#steve<- I love this man. so full of energy. they are on a cruise trip rn. go say hi while gone. let's get them overwhelmed lolol. maybe not

[ask-but-beware-the-consequences]

Early Access!

Especially made for @sexystevebuscemi as a request with love! 🚢💙💙

[charliejrogers]

Best of 2017

Below is my list of the 40 best movies of 2017. Why 40? Because that’s all the movies I saw. In full disclosure, I have a life and must attend school so I didn’t get to see every notable release this year, so if you’re wondering why Thor: Ragnorok, Coco, Mother!, Jumanji, Justice League, I Tonya, Disaster Arist, or Blade Runner aren’t on the list… it’s because I didn’t get to see them. And also in full disclosure, I did get to watch the first half of Battle of the Sexes but fell asleep for the second half. That fact is not indicative of that film’s quality - I was just really tired when I saw it - but it didn’t feel right rating a movie I’d only seen the first half of. So without further ado, here’s my list.

0.5/4.0 Stars

40 The Little Hours

1.5/4.0 Stars

39 Guardians of the Galaxy 2

2.0/4.0 Stars

38 Beauty & the Beast

37 Okja

2.5/4.0 Stars

36 The Trip to Spain

35 A Ghost Story

34 Kong: Skull Island

33 Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

32 Dunkirk

31 Logan Lucky

30 American Made

29 Lost City of Z

28 Phantom Thread

3.0/4.0 Stars

27 It

26 Lady Macbeth

25 Ingrid Goes West

24 Call Me By Your Name

23 Spider-Man: Homecoming

22 Detroit

21 Brad’s Status

20 Logan

19 Wind River

18 War for the Planet of the Apes

3.5/4.0 Stars

17 Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi

16 The Meyerowitz Stories: New and Selected

15 Get Out

14 The Post

13 Wonder Woman

12 The Lego Batman Movie

11 Darkest Hour

10 The Beguiled

9 Mudbound

8 Shape of Water

4.0/4.0 Stars

7 Sanctuary

6 The Big Sick

5 The Florida Project

4 Baby Driver

3 Columbus

2 Good Time

1 Lady Bird

Do you disagree with the list? Well check out below to see my thoughts on each of the films.

40 The Little Hours

This movie is wholly terrible. It’s jokes include extended sequences of rape, sexual manipulation, and cruel beatings. Please don’t let the truly all-star cast fool you, this movie sucks.

Movies that had probably had some great scenes but were overall not satisfying: (1.5-2 stars)

39 Guardians of the Galaxy 2

The sophomore slump hit Star Lord & co. hard. Compared to the grand set pieces of the first film, the isolated focus on Quill and his father really hindered the fun, action-packed hi-jinks fans expected from the first film. The soundtrack almost single handedly prevented this from being an outright terrible movie.

38 Beauty & the Beast

It will be interesting in the long run to compare the quality of these live-action remakes to the animated originals. Jungle Book was great, but it helped that it’s source material was a superficial 60s musical with lots of room for expansion. Beauty & the Beast was heralded as a masterpiece back in 1991, even being nominated for an Oscar for best picture. Not best animated picture. BEST PICTURE. The Emma Watson version? Not so much. It’s boring.

37 Okja

Snowpiercer is an awesome movie. It’s perfectly paced world building combined beautifully with its creative action sequences (creative both in terms of plotting and in filming). The second English-language film from director Bong Joon-Ho? Nowhere as good. Maybe I’m too jaded… but I didn’t feel any real connection to the titular Beast (the hippo/cow named Okja) or the dangers it faced. And Tilda Swinton (who was fantastic in Snowpiercer) is too abrasive and, frankly, too odd to be taken seriously as a person. And that’s to say nothing of Jake Gyllenhal’s lunatic of a character. Skip it.

Just shy of being good, but are Solid movies.(2.5 stars)

36 The Trip to Spain

It’s kind of hard to fault Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon in any meaningful way, since anyone who has seen the first two movies in this trilogy knows exactly what to expect (and really, who but anyone who has seen the first two movies would see this?). They know to expect impressions of famous British actors by two very talented impression artists. They know to expect two actors playing irritatingly arrogant caricatures of themselves. And they know to expect a movie devoid of plot, purpose, and interesting dialogue. That said, you come for the impressions, and Coogan and Brydon will always deliver on those (Mick Jagger and David Bowie being my two favorite additions to the duo’s repertoire.) just don’t expect much else.

35 A Ghost Story

This whole movie seemed to walk the line between a solid indie movie and a parody of a self-important movie. The central gimmick of the film involves Casey Affleck spending the vast majority of the film under a white sheet following his character’s death as the character’s ghost continues to pine after a love lost. When the film focuses on the futility of grief (particular in scenes where Rooney Mara is involved), it is moving. When it tries to make larger philosophical statements about what it means to inhabit land, it gets silly.

34 Kong: Skull Island

I watched this movie hoping to see some cool action sequences of King Kong and dinosaurs. It delivered, though no dinosaurs, but “Skeleton Walkers”. Cool Vietnam War-era atmosphere. The Samuel L. Jackson character is so angry towards Kong as to defy logical sense and the plot is threadbare, but John C. Reilly does wonders when he enters the film midway for comic relief.

33 Three Billboards outside Ebbing, Missouri

I wanted to like this movie more. I tried to like it more. It has so much going for it: A pair of knock out performances by Frances McDormand and Woody Harrelson, often fascinating and engaging dialogues and monologues a la the Coen Brothers, and an intriguing premise in a mother trying to discover her daughter’s murderer. It falls apart for me because many of the supporting characters are more caricature than people, especially the insufferable bigoted police officer played by Sam Rockwell. The film is far more interested in developing the character of this unwatchable man than in ever dealing with the McDormand character’s grief, and Harrelson exits the film far too early. There are individual scenes that shine, but the sum of the film’s parts falls flat.

32 Dunkirk

I like Christopher Nolan. I really do. That said, I haven’t liked anything that he’s done since 2010. Dark Knight Rises was bloated, and Interstellar somehow doubled down on the bloat. Dunkirk, while beautifully shot and containing some truly gripping looks at the brutality of war, just never clicked with me. I particularly found the film’s tripartite structure, jumping between three stories whose chronological length differed significantly, more distracting than revelatory.

31 Logan Lucky

Appropriately nicknamed “Seven Eleven,” Steven Soderberg’s first heist movie since the Ocean’s trilogy adapts the standard caper film tropes to a down-to-Earth, working-class West Virginia setting. It’s unclear throughout if Soderberg is mocking his blue collar characters’ way of life or celebrating it, and the humor, particularly in scenes between Channing Tatum and Adam Driver, never quite clicks. But Logan Lucky probably includes the most intelligent, clever, and fun-to-watch heist in any movie. Period. If only the movie were even half as smart and entertaining as the heist it is about.

30 American Made

Doug Liman, The Director of American Made, so badly and clearly wants people to confuse this film with something from the Scorsese catalog. But this is a poor man’s Wolf of Wall Street or Goodfellas. It tries to glorify and legitimize the life of a criminal, and it hits all the highlights. It’s loosely (very loosely) based on real life smuggler Barry Seal. There’s clever heists and crimes. Shady dealings. A big budget plane crash into a suburban neighborhood. And all of it is shot and directed with a fun, vivacious energy. The problem is that this film fails to hit the hard emotional punches. There’s no equivalent to Joe Pesce “getting made” or even a real sense of come-uppance that eventually hit Jordan Belford. There’s a montage in this movie of Tom Cruise scared to start his car due to fear it’s been rigged to explode. What could have been a tone-altering sequence for the film that would bestow a great deal of gravitas, is used for laughs. And that’s about all you need to know about this movie. It’s entertaining and probably worth watching, and Tom Cruise is as cocky as ever in the lead role, but there’s nothing under the surface.

29 Lost City of Z

The is the most action-less adventure story ever told. The life of British explorer Percy Fawcett (Charlie Hunnam) and his explorations through the South American Amazon plays out at about the speed of a turtle. I’m not gonna say I was ever bored, because I wasn’t, but I was kind of waiting the whole movie for something exciting to happen and it never does. The film makes being captured by natives look as routine as a DMV visit. The movie is divided into a few key locations. There’s Britain where Fawcett spends so little of his life and where his wife (Sienna Miller as a progressive woman railing against the monotony of housewifery) and children lives. There’s The Amazon, and there’s briefly France for Fawcett’s stint as an officer in WWI. As you’ll be unsurprised if you’ve glanced at my review of Wonder Woman below, that the WWI section was my favorite. Perhaps it’s my fault for expecting something more out action of this film, but I think it even fails on the grounds of what it tries to be: a character study. Fawcett’s character is so thinly drawn and his motivations so weak, that when his son (Tom Holland) calls him out on it it’s a breath of fresh air - but then his son and wife later validates his motivations and the movie makes him out to be an unqualified hero - a champion of viewing Natives as more than savages. Fawcett did incredible things in his life, sure, but I don’t think he’s any hero. I don’t know - the movie could have been better.

28 Phantom Thread

The first half of this movie I consider excitingly British-boring, like an episode of Downton Abbey or The Crown. High class British people of the past dealing with first world problems, if well acted, well costumed, and well written, will always be entertaining to me no matter if what’s at stake is who will marry whom or, in this case, whether a dress will be ready on time. But the first half of the movie particularly shines because Daniel Day-Lewis plays the stereotypical controlling genius who society forgives because he’s so brilliant to the T. He’s insufferable, petty, emotionally stunted, and a joy to watch. And the whole first half of the film builds to a moment where Lewis’ girlfriend, a meek waitress played by Vicky Krieps, calls him out on all his bullshit. In the midst of the #MeToo era, her speech railing against his dominating, controlling behavior feels entirely appropriate. And as an audience member you expect the movie to go in a certain direction in the second half… and it doesn’t. At the risk of spoilers I won’t say more, but your response to film’s plot in its second act will be the deciding factor about whether or not you enjoy this film. For me, I did not, which is a shame because I liked the first half so much.

Good, not great movies:(3 stars)

27 It

I have never seen the original It movie or read the book, but based on the infamous boat scene that circulated virally on YouTube and the premise of a killer ghost clown… I wasn’t too pumped to see It. I happily had my expectations reversed. It is perhaps unfair to say the movie borrows from Stranger Things since that show definitely borrows heavily from Stephen King, but it’s hard to deny the similarities between the two 1980s set stories of kids against a cosmic beast. It featured incredible performances from its teenaged cast, with Jaeden Lieberher truly shining as the lead, but overall the movie felt overly long and oddly enough lacking the tension required of a remarkable thriller. Plus, I had far too many questions leaving the theater about the nature of Pennywise and so on for it to qualify as having a completely coherent plot. But as far as coming of age movies disguised as horror movies go, when It focused on the kids and less on Pennywise it was entirely engrossing.

26 Lady Macbeth

Lady Macbeth was a fascinating little film out of the UK about the extents (often violent) one woman would go to achieve freedom in an incredibly oppressive patriarchy. At just 22 Florence Pugh turns in a masterful performance of a woman wracked with guilt but full of pride in her freedom. She’s at once both sympathetic and monstrous, and watching her go from one to the other is worthy of the film’s Shakespearean title. Only complaint was that the movie, despite being only 90 minutes still felt it dragged a little in places.

25 Ingrid Goes West

What an interesting movie. Aubrey Plaza still seems to be playing the same Aubrey Plaza character she’s played in literally everything she’s been in, but this time it’s different. Rather than accepting Plaza’s character’s usual eccentric behavior as just par for the course, in Ingrid Goes West, these same behaviors are frightening. Obsessive, sociopathic, paranoid. That is the character Aubrey Plaza plays as her Ingrid travels Westward with the inheritance from her mother’s demise to emulate and become Taylor Sloane - a wonderfully basic Elizabeth Olson - someone she found on Instagram - avocado toast and all. As a movie that tries to make a statement about the ill-effects of social media on society, the movie falls flat. But viewed in the line of movies like Taxi Driver, Nightcrawler, etc. that is, movies that present the inner workings of sociopaths, Ingrid Goes West is an admirable demonstration of what Travis Bickle would look like in 2017. Also, poor O’Shea Jackson Jr. All his character wanted was to talk about Batman - and instead Ingrid ruins his life. Sad!

24 Call Me By Your Name

I’ve struggled to rate this movie fairly. One the one hand, I found it kind of boring. I found what the characters and movie deemed a meaningful relationship between Elio and Oliver to be based on little more than the fact that both were open to male on male sex. Their dialogue was supposed to come off as playfully hostile and full of sexual tension, but i just saw Oliver, played by Hammer, playing hard to get a little too well. Maybe I just wasn’t picking up the signs, but to my eyes it never seemed like Oliver ever liked Elio. On the other hand, it was a beautifully shot movie, included a scene about IndoEuropean etymology, and another about Greek bronze sculpture. Plus, Michael Stuhlbarg’s heartbreaking speech towards the end (you know which one) almost single handedly prevents this from being rated lower on this list. Thus, I left the movie thinking a lot, which is always a sign that the movie had done something right. Particularly it raised questions about and shed light on the nature, often awkward, of coming out. And for that, I recognize the movie’s importance and beauty. But that doesn’t mean it was my favorite movie to watch this year.

23 Spider-Man: Homecoming

Now for something completely different. Spider-Man: Homecoming is the definition of a mindless, fun summer blockbuster. Tom Holland shines it what is essentially a high-school action movie. It had cool action sequences (Washington Monument) and laughs (thanks Martin Starr - perhaps the best person to to cast as a nerdy high school teacher - , the school’s PA announcements, and the film’s new Spider-Man sidekick… some kid named Ned). Plus the movie’s villainous twist was legitimately a surprise in the best way. That said, Michael Keaton’s Vulture had some questionably plausible motives, with the theme of forgetting about the working class feeling a bit cliche in this film. It’s a real issue, but the movie didn’t really treat it like one. Still, I can’t wait for Spider-Man: Prom as Marvel’s first take at a high school movie was a success, even if it did little to reinvent the wheel.

22 Detroit

Detroit is a movie that tests your endurance and tolerance for brutality. Based on the historical Algiers Motel incident during the contentious race riots in 1967 Detroit, the movie is less about the incident as it is director Katherine Bigelow’s recreation of the event itself. This movie is like if you pieced together all of the scenes from a recreation typically found in a true crime documentary, and then left out the documentary narrative piece. As a result, the movie has little nuance (besides a beautiful opening animating sequence detailing the Great Migration.) Instead viewers are “treated” to two hours of raw violence. It’s not entertaining, and it’s hardly art, but it is engrossing. It stretches the imagination that some people could be so cruel and that more could be so permissive of such cruelty seen here, but at the end of the day 3 black teens ended up dead and nine others beaten… so I can grant Katherine Bigelow some leeway in how the lead racist cop in her film is portrayed as being the devil incarnate. It’s a powerful movie - just not one you’ll want to watch again.

21 Brad’s Status

If your biggest fear is that you’ll never satisfy your life’s largest ambitions… Brad’s Status is the movie for you. Ben Stiller as Brad is a guy who by all measures has a fine life - a loving wife, comfortable job, and a smart kid… any complaint he has is, by definition, a first world problem… but when he sees his old college buddies go on to become uber-successful… well, anyone is bound to get jealous. The movie is a great look at the emptiness so many feel with the direction of their lives, and Ben Stiller as Brad is perfectly cast as an understandable neurotic. While the movie does a great job of setting up Brad’s dilemma over his lack of status, it perhaps “solves” the issue a little lazily. It turns out his “successful” friends? They’re all jerks, crooks, or unhappy… so again we learn that money corrupts… an answer which doesn’t entirely satisfy the audience… or Brad.

20 Logan

If Deadpool showed how an R-rated superhero could look if you think R-rated = potty-mouth… Logan decided to show us what R-rated means in terms of violence. The opening scene where our “hero” eviscerates some gangsters by the side of a desert road is phenomenally beautiful. And the movie remains as bleak throughout - as well as, perhaps surprisingly, very thoughtful. Every scene with Patrick Stewart was beautiful. Beautiful because of his performance, but also because of how smartly written and well-paced his character’s story unfolded. What do you do when a man who could bring the world to its knees with his mind… gets Alzheimer’s? That Stewart was not even in the discussion for an Oscar baffles me. I legitimately lose interest in the film the moment Stewart stops playing as big a role about ¾ of the way through. It’s still a good movie after that point, but the story of mutant kids revolting against their slave drivers holds less power and realism than the story of a powerful man coming to grips with his dementia.

19 Wind River

Hell or High Water was, for me, the surprise hit of 2016, and when I found out that writer Taylor Sheridan was both writing and directing this film I saw it as soon as I could. While the movie may drag in a few spots here and there, it’s a pretty powerful movie about grief. It shares many story beats with Three Billboards but frankly I think this film does a much, much better job of staying focused on what’s most important. No, not the moral awakening of some insufferably racist cop, but the injustice of a girl’s life being ripped away from her family. And, more importantly, the impact that has upon an already depressed community. I don’t know how many movies there are that highlight the ironic contemporary struggle of Native Americans to get by in what should be their own land, but i don’t think there are many others. And for that fact alone Wind River deserves to be seen. While I��ve thus far talked like this movies a masterpiece it’s not. It drags a bit, Jeremy Renner’s character is both a little boring and a little too unbelievably good at his job, and Elizabeth Olsen’s character is a little bit too unbelievably inept at hers. But Sheridan crafts scripts whose violence is so genuinely shocking (no doubt in one place due to a perfectly placed flashback towards the end of the film) that you actually drop your jaw. You’ve seen thousands of people get shot in movies, but never quite like here.

18 War for the Planet of the Apes

Of all the major blockbuster franchises to be churned out these days, few have had the boldness to be both entertaining and artful. The first 15 minutes of Dawn of the Planet of the Apes should be taught at all film schools as the prime example of world building without needing a single spoken word of dialogue. I think overall I liked the new War for the Planet of the Apes a little less than its predecessor, but still more than the reboot’s first entry, Rise of the Planet of the Apes. For starters, this is a long movie and it didn’t need to be so long. That said, it has some of the best symbolism and beautifully structured motifs of any major blockbuster out there. Caesar is at times a Christ figure, a new Moses, and a slave in revolt, and the movie does a fantastic job of never letting these themes lay on too thick. And for a movie about apes, most of the sympathy undoubtedly comes from Andy Serkis. He deserves some sort of award for his work as Caesar… his facial ticks say a million things and more. Combined with the cinematography of the icy blue winter fortress, it’s a beauty to behold. Had the movie been a little tighter, it could have been that much better, but as is there’s still much to enjoy.

Great, fucking movies:(3.5 stars)

17 Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi

By far the most divisive film of 2017, The Last Jedi was… a fine film. Like for every illogical plot point, for every cringeworthily forced joke, for every time that Mark Hamil didn’t know how to act, for every unnecessary venture onto the casino Planet, for every time Leia was a force zombie… I still walked away from the movie feeling satisfied. The action was good and The plot included legitimate surprises. Rian Jonson is many things, but a poor plotter is not one of them. Plus I was just so attracted to the film’s overwhelming feeling of abject failure. Blockbusters are supposed to lift us up and give us hope… but this movie presented an interesting antithesis to all that, even more so than its spiritual predecessor Empire Strikes Back. This movie will and has already been picked apart to death… but I think if someone walked into this movie knowing little about the Jedi, the Force, or who shot first, they would find an entertaining blockbuster and that’s what I saw. Perhaps not the best Star Wars movie… but a fine film.

16 The Meyerowitz Stories: New and Selected

Adam Sandler can act? Who knew! I did! I’ve seen Click! Anyways, this was a very good movie all around. There are top notch performances from all of its leads, with a special shout out to the quiet Elizabeth Marvel and the terrifyingly unemotional Hoffman. The films plot focused on three adults’ differing relationships with their father (Dustin Hoffman) an overbearing father and aging sculptor who failed to achieve any success. The script is superb and beautifully crafted. The whole movie can be summed up in three scenes, with each scene showing a different of the three children running. In one, Sandler is running to catch up to his Dad, representing how his character always felt like he had to prove himself to his father. In another Stiller is running in front of his father, just as his character has tried to escape the overbearing smothering pressure of his father. And thirdly Marvel’s character runs from danger but her father plays no role - she unlike her brothers has managed to shed the shadow of her father. The movie has some missteps in failed jokes (Sandler’s daughter’s movies?) and is a little long which keep it from being an instant classic, but it’s very well done.

15 Get Out

The best horror movie In a decade isn’t much of a horror movie. There are few jump scares and there’s hardly a real enough sense of danger to raise the audience’s blood pressure. But as a drama that intends to say a thing or two about America’s racial issues, this is a damn good movie. The script is extremely well-crafted and the story’s mysteries unfold in such an organic way. You’ll have thought you have it all figured out at least 3 times before the truth is revealed, and the “truth” actually makes sense and appears unforced unlike the twists in many movies of this type. There’s an alternate ending to this film you can find online where Director Peele could have pushed this movie to make a stronger statement about race… I wish he had. He used a half-measure when he should have used a full measure. The movie as a whole can be a little slow at times… but the ending action sequence and the film’s tone and message throughout more than make up for it.

14 The Post

The best newspaper movies are those that are procedural. Films like Spotlight or All the President’s Men made you feel like you were part of the investigation, highlighting the excitement and importance of mundane tasks like combing through directories of priests or tracking down witnesses that ultimately lead to giant breakthroughs. The Post has none of this. The Pentagon Papers literally fall into the lap of the Washington Post and Nixon’s paranoia ensures that The Post will be the only paper with the opportunity to publish. So it’s not a newspaper movie in that it’s not about investigative journalism so much as about the people who run the newspapers and their commitment to the first amendment. As a result, it’s preachy and a little too on the nose for those of us bombarded daily with claims of fake news. That said, it’s still Spielberg so it’s incredibly well-crafted and entertaining and Meryl Streep is fantastic in drawing out the complexity of Kay Graham. And who doesn’t love seeing Bob Odenkirk and David Cross side by side?

13 Wonder Woman

The undersaturation of the movie market with movies about World War I is a shame. Compare it with World War II which has a minimum of 4 movies a year… always. But where WWII is so often portrayed as the heroic triumph of good over evil or dives into the heinousness of the Holocaust, rarely does it get the chance to just pause and question the brutality of war itself. World War I doesn’t have that problem. There was no Hitler, no Nazis, no Holocaust. Just rulers and treaties that led to the senseless loss of life. And it’s this that movies like Joyeux Noel, War Horse, and now Wonder Woman have captured beautifully. Yes, Wonder Woman is a movie about immortal beings and super heroes with lassos of truth… but at its root it’s about the disgusting fact that humans inflict mass pain on each other based on the lightest of pretenses. The movie has a villain… but humanity is the real evil. The plot was smartly put together, the scenery and costumes nail the period, and the budding romance between Chris Pine and Gal Gadot is a treat to watch. But it’s film’s depiction of the senselessness of war (embodied in Wonder Woman’s shell-shocked Scottish companion.) that really sold me. This movie was far more moving than it deserved to be for a silly super hero movie, but it deserves its praise.

12 The Lego Batman Movie

Perhaps this of all the choices on this list will be the one to not age well… but when I saw this movie I was thoroughly pleased. Not only was it an entertaining and funny beyond a “kid’s” film, it was a parodic love letter to the Caped Crusader. I did not see 2017’s Justice League… but I can safely say this is the best Batman movie since 2008’s Dark Knight. The whole plot of this Lego movie is in fact a direct play on a line of dialogue from The Dark Knight. There the Joker tells Batman, “You complete me,” a line which in its context embodies a central theme throughout Batman lore: does Batman exist because Gotham is full of criminals, or is Gotham full of criminals because Batman attracts them. Here though, the line is taken at face value in its pseudo-romantic sense - Joker pledges his “love” for Batman and here he gets denied. And the world hath seen no wrath as a Joker scorned. It’s a funny set-up that leads to a fun who’s-who of villains from across the Batverse and beyond. The film is anchored in the now-classic Lego movie sense of humor. Special props to Will Arnett’s arrogant, self-centered turn as the lead and to Michael Cera’s bubblingly boyish Dick Grayson/Robin. The two have a perfect comedic give and take. It’s as if the whole movie is a side project of Arrested Development with a young George Michael Bluth playing along with the delusional fantasies of his Uncle GOB. Tobias would of course be Mr. Freeze - he already blued himself.

11 Darkest Hour

Who was Winston Churchill? I’m still not quite sure. The movie presented him as a drunk, surely, but also scared, crude, abrasive, confused, a little Alzheimer’s-y at times… but the least I can say is that he deserved my respect by the end of the film and that’s what the movie wanted from me. Gary Oldman is amazing in this movie and other people could speak more eloquently about his performance. But he’s not alone and Ben Mendehlsson as King George and Stephen Dillane as the preposterously prissy Lord Halifax deserve special praise. Lily James as Churchill’s secretary does not though… her role was kinda pointless… But what really caught my eye about this movie is it’s beautiful cinematography. The movie plays with light and dark so well - fitting for its title. Plus the movie tells the story of the Dunkirk travesty from such an interesting perspective. The knowledge of Hitler’s ultimate intentions today make it difficult to swallow arguments of the past that peace might have been possible, but the film does a great job of establishing tension in a conflict where everyone in the audience knows the resolution. There are times when you wonder along with Churchill whether peace might be worth pursuing. However, if you, like me, enjoy getting your history from film, You’ll likely be saddened as i was to learn that the scene where Churchill goes into the Tube and talks to the common folk for inspiration was all made up for the movie… still, the scene’s pretty magical to watch. So everyone plays their roles to the T and the pictures are pretty. If that’s not enough for you, just watch this as an antidote to watching the lifeless Dunkirk. Ugh. Fuck Dunkirk.

10 The Beguiled

This is an extremely moody, brooding film that sticks with much you longer than you’d think. It’s really a short, little movie at only 94 minutes long, but director Sophia Coppola packs that time full of lust-filled intrigue and tension. If you ever wonders what happens when a house full of sexually repressed women in the 1860s encounters a wounded soldier who’s happy to “please”… the answer is not a lot of good. This is not a porno. If anything this movie takes a male fantasy and turns it into a nightmare. Elle Fanning, Kirsten Dunst, and Nicole Kidman play a fearfully tempting trio, each approaching the mysterious figure of Colin Farrell with their own motivations. Elle as a young woman exploring her sexuality, Kirsten as a woman sheltered for too long and yearns for the companionship, while Kidman as the older woman wants to feel love again… yet Colin cannot have all three and tries anyways… and the result is chilling and creepy reminder that you don’t mess with the heart of a woman. It’s Like Gone Girl in this sense, but better because this movie’s actually rewatchable and the perspective is entirely female-centric.

9 Mudbound

Somewhere online this movie is described as “literary in the best sense” and that’s about all you need to know about this movie. It’s a sprawling character-based epic that charts the lives of two families, one white, one black, whose lives continue to intersect while living in the 1940s rural South. Like much of the 19th c. and early 20th c. American literature, the big takeaway is that life in the country is miserable and prone to stagnation (a little stuck in the mud if you will). And Carey Mulligan’s role as a sophisticated woman forced into the staid life on the farm is practically a carbon copy of the main character in Willa Cather’s “Wagner Matinee” - and that’s a good thing. Mary J. Blige looks really cool with her sunglasses but also does a great job acting as the loving matriarch of her family - in fact the whole cast is pretty incredible. However the heart of the film is the friendship that forms between the veterans returning from WWII- one from each family. Garrett Hedlund and Jason Mitchell carry well the invisible wounds of war and the movie does a great job of highlighting the great injustice and indifference our society all too often places upon the plight of veterans - especially those who are also racial minorities. It’s a movie both reflective of its period’s morals, and a reminder of how close in time we are to some of our nation’s worst racially-based hate crimes.

8 Shape of Water

Love comes in all shapes and sizes - a theme Hollywood has pushed on us for decades. But here the trite fairy tale truism is made fresh… precisely because director Guillermo del Toro does not hide the fact that his Shape of Water - though a movie for adults with rather graphic violence and sex - is a fairy tale. Its love is both unbelievable and beautiful. The film tries to say something about the civil rights movement and oppression in its portrayal of the stigmatized relationship between woman and fish monster… but I personally found those parallels a bit wonky. The film works best as a simple story devoid of overt politics. Few scenes this year are as heartwarming as two rain droplets dancing on the side of a bus window as it races through the night or a dance scene between a fish monster and a woman filmed in the black and white style of the grand musicals of Old Hollywood. The movie includes a heist (the best!), Communist intrigue, comedy, and an amazing villain in Michael Shannon. That guy’s face is made to be evil. Sally Hawkins, Octavia Spencer, Michael Stuhlbarg, Richard Jenkins round out a superbly talented cast and the movie is a joy to watch. It was clear this was a work of love for delToro and though it’s not my favorite movie this year it deserves all the praise it gets. It’s a technical and moving marvel

Fantastic films (4 stars)

7 Sanctuary

Of all the movies on this list, I’m gonna bet this is the one you’ve never heard of. I’d never heard of it either. It was an accidental find hidden deep in the Hulu catalog which only attracted my roommate’s and my attentions because it was recently voted the best film in Ireland for 2017 according to some Irish critic’s circle. It was never even released in America. I like Irish film, and I loved this movie. It’s an ambitious project - at least by modern standards. A movie about people with intellectual disabilities, whose cast is mostly filled with people with intellectual disabilities, including like 4 people with Downs Syndrome. It’s part comedy, part rom-com, part romantic-drama, and throughout a tragedy. The movie struggles to find a fine line between viewing it’s largely adult cast of people with intellectual disabilities as people who need to be watched after and people who deserve independence and freedom. And that is not a fault of the movie… in real life finding that balance is hard. The movie has you laughing one moment, crying the other, but at all times forcing this viewer at least to challenge his perceptions of those with intellectual disabilities. It’s a powerful movie, an entertaining one, and one which I think all should see.

6 The Big Sick

Yes, this movie may have committed the worst of comedy movie sins - putting the best joke (the one about 9/11) in the trailer - but that doesn’t stop The Big Sick and it’s plot from surprising. I won’t spoil the plot because it’s best experienced first hand - but one thing I wish I knew going in is that this is fairly closely based on Kumail Nanjiani’s real life, who wrote the film with his wife Emily V. Gordon. I say this because when I first saw this my complaint was that the plot seemed too unbelievable and were this a purely fictional tale I’d be right - but truth is stranger than fiction. The movie has many thematic parallels with the second episode of Aziz Ansari’s Master of None in that the film presents the real pressures faced by children of immigrants to balance wanting to live a “normal” American life without seeming ungrateful or unappreciative of your parents’ culture and the sacrifices they have made to give their kids a better life. Kumail’s mother may be the “villain” from a plotting perspective, but the film is more nuanced than to portray her as heartless. In fact, the incredible love of a parent for their child is palpable throughout, and Ray Romano and Holly Hunter do wonders portraying a couple who though strained will unite to do anything for their daughter. Like life, the characters are realistic, the conflicts have no easy resolution, and it’s equal parts comical and emotional.

5 The Florida Project

Probably one of the best compliments I can bestow upon any piece of art is, “It reminds me of The Wire.” Yes, I am one of those people… deal with it. But what that to me means, is that this particular work of art manages to present an important social problem in a way that has no clear heroes or villains. Rather, it presents real, flawed humans dealing with a terribly shitty social construct. Here, the social construct is poverty - severe, depressing poverty. What are you supposed to do if you have no money, no home, no hopes for the future? You scam, you prostitute, you lie, you do anything to get by. But the characters in the Florida Project aren’t Robin Hoods or Aladdins - lovable thieves. No, they are often ugly people. This is a movie largely about “white trash” America - or rather people we cast aside without a second thought as white trash. However, what makes this movie so brilliant is that it grounds its message in the perspective of a child. Brooklyn Prince is damn near perfect in her role as the six year-old Moonee, the daughter of the aforementioned lying, scamming, destitute woman. By framing the move from Moonee’s view, director Sean Baker allows the movie to be at one moment light-hearted and the next moment heartbreaking. Like The Wire this movie deserves to be taught in any sociology class alongside any textbook. It’s an insightful look at the way the other half lives that’s full of empathetic humanity without providing its characters forgiveness carte blanche. And as entertainment it’s riveting.

4 Baby Driver

I am confident that this movie will not be as good on a second pass, as it’s more of a roller coaster adrenaline rush than artful film, and once you know all the twists and turns the fun will surely be lessened. But that doesn’t stop the first ride through the life of a bank-robbing getaway driver with a heart from being a hell of a good time. Like Patrick Stewart’s snub for Logan, I am legitimately surprised that there was never ANY talk of best director in the cards for Edgar Wright - though it’s probably a little more accurate to call him a choreographer than director as Baby Driver is, for all intents and purposes, an extended music video. Like Wright’s previous work in the Cornetto trilogy, the soundtrack is an eclectic mix of deep tracks from the mainly 60s/70s, but here the music does more than provide a backdrop to the action; it reflects and informs the action. Car chases are coordinated so that the best parts match musical crescendos. Take for example the foot chase towards to the end of the film set perfectly to Hocus Pocus’s “Focus.” The song alternates between a rocking guitar riff and a yodeling breakdown, and Wright appropriately sets the Chase parts to the guitar part and parts where Baby has to hide to the yodel. But calling it a music video perhaps robs the movie of the fact that it created an interesting cast of characters. Yes, it stars Kevin Spacey… but he’s creepy in this movie so at least art reflects life. But more of interest are Jamie Foxx and Jon Hamm as two of Baby’s slightly unhinged compatriots in bank robbing. Ansel Elgort in the title role carries enough charm and heart to capture audiences, and Lily James as the Southern beauty with the heart of gold is just grungy enough to be the perfect match for Baby’s criminal nature. Few movies have ever been this fun to watch with incredibly coordinated car chases, and the plot carries enough twists and turns to keep audiences on their toes.

3 Columbus

This movie is one of those movies where I can’t really put into words why I liked it. The most obvious reason is the movie’s scenery. Set entirely in the small town of Columbus, IN, a real town renowned across the world for its collection of buildings made in the modernist style. The town is shot beautifully and even if the movie weren’t good otherwise, it’d be worth a glance for the pictures. However, the plot is good. It’s a two-for-one with two of my favorite themes. One plot deals with the coming of age of a teenaged girl who’s too smart to get stuck in a dead end town. The other deals with a son comings to terms with his troubled relationship with his father. As I said, the movie is slow and I won’t claim to fully believe that in real life a relationship would have formed between the two main characters - it’s a little forced. But the emotions of the movie are undeniably real and it never feels like melodrama. This is one of the few movies where upon watching I immediately wanted to watch it again.

2 Good Time

Unlike Columbus, I was happy when Good Time ended and did not want to watch it again. It’s not because it’s a bad movie - far from it. But it paints such an ugly, depressing, and frankly terrifyingly real view of humanity that you’re happy when it’s finally over. This is film at its most linear (aside from one notable flashback that ranks among the best flashbacks of all time) and that’s not a complaint. The film’s runs quickly from start to finish like a bullet. The story is one of survival, as Robert Pattinson’s Nicky tries to free his accomplice and brother from custody while avoiding the cops himself following a botched bank robbery. This is not a light hearted bank heist movie like the Oceans movies, Baby Driver, or the like. While Nicky’s attempts to evade detection are certainly clever, as the movie continues you find you aren’t rooting for the protagonist - I wasn’t at least. The movie plays with the idea that the cat & mouse trope so popular in literature is far from fun in real life. It’s a hell of an adrenaline rush, Robert Pattinson gives - i think - one of the best performances of the year, and the plot is damn near perfect - not a second is wasted.

1 Lady Bird

The amount a movie makes me cry sits in direct proportion to how much i enjoyed the film (Interstellar being the big exception). At the end of Lady Bird I was awash in tears. The movie depicts with such a razor-sharp accuracy just how hard being in a family can be. Just how contradictory it can be. How is it that you can hate what your mother does, says, and stands for, and still love her? How is it that you can be so relieved to send your daughter off to college and out of your hair but also cry the entire way home? The taut relationship between Lady Bird and her mother (played extraordinarily by Saorsie Ronan and Laurie Metcalf) is without a doubt the cornerstone upon which Greta Gerwig built her semi-autobiographical story. And in a world filled with nuanced stories of miscommunication between fathers and sons, it was so incredibly refreshing to see the mother-daughter relationship explored with the same respect. The key? Neither character is flawless. Yes Lady Bird is our protagonist, but she’s just a teen. The movie can not help but remind us that for all of her confidence and sophistication there’s just so much to this world she doesn’t understand. We see her engage in doomed sexual relationships, get into petty spats with her best friend, and generally just act immaturely. And her mother is no saint either. Yes, she undoubtedly makes great sacrifices for her daughter and her whole family. She is patient and loving with her husband who suffers from depression and struggles to find work. But she also has no interest in learning about her daughter - her thoughts, her feelings. She embodies the mantra “cruel to be kind” yet it’s sometimes hard to see when the kindness kicks in. The movie is honest, it’s funny, and at times heartbreaking. It’s the best movie I’ve seen since Boyhood in terms of showing what life in America is really like, and it’s a gem of a movie deserved to be seen by all.

[robertkstone]

Celebrity Drive: NASCAR’s Kurt Busch

Quick Stats: Kurt Busch Daytona 500/NASCAR Champion Daily Driver: 2017 Ford Expedition (Kurt’s rating: 8.5 on a scale of 1 to 10) Other cars: see below Favorite road trip: Tail of the Dragon, North Carolina Car he learned to drive in: 1964 Volkswagen Beetle First car bought: 1995 Chevrolet Silverado

Although happenstance would have it that NASCAR champ Kurt Busch would one day get to own and drive any Ford he pleases in addition to the No. 41 Ford Fusion race car for the Stewart-Haas team, he owns some unique Fords; it’s a collection that’s inspired in part by his dad’s love of 1932 Fords.

Busch has six 1932 Fords, which make up almost half of his collection. “[My dad and I] share a few different ’32 Fords. He doesn’t want to actually take ownership because then mom would get upset for having too many. So he blames it on me,” Busch says, laughing.

He rates them between a 7 and 9 on a 10-point scale and explains that each Ford offers something different. “One’s a roadster, one is traditional, non-chop top, one is an extreme chop top, one’s a side window,” he says. “They all have their own distinct level of rebuild as well as traditional items left onto the car. My dad’s just very indecisive when it comes to his ’32 Fords. So I figured he’d top out at seven one day because there’s only seven days a week.”

Busch grew up helping his dad work on these cars and recalls his dad selling his first Ford around the time he was going to college. “To me, I didn’t know all the finances of how things were set up in our family, but I always thought, ‘That car sold, I went to college,’ and I’m like, ‘Man, that probably was my tuition,’” he says. “So I always had this mental plan to re-gift him someway, somehow, and it worked out with getting in racing and having a lot of Ford connections. I hope to one day go to Bonneville Salt Flats with him and do one of the divisions in an old ’32 Ford.”

His dad, who was also once a racer, goes to car shows around the country. The two were together for Father’s Day in Pomona, California, where they bought another ’32 Ford.  “He talked me into that one,” he says with a laugh. “I should’ve been the father figure and told my dad, ‘We have to sell one before we can buy one.’”

Although Busch bought his wife a Mercedes-AMG GLE63 with a twin turbo, his own daily driver is a 2017 Ford Expedition. He gives it an 8.5 rating and likes its reliability.

“They did good with the styling for as big of an SUV that it is, and the ride quality to me is always important,” Busch says. “It’s easy to navigate the buttons, and the driver ergonomics of the car feel nice when you’re sitting in the driver’s seat.”

He’s had quite a few Fords. “My first professional contract when I signed on with NASCAR was with Ford and had a 2001 Ford Mustang, and I still have it today,” he says. “I chose to buy that one after that contract was up, but I’ve been through different Expeditions, different Explorers, F-150s.”

2001 Ford Mustang

Rating: 6

“I put in a Roush stage 3 kit on it, so I took it from a GT Mustang to a Roush stage 3,” he says. “At the time it had 400 hp and felt like a 10 on a scale of 1 to 10. Driving it the other day, it’s funny how we all get spoiled with GPS in the car or satellite radio. The headlights didn’t turn off. When I got out of the car, it was dinging at me. I was like, ‘Oh, these are the little creature comforts that we’ve become so accustomed to.’ And that car isn’t all that old, so it’s fun to jump back in it, and even other cars that I have in my collection. … A 2001 Mustang on a scale of 1 to 10 today is more like a 6.”

2005 Ford GT

Rating: 10

“One of my favorites that was a gift from Edsel Ford II was a 2005 Ford GT, and I treat it like a trophy; it only has 97 miles on it,” Busch says. “To me the symbolic value of why he gifted me the car was when I won the championship in NASCAR and was driving a Ford, so for that to be a gift, I treat it like a trophy and never put miles on it. It felt special, something from Edsel.”

Busch gives it a perfect 10. “When I drove it a few times, it’s a pure sense of American heritage in motorsports,” he says.

Most of Busch’s cars get driven more than that, he says: “They’re all in good condition where you can just fire them up and go. I have a few different ’70s muscle cars: a ’70 Challenger, a ’69 Camaro.”

Busch drives his cars in good weather as well as when he’s back in North Carolina and not on a racetrack in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series. He has his own little personal race shop and garage that’s a few miles down the road.

“I try to drive them as often as I can, and I have a couple mechanics who are always working; whether rebuilding an old race car or working on another contract car for a client, we’re always working on cars at my shop,” he says. “We do some contract work for clients, and we have our lineup of different cars within my shop.”

The shop is pretty much by word of mouth. “It’s not like a full machine where we’re streamlining stuff in and out,” he says. “It’s just a hobby. I’ll go to some of the Barrett-Jackson auto auctions to sell or to buy and to look around, and I try to keep up with different trends.”

Car he learned to drive in

Busch learned to drive in a 1964 Volkswagen Beetle his dad helped him buy for $500.

“We bought it when I was about 15, and it was in pretty rough shape,” he says. “Then we spent that summer rebuilding it and getting it ready, and he taught me how to drive. We put some paint on it and literally took it to my driving test when I turned 16. I was a junior in high school that year with a ’64 Volkswagen bug. Still have it today.”

He learned to drive in Las Vegas, where he grew up, on relatively easy suburban streets. “The first thing I did, I got my driver’s license and my buddy filed in and we went cruising up and down the Strip,” he recalls.

When his dad taught him to drive in the Volkswagen, he was just starting out racing and knew about the clutch and shifting. “When he was teaching me, I remember my first time stalling it when he told me to turn right quickly,” he says. “I thought we were coming up to this intersection, and he said, ‘No, no, no, I want you to turn into the bank right here,’ and I was almost past the turn in and I was trying to slow down and then I forgot to push the clutch in and stalled it trying to turn into the bank parking lot.”

Busch has held onto that first car for the shared experience spent in it. “It was easy to keep because it was a cheap car, and we put a lot of work on it as father and son,” he says. “When I was little, I wasn’t making a big impact when I was helping him work on some of his ’32 Fords, but with that ‘64 Bug, that was a good education in how to build a car and how to work on everything, and it was great father and son time.”

First car bought

“When I was about 20, we were racing so often, we needed another truck to get to the race tracks,” Busch says.

Around 1998 or 1999 Busch bought his first vehicle, a 1995 Chevrolet Silverado with an extended cab off a friend for $10,000.

“We went to the bank and had to get an approval,” he says. “I paid $5,000 down of cash and then got a loan for $5,000, and that was my first loan that I took out. Had to manage the car payment, insurance, and just coming back from college, so there was a lot going on. And then the adulthood importance that went along with that truck.”

Busch kept it for a while and then sold it to another friend who needed a truck, for $5,000.

Favorite road trip

“When I was a kid we traveled up the Pacific Coast Highway a few times to San Francisco all the way from Las Vegas,” Busch recalls fondly. “When we were racing, I loved the road trip on I-70 through the Colorado Rockies. Just going through the mountains and you get the elevation changes, the scenic view on I-70.”

On the East Coast, closer to home, there’s a road in the Charlotte area Busch likes to drive purely for fun. “It’s to the west of Charlotte; it’s fairly close to Asheville, North Carolina: the Tail of the Dragon. A lot of motorcycle guys love that ride,” he says. “I’ve got a Dodge Viper that I drove on it years ago. It’s always fun. If there’s a day here or there where it’s not far from the house and hit the drive, grab lunch on the other side and then come back.”

Even though Busch drives for a living, there’s something different about being on the open road.

“Everything’s relaxed and yet I feel the car underneath me and different turns. You feel the front tires, you can feel the rear tires if you’re accelerating too hard. It’s always fun to learn a car’s limit in a situation.”

Sometimes he’ll rent out a road course such as Virginia International Raceway or Road Atlanta to take some of his own cars “and really go stretch their legs,” he says.

For more information and news on the 2018 NASCAR race season that starts next month visit www.kurtbusch.com.

READ MORE CELEBRITY DRIVES HERE:

ESPN’s Mike Golic

GSN Host Mike Richards

John Rick of Country Music Duo Big and Rick

Daniel Wu of AMC’s ‘Into the Badlands’

MLB Network’s Kevin Millar

“Ballers” Star and Actor Steve Guttenberg

The post Celebrity Drive: NASCAR’s Kurt Busch appeared first on Motor Trend.

from PerformanceJunk WP Feed 3 http://ift.tt/2CtYr5v via IFTTT

[jackpwrightuk]

Factbox Mortgage company exec pipe fitter among dead in Las Vegas shooting

(Reuters) – A mortgage company executive, a pipe fitter from California, a youth wrestling coach from Pennsylvania and a commercial fisherman from Alaska were among at least 58 people killed by a gunman who opened fire on a Las Vegas country music festival on Sunday night before killing himself.

The following describes some of the victims:

HANNAH AHLERS

Hannah Ahlers, 35, a mother of three from Murrieta, California, was part of a group of sky divers and enjoyed the outdoors, the Los Angeles Times reported. She studied at Crafton Hills College and went to Redlands East Valley High School, according to her Facebook page.

HEATHER ALVARADO

Heather Alvarado, 35, of Cedar City, Utah, loved to travel with her three children and her husband, taking numerous cruises and day trips with them, according to a statement released by the Cedar City Police Department to local media. “She always saw the good in others. She spent her whole life serving others in her family and community,” her husband said in the statement.

DORENE ANDERSON

Dorene Anderson, 49, a stay-at-home mother who lived in Anchorage, Alaska, attended the concert with her daughters, NBC affiliate KTUU in Anchorage said. Anderson was the treasurer for an Anchorage-based nonprofit group that supports local hockey teams, ABC News reported, citing Anderson’s friend Marie English. English told ABC that Anderson was “very friendly and genuine” and had a “kind heart.”

CARRIE BARNETTE

Carrie Barnette, 34, of Riverside, California, worked at Disney California Adventure Park as part of the culinary team, the Orange County Register reported. “A senseless, horrific, act, and a terrible loss for so many. We mourn a wonderful member of the Disney family: Carrie Barnette. Tragic,” Robert Iger, chairman and CEO of the Walt Disney Company, said on Twitter.

JACK BEATON

Jack Beaton of Bakersfield, California, died while saving his wife during the shooting, 23ABC News reported. Beaton worked as a grill master at a barbecue restaurant, a statement from the restaurant to the TV station said. Beaton’s son confirmed his death to the station.

STEVE BERGER

Steve Berger, a native of Wauwatosa, Wisconsin, who lived in Minnesota, had been celebrating his 44th birthday with a group of six friends in Las Vegas, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported. Berger’s friends called his parents early Monday and said he was shot and his family received confirmation on Tuesday, the newspaper said. “While trying to resuscitate him, (the group) was forced to evacuate,” Berger’s sister, Christine Moore, told the newspaper. Moore said her brother, a father of three who worked as a financial adviser, was a fun-loving, hard-working man, the paper said.

CANDICE BOWERS

Candice Bowers, 40, a waitress from Garden Grove, California, went to the concert with a friend, the Orange County Register reported. Bowers was a mother of three, who had just adopted a 2-year-old girl in May, the newspaper reported. “She was truly a beautiful person,” her aunt told the newspaper.

DENISE BURDITUS

Denise Burditus, 50, of Martinsburg, West Virginia, attended the concert with her husband, Tony, WVVA TV in West Virginia reported. She posted a photograph on Facebook just minutes before the gunman opened fire, the NBC affiliate said.

SANDY CASEY

Sandy Casey was a special education teacher at Manhattan Beach Middle School in California, KGTV in San Diego said. Casey was among a group of Manhattan Beach Unified School District staff at the concert, the ABC affiliate reported.

ANDREA CASTILLA

Andrea Castilla, of Huntington Beach, California, who was celebrating her 28th birthday with family and friends at the festival, was fatally shot in the head, according to a GoFundMe page created by a family friend and the Las Vegas Review-Journal, which cited her younger sister Athena. Castilla, whose mother died of cancer when she was a teen, worked at Sephora and wanted to help make cancer patients feel beautiful, the newspaper said. Castilla’s boyfriend was planning to propose to her, her sister, who lives in Las Vegas, told the paper. “With a (sic) infectious smile Andrea was a free spirit that always had a positive outlook on life. She will be missed but never forgotten,” the GoFundMe page said.

DENISE COHEN

Denise Cohen, who was the mother of two sons, attended the concert with her boyfriend, Derrick “Bo” Taylor, who was also killed in the shooting, an ABC affiliate in Santa Barbara, California, reported. Cohen was a property manager and planned to volunteer at the California Avocado Festival in Carpinteria, California, over the weekend, the station reported.

AUSTIN DAVIS

Austin Davis, 29, was a pipe fitter from Riverside, California, who was at the concert with his friend Thomas Day, who also was killed, the Press Enterprise reported. He loved softball and singing karaoke to country songs. He leaves behind his parents and his girlfriend, his high school sweetheart, the newspaper reported.

THOMAS DAY JR.

Thomas Day Jr., 54, of Riverside, California, a homebuilder, went to the festival with his four children, who are in their 20s and 30s, the Los Angeles Times reported. “He was the best dad. That’s why the kids were with him,” his father, Thomas Day Sr., told the newspaper. “They’re crushed.”

CHRISTIANA DUARTE

Christiana Duarte, 21, was confirmed dead by her family, NBC Los Angeles said on Twitter. Duarte, of Redondo Beach, California, had begun work as a fan service associate for the Los Angeles Kings. It was her first full-time job since graduating from the University of Arizona with a communications degree, the Los Angeles Times and university said. “All of us in the University of Arizona community are saddened that Christiana Duarte, one of our graduates from this past May, is among the victims from Las Vegas on Sunday night,” University of Arizona President Robert Robbins said in a statement. Duarte was in the Sigma Kappa sorority, Robbins said.

STACEE ETCHEBER

Stacee Etcheber was a mother of two and hair stylist in Marin County, California, a San Francisco police statement said. “Stacee was taken in a senseless act of violence as her husband, SFPD officer Vinnie Etcheber, heroically rushed to aid shooting victims in Las Vegas on Sunday,” police said.

BRIAN FRASER

Brian Fraser, 39, of La Palma, California, was surrounded by nearly 20 friends and family members, walking toward the stage to hear his favourite Jason Aldean song, “Dirt Road Anthem,” when he was fatally shot, his son told the Orange County Register. Nick Arellano, 25, told the newspaper his father loved to hunt, deep-sea fish, snowboard and attend his children’s sporting events, and had recently earned his private pilot’s license. Fraser is survived by his wife and four children. Fraser graduated from Cal Poly Pomona in 2001, the newspaper reported. He was vice president of sales at Greenpath, a Southern California mortgage company. “Brian Fraser impacted everyone who crossed his path with his infectious positive energy, his tenacious will to succeed, and his willingness to help others,” the company said in a Facebook post.

KERI GALVAN

Keri Galvan, 31, of Thousand Oaks, California, was a devoted wife and mother of three who was enjoying a night out with her husband and friends before she was shot in the head, according to a GoFundMe page created by her sister Lindsey Poole and NBC Los Angeles. She is survived by her husband, children ages 2, 4 and 10, her parents and a sister, Poole said. The newspaper reported that Galvan died in the arms of her husband, Justin, a former Marine who served in Iraq.

DANA GARDNER

Dana Gardner, 52, was an employee of California’s San Bernardino County for 26 years and most recently worked as a deputy recorder, the San Bernardino Sun reported.

ANGELA GOMEZ

Angela “Angie” Gomez was a 2015 alumna of Riverside Polytechnic High School in Riverside, California, the school’s parent-teacher organization said on Facebook. “She will always be loved and endeared by our Poly Family,” it said.

CHARLESTON HARTFIELD

Charleston Hartfield, 34, a Las Vegas police officer and military veteran, was off-duty when he was killed, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported, citing people who knew him. “He was probably busy helping others,” Hartfield’s friend Troy Rhett told the newspaper. “I don’t know a better man than Charles.”

CHRIS HAZENCOMB

Chris Hazencomb, 44, of Camarillo, California, saved the life of his friend Nicole by shielding her, the Ventura County Star reported. Hazencomb was a sports fan who worked at Walmart Neighborhood Market in Camarillo, the newspaper reported.

JENNIFER TOPAZ IRVINE

Jennifer Topaz Irvine, 42, was a family law attorney based in San Diego, according to CBS News and the San Diego Union-Tribune. A co-worker and friend identified Irvine as a victim to a CBS correspondent.

TERESA NICOL KIMURA

Teresa Nicol Kimura, 38, of Placentia, California, an Orange County government worker, had gone to the concert with six friends, including Ryan Miller, a pastor at For His Glory Community Church in Fullerton, the Orange County Register reported. “She had the most infectious laugh and personality,” Miller told the Register. “She was always loving and considerate to her friends.” Kimura, who went by Nicol, graduated from El Dorado High School in 1997, the paper reported.

JESSICA KLYMCHUK

Jessica Klymchuk, 28, of Valleyview, Alberta, was a librarian and the single mother of four children, Canada’s Globe and Mail reported. It said she was visiting Las Vegas with her fiance. “She’s a very good mother. She’s raised four beautiful children,” Klymchuk’s grandmother Margaret told the newspaper.

CARLY KREIBAUM

Carly Kreibaum, 33, of Sutherland, Iowa, was attending the concert with two friends when they became separated during the shooting, the Sioux City Journal newspaper reported. Her husband, Chris, flew to Las Vegas Tuesday to locate the mother of two small children after she was reported missing, the newspaper reported. According to her Facebook page, Kreibaum was a native of Sibley, Iowa, and a 2006 graduate of Wayne State College in Nebraska.

RHONDA LEROCQUE

Rhonda LeRocque, 42, of Tewksbury, Massachusetts, was a wife and mother, devout Jehovah’s Witness and worked for a Cambridge design firm, the Boston Globe reported. LeRocque attended the concert with her husband, Jason, and their 7-year-old daughter, who were not injured, the newspaper said. “Rhonda would do everything to be the best mom and the best wife she could be,” LeRocque’s sister, Jennifer Zelenski, told the paper.

VICTOR LINK

Victor Link, 55, of Aliso Viejo, California, was also killed in the shooting, 23ABC News reported, citing family.

JORDAN MCILDOON

Jordan McIldoon, 23, of Maple Ridge, British Columbia, was also killed, said the premier of British Columbia, John Horgan. McIldoon was a heavy-duty mechanic apprentice who was about to start trade school and was attending the festival with his girlfriend, CBC News reported. McIldoon died in the arms of a woman named Heather Gooze, CBC said.

KELSEY MEADOWS

Kelsey Meadows, 27, was a 2007 graduate of and substitute teacher for California’s Taft Union High School District, Superintendent Blanca Cavazos said. Meadows earned a bachelor’s degree from Fresno State University and had served as a regular substitute since 2012, Cavazos said. “Kelsey was smart, compassionate and kind,” Taft Union High School principal Mary Alice Finn said. “Words cannot adequately capture the sorrow felt by her students, colleagues and friends.” Meadows lived in Kern County, California, according to 23ABC News in Bakersfield.

CALLA MEDIG

Calla Medig, a restaurant worker from Jasper, Alberta, in Canada, was described by her friends as a kind-hearted young woman in her 20s, CBC News and Canada-based Global News reported. Medig attended the Las Vegas music festival the past three years, her mother, Louise Hayes, told the Global News. Hayes said the family was notified of her death by Medig’s roommate, who was at the concert with her, the Global News said. She was described as a “bright, fun-loving spirit who had a huge heart.”

SONNY MELTON

Sonny Melton, 29, of Big Sandy, Tennessee, saved his wife, Heather Melton, just before he was shot dead, she told WSMV-TV in Nashville. “He grabbed me and started running when I felt him get shot in the back,” she told the NBC affiliate. Sonny worked as a registered nurse and Heather is an orthopaedic surgeon at Henry County Medical Centre, a statement from the centre said.

PATRICIA MESTAS

Patricia Mestas, 67, loved attending country music concerts, her best friend, Isa Bahu, told the Riverside, California Press-Enterprise newspaper. “She went to almost every country show in driving distance,” Bahu said. One of her favourite artists was Jason Aldean, who was performing when the gunfire erupted. Mestas lived in Menifee, California, and had attended high school in Pomona. “Her generous smile was infectious, and it brightly reflected the glory of God like a beacon of joy,” her cousin Tom Smith said on Facebook.

ADRIAN MURFITT

Adrian Murfitt, 35, was a commercial fisherman in Anchorage, Alaska, and was at the concert with his best friend, Brian MacKinnon, the Alaska Dispatch News reported. The two were taking a picture and a bullet went through Murfitt’s neck, MacKinnon told the paper.

RACHAEL PARKER

Rachael Parker was a records technician with the Manhattan Beach Police Department in California, where she worked for 10 years, the police department said in a statement. Parker attended the concert with three other off-duty police department employees, police said.

JENNIFER PARKS

Jennifer ”Jenny“ Parks was a teacher with Westside Union School District in California, the district said in a statement. Parks had just started her third year teaching kindergarten at Anaverde Hills School, the district said. ”She was always enthusiastic, energetic, committed and dedicated to her students and her colleagues, the district said. “She will be sorely missed.” Parks is survived by her husband, Bobby, and young children Bryce and Leah, according to a GoFundMe page set up for her.

CARRIE PARSONS

Carrie Parsons, 31, of Seattle, was on a girls trip attending the music festival when she was shot, Seattle’s KOMO 4 TV reported. Parsons was recently engaged in Hawaii, worked as a recruiter, was full of life, a country music fan and attended several festivals, KOMO said. “She would always say ‘live, laugh, love’ and she did that,” close friend Laura Cooper told KOMO.

LISA PATTERSON

Lisa Patterson, 46, of Lomita, California, was the mother of three children, an active community volunteer and owner with her husband of Robert Patterson Hardwood Floors, according to the Daily Breeze in Torrance. A graduate of El Camino College and Rolling Hills High School, she was Parent Teacher Association president at St. John Fisher Parish School in Rancho Palos Verdes and a volunteer at the Palos Verdes Girls Softball League, the Daily Breeze said. Robert Patterson told CNN his wife had gone to Las Vegas with four friends to attend the concert. “There was nobody that cared more about people and life than my wife Lisa,” he told CNN affiliate KCBS.

JOHN PHIPPEN

John Phippen, of Santa Clarita, California, was a father of five, grandfather of one and owned a remodelling and repair company, KHTS AM 1220 radio station reported. He attended the concert with his son Travis, who was shot in the arm, the station said. “If you didn’t know John you surely missed out. He had a heart that was larger than life and a personality to match,” a GoFundMe page said. “Even if you were someone he had never met before but were in need, he was there for you.”

MELISSA RAMIREZ

Melissa Ramirez, 26, grew up in California’s Antelope Valley, her cousin, Fabiola Farnetti, told the New York Times. She attended California State University, Bakersfield, majored in business and worked for a car insurance company. Ramirez was the daughter of Mexican immigrants who became U.S. citizens, the newspaper said.

JORDYN RIVERA

Jordyn Rivera, 21, of La Verne, California, was a fourth-year student in the Health Care Management program at California State University, San Bernardino, according to the Sun in San Bernardino and the university. A La Verne native and Bonita High School graduate, Rivera was a member of the university’s chapter of Eta Sigma Gamma, the national health education honour society, university President Tomas Morales said in a statement on Facebook. “We will remember and treasure her for her warmth, optimism, energy and kindness,” he said.

QUINTON ROBBINS

Quinton Robbins, 20, of Henderson, Nevada, studied at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas and worked in local government, Newsweek reported. “He was the most kind and loving soul,” his aunt, Kilee Wells Sanders, said on Facebook. “Everyone who met him loved him. His contagious laugh and smile. He was truly an amazing person. He will be missed by so many.”

CAMERON ROBINSON

Cameron Robinson, 28, was a legal records specialist with the city of Las Vegas who was fatally shot in the neck while attending the music festival with his boyfriend, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported. He lived near St. George, Utah, and commuted to Las Vegas for work, his sister, Meghan Ervin, told the newspaper.

ROCIO GUILLEN ROCHA

Rocio Guillen Rocha, 40, of Eastvale, California, was still on maternity leave from her job as manager of a pizza restaurant after giving birth to her fourth child six weeks ago, National Public Radio reported. Her fiance’s sister, Nikki Stowers, told NPR that Rocha was struck in the thigh by a bullet and subsequently died at the hospital. “She was that type of mom who just loved holding her kids,” Stowers said. “It’s so unfair that she’s had her life taken away.”

LAURA SHIPP

Laura Shipp, 50, was a single mother originally from Thousand Oaks, California, who moved to Las Vegas about five years ago, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal and Ventura County Star. She worked as a dispatcher at an air conditioning company and was a big Los Angeles Dodgers fan, the Review-Journal said. She attended the festival with her boyfriend; son Corey Shipp, a 23-year-old Marine; and her son’s friends, the Star reported, citing her brother, Steve Shipp. Laura Shipp and her boyfriend headed toward a restroom and were separated when the shooting began, the Star said. Shipp’s son and boyfriend, who both survived the shooting, searched for her for hours, but her family was notified of her death on Tuesday after she was identified using fingerprints, the papers said.

TARA ROE SMITH

Tara Roe Smith, 34, of Okotoks, Alberta, was a model and mother of two young sons, the Canadian Press reported. She also worked as an educational assistant at a local school district. Her aunt Val Rodgers told the news outlet that her niece was a “beautiful soul. … She was a wonderful mother and our family is going to miss her dearly.” Roe Smith was at the festival with her husband, Zach, when the couple got separated during the shooting.

LISA ROMERO-MUNIZ

Lisa Romero-Muniz was a secretary at Miyamura High School in Gallup, New Mexico, the Santa Fe New Mexican reported. In her most recent role, Romero-Muniz offered encouragement and support to students during disciplinary proceedings, the newspaper said. She was described as outgoing, kind and considerate, it said.

CHRIS ROYBAL

Chris Roybal, 28, of Corona, California, was a Navy veteran who served in Afghanistan. He was shot in the chest, his wife told Reuters. Dixie Roybal described her husband as haunted by his experiences in Afghanistan but an adventurous spirit who found joy in life. “He was always going somewhere, doing something, calling friends,” she said. “He just loved music in general. He was always singing something. He was the best at karaoke.” One of the many tattoos on his arm celebrated the city of Las Vegas, where he once lived. After the military, he worked at a gym.

BAILEY SCHWEITZER

Bailey Schweitzer, 20, was from Bakersfield, California, her brother told the Bakersfield Californian newspaper.

ERICK SILVA

Erick Silva, 22, of Las Vegas, was working as a security guard at the music festival when he was shot in the head, his uncle, Rob Morgan, told the Washington Post.

SUSAN SMITH

Susan Smith, 53, was a school office manager in Simi Valley, California, the Ventura County Star reported, citing a school district representative. Smith was an ardent country music fan and worked at an elementary school for three years, the newspaper said.

BRENNAN STEWART

Brennan Stewart, 30, of Las Vegas, was an aspiring musician, his girlfriend, Gia Iantuono, wrote on a Facebook message to the Washington Post. He worked for his father’s construction business, said Iantuono, who was wounded in the rampage. She called Stewart “a light that came into my life when I needed one.”

DERRICK TAYLOR

Derrick “Bo” Taylor, 56, was killed at the concert, his employer the California Department of Corrections said in a statement. Taylor, a camp commander at the Sierra Conservation Centre and Ventura Conservation Camp, began his career with the department in 1988. “There are no words to express the feeling of loss and sadness regarding Bo’s passing,” Warden Joel Martinez wrote in a memo to staff.

NEYSA TONKS

Neysa Tonks of Las Vegas, who worked at Technologent, an Irvine, California-based technology company, was among the victims, the Los Angeles Times said. She was the mother of three boys, according to a GoFundMe campaign created by Technologent. “Neysa brought joy, happiness, fun and laughter to so many of us. The senseless tragedy in Las Vegas Sunday unnessarily(sic) taken her from our community,” the GoFundMe page said.

KURT VON TILLOW

Kurt Von Tillow, 55, of Cameron Park, California, was at the concert with several family members, Sacramento television station KCRA reported. His sister and niece were wounded in the shooting, but are expected to recover, the station said. His wife, daughter and son-in-law were not injured. His brother-in-law, Mark Carson, said Von Tillow “was the most patriotic person you’ve ever met. … Guarantee you, he was covered in red, white and blue, with a Coors Light in his hand, smiling with his family and listening to some music.”

MICHELLE VO

Michelle Vo, 32, of Los Angeles, was attending her first country music concert, according to the San Jose Mercury News. Vo attended high school in San Jose and graduated in 2007 from the University of California, Davis with a communications degree, the school said in a statement. She worked for New York Life Insurance Co in its Glendale, California, office where, ”she was recognised for her ambition and work ethic,” university chancellor Gary May said.

BILL WOLFE JR.

Bill Wolfe Jr. was a youth wrestling coach from Shippensburg, Pennsylvania, who attended the concert with his wife, Robyn. She survived the attack, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette newspaper reported. His death was confirmed by the Shippensburg police on its Facebook page.

Compiled by Suzannah Gonzales in Chicago, Keith Coffman in Denver, Peter Szekely in New York, Brendan O’Brien in Milwaukee and Ben Klayman in Detroit; Editing by Jonathan Oatis and Leslie Adler

Our Standards:The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Go to Source

The post Factbox – <b>Mortgage</b> company exec, pipe fitter among dead in Las Vegas shooting appeared first on Trusted Mortgage Brokers - Find A Local Mortgage Adviser Today.

from https://www.trustedmortgagebrokers.co.uk/factbox-mortgage-company-exec-pipe-fitter-among-dead-in-las-vegas-shooting/

from Trusted Mortgages Brokers - Blog http://trustedmortgagebrokers.weebly.com/blog/factbox-mortgage-company-exec-pipe-fitter-among-dead-in-las-vegas-shooting

[trustedmortgagebrokers]

Factbox – Mortgage company exec, pipe fitter among dead in Las Vegas shooting

(Reuters) – A mortgage company executive, a pipe fitter from California, a youth wrestling coach from Pennsylvania and a commercial fisherman from Alaska were among at least 58 people killed by a gunman who opened fire on a Las Vegas country music festival on Sunday night before killing himself.

The following describes some of the victims:

HANNAH AHLERS

Hannah Ahlers, 35, a mother of three from Murrieta, California, was part of a group of sky divers and enjoyed the outdoors, the Los Angeles Times reported. She studied at Crafton Hills College and went to Redlands East Valley High School, according to her Facebook page.

HEATHER ALVARADO

Heather Alvarado, 35, of Cedar City, Utah, loved to travel with her three children and her husband, taking numerous cruises and day trips with them, according to a statement released by the Cedar City Police Department to local media. “She always saw the good in others. She spent her whole life serving others in her family and community,” her husband said in the statement.

DORENE ANDERSON

Dorene Anderson, 49, a stay-at-home mother who lived in Anchorage, Alaska, attended the concert with her daughters, NBC affiliate KTUU in Anchorage said. Anderson was the treasurer for an Anchorage-based nonprofit group that supports local hockey teams, ABC News reported, citing Anderson’s friend Marie English. English told ABC that Anderson was “very friendly and genuine” and had a “kind heart.”

CARRIE BARNETTE

Carrie Barnette, 34, of Riverside, California, worked at Disney California Adventure Park as part of the culinary team, the Orange County Register reported. “A senseless, horrific, act, and a terrible loss for so many. We mourn a wonderful member of the Disney family: Carrie Barnette. Tragic,” Robert Iger, chairman and CEO of the Walt Disney Company, said on Twitter.

JACK BEATON

Jack Beaton of Bakersfield, California, died while saving his wife during the shooting, 23ABC News reported. Beaton worked as a grill master at a barbecue restaurant, a statement from the restaurant to the TV station said. Beaton’s son confirmed his death to the station.

STEVE BERGER

Steve Berger, a native of Wauwatosa, Wisconsin, who lived in Minnesota, had been celebrating his 44th birthday with a group of six friends in Las Vegas, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported. Berger’s friends called his parents early Monday and said he was shot and his family received confirmation on Tuesday, the newspaper said. “While trying to resuscitate him, (the group) was forced to evacuate,” Berger’s sister, Christine Moore, told the newspaper. Moore said her brother, a father of three who worked as a financial adviser, was a fun-loving, hard-working man, the paper said.

CANDICE BOWERS

Candice Bowers, 40, a waitress from Garden Grove, California, went to the concert with a friend, the Orange County Register reported. Bowers was a mother of three, who had just adopted a 2-year-old girl in May, the newspaper reported. “She was truly a beautiful person,” her aunt told the newspaper.

DENISE BURDITUS

Denise Burditus, 50, of Martinsburg, West Virginia, attended the concert with her husband, Tony, WVVA TV in West Virginia reported. She posted a photograph on Facebook just minutes before the gunman opened fire, the NBC affiliate said.

SANDY CASEY

Sandy Casey was a special education teacher at Manhattan Beach Middle School in California, KGTV in San Diego said. Casey was among a group of Manhattan Beach Unified School District staff at the concert, the ABC affiliate reported.

ANDREA CASTILLA

Andrea Castilla, of Huntington Beach, California, who was celebrating her 28th birthday with family and friends at the festival, was fatally shot in the head, according to a GoFundMe page created by a family friend and the Las Vegas Review-Journal, which cited her younger sister Athena. Castilla, whose mother died of cancer when she was a teen, worked at Sephora and wanted to help make cancer patients feel beautiful, the newspaper said. Castilla’s boyfriend was planning to propose to her, her sister, who lives in Las Vegas, told the paper. “With a (sic) infectious smile Andrea was a free spirit that always had a positive outlook on life. She will be missed but never forgotten,” the GoFundMe page said.

DENISE COHEN

Denise Cohen, who was the mother of two sons, attended the concert with her boyfriend, Derrick “Bo” Taylor, who was also killed in the shooting, an ABC affiliate in Santa Barbara, California, reported. Cohen was a property manager and planned to volunteer at the California Avocado Festival in Carpinteria, California, over the weekend, the station reported.

AUSTIN DAVIS

Austin Davis, 29, was a pipe fitter from Riverside, California, who was at the concert with his friend Thomas Day, who also was killed, the Press Enterprise reported. He loved softball and singing karaoke to country songs. He leaves behind his parents and his girlfriend, his high school sweetheart, the newspaper reported.

THOMAS DAY JR.

Thomas Day Jr., 54, of Riverside, California, a homebuilder, went to the festival with his four children, who are in their 20s and 30s, the Los Angeles Times reported. “He was the best dad. That’s why the kids were with him,” his father, Thomas Day Sr., told the newspaper. “They’re crushed.”

CHRISTIANA DUARTE

Christiana Duarte, 21, was confirmed dead by her family, NBC Los Angeles said on Twitter. Duarte, of Redondo Beach, California, had begun work as a fan service associate for the Los Angeles Kings. It was her first full-time job since graduating from the University of Arizona with a communications degree, the Los Angeles Times and university said. “All of us in the University of Arizona community are saddened that Christiana Duarte, one of our graduates from this past May, is among the victims from Las Vegas on Sunday night,” University of Arizona President Robert Robbins said in a statement. Duarte was in the Sigma Kappa sorority, Robbins said.

STACEE ETCHEBER

Stacee Etcheber was a mother of two and hair stylist in Marin County, California, a San Francisco police statement said. “Stacee was taken in a senseless act of violence as her husband, SFPD officer Vinnie Etcheber, heroically rushed to aid shooting victims in Las Vegas on Sunday,” police said.

BRIAN FRASER

Brian Fraser, 39, of La Palma, California, was surrounded by nearly 20 friends and family members, walking toward the stage to hear his favourite Jason Aldean song, “Dirt Road Anthem,” when he was fatally shot, his son told the Orange County Register. Nick Arellano, 25, told the newspaper his father loved to hunt, deep-sea fish, snowboard and attend his children’s sporting events, and had recently earned his private pilot’s license. Fraser is survived by his wife and four children. Fraser graduated from Cal Poly Pomona in 2001, the newspaper reported. He was vice president of sales at Greenpath, a Southern California mortgage company. “Brian Fraser impacted everyone who crossed his path with his infectious positive energy, his tenacious will to succeed, and his willingness to help others,” the company said in a Facebook post.

KERI GALVAN

Keri Galvan, 31, of Thousand Oaks, California, was a devoted wife and mother of three who was enjoying a night out with her husband and friends before she was shot in the head, according to a GoFundMe page created by her sister Lindsey Poole and NBC Los Angeles. She is survived by her husband, children ages 2, 4 and 10, her parents and a sister, Poole said. The newspaper reported that Galvan died in the arms of her husband, Justin, a former Marine who served in Iraq.

DANA GARDNER

Dana Gardner, 52, was an employee of California’s San Bernardino County for 26 years and most recently worked as a deputy recorder, the San Bernardino Sun reported.

ANGELA GOMEZ

Angela “Angie” Gomez was a 2015 alumna of Riverside Polytechnic High School in Riverside, California, the school’s parent-teacher organization said on Facebook. “She will always be loved and endeared by our Poly Family,” it said.

CHARLESTON HARTFIELD

Charleston Hartfield, 34, a Las Vegas police officer and military veteran, was off-duty when he was killed, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported, citing people who knew him. “He was probably busy helping others,” Hartfield’s friend Troy Rhett told the newspaper. “I don’t know a better man than Charles.”

CHRIS HAZENCOMB

Chris Hazencomb, 44, of Camarillo, California, saved the life of his friend Nicole by shielding her, the Ventura County Star reported. Hazencomb was a sports fan who worked at Walmart Neighborhood Market in Camarillo, the newspaper reported.

JENNIFER TOPAZ IRVINE

Jennifer Topaz Irvine, 42, was a family law attorney based in San Diego, according to CBS News and the San Diego Union-Tribune. A co-worker and friend identified Irvine as a victim to a CBS correspondent.

TERESA NICOL KIMURA

Teresa Nicol Kimura, 38, of Placentia, California, an Orange County government worker, had gone to the concert with six friends, including Ryan Miller, a pastor at For His Glory Community Church in Fullerton, the Orange County Register reported. “She had the most infectious laugh and personality,” Miller told the Register. “She was always loving and considerate to her friends.” Kimura, who went by Nicol, graduated from El Dorado High School in 1997, the paper reported.

JESSICA KLYMCHUK

Jessica Klymchuk, 28, of Valleyview, Alberta, was a librarian and the single mother of four children, Canada’s Globe and Mail reported. It said she was visiting Las Vegas with her fiance. “She’s a very good mother. She’s raised four beautiful children,” Klymchuk’s grandmother Margaret told the newspaper.

CARLY KREIBAUM

Carly Kreibaum, 33, of Sutherland, Iowa, was attending the concert with two friends when they became separated during the shooting, the Sioux City Journal newspaper reported. Her husband, Chris, flew to Las Vegas Tuesday to locate the mother of two small children after she was reported missing, the newspaper reported. According to her Facebook page, Kreibaum was a native of Sibley, Iowa, and a 2006 graduate of Wayne State College in Nebraska.

RHONDA LEROCQUE

Rhonda LeRocque, 42, of Tewksbury, Massachusetts, was a wife and mother, devout Jehovah’s Witness and worked for a Cambridge design firm, the Boston Globe reported. LeRocque attended the concert with her husband, Jason, and their 7-year-old daughter, who were not injured, the newspaper said. “Rhonda would do everything to be the best mom and the best wife she could be,” LeRocque’s sister, Jennifer Zelenski, told the paper.

VICTOR LINK

Victor Link, 55, of Aliso Viejo, California, was also killed in the shooting, 23ABC News reported, citing family.

JORDAN MCILDOON

Jordan McIldoon, 23, of Maple Ridge, British Columbia, was also killed, said the premier of British Columbia, John Horgan. McIldoon was a heavy-duty mechanic apprentice who was about to start trade school and was attending the festival with his girlfriend, CBC News reported. McIldoon died in the arms of a woman named Heather Gooze, CBC said.

KELSEY MEADOWS

Kelsey Meadows, 27, was a 2007 graduate of and substitute teacher for California’s Taft Union High School District, Superintendent Blanca Cavazos said. Meadows earned a bachelor’s degree from Fresno State University and had served as a regular substitute since 2012, Cavazos said. “Kelsey was smart, compassionate and kind,” Taft Union High School principal Mary Alice Finn said. “Words cannot adequately capture the sorrow felt by her students, colleagues and friends.” Meadows lived in Kern County, California, according to 23ABC News in Bakersfield.

CALLA MEDIG

Calla Medig, a restaurant worker from Jasper, Alberta, in Canada, was described by her friends as a kind-hearted young woman in her 20s, CBC News and Canada-based Global News reported. Medig attended the Las Vegas music festival the past three years, her mother, Louise Hayes, told the Global News. Hayes said the family was notified of her death by Medig’s roommate, who was at the concert with her, the Global News said. She was described as a “bright, fun-loving spirit who had a huge heart.”

SONNY MELTON

Sonny Melton, 29, of Big Sandy, Tennessee, saved his wife, Heather Melton, just before he was shot dead, she told WSMV-TV in Nashville. “He grabbed me and started running when I felt him get shot in the back,” she told the NBC affiliate. Sonny worked as a registered nurse and Heather is an orthopaedic surgeon at Henry County Medical Centre, a statement from the centre said.

PATRICIA MESTAS

Patricia Mestas, 67, loved attending country music concerts, her best friend, Isa Bahu, told the Riverside, California Press-Enterprise newspaper. “She went to almost every country show in driving distance,” Bahu said. One of her favourite artists was Jason Aldean, who was performing when the gunfire erupted. Mestas lived in Menifee, California, and had attended high school in Pomona. “Her generous smile was infectious, and it brightly reflected the glory of God like a beacon of joy,” her cousin Tom Smith said on Facebook.

ADRIAN MURFITT

Adrian Murfitt, 35, was a commercial fisherman in Anchorage, Alaska, and was at the concert with his best friend, Brian MacKinnon, the Alaska Dispatch News reported. The two were taking a picture and a bullet went through Murfitt’s neck, MacKinnon told the paper.

RACHAEL PARKER

Rachael Parker was a records technician with the Manhattan Beach Police Department in California, where she worked for 10 years, the police department said in a statement. Parker attended the concert with three other off-duty police department employees, police said.

JENNIFER PARKS

Jennifer ”Jenny“ Parks was a teacher with Westside Union School District in California, the district said in a statement. Parks had just started her third year teaching kindergarten at Anaverde Hills School, the district said. ”She was always enthusiastic, energetic, committed and dedicated to her students and her colleagues, the district said. “She will be sorely missed.” Parks is survived by her husband, Bobby, and young children Bryce and Leah, according to a GoFundMe page set up for her.

CARRIE PARSONS

Carrie Parsons, 31, of Seattle, was on a girls trip attending the music festival when she was shot, Seattle’s KOMO 4 TV reported. Parsons was recently engaged in Hawaii, worked as a recruiter, was full of life, a country music fan and attended several festivals, KOMO said. “She would always say ‘live, laugh, love’ and she did that,” close friend Laura Cooper told KOMO.

LISA PATTERSON

Lisa Patterson, 46, of Lomita, California, was the mother of three children, an active community volunteer and owner with her husband of Robert Patterson Hardwood Floors, according to the Daily Breeze in Torrance. A graduate of El Camino College and Rolling Hills High School, she was Parent Teacher Association president at St. John Fisher Parish School in Rancho Palos Verdes and a volunteer at the Palos Verdes Girls Softball League, the Daily Breeze said. Robert Patterson told CNN his wife had gone to Las Vegas with four friends to attend the concert. “There was nobody that cared more about people and life than my wife Lisa,” he told CNN affiliate KCBS.

JOHN PHIPPEN

John Phippen, of Santa Clarita, California, was a father of five, grandfather of one and owned a remodelling and repair company, KHTS AM 1220 radio station reported. He attended the concert with his son Travis, who was shot in the arm, the station said. “If you didn’t know John you surely missed out. He had a heart that was larger than life and a personality to match,” a GoFundMe page said. “Even if you were someone he had never met before but were in need, he was there for you.”

MELISSA RAMIREZ

Melissa Ramirez, 26, grew up in California’s Antelope Valley, her cousin, Fabiola Farnetti, told the New York Times. She attended California State University, Bakersfield, majored in business and worked for a car insurance company. Ramirez was the daughter of Mexican immigrants who became U.S. citizens, the newspaper said.

JORDYN RIVERA

Jordyn Rivera, 21, of La Verne, California, was a fourth-year student in the Health Care Management program at California State University, San Bernardino, according to the Sun in San Bernardino and the university. A La Verne native and Bonita High School graduate, Rivera was a member of the university’s chapter of Eta Sigma Gamma, the national health education honour society, university President Tomas Morales said in a statement on Facebook. “We will remember and treasure her for her warmth, optimism, energy and kindness,” he said.

QUINTON ROBBINS

Quinton Robbins, 20, of Henderson, Nevada, studied at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas and worked in local government, Newsweek reported. “He was the most kind and loving soul,” his aunt, Kilee Wells Sanders, said on Facebook. “Everyone who met him loved him. His contagious laugh and smile. He was truly an amazing person. He will be missed by so many.”

CAMERON ROBINSON

Cameron Robinson, 28, was a legal records specialist with the city of Las Vegas who was fatally shot in the neck while attending the music festival with his boyfriend, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported. He lived near St. George, Utah, and commuted to Las Vegas for work, his sister, Meghan Ervin, told the newspaper.

ROCIO GUILLEN ROCHA

Rocio Guillen Rocha, 40, of Eastvale, California, was still on maternity leave from her job as manager of a pizza restaurant after giving birth to her fourth child six weeks ago, National Public Radio reported. Her fiance’s sister, Nikki Stowers, told NPR that Rocha was struck in the thigh by a bullet and subsequently died at the hospital. “She was that type of mom who just loved holding her kids,” Stowers said. “It’s so unfair that she’s had her life taken away.”

LAURA SHIPP

Laura Shipp, 50, was a single mother originally from Thousand Oaks, California, who moved to Las Vegas about five years ago, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal and Ventura County Star. She worked as a dispatcher at an air conditioning company and was a big Los Angeles Dodgers fan, the Review-Journal said. She attended the festival with her boyfriend; son Corey Shipp, a 23-year-old Marine; and her son’s friends, the Star reported, citing her brother, Steve Shipp. Laura Shipp and her boyfriend headed toward a restroom and were separated when the shooting began, the Star said. Shipp’s son and boyfriend, who both survived the shooting, searched for her for hours, but her family was notified of her death on Tuesday after she was identified using fingerprints, the papers said.

TARA ROE SMITH

Tara Roe Smith, 34, of Okotoks, Alberta, was a model and mother of two young sons, the Canadian Press reported. She also worked as an educational assistant at a local school district. Her aunt Val Rodgers told the news outlet that her niece was a “beautiful soul. … She was a wonderful mother and our family is going to miss her dearly.” Roe Smith was at the festival with her husband, Zach, when the couple got separated during the shooting.

LISA ROMERO-MUNIZ

Lisa Romero-Muniz was a secretary at Miyamura High School in Gallup, New Mexico, the Santa Fe New Mexican reported. In her most recent role, Romero-Muniz offered encouragement and support to students during disciplinary proceedings, the newspaper said. She was described as outgoing, kind and considerate, it said.

CHRIS ROYBAL

Chris Roybal, 28, of Corona, California, was a Navy veteran who served in Afghanistan. He was shot in the chest, his wife told Reuters. Dixie Roybal described her husband as haunted by his experiences in Afghanistan but an adventurous spirit who found joy in life. “He was always going somewhere, doing something, calling friends,” she said. “He just loved music in general. He was always singing something. He was the best at karaoke.” One of the many tattoos on his arm celebrated the city of Las Vegas, where he once lived. After the military, he worked at a gym.

BAILEY SCHWEITZER

Bailey Schweitzer, 20, was from Bakersfield, California, her brother told the Bakersfield Californian newspaper.

ERICK SILVA

Erick Silva, 22, of Las Vegas, was working as a security guard at the music festival when he was shot in the head, his uncle, Rob Morgan, told the Washington Post.

SUSAN SMITH

Susan Smith, 53, was a school office manager in Simi Valley, California, the Ventura County Star reported, citing a school district representative. Smith was an ardent country music fan and worked at an elementary school for three years, the newspaper said.

BRENNAN STEWART

Brennan Stewart, 30, of Las Vegas, was an aspiring musician, his girlfriend, Gia Iantuono, wrote on a Facebook message to the Washington Post. He worked for his father’s construction business, said Iantuono, who was wounded in the rampage. She called Stewart “a light that came into my life when I needed one.”

DERRICK TAYLOR

Derrick “Bo” Taylor, 56, was killed at the concert, his employer the California Department of Corrections said in a statement. Taylor, a camp commander at the Sierra Conservation Centre and Ventura Conservation Camp, began his career with the department in 1988. “There are no words to express the feeling of loss and sadness regarding Bo’s passing,” Warden Joel Martinez wrote in a memo to staff.

NEYSA TONKS

Neysa Tonks of Las Vegas, who worked at Technologent, an Irvine, California-based technology company, was among the victims, the Los Angeles Times said. She was the mother of three boys, according to a GoFundMe campaign created by Technologent. “Neysa brought joy, happiness, fun and laughter to so many of us. The senseless tragedy in Las Vegas Sunday unnessarily(sic) taken her from our community,” the GoFundMe page said.

KURT VON TILLOW

Kurt Von Tillow, 55, of Cameron Park, California, was at the concert with several family members, Sacramento television station KCRA reported. His sister and niece were wounded in the shooting, but are expected to recover, the station said. His wife, daughter and son-in-law were not injured. His brother-in-law, Mark Carson, said Von Tillow “was the most patriotic person you’ve ever met. … Guarantee you, he was covered in red, white and blue, with a Coors Light in his hand, smiling with his family and listening to some music.”

MICHELLE VO

Michelle Vo, 32, of Los Angeles, was attending her first country music concert, according to the San Jose Mercury News. Vo attended high school in San Jose and graduated in 2007 from the University of California, Davis with a communications degree, the school said in a statement. She worked for New York Life Insurance Co in its Glendale, California, office where, ”she was recognised for her ambition and work ethic,” university chancellor Gary May said.

BILL WOLFE JR.

Bill Wolfe Jr. was a youth wrestling coach from Shippensburg, Pennsylvania, who attended the concert with his wife, Robyn. She survived the attack, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette newspaper reported. His death was confirmed by the Shippensburg police on its Facebook page.

Compiled by Suzannah Gonzales in Chicago, Keith Coffman in Denver, Peter Szekely in New York, Brendan O’Brien in Milwaukee and Ben Klayman in Detroit; Editing by Jonathan Oatis and Leslie Adler

Our Standards:The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Go to Source

The post Factbox – <b>Mortgage</b> company exec, pipe fitter among dead in Las Vegas shooting appeared first on Trusted Mortgage Brokers - Find A Local Mortgage Adviser Today.

from Trusted Mortgage Brokers – Find A Local Mortgage Adviser Today https://www.trustedmortgagebrokers.co.uk/factbox-mortgage-company-exec-pipe-fitter-among-dead-in-las-vegas-shooting/