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Quiet Riot: Well Now You're Here, There's No Way Back (2014)
The Frankie Show
This is being touted as a documentary of the history of Quiet Riot. However there are many pieces missing, and certain truths have been distorted because it is a one sided story about Frankie Banali. They say Carlos Cavazo would not return any attempts to reach him, but if you look at who is making the documentary you will understand why. If the person who just fired you from a job you had for thirty years had his girlfriend contact you for your side of the story, would you believe anything you said would be portrayed in an honest way? I think Carlos decided that to go with the advice of staying silent and letting people wonder if you are the fool, or opening your mouth and removing all doubt. Frankie Banali has apparently never heard these sage words, and certainly comes off as a fool to anyone who watches this.
There are some lies and harsh judgments laid out in this film. One is the obvious. Kevin DuBrow did not commit suicide, and he was not a raging addict when he died. He took a small combination of three substances that his heart couldn't process, and it stopped. Was it careless? Probably. Was it suicide? Absolutely not. If this movie is supposed to be honoring DuBrow, it fell short for many of us who actually knew him. The fact that he was clean for years before Banali came back to the band in the early 1990's should tell you there is something Frankie is not telling you in his history recap.
There was a lot more than drugs between those two men as far as reasons go for the parting of ways in the late '80's. I'm sure some of you will figure them out while watching Frankie belittle everyone around him. The man has some serious interaction issues, and the only way he will ever make a band work will be if he goes into therapy to take a long, hard look at the real problem.
This is not to say Kevin Dubrow was without fault. He was overly sensitive, hard to work with, and held grudges all the way to his grave. Was he an addict? Not really in the music world. Everyone did things to excess at some point (save for a very few). Did he lose everything because of it? Not by a long shot. You have to remember when you have people in your social circle selling their gold records for crack, heroin, or even booze, an occasional Valium mixed with a vodka is not something to check into rehab for.
Anyways, the basic point I am trying to make here is that there were three members who really made up the band over the years, but you are only hearing one very jaded side to the story. Is this a good movie? Yes, I enjoyed it even while I was angered over certain points. It may even be a good documentary about Frankie Banali, but it is not the true story of all that was Quiet Riot, and that is what it is being sold as. I took away five of the ten stars for bias, and lack of depth. It was a good try for someone who was coming from a disadvantage at getting the whole story. My advice would be that the next time she makes a documentary, don't sleep with your subject beforehand.
Dumb and Dumber To (2014)
Possibly better than the first Dumb & Dumber!
I should start off by saying I watched a terrible comedy immediately before I viewed this film. That train wreck was Horrible Bosses 2, which was so bad, I became angry during the viewing for how many times they used the same unfunny joke premise. So settling into this one, I was already in a bad mood, and expecting this to be sub par. Within the first ten minutes, my mood was elevated, and I was honestly laughing out loud. By no means is this an Academy Award worthy film for me, but it was worth sitting down to recommend it in a review. There is naturally some low brow humor (including poop jokes), but it was genuinely funny.
Now that I'm nearing 40, I find myself less amused at a lot of low brow comedy. For instance, I have a deep dislike for "The Hangover", and that entire franchise of films. It probably would have been funny to me twenty years ago, but not now. However, "Dumb and Dumber To" has a subtle genius to it's writing. When you watch it, you will see what I mean, at least in comparison to the many other movies that are passing for comedy in recent years. I will even go so far as to say it's the best writing I have seen from the Farrelly brothers since 2000.
I highly recommend giving this movie a shot. If you don't like it by the time it's half over, you probably will not like the second half either. Personally I think that if you go into viewing this with low expectations, it will pleasantly surprise you.
Carnivàle: After the Ball Is Over (2003)
After the Ball Is Over (S1Ep2 Review)
The entire series is excellent, but it is NOT for everyone. If you want to be spoon fed your answers week by week, and dislike deep thought, don't waste your time. A T.V.Guide review said this quote as a fabulous warning in a review. "The perfect show for those who thought Twin Peaks was too accessible". When I read this, I knew it was a show I needed to see! Not that I enjoyed Twin Peaks as a whole, but I did enjoy that it was not within the norm. If you find Honey Boo Boo the height of wit, please do not consider this a show you will be entertained by. You need some relative knowledge in history, the dust bowl era, secret societies, and especially biblical and gnostic gospels to know what is going on in the big picture. Lingo of the 1930's is helpful for the humor of the show, and you will be more endeared to their trials and tribulations if you understand all I've mentioned above, as well as knowing the history of the 20th century evolution of the carnival.
Now that I've sold you the snake oil for your hard earned five cents, lets go into the 10 in 1 (10 in 1 is a freak show term for 10 freaks in one tent, and you can still see some to this day on rare circuits, however, they are self modified or trained freaks like the glass eater or the sword swallower or contortionist ..the rare exception to the rule of no natural freaks are the few left like Lobster Boy, who has an interesting legacy to check out that goes way back, including a murder in the "Lobster" family),and we can see what all the fuss is about!
In the second episode we begin with a very surreal scene that involves four men. A preacher, a pauper, a rich man, and a soldier. There are many things never explained, but many theories as to what they represent. An important line is spoken by the waitress. Pay attention to everything in this episode, there are many clues that WILL make sense later. If you do not follow the clues, the show will become depressing, instead of endearing to many who watch it. Not that it's a happy show, however, the depression was a bleak time for most folks (hence the name). It was also the last age of innocence. We still believed as a country (and most of the world over) in mysticism and blind faith in magic, religion, politicians, and more than anything else ..the power of prayer and faith to solve anything! We were a world without doubt in higher powers, and it's shown masterfully through this episode. It also shows that people can abuse that blind faith in a position of power, especially in desperate times. People need something to cling to, someone to trust. That can fall into the wrong hands and this episode really is the beginning of all that.
In summation, this episode will make you feel lost more than give you any true clarity, but it will all come out in the end (well.. more or less) and after all, you only have 22 more episodes to go! I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.