JAY Z & BEYONCÉ ATL FILM FEST COUNTERPOINT No.9
DREAM CARS CARIBBEAN FEST BENTLEY BRUNCH
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Art
Video Games
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Events
13 Music
7 Movies
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42
Sports
56 *cover photo by Hakim Wright All content and images are property of The Peach Review速 unless otherwise noted
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Arts & Culture
WYNN BULLOCK, COLOR LIGHT ABSTRACTION 1075 All content and images are property of The Peach Review速 unless otherwise noted
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Wynn Bullock: Revelations
Pictured left: Lynne, Point Lobos, 1956. Pictured right: Let There Be Light, 1954.
In June 2014, the High Museum of Art became the first major museum in nearly 40 years to mount a retrospective of work by Wynn Bullock (1902-1975) with the exhibition “Wynn Bullock: Revelations,” organized by the High in collaboration with the Center for Creative Photography.
come together for the exhibition, which will coincide with a major gift to the High from the Bullock Estate of a large collection of vintage photographs, making the Museum one of the most significant repositories of Bullock’s work in the U.S.
philosophical exploration. His images “Let There Be Light” and “Child in Forest” (both of which will be included in the High’s exhibition) became icons in the history of photography following their prominent inclusion in Edward Steichen’s landmark 1955 exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art, “The Family of Man.”
A close friend of influential West Coast artists Ansel Adams and Edward One of the most significant photographers of the mid-20th century, Weston, and a contemporary of Minor The exhibition will be on view June White, Harry Callahan, Aaron Siskind, 14, 2014 through Jan. 18, 2015. Bullock worked in the American modernist tradition alongside Edward Imogen Cunningham and Frederick Weston, Harry Callahan and Ansel Sommer, Bullock created a body of work marked by a distinct interest in Adams. More than 100 black-andwhite and color works by Bullock will experimentation, abstraction and All content and images are property of The Peach Review® unless otherwise noted
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Dream Cars: Innovative Design, Visionary Ideas
Pictured above: Paul Arzens’ “L’Oeuf électrique” (1942), an electric bubble car designed by Arzens for his personal use in Paris during the German occupation, which has never before traveled to the U.S.
This summer, the High Museum of Art presents a major exhibition of innovative automotive design that brings together 17 concept cars from across Europe and the U.S. On view from May 21 through Sept. 7, 2014, “Dream Cars: Innovative Design, Visionary Ideas” features concept cars from the early 1930s to the 21st century that pushed the limits of imagination and foreshadowed the future of design. To complement the presentation, the exhibition includes a contemporary design workshop featuring the 2010 Porsche Spyder 918 concept car.
One of the coolest things about this exhibit is that photography is not only allowed, it’s encouraged. Cell phone photography is allowed as long as the flash is off, and they even suggest using the hashtag #DreamCarsATL if you post to social media. If you search the hashtag on Instagram, you’ll see great pictures of people enjoying the exhibit, different angles of the cars, and a boat load of selfies (because who doesn’t like an epic selfie or three?). A full-color, 160-page catalogue accompanies the exhibition, featuring
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stunning photography and an extended essay by Schleuning exploring the effects of aerodynamics and aeronautics on car design, the design process from conception to completion, and how groundbreaking events such as General Motors' Motorama fueled the creativity of automobile styles. Also included are comprehensive automotive descriptions by Gross.
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Mi Casa, Your Casa
On July 18, the High Museum of Art will unveil a large-scale interactive design installation by Mexican designer Héctor Esrawe and Ignacio Cadena in the center of the Woodruff Arts Center’s campus on the Carroll Slater Sifly Piazza. The site-specific work will launch a two-year initiative to activate the outdoor space. Titled “Mi Casa, Your Casa,” the installation (on view through November 2), will invite the city to participate in the life of the entire campus of the Woodruff Arts Center, through recreation, social interaction, performances, art activities, and special events.
The opening weekend is on Friday, July 18, with the festivities kicking off at 6pm. There will be traditional Mexican folk music, dancing, and food/drinks will be available. The project features 36 threedimensional, open frames in the shae of a house installed in a large grid on the Piazza, with four singular forms placed around the Woodruff Arts Center campus. . The gigantic, red, steel frames will be installed in the first pattern through September 7 to coincide with the High’s other, major exhibit “Dream Cars” (on the page before this).
Hammocks, swings, easels, bins of chalk, and buckets of bubble water, among other elements, will offer daytime leisure and recreation options throughout the summer. The High and other divisions of the Woodruff Arts Center (Alliance Theatre, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, and Arts for Learning) will also be utilizing the area. We’ll see you at the opening!
-TPR
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Video Game
Reviews All content and images are property of The Peach Review速 unless otherwise noted
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R-Type Dimensions takes it back! If you love good, old fashioned space shooters, then this is the game for you. R-Type Dimensions is an old-school space shooter but it’s in 3D with awesome hard core music, but wait! With a press of a button, you can turn it into a classic 2D shooter with original 8-bit music. I’m a fan of the classic 2D version so I kept it that way. Now I will say, the game is not easy after a couple of levels. The game actually gets pretty hard, even with all the power ups you get, you can still die. Some of the bosses are no joke either. Half the time I didn’t even know
what to do to destroy the boss, I just kept shooting them.
Title: R-Type Dimensions Genre: Shooting Platform: PlayStation®3 The buttons are really simple: Release by: Tozai, Inc. shoot, slow motion, 3D, 2D, and a button to attach or detach your Release Date: May 20, 2014 Release on: PlayStation®Store sub weapon. download Price: $9.99 This game is awesome! I recommend it if you liked the old- Player(s): 1 or 2 players school space shooters. If you do, ESRB: Everyone then yeah, this is the game for you. I give it a 9 out of 10.
-TBZ
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Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeros is a really short game from the MGS (Metal Gear Solid) series. It can be beaten in 20-30 minutes which is bad for a game period but, surprisingly it was not that bad for this game.
Title: Metal Gear Solid V: Price: $29.99 Ground Zeroes Release Date: March 18, Platform: Playstation 3 2014 Publisher: Konami Genre: Action-Adventure, Developer: Kojima Stealth All content and images are property of The Peach Review® unless otherwise Productions Rating: M fornoted Mature Players: 1
called Camp Omega. He’s attempting to rescue Cipher, Agent Paz, Ortega Andrade and Sandinista child soldier Ricardo Chico Valenciano Libre.
everyone else. And be careful about your footsteps, if their too heavy an enemy will hear you.
Overall the game is fun, it This game doesn’t matter that it’s short, has the same elements as all it’s just getting the other MGS you ready for Phantom Pains. games and This short game I give Metal some added was actually fun Gear Solid V: features: you and even the Ground Zeros can really run side missions 8 out of 10. were up to your entertaining. enemies and Basically, its take them out, Snake… getting you Snake… ready for Metal they finally Gear Solid V: added real time SNAKE!!!!! Phantom or slow mo Pains, Ground when the Zeros is the enemy sees prequel. In this game it follows you, and you Big Boss as he only have a few infiltrates a seconds to take fictional them out before American black they warn site in Cuba
-TBZ 9
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Cloudbuilt is an indie, free running platformer that centers around a young girl who has been grievously injured in a battle of some sort. Using a jet pack, boosting boots and a gun the player must navigate the fragments of her mind to unravel the truth about who she is and what happened to her. Let's start this off by talking about all the ways Cloudbuilt should be the next Steam purchase you make. First and foremost is the music, in all seriousness the soundtrack is the highlight of this game, and it's a good thing too, because you will be listening to a lot of it as you try some of the more difficult portions of the game over and over. Next are the visuals; in a method that many will be familiar with by now from Borderlands, Cloudbuilt presents a bright and colorful world in a graphic novel style. Even the dark and brooding levels use the sharp contrasts between grey, black
and the bright, colorful accents of level hazards. The music usually accompanies the visual variety by altering the opening them to make a new thematic track. These two things, audio and visuals, this game does perfectly.
90% of all maneuvers needed to complete the levels and a health bar that does not refill unless you risk your life to collect health, what is created is a recipe for rage.
In order for this game to truly be balanced I would need to come Now to what may make you in already good at it. For instance reconsider hitting the Buy button. if I am irritated by the low life cap This game is the Demon's Souls per level I can increase it by of speed runners, as a matter of clearing a level well enough to fact I daresay Demon's Souls is earn the top ranks… which if I far more forgiving than this game. could do I would not need them. To put it simply; this game is Most of the levels are impossible HARD. Unfortunately it isn't to do in a single run, as a matter exactly fun hard, it's just hardof fact later levels are merely a hard. Cloudbuilt is maybe the memory game for recalling where most unforgiving game I have enemies are placed. played in a long time. In it I am required to run through intricate The controls are a whole different levels built somewhere in the discussion, to be clear they work clouds, along the way I must as intended, I believe, but they avoid obstacles, pitfalls and are very unintuitive. I am as likely enemies while navigating to dash to safety as I am to jump complex terrain. That seems to my death, and in a game that simple enough, but then add a punishes hard for mistakes it limited number of tries per level means fighting against the habits (six to start), an odd control born of years of platforming to scheme, limited boosts in a not jump when I think I should, game where boosts make up but dash instead or vice versa. All content and images are property of The Peach Review® unless otherwise noted
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Heaven forbid I take a break for a day or two because when I come back it's an uphill fight to be able to play on the level I was on. I do not have a problem with hard games, Cloudbuilt, however, has a difficulty spike from level one to two that is so severe it is daunting and only becomes more so as you play. Every time I mastered a skill I found that in the next level there were enough additional obstacles to make me feel just as outclassed as I had before. I found that there was no point in which I started a new level and felt like I knew what to do, I always felt overwhelmed, a touch lost and several steps behind. I do not mind being penalized for mistakes, but Cloudbuilt punishes so hard for such minor missteps that it regularly crosses the line
between difficult and fun and makes everything feel unfair.
get to the exit door. Start all the way over.
Overall this game works, and Did you do that insanely tricky though the controls do not flow wall-run sequence you've been well with the gameplay they do trying to get past for an hour? what they are supposed to. If you Well you're out of energy love free running, doing time because you didn't go low trials and are more than adept at enough on the wall at the start so them this is easily the game for now you fall. Start over. you. If you are new to the genre Small ledge, multiple and do not particularly relish the enemies; you want to use the idea of having to master a game charge shot don't you? Well if to even be considered good at it, you don't you take too much Cloudbuilt might not be the droid damage and die, if you do the you are looking for. I give it a 7 recoil shoves you off the edge out of 10. and you die. Either way start over. Platform: PC (Steam) Did you finally run our Publisher: Rising Star Games insane gauntlet that's right before Developer: Coilworks the end of the level on your last Players: 1 try? Hmmm, too bad you're too Price: $19.99 low on health and died trying to Release Date: March 20, 2014 Genre: Action, Platforming
Guest Reviewer -Alana Clarke All content and images are property of The Peach Review® unless otherwise noted
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The Amazing Spider-Man 2 So my day consisted of watching the premiere of The Amazing Spider-Man 2 movie which was good, then I went to the comic book store to pick up the return of Peter Parker in the new Amazing Spider-Man comic, and I also had on my Spider-Man shirt (yeah I was all dorked-out for spider-man that day). When I got home I had a surprise in the mail and it was the game. I was super hype! I popped the game in and was like “this game is going to be super awesome.” Within the first 5 minutes of the game I was like “this game sucks.” The mechanics of the game were ok at best, as were the controls. They kept the same web-swing mechanics from the Spider-Man 2 game on PS2. But the modeling of the characters sucked, the lip sync was off and certain items
floated through characters’ hands. I was confused as to when the game took place, either before or during the movie (certain things were not explained). For example, how did Max Dillon become Electro? They totally skipped that in the game but, I guess you had to watch the movie to figure that out.
and the only fun I had in the game was going to the comic stand, talking to Stan Lee, and playing the arcade machine in there. I give the Amazing Spider-Man 2 the game a 5 out of 10. The movie was better and the game is geared more for kids. So on a kid rating I’ll give it an 8 out of 10.
Platform: Playstation 3 I understand that the game Publisher: Activision was trying to use the same Developer: Beenox mechanics as the Batman Players: 1 Arkham series, but this game Price: $19.99 kinda sucked at it. They had Release Date: May 12, 2014 the right idea, it was just used Genre: Action-Adventure wrong and they really didn’t give him (Spider-Man) any different attacks when it came to using the stealth moves. -TBZ Most of the side missions are the same repetitive stuff, just add a tougher bad guy here and there. Honestly the game All content and images are property of The Peach Review® unless otherwise noted didn’t have any replay value
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EVENTS
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Atlanta THE PEACH REVIEW速
Caribbean Carnival
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On May 24, 2014, we kicked off Memorial Day Weekend with one of our favorite annual events; the Atlanta Caribbean Carnival! Every year we get to enjoy the parade down Peachtree Street and the plethora of caribbean popup shops selling everything from sugar cane to island flags. As you can see here to the left; those who played más pulled out all the stops for their costumes! Ever since we came on to the scene in 2012 we’ve had the pleasure of covering this awesome event. That is why it pains us to see the separation that took place this year. Allow me to explain...
What is normally displayed as one cohesive unit, was divided into two this year. Did you notice the parade ran a bit longer than usual? Did you see two different start times displayed online and on various websites? Did you see one large faction go south on Peachtree, only for police to block it off and have a second large faction hang a hard right and head towards Morris Brown? If you did, this is the division we’re speaking of. We aren’t sure what took place behind the scenes but it definitely isn’t doing anything for uniting “one voice” to celebrate caribbean culture. That was originally what pulled us into covering the festival in the first place back in 2012. The difference between the two groups came after the parade was over. The Atlanta Caribbean Carnival Bandleaders Association (ACCBA) ended up at the Festival Village at Morris Brown’s Herndon Stadium. The new group, Atlanta Carnival Bandleaders Council (ACBC), setup shop at Atlanta’s Underground. Both locations entertained and had amazing food. The only small difference between the two was the age demographic (more young people at Underground, more 30+ age demographic at Morris Brown). We really hope it goes back to one location next year. It’s confusing for residents and for visitors (especially the one’s we met from out-of-country). If the ACBC could throw something together this nice in a few months, the ACCBA should see what they can do to form “one voice” once again. All content and images are property of The Peach Review® unless otherwise noted
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Bentley Brunch
This past Sunday, Bentley Atlanta wowed its attendants as they hosted a brunch to unveil the new 2014 Continental GT V8 & GTC V8S (convertible). There were plenty of people in attendance from different car-backgrounds (especially since Caffeine and Octane had ended just prior to the start of the brunch). That means you had various Ferrari, Lamborghini, Audi, and Rolls-
Royce owners show up to catch first-glimpse of Bentley’s new 2014 V8 lineup. With sounds from Mike Zarin (myzegi) and delicious crêpes by Crêpe Masters, it wasn’t hard to enjoy the fantastic weather. Pair that with free drinks and a beautiful display of Breitling watches provided by Bhindi Jewelers and you have the perfect Sunday Brunch! All content and images are property of The Peach Review® unless otherwise noted
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Bentley’s V8 develops a massive 660 Nm of torque at the low engine speed of 1700 rpm. That means the Continental GT V8 will go from a standing start to 60 miles an hour in just 4.6 seconds, and on to a potential top speed of 188 mph (303 km/h). A new 8-speed transmission delivers faster, smoother gear changes, and accounts for 6%
of the total 40% efficiency gain achieved by the V8. Its greater number of ratios ensures that the engine is always working at its most efficient gearing. As you can see from the pictures above, the new V8 is a beauty. We ourselves were a tad partial to the convertible, but both the coupe and the convertible are extremely nice.
There’s no better way to start a Sunday than lounging in a Bentley convertible eating a freshly made crêpe! For more information on the 2014 Bentley V8 lineup you can go here .
-Jon J. Photo: Jonathan Davis Hakim Wright
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Atlanta SoccerFest THE PEACH REVIEW®
Pictured above is the answer to the question, “Has Atlanta caught World Cup Fever?” In a simple picture, “yes”, the city is suffering from the incredible bug known as World Cup Fever! The Atlanta SoccerFest took place on Sunday, June 22, when the United States faced off against Portugal. What you see above is when the USA scored their second goal, the crowd erupted. People were yelling, screaming, jumping, hugging the closest person to them (all of which you can see above), high-fiving fellow fans, it was quite a sight. So what you’re probably wondering is “why is this such a big deal?” Well, we’d be happy to explain that to you! This is the time, where for one whole month, the entire world runs on 1 time-zone. That’s because of the worldwide party and celebration known as the World Cup. All content and images are property of The Peach Review® unless otherwise noted
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I know its hard to believe (especially in the Southeast region of the U.S.) but, there’s a big gigantic world that exists outside of the USA, and there’s a sport more popular than SEC Football. Every 4 years the Olympics come around and people may not watch all of the events because some aren’t as exciting as others, but it’s still “GO USA!” Well, imagine if the Olympics only showed 1 event, 1 of the most exciting events, and aired it for a full month. THAT ladies and gentlemen, is the World Cup. So don’t feel weird that your neighbors and well… the entire city will be going World Cup crazy for the next 31 days. Just as you might think its weird to be excited about soccer, everyone else in the world thinks we’re weird for measuring in inches, feet, and miles, and for spelling color, neighbor, and favorite without the “u”. Embrace the craziness as a chance to join the world in global celebration! Everyone around Atlanta and the rest of the country will be showing national pride so join them! Atlanta SoccerFest is a nonprofit created by a group of soccer fans who love the beautiful game and great causes. All the proceeds from Atlanta SoccerFest are going to Keep Kickin' which supports blood cancer research and patients here in Atlanta. Be sure to follow them ASF
-Jon 21 Photo: Hakim Wright
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WCLK 40th Anniversary Gala & Concert The Peach Review had the pleasure of attending George Benson's recent return to the A-T-L. The venue was the fabulous Cobb Energy Centre for The Performing Arts --- which has turned into one of Atlanta's premier jazz venues. I saw George Benson for the first time circa 1976 at a small smoke filled club in San Francisco; actually, it
was Keystone Korner on Vallejo St., and it was where the big names in jazz *photos courtesy of WCLK
performed in San Francisco; at that time George Benson had not yet "transitioned"--- he was still considered a "pure" jazz guitarist. I remember him walking up to the microphone to introduce the last song of his set; it was a song entitled "Masquerade", and I remember expecting him to break into an awesome guitar riff. Instead, he opened his mouth and began to sing; a hush came over the club. Based on facial expression (mine included) everyone was thinking the same thing --- where's George Benson and who is this alien singer that has taken over his body? Shortly after the Keystone Korner experience George released his album "Breezin", and the rest as they say, is history.
Your Love Around", and "Kisses In The Moonlight". When he finally queued up "Masquerade", I was catapulted back to 1976 at the Keystone Korner club in San Francisco; the shock and surprise George Benson the that I experienced back vocalist was born. then was equal to the This was the backdrop pleasant shock and that I've carried with me surprise that I had for almost four decades experienced throughout this entire set. as I entered into the Cobb Energy Centre to While I definitely miss see George perform. George Benson the So when this 71 year old guy came on stage jazz artist, George Benson the pop icon and rocked the joint put on an entertaining, with this high energy show, I was knocked off highly charged show that I was glad to have my seat! He had the experienced. audience participating in songs and standing throughout the entire show. He performed all of his hits: "The Greatest Love of All", "Give Me The Night", " " " -KJ "On Broadway", "Turn Friday • May 9, 2014 Gala 6:00 PM • Concert 8:00 PM Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre
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Mayor Reed’s World Cup Watch Party July 1st, marked the end of the World Cup ride for USA, but the beginning of something even better. It was just 24hrs prior to that when Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed posted via Twitter that the city would host a World Cup Watch Party at Piedmont Park in the Greystone facility. It was great to see so many people gather to support our boys while in Brazil. So many people wore flags in the form of capes, scarves, head wraps, and displayed tons of accessories such as purses, earrings, and
more. A great day for fans indeed! We have to tip our hats off to the city because they really took care of us. Everyone was nice and had a great time. There were 2 viewing areas inside, the back viewing area had chairs, and there was a screen setup on the patio with chairs as well. That combined with free food for the next 3 hours made it a great time for all. If you couldn’t find something you liked inside, outside Greystone they had food
trucks setup to assist with that. With a day like that (90+ degrees), King of Pops came through in the clutch along with Healthful Essence (Food Truck). As I stated earlier, yesterday marked the end of the USA’s World Cup run but marks the beginning of something new: America finally cares about soccer. It’s not embarrassing, it’s not a bad thing, it’s actually a great thing. We as a country tend to
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Mayor Reed’s World Cup Watch Party only care about “our” sports (football, baseball, for example), but companies are finally starting to “get it.” It’s one thing if our country plus maybe Canada and England participate in watching a sport (NFL) but, it’s an entirely different animal when the entire planet is watching a sport (Football), what we call soccer. ATL Soccer Fest this year hosted thousands of people at Brookhaven Park to watch USA face Portugal, in what turned out to be the highest viewed men’s soccer match with over 25 million people watching. But I think the best thing about this year’s World Cup is to see the
spirit of each person being brought out via football.
We hope this huge surge in American support will hold-fast until this time next year too. The There’s a special feeling Women’s National Team will start about walking through Midtown their World Cup qualifying in the and seeing a group of people in next few months. The Women’s Argentina shirts but 90% of them World Cup is this time next year, are American. A family hoists a 2015, in Canada. So if you ever Chilean flag in support of Chile needed an excuse to go but live in Gwinnett. We met a exploring above the border, this family of 7 all wearing Nigeria is a good one eh? :) It should kits (jerseys) and t-shirts but said also be noted that our women “we proudly live in America, so win…. a lot. So there’s ZERO we cheer for both!” One day you excuse to not support our ladies! think you know someone and then the World Cup comes Big thanks to the Mayor, City around and you discover they’re Officials, and Terminus Legion! actually from Australia, Portugal, Mexico, England, etc. It’s -Jon J. Photo: Jonathan Davis
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MOVIE
REVIEWS
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In Draft Day, directed by Ivan Reitman, Cleveland Browns General Manager Sonny Weaver Jr. (Kevin Costner) has the number 1 pick in the NFL Draft. With pressure on his shoulders to build a championship team he has to weigh his options on taking who’s best for his franchise, his coach, or the Browns fans. The focus was on 3 different players, all with different characteristics, who had loads of potential but each had at least 1 major drawback. During the film we discover Sonny has a secret relationship with Payroll/ Accountant Ali (Jennifer Garner) who comes to his aid during his times of stress. There’s just enough of a storyline that if you aren’t familiar with American football, you’d still be able to follow along. This movie is definitely for the football enthusiast and if you are familiar with the sport you’ll be able to appreciate the suspenseful build-up. I don’t want to ruin the ending but I can say it was definitely not predictable (which I’m happy about). I can give this a 8 out of 10. It’s Kevin Costner… you have to like Kevin Costner. Plus you get to see a ton of sports cameos like Chris Berman, John Gruden, Mel Kiper, Deion Sanders for example. If this film has any accuracy as to how draft days are handled, I can do without all that stress!
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The Grand Budapest Hotel is an amazing story of adventure, war, love, respect, and intellectual prowess. If one could not progress by their grandiose style of fashion or copious amounts of money, then they would use their supreme linguistic skills to assist in achieving their goal. The story is set long ago in a grand lodging establishment called the Grand Budapest Hotel. Our main character M. Gustave (Ralph Fiennes) overseas hotel operations and keeps the building running like clockwork. The story in its entirety is told by Mr. Moustafa (F. Murray Abraham) who was affectionately referred to as Zero (Tony Revolori) when he was a boy. We pickup in the beginning of the story where Zero begins his first day at the Budapest Hotel as a lobby boy. M. Gustave takes him under his wing and teaches him everything he knows on how to be the best at what he does. As their friendship progresses, they find themselves in many random and awkward situations. All of this takes place during the death of a guest of the hotel and in between 2 wars at the time. Now here’s where the fun part comes… Normally when you see a list of actors in a movie you immediately assume “it’s gonna flop,” because most of them do just that. But, if you take a look at THIS list of actors, it’s more like “wait a minute…. these are all GREAT actors” :D The amount of dry, quick-witted, intellectual comedy that is stuffed into this movie makes it so great, you’ll want to see it twice. Take a look at the quality in this film: Mathieu Amalric, Adrien Brody, Willem Dafoe, Jeff Goldblum, Harvey Keitel, Jude Law, Bill Murray, Edward Norton, Jason Schwartzman, Tilda Swinton, Tom Wilkinson, Owen Wilson, Larry Pine, and Waris Ahluwalia. I cannot stress to you enough how amazing this movie is. The story is broken down into “acts” as if it were a stage play. Wes Anderson did an amazing job with this, period (with the inspiration coming from the works of Stefan Zweig). Absolutely love this movie and I will go back to see it before the week is over. If I wanted to break it down into movies/shows that you might have seen, I’d say it’s “Frasier” meets “O’ Brother Where Art Thou” with a sprinkle of “Inglorious Bastards” and a dash of “Hannibal” (but just a dash). I give it a 9.5 out of 10. All content and images are property of The Peach Review® unless otherwise noted
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Belle (directed by Amma Asante) is inspired by the true story of Dido Elizabeth Belle (Gugu MabathaRaw), the illegitimate mixed race daughter of a Royal Navy Admiral. Raised by her aristocratic great-uncle Lord Mansfield (Tom Wilkinson) and his wife Lady Mansfield (Emily Watson), Belle’s lineage affords her certain privileges that most cannot receive. The kicker here, is that the color of her skin prevents her from fully participating in any of the traditions of her social class. She is shielded from reality to a strong degree, knowing no more than what “Papa” (how she referred to Lord Mansfield) will allow her. It’s an interesting dynamic because of the tense situation her presence provides. While outsiders gaze in amazement at how she is even allowed in the house, she has a strong bond with her “sister” Elizabeth (Sara Gadon). How strong is the family? Well, their unity is tested once the social events become bigger and Dido starts to become fully aware of her surroundings and the goings-on in England, and at that time, it was whether slavery was legal or even humane. Dido and Elizabeth get a test of their own when the sight of Dido outside their home at social events catches not only families off-guard, but also the attention of a number of eligible men.Left to wonder if she will ever find love, Belle falls for an idealistic young vicar’s son named John Davinier (Sam Reid), who’s bent on change and sees slavery as a wasteful, inhumane practice. This movie is simply incredible! I highly recommend this and it tells a wonderful story. I give this a 9 out of 10. If you aren’t doing anything today for the holiday, then an outing to see this would not disappoint!
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Director Dean DeBlois returns in 2014 to give us my new favorite Dreamworks picture How to Train Your Dragon 2. I love everything about this film, from the dialogue to the massive variety of dragons delivered for our viewing pleasure. Hiccup (Jay Baruchel) and his dragon Toothless can’t get enough adventure in their lives. As they’re flying about, mapping their new discoveries as they fly, they come across a strange new land. Soon joined by their friend Astrid (America Ferrera), they discover an evil that lurks whose interests are trapping dragons and doing the evil deeds of their leader Drago (Djimon Hounsou). Another cool thing about this film that stands out from everything else that comes out (like Disney/Pixar animated films for example)? In How to Train Your Dragon 2, I counted 1 song. There was one, short, slightly romantic song that was sung by Hiccup’s dad Stoick (Gerard Butler). So parents, if you’re taking kids to see this, it’s very easy to stomach. Based on the flying and battle scenes, this movie looks good for 3D. This is an amazing film for all to enjoy! It’s interesting, fun, and you won’t have to leave with your kids singing some random songs that they just learned an hour before! 9.5 out of 10.
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To be honest with you wonderful people, it took me awhile to decide how I wanted to attack this but, I think I found a way I can be fair. So to start, Transformers: Age of Extinction is another incredible action flick to add to the Transformers series. With Michael Bay you can expect tons of CG and lots of explosions and he definitely delivered. If you look on IMDB for this movie, you’ll find a one-sentence storyline and a run-on sentence in the “summary” section. So let me give you a little help... A mechanic/inventor named Cade Yeager (Mark Wahlberg) is sent to an old, dilapidated movie theatre to see what can be salvaged. Along with his assistant Lucas (T.J. Miller), they sift through the run-down mess and stumble upon a truck (surprise?). After they buy the truck Cade announces his plan to strip it for parts. Once they end up at Cade’s house, they have to explain why they purchased an irreparable truck to his daughter Tessa (Nicola Peltz). I’m sure you can see where this is going. The antagonists of course are the CIA and government contractors. But I’d like to thank Transformers for giving us Kelsey Grammer and Stanley Tucci as the finer parts of this movie. By announcing both of their names, I have officially listed all of the positives about this movie. Now to the nitty-gritty….
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Not only did this movie hit every character stereotype you could possibly think of (ditzy blonde, tough-guy boyfriend, etc), they force you to sit through it for 3 hours! If I had to endure 10 more minutes of Tessa and her stereotypical valley-girl moments in those short, cut-up shorts, I promise you I would’ve walked out. 90% of her dialogue was utter trash and the guy who played her boyfriend was so terrible I’m not even listing his name. I hate when Hollywood puts Americans in roles of minorities or internationals (Remember Jake Gyllenhaal in “Prince of Persia”? You mean to tell me you couldn’t have found a PERSIAN to play the Prince of PERSIA?). Whoever this guy was that made this lackluster attempt of being Irish failed with a capital F. If you actually know the Transformers storyline about Dinobots and follow the cartoons and comics, you are definitely not going to like this movie. Also to note, this movie is not a continuation from the lastTransformers movie, this is a new one with new characters and a lot of things that pop-up that don’t get explained. So let’s go over this again just to be clear: Good things- Kelsey Grammer, Stanley Tucci, lots of action, cool fight scenes, tons of explosions. Bad things- Too much talking and action from the humans, too much dialogue from John Goodman(who voiced one of the Autobots), not enough explanation behind events and characters, poor dialogue from Tessa and her boyfriend, every other scene was a commercial, it was far too long (3 hours and felt like it). We didn’t even go over the fact this could be considered a 3hr long commercial! I’m not even going to ruin it but keep track of all of the brand names you see. Brands that might get blown up but the name still shows! So obvious and tacky, you can’t help but laugh. The sad thing is that it happens so often. I tried to be fair as possible with this one and it was hard. Highest I can give this is a 6.5 out of 10. I’m seeing a lot of 40/100 and 4′s out of 10 online, but I’d say 6.5 is about right. The only reason you might not want to see this in 3D is because if you start to get bored or want to leave, you’ll be angry you paid $15 for those goofy glasses, but if you can get over the run-time it’s an excellent movie for 3D!
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This film is absolutely incredible! Dawn of the Planet of the Apes has captured my curiosity and held it for ransom since January, but it delivered! It needs to be said and it needs to be said badly: Michael Bay could learn a lot from director Matt Reeves. He did an excellent job in this film which is more than I can say for that 3hr advertisement we saw 3 weeks ago known as Transformers. This movie picks up where the first one left off (when Caesar and the gang escaped to the forest). The simian flu is a global pandemic and the casualties are in the millions. The story is told from the apes perspective and the film begins showing how they’ve evolved since the fall of the humans. The film is an adventure in life lessons: humanity, caring, and how pride always comes before the fall. This film had everything from anger and violence to compassion and love. Everything was executed beautifully and the dialogue was spot on. I’m sorry, but the big blockbuster movie that keeps coming to mind to compare this to is Transformers: Age of Extinction, which did nothing in comparison to this epic film! Transformers showed 85% of the human story and 15% of the Transformers. In Dawn (this film), it showed 80% of the apes’ story and 20% of the humans. Which it should, because it’s not called Dawn of the Planet of the “Humans” (learn Michael Bay). This movie had an epic story and great battle scenes and didn’t feature robust, large explosions like the typical Bay flick. This is going to make a killing at the box office and deservedly so. There’s not too many movies I’ve given 10′s for, but this by far, earned a 10 out of 10. It’s a tad over 2 hours long, and the ending will surprise you ;) I think it would be worth seeing in 3D (we viewed in standard). All content and images are property of The Peach Review® unless otherwise noted
-Jon J.
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Opening Night
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Pictured left: Director David Gordon Green & Actor Tye Sheridan
The Atlanta Film Festival celebrated its 38th anniversary, taking place from March 28 – April 6. During the 10 day celebration, the city played host to dozens of narrative and documentary features from across the globe that showcased the strength and diversity of today’s independent film movement. The program consisted of 54 Narrative and Documentary Features, 11
Short Program Presentations and 12 Special Presentations. The festival included 43 features/shorts shot in Georgia and/or featuring Atlanta natives.
ex-con who meets a hard-luck kid played by Tye Sheridan (Mud). The Atlanta Film Festival’s final premiere took place on Saturday, April 5 at The Plaza Theatre and featured 2013 Toronto Film Festival breakout hit The Double.
The Atlanta Film Festival opened with the feature film Joe, directed by David Gordon Green. Joe tells a gripping Endless screenings on top of story of friendship, violence and a Game of Thrones (next page) redemption through the eyes of early-premiere equated to one Nicolas Cage, a hard-tempered epic movie festival!
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Game of Thrones
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Crystal Beyond all the red carpets and the crazy parties, this year’s Atlanta Film Festival had some really great movies! Crystal, written and directed by Chell Stephen, is about a young girl with an attitude problem that rejects the realities around her. She is stuck in a boring, rural town in Ontario but her mind is constantly on dancing. She heavily relies on her obsession with dance to escape reality and her job (which she eventually loses). She has dreams of being an entertainer and knows that her dream won’t be fulfilled as long as she’s in the countryside. Her bad attitude and foul mouth lead her down a very “different” path in this film. As stated before, she loses her job, she hitchhikes with a stranger, and haphazardly starts and wins a fight. Crystal is the story of a teen with a dream. It just happens to be a teen with a bad attitude and an extremely foul mouth. The cure to all of her problems? Making it in Toronto. It’ll remind you of the “country girl with big city dreams” scenario. It’s a good 7 out of 10. Once you become a fan (also because Chell is such a nice person in real life), you can follow the movie and Think/Feel productions HERE
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Forev
It’s the super-awkward romantic comedy you’ve been waiting for! Forev is a beautiful movie about a world-weary Sophie and her extremely aloof neighbor Pete. The two connect and devise an innocent yet misguided plan to get married. Before they know it, Sophie finds herself on a road-trip with Pete through the desert to pickup his sister from college. Aside from “funny,” the other word that immediately comes to mind is “cute.” One of my favorite parts of the movie is when Pete and Sophie stop in the desert and discuss their marital plans. Within minutes the conversation switches from roadkill and burials to prenuptial agreements and “we get tax breaks right?” Forev is co-written and co-directed by Molly Green and James Leffler. It’s a great movie that examines why we fall in love and how happiness is found in life’s everyday simplicities. 8.5 out of 10. Follow the movie FOREV
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Monkey Rag
“You can’t help but tap your feet!” As soon as the movie starts you immediately become immersed in a vast sea of colors and sound. Monkey Rag begins with its main lady Mitzi, (who can be described as a toned-down Jessica Rabbit) who sings about “the birds and the bees”. After she finds her good friend Spanko, the skee-bop tunes and dancing truly begin! Trees come to life, raccoons serenade baboons, and more that we don’t want to spoil. This film is in the Animated Short category and runs right under 4 minutes. Monkey Rag will test your self control with its infectious tunes and happy characters. Asylum Street Spankers delivered the feel-good dance music that could be enjoyed by all. The animation was smooth, the music was fun, and the overall vibe was enjoyable. I can give this a solid 8 out of 10. After watching this film you’ll definitely want to see what else is in store from Joanna Davidovich! Follow MONKEY RAG
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The Magnificent Lion Boy
The Magnificent Lion Boy is an animated short directed by Ana Caro and produced by James Cotton. The film is about a British anthropologist named Leonard Orlov (Hugh Bonneville) who discovers a feral child (a child that has been isolated from human contact) in Africa and brings him back to London. Crowds gathered to see what Leonard had brought back from Africa and were stunned to find a lion boy (Yahsaint Benjamin Kowouvi) with him. Leonard puts in massive effort to civilize the lion boy but his attempts end up leading to the boys demise (that demise coming from the antagonist, voiced by Andy Serkis).
I enjoyed the film and the ending was definitely unexpected. It wasn’t predictable and the animation style they used was great. It looked like they were animating with chalk, which gave the movie and nice effect. I give it an 8.5 out of 10. The movie is about 11 and a half minutes long and we suggest you give it a go at this years Atlanta Film Festival. Follow Magnificent Lion Boy
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Rabbit and Deer
Rabbit and Deer, written and directed by Péter Vácz, is an animated short submitted in this year’s Atlanta Film Festival. Rabbit and Deer are best friends that do everything together including where they live. Deer is a male, Rabbit is a female, and they go about their days pulling pranks on one another, teasing, and overall just having fun. It’s pretty much a routine for them until one day their friendship took a turn. Deer began acting differently and became obsessed with studying and equations. He no longer wanted to laugh with Rabbit, eat with Rabbit, sleep around Rabbit, or have anything to do with her. He just stayed on his computer. He ignored Rabbit to the point where she hurled a drink at him which landed on his computer. The drink caused a weird reaction out of the computer and ended up zapping Deer into the 3rd dimension. I can respect a film like this without voices because it takes talent to “tell” a story without speaking. At first it’s hard to decipher why Deer is ignoring Rabbit and studying all the time but everything else about the story was clear. An interesting story involving friendship and curiosity. I give it an 8 out of 10. Follow Rabbit & Deer " " " " " " " All content and images are property of The Peach Review® unless otherwise noted
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-Jon J.
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David Gordon Green
James Leffler & Molly Green
Chell Stephen
Kwajalyn Brown & Heather Roop
Tye Sheridan
Joanna Davidovich
The Atlanta Film Festival (ATLFF) is one of Atlanta’s premiere film festivals. Now in its fourth decade, the ATLFF is one of 12 Academy Award® qualifying festivals in the U.S. The ATLFF is a membership-based 501(c)(3) arts non-profit with a mission to lead the community in creative and cultural discovery through film. ATLFF presents a diverse slate of year-round offerings for film-lovers, filmmakers, and industry professionals. Year round programs —screenings, parties, panels, workshops, and other educational events –provide a forum for building the community of film lovers and film supporters. Until next year, stay tuned! Follow them ATLFF All content and images are property of The Peach Review® unless otherwise noted
-Jon J. Photo: X
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MUSIC
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THE PEACH REVIEW®
COUNTERPOINT
MUSIC FESTIVAL
Suspendisse feugiat mi sed lectus Reminiscing on my entertainment, and every kind Foster the People? Janelle aoreet nec interdum Counterpoint experience, all of vice at your fingertips to
Monae and STS 9? Outkast 72 hours of festival madness abuse. Does this not sound and Flosstradamus? Music like heaven for a raver? This is both a gleeful blur and a vibrated on the tip of the bacchanal utopia embodies scrapbook of memories. April’s breeze, sinking into the rebellious spirit of rock-n- ear drums demanding bodies Imagine thousands being sequestered into a secluded, roll, the swagger of hip-hop, to move. Hoards of people North Georgia forest. You feel and the unorthodox energy of stampeding from stage to EDM. This fuels the magic isolated from the world, a stage trying to catch the holy temporary vacation where that is Counterpoint – the ghost of every performer, I money means unlimited gathering of cultures in couldn’t believe the diversity supplies of food and harmony. and how easily one could beverage, multiple genres of have his hands up for J.Cole musical acts all prominent in Where else could you go and and then walk across the field their respected fields for your see Rich Homie Quan and to jam with XXYYXX. By Trenz Pruca
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Janelle Monae
“It’s a thrilling rush trying to catch all of your favorites while uncovering unknown talent.” It’s a thrilling rush trying to catch all of your favorites while uncovering unknown talent. Stamina is critical, there were plenty of hammocks bedding the weary – a few even took refuge on the ground, but the most impressive were the ones that danced with a disco fever; moving as if their souls were aflame, these few energizer bunnies bounced around nonstop encouraging the surrounding bystanders to follow in their stead. How could one not have fun when surrounded by all this life?
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All weekend there was a consistent, serene sense of positivity exuding from all the festival goers. No malice or maliciousness, I didn’t witness a single act of violence for my entire duration. No one raged when the urinal line began to resemble Footlocker during a midnight Jordan release. The stress-less environment helped the temporary vacation. Everyone was friendly, chummy, and in complete brother/ sisterhood. Maybe being trapped within nature’s bosom or all the available forms of intoxication mellowed any raising tension. Page 44
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To be surrounded by requited, openmindedness’ allows the possibility to enjoy yourself without fear of judgment, Counterpoint is home to fearless individuality. From clothing (or the lack there of) to the flags waving proudly; a nice reminder that people can take pride in their uniqueness. It never got weird enough. If asked my favorite moment from the festival it happened on the last day. Unfortunately, I didn’t camp (my only regret) so I wasn’t able to immerse myself in the complete experience. Every day I got there a bit late, missing several early acts but Sunday the traffic was horrendous, bumper to bumper, everyone eager to see Outkast I presume. By the time I arrived at the camp grounds, a woman informed that a storm was forthcoming and that no one would be allowed access inside. A safety hazard, the festival was being evacuated while an ominous cloud stretched across the sky
Watch The Duck
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taunting to ruin the party. Some departed; others stood outside and dared the rain to fall as if they would greet lightning with lightning. Parked next to us were two sweethearts from Paste magazine that offered refuge in their SUV with plenty of beer and champagne to hold us over. Not to mention an additional 12 pack supplied by a generous man from Heineken. We drank, traded stories, and more people arrived (DJ Buhay from Chicago, his model girlfriend Carly, and Jonathan Landrum – a writer from the Associated Press) it soon became our own private fiesta. What was once a dreaded waiting period became exactly what one could desire from a festival setting, simply enjoying the company of strangers. It shouldn’t come as a surprise that despite all the incredible performances, Outkast left the lasting impression. The two touched the stage and you felt a wave of magic that could only flow from legends.
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Bombs Over Baghdad to start a drive down memory lane, the stream of timeless hits drop one after another filling us with explosions of nostalgia. I never imagined hearing the story of “Suzy Screw” and “Sasha Thumper” in the flesh, the glorious SpottieOttieDopaliscious horns intoxicating the air, Killer Mike emerging to slay his verse in “The Whole World”, there wasn’t a single, superfluous moment. The duo’s chemistry had improved since their debut at Coachella; stage presence was much more fun and energetic, the rust formed after a 10 year hiatus is starting to shine again. The performance was like walking into a museum and a wing over relics from 1994, 1996, 1998, 2000, and 2003. It shouldn’t be
Krewella
Foster the People
viewed behind a computer, you’ll never understand the electricity that filled the air and how unforgettable that short hour and a half was. Long live Outkast, long live Counterpoint; hopefully we can do it all again next year.
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STS9
Story: Yoh Phillips Photo: X
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COUNTERPOINT
J. Cole
Rich Homie Quan
A-Trak
Watch The Duck
Krewella
Foster the People
MUSIC FESTIVAL
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May 23-25
PIEDMONTPARK
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Every year during Memorial Day Weekend, the city of Atlanta comes alive with multiple festivals around the city. This year, the Atlanta Jazz Festival was better than ever and had an even better schedule! [48]
THEInPEACH REVIEW® previous years
the festival
Quartet, and the perfect closing
began on Saturday and to a festival in Ahmad Jamal. concluded on Monday. This year the festival kicked off Friday and Every year, we as residents closed Sunday, leaving Monday also get to enjoy 31 days of for all to enjoy the holiday. Jazz. The entire month of May features different Jazz related Another fresh addition this events around the city of year was an added stage. The 3 Atlanta. Events such as: Theresa stages were: Main, Local, and Hightower at the International. Intercontinental Hotel, MARTA Monday (artists performing at We were happy to hear an various stations each Monday), amazing array of artists and Cocktails in the Garden at including: Roy Hargrove Atlanta Botanical Gardens Quintet, Ester Rada, Christian Scott, Russell Gunn’s Krunk Jazz Orkestra, Somi, Cyril
You can’t ask for more from a Jazz Festival that’s free to the
Aimée, Kemba Cofield
public!
ARTISTS
-TPR
Top: Cyrille Amiée (Photo/Lyle Daniel) Middle: Ester Rada (Photo/Adi Harari) Bottom: Somi (Photo/Kelechi Amadi-Obi) Left: Ahmad Jamal (Photo/ Michelle Foster)
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Al Jarreau & Marcus Miller On Friday night June 6th, two consummate professionals took the stage at Atlanta’s Chastain Park; one, an iconic vocalist, the other a virtuoso bassist. Their performances took place on a balmy spring night in Atlanta that was absolutely perfect. Al Jarreau, for the second time in 9 months returned to the metropolitan Atlanta area to share “the voice”. Al has one of
those voices that the moment you hear it, you know not only is it Al Jarreau, it’s vintage Al Jarreau. When he performed at the Cobb Energy Center for Performing Arts a few months ago, he was good; at Chastain Park he was GREAT. Why the difference? Well, when you have the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra playing behind you, it can catapult your performance from just “good” to great. Al sang, and rocked, and interacted with the audience as well as with the orchestra members throughout his set — always, with that Al Jarreau smile on his face.
Setting the stage, and opening up for
Al Jarreau was the incomparable Marcus Miller. Marcus opened up with his song “Blast”, and from that point on had the crowd eating out of his hands. Just as with Al Jarreau, the ASO helped launch Marcus’ performance into the stratosphere. Days before, Marcus had facilitated the ceremony for the installation of Luther Vandross’ star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame; think of all the funky bass riffs you’ve heard over the last 30 years in various Luther Vandross songs — you guessed it, Marcus played them all!
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If I had one complaint of the evening, I’d say there should have been more Marcus Miller. Don’t get me wrong, saying I want more Marcus is not tantamount to saying I want less Al. It’s just that I’ve seen Marcus enough times to know that he was just getting warmed up when he finished his set; and because of that I think the audience got shortchanged. Other than that Mrs. Lincoln, the play was just fine …..
-KJ Photo: Hakim Wright
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Jesse Cook Plays Atlanta
Jesse Cook and his band will embarked on his US tour April 2nd in Atlanta, GA and dates include 15 cities including New York, Chicago, Boston, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, and Washington D.C. Jesse’s public television special Live At Bathurst Street Theatre is currently being broadcast in the touring markets and has been met with a fantastic response.
Jesse’s music has been featured on several episodes of Sex and The City, The Chris Isaak Show and several Olympic Games. At the 2006 Winter Olympics, Irina Slutskaya of Russia won a bronze medal skating to Cook’s composition “Mario Takes a Walk”. Jesse Cook is a Canadian guitarist, composer, and producer. Widely considered [51]
one of the most influential figures in “nuevo flamenco” music, he incorporates elements of flamenco rumba, jazz & many forms of world music into his work. If you’re looking for a relaxing evening with great music, then you need Jesse Cook. Thanks for introducing us to nuevo flamenco! -TPR
On The Run Tour
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Suspendisse feugiat mi sed lectus aoreet nec interdum By Trenz Pruca
On July 15, the On The Run tour made its stop in Atlanta. It was a day that everyone had marked on their calendars and brought many fans from out-of-state to catch a glimpse of the duo. Jay Z and Beyoncé put on a show that can only be described as “remarkable.” The duo’s arrival was such a big deal that in the days leading up to the show, local news channels suggested all attendees take Marta to the Georgia Dome (as opposed to driving). Even with the construction taking place for the new stadium, the Georgia Dome is the only logical place to host such a concert (Jay Z sold out Philips Arena,Beyoncé sold out Gwinnett Center). As seen above, the two came out together, to a thunderous sold-out crowd. The audience was extremely diverse, spanning all ages and races. We saw people [52]playing as chaperones hosting hoards of children. being assisted with canes/walkers and even parents
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Everyone from miles around came to catch a glimpse of Jay and Bey. The amazing thing about this concert is that you will leave feeling like your money was well spent. They performed on their own and as a duo, making each performance special. In between their performances they had movie clips playing on the large theatre-size screens on-stage. The stage was huge and had speakers in the form of a tower on both sides of it. There was one huge screen in the middle towards the back of the stage, and 2 large one’s on each end in the front. A nice addition was a walkway that was created so they go into the crowd. Once they left the main stage, the walkway took them to a platform in the middle of the floor audience. At first nobody could see where they went, then all of a sudden a spotlight comes on and they’re standing in the middle of the audience! The crowd was electric. Jay Z performed a myriad of old classics such as What’s my name, Dust your shoulders off, Big Pimpin, and Hard Knock Life. He’s ruled rap music for so long, you really didn’t have a clue which collection of tracks he would perform. He also performed songs from his last project Magna Carta Holy Grail. Tracks such as Tom Ford, Beach is Better and F***WithMeYouKnowIGotIt. There were lots of epic moments when he performed but the most notable (for us anyway), was when he performed Show Me What You Got. The crowd response was amazing. Looking all around to see the Georgia Dome respond to his directions “and wave…. and wave… and wave… and wave,” was incredible.
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There really is no competition when it comes to Beyoncé. Her performances are on such a high level, it will be eons before anyone comes close to it. It reminds me of how Tina Turner could travel around the world, sell out a venue, and people would talk about that performance forever. We can easily see Beyoncé doing the same thing. The dancing, the singing, the highenergy, the vast array of outfits, lighting effects, you name it; she puts on an amazing show. Aside from her background dancers, singers, and her band, during multiple performances she featured French duo Les Twins. Les Twins are identical twins from Sarcelles, France who dance and choreograph. They’ve been on the scene in France since around 2008, but their presence rose in the U.S. via YouTube from video a few years ago (that now has 22 million views). From standing around Bey acting as personal escorts from shooting up from underneath the stage to dance, their addition was a nice touch for entertainment. Beyoncé performed songs like Flawless, Yoncé, Naughty Girl, and Drunk in Love. During her Pretty Hurts performance, she had a video playing on the screens that was pretty powerful. Everyone loved her performances and as I said before, she is easily on her way to having them become legendary. Her standout moment (in our opinion) came when she returned to the stage amongst the crowd with her dancers and performed Love On Top. The Dome went crazy and immediately you saw the flashlights from camera phones lighting up everywhere. The duo also surprised the crowd by covering Lauryn Hill and Jackson 5/Michael Jackson songs.
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For entertainment value you will get your money’s worth out of this tour, seeing that you’re able to find a ticket. Individually they’re a force, but when performing together, it’s just constant energy being fed to the masses. Many people never sat down. It was almost like, “why are there seats?” The Georgia Dome honestly could’ve let the floor area serve as a massive pit and people would’ve been ok with that. The experience was awesome: amazing show, great music, and tremendous stage presence. The only constructive criticism we could give would be the random crosses, angels, and having the crowd “bow down” to Jay Z with their hands (could’ve done without that). Those moments were few, but overall, a tremendous performance and an amazing night. Out of all the times the city has suggested “take Marta, its Smarta,” ATL residents chose last night as the time to heed the warning. It was just a sea of people everywhere you looked. Nothing got out of hand and people were generally nice, it was just the lines were out of this world. But as they suggested, we were happier in that line than those trying to leave in their cars. The storm from Monday brought in cool weather, so walking around at midnight in 70 degree weather made for the perfect close to the evening’s festivities. If you’d like to find out their next tour stops you can check their schedule HERE
-Jon J. & EDB *Photos courtesy of Rob Hoffman/Parkwood Entertainment/PictureGroup [55]
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SPORTS [56]
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SPRING MEETING The NFL Spring Meeting took place May 20 at the RitzCarlton in Buckhead. We went into the meeting anticipating a big announcement: Who would be hosting the Super Bowl LIII (53) in 2018. The NFL Spring Meeting here in Atlanta was comprised of owners from around the league, media, and commissioner Roger Goodell. Committees were in-house to present their best, as to why the Super Bowl should be held in their city. The Meetings are normally more talk than
action, with voting taking place and presentations to give. Different subjects were brought up such as testing, a recent incident with a player and a fertility drug, owner conduct, etc. Aside from main attraction which was the Super Bowl, the Meeting also covered the following:
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Expanded postseason: League executives inquire about the possibilities which are followed by a discussion. What they wanted to accomplish was a 14-team playoff field.
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Extra Points: Owners have already approved a 2 week preseason experiment to move extra point attempts back to the 15-yd line. I personally don’t have a problem where it is (they’re currently taken from the 2-yd line) but, you can’t get around the numbers (only 5 extra points were missed all season last year). HGH Testing: The league is still waiting on an agreement with the NFLPA on how to proceed. The goal is to implement HGH testing specifically (although it seems like every time headway is made in drug testing, an alternative arises that creates more problems).
The all-day affair eventually reached a climactic point close to 4pm. The winner of the bid to host Super Bowl 53 was the Minnesota Vikings!
From L to R: Melvin Tennant, Michele KelmHelgen, Zygi Wilf, Mark Wilf, Marilyn Carlson Nelson.
We’re looking forward to the start Pictured above is the Minnesota of the preseason! Our Atlanta Vikings Super Bowl Falcons take on the Miami Dolphins August 8 at the Georgia Committee. Dome. Be there! -Jon J. Photo: Yoh Phillips
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Greater Gwinnett Championship
After a 3rd day of action the standings go as follows: 1.Miguel Jimenez 2. Bernhard Langer 3. Fred Couples T4. Jay Haas T4. Chien Soon Lu T4. Duffy Waldorf T4. Kenny Perry
The Greater Gwinnett Championship took place the week of April 19 and was played at TPC Sugarloaf. The GGC is part of the Champions Tour and takes place here in Atlanta once a year. With Miguel A. Jimenez leading after a 3rd day finishing at -2 for the day, people have been continuously referring to his nickname “the most interesting man in the world (golf).” Earlier this week he addressed that label, “I look in the mirror and I still look at the same one, no? When I look every morning in the mirror, say hey, who are you?” Miguel A. Jimenez ended up taking the trophy in hisChampions Tour debut. He ended with a (-14) for the tournament, followed by Bernhard Langer (-12),Jay Haas (-10), Fred Couples (-9), and Steve Pate (-7).
T4. Steve Pate T9. David Frost T9. Marco Dawson
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THE PEACH REVIEW®
Greater Gwinnett Championship
Miguel A. Jimenez dominated the Greater Gwinnett Classic, only having to play catch-up one time (the 2nd Rd). He bogeyed hole 3 (Par 4, 389 yards) and double bogeyed hole 4 (Par 5, 557 yards), taking 12 strokes through 2 holes. He quickly contained himself and made birdie on the following hole (after the double bogey) for a total of 3 birdies on the front, and 2 on the back.
The Charles Schwab Cup is to the Champions Tour what the Fedex Cup is to the PGA tour. After the final results of the Greater Gwinnett Classic, the Charles Schwab Cup point standings look like this: 1. Miguel A. Jimenez 270 2. Bernhard Langer 158.40 3. Fred Couples 129.60 4. Jay Haas 77.40 T4. Chien Soon Lu 77.40 T4. Duffy Waldorf 77.40 T4. Kenny Perry 77.40
In the 1st Rd he never saw a bogey and the final round saw the same result. He claims his first career victory on the Champions Tour, becoming the 18th player in the history of the circuit to win in his debut. Along with Jeff Maggert’s win at the previous event, the Mississippi Gulf Resort Classic Presented by CSpire, it marks the first time since 1980 that back-to-back Champions Tour tournaments have been won by players making their debuts. In 1980, the first two official events ever played on the Champions Tour were won by Don January (Atlantic City International) and Roberto DeVicenzo (U.S. Senior Open). Bernhard Langer finished 2nd in the tournament at (-12). He played very well in the GGC but struggled to manage the 8th (hole) in Rounds 2 and 3, bogeying both times. Playing better than most, Langer managed to birdie both the 17 and 18 in the last round. A hole that became difficult to master by the masses. In the top 5, everyone escaped unscathed except for Jay Haas who bogeyed the 17 in the 1st Rd.
T4. Steve Pate 77.40 9. Dave Frost 48.60 T9. Marco Dawson 48.60 [60]
THE PEACH REVIEW®
Greater Gwinnett Championship
After a spot in the top 3 for first 2 Rounds Fred Couples had a slow start on the final day bogeying 2 of his first 5 holes. It wasn’t until he reached 13 that he broke from par and finally birdied another hole (his first since teeing off for the day). He finished in 4th place for the tournament with (-9). Notable stats:
- Chien Soon Lu led the tournament with fewest Putts Per Round (25.7) - Bernhard Langer led the tournament in Greens In Regulation (48/54 for 88.9%) and tied for 1st in Sand Saves (1 for 1) - In the top 15, Larry Mize tied for 4th in Fairway Hits ( 37/42 for 88.1%) [61]
- In the top 15, Kenny Perry led in Drive Distance Average (292.3 yards on average. Ranked 3rd overall in that category). Be sure to save the date for next year, April 13-19, 2015. We’ll see if the most interesting man in golf will be able to retain his title! -Jon J. & KJ Photo: Hakim Wright
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