Posted in: Disc Reviews by Jonathan Foster on January 3rd, 2013
The Hippocratic Oath all doctors take is simple: “First, do no harm.” Dr. Martin Blake (Orlando Bloom) throws that ideal out the window when a young woman named Diane Nixon (Riley Keough) comes under his care. After getting treated like a nobody by his fellow doctors and disrespected by nurses he feels are beneath him, Diane is the first person who appreciates what Martin does and makes him feel special. As he treats her, Martin becomes obsessed with Diane, going so far as to alter her medication to keep her sick. As Martin’s obsession grows, his actions become more and more drastic.
This is supposed to be a dark thriller, and I suppose it is from a script standpoint. The Good Doctor has a decent (if slightly over-used) plot of girl-meets-stalker, with the interesting twist of the stalker being her attending physician. It could have been a good suspense movie like Kiss the Girls with the whole “I’m going to keep the girl I’m obsessed with close to me” vibe had someone given the cast some espresso to wake them up before the cameras started rolling.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Jonathan Foster on December 24th, 2012
“My name is Marty Kaan, and I’m a management consultant. Every week, my team and I go somewhere and talk people into thinking they really, really need us.”
With that kind of opener, I was fully expecting House of Lies to be a darker, edgier, less ethical Leverage. The sort of show where the main character is a loveable rogue whose failings are excusable because he’s just so gosh-darn charming. That notion was quickly dispelled, however, the minute the pilot opens with Marty (Don Cheadle) waking up in bed with a woman and freaking out about it. We learn the reason for his panic when he tells us (via breaking the fourth wall) the woman is his ex-wife. Marty’s problems only get worse from there. His ten year-old son, Roscoe, is a cross-dresser and wants the role of Sandy in his school’s production of Grease. Marty’s father is constantly telling him how to run his life, and his ex-wife (also a consultant) seems hell-bent on not only stealing Marty’s clients, but their son as well. All of these things would be enough to send anyone screaming to therapy, but Marty internalizes everything and channels it into his work. At work, Marty is ruthless, doing whatever he can to manipulate the client into spending more money on his services. His team, while not as experienced as Marty, is just as ruthless. There’s Jeannie, Marty’s second-in-command, who’s not above using her feminine assets to charm and distract a client. Clyde and Doug are like a crude Abbott and Costello, cracking jokes (usually about women or each other) and spinning numbers and data to their advantage. They may not have morals, but if you want your business turned around, these are the people to call.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Jonathan Foster on December 3rd, 2012
Jimi Hendrix. Carlos Santana. Jimmy Paige. Eddie Van Halen. Slash. These are arguably some of the greatest guitar gods to ever rock the stage. Yet somehow this pantheon feels incomplete. I humbly submit Peter Frampton’s name for inclusion with these mighty warriors of rock. In 1976, the singer released his most successful album — Frampton Comes Alive! — and, according to this Blu-ray’s box, “the best-selling live album in the world.” In 2011-2012, Frampton went on tour in celebration of its 35th anniversary. This concert Blu-ray was filmed over two shows on this tour and features 26 songs. The first 14 are the entirety of Frampton Comes Alive! played front to back, with the remainder of the songs being highlights from his long career all the way through his most recent album, Thank You Mr. Churchill.
At 62, Frampton hasn’t mellowed at all. His vocals and guitar-playing prowess haven’t diminished one bit and blend smoothly with the backing vocals and guitars of Rob Arthur and Adam Lester. Arthur pulls triple-duty, playing keyboards as well. Stanley Sheldon and Dan Wojciechowski anchor the concert on the bass and drums, respectively. An especially cool moment occurs when Frampton invites his son, Julian, to come on stage and sing with him. Julian Frampton performs “Road to the Sun” and “I Don’t Need No Doctor”. I wish he had sung some more, because his energetic voice pairs well with his dad’s epic guitar playing.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Jonathan Foster on December 3rd, 2012
In 1975, Gerald Ford was President of the United States, Wheel of Fortune made its debut, disco was groovy, and Patti Smith burst onto the music scene with her debut album, Horses. She would go on to become known as the “Godmother of Punk” and greatly influence the New Wave genre of music. I admit, before watching this concert, I had only heard one of Smith’s songs — her #1 single, “Because the Night” — so I was curious to hear more of her material. The fact that my aunt says she still owns an LP of Horses she bought as a teenager intrigued me more.
This concert was filmed during the 2005 Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland. Smith and her band spend 83 minutes playing 12 songs, including 11 from Smith’s records and a cover of Bob Dylan’s “Like a Rolling Stone.” The entire group performs with the ease and familiarity that only comes with years and years of playing together. Lenny Kaye and Tom Verlaine’s guitar work anchors each song and blends very well with Tony Shanahan’s bass and Jay Dee Daugherty’s drums. Smith herself even jumps on guitar for a song or two, but someone needs to keep her away from the clarinet. I’m no expert, but I’m pretty sure the clarinet shouldn’t sound like someone strangling a sick goose. I actually ended up muting my TV whenever she got to wailing on the clarinet.
