A Movie Review: The Family Stone

The Family Stone.  Everett Stone (Dermot Mulroney) brings his girlfriend, Meredith Morton (Sarah Jessica Parker), home for the holidays to meet his family.  These include mom Sybil Stone (Diane

Keaton), father Kelly Stone (Craig T. Nelson) and siblings Amy Stone (Rachel McAdams), Ben Stone (Luke Wilson), Susannah Stone Trousdale (Elizabeth Reaser) and Thad Stone (Tyrone Giordano).  Everett and Meredith don't realize that they're running into a buzz saw driven by a handful of reasons.  First, Amy Stone has met Meredith and isn't giving the family a good report card on her.  Second, her conservative personality/politics doesn't fit in with the family.  Third, Everett informs his mother that he intends to propose to Meredith.  Add that all together and a massive clash occurs within the Stone family.  Meredith feeling defeated invites her freewill sister, Julie Morton (Claire Danes), to the mess.

The major positive about this movie is seeing a family that really cares for each other.  They aren't gathering during Christmas because it is a duty, but because they really do love each other -- this excludes newbie Meredith, of course.  Also, as soon as Claire Danes shows up, the movie just brightens 100%.  But I also think this movie has serious problems, which revolve around Meredith Morton.  We are introduced to Meredith as a hard-charging, over-controlling business woman.  She's obviously at an executive level, likely a vice president.  And yet when she meets the Stone family she is reduced to an awkward, mistake prone, politically incorrect individual. I do realize that people put on different faces when in various circumstances.  One can be confident at work and yet feel uncomfortable in unfamiliar situations, but Meredith just doesn't seem to show any qualities in her interactions with the Stone family that would indicate she's a successful business woman.

And as this movie is nearly a decade old, this can't be seen as a major spoiler:  Everett immediately falls for Julie as soon as he picks her up at the bus stop while Ben immediately falls for Meredith.  Now considering we have two brothers and two sisters here, this love square feels just a touch icky.

Even with the above problems I have with this movie, I'd recommend it just to see a movie that shows family members who actually care for each other versus despising each other.

Low Volts and The Fontaines at Silverlake Lounge

It was off to Silverlake Lounge to catch The Fontaines one more time before the end of their residency.  First up for me, Low Volts.  This one man band reminded me of Snakearm (formally known as Restavrant).  There was some awesome blues rock.  The music is like the man:  rugged and intense.  As the set was coming to a close, he was ready to finish with two final songs, but he didn't get to his final song.  He ended up breaking two strings on his guitar.  Yep, intense.

The Fontaines.  My second time seeing them and I wished they'd gone a couple songs longer.  There are a few things you start noticing while catching a band for the second time.  Brother Hank has some animated facial expressions.  Sister Charlotte has a sultry voice for one so young.  And like I mentioned the first time I wrote about this band, their fans are a young and colorful crowd.


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A Movie Review: St. Vincent

St. Vincent. Vincent (Bill Murray) is a gruff older man. He does have certain issues in life. He drinks a touch too much. He has a thing for a pregnant Russian stripper/prostitute, Daka (Naomi Watts). He's heavily in debt. He has a gambling problem.  We also latter learn that his wife is staying at a nursing home due to her Alzheimer's.

Then he meets his new next door neighbors:  a mother and son.  Maggie (Melissa McCarthy) is about to get a divorce after learning her husband cheated on her with multiple women.  Her son is named Oliver (Jaeden Lieberher).  He's a bit scrawny and finds himself the immediate target of school bullies.  He heads home, his phone and house keys stolen.  Vincent arrives home.  Oliver, stuck on his porch, asks if he can use Vincent's phone so that he can call his mother.  And so starts an interesting friendship between these three individuals.  We find out that even though Vincent is a gruff man with certain destructive habits, he still has a kind heart.

There really is a level of sweetness in this movie from start to end.  I think it also has a wonderful message, which to me was that no matter an individual's personality that doesn't mean that person can't live by the Golden Rule.  Bill Murray brings a no bulls*it quality to Vincent.  Naomi Watts is amusing as the heart of gold stripper/prostitute.  Melissa McCarthy tames it down in this role and I think it does her well.  And Jaeden Lieberher is perfect as the awkward child.

My issues:

1.  What's up with the racetrack negativity by Maggie?  Hey, I love the racetrack.  And what's wrong with bringing a kid to the track, I see kids at the track all the time.  Of course, let's admit that making a $400 box trifecta on a horse race is just stupid.

2.  The editing towards the end of the movie is off.  We learn that Vincent is behind on paying for his wife's nursing home bill.  I don't wish to give away a major spoiler so I'll just say that Vincent is out of reach for awhile -- perhaps months.  His wife -- by inference -- remained at the nursing home while Vincent was out of reach.  Obviously, the bill must have gotten covered, but that part of the film is edited out.    

Rainman/Jazz Mills/Tom Brosseau/Doom and Gloom/Pageants at Pehrspace

Time passes too quickly. Over a year and a half has passed since I last went to Pehrspace. I finally made it back and went big time, catching 5 bands. Honestly, I usually just catch 2 or 3 bands when I head out.  First up was Rainman.  Now to be honest, I only caught half of her and her backup band's set.  I walked in and the place was packed.  And to add to that, the audience was attentive.  Sometimes you head out and you can hear the audience talking over the band.  Hotel Cafe is the place for her next set.

Jazz Mills rang up next.  She's from Texas.  Actually, she's the reason I showed up earlier than I planned.  I happened to check out her Facebook page and was intrigued by her sound.  It reminded me of a personal favorite band, The Mots Nouveaux.  She didn't disappoint in the blue/green lights of Pehrspace.

Comment of the set via her singer partner (who's name I failed to catch):  I need to take my jacket off.  It's getting hot in here.  You all need to take your photos now.  (See above photo for his football team loyalties.)

Tom Brosseau brought a 1800's North Dakota vibe to the crowd.  Most of those over the age of 30 were there specifically for him.  His set provided a glimpse back to over-looked and under-appreciated sounds of a long ago America.  He also told some amusing stories.  One story was about his grandmother.  She was old and required care so his mother and aunt took care of her needs.  One of those needs was a bath.  And so on that first bath she informed her daughters:  You start at the bottom and work your way up as high as possible and you start at the top and work  your way down as far as possible.  And I will take care of possible.

The Doom and Gloom duo switched it up from the singer-songwriter sounds to pop.  Their sound has an infectious quality to it with lead singer Nate bringing the enthusiasm.  Amusing moment of their set;  They were singing the lyrics, "Just keep me."  Apparently, Liska ended up singing, "Don't keep me."  From what I can gather, Liska and Nate are married.  

Pageants closed the night out for me with sonic flurry.  One could tell that lead singer Rebecca Coleman was feeling under the weather.  This perhaps resulted in the set being cut short by a song or two.  Still, I felt I was sent flying out of Pehrspace after their set.


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A Movie Review: 2 Guns

2 Guns. Bobby (Denzel Washington) and Stig (Mark Wahlberg) are criminal partners, attempting to make a massive cocaine purchase from drug lord Greco (Edward James Olmos).  That doesn't fall through so they decide to rob a bank that holds Greco's cash.  When they actually do rob the bank, they find far more cash in there than they anticipated.  Here's the interesting twist:  Bobby is a DEA agent while Stig is a Navy SEAL.  Neither initial knows the identity of the other individual.

There isn't anything deep going on in this movie.  Don't expect that.  It is just a solid action movie that includes a number of government agencies and individuals with various angles surrounding a drug lord.  I previously reviewed Bullet to the Head and said that it was too complex for its own good.  This movie is just as complex an action movie, but actually works.  Why?  Probably a more clearly written out script.  And I honestly think the fact that 2 Guns is about 20 minutes longer allows the plot twists to play out better.  Then finally, perhaps the reviewer (me) was paying more attention in 2 Guns versus Bullet to the Head.  

Fall/Winter 2014 Movie Rankings

So I caught a number of movies this Fall/Winter.

Here's my rankings, partially based on Oscar season:

Oscar Worthy

A Most Violent Year
Whiplash
Nightcrawler
Gone Girl
Big Eyes
St. Vincent (I don't actually have this on my list of Top 10 movies, but it'd be number 11)

Just a solid flick

Fury
American Sniper
Selma
Interstellar

Mixed Feelings

The Wild
Into the Woods
Hunger Games
Big Hero 6
The Theory of Everything
Foxcatcher
Birdman

Not Oscar Worthy

The Skeleton Twins
Inherent Vice

Eastern Conference Champions/Francisco the Man/Sego at Bootleg HiFi

Eastern Conference Champions. Yes!!! It was time for some Eastern Conference Champions.  I so hope that this band breaks out big time in the not so near future.  This band transitions so easily from the emotional laden to the rock pounding.  Moments during the set:  Melissa Dougherty's guitar strap broke.  So she quickly ran over to a guitar that Joshua Ostrander wasn't using at the moment and took that strap.  Later in the set when Joshua needed to use that guitar, he had no strap to use.  A guy from one of the other bands handed him over a guitar strap.  One problem, there is a height difference between the two guys, which caused some minor inconvenience for Joshua.  

Francisco the Man.  Has anyone ever gone to the beach and stood near the water's edge and allowed the tide to slowly remove the sand from around one's feet?  I'm sure all have.  For me, there is this feeling that I'm being slowly drawn into a thrill ride.  And that's the feeling one gets listening to Francisco the Man.  

Sego.  So I got approached twice before Sego took the stage.  One individual was their light guy.  He had set up different types of lights across the stage.  Another guy mentioned to me that he learned of Sego via a podcast.  He felt that they sounded like early Beck.  To me, they have an interesting eclectic sound that at times almost feels like a modified rap and at other times takes on the feel of a laid back jam.

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A Movie Review: Wild

Wild.  Cheryl (Reese Witherspoon) is dropped off at a cheap hotel in some random small town in California.  You get the impression she hitched a ride there.  She stays the night and in the morning she starts to put together a massive backpack.  You get the impression she doesn't really know what

she is doing.  You don't even need to be a serious hiker -- my longest hike was waking up early in the morning and arriving back late at night so I've never done any hiking that required a serious backpack -- to laugh when you notice all the books she is carrying with her.  Weight?!?  She hitches another ride from an older married couple who drop her off at the start of the Pacific Crest Trail, close to the Mexican border.  Her goal is to hike 1,100 miles from the border of Mexico to the border of Canada, following the Pacific Crest trail.  If seeing her put together her backpack isn't enough of a clue, even more evidence of her lack of planning is provided during her first evening: it takes her forever to put up her tent and she learns that she brought the wrong fuel for her camping stove.

Why is she doing this?  After her mother died at a very young age, Cheryl went into a downward spiral.  She became a drug addict and started to sleep around with random men.  Her husband just couldn't deal with this (who can blame him) and they get a divorce.  For some reason, she is drawn to the idea of being out in nature.  Perhaps it is the thought of pushing her physical body, hoping that this will give her the will power to struggle with her personal demons.  It is not just a physical struggle she desires.  The long hike also provides her with the time to reflect on her life.

This movie has a quiet beauty to it that is often offset by periods of emotional turmoil that is Cheryl's life.  Would I recommend seeing this movie?  I have to say no.  You won't hate yourself for seeing it, but I don't think you'll leave the theater feeling that you gained new insight into life -- which I think this movie is meant to provide.  In many ways, I wanted to love this movie.  I love Reese Witherspoon.  I enjoy the idea of some struggling with their personal demons.  It just didn't hit me that anything profound was really changing in Cheryl's life during her journey.  In many ways, it seemed to me that she had already conquered her demons when she arrived at that cheap hotel and insisted to the hotel manager that there would be no random male guests showing up.  She was already clean, sober, and looking for something other than a hook-up with a total stranger.    



    

A Movie Review: Inherent Vice

Inherent Vice. As the movie started, I immediately came to the realization that this just wasn't the movie for me.  It is a drug induced movie that I think really requires the watcher to also be in a drug induced state to enjoy it.

The main character of this movie is, Doc (Joaquin Phoenix).  Doc isn't a doctor, even though he works out of a medical office.  He is a private investigator.  Doc gets a visit from his ex-girlfriend, Shasta (Katherine Waterston).  She wants his help.  She has a new lover, real estate developer named Wolfmann.  Wolfmann is an eccentric.  He happens to be a Jew who hangs with white supremacists.  Shasta has learned of a plot.  Wolfmann is married.  His wife and lover plan to send Wolfmann to an insane asylum.

From there, the movie grows ever more complex so one needs to pay attention.  New characters come into play in a six degrees separation manner.  They're all connected and sometimes Doc finds himself employed by both sides.  For example, a mother/wife asks Doc to track down her husband.  She was told that her husband is dead, but she doesn't believe it.  When Doc tracks down the husband, the husband asks that he look into how the wife is doing.

This is a complex weave that works well though at times one might find themselves a touch lost.  I suspect a second viewing would definitely clean up the connections for someone.  My problem is that the movie's dialogue really is influenced by drug induced characters.  Yes, you get the gist of what they are saying, but most of it is a silly mess even though they think they're being profound.  That is why I seriously think being on drugs might help in watching this movie, because one might find all that dialogue amusing if one is in an altered state.  As for me and those in the theater, I don't think I heard a single laugh -- indicating that everyone was very much not in an altered state while viewing.

A Movie Review: The Hangover Part III

The Hangover Part III. Leslie Chow (Ken Jeong) escapes from a Thailand prison. At the same time, Alan Garner (Zach Galifianakis) is having a difficult time -- not that this is unusual. He accidentally kills a giraffe that he purchased. His father dies from a heart attack. His family and "friends" decide to have an intervention. They manage to convince him to enter a rehab facility in Arizona.

Phil (Bradley Cooper), Stu (Ed Helms) and Doug (Justin Bartha) head off to Arizona with Alan.  They don't make it to the rehab center.  On their way there, a mobster named Marshall (John Goodman) seizes them.  He tells them that Leslie stole his gold.  He also tells them that Alan keeps in touch with Leslie.  Marshall demands that they help him locate Leslie.

What follows is a series of antics as the Wolfpack attempts to recover the gold from a sly Leslie.

This movie doesn't revolve around wedding events like the other two movies.  Admittedly, that scenario only worked once and so it made sense to change it up for the third movie.  Unfortunately, the comedy/heist genre doesn't work at all.  The whole heist was actually inventive in its own way, but the problem is that the comedy is lacking.  I'm not sure there is a funny moment in the whole movie.  The giraffe scene isn't funny, it is sick.  The Alan finding a female version of himself isn't musing, but eye-rolling.  Even the return to Vegas doesn't provide any laughs as it is used as a backdrop for action/heist adventures.

This movie actually makes you appreciate how well the Fast and the Furious franchise has transitioned through the years.

Is this movie worth the watch?  Well, if one has a desire to finish off a trilogy.  Luckily, I saw this in the comfort of my home versus at the movie theater.

A Movie Review: Bullet to the Head

Bullet to the Head.  Essentially a b-movie action movie.  James Bonomo (Sylvester Stallone) is a New Orleans hitman.  He and his partner take out an ex-police officer, Hank Greely (Holt McCallany).  Soon after, Bonomo's partner is killed by another hitman.  A Washington DC detective named Taylor Kwon (Sung Kang) shows up on the scene to investigate the death of his former partner, Hank Greely.  Kwon makes a connection between the deaths of Greely and Bonomo's partner.  He finds Bonomo.  Even though Kwon knows Bonomo is guilty of murder, they eventually form an uneasy alliance as they try to discover who is actually pulling the strings.

This movie is a little too complex for its own good.  There are four layers (or more depending on how you count) that Bonomo and Kwon must pull apart to finally get to their man:  the ex-police officer leads to a lawyer and a middle man that eventually leads to another hitman, which eventually leads to the string puller.  The order of all this can be debated.  There is also a local mobster involved as well as some corrupt New Orleans cops.  One almost feels like they need an organizational chart to track all the people written into the story.

Maybe this would all work if it was turned into the 3 season/12 episode HBO series, but with characters just thrown at you all at once it is a little difficult to keep track of things.  Or maybe the movie should have gone over 2 hours versus going just 1.5 hours.

The action scenes are set up in a way that you know there was a relatively tight budget applied to the film.  Just taking a look at some data on various websites:  Bullet to the Head was made for $55 million while 300: Rise of An Empire cost $110 million.

Final assessment:  the movie is watchable when one is in a b-movie state of mind.

Conway/Wildling at The Satellite

Maybe it was due to the college football championship game that I watched before heading out to The Satellite, but I just couldn't help thinking of sports while watching Conway and Wildling.  I was thinking basketball, boxing and kick boxing.  With Conway wearing silver Nike high tops, I immediately started to think basketball as she shot through her staccato beat set.  Then she started to kick and I switched over to kick boxing.  Then I started to think, I'd hate to go out jogging with her.  She'd leave me in the dust within minutes.

Wilding is the residency band for Janaury.  Their music is smooth and earnest, but as they went into their song 'Hummingbird' I started to think boxing.  Muhammad Ali:  float like a butterfly, sting like a bee.  Okay, neither is a hummingbird, but there is something to how lead singer Ryan Levine moves on stage that reminds me of a boxer who is able to send his opponent into fits because he can duck and weave away from any thrown punch.

Comment of the night (from someone in the audience):  "I'm so close to the stage that I feel like I can touch their acne and I don't like it."  And that is someone who shouldn't hang out in the local Los Angeles music scene.
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My Top Movies of 2014

If I had a vote for Oscar Best Picture nominations, here's my list of 10 movies I'd want to put on my ballot:

10.  Captain America:  The Winter Soldier.  I love the battle scenes in this movie.  You have no clue who is or isn't Hydra.  And then Falcon asks Captain America how they can tell the good guys from the bad guys and Captain America responds with something similar to, "If they're shooting at us, they're the bad guys."  Oh yeah, this movie is one great adventure.








9.  Begin Again.  I can't deny it, I love music.  This movie just shines with the joy that comes with creating music.  I wish I could create music.  Instead, I am relegated to enjoying it (along with photographing it.)  This movie satisfies that deep desire within many of us who wish we could be a talented musician.









8.  Edge of Tomorrow.  Tom Cruise in a really awesome movie?  Yeah, some of you might be scratching your heads.  If you are one of those individuals, I say give this movie a shot.  It is a complex and yet understandable Sci Fi movie.









7.  Big Eyes.  You're shocked that someone could be so demented.  And then you can't help but laugh at that same individual when his time of judgement arrives.

6.  Gone Girl.  So Big Eyes stars a demented man.  Gone Girl stars a dangerously manipulative woman.  Ah, I hope I never run into a person like Amy Dunne.










5.  Nightcrawler.  Lou Bloom is creepy.  In some ways, how can someone who focuses a camera on individuals who are on the edge of life and death not be creepy.









Honestly, the following four movies are really difficult to distinguish.

4.  Grand Budapest Hotel.  So hysterically funny.  And there is so much carefully detailed imagery.  The bath house scene almost teases you to discover all the details in what should just be a plain old conversation between two individuals.









3.  Boyhood.  As folks know by now, this film was made over a number of years.  This movie is called Boyhood, but I also think it could at various times throughout the movie be called:  Fatherhood, Motherhood and Sisterhood.  A wonderful time capsule of life.









2.  Whiplash.  Begin Again follows the joy of making music.  Whiplash highlights the intense dedication it takes to become great.  There is blood, sweat and emotion damage.










1.  A Most Violent Year.  A moral man working/living in an environment of ambiguous ethics.  Does he succeed?  This depends on how much grey you allow into your own life.  Either way, this movie ranks (very narrowly) as my best movie of the year.  









Over-all, I think 2015 was an outstanding year at the movie house.

Note:  there are still one or two movies that I haven't seen that could potentially make it onto this list.  If I do catch those movies and fall in love with them, I'll potentially update this at a future date.