A Movie Review: How to Lose Friends & Alienate People

How to Lose Friends & Alienate People.  Sidney Young (Simon Pegg) is trying to launch a celebrity magazine in London.  His efforts aren't going very far.  In fact, he's mostly a pariah in the London scene.  And yet, somehow, he catches the eye of Clayton Harding (Jeff Bridges), an editor of the New York based "Sharps" magazine.  Though Clayton Harding brings him on, he still starts at the bottom.  He learns how to navigate through the celebrity scene of New York and see his star rise at the magazine.

Though there is a much better movie out there about the New York celebrity scene, this movie does have a low key style (actually somewhat like the normal Simon Pegg movie) fun to it.  And you've got to love Megan Fox (Sophie Maes), Gillian Anderson (Eleanor Johnson) and Kristen Dunst (Alison Olsen).

A Movie Review: Dawn of the Planet of the Apes

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes.  The genetically evolved apes are hidden in the mountains near San Francisco.  Humanity, meanwhile, has been severely reduced due to a worldwide epidemic.  The apes are unsure if humans are still alive.  Humans are unaware that there is a large group of genetically evolved apes alive.  The two groups meet when a group of humans that have survived in San Francisco head to a nearby dam that previously generated electricity.  Though an attempt is made to co-exist, mistrust between members of both species results in a clash of civilizations.

The movie is well made, but I just have issues with it:

a.  How are there suddenly so many genetically evolved apes?  Aren't their fingers a bit large?

b.  How is it that apes are able to properly fire guns?

c.  I know these apes are genetically evolved, but how does an ape with no training suddenly understand how to properly drive a tank?

Obviously, when dealing with science fiction some degree of suspended belief must be accepted.  For this movie, I just couldn't do it.  

2014 Archive Photos: Dwntwn (The Satellite)

Well, as luck will have it, I'm heading out of Los Angeles for awhile due to work so I'll be going through some archival photos for awhile.

Dwntwn.

2014 Archive Photos: Dwntwn (The Satellite)

Well, as luck will have it, I'm heading out of Los Angeles for awhile due to work so I'll be going through some archival photos for awhile.

Dwntwn.

2014 Archive Photos: Sirah (The Satellite)

Well, as luck will have it, I'm heading out of Los Angeles for awhile due to work so I'll be going through some archival photos for awhile.

Sirah.

2014 Archive Photos: Skin Town (The Satellite)

Well, as luck will have it, I'm heading out of Los Angeles for awhile due to work so I'll be going through some archival photos for awhile.

Skin Town.

Los Angeles Derby Dolls. Sirens vs. Tough Cookies: 127-151

I missed all of last season.  I was out of town a lot.  I got disconnected from Los Angeles.  Considering all that, it was definitely time to get back to the roller derby.

Based on crowd noise, the crowd seemed to be just slightly tilted in favor of the Sirens.  I was cheering for the Tough Cookies.

If I am accurate here, the Tough Cookies led the whole way.  Other than the initial early scoring, I believe that the Sirens came with 5 points only once.  I found that rather interesting, because from my perspective I'd give the edge to the Sirens' blockers versus the Tough Cookies'.  (Of course, having better defense can also be driven by penalties, which results in power jams.  Once again, if I am accurate here, the Sirens lost 2 or 3 players to ejection while the Tough Cookies lost none.)  That observation is based strictly on team play as I think the most outstanding blocker was Tough Cookies' Hunnie Brasco (N2OP).  She does that hip check very effectively and seems to have an uncanny ability to predetermine a jammer's intent.  She might be my new favorite player (wait, let's check that as my favorite Tough Cookies are still on the team so maybe I need to play with my words better.)

Best go-to jammers:  Stefcon 1 (w00t) of the Tough Cookies and The Jeneral (#30) of the Sirens.  Put them out there and you know the score board is going to light up.

Note:  I initially thought that Stefcon 1 sat through all the 3rd quarter and close to the first 5 minutes of the 4th quarter.  I was corrected via Twitter that she had participated in one jam in the 3rd quarter.  She was out; however, for most of the 3rd due to penalty problems.  Just a random thought:  I wonder if the Roller Derby should do something similar to basketball telecasts?  In basketball, when a player reaches 3 fouls, this is often highlighted.  I wonder if on the roller derby score board, they should highlight individuals with 4 or more penalties.

Someday, I want to bring my DSLR to a match.  It would be fun.  The speed of the derby dolls would be an interesting challenged compared to fashion and band photography.  I generally don't shoot faster than 320 shutter speed and that's for outdoor concerts or bright light fashion shows.  I suspect I'd need to up that slightly for a derby.  And the whole focus thing could be a large hurdle.  On second thought, maybe bringing my camera to two matches would be fun as the first would be a practice run.

  



 

A Movie Review: 22 Jump Street

22 Jump Street. Schmidt (Jonah Hill) and Jenko (Channing Tatum) really aren't the best of cops unless they're doing undercover work among the student population.  Since they're a little old to go undercover as high school kids, it is off to college to see who is supplying drugs to the college kids.

In the school dynamic twist, Jenko with his football skills becomes the guy on campus versus Schmidt who is the geek.

Though this movie isn't as solid as the first, it probably still ranks as the best summer comedy (at least the ones I've seen) . . . yes, I would give it a slight nod over Neighbors.  I think I give it the slight nod due to the end credits.

I did miss Brie Larson though Amber Stevens' character adds a nice twist to the story.

The Dogs, they've stopped barking at me

In a post a while back, I mentioned this specific apartment that I pass while out walking and how the dog there always wants to bark at me.  Well, the owners got another dog perhaps a year ago and this dog also loves to bark at me.  Not only do the dogs bark, but they also like to chase after me (there is a fence/gate around this small apartment complex so there is a barrier that prevents them from getting near to me).  This has been going on for years now.  In some ways, it is amazing that both of us apartment dwellers are still in the same apartment units (considering how often folks who live in apartments move on in life).

Something strange happened the last two times I walked past this apartment:  the two dogs didn't bark at all.  I'm a little worried the two dogs are sick.

Maudlin Strangers at Bootleg HiFi

Maudlin Strangers.  They are a touch maudlin.  Their fans are hardly not so.  Catch the drummer.  His facial expressions are awesome.

Quote of the night:  It is so hot up here.  But then I'm stupid for wearing a jacket.  This jacket isn't coming off.

Dorothy at Bootleg HiFi

Dorothy.  She took the stage and you knew there was something special about to take place.  She just went at it and captivated the audience with her Sunset Strip vocals and attitude.  And that awesome band . . .

The Gromble at Bootleg HiFi

The Gromble. With their slightly stretched vocals, this band will rock you through their set.

Feels at Echo Park Rising

Feels. The last time I saw Feels, they were called Raw Geronimo.  I really didn't know what to expect considering that they went through some losses and additions of members, which resulting in the name change.

Lead vocalist Laena Geronimo still holds sway as the band continues with psychedelic sounds.  The percussion rhythms are replaced with guitar strings.  And most definitely, they hold you in enjoyable captive.

P.S.  I actually did this, I headed down to Echo Park Rising to see just the Feels.  I arrived while they were setting up and left after their set.  I am that kind of strange person sometimes.

A Movie Review: Ender's Game

Ender's Game.  I read this book years ago and recall not being all that into the book.  Of course, considering what a classic the book series has become, perhaps I should re-read it.

Earth was invaded by Formics and somehow we fought back and won.  To prepare for a potential future invasion, young recruits come to the International Military to train.  Since any future battle will be fought in a video game like environment, these young individuals are perfect as they have the skills to fight in a multi-dimensional type of space battle.  Ender Wiggins (Asa Butterfield) soon shows himself to be the best ever.

I will say that I enjoyed this movie.  The beginning to the middle of the movie is filled with interactions and game sequences between various teams of the International Military training camp.  Those scenes could have been a bore, but I found them interesting as they were leading up to a specific result.  In the back of my mind, I kind of knew how the movie was going to end (not perfectly as I had read the book awhile back) but still enjoyed it.

Problems with the movie:

1.  I wasn't into Asa Butterfield as Ender Wiggins.  I loved him in Hugo.  Not so much in this movie.

2.  I could have sworn that there was a brief scene that showed the Formics advancing through space towards earth.  Well, the final battle happens elsewhere, which left me wondering if I had mis-interpreted that scene or if that scene just didn't make any sense.

A Movie Review: The Place Beyond the Pines

The Place Beyond the Pines.  Luke (Ryan Gosling) is a traveling motorcycle stunt driver.  In one town he passes through, he runs into one of his flames, Romina (Eva Mendes).  He finds out that they have a child.  She's already moved on to an individual who is likely to provide a more stable relationship.  Luke decides to stay in town to try to rekindle the romance and to be more involved with his child.  

Deciding to stay in town results in Luke losing his income stream.  To earn money, he turns to robbing banks.  This is where he ends up running into a cop named Avery (Bradley Cooper).  

This movie is definitely well acted.  What else would you expect when Ryan Gosling, Eva Mendes and Bradley Cooper are involved.  On the other hand, I had a major problem with the movie when the sons of both Luke and Avery become frenemies in the movie.  It was just such an obvious moment that perfectly helped out with the plot, which kind of led one to figure out how the movie was likely to end.

Also, I'm not sure if the encounter between Avery and Luke should have been as controversial within the police department as it was made out to be.  Maybe a more veteran cop would have handled things differently, but considering the circumstances of the encounter (a confrontation with an individual who was guilty of armed robbery) I would tend to provide some lenience to the cop's actions.  

The Future League at The Satellite

The Future League.  Does the drummer have a Brazilian blowout haircut?  That was the question out there for this August residency band.

The Vim Dicta at The Satellite

The Vim Dicta.  First thing I thought when watching this band:  I love the vocals by the lead singer.  Her vocals have that perfect deepness.

Terraplane Sun at The Satellite

Terraplane Sun.

Jenny O in Pasadena

Jenny O. Sometimes you don't see someone for nearly a year and a half and when you do see them again you get a free concert that lasts 1 hour and 30 minutes. Hey, that sort of works out, doesn't it.

Jenny O, the songstress.

I did notice He's My Brother, She's My Sister in the audience.  I was hoping they might join in for a song or two.

The Shakers at The Viper Room

The Shakers. When ever The Shakers are about to hit the stage, the Viper Room always seems to fill up.  Why is that?  Maybe because they're amazing.

Hudson at The Viper Room

Hudson. Sometimes it is good to remove yourself from the Eastside music scene.  Of course, I did notice that Hudson has played The Satellite so maybe I just drove off to the Sunset Strip to catch a different fan vibe.  They play some serious Rock and Roll with a stage performance to match.

We are Kings and Queens at Silverlake Lounge

We are Kings and Queens.  Deliberate sounds that thrill.

Burning Jet Black at Silverlake Lounge

Burning Jet Black. Head nodding rock packaged in an entertaining stage presentation.

Honey and Wax at Silverlake Lounge

Honey and Wax. Blues rock and roll that is presented in a cheerful manner.  Hmm . . .

Sabrina Anoinette at the Roosevelt Hotel

Sabrina Antoinette. She rocks some high heels.  You'll have to see her in concert to see what I mean.

Emii at the Roosevelt Hotel

Emii. Here's a gal who isn't afraid to show her geek side . . . okay, not in this photo, but check out her Facebook page and you'll see what I mean.

Belmont Lights at the Roosevelt Hotel

Belmont Lights. Fine vocals with catchy melodies.

Top Rock at the Roosevelt Hotel

Top Rock.  Looking for some Rock of Ages entertainment?  Well, head on off to Palm Springs to catch Top Rock.  I got to catch a preview of their show at the Roosevelt Hotel.

An interesting Saturday, 8/2/2014

The previous Saturday (7/26) I went to the Toyota dealership to get a tune-up on my Prius.  I remembered at the last moment that there was a recall on my Prius.  The guy I was working with said to just come in early the following Saturday.

I arrived a little after 8 a.m.  The guy I talked to was really helpful.  He told me I'd get my car back shortly -- as agreed to previously.  About an hour later he came over and said, "I have bad news.  This was a major recall.  We need your vehicle until 1 p.m."  I replied, "I'm supposed to meet with friends at 11 a.m.  You said this would be a quick turn around.  I need my car back.  I'll just bring it back next Saturday."  He said, "How about Monday?"  I said, "I work."  He replied, "We'll give you a free rental from Enterprise."  I replied, "Sounds good."  He said, "Okay, we'll bring your car out."

I stood outside waiting for my car for perhaps 20 minutes.  I was like, somethings not right.  I go back to the guy and he immediately tells me, "I couldn't leave it like that.  I have two guys working on your car right now.  We'll have it done by 11 a.m."

That was really cool; however, he could have mentioned this change of plans to me.  Communication.

I got my car back at 10:50 a.m.  Not bad.  I rushed off and hung out with my friends (who were in from Thailand and are planning on heading back on Tuesday; therefore, the reason why I wasn't willing to wait around until 1 p.m. as there is only so much time on their schedule).  We had lunch at Palms and then had ice cream at Scoops.  It was a blast.  They had dinner plans with friends in West Hollywood and I had plans with friends to see Blazing Saddles outdoors at the Autry Museum put on by Eat See Hear.

The night started out well.  Kera and the Lesbians (a local band I've seen two or three times) played at 7:30 p.m.  The movie then started at 8:30 p.m.  This is when it started to get interesting.  Around 9:00 p.m.-ish, a series of water sprinklers turned on.  My friends and I were within a few yards of it.  Various individuals up and down the lawn took action and pushed the sprinkler heads back down.  Of course, this didn't prevent water from flooding the area.  It just prevented a bunch of folks from getting drenched.  This disruption probably cost us 10 minutes of the movie as a number of us had to eventually move to other areas of the lawn.

Then a little later we started to feel the occasional drops of rain (in August and in LA?!?).  The occasional drops soon turned into a steady light rain.  With about 5 minutes left in the movie, Eat See Hear had to stop the film.

And so ended an interesting Saturday in Los Angeles.    

A Movie Review: Boyhood

Boyhood. The movie starts out with five year-old Mason (Ellar Coltrane) staring up at the Texan clouds. He’s waiting for his mom (Patricia Arquette), who is talking to his teacher. Mason is apparently a bright kid, but just unfocused. He lives with his mom and sister, Samantha (Lorelei Linklater), who is a couple years older than him. His parents are divorced (it sounded like for over a year) and his dad (Ethan Hawke) is currently working in Alaska. The family moves to Houston soon after this scene. The dad also returns from Alaska and relocates to Houston, as well.

From here, the movie takes us on a 12+ year journey over the course of around 2 hours and 45 minutes. And no, new actors and actresses do not replace Ellar Coltrane and Lorelei Linklater. This movie, directed by Richard Linklater, was filmed over the course of 12 years. Maybe you should read that again: filmed over the course of 12 years. Over this time frame, we get to see these characters develop and grow in fascinating directions.

Though the movie is called Boyhood, it really feels that at the beginning this movie should be renamed Family. For much of the early going, the more interesting characters are Mom and Dad. Mom and Dad got divorced largely due to the fact that Dad was too immature and young to handle a life with two children. In search of someone with a more disciplined life, Mom gets involved with two individuals who definitely know a thing or two about discipline. First, she marries and divorces a college professor named Bill Welbrock (Marco Perella); and later, for a time has (I believe as I didn’t see a wedding ring) a live-in boyfriend, Jim (Brad Hawkins), who served in the military. Unfortunately for her and her children, both are alcoholics. Mom also grows up with a desire to achieve, but ends up as someone who has a nice paycheck, but has become house poor . . . essentially ending up where she started, but just better educated. Dad meanwhile lives a musician’s life in Houston. While there, he slowly turns himself into the man that Mom probably would have wanted to marry: a man with discipline, a touch of the wild side, and definitely not a drunk. Dad also goes from a big time liberal who encourages his two children to put up Obama lawn signs to one who (dare I even say it) probably considered putting up Romney signs in the next presidential election – partially driven by the fact that his second marriage was to a woman that gave off the impression of being a conservative Christian.

During the middle of the movie, a title called Siblings is more appropriate. For much of the movie, until she leaves for college, Samantha is just as important in this movie as Mason. There is a real tender moment in the movie when Dad comes back from Alaska. He is in Mason’s room. Mason is showing him arrowheads and snake vertebrae that he has collected. Not wanting to be left out, Samantha comes into the room with some photos. The Dad tries the impossible, paying attention to both of his children. And though it is impossible, he does his best. Yes, Samantha is not the child who is ignored in favor of another. Neither parent has a favorite, they love both children equally.

In the beginning and middle of this movie, I call it Family and then Siblings, because in some ways I found Mason’s childhood life less interesting than the others in his immediate family. I’m not saying I didn’t like Ellar Coltrane’s acting as a child actor and a tween. I’m just saying I found myself connecting with Mason later in his life as he was in his high school years. He still had those early traits with him that you saw at the beginning of the movie where he was just a bit of a scatterbrain. But in other ways you saw his passion in life (photography) and that was thrilling.

This is a movie that grows on you. This isn’t a movie that digs deep into a brief period of time such as a movie like August: Osage County. You only get maybe twenty minutes worth of storyline per selected year in this family’s life. What this movie does do is give you the breathtaking landscape of an individual’s youth: the good, the bad, the banal.

Highlight: One of my favorite Los Angeles bands is Family of the Year. I believe the first time I saw this band was September, 2010. They were doing a residency at Silverlake Lounge. Their song ‘Hero’ is featured in the movie and I say it is placed perfectly. I couldn’t help but sing along as Mason was heading off to college to find himself in the state of Texas – and yeah, maybe I irritated my fellow movie goers as I sung along.

 Guess: Dad (Ethan Hawke) has a moment with his teenage son where he discusses his only personal growth and how it related to Mason’s Mom. Was this a moment where Ethan Hawke was acknowledging his own personal short-comings in regards to his marriage to Uma Thurman?

Complaint: During a drive to Austin, Mason discusses Facebook with his girlfriend. Ah . . . isn’t Mason a photographer? Shouldn’t the discussion have revolved around Instagram, which I believe based on the timeline would have fit.