LA Culture

Photo from that other school in Los Angeles.

So with LA being the entertainment mecca of the world and all, I decided to take in some of the local scene the past few days. Last week, I saw two movies - Lost City, about a rich Cuban family in Havana during the times before, during, and after the revolution; and Charade, an old movie starring Audrey Hepburn and Cary Grant. Charade was playing at an art museum, which screens old/classic movies from time to time. I was checking their calendar and they recently did a screening of Gone with the Wind. I thought Lost City was quite good, especially the soundtrack which is a wide range of Cuban music. Speaking of Cuban music, if you haven't heard it, pick up the soundtrack to Buena Vista Social Club.

While we're on the subject of music, Pearl Jam played two consecutive nights at the Great Western Forum, formerly the home of the Los Angeles Lakers. I went to both shows, and they were excellent. The first night was an epic 30-song, two and a half hour set. An interesting note - on both nights, Tim Robbins joined them onstage as a guest vocalist during two covers: Phil Ochs' "Here's to the State of Mississippi" (which Eddie Vedder recently performed during a taping of VH1's "Storytellers") on Sunday and X's "I Must Not Think Bad Thoughts" on Monday.

The venue itself was surprisingly small, I thought. It seemed to me more like the biggest high school gym in the world than the home court for one of the most famous franchises in professional sports. I haven't had time to hit any of the clubs on Sunset Strip during this trip, but there will be plenty of time for that after I move here.