A Movie Review. Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) has disappeared, driven by the fact that his nephew Ben Solo/Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) turned to the dark side while training to be a Jedi under his guidance. Yet, his sister Princess/General Leia (Carrie Fisher) needs him. The Empire has returned to the scene, re-emerging as The First Order. The problem is that no one knows where Luke Skywalker is; however, Luke did leave a clue -- probably in case an emergency arose.

Leia sends pilot Poe Dameron (Oscar Isaac) to meet with Lor San Tekka (Max von Sydow) who has a map that leads to Luke Skywalker. Somehow, The First Order is also aware that Lor San Tekka knows the location of Luke Skywalker. So both The Resistance and The First Order descend on the planet Jakku. Poe Dameron arrives first, but The First Order soon descends on the scene. Poe Dameron hides the map with robot BB-8. Poe is than taken prisoner by Kylo Ren.

BB-8 eventually runs into Rey (Daisy Ridley). The First Order figures out that BB-8 has the map and put out a bounty on the robot. With the assistance of a former stormtrooper Finn (John Boyega), Rey escapes the First Order and flies off in the Millennium Falcon!!! Han Solo (Harrison Ford) and Chewbacca (Peter Mayhew) find a pin needle in a haystack, coming across their ship.

This provides the set-up for the rest of the movie as the Resistance must both battle The First Order and search for Luke Skywalker.

So what did I think of this major blockbuster movie?

A pleasant enough popcorn movie. I say pleasant. It isn't a brilliant popcorn movie like the first Iron Man or The Dark Knight. The major knock I have on this is that I couldn't help but think this movie is nothing more than J.J. Abrams' youthful re-imagination of Star Wars: A New Hope.

Also, what gets really irritating about this movie is all the wink winks to the original Star Wars. It got to the point where it felt like J.J. Abrams was ripping off the first movie.

And what's up with both Rey and Finn holding their own to some degree with Kylo Ren in their individual lightsaber fights? It just drives me nuts when a highly trained warrior has difficulty fighting folks with limited skills. That's the one thing that irritated me with Man of Steel. How could Superman battle a trained warrior in General Zod when Superman had no previous experience in dealing with someone so powerful?

So I've read some of the theories out there and here's what I think about two of them (spoilers). Please note I'm not a super Star Wars fan so I don't know every minor detail about the franchise.

Is Kylo Ren a double agent? I don't think so. Someone killing off the person that he killed off (I'll leave that one a secret), would seem to indicate he is not a double agent. One should only go so far. If Kylo is a double agent, he went too far in killing off you-know-who. I'm not saying that Kylo Ren won't eventually find redemption, I'm just saying he's no double agent.

Who is Rey's father? Luke? Leia? Obi-Wan's grandchild? Or reincarnation of Darth Vader. I toss out the Darth Vader part. As mentioned in one article I read, Darth Vader was redeemed in Return of the Jedi. Also, it just seems too out in left field to learn that Rey is the reincarnation of Darth Vader. I could buy her being Luke's, Leia's or Obi-Wan's. The more seems to give credence to all 3 ideas. Rey being Luke's daughter seems the most obvious based on the movie, but then that could just be a red herring.

Rainbow Jackson and Fakers at The Satellite

Rainbow Jackson

It was an entertaining night of 70s inspired rock music. Fakers led the night off for me, rocking their way to a 40 minute set. They can get wild on stage, especially when the drummer takes his turn at the microphone. Friends and family were in support. Rainbow Jackson is doing the December residency. This band doesn't just stand around playing music. They use the stage, the whole stage. It makes for a level of comfort with their environment.


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Duke Basketball vs Utah: 75 - 77

Duke's going to have some troubles without Amile Jefferson over the next month or so. Though Duke had some brief stretches of great basketball, it just wasn't enough. With Grayson Allen playing with a flu, Duke just wasn't playing Duke basketball. Amazingly, at the end, Duke had a chance to send the game into a 2nd over-time, but Ingram's shot from a couple feet looked awkward and didn't come close to dropping into the basket.

Duke basically went with a 6 man rotation. Chase Jeter only played 6 minutes. Transfer Sean Obi didn't even get off the bench.

To me, Jakob Poeltl didn't exactly have an amazing offensive game -- he did admittedly score 19 points. But he did have an amazing impact on the defensive end. There must have been 4 or 5 plays where a Duke player drove to the basket and appeared to get intimated by Poeltl -- maybe more than 5 plays. If one needs any other proof, when Poeltl was on the bench, Duke was able to get offensive rebound after offensive rebound.It was kind of amazing. I'm pretty sure that if Ingram had made that shot at the over-time buzzer, Duke would have blown Utah out of the game in the 2nd half. Poeltl had fouled out and considering past experience Duke would have scored every time down the court. Every miss shot would have resulted in a Duke offensive rebound until Duke eventually scored. Oh well. We might be in for a long month of Duke basketball.

Vision with Rudy De Anda and Part Time at The Echo

Vision

A nice night at The Echoplex. With another music lineup happening at The Echo, the December residency was shifted to The Echoplex. Rudy De Anda and Part Time opened up for Vision. Rudy De Anda gave us some Latin rock, Spanish lyrics drawing even us non-Spanish speakers into the set. Part Time had this nerdy cool fashion sense. There was also this casual manner to their sound. Vision has this rapid fire rock sound. It was slowed temporarily when the lead guitarist busted a string. Once that was fixed, it was onward.

Noticed: as I was leaving The Echoplex a young woman was coming up, "I'm here to see Vision." I almost turned to tell her, "You need to come back next week. You just missed them."


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A Movie Review. The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2. The movie opens with Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) recovering from the vicious attack from Peeta Mellark (Josh Hucherson) -- the attack that ended the Part 1 movie. At the same time, the rebels have made progress in their overthrow of the Capital. Katniss starts to find herself at odds with President Alma Coin (Julianne Moore) and her close friend Gale Hawthrone (Liam Hemsworth) over the war tactics. Coin and Gale are willing to win no matter the tactics to get to victory. Katniss insists that they do not act like the Capital.

Due to differences of opinions regarding war tactics, Coin attempts to sideline Katniss. Katniss refuses to get sidelined and manages to get her way to the Capital for the final push. This leads to some calculated intrigue as the true intentions of Coin become obvious -- both in regards to her own political future and that of Katniss.

In my past reviews of the other movies, I've basically said that I just thought the movies were okay. This is the first movie of the series that I actually enjoyed. I loved the political calculations of Coin and her view that Katniss was becoming a threat not just to the Capital, but also to her. I also enjoyed the near naive manner in which Katniss carried out her singled minded mission, but eventually caught on to the politics that surrounded her.

I think the message of the movie is: power corrupts no matter how noble the cause.

What did I not like about the movie: I will say the ending felt like the ending of Lord of the Rings -- a little too many codas.

JT Schweitzer, Ian and Slow Rose at Pehrspace

Ian

It was a perfect night at Pehrspace to catch some bands. The crowd size was just perfect. Not too packed in and not too empty. Just the perfect number of folks. It was also a typical winter night in Los Angeles with the temperature around 50 F.

And then we had a solid lineup featuring JT Schweitzer, Ian  Slow Rose. JT Schweitzer decided to play with his back to the audience, focusing in on the sounds of his guitar. Ian was a solo night, featuring the lead singer of the band. She mentioned that her music sounded so much sadder when she did the solo gig versus performing with her band. She didn't mean for it to sound sad. Slow Rose ended the night for me. They spread themselves around Pehrspace and jammed through a single 30 minute song.


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A Movie Review: Creed

Creed. Adonis Johnson (Michael B. Jordan) has a troubled youth. But then fate arrives. Mary Anne Creed (Phylicia Rashad), wife of former heavyweight champion Apollo Creed, arrives at a youth facility. Adonis is not her son. Apollo had an extramarital affair and Adonis is his son. So because of this relationship, she takes him in.

The movie fast forwards to Adonis as a young adult. He has a solid job at a Los Angeles financial firm. Yet, he wants to be a boxer like his father. During the weekends, he heads down to Mexico for boxing bouts. After a string of victories, he decides to resign from his job and make boxing his career. Mary Anne is furious and a local boxing training camp in Los Angeles refuses to train him.

He decides to head to Philadelphia and see if he can convince Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone) to train him. Rocky resists, but is eventually convinced to become his trainer. Word eventually gets out that Adonis is Apollo's son. Adonis is then given a chance to fight the current light heavyweight champion Conlan (Tony Bellew). It might seem ridiculous for a new comer to be given a chance to fight the current champion; however, the current champion due to his crazy lifestyle is facing time in prison, which will essentially end his boxing career. Also, a planned fight was cancelled because the challenger broke his hand. So he desperately wants one last fight before heading off to prison.

This is a great movie that provides homage to the Rocky movies, but at the same time hands the reins over to (should he want it) Michael B. Jordan. There is the catch the chicken scene. There is a photo of Rocky with his young son, who now lives in Vancouver. There is a scene of bikers (not young kids), surrounding Adonis as he is out running.

I'm not saying this is an Oscar worthy film, but it is a solid popcorn movie.

And the 1st or 2nd sequel will probably have Conlan getting an early release from prison and challenging a cocky new champion Creed to a re-match.

A Movie Review: Brooklyn

Brooklyn. Eilis (Saoirse Ronan) lives in a small Irish town. She is unable to find full-time work so via the Catholic Church, she is able to relocate to New York where she is employed by a department store and lives at a boarding house for women. The local priest that sponsored her move to New York signs her up for accounting courses at a local night college. She also runs into a young Italian named Tony (Emory Cohen) at an Irish dance hall event. They start dating and consider getting married. Then disaster strikes back in Ireland. Eilis' sister Rose (Fiona Glascott) dies unexpectedly. Eilis heads back home where the temptation to stay is strong. She ends up being torn between her new life in America and the familiarity of Ireland.

There are a couple things with this movie that irritate me. First, I just don't by the relationship between Eilis and Tony. I feel like a snob for saying so, but Eilis is way smarter and intelligent then Tony. I can't help but think in the long run she'd grow bored with him. Second, we know up front that she moves to America due to her inability to find work. When the decision to return to America or not must finally be made, she comes up with a totally different reason for coming to her final decision. And I really don't support the final argument she makes -- trying here not to give spoilers -- because I think it is defensive and weak.

I will say this movie does shine in places. For example, the time spent on the ship and how Eilis must learn how to navigate life on a boat provide some great tidbits of 1950s travel. I also enjoyed the scenes of Eilis back in Ireland and seeing how even though it appears she hasn't changed all that much as a person, she really had taken on the look of a big city woman.

I just can't say that this is a brilliant movie, because I found the underlying theme of the movie (a decision regarding the old vs new) flawed.

Duke Basketball vs Buffalo: 82 - 59

I didn't get to see much of the Indiana game, but this one appeared to be a tougher game. Yes, Duke won by more against Buffalo, but it felt to me that Buffalo didn't back down.

Duke didn't appear to get many open looks from 3-point land, which perhaps made it feel like Duke didn't really get any offensive runs. Instead, Duke just steadily pulled away from Buffalo.

What did I notice:

One would have to say that Brandon Ingram is getting a handle on the college game. He was on the court for 38 minutes and scored the game high 23. He was also a monster on the defensive end.

Grayson Allen looked to have an off night even though he scored 22. Half those points were earned at the free throw line. On the offensive side, a lot of his passes were off the mark or Buffalo players deflected his passes.

I loved the two Marshall Plumlee to Amile Jefferson plays that were exactly the same and resulted in scores by Jefferson.

I really hope Chase Jeter follows in Brandon Ingram's shoes and starts earning some game time. He looked lost during his brief time in the game. I personally like to see 8 man rotations.

The Big Pink with Elohim and Drool at The Echo

The Big Pink

The Big Pink comes to Los Angeles via London. Their music has purpose. The vocals are dictated with purpose. The Big Pink just appears earnest in making sure you know that they're leading you on a journey.

Elohim is shrouded in mystery. She had stage hands set up her equipment. Then she came on stage and gave us a show that reminded me of IO Echo. Instead of thanking the audience, she went with pre-recorded messages, wishing everyone a good Thanksgiving.

Drool opened the night with an avant-garde set.

Noticed: one of the Drool musicians was pressed up against the stage during The Big Pink set.


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Whispertown and Ben Hazlewood at The Satellite

Whispertown

I believe the last time I saw Whispertown was way back in 2010. Well, actually, at the time the band name was Whispertown 2000. I still remember the first time I saw Whispertown 2000. It was at a venue that no longer exists on the corner of Western and Sunset. Life just flies by, doesn't it. I've said that a couple times recently as I've caught some other bands that I haven't seen in years. I couldn't help but notice that one of her songs sent tears down the cheeks of a local musician.

Opening up the night was Ben Hazlewood. He's from Australia and has a power vocal sound that makes you think of old school love songs. He's out touring America.


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A Movie Review: The Peanuts Movie

The Peanuts Movie. Honestly, what a sweat and simple movie. The over-arching story line is about Charlie Brown and his crush on the Little Red-Haired Girl. The movie doesn't go for updating the Peanuts for a new generation. There are no cell phones. No computers. Phone calls are still made via rotary phones.

The movie also interweaves all the old favorites from the Peanuts catalog. There is the hockey game on the frozen pond. There is Charlie Brown trying to fly a kite. Lucy is still charging 5 cents for her advice -- though I did notice she gave Charlie Brown a free book. And Sally considers her brother a hero even though he finds himself filled with self doubt. And then there is the adorable Snoopy, flying his dog house over Europe.

Yes, this is a movie for children and all adults who are still young at heart.

 

Duke Basketball vs Utah State: 85 - 52

For me, at least, it is hard to tell if Duke has improved over the last few games due to the fact that they played played an over-matched Utah State. The announcers kept on reminding us that Utah State lost their best player recently (he transferred out of Utah State). This game was competitive for perhaps 10 minutes, but you could tell that Duke was the better team -- though that first half defense stunk. Duke's first half defense wasn't that great and if Utah State could have actually made shots, I'm betting they would have led the game at halftime.

Wow. Marshall Plumlee is so much better than last year. The announces kept on bringing up the name of Brian Zoubek. I can see why Brian Zoubek's name is brought up; however, I think there is a big difference. Brian Zoubek began to emerge towards the back half of his senior season. For Plumlee, he's breaking out during the beginning of the season -- we did see glimpses during the back half of last season.

Last season, Amile Jefferson would only occasionally decide to rack up some points. This year, he seems far more willing to be an offensive force. 

Grayson Allen's point total was much lower than the Georgetown/VCU games. I think that's good. Better to not have him dominate the scoring column.

Luke Kennard is the one freshman who is really starting to find his place. That guy was hitting shots.

I didn't really focus in on Brandon Ingram, but from what I could tell his game was solid.

Derryck Thornton looked lost on offense. The one thing I was thinking while he shot the ball on various occasions: he's not shooting within the offense system.

A Movie Review: Spotlight

Spotlight. This movie is based on real events regarding a massive cover-up by the Boston Catholic Archdiocese regarding child molestation. The movie title comes from the investigative team for the Boston Globe. Walter Robinson (Michael Keaton) leads the team as they carefully go through the evidence. Many of their leads come from newspaper clippings where short articles were written up regarding settlements between the Catholic Church and victims, but no follow-ups were ever made. So this isn't just a move about the corruption within a church, but also about the free pass provided the church by the community.

This is a movie that really makes one consider a career in journalism. I think a top notch movie often does that -- be it a musician, an FBI agent, a police detective. I love how this movie follows the reporters as they question victims, former Catholic leaders, lawyers and various other individuals.

There is a lot more to love about this movie:

I love how the movie deals with the most simplest of things -- time, as an example. Sacha Pfeiffer (Rachel McAdams) is working with a support group, interviewing various members of the group. Unfortunately, Sept 11th, 2001 happens and the whole newspaper focuses in on the aftermath of the terrorist attack. I really like how Sacha Pfeiffer responds to the group leader, mentioning the fact that 2 months has passed. It allows the viewer to put things into a timeline context.

I love how the movie makes things personal when Matt Carroll (Brian d'Arcy James) figures out that child molesters are living just around the corner of his house. It is personal, because he has children and he obviously knows the neighborhood children. And yet, he can't say anything to his neighbors.

I love how the movie tosses in tidbits. One being that we're viewing the final days of a dying media -- the all powerful newspaper; that we're just about to enter a new world of journalism.

And being a numbers guy: I love how they toss out statistics throughout the movie.

What would I have liked to have seen in this movie:

I would have loved a few scenes of Cardinal Law (Len Cariou), meeting with his staff as they discussed the Spotlight investigation. Cardinal Law knew the investigation was happening. What was he thinking? Well, maybe that is just something we don't know.

A Movie Review: Spectre

Spectre. I suspect that re-watching the previous Daniel Craig movie versions of the James Bond series would have been useful. There were various references that one knew had to deal with the prior movies, but I personally just couldn't recall the specifics. To me, it is a little unfair to reference Quantum of Solace, which was way back in 2008. James Bond isn't like the Harry Potter series where a new movie came out every 18 months.

Anyways, James Bond (Daniel Craig) is on a mission in Mexico. The former M (Judi Dench) sent him on the mission. The current M (Ralph Fiennes) knows nothing about this and therefore places Bond on suspension for making a serious mess in Mexico.

Bond will not allow a suspension to take him away from his mission. Bond attends a funeral in Rome of one of the individuals he killed. The widow of the man gives Bond info on a secret organization called Spectre. With this information, he begins to unravel the true nature of Spectre.

As hinted above, I found this movie a touch hard to follow as there are references to previous Bond movies. I think if one really wants to get into the background of the movie, re-watching the previous Daniel Craig movies would be useful.

There is one thing that really got me irritated about this movie. That one thing has to do with how the Bond girl, Madeleine Swann (Léa Seydoux), character is portrayed. We know before she is introduced to us that she knows how to take care of herself. We also learn that she knows how to handle a weapon. She even takes a major part in saving James Bond from an assassin. And yet, when the second to the last big action scene takes place, she is basically just the hot Bond girl being protected by James Bond. Mercy, she knows how to shoot, why doesn't she pick up a weapon?!?! There are weapons all over the place, next to dead bad guys. I swear I saw Bond pick up a gun from a dead bad guy. What, she couldn't pick up one, as well?!?! To me, this is a serious flaw in the movie. If you're going to write a character who knows how to handle a weapon, then let that character handle a weapon when the need arises.

Duke Basketball vs Georgetown: 86 - 84

My first viewing of a Duke basketball game of the 2015-2016 season. To me, this was the freshman don't really matter game. Yes, Thornton had 14 points, but 8 of those points came at the free throw line -- with 6 of those free throws in the last minute.

This game was all about Grayson Allen, which is good and bad. Good, because it was fun watching him score 32 points. Bad, because Duke needs more balanced scoring.

I've heard about how Marshall Plumlee has significantly improved over last year. I agree. He did foul out, but it just appeared to me that he was under control during the game. If Chase Jeter can improve his game, I think Marshall Plumlee could bang bodies for a solid 20 minutes a game.

Amile Jefferson had his normal dominate game on the boards.

As for the freshman, Brandon Ingram, Luke Kennard and Chase Jeter are still growing into their roles. If Luke Kennard and Brandon Ingram can start getting their shots to drop, Duke will be unstoppable on offense.

A Movie Review: Room

Room. Ma/Joy (Brie Larson) and five-year-old Jack (Jacob Tremblay) are being held captive by Old Nick (Sean Bridgers). They are held captive in a shed, which is perhaps the size of one of those super small apartments in New York City that you read about every so often. Inside is a small bedroom/living room/kitchen/bathroom. Ma/Joy was kidnapped at the age of 17. At some point later, via rape, she gets pregnant with Jack.

To shield Jack from his harsh life, Ma/Joy creates a fantasy world in which their room/prison is all that there is and that Old Nick is an alien who provides them with the necessities of life.

Ma/Joy had attempted to escape before, but with the birth of Jack it appears that she had put that thought on hold. She decides to make another attempt when she learns that Old Nick is unemployed, potentially putting Jack and her at risk. She has to inform Jack that she created a false reality for him. Then she has to convince him to be a participant in her escape plan.

I found this movie an interesting study on how individuals recovery from emotional trauma. This movie could have dealt with the desire for revenge, but once Ma/Joy and Jack escape to freedom there is little discussion about Old Nick. Instead, we see how Ma/Joy deals with her emotional scars and how Jack adjusts to a very very big world.

No Win with Hillary Chillton and Moaning at the Bootleg Theater

No Win

It felt like a Pehrspace/The Smell type of night at the Bootleg Theater. Hillary Chillton, Moaning and No Win all had that feel. In fact, I'm pretty sure I've seen some of the members in these bands hanging out at these two locations. And some of the folks in the audience, as well.












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The Shakers playing at O'Briens Pub (Santa Monica)

It was a final time to see lead singer Jodie fronting The Shakers. Jodie recently announced that she was pregnant. Soon after, she announced that she was ending her run with The Shakers.

Now first off, there are two O'Briens in Santa Monica. I initially ended up at the Wilshire location. I don't know if the two locations are connected and I kind of wonder if they get occasional lost individuals like myself, because one of the staff immediately knew where I needed to go to catch The Shakers.

So I missed about half of The Shakers first set -- they had 3 sets through the night. The place was packed with fans saying their good-byes. I recognized a handful of faces. There were a number of individuals wearing their The Shakers t-shirts. It was a festive gathering, as it should have been.

And in finale: it was my pleasure to follow Jodie from Automatic Music Explosion to The Shakers. It was a wonderful ride.



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A Movie Review: Steve Jobs

Steve Jobs. The movie opens with Steve Jobs (Michael Fassbender) and his marketing executive Joanna Hoffman (Kate Winslet) preparing for the launch of the Macintosh at an Apple Event. Apple fans are outside the auditorium, waiting for the doors to open. Yet, there is a problem. The Macintosh has a bug that prevents it from saying, "Hello." He also has domestic problems. He refuses to recognize that a child named Lisa is his biological daughter and he has issues with his ex-girlfriend.

The movie then continues through Jobs' forced exit from Apple, his launch of NeXT and his eventual return to Apple.  

This movie feels like a no holds barred look at Steve Jobs. I don't think that anyone can walk away from this movie without thinking that Steve Jobs was a jerk to his family and friends. He over-looked his flaws, but expected perfection and total loyalty from those around him. It also shows a man with a vision who fails twice, but keeps to that vision and eventually wins out. A complex view of an iconic man.

What do I wish the movie had dealt with? I wish the movie had looked into his involvement in Pixar. I'm actually not an Apple fan and don't know a whole lot about Steve Jobs, but based on the movie I can't help but wonder if he got involved with Pixar because it was a way to connect to his daughter.

One part of the movie I question: towards the end of the movie -- honestly, I don't think this is a spoiler -- Lisa is at an Apple launch event for the iMac. There is another parent-daughter argument going on and she refuses to meet with her father. Okay, so why even show up at the event in the first place if you're angry with your father?

Silver Needle at St. Felix Hollywood

It was a reunion night at St. Felix Hollywood. Silver Needle hit the stage for the first time in like forever. And it felt all so similar. A lot of friends I hadn't seen in years showed up. I had a nice conversation with one friend who I learned is doing a lot of volunteer work at LACMA. Then there was Silver Needle itself. They rocked out like they used to do back in the Kiss or Kill days.

For those who want to know, Silver Needle along with bands such as Automatic Music Explosion, Bang Sugar Bang, Pu$$y Cow, The Mulhollands and The Randies got me into the Los Angeles music scene as well as into photography.


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White Sea and Alohaha at Bootleg Theater

White Sea

I was feeling a touch under the weather so I skipped my ritual of heading out on a Monday night. I replaced it with a Wednesday night. I think it was worth it. It was a White Sea residency night. Opening the night was Alohaha. This band has 2 steel guitars and a sound inspired by Pacific Ocean waves hitting the shores of Hawaii. If I follow Alohaha's Facebook properly, a member of the band was missing and Morgan Kibby from White Sea did double duty for the night.

White Sea is all about Morgan Kibby's amazing vocals. Wow. She opens her shows showing off her vocals and just keeps on going. Dressed in kimono-inspired fashion, Morgan held the audience under her spell.

What was noticed: she had some problems with one of her high heels so she eventually kicked her heels off and did the rest of her set bare-footed. While taking a rest from my photography, I couldn't help but notice how she tapped her left toes to keep time.


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A Movie Review: Bridge of Spies

Bridge of Spies. The movie opens up with James Donovan (Tom Hanks) negotiating an insurance settlement. His career was as an insurance lawyer and based on the opening scene, he was a very good negotiator. Even though he was perhaps in a mundane career as an insurance lawyer, we also learn in the film that he was a lawyer at the Nuremberg trials.

 Around the same time, a Russian spy named Rudolf Abel (Mark Rylance) is captured by the FBI. It is determined that he should be given a trial. The one problem is that no lawyer wants to take the case of defending a Russian spy. Donovan's law firm approaches him about taking the case. He resists, but eventually decides to take the case.

Donovan takes his duties as Abel's lawyer seriously. Even though various forces pressure him to not go all out for his client, he still does.

When an American air force pilot is captured in Russia, Donovan is asked to negotiate the release of the pilot in exchange for Abel.

This is a movie about a man with high ethics, willing to take on an unpopular case and giving it everything he has. And in the end, it pays off in a wonderful way. The movie also has some nice little three dimensional chess match of a negotiation where the American outwits his Russian and East German counterparts, because the other two refuse to communicate properly with each other.

Though this movie definitely keeps the audience involved, I do think there are some flaws that make it an above average movie, but not a great one. First, I think the editing could be tightened up a bit. A love story between Donovan's daughter and his legal assistant is briefly highlighted at the beginning of the movie and then is never discussed again. Why not just edit this out? Second, the American vs. Russian vs East German negotiations plays more for laughs than for tension. I'd rather have seen the tension highlighted.

A Movie Review: Sicario

Sicario. For me, this movie appeared to be going nowhere interesting. I was thinking, "Is this just going to be a move where they catch the drug lord? Whatever. In the end, after the end credits, we know that someone else is just going to take the person's place."  Yet, the movie leaves you on the edge of your seat, because like the FBI agents Kate Macer (Emily Blunt) and Reggie Wayne (Dnaiel Kaluuya) you know that something just doesn't feel right. I was just waiting for the payoff, but thinking there might not be one, but when the payoff happens I was very pleased.

Kate Macer (Emily Blunt) is an FBI agent tasked to deal with drug violence in the Southwest. The film opens with her leading an FBI team into a house associated with the drug cartel. They find a most gruesome scene. Soon after she is approached by Matt Graver (Josh Brolin). Matt Graver won't tell her what specific government agency he works for, but asks if she is ready to do more than just finding the lower rung of the drug cartel. His goal is to go after the top brass.

She joins, but is put in the role of observation. This doesn't sit well with her, especially when dealing with the shadowy Alejandro (Benicio Del Toro).

This is a tightly written and edited film that deals with something that I say goes beyond the gray areas of life. To me, the major question here is: is doing the unethical somethings the ethical thing to do. Right now, in real life, we perhaps see this theory playing out in Syria.

What did I not like about this movie: the only thing I can think of is that they are searching for a specific clue -- let's keep it generic -- and they discover this clue with relative speed by just questioning some folks. If something like that is so easy to discover, why doesn't the FBI, DEA or whatever just do this on a regular basis. Other than that quibble, I say this movie is brilliant.

A Movie Review: The Martian

The Martian. A manned mission to Mars is hit with an unexpected storm. The storm is so strong that they fear that their vehicle will tip over. They make their way to their vehicle. Mark Watney (Matt Damon) is hit with debris during this journey and is flung out of sight. Based on body readings, it is assumed that he is dead. Commander Melissa Lewis (Jessica Chastain) makes the decision to leave.

And yet, Mark Watney is not dead. A piece of debris had punctured his space suit, damaging the suit's instruments. Instead of just giving up on himself, he goes about attempting to survive on Mars. He builds a potato farm to supplement his current food supply.He also figures out a way to communicate with earth. He hits a major setback when the room he is growing his potatoes blows up, but he keeps going forward in his will to survive.

This movie kept me involved throughout. As discussed with some friends, I don't think there are any moments where you think Mark Watney is going to die. You know that just isn't going to happen, especially when we get to the last few minutes. Would everyone go to such a large effort to rescue Mark Watney only to see him die at the end? Not likely.

What I think is intriguing about the movie that doesn't exactly give you a great sense of worry for Watney is simply the methodical manner that everyone (Watney, NASA, his crew mates) go about attempting to survive and rescue him.





 

Their Wedding with Royal Young and Brother, Sister at Silverlake Lounge

Their Wedding

A sweet night at Silverlake Lounge. It started with the classical, orchestral leaning Brother, Sister. The band uses a number of string instruments along with a lone clarinet to create their carefully drawn out sound. One could say they're the soundtrack to a wistful movie.

Royal Young shook it up with the female lead singer hitting the funk notes. Their lead guitarist strikes you as Mike Myers doing an ad lib with a band. Their bassist just won't stop moving. The stage lights exploded into occasional circle of colors, making for some playful sights.

Their Wedding stepped up on their final residency night with some independent pop sounds, done with earnest intensity. The two lead vocalists (female/male) play off each other, making for sweet music. The music makes one sway.

The night also had a solid crowd. Folks came out to support their various friends. It was cool to see.


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Kim and The Created with L.A. Witches and Colleen Green at the Echoplex

Kim and The Created

What an awesome night of free music at The Echoplex. It is a week later and I'm still feeling a buzz. Since I'm writing about a Monday night, it was a residency night. The residency band was Kim and The Created. The music sounds like Halloween. And the stage performance is wild. She came out in a Catwoman costume. And then honestly, at some point in the set, she smeared red paint across her face. When this happened, I have no clue.

She wasn't the only awesome band of the night. Opening the night was L.A. Witch. This band just strums along with a strong downbeat and an ever so slightly tinged Roy Orbison vocals, but with a female twist.

Colleen Green brought the edgy sweetness into the middle of the night. She sang with earnest, apologizing at times when her pre-programmed beats didn't match up with what exactly she wanted to accomplish. There is also this endearing shyness to her stage show that just makes you want to cheer her on.

I wish those three bands would do another night together. I'd be there in a second.


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Armors and Paper Pilots at Bootleg Theater

Armors

Wow. Armors. Here's a band where the drummer does triple duty. He plays the drums. He's the lead singer. And he provides the energy. Their music is filled with passion, dripping with stress.

Paper Pilots opened the night with their flowing sounds.

Hey, I'm liking the new lights at Bootleg Theater. It makes taking photos a lot easier.



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The Magnettes and The Rituals at The Satellite

The Magnettes

A recent Monday night meant spending time at The Satellite. The Magnettes hit the stage from Pajala, Sweden. The city has a population of around 2,000. The band is fronted by 2 young women who joked repeated about how they loved being around folks who weren't in their 50s. The band's main attraction is their theatrics. For their set they were dressed in red ritual robs hiding cheerleader outfits.

The Rituals aren't from a small town like Pajala, Sweden; however, they are recent transplants to Los Angeles via Philadelphia. Their music speeds along with purpose

For the month of October, The Satellite Monday night residency is being brought by Balcony.TV.
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Kid Cadaver and Warbly Jets at Chinatown Moon Festival

Kid Cadvaer

This was my first time (and I guess only time) this summer of 2015 where I headed down to catch some music in Chinatown. Kid Cadaver's music will make you bounce with joy. Their music just has this happiness to it. Warbly Jets comes to Los Angeles via New York. Their tight pants and '70s style creates a tension in styles.

What did I notice: both drummers drive their respective bands with their flair. Kid Cadaver's drummer flings around, giving the music that bounce. Warbly Jets' drummer keeps a toothpick between his lips, a perfect symbol to the coolness of this band.

What did I notice 2: one of the guitarists for Warbly Jets kept heading back towards his amp. I thought for sure he was having problems, but it was actually the lead singer who finally had to deal with bad wires.

It was a great time to in Chinatown. I am happy I finally made it down.



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A Movie Review: Everest

Everest. This is based on a true story. Rob Hall (Jason Clarke) ran Adventure Consultants. He and his team assisted climbers who wished to ascend Mount Everest. For 1996, climbers who join him included Beck Weathers (Josh Brolin), Doug Hansen (John Hawkes) and Yasuko Namba (Naoko Mori). All were experienced climbers. From the movie, it appears that Beck Weathers was an experience climber who had to turn back after attempting a climb of another challenging mountain. Doug Hansen was a mailman who was on his second attempt to climb Everest. Yasuko was attempting to be the first woman to climb the Seven Summits.

When they arrive at the base of Everest, they discover it is packed with other firms and climbers. It doesn't take long for various guides to determine that too many individuals are attempting the climb. Rob Hall teams up with a competitor named Scott Fischer (Jake Gyllenhaal).

After a number of mini-climbs to get the climbers acclimated to the altitude, they head out. Things slowly start to unravel, though that is probably normal. Scott Fischer is forced to return down the mountain when one of his climbers falls ill. In order to rejoin the larger group, he rushes back up the mountain too quickly and becomes ill. Also, a major storm is seen heading their way.

The two teams make it to the final camp site. A little after midnight, Rob Hall sees that the weather is clear. He gets everyone ready to head out. Scott Fischer, still tired, stays back to get a couple additional hours of rest. The team heads out, but then perhaps the most major obstacle of the climb hits. Two individuals -- one from both teams -- were supposed to make sure the ropes were secure. Unfortunately, the two never got to it. The climb has to stop while the ropes are secured. This delays things, but the majority of the team is still able to hit the summit by 2 p.m.

They start to head down. As they head down, they come across a struggling Doug Hansen. Rob Hall encourages him to turn around, but Doug argues that this is his 2nd attempt and he won't go back for a third. Rob takes this to heart and helps Doug reach the summit. This is where emotions over-took common sense and chaos arose. The major storm hits and then Doug runs out of oxygen and isn't able to continue the climb down, which results in Rob Hall getting stuck with a client who is unable to help himself.

A number of people end up dying on the mountain, including both Rob Hall and Scott Fischer.

The movie seems to indicate a number of reasons why the climb went south.

1. Obviously, the weather took a turn for the worse.
2. Rob Hall made a serious error in judgement by allowing Doug Hansen to continue his climb.
3. Scott Fischer made an error in judgement by rushing back up the mountain, though I think one can understand this as he had teamed up with Rob Hall and probably didn't feel it was appropriate that Rob Hall lead both teams up the mountain.

I think one has to wonder if Scott Fischer was healthy and if Rob Hall had stood firm with Doug Hansen if there would have been any deaths on Everest even with the storm.

This movie shows how unexpected events and miscues can often lead to disaster. The two teams had well planned out strategies, but when the strategies weren't properly executed an unexpected event resulted in disaster.

I enjoyed this movie. It plays like an action movie. My one criticism is that the climb perhaps gets a touch confusing. There are a ton of characters that are followed during this climb up. Some of them are given only a couple seconds of screen time such as Sandy Hill Pittman (Vanessa Kirby). It almost feels like some of these characters shouldn't have been given the screen time they were given or the movie should have gone ten or fifteen minutes longer.

  

A Movie Review: Black Mass

Black Mass. This movie follows the rise and fall of Whitney Bulger (Johnny Depp) and how he corrupted those around him. A key example of this corrupting influence being his childhood friend, a celebrity FBI agent, John Connolly (Joel Edgerton).

The movie opens with Whitney Bulger being a rather small time gangster in Boston who wants to expand his power. John Connolly moves back to Boston. He learns that the mafia wants to expand into Bulger's territory and plan to take him out. Connolly warns Bulger.

Connolly later convinces Bulger to turn into an FBI informant to help take down the mafia. The problem is that Bulger is very hesitant to feed any information unless pressed, but at the same time he is corrupting Connolly.

I found this movie to be a so so gangster movie. Johnny Depp is brilliant as Bulger. He totally changes up his acting style. There is no Pirates of the Caribbean or Alice in Wonderland type acting. My problem is how John Connolly is portrayed. I don't think the movie properly shows the transition of Connelly from a top FBI agent to a corrupt one. To me, at one moment he's trying to get his childhood friend to turn informant and then the next moment he's involved in a murder.

Reno Bo and yOya at The Satellite

I wasn't planning on going to The Satellite on a recent Monday night. Instead, I went to another music venue. Unfortunately, that venue was having some technical issues. It was a sad moment as there was a nice crowd there. I decided the situation wasn't about to turn around anytime soon so off to The Satellite I went.

Reno Bo was finishing up their set. He's a Nashville based artist. His music has a touch of blues.

yOya was up next. The last time I saw them was at the 2014 Brokechella. It was cool catching up with this band again.

I knew I was going to have to wake up early to head to work so I took off after yOya. I'll be back to The Satellite tomorrow to catch the residency band.





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Hobart W Fink and The Vim Dicta at The Smell

Hobart W Fink

It was time to head to The Smell. I don't often head down that way, but I do enjoy doing so. The traffic going from Glendale to Downtown Los Angeles was jammed. The 110 was backed up. Downtown street traffic was also more crowded than anticipated, but I was able to find parking in my normal location.

First up for me was Hobart W Fink. Their stage show is fun to watch. You have a bassist who can't stand still. You have a guitarist who has the most animated facial expressions. Their music comes to you straight from the house garage. If I heard correctly, the band has had a significant turn-over in members: one original member and two new ones. A lot of their songs on Soundcloud have female vocals. So for the night, they had a guest singer for a couple songs.

The Vim Dicta ended the night for me. I think this band is hard to pin down. You have a female lead singer with deep sexy vocals. You have music where a single song can sound psychedelic one moment and then jazzy the next.  This band will definitely keep your ears waiting for what the next musical note will bring.


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The Eleventh Frequency, Solar Sons and Charlie Overbey & the Broken Arrows at The Echo

Charlie Overbey and the Broken Arrows

It was a Reprising of Echo Park Rising -- some of the bands that played Echo Park Rising were playing on this Monday night. Both The Echo and The Echoplex stages were used for the night.

The Eleventh Frequency calls themselves a post-punk band. Their music rises above the horizon and shines a light on the audience.

Solar Sons came up next for me. Their funk fashion fuses perfectly with their funk music. A couple friends (I'm assuming they were friends) were filming the set. One was so into the rhythm I couldn't help but wonder if she was actually filming anything that would be of any use to the band.

The final band of the night for me was Charlie Overbey and the Broken Arrows, country music to the core with influence from Johnny Cash. This band is made up of older gentlemen who show more energy on stage than those half their age. I couldn't help but think this band would be perfect for Bloomfest, well, when Bloomfest had live bands.

King Walrus & the Magicians, Messenger and Winter Break at Pehrspace

Messenger

It was off to Pehrspace to catch some Razorcake bands. King Walrus & the Magicians was playing as I walked into the stage area. Their sound reminded me of a local favorite The Mo odds. What really got me going was that after looking into the band later I learned that they came in from San Luis Obispo. I graduated from Cal Poly SLO. I even noticed that they played at the Cal Poly radio station.

Next up was Messenger. For some reason, I swear I've seen this female led band before. Or maybe I saw her as a special guest of another band. She paces across the stage with swagger. A friend would join between songs to provide a quick respite. Hey, I handed a bottle of water to the lead singer. I felt like part of the band.

Winter Break ended the night for me. The crowd came up close. When the band encouraged them to come closer, they moved in even closer. Close enough where I found it hard to take any photos. Their fan base took various times singing along with the band. It was a thrilling way to end the night.
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A Movie Review: The French Connection

The French Connection. Jimmy Doyle (Gene Hackman) and Buddy Russo (Roy Scheider) are undercover police officers. After taking down their most recent suspect, they go out for drinks. They notice Sal Boca (Tony Lo Bianco) spending a ton of money. On a whim, they decide to tail him to see where it leads. By doing solid investigative work, their case slowly expands. They are able to get wire tap authority and soon there is a French connection made. They are convinced they're onto something big though others suspect they're just investigating low level criminals. They are soon told to just drop the case, but when a sniper attempts to take Jimmy Doyle out, the case ramps back up.

Wow, I vaguely remember seeing this movie before -- it sort of dawned on me during the last 30 minutes -- but after seeing it again recently I have to say this movie is brilliant. This is a very well crafted crime thriller. It is a joy watching Jimmy Doyle and Buddy Russo slowly put together their case. It is also amusing to watch the cat and mouse game begin as the French connection realize that they're being watched. The French aren't stupid and know how to evade.

A couple issues:

1. When the sniper attempts to take out Jimmy Doyle from a rooftop, Jimmy goes up after him. From the rooftop, Jimmy sees the sniper running below him. Now the building looked to be at least 6 stories high. Somehow Jimmy is able to run down the stairs or go down the elevator and catch up to the guy. Yeah, I don't think so. Other than that, this movie is tightly written. I don't know if there are any other logical flaws.

2. I'm not sure that the passage of time is properly reflected in this movie. The stakeout takes place over a couple months, but you only learn about that when it is mentioned towards the end of the investigation. For some reason, I think the the passage of time should have been shown better, but then that is a rather minor complaint.

My 2015 Movie Summer Rankings

I saw a number of movies this summer. I did skip out on a lot, as well. In past years, I'd probably head out to see movies like Minions, San Andreas, Terminator: Genisys and Tomorrowland. But now I'm a touch more careful with how I spend my money at the movie theaters. With that in mind, I have to say, I saw some decent movies this past summer.

Excellent

Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation
Me and Earl and the Dying Girl
Mad Max
Spy
The End of the Tour

Solid

Straight Outta Compton
Mistress America
Trainwreck
Dope
Avengers: Age of  Ultron

Okay

Inside Out
Jurassic World
Pitch Perfect

A Movie Review: The End of the Tour

The End of the Tour. I've read two of David Foster Wallace's books: Infinite Jest (which I struggled through) and A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again. I also bought Oblivion, but haven't started to read it yet. I wouldn't say that David Foster Wallace is my favorite author, but I do have an interest in him. I still remember seeing a blurb on Infinite Jest in a magazine (I think it was Newsweek). Based on that blurb, I decided to go buy the book. As mentioned, I struggled through it, but the one thing I do recall is being amazed at how much knowledge Wallace had about various random facts. I couldn't help but think he'd kick butt in a Trivial Pursuit game.

Over-all though, I knew little about the author. I assumed based on his critical acclaim that he was an intellectual. When I heard about The End of the Tour, I decided I had to see this movie. A writer at the Rolling Stone David Lipsky (Jesse Eisenberg) is assigned to interview David Foster Wallace (Jason Segel) during the last leg of his book tour. What shocked me about this movie. David Foster Wallace was like the rest of us (or maybe worse). He was addicted to junk food. What kind of diet was that guy on? He loved to watch television. He was so concerned about his addiction to television that he refused to own a television. Yes, David Foster Wallace was like the rest of us, but with an amazing skill to write wonderful stories.

This movie is probably not for everyone. It is a movie that digs into the psyche of a beloved author. If one has never heard of David Foster Wallace, they probably wouldn't find this movie interesting. It might just come across as another movie about a "creative" who is filled with self-doubt. But for those who have read his books, it gives some wonderful insight into the man. But by wonderful, I also should say there is dread. There is dread, because the ending is already known. One just might walk out of the theater a touch depressed as well as a touch inspired.

    

Sugarcube and Popheart at Bootleg

Popheart

Sugarcube's music pretty much has the taste of sugarcubes, adding that perfect sweetness to any cup of coffee or tea. Popheart followed in the same vein, but with deeper vocals.

This was my first time at the Bootleg since The Fold and Bootleg parted ways. The Fold always brought awesome bands to Monday nights. The Bootleg continued in that tradition on this September night.

The bands were young and so was the crowd. And many were dressed to impress. I'm not saying they were dressed like they were going clubbing, but there was a distinct fashion sense.

So I couldn't help but think that Popheart's lead singer has a resemblance to Paul Dano. Even his hand motions reminded me of Paul Dano's physical acting. And then in the crowd, I swore someone looked like Catherine Keener. It was a Hollywood night.


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The Ex-Gentlemen at El Cid

The Ex-Gentlemen. It's been years since I last saw this band. This band has deep ties with the old Kiss or Kill Club via Bang Sugar Bang and The Rainman Suite. Though I recognized only a handful of folks at El Cid, it felt like a Kiss or Kill Club night. There was this great sense of punk rock freedom. Due to the fact that they were playing a birthday party, they did two sets on the night. Extra duty for a cool friend.

There she sat on the floor speakers, putting on the illusion of being bored, but one could tell that she hoped that her musician would give her that private glance.



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A Movie Review: Straight Outta Compton

Straight Outta Compton. This movie follows the true life story of the rap group NWA. We're first introduced to Eazy-E (Jason Mitchell), a small time drug dealer who narrowly escapes the LAPD. We soon meet Ice Cube (O'Shea Jackson Jr.), the lyrical genius who writes while on the bus, and Dr. Dre (Corey Hawkins), the producer extraordinaire. Outside a night club, Dr. Dre gets arrested. Eazy-E bails him out. In the process, the two discuss exploring the music world together. With the help of Ice Cube, they produce a record which becomes a big hit. In comes Jerry Heller (Paul Glamatti) to bring some structure and promotional power to NWA.

This is an engaging movie. You really find yourself cheering for Dr. Dre, Ice Cube and Eazy-E.

I did have some issues with this movie; however. It seems that Eazy-E is the only member of the band that is shown to have a real dark side. The others are almost viewed as angels -- well, excluding the orgies. Any negative light on the character of Dr. Dre and Ice Cube are more issues of discussion versus being viewed on screen. For example, Dr. Dre's girlfriend Nicole (Elena Goode) mentions her worries about the violence that swirls around NWA.

I think the movie introduces too many individuals without any real explanation. I think Nicole is the only person that is provided an introduction. How did Eazy-E and Ice Cube meet their future wives? They're suddenly just there. Suge Knight (R. Marcos Taylor) just shows up at a pool party one day and we have to assume that he's an important character. I do understand that the movie is covering a lot of time, but it would be nice to get some intros. For example, Eazy-E having to deal with AIDS is slowly introduced to us via his constant coughing and so it isn't a surprise when it is found that he has the deadly disease.

As for Jerry Heller being portrayed as the lone bad guy. Yes, it sounds about right, but part of me also thinks that Eazy-E has to take his share of the blame. If you are considered the leader, you can't be naive and once you've learned that you've screwed over your friends -- via by not fully understanding what Jerry did -- you have an obligation to make things right.

The Bulls with Alex Lilly and White Sea at The Satellite

The Bulls

It was the final residency night for The Bulls. I just had to head on over to hear the catchy tunes from this band.

Alex Lilly hit the stage first with her beat poetry and amusing date story. If one should go on a date with Alex Lilly and she starts to talk about the weather one should know that she feels the date is getting a touch uncomfortable. I did a quick look up on Alex Lilly and realized that I'd seen her before when she was playing with a band called Obi Best.

White Sea was up next. White Sea is also known as Morgan Kibby. What amazing vocals, her range is stunning. During one song, I think she surprised herself with her range. Morgan mentioned during the set that she was so happy the crowd was enjoying her set as she suspected that most had never heard of her. Well, one guy came up to me and said, "Why does she think we don't know her?"

I'd call The Bulls' residency an amazing success. Their music soothes the soul. As a photographer, I have to say I really loved the stage smoke and how it played with the light. I think it made for some amazing photos.


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