Movie Review – Straight Outta Compton / 3 Palm Trees

By Eduardo Victoria / [email protected]

One of the great divides of the musical world is the rap genre. Relatively speaking, it’s still in its infancy and changing as much as the times it has existed in. Straight Outta Compton tells the story of 3 important figures in rap: Eric Wright (Eazy-E), O’Shea Jackson (Ice Cube), and Andre Young (Dr. Dre). Played by Jason Mitchell, O’Shea Jackson, Jr, and Corey Hawkins respectively.

  1. Gary Gray does an amazing job setting the time and place for the film. Compton, CA – 1986. Wright, Young, and Jackson find themselves living in the slums of California, racially charged due to gang violence and crime. What Jackson and Young have in common is a love for music, which eventually connects them with fellow struggling artists Lorenzo Patterson (MC Ren) and Antoine Carraby (DJ Yella). Actors Aldis Hodge and Neil Brown, Jr. portray the rappers in the film, respectively.

What ensues is their rise to fame and eventual fracture as the group NWA. The film is a rare case in which it felt that it ran too long but we didn’t see nearly enough. It’s apparent that the group’s long and troubled history is perhaps too great to fit into just one film. So many characters come and go that we’re still meeting new people in the third act.

Paul Giamatti is three for three this year, delivering another great performance, this time as Jerry Heller, the group’s manager. The acting is brilliant, particularly the performance from O’Shea Jackson, Jr. playing his own father (very meta indeed, especially because they look just like each other). One of the best soundtracks of the year also supercharges the picture to almost angry levels, just as the young rappers were back in the late 80s, dealing with gangs, drugs, police brutality, and the evils of the music industry.

Even with all of that, the film just didn’t click with me. There are many scenes that go nowhere. A great example is early on when we see Heller approach the guys at a swimming pool, accompanied by two other people, yet in the next shot, they’re gone. The film’s score by Joseph Trapanese sounds like it’s more at home in an action picture than a dramatic biopic about the NWA. A chase sequence through Downtown LA culminates with a booming crescendo of bass drums that’s a little a “too Dark Knight.”

The loose editing, pointless story beats, unnecessary character introductions (sorry Snoop and ‘Pac), and bizarre explosions of action make Straight Outta Compton feel like a rushed product. For a film that runs at 2 hours and 27 minutes, we see a lot but only scratch the surface. The film should have strictly focused on Eazy, Cube, and Dre to have really hit home in the dramatic department.

Because I’m not a rap fan, nor have I followed their careers closely, I can only judge the film on its cinematic merits, for which it is getting a lot of awards buzz. Only time will tell if Oscar will give Compton a watch. For me, this is a rare case in which I’m hoping for an extended or director’s cut on the Blu-Ray, which I probably should have waited for anyway.

Rated R. Now playing at Downtown Cinemark 10. 147 minutes.

Vol. 8, No. 24 – September 2 – September 15, 2015 – Music Calendar

For more events go to VenturaRocks.com

Amigos Cafe & Cantina
546 E. Main St.
805-874-2232
Mondays: 6 pm Karen Eden & Bill
Macpherson; 8 pm Joey’s Acoustic
Blues Jam
Tuesdays: 6 pm Nathan McEuen; 8
pm Beer Brothers open mic
Wednesdays: 6 pm Bad Leaf; 9 pm
Mark Masson & Friends
Thursdays: 7:30 pm The Gypsy
Blues Band
Fri 9/4: 6 pm Downtown Allstars;
9 pm Pull the Trigger
Sat 9/5: 6 pm Gary Goff & Brad
Stewart; 9 pm Ray Jaurique & the
Uptown Brothers
Sun 9/6: 6 pm The Tossers
Fri 9/11: 9 pm Crosscut
Sat 9/12: 6 pm Robert Tomas; 9 pm
Action Down
Bombay Bar & Grill
143 S. California St.
805-643-4404
Weds: Tommy Marsh hosts the
Session
Thurs: DJ Pistolero
Bombay’s 31st Annual Beach
Party!!!
Fri 9/4: Hy Brasil, The Velveteen
Band, AHTCK, New Jacked City,
Rubberneck Lions, Warning
Sat 9/5: Raging Arb & the
Redheads, Brother Fortune, Rey
Fresco, Darkside of the Hand,
Electric Liberace, The Jelly, Bloody
Mary Morning, Curtsy, Gygax,
Honey Owl
Sun 9/6: 50 Sticks of Dynamite
Discovery Ventura
1888 Thompson Blvd
Thurs 9/3: Soul Majestic, Synrgy,
Dj Selecta Shaggy
Fri 9/4: Decker w/Lara Ruggles
Sun 9/6: Hirie
Thurs 9/10: Micah Brown, Natural
Incense
Fri 9/11: Kinsella Brothers
The Garage
1091 Scandia Avenue
Fri 9/4: Thoughtcrime, Despicable
Good Guys
Sat 9/5: Three Day Holacaust
Thurs 9/10: Rocket 68, Premonition
Sat 9/12: Black Love
Gigi’s Cocktails
2493 Grand Avenue
Mondays Jam Night with Maggie’s
Drawers
Thurdays & Fridays: Karaoke
Saturdays: DJPJ
Golden China
760 S. Seaward
(805) 652-0688
Karaoke seven nights a week
Bluegrass Jam 2nd & 4th Wednesdays
Swing night Thursdays 6:30 pm
Friday and Saturday: 7 pm Polynesian
Revue
Cumbia music Fridays with DJ
Carlos at 9:30 pm
Reggae Sundays 8:30 pm
The Greek Restaurant
Ventura Harbor
Sat & Sun 7:30 pm
Belly Dancing, Greek music and
show; DJ dancing
Keynote Lounge
10245 Telephone Road
Tuesday and Wednesday: Karaoke
Thursday: Open Mic
Sunday: Karaoke
Fri 8/21: Black Canyon Band
Sat 8/22: Rick Miller Band
Fri 8/28: What the Funk
Sat 8/29: Sean Wiggins
Majestic Ventura Theater
26 S. Chestnut Street
Mon 9/7: Hopsin w/ Dizzy Wright,
Jarren Benton & DJ Hoppa
Thurs 9/10: El Tri, Neblina,
Cartucho de Villa
Olivas Adobe
4200 Olivas Park Drive
Music Under the Stars series
Sat 9/5: Lisa Haley & the Zydekats
Pierpont Inn
550 San Jon Road
Thurs 9/3: Dirty Rice
Plan B Wine Cellars
3520 Arundell Circle
(805) 233-1453
Sat 9/5: 3:30 pm Ray Jaurique &
the Uptown Brothers
Poinsettia Pavillion
3451 Foothill Road
805-648-1143
Fri 9/4: Ventura Jazz Orchestra
with Donna Greene & Anna Kasper
Rookees Sports Bar & Grill
419 E. Main Street
(805) 648-6862
Friday and Saturdays
10 pm Rotating DJs
Saloon BBQ
456 E. Main Street
Thurs 9/3: Ventucky String Band
Fri 9/4: The Battlefield
Sat 9/5: Skin and Bones
Sun 9/6: Ted Waterhouse
Sandbox Coffeehouse
204 E. Thompson Blvd
805-641-1025
Thursdays Open Mic
Sat 9/5: Walt Dunlap
Sun 9/6: Star Bandits
Sat 9/12: Single Fin
Sun 9/13: Little Lemon
Sans Souci
21 S. Chestsnut
Sundays: DJ Darko
Mondays: Karoake
Tuesdays: Twisted Tuesday
Wednesdays: Open mic with Sin
Chonies
Thursdays: DJ Spinobi
Sat 9/5: Medicine Hat
Squashed Grapes
2351 E. Main St.
805-643-7300
Live jazz music 7-10 pm
Wed 9/2: Bobby West
Thurs 9/3: Brad Rabuchin Quartet
Fri 9/4: Pentasonic
Sat 9/5: H04 featuring Karl Hunter
Wed 9/9: Martin & Macias
Thurs 9/10: Nahum Zdybel Trio
Fri 9/11: L.J. & the Boyz
Sat 9/12: Doug Webb Group
featuring Danny Carey of TOOL
Star Lounge
343 E. Main Street
(805) 6438-4709
Fri 9/4: Brandon Ragan Project
Sat 9/5: Drunken Monkeys
Fri 9/11: The Sheiks
Sat 9/12: Gypsy Stew
Surf Brewery
4561 Market Street
805-644-2739
Music 6-8 pm
Sat 9/5: Catterwailers
Sat 9/12: Barb-B & the Ranchhands
The Tavern
211 E. Santa Clara Street
Sunday open mics
Karaoke Tuesdays
Metal Music Wednesdays
DJs every Thursday college night
Ventura Fairgrounds
The Ventura Nationals
Saturday 9/5: Jai Malano & the
Memphis Kings, Viernes 13, Silvertooth
Loos & the Witch, Frantic
Rockers
W20 at the Watermark
598 E. Main Street
Thurs 9/3: Guitar Pull with Shawn
Jones
Fri 9/4: Pleasure
Sat 9/5: The Bomb
Sun 9/6: The Privateers
Thurs 9/10: Guitar Pull with
Shawn Jones
Fri 9/11: Instone
Sat 9/12: The Bomb
Sun 9/13: Shawn Jones
The Wine Rack
14 S. California Street
Music runs 8-11 pm, Sundays at 3
pm
Mondays: US Blues Project
Tuesdays: Heard of Kats
Thurs 9/3: Danielle Stacy
Fri 9/4: Joe Harrington
Sat 9/5: Sheldon & Cunnane
Thurs 9/10: Beach City Sound Club
Fri 9/11: Nathan McEuen
Sat 9/12: Jade Hendrix

Vol. 8, No. 24 – September 2 – September 15, 2015 – Ventura Music Scene

The Velveteen BandThe Velveteen Band will perform at Bombay’s 31st Annual Beach Party.

Summer in the city
by Pam Baumgardner

There are plenty of “End of Summer” bashes – though summer isn’t officially over until September 23, but who’s keeping tabs? The
Pierpont Inn’s BBQ series ends with a huge bang as they welcome back Dirty Rice on Thursday, September 3rd. If you were there the last time the band played, then you know you should get there early to nab a seat and order up some delicious grub!

And then of course Bombay’s 31st annual End of Summer Beach Party runs the first weekend of September with bands rockin’
the joint on the front stage, back stage, and outdoor stage. Their full itinerary is listed on Ventura-Rocks.com, but some of the bands
to watch for are Hy Brasil, The Velveteen Band, Rubberneck Lions, Raging Arb and the Redheads, Rey Fresco, The Darkside of the Hand, 50 Sticks of Dynamite, Bloody Mary Morning, The Jelly, Brother Fortune, and of course Gygax!

Here are just a few concerts coming up at the Ventura Theater that you may not want to miss: The Deftones on Saturday, October 31; The Misfits on Thursday, November 12; Pepper on Saturday, November 21; Dwight Yoakam on Friday, December 11 and I already snagged my ticket for the 20th Anniversary of Everclear’s Sparkle and Fade Tour, on Sunday, November 22.

W20 at the Watermark has been offering more Thursday night Guitar Pulls with Shawn Jones and friends. If you’re a fan of f lat out
amazing guitar playing, you should make it a point to attend the next one. Thursday, August 27th, Shawn and Joe Baugh had Tariqh Akoni in the house; Akoni has played with such artists as Josh Groban, Christina Aguilera, Elton John, Smokey Robinson and Tom Scott (to name just a few)

Speaking of Tom Scott, we can all call him neighbor the next time we bump into him at the supermarket having just moved to Ventura; but more importantly, don’t miss him the next time he plays at Squashed Grapes which we hope will be often. His sold out performance on Friday, August 28, was f lat out amazing. He’s not only uber talented, but the audience enjoyed the back story from Scott on many of the songs the band performed. He happily shook hands and signed CDs; he’s a class act for sure.

And then finally, I would be remiss if I didn’t report that Squashed Grapes will be leaving their jazz format for the night of Friday, September 18 when they’ll have a Jimi Hendrix Memorial Performance with Jimi’s cousin, Riki Hendrix who has recorded and toured with Buddy Miles, and Billy Cox who were both original members of Jimi Hendrix’s Band of Gypsies. The night will be hosted by Rosa Lee Brooks, Jimi’s legendary love interest who was featured on the first two songs he ever recorded. Reserve your seat ASAP.

Do you have any music related news or upcoming shows you want help publicizing? Send all information short or long to [email protected], and for updated music listings daily, go to www.VenturaRocks.com.

Vol. 8, No. 24 – September 2 – September 15, 2015 – Opinion/Editorial

SheldonNew~ In this issue, we have Unsung Hero portrait number 3 in our current series. I want to thank Sam, the owner of the Rhumb Line restaurant, for being such a gracious host at the luncheon and our waitress Heather for taking such good care of us. Wonderful food and the best view in Ventura watching the boats go by day or night.

~ Five portraits from The Face of Ventura series by Johanna Spinks, are currently on display at the Museum of Ventura County’s current exhibit of portraits. See our Ventura Art Scene section for more details.

~ The Saturday night concert series at Ventura’s coolest summer outdoor night club, the historic Olivas Adobe, concludes on September 5 with Lisa Haley & the Zydekats. It’s too late to get tickets for this sold out event but be sure to attend a concert next year to hear great bands, enjoy a big dance floor, BYO dining, and gourmet food and coffee trucks along with full beverage service. The City’s Music Under The Stars concerts are growing in popularity. It’s a great, intimate, venue and a fun way to spend 8 Saturday nights each Summer.
Talking about concert series, it seems that the proposed concert series planned above City Hall may not be happening soon. I haven’t been able to get a good answer from anyone at the City regarding this, but there doesn’t appear to be positive movement.

~ It is absurd these days that 55-year old people are considered to be seniors in many programs. That was fine when the average life age was 65. It seems that today to be considered a senior the age should be at least 65. Anyone who is 55 and considers themselves to be a senior better get out and get some physical and mental exercise. What would I be considered to be, a dinosaur?

~ Recently, San Buenaventura was selected by a magazine as the best city in America to live and now “Ventura County” has been selected as the absolute most desirable place to live in America. This selection was made by the Washington Post looking at over 3,000 counties.Friends of the Library and TAG won 1st place in the County Fair Parade for Novelty Entry. And the Bookworm won a trophy.
FriendsofLibFriends of the Library and TAG won 1st place in the County Fair Parade for Novelty Entry. And the Bookworm won a trophy.

Furthermore, in their rankings of the best counties in the continental US all of the top 10 ranked counties are in California.Humboldt was second and Santa Barbara third.
The index that they used to make their selections combines “six measures of climate, topography, and water area that reflect environmental qualities most people prefer.” Those qualities, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, include mild, sunny winters, temperate summers, low humidity, topographic variation, and access to a body of water (not one word about reading the Ventura Breeze).

~ I have always felt that “vaping” was just another excuse to smoke. Now there is bad and good news about vaping. Although smoking by teens has been dropping, the bad news is that teens using e-cigarettes are far more likely to start smoking traditional cigarettes than their peers. The good news is when they realize how stupid it is to smoke they can go to vaping as a way to stop smoking.
I’m sure that I will hear from some readers (I hope), who say that vaping is much less hazardous than tobacco, but it is too early to make such a claim until much more research is done. All we know is that companies similar to Vapeboss are heavily investing in research to ensure their products are ‘healthier’ than traditional tobacco cigarettes. So, maybe don’t throwaway your vape pen stand just yet.

~ In a June, 2014 issue of the Breeze, an article stated that the “Harbor Community Church has filed a lawsuit against the City of Ventura signaling the start of the next round in the fight over the church’s controversial homeless program. The program, which provides meals, showers and religious worship to a primarily homeless population has been accused of being the source of a significant uprising in criminal activity in a once quiet residential neighborhood, was reopened again by the church after the
lawsuit was filed.”
The article said, “Last month, the City’s Planning Commission denied the church a conditional-use permit citing the program, called Operation Embrace, was not appropriate for its location next to an elementary school, park and day care facility.”
At the time, temporary City Attorney Juli Scott reported Harbor Church pastor Sam Gallucci sent her an email stating he was going to consult with church elders to decide whether the church would sue. The following day, the church filed a lawsuit and restarted its services.
Scott said the City was disappointed with the lawsuit and had hoped the church would be willing to work with the City to find a collaborative approach to providing their services in a way that would be less impactful on the neighborhood. She pointed to other organizations that provide services for the homeless who had worked with the City including the Salvation Army, Lutheran Social Services, Society of St. Vincent de Paul, and Project Understanding.
The suit argued the church’s First Amendment freedom of religion rights have been violated and also cites the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act.
After all attempts at mediation have failed, this on-going disagreement continues. Harbor Community Church is seeking an injunction so it may reopen Operation Embrace until a final decision is reached by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals who will hear their case.
Neighbors have complained that the program drew a homeless population that was not compatible with the residential neighborhood, especially with a school and park located very near the church.
I have to agree with the neighbors and the city. I think that the allowed uses of structures should be based on proper zoning and the nature of the surrounding neighborhoods.
A church could claim that because of their “freedom of religion rights” they can provide any services that they think this right gives them. There are some wonderful programs that serve the homeless in Ventura, but they are located in appropriate locations.

Logic will get you from A to Z, imagination will get you everywhere.
~ Albert Einstein

Local youth to compete in international tournament

youth billiardsMom is right proud of son Chris Robinson-Reinhold
Photo by Bernie Goldstein

by Sheli Ellsworth

If playing billiards well is a sign of an ill-spent youth, 17-year-old Venturean Chris Robinson-Reinhold’s teen life is doomed, but don’t tell him—not before he goes to China to compete in the World Pool-Billiard Association’s Junior 9-Ball Championship. In November, Robinson-Reinhold will travel with six American junior pool players along with his own chaperone to Shanghai to go up against 16-32 other young international players.

Robinson-Reinhold’s rise in competitive billiards has been steep, fast and not without notice. He started playing three years ago when his uncle, Kevin Farrell, taught him the basics. “I don’t have a pool table at home, but I live really close to Stiix Billiards,” says Robinson-Reinhold. Jerry Matchin, owner of Stiix and a lifetime pool player, says, “Chris is our special player. A good son, student, good citizen who happens to be an exceptional billiard player at his young age. His winning the Junior Nationals is quite an accomplishment for him and we at Stiix Billiards could not be prouder of him.”

Robinson-Reinhold says he spends several hours a day at Stiix honing his skill. “It depends on how much homework I have, though.”

After finishing high in a few Mezz West state tour events, and winning a Hard Times LA monthly event, Robinson-Reinhold won this year’s Billiard Education Foundation Junior National Championship at South Point Casino in Las Vegas. The August 2015 win made him eligible for the November international tournament. However, Robinson-Reinhold’s has not been a success only journey. “I went to Louisville, Kentucky last year for the national championship and I didn’t do well. But it turned out to be a great learning experience . . . I needed it  . . . I learned about defeat.”

The young champion’s learning will not stop in Kentucky. He is hoping to earn a spot at Lindenwood University at St. Charles, Missouri in the near future. “I’ll graduate by the end of the fall semester and Lindenwood has the only prestigious billiard program in the United States.” He’s not sure on what he would like to major in, but is interested in both electrical engineering and architecture.

Lindenwood’s billiard coach, Mark Wilson, was a professional pool player, instructor, TV commentator and author of Play Great Pool (based on biomechanical principles) when the university recruited him to start the only scholarship-based pool program in the country which was officially launched in 2012. “I decided if I was going to do this it had to be the platinum standard of its kind. Unfortunately, even the larger schools that have billiards teams don’t have the funding to make it a premier program,” says Wilson. Wilson, who observed the US Navy Seals in Coronado, based his training techniques on the core values and discipline he admired about Navy seal training. “We have about 32-35 students, including 7 females in our billiard program. We were an all-female school until 1997 so we definitely encourage girls to play.“ About 4-5 of Wilson’s students plans to play professionally. Wilson says he has his eye on Robinson-Reinhold.

Stiix Billiards is planning a fundraiser to help with Robinson-Reinhold’s expenses to China.