I enjoyed this feature after I understood that it needed you to view it from the
lead character, in that he was just as confused.
Reviews
6 Reviews
Tangerine
(2015)
I was 1st ever graveyard employee at donut shop in 85'. ACCURATE!
11 September 2017
You might not think this is about the movie TANGERINE (2015), oh but it is! A case study in fact...a personal one.
Oh the memories of that corner 'aquarium in the night.I served the all male prostitutes...well 90%, donuts and coffee and soda all night. And a lot of OJ!I was an 18 year old guitar student at GIT straight from the Columbus, Ohio suburbs/farms out my backyard, and honestly an uptight kid confused about my sexuality. Who knows, I had a strange mix of guys at the counter of that newly opened 'Donut Stop' back in 1985. This was the second Donut Stop- at Santa Monica blvd. and Highland ave., Hollywood, CA. It was the ' prostitute shop', and the North Donut Stop was the 'bum shop'. Look, I'm live and let live. As a matter of fact, with an artists brain I enjoyed learning about real life from the hardest livers. Maybe I would need street smarts some day. And boy did I. A 3 year heroin addict a dozen years after. Eh'so goes life. Better now for 15 years, not even caffeine. I do wonder the average lifespan of a bum or a prostitute...in Hollywood. I hope most got out...it sucks being 'a type'.
I came back to Columbus after 5 years in L.A.. My dad died and mom needed me. 10 years after, most Midwestern city life became as hardened as L.A. was then in the 80's. Anyway, at the North store I really got to know the bums... in L.A.
known politely as 'Transients'. I think if you had a car, van, or RV (or lived in tent city) you weren't 'homeless (sad). At the Santa Monica & Highland store (donut shop location in the movie) it was tougher adjusting, but no less interesting. I recall a guy, a later neighbor in fact ( pointing out double entendres at my crotch through the glass when pointing at the 'long john' donuts in the case. " gimme' that biggest long john". This guy had to be the inspiration for the Aqua Teen Hunger Force fat guy named Carl.
No sooner would I return a hateful, but naively confused stare into the glazed eyes of a guy my age who just scored the money for that donut from having some kind of sex 5 minutes before, often with 'Carl', did my only ally, the bitter old prejudiced 'the baker Ray' with his faded green tattooed 13 on his ear[ this is 85' and 86' before tattoos were common],he would walk out with his back turned to the customer(I know, long sentence/:) and refill his Sprite at the dispenser, with revolver showing clearly sticking out of the back of his baker whites uniform in view of this customer of his dislike. I too wore the loose white uniform. I was pretty decent looking...plenty flirted with me because I was shy...oh' god. You know, I'm totally heterosexual, but I think I maybe, as human to human, was gay in a past life or will be in a future one. Ah' that corner! Confused the hell out of me, but I wouldn't trade it for anything!
Oh the memories of that corner 'aquarium in the night.I served the all male prostitutes...well 90%, donuts and coffee and soda all night. And a lot of OJ!I was an 18 year old guitar student at GIT straight from the Columbus, Ohio suburbs/farms out my backyard, and honestly an uptight kid confused about my sexuality. Who knows, I had a strange mix of guys at the counter of that newly opened 'Donut Stop' back in 1985. This was the second Donut Stop- at Santa Monica blvd. and Highland ave., Hollywood, CA. It was the ' prostitute shop', and the North Donut Stop was the 'bum shop'. Look, I'm live and let live. As a matter of fact, with an artists brain I enjoyed learning about real life from the hardest livers. Maybe I would need street smarts some day. And boy did I. A 3 year heroin addict a dozen years after. Eh'so goes life. Better now for 15 years, not even caffeine. I do wonder the average lifespan of a bum or a prostitute...in Hollywood. I hope most got out...it sucks being 'a type'.
I came back to Columbus after 5 years in L.A.. My dad died and mom needed me. 10 years after, most Midwestern city life became as hardened as L.A. was then in the 80's. Anyway, at the North store I really got to know the bums... in L.A.
known politely as 'Transients'. I think if you had a car, van, or RV (or lived in tent city) you weren't 'homeless (sad). At the Santa Monica & Highland store (donut shop location in the movie) it was tougher adjusting, but no less interesting. I recall a guy, a later neighbor in fact ( pointing out double entendres at my crotch through the glass when pointing at the 'long john' donuts in the case. " gimme' that biggest long john". This guy had to be the inspiration for the Aqua Teen Hunger Force fat guy named Carl.
No sooner would I return a hateful, but naively confused stare into the glazed eyes of a guy my age who just scored the money for that donut from having some kind of sex 5 minutes before, often with 'Carl', did my only ally, the bitter old prejudiced 'the baker Ray' with his faded green tattooed 13 on his ear[ this is 85' and 86' before tattoos were common],he would walk out with his back turned to the customer(I know, long sentence/:) and refill his Sprite at the dispenser, with revolver showing clearly sticking out of the back of his baker whites uniform in view of this customer of his dislike. I too wore the loose white uniform. I was pretty decent looking...plenty flirted with me because I was shy...oh' god. You know, I'm totally heterosexual, but I think I maybe, as human to human, was gay in a past life or will be in a future one. Ah' that corner! Confused the hell out of me, but I wouldn't trade it for anything!
A Last Cry for Help
(1979 TV Movie)
RECENT ON YTUBE, please be uplifted, not saddened by my review:)
2 September 2017
I lost my son to suicide last year and I have finally come to terms with it in my mind. I am bi-polar as well and I had a mother who wouldn't tolerate a depressed 15 year old kid in 1980...wow, this is going to be a throwback. I believe everything happens in a synchronous timeline, even death.I downloaded this from TOASTnJAM 's youtube channel not knowing what is was about, I just enjoy old TV movies on occasion.
I just came out of a two week clinical depression. I seem to grieve losing my son like he just passed away during those cycles. If there is any silver lining to living with bi-polar it's that over time we learn to distinguish circumstantial depression from clinical depression.Knowing the difference can save your life because then you can get properly medicated. It is nice when you can find something that works. Sadly, as the person in my son's life who caught him when he became withdrawn, I was taking an improperly low dosage of my medication, lamotragine, and I too was very withdrawn that week. We were both laughing, being normal as could be not days before. After going up on my dosage of my prescribed lamotragine and dropping welbutrin completely(ugh what a horrible drug!), the day before my son's memorial service I felt the distinctly chronically agonizingly dark clinical depression lift and go away. I was still in shock and dealing with the circumstantial grief and depression of his death, yet my bi-polar clinical depression subsided. If my mother were still alive I'd say, " Mother, THAT is the difference!".
Losing my only child of 21yrs. 10mo., my only son, and having raised him by myself since he was 17mo. old...I assure you, the pain of grief and depression do lift, but if for ANY REASON you are suicidal, get help NOW! My son called a local mental heath clinic. Instead of seeing EVERY NEW DEPRESSED PATIENT THE SAME OR NEXT DAY, LIKE SHOULD BE A FEDERAL LAW, they gave him an appointment for 10 days away. That was too late. Listen, if they call it means they are serious!! Do get help NOW if you are suicidal, don't wait. And don't drink alcohol or self medicate, and don't be alone. People do care, including YOU. HELP YOU LIVE.
I just came out of a two week clinical depression. I seem to grieve losing my son like he just passed away during those cycles. If there is any silver lining to living with bi-polar it's that over time we learn to distinguish circumstantial depression from clinical depression.Knowing the difference can save your life because then you can get properly medicated. It is nice when you can find something that works. Sadly, as the person in my son's life who caught him when he became withdrawn, I was taking an improperly low dosage of my medication, lamotragine, and I too was very withdrawn that week. We were both laughing, being normal as could be not days before. After going up on my dosage of my prescribed lamotragine and dropping welbutrin completely(ugh what a horrible drug!), the day before my son's memorial service I felt the distinctly chronically agonizingly dark clinical depression lift and go away. I was still in shock and dealing with the circumstantial grief and depression of his death, yet my bi-polar clinical depression subsided. If my mother were still alive I'd say, " Mother, THAT is the difference!".
Losing my only child of 21yrs. 10mo., my only son, and having raised him by myself since he was 17mo. old...I assure you, the pain of grief and depression do lift, but if for ANY REASON you are suicidal, get help NOW! My son called a local mental heath clinic. Instead of seeing EVERY NEW DEPRESSED PATIENT THE SAME OR NEXT DAY, LIKE SHOULD BE A FEDERAL LAW, they gave him an appointment for 10 days away. That was too late. Listen, if they call it means they are serious!! Do get help NOW if you are suicidal, don't wait. And don't drink alcohol or self medicate, and don't be alone. People do care, including YOU. HELP YOU LIVE.
At Home
(1939)
Jesse Crawford INVENTED 'THEATRE ORGAN TECHNIQUE', the best!!
17 August 2017
Since I am an organist, and I happen to favor everything 1930's when it comes to music, and Hollywood film, there is a little bias here. I uploaded the second part of this single feature of which someone only posted the beginning. Then because of one particular snob complaining to YouTube that i was copyright infringing, I took down the video. PLEASE SOMEONE UPLOAD THIS 11 MINUTE CLASSIC! Or ANYTHING JESSE CRAWFORD. Jesse was the greatest, most accomplished, and musically innovative MUSICIAN of all time. A true master, JESSE CRAWFORD 'poet of the organ'.
SADLY, THERE IS ONLY THIS FILM SHORT, AND A FILM SHORT 5 min. 'SHORT' MADE IN THE UK just before WWII.
It is such a shame that no other film footage exists of arguably the greatest musician to ever grace the keys of a pipe organ. Jesse and his then wife are playing Hammond tone wheel organs in this 'AT HOME' feature. Jesse went on to become the HAMMOND ORGAN COMPANY'S lead instructor, arranger/transcriber, and columnist for many music books, including the very informative Hammond organ publication ' LEGATO'. I have a dozen or so of these early 50's Legato 'magazines. Heavy duty paper and excellent song/tune arrangements by Jesse Crawford are just a couple reasons to check them out.
SADLY, THERE IS ONLY THIS FILM SHORT, AND A FILM SHORT 5 min. 'SHORT' MADE IN THE UK just before WWII.
It is such a shame that no other film footage exists of arguably the greatest musician to ever grace the keys of a pipe organ. Jesse and his then wife are playing Hammond tone wheel organs in this 'AT HOME' feature. Jesse went on to become the HAMMOND ORGAN COMPANY'S lead instructor, arranger/transcriber, and columnist for many music books, including the very informative Hammond organ publication ' LEGATO'. I have a dozen or so of these early 50's Legato 'magazines. Heavy duty paper and excellent song/tune arrangements by Jesse Crawford are just a couple reasons to check them out.
Lisa, Bright and Dark
(1973 TV Movie)
" Frustrating" says a reviewer, but depicts frustration of MH BEST!
19 May 2017
As a person with Bi-Polar ( it never goes away, just regulates and deregulates), I have experienced every symptom portrayed in this movie. And like this movie I also had a denying and uneducated mother toward mental health issues, who was overly concerned with her reputation in the community...well that spelled frustration to the max for myself at the age of 15 in 1980. This would have been the perfect movie for us to watch together!
Sometimes critics are unaware that a film with a strong central theme can carry itself just fine despite what would otherwise be shortcomings. That said, I thoroughly enjoyed every quirk:) Kay Lenz has always been a favorite of mine as well. The perfect made for TV production IMHO. Hallmark presentations were always tops.
Sometimes critics are unaware that a film with a strong central theme can carry itself just fine despite what would otherwise be shortcomings. That said, I thoroughly enjoyed every quirk:) Kay Lenz has always been a favorite of mine as well. The perfect made for TV production IMHO. Hallmark presentations were always tops.
American Crime Story
(2016– )
Spoiler Alerts? Are you kidding??
27 February 2016
Okay, I'm sure my review will be the least helpful review to the early 20 somethings and below, but to the rest of you? Well, come on. First off OJ is still alive, so it is so very tasteful for you to reenact the trial that acquitted him, but not really. The public has been hating The Juice since the day he took the stand...strike that, the day they saw him in cuffs in his backyard for a minute before the cops realized they had no probable cause to cuff him just yet, but that's what they do to all black men in Los Angeles county in the 80's and 90's that I personally know of.
I lived in Los Angeles during this volatile period in history and got a front row seat at the Donut shop I worked at, as the only graveyard shift front counter help. Cops would visit the shop, which was the first of two shops* owned by an ex-cop ( who incidentally quit the force, in part, because of how it was ran. He was an awesome guy!).
Now what I am about to say is going out to the world, but I assure you nobody at this shop or it's second location is responsible for it, just the two cops I heard on several occasions talk about beating up black guys and my ears that overheard it being spoken to the donut maker, who was an old guy in the 80's so is probably dead by now. One story I recall was that they made sure the 'N'word was down below the counter out of view of the camera before they beat the crap out of him. No lie, it's what I heard with my own ears. I knew it was no surprise that the riots would happen a few years later. I heard other stories first hand, but honestly that was enough to remember! The rest of the stories registered emotionally, but personally I don't like the weight of hate so the stories disappeared as I heard them, I just remember the cruel laughter and the emotion of the words coming from these officers of the law.
Okay, so is this a review of the series? Maybe. We still have a long way to go in changing our society for the better so long as we watch ANYTHING that portrays people in biased ways from the reality. This series is doing just that IMO.
By the way, the donut shop you see in the film TANGERINE is the 2nd shop my boss opened, it was the first business in that building and I was the first graveyard counter person. Ah' the memories of busting up tricks and fending off unwanted flirtation. These days I'd settle for any. lol
I lived in Los Angeles during this volatile period in history and got a front row seat at the Donut shop I worked at, as the only graveyard shift front counter help. Cops would visit the shop, which was the first of two shops* owned by an ex-cop ( who incidentally quit the force, in part, because of how it was ran. He was an awesome guy!).
Now what I am about to say is going out to the world, but I assure you nobody at this shop or it's second location is responsible for it, just the two cops I heard on several occasions talk about beating up black guys and my ears that overheard it being spoken to the donut maker, who was an old guy in the 80's so is probably dead by now. One story I recall was that they made sure the 'N'word was down below the counter out of view of the camera before they beat the crap out of him. No lie, it's what I heard with my own ears. I knew it was no surprise that the riots would happen a few years later. I heard other stories first hand, but honestly that was enough to remember! The rest of the stories registered emotionally, but personally I don't like the weight of hate so the stories disappeared as I heard them, I just remember the cruel laughter and the emotion of the words coming from these officers of the law.
Okay, so is this a review of the series? Maybe. We still have a long way to go in changing our society for the better so long as we watch ANYTHING that portrays people in biased ways from the reality. This series is doing just that IMO.
By the way, the donut shop you see in the film TANGERINE is the 2nd shop my boss opened, it was the first business in that building and I was the first graveyard counter person. Ah' the memories of busting up tricks and fending off unwanted flirtation. These days I'd settle for any. lol
Tell Your Friends