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.

A Movie Review: Mistress America

Mistress America. Tracy (Lolo Kirke) is a freshman in college. She doesn't really get along with her roommate. Her one social goal is to get into a literary club, but that doesn't occur. Her one semi-friend is Tony (Matthew Shear) who soon starts dating an extremely over-the-top girlfriend. This leaves Tracy largely alone. She reaches out to her soon-to-be sister-in-law Brooke (Greta Gerwig) who also happens to be a decade older than her (Tracy's mother and Brooke's father are planning to marry). The two hook up and Brooke takes her out on the town, introducing her to an intoxicating music/cultural scene. The two quickly become close.

What is this movie about? Sisterhood without the genetic ties. This movie shows us an older sister quickly recognizing that she needs to help her younger sibling adjust to a new cultural experience. It is sweet. We also see a younger sister not having the experience in life to know that actions that she sees as innocent can be viewed as betrayal.

This isn't a brilliant movie, but it is a touching one.

A Movie Review: The Talk of the Town

The Talk of the Town. Leopold Dilg (Cary Grant) is accused of arson at the factory where he used to work. He escapes from prison and arrives at his friend's house, Nora Shelley (Jean Arthur). Nora is preparing the house for rent. Instead of turning Leopold over to the police, she hides him in the attic, knowing that he is innocent of the crime. Soon after Leopold arrives so does the renter, a famed law professor named Professor Michael Lightcap (Ronald Colman).

What follows is the three living under the same roof. Leopold introduces himself as the gardener. Leopold Dilg's lawyer actually went to school with Professor Lightcap. So a game starts to begin where Leopold and his lawyer attempt to get Professor Lightcap to take an interest in the case. At the same time, Professor Lightcap is informed that he will be nominated to the Supreme Court and obviously doesn't want any involvement in a case that might cause difficulties for him during the nomination process.

This movie has a lighthearted comedic feel to it with just a touch of political philosophy and small town corruption. Though Cary Grant holds top billing, it really feels like this is a Jean Arthur/Ronald Colman movie. A love triangle forms between Nora, Leopold and Professor Lightcap. Perhaps it is my own biases, but I could help but hope that Nora would pick the stuffy Professor Lightcap. I just felt the chemistry between the two was more dynamic.

The Bulls and Gothic Tropic/Kerrigan at The Satellite

The Bulls

The month of August is The Bulls' residency at The Satellite. An added benefit is that the month is dedicated to female fronted bands. Kerrigan opened up the night with some powerful poetry. Her music is like listening to the singing of poetry. I didn't know what to expect from Gothic Tropic. Their original drummer has shifted over to French Style Furs. I'd say they're a touch more Tropic now versus Gothic. That doesn't make them any less enjoyable to listen to, just a tweak to their sound. The Bulls closed the night out for me. This band has catchy tunes song by a front woman who must have one of the sweetest voices in Los Angeles.






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A Movie Review: Spy

Spy. Susan Cooper (Melissa McCarthy) is a CIA desk analyst. Her main job is providing support for Bradley Fine (Jude Law), a top CIA field agent. In search of a nuclear weapon, Bradley Fine goes after Rayna Boyanov (Rose Byrne). He is killed in the field by Rayna. Rayna reveals that she knows the identity of other top CIA agents. This means they can't be sent to find her and the nuclear weapon she holds. Having had a soft spot for Bradley, Susan Cooper volunteers to go into the field to locate Rayna.

So yes, there is a spy plot, but who care. This movie is about laughs. Though some of the laughs fell flat for me -- bats flying around the CIA offices while Susan is attempting to help Bradley -- I think this movie is filled with character laughs. By that I mean the characters are hysterical by default. Jason Statham's as Agent Rick Ford is hysterical as an over-confident field agent delusional about his skill sets. Susan Cooper is amusing as a low-esteem yet highly skilled agent.

If one needs a solid laugh, this is a movie to see.

Fakers with Dawn of Sequins and Vicious Cousins (Kissing Cousins) at The Echo

Fakers

A fun August night at The Echo. Starting off the night was the entertaining Dawn of Sequins. Their music is quirky. Their stage show is filled with nutty interactions. During the show, one member tripped while running down the stage steps. She lost one of her high heals, but kept on going with barely a missed beat. Up next was a duo of Vicious Scully and Kissing Cousins going as Vicious Cousins. It seemed like most of the songs were Kissing Cousins tunes. I didn't have a problem with that. I love the Kissing Cousins. I love their heavy beats. It was also the birthday of one of the members. During the Fakers sets, birthday sweets were passed around for all to enjoy. A call was made asking if the brownies had weed. I think this is a constant question these days when there are brownies. As for Fakers, this was their 2nd August residency night. High energy. The drummer of the Fakers did double duty, also playing for Kissing Cousins. 

Music for 18 Musicians and Filardo at Pehrspace

One of the 18

Looking at the Pehrspace calendar, I noticed that they were putting on something called Music for 18 Musicians by Steve Reich. I honestly had no clue who Steve Reich was so that didn't necessarily capture my attention. What really enticed me was the following: "How it works: each of the 18 musicians will have a set of headphones connected to the same sound source as each other. The sound source . . . will be playing Steve Reich's original ECM recording of Music for 18 Musicians; The audience will not hear this music, only the performers will. The performers will then, on their instruments, attempt to figure out and play any part of the music they are hearing in their headphones."

For some reason, this reminded me of my brief time in San Francisco and the couple of times I hung out at The Lab. So off I went. Now I'm assuming that a.) the musicians took the time to listen to Music for 18 Musicians ahead of time and b.) even though they were all wearing headphones they could still hear what their fellow musicians were doing.

Filardo

As the musicians starts playing Music for 18 Musicians, I couldn't help but think that the music was very repetitive and minimalist. The same measures seemed to be played over and over again. And yet, as the musicians proceeded through this nearly 1 hour composition, I found it calming. This was a well worth adventure to take.

Playing before the Steve Reich composition was Filardo. In many ways, they were the perfect band to play right beforehand. Their music has that minimalist sound.

Comment of the set: Filardo's drummer was sitting on a regular chair versus a drummers' chair. He was therefore much close to the floor than his standing band mates. "I feel like the kid brother here," he said.

A Movie Review: Alice Adams

Alice Adams. Alice Adams (Katharine Hepburn) and her mother (Ann Shoemaker) wish they were wealthier. Alice wants to marry up. Her mother is upset that her husband (Fred Stone) has not achieved at the same level as others in the small town. She also has a brother (Frank Albertson) who is satisfied with his life. She is invited to a party of a wealthy friend. She runs into Arthur Russell (Fred MacMurray). He is wealthy and an obvious target.

I didn't find this to be one of Katharine Hepburn's better movies. To me, Arthur Russell's character just didn't feel real. I felt sorry for him as he was being manipulated badly by Alice. He was even told about the situation by others and experienced it himself and yet he couldn't help but fall for Alice. I just wonder what would happen after marriage when he realized he didn't marry the person he thought he was marrying.

One should feel even more sorry for Alice's father. He was manipulated into doing his boss (Charles Grapewin) wrong. His boss was not a heartless person. Alice's father had not worked for a very long time and yet his boss still paid him a salary. For anyone to encourage Alice's father to back stab his boss is essentially an evil person.

Of note: there is an actress in the movie named Evelyn Venable. One can't help but think of a certain actress named Jennifer Lawrence. The two have to be distant relatives.

Los Angelics at Silverlake Lounge

Los Angelics. They're a bundle of energy. Sara Coda and Sara Collins never stop moving. Their set has to be their own personal workout video. Their band practices and live sets have to be all the exercise they need to do. As for their sound? It is electronic. Along with the two Saras are two keyboardists, bouncing along with the beat.

I was asked by one of the Saras if I had a pen so that they could write down their set. Unfortunately, I didn't.

Folks should catch this band. If they let the music take them over, they'll have their exercise for the night covered for sure.
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Barb Wire Dolls and Others at Whisky a Go Go

Barb Wire Dolls

Barb Wire Dolls is doing a July/August residency at Whisky a Go Go. This is a return for them after just recently doing a March residency. Who could ask for more? This band leaves it all out there. And I love it. And photographers love it, as well. The place was packed with photographers. But who can blame us. This is a fun band to photograph and the Whisky a Go Go has great lights that make for some awesome outcomes.

Opening up for Barb Wire Dolls was Others. I quickly realized I was in for a great back-to-back set of bands. How could I tell? I was smiling throughout their set. I just couldn't help it. Long hair. Heavy metal. And yet approachable.
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A Movie Review: Heaven Can Wait (1943)

Heaven Can Wait. Henry Van Cleve (Don Ameche) has died. In the afterlife, he assumes based on his life that he's heading to Hell. At the Gates of Hell he meets with His Excellency (Laird Cregar). The two review his life story. Henry was one playboy. He even had a boyhood affair with the family French maid Mademoiselle (Signe Hasso). He settles down; however, when he falls for Martha (Gene Tierney). Even this life long love was clouded in scandal. His cousin Albert (Allyn Joslyn) was meant to marry Martha, but during a family gathering Henry convinces Martha to run away with him.

Perhaps the basic message of this movie is: you don't need to be perfect life. For me, I found the movie just ever so depressing. Here's a man who wasn't perfect, but definitely not a horrible person, looking back at his life and seeing it as a failure. Also, the love of his life dies way too soon and he is left with an empty feeling in his heart for the rest of his years. For me, it was all so depressing, because as you watch the movie you have to say he has totally misjudged his life.

One thing about the movie I found really interesting was how intent the Van Cleve family was to have their young adults marry others who were of their monetary status. Falling for showgirls or even young women from middle class backgrounds was totally unacceptable. Martha's family owned the largest meat packing company in America, which made her socially acceptable. As for the Van Cleve family, I'm  not sure what they did. I'm assuming they were bankers, but I don't believe it is directly referenced in the movie.

Yes, I found this movie depressing. Of course, the question is: did I enjoy it? I can't give it a thumbs up. My problem is that Don Ameche narrates the movie and I just found his voice rather monotone. Maybe that's a silly reason to dislike a movie and maybe he spoke that way as a sign of his resignation to his afterlife destiny. I just wanted more jazz there.  

Spectacular Spectacular, Katie Burden and Anahita Skye at Hotel Cafe

After a long absence, I headed off to Hotel Cafe. The one significant reason for my heading out was to catch Spectacular Spectacular. A friend is one of the back-up musicians for this trio.

I showed up a little early and got to catch Anahita Skye and Katie Burden. Anahita Skye music is joyful and preppy. You can't help but feel cheerful throughout the set. Katie Burden's style differs. The music is sung as if every word might lead one over the cliff. It makes one cling to every moment. I did not know this in advance, but Norm Block is part of her band -- I've followed him in other bands such as The Child.

The final band of the night was Spectacular Spectacular. I didn't know exactly what to expect. They had a couple sounds up on Soundcloud so I took a listen. The first song was Saturday Night. It starts out like a typical Hotel Cafe sound before suddenly exploding into a punk rock rage. Then it quickly transitions back to the typical Hotel Cafe sound. I was at a total loss. What is up with this band? Well, it all works very well during their live set.


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