Nightcrawler

Nightcrawler

Man, what a freaky movie. Like other movies recently, this movie takes a huge dump on the press. “If it bleeds, it leads” sort of mindset is the focus of local news. The movie isn't prefect, but does a good job with its subject matter.

The movie is about a guy that stumbles into the world of the news gathering. He goes around filming shooting and accidents. He then sells them to news stations. But, what happens when he starts to get involved with the news he's filming?

Jake Gyllenhaal is wonderfully creepy in the lead role. He plays a very dark character that morphs into whatever person that can get him ahead. I love how dangerous this guy is and how willing he is to switch from hustling to violence in a matter of moments. His character plays everyone in one form or another. It is truly fun seeing him manipulating everyone and everything.

His character slips from being a junk collector to a news gather in minutes.

The movie has some wonderfully directed moments where violence has happened and these news guys show up within seconds of the scenes filming the aftermath. And, Dan Gilroy does a masterful job with the directing of these dark scenes.

Things really get intense from in the last act with the introduction of a home invasion. Gyllenhaal's character takes advantage of this incident and manipulates it. The dark twist the story goes from this point on is get. Plus, the movie ends on a bleak note, but plays it as a triumphant call for the main character. However, it's just bad for everyone else around him.

Nightcrawler is a neat little film that takes you on some dark paths, while giving some shit to local news channels in the process. It doesn't come across as being too preachy either. Gilroy does a good job with the script and Jake Gyllwnhaal knocks it out of the park with his portrayal.

Grade: B

Nice Pic, bro I mean sister.

Facebook friend posted this...

This picture sums up my thoughts on the conservative religious right on their views of gay marriage.  I have huge problems with the left and the far left, but we’re on the same page when it comes to this issue. I tend to have right views on certain things, but I really can't care what happens in someone's bedroom.  And, the far right doesn't really understand this. 

I hate marriage all marriage.  I think the concept of marriage is extremely flawed and out of date, but everyone should have the right to get married and ruin their lives gay or straight.  I want more people to realize how silly marriage is as a whole more than banning a segment of our population from doing it. 

Mother of the decade?

This may sound like a freaky story made up, but it isn’t.  There is a woman kept her son’s rotting corpse in the trunk of her car for over 10-11 years.  You read that right.  Is this the parent of the year or what? 

On June 6, the cops pulled over Tonya Staton for expired tags. If you're going to keep a decaying corpse in the back of your car, how about keeping your tags up to date? I don't want to help out criminals keep in mind. Plus, the cop noticed the bleach stain on the floor of her car, and he started to notice the smell of decaying flesh.

From USA Today, ((Slaton told the trooper she only had clothes in her trunk, but when the trooper opened it he smelled "rotting flesh," according to the document. ))

I guess she was using “Rotting Flesh” fabric softener.

From USA Today, ((Slaton began throwing clothes on top of the spare tire, which is where the trooper found two plastic bags wrapped in duct tape full human remains. ))

Because, that doesn't raise suspicion. And there was her son wrapped up in two bags tied with duct tape. What a way to go and to have your mother to cover it up for ten years.

It also seems the community and city also failed too. No one questioned his disappearance for ten years? No one questioned his mother or family about not seeing him around anymore? No one asked why she didn't put out a missing person report?

From USA Today, ((No witnesses have seen her son, Quincy Jamar Davis, since 2004 when he was in seventh grade at Virginia Beach Middle School. Davis would have turned 25 this past Tuesday. ))

This might be part of the bigger problem in the black community too. Young black males tend to go “missing” all the time and no one cares. This needs to change.

The other questions I have are these; Why would you drive around with your son's dead body for over ten years? And, did you ever have to take the car to the shop? Wouldn't other people smell the car around her home? Did she want to be close to her child? WTF?

Random Stuff

Random Stuff

~Going out yourself: I talk to a lot of people that refuse to go to the movie theater by themselves. This is such a strange concept to me because I spend a lot of time by myself. I forget that most people go out for the social experience and not for the very thing they're going out for. I go to restaurants and movie theaters just for that thing; to eat and watch a movie. I spent most of my life being a loner that I am use to it. Plus, whenever I do take a lady to the movies, which is extremely rare, I end up not talking to her and just watching the movie. That probably explains why I am constantly single. 

 ~Star Trek 4 is happening: Well, Star Trek 3 hasn't even been released yet and they're already talking about ST4. Can we wait a bit until the dust settles, before setting up shot? There was such a major power change behind the scenes with ST3 that I would wait before announcing ST4. By the way, the new movie is called Star Trek Beyond. I kind of like it better than “Into Darkness”. I'm still looking forward to the new Star Wars movie more than ST3.

~Khloé Kardashian, who is she again: For some reason, she ends up in my Google News stuff. And, she is the so-so sister to the famous for being famous sister. Okay, what does that make you?

 

~Orange is the New Black: Man, I loved the second season, but this season has been very good too. I like seeing the side characters getting their story arcs and background flashbacks. This season, so far seems to be focused on the actual prison changing from a state-run place to a private one. It shows the changes the place goes through in the transition. The season also seems to take a extremely dark path with some serious subject matters, which I won't discuss here. I am not done with the season, but I am close to the end. Oh, and the main character Piper seems to have taken a back seat to the other characters.

Gone Girl

Gone Girl

 With all the hype from critics and audiences, I was a but let down with Gone Girl. That's not say it is a horrible, but I expected a little more from the movie. David Fincher is extremely good with the direction and it has some Fincher moments in there too for the fans. The story takes some interesting turns, which you can see coming, but not all of it is powerful. The writer of the book this is based on also wrote the screenplay. Gone Girl has so much to enjoy about it, but a few pacing and boring scenes that slow it down a bit.

I can enjoy how the movie does straddles the line of morals and actions. It also has some nice commentaries on the media and how the media wants to create its own narrative. And, the people in the news want to produce their own narratives in return. It actually handles these issues without being too preachy. The media really takes a beating in this movie. And, they're one of the bad guys.

What doesn't really work is Ben Affleck's somewhat wooden performance in some of the early scenes. I know he wants to go for the restrain approach, but it makes the movie a little bit boring. However, Affleck is playing two different versions of his characters, but that is more of the story than his acting choices.

On the other hand, Rosamund Pike's performance is something to behold. Her character sort of fills out whatever role someone else' s wants her to be until she snaps and starts doing some crazy things to herself and other people. Let's just say some severe things happen to her by her own hands. Pike's personally changes over the course of the movie, but also there is a fake meek character she wants to portray to the media too. Pike is the person people talk about when discussing this movie. It is deserved.

Neil Patrick Harris gives a good performance too. His character is close to being creepy and possessive. Harris plays it completely straight here (no pun intended). Tyler Perry also does a good job with his limited role. Hey, he's good when he's not dressed as a woman.

Yet, I also feel the movie isn't what it is cracked up to be. It is a good movie, but not great. The ending is very dark and disturbing, hinting at a horrible future. The movie sometimes has some dull moments, but the acting from Harris and Pike is where this movie really shines.

Grade: C+

Random Things

Random things

~Still Moody: But, driving around the city meeting people has entertained me. I've really enjoyed all walks of life. I've gotten a few regulars I've driven around town a few times and they're good people . My ratings have gotten pretty good overall. I still a bit saddened by the loss of my uncle, plus I lost my Grandmother in the same year. I am not sure how much more of my real job I can take without totally freaking out, because I hate the place so much. I have to hang in there though.  

 ~Confederate Battle Flag: All this talk of this ugly flag has got me thinking. I really don't care if people fly their flags. I will probably try to avoid you if I see you wearing it or flying it. You and I will probably have very little in common. I never understood why the far right would support this flag given their stance of not burning the American flag. Why support a flag that stands for slavery and divide? It is good to see some from the GOP take a stance against some of the Confederate symbols though. 

Most of these fools are aware that the actual Confederate Flag looks like this.  The one above was merely the battle flag. 

 

~Dick Van Patton Dead: I had no idea this guy was still alive up until this point. He just passed away at the age of 86. That's pretty old in my book. He will always be remembered as the father figure on TV. I remember him from the show Eight is Enough. I loved Dick Van Patton in Spaceballs.

 ~Jaden Smith explains that stupid Batman suit he wore Kim and West's wedding: And, it doesn't make sense. He wanted to “heighten his experience and protect everyone at the wedding”. Yeah, shut the f' up you foolish fiend. I am really started to hate this kid even more. He has no talent, but wants to be famous. He's a teen now and he's still dressing up as a superhero...at social evets. Kind of strange, dude.

Get On Up

Get On Up

 Get On Up is a movie telling the story of James Brown's life. On one hand, it does some things really right, such as us seeing that Brown wasn't a nice person. On the other, the movie tends to lose traction. The subject is an interesting man, and his history is very compelling, but the movie is a bit disjointed, so we lose that human connection to James Brown.

The movie opens with a brilliant scene, which happened in real life, where James Brown threatened a woman that used his private bathroom in his strip mall. The scene shows that Brown had totally lost it at this point, and it is directed brilliantly. Some of the later scenes seemed to never reach the agitated and edginess that opening conveys. By the way, that incident led to the infamous police chase that Brown led the police on. We get glimpses of it throughout the movie.

The thing the movie does right is revealing the complex nature of James Brown. Brown was truly a bully in every meaning of the word. He would pick on his band members and treat them like second class people. He thought everyone was out to get him. He would belittle even his loyal members, but demanded everyone call him “Mr. Brown”. The movie absolutely shows this in its full glory.

However, the movie also shows the creative side of the man. This was the stronger aspect of the man. To him, every instrument was a drum and had to keep beat. The movie also shows us some interesting way Brown view doing business.

I also love the small cameo from a young Little Richard.

What doesn't work is James Brown stopping and breaking the fourth wall. It works in House of Cards, but not in this movie because it doesn't come across as interesting.

-Chadwick Boseman is James Brown. He’s looks, sounds, and feels the part. He was meant to play this guy. I love the expression Boseman has when he gets real mean with his band-mates.

-Nelsan Ellis plays Bobby Byrd: Booby was Brown’s right-hand man for a very long time. Ellis is brilliant and I hope he gets more roles.

-Dan Aykroyd: Well, Aykroyd actually knew and preformed with James Brown in both Blues Brothers movies. He plays Brown’s business guy. Aykroyd knows R&B and Blues music, so it’s a good olive branch. He’s not in the movie much.

Despite the good acting from most of the outstanding cast, director Tate Taylor’s movie isn’t that compelling and feels a bit more mundane than fascinating. The movie would have probably worked better with a straight narrative than having the story jump around to different time periods. I think the story’s emotional value and payoff is weakened with the disjointed narrative. And, the movie sort of just ends.

Grade: C

Nelly Vs. Bee Gee

Nelly Vs. Bee Gee

Somehow, these two songs actually work together like peanut butter and jam. Sweet. I think some of the dance tracks do work with Staying Alive. Does anyone remember when Nelly was hot and in every pop song as a guest artist? Now, Nelly is doing Honey Nut Cheerios covers and ads with an animated bee. 

FFVII: Remake PS4

FFVII: Remake PS4

Wow, I was not anispating this bombshell. Everyone for years wanted Square to remake FF7 on the PS2-PS4, and now they're actually doing it! It's a nice misleading trailer too. I love how the VO is actually talking about the game and not the story.

Time for me to get a PS4.  

This kind of bothered me...Shoplifter thing

This kind of bothered me...Shoplifter thing

The firefighter suggested the on break employee to help instead of filming. Actually, most companies today have a strict policy telling their employees NOT to stop a shoplifter. And, you can get fired for trying to stop them too. Trust me, it is enforced.

Now, there are other companies that do encourage you to stop intruders and other security concerns.

Before and After photo: fail

Before and After photo: This poster point out the major flaw with this photo.

Wow, they didn't even try to even photoshop the results. They just covered up the same photo with their product. These “As seen on TV” folks aren't even trying anymore. Also someone noted that the Before and After photo on the box doesn't make sense because it is two different product! Before is Scratch Mender and after is Wood Butter.

Even the TV ad is annoying. Check it out…

I love these sort of things. 

Strange thing happened at the gas station...

As I pulled up to the gas station, I noticed a strange-looking fellow that was a bit heavyset and dressed in a strange tight shirt with a trucker hat. His Faded Glory jeans were a little bit too high for his and their own good. He also wore a backpack that was a bit too big for him. That's a strange fellow, I thought and let it pass.

I entered the station and headed for the energy drinks. That was when strange fellow stopped me in my tracks as if we were old friends.

So, then the guy touched my arm, which I hate, and started to speak total gibberish to me. I mean he was speaking this mumbled language he created himself as if I was fluent in it.

I started to freakout, but had the appearance of calmness.

So, not only does this strange, stumpy fellow think he knows me, he’s having a complete conversation with me.  And, he’s speaking this gibberish as if he’s telling a story with hand gestures and everything. 

At this point, my mind is racing with nervousness.  What do I do?  Do I merely ignore him and take my chances with a total crazy guy freaking out?  Or do I stand there and pretend to like I’m enjoying every stilted non-word?  I had other things to do, so I took a more direct approach. 

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.  I got to go,” I said pointing toward the energy drinks. 

He continued to talk to me in gibberish as I walked away.  I heard him walking around speaking his language to no one.  He started to swing back toward me and I quickly dashed for the front counter.  I paid for my drinks and gas and left as he started to lumber toward me again.  

I got out in one piece! 

As I pumped the gas, I saw him harassing the store clerks in the station with his gibberish.  I felt bad for them, but I was free. 

Rachel Dolezal

Rachel Dolezal

Where to begin?  Being a black guy and one that’s called “the whitest black they’ve met”, I can view this some an interesting point of view.  I heard about Rachel from a Youtuber and I was completely confused about this story. 

Basically, people started to look into her past when threats started surfacing against her.

From CNN  ((even though she was born white -- stood by that self-assessment Tuesday, insisting, "I identify as black."))

Well, you’re not.  Being the president of the Spokane chapter of the NAACP, she had a lot of pull in the black community.  However, EVERYONE thought she was a light skinned black woman.  More or less, she lied about her race.  Being in charge of a chapter of NAACP shouldn’t be the problem, but pretending to be one thing is a problem. 

She was born a white girl, but completely morphed herself into a black woman.  And, I find that troubling and insulting.  That’s like me lightening up my skin and putting “white” on applications.  I also believe she distanced herself from her white parents for some unknown reason. And, I have no idea why certain people in the black community are embracing this woman. 

I mean there has to be a mental breakdown somewhere in her mind to morph herself into another race to this extent. Just because you identify as something doesn't make you that thing. I can embrace another culture and still keep my identity as a black guy. That's how normal people do it.

Game of Thrones Season Finale Thoughts

Game of Thrones Season Finale Thoughts

-Poor Stannis Baratheon?: He killed his daughter for a divine intervention, but in return he got screwed big time. His wife killed herself and half his men deserted him. I guess this was payback for killing his brother and daughter for his personal gain. 

-Seeing the Bolton army surround Stannis' smaller army was breathtaking. There was a sense of defeat on his face when they loomed over his men. Great moment.

-Brienne: Did she actually kill Stannis? I'm not sure, because we didn't see her actually hit him with his sword. I'm thinking she will spare him.

-Red Witch: I love the total look of shock on her face when she got the news that half the army left. She comes back to the Wall defeated.

-Sam leaves: That's pretty cool. I hope we see in next season.

-Jon Snow Dead?: Yeah, it was brutal to see all those Crows stab in. You would think these guys would put aside their hatred for the Wildlings and focus in on the bigger threat of the White Walkers. I think he is dead, but keep in mind the Red Witch at the Wall. She is a part of that religion that can bring people back to life.

-Lord Varys returns: I'm really liking this character. 

- Arya Stark gets her revenge, but with a price.  It was a bloody scene. 

Star Wars Battlefront gameplay

Star Wars Battlefront gameplay

Well, that looks cool, EA. Please don't screw this up for the SW fans.

-Walker Down: I love seeing the AT-AT take a tumble and fall right up close. We never got to see one of those things fall from that POV.

-X-Wing and TIE fighters in the Battle of Hoth: While I know this didn't happen in the movie, it is cool to see both of these fighters in the VG battle.

-Battle of Hoth music: It's cool they're using the music from that scene. I think it's some of John Williams best.

-Vader shows up! Sweet.

-Will we see the Snow Creatures from the movie that attacked Luke? In deleted scenes, those snow creatures are captured and contained in the rebel best. They are later used to attack the troopers. Will we see this scene in Battlefront?

Did I just catch a Wilhelm scream in the clip below? (1:17 mark)

Did you catch that downed Star Destroyer? Isn't that the same one we see in the second new Star Wars movie trailer?(1:57-1:60)

Check it out...

I think it is the same ship.   So, we're seeing the battle as it happens years before the new movie? 

Christopher Lee (RIP)

Christopher Lee (RIP)

 I know that he was very old, but I kind of figured he'd be around for a few more years. This man was a legend in Hollywood. He's worked with so many directors and actors that I don't anyone else comes close. He was the king of the character actors.

I remember him from that James Bond film and all those Tim Burton movies. He almost always played a bad guy. Fondly, I remember him from The Lord of the Rings movies and the Star Wars prequels. He was a great villain in both of those franchises. And, Saruman and Count Dooku were very similar characters. I found that to be amusing.

He played Ansem the Wise in two Kingdom Hearts games. And, he was in the original The Wicker Man, aka the only good one.

I also remember hearing that he was upset that he got cut out of Return of the King and he was cheated of his onscreen death. They restored his scene in the extended cut, and I love its addition.

Anyway, it is sad to see this legend go, but he has a huge body of work to be proud of though. RIP, Saruman.

The Judge

The Judge 

 The Judge isn't a great movie or even good, but fair. Sometimes, the movie comes across as being boring. It certainly feels like someone's pet project than really a compelling story. However, the acting rises the movie above its middling script. Somewhere, there is a better courtroom drama lurking in the shadows. The movie just fails to discover it.

Judge Joseph Palmer (Robert Duvall) is a hard but fair judge in a small town in Indiana. His middle son(Robert Downey Jr.) is a big city lawyer that has to come home for his mother's funeral. Judge Palmer finds himself being accused of killing a man that he sentence years ago. The lawyer son has to defend his father in the trial, while putting aside his hatred.

Seeing Duvall and Downey Jr. going at it is a real treat. You get the sense that they really do have some bad blood between them. Downey was a good choice for the fasting talking lawyer. He's probably the best thing in the movie, and he keeps the movie going when the script stalls. Some of the other supporting cast isn't as breakthrough.

The movie just doesn't get over its mundane pacing and non-scenes to be as compelling as it wants to be. On the other hand, I like how the movie does give each character some flaws. Downey's character cheats on his wife, and his marriage is in shambles. However, he does do the right thing in defending his father. The judge has a history with the victim and that doesn't help him.

Also, the movie does evoke a little bit of Elizabethtown and that's not a good thing. Like that movie, it tries to pull at your emotional strings at the end and it just comes across as false. So, the mundane script and the falsehood. Downey and Duvall do elavate the script somewhat, but not enough.

Grade: C- 

 Robert: "I am Iron Man."

Old Man Robert just realized he didn't pick up his bag of prunes at the store and he forgot to wears pants...

Punisher on Daredevil

Marvel is finally going to give us their take on the Punisher character. This character will show up on Netflix's Daredevil. And, that's a prefect place to introduce this darker character in the grittier side of the Marvel Movie Universe. Marvel is really doing things right all around

From The Hollywood Reporter, ((Bernthal has been tapped to portray Marvel favorite the Punisher on the series starring Charlie Cox, Marvel announced Tuesday. ))

 Jon Bernthal is from The Walking Dead series from what I've read. I've never seen the show, but the acting receives a lot of critical praise.

Marvel received the rights of The Punisher back just like they did with Daredevil. The other studios really seem to not get the Marvel brand of characters right. And, I am hearing some disturbing things about new Fantastic Four by Fox.

Plus, the Punisher had three movies and three reboots. On some level, all three didn't work. He might fit in on a smaller screen.

I'm guessing he'll just show up in a couple of episodes and then spin off (maybe) with his own Netflix show. 

And, please don't go Captain America Frank Castle or the Frankenstein Punisher  Yes, that actually happened.  Given the direction the Marvel Civil is going, the Cap Punisher might happen.

 

787 Dreamliner cool

787 Dreamliner cool

So, this plane can almost leap into air like a bird. I looked at this video and my mouth opened in astonishment. What's interesting is that its even shaped like a bird and sort flies in that manner too.

Boeing made the plane and it is part of the Vietnam Airlines' fleet. Now some are saying it won't make a sharp ascent like that with more passengers and fuel on board, but damn that was cool.

So, how does one feel when it flies upward while inside that thing?

Random Things

Random Things

~Ride Share: I was finally approved for the program. It took forever for the background check. I've made some really good money so far and some nice people. I only had one minor screw up and one minor one. However, I dig both the quiet and talkie riders. One guy and I hit it off talking about movie scores because he heard my Dawn of the Planet of the Apes tracks. I'm getting better. I'm going to draw back on my rides in a few weeks though. 

~My portable HD died a few days ago: I have two, but my older, larger one sort of malfunctioned and doesn't read on either of my computers. I'm not too broken up about it. I'll use a flash drive and MS's version of the cloud to save data. Should I use it as a paper weight?

~Police Officer was “under stress” before he went ape shit on those black teens: Look, I have had near breakdowns recently, but I am not a police officer with a gun. Having a bad day could mean someone could end up dead. If I had a stressful day, people at work have their feelings hurt.

~Orange is the New Black: It's coming back this week on Friday. The show has its flaws, but I still really like this show. I am looking forward to it. 

 ~Jurassic World: And, I am not looking forward to Jurassic World. I am not just not that interested and I am not going to see it on Friday night either. However, the movieis hovering in the low 70s, so that might be a good thing.

The Young Turks discussion about Game of Thrones

The Young Turks discussion about Game of Thrones

I like this discussion about last nights episode. Stannis Baratheon was never a good person, but he's about even with the Bolton family. Stannis did the horrible thing he's been hinting at for two seasons. I didn't think they were going to burn Shireen until I saw them hold back her mother. I was like, “Yep, she's going to die.” And, those screams are really hard to listen to. There really isn't anyone to cheer for in the coming battle in Winterfell. 

I love the Danny scene scene with dragon. She sort of called the dragon to her, right? Anyway, I loved seeing the dragon burn all those bad guys in the arena. I also like seeing the dragon accept her and let her ride him.

Seeing Jorah defending Daenerys is a nice redemption for this character.

While I loved the last episode more, this was another good, heart-wrenching episode. 

About that Texas Police officer

About that Texas Police officer

I think the cop went way too far with his actions. Yes, the young teen girl should have walked away and not given him lip, but he went from being a dick to being a dangerous guy in a span of minutes. And, you can tell the other police officer react in a more passive way compared to him.

While I am the most critical of my own community, I think they're right in this incident. He pulled a gun on a bunch of teens because he was in a bad mood, and I find that very wrong. It is just a troubling video to watch.He grabs her so hard and mean that it is really bad.

Luckily, the cop did leave the force. And, that's a good thing. I have a bad day almost everyday, but I am not armed so that makes a big difference.

Even More Trains in Louisville-ish

Even More Trains in Louisville-ish

As you know, I love watching trains and enjoy the sound of them. Since I got a camera, I've decoded to capture a few photos of them throughout the Louisville area. Here are a few. 

Tandy Computers (I remember those)

Tandy Computers (I remember those)

Seven programs, whoa. Tandy, you're just giving it away now. 

Way back in the day, I remember watching children-based game shows that always had a Tandy personal computer as one of the prizes. If I remember correctly, Double Dare, Carmen Sandiego and Fun House would give these things away.

I was always underwhelmed with that prize. I would have rather gotten the encyclopedia collection instead. Plus, the computers seemed to be shittier versions of the computers everyone else had. No one really liked Tandy computers even the people that owned them. Yes, Commodore 16 users laughed at you. 

 You could also get one from Radio Shack, which they heavily promoted in their stores for years. Heck, you could say Radio Shack without thinking of a Tandy computer. What found amusing is that the Tandy Company stopped making computers in 1993 just before the Internet craze started to take off. They would have been the E-Machines before that brand debuted.

Whenever some egg-head would talk about computers, I believe it is my duty to bring up the Tandy computer.   It always gets a good laugh.  I think it still lives on as a reference due to Strong Bad's first computer was a parody of a Tandy. 

 Also, Bill Bixby (David Banner of the Hulk show) was the spokesman for the Tandy PC. You wouldn't like the computer when it gets angry.