A Movie Review: Dope

Dope. Malcolm (Shameik Moore) and his friends Jib (Tony Revolori) and Diggy (Kiersey Clemons) are nerds in a tough neighborhood. They're picked on by fellow classmates and need to carefully navigate their way home after school to avoid various gangs. Circumstances results in Malcolm running into Dom (Rakim Mayers), a small time drug dealer. Dom sends him off to deliver a personal birthday party invitation to Nakia (Zoë Kravitz). Nakia tells Malcolm to show up to the party, as well. Malcolm and friends show up to the party. In a backroom, Dom is taking possession of some new drugs. Law enforcement swarms the area. Dom takes advantage of Malcolm's nerdy reputation and places the drugs in Malcolm's backpack.

Malcolm must now find a way to dispose of these drugs. At the same time, Malcolm has hopes of getting into Harvard.

I will be honest that this movie feels similar to a number of other art-style teen movies. Nerdy teenagers getting into unexpected trouble and using their brains to outwit both adults and fellow teenagers isn't new territory. I mean, it is just a different take on the 1983 Risky Business and well one could probably go even further back. Even with that, this is an enjoyable movie. It is fun seeing these nerdy characters getting dumped into an underground world. Luckily, they're dealing with two-bit criminals and not Soprano like characters.

A Movie Review: Jurassic World

Jurassic World. Brothers Zach (Nick Robinson) and Gray (Ty Simpkins) are sent on a vacation to Jurassic World, a new -- hopefully safer -- version of Jurassic Park. Their Aunt Claire (Bryce Dallas Howard) is an executive at the park. The park has a solid safety record; however, a new dinosaur attraction is about to open that hasn't been fully vetted. This dinosaur is genetically modified by Dr. Henry Wu (BD Wong). The fact that Claire and Jurassic World's Chairman Masrani (Irrfan Khan) aren't aware of the potential tendencies of this new dinosaur doesn't exactly speak well of their management skills. This dinosaur has some unique abilities: it can change its body temperature to avoid thermal detection and it has a very high IQ as it somehow knows that a tracking devise was implanted in it. With this set-up in place, what can one expect but total disaster to occur.

My initial assessment is that this is just a remake of Jurassic Park minus the geeky mathematics of Jeff Goldblum's Dr. Ian Malcolm. If you want to watch a remake, this works just fine as a stupid fun popcorn summer movie. I will admit that part of me grew tired of the all too obvious plot line of two youngsters making a very stupid mistake and getting themselves into a world of trouble. There doesn't exactly seem to be a point to this movie, but it does entertain.

An interesting conversation overheard while walking back to my car.

Q. Who would pay for all the lawsuits?

A. Their insurance company.

A Movie Review: This Is Where I Leave You

This Is Where I Leave You. A father passes away and so the family gathers for a week of mourning. Each sibling brings their personal problems. Judd Altman (Jason Bateman) just found out that his wife Quinn (Abigail Spencer) was cheating on him for the past year. What's worse, the affair was with his boss. Wendy Altman (Tina Fey) has married for wealth, but regrets it. Paul Altman (Corey Stoll) and his wife Annie Altman (Kathryn Hahn) desperately want a child but it just isn't working out for them, which is causing a strain in their relationship. Phillip Altman (Adam Driver) is the baby in the family who refuses to grow up.

The problem with this film is that all the siblings feel like their lives are awful, but the honest truth is that Judd is the only one who really got hit with a right hook. So yes, Wendy married the wrong man. She can get a divorce. Paul and Annie desperately want a child and I can understand that, but it isn't the end of the world. There is the potential for adoption. Phillip seems to enjoy his lackluster life. To me, Judd is the only one who can really say his life stinks, because who wants to catch the love of their life in bed with another individual. Ouch. 

Maybe the movie even knows this as it focuses in on Judd even though the family as a whole tries to acknowledge that their adult lives aren't living up to expectations that were set by a famous mother (author of an influential book) and an idolized father (a really good man based on the backstory, but perhaps overly idolized). Essentially, this is a movie about Generation X hitting their midlife crisis and it isn't a very pleasing experience to watch.

A Movie Review: Hot Saturday

Hot Saturday. Per Wikipedia, this was Cary Grant's first leading role in a movie. I'm not going to say that this is a brilliant movie, but you do get to appreciate the early career of Cary Grant and the early signs of his signature style. 

Ruth Brock (Nancy Carroll) works as a bank clerk in the small town of Marysville. A number of young men seek her attention. This includes a wealthy playboy by the name of Romer Sheffield (Cary Grant). For a Saturday night out with the youthful crew of the town, she accepts an invitation by Conny Billup (Edwar Woods) who also works at the bank. Later, Romer Sheffield invites everyone out to his place for the day -- an obvious attempt to talk to Ruth. In fact, he spends most of the day with her. Later, the young crowd heads off to a dance hall. Romer stays behind. The dance hall happens to be by a lake. Conny and Ruth go out on a boat ride. During the boat ride, if this movie was made more current, Conny basically attempts to rape Ruth. He then leaves her stranded far from the dance hall. Ruth ends up walking back to Romer's house. Out of revenge, Conny tells this conservative town that Ruth spent the night with Romer. The gossip spreads and Ruth is fired from her job. It does have a happy ending with Ruth and Romer getting engaged.

This movie is played light, but this is actually a serious topic. There is a near rape (as close to one as probably could be filmed in the early 1930s) and then a vicious rumor is spread about that girl. It almost feels like a dichotomy of a film: serious topic played for laughs.

For me, I actually found myself paying attention to Lilian Bond's character, Eva Randolph. She's sort of Ruth's rival in terms of attracting the boys and her father is the town banker. It feels like the movie gets so much more interesting when Lilian's character is on screen.

Hunny with Chelsea Lankes and Evan Voytas at Bootleg HiFi

Hunny

Do you know what really sucks sometimes? Having an artist that is really intriguing teasing with only a 20 minute set. Chelsea Lankes, why so short of a set? I guess you're just forcing me to catch you again someday soon. Your voice is a miracle.

Next up, Evan Voytas brought his pop to the Bootleg HiFi.

Hunny closed the night out in a continuation of their residency. The crowd pressed against the stage. One animated fan pounded the stage at least two times during a beat. I think the fan's girlfriend was highly amused. With slightly elevated vocals, Hunny keeps the music fun and thrilling.

Noticed: Knowing Chelsea Lankes was going up first, I made sure I showed up with plenty of time to spare. Others had the same idea. A decent line formed outside, waiting for a special event to end so that we could get inside.
Photo Gallery by QuickGallery.com

Television: The Following

I'm sorry to hear that The Following got cancelled. For those who don't know anything about The Following, it follows FBI Agent Ryan Hardy (Kevin Bacon) as he attempts to track down various serial killers. His main target in the first 2 seasons is Joe Carroll (James Purefoy). In Season 3, his initial focus is on the students of Dr. Arthur Strauss (Gregg Henry).

I will admit I almost decided not to watch Season 3. I so despised Season 2 (I can't recall the details of my hatred, I just know I hated it) that I decided to just DVR all of Season 3. I figured that I'd watch a couple episodes and if I hated it as much as Season 2, I'd just stop watching.

Well, I ended up binge watching the whole season. I loved how the season created a web of sick intrigue. Starting out with Mark (Sam Underwood), Daisy (Ruth Kearney) and Kyle (Hunter Parrish) and then it switches over to Dr. Arthur Strauss and Theo (Michael Ealy) before finally ending up on the doorstep of Eliza (Annet Mahendru). It could have felt over-whelming, but it all worked very well, settling up plausible connections between the various killers.

If I recall correctly, one of my problems with Season 2 was that timelines just didn't seem to work very well. This time, I think it worked out. Here's a small example: Kyle and Daisy are kidnapping a college student. They are in her room, leave and head for a stairwell. Ryan shows up and heads up to the dorm roof where only Kyle and the kidnapped student are on the roof. Where's Daisy? This makes no sense. Well, not shown was that Daisy headed down the stairwell to the getaway car while Ryan went to the roof. Sure, it was sort of way too coincidental that there was some roof work going on and so there was one of those garbage chutes to help Kyle escape, but at least it made plausible sense. In Season 2, I swear you'd see Daisy also heading up to the roof and then cut scene she'd be in the getaway car.

I also liked how they kept the moles to a minimum this season. Tom (Gbenga Akinnagbe) was more of a jealous type. The eventually mole -- I'll not give this one away -- made sense when associated with who was feeding the person's grand dreams.

Okay, so I have to give one negative on the season: giving Theo and Mark near Terminator like abilities to deal with gunshot wounds was a over-the-top.

A Book Review: Galileo's Daughter by Dava Sobel

Galileo's Daughter. I had this book on my bookshelf for awhile and finally got around to reading it. I don't think it is as good as Dava Sobel's Longitude, but it does have some interesting moments.

The book follows the life of Galileo, focusing efforts on the one-sided letter correspondence between his daughter Maria Celeste, a nun, and Galileo. It is one sided, because only Maria Celeste's letters have survived. One supposition regarding Galileo's lost letters is that Maria Celeste's convent destroyed his letters upon her death.

The letters deal with mundane requests for money and food items. There is also much pain regarding how the Catholic church was dealing with her father due to his at the time heretical belief that the earth circled the sun.

I'll be honest, I didn't find the letters all that interesting. What I did find interesting was the political/religious play between the Catholic church, Galileo and his supporters. The one thing I wish was written about more in the book was the politics between the Catholic and Protestant churches. It is briefly mentioned here and there that the Protestant areas of Europe were in full support of Galileo. Yet, I wished Sobel had gone deeper, because it seemed like there is a potential fascinating story in this area.

Well, and like many such biographies, the final couple chapters do make you tear up just a touch.

Make Music Pasadena 2015

Sir Sly

There is a special place in my heart for Make Music Pasadena. And this time around, there was a super extra treat. The weather was perfect.

And then what made it even more awesome was how it started off. I started the festival off with Juliet Piper & The Daydream. What a find for me. She has an easy smile that wows the crowd. Her lyrics are filled with heartbreak and yet there is that smile that shows that life is still wonderful.


From there it was a quick rush around to catch Bubbeleh, Raspin Stuwart, Beca and Dark Furs. Bubbeleh and Raspin Stuwart had some smooth styles. Beca hit the dance music. Dark Furs connected deep down. Lead singer Suzanne has this deep stare. I'm sure she's seeing musical notes flying across the air.

Lydia Ainsworth had actual music scores written for her band. She's the Enya for a new age. "Strange Indeed," she said. Strange, but awesome. The audience enjoyed a cool breeze during the height of the afternoon sun. Kaleo is from Iceland and yet their sound is American Southern rock. "I walk on water" and "Devil's going to set me free." Lyrics with diametric meanings.

Kishi Bashi and Sir Sly gave perhaps the most audience appreciative sets. In fact, both took the time to jump to the barricade to interact with fans. Kishi Bashi is a band that uses a violin and banjo to create awesome rock music. Sir Sly tells their audience, "I hope you find your dream, I don't owe you anything."

Making Movies did the Afro-Latino rhythms and had the audience dancing. Avid Dancer and Nick Waterhouse sent the Main State and Levitt Pavilion crowds going home with a feeling of mellow satisfaction.

I ended the day at Armory Center. I loved this venue. It really isn't a music venue. It is a museum/art center. Even so, it made for a wonderful music venue. The Most Best, Hobart W Fink and Tashaki Miyaki closed out the night for me. I only caught a couple songs of The Most Best, but I was left wanting to catch this bang again someday. Hobart W Fink makes you think garage rock. There is this low key vibe with Tashaki Miyaki that is just wonderful.

And so ended my time at Make Music Pasadena.

Note: I did take what is becoming my traditional break. I stopped by a bar to catch American Pharoah finally end the Triple Crown drought in wonderful style. The crowd cheered. I cheered. It was beautiful to watch.

Note 2: I think every year I've been to Make Music Pasadena, I've always made time to catch Eliza Rickman. This time, no Eliza. I'm not going to lie. I wish she was there.



Photo Gallery by QuickGallery.com

French Exit at Redwood Bar

I was able to catch the second to last show by French Exit. I used to catch this band far more often during the Blue Star days. With over 3 years having passed, I just fell in love with this punk band all over again. It is sad that the curtains have closed on this band. The other thing is that 2 years have passed since my last time at the Redwood Bar. Wow. Time just passes by way too quickly. I'm just happy I was able to re-live memories.

As for the Redwood Bar. One has to love the pirate theme.



Photo Gallery by QuickGallery.com

Crash Kings with Name the Band and The 4onthefloor at The Satellite

Crash Kings

Crash Kings just pound through one rock song after another. There is no slowing down here. They're spending the month also recording a live album.

Name the Band comes from Brazil. They're currently spending time in Los Angeles. They've spent enough time in the US that one of the members lost his passport -- well, I guess that could mean being in the US just one day. Will we be seeing them at Culture Collide? Hopefully so, they're fun.

The 4onthefloor makes one feel like they're hanging out at a bar in the middle of no where. You know the movie that has just the bar and gas station surrounded by trees for miles in every direction. It gives you this feeling that you're hip to something and that all the folks in the big cities are just clueless. Of course, The 4onthefloor were playing at The Satellite so we big city folks just caught something unique.
Photo Gallery by QuickGallery.com

Young Lovers, Crystales and Judy Gloom at Pehrspace

Young Lovers

Judy Gloom is actually Tyler J. Juarez. Minimalist with an emotional punch. I couldn't help but notice one young woman with tears in her eyes.

Crystales says they're shoegaze. I'd also add they have some wonderful beats that make one sway to their music.

Young Lovers was having a residency at Pehrspace. They're a post-rock band that mainly focuses in on their sound. There were a couple songs with vocals, but those were more ingrained within the music versus standing out front. I also believe that the members in the band also help run sound at Pehrspace. No one could really help them out with sound on this night, but it all worked out well for them. A great set.



Photo Gallery by QuickGallery.com

A Movie Review. Kingsman: The Secret Service

Kingsman: The Secret Service. The Kingsman are the modern day Knights Templar. They aren't tied to any government. They only replace a member when one of the members dies. This is the set-up of the movie. Two potential candidates are on a final mission to compete for the open slot. One dies, saving the life of Galahad (Colin Firth). This individual has a young child named Eggsy (Taron Egerton). Galahad meets the the window, Michelle Unwin (Samantha Womack). Galahad tells Michelle that the Kingsman owe her a favor. Years later, Eggsy is a small time crook. He gets himself in trouble and makes the phone call. Galahad comes to the rescue.

It so happens that there is a Kingsman opening as a Kingsman just died. Galahad recruits Eggsy to potentially fill the slot.

You'd think this movie is meant for a teen audience. It is, but it works okay for an adult audience, as well. I'm not saying it is a great action movie, but it does have its moments. Colin Firth, Mark Strong, Samuel L. Jackson and Sofia Boutella provide some solid supporting acting.

My one question: didn't Valentine (Samuel L. Jackson) potentially achieve part of his goal? Actually, his technology would probably be a great weapon for any military in the world.