The Toad's Burrow

     After the glowing review I gave Sopranos Season 3 , I was hoping that season 4 would lose none of the momentum, I felt like the show was building, but considering the show was always about the characters and their relationships with one another, I should have known better. I'm not saying that this season was bad, it was just that it felt kind of abrupt. This season certainly does tie up some old threads, leaving room for much bigger, more ambitious plans. Though after the way last season ended, it does feel a little surprising that they'd just nip some of the seeds they've set so quickly. I hate to report that I once again took my random mid-season break this time around, and frankly I was not very compelled to come back either. Let's discuss why.     First of all, let's talk about Ralph. Realistically, I'm surprised he made it this long. He had dead man screaming all over him. He was a drug addict, he was pretty unlikeable to many members of not only Tony...

       Jean Dawson has always been one of those mid-tier artists for me when it came to artists whose careers I somewhat follow. Truthfully, this album, CHAOS NOW*, is really the only project by Dawson that I enjoy. His debut album really did not interest me at all, and his other two albums, Pixel Bath  and Glimmer of God , were alright. Nothing has quite managed to scratch that same itch that CHAOS NOW* managed to reel in though. True to it's name, it's a fantastic blend of rock and rap that really highlights the Dawsons multi-genre abilities. Frankly, the most disappointing part of this album was finding out that it's more of a one off rather than a sound that Dawson would have followed up on. Regardless, this album has really grown on me, which is funny because when it first came out I wasn't too interested in it, but eventually I gave it a proper listen a year later and I fell in love. So of course, as a pretty interesting album sonically, at least in my opi...

     Jesus Christ, talk about an elite season of television. I'm going to be honest, this might be my favourite season of The Sopranos  so far. It is that good. At this point the world is just coming to life on it's own, and I could watch them do anything. Which is exactly what happened with Pine Barrens, just watching Paulie and Christopher struggle to stick it out in the middle of a forest in the storm. At one point I took a bit of break, getting through the first couple episodes of the season, then really ramping it up again around episode 6 or 7, and boy was it worth it. It pretty much has everything I wanted, it has good mob drama: Ralphie is introduced as this sort of weirdo wildcard, Christopher is finally a made man, and Jackie Jr. is introduced. It also finally starts to build on the tensions at home that pull Tony apart, whether it be a new goomar or his children. Finally halfway through the show, I will not say that this is it's peak, for all I know it wil...

      I'm going to be honest, this movie was not on my radar at all. I didn't even realize that it was releasing until I had seen SZA post about it. Even still, my sister really wanted to see this movie, and even though I hadn't heard much about it, I went in with an open mind. And honestly, I'm glad I did, I was pleasantly impressed with it. It isn't some game-changing comedy, I don't think I'm fiending for more Keke Palmer and SZA comedies together, but for what it was, a short 90 minute film that has some pretty relatable working class struggles, it was well worth the price of admission.     I'll start off with the two leads holding it down together, SZA and Keke Palmer. At first, you'd be a little skeptical of the fit. Frankly, considering at times it feels like SZA can hardly stay a musician, I'd understand if you have some healthy skepticism about the duo working. Don't get it twisted, Keke Palmer does carry the film a little bit, and h...