutely amazing and is suitable for all ages. The drama was serious, the story is suitable, and Jose Llana did an absolutely stellar job as the King, providing laughter, sadness, anger, comedy, and every other emotion across the spectrum.

I give The King and I a 9.5 out of 10. It’s a wonderful story with a colorful backdrop and life lessons to boot. The performance was close to three hours so for those who make the 7:30 p.m. showing, be forewarned. It’s not boring by any means but I did see quite a few ‘seniors’ that couldn’t hang during the premiere. Also a treat, college students can take advantage of the Student Rush special where with a college ID you can buy up to two tickets at $30 per ticket. Just show up to The Fox Theatre two hours prior to your chosen performance from September 26 – October 1. -Jon J.  *Photos by Matt Murphy

Turandot Once upon a time, the great Giacomo Puccini started on an artistic masterpiece titled Turandot. The opera was unfinished at the time of Puccini’s death in 1924 but was completed by Franco Alfano in 1926.

Turandot was the daughter of an emperor in Ancient China named Emperor Altoum. He decreed that she will only marry a man of noble blood who can answer three riddles. Taking your best stab at three riddles doesn’t seem too daunting a task, right? The only problem is if you fail to answer the three, the cost is your head.

We are introduced to this very inhumane penalty in ACT I, where not even the Prince of Persia was beyond the reach of such torture. He was stripped of his noble garb and was set to be executed at the moon’s rising.

Meanwhile, outside the palace, a blind man falls to the ground and his companion Liù asks for help from a stranger. The stranger recognizes the old man as his long-lost father Timur (who was a banished ruler). Both the stranger (the only people who know his name as Calaf are Liù and the blind man) and Timur are hiding their identity.

The townspeople are very familiar with how things go when noblemen travel from far and wide to seek the hand of Turandot. They never solve the riddles and once they fail, their heads will roll. In Act II you’ll find a mini-story and barrels of comedy from characters Ping, Pang, and Pong, who are prepared for a wedding (just in case the riddles are solved) or a funeral (which is what’s expected).

There is so much to love and enjoy about Turandot that you might experience sensory overload like most of the audience opening night. This story is one of love, loss, courage, death, happiness, and laughter. Could you imagine pursuing the hand of a woman who would only be released to you if you successfully solved three riddles and if you failed you’d be publicly executed? One might think there’s too much at stake for such a desire, but crazy things happen to those who are in love.

In my reviews of the arts, I always like to link readers to music they may have heard before without knowing its origin. My favorite being fans of Looney Tunes not knowing they’ve spoofed countless operas in their existence (ex: ‘Rabbit of Seville’). Some of you may have heard “Nessun Dorma” and if you have, your ears have clearly been blessed. That beautiful composition is from this very opera and the great Gianluca Terranova does it equal justice as Luciano Pavarotti HERE.

Turandot – Marcy Stonikas Prince Calaf – Gianluca Terranova Emperor Altoum – Nathan Munson Ping, Pang, & Pong – Daniel Belcher, Julius Ahn, Joseph Hu Timur – Steven Humes Liù – Kelly Kaduce I give Turandot a 9.5 out of 10. There is no better way to close out the Opera Season than with the story of Turandot. With a 100+ member chorus and a larger than life ensemble, you’re in for a truly one of a kind experience. Everything about this performance is stellar so you are not going to be disappointed. The only thing you need to consider is the duration is approximately two and a half hours (that’s including two, 20-minute intermissions). But fortunately, the story is so compelling that you won’t even notice the clock. Besides, there’s a shock ending that you absolutely must see.

-Jon J.

Photo: Raftermen for The Atlanta Opera

Retrospective of Ashley Bryan Ashley Bryan (American, born 1923), The birds’ colors were mirrored in the waters ca. 2002, from Beautiful Blackbird (Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2003), mixed media collage on paper. The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art, Amherst, Massachusetts, gift of the artist in memory of Trinkett Clark, 2005.07.6

The High Museum of Art celebrates the decades-long career of children’s book author and artist Ashley Bryan with “Painter and Poet: The Wonderful World of Ashley Bryan,” on view April 1, 2017, through Jan. 21, 2018.

Bryan (American, born 1923) has published children’s books in a dizzying array of styles that reflect a wide variety of influences, from African folktales to jazz and poetry. The High is the sole venue for the exhibition, which introduces viewers to Bryan’s prolific production through more than 70 original artworks from 20 of his books.

Featured works range from the dynamic ink drawings in “The Dancing Granny” (1977) to the colorful cut-paper collages of “Beautiful Blackbird” (2002), a Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award Winner. Also on view is a selection of paintings from Bryan’s powerful, award-winning title “Freedom Over Me” (Simon & Schuster, 2016), which received a Newbery Honor and Coretta Scott King Author Honor in 2017. In addition to surveying Bryan’s adaptations of poetry, folklore and spirituals, the exhibition explores the artist’s fascinating biography and the important role that family heritage plays in his work.

In conjunction with the exhibition, the Alliance Theatre at The Woodruﬀ Arts Center, of which the High is also an arts partner, will present the world premiere play with music “The Dancing Granny” from June 10 to July 16, 2017. The Alliance will also present a new Theatre for the Very Young production based on Bryan’s book “Beautiful Blackbird” (Oct. 3–Nov. 5, 2017).

This collaboration is the third in a series presented by the High and the Alliance Theatre in partnership with The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art. The Ashley Bryan project follows the successful exhibition and theatre productions based on the work of children’s book authors and artists Eric Carle (2016) and Mo Willems (2015). The presentations are made possible through a grant to The Woodruﬀ Arts Center from the Lettie Pate Evans Foundation to expand programming and increase access for family audiences.

“Painter and Poet” is presented on the Lower Level of the High’s Wieland Pavilion and features a reading area for young visitors to discover Bryan’s stories.

Born in 1923 in the Bronx, N.Y., Bryan first studied art in classes oﬀered by the Works Progress Administration (WPA) during the Great Depression. Triumphing over the widespread racial discrimination of the time, Bryan went on to study at the prestigious Cooper Union School of Art and Engineering, after being denied entry to other art schools because of his race. At the age of 19, Bryan was drafted into the U.S. Army to serve in World War II. After the war, he completed his degree at Cooper Union and later earned a degree in philosophy from Columbia University. From 1957 to 1959, he studied in Europe on a Fulbright Scholarship.

Ashley Bryan (American, born 1923), The Adventures of Aku, 1976, title page from The Adventures of Aku (Atheneum, 1976), tempera and gouache on board. The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art, Amherst, Massachusetts, gift of the artist, 2011.11.014/

In 1960, Bryan returned to the United States, where he taught art at several schools and universities. His first illustrated book, a selection of poems by the Indian poet Rabindranath Tagore, was published in 1967, when Bryan was 44. Bryan has published more than 50 books to date.

Bryan retired as professor emeritus of Dartmouth College in the 1980s, at which time he moved to Maine’s Cranberry Isles, where he lives and works today.

Bryan’s awards include the Coretta Scott King–Virginia Hamilton Lifetime Achievement Award, a Laura Ingalls Wilder Medal and the New York Public Library’s Library Lions award. Libraries, schools, children’s rooms and literary festivals are named for him throughout the United States and Africa.

Andy Warhol: Prints from the Collections of Jordan D. Schnitzer and His Family Foundation Andy Warhol (American,1923–1987), Marilyn Monroe (Marilyn), (II.23), AP edition C/Z, 1967,

The High Museum of Art is the exclusive East Coast venue to present “Andy Warhol: Prints from the Collections of Jordan D. Schnitzer and His Family Foundation” (June 3 through Sept. 3, 2017). This comprehensive retrospective is the largest exhibition of its kind presented and features more than 250 prints and ephemera by Andy Warhol (American, 1928–1987), including such iconic screen print portfolios as “Marilyn Monroe” (1967), “Campbell’s Soup I” (1968), “Electric Chair” (1971) and “Mao” (1972).

The works in the exhibition are drawn exclusively from the collections of Jordan D. Schnitzer and the Jordan Schnitzer Family Foundation in Portland, Ore. Remarkable for their nearly exhaustive range, the Schnitzer collections oﬀer an unparalleled opportunity to explore the breadth of Warhol’s influential graphic production over the course of four decades. The artist’s fascination with the commodification of celebrity chronicles American popular culture of the second half of the 20th century and serves as a prelude for considering our current fame- obsessed, media-saturated culture.

Organized chronologically, the exhibition takes visitors on a journey through the late 20th century with some of the era’s most powerful and enduring images. From portraits of Jacqueline Kennedy and Marilyn Monroe—imbued with a sense of the tragic—to evocative images of the Birmingham, Ala., civil rights protests and portrayals of influential 1970s personages, Warhol’s prints speak to American values of the prosperous post-war consumer culture and foreshadow society’s preoccupation with celebrity, fashion, politics, sensationalism and scandal.

In addition to providing a broad socio-cultural perspective, the works on view oﬀer an indepth examination of the evolution of printmaking in Warhol’s career and the innovative use of repetition and serial imagery compelled by his early silkscreen printing at the Factory. Warhol famously complicated the distinctions between the original and the reproduction, challenging the concept of the unique or the authentic as the culmination of artistic achievement.

Beauty

In this edition, our Health & Beauty Specialist Keisha Campbell will be sharing her reviews and tutorials through her YouTube Channel. We think it’s great since there’s no better way to tell you about different makeup looks than to demonstrate! The first video titled “Birthday Makeup Tutorial” is a look she did around her birthday that she suggests as a great look for a night out. Her other two tutorials are “Pretty and Blue Makeup” and “Nicole Glow.” Check out her tutorials and if you like what you see, share and subscribe to her channel. We hope you enjoy!

Instagram @keenicxle Snapchat: keishanicole11 Website: Beauty

-Keisha Campbell

Birthday Makeup Tutorial Pretty and Blue Makeup Tutorial Nicole Glow Tutorial

Events

Celebrating 10 years with Greg Mabry The evening of Thursday, April 20 was not only picturesque outside, but within the walls of the Hathaway Gallery, we were blessed with a variety of art forms as well. From oil paintings to custom Bentleys and a variety of spirits, The Hathaway Gallery was the place to be Thursday night in Atlanta.

The occasion was the 10-year celebration of Greg Mabry and Bentley Atlanta. We were able to celebrate with lots of laughter, new friends, organic food pairings, and ample opportunities to learn. While the Hathaway Gallery played host, there to assist in the celebration was an organization called Year Up. Year Up is an organization that is working vigorously to close the gap in opportunity by providing young urban adults with the skills, experience, and support that will help them matriculate into better working professionals. After seeing these kids in action and speaking with a few throughout the evening, Year Up is definitely an organization you’ll want to support (those kids were impressive).

The event also featured sponsors like Microsoft, Guinness, KNOW Better Bread, Ou Oui, Tourneau, and Jere Metcalf Team/Atlanta Fine Homes/Sotheby’s.

Greg Mabry of Bentley Atlanta speaking on his 10 years with the company.

What I enjoyed most about the event was the fact it was straightforward. For 90 straight minutes, we enjoyed live music, Bentleys, art, and socializing. We stopped to acknowledge the man of the hour, acknowledged the gallery and the night’s sponsors, we heard a testimony from one of the Year Up students and continued about the evening. If all of the eye candy wasn’t enough, all guests received gift bags as a thank you for attending the night’s event.

Feel free to enjoy the great pictures from the event on our Facebook Page. The valet area may have drawn the attention outside, but the place to be was inside!

-Jon J.  Photo: Kent Foster

Red

Carpet

Sunday, April 30 was a very exciting time for Guardians fans in Atlanta. The Fox Theatre hosted a private red carpet and early screening of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 for the cast and crew of the film. Special guests included Jeﬀrey Stepakoﬀ (Exec. Dir. for Georgia Film Academy), Chris Dodd (CEO of Motion Picture Association of America Inc.), Bert Brantley (COO GA Dept. of Economic Development), David Grant (VP of Physical Production for Marvel), Lee Thomas (GA Film Commissioner), Charles Newirth (Exec. Prod. for Marvel Studios “Ant-Man and the Wasp”), and Mayor Edward Johnson (Mayor of Fayetteville, GA).

With the variety of talent at our disposal on the red carpet, we wanted to delve deeper into these unseen characters and how they help bring projects to life. But we wanted to know what was something they wish they knew before they started their role/profession.

“How truly fulfilling in all ways and how much a true privilege it absolutely is,” stated a very humbled Jeﬀrey Stepakoﬀ. “My favorite thing about my job is putting Georgians to work.”

“Luckily at the Georgia Film Oﬃce, we have really smart people (smiling), and so I wish somebody would’ve told me ‘Hey! There’s going to be really smart people around, work with them! Learn from them!” said Chris Dodd.

Executive Director for Georgia Film Academy Jeffrey Stepakoff takes questions from our reporter Brittney Level (Julia Elliott/TPR)

The line to enter the private aﬀair went around the building, reminding me of a similar scene two years ago when The Fox Theatre hosted an early screening of HBO’s “Game of Thrones.”

It was a fantastic event and everyone, including red carpet guests, were all smiles for the early screening. “There’s a lot of great experiences on this project: Working with Director James Gunn, the music was great, there’s a great cast, and I just got to work with a great group of people” stated a very excited Lars Winther, co-producer of the film. “For me, the shoot was 19 weeks, February to June. Then we had 20 weeks of prep, so I was in Atlanta for about 10 months.” The Mayor of Fayetteville Edward Johnson was equally happy with the way things turned out: “Pinewood Studios is in the city of Fayetteville, GA and Pinewood Forest is there as well. So we’ve been very blessed that Pinewood Studios is adding to our city. A lot of the filming was done in the studio production lot, but we have a lot of back lots that were used as well. So we are thrilled to be so involved with such a project. The Mayor of Fayetteville Edward Johnson was equally happy with the way things turned out: “Pinewood Studios is in the city of Fayetteville, GA and Pinewood Forest is there as well. So we’ve been very blessed that Pinewood Studios is adding to our city. A lot of the filming was done in the studio production lot, but we have a lot of back lots that were used as well. So we are thrilled to be so involved with such a project.

The event turned out to be a major success. If you haven’t had the chance to catch a movie at The Fox Theatre, you definitely should. It’s a rarity so you should take the opportunity when it comes.

You can find more pictures HERE and read our review HERE

Fayetteville Mayor Edward Johnson was kind enough to tell our Desmond McLennon the role Pinewood Studios has played in the growth of their city (Julia Elliott/TPR)

Reporters: Brittney Level, Desmond Mclennon

Photo: Julia Elliott

MomoCon was SUPER lit this year and man was it amazing. I was able to see a lot of awesome cosplayers, attend some really good panels, see amazing artists at work, play the latest games, catch up with some old friends, and interviewed legendary voice actors and cosplayers. MomoCon kicked oﬀ con season with a bang and I can’t explain how awesome it was… no wait, yes I can.

So to start oﬀ with the cosplays, the characters I saw… man did I see some amazing cosplays this year! The main groups I saw this year were Overwatch, Sailor Moon, and Steven Universe. I’d say the Overwatch groups dominated the cosplay scene thus far because it is the newest thing out there. Honestly, I wish I was a part of the group but I haven’t played, nor do I know much about the game. I saw other characters from a Deadpool/Sailor Moon mashup which by far was my favorite, to Gundam, Static Shock, Kid Flash, Hawkman, Akuma, Power Rangers, and characters from JoJo’s Bizarre Adventures. I even dressed up myself, had to pull out my Casey Jones cosplay (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles).

One of the major panels I attended was “Designing Functional Cosplay.” Mainly in that panel they were discussing the do’s and don’ts of cosplay and what type of material to use while designing your outfits (like don’t wear leather in the heat just because the character you’re cosplaying is wearing leather because you will die). If you know you’re going to be walking around the whole time, you may want to invest in some comfy shoes… or get some Dr. Scholl’s, apparently, your feet will be grateful. I’ve learned a lot, even learned some tips and tricks on cosplaying with eva foam, so Jabarr Lasley-King, Walter Dean, Fiona Leonard, and Corey Isaac did an amazing job at hosting that panel.

I had the chance to interview a lot of people this year at MomoCon. I even spoke with the legends of voice acting Rob Paulson and Maurice LaMarche, mainly known for doing Pinky and the Brain and other Animaniacs characters. I got to ask them what was their first voice acting gig. From what they told me they met on Attack of The Killer Tomatoes (one of my favorites) and from there it was like acting love at first site because they became best buds. Maurice started oﬀ as a stand up comedian and said he really loved the fact that he could make people laugh so he started his voiceover career from there. Rob’s first gig was on G.I. Joe as Snow Job and Transformers as Sling shot and Air Wing. After talking to these guys and hanging with them for a while, they are really funny and down to earth (they kept the audience laughing the whole time). Nowadays, they still do voiceovers but they also do podcasts. I had a great time talking to KayBear Cosplay (she’s super sweet and super awesome). She started cosplaying a couple of years ago out of nowhere and after that, she became a fan favorite in the cosplay community. She was known for her Jinx cosplay from League of Legends and her favorite cosplays are Riku from Final Fantasy X and Vola Demon Hunter from Diablo III. She also gave some really good words of wisdom for anyone of color who’s trying to get into cosplay. “People are going to hate, but don’t ever stoop to their level, be the bigger person. Keep pushing forward and keep doing what you’re doing, people will know that you’re passionate about it and they will let you be. Skin color doesn’t matter, you can cosplay whoever you want, no one can tell you what’s right or wrong when it’s your cosplay that you made.” Those are some inspiring words from her, plus she was loads of laughter and fun. So whatever con you’re at, make sure you stop by and see her, she loves her fans. Also check her out on Instagram @Kayyybear or kaybearcosplay.com.

You can watch TBZ’s KayBear interview along with Rob and Maurice.

Now for the Dynamic Duo, two amazing artists Joe Karg and Chris Bivins. These two met at The Art Institute of Atlanta, along with myself, and they kicked it oﬀ from there. Both have always had a passion for art, been drawing since they were kids, always been into cartoons and reading comic books, and from there they knew they wanted to create something. While in school, Chris always pictured himself working for Pixar and Disney while Joe wanted to go more of the comic route with Marvel and DC but like most, it was hard to make it out there. But now these two are doing big things! They collaborated and came up with a group they call Combo Break. They attend a lot of cons, like Momocon, Dragon Con, and Charlotte Mini-Con (they do a lot of live work there). They also do big work for Comedy Central and they have more projects coming their way. These two work great together; Chris does the pencil art, while Joe does the inking and either one will do the coloring and it looks amazing. For any inspiring artist out there Joe and Chris’ words of advice are: “Stay hungry, there’s always room for improvement, it may take you ten years but you have to keep working. You will always be a student and you still have a lot to learn, don’t give up, and we know it’s hard but you’ll learn. It is important to surround yourself with people who think they are better than you and who are self critical because it will push yourself to be better.”It was good catching up with these guys and talking to them, if you want to see their awesome work check them out at Cbiv85.deviantart.com for Chris and Joekarg.com or @josephkarg for Joe.

While walking around the Con I couldn’t help but play some of the video games like Injustice 2, and arcade games like Double Dragon. To top oﬀ the night they had a rave as well, so I had to go in and show oﬀ my breakdancing skills! So once again, Momocon was a blast and I can’t wait till next year! -TBZ Photo: Jon J. Photo Editing: X

Dragon Con, it's always an adventure. There are many things that are always going on and a lot of people to see. This year was its first year hosting their parade on T.V. for the many that couldn't make it or for those that just wanted to relax in their hotel room and not deal with the crowd (I mean hey, sometimes it's hard finding a good spot to view the parade).

On Friday, I had the honor of interviewing Charles Martinet (the voice of Mario), and Michael Rooker (Yondu from "Guardians of The Galaxy" and Merle from "The Walking Dead"). Both guys were really cool and fun to talk to.

When talking to Charles, you just felt like a kid again, and hearing his Mario impressions just brought out all of my childhood glory and memories of me playing Mario Bros. While talking to Charles, his energy and emotions reminded me of Robin Williams and Jackie Chan (he was that cool). He literally started his career as Mario by crashing an audition. He told us he went to the audition at the last minute while they were packing up and asked if he could audition for the role. While he said most guys did a macho type of Italian plumber, he said he wanted to make his plumber friendly and nice for kids and hence you got Mario.

He also voiced Luigi and the way he came up with his voice was funny. He told us that he had motion capture balls on his face so he really couldn't do much mouth movement. So when someone asked if they could speak to Luigi while he was voicing Mario he would tell them, "Luigi is busy at the moment, he's in the kitchen making meatballs and he's kinda shy." So he would turn his head to the side and change his voice to do Luigi and say, "Hey Mario, can you tell the family that I'm busy in the kitchen making meatballs and I'm kinda shy.â&#x20AC;? He said people would look over to see if they could see Luigi as well because they really believed that Luigi was there. He also voiced Wario and Waluigi.

Now Michael Rooker is simply hilarious. He called everyone 'hun' and he made jokes out of every question during the interview. For example, I asked him if he made anyone near him in the theater cry while watching "Guardians of The Galaxy Vol. 2" because I did. His response was, "That paycheck I got made me cry," in which we all laughed. He told us a story about a death scene he had to do to pass a class when he was in acting school:

"I had a pet snake, it was venomous, and the snake would retrieve things like a ball. So I would swallow the ball and the snake would go down my throat to my belly to retrieve the ball. Every time the snake would misbehave I'd scold him. So again, I swallowed a ball and the snake went into my stomach to get it. We did that a couple of times, but one time the snake didn't want to come back. So I'm getting mad because the snake isn't coming back, so I smack my belly where the snake is and the snake got mad and bit me while he's in his belly. So I fell on the floor rolling around in pain and agony, I roll over to my professor, grab his leg, tug on it, squeeze it real tight, and throw up on his legs and shoes and then it (the snake) died. The professor applauded me and passed me for that." (Micheal also mentioned that he didn't like his professor).

He told us that he's a fan of "Game of Thrones” (peep the cosplay to the left) but doesn't know if he would be good or evil on the show. He still watches his friends on "The Walking Dead" to support them and just to see what crazy thing Norman Reedus would say. He's been going to conventions like these for a very long time, back when it was nothing but horror and small hotel rooms. He applauded Stan Lee and mentioned how they are good friends. He loves coming to conventions like Dragon Con and loves seeing people in cosplay. "Seeing the hard work people put in their costumes is admirable and I respect that."

This year for Dragon Con I decided that I would watch the parade from home (I was making lastminute adjustments to my costume). While watching the parade for its first time on television, I gotta say... it was quite dry and boring. The announcers of the parade had really dry humor and you could barely hear them. Some of the scenes didn't line up with what they were talking about, they had a lot of oﬀ-camera discussions, and they really didn't make it seem fun. To me, they really didn't talk about any celebrity guests so I really didn't know who was there. Hopefully, they will do better next year.

I got to attend the MC Chris concert and if you don't know who he, is he played MC Pee Pants on Aqua Team Hunger Force and Hesh on Sea Lab 2021. The concert was lit!

On Sunday, I got to debut my costume (I tried to wear it Saturday but didn't have time). I was Perfect Cell from "Dragonball Z" and everyone loved it. I had fun getting stopped and having people take pictures of me. Parents would stop me to take pictures with their kids and I even ran into other DBZ characters and took pictures with them. I didn't get the chance to meet Stan Lee like I wanted to, but I did enjoy myself as I do every year. Dragon Con 2017 was amazing as always and it continues to grow and improve every year. I can't wait to see what next year has in store.

-TBZ

Photo: X

Jeffrey Fashion Cares

Arbiter of style, Jeffrey Kalinsky, creator of two namesake boutiques in Atlanta and Manhattan, celebrated 25 years of Jeffrey Fashion Cares Atlanta on Monday, August 28, 2017. The annual fashion forward and philanthropic event was once again hosted by Event Chairs Lila Hertz, Jeffrey McQuithy and Louise Sams. A soldout evening, filled with the city’s most notable, gathered in Phipps Plaza in the heart of Buckhead to enjoy a high-energy reception, silent auction, live auction, and runway show. The most anticipated runway of the year featured Kalinsky’s style selections from high-end designers such as Celine, Christian Dior, Givenchy, Valentino, Dries van Noten, Saint Laurent Paris, Balenciaga, Christian Louboutin, and Manolo Blahnik.

Kalinsky and Jeﬀrey Fashion Cares were also granted the Phoenix Award, the highest honor that can be bestowed on a citizen for service to the City of Atlanta by the Mayor. The award recognizes outstanding achievements and service to the city, state, nation or world.

The 25th anniversary of Jeffrey Fashion Cares benefitted Susan G. Komen Greater Atlanta, the Atlanta AIDS Fund (AAF), and the Medical University of South Carolina. Over the course of its history, Jeffrey Fashion Cares has raised more than 15 million dollars for its beneficiaries. For more information, visit jeffreyfashioncares.com.

-Jon J.

Photo: Hakim Wright

*Trend forecast courtesy of CWPR

Fall Trend Forecast Power Shoulders: One of the most memorable fashion moments of the 1980’s (aside from the largerthan-life hair) were the larger-than-life shoulder pads. Think cropped couture jackets and little party frocks all with a dramatic shoulder line that creates the illusion of a smaller waist.

Fun Furs: When the temperature starts to drop, nothing says decadence quite like swathing yourself in fur. This season, don’t let your exceptionally soft selection of outerwear be merely utilitarian; instead, choose one that is just as unique and cheerful as it is cozy.

Rare Birds: Feathers are no doubt the biggest story in embellishment this season. Bright, bold, beautiful plumes could be spotted flouncing down the catwalk of practically every major designer.

Give Them the Slip: Who says silken slip dresses must be confined to the bedroom? If you are afraid of being mistaken for a sleepwalker, layer an asymmetrical, lace-trimmed slip over a t-shirt or sweater for a decidedly modern look.

Flower Power: As Miranda Priestly famously taught us in The Devil Wears Prada, florals are by no means groundbreaking for spring. They are, however, an unexpected delight for fall and winter. This season, designer’s showcased moody, yet bold versions of the print that would feel right at home in an 18th century painting.

MOVIES

Set to the backdrop of Awesome Mixtape #2, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 continues the team’s adventures as they unravel the mystery of Peter Quill’s (Chris Pratt) true parentage.

It’s very rare when a sequel to a film exceeds expectations of the first. Everyone loved the first Hangover, but after that, the popularity started to decline even though the two that followed were still seen as “decent.” Decent is not what you want to hear about a film. So I’m happy to announce that the second installment of Guardians is every bit as ‘awesome’ as fans were hoping for and more.

This movie was three, count it, three times funnier than I expected. The entire film surrounds Quill haphazardly discovering his father not only exists but has his own planet. Everything else that takes place is hilarious.

There are so many subplots that add to the uniqueness of the film that it’s going to move Marvel Studios up yet another notch in the film world above D.C. Universe. I was going to say ‘rival’ but at this point, they’ll need to hit 10 Grand Slams with Wonder Woman to catch up to Marvel’s shadow.

The obsession with Baby Groot (voiced by Vin Diesel) is going to continue. His part in the film’s opening is adorable and hilarious. He’s the source of cuteness in sporadic parts of the movie, but the bulk of the comedy comes from Drax (Dave Bautista) and Rocket (voiced by Bradley Cooper). Rude, crude, perverse, and everything you’d hope for!

Now if you’re familiar with the story, you know that Quill and Gamora (Zoe Saldana) have a thing for each other that Quill is willing to acknowledge but Gamora is in denial about. Sadly, little progress is made in that regard in Vol 2., but that doesn’t make it any less awesome.

So what I am going to do is tell you to see this movie even if you haven’t seen the first one. You can fill in the gaps along the way via flashbacks and piece bits of information together. What I’m not going to do is tell you is who’s going to die, why Rocket is a klepto, why David Hasselhoﬀ and Kurt Russell are so relevant, and the number of scenes you’re going to see during the credits (because you know by now to stay for the credits of a Marvel movie. You do know that right?) 10 out of 10 AND I bet it will do record numbers.

Trust me, believe me.

-Jon J.

Kathryn Bigelow takes the gloves oﬀ and rolls her sleeves up to tackle the chaos that occurred in the aptly titled film “Detroit.” With race riots happening all over America in 1967, director Kathryn Bigelow hones in on one specific incident in Detroit at the Algiers Hotel.

The scene in Detroit was pretty crazy. White flight had already taken place which left blacks and other minorities displaced in impoverished areas with few jobs and even fewer opportunities. To top it oﬀ, constant raids and abuse of power by law enforcement were making black neighborhoods unlivable. In Detroit, a raid on a private party was the last straw for the black citizens and chaos erupted. Governor George Romney (yup, Mitt’s dad) called in the National Guard which made things even worse and a curfew was enforced.

Now to understand how awful the Algiers Hotel incident was you have to know this: Not a thing has changed between black people and police. Nada. Nothing. This year, 2017, marks 50 years since the time of America’s race riots and there has been zero progress with police relations. The only thing that’s changed is the technology. Black people were always faced with “my word against yours” when it came to police, with the public always favoring law enforcement (sound familiar?) and most cases go before white juries. Even with video evidence of the 21st Century, we will end up seeing 1967 results.

In this painstaking display of police brutality, oﬃcers Krauss (Will Poulter), Demens (Jack Reynor), and Flynn (Ben O’Toole) beat, abuse, torture, and kill a group of people inside of the residential buildings of the hotel. They’re looking for a sniper that doesn’t exist but they’re dead set on finding who among them has the gun. There are six black men and two white women for a total of eight. They are being harassed by the three aforementioned Detroit Police with a handful of National Guardsmen present along with a black security guard (who tries his best to straddle the line but he’s a turncoat) named Dismukes (John Boyega).

The first hour of the movie was setting the background and the framework of the happenings of 1967 in Detroit. The rest of the film focused on that horrific incident at the hotel and the trial that came after.

We gain some insight to how The Dramatics were formed and how to this day they’re one man short. Michael (Malcolm David Kelley) and his bandmates were trying to get signed by Motown, but after he was tortured at the hotel, he couldn’t stand to see white people dance to his music. He was never the same after that night at the hotel and to this day he’s a choir leader at a Detroit church.

The film Detroit gets an 8 out of 10. It was very powerful and Will Poulter plays a surprisingly good scumbag (I mean come on, with that baby face? He had to study to come oﬀ as scummy). It’s rated R (the beatings are pretty brutal) and the runtime is 2 hours and 23 minutes. It’s a good film to catch opening weekend but just know, if you have a drop of consciousness or claim to be ‘woke’ you’re probably going to leave the theatre angry. We’re talking race riots in 1967, there’s hypocrisy at every turn so eat your popcorn with caution… Might wanna add extra butter.

-Jon J.

Allied soldiers from Belgium, the British Empire, and France are surrounded by the German army and evacuated during a fierce battle in World War II. The biggest name in this film is its director Christopher Nolan so it was refreshing to see a cast of new faces and smaller names onscreen.

Dunkirk is very suspenseful. It’s based on a specific engagement during WWII so unless you’re unfamiliar with how the war went, nothing should surprise you. The suspense comes when the enemy attacks and how the soldiers escaped. When their warships were falling left and right due to bombs (from the air) and torpedos (from underwater), the English pulled a bold move and sent civilian boats to Dunkirk to retrieve the soldiers and bring them to safety.

The youngest of the lot was Gibson (Aneurin Barnard) who barely escaped with his life to the evacuation point (the beach). Once he made it to the beach he was less tense and decided to walk along where the sand met the grass. Behind a dune, he saw a French soldier (Damien Bonnard) burying a man who he killed (he assumed). The two shared no vocal exchange but immediately became friends and looked out for each other the rest of the way.

An incident took place where a portion of the beach was ambushed. A few English soldiers were hiding inside a Dutch boat when they tried to figure out how anyone knew they were hiding? That was when we found out that French soldier didn’t bury a German soldier that we presumed he killed. He actually stumbled upon a dead British soldier and swapped uniforms. He did this because the heads of the military at the time, even though they were allies, were evacuating English only. One soldier even noted, “The only one who hasn’t said a word since we came on this boat is him!” And that was to hide the fact that he was French.

The film is pretty good, nothing spectacular. It’s full of suspense and the bravery of the civilians to go to a war zone to rescue soldiers was remarkable. Dunkirk gets an 8 out of 10.

-Jon J.

Halle Berry produces and stars in the film Kidnap. The straightforward title describes the film in its entirety and its storyline. Halle Berry stars as Karla Dyson, a single mother who works as a waitress that would do anything for her son Frankie (Sage Correa). I like how the film gets straight to the point of the title (Kidnap) and the adrenaline rush starts after the first 15 minutes of the film. While taking a phone call at the park, she eludes to the fact she’s in a custody battle for Frankie (the opening scenes paint a vivid picture of how much her young son means to her). To keep in contact while on the phone every 5 – 10 seconds she’d yell out “Marco” and wait for his response of “Polo!” But it’s when her attorney delivered some bad news that distracted her for all of a few seconds that she noticed something was amiss.

After she gets oﬀ the phone she begins to slowly retrace her steps while alternating between “Frankie!” and “Marco!” After her shouts continued without a response, bystanders attempted to help. The interesting thing about this situation is just minutes later she actually catches a glimpse of the abductor. From that point on, the mission to retrieve her son from the clutches of a kidnapper begins.

Now, the main problem begins from this point on. Halle does far too much monologuing, to the point where some scenes begin to lean away from suspenseful and more towards cheesy.

The opening 10 minutes were very slow and extremely annoying. You’ll see all the production companies involved loop at least twice before you even get to the actual film. Once the film starts, you’ll see clips and old photos of Frankie leading up to the present. About 10 minutes will pass and you’ll end up at the park, where I first began this review. They really waste no time getting to the kidnapping part, which I’m totally ok with since that’s the whole point of the movie.

The car chase is probably the longest in movie history but I’d be lying if I didn’t say it was exciting. The only problem I found during the chase was the copious amount of aloof ‘soccer mom’ moments she had. Aside from that, it’s pretty suspenseful.

Some of the acting was spotty from all sides. The kidnappers were actually a couple named Margo and Terry (Chris McGinn and Lew Temple). Their initial exchanges with Karla were weird and somewhat awkward but after their first meeting, it gets better.

The best part of the entire film is the last 35 minutes. The last 35 minutes delivers edge-ofyour-seat suspense, a pair of plot twists, and a huge surprise that you wouldn’t expect. In my opinion, the final third of the film basically saved the film from tanking (reviews haven’t been kind towards this).

I enjoyed how the film had a feeling of continuity. The entire film takes place in one day, from the moment they left the restaurant to the end which I won’t ruin for you (but it all takes place on the same day).

The pivotal moment in the film came when she was finally able to talk to a sheriff. The sheriff attempted to calm her (Karla) down and told her to wait. As Karla tries to compose herself she notices a wall with postings of lost children. As she visually scans each post, the length of “been missing” for each one ranged from as recent as last year to as long as 2001. From that moment on she gathers herself and tells the sheriff “that’s the mistake their parents made… They waited,” and barges out of the sheriff’s office.

I’ll give the movie Kidnap 6.5 out of 10. It is rated R but it’s mainly for language because the death scenes aren’t that bad (nothing too gruesome). The film is ok, but what hurts the most is it could’ve been better. You’ll see what I mean when you see it. It’s one of those “if she would’ve done this instead” or “had she had the captor do that” type of stories. I’m not a fan of actors directing/producing films where they’re the star and very few have been able to pull it oﬀ. Halle came close but in my opinion, she missed the mark. How would I categorize this for your weekend? “Redbox it” in mid-September. -Jon J.

Director Luc Besson delivers a visually mesmerizing project in Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets. I say this with a firm emphasis on “visually” because what I witnessed in all its shimmery IMAX glory was orgasmic to the eye… But that’s where it stops. The story is decent, but you can tell from the start that its based on a book. There is no explanation for about 90% of the happenings in this film. Where’d the planets get their names? What’s the backstory on the two main characters? How did things get to where they are now? None of that. They literally took The 5th Element, put it in a blender with Avatar, and put sprinkles of Starship Troopers to finish it oﬀ.

Some folks have been comparing it in its entirety to The 5th Element and that is absolutely ridiculous. 5th Element was not only funny, it set the tone for a lot of the current sci-fi films of today. Not to mention it had actual stars in it like Bruce Willis and Chris Tucker (both of whom were in their prime). The biggest names in Valerian are Herbie Hancock, Ethan Hawke, and Clive Owen. To be compared to The 5th Element you’d need the equivalent of Jason Statham and Kevin Hart (modern day comparisons to Willis and Tucker).

But I digress, special agents Valerian (Dane DeHaan) and Laureline (Cara DeLevingne) are put a special mission to identify the mysterious presence that landed on their home Alpha. Alpha is home to various walks of life from over a thousand planets (hence the title of the film) and the fact they can’t identify this mysterious presence throws their military into a frenzy.

The comedy is sparse and Cara DeLevingne pretty much carries the film. She looks good, uses tact, she’s far more patient than Valerian, she’s a hard worker, and she can fight. Valerian is pretty much an interstellar f*** boy.

I saw it in IMAX and it was a gorgeous experience. The acting, however, was subpar. But Rihanna shows her face and played one heckuva stripper. She actually had some lines too. Once you hear her story, you actually begin to feel for her. I was like “Wow, I’m feeling Rihanna’s character… What does this mean?” But before I got too comfortable she was killed. (*Spoiler Alert*). A rollercoaster of emotions all for nothing.

I can easily give this cornball movie a 7 out of 10. Teens and avocado millennials are more than likely going to give this the push that it needs to stay at the top of the charts. The best I can say about this is it’s pretty. Oh, and following my review of Planet of the Apes, we here again find ourselves in the exact same disaster scenario: ‘There’s something new white people haven’t seen before, white people, therefore, deem it dangerous, it must be destroyed.’ Because hey, if it ain’t broke…

-Jon J.

GIFTED

Gifted is a powerful film about a man named Frank Adler (Chris Evans) and his niece Mary Adler (McKenna Grace). Frank is a single man living in Florida in an environment that’s not really conducive to raising a child. After the death of a sibling, he stepped forth to take care of Mary and they’ve been together ever since. But there’s a secret to Mary that he works years to contain and trains her to control…

Evelyn (Lindsay Duncan, Frank’s mother) was a mathematician in her younger days at Cambridge. She was in pursuit of statistical greatness, striving to solve formulas and prove quotients that would put her in the annals of numerical history. But that was cut short after she had kids, one of them being Frank. Frank too was a child prodigy but he couldn’t reach his potential or the goals his mom set forth. Seeing this trend is why she (Evelyn) ferociously sought custody of Mary.

Even though she (Mary) was in 1st grade, she was doing college level math, with ease. All throughout her life, she followed her uncle’s plan to hide her genius from the public, so as not to bring any attention her way that could separate them. He homeschooled her for as long as he could, but a new job took priority of his availability during day hours.

(From L-R): Octavia Spencer as Roberta Taylor, McKenna Grace as Mary Adler and Chris Evans as Frank Adler in the film GIFTED. Photo by Wilson Webb. © 2017 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation All Rights Reserved

I can understand and appreciate both the viewpoints of Frank and his mother Evelyn. Although Evelyn’s intentions were a bit more selfish than Frank’s, at the end of the day, she just wanted her granddaughter to reach her potential. The other side of that is what Frank was trying to avoid, which was the public attention and critical acclaim. He wanted Mary to live a normal life and experience being a kid. He knew that if her talent was discovered that she’d be shipped oﬀ to a private school, used for public speaking, etc. All of which are not normal activities for a 7-year-old.

This film is very powerful. It’s one of those pieces that everyone can relate to because we’ve all been children, everyone’s family experience is diﬀerent, and we’ve all attended school at various levels. Gifted gets a 9 out of 10. Other appearances include Octavia Spencer, Jenny Tate,and Michael Kendall Kaplan.

-Jon J.

Alien: Covenant, directed by Ridley Scott, takes us on a journey with a spaceship aptly named ‘Covenant’. With its direction towards a faraway planet, the crew and the new residents of said planet are in hypersleep. Only one person, a humanlike android named Walter (Michael Fassbender) is awake and in complete control of the ship.

Now as far as the science is concerned, they get a D- because they explain absolutely nothing in the film. The hypersleep, the embryos (why do they have them?), how are they surviving while in hypersleep, it seems like they stole ideas from various sci-fi movies the past three years and put it together for this.

After a disturbance wakes up members of the crew, they start receiving strange messages from a planet they’re unfamiliar with. The captain makes a bold (and stupid) decision to track the foreign signal and follow it (and guess who’s there waiting for them…).

What I just did in the first three paragraphs is what they’ll spend the first hour doing in the film. The first 70 minutes or so are dedicated to building the plot and character development. Most people are coming to see this for the inevitable, but the writers are going to make you wait (Oh we’re gonna force you to learn this story! There’s a story!).

When you finally get to the action, the new generation of alien is just as creepy as the original (pictured above). They’re even faster than the original, they’re solid white with spikes along their spine and tail, and they’re equally as hell-bent on death. But how are they able to survive and multiply on this planet? That, they actually do explain.

This is the point where they connect Prometheus to Alien: Covenant, so to avoid any spoilers, I’ll leave that alone for you (you’re welcome). The action from there on is awesome. There’s comedy, there’s death, and of course, aliens. Just when you think you’ve seen all the ways they can hatch, find a host, or simply kill someone, the producers shock you with something new.

I give Alien: Covenant 8 out of 10. Audiences should be satisfied with the mountainous levels of suspense. Again, you’re going to be listening for the first hour or so, but thankfully the movie is two hours and two minutes. This is one of those fun films to see on opening night. But know that it is Rated-R for a reason so unless your kids have already seen Alien films in the past, leave them at home.

-Jon J.

I still have memories of seeing David Hasselhoﬀ and Pamela Anderson running along the beach in the intro to the TV show. Fast forward a few decades and we have a full blown remake turned movie of the same name “Baywatch.” Now I know what you’re thinking because initially, I was thinking the same thing: “How is this going to play out? Is this going to be hilarious or is this going to bomb?” Well, I come bearing great news folks, and that news is… It’s pretty damn funny.

Now in its simplest form, it looks like “Hey, let’s grab two guys with nice bodies that have ridiculously huge social media followings and throw them in a movie that’s set on a beach and see what happens.” Well, it actually made for a decent, millennial targeted comedy.

We jump into the story where devoted lifeguard Mitch Buchannon (Dwayne Johnson) is making his normal rounds on the beach. Everyone on the beach knows him and feels safe because of his record number of ‘saves’ on the beach. Along with his teammates CJ (Kelly Rohrbach) and Stephanie (Ilfenesh Hadera), he captains the team through their daily adventures on the beach. The real story begins when he butts heads with a new recruit named Matt Brody (Zac Efron). He’s everything your typical self-centered douchebag tends to be but with specks of pharma bro. (Jeez, could you imagine?)

So Brody, who Mitch so aﬀectionately trolls throughout the movie as “Jonas Brother” “One Direction” “Pretty boy” and “New Kids On The Block” to name a few, is a two-time gold medal olympian. Sadly, he’s known for falling flat when it came to the team competition and failed to get a medal for the relays. Now washed up, fate landed him in the arms of Mitch and his team of lifeguards, which he soon discovers does more than just save civilians in distress.

I’d say 80% of the comedy in this comes from either The Rock (Dwayne Johnson) or Zac Efron. The bulk of this movie rides on their shoulders but they are pretty funny together. Now, the reason this will probably do serious box oﬃce numbers is that just about everybody loves Dwayne Johnson. Seriously, everyone. I know this not just because of his social media following, but by the number of ear piercing screams when he appeared after our screening here in Atlanta.

So, of course, The Rock dropping by the screening added for dramatic eﬀect and the wooing from all the women in attendance, but that doesn’t change the fact that this film was definitely geared toward young people.

The cast, the type of comedy involved, all of that said, “Everyone who follows me on Instagram, you’ll love this movie!” I can definitely give this a 7 out of 10. The plot is realistic so props for that, but if you replace The Rock and Zac Efron with two other actors of humor, it would be close to the same film. Also, a bit of info that slipped under the noses of most, the film is Rated-R.

-Jon J.

Let’s be honest, what number is this? Four? Seven? Ten? Don’t let semantics get in the way because it might take awhile, I keep them in order by the extra long titles. It’s not like Lethal Weapon or Alien when you ask “which one?” and you respond with a number. With Pirates of the Caribbean, you respond with “Dead Man’s Chest” or “At World’s End?”

On one hand, we’ve been given 14 years of Johnny Depp so big thanks to Disney for that. On the other, folks like me are wondering “Is this the last one?” With the latest installment in the franchise “Dead Men Tell No Tales” we’re at five films total. Rumors swirled about this being the one to finish the series but I can tell you that’s a lie (they pull a Marvel in this film so sit through the credits).

Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) is in search of the trident of Poseidon. This only comes after Henry Turner (Brenton Thwaites), son of Will Turner (Orlando Bloom), is determined to set his father free from his curse. This can only be done by finding the trident, which breaks all curses of the sea.

Even though it’s Rated PG-13 and it’s by Disney, there’s a lot of adult humor in here. Naturally, the bulk of it comes from Captain Jack but still, it’s there.

Linking up with a rogue kid who spends his life trying to find you is a nice warming story, but that would be too simple. So here comes Captain Salazar (Javier Bardem), a man who not only knows Jack Sparrow but was upended by his trickery, cursed to forever lie in the shadows of a cave.

This 2hr and 9m adventure are much of what you’d expect. Bits of action, sprinkles of comedy, and just enough of a plot with a twist here and there to keep your attention for 129 minutes. I give Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales a 7 out of 10. It’s Memorial Day Weekend and there really aren’t any blockbusters coming this way for the holiday. Your choices are pretty much this and Baywatch so here’s what you should do. If you want to get out the house by yourself or with other adults, then you see Baywatch. If you have kids with you, then you see this (Baywatch is totally inappropriate for children). So grab your mates and a bottle of rum and prepare for tales of folly!

-Jon J.

Doesn’t the old adage go something like “leave it to a woman to clean up a man’s mess?” Whatever the case, we all need to thank director Patty Jenkins. Wonder Woman is an absolute spectacle on the silver screen. After “Batman vs. Superman” and “Suicide Squad”, I’ve come to happily verify that DC has finally, finally, got it right.

But before I delve deep into the lovefest that is Wonder Woman, I’ll get the few nicks out the way first. If you were looking forward to this following the comic series you’re going to be disappointed. Lasso? Yup. Invisible plane? Nope. Will you hear anyone throughout the film actually call her Wonder Woman? Nope. But do you get two hours and twenty-one minutes of Gal Gadot in 100% epic awesomeness? Yup. Does her outfit look exactly like it did in the original? Negative. It actually looks exactly like what we saw from “Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice.” Awesome female superhero movie? Yes. First female superhero movie? No, so stop saying that (pretty please). Lastly, while Gal Gadot was a sight to be seen, Chris Pine just didn’t do it for me. Not only did he put on a better performance in Star Trek, every time I saw him that’s all I could think of, Star Trek. As an actor I like him, but he was not the guy to play opposite Gal.

Now that we’ve got that out the way, let me start oﬀ by saying how pleased I was with the casting. Diana (Gal Gadot) is Princess of the Amazons on an island paradise (Themyscira) setup by Zeus to protect them from the outside world and the wrath of Aries, the god of war. We get to see an island full of bad ass women train, fight, wreck shop, break things, and ooze confidence left and right, and I’m all for it. Connie Nielsen, Robin Wright, and Ann Ogbomo are shredded, sword-wielding warriors who train day and night to protect their island paradise. The Queen of the Amazons, Hippolyta (Connie Nielsen) appoints her sister Antiope (Robin Wright) to train the mightiest of warriors on the island. One of the mighty warriors who participated in training Diana was Philippus (Ann Ogbomo).

This women-filled utopia is disrupted when two first name having spy Steve Trevor (Chris Pine) crashes his plane during World War I in a particular part of the ocean where he haphazardly falls through a type of portal. This transitions him to the island of Themyscira where he, still strapped inside his damaged plane, crashes into their waters where he begins to drown.

The very start of the film picks up where B v S left oﬀ, as she disappears from the public eye. The storyline does an excellent job intertwining the two films together as a sort of ‘continuation’ if you will, instead of a new, separate story. We learn how the Amazons came to be, their purpose, and that Diana is far more powerful than any of us (including her) could’ve imagined.

Even though the primary antagonist is a man (Ludendorﬀ played by Danny Hutson), the secondary is a woman, Dr. Poison (Elena Anaya). The setting is perfect for this film since it’s WWI and women were still seen as less than thou. Then all of a sudden Diana shows up in the middle of a war in the early 1900’s going about as she pleases and having the audacity to tell men anything. Just like you’ll never hear anyone call her “Wonder Woman” you won’t hear anyone say “World War.” But you will hear terms such as “The Great War” and the “War To End All Wars.” That is how we know for sure that it’s set during World War I (those are both nicknames for WWI).

Before the film begins, you’re going to be blessed with a saucy trailer for Justice League. It’s very pleasing to know that DC has finally turned things around and are navigating the path they should’ve gone in the first place. I’m not sure about the obsession with Zack Snyder (who was a part of this, even though he didn’t direct it) but I’m glad he didn’t sway this film to ruin.

I give Wonder Woman an 8 out of 10. As I stated early on, the film is 2 hrs. 21 mins and you won’t have to sit through the first hour of nauseating character development. This one’s cool for kids since there’s no lovey-dovey mess in here and only adults will get the adult comedy. It’s not a Marvel film so there’s no need to wait through the credits. Once it’s over you may leave immediately and tell the world of the greatness you witnessed. It’s all the tank throwing, lasso pulling, shield smacking, forearm bullet blocking action you yearned for.

-Jon J.

Directed and written by Edgar Wright, Baby Driver is probably one of the most wellbalanced films I’ve seen in recent memory. The storyline was simple and straightforward, the character build up and depth was just enough, there was enough action to satisfy, and the soundtrack was the unsung hero of the film.

Baby Driver is about a kid who’s government name is actually Baby (Ansel Elgort) and like the title, he’s a getaway driver. He tried boosting the wrong car when he was younger and the owner made a deal with him to pay him back for his wrongdoing. That owner is a crime boss named Doc (Kevin Spacey) and was motivated to keep him around. At the time we get introduced to the backstory, every heist that involved Baby as the getaway driver had been successful. Noting that, Doc explained to each new group of henchmen that Baby was his good luck charm. We see why in the very beginning of the film (that kid can drive).

There’s comedy, there’s love, there’s action, but the most exciting thing people around here will love is Atlanta. That’s right, not only was it filmed here but you see all types of buildings, restaurants, and landmarks throughout the movie. I liked the fact they showed copious mom-and-pop spots around town: Goodfellas Pizza, Bacchanalia, a few diners, and then there’s Octane. Octane Coﬀee got so much face time I felt like they were a co-sponsor of the film.

So the movie about the kid driver who never takes oﬀ his headphones is awesome. The reason he always has music playing stems from the car accident he was in as a child. There’s a constant buzzing in his ear so to drown it out he plays music 24/7. That right there is the theme throughout the movie; music. When a chase happens, when a fight breaks out, everything will be in sync with whatever song is playing. If a track is playing that has three bells a gun will fire oﬀ three times, in time with the bells. This happens throughout the entire film. It’s like taking figments of Birdman with the genius of Hail, Caesar and then Edgar Wright meshed them together and put all his favorite tunes on the soundtrack. It was pure genius. Baby Driver gets a 9 out of 10. It’s funny, it’s raunchy, it’s genius. When Jamie Foxx arrives as Bats, that’s when the film reaches its comical apex. ‘Don’t mess with my baby!’ Jamie’s response? “….. F*** yo baby!” -Jon J.

Leap! There are plenty of children’s movies out right now, but all of them are lighthearted in nature or just plain silly. Leap! stands out because it is such a serious film geared towards children that’s more of a 90-minute life lesson than an animated fun fest.

The French film (partially done in France and Canada) is directed by Éric Summer and Éric Warin and features Mel Brooks, Elle Fanning, Carly Rae Jepsen, and Maddie Ziegler. Felicie (Elle Fanning) and Victor (Dane DeHaan) are young children living in a very remote orphanage. Victor is fun and likes to invent things while Felicie is daring and loves to dance. The pair of best friends share the same two goals: to achieve their respective dreams and to escape the orphanage (and ultimately end up in Paris).

From the moment we’re introduced to the kids we discover that nobody supports their dreams or aspirations. In a more ideal situation in a familial setting, the parents support their kids in whatever their interests may be. But in this situation, the head of the orphanage explains to Felicie that it’s not safe to dream and that dreams nevercome true. She went even further, exclaiming that kids should never dream because it gets their hopes up for things that will never happen (she’s pretty dark to be watching over children).

After a daring escape, the adventurous duo finally makes it to Paris and get by completely on their own. Felicie’s goal is to join a premiere dancing school while Victor wants to be an inventor. After getting separated by a barrage of pigeons, the two agree to meet by the Eiﬀel Tower at the same time the following day. During their separation, Felicie comes across more people who damper her hopes of achieving her dreams of being a dancer.

The recurring theme that runs through this film is obstacles. First, there was the issue of being stuck at the orphanage without hope. Once they determined the adults in charge were know-nothings, they made their way to Paris. While there, without a place to stay or a mode of transportation, Victor finds an inventor to shadow and Felicie finds the famous ballet school. She is doubted by an extremely jealous mother, her petty and angry daughter, and several others at the school. These hindrances may have caused her to stumble and doubt herself, but those feelings were temporary because her love of dance is what kept her happy.

The type of humor displayed and the conversations that take place, you can definitely tell this was made overseas. Outside of the U.S.A., the film goes by a diﬀerent name, “Ballerina,” but the lessons taught are the same. Never give up on your dreams and be sure to support the ones that care about you (and let them know that you care).

Leap! is a fun film that gets a 7.5 out of 10. It runs approximately 89 minutes so it’s not too long, but some of the foreign comedy might go over the heads of some children. It’s definitely not a film that pays attention to history since the use of a motorcycle and the construction of both the Eiﬀel Tower and the Statue of Liberty are all happening at once. The film is worth taking the kids to see simply for the fact that it pushes a good message. Never give up, no matter what anyone says.

-Jon J.

War for the Planet of the Apes is a cinematic masterpiece. The film is powerful in every way from the score to the visual eﬀects to the most important aspect of all, the plot. Directed by Matt Reeves, War for the Planet of the Apes details (what seems like) the final chapter of an amazing franchise. Caesar (Andy Serkis) is pushed to his limits and is forced to make some very tough decisions. The film parallels reality so much to the point I found myself frustrated throughout most of the film. It was a two hour and twenty-minute rollercoaster of emotions, mainly seeing my frustration turn to anger. It’s because of that, the laughter, the sadness, the anger, the frustration, that I have to give the film such high marks.

If you don’t feel anything during or after a film, does it deserve praise? Art is supposed to be moving, so if you aren’t moved, there’s a problem. I’ve enjoyed the entire franchise from ‘Rise’ to ‘Dawn’ and now ‘War’.

I found the timing of this quite interesting. As press, we were allotted an early screening in the month of June. On June 16, Officer Jeronimo Yanez was acquitted in Minnesota. Yanez is the officer who shot and killed Philando Castille in front of his daughter and fiancée whilst strapped (by seatbelt) to the seat of his car. As a minority, seeing this so often can almost make you numb, but with the rise of technology, as a people, we became hopeful. But like all things pertaining to black people, fairness rarely beams its head our direction and a Facebook Live Stream coupled with dash-cam video was insufficient to the cause. Four days later, it’s June 20 and I’m on my way to see a film I’ve been anticipating for three years.

I say all that to say that I was still in a state of disbelief when I went to see this film. But it played perfectly into the consciousness that was put into this film. I’m going to break down all the things I noticed that you may or may not pick up. Also, what does that last paragraph have to do with this film? The main theme: fear.

You see it all the time with politicians, fear mongering works. We have TV shows like Fear Factor and horror movies that people actually pay to see because they want to be scared. America has an obsession with fear, but when it comes to reality, there’s a sizable group of people who often suﬀer because of the fear of others. Take this animated clip from Michael Moore’s “Bowling for Columbine” as the best visual display you could possibly get.

The main quote that stands out in this satirically accurate history lesson was “The slaves were free! Yup, they were free now to go chop all the old slave masters’ heads oﬀ! But the freed slaves took no revenge, they just wanted to live in peace… But you couldn’t convince the white people of this!” And the precise reason why then and now, you can’t convince white people of this? Fear.

Caesar stated countless times that he wanted peace. It’s frustrating because, like the video above, people just want peace and to be left alone and instead they’re getting slaughtered. So when you get into this film, you’re introduced to a very tense situation. This military force so aptly called “Alpha & Omega” (beginning and end) is scouring the woods because of a rumored stronghold supporting Caesar. As always, the humans have advanced weapons, armor, various attack plans and formations, and most important, overconfidence. So just when they think they have Caesar’s people on the ropes, the apes use tact. They use the natural advantages of mother nature and launch a successful counterattack to ward them oﬀ. Now here’s where things get interesting…

Now how did they know to find Caesar in the woods? Well, the humans have a few apes of their own working for them. The same way ‘Massa’ got tipped to finding runaway slaves: you find a few scared ones, oﬀer them what they’ve never had (or safety from what they fear) and they’ll turn on their people in a second. In this instance, these apes are from the previous installment that supported the rogue ape Koba. Koba and Caesar (for those who haven’t seen the previous two films) had an MLK/Malcolm X, Professor Xavier/Magneto type of relationship. They both wanted the same thing but one preferred peace while the other approached freedom with aggression. (We’re about to get spoily so proceed with caution)

To make matters worse, these apes that are helping the humans are degraded by being called “Donkeys” (The disrespect is even spray painted on their backs). I had hope for this new albino gorilla on Caesar’s squad named Winter (Aleks Paunovic), but he wasn’t courageous like the rest of them. His sheer size would make you think he was ‘bout that life’, but he was more nervous than anyone in the woods. So naturally, he turns on his people and joins the humans. Why? Because ‘Massa’ said he would let him live after they captured Caesar. See how that works? So in the film, these ingrates are called donkeys, in reality, you might hear ‘turncoats’ or worse things for black people like ‘Uncle Tom.’ But to show you just how deep it hurts whatever group of people you’re a part of and how serious it is, Django can explain it best (pardon the language).

Here you can see Dr. Schultz wants him to appear like he’s betrayed his people by becoming a Black Slaver. But Django tries to explain to him that there is nothing on earth lower, for a black person in that era, than to be seen as a slaver. So replace ‘Black Slaver’ with ‘Donkey’ and we’re feeling some serious parallels in the first 15 minutes of this fictional adventure.

To further support Caesar’s strive for peace, the A&O faction flees the woods after a few of their commanders are captured. Now, this is where it gets dirty. The main person with the communication equipment is a man simply referred to as Preacher (Gabriel Chavarria) so Caesar focuses on him. He frees him and his comrades but sends him away with a message to deliver to Sergeant Scumbag Woody Harrelson… Oops, I mean “The Colonel” who is played by Woody Harrelson. So what’s the dirty part? Caesar frees this guy Preacher (who is an actual preacher) and when he could’ve helped Caesar later in the film, he opts to shoot him instead. So yeah, minorities are always expected to be ‘the bigger person’ when chaos comes their way and no matter what, get screwed in the end. The exact same thing happened to Caesar (I face palmed hard when this happened).

But just like the animated video above, do you think Caesar freeing the same people that tried to kill him and sending them back with a message of peace would finally prove that the apes pose no threat? Of course not. So A&O respond by coming back the very same night and try to kill Caesar’s family in their sleep (it’s the American thing to do).

But the scary thing about this whole debacle is the straightforwardness of their ignorance. The Colonel tells Caesar straight to his face that they came after them “out of fear of being replaced.” See how that term ‘fear’ is the running constant in all of this?

I’m going to fast forward a bit towards the end of the film. (Spoiler Alert) The apes get captured and of course, treated like slaves. This is where I tip my hat to the writers and producers of this film because of intent… Trollicious intent. Where are these new slaves being housed? At an artillery depot on the border. What kind of forced labor is involved at this border? Why building a wall of course! (What else would you do at a border?) And the trolling doesn’t stop there. I almost fell out of my seat when The Colonel proclaimed, “We’re building a wall… A big, beautiful wall,” almost verbatim of a certain toupee wearing Cheetoh Puﬀ.

One of the most powerful exchanges in the film happen between Caesar and one of the main donkeys that assist A&O. The gigantic gorilla looks Caesar in his eyes and says “I saved myself!” (by aligning with the humans) And Caesar responds with a simple “Is there anything else for you to save?” Powerful. You sold out your fellow apes, the leader you followed is dead (Koba), you have no friends, the humans treat you like trash, they demean you by calling you a weaker animal than what you are (donkey), and you help kill those that look like you. Needless to say, Caesar took a massive tug on the heart strings on that one.

The secondary reason for A&O snuﬃng out the apes is because the simian flu has mutated. The humans have seen some of their own go mute (yea I didn’t say die, I said lose their ability to speak) and it had The Colonel absolutely livid. While scoping the territory around the forest, Caesar and the gang stumble upon a house. A human was hiding there because he had become mute (we later discover because The Colonel was so scared of the mutation spreading, anyone that was mute was executed).

Maurice (Karin Konoval) finds a little girl hiding in the back room under a bed sheet. Caesar is hesitant to help her but Maurice insists that in good conscience, he couldn’t leave her behind. They end up naming her Nova (Amiah Miller). The young Nova represents the exact same thing James Franco did in the first installment: Coexistence. There’s a scene where one of the bigger gorillas that supports Caesar has a soft moment and puts a flower in Nova’s hair. That same gorilla gets killed defending his friends not too long after the fact. But not only does Nova comfort him in his pain, she takes the same flower she was given and gives it back to him. Caesar and everyone around them couldn’t believe what they saw as the girl put one last smile on his face before he passed. So not only is this girl courageous, but she finds family among them to the point where even though she cannot speak, her furious sobbing at that gorilla’s death communicated what couldn’t be said otherwise.

I can easily give this a 9.5 out of 10. It’s a great film, very powerful, very touching, and there are countless lessons throughout. The great detail gives the film some serious verisimilitude. This will easily be the movie of the summer and will go down as one of the greatest trilogies in the last decade.

Apes stronger together.

-Jon J.

“It” is the latest reboot of an original film. As if the version from 1990 wasn’t creepy enough, a fresh jab at the original thriller with new faces and the latest technology makes this even creepier.

For those unfamiliar with the original, in the town of Derry, Maine local children are disappearing at an alarming rate. One by one, children are disappearing without a trace or leave bloody remains behind. When a group of bullied children looks deep into Derry’s history, they discover something terrifying. There are four notable incidents that happen in town and they all revolved around a circus fire. That’s when the children share their spine tingling secret: they’ve all seen it.

As an all-around thriller, this is one of the best I’ve seen. I’m not a fan of ‘horror’ so to speak, but the way the story played out was fantastic and well-written. I felt like it was more of a movie about the kids than ‘it’. These kids acted their tails oﬀ and provided a level of comedy that is guaranteed to catch audiences oﬀ-guard. Billy (Jaeden Lieberher), Ben (Jeremy Ray Taylor), Beverly (Sophia Lillis), Richie (Finn Wolfhard), Mike (Chosen Jacobs), Eddie (Jack Dylan Grazer), and Stan (Wyatt Oleff). You might recognize Finn Wolfhard from the TV series “Stranger Things” and “Supernatural.” He, along with castmate Jack Dylan Grazer, provide so much comedy that they can pull your attention away from the horror and relate to them as kids simply trying to coexist.

So what is ‘it’? It is a clown. An extremely scary, demonic clown that was unfamiliar to the children so they called him ‘it’. His actual name is Pennywise (Bill Skarsgard) and he uses fear to paralyze children and capture them.

The biggest compliment I can give this film is the balance that you can see throughout its duration. Even for the most squeamish fan, the children’s dialogue is so strong and authentic, it will completely consume you as to almost distract you from the horror that’s on the horizon. Director Andy Muschietti has an instant hit with his adaptation of the classic thriller. I wouldn’t be surprised if the kids turn some heads during awards season either.

I give ‘It’ an 8.5 out of 10. Be prepared to sit since the film is 2 hrs. and 15 mins. There will be screaming, jumping, and even people walking out all throughout the film. The suspense in this is intense so do not even attempt to bring your children to this just because you survived watching in 1990 (this is not 1990). The biggest surprise I can leave you with is advice… And that advice is to wait until the film is over. Do not leave early because there’s a special bit of info waiting for you…

-Jon J.

MUSIC

Jay-Z’s 4:44 Album Review I think the best albums come from real life experience. You can tell when an artist has been harboring emotions and has undergone true growth. Jay-Z’s latest project, 4:44, has proven to be a breath of fresh hip-hop air. The album is naturally going to resonate with a certain group of people. The group of people who have already played wild and fast games in their 20’s and started to slow down in their 30’s. The group who is looking back like, “Man I wish I would have done this and that.” Hopefully, it will fall upon a few younger ears that don’t want to waste time making the same old mistakes.

Jay opens up the album with “Kill Jay Z”, a song about self-reflection. At some point in life, we all should face our own demons in order to progress. Besides admitting he let himself down, he calls out a few others including his protege, Kanye West. Jay admits to almost losing his wife in an Eric Benet fashion referring to his infidelity to ex-wife Halle Berry. Eric Benet’s current wife must have felt oﬀended by hearing he “lost the baddest girl in the world” because Benet sent a tweet out reassuring everyone he is in fact currently married to the baddest girl in the world (Prince’s ex-wife, Manuela Testolini).

“The Story of O.J.” strikes a few nerves in the industry as Jay touches on the financially uneducated rappers who flaunt their advances on social media. He references the labels that African Americans have placed on each other since the days of slavery. These labels separate from African American culture and promote self hate. At the end of the day the world is still going to view you by the color of your skin no matter if you’re light, dark, rich or poor. He lectures gang members to stop fighting over neighborhoods you don’t even own. While he can’t really judge anyones bad choices, he teaches you to at least take those illegal funds and invest in some property. Financial freedom should be your ultimate goal and for those who are wiling to listen he is handing out million dollar game for $9.99. He shakes his head knowing that instead of supporting black business he knows people will still steal his music oﬀ his streaming service Tidal.

Watch “The Story of OJ”

It seems like Jay isn’t the only one who has done some self-reflection. Gloria Carter, Jay-Z’s mom has stopped living in secrecy and embraces being a lesbian. Jay lets her know he loves her no matter who she decides to love. She is included in the song reciting a poem at the end about living your life for your own happiness and not everyone else’s approval.

The most shocking song on the album is probably “4:44” where Jay-Z opens up about cheating on Queen Bey. He admits to letting her down daily and how it took having a child to make him realize the pain he was causing. Most women do mature faster than men and Jay knew he wasn’t ready for the type of love they had coming. He understands now that the ratchetness or a ménage à trois could never compare to his soulmate and family. He’s worried about his daughter finding out his mistakes and letting her down in the future. This song is a precautionary tale to let you know those minutes of pleasure aren’t worth the lifetime of disappointment that will come to your entire family. My only thought on this is since she still stays with him does that make her a strong woman or weak in his eyes? That’s a whole diﬀerent topic though and is based on personal experiences.

“Family Feud” addresses the current wedge between new hip hop vs. old hip hop. This topic was a must to include on the album as the current sound has turned a completely diﬀerent direction. While he feels the younger generation has a lot to learn he reminds the OG’s that 2Pac had a nose ring and maybe you shouldn’t be so close minded. Continuing with the theme of the album, he wishes that their was more support within the hip-hop community. He knows that a man that doesn’t take care of his family can’t ever be rich. He doesn’t understand as a black consumer why you would drink other liquor brands when Puﬀy owns Ciroc.

Jay-z does some reminiscing in “Bam” and “Marcy Me”. While he has grown and prefers admiring million dollar art, he doesn’t want you to forget that HOV really lived the street lifestyle before social media flexing became the norm. “Moonlight” is a message to the younger hip-hop artists who are living a manufactured Hollywood life. They all look the same, sound the same, and mess with the same chicks. While he can respect that hip-hop can’t stay in the same place forever, he feels like the new artists fabricate images and aren’t making smart moves regarding labels. He talks about how the labels are stealing money from artists and know many artists feel obligated to take bad deals because they are in debt from all the fake flexing. It’s a trap and he is here to point you in another direction.

Jay mirrors a boy turned into a man, husband, and father. A man who has made mistakes and can readily admit to them is an advantage in its own. In “Legacy” he preaches generational wealth. He is proudly leaving his children, Blue, and the newborn twins, with a legacy to carry on. The red queen’s race is when you’re working overtime just to keep up with the Joneses. Who really wants to live rich for others and die broke? You may not be able to make sense of this if you don’t have children to pass your earnings on to but I believe that he wants you to think beyond your immediate family too. He wants to empower the AfricanAmerican race as a whole and encourages black people to look out for future generations.

There are many gems that can be found on this album that some will take as an insult. It’s understandable because some people just want to hear music made for fun and live for the moment (They aren’t ready for heavy knowledge). Jay said he didn’t have the tools to success handed to him coming up. His experience was more of trial and error. But even if someone did hand him this valuable knowledge in his younger days I’m sure he wouldn’t have listened either.

-YoAngie!

Ed Sheeran Rocks Gwinnett

Saturday, August 26, 2017, the Infinite Energy Center in Duluth, Georgia was on fire with people from all walks of life that came out to see the English singersongwriter, Ed Sheeran. Sheeran played a two-night event at the arena with his opening act, James Blunt. Blunt, also a native of England, took the stage at 7:27 pm. He had the crowd in an uproar with his hit song “You’re Beautiful” and created hysteria as he poked fun at the fact that he knew that people bought tickets to see Sheeran, not him. Not true Mr. Blunt, not true! He had the crowd on their feet and had them running out to purchase his album, “The Afterlove.” James Blunt and his band played until 8:30 pm where he then signed autographs and took pictures with fans. What a great opening act and we can’t wait to see what’s in store for this up and coming artist. His album dropped March 24, 2017, and is available now on iTunes.

As the stage was being set, you could feel the adrenaline running deep in the mass of fans who knew it was only a matter of minutes until Sheeran would come out with his guitar and unique talent. At 8:40 pm, Sheeran owned the stage as he opened with the song “Castle on the Hill” which tells the story of his upbringing and brings to life the sights and smells portrayed in his youth.

To say he’s ‘talented’ is an understatement. He does it all and doesn’t need the support of a drummer or bass player. Pure talent! I can’t say it enough! He kept the energy as he played “Eraser” “The A Team” and then the hit song “Don’t”. Sheeran then got the crowd to sing a long as he serenaded us with the jazz influenced song “Dive”. He continued his set with an amazing Irish jig called “Galway Girl” with its catchy lyrics (She played the fiddle in an Irish band, but fell in love with an English man).

With the crowd on a high, he brought it down a few notches with his song “Photograph” and had a mellow, Infinite Energy Centre singing in unison. As fans watched his slideshow in the background of him as a child, you can’t help but think about the young Ed Sheeran and the way he’ll touch so many lives through his music.

“Thinking Out Loud,” a Grammy Award winner for Song of the Year, was the next song played. Talk about a song touching lives, this song holds a special place in my heart because it was the song my husband and I danced to at our wedding in late 2016. As I looked around the area, my eyes weren’t the only ones filled with tears. Sheeran has a way of making the song touch the hearts of so many fans in a way that will bring back sweet memories.

The night was drawing to an end when he announced that he will be playing the last song of the night, which was “Sing”. You could feel the ache in the air when he walked oﬀ stage leaving you with a craving to hear more, even if it was the same song he played earlier. All of the sudden, he reappeared on stage wearing a Falcons jersey and the arena came alive again with an encore. He performed “Shape of You” and then with more energy than ever he played, “You need me, I don’t need you” where the fast talking Sheeran ended the night with a bang.

I can’t say enough about the amazing performance by Ed Sheeran. If you haven’t already, go pick up the album “Divide” which was released March 3, 2017, and be prepared to have your mind blown. For info about the rest of his tour, locations, and dates, click HERE

-Heather Cohen

Photo: X

*Photos from 2015 performance

On Friday night June 23rd, The Cobb Energy Center for Performing Arts, courtesy of 91.9 WCLK hosted the cool stylings of Gregory Porter; Porter was preceded by his opening act Ms. Kandace Springs, Nashville, Tennessee’s favorite daughter.

This was Porter’s first return to Atlanta since performing at last year’s Atlanta Jazz Festival, and based on the sold out crowd at tonight’s venue, anticipation was high. The night’s performance is a result of WCLK’s annual concert series. As stated, anticipation was high for tonight’s performance — and for the record, neither of the two artist’s disappointed.

Nashville-based Kandace Springs did a wonderful job of greasing the runway for Porter with her smooth and soulful stylings. Riding the wave of her debut Blue Note Records album, ‘Soul Eyes’, the 27 year old songstress did not disappoint. Springs opened up with her current singles ‘Thought It Would Be Easier’ and ‘Why You Gotta Be Like That’ ,which got the crowd revved up for a wonderful combination of original songs as well as numerous artistically performed covers — ranging from songs by Billy Strayhorn to Oscar Peterson’s ‘Chicago Blues’, to War’s ‘The World Is A Ghetto’. Springs has a wonderful voice which is reminiscent of goddesses gone by such as Nina Simone, Ella Fitzgerald, Roberta Flack, and Erykah Badu — but mimics none of them. She’s an original. She’s Kandace Springs, a name we should all remember.

After Porter’s 2010 independently released debut album caught the ear of the right people, it was followed by his 2012 album ‘Be Good’ which truly set the stage of what was to come from this fantastic artist. The baritone’s 2013 release of ‘Liquid Spirit’ garnered him his first Grammy Award and he has not looked back.

His 2016 release ‘Take Me To The Alley’ was the first jazz release to crack Britain’s top five this decade, and he took home the 2017 Grammy Award for Best Jazz Vocal Album. Possibly lost in all of his awards and musicality has been Porter’s fantastic song-writing. While he doesn’t hesitate to inject many of the great American Jazz Standards into his repertoire, he has a wonderful way of crafting witty wordplay into his lyrics, all the while handling mature subject matters of love and intimacy with a deft touch.

So when Porter rolled out his playlist on Saturday night, it was a musical feast: from ‘Be Good’ to ‘On My Way To Harlem’, to ‘1960 What’, to ‘Hey Laura’ to ‘Liquid Spirit’ to ‘Holding On’ and so many more; Porter weaved a musical tapestry that will not soon be forgotten by the Atlanta crowd. The married 46-year old father of one is certainly welcome at any venue in our town, any time.

-KJ

SPORTS

Chick-fil-a Kickoff Game It’s a very simple question: Who will wear the old leather helmet? Who will own bragging rights to The Dodd Trophy? This year’s Chick-fil-A Kickoff game has local favorite Georgia Tech hosting Tennessee at the brand new Mercedes-Benz Stadium. This is the first matchup between teams in 30 years. 75,107 fans were in attendance, the fourth highest attendance in Kickoff Game history. Georgia Tech got some offense going when quarterback TaQuon Marshall connected with wide receiver Ricky Jeune for 44 yards late in the first quarter. This setup a one-yard touchdown run by Marshall to give Tech the first lead of the game.

Everything was going great for the Yellow Jacket oﬀense until Tennessee’s Daniel Bituli caused a fumble that was recovered by Cortez McDowell. The Volunteers took full advantage of the Yellow Jacket turnover and tied the game after a one-yard touchdown run from tailback John Kelly.

But the Yellow Jackets exacted their revenge with a 16 play, 75-yard drive that ended with a touchdown. Running Back KirVonte Benson capped oﬀ that drive with a one-yard touchdown run to give the lead back to Georgia Tech. With a 16 play drive taking up just over seven minutes, the Jackets were able to roll into halftime confident.

The second half was more of the first for Georgia Tech, as their dominance on oﬀense was becoming stronger. Marshall eclipsed 100 yards rushing after scoring his second touchdown on the ground.

The Vols mounted a response towards the end of the third quarter when Quinten Dormady found Marquez Callaway for a touchdown in the back right corner of the end zone. All of a sudden the score was 21-14 Georgia Tech and we had ourselves a ball game in the fourth quarter.

After a 42 yard pass to Qua Searcy, Marshall made another spectacular run into the end zone, this time leaping over the corner pylon. But even after those last heroics, Tech fans couldn’t celebrate just yet.

In what should’ve been a six-yard pass to the flat, wide receiver Marquez Callaway turned on the afterburners and blazed passed three cornerbacks for the 50-yard touchdown. With one touchdown separating the two schools in the fourth quarter, mistake-free football was a must.

That’s when Georgia Tech was in the clear and about to put the nail in the coﬃn but running back J.J. Green missed that ‘mistake-free’ memo and was stripped after an 18-yard run into the Tennessee red zone. But Tennessee heard the call loud and clear and marched right into the end zone after six plays, one of which was a 40-yard reception from Marquez Callaway.

With just over a minute to go and the score tied at 28, Georgia Tech found themselves in a fight for their lives. Heroics from Marshall setup Georgia Tech for a 36-yard field goal attempt to win the game and The Bobby Dodd trophy. But Paul Bain of Tennessee blocked the field goal attempt which sent Vol fans into a frenzy and Tech fans sobbing.

In overtime, the first strike came from Tech with a one-yard touchdown run from Marshall (his fourth on the night). The response? A one-yard touchdown run by John Kelly.

In the second overtime, a two-yard run by John Kelly made the score 42-35. The response was a touchdown run by Marshall (which was his fifth for 258 yards, a school record). With the game 42-41 and Tech down by a point, they put their faith in their bread and butter (the option) and failed to break the plane of the end zone.

So a game that was in Georgia Tech’s hands was eventually won by Tennessee. So with 655 yards of total oﬀense and 41 minutes of possession, the Yellow Jackets fell in double overtime to the Volunteers of Tennesee. With Georgia Tech’s oﬀense running 96 plays, fatigue will play a big factor in how they manage their game this Saturday at Bobby Dodd Stadium against Jacksonville State. There are some positives to take from this though. Ricky Jeune is definitely a reliable wide threat when they need him and TaQuon Marshall just showed the entire country what he was made of in his first start of the season.

-Jon J.

Photo: Hakim Wright

Atlanta United, the newest expansion club in Major Leauge Soccer (MLS) has taken the region by storm. As we explained in the last issue, the first half of the season was played in Georgia Tech’s Bobby Dodd Stadium as the finishing touches were being made for United. But now their home is complete and the new football club can call Mercedes-Benz Stadium their own.

For the city's newest team, they are performing exceptionally well their first time out the gates, and so far every home game has been a sellout. Not only that, but to add to football fever there’s a waiting list for 2018 season tickets.

The entire city has rallied behind the club since their first match. The majority of bars and pubs show the matches on game day and if you’re more of a loud, energetic fan, we have numerous supporters clubs you can join (Terminus Legion, Footie Mob, The Faction, and Resurgence are just a few). With United’s most recent win on September 27 against the Philadelphia Union, the club oﬃcially qualified for the playoﬀs. The 3-0 victory was part of a collection of home thrashings since they moved into Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

The club is in tremendous form right now, having gone 13 matches without a loss and striker Josef Martinez netting multiple hat-tricks this season and landing in the top five in goal scoring.

If you haven’t been to a match, you are definitely missing out! Enjoy the photos and see you at “The Benz”. -Jon J.

Photo: X

There was a lot to be excited for Sunday evening’s Week 2 matchup against the Packers: It was the Falcons first-ever regular season matchup at their new stadium, it was the first time they had an open-air match in decades (they opened the roof), and fans looked forward to the test of beating the Packers again.

The last time the two teams met was the NFC Championship last year just 20 yards to the left of Mercedes-Benz Stadium at the Georgia Dome. That matchup saw an explosive Falcons attack humble the Packers, who were the favorites to meet Tom Brady and Co. in the Super Bowl. With an extensive list of injuries and an adventure in itself just getting to Atlanta, there were excuses to boot as to why the Falcons were so dominant in the NFC Championship. But this time? They just flat-out outplayed them.

In the 3rd quarter, it was 34-10 and the Falcons were doing everything right. But hold your horses, because Atlanta teams often see themselves in this exact situation and crumble before the end of the game. The reliable constant on oﬀense was the aerial threat in Julio Jones. Jones had a clutch 5 receptions for 108 yards and was targeted 9 times. Mohammed Sanu was right behind him with 5 receptions of his own for 85 yards.

The first touchdown scored at Mercedes-Benz Stadium… came from Atlanta United in a 7-0 victory last Wednesday. But if you mean American football, that honor was given to running back Devontae Freeman. Freeman finished the night with 85 yards on the ground and 2 touchdowns.

The (2-0) Falcons will travel to Detroit to face the Lions on Sunday, September 24 at 1:00 p.m. ET.

-Jon J.

Photo: Hakim Wright

This year's BB&T Atlanta Open in Atlantic Station was held from July 21-29.

As the tournament continues to grow each year, it becomes more inclusive of an experience for both fans and players. Outside of the stellar play from the ATP World Tour's stop stars, the tournament also held an exhibition match with American Legend Venus Williams and Canada's Eugenie Bouchard.

Other prominent events included:

• Kids weekend and a week long family zone with top Atlanta coaches and volunteers.

• Junior Academy Day that featured Tennis Pros of Atlanta.

• College night which featured Georgia Tech Senior from Atlanta Chris Eubanks

• Ladies Day /Music Concert Night that featured the fantastic and always entertaining Bryan Brothers (Mike and Bob)

Congratulations to Men's Singles Champion John Isner and Men's Doubles Champions Bob and Mike Bryan.

-Desmond Mclennon

*Photos courtesy of BB&T Atlanta Open (pg. 77)

Above: Singles Champion John Isner poses with kids during Kids Weekend at Atlantic Station.

Below: Coach D and kids from Tennis Pros Atlanta

John Isner defeated Ryan Harrison 7-6 (6), 7-6 (7) in the All-American final of the BB&T Atlanta Open, earning his fourth singles title in Atlanta and second ATP World Tour singles title in two weeks. It was the battle of the serves, with Isner, the No. 2 seed securing the close, nail-biter against the gunslinger and No. 4, Harrison.

The first set consisted of quick points, but high-quality tennis. This led to a neck-and-neck tiebreak, where Harrison had a mini break. Isner jumped back in it, after a cross-court bullet return of Harrison’s serve, to close it out, 8-6, with the crowd giving both players a standing ovation.

In the second set, Harrison broke Isner early to hold a 2-0 advantage, but Isner immediately answered,, breaking Harrison in the next game. From there, both players held serve and forced a second tiebreak. Following the same path as the first set, Harrison held a mini break. Isner climbed back in, capitalizing on a big return of a Harrison second serve. Isner, having been in this position so many times closed out the match. Winning his fourth title with a 9-7 tiebreaker finish.

I asked John how it felt to move up in the rankings. “I did not know that so thanks for that [about being the top American],” Isner said. “It feels pretty good for sure. I’ve been the top American for the better part of 6 years now so to be back in that spot is cool. It’s something that I take a lot of pride in and I hope to end the year as the No. 1 American again––would be great. You know I think for me, the match I lost at Wimbledon this year in the second round to Sela was a blessing in disguise. I had a sit-down with my team after that match that night in the house that I was renting. We sat down for about an hour and hashed some things out. I was playing tentative, I was playing scared and playing not to win and was just hoping to win––hoping my opponent would make mistakes. From that point forward I told myself that’s not how I need to play and that’s what I exhibited these last two weeks. Again, if I had beaten Sela and lost to Dimitrov the next round or something, I don’t think I would be sitting here right now so I do think that it was a blessing in disguise. You have to learn from your losses and I did that at Wimbledon. I think another thing is seeing a compatriot Sam Querrey make the semifinals––great result. That spurred me on a little for sure and I am very, very happy for him, but I wanted to get up to the level that he was playing at. I think I’ve done that.”

Travel & Recreation A new fighter has hit the streets! Take control of 25 World Warriors and test your mettle against players from around the world. Street Fighter IV: Champion Edition perfects the winning gameplay formula by oﬀering higher resolution graphics, three new characters (Poison, Ibuki and Dudley) wide screen support for newer iOS devices and a host of updates and refinements. Long time Street Fighter fans can jump into the action and have an instant familiarity with the controls. For more casual players, Street Fighter IV: Champion Edition features numerous settings and tutorials that put you on the path to victory.    If you’re wondering how good could this be since it’s on mobile? The answer is “exceptional!” I myself was shocked when I first played and the controls and gameplay was just as smooth as on my console. The high-definition graphics are extremely impressive and the wide screen is clutch.

I was overjoyed to find the list of characters available. What people despise most is getting a game but having limitations to characters and/or levels because it’s DLC (downloadable content). Initially when this dropped over the summer, Capcom added Poison, Ibuki, and Dudley. But as of late August, the new update comes with Guy, Gouken, and Evil Ryu.

Other awesome features include:    •Intuitive virtual pad controls allow players to execute full move sets including Unique Attacks, Special Moves, Focus Attacks, Super Combos and Ultra Combos

•Take your game to the next level with a MiFi controller

•Battle head-to-head against players from around the world via Wi-Fi

•Single player “arcade” and multiplayer modes

•Unleash super moves with a tap of the “SP” button

•Four levels of diﬃculty

Street Fighter IV Champions Edition is available now on iOS for $4.99 (for a limited time) and it’s worth every penny. The only warning I have to give about this game is it’s about a 2GB download. Yeah, it’s pretty big, but the pros heavily outweigh that one con. The head-to-head mode was very stable on Wi-Fi and after playing the game copious times it only crashed once. So if you’re a Street Fighter fan, this is a must-have game! Download

-Jon J.

Editor-in-Chief Jon Jones

Editor KJ

Beauty Contributor Keisha Campbell

Videography Malcolm “X” Lewis

Music Contributions Lauren Brumley YoAngie! Caquias KJ

Art/Graphics Bob Jeffreys

Sports Esli Lara Mike Brown Jon Jones Tony Stanford Jr.

Fashion Team Joy Larkin Keisha Campbell

We hope you enjoyed our 20th issue of The Peach Review®. If you’d like to see more content (pictures/ videos) or keep up-to-date on events around ATL you can:

Photography Hakim Wright Malcolm “X” Lewis Yoh Phillips Anna Lira Jonathan Davis Kent Foster Event Contributions Khaleah Evelyn Desmond Mclennon Erica “EDB” Bizzell Doug Bryant Consultant Desmond Mclennon Video Games Titus “TBZ” Rowell Alana Clarke

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