Notes from a Genius

"The Fundamentals of Caring" starring: Paul Rudd, Selena Gomez, Craig Roberts, Julia Denton, Jennifer Ehle written and directed by: Rob Burnett All right, Netflix is producing shows and movies like they are the Second Coming or perhaps like the end of the world is near, which lends itself to producing really terrible things (re: a six-movie deal with well past his prime Adam Sandler) and then amazing things (re: House of Cards). This film falls under the category of mediocre, thanks to its cast- all of whom put their best efforts in it- and no thanks to the cliche-filled script in a dramedy that often times digs itself into holes it cannot get itself out of. Attempting to find work and dealing with divorce papers he’s avoided signing for over 2 years, Ben ( Paul Rudd) decides to become a certified caregiver. His first job is helping out Trevor (Craig Roberts), a young man with duchenne muscular dystrophy. Trevor lives with his overprotective mother and hasn’t been ve...

"Maidentrip" starring: Laura Dekker written and directed by: Jillian Schlesinger When you think of a 14 year old (girl) deciding to do any sort of adventure on their own the first word that comes to mind must be- self-indulgent or even narcissism. And yes, the majority of this documentary is the footage that Laura Dekker shot herself while on her own personal sailboat, which her and her father bought and fixed for her solo adventure, but thankfully, the director decides to steer clear of the vain aspect of the documentary, and instead, it becomes more about how we should all strive to live our own lives to the fullest and doing what makes us happiest; to explore the wide open world, and to discover things that inspire us. I had a similar experience of my own when I decided to pack my car for a summer on the road, traveling over 8,000+ miles circling the country, couchsurfing, hiking, catching baseball games in every city I found myself in, and perhaps most amazingly, d...

Last Friday night, I traveled to Mansfield, MA (which took about 3.5 hours to get to thanks to Friday rush hour traffic clogging up the highway. It seemed to take forever, but thankfully, I was going to see one of my favorite bands- Brand New- who are potentially breaking up in 2018 (as they seem to be hinting at), so I knew I had to see them. They were opening for Modest Mouse, whom I saw back in November here in Portland. I've seen Brand New 3x now and for this show they pulled out some great jams and extensions of their songs. Jesse Lacey also played Yoshi Yoshi (which is an old b-side) and one of their "new" songs I Am a Nightmare. Sink Play Video Gasoline Play Video Millstone Play Video Noro Play Video At the Bottom Play Video Tautou Play Video Sic Transit Gloria... Glory Fades Play Video I Will Play My Game Beneath the Spin Light Play Video Okay I Believe You, but My Tommy Gun Don't Play Video Degausser...