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.