sweetyhide

Vinyl, A New York music executive in the 1970s hustles to make a career out of the city's diverse music scene. Created by Rich Cohen, Mick Jagger and Martin Scorsese you wouldn't think it could go wrong. Ah, but it does. I can forgive the inaccuracies. This isn't a documentary even though real life musicians are depicted. It has that loose fast pace the Scorsese is know for, which I adore. The biggest problem is the budget. 30 mil on the first episode? The problem may be the use of so much copyrighted material and people. DJ Kool Herc is presently suing because they used his likeness without permission. ($10,000 just isn't enough, eh?) If you don't know who he is unfriend me now. How can they carry on with the average 7.5 per episode? To top it off Casey Bloys is the new head of programming at HBO and BOOM, Vinyl gets the boot. Coincidence? Maybe. Rarely do series succeed in the beginning (Seinfeld had terrible first season ratings). But this could have blossomed into something epic. Maybe it will get picked up by someone else with a big budget vision. A girl can dream.

Straight Outta Compton is a failed attempt to tell the story of NWA/Eazy E's story. A rap group of the late 80's through to the mid 90's. This came across more of a highlight reel, with facts thrown together, than a flowing film. I am not sure how a screenwriter could tackle the daunting task of telling this story without it losing something. The story and people are very complex.

I like NWA and I like their music. Having been there through the whole story, there isn't one thing in this movie that I didn't already know. Which was disappointing.

In the beginning it felt like I was watching theater more than a movie. Soon it would pick up pace and the music kicked in and it helped keep my interest. Without the music the film would have been terribly dull to watch.

O'Shea Jackson Jr. not only portrays his father, Ice Cube, superbly, but the depth of his acting was so on point he became the best part of the whole movie. He, in my opinion, is the star of this film.

If you are not aware of the story, go see this movie. But don't expect more than an encyclopedia insight into what really happened.

Slow West is an American Frontier film shot in New Zealand that really works. The cinematography (Robbie Ryan) was colorful and visually pleasing. Not something you would expect in the Old American West. Written and directed by John MaClean, the film is a slow, but steady character drama, sprinkled with humor and heartbreak. The film is about love, courage, mistrust and betrayal. Although I am not a Western Film fan, they seem to be making a comeback recently and after this, I may re-think my position.

Regardless if you enjoy the movie or not, you may agree that this is one of Michael Fassbender's best performances. Finally pinning down the American accent, he played this part with such an ease and deepness. Kodi Smit-McPhee did an excellent job playing his Scottish immigrant role of a innocent, love-stricken boy caught up in the savages of the west. One of the best lines in the movie: "In a short time, this will seem like a long time ago." This is a must-see film for all.