Top Five, 2015. The first movie I've seen at the Transition to a New Year. Still trying to get my head around it.

I think Chris Rock is a comic genius. I've watched him from the sidelines for several years and when the new year was upon us, I thought, "Why not go out for lunch and to see the movie Take Five." I admit, I never heard of the film, but I thought, Chris Rock is funny and I'm totally into an afternoon of good laughs. After all, Chris Rock once said,

Only dumb people try to impress smart people. Smart people just do what they do.

Chris Rock is funny people. He's smart people, as well, and I like to see the social commentary he has to make on the world. I figure, if he signed up for a film, then there's something to be learned from it.

Ah, but something about the holiday bonanza had me exhausted and in the first 30 minutes I totally fell asleep. It was a relaxed sleep covering up deep guilt for not paying attention to the plot line of the story. Well, the story was thin. A comic covering up alcoholism and drug addiction, while trying to find identity in a sober life. Rosario Dawson stole the story. I was like, "Who is this lady and where did she come from? Why, exactly, is she lining a tampon with hot sauce to revenge her onscreen boyfriend? Oh, I see. Humor. That was a totally necessary, but outrageous maneuver. Okay, I get it. It's funny. But, seriously...why would she date this guy?"

That is, until her path entwined with Chris Rock's and the "Cinderella" story (the shoes) revealed itself.

I left the theater thinking, "I'm glad I'm not trapped in that Hollywood world. If the stories we're telling about Hollywood are this campy and ridiculous, then the reality of the real Hollywood life must be totally absurd. What a horrible way to have an existence."

A wealthy existence. Man, how much are they paid to tell such stories?

Either way, I did like the idea of listing a top five of musical influences and I thought, "Why not give it a try myself?"

So here are my top five - but I have to admit, the list indicates my socio-cultural experiences that have made me who I am and are not in the same territory of the characters in their script. My five?

U2 - Joshua Tree
Marvin Gaye - What's Going On?
Edie Brickel and the New Bohemians - Shooting Rubberbands at the Stars
Book of Mormon - Book of Mormon soundtrack (the musical)
Cat Stevens - Harold and Maude soundtrack

And that's my five. I have to say that the Chris Rock film was about as good as The Interview - the film that threw North Korea on its own head. Honestly, I'm not quite sure where we are in this 21st century world of cinematic tomfoolery. But still, I like to laugh.