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Top 5 Reasons You Must See : Suicide Squad

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5. The Director

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The best thing about an anti-hero is their ability to kick much ass without crying about it after.

David Ayers is a writer on Training Day, and the director and writer of Harsh Times, Street Kings, End of Watch, Sabotage, and Fury. Those titles all have a gritty crime filled feel and should make him at home with directing what can easily be called a anti-hero film. When addressing the crown In hall H at Comic Con Ayers said  ”All this good vs. evil shit is kind of played out right now. It’s time for bad vs. evil. Time for a movie about bad guys. And who’s got the best bad guys out there? DC Comics. Best villains ever.

The best thing about an anti-hero is their ability to kick much ass without crying about it after. We can only hope that even if this film is rated my most hated rating (PG-13) that it will be a hard PG-13, if that’s even possible. I’m hoping they let Ayer’s take off the kid gloves and go for the gold, especially after the hard R rated Deadpool trailer. Advance buzz has this trailer at more views that Batman Vs Superman right now.

4. The Story

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A movie based on DC super villains is defiantly a unique spin on the comic book movie. With fans complaining about bland villains in all the Marvel movies, DC heads might have tried to fill the void with a star filled movie with everyone’s favorite yet not so well known villains. I know the only reason why I paid attention to the comic at all was the idea that the characters in the Suicide Squad might actually have a chance to die. In most titles, like Superman for instance, you know he’s nowhere near dying for any real reason that will last for more than one or two issues. The comic’s premise allows DC writers to send badly thought-out characters like Captain Boomerrang to a glorious death, which is the only reason I would care about such a corny character .

3. The Batman Cameo

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Leaked footage of this movie has been online for months showing what we can guess is Ben Aflleck‘s Batman chasing Joker and Harley Quinn through the streets of Gotham. The Batman cameo is a nice touch of star power and could be a pivotal scene to help connect franchises. Ben Affleck has been seen on set in Bruce Wayne mode, so we can look forward to what looks like a significant presence in this movie. It’s an early example that Warner Bros/ DC is trying to build their universe along the same lines as Marvel, who has done a pretty damn good job so far.

2. The Joker

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…the Joker is usually both better written and better acted.

One of many problems I’ve had with the series of Batman films is that The Joker is usually alot more likeable than Batman. From Jack Nickelson‘s portrayal to, of course, the late Heath Ledger, the character of the Joker is usually both better written and better acted. Jack and Heath got the best lines and were involved in the best scenes, which would have been great if the movies were called Joker. So it’s no surprise that Joker is key to Suicide Squad, this time played by Academy Award winner Jared Leto. His appearance here will probably be the start of playing scene stealing roles in this and franchises like the Ben Affleck’s Batman film he’s directing next.

The new look of the character has caused a lot of debate on the internet, with certain fanboys complaining about the tattoos and other changes. I think that if you are aware of most of the different faces of the Joker, his look rarely matters much. In the hands of the right writer he can steal any scene or movie he’s in no matter what he looks like.

1. The Cast

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When looking at the support behind any new comic book movie you can gauge the love from the studio by the casting of its main characters. Even though the comic is not a huge well known title, the cast that Warner Bros has put together is pretty impressive. Big money star Will Smith alone is good enough to gain my interest ,but the addition of Margot Robbie in the role of Harley Quinn, a fan favorite never seen before on film, and not originally from the comics, is a huge plus. Joker and Harley Quinn are a made-for-cartoon couple who have become fan favorites . Robbie shines in the trailer and I’m certain this movie is just the beginning for this manic duo on the silver screen.

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Rest Easy Eric Curran a.k.a M.C Krispy E

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Almost every year for the past 6 years and on the same day, I’ve posted the same pic of me in the hospital  during my temporary and untimely demise  in 2015. A few weeks after I was back to “normal”, I asked Eric “Why’d you take the pics?” And he said, “I knew you would want to write about it if you lived.” Eric was right. Eric was often right and Eric always had my best interest at heart. I am going to miss my friend.

You ever meet someone and become friends immediately?! Well this was not the case with Eric. Before he was my manager at Morgan Stanley, I would often see this 6’4″, giant white guy walk up to the only black woman at work, say something then walk away without any hint of human emotion. Naturally I thought he was a jerk until I asked her “Yo, is that dude bothering you?” She laughed and proceeded to tell me he was a great person, which I ultimately got to experience first hand. Little did I know this Italian from Staten Island was more Brooklyn than most Brooklynites.

Eric was not with the shits!! If there were ever someone who lived their life in direct, honest and no uncertain terms, that would be Eric. He would ask me questions at work like “Why are the other consultants making more money than you?” I knew the answer to that question and so did he. Eric then proceeded to increase my salary by 15K. After arguing with all our managers that “You need to hire Alfred!”, they eventually did 1 year prior to the 2015 incident. In the hospital, one of my friends asked me, “What if you didn’t have health insurance when this happened?” I would be in debt for the rest of my life is the obvious answer. I still am in debt for the rest of my life but at least, it is to those who made sure I had a more enjoyable life and for that, I will gladly repay.

My mom loved to tell me the story of how she met Eric. After they told her I was going to be in the ICU for some time, she told the doctor “Well I’m not going anywhere.” She then hears a voice from that back of the room that says “Well I’m not going anywhere either!” That was Eric and in true form, he was at that hospital every single day until I was discharged.

Eric passed away in December 2021 of stage 4 cancer. After feeling faint on his way to my bbq, he went to get checked out and was diagnosed. During the past 5 years, Eric lost his mom, twin brother and dad. I can’t even begin to imagine what that must have felt like but I’m glad that pain he was feeling is no more.

It’s been a bit difficult to deal with it to be quite honest and I’ve been writing this in my head for years but never had the bravery or grace to accept that my friend wouldn’t be here soon. I also can’t imagine what it must be like to lose your entire family nucleus unexpectedly. In true Eric fashion however, I would like this to not be about me but whomever has lost someone and has been coping. I’ve always intimated that my life would not be as enriched as it was were it not for the people in it. The problem with that is there is also no way to deny that it feels empty without those who helped craft your path. Rather than focus on the negative, I would rather focus on the examples of duty, family and emotional intelligence. All concepts reinforced by Eric that have led me to have successful relationships since I’ve put them into practice.

From being my manager to my business partner, writer, book editor, artistic director, and most importantly, my friend, I am going to miss you MC Krispy E a.k.a “Enrique Pollazo!” And although you told me Enrique means Henry in Spanish and not Eric, it was too late!

Sidebar. The day I was discharged, while everyone was deciding what was best for me, no one had remembered that I would need clothes in order to leave the hospital. Eric shows up (unasked) with all the clothes I had on the day I coded, laundered and ready to go. I don’t know what I’ve done to deserve friends like this but i need to keep doing it! Sidebar complete.

Rest in Peace Eric. “Be Good.”

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Writing Your First Book / Should I Self Publish?

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I had the distinct pleasure of  participating in a panel discussion on writing your first book, presented by the Harlem chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc.  Alongside Jim St. Germain, Author – A Stone of Hope: A Memoir and Dr. Keneshia Nicole Grant, Author – The Great Migration and the Democratic Party: Black Voters and the Realignment of American Politics in the 20th Century.  We opined on pain points, benefits and strategies regarding our inaugural voyages into authorship. Feel free to watch for your self and I hope this provides some insight to all those looking to make the same voyage. Enjoy!

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What the NFT is a BEEPLE?

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On March 11 this year, the digital artist Beeple sold a collage of digital images from his “Everydays” series for nearly 70 million dollars as an NFT, or non-fungible token. And if that sentence confuses you, you’re not alone.

A non-fungible token is a unit of data on a digital ledger called a blockchain, where each NFT can represent a unique digital item, and thus they are not interchangeable. NFTs can represent digital files such as art, audio, video, and other forms of creative work. While the digital files themselves are infinitely reproducible, the NFTs representing them are tracked on their underlying blockchains and provide buyers with proof of ownership.” – Wikipedia

Still confused? Let the artist himself explain it, and learn how he went from NFT newbie to making the third most expensive artwork by a living artist in three months. Not to suggest Beeple is an overnight success. The “Everydays” series alone involved creating a piece of art every day since May 1, 2007 – and he hasn’t missed a day.

Check out some of Beeple’s amazing and controversial work below.

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