Movie-The Final Cut

The Final Cut (2004) is an interesting futuristic movie. It projects a future not too far away, and centers around a device that is implanted in the brain (even as a fetus) that records your every movement. Your eyes act as a lens and the recording is of everything you see.

At the end of your life, the device is taken back by the company, but you can ask for memory service, where all your friends and family can see your life...and edited version of course. And who does the editing? An exclusive group called "cutters." Of which Robin Williams, in an unusually quiet and subdued role, is the best cutter around. He takes the lives of--let us say, not nice people--and makes a beautiful memory service video for all the loved ones.

There are protesters to this practise, and intrigues (mainly Mira Sorvino) around the life of Williams' character. And though the film is not as chilling as some dystopian movies, especially in that it only covers this one aspect of the future society, it still gives a lot to contemplate.

What makes great dystopian fiction is that you can see how it could come about. You can look at current trends and say, "Wow, this could happen." Re-read 1984 by Orwell and you can see how much of it has happened.

The Final Cut also intrigued me because I do some video editing, and work with videographers. How would a whole life be edited? What would make the cut, and what would be left behind? And would the final cut, truly represent the life led, or be just a fiction, a nice video news release, that does not show the unseemly parts?

3 Magazines

The August issue of ZooNooz was very so-so...nothing to exciting. There will be a re-launch soon of the magazine that may make it more interesting on a regular basis.

September Playboy was good, but not great. I always hate the college football and basketball preview issues, as I am not not either sport on the college level. This was the football issue. The interview was with the founder of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (yawn) and there was a excerpt of a book about how Guns N' Roses started (double yawn). However, the third part of the four part "Nobody Move" noir novel. It is a really good piece by Denis Johnson.

On the other hand, September National Geographic was again excellent. The past two issues were so good. This one again is why I subscribe. The story about soil sounds dull, but is interesting as hell, especially in the parts where we see soil being restored, many times through ancient ways. The elephant story was superb. The images amazing! And the sailfish images were amazing as well, in the story on how sailfish hunt. And the two other stories were top notch too. Such an amazing publication. I look forward to it every month.

Movie-More Tales of the City

More Tales of the City (1998)is a sequel to Tales of the City, a series based on Armistead Maupin's Tales of the City series. And I loved the series. I am a pretty jaded reader, but that series made me laugh out loud, and shed a tear or two also.

The TV shows made out of it make the stories a little campier than they are on the page. Just the medium I think. But I have to say I still enjoyed every minute of it. Starring Laura Linney and Olympia Dukakis, it is quirky and accepting, ridiculous and happy.

The series is about a woman from the mid-west (Linney) who comes to vacation in San Fransisco during the 70's. And she loves it and decides to stay. She finds an apartment at 28 Barbary Lane, a address that is run by the enigmatic and toking Mrs. Anna Madrigal. The landlady leaves as house warming gifts some nice joints, and grows premium stuff in her yard. The residents of 28 Barbary, soon become their own little family. Michael (Mouse) Tolliver, the flaming and totally sweet man, who is searching for his Mr. Right. Brian, the hunky non-gay man who they all have a thing for. Mona, the hippy dippy woman who is searching for who she is, and the straight-laced Mary Ann Singleton, who finds her own mind and heart opening to all these, and more.

Maupin weaves in truths and myths about San Fransisco. We see Jim Jones and his cult start out. We see urban legends and urban truths play out in the pages of witty dialogue. This books were originally columns Maupin wrote (for the Chronicle I think) that were later brought together in book form. Very Dickensonian.

While the TV shows are not as good as the books I still enjoyed them very much.

Movie-A Star is Born (1976)

There have been three versions of A Star is Born, and the latest was this 1976 movie starring Barbra Streisand and Kris Kristofferson.

The movie has some really rough edges I think. Things don't flow really well and there is a lack of good editing. But despite that it is still a good movie. I think this rests on the two stars, and especially Streisand, who just shines through here.

It is the story of a rock star, Kristofferson, who runs across a female singer, thinks she is great, and helps boost her career at the same time falling in love with her. His career on the other hand is in a downward spiral, and soon flames out.
That is the inherent conflict of the movie.

KK (I am tired of spelling his name) does a credible job here, despite not being a great actor and not even a good singer. But Streisand has guts and spit in the eye as the up and coming singer.

And she smolders sexuality. I found myself thinking about this aspect of her because she is certainly NOT a conventional beauty. And I can't say she is beautiful even. But she is damn sexy. And I wonder if she would make it today in the pop world. Despite her prodigious vocal range and her artful songs, and the power of her voice; does she have the look that would make her an icon if she was starting in this generation? Somehow, sadly, I think maybe not.

Have we so boxed ourselves in by standards of beauty, that we no longer can accept anyone out of those norms. They must be totally toned, usually have big breasts, an ass, perfect features (no big nose, large eyes, thin lips, gap between their teeth) and ripped abs. Now I am no fan of Britney Spears, but last year on the music award show when she was ripped for being too fat! What the hell? I know a lot of women would LOVE to have that weight problem. Yes, she was a bad dancer and looked like she was in no way prepared for the performance, but too fat? Or when Maxim ripped on Sarah Jessica Parker calling her the ugliest woman in America...what the hell? Sure, she is not all those conventions I listed above, but she has a smolder, just like Barbra. And sometimes she is plain hot!

This quest for perfection (whatever that means) is maddening. What is perfect? In my mind, it is the imperfections that make people attractive. The nuance, the difference in faces and bodies. Many can be sexy and hot and beautiful. Have we as a society lost the capacity to enjoy all kinds of beauty? And have we lost the capacity to recognize talent in unconventional beauty?

I am glad we had Barbra when we still could enjoy her. And I am glad I saw A Star is Born to trip these thoughts through my mind.

An Experiment Gone Bad

I am a little behind in my posts, and I hope to catch up tomorrow. Our computer has been...problematic lately, and I will tell you why.

We had hoped to save a few bucks each month, so decided to go with a company that looks a lot like "IT&T." Y'see, IT&T was offering internet and TV for quite a bit less then what we had with Time Warner Cable. So, we finally went for it. We asked IT&T if all the local stations were on their Dish, and they said "Oh Yeah." We asked specifically if they carry local Padres games. I mean, I LOVE baseball. IT&T said , "Oh Yeah!" They even have it recorded that they said "Oh Yeah."

You know what...they don't! Nope. No siree bob. Looking for the Padres. Nada. Zip. Nil.

We called...ahem...do you carry the Padres? Yeah, "we should" they say. "Oh, well, hmmm, perhaps not...hmmm, we SHOULD have it." "But you frickin' don't!"

OK, either they do not know their own product, or they lied to us. Either is a terrible alternative. So back we went to Time Warner. I gotta have my baseball.

But the internet service still is good right? Well, I knew DSL would be a bit slower than cable, but that was okay. I do not do that much important stuff online anyway. I mean unless you call porn important (can I get an A-men brothers).

Well, we kept losing our connection. We called, and sure enough, there was something wrong with our line. But they would come out and fix it...between 1 and 4 on Thursday. Well 4 comes around and no one. So we call. "Oh yeah," they say, "We will have someone out there soon." No one showed up. NO ONE SHOWED UP! NO ONE FRICKIN' SHOWED UP!!!!!!!!!!!

I am sorry, but pick up that new invention called a telephone, and give us a call to tell us you are not coming out.

We have complained, and supervisors were going to call us back. Never called. We called so many times. One time Sharlynn was put on hold for 20 minutes, then got someone and complained, and was switched back to the start of the system.

Bye bye IT&T!!!!!!!!!! Lousy product, lousy service and lousy customer relations!
We will pay a little more for better on all three.

Rant

OK, I will use my blog as a bully pulpit right now.

Tall Ships came to San Diego this past weekend. And I thought it would be fun to go and see them. Just see them...not climb on board all of them...just walk along the sidewalk, not even down the docks, and see these beautiful ships-15 of them!

So my wife and I drove down to the dock. We walked and were able to get on the Coast Guard ship for free. Pretty neat. And then we thought we would enjoy the great San Diego Weather and walk along the sidewalk and see from a distance all the other ships line up on the docks. WRONG!

Y'see, I knew there was a charge for going along the docks, and climbing on these ships. What I didn't know was that they would charge for walking along the sidewalk! Yes. I could not walk past the Star of India. Not on the sidewalks that my tax dollars have built and maintained! NOOOOOOO! I would have to fork over 20 bucks each for us to walk along MY GODDAM sidewalks! And when I say mine, I mean that my money has paid for these things.

Ya see, they closed the sidewalks, and if you didn't pony up the cash, you could not even walk past the ships. You had to walk in a carnival booth area, with funnel cakes and assorted crap for sale. And once in awhile you would get to peek at a ship between booths. What utter CRAP!

To say I am outraged is accurate. I am so sick and tired of the streets and facilities I have paid for through my taxes, being off limits to me. It is just not right! Look. I am reasonable. If I could not walk down the docks...well, I could accept that. But to not ba able to walk down PUBLIC FREAKIN' sidewalks unless I paid $20 is out-Fuc*ing-ragous.

I think the Maritime Museum is great. But to hold me hostage in my own city...to not allow me to see boats on docks I have helped build...I have to say...what the hell?

How shameful for San Diego.

Movie-Looney Tunes Golden:Volumes 1-4

These four discs are great fun highlighting the golden age of Looney Tunes cartoons, simply the best cartoons EVER!

And I don't say that simply because these were the cartoons of my childhood. I say that because the characters, many of which are voiced by Mel Blanc, are iconic, the phrases have become part of our national lexicon. "What's up doc?" "Shhhh, I'm hunting wabbits." Sufferin' succatash." "I thought I saw a putty tat." "Th' th' that's all folks." And even the roadrunner's "Beep beep."

The first disc focuses on the undisputed leader of Looney Tunes (OK, maybe disputed by Daffy Duck) Bugs Bunny. The smart, wiley, and wascally wabbit gets out of every situation...many times by cross dressing (LOL) and confounds everyone from Elmer Fudd to the Tasmanian Devil.

The second disc concentrates on Daffy, who SOOOO wants to be Bugs, but just can't quite make it there. Daffy and his terminal complexes (superiority, inferiority among others) is frickin' hilarious. The feud between Duck Season and Rabbit Season is among the best of the cartoons.

The third and fourth discs bring in the rest of the Looney Tunes cast. Porky Pig, the Roadrunner and Wile E. Coyote (you think he would not order from Acme anymore), Sylvester, Tweety Bird and Granny, Pepe le Pew, Foghorn Leghorn and many others.

These tunes are original and fun, and funny as hell. They are not dated at all, and the violence that I remember so many complaining about is such cartoon violence that I can't believe anyone would thing it is real or harmful. Really, how many times can Wile E. be blown up and still come after the roadrunner?

This is a great collection and some of the extras are great too. Fun fun fun!!

Movie-Evening

Evening has a great cast, with Vanessa Redgrave, Toni Colette, Natasha Richardson, the lovely Claire Danes and Hugh Dancy in starring roles. Also Meryl Streep and Glenn Close both have small supporting roles.

As great as the cast is, I did not think the movie lived up to it. On the other hand, my wife thought it was great. The movie centers on Collette and Richardson as sisters who have come home to be with their mother, Redgrave, as she is dieing. They act as sisters, getting pissy with one another, but really do love each other. The back story is told in their mother's mind, a tale of her youth, and mistakes she thought she made.

Danes plays the younger Ann, to Redgrave's elder Ann. And the mistake involves one weekend of a family wedding. The current story and back story are inter cut, and somehow it just did not work so well for me. However, the acting is quite good, especially in the back story.

Look for Mamie Gunner to play a younger version of Meryl Streep's character (or vice versa). I was amazed that the casting was so well done, as the two looked so much alike. I found the reason for that in the extras, that Gunner is Streep's daughter. So in this movie, there are two mother daughter teams, Redgrave and Richardson and Streep and Gunner. Also, the scene between Streep and Redgrave are great, two pros doing it well.

One more note. Hugh Dancy. I had never heard of him, and all of a sudden he has been in three very recent movies, Jane Austen Book Club, Beyond the Gates, and this. Very strange coincidence that my wife likes, because he has quickly made her top 5 list.

Claire Danes still is one of my favorites and always seems authentic to me. Doesn't hurt that she reminds me of one of my friends...except my friend is cuter!

A decent film, but with that cast should have been better.

Movie-Suddenly

This 2002 Argentinian movie looked good in concept, but Suddenly left a lot to be desired in execution.

The story about two lesbians who kidnap a heavy-set woman in Buenos Aires, and take her on a road trip is surprising in a number of ways, not all of which are good. Filmed in black and white for no particular reason, it comes across as somewhat campy, and like it is trying to hard to be...I don't know, tough or rough or artsy. It just comes across to me as the wrong decision.

One of the nice surprises comes as the trio finds and old aunt and visits her. This is the best part of the movie, as we see some innate sweetness from one of the characters nick-named Lenin. She and her elderly aunt so clearly feel for each other that it makes this section sweet and real.

The relationship between the other kidnapper, Mao, and the heavyset girl is one of the surprising downfalls of the film. There was no rhyme or reason to the complicated relationship, and it was not convincing at all to me.

This movie is not terrible, but for all its aspirations, is only so-so.

Book-A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier

A Long Way Gone is one of the most touching books I have read in a long time. It has been a week since I have finished, and I still think about it everyday. It is the autobiographical tale of Ishmael Beah, of Sierra Leone. And it tells of his horrific young life, caught in the vicious cycle of war.

His life starts off peacefully enough, living with his family in the countryside of Sierra Leone, intrigued with rap music and dance, he and his friends are high spirited kids. When he was 11 years old, all that changed as rebels fighting to topple the government in Sierra Leone, destroyed his village, scattered his family and sent him, with his young friends, on the run to somewhere, anywhere that was safe.

But there were few places that were safe for him. And those did not stay safe for long. Finally in one village he thought he had found safety, but the rebels attack again, and he is recruited into the army to fight the rebels that killed his family. Using simple brainwashing techniques and ample drugs, the army turn this 13 year old boy into a ruthless killer.

Beah is finally taken out of the army by UNICEF and the UN. But his story does not end there. His rehabilitation and the continued civil war in Sierra Leone continue his journey, and his ultimate redemption.

Beah tells his story, not sparing the details of his own actions. It is told in a voice that must keep some distance and objectively, but also allows us to see with his eyes how it all looked, and more importantly, how it all felt to this young teenager. It is prose that is spare, but despite (or maybe because of) that, makes us feel the otherworldliness of what was happening to this child, and thousands of others like him.

This book is devastating. It makes us all responsible. It makes us see what war does to a country, not to the professional military, but to the people. There is little noble about war, especially when it comes into contact with children. Death and destruction are its output. If not of the body, then of the psyche. That Ishmael Beah was able to retain his life, and regain his mind, and have the fortitude to write about it---that is a minor miracle.

Movie-Things We Lost in the Fire

Things We Lost in the Fire is a fine movie. Starring Halle Berry and Benicio del Toro, it tells a nicely crafted story of a woman recently widowed (we see David Duchovny as her husband in flashbacks) by tragic circumstances. She is barely coping, and finds herself drawn to a childhood friend of her husband, a friend she has never approved of, played by Del Toro.

Both these characters are recovering. He from a severe heroin addiction, and she from her loss. And somehow, in unspoken but finely portrayed ways, they help each other through these stages of recovery.

The filming was very artistically done. And the use of close ups was beautiful, but overdone by the end of the movie just a bit. Both Berry and del Toro do a terrific job, and they are what make the movie. Their portrayals are very real. Shifting from grief to confusion, at some points supportive and other lashing out, they show recovery is not easy or clean.

And on a superficial note. Halle Berry is drop dead gorgeous. Halle Berry, dare I day it is HOT, and Halle Berry is now on my top 5 list. I will write Halle Berry one more time so I can put another hyperlink image in this entry. Halle Berry!

Movie-Exorcist-The Beginning

This movie did not suck as badly as I thought it would! OK, that is faint praise, but reading other reviews of Exorcist-The Beginning, one would think this was the worst movie ever made, and I have seen a lot worse movies.

Not super scary, but a few jolting moments. Not real smart, but few horror movies are. This movie is a purported prequel to The Exorcist, and introduces us to a young Father Merrin, and his first encounter with the demon that would later scare the crap out of everyone by taking over Linda Blair.

I do remember that there are two versions of this, one released from the original director, and this one. Both were badly reviewed, but I may need to rent the other just for comparison.

Would not recommend this flick, but if you get it for free, it is watchable.

Movie-Evan Almighty

Evan Almighty, starring Steve Carrell, was a movie that I did not have a lot of hopes for. But I like Carrell quite a bit, so I decided to watch it.

First of all, this movie has some very interesting religious themes. Carell, a new congressman, is asked by God, Morgan Freeman, to build an ark to prepare the world for the flood. Carell doubts...a lot, but is slowly transformed into the biblical Noah, as he grows a long white beard and animals start following him in pairs, two by two.

The modern day Noah builds the ark, but finds himself a leper in his community. the neighbors laugh at him, his wife (Lauren Graham looking very cute) and kids leave him, temporarily at least, he loses his spot in Congress. And it makes me think, what did the biblical Noah have to deal with when he built his ark? Probably the same darn thing.

My dear mother, who is a faithful a Catholic as you will ever see, once told me that she doubted that the modern world would recognize Christ should he come again as he did before. She would, by her admission, be like the Jews at the time of Christ, and would never believe that this person was God! Imagine, a guy walking the streets of downtown San Diego, pretty ragged, homeless, gathering other ragtags around him, a prostitute, and him saying, "I am God, come to redeem mankind." He would be locked up at the very least.

Evan Almighty illustrates this very well. Would any of us believe? I think the least believing would be those that say they are the most faithful. It seems they never follow Christ's axiom of "Whatever you do to the least of my brothers, so you do unto me." The LEAST of his brothers. That means the dirty and homeless and sick and drug abused. So you hate them, you hate Christ. Hmmmm, something for us all to think about.

Another thing this movie got me thinking about. Carell does what he needs to do despite all that it costs. What does it cost to be a good person? Do we make the choices to be good, or do we just go with the crowd? Despite being ridiculed, do we do what is right?

OK, that is a lot of thought for a fun comedy. But I think that is what makes this very funny movie good to me...there is a lot of depth behind the funny scenes, a lot of religious and philosophical underpinnings to the whole idea of doing what god says, or doing what is right.

I liked Evan Almighty a lot, and it gave me some things to ponder.

Movie-Beyond the Gates

This 2005 movie takes place in Rwanda, during the same period treated so deftly in Hotel Rwanda. And as much as I like Hotel Rwanda, I think this movie is even better.

Beyond the Gates takes place at a missionary school in Rwanda. The fantastic John Hurt is the priest there. A man of great faith, and a little world-weary, he has been through a lot of strife in Rwanda for decades administering to his flock. So when the current ethnic strife starts, he does not seem to alarmed.

Hugh Dancy is a young man that is at the school to help teach. He has a optimism about the world, and his ability to help improve it. He also has a slight prejudice about him, in that he thinks he can take care of the Rwandans, even as the ethnic cleansing starts. the movie chronicles his descent from optimism to confusion and then to abject fear.

This movie is dirtier than Hotel Rwanda, and less romanticized I think. It has and ending that certainly is not the typical Hollywood ending, but leaves things very untidy.

The acting is great, by all the main characters, and it was filmed in Rwanda, at the school where these events actually took place. Many of the crew were people who survived that time in that place.

Beyond the Gates is excellent film-making. And it leaves you wondering how do we all stop this violence that permeates not just Africa, but the whole world.

Movie-Smart People

I did not really like Smart People very much. It has a nice cast, Dennis Quaid is dependable and I do like Sarah Jessica Parker a lot. With Thomas Hayden Church and Ellen Page added in, I hoped it would be a good film. And I can't say it wasn't, I just did not like it too much.

I think the surliness and the arrogance of many of the characters put me off some. The only one a liked at all was Sarah Jessica's ER doctor. The rest were just too dislikable for me to enjoy the movie.

Quaid plays a burnt out crusty literature professor, but plays him with so few redeeming qualities that I felt like I would hate the man myself if I knew him. His daughter, Ellen Page, has such an over inflated sense of how important and great she is that she is completely unlikeable too. Church has a some redeeming characteristics in his character as the "adopted" brother of Quaid, but the character seems to be a plot device to move the other characters around.

Smart People tries to be too smart, and becomes irritating, boring and ultimately frustrating.

Movie- Harold and Kumar Escape From Guantanomo Bay

I love the first Harold and Kumar movie. It was incredibly funny and unexpected. So I was a little concerned about the sequel, especially considering that it was taking the social satire route to the social/political level.

Well, I was wrong to be concerned. This movie surprises as it confronts bigotry in all its forms, and gives so many laughs on its strange a glorious road trip, that I am still thinking about many of the scenes days later.

Harold and Kumar make some bad choices, but then becomes victims of racial prejudice and are sent to Guantanamo Bay. But this just provides the starting point, as they quickly escape from the prison and try to seek out an old friend who may be able to help them.

The cast of characters they meet on the way makes for funny situations, and the man chasing them from the Dept of Homeland Security, Rob Corddry, is absurd in his quest to catch terrorists. But the funniest scenes take place near the end as the two characters meets George W. on the ranch, and have a little toke session with him.

While sometimes gross with scatological humor, it is the political and social satire that really makes this soar. Oh, and Neil Patrick Harris reprising his role as "himself." Oh, he can play this role for years!

Movie-Margot at the Wedding

Margot at the Wedding (2007) should have been better than it was. It had a great premise, a great cast and should have pulled it off. But the script became really bad about half way through, and Jack Black way over played his role, and it just did not fit in with the rest of the movie.

The cast, with Black, Nicole Kidman, and Jennifer Jason Leigh (who I like very much) seems to have the right fit as we start the movie. Leigh and Kidman play two sisters that do not get along well, and are equally passive-aggressive towards each other. Black is the somewhat screwed up fiance of Leigh, and Kidman dislikes him intensely and immediately, as she comes to the family house for their simple backyard wedding.

Sounds like winning combo to me. But the script takes them to places the seem absurd, even to these not-so-likable people. they do things that make no sense, and then Jack Black takes is over doing it to a new level, when the director should have told him to underplay it. It is like he is playing Nacho Libre in a drama (or at least a very black comedy) and it does not work at all.

I was really disappointed in this movie.

Movie-Angel-A

Angel-A owes a huge debt of gratitude to the classic "Its A Wonderful Life." But it takes the basic premise of that old movie and twists it and distorts it in a very unusual and funky way. The result is a movie that is amusing, surprises, and beautifully filmed.

This 2007 French film is set in Paris, and revolves around a small time hood, Andre (who is really a good guy) that gets in too deep with the mob...he owes lots of money and they are after him. So, he decides to throw himself off a bridge and kill himself. And lo and behold, a person appears on the bridge next to him, and jumps. he dives in the water to rescue this person. Now in Wonderful Life, this person is Clarence, an older gentlemen, slightly befuddled. In Angel-A she is a drop dead gorgeous, super leggy, tall blond, called Angela.

The rest of the film follows with Angela trying to show our little Andre why he should want to live...and she succeeds. But the steps they go through are funny and sometimes a little naughty.

The parallels with Wonderful Life are quite amusing. After George Baily rescues Clarence, they go to a bar, a little neighborhood place. Angela and Andre go to a bar also, well....technically a strip club that serves booze...but pretty close to the original scene! LOL LOL!

This was fun to watch, with two good performances from Jamel Debbouze as Andre and Rie Rasmussen as Angela.

Movie-The Jane Austen Book Club

OK...just the title says "Chick Flick." And it pretty much was, but it was a pretty good one. And The Jane Austen Book Club featured a couple of my favorite actresses, Maria Bello and the luscious Amy Brenneman (excuse me...hubba hubba).

The story revolves around a group of women, some of them coming off some bad moments who form a book club to read the six Jane Austen novels. Each of the women (and the obligatory guy) would take charge of the discussion each month, and the group would read one novel each month.

They find many aspects of the works to coincide with life crap that they are going through. But the dialogue and the characters are not cheaply done, cardboard cutouts. All are very well drawn with skillful performances.

OK...so I watched a chick flick...at least it was a good one!

Restaurant-Lot 81

Lot 81 on West Morena Blvd is not too bad. We ate there first earlier this year for lunch and it was good, and Sharlynn loved the fries that are thin cut with a hint of rosemary.

But this time we ate dinner and it was not quite as good. First off...don't keep using old menus. I tried to order three different wines, and to each the answer was, "That isn't on the menu any more." Well it sure as hell was on my menu, I didn't make these names up! OK, I finally just had some ginger ale. Then came ordering dinner...that seemed to go fine, but I ordered the House Bowl, that has chicken and Italian sausage, peppers and other good things on penne. WEll, after my order was taken to the kitchen I was told..."Oh, we are out of sausage, you can't have that."

Heavy sigh. I ended up with something similar with shrimp, and it was pretty good, but not great at all. Our friend Emily had the honey glazed salmon, and liked it. But they did not tell her what the side was, and, as she has had unfortunate incidents with wild mushrooms...she was not able to eat her veggies. Seth had the filet mignon, which he said was a bit tough. Sharlynn had the boneless ribeye which she liked.

All in all not a terrible experience, but the constant, "We don't have..." was very annoying. The servers were very nice, but they jsut had to deliver these messages that were unsuitable to a "finer" restaurant.

I will try it again at lunch to see how that goes, but I can't really recommend it for dinner until they fix these problems.

3 Magazines

Plenty was the first of the magazines. I have enjoyed Plenty, however, I am not renewing my subscription. They changed format a bit in the middle of the subscription, and seemed to phase out some of their general interest/conservation articles. What they were left with was still good, but not as compelling. I am interested in making my life greener, but it seemed more designed to sell products than to inform. I will keep the issues I have as a resource, especially this last issue that dealt with building a greener house. But as it tried to pack in more products it also got a smaller font that is sometimes barely readable. All in all, I think they should have kept the former format.

Playboy for August was very good. A great piece by Mickey Edwards on how the government protects itself from the people (kinda opposite from how it is supposed to be), and a nice Ben Stiller interview. And a really scary true piece about James Keene, convicted of a drug offence and given a chance for early release if he went undercover at a prison for the criminally insane to try to get a confession from a serial killer. The second part in the noir novel, Nobody Move was really good to.

But the best magazine this month was Nat Geo. The August issue was everything I love about this publication. Every article was top notch, especially the cover story about ancient Iran, Inside a Nation's Persian Soul. This should be required reading for everyone in the federal government. It would highlight why there is a need for a strong diplomatic corp (that has been gutted by this administration). How can we learn about other people if we have no understanding of where they came from and who they are? How can we hope to deal with this ancient culture that makes ours look like the blink of an eye, if we don't understand some basics about them? The next article was also fantastic about Africa's Bioko Island...what great images and illustrations. Amazing subject. And the article about Moscow was great too, if not a little scary. The amount of money that is there is daunting, but especially when you think about if it goes belly up ever (like when oil bottoms out) this country will be dangerous in their need. And the other two articles were great too! LOL!

Movie-The Counterfeiters

The Counterfeiters is the first of the best foreign film nominees from last year's Oscars to come out on DVD. IN fact, it was the winner of the best foreign film award. And while I have not seen all the other movies, I can say that this is an excellent movie.

A true story, the Counterfeiters is mainly based in an Nazi concentration camp, amid a group of Jews that work together. But his group is well-fed, actually treated fairly well, given little presents, like a ping-pong table, to give them incentive to work well. This group does not labor in the fields, but were part of a program to create counterfeit British and American money, but the boat loads, so to hurt the economy of both nations, with the hope of swaying the war.

Chief among this group is Salomon Sorowitsch, who was a criminal counterfeiter before ending up in camp. And the group has to make unholy choices...to help the Nazi war effort and save their lives, or die and sabotage the counterfeiting scheme.

The movie shows how harrowing this choice was, how each coped with it, and how Sorowitsch, a criminal, kept this group alive, and still able to slow down the Nazi efforts until the was ended.

The acting was superb, the story and writing excellent, the sets and costuming all perfect. This is an excellent film from Austria. And reminds us once again about the hell that people went through in those camps, and the miserable existence of the Nazi regime.

Movie-Last Life in the Universe

Last Life in the Universe is Thai film, starring many Japanese. It is a love story of sorts, a gangster film of sorts and a strange head trip of sorts. And I can't say that I really liked it, though it was interesting and unusual.

Focusing on an uptight Japanese man living in Bangkok, who dreams of ways to kill himself, the movie meanders a into his meeting with a Thai bar girl. Both have little to live for, and yet seem to genuinely fall for each other. Or do they? Who is he really interested in, this girl or her dead sister?

It is a really odd movie, which at times I liked quite a bit, and at other times did not like much at all.

Restaurant-Apollonia

I have had a chance to have lunch at Apollonia twice lately, and both times have been very happy. This Greek Bistro on Genesee, across from UTC is very good. Now admittedly, I had the same lunch entree both times, but a couple of different things too.

First of all, the ambiance of the place is nice- upscale, careful decorating, but not stuffy. Seating arrangement is good, not too crowded together. Nice wine list, with some reasonably priced wines in there.

The first time I went I had a cup of avgolemono, the traditional lemon chicken soup of Greece. Nice and tangy with good pieces of chicken. Then I had the papoutsakia sandwich. Quoting from the menu here, "Italian eggplant filled with seasoned ground leg of lamb, onion and pine nuts. Topped with tomato sauce and fresh basil and Feta cheese. Wrapped in Pita bread." Oh yeah! If it sounds good, it was better than it sounds.

On my second visit, Sharlynn and I split an appetizer of calamari, very nicely prepared. Again I went with the papoutsakia for my entree.

Sharlynn had the same thing both times too, the chicken souvlaki sandwich, and really enjoyed it.

For our lunches, with a glass of wine, it was very moderately priced, coming in under 30 bucks before tip, and so darn good.

I would very much recommend Apollonia Greek Bistro and 8650 Genesse Ave., in the Costa Verde Shopping Center.

Movie-All Creatures Great and Small Season 2

This is really a wonderful series. The second season even better than the first. Some episodes we were laughing so hard our stomachs hurt.

All Creatures Great and Small has a perfect cast. Robert Hardy as Siegfried Farnon, he senior vet, his younger brother Tristan portrayed by Peter Davison (later famous for Dr. Who) Carol Drinkwater as Helen Herriot and Christopher Timothy, as the put upon vet, James Herriot, who loves his work and his wife and his life, but always seems to get in a bit of a mess.

So many good moments in this season, but the favorites are when James meets up a fellow vet, Granville, and the man always seems to get James abominably drunk, without himself breaking a sweat.

Such a good show!!!

Movie-My Architect: A Son's Journey

This documentary was a very personal work for Nathanial Kahn. Because in My Architect: A Son's Journey, he documents his search for architect Louis Kahn (who created the local Salk Institute among other buildings), but he searches for Louis Kahn, his father, a man who had two mistresses and three children, one from each of the women in his life.

Kahn has both these searches go hand in hand. And while this is not riveting edge of your seat stuff, it is deep and layered and filled with real feelings. Kahn interviews his own mother, and his anger at his father not being a part of their lives is palpable.

But in making this film, Nathanial Kahn seems to find some peace. Some hint of his father's essence in the building he created. Especially in the amazing Capital Buildings in Dhaka, Bangladesh, the younger Kahn sees a glimpse of his father, a glimpse that releases some of the frustration that he never knew his dad much at all.

I would not say this is a great film per se. But its strength lies in the journey, a search for identity, a very real search that we happen to join for a couple of hours.

Movie-When Will I Be Loved

This 2004 movie got a lot of bad reviews on Netflix, and a few really excellent ones too, so I was intrigued by what my opinion would be. I fall a lot closer to the excellent ones than to the ones that panned it.

Starring Neve Campbell, When Will I Be Loved is a study of a woman who has stopped believing in those around her, including her hustler boyfriend, and starts believing only in herself. So, she uses sex as a tool to get what she wants including revenge.

It is a psychological drama, and an erotic drama. And Campbell's performance is a little chilling, behind her warm-hearted smile and affability, her seeming conformance, she is scheming and dangerous.

While i would not say it is excellent, I would say it is pretty darn good. The heart of it being Campbell's intense performance.

Movie-This Girl's Life

OK---I will admit, This Girl's Life does not have a premise that seems anything more than a soft porn film masquerading as a movie.

The main character is a porn star, with a bunch of girlfriend's in and out of the business, and she enjoys her work. See what I mean...it does not seem like a "real" movie. Not that there is anything wrong with that. I have enjoyed more than a few of those kinds of movies. But this one is surprising. Sure, there are some fairly graphic sexual scenes, but there is also a lot of thought, the creator of the film calling it a feminist manifesto on porn.

Now I think that may be pushing it, but it does ask questions about the industry, and if it is harmful. And there are some really nice performances. One standout is James Woods as the main character's father who suffers from cerebral palsy. He does a really nice job.

Rosario Dawson has a small but meaningful role too. And Juliette Marquis plays the lead, named Moon, with a growing awareness of who she is and what she does may not be as harmless as she first thought.

Not a bad film at all.