Wednesday, March 12, 2014
Tuesday, March 11, 2014
Monday, March 10, 2014
Little Wild at The Viper Room
Little Wild. I walked in a little late during their set. It took but a second to get into their set.
Sunday, March 9, 2014
Thursday, March 6, 2014
FIM at The Satellite
FIM. They call their music genre Space Fracking. Okay, it makes sense to me. Their music jumps all over the place and honestly seems like it could be from outer space. And it all works in a fun way.
Wednesday, March 5, 2014
What I enjoyed about Oscars 2014
Did Jennifer Lawrence beg Pharrell Williams to pass her by as he encouraged various stars to dance with him?
I loved how one of the Oscar winners' (I think it was a winner of a short) hands were just shaking like mad as he was reading his speech. Hey, I'd be one nervous dude winning an award surrounded by far more famous people.
I loved how Jared Leto looked into the camera as he was grabbing a slice of pizza and said something such as, "It's for my mother." I did a little research on this. It appears Jared is a vegan and so perhaps this message was for his vegan fans who would have had some serious questions for him.
It was cool how Brad Pitt was helping hand out paper plates.
I liked Matthew McConaughey's rambling acceptance speech.
I loved the selfie photo moment.
My one disappointment: I really wished The Wolf of Wall Street had won best picture.
I loved how one of the Oscar winners' (I think it was a winner of a short) hands were just shaking like mad as he was reading his speech. Hey, I'd be one nervous dude winning an award surrounded by far more famous people.
I loved how Jared Leto looked into the camera as he was grabbing a slice of pizza and said something such as, "It's for my mother." I did a little research on this. It appears Jared is a vegan and so perhaps this message was for his vegan fans who would have had some serious questions for him.
It was cool how Brad Pitt was helping hand out paper plates.
I liked Matthew McConaughey's rambling acceptance speech.
I loved the selfie photo moment.
My one disappointment: I really wished The Wolf of Wall Street had won best picture.
Tuesday, March 4, 2014
My Fall/Winter 2014 movie rankings
Best Picture Nomination Worthy
The Wolf of Wall Street
American Hustle
Her
Saving Mr. Banks
Inside Llewyn Davis
All Is Lost
Just Short of a Nomination
August: Osage County
Captain Phillips
Solid
Nebraska
Rush
Gravity
About Time
Dallas Buyers Club
Mixed Feelings
12 Years a Slave
The Hunger Games: Catching Fire
Waste
Anchorman 2
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
The Wolf of Wall Street
American Hustle
Her
Saving Mr. Banks
Inside Llewyn Davis
All Is Lost
Just Short of a Nomination
August: Osage County
Captain Phillips
Solid
Nebraska
Rush
Gravity
About Time
Dallas Buyers Club
Mixed Feelings
12 Years a Slave
The Hunger Games: Catching Fire
Waste
Anchorman 2
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
Monday, March 3, 2014
A Movie Review: American Hustle
American Hustle. Jennifer Lawrence is the comic relief in a very funny movie. Need I say more? Okay, maybe a little more. Everyone does a great job acting in this movie -- not just Lawrence -- and you'll find yourself laughing throughout.
Sunday, March 2, 2014
A Movie Review: Her
Her. We’re off in the not too distant future. What first caught my eye wasn’t how wonderful this movie is, but the set design. The not too distant future has us returning back to the style from the 1950s. Interesting. What is more interesting is this quirky love story that in the back of your mind you know might someday become reality.
Friday, February 28, 2014
A Movie Review: The Wolf of Wall Street
The Wolf of Wall Street. This movie examines the immorality of Wall Street. You watch this movie in shock. Individuals are scammed and then that money is laundered by the scammers. There is constant drug use. Prostitutes roam around the trading desks. There are examples of extreme risks taken (helicopter/luxury yacht) that put other lives in danger. Then there is potential redemption that really is an attempt to create a cloned mini-Jordan Belfort (the Wolf). I am sure that there will be individuals who see this movie and will want to become the next Jordan Belfort. This movie, in fact, shows such a scene. But the honest truth: folks like that are just sad and pathetic.
Thursday, February 27, 2014
A Movie Review: Dallas Buyers Club
Dallas Buyers Club is based on a true story of Ron Woodroof (Matthew McConaughey) who was diagnosed with AIDS in 1985. The movie opens with him enjoying a threesome with two women at a rodeo. He’s a carefree individual, spending time at the rodeo and working as an electrician. While at work one day, he is involved in an accident that sends him to the hospital. He is informed that he has AIDS and only has 30 days left to live.
After spending a day or two in denial, he decides he’s going to fight his disease. He attempts to enter an AZT drug trial, but can’t get into the program. As this was the only approved drug at the time, he bribes his way into getting the drug. The hospital eventually discovers that someone is stealing AZT pills so security is tightened. He finds his way to Mexico where a doctor convinces him about the value of other drugs and the negative side effects of AZT. As Ron mentions in the movie, his goal becomes not to suppress HIV, but to find a way to boost his body’s ability to fight back against AIDS. Since none of the drugs in Mexico are approved by the FDA, he smuggles the drugs into Dallas. He soon sets up a buyers club to help others suffering from HIV/AIDS.
When watching “inspired by true events” movies, I like to do a little research to determine just how much truth versus fiction is in the movie. I read two articles about this. The biggest composite character is Rayon (Jared Leto), a transgender woman, who becomes Ron’s business partner. Rayon does represent the connection that was made with the homosexual community when Ron started up the Dallas Buyers Club. There is a question on rather or not Ron was as homophobic as the movie portrays him. The two articles disagree about Dr. Eve Saks (Jennifer Garner) who becomes a supporter of Ron’s efforts; one article considers the character fictional while another states that Dr. Saks was a male doctor. There are a handful of other discrepancies, but none in my opinion – including the ones above – are egregious.
What I found interesting about the movie was the tensions between the Dallas Buyers Club, the local hospital doing the AZT drug trial and the FDA. Ron insisted that AZT was a drug that did more harm than good. There was an interesting confrontation that took place when it was pointed out that Ron had taken a drug that had given him a heart attack. He argued that at least he tested the drug on himself before giving it to others versus the AZT trials. Admittedly, the drugs he was taking were approved by other countries, just not the FDA. At the same time, AZT was bypassing animal testing and going straight to human testing. On the other hand, at the time, there was no expectation that an individual could live a long life with HIV. Those in the drug trials were doing exactly what Ron was doing, voluntarily taking a drug that might help. In fact, those in the AZT trials were at least providing statistical data that could determine the usefulness of the drug while Ron was just testing on himself without even knowing if there were any real benefits. And since he was actually providing drugs to those in the AZT trials, he was creating bad data for the hospital. In the end notes of the movie, it states that it was eventually found out that AZT was a useful component of the cocktail drugs, but at lower doses than were initially being provided. The one entity the movie provides little cover for is the FDA, which stood in the way of Ron at every turn. There is a question in the movie that everyone must ask themselves: is the FDA an institution that should try to protect patients from unapproved drugs or should they be more lenient especially in cases of a new and deadly diseases such as AIDS?
Of course, this movie is much more than a political triangle and I am probably focusing way too much on that topic. It is just one topic brought up in the movie, but it is the one that intrigued me. I love how the movie brings up the idea that many of our racist, sexist, homophobic, etc etc tendencies are driven by our lack of interaction with those different from us. Though I’m not sure Ron (the character, not the actual individual) ever felt fully comfortable around homosexuals, he clearly developed empathy. And what makes Ron such a compelling character isn’t just his wild ways, but his fight to live. He doesn’t give up when told he has 30 days left to live. Here’s a cornered guy who decides to find a way out of the corner.
After spending a day or two in denial, he decides he’s going to fight his disease. He attempts to enter an AZT drug trial, but can’t get into the program. As this was the only approved drug at the time, he bribes his way into getting the drug. The hospital eventually discovers that someone is stealing AZT pills so security is tightened. He finds his way to Mexico where a doctor convinces him about the value of other drugs and the negative side effects of AZT. As Ron mentions in the movie, his goal becomes not to suppress HIV, but to find a way to boost his body’s ability to fight back against AIDS. Since none of the drugs in Mexico are approved by the FDA, he smuggles the drugs into Dallas. He soon sets up a buyers club to help others suffering from HIV/AIDS.
When watching “inspired by true events” movies, I like to do a little research to determine just how much truth versus fiction is in the movie. I read two articles about this. The biggest composite character is Rayon (Jared Leto), a transgender woman, who becomes Ron’s business partner. Rayon does represent the connection that was made with the homosexual community when Ron started up the Dallas Buyers Club. There is a question on rather or not Ron was as homophobic as the movie portrays him. The two articles disagree about Dr. Eve Saks (Jennifer Garner) who becomes a supporter of Ron’s efforts; one article considers the character fictional while another states that Dr. Saks was a male doctor. There are a handful of other discrepancies, but none in my opinion – including the ones above – are egregious.
What I found interesting about the movie was the tensions between the Dallas Buyers Club, the local hospital doing the AZT drug trial and the FDA. Ron insisted that AZT was a drug that did more harm than good. There was an interesting confrontation that took place when it was pointed out that Ron had taken a drug that had given him a heart attack. He argued that at least he tested the drug on himself before giving it to others versus the AZT trials. Admittedly, the drugs he was taking were approved by other countries, just not the FDA. At the same time, AZT was bypassing animal testing and going straight to human testing. On the other hand, at the time, there was no expectation that an individual could live a long life with HIV. Those in the drug trials were doing exactly what Ron was doing, voluntarily taking a drug that might help. In fact, those in the AZT trials were at least providing statistical data that could determine the usefulness of the drug while Ron was just testing on himself without even knowing if there were any real benefits. And since he was actually providing drugs to those in the AZT trials, he was creating bad data for the hospital. In the end notes of the movie, it states that it was eventually found out that AZT was a useful component of the cocktail drugs, but at lower doses than were initially being provided. The one entity the movie provides little cover for is the FDA, which stood in the way of Ron at every turn. There is a question in the movie that everyone must ask themselves: is the FDA an institution that should try to protect patients from unapproved drugs or should they be more lenient especially in cases of a new and deadly diseases such as AIDS?
Of course, this movie is much more than a political triangle and I am probably focusing way too much on that topic. It is just one topic brought up in the movie, but it is the one that intrigued me. I love how the movie brings up the idea that many of our racist, sexist, homophobic, etc etc tendencies are driven by our lack of interaction with those different from us. Though I’m not sure Ron (the character, not the actual individual) ever felt fully comfortable around homosexuals, he clearly developed empathy. And what makes Ron such a compelling character isn’t just his wild ways, but his fight to live. He doesn’t give up when told he has 30 days left to live. Here’s a cornered guy who decides to find a way out of the corner.
Wednesday, February 26, 2014
Kris Bowers at Bootleg
Kris Bowers. You'd think jazzed-influenced Kris Bowers would be playing The Mint or Hotel Cafe, but he's playing the February residency at Bootleg. You've got to love The Fold for putting on something different then the normal Silver Lake/Echo Park sound. The piano is my favorite musical instrument (as this is really the only instrument I know how to play) and Kris plays it solid.
Tuesday, February 25, 2014
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