Focus

If you're in the mood for a good caper movie rent 2015's Focus 

Will Smith plays a veteran con-man who suddenly gets week knees when a femme fatale he's had a past with suddenly shows up on his latest scam.

Good is the key word here:

Acting, plot, script, dialogue, pace, everything in this movie's all good.

Honestly, just a shade or 2 away from brilliance. 

But very enjoyable! 

Rent it!

Lambert & Stamp

I'll start by saying that The Who were one of my early favorite rock bands. They were my 1st ever live concert. 20th Anniversary of Tommy at Alpine Valley, Wis. 1989!

I payed attention almost exclusively to their music. The behind the scenes stuff was unknown and never interested me. (As almost all  my fave music is.)

Enter the 2014 documentary Lambert & Stamp. 

Aspiring filmmakers Kit Lambert & Chris Stamp decide to manage an upcoming rock group, filming everything they can, in hopes of making both a successful band and an "in" into the movie industry. 

Complications eventually ensued.

But this is not Metallica: Some Kind of Monster: A 2 hour Jerry Springer show. No Verbal and/or physical fisticuffs on screen. 

This is the story of how The Who got started. There were some bad feelings later. But there is no question The Who wouldn't have been as successful without them - and it's fun to see why.

It's a big gray area. No one comes out smelling like a rose. But it's not all negative.

It's entertaining, interesting, and fun facts abound (Kit's influence on Pete's sound and song writing!)

Ex Machina

I could not recommend this sci-fi drama more: 2015's Ex Machina

It's about the winner of a huge corporation's in house sweepstakes, who finally gets to meet the elusive CEO and see whether or not he's actually created AI (artificial intelligence).

Let me digress to, perhaps, the creepy part of my opening sentence.Yes, it's a drama.With even less action than Blade Runner. No Michael Bay explosions. No John Woo super slo-mo bullets. No Lucas muppets. No Spielberg's kids on bmx bikes...

But that is exactly the point of this movie! It's talky and unravels slowly at first, then grows - bit by suspenseful bit into something a lot better than Scott, Bay, Woo, etc.

This is more Asimov. More a game of Chess rather than Asteroids! 

And it ROCKS!!

Tusk

An obscure Kevin Smith movie?? Not since Clerks, right?

Nope. Not many knew Tusk existed, including me. (And everyone knows how big a fan I am of Smith!) 

Well, I should say, I'm a huge Kevin Smith fan with exceptions. Mallrats, Jay & Silent Bob, and his horror movie, Red State, were not good, in my humble opinion. 

Which is why Smith's horror movie #2, right after Red State, didn't have much appeal to me when I finally did hear of it. 

I was wrong!

WOW! 
This is a very, very creepy movie! Hard to sit through without squirming. But isn't that what a horror movie is supposed to be?

It's about a podcaster who goes to Canada to do an interview and disappears. His friends search for him... Much more is involved, of course.

But the best part of this movie is it's alter-ego! 

After being totally creeped-out watching the movie, watch a couple of the short dvd extras (Making Of's) and you'll see/hear an idea that instantly changes this movie from 1 of the creepiest to 1 of the funniest!

I had to instantly watch it again, based on this new information. And it's hysterical! 
And I came along another Easter Egg hidden in the movie, also!

This is the best metamorphoses I've ever seen in a movie! 

Veronica Mars

The story of Veronica Mars is very cool!

It was a TV show for 3 seasons, starting in 2004. It achieved critical success but a very small, yet loyal audience. Turns out that this audience wasn't just loyal - they were rabid!

Not willing to let go, this small cult funded its movie through a kickstarter-type campaign. And in 2014 Veronica Mars: The Movie debuted.

Very loyal! Very cool!

Based on the idea that such dedication surely can't be misplaced, and on a recommendation from Sezduck (not in that order), I embarked on the journey...

And found it sucks. Just kidding. It's great! But I think it needs to be seen in order. Her story is very cool (see what I did there?):

Veronica (Kristen Bell), in Season 1, is a high school student in the town of Neptune, CA. Her best friend is killed so she uses skills gleaned from her father (ex-sheriff, now PI) to try to catch the murderer. Basically, she's Nancy Drew - in the 21st century using current technology. Lots more is involved, of course. Yes, it does get soap opera-esque here and there, but it also has lots of acerbic wit and gets dark. Dark! Season 1 ROCKS!! Must-see!!

Season 2 is a little more disjointed and soap opera-ish, but it still ROCKS!! In an effort to boost ratings they have some fun cameos. Kevin Smith plays a clerk (HA!) and Joss Whedon pays homage to Smith by playing a clerk (HA HA!!). I liked parts of 2 better than 1! As a whole, I'm not sure which I'd choose. Too close to call. Must-see!!

Season 3 is very disjointed, sometimes hard to keep up with the details, but I still looked forward to seeing that Netflix envelope in my mailbox. Still good! Worth watching!

The Movie: 10 years go by for the characters, 7 years for fans but only 2 days for me! I was really expecting something to knock my socks off and didn't get it. Looking back, and watching it again, I realized that my sights were set way too high (and maybe lack of sleep had a part). But it's still Veronica! It's still good! Maybe better than Season 3?

So, thanks for the suggestion, Sezduck! Best stuff I've seen in a while!

Inequality for All

I'd consider this documentary a must-see no matter what part of the political spectrum you see yourself on - Left, Right, somewhere in the middle, or even on the fringe.

Inequality for All, 2013, is Robert Reich making a plea to America: please, decrease the wage inequality - the drastic amount more that the top money makers profit as apposed to the "working class".

This isn't "Class Warfare." It's simple economics. Societies run better when the Middle Class earns a comfortable wage. The MC spends most of the money in the market and thus keeps the system going.

There's plenty of proof. Lots of graphs and stats (perhaps a little too many, in spots?), and historical evidence to back up the claims. And they interview Conservatives and Liberals alike. Fox News and Jon Stewart's Daily Show make numerous cameos. 

Unfortunately, when you (meaning me) agree so much with a documentary it's hard to say anything more about it. (I'll) Let the movie speak for itself!