Band Photos: Cityzen at The Roxy

On vacation so some band photos.

Cityzen

Band Photos: The Shakers at The Roxy

On vacation so some band photos.

The Shakers

Band Photos: Raw Geronimo at Los Globos

On vacation so some band photos.

Raw Geronimo

My Oscar Picks: select only

I'm not a movie critic so I haven't seen every single picture that has a nomination in the various categories, but here are some of my hopes for a handful of awards.

Best Picture: Hugo

Though I’m finding myself leaning towards either The Help or Midnight in Paris at times.

Best Director: Martin Scorsese (Hugo)

Should Best Picture and Best Director differ? There is a scene in Midnight in Paris where the shop girl has this look that tells you the future and so I kind of want Woody Allen to win.

Best Actor: Gary Oldman (Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy)

He doesn’t look like he’s anticipated to win, but I loved his role in the movie. It should be noted that I did not see Demian Bichir in his role.

Best Actress: Rooney Mara (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo)

Love love love her. I did not see Glenn Close or Meryl Streep in their roles.

Best Supporting Actor: Max Von Sydow (Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close)

I didn’t really think much of Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, but I thought it was fine acting. I did not see Nick Nolte or Christopher Plummer in their roles.

Best Supporting Actress: Tossup between Jessica Chastain and Octavia Spencer

I simply can’t decide. Can there be a tie? I did not see Janet McTeer in Albert Nobbs.

Best Foreign Language Film: A Separation

This is the only foreign language film I saw. I loved it. I thought it should have gotten an Oscar nod for best picture.

Band Photos: Raw Geronimo at Los Globos

On vacation so some band photos.

Raw Geronimo

Band Photos: Nightmare and the Cat at The Satellite

On vacation so some band photos.

Nightmare and the Cat

Band Photos: The Two Man Gentlemen Band at The Satellite

On vacation so some band photos.

The Two Man Gentlemen Band

Milo Greene, Cold War Kids, Haim and Hands at The Satellite

This was the second straight Monday night that I was heading to The Satellite. That was out of the ordinary for me as I normally like to cycle through the various Monday night residencies in the Silver Lake/Echo Park area. So why a return trip to The Satellite?  Read on . . .

First up for the night was Haim. I caught this band once before and was looking forward to seeing them again. Sometimes (similar to my comment regarding Nightmare and the Cat) you just wonder why it takes you so long to see a band you like again. Was there too much TMI on stage? It was revealed that "little Haim" doesn't have a boyfriend -- a little rubbing in by the other two Haims? Fun moment of the set: during the last song the slamming on the drums by one of the Haims got so intense that the drum set toppled over. So she played it as it laid sideways on the ground.

Next up was the special guest that was listed on various sites. Who was the special guest? I had no clue, but apparently others already knew. One friend told me that last Monday there was buzz that Cold War Kids was going to play. I don't know how many people knew this fact. I will say that when I arrived around 8 p.m. the place was nearing capacity. They put on a marvelous set, working in a new guitarist (this is what I was told). Though I've heard of Cold War Kids, this was the first time I've seen them on stage . . . a nice treat. Fun moments of the set: a lot of kicking going on between the lead singer and the bassist, the bassist kicking the singer.  After their set, I did hear one person in the crowd ask another, "Who was that band?"  I actually think that was what Cold War Kids wanted, to come in and play to a crowd that wasn't necessarily aware of who they were.

Hands came in after Cold War Kids. They got folks in a dancing mood. It was an interesting transition as Hands has a synth-driven sound while Cold War Kids is good old guitar driven. Does that bassist ever stop moving? My lens just couldn't focus in on the guy.

So I got to see Cold War Kids for the first time, which was a nice reason to head over to The Satellite on back-to-back Mondays; but The Satellite also had Milo Greene as the residency band, representing another good reason to go.  This time I wasn't of any use to Milo Greene (last Monday I was of some use, reconnecting a drum stick with its owner).  I just got to sit back and listen to some marvelous harmonies.  Marlana Sheetz had her fans that night.  A group of fans requested a photo opportunity with her as she was setting up her gear.  She obliged.  They were thrilled.

Haim



Cold War Kids



Hands



Milo Greene

Santa Anita Park: February 20

Santa Anita. So unlike the last time I went to Santa Anita, I ended underwater. I started well for the first two races, but from there I ended up without a single win on 4 of the next 7 races.

One thing learned (not caused by me): you better not take more than a minute at the betting counter or folks will start screaming bloody murder at you. There were a couple folks in front of me who were making multiple bets and folks were screaming at them.

Noticed: Joel Rosario road one horse into 4th place. He should have came in 3rd for one guy who had bet on a trifecta. The guy was cursing for at least a couple minutes. At some point, his wife/girlfriend started to look embarrassed.

Vermin on the Mount

I got invited to attend Vermin on the Mount, sponsored by The Rattling Wall. I am more focused on the music/movie side of culture, but I do enjoy reading.

The night was a "competition" between individuals who were involved in the first two issues of the Rattling Wall journal.

Those involved were:

Samantha Dunn
Tod Goldberg
James Greer
Joshua Mohr
J. Ryan Stradal
Michal Lemberger
David Shook

There was a bias towards issue two. The MC (if I heard right) was published in issue two and it seemed that more folks were friends of those from issue two. Of course, bias might be harsh. It was a friendly competition. Included in the night of reading was a fun rap by David Shook -- a little music involved in the night after all.

Up On Intraffik: In Photos -- December

I'm up on Intraffik with a photo essay. It is mainly December, but the editor tossed in a January night. We're talking Sabrosa Purr to The Child to He's My Brother, She's My Sister to Raw Geronimo to so many more. Go check it out.

Duke Basketball vs. NC State: 78-73

Sometimes one should have more faith in their team.  I gave up on this game and went out for an exercise.  I returned and decided to check out ESPN to see how bad the final score was.  And there it was, victory.  What?    I love the Internet.  I was able to watch the game on ESPN replay and see the comeback.  Seth Curry really tore it up.

Of course, Duke needs to stop playing this way -- last minute surges.  I think that is the general consensus from the team, as well.  They need to play this way for all 40 minutes.

Milo Greene, Family of the Year and Handshakes at The Satellite

What a night at The Satellite. I had a suspicion that the place would be packed so I showed up earlier than normal and caught most of Handshakes' set. I am happy I did. Their name created an immediate fan base as a handful of people had fun giving each other handshakes throughout the set. Next up was Family of the Year, one of my favorite Los Angeles bands. They didn't disappoint though a friend did say she wasn't thrilled. I told her she was in the minority. To each his/her own. Milo Greene is the residency band this month. If you want to catch them, you better show up early as the place was packed. Well it should as Milo Green seems to be catching fire. I helped out a little during their set. While playing a drum, one of the band members had a drum stick fly out. We had a little eye contact. I picked up the stick and tossed it back. He grabbed it in mid-air and continued drumming along in rhythm. Yeah, me.

Handshakes


Family of the Year



Milo Greene

Summer Vacation, Pu$$y Cow, French Exit and Rumspringer at Blue Star/Dre Day

Dre Day at the Blue Star is an annual tradition where one gets to meet up with friends that you don't get to see as often as you'd wish along with watching bands do their best tributes to Dr. Dre.

The band line up this year included Summer Vacation, Pu$$y Cow, French Exit and Rumspringer. For some reason Pu$$y Cow has a legacy exemption and is allowed to play at every Blue Star Dre Day. I actually caught Summer Vacation and French Exit for the first time at the 2011 Eagle Rock Music Festival so this was a mini-reunion. Rumspringer came in from Arizona.

There were some competitions set up for the night.  The first was who could drink two 40s the quickest.  It was a blow out win -- similar to last year, if I recall.  I'm not even sure if the second person even finished his second 40.  Another was a singing contest.  Not even close, the second contestant encouraged others to vote for the first.  We also had the costume contest with the guy winning it over three women . . . hmm.

Comment of the night:  A chick kicked me in the balls twice during a set, I don't care about a plastic cup.

Summer Vacation




Pu$$y Cow




French Exit



Rumspringer

What an off-season for my Pittsburgh Steelers

Rashard Mendenhall might be out for the season.

Concerns that Steelers management is having a change of opinion regarding franchise stability.

And Hines Ward time with the Steelers might be done.

The Mots Nouveaux, Right the Stars and Harper Blynn at Hotel Cafe

It was off to Hotel Cafe to catch Harper Blynn, Right the Stars and The Mots Nouveaux.

Random thoughts.

Harper Blynn: Passion.
Right the Stars: Comfort.
The Mots Nouveaux: Fashion.

Harper Blynn



Right the Stars



The Mots Nouveaux

Duke Basketball vs. Maryland: 73-55

Duke fell behind at the start, but caught up soon enough and then ended the game by blowing out Maryland.

So no after-Carolina trap game.

The story of the game is Miles Plumlee:  22 rebounds, 13 points (6 for 11), 1 foul.

It is said that Duke watched last year's Maryland game where Brian Zoubek broke out with 16 points and 17 rebounds.  Plumlee said he took inspiration from that.  The question is will Plumlee take that inspiration and apply it for the rest of the year?  If he does, Duke will have an interior that will contribute just as much as the perimeter.  Yes, their defense might still stink, but that offense would look mighty daunting with some nice inside-outside play.

Incan Abraham and Hands at Bootleg

Off to the Bootleg for a Monday night. Hands: fastest hands in the Los Angeles.

This was my first time seeing Incan Abraham. I loved how the vocals were shared by this group. My question: did they purposely have the video playing upside down?


Hands



Incan Abraham

Intraffik Radio: February Song List

If you head on over to Intraffik Radio you just might here some of the following songs that I selected:

"Boomerang" and "Faster" by The Child/Don't Be Afraid

"HIT" and "Roses" by Hank and Cupcakes/Self Titled

"Explode" and "All Your Gravity" by Some Hear Explosions/it's our time now

"Real Afraid" and "To Love You" by Laura Vall/Real

"You Are All I See" and "Ancient Eye" by Active Child/You Are All I See

A Movie Review: The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest (original)

The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest. The European version of these movies concludes. Lisbeth Salander (Noomi Repace) spends a significant portion of the movie either in the hospital recovering from three gunshot wounds or in jail/court for the murders she is accused of committing in the second movie. It is now Mikael Blomkvist who must conduct a lot of the investigative research.

You might think that a movie where one of the lead characters spends much of her time in confined spaces might be a touch boring, but this movie is an intense conclusion to the trilogy. There isn’t a lot of suspense in terms of who is guilty or not. You honestly know who the bad guys and good guys are at this point in time. What is intense is not knowing the ending and so you don’t really know if more harm will come to Salander or Blomkvist – and considering the fact that this is a European movie based on a European book, one never knows.

Duke Basketball vs. North Carolina: 85-84

This game was unreal.

1.  Duke had the lead much of the first half, but it just didn't feel real.  The only shots they could hit were from three point range.  They had no scoring near the basket.

2.  Carolina caught up with Duke in the last few seconds of the first half and took a 43-40 lead.  Carolina left the first half with all the momentum.

3.  Carolina built on their lead for much of the second half.

4.  With about 3 minutes left to play, Duke started to make a run.  Part of the run was actually added by a random tip in by Tyler Zeller into the Duke basket.

5.  Austin Rivers won the game with time running out.

Surreal.

Duke's defense stinks.  Let's face it.  They couldn't stop Carolina from making shots in the paint.  Luckily, Carolina's defense wasn't all that great either.  Yes, they prevented Duke from scoring in the paint, but Duke was able to take shots from the three point line whenever it wanted.  It isn't like they shot lights out from the three point land (39%), but the volume of three point shots helped off-set a lack of two point scores.  If I'm doing my math right, they made 14 from three point land and 8 from two point land.

The comeback, I still can't believe it.  It didn't even feel like they were coming back.  I would look at the score and ask how in the world were they closing the gap.

A Movie Review: The Girl Who Played With Fire (original)

The Girl Who Played With Fire. As mentioned, I watched the European version of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo after watching the US version. I obviously couldn’t stop there. I went on to the second movie. Here, Lisbeth Salander (Noomi Repace) is off enjoying life outside of Sweden. Mikael Blomkvist (Michael Nyqvist) is back working as a journalist. His magazine is digging into the sex slave trade going on in Sweden. Lisbeth returns to Sweden and is soon caught up in this via unknown direct connections with the article. She is soon framed for three murders.

Now since I had no US movie version to compare to, I found myself really involved in the storyline. As mentioned in my review of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, many of the scenes that I feel allows us to empathize with Salander in the US version are pushed into this movie so she is a much more sympathetic character in this sequel.

Would I say this is a great movie? No. Will it keep you highly involved? Yes. It is well worth the time. Though I will say: that movie soundtrack is really annoying.

A Movie Review: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (original)

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. I so enjoyed the US version of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo that I decided to watch the European version. Instead of Rooney Mara playing Lisbeth Salander, we have Noomi Repace. And instead of Daniel Craig playing Mikael Blomkvist, we have Michael Nyqvist. As the story goes, Blomkvist is a journalist who gets into trouble for investigating a billionaire. Even though he has embarrassed himself nationally, a Swedish industrialist still reaches out to him to investigate an unsolved murder case from 40 years back. Salander eventually joins up with Blomkvist and they soon realize that they’re on the trail of a serial killer.

Having watched the US version, there weren’t exactly many surprises. Many of the shots look almost the same. There are some divergences between the two movies such as a key piece of information being passed along via the daughter of Blomkvist in the US version, while by Salander in the European version. There are also scenes in the US version that don’t show up until the second European movie. I’ll have to read the book and see which movie is more accurate – of course, by the time I read the book, I’ll probably totally forget the finer details.

What did I think? I really do believe that the US version is the better movie. The US version gives us more reason to empathize with Salander. It feels like she is an individual who has dealt with very difficult situations that would cause any other individual to reject the world and yet she still isn’t emotionally dead. In the European version, she not only has a very difficult pass, but also appears to be emotionally isolated. To a large extend, I believe this is driven by the fact that certain scenes in the US version eventually show up in the European’s version of The Girl Who Played with Fire. Shifting those moments in the US version makes us connect with Salander in a faster way.

NO and Rich Aucoin at Bootleg

I've wanted to see NO for awhile. I finally got to catch them. First up was Rich Aucoin. He gave us an energetic set mixing in audience participation and visual media with his sound.  At one point, he got half the Bootleg audience to play under a plastic covering.  As for NO, I wasn't disappointed.  The place was packed.  The audience anticipating that they were seeing the next big thing to come out of the Silverlake/Echo Park music scene.  Some bands mix their music along with a stage performance to get the audience excited.  This band just gives you a performance and the fact that they have this great confidence on stage is enough.  There is no need to run around the stage.  There is no need to plow into each other.  They just are.

Comment of the night by NO: We're really hard to find on the Internet, we learned this after we chose are name.

Rich Aucoin





NO

The Shakers, Cityzen, The Young Rapscallions, Magnastic and Post War Quartet Band at The Roxy

I was off to The Roxy to catch The Shakers. First up that night was Post War Quartet Band. There is a 95% chance that they're high school kids. I noticed on their Facebook page that they like FIDLAR. Best of luck to them. Magnastic hit the stage with their hip-hop style. Before The Shakers hit the stage, the crowd was chanting for them. The curtains rose and the band ran out onto the stage. The crowd went wild and we all had a lot of fun. The Young Rapscallions had their CD release party that night. And as for Cityzen, they ruled. I had heard of this band before, but this was the first time I caught them. I was swept away during their first couple songs. Just as a note: the lead singer is in a wheelchair and about seven fans who were also in wheelchairs showed up to support.

Post War Quartet Band



Magnastic



The Shakers



The Young Rapscallions



Cityzen

My Top Fall/Winter 2011 Movies

I saw a ton of movies over the last few months and here are my rankings:

Top Movies

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Hugo
Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy
A Separation
Like Crazy
Sherlock Holmes:  A Game of Shadows

Fun Movies

Carnage
Young Adult

Worthwhile

Moneyball
50/50
Mission: Impossible -- Ghost Protocol
Tower Heist
The Artist
Martha Marcy May Marlene
Contagion
Drive

Average

My Week with Marilyn
Puss in Boots
The Descendants
Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close 

Depends on what you find interesting

A Dangerous Method


Did not appreciate

The Adventures of Titan
Melancholia
Happy Feet 2
The Twilight Saga:  Breaking Dawn Part 1

Up on Intraffik with a Movie Review: A Separation

Up on Intraffik with a movie review of A Separation. Check it out.

A Movie Review: Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close. Oskar Schell (Thomas Horn) is on a mission. His father Thomas Schell (Tom Hanks) died in one of the Twin Towers on September 11 (the worst day). After a year passes, Oskar decides to look around his father’s closet. He finds a blue vase and accidentally breaks it. Inside the vase was a key. Oskar is convinced it opens up something important and so he goes on a search to find what it opens.

This movie just didn’t do much for me. I’m not saying it is horrible. I just couldn’t connect. I understand the kid is under an emotional strain that I can’t begin to understand, but I just found him to be a jerk. And with that opinion of the kid, I didn’t much care all that much for his mission. Also, due to obvious time limitations on a movie, a lot of his encounters are extremely brief and feel superficial.

One potential problem with the film: I swear after his first visit that later in the day he had a photo of the individual in his hands. Maybe he took his film to get developed after taking only one shot (it isn’t a digital camera so he had to use film), but considering the number of people he went to see that would be one expensive hobby to take only partially used film to get developed. Anyways, I just thought it was a flaw in the movie.

Over-reaction???

From the Daily Mail (Richard Hartley-Parkinson, 31 January 2012), 'I'm going to destroy America and dig up Marilyn Monroe': British pair arrested in U.S. on terror charges over Twitter jokes:

Two British tourists were barred from entering America after joking on Twitter that they were going to 'destroy America' and 'dig up Marilyn Monroe' . . . Despite telling officials the term 'destroy' was British slang for 'party', they were held on suspicion of planning to 'commit crimes' and had their passports confiscated. Leigh was also quizzed about another tweet which quoted hit US comedy Family Guy which read: '3 weeks today, we're totally in LA p****** people off on Hollywood Blvd and diggin' Marilyn Monroe up!

Maybe someone from Homeland Security should apologize and buy them a couple plane tickets to Los Angeles?