Down and Outlaws/Great White Buffalo/The Diamond Light at The Satellite

I was out of town for ten weeks due to work.  I did return on the weekends so I got to catch the occasional weekend music festival, but this was essentially my first time at a local music venue in a couple months.  Where did I decide to go?  I decided to head off to The Satellite.

Down and Outlaws.  This San Francisco band reminded me of Amnesia, a music venue up there.  The lead vocalist has a distinct pitched sound that gets the crowd dancing.  Of notice, their second to last song was beautifully improvised.  Pure rock.

Great White Buffalo.  Serious smooth rock beats along with earnest vocals had the gals standing right up next to the stage, singing the words to every song.  There was love in those eyes.  There was just this calm confidence throughout the 30 minute set.

The Diamond Light.  This band reminded me of a favorite band, The Lower 48, in terms of fashion.  The three band members came out in custom made suits.  And much like The Lower 48, they wore those suits with flair and tore into rock and roll.  Their sound blasts out like Marty McFly's head turning prom invasion.

A Movie Review: Gone Girl

Gone Girl. Nick Dunne (Ben Afflect) leaves his house and heads to a bar that he co-manages with his sister, Margo Dunne (Carrie Coon). The bar is owned by his wife, Amy Dunne (Rosamund Pike).  It is the day of his 5th wedding anniversary.  It doesn't take long to figure out that his marriage is on the rocks.  Nick and Margo quickly start blasting Amy.

Nick heads back home.  When he enters his home, he looks to the right.  A coffee table is smashed in the living room.  This doesn't look right.  He calls out for his wife.  There is no answer.  He quickly calls for the police.  Detective Rhonda Boney (Kim Dickens) and Officer Jim Gilpin (Patrick Fugit) show up.  Based on the evidence in the house, they declare Amy a missing person.

Via flashbacks we learn that Amy and Nick had a great three year run.  Then the aftermath of the Great Recession caught up with them and their marriage started a downhill trend.  Nick lost his job.  Amy's parents were very wealthy (part of the one percent), but they were in heavy debt and Amy's million dollar trust fund needed to get drained to cover that debt.  The last straw to there wonderful marriage was when Nick's mother came down with cancer.  They moved back to his small hometown, a situation that Amy just couldn't handle.    

The answer to what happened to Amy is answered by the middle of the movie, but that doesn't take away from the thrill of this movie.  Nick's character is complex.  He comes across as always being under control, but we start getting a different feel for him as the movie progresses.  He's prone to bursts of anger.  He has a thing for a hot young twenty one year old.  Amy, meanwhile, has subtle psychological issues, driven by her mother.  Her mother wrote a series of books called Amazing Amy that tracked Amy's life.  The problem was that Amazing Amy was way more successful than the real Amy was.

This movie has all the makings for a best picture nomination.  Great acting.  A story line that keeps you engaged.  And a nice toss to how society manipulates these situations.

My one problem:  There is a scene in the movie where Nick is in his house, getting ready for an interview.  Then there is another scene where he is at his sister's house.  Then we go back to where he is back in his house, moments before his interview.  I'm assuming that the scene at his sister's house is a flashfoward.  My problem is that this is the only time this technique is used and I think it causes a touch of confusion.  We're used to the flashbacks, but this one flashfoward seems out of place.  

 

A Movie Review: The Skeleton Twins

The Skeleton Twins. Maggie (Kristen Wiig) and Milo (Bill Hader) are twins. They’re known as the Skeleton Twins, driven by the fact that their father gave them toy skeletons when they were young. As the movie starts, they haven’t talked to each other in ten years. What brings them together is a hospital call. Milo has just attempted suicide in California. Maggie flies in from New York to be with her brother. She, in fact, was considering suicide when the call arrived. We also later learn that their father jumped off a bridge. There are some serious mental health issues within this family.

The complexities of this family just grow throughout the movie. We learn that Maggie and her husband, Lance (Luke Wilson), are attempted to have a baby. Well, only one of them is attempting to have a baby. The other, Maggie, is lying about this desire and is taking birth control pills. Meanwhile, Milo attempts to hook up with a former lover, Rich (Ty Burrell), who was his high school teacher at the time.

This movie feels like the comedic take on “August: Osage County.” Perhaps the big fail is that we don’t get to see Academy Award winning actresses going one on one. Add in a wacky mother, Judy (Joanna Gleason), and maybe this movie goes beyond “August: Osage County.” Luckily, we don’t have any incest going on in this movie.

Okay, sorry if it isn’t obvious, I’m not a fan of “The Skeleton Twins.” Yes, the acting is great. Yes, you do get drawn into the movie. My one minor problem with the movie throughout: you have Maggie trying to heal a mentally ill Milo while we all know that she’s just as mentally ill. My one major problem with the movie: the ending. You get this American feel good ending. Hey, I love the American feel good ending, but there is no way these two have even come close to solving their problems as the movie comes to an end and there is no way they deserve the American feel good ending.

Flashlights at The Crepe Place (Santa Cruz)

Flashlights.  I only caught the last couple songs.  As usually happens when I show up in the middle of a set, I ended up thinking:  I wish I had caught the whole set.  What can I say about the band:  high energy and fun.

 

PAWS playing The Crepe Place (Santa Cruz)

PAWS. They like things intimate, which worked perfectly in a location like The Crepe Place.  The crowd was pressed close, they themselves moved closer to the crowd.  That last sentence seems to contradict, but I think it works.

This band hails from Glasgow.  That's Scotland.  Yet, I couldn't help but think this band would be a big hit at The Smell (Los Angeles).  This band's music speeds you into hyper-energy.  Admittedly, in a tight space like The Crepe Place there wasn't much of a stage show, but when the bassist bangs his head against a hanging lamp and breaks a bass string (how often does that happen?) one can only imagine how awesome their stage shows must be at a larger venue.

For their last song, the drummer from Total Slacker set up his drum set and we got a thrill of seeing two drummers going at it.

They had fun with some puns.  Since The Crepe Place is a restaurant that serves crepes, they decided to come up with menu options such as The Crepes of Wrath.

Total Slacker at The Crepe Place (Santa Cruz)

Total Slacker. This past week marked five workweeks in the Santa Cruz area.  It took awhile, but I finally went out to explore the Santa Cruz local music scene.  The band I decided to see is Total Slacker.  They were playing at a local restaurant called The Crepe Place.  For some reason, the stage area reminded me of Casey's in Downtown Los Angeles.  Intimate, fashioned to make you think of a by-gone era and just off from the main dining area (or in the case of Casey's, the bar area).

Total Slacker is on tour, hailing from New York.  Their Facebook page describes their sound as slimegaze.  Elsewhere, it is described as garage pop and psychedelic rock.  I like psychedelic rock.  The band has a steady and prominent timed beat that seems to structure their sound.  And they have a cool fuzzy sound.

I was approached during a break between sets.  I was asked if I was taking photos for myself or someone else.  I replied I was taking photos for Total Slacker.  I asked if he happened to be the owner of The Crepe Place.  He said no and that he was just happy to see someone out doing photography in the Santa Cruz music scene.

          

My Movie Rankings: Summer 2014

Cream of the Crop -- Maybe even Oscar worthy.

Edge of Tomorrow
Begin Again
Boyhood
A Most Wanted Man

Solid -- They'll make you laugh, they'll hold your attention.

22 Jump Street
Chef
X-Men:  Days of Future Past
Dawn of the Planets of the Apes
Neighbors
Godzilla

Bad  -- Save your cash and your time.

Lucy
Maleficent

A Movie Review: Lucy

Lucy. Lucy starts her day in Taiwan with a bit of bad luck. A "friend" wants her to enter a hotel to deliver a briefcase. The briefcase is filled with a new powerful drug.  The individual she ends up delivering to is a powerful drug lord.  He decides that instead of immediately killing her upon delivery, he'll also use her as a drug mule.  A bag of the drug is put into her body.  The bag springs a leak and she overdoses.  Well, instead of dying from the overdose, the drug stimulates her brain to a much higher level.

I had problems with this movie.  I hated all the sidebars that indicates how Luc Besson views life.  For example, going back in time to view the first humans.  Or those moments when Lucy is interacting with her "friend" and we get inserts of an animal hunting for food in Africa.  Obviously, Lucy is the hunted.  Was this just a way to add 5 minutes to the movie so that you could get to 90 minutes?      

The Moth and the Flame at Tarfest

The Moth and the Flame. A tinge of the psychedelic presented by a band that looks like it would be very comfortable at a truck stop. Interestingly, they ended their set with a glorious melody driven song.

Dwntwn at Tarfest

Dwntwn. I can't get enough of this band. And that applies to a lot of folks. At Tarfest, this band was the largest draw. And with a touch of encouragement, the crowd came to the stage.  After their set, a line began to form of fans wanting to get their pictures taken with the band.  And why not, this band has some of the sweetest sounds.

Tapioca and the Flea at Tarfest

Tapioca and the Flea. A group of friends were in the audience for this band.  In fact, from different circles that perhaps interact via Twitter or Facebook or other social network.  As I waited for the band, a young lady approached another and introduced herself, "It is nice to finally meet you in person."

The band had fun interacting with their friends while on stage.  One of the guys in the band halfheartedly encouraged two young women to dance on the speakers.  They declined.  This band likes to have some fun.

 

The Dead Ships at Tarfest

The Dead Ships. As the Los Angeles temperatures peaked, The Dead Ships took the stage with elevated vocals and stage intensity.

A Movie Review: A Most Wanted Man

A Most Wanted Man. Issa Karpov (Grigoriy Dobrygin) has illegally entered into Germany.  There is fear that he is a terrorist. Günther Bachmann (Philip Seymour Hoffman) takes the investigative lead in attempting to determine his true intentions.  Annabel Richter (Rachel McAdams) comes to the support of Issa Karpov from a legal perspective.

This is a well crafted movie.  The movie dives into investigations, rivalries, and good intentions.

I do have one issue with the movie and that is Annabel Richter.  She is "arrested" and put into a holding cell.  After what seems like a few hours, she consents to betray Issa Karpov.  Isn't she his lawyer?  Shouldn't she have held out longer?  And why was she willing to trust this government agency?