A Movie Review: Me and Earl and the Dying Girl

Me and Earl and the Dying Girl. Can a movie about death inspire? This movie does. Greg Gaines (Thomas Mann) is in his senior year at high school. His life has certain pluses and minuses. He has an ability to get along with all the various high school cliques. So though his lanky appearance and moody personality might lead one to believe he'd get bullied, he is able to navigate away from that. The downside to not being a true member of a clique is that it limits his real friends. He only has one real friend, a person he is reluctant to call a friend, Earl (Ronald Cyler II). The two of them enjoy making re-interpreted films of movie classics. Other than the lack of real friends, a serious minus in Greg's life is his very low self-esteem.

After coming home from school one day, his mother informs him that a classmate named Rachel Kushner (Olivia Cooke) was diagnosed with leukemia. She presses him to visit Rachel. Greg is apprehensive about this. Though he knows Rachel, he isn't close to her. He eventually agrees. The two of them have a very awkward first meeting at her house as both agree that neither is all that interested in talking to the other. They eventually break the ice and soon hang out together on a regular basis. In fact, Greg is one of the few individuals of the same age bracket that is there to support Rachel through her struggles.

During one of his visits with Rachel, he brings along Earl. This meeting soon leads to Rachel viewing the films that Greg and Earl make. One of Rachel's other friends Madison (Katherine C. Hughes) convinces Greg and Earl to make a movie for Rachel. This request creates enormous pressures on Greg as he attempts to stretch himself beyond his comfort zone.

I just love this movie. This movie doesn't make death into a tear-jerker, but instead focuses on life. There are some wonderful side stories to this movie. One of those side stories is the awkward friendship between Greg and Madison. Greg has an enormous crush on Madison. What he doesn't realize -- driven by his low self-esteem -- is that Madison has a crush on him. He just won't allow himself to believe that one of the cutest girls at the school isn't out to manipulate him, but is instead interested in him.

More on the focus on life: Rachel knows she's dying, but she presses on Greg the importance of living. She emphasizes the importance of him applying to college. At the same time, she has a dying wish, she wants to see Greg's movie dedicated to her: a focus on the next step while enjoying what you can about the present.

A minor issue with the movie: I could have done without the cliche high school movie scene of walking into the cafeteria and passing each different clique.

My question: why hasn't this movie done better at the box office? I wonder if this movie is meant to have more meaning for adults versus teenagers.

Sonny Boy Thorn and National Anthem at The Satellite

Per Sonny Boy Thorn, they've spent time playing at speakeasies across Los Angeles. Well, they're now the residency band at The Satellite for June and they had the crowd up close through out. They started about ten minutes past their posted start time and there was definitely anticipation in the air.

Opening for them was a band called National Anthem. National Anthem is made up of older gentlemen who are cooler than most bands that are half their age. I suspect they can drink everyone under the table and they can definitely give you that Southern rock.

After a couple weeks of long hours at work, this Monday was much appreciated.
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Tennis System and Teenage Wrist/Phoebe Bridges at The Echo

A long time has passed since my last time at The Echo. On a Monday night, I headed out to catch the Tennis System residency. Up first for me was Teenage Wrist, a band with bottled up energy ready to explode. Interesting note was that the battery fell out of the bass. I don't think I ever saw that happen before. It stopped the music for a few minutes. Phoebe Bridgers came up next with a change of pace, hitting the singer-songwriter notes. The crowd loved her. Then Tennis System came up dressed in black and ready to sooth away the darkness.




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A Movie Review: Anatomy of a Murder

Anatomy of a Murder. Paul Biegler (James Stewart) is a lawyer who has other interests -- fishing, specifically. His interest in fishing is so high that he really doesn't make much money as a lawyer. Well, as money is running thin, he is contacted by Laura Manion (Lee Remick). She wants him to defend her husband, Lt. Frederick Manion (Ben Gazzara). Lt. Frederick Manion murdered Barney Quill. The reason given is that Barney Quill raped Laura Manion. In a fit of insane rage, Lt. Frederick Manion shot Quill in the heart.

I think this is a movie that doesn't really give you any clear answers to your questions. The one clear answer is that Lt. Frederick Manion did murder Barney Quill. The unclear answer is that I'm not sure that Barney Quill raped Laura Manion. Part of me thinks that Barney and Laura were having an affair behind the back of her abusive husband. Also, I suspect that Laura feared her husband (and perhaps to protect her reputation) lied on the stand. One other question to me is who beat Laura? The defense argues it was Barney Quill. The prosecution argues it was Lt. Frederick Manion. It seems like she admits in an indirect way that Barney and her had an affair and that she expected her husband to beat her for that during her last encounter with Paul -- outside the court room. The last scene doesn't seem to give much support to the rape story, as well. Also, it felt that Lt. Frederick Manion made up the insane argument on the fly with some encouragement from Paul.

On the other hand, there was some key evidence discovered towards the end of the movie that supports the rape story.

I think all this makes it a very open ended story line. And I rather like that.

A Movie Review: Dope

Dope. Malcolm (Shameik Moore) and his friends Jib (Tony Revolori) and Diggy (Kiersey Clemons) are nerds in a tough neighborhood. They're picked on by fellow classmates and need to carefully navigate their way home after school to avoid various gangs. Circumstances results in Malcolm running into Dom (Rakim Mayers), a small time drug dealer. Dom sends him off to deliver a personal birthday party invitation to Nakia (Zoë Kravitz). Nakia tells Malcolm to show up to the party, as well. Malcolm and friends show up to the party. In a backroom, Dom is taking possession of some new drugs. Law enforcement swarms the area. Dom takes advantage of Malcolm's nerdy reputation and places the drugs in Malcolm's backpack.

Malcolm must now find a way to dispose of these drugs. At the same time, Malcolm has hopes of getting into Harvard.

I will be honest that this movie feels similar to a number of other art-style teen movies. Nerdy teenagers getting into unexpected trouble and using their brains to outwit both adults and fellow teenagers isn't new territory. I mean, it is just a different take on the 1983 Risky Business and well one could probably go even further back. Even with that, this is an enjoyable movie. It is fun seeing these nerdy characters getting dumped into an underground world. Luckily, they're dealing with two-bit criminals and not Soprano like characters.

A Movie Review: Jurassic World

Jurassic World. Brothers Zach (Nick Robinson) and Gray (Ty Simpkins) are sent on a vacation to Jurassic World, a new -- hopefully safer -- version of Jurassic Park. Their Aunt Claire (Bryce Dallas Howard) is an executive at the park. The park has a solid safety record; however, a new dinosaur attraction is about to open that hasn't been fully vetted. This dinosaur is genetically modified by Dr. Henry Wu (BD Wong). The fact that Claire and Jurassic World's Chairman Masrani (Irrfan Khan) aren't aware of the potential tendencies of this new dinosaur doesn't exactly speak well of their management skills. This dinosaur has some unique abilities: it can change its body temperature to avoid thermal detection and it has a very high IQ as it somehow knows that a tracking devise was implanted in it. With this set-up in place, what can one expect but total disaster to occur.

My initial assessment is that this is just a remake of Jurassic Park minus the geeky mathematics of Jeff Goldblum's Dr. Ian Malcolm. If you want to watch a remake, this works just fine as a stupid fun popcorn summer movie. I will admit that part of me grew tired of the all too obvious plot line of two youngsters making a very stupid mistake and getting themselves into a world of trouble. There doesn't exactly seem to be a point to this movie, but it does entertain.

An interesting conversation overheard while walking back to my car.

Q. Who would pay for all the lawsuits?

A. Their insurance company.

A Movie Review: This Is Where I Leave You

This Is Where I Leave You. A father passes away and so the family gathers for a week of mourning. Each sibling brings their personal problems. Judd Altman (Jason Bateman) just found out that his wife Quinn (Abigail Spencer) was cheating on him for the past year. What's worse, the affair was with his boss. Wendy Altman (Tina Fey) has married for wealth, but regrets it. Paul Altman (Corey Stoll) and his wife Annie Altman (Kathryn Hahn) desperately want a child but it just isn't working out for them, which is causing a strain in their relationship. Phillip Altman (Adam Driver) is the baby in the family who refuses to grow up.

The problem with this film is that all the siblings feel like their lives are awful, but the honest truth is that Judd is the only one who really got hit with a right hook. So yes, Wendy married the wrong man. She can get a divorce. Paul and Annie desperately want a child and I can understand that, but it isn't the end of the world. There is the potential for adoption. Phillip seems to enjoy his lackluster life. To me, Judd is the only one who can really say his life stinks, because who wants to catch the love of their life in bed with another individual. Ouch. 

Maybe the movie even knows this as it focuses in on Judd even though the family as a whole tries to acknowledge that their adult lives aren't living up to expectations that were set by a famous mother (author of an influential book) and an idolized father (a really good man based on the backstory, but perhaps overly idolized). Essentially, this is a movie about Generation X hitting their midlife crisis and it isn't a very pleasing experience to watch.

A Movie Review: Hot Saturday

Hot Saturday. Per Wikipedia, this was Cary Grant's first leading role in a movie. I'm not going to say that this is a brilliant movie, but you do get to appreciate the early career of Cary Grant and the early signs of his signature style. 

Ruth Brock (Nancy Carroll) works as a bank clerk in the small town of Marysville. A number of young men seek her attention. This includes a wealthy playboy by the name of Romer Sheffield (Cary Grant). For a Saturday night out with the youthful crew of the town, she accepts an invitation by Conny Billup (Edwar Woods) who also works at the bank. Later, Romer Sheffield invites everyone out to his place for the day -- an obvious attempt to talk to Ruth. In fact, he spends most of the day with her. Later, the young crowd heads off to a dance hall. Romer stays behind. The dance hall happens to be by a lake. Conny and Ruth go out on a boat ride. During the boat ride, if this movie was made more current, Conny basically attempts to rape Ruth. He then leaves her stranded far from the dance hall. Ruth ends up walking back to Romer's house. Out of revenge, Conny tells this conservative town that Ruth spent the night with Romer. The gossip spreads and Ruth is fired from her job. It does have a happy ending with Ruth and Romer getting engaged.

This movie is played light, but this is actually a serious topic. There is a near rape (as close to one as probably could be filmed in the early 1930s) and then a vicious rumor is spread about that girl. It almost feels like a dichotomy of a film: serious topic played for laughs.

For me, I actually found myself paying attention to Lilian Bond's character, Eva Randolph. She's sort of Ruth's rival in terms of attracting the boys and her father is the town banker. It feels like the movie gets so much more interesting when Lilian's character is on screen.

Hunny with Chelsea Lankes and Evan Voytas at Bootleg HiFi

Hunny

Do you know what really sucks sometimes? Having an artist that is really intriguing teasing with only a 20 minute set. Chelsea Lankes, why so short of a set? I guess you're just forcing me to catch you again someday soon. Your voice is a miracle.

Next up, Evan Voytas brought his pop to the Bootleg HiFi.

Hunny closed the night out in a continuation of their residency. The crowd pressed against the stage. One animated fan pounded the stage at least two times during a beat. I think the fan's girlfriend was highly amused. With slightly elevated vocals, Hunny keeps the music fun and thrilling.

Noticed: Knowing Chelsea Lankes was going up first, I made sure I showed up with plenty of time to spare. Others had the same idea. A decent line formed outside, waiting for a special event to end so that we could get inside.
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Make Music Pasadena 2015

Sir Sly

There is a special place in my heart for Make Music Pasadena. And this time around, there was a super extra treat. The weather was perfect.

And then what made it even more awesome was how it started off. I started the festival off with Juliet Piper & The Daydream. What a find for me. She has an easy smile that wows the crowd. Her lyrics are filled with heartbreak and yet there is that smile that shows that life is still wonderful.


From there it was a quick rush around to catch Bubbeleh, Raspin Stuwart, Beca and Dark Furs. Bubbeleh and Raspin Stuwart had some smooth styles. Beca hit the dance music. Dark Furs connected deep down. Lead singer Suzanne has this deep stare. I'm sure she's seeing musical notes flying across the air.

Lydia Ainsworth had actual music scores written for her band. She's the Enya for a new age. "Strange Indeed," she said. Strange, but awesome. The audience enjoyed a cool breeze during the height of the afternoon sun. Kaleo is from Iceland and yet their sound is American Southern rock. "I walk on water" and "Devil's going to set me free." Lyrics with diametric meanings.

Kishi Bashi and Sir Sly gave perhaps the most audience appreciative sets. In fact, both took the time to jump to the barricade to interact with fans. Kishi Bashi is a band that uses a violin and banjo to create awesome rock music. Sir Sly tells their audience, "I hope you find your dream, I don't owe you anything."

Making Movies did the Afro-Latino rhythms and had the audience dancing. Avid Dancer and Nick Waterhouse sent the Main State and Levitt Pavilion crowds going home with a feeling of mellow satisfaction.

I ended the day at Armory Center. I loved this venue. It really isn't a music venue. It is a museum/art center. Even so, it made for a wonderful music venue. The Most Best, Hobart W Fink and Tashaki Miyaki closed out the night for me. I only caught a couple songs of The Most Best, but I was left wanting to catch this bang again someday. Hobart W Fink makes you think garage rock. There is this low key vibe with Tashaki Miyaki that is just wonderful.

And so ended my time at Make Music Pasadena.

Note: I did take what is becoming my traditional break. I stopped by a bar to catch American Pharoah finally end the Triple Crown drought in wonderful style. The crowd cheered. I cheered. It was beautiful to watch.

Note 2: I think every year I've been to Make Music Pasadena, I've always made time to catch Eliza Rickman. This time, no Eliza. I'm not going to lie. I wish she was there.



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French Exit at Redwood Bar

I was able to catch the second to last show by French Exit. I used to catch this band far more often during the Blue Star days. With over 3 years having passed, I just fell in love with this punk band all over again. It is sad that the curtains have closed on this band. The other thing is that 2 years have passed since my last time at the Redwood Bar. Wow. Time just passes by way too quickly. I'm just happy I was able to re-live memories.

As for the Redwood Bar. One has to love the pirate theme.



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Crash Kings with Name the Band and The 4onthefloor at The Satellite

Crash Kings

Crash Kings just pound through one rock song after another. There is no slowing down here. They're spending the month also recording a live album.

Name the Band comes from Brazil. They're currently spending time in Los Angeles. They've spent enough time in the US that one of the members lost his passport -- well, I guess that could mean being in the US just one day. Will we be seeing them at Culture Collide? Hopefully so, they're fun.

The 4onthefloor makes one feel like they're hanging out at a bar in the middle of no where. You know the movie that has just the bar and gas station surrounded by trees for miles in every direction. It gives you this feeling that you're hip to something and that all the folks in the big cities are just clueless. Of course, The 4onthefloor were playing at The Satellite so we big city folks just caught something unique.
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Young Lovers, Crystales and Judy Gloom at Pehrspace

Young Lovers

Judy Gloom is actually Tyler J. Juarez. Minimalist with an emotional punch. I couldn't help but notice one young woman with tears in her eyes.

Crystales says they're shoegaze. I'd also add they have some wonderful beats that make one sway to their music.

Young Lovers was having a residency at Pehrspace. They're a post-rock band that mainly focuses in on their sound. There were a couple songs with vocals, but those were more ingrained within the music versus standing out front. I also believe that the members in the band also help run sound at Pehrspace. No one could really help them out with sound on this night, but it all worked out well for them. A great set.



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