Concert Review: Chance the Rapper-- Boston, MA-- September 29th, 2016

Lineup: Chance the Rapper/Francis and the Lights ("The Magnificent Coloring World Tour")
Venue: Blue Hills Bank Pavilion, Boston, MA
Date: September 29th, 2016

Francis and the Lights: Outside of a middling amount of hype stemming from his recent collab with Kanye West and his appearance on Chance's "Summer Friends", I had zero idea what Francis and The Lights was all about prior to seeing him live. Even with no idea of what to expect going into, I was still shocked by his sound. This dude basically sounds like if Phil Collins had a twisted millennial lovechild that was obsessed with strange indie-meets-reggae beats. I can say confidently say that I've never heard anything like it before and I'd be totally fine with not hearing anything like it ever again.

While his music left me bewildered, his dance moves were fucking majestic. This motherfucker spent the duration of his half-set proving that he was a certified lord of the dance with an array of enchanting moves that ranged from a full body flail that could've easily been confused for a seizure to pseudo-twerking with slightly less booty popping and more pelvic thrusts. The sheer grace of his dance moves provided the set with a much-needed dose of elegance and played a crucial role in making this performance worthwhile on the whole.

Chance the Rapper: In just a few years in the national spotlight, Chance the Rapper has established himself as the one of the most unique and unusual voices in music. After last night, I can confirm that his live show takes that special brand of weirdness and elevates it to an extreme, borderline unreal level.

Chance's live show played out like a live hip-hop episode of Yo Gabba Gabba. The show prominently featured puppets (most notably a lion named Carlos that he interacted with for a majority of the set and a full puppet choir on "How Great", "Finish Line/Drown" and "Summer Friends") and the video screen was a non-stop clusterfuck of bright colors and cartoon imagery. The audience ate up Chance's happy acid trip stage show, but I couldn't help but cringe at how corny it was to watch a grown-man talk to a fucking puppet in-between songs for 90 minutes. I respect the fact that Chance is in a really positive place in his life right now and wants his live show to reflect his internal joy, but having a strange, cheesy stage production like this significantly takes away from the overall quality of his live show.

Aside from the puppetry, Chance was pretty solid. The setlist was way too heavy on material from his underwhelming new mixtape Coloring Book and his decision to cut almost every song short was frustrating, but his rapping/singing was pretty much spot-on throughout the set and it's impossible to excessively hate on a dude who radiates positive energy like he does.

Given the disheartening lack of Acid Rap tracks present in his set, his guest spots from Action Bronson's "Baby Blue" and Kanye West's "Ultralight Beam" ended up being the night's highlights. Those verses are among my favorite he's ever done and it was a very pleasant surprise to hear them in a live setting. Diehard Chance fans are guaranteed to have a blast at this show, but I sadly didn't share the rampant enthusiasm that most of the other people leaving the venue had last night.     

Scores:
Francis and the Lights 4/10
Chance the Rapper 7.5/10

Setlist:
Chance the Rapper:
Angels
Blessings
Pusha Man
Smoke Again
Coco Butter Kisses
Favorite Song
Brain Cells
Smoke Break
Juke Jam
Same Drugs
Baby Blue (Action Bronson cover)
The Way (Kehlani cover)
Ultralight Beam (Kanye West cover)
No Problem
Mixtape
All Night
D.R.A.M. Sings Special (actually sung by D.R.A.M.!)
Grown Ass Kid
Sunday Candy (Donnie Trumpet and the Social Experiment cover)
All We Got
How Great
Finish Line/Drown
Blessings (reprise)


Encore:
Summer Friends 
Friends (Francis and the Lights cover) (w/Francis and the Lights)

The Best and Worst of John Malkovich

The "Best and Worst" series profiles the best and worst work of an actor starring in one of the week's new theatrical releases. This week I take a look at the filmography of "Deepwater Horizon" star John Malkovich.

Films starring John Malkovich that I've seen:
Con Air
Rounders
Being John Malkovich
Johnny English
The Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy
Eragon
Beowulf
Burn After Reading
Jonah Hex
Red 
Transformers: Dark of the Moon
Warm Bodies
Red 2

Best Performance: Red (2010)
Malkovich has become one of Hollywood's most respected character actors in large part due to his natural zaniness and there is no greater display of his lovable eccentricity than his performance in the action comedy Red. As paranoid, borderline insane retired black ops agent Marvin Boggs, Malkovich provides the film with a special comedic spark that keeps the film afloat through its rough narrative-driven patches.

Worst Performance: Jonah Hex (2010)
Malkovich's performance in Jonah Hex is a tragic example of an innovator in the art of over-the-top acting taking their precious artform too far. He turned a role that should've been very entertaining (a former Confederate war general who plans to blow up the White House after stealing a classified government weapon) into an obnoxious, overly silly character that made me facepalm every time he appeared on screen.  

Best Film: Con Air (1997)
I wasn't exposed to Con Air until last year and I honestly kind of hate myself for waiting so long to check it out. This film is what B-action enthusiasts like myself live for. The cast is full of actors who are down for whatever nonsense the script throws at them, the action sequences are exhilarating and most importantly, it's fun as hell from start to finish. It's a shame that the practice of studios putting self-aware, big budget trash isn't nearly as prevalent today because I need more films like Con Air in my life ASAP. 

Worst Film: The Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy (2005)
I went on a lengthy rant about this steaming turd of a movie in my piece on the late Alan Rickman's career back in March, so I promised I'll scale back on the vitriol this time around. The relentless pretension and onslaught of faux-clever jokes made watching The Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy about as enjoyable as passing golf ball-sized kidney stones.
 
Thank you for reading this week's installment of "The Best and Worst of". Next week, I'll take a look at the best and worst work of  "The Girl on the Train" star Emily Blunt. 

Week 4 NFL Power Rankings

()=Last Week's Ranking

1. (1) Denver Broncos (3-0) Week 4 opponent: Tampa Bay Buccaneers
2. (3) New England Patriots (3-0) Week 4 opponent: Buffalo Bills
3. (6) Minnesota Vikings (3-0) Week 4 opponent: New York Giants
4. (8) Seattle Seahawks (2-1) Week 4 opponent: New York Jets
5. (7) Green Bay Packers (2-1) Week 4 opponent: Bye Week
6. (15) Philadelphia Eagles (3-0) Week 4 opponent: Bye Week
7. (13) Kansas City Chiefs (2-1) Week 4 opponent: Pittsburgh Steelers
8. (2) Pittsburgh Steelers (2-1) Week 4 opponent: Kansas City Chiefs
9. (14) Baltimore Ravens (3-0) Week 4 opponent: Oakland Raiders
10. (4) Carolina Panthers (1-2) Week 4 opponent: Atlanta Falcons
11. (5) Arizona Cardinals (1-2) Week 4 opponent: Los Angeles Rams
12. (16) Oakland Raiders (2-1) Week 4 opponent: Baltimore Ravens
13. (9) Houston Texans (2-1) Week 4 opponent: Tennessee Titans
14. (10) Cincinnati Bengals (1-2) Week 4 opponent: Miami Dolphins
15. (12) New York Giants (2-1) Week 4 opponent: Minnesota Vikings
16. (19) Atlanta Falcons (2-1) Week 4 opponent: Carolina Panthers
17. (11) New York Jets (1-2) Week 4 opponent: Seattle Seahawks
18. (21) Indianapolis Colts (1-2) Week 4 opponent: Jacksonville Jaguars
19. (23) Dallas Cowboys (2-1) Week 4 opponent: San Francisco 49ers
20. (18) Detroit Lions (1-2) Week 4 opponent: Chicago Bears
21. (24) Los Angeles Rams (2-1) Week 4 opponent: Arizona Cardinals 
22. (29) Buffalo Bills (1-2) Week 4 opponent: New England Patriots
23. (27) Washington Redskins (1-2) Week 4 opponent: Cleveland Browns
24. (20) Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1-2) Week 4 opponent: Denver Broncos
25. (22) San Diego Chargers (1-2) Week 4 opponent: New Orleans Saints
26. (26) Miami Dolphins (1-2) Week 4 opponent: Cincinnati Bengals
27. (25) Tennessee Titans (1-2) Week 4 opponent: Houston Texans
28. (17) New Orleans Saints (0-3) Week 4 opponent: San Diego Chargers
29. (28) Jacksonville Jaguars (0-3) Week 4 opponent: Indianapolis Colts
30. (30) San Francisco 49ers (1-2) Week 4 opponent: Dallas Cowboys
31. (31) Chicago Bears (0-3) Week 4 opponent: Detroit Lions
32. (32) Cleveland Browns (0-3) Week 4 opponent: Washington Redskins

Week 3 Fantasy Football Winners and Losers

Quarterback
MVP: Matthew Stafford (Lions
Facing a massive 31-10 deficit at halftime, the Lions were forced to rely on a pass-heavy offense, and those early struggles ended up deeply rewarding Matthew Stafford's fantasy owners. Stafford's strong second half led to an excellent 385 YD/3 TD/1 INT statline as the Lions narrowly lost 34-27 to the Packers at Lambeau Field on Sunday afternoon. Stafford has been one of the strongest fantasy options in 2016 thus far and his hot start has a great shot of continuing in Week 4 as the Lions take on the Bears weak, injury-riddled defense.
Honorable Mentions: Drew Brees (Saints), Jameis Winston (Buccaneers), Aaron Rodgers (Packers)

LVP: Ben Roethlisberger (Steelers)
Ryan Fitzpatrick's disastrous 6 INT performance against the Chiefs was clearly the worst quarterback performance of the week, but his ineptness didn't effect nearly as many as fantasy players as Ben Roethlisberger's did. The Eagles aggressive front applied constant pressure and forced Big Ben to have an uncharacteristically sloppy performance (257 YDS, 0 TD, 1 INT, lost fumble) in a game that was universally disastrous for the Black and Yellow. Ironically, Roethlisberger's Week 4 matchup comes against the Chiefs defense that forced the Jets to turn the ball over 8 times this week, which makes a bounceback performance far from probable. 
Dishonorable Mentions: Ryan Fitzpatrick (Jets), Carson Palmer (Cardinals), Marcus Mariota (Titans)

Running Back
MVP: Devonta Freeman (Falcons)
After a relatively quiet start to the season, Devonta Freeman woke up in a big way this week. The Falcons running back torched the Saints lowly defense for 207 YDS (152 rushing, 55 receiving) and a TD on 19 touches. Freeman is currently locked in a timeshare with 2nd-year back Tevin Coleman and isn't likely to put up eye-popping numbers like this on a regular basis, but he's still worth starting every week in 2016's messy RB climate.
Honorable Mentions: Tevin Coleman (Falcons), Carlos Hyde (49ers), LeSean McCoy (Bills)

LVP: DeAngelo Williams (Steelers)
DeAngelo Williams has finally come back down to earth. A combination of the Steelers being forced to strictly pass after going down by multiple scores very early in the game and the Eagles honing in on him forced Williams to put up a lackluster 44 yards (21 rushing, 23 receiving) on just 12 touches. With Le'Veon Bell officially being reinstated from his suspension this week, Williams' fantasy value is bound to rapidly diminish.
Dishonorable Mentions: C.J. Anderson (Broncos), Matt Forte (Jets), Jerick McKinnon (Vikings)

Wide Receiver
MVP: Marvin Jones Jr. (Lions)
Marvin Jones Jr. made the most of his targets against the Packers on Sunday afternoon. On just 6 receptions, Jones Jr. racked up an absurd 205 yards and a touchdown. With Golden Tate struggling out of the gate, Jones Jr. has established him as the Lions go-to receiver and subsequently earned a spot as a high-end WR2 with a WR1 ceiling.
Honorable Mentions: Terrelle Pryor Sr. (Browns), Emmanuel Sanders (Broncos) T.Y. Hilton (Colts)

LVP: Julio Jones (Falcons)
Where the hell was Julio Jones last night? Despite getting targeted a team-high 7 times, Jones was almost completely left out of the Falcons torching of the Saints defense, finishing with just a single catch for 16 yards. While Jones is currently dealing with ankle and calf ailments, it's still shocking that he made so little noise against the league's worst defense. 
Dishonorable Mentions: Kelvin Benjamin (Panthers), Brandin Cooks (Saints), Jeremy Maclin (Chiefs)

Tight End
MVP: Zach Miller (Bears)
Zach Miller was a popular fill-in option for owners of currently dinged-up TE1's Delanie Walker and Antonio Gates and he ended up nicely rewarding the people that inserted him into their lineups this week. Miller was Brian Hoyer's favorite target in the Bears ugly primetime loss against the Cowboys, picking up 78 yards and 2 TD on 8 receptions. Despite his success in Week 3, I still wouldn't recommend starting Miller outside of emergency situations. 
Honorable Mentions: Coby Fleener (Saints), Travis Kelce (Chiefs), Jimmy Graham (Seahawks)

LVP: Rob Gronkowski (Patriots)
Rob Gronkowski's 2016 debut didn't exactly go as planned. The perennial top fantasy tight end was basically a ghost against the Texans, only seeing the field for 14 plays and failing to catch his only target of the game. Gronkowski was still visibly hobbled by the hamstring that held him out of the first 2 games of the season and despite all of the upside he brings to the table every time he steps on the field, he'll be a very risky play until he's at 100%. 
Dishonorable Mentions: Julius Thomas (Jaguars), Jason Witten (Cowboys), Dwayne Allen (Colts)

Defense
MVP: Kansas City Chiefs
The Chiefs defense put up the type of performance in Week 3 that doesn't seem possible outside of a video game. The Chiefs defense/special teams put on a takeaway clinic against the Jets, picking up 6 INT's, 2 fumble recoveries and scoring a pair of TD's that catapulted them to an easy 24-3 victory. The Chiefs face a much tougher task against the Steelers in Week 4, but any owner has to feel good about their chances to be a top 3-5 fantasy defense this year after this unreal performance. 
Honorable Mentions: Minnesota Vikings, Buffalo Bills, New England Patriots

LVP: Seattle Seahawks
The Seahawks defense put up a solid real-life performance in Week 3, but that success wasn't reflected in their fantasy numbers. The Seahawks allowed 18 points, failed to register a sack and only managed a single INT in their blowout win over the embattled 49ers. The Seahawks D get a more-than-ideal opportunity to redeem themselves against the turnover-happy Jets offense in Week 4.
Dishonorable Mentions: Carolina Panthers, Houston Texans, Pittsburgh Steelers

Movie Review: The Magnificent Seven

After being spoiled with a consistently strong and well-rounded summer movie slate, the cinema gods have decided to keep 2016's hot streak rolling into the early fall with the terrific Magnificent Seven. Director Antonie Fuqua's (Training Day, The Equalizer) high-profile western is not just a killer remake, it's one of the most purely enjoyable viewing experiences I've had in a movie theater in recent memory.

The Magnificent Seven's setup is about as familiar as it gets: vengeance-seeking widow Emma Cullen (Haley Bennett) hires famed bounty hunter Sam Chisholm (Denzel Washington) to bring down Bartholomew Bogue (Peter Sarsgaard), the greedy industrialist who killed her husband (Matt Bomer) and aims to take over the small mining town of Rose Creek in which she resides. Chisholm soon hires six fearless, skilled outlaws (Chris Pratt, Ethan Hawke, Byung Hun-Lee, Vincent D'Onofrio, Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, Martin Sensmeier) from all over the surrounding territories to help him fight off Bogue's men and restore order to Rose Creek.

Fuqua deserves a ton of credit for making a film that applies modern visual effects/stunt magic and characterizations (the films portrays people of color and women in a positive light) to the western genre without disregarding the rollicking tone and palatable grit that the defined the genre's classic films. The massive gunfights are beautifully-shot and cleanly-edited, the pacing is brisk without being frantic and each member of the ensemble cast is note-perfect for their respective role (the reliably excellent Washington and legitimately menacing Sarsgaard are the standouts). It may not be as deep or inventive as the True Grit or 3:10 Yuma remakes, but it's still an elite entry in the criminally thin field of modern westerns. The Magnificent Seven is easily the best action blockbuster of 2016 so far and it's going to take one hell of an effort for another fall film to match or exceed its entertainment value.

4/5 Stars

Album Review: Mac Miller-The Divine Feminine

Ever since Mac Miller reinvented himself as a serious artist on 2013's Watching Movies with the Sound Off, he's become one of the most unpredictable acts in hip-hop. Each release he's put since Watching Movies has featured a dramatically overhauled sound that's explored a wide variety of lyrical themes and hip-hop subgenres. While Miller's recent output has been defined by constant shifts in sound, his latest LP The Divine Feminine is the type of eyebrow-raising departure from the norm that will likely surprise even his most diehard fans. 

Since releasing his third LP GO:OD AM last September, Miller has entered a relationship with pop singer Ariana Grande and the headspace that their budding romance has put him in results in The Divine Feminine being the most joyful album of his career. Hearing a clear-minded, lovestruck Miller is kind of odd given the themes of drug use, depression and self-loathing that have ruled his past few releases, but I admire Miller for once again making an album that encapsulates his mental state at a given period of his life. 

Unsurprisingly, Miller's newfound love translates to a record full of romantic ballads. Given how long Miller has been down a rabbit hole of darkness and self-medication, this shift to more jovial subject matter is far from a seamless transition. Miller's process of trying to re-adjust his voice to convey messages of love and commitment leads to an album that features sincere triumphs ("Planet God Damn"), noble failures (the bloated 8-minute epic "Cinderella") and a whole lotta mixed bags ("God is Fair, Sexy Nasty", "Congratulations", a few other tracks). The smooth, low-key production handled by a number of excellent veteran producers including Frank Dukes, Vinylz and DJ Dahi and Miller's introspective lyrics that paint a vivid picture of his relationship with Grande prevent the record from completely crashing and burning, but The Divine Feminine largely lacks the focus and confidence that has made his last few projects so impressive.

The only time on The Divine Feminine where Miller flat-out nails his new sound comes on the beautiful funk/soul-inspired "Dang!", which was released as the album's lead single back in July. With the aid of a killer horn grove and flawless guest spot from rising R&B star Anderson.Paak, Miller drops a wildly infectious, upbeat song that perfectly illustrates the joy his new relationship is bringing him. If The Divine Feminine featured more songs that matched "Dang!'s" level of positive energy and poignancy, Miller's latest reinvention would've far been more successful. 

While the surprising lack of cohesion and confidence certainly does its fair share of damage to the overall quality of the product, The Divine Feminine's biggest crutch is Miller's singing voice. Miller has the type of voice that is passable in small doses, but is far too weak to carry a song on its own. For reasons I'll never be able to comprehend, there are four songs ("Skin", "Soulmate", "My Favorite Part", the aforementioned "Cinderella") on The Divine Feminine where Miller either exclusively or almost exclusively sings for the duration of the track. "My Favorite Part", which is a duet featuring Grande, is able to skate by on the happy couple's terrific chemistry, but the other three songs quickly becoming grating due to Miller's erratic, often tone-deaf singing. I understand that crooning is a huge part of making love songs, but Miller does not have the vocal chops to try and channel Marvin Gaye or Luther Vandross for any sustained period of time.

There are just enough positives to put The Divine Feminine on the right side of average, but the huge step-down down in quality after his career-best LP GO:OD AM is undeniably disheartening. He seemed to be just scratching the surface of his potential as an artist on that record and the comparatively tentative nature and admirable yet misguided vision of The Divine Feminine has temporarily derailed him from reaching it. That being said, it takes some time to adjust to such a rapid, dramatic change in state of mind after spending so much time in a dark place, so it's completely understandable that Miller's first foray into the world of tender love ballads wasn't hugely successful. If Miller is still madly in love with Grande when his next record comes out, I have no doubt that it will be much more cohesive and emotionally-resonant album than The Divine Feminine. 

3/5 Stars
Standout Tracks
1.Dang! (feat. Anderson. Paak)
2.Planet God Damn (feat. Njomza) 
3.We (feat. Cee Lo Green)

The Best and Worst of Denzel Washington

The "Best and Worst" series profiles the best and worst work of an actor starring in one of the week's new theatrical releases. This week I take a look at the filmography of "The Magnificent Seven" star Denzel Washington.

Films starring Denzel Washington that I've seen:
Cry Freedom
Philadelphia
Remember the Titans
Training Day
John Q
Man on Fire
Inside Man
Deja Vu
American Gangster
The Taking of Pelham 123
The Book of Eli
Unstoppable
Safe House
Flight
2 Guns
The Equalizer

Best Performance: Training Day (2001)
I firmly believe that Washington's Academy Award-winning performance as Detective Alonzo Harris in Training Day is the greatest piece of acting in the history of cinema. Washington turned what could've been easily a by-the-numbers part into arguably the most menacing, deranged and straight-up despicable character to ever grace the silver screen. A lot of great actors have played corrupt cops over the years, but no one has ever come close to matching the suffocating intensity and sinister aura that Washington displayed as Harris.    

Worst Performance: N/A
Washington is someone that every actor in Hollywood should strive to be like. This is a man that shows up and gives 110% every time he steps on a film set, regardless of genre or the quality of the material he's working with. He might not be the single most acclaimed or respected figure in Hollywood right now, but no other actor in my lifetime is able to rival Washington's 30+ year track record of consistency in this industry.

Best Film: Training Day (2001)
In the 80's and 90's, police films were largely sanitized and portrayed cops as nothing but honest, moral human beings. Training Day flipped that long-standing genre trope around, offering an unflinching look at crime in the inner city and how police corruption plays a part in allowing illegal activity to thrive in poverty-stricken areas. The atmosphere is alarmingly realistic, the story is gripping and Washington's performance as the corrupt cop who takes a rookie narcotics officer (an excellent Ethan Hawke) around his beat to show him the ropes is beyond perfect. In my eyes, Training Day is a game-changing masterpiece that doesn't get nearly as much love as it deserves from the moviegoing public. 

Worst Film: The Equalizer (2014)
It's a testament to Washington's ability to pick quality roles that an above-average action film like The Equalizer is the worst project he's ever starred in. While the action sequences themselves are appropriately brutal and well-executed, the overly serious tone and bizarrely large focus on the generic, dull plot prevented this from being a top-notch B-grade vigilante film.    
 
Thank you for reading this week's installment of "The Best and Worst of". Next week, I'll take a look at the best and worst work of  "Deepwater Horizon" star John Malkovich.