Capture of Culture- Austin to Boston

Oh how a songwriter loves the open road.




Following Austin's South By Southwest tour, 4 bands hopped into a menagerie of VW campers and toured America. Along the way, they struggled through mental and physical exhaustion and being crammed together for two weeks, but each of them became part of a larger tour family creating music and memories together. The line up included a ton of Brits fascinated by the touring of the American countryside. Ben Howard, The Staves, Nathaniel Rateliff, Bear's Den, Gill Landry, and Ben Lovett all donated their songs and voices to bring their music on the road. The film follows their music through their dozens of shows. Each song is raw and acoustic, but extremely powerful gaining momentum as they continue to travel. They all have backstories that get intertwined with their music and driving schedules showing the audience what it means to truly be a touring musician. None of them wanted to leave or part at the end because they had become so dependent upon each other in those two weeks of breakdowns, breakthroughs, melodies, harmonies, and chords.




I have a great deal of respect for any artist who gets up on a stage and sings their freaking heart and brains out. Every single one of the performances shown completely encapsulates what it means to these artists to be a musician. It's not easy, but it's entirely worth it for them. The music is a mix of rustic compositions and metaphors that is right up my alley, but is easy accessible for any listener who can appreciate how much time and effort goes into writing such works. They definitely put in their 10,000 hours.




The road is one long goodbye.

Stream of the Week- Employee of the Month

Mayhem and competition are only a new-ish Malibu away.


Zack has been a slacker at work since his startup company failed several years ago. Ever since he's been a box boy at the Super Club store with little to no ambition and drive. Opposite of Zack is Vince, the winner of employee of the month 17 months running. A new cashier, Amy, is brought into the store and the word on the street is that she only goes for the employee of the month. Completely smitten, Zack decides he has to step up his game to win the girl. Vince's arrogance, however, is rubbing Zack the wrong way turning the employee of the month into a vast competition of who can do better at cuddling up to the bosses and returning carts. Zack's personal life is changing with his constant need to become a better employee. His slacker friends are losing touch with him as slowly, but surely, Zack moves from their hideout in the stock shelves to the coveted cashiers lounge and from drinks with the guys to steak dinners with management. The hierarchy of Super Club rests on Zack's fight to become employee of the month. Even though Zack's improvements are making him a better employee, they completely skew his view of the game. No longer is he interested in winning for himself, but is focused instead on beating Vince and winning the girl. The girl, however, is not too amused when she finds out his only goal in improving is to get with her, and neither are his friends when they find out he doesn't have their backs anymore. Is winning really worth losing everything else?


I'm not really a comedy fan girl, but this one isn't that bad. There are the occasional below the belt jokes and a constant sexualization of everything, but in the end the moral is decent- You have to work for yourself, not to impress others. Staying true to himself is the only way Zack would ever have a chance with Amy. Besides the environment in which Zack, Vince, and Amy work is something all little kids who have been to Sam's Club or Cosco dream of. There are secret places to hide out and go carts to drive through empty isles. Overall, this film is fun, and who doesn't need a little fun in their life?

Jurassic World

Hold my hand. I need a seatbelt.


20 years after the destruction of Jurassic Park on a Costa Rican Island, John Hammond's company is once again opening a Dinosaur Theme park in order to bring technology and advancements in genetic engineering to the public. Zach and Gray are sent by their parents to go spend a few days with their Aunt Claire who happens to be a general manager and park overseer for Jurassic World. Upon arrival, Gray and Zach find that Claire is too obsessed with the business side of her job making her unable to accompany them on their tour of the park. Instead they get stuck with the British assistant whom they quickly ditch to go explore the park. Elsewhere, Claire is working on a new attraction- a dinoblend of genetics put together to create a hybrid dinosaur that is bigger, badder, and equipped with more teeth. Claire is forced by upper management to bring in a specialist to inspect the enclosure in which the "Indominus Rex", the hybrid, lives. This specialist is Owen, a raptor trainer who believes that the animals are not owned and are due respect because he knows what they are capable of. However, Claire sees each animal as an "asset" or money making property. This naturally leads to conflict. Upon inspection, the enclosure appears to be empty. The sensors are off and the animal is not seen. Owen and a few of the crew go into the enclosure after concluding that the animal escaped only to find that they are not alone in the enclosure. The Indominus Rex is able to now escape the cage as the crew is fleeing the scene trying to avoid being eaten. The "unbeatable" creature is now on the loose, putting everyone at risk including Gray and Zach who are now out there on their own inspecting restricted parts of the park without supervision. When Claire realizes they are in danger, she grabs Owen and the two go out to find them.


During this time, one of the villains is introduced. Hoskins is a military affiliate who plans on using the dinosaurs, once trained, as soldiers. The owners of the park won't go for it, but when the Indominus Rex is loose, the situation lends itself to be a perfect field test. Once Gray and Zach and reunited with Claire, the crew is swept up by the military plot as Hoskins convinces everyone to set the raptors free to chase and destroy the Indominus Rex. The raptors are not ready for this kind of mission and quickly find it difficult to take on the Indominus Rex, mostly because they have something in common. I'm not telling you what it is because I'm not a jerk. In the end, the battle for Jurassic World comes down to a clash of the titans- Rexy vs. Indominus.


There are a lot of things this film has going for it. The dialogue has a great mix of comedy to temper the violence of the dino killings. This film is definitely violent, and I really appreciate it. They didn't sugar coat any deaths or killings. The most epic of these deaths being the violent murder of a secondary character. Her attack almost appears as torture on screen, but its extreme nature lends itself to be suspenseful. I was never not on the edge of my seat. Gray (who up until now I was convinced was named Greg) and Zach fill the role of new generation. They are the siblings from the first film. They are clearly not usual kids with special interests and talents. The younger one loves dinosaurs, like the boy from the first film, and the elder boy has a knack for cars, comparable to the computer skills of the older sister from Jurassic Park. Owen's character is rough, but natural as he is the clear Allen substitute in the film. Claire is a new add in that creates a new dynamic in the film. The MVP character of the film is Lowery, the control room guru. His comedic nature breaks up the film keeping the audience from getting too tense. The film was respectful to the original Jurassic Park with its references, but still managed to be innovative within its parameters.


As with any film, there are quite a few aspects that didn't flow as well. For example- there are way too many bad guys. Is the villain Hoskins, is it the Indominus Rex, is it the mad scientist who came up with all this stuff? The list goes on. Regarding the soundtrack, there were some incongruities. In the original film, the theme wasn't introduced until the first dinosaur was seen. Here they brought it up with the introduction of the park which was personally too soon. The choir during the big dino fight scene was also distracting. Product placement was a big issue. It was everywhere and incredibly obvious. Hoskins was not well done. His bad guy story was not explained well nor did he add to the plot development. The information regarding divorce was unnecessary. I've run in heels before, and it's just a tad unbelievable that Claire was able to do that so well, but hey every girl is different.


Suggestions
Do not take a shot every time you see a ridiculous product placement. You will die.
Listen to the music. References to Psycho and Signs in the raptor chase of the vehicle.
Look for references to Jaws. i.e. Hanging shark bait, flying oxygen tank from vehicle in raptor chase.
Look for references to Jurassic Park. i.e. Dino egg birth, flares, the ride bubble like the glass of the jeep in Jurassic park when trapped under it, the last shot of a T-rex roaring at the new world, the seen of bright glass and mission fulfillment like the end of Jurassic Park, etc.
Be nostalgic.

Stream of the Week- Undertaking Betty

Every weed could just as easily be a flower.


After not getting up enough courage to ask Betty to dance with him thirty years earlier, Boris Plots is the town undertaker still hopelessly in love with Betty who has now married the town counselor. Neither of them are very happy. Betty's husband is cheating on her with his secretary, and Boris can only love her from afar. That is until one day, when Betty's mother-in-law chokes on her brown flakes cereal and dies. This forces Betty and her husband to come to Boris to take care of the funeral arrangements. While working with Boris, Betty falls in love with his charming personality and shared love for dancing. After a few afternoons spending time with each other Betty and Boris decide that they want to be together, but they struggle to find a way to do it. Boris comes up with the brilliant plan to fake Betty's death and then run away together on a Tahitian cruise. He sets up all the arrangements. His plan is for Betty to fall from the cliff at the autumn festival, and he will be the undertaker on site. He'll whisk Betty away, have a fake funeral, and then they'll be free. Unfortunately, the only other funeral parlor in town is also on site when Betty fake falls. They show up to take the body only to be pushed aside by Betty's husband who trusts Boris with her funeral plans. The duo from the parlor decide to try and steal Boris's business almost foiling his entire plan. Things go from bad to worse when Betty ends up having to act dead during an entire funeral service when her husband decides he wants open casket instead. She sits in the coffin listen to everyone confess over her dead body. Her husband's mistress confesses about their affair, and Betty's husband outright says he is going to use the insurance money to go to Vegas. Outraged by their behavior, Betty decides to have a bit of fun just before she leaves with Boris haunting the both of them before she's gone.


An acclaimed not such a big fan of comedy, my mother, laughed the entire way through this film. The humor is so well timed and spelled out that it is almost impossible not to find the sentiments endearing. Little things pepper the plot, like the fact that Boris's last name is "Plots"- a graveyard reference if ever there was one, and the names of the cats belonging to Boris and Betty are Fred and Ginger- like the dancing duo. All of these factors culminate together to produce a charming little film which is cause for laughter and enjoyment.

Capture of Culture- Monk with a Camera: The Life and Journey of Nicholas Vreeland

The grandson of a fashion icon becomes a monk, forsaking all an all material lifestyle. How ironic.


Nicholas Vreeland was raised to always shine his shoes and have a handkerchief in his breast pocket. In his life, however, Nicholas felt unfulfilled. When traveling the world, he started to meditate. This helped him find peace. He started to study the ways of the Tibetan monks, finding that their teachings and way of life really vocalized what he wanted out of life. Vreeland began to focus his energy and time on the teachings with a monk who lived in New Jersey. When Nicholas decided to become a full fledged monk, he had to gain approval from the Dalai Lama who agreed to let him be a monk if he did so in India. Nicholas packed up his camera and boarded a plane. Photography was Nicholas's only other love in life, and when he entered the monastery in India, his photography began to really take shape. Vreeland amassed hundreds of photos depicting the life of the Tibetan monks he lived with. When the monastery had grown too large, Nicholas and a group of leaders of the monastery decided to build a new temple. Their funds were secured, and they began to break ground.  However, with the economic downturn in 2008, Vreeland's pledges all backed out leaving him with nothing to finish his building project. Determined, Nicholas decided to sell his artwork in order to fund the project. Vreeland's name was well known, due to his infamous grandmother, his art was realistic and well grounded in the subject matter which he was trying to raise the money for. With some help of his family and friends, Nicholas began to sell his artwork, taking his collection on world tours. He raised over $400,000. The building would be able to continue with these added funds. The Dalai Lama heard of Nicholas's work and decided to place him in the position of abbot over his monastery. Nicholas now serves as an instrumental piece in bringing the teachings of the Dalai Lama to the world through organized events and books which Vreeland writes on behalf of the Dalai Lama.


I know absolutely nothing about the path a person takes to become a monk or even what they teach, but by watching this film and learning of the life that Nicholas Vreeland has lived, I understand that a Tibetan monk is one who believes in peace and does not place value on a materialistic way of life, but instead finds simple pleasures and finds fulfillment in a honest day's work. The fact that Nicholas comes from such an elevated way of life before becoming a monk is astounding to me. His grandmother and mother were fashion icons. They set all the trends in the fashion world while he was growing up, and he grew up being a rebel with a passport. The transition to his new way of life completely baffles me.

Stream of the Week- The Aviator

The way of the future.


Howard Hughes was a man of vision with a bank account to match. After his family died leaving him to fortune of their drill bit company, Howard Hughes invested in airplanes and movies- his two favorite hobbies. His first film, "Hell's Angels" had to be reshot three times to keep up with Howard's imagination, but once it premiered, as the most expensive film ever made, it was well received officially putting Howard on the social agenda for every evening party. Howard continued to advance himself in plane projects. Meanwhile, his life in the magazines was getting bigger than ever. He had a relationship with the unique Katharine Hepburn and was quickly followed by the paparazzi everywhere he went. This took it's toll on Howard's sanity. Deeply rooted in his childhood, Howard Hughes had a collection of fears, phobias, obsessively compulsive disorders that heavily plagued him through his entire life. To avoid them, he threw himself into his work. Upset by the attention Howard was receiving and his interactions with other women, Hepburn left Howard to be with Spencer Tracy devastating Howard completely. Now unattached, Howard throws himself into relations with all sorts of women unable to keep steady. His work on airplanes has also been widely unsuccessful. Many of the planes he built for the government in use of war did not see a day of battle which calls his contracts into question. These contracts get the attention of the Pan Am owner who sees Howard's plans to expand his company to fly globally. With enough suspicions and dirt stored up, the Pan Am company owner takes his concerns to a committee which then questions Howard Hughes on his government spending. Thanks to his cleverness and up front personality, Hughes is able to expose the committee chair's friendship with the Pan Am owner and his acceptance of bribes therefore clearing Howard's name. No matter how much success is to come, however, Hughes will still always have his nervous ticks and breakdowns when faced with his obsessive behaviors.


Stylistically, the Aviator is a fantastical film with vivid colors, textures, and settings. The overall effect of which is dreamlike. Nothing ever looks too realistic making the life of Howard Hughes almost seem more like a legend than fact. Characters appear to be over exaggerations of themselves, but remain close to accurate portrayals.  Katharine Hepburn, for example, is extremely hard to take in as a character with her over the top personality and accent, but the performance of such rings true to life.

Capture of Culture- Magical Universe

What would've happened if it weren't for that day in Maine.


A filmmaker gets a call from his buddy in Maine who did an article on a local artist and encourages him to visit the artist while on vacation. Their meeting started a friendship full of creativity, letters, and art that brought to light the artistic stylings of Al Carbee. Al's obsession with photography and collages lead him to the world of Barbie photography. He sets the scenes and takes the photographs pretending each new setting is another part of the Barbie universe. Al is mainly just lonely, finding solace in his art, but with the introduction of Jeremy and his girlfriend Astrid, Al has an outlet for all of his creative works. Al sends Jeremy and Astrid long letters in which he details his theories about life as well as video tapes which he calls the documentary of his life, "River of Diamonds". A true eccentric, Al's talents and art never seemed to get much attention until Jeremy released a short film about the art of Carbee. This short film eventually landed in the hands of a museum curator in Al's town. The museum, inspired by Al's life story, agree to hold an exhibit in which they present Al's work to the public. Al visits the exhibit everyday. People are both disturbed by Al's obsession with Barbie dolls and intrigued by his eye for staging and attention to detail. All in all, Al Carbee is the sort of person you're not sure how to understand, but awful glad you met just the same.


I'll admit, I'm a tad freaked out by Al's art. His obsessive nature does not come across as creepy, however, but rather just a symptom of being lonely. His art, though not to my taste, shows true thought and passion which is all any artist can ask for. Not every person you meet is going to be a great and crazy connection, but who knows what you're going to come across in life- who you will meet and who you will remember. It's best to take it all in and continue to live.

Stream of the Week- Lawless

"Sure does get real quiet around here."


The Bondurant boys are part of a long tradition of moonshiners. They hide stills up in their woods and run moonshine during the night to both bootleggers and gatherings getting everyone good and drunk during prohibition. Normally, the law enforcement teams are on the side due to established bribery and trades, but there's a new boss in town who is not so easily swayed. He wants the alligence of brothers, something they are unwilling to give. The boss's lead sherif takes special interest in finding a way to destroy their stills and steal their business. His plans easily foil the other moonshiners in the region, but the Bondurant boys are unmoved remaining the best in the business. The Bondurant boys have always lived with the legend that they are invincible, and it is this legend that makes them unafraid when taking on the law. Meanwhile, younger brother, Jack, wants his cut in the business. He steals the keys to the stockpile and takes his best friend to deliver a load over the county line to a bootlegger gangster. Jack believes that this extra business will make them more money than ever before so he begins to expand the operation. His cuts of the gangster's payments give him the chance to buy bigger and better cars as well as a lifestyle he can use to impress the preacher's daughter, the girl he's after. When Jack takes his girl to his stills to show her the operation, he is followed by the lawmen. They destroy his now massive warehouse and take his friend captive. This leaves the boys in a sticky situation in which they must take on the entire police force in order to establish their dominance. The Bondurant boys prove themselves to be truly legendary.

This is not a family film; there is nudity and foul language. It's not a happy story with rainbows and butterflies, but the performances of Tom Hardy an Shia Lebouff are simply fantastic. No one can do more with one look or one word than Hardy. Most of his lines are just grunts which he uses to establish his position on the subject. His demeanor only adds to the legend of the Bondurant boys.