Siri.....On An Android?!?

Hello, WORLD!! Smokkee Singleton, here. If you've been here on mbefore, you know I say that all the time. It kinda helps new readers get familiar with my voice. Speaking of voices, it kinda ties in to what this post is about. While the cell phone battle which at this point is almost solely between the iOS and the Android systems drags on, the differences between the 2 systems are slowly disappearing. Case in point: one of the iOS based iPhone 4's biggest advantages over the Android has been Siri, a voice operated app that turns your smart phone into a smart mouthed virtual PA. The Android has always had some kinda voice operated app; never has it had one that talked back though! After playing with it for about a week, there's a few minor tweaks that need to be worked out, including a somewhat limited number of responses (as compared to Siri), but I think I've received at least 2 updates that added new responses in that time frame so the creators of this app are constantly working on improving it. Anyway, since it's free, why not give it a try? Need a link? BAM!!:  Check out "Skyvi (Siri for Android)". That's it for now, WORLD, but if you try it because of me please let me know what you thought about it.

BET Awards '12? Yep, There's An App For That!

Hello, WORLD!!! Smokkee here. I know you're tuning in to the BET 2012 Awards this year. Who misses it? Better question: wanna win prizes? Download BET's official app for this show & guess the winners to win. That easy! What else does it do? You can check out past BET awards show performances like Kanye & Lil Wayne, view some of the legendary Hip Hop cyphers of the past few years, & more. Sound interesting? I thought it did. Need a link? Check out "BET Awards '12". And don't forget to catch the show this Sunday, July 1st @ 6PM Pacific / 7PM Central.  

MALICE (1993) A Bizzee Pick

Hello, WORLD!! Smokkee Singleton here again, this time with a review of one of the movies that made me fall in love with cinema and redheads as well. I'm talking about MALICE starring a young Nicole Kidman, Alec Baldwin, and one of cinema's most underrated everymen, Bill Pullman. I just recently reconnected with this movie trying to introduce it to my wife Leiatonia. She usually doesn't share my cinematic tastes, preferring cookie cut rom-coms and comedies to movies that actually stay with you when your done. However, not only did MALICE catch her interest it held it to the very end. So if I can get her to like it, convincing you should be a piece of cake.

One of the best modern day noir movies.

MALICE is the tale of college dean Andy Saifian played by Pullman and his wife Tracy, played by Kidman. The university where Andy works has a serial rapist running around and a new head physician named Jed Hill, played by Baldwin. End of synapsis. Seriously. I can't tell you anything else, plot-wise. If you think I'm going to ruin this movie for you with any more details you're wrong but if you think there's a chance you know where this movie is going you're absolutely crazy. The beauty of this film is watching how the plot unfolds then unravels into a hodge podge of genres. What started off as what I thought was gonna be a police procedural turned into, well, something else.

The acting is superb. Bill Pullman is a pro at playing clueless and here he's at his dense best. Baldwin, while a lil bit over the top in some scenes, is almost spot on; that over the topness is exactly what was needed. Oh, and Kidman is flawless. Her character has some of the greatest scenes and she nails them. Then there's BeBe Neuwirth of CHEERS fame who plays the police captain Dana Harris that's hot on the rapist's trail and who happens to be a friend of Andy's. There's cameoes by Hollywood greats George C Scott and Anne Bancroft and, if you pay attention, you'll also catch a glimpse of a pre-stardom Gweneth Paltrow as an unlucky student and a pre-SAW sighting of Tobin Bell as the school's custodian. 

I hate movies like this for one reason: I can't tell you nothing!!! There's nothing else I can tell you without giving something away but if you need more to go on, you can click here to watch the trailer. If you see this movie off the strength that I said it won't waste your anyway, please let me know by commenting or by a Tweet to @MrGBIZ via Twitter.  

5 Great Possible Storylines For THE AVENGERS 2

Hello, WORLD!! Smokkee Singleton here. It seems Marvel has FINALLY figured out what every movie fan & maker could have told them: movies about heroes  are only as strong as the threat they're up against. The stronger, the better. It's why SUPERMAN II was a great film & SUPERMAN III was the beginning of the end. Well the Internet is buzzing this morning from the news that a guy that resembles the Iron Patriot is gonna be the villian in IRON MAN 3! If you're into comics then you know that the Iron Patriot played a big part in one of the biggest Marvel Comics storylines of recent years. Why is this big news? Well, besides the fact that it's IRON MAN 3, just think of how this character could play a huge part in the next installment of the inevitable sequel THE AVENGERS 2, much like how Tom Middleton's Loki played a part in the first one after appearing as the head baddie in THOR. James Badge Dale will play the Iron Patriot lookalike Coldblood. In the comics, Iron Patriot is none other than Norman Osbourne more commonly known as the Green Goblin of Spider Man fame. Too bad it couldn't be Normie himself but Marvel doesn't exactly have the rights to Spider Man in terms of movies (that would be Sony Pictures who has the control in that regard). It would made the speculation of the next Avenger movie that much more fun. But hey, who's to say we can't have fun with it anyway? So lets! Here we go with the top 5 possibililties of the storyline for the next Avenger movie installment.

5). X Men Vs Avengers: Here's a great idea, only problem being the very same reason that my number one wouldn't work. Here's Marvel's two biggest superhero teams in the comics & on the big screen. Why not have them go at it just like in the comics? Hulk vs Wolvie on the big screen could induce a lot of drooling fanboys. The major reason why this won't actually happen? Because Walt Disney owns the screen rights to the Avengers movie franchise while 20th Century Fox owns the screenrights to the X Men franchise. If these two studioes can play nice, who knows what could happen though...

4). MARVEL ZOMBIES: This idea is more than plausible and it doesn't need a mighty Marvel team up of movie studios either. Due to the success of both THE AVENGERS movie and zombies in general, why not make a movie about one of the weirdest comic book angles I can remember: when Marvel's greatest heroes fight zombiefied versions of themselves? Why it won't work? Marvel probably wouldn't want this kinda violence onscreen...as opposed to 'regular' superhero violence, that is.

3) PLANET HULK/RED HULK: If the was one key sucess to THE AVENGERS it is the return of the Hulk as played by Mark Ruffalo this time around. Him and Robert Downey Jr's Iron Man were definitely the stand outs. Of course, the Hulk is the strongest there is but you gotta have a villian that is stronger than your heroes. How bout making the Hulk the villian the next go round. In one of the better Hulk storylines of recent time, the Hulk was deemed to dangerous for Earth so he was sent to a planet that was supposed to be peaceful. Instead, it's right up a pissed Hulk's alley. Of course once he gets done beating this planet down, he's Earthbound once again with revenge on his mind. Sound interesting doesn't it? Check it out when you can. There's already an animated version of it so you can get familar with it. The biggest change to come from Planet Hulk was the introduction of the Red Hulk,  a Hulk who is as strong as the green one, but totes weapons & has no problem murdering anybody. Not only would the Planet Hulk storyline serve as a great storyline for THE AVENGERS II, the Red Hulk angle would make a good storyline for almost inevitable THE AVENGERS III. And I can't think of any reason why either of these wouldn't work what so ever but I can think of two better story lines though...

2) HULKED OUT HEROES: Let's stick with the Hulk for a sec. As I said, your hero movie is only as strong as the villain is. So instead of one evil thinking Hulk how bout a whole gang of innocent bystander Hulks with no control whatsoever of their Hulk-outs? What would be better than that? How bout if these Hulks were already superpowered to begin with? That could be trouble, even for the Earth's mightiest heroes, especially if some of these Hulks WERE Earth's mightiest heroes. Again, I don't see know reason why this wouldn't work but I can think of one better storyline though...

1) CIVIL WAR / DARK AVENGERS: Marvel's CIVIL WAR: quite possible the deepest comic book storyline this side of THE WATCHMEN. After causing so much damage fighting evil, the government came up with the idea that heroes could no longer have secret identities known as the Super Hero Registration Act. Some heroes, like Iron Man & Spidey (who was one of the first heroes to reveal his identity to the public in support if this) were all for it. Then there were heroes deadset against it like Captain America. Of course, this led to the eponymous war of the title and divided the Marvel Universe in half. That led to the death of the original Captain America, the disbandment of the original Avengers, the creation of the heroic Secret Avengers and the evil Dark Avengers, who were led by Normie Osbourne's Iron Patriot ( a combination of Iron Man's technology and Cap'n America's colors). Seeing how there's already an Iron Patriot-style character in the works, plus they've worked around even needing him to be Normie, this is probably the most likely case scenerio for the next 2 AVENGER movies. It's all just speculation right now, WORLD, but the more I think about it, it kinda makes sense.  

A NEW SNK VIDEO GAME SYSTEM!!!!

 http://www.engadget.com/2012/01/25/snks-new-neo-geo-20-retro-classics-in-one-modern-handheld/

MATCH POINT (2005), A BIZZEE PICK

Hello, WORLD!!! "Isn't it amazing how much of life turns on whether the ball goes over the net or comes right back at you?" That's the tennis-a-lot-like-life parable that struggling tennis pro turned tennis instructor Chris Wilton muses over more than once during MATCH POINT, Woody Allen's 2005 romantic thriller. In that case, it's just like love too. Or is it? Who really knows what love is? Ask any 10 people to describe love & you'll get 10 different answers, 5 of which could likely describe a few of the emotions commonly confused with love, like lust. Or obsession. Back to the review you tuned in for. Chris, played by a cool as ice Jonathan Rhys Meyers, is the ambitious instructor who just might have happened into the best match of his life & I'm not talking a tennis match. He has struck up a friendship with one of the wealthier pupils where he teaches tennis at over a mutual love for opera. That pupil Tom (Matthew Greene) invites him to the opera one night where he meets Tom's somewhat plain jane sister Chloe. Chloe takes an instant liking to him so Chris is almost instantly on the path to an easier life. If Chloe, played by nowhere near plain Emily Mortimer, is that path, then Tom's finance Nola is a wrong turn. Staying with Chloe comes with a benefits including a great position in her family's business. Nola, played by the stunning Scarlet Johansson, has nothing going for her except for the fact that she's as stunning as Scarlet Johansson. She's an actress that never seems to land the part & appartently she's on the borderline between social drinker & totally lush as well.

Chris is smart. He quickly establishes a relationship with Chloe but wiuth Nola around, how can he not be smitten by her? Is he smitten though or does he just want a bite of some forbidden fruit? And waht about Nola? She already is on the outs with Tom's family, especially her future mother in law Eleanor, not to mention that the sparks between Nola & Chris is evident from their first meeting. Will she give in to his constant flirting? I'm playing with your emotions now. The movie starts off as an affair waiting to happen but halfway through this movie it totally switches gears. It's a poignant look life, love, & opportunity. At first. The second half of the movie, the thriller part, focuses on the biggest obstacle of a lot of life's relationships: What happens when feelings change? No love (or lust or obsession) stays the same forever. Life would be more than boring if it did, albeit probably less stressful if you think about it. Back to this movie. Woody wisely doesn't use a full soundtrack for this movie, which makes some of the scenes in it uncomfortable to watch as if you're right there in the scene with them. The British setting is merely a Chloe compared to Nola-esque beauty of the dialogue, especially between Nola & Chris. As the dynamic of their relationship changes, so does the tone of this movie. From light & playful to terribly dark. This definitely isn't MANHATTAN OR BULLETS OVER BROADWAY. I cna't remember one time watching this that I even laughed. Please don't come into this movie looking for a feel good experience. This isn't that. This is one of Woody's darkest movies, not because of the mayhem that ensues but because deep down, we might all agree with Chris's motives, passion, & actions. And that's scary. That's it for now, WORLD. Happy 2012, everybody. I'm gonna do my best to give you guys a BIZZEE pick every week next year, if not everyday.

KEY RING (APP)

Hello, WORLD!!!! Smokkee here. This blog is dedicated to things that me & my associates like, such as movies, books, music, etc. We like iPhone & Android here too so starting today, we're adding App reviews. The first app I chose to review is KEY RING, also available for Windows & Blackberry phones. This is a simple but novel app that can lighten key rings & wallets (in a good way). If you're a real shopper, then I know you have dozens of those store reward cards stuck in your wallet or making your keychain unbearbly bulky. This app can take the place of over loyalty cards from over 1,000 retailers such as CVS Pharmacy, Home Depot, and Foot Locker. No need to carry any more of this discount cards everywhere you go. Just scan your card & you're all set. At the store, you just choose the appropriate store logo & let the cashier scan your card directly from your phone. Speaking of scanning, this App also comes with a bar code scanner.

More perks? How about the ability to share cards with friends & family, store locators, coupons, reward card backups. This is a must have app for any true value shopper. That's it for now, WORLD. Later!
For more info or to get this app, click here: http://keyringapp.com/