My Favorite "Found" Bands in 2014

As I always mention when making these yearly lists, some of these bands/singer songwriters have been around for awhile.  It just so happens that I just ran into them recently.

DWNTWN.  This is a band I ran into on a Monday night at the Bootleg a couple years back.  It wasn't until their Satellite residency earlier this year that I found out that I love this band.

French Style Furs.  Cold War Kids wrapped up in dare I say a cooler sound?

W.A.R.S. Great Northern re-invented and re-launched.  Need I say more?

Dorothy.  Sunset Strip sound turning heads in the East Side music scene.

So Many Wizards.  Here's a band I know has been around for awhile.  I just recently caught them, however.  This band doesn't look like they'd perform dreamy pop, but they do.

Mount Saint.  Just caught this band this December.  Layer upon layer slowly building into a beautiful sound.

HOTT MT Their sound is mysterious.

yoYa. "Am I seeing what I want, or just some fool’s gold?"  Lingering desires.

ZiBBZ.  European influenced thrill sound.

Cillie Barnes.  A friend told me she used to be in Family of the Year.  

Pittsburgh Steelers vs Cincinnati: 27 - 17

Ben Roethlisberger had a stomach virus.  Pittsburgh got the ball first.  They made some yardage and then had to punt.  And there went Big Ben off the field.  Maybe Big Ben was willing to let this offensive series die.  Cincinnati didn't do much and had to punt.  Antonio Brown took the punt, ran to his right, switched back to his left and ran it in for a touchdown.

Cincinnati got the ball back and started to take apart the Steelers' defense until QB Andy Dalton threw a really bad interception due to a miscommunication with his receiver.  The Steelers didn't do anything with the ball either and Cincinnati got the ball back.  After converting a 4th and 3, they got a touchdown.

With the Steelers back on offense, center Maurkice Pouncey missed the snap count and Cincinnati was able to convert the turnover into three points.

Again, with the ball back, the Steelers finally seemed to have their offense clicking.  Maybe Big Ben's stomach problems had receded.  But the Steelers had to settle for a field goal, which seemed strange to me since the offensive line was giving Big Ben all the time he needed.

Cincinnati QB Dalton threw another interception and Pittsburgh had it at the 28.  It didn't take long for Pittsburgh to score and so halftime was 20 - 10 Pittsburgh.

Well, the scary moment happened when Le'Veon Bell took a hit in the third quarter.  Luckily, it looks like he is okay though he might need to sit out the first game of the playoffs -- considering it is Baltimore that is a big concern (not that it wouldn't be a concern against any other team, but considering this will be our 3rd meeting with Baltimore).  With Bell on the sidelines, Dri Archer came in and couldn't hold his block.  Big Ben felt pressure and tossed an interception.

Cincinnati took the opportunity and got a touchdown.  Now it was 20 - 17 and Bell was injured.  It didn't look good.  Especially when Pittsburgh's offense got stalled and had to punt.  But they didn't punt.  They did a fake and Brad Wing showed why he isn't a quarterback.  The Steelers defense didn't let that mistake steal the game.  They forced a fumble and then Big Ben connected with Antonio Brown for the final score of the game.

My basic thoughts:

1.  The Steelers offense needs Bell back.  I'd hate to see them having to go into the playoffs with Big Ben having to throw the ball all the time.

2.  The Steelers front line is giving Big Ben all the time he needs.  Amazing.

3.  The Steelers defensive line is killing quarterbacks.

4.  The Steelers cornerbacks did okay in this game.    

A Movie Review: Big Eyes

Big Eyes. We meet Margaret Keane (Amy Adams) as she is getting ready to flee her home.  She and her daughter, Jane (Delaney Raye), jump into the car and head off to San Francisco.  Margaret is able to find a job painting pictures on the sides of baby cribs.  She makes extra money by painting on the streets of San Francisco during the weekends.  This is where she runs into her future husband, Walter Keane (Christoph Waltz).  Walter tells glamorous stories about how he took art classes in Europe.  He wins Margaret over and they're soon married.  A problem arises in their marriage.  Walter Keane purchases wall space at a jazz club.  He puts up his paintings alongside his wife's.  Everyone is drawn to his wife's paintings that portray young girls with big eyes and no one pays any attention to his own work of the streets of Europe.  Well, he finds a way around this problem.  He starts to claim that he in the painter behind his wife's works.  He convinces his wife to go along with this lie.  It starts to put a strain on the family relationships:  Margaret with her daughter, Margaret with his husband.

This movie is fascinating to watch.  Walter Keane has certain strengths.  He can sell and promote.  The problem is that he wants to be a painter and he isn't a very good one.  He is so consumed by this desire to be a famous painter that he turns into the thief, claiming the works of his wife as his own.  Luckily for him, he happened to come across a woman who was talented and also felt a need to provide a stable environment for her daughter.  This desire to provide her daughter a good life results in Margaret going along with this fraud.  This tacit agreement only works for so long, because Walter gradually becomes abusive.  The mental stress of this massive fraud impacts everyone in the family.  And so during the movie you're just loving your hatred of Walter Keane.

As mentioned, Walter pushes Margaret too far and instead of cracking under the pressure, Margaret makes a decision that she made once before, she grabs her daughter and they leave.  They move to Hawaii.  Walter's reach still goes to Hawaii, but then Margaret decides to to do more than just runaway.  She decides to sue Walter.  During the last part of this movie, the movie turns from watching a cruel Walter into watching what happens when a bully finds out that the timid has decided to take a stand.  The movie becomes a great fun farce that turns hysterical once we reach the court room scene where the judge makes a decision that would make King Solomon proud.

I came into this movie knowing nothing about the true story of Margaret Keane.  All I knew about the movie was from the trailers.  And so I have a great appreciation of how this movie reveals a very key fact about this story.  There are at least two hints that are written into the movie (when Walter is attempting to get his paintings hung at an art gallery and when Walter, Margaret and Jane are out painting together) that tie everything together as the movie heads for the finish line.

I also love how during the movie, Jane runs off for a few moments when Margaret is painting on the sidewalk.  Margaret starts to look to the side, but she isn't looking for her daughter.  She is looking at Walter (this being the first time they meet).  There isn't even panic in her eyes that she can no longer see her daughter anywhere.  And then it hit me:  hey, this movie is showing how life was in the 1960s, not how life is in the 2010s.  
            

A Movie Review: The Internship

The Internship. Billy (Vince Vaughn) and Nick (Owen Wilson) are salesmen. They sell watches. Unfortunately, their boss decides to shut down the business and head into retirement. Nick takes a job selling beds, but is convinced by Billy to go for an internship at Google. Somehow they make it through the interview round and get a spot at Google for the summer. The problem is that Google divides their interns into teams and only gives offers to one team.  Billy and Nick are left with a group of individuals who aren't necessarily seen as the brightest interns -- though this is obviously a relative term considering the folks on the team are indeed very smart.  So it is quickly looking like Billy and Nick have found themselves a nice summer job that won't go beyond the summer.

This is a pleasant enough comedy that provides a few laughs. There is one gag that goes too far; however.  Billy's lack of Internet knowledge is just too much.  Constantly hearing "on the line" instead of "online" and Billy not knowing that there is something out there called Instagram is a real head scratcher after awhile.  At some point, you just start thinking that he really doesn't deserve a job at Google.

Though I don't consider this a great comedy, it is an adequate one.  And it does achieve something that I think is rare in your average comedy:  it actually challenges the viewers to think a little bigger regarding their life goals.  That might sound strange from a Vince Vaughn/Owen Wilson movie, but this movie does make you wonder if you can't achieve something more in life.


  

 

A Movie Review. 300: Rise of an Empire

300: Rise of an Empire.   Before taking a look at this movie, it is always interesting to read up on what liberties were taken in a movie.  This link provides some interesting notes regarding the movie.  Did Themistokles (Sullivan Stapleton) kill King Darius (Igal Naor)?  No.  Did Artemisia (Eva Green) die in battle?  No.  Was Artemisia a commander during the naval battle?  Yes.

300: Rise of an Empire parallels the events of the first movie, 300.  Athenian Themistokles makes a name for himself before the events of the Spartan 300 by defeating the Persians and killing King Darius (as mentioned above, King Darius did not die in this battle).  The movie then jumps forward to the naval battles between the Greeks and Persians that occur during the events of the original movie.  As with the land battle in the original movie, the Greeks are severely outnumbered on the sea.  In fact, during the initial naval confrontations, the Persians are okay with their loses as they know they can take a few losses just as long as the Greeks take their lumps, also.

This movie has its moments though over-all it is a movie that one could have skipped at the theater and watched instead via HBO or Redbox or Netflix or whatever other source.  The moments that this movie does have are grand.  Eva Green as Artemisia is a joy to watch.  She's out there for vengeance and it shows when she goes up against Themistokles.  I also love her utter disdain of her naval officers as they fail to have the strategic skills that can be seen in Themistokles.  And both the steamy sex scene and battle confrontation between Artemisia and Themistokles is just pure eye candy (well, maybe a sword fight isn't considered eye candy, but it does rank up there as an intense struggle).

The problem is that the interaction between Artemisia and Themistokles are so intense that it makes the rest of the movie feel inferior.  Maybe there is just something more interesting about a land battle versus a naval battle (maybe why the original 300 seems like a superior movie); however, I do admit I found it fascinating watching the Greek naval strategies play out.            

A Movie Review: RoboCop

RoboCop. Will humans every lose their humanity via programmed robotic technological?  With tech devices such as Google glasses, maybe that is a question to start asking.  The question is:  is this the movie to deal with that question?

Alex Murphy (Joel Kinnaman) is a clean cop in the dirty city of Detroit.  How he and his partner Jack Lewis (Michael Kenneth Williams) stayed clean while cops all around them were dirty isn't a story that is told.  All we know is that we have two cops trying to make Detroit just a tad safer.  Both are targeted for their investigation.  Jack suffers a gunshot wound.  While Jack recuperates in the hospital, Alex finds his car malfunctioning in his driveway.  He goes out to investigate.  The car blows up.  He is now severely injured.

His wife is approached by OmniCorp, who offers to do all they can to keep Alex alive -- this means turning him into part-robot (actually around 90% robot).  OmniCorp wants to use drone technology to replace human police officers.  The American people aren't buying it and so neither is Congress.  OmniCorp believes that if they can make drone technology more presentable, they can change public perception.  And so they turn Alex into RoboCop.

This movie does have some interesting commentary that it attempts to address.  Will humanity eventually find itself drained of what makes us human by the technology we are developing?  That is perhaps the big issue, but the movie also questions how we allow the media and current events to shape our thinking versus us having a solid philosophical footing that we can use to develop our thoughts when change arrives.  My problem is that these concepts are wrapped into a movie that seems purposely designed to look like a b-movie action flick.  This b-movie atmosphere is perfectly presented in Samuel L Jackson's over-the-top portrayal of media personality Pat Novak.

I saw this movie on pay television.  Would I have hated myself if I had spent money on it in a theater?  No, but I wouldn't have walked out feeling like I'd seen a great flick either.

      

Ian/Media Jeweler at The Echo

Ian. This bands lists their influence as being Andy Kaufman.  I have to disagree.  I think their music is inspired by various indie rockers from the 1980s.  How about 10,000 Maniacs?  Siouxsie and the Banshees?  They mentioned on stage that they're moving to Los Angeles from Boston.  I think Boston has lost an awesome band.  Those vocals have a purity to them that keeps your attention.

Media Jeweler.  This is a band that doesn't realize it is in a band.  Highlight moment:  as their set is drawing to a close, one member is still jamming while the other is packing things up.  Highlight moment 2:  one member runs off stage, disappears in The Echo's Green Room, and comes back with a handful of mini-chocolate candies to toss into the crowd.  This is a band of individual musicians who somehow are tossed up into the air and by magic end up on the same stage to jam.  What are they doing?  Whatever they're doing, it works.

A Movie Review. The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies

The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies. When it comes to sequels related to movie series like Harry Potter and Hunger Games, you feel like you need to see the next one.  As for this third Hobbit movie, you feel like you're being taken to the cleaners -- as in there is financial abuse going on here by the studio.

The movie basically feels like one long battle scene.  The movie starts with Bard (Luke Evans) taking on the dragon.  His city is laid waste by the dragon, but as with many who feel they are invincible, Dragon Smaug doesn't take his opponent as seriously as he should.  Just like David (as in David and Goliath), Bard finds Smaug's weak spot and takes advantage of it.  You're one dead dragon.

Bard leads his people up to the abandoned city of Erebor.  He needs shelter for his people and also wants Dwarve King Thorin (Richard Armitage) to honor his agreement to share the treasures that were under Smaug's control.  A problem arises, Thorin is not in a proper state of mind.  Elves also arrive at the scene, led by Thranduil (Lee Pace).  They demand their treasures back, as well.  At the same time, Orcs are marching towards Erebor.  A dwarve army arrives on the scene to support Thorin (perhaps not realizing that Thorin is being unreasonable).  The sides are about to clash when the orcs arrive for battle.

Now we have three major forces on the same field.  It doesn't take long for the elves and dwarves to realize they better put aside their disagreements.  A major battle breaks out.

In between the battle against Smaug and the orc army, there are some in between scenes of humans trying to find shelter, Gandalf (Ian McKellen) needing assistance from Galadriel (Cate Blanchett) and Elrond (Hugo Weaving), and Legolas (Orlando Bloom) and Tauriel (Evangeline Lilly) going off on an adventure that gets stopped when they run into an orc army that sends them back to Erebor.

As mentioned, this movie has the feel of financial abuse.  It just feels like the only purpose of the movie is to show one long battle scene along with a seriously drawn out farewell.  And then what's up with the battle scene?  The dwarves prepare for battle by going into a Greek style defense, but they don't stay in that position for long.  If this type of battle formation worked well for the Greeks in war, why didn't the dwarves battle it out in that formation instead of just using it for show?  And how is it that a well train elvish army loses like 90% of its soldiers while a highly untrained human army loses maybe 10%?  And it just looked like the orcs were all talk with no bite.  It looked like every elf or dwarve was able to kill 10 orcs with relative ease.  A rather useless allie for the evil eye, I'd say.



    

Pittsburgh Steelers vs Kansas City Chiefs: 20 - 12

This was one of those games where it appeared that the Steelers' offense just never got clicking.  I decided to look at some stats to see if it was just my imagination.  Kansas City had more offensive yards:  327 vs 282.  Pittsburgh had 52 offensive plays versus 66 for Kansas City.  I also looked back at some recent games:  against Atlanta, Pittsburgh had 58 plays, Cincinnati, 70; New Orleans, 82; Tennessee, 73. New York 62.  Yep, I think maybe the Steelers' offense never had the ability to get clicking.

Of course, that doesn't take away that Heath Miller had a great game.  On the other hand, it felt like Le'Veon Bell didn't kick it.  I'm hoping they're able to work another running back into the line-up, giving Bell an occasional breather.

The Pittsburgh defense was solid up front, but not so much against the pass.  Kansas City QB Alex Smith was sacked 6 times.  He looked like Ben Roethlisberger from two years ago.  After sitting out a couple games, James Harrison played a massive game.  I wonder how many linebackers can play at age 37 (I'm thinking next year here).  If I'm looking at the stats correctly, he has to be close to being one of the oldest linebackers out there.  As for the cornerbacks, they always give you a little heartburn.  On the other hand, if the Steelers up front defense continues to play like they did against Kansas City, it won't give QBs much time to take advantage of those corners.

      

Duke Basketball vs UConn: 66 - 56

This game just seemed like a blah game.  Not that UConn isn't a solid team.  It just seemed that neither team played up to their potential.  Or maybe both teams just played solid defense . . . I think both just played a blah game.  It seemed like a game that if either played like that during March Madness, they'd end up losing to a 12 seed.

Tyus Jones scored the team high of 21, but I think Jahlil Okafor had the highlight shots.  For example, during the first half he caught a pass from Tyus Jones, he posted up and within a second went up for a beautiful shot.  

As is always my concern with Duke, I looked at how the bench was used.  The team really only went 6 deep.  Marshall Plumlee, Matt Jones and Grayson Allen only played a total of 13 minutes.  For some reason, I just think that one should get more production out of Plumlee and Jones.  Since Allen is a freshman, I'll give him a pass.     

It is interesting how Duke took UConn center Amida Brimah out of the game.  Here's a guy who scored 40 against Coppin State and did nothing against Duke.  Of course, let's admit that against #7 Texas he only scored 4 points.  So perhaps he just needs another season to learn to play against better centers.

A Movie Review. Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit

Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit. I have to admit I'm a Tom Clancy fan. But as for this movie: I doubt we'll be seeing a sequel any time soon. Jack Ryan (Chris Pine) is a graduate student in the UK when 9/11 hits New York. He immediately volunteers for military service. A helicopter that he is in gets hit by a surface to air missile. He survives, but has a broken back. While doing physical therapy, he meets a therapist named Cathy Muller (Keira Knightley). Though not shown, soon after he finishes his therapy, they begin dating. He also happens to catch the eye of the CIA, particularly Thomas Harper (Kevin Costner). The CIA found some intelligence write-ups he'd done while serving in the military. The CIA is impressed and recruit him. His role in the CIA is to get a job on Wall Street and track dirty money. Some money moves in Russia grab his attention. Off to Russia he goes. 

Spoilers below, but hopefully I'm not giving away too much.

Okay, where to start with my disdain for the movie.  First, we meet Jack's antagonist early in the movie, a Russian named Victor Cherevin (Kenneth Branagh).  He's shooting up drugs.  We are led to believe that he's a wealthy drug addict.  We later learn this is just a weak setup to make Cathy Muller look intelligent.

Second, Jack is trying to save the world.  He's in a fight.  The person he is fighting is seen clinging for survival.  Jack runs to a vehicle.  Cut scene.  Next thing we see, Jack is driving the vehicle (now how he got the vehicle to where he got the vehicle is beyond me) and the guy is in the back of the vehicle.  Now how exactly did this guy get into the back of the vehicle?

Third, major spoiler, but if I recall a major part of this scene was in the trailers.  Jack arrives in Russia and is met by a bodyguard employed by Victor Cherevin.  Now let's remember that yes Victor is Jack's antagonist, but he's also a wealthy individual who does business with Jack's bank.  There is no reason yet for Victor to believe that Jack is a CIA agent though obviously he might not be all that pleased that the bank is sending someone over to investigate his actions.  This bodyguard takes Jack up to the hotel and then attempts to assassinate him.  And why exactly would Victor put a hit man on a bank employee?  Isn't that going a bit far.  Are the Russians that crazy?

To me, this movie has so many problems with logic that it isn't worth seeing even if the awesome Keira Knightley stars in this movie.

The Rebel Light/Mount Saint/The Black and The White at Bootleg HiFi

The Rebel Light.  They make you think about spending a warm summer afternoon at a Southern California beach.  Then they bring out the trumpet and you feel like you're dancing on the beach.

Mount Saint.  Hey, most of the band members are from Glendale.  Glendale isn't the hippest place in Southern California, but I also live in Glendale so I'm sold.  I immediately recognized one member of the band though I couldn't exactly place him.  I did a little digging and saw that Drew Beck is also in (or was in) Chasing Kings.  There is just this layer upon layer style to their music that holds you attention.

The Black and the White.  A light touch of funk.  A full show of energy.  A touch of dance.  A drummer who kicks it off.  A bassist who lets the lights play along with him.  A lead singer who whips to the side in quick motion.  You'll find yourself wanting to press close to the stage.

A Movie Review: Go

Go. Claire (Katie Holmes) is having a conversation with some individual in a cafe. She's saying how random life is. We then flash back to a grocery store where Claire works. Along with Claire, we meet Ronna (Sarah Polley), Simon (Desmond Askew) and Mannie (Nathan Bexton). (Side note: I swear that Desmond Askew looks exactly like Simon Pegg.) The movie starts at this store with three different story lines. First, we follow Ronna's story line. She's about to get evicted from her apartment. (I do believe she later claims to be seventeen so who knows why she's living on her own). She picks up an additional shift from Desmond. She's approached by two individuals, Adam (Scott Wolf) and Zach (Jay Mohr), who claim that they usually buy drugs off of Desmond. Desperate for money, she tells them she'll get them some. To do so, she goes to Simon's drug dealer, Todd (Timothy Olyphant), and convinces him to sell her some drugs.

The second story line follows Simon. He gives Claire the extra shift because he wants to head off to Las Vegas with his buddies. He gets into a load of trouble there with his main friend Marcus (Taye Diggs). They end up stealing a car and heading off to a strip club. Simon does some inappropriate touching and the bouncer comes in to rough him up. The bouncer didn't notice that Simon had carried in a gun with him (a gun he found in the car). Simon shoots the bouncer. Simon and Marcus get out of there quickly.

The third story line follows Adam and Zach. They're actually actors that we notice on the television in the grocery store's staff room. They've actually been caught with drugs and so the police are forcing them to work a sting. Their target is Simon, but they end up targeting Ronna who is taking Simon's shift. Adam and Zach find out that the cop, Burke (William Fichner) they're working for is one strange dude and that Burke's wife, Irene (Jane Krakowski), is just as strange.

This is one of those six degrees of connection movies that just sort of works.  I know that a teen movie versus a drug crime movie (though drugs are involved in both movies) are not at all similar, but while watching Go I was thinking about a similar six degrees type movie called Traffic that was made around the same time.  Traffic vs Go:  no comparison.  Of course, it might have something to do with the fact that I'm no longer anywhere close to being a teenager and so my taste in movies has changed.

A Dream: transformation, violence and a sinking ship

I had just watched Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D's episode 'What They Become,' where Skye transforms into who knows what sort of powerful Marvel character.  No doubt, this impacted my dream that basically made no sense what so ever, but was one interesting dream I have to say.

My dream started with me and a team trying to protect individuals that we know are about to transform into some unknown being.  There is another team that wants to destroy them.  We rush into a house in the middle of the night to protect them.  At the same time, the other team arrives and a fire fight starts.  We tell everyone that we need to leave the house.  Somehow, we lose two of them in the chaos while two others stick with us.

The next morning we go back to the house to see if we can find the two individuals we lost.  We come across a gruesome scene.  Three individuals (somehow the two individuals we lost became three) are burned to a crisp (similar to the ending of 'What They Become').  They are dead.  They are in ages that are suspended above the ground, they're hands handcuffed to the cages.  We're all sick.  Someone mentions that this was the only way to prevent the transformation and so that's why the other team did this gruesome act of violence.

The other team discovers us and we run away and end up on a ship.  It is a military vessel that is about the size of a billionaire's yacht.  The vessel -- perhaps because we're being attacked -- starts to take on water.  We're forced to try and abandon ship, but one of my team members is below deck.  I rush down to try and find him.  The water level is above our knee caps.  He's trying to destroy a bunch of humanoid terminators.  At the same time, a great white shark has gotten into the ship.  We're caught in a room that is quickly flooding so I smash a window.  But we don't exit via the window.  We exit via an open door.  At the same time, my team member fires the perfect show at one of the terminators.  It deactivates all of them.  They immediately fall flat on their backs.  I shoot at the end of the ship and blast a hole through the hull.  The terminators start to float out of the ship and at the same time the shark gets this smile and starts swimming after the terminators.  We rush topside.  Land is just off to the distance.

The ship is sinking fast and so the team makes a decision, we've got to jump ship and swim back to shore.  I yell out, "I can't swim."  My team member that I just helped out, grabs me around the waist.  The ship is sinking fast.  We jump into the water.  As the ship sinks, massive waves develop and we're pushed towards shore as if we're on a water roller coaster.  Our team makes it to shore, happy to have survived.

And then I woke up.

ZiBBZ and Los Angelics at Silverlake Lounge

It was time to do a hit and run at Silverlake Lounge.  I really wanted to see ZiBBZ and I also really wanted to make sure I headed home before the rain started.

Los Angelics.  I walked in and Los Angelics was turning Silverlake Lounge into a dance club.  I was thinking, "Did I just walk into Club Moscow?"  Two girls putting on the synchronized moves.  Two guys playing the synths that rocked on suspension springs.  This band is meant for a New Year's Eve party.

ZiBBZ.  I saw them at Brokechella.  And I was thinking, "This band has the Sunset Strip written all over it."  This was my first time seeing them since that time and I didn't catch them on the Sunset Strip at all.  I caught them at Silverlake Lounge.  A much closer location for me.  Stee on drums had a moment of going all Whiplash for us all.  The crowd loved it.  Coco provides the EuroPop energy.

 

A Movie Review: A Good Day to Die Hard

A Good Day to Die Hard. John McClane (Bruce Willis) finds out that his estranged son, Jack McClane (Jai Courtney) is in a Russian jail. He hops on a plane and heads to the Moscow court to support his son. Unknown to him, his son is a CIA agent who is attempting to extricate a high valued target from Moscow, Komarov (Sebastian Koch).  John McClane interferes with the whole plan, forcing Jack to come up with a different strategy.  John does his best to assist.  This divergence from the original plan results in some spy intrigue to pop up as certain individuals have their own strategies in play.

I honestly don't understand why Bruce Willis would make movies like this (including his recent RED 2).  Here's an actor who made a couple really good movies in 2012:  Moonrise Kingdom and Looper.  Then he spends 2013/2014 making movies like this along with RED 2 and G.I. Joe:  Retaliation.  In A Good Day to Die Hard, Bruce Willis is left making single line quips (which honestly aren't all that amusing) before the next action scene.  Half the time, it seems like he's just doing the acting in his sleep.

And where does the climatic ending to this movie happen:  Chernobyl.  Now I don't know how radioactive Chernobyl still is, but the bad guys are all suited up to protect against radioactive hot spots.  How do our heroes dress?  Not in protect suits.  And at one point they end up having to jump into an indoor pool.  Radioactive water anyone?  I guess even the writers/directors/actors found that too laughable so a line is put into the movie explaining that the pool was filled with rain water.  An indoor pool filled with rainwater?  Hmm . . .

     

A Movie Review: Escape Plan

Escape Plan. Not the worse movie, not the best movie.  Ray Breslin (Sylvester Stallone) is a security specialist.  His specialty is to escape from prisons around the country.  For some reason, someone has it out for him.  His next job is actually a setup and he ends up in top secret prison.  While in prison, he is befriended by Rottmayer (Arnold Schwarzenegger).  Together, they attempt to escape from this prison.  A complication is that they appear to be deep underground and are never allowed to see the sun.  So if they do escape they have no idea if they're in the middle of the desert or Greenland or the ocean.

So this is a top secret prison that seems to imprison at least some individuals based on bribes paid to the prison.  That just seems outrageous.  And then, wouldn't one think that Ray Breslin, a top security specialist, would have at least some clue regarding this prison. Sure it is a secret prison, but someone in that field must have heard rumors.  In order to escape from the prison, Ray and Rottmayer need to know where they are.  They convince another prisoner to join their plot.  This prisoner somehow convinces the jailer to allow him to spend time outside.  Now why would a jailer who runs a secret prison that attempts to hide its location from everyone -- especially the prisoners -- make such an error in judgement?

This honestly just feels like a b-movie version of a potential summer blockbuster (not that I think this idea works as a summer blockbuster movie).



  

A Movie Review. Thor: The Dark World

Thor: The Dark World. Sometimes you watch a movie on cable and you're just happy you didn't catch the movie in the theaters. This is one of those movies.  I generally love the Marvel movies.  In fact, I thought the first Iron Man was one of the best movies of that year.  And I honestly think that Captain America:  The Winter Soldier is one of the best movies this year.  But for some reason, I just don't like the Thor series.  I didn't like the first one and then here comes this one and I almost couldn't finish it.  I find that strange since I love the two actresses:  Natalie Portman (Jane Foster) and Kat Dennings (Darcy Lewis).  Maybe it has something to do with that hammer and a nagging question in the back of my mind which is:  why is some advance society fighting with swords and yet at the same time flying some rather advanced fighter jets from thousands of years ago (okay, the sword fighters are from Asgard while the advance fighter jets are the Dark Elves).  It could also be that I feel that Chris Hemsworth (Thor) plays a one dimensional character.  I have to say the only thing I liked about this movie were the one liners that Kat Dennings tossed out all too infrequently.

So what's going on?  Thor hasn't been around for awhile as he's trying to bring peace to the nine realms.  Jane Foster is attempting to move on in her life, actually going on a date.  A strange anomaly develops, sending Jane and Darcy to investigate.  Jane gets sucked into this anomaly where she becomes infected with something called the Aether.  Earlier in time (like thousands of years earlier), the Dark Elves attempted to use the Aether to bring darkness to the universe.  The Asgard army stopped this from happening and hid the Aether.  The fact that Jane becomes infected (or whatever is the proper Marvel word) with the Aether has to be a one in a trillion chance and the very fact that she isThor's love interest has to make the chances even more than one in a trillion.  Well, this unlikely situation results in the Dark Elves attempting to gain back power.  You guess it, Thor has to try and stop this from happening.

The Singles/W.A.R.S./Kissing Cousins at The Satellite

The Singles. I saw them at Brokechella back in April.  I say take The Beatles and add in a touch of The Rolling Stones and you have The Singles.  Or sometimes switch the examples around so that they sound more like The Rolling Stones.  Nicky Veltman, the drummer, had some unexpected problems during their set.  Her microphone just wouldn't stay in place.  To help her out, one guy jumped on stage and tried his best.  The microphone stayed in place for a song or two.  Then the sound guy came up on stage and tried to tape the microphone in place.  It still didn't work out.  And I have to add one other thing about the drummer:  she has one quirky onstage smile.

W.A.R.S.. I fell in love with a band called Great Northern when I saw them at the Eagle Rock Music Festival oh so long ago.  I caught them as often as I could.  And then they disappeared from the music scene.  For awhile, I thought it was because they were recording a new album, but after awhile I just concluded they had decided to call it quits.  Well, they're back as W.A.R.S.  And I'm so happy they're back.

Kissing Cousins. Four gals with a guy on drums.  Their music just drives forward in a fury of madness.  And yet they look rather calm on stage.  In fact, they don't even look like they're in a rock band.  One dresses as if she was at church.  Another like she's having brunch in Echo Park (a written nod to the comedian that introduced the bands at The Satellite).  A third like she was having a fun time at Griffith Park and the final enjoying a Friday house party.  Diversity (okay, all female, but in style) works for this band.

Pittsburgh Steelers vs Cincinnati Bengals: 42 - 21

The Steelers turned it on in the fourth quarter and made this look like a blowout score.  Is that a tendency of the Steelers: to turn it on in the 4th quarter?  If so, sometimes you give the other team too big of a lead.

Most amusing moments of the game:  every time Heath Miller had the ball in his hands, the crowd in Cincinnati roared:  Heath!  I understand Steelers fans travel well, but that was just amusing.

The Steelers defense seems to like to give up big plays.  QB Andy Dalton running 20 yards for a touchdown.  Andy Dalton throwing for an 81 yard touchdown.

I love that last touchdown by Le'Veon Bell.  I couldn't believe he got in.  I was sure the Cincinnati defense would push him out around the five yard line.  They never got close.  I really do hope; however, that the Steelers get a second running back into the lineup soon.  I'd hate to see Bell tire out during the playoffs -- should the Steelers make the playoffs.

It seemed like Ben Roethlisberger had a hangover after his two out of this world games.  Maybe he's back on track.

I just don't get how the Steelers can beat up on solid teams and then throw eggs against bad teams.  Okay, let's say you lose to one bad team a season when you're supposed to be one of the better teams in the league.  If so, the Steelers should be at 10 wins and have the AFC North pretty much wrapped up.  If the Steelers don't beat Atlanta next weekend, one will have to wonder if the Steelers have a multiple personality problem.

A Movie Review. The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1.  Katniss (Jennifer Lawrence) is broken and in shock.  The last time we saw Katniss, she was getting extracted from the Hunger Games via a covert operation led by District 13.  Having to compete in two straight Hunger Games along with the fact that Peeta Mellark (Josh Hutcherson) was left behind, is just too much for Katniss.  Even being surrounded by her family, mother (Paula Malcomson) and sister Primrose (Willow Shields), doesn't do much for her psyche.

She eventually gets it together via some shock treatment from District 13's President Alma Coin (Julianne More) and the covert operation's strategist Plutarch Heavensbee (Philip Seymour Hoffman).  They send her to the now destroyed District 12.

An agreement is made.  Katniss becomes the face of the rebellion and in return District 13 will attempt at some point a rescue of Peeta.

I have to admit I wasn't enthusiastic about the first two movies.  I went to the first one largely because it became a phenomena and I wanted to see what the fuss was about.  I then re-watched both movies on cable television.  I don't think any of the movies are awful.  They just are okay.

Here's my problems (spoilers) with this movie and perhaps the books provide more detail (or maybe there are clues within the movie itself that I just didn't pick up on):

1.  Why would the Capital wait years to finally attempt to bomb District 13 to pieces?  And when you finally did start to bomb, why not put some boots on the ground?

2.  Why is it that Katniss is the only contestant that appears to be psychologically broken?  I'll exclude Peeta from this discussion as he was tortured.  The other contestants may not be looking cheery, but they definitely aren't broken.

3.  Even ISIS wasn't willing to blow up a major dam.  I wonder how many people died downstream of that major dam break?  Hmm, is District 13 all that much better than the Capital?  Wouldn't the destruction of a major dam that provides electricity and probably even fresh water to civilians be considered a war crime?

4.  So when Peeta's commando team started to return to District 13, they noticed that the defense systems were back on line.  The Capital; however, did not use those systems to try and bring down the aircraft.  Red flag anyone?  Maybe someone isn't whom they seem to be?  Maybe there is a tracking devise?  This event is something to mention, but isn't something to analyze.

Finally, making 4 movies out of 3 books, isn't that just movie studio abuse of the fan base?  (Throw in The Hobbit and Twilight series, also).  I'd say that partial evidence in this abuse can be seen in the fact that this movie (at least via IMDB) is about 20 minutes shorter than the other two films.

Like the first two Hunger Game movies, this isn't an awful movie . . . it is simply a passable movie.

 

A Movie Review: Foxcatcher

Foxcatcher is based on true events. Mark Schultz (Channing Tatum) and David Schultz (Mark Ruffalo) are brothers and Olympic champions in wrestling.  Both won gold medals in the 1984 Olympics.  Wrestling isn't a high profile sport so even with gold medals they are still struggling to make ends meet.  The movie opens up with Mark Schultz giving a school speech for just $20.  Considering inflation, that's perhaps $50 in today's money?  Not very much at all.

Luck that really isn't luck hits Mark Schultz.  One of the richest men in America, John du Pont (Steve Carell), has an interest in wrestling.  He wants to put America at the top of the wrestling world.  John du Pont's assistant gives Mark a call and asks him to meet with his boss.  Mark is asked to move to the du Pont compound where he'll be put in charge of developing and training future wrestling champions.  Mark soon ends up being John du Pont's puppet, having to give praise where praise is not due.  You also get the sense that John du Pont really thinks more highly of David (as a better coach, maybe not as a better wrestler) and that hiring Mark was just a way to try and get David into the fold.

Mark is soon introduced to cocaine by John du Pont.  One almost suspects that this cocaine introduction was done on purpose, perhaps John du Pont is thinking that a washed-up Mark will finally convince David to join the compound.  David eventually does sign-up, which leads to a disastrous ending.  

I have to admit that during this Oscar season of movie releases, I haven't been into the based on true event movies.  The Imitation Game.  The Theory of Everything.  And now Foxcatcher.  There is some great acting in all three movies.  You get an interesting history lesson.  But over-all, they're just okay in my opinion.

In regards to Foxcatcher, I love Steve Carell's portrayal of John du Pont.  Here's one of the richest men in the world and his only desire in life is to gain his mother's approval.  Yet, he does have an independent streak.  He knows his mother hates wrestling and that she'd rather see him excel in the equestrian sport.  He prefers to go his own way, but still desires his mother's approval.  This inability to gain her approval perhaps plays a role in his mental illness weakness that eventually wrecks havoc for the Schultz family.    

Mark Ruffalo portrays a loving brother and family man as David Schultz.  He probably has an understanding that his younger brother has more inherent ability than him (though unlikely the better wrestler as David appears to understand strategy better), but never shows any jealousy.  And instead is someone who always encourages.

If you're interesting in the accuracy of the movie, click on this Slate link.

Duke basketball vs Wisconsin: 80 - 70

My first Duke basketball game of the season and it was a fun one with Duke beating the AP #2/USA Today #4 team in the nation.

My thoughts:

Most fun plays to watch were the 4 points scored by Marshall Plumlee.  I especially loved his second score where Duke players went to the floor to come up with the ball and then one of them tossed it on to Plumlee for the score.

Jahlil Okafor has some great footwork, often times confusing his Wisconsin defender.

There were some charge calls going both ways where one had to scratch one's head.  What exactly is a charge again?

As mentioned, this is my first Duke game, but I did keep an eye on the box scores of previous games.  It seemed to me that Tyus Jones was sort of an up and down scorer.  In this game he took control and scored the team high while shooting 7 - 11.

Quinn Cook and Jones appear to play well together.

Rasheed Sulaimon came in energized and shot well.

I love how they played defense.  I did get nervous when they started to slap the floor with the game still close.  What if Wisconsin won?  Those scenes would be a bit embarrassing.

I don't recall a single moment where the Duke freshman looked frazzled.

So as I was watching this game in the 2nd half I started to think:  why is this game so close?  Duke shot an amazing 65.2% for the game compared to 40.7% for Wisconsin.  Wisconsin did get more points at the free throw line, but only 4 more.  They only had 2 additional 3 point shots.  Okay, looking at this on a more conservative basis, that's an additional 6 points.  They also got 10 offensive rebounds versus 3 for Duke (of course, Duke didn't have as many chances as they shot so well).  I suppose that was the key for this being as close as it was, the 7 additional second chances.  But honestly, I just don't get why Duke didn't win this by 15 plus points and really not have this essentially wrapped up with 5 minutes left in the game.  That speaks for what a solid team Wisconsin is.

The Sunset Drifters and Austin Herbert at the Silverlake Lounge

Austin Hebert.  Lyric of the night, "I have this guitar full of blues."  Getting inspiration from his American Aquarium Wolves cap, Austin brought some blues to the Silverlake Lounge.

The Sunset Drifters.  This band has 2 members from another band that I used to follow, The Monthlies.  I'd argue their set had two parts to it.  The first part had an Americana sound to it.  Then the back half drifted towards how The Monthlies would sound if a pedal steel was added to the mix.  I have to admit I was partial to the back half of the set.  The band almost decided to cut one song from their set.  I'm happy they didn't as I really loved that last song.

A Movie Review: The Imitation Game

The Imitation Game is based on the true events surrounding World War II where the Allies were attempting to crack the Nazi Enigma machine.  The code breaker and father of the computer was Alan Turing (Benedict Cumberbatch) with help from Joan Clarke (Keira Knightley) and Hugh Alexander (Matthew Goode).  Though Turing is an obvious brilliant mathematician, he has one major problem in life -- two actually.  His one problem is that he just doesn't get along with people.  Though Turing is the most qualified individual in the UK to crack the Nazi Enigma machine, he still needs a team around him.  Via some prodding from Clarke, Turing begins to develop those relationships with his team.  Advancements that were once slow, start to speed up as everyone buys into his vision.

The Imitation Game jumps nicely between three time frames in Turing's life.  Though it focuses mostly on his work during World War II, it also deals with his early years and those soon after the war.  As mentioned, Turing has two problems.  His second problem is that he is a homosexual.  Now one reading this might say, what are you talking about?  Well, during World War II, if someone was discovered to be a homosexual in the UK, it led to either a prison term or the requirement to take hormone treatment (at least these are the options presented in the movie).  His homosexuality is uncovered via unintended circumstances.  After the war, Turing paid an individual for sex.  This man latter broke into Turing's home.  The police arrive at the scene and Turing is very uncooperative.  This peaks the interest of one of the detectives.  Doing some digging, the detective uncovers that the home invasion was actually done by the man that Turing paid for sex.  In his own way, Turing asks for understanding from the detective and reveals to the detective and to us his involvement in breaking the Nazi machine.

Though I have my problems with the movie, I do love the arrogance (along with perhaps a touch of autism) that Benedict Cumberbatch brings to the role.  My problem with the movie is that while it does deal with an important event in history, is it really a story meant for the big screen?  To me, this is a really a subject matter that should be dealt in the form of a book.  The movie only briefly mentions (in less than 5 seconds) how the Enigma machine was used to plan D-Day.  Wouldn't it be far more interesting to read a chapter about how the Allies planned D-Day directly based on the intelligence they received from Enigma?  And what about additional back stories on Clarke and Alexander?

Finally, here's a major problem I have with the movie.  One reason homosexuality was a crime (other than the fact that it just wasn't socially acceptable) was the fear that one could get blackmailed.  Isn't the fact that Turing is telling the detective about his role in Enigma and his basic plea for understanding a sort of subliminal proof on why this law was needed?  Turing is giving away top secret information to a detective.  Yes, those scenes with the detective indicate how ridiculous this law is, treating a national hero like a criminal just due to his sexual preference.  On the other hand, I think this movie can also be interpreted in those interactions as saying something that it didn't intend to say.      

      

A Movie Review: Big Hero 6

Big Hero 6 is a Disney animated movie.  The lead character is Hiro (voiced by Ryan Potter) who lives in the city of San Fransokyo.  He spends his time creating robots so that he can participate in the  city's underground robot wars.  For some reason, such events are illegal in San Fransokyo.  (Wouldn't one think that the police have more pressing crimes that would take up their time?)  His older brother, Tadashi (voiced by Daniel Henney), wants him to pursue an education in robotics.  Hiro resists.  Tadashi brings Hiro via a sly side trip to his university and gives a tour of all the cool projects that various students are creating.  This includes an introduction to a medical robot that Tadashi is designing, Baymax (voiced by Scott Adsit).  Hiro can't resist any longer and wants to join the program; however, in order to join the program he has to present a project that impresses the leading professor at the university, Robert Callaghan (voiced by James Cromwell).

Hiro invents microbots that can form whatever the mind desires.  Thoughts of images desired are transmitted to the microbots via a device that sits nicely around a person's head.  Hiro is immediately accepted to the program and is off to celebrate with his brother and future fellow classmates.  Unfortunately, a fire explodes (perhaps via a project that didn't go all that well) in the university's laboratory.  It is learned that Callaghan is still in the building.  Tadashi rushes into the burning building to find Callaghan.  The building explodes, killing Tadashi.

Hiro goes into a state of depression.  While hidden away in his room, he has an accident.  Out pops Baymax from the side of his brother's bed.  At the same time, Hiro notices that a single microbot that is in his possession begins to act strangely.  It seems to want to get pulled in a specific direction.  Hiro and Baymax allow the microbot to guide them to a warehouse where they soon learn that someone has decided to mass produce microbots for less than noble reasons.

I don't believe this is one of the better animation movies to come out of Disney.  First off, who really thinks that designing microbots that can be controlled by a person's thoughts is a good idea?  I immediately couldn't help but think about all the bad things individuals could do with such a creation.  My next irritation regarding the movie was that over-the-top product placement of our evil character who looked all too similar to a character from Star Wars.  Finally, this movie just didn't seem to have much heart to it.

  

A Movie Review: Nightcrawler

Nightcrawler. Louis Bloom (Jake Gyllenhall) is near rock bottom. In order to survive, he steals various metal parts such as manhole covers and fences, selling these items at discount rates to unscrupulous construction managers.  There is also just something off in his personality.  He comes across in a controlled frenzied manner.  This is just someone you know will explode at any moment and you don't want to be around him when he does.  Unfortunately, some people just can't see that.

Louis drives pass a horrible accident and decides to stop.  An independent video crew (nightcrawler crew) arrives on the scene and starts to shoot video of the rescue.  Louis asks what they are doing.  Hoping for a job, he asks for one and is denied.  This doesn't stop him.  He pawns off a bike that he steals at the beach and buys himself a hand-held video camera and a police scanner.  He shoots video of a shooting victim and is able to sell it to a local news producer, Nina Romina (Rene Russo).  He soon makes a name for himself by taking aggressive, unethical and many times criminal actions to capture the gruesome violence that Nina wants to air.

What soon turns into a blackmail-like relationship between Louis and Nina really drives this movie.  Jake Gyllenhall plays his role perfectly as the near psychotic individual.  He also takes actions that you know will eventually land him in front of a judge and jury (be it during the movie or if this was representative of real life and was allowed to play out).  There is no desire to cheer on his character.  One can only have disdain for Louis.  One might think that Rene Russo's character would get some sympathy.  And in may ways she deserves some.  Here is an individual who used to be a newscaster and then as she aged she went into producing; however, she doesn't have the talent to succeed and finds herself drifting down the producer totem pole.  In order to stop her career slide, she swings for gruesome news porn.  This results in allowing Louis to manipulate their relationship.  She is the victim of a sinister individual.  Yet, on the other hand, she also deserves some disdain as we see an individual who purposely debases her journalistic standards for higher television ratings and to save her job.  Wasn't there another way? one has to ask.

Is this a feel good movie?  Not at all.  You may actual leave the movie feeling dirty, but I think that's the point:  you've spent close to 2 hours watching an individual doing wrong.        



 

A Movie Review: The Theory of Everything

The Theory of Everything. This movie is based on the relationship/marriage between physicist Stephen Hawking (Eddie Remayne) and Jane Hawking (Felicity Jones).  The two meet at a university party.  Jane's friend doesn't think much of Stephen, but Jane is enamored.  Though Jane has at least one other suitor, the two soon become a steady couple.  Then disaster hits.  Stephen is diagnosed with ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease).  They decide they will get married, knowing that Stephen likely has only 2 years left to live.  Stephen's father, Frank (Simon McBurney), warns Jane that she is making a decision that will have ramifications that she doesn't fully appreciate.  His warning sets the tone for the movie.

Their marriage starts out wonderfully, but after a second child and Stephen's continued declining health the stresses start to show.  Stephen doesn't want assistance, but Jane insists that it is necessary.  Seeing Jane's growing stress levels, her mother encourages her to head off to church (perhaps even knowing/planning that an individual at the church has the time and desire to assist the family).  At the church, Jane meets Jonathan Hellyer Jones (Charlie Cox) who has been struck with a family tragedy.  He soon joins the family as a friend/assistant.  Stephen soon picks up that there is an emotional bond that is growing between Jane and Jonathan, but he also understands that his wife needs emotional support and that his family needs Jonathan.  This bond between Jane and Jonathan; however, causes tensions between Jane and her in-laws and so Jonathan is asked to step aside.  The stress of marriage grows further as Stephen starts to develop an emotional bond with a nurse the family eventually has to hire, Elaine Mason (Maxine Peake).

The movie does dwell on the various scientific breakthroughs made by Stephen Hawking, but its main focus is on relationships.  Yes, Stephen and Jane had to deal with a rather more difficult circumstance than most relationships, but the movie still gives an over-view of many relationships that fall apart.  ALS is the driving force that damages their relationship, but there is also the underlying threads of religious differences, affairs of the heart and plain old stubbornness.  One can see how their relationship may still be strong today if certain adjustments were made along the way.  Stephen should have understood that even though he has a brilliant mind, he was still causing undo physical burdens on his wife that should have been addressed earlier in the marriage.  Also, (maybe not true in reality) perhaps hiring/using really attractive people as an assistant and nurse wasn't such a good idea.

The two main leads do a wonderful job in the movie.  Eddie Remayne does a brilliant job showing the gradual growing ALS symptoms.  And I just loved seeing Felicity Jones on the screen again.  I know she's being in a number of films, but the last time I saw her on the screen was also the first time I saw her on the screen in the movie Like Crazy.  So it has been awhile.

There are a couple funny jokes regarding America in this film.  The first is when Stephen Hawking tells his friend the bad news about his disease, which he labels as ALS as well as Lou Gehrig's disease.  His friend is totally unaware of who this Lou Gehrig is.  A second joke comes around when Stephen Hawking has to finally depend on a computer to talk for him.  The joke is that the computer sounds American.  The look on everyone's faces is hysterical.      

Now for my final opinion.  Is this a must see movie in the movie theater?  I have to say no.  This is movie that can probably wait until it hits HBO, Redbox, Netflix or whatever other non-theater method one uses to watch movies.  In no way is this an awful movie.  It just doesn't have that must see vibe.

Note:  As with most biographical movies, some liberties are taken.  If you want a breakdown of some of the facts and fictions, click on this Time link.

A Movie Review: Whiplash

Whiplash.  Andrew (Miles Teller) is a drumming protégé on the path to greatness. He’s 19, attending the number one music school in the nation, Shaffer Conservatory of Music. It doesn’t take long for Fletcher (J.K. Simmons), the top educator at Shaffer, to notice Andrew. Fletcher quickly places Andrew into his band.

Fletcher is the drill sergeant of music school educators. He only wants to teach the most talented and determined students in the school. And if a student isn’t living up to Fletcher’s initial assessment, Fletcher won’t hesitate to remedy the situation by kicking the student out of his band. The problem with Fletcher’s teaching style is that not only is he a drill sergeant (which I’m sure many of us have come across teachers/professors who make heavy demands on their students), but he doesn’t hesitate in conducting psychologically warfare on his students. On Andrew’s first day with Fletcher’s band, Fletcher comes over and inquires in an inquisitive way about Andrew’s parents. He learns that Andrew’s mother left when he was just a young child. Well, within moments when Andrew doesn’t keep precise tempo, Fletcher goes on the attack with that information.

Of course, Fletcher might have hand selected a young student who is a mirror image of himself. 
Andrew also isn’t above demeaning people. When at an extended family gathering, the focus goes to his cousins. One of them is playing Division III football (I believe this was high school, I could be wrong). Andrew quickly goes for the throat, making the justifiable argument that he’s on the path to success while his cousin will never get the opportunity to play in the NFL. A brutally honest assessment, but lacking in humility. He also breaks-up with his girlfriend, Nicole (Melissa Benoist), in a harsh way by telling her that she’s consuming his time, time that he needs to dedicate to his drums.

This movie is about the drive for success. You’d think that sure there will be drama associated with reaching for success, but you probably don’t understand the intensity that this movie brings to that subject. At times, you’re on the edge of your seat. Some of the most engaging moments come at the most unexpected scenes: no dialogue, musician practicing alone, seriously? Yes, actually.

This movie is also about psychological abuse. Yes, the movie focuses on Andrew, but I see Fletcher as the focal point. Fletcher’s style of teaching works on a handful, but it also sends most up the wall, diminishing their sense of self-worth. In one scene, Fletcher sets up a competition between 3 drummers: Andrew and two others. It is clear throughout the movie that Andrew is the most talented drummer in the school. It is obviously to the audience that Fletcher is trying to drive Andrew, but I think on a more subtle note there is cruelty towards the other two drummers. The other two drummers are just pawns in this game. It isn’t like Fletcher is bringing in another talented drummer who actually might compete for the position. In a way, it is a cruel passive aggressive way to indicate to the other drummers that they should find new careers.

There have been two really wonderfully movies about music this year: Whiplash and Begin Again. Begin Again is about the joy of creating music. Whiplash is about the potential toll to reach such creative genius. I really hope both receive Oscar considerations in various categories.

Here’s my one problem with the movie and potential spoiler alert: Andrew puts aside the drums for the summer. He later runs into Fletcher who invites him to join a JVC Jazz band. Somehow Andrew is in near top form after taking a few months away from the drums. I don’t care if you’re a top athlete, musician, politician, lawyer, doctor: I really don’t think that one can immediately return to top form and that is my one complaint about this movie. Yes, a nitpicking complaint.

A Movie Review: Birdman

Birdman. Riggan (Michael Keaton) was once one of the top Hollywood actors, starring in three Birdman superhero movies. That success eventually faded and he is left with the real life ruins. His daughter, Sam (Emma Stone), is a recovering drug addict. His marriage to Sylvia (Amy Ryan) ended in divorce due to at least one, if not more, infidelities -- he actually slept with another woman in their house during a party.


He is now attempting to gain back his relevancy.  He has written a Broadway play and is directing and acting in it.  He is trying to rebuild his relationship with his daughter and has hired her as his assistant.  He also appears to be on good terms with his ex-wife.  He even has a much younger girlfriend/actress, Laura (Andrea Risborough) -- 30 years if you just go by the age of the two real life actors.  He also has a great friend/lawyer, Jake (Zach Galifianakis).

But what appears to be a rejuvenation just hides the chaos that is underneath it all.  He has poured his life savings into the play and if it flops he is in financial ruin.  What might be a lucky break, actually turns into a potential negative.  One of the actors in the play, who isn't very good, has an onstage accident.  One of the actresses, Lesley (Naomi Watts), happens to be sleeping with a top Broadway actor, Mike (Edward Norton).  Mike has helped Lesley prepare for her role and has fallen in love with the play and wants to be in it.  What a break for Riggan, except for the fact that Mike attempts to steal the spotlight both in the press and on the stage.  Riggan, himself, may also be having severe mental delusions that could potentially cause him to take actions that would harm him.

This movie focuses on the self-doubt, self loathing and low self-esteem that perhaps pervades many of those who act in Hollywood and Broadway.  Riggan.  Lesley.  Laura.  They all have crises of confidence.  Even Mike has doubts and finds refuge onstage via his method acting.  And honestly, all that emotional chaos slowly just got on my nerves.  Add onto that the delusions that Riggan is suffering and I found myself just waiting out the movie.  The movie has great scenes and I felt within myself the desire to want to love this movie, but as it progressed I knew I wasn't going to emotionally connect with these characters.

Also, in the back of my mind, I couldn't help but think, "Is this just Broadway's ripoff of Black Swan?"  Riggan and Nina (Natalie Portman) both had delusions.  You even get a sexy make out scene between Naomi Watts and Andrea Riseborough.  Of course, the make out scene isn't as explicit as Black Swan, which maybe sums it all up:  this just doesn't grab you like a great movie should.      

Santa Cruz, CA: random thoughts

I spent a number of weeks hanging out in Santa Cruz due to work.

Here's some random thoughts about my time up there:

Southwest

I spent time last year in San Francisco.  This year, it was Santa Cruz.  I don't know if there was a recent policy change, but the flight attendants that worked the LAX to San Francisco route were pretty funny while those doing the Burbank to San Jose route were by the book.

When I went to San Francisco one Sunday, I was on a plane that was running low on fuel due to air traffic control.  We almost diverted to San Jose.  Well, on a Friday flight from San Jose to Burbank, the plane did a sudden fly-by driven by the fact that the plane before us blew out a tire.  That was interesting.

There was definitely a small crowd that was on each Burbank to San Jose route who would immediately run to the Jamba Juice after getting off the plane.  I was one of those individuals.

Santa Cruz:  Best Pizza

I wrote a review regarding Bantam.  My favorite pizza; however, Woodstock's Pizza.  I have to admit it is largely driven by my memories of eating Woodstock's Pizza while going to school in San Luis Obispo.  But let's just also say that their pizza rocks.

Santa Cruz:  Best Vegetarian Restaurant

Saturn Cafe.  Perfect comfort food.  Admittedly, Cafe Gratitude is far more healthy, but that's perhaps part of the problem.  It is too healthy.  Hey, I like my fries and Saturn Cafe hits the spot.  Also a hat tip to the vegetarian dish at the Greek Authentic Cuisine.

Santa Cruz itself

I didn't get to hang out in Santa Cruz as a tourist, but I will say that it is a lovely small town to spend a week.  And if I was a wealthy person, I'd even consider buying a house there and when the annual September heatwaves hit SoCal, I'd be off to Santa Cruz.

You have the beach.  And then not to far away, you have hills populated by pine trees.  It is a lovely place to spent time at the beach and then head off for a nice hike in nature (or vice versa).  And one can do this all on the same day and do so by spending less than 30 minutes driving from point A to point B (well, it might take longer during vacation season).

Downtown Santa Cruz also provides some nice stores -- though I once again have to be loyal and say that Downtown San Luis Obispo ranks a little higher up the scale.

A handful of photos

 

Wake Up Lucid/Rainbow Jackson/Dorothy at Bootleg HiFi

Wake Up Lucid. They put that guitar through a workout.  And then on more than a few occasions the drummer explodes into a violent tantrum.  Their music will make you lucid quickly upon waking up from a deep slumber.  Put their music on and you'll be getting ready for the day in record time, speeding along with their sound.

Rainbow Jackson.  I couldn't help but think that this is a band that Daryl Dixon of the Walking Dead probably fronted before the zombies took over the world -- well, okay, maybe not the pre-zombie Daryl, but the S5 Daryl.  A band too cool to define and one willing to bang it up a little on stage.

Dorothy.  This was my third time seeing this Sunset Strip-style goddess.  She stripped down in this set, going acoustic. Going acoustic lets the emotions ring.  I really loved "After Midnight."  The "Nothing Good Comes After Midnight" chorus just dripped with reflection, perhaps even a touch of regret.

Sunset Strip goddess.  There was great collection of liquids up on stage though not all included alcohol.  There was one coffee cup.

There is that gentle soul.  She was careful not to destroy the stage.  Being acoustic, she had a stool that she was sitting on.  She got tired of sitting and decided to move it off stage.  Sure, she flipped it over, but in a rather careful manner.  And at the end, she carefully put down the microphone, instead of just dropping it with a thump.

Comment of the set:  It's starting to look like a kitchen up here.

Movie Reviews: Broken City and Gangster Squad

I recently saw a couple movies that I DVR'd that are tangentially in the same genre:  Gangster Squad and Broken City.

Gangster Squad.  This story tells the true life story of how LAPD Sgt. John O'Mara (Josh Brolin) brought together a group of fellow police to bring down gangster Mickey Cohen (Sean Penn).  Though the movie is based on a true story, it takes a lot of liberties as can be read in the following link.

Mickey Cohen rules Los Angeles.  He has all the top city officials in his back pocket -- well, most of them.  Sgt. O'Mara wants to protect and serve his community.  A young woman arrives in Los Angeles via train.  A man posing as a Hollywood agent approaches her and convinces this young woman to come with him.  The intent is to gang rape her.  Sgt. O'Mara is also at the train station and follows the two all the way to an apartment tower (which if I know my Los Angeles is the apartment tower at Franklin Ave and N. Bronson Ave).  This is Mickey Cohen territory.  Sgt. O'Mara's partner refuses to go in to save the young woman, but Sgt. O'Mara feels it is his duty and into the apartment tower he goes.

Sgt. O'Mara does save the young woman and is soon given the authority to bring down Mickey Cohen.

This is a fun popcorn movie.  If you happened to click on the link that I mention above, you know that a lot more bullets flew in this movie than did in real life.  So one has to realize that you're really just seeing a movie that was inspired by real events and has decided to take a significant amount of liberties.  I did get a kick out of seeing an Officer Darryl Gates (Josh Pence) make a couple appearances.

Broken City.  I tend to enjoy watching movies and television shows that have complex plot lines, but for Broken City I soon found myself lost in the real estate dealings that were flying around as the back story.  Billy Taggart (Mark Wahlberg) murders a known rapist of a 16 year-old girl.  The rapist happened to go free and Taggart took things too far.  Mayor Nicholas Hostetler (Russell Crowe) decides to ignore the evidence, but forces Taggart to resign.
  

Seven years later (Biblical number, no doubt), Mayor Hostetler employs Taggart as a private detective.  His job is to determine if the Mayor's wife, Cathleen Hostetler (Catherine Zeta-Jones), is having an affair.

For me, this movie had too much going on.  This might have made a great HBO television series where a deeper dive could take place, but I think this less than 2 hour movie throws too much at the screen.  There is political corruption.  There is a mayoral race.  Two relationships are falling apart.  This is a movie that you probably need to watch three times to understand all the different story plots, but why would anyone want to do that.