Every time I mentioned to somebody that the Netflix movie I was going to watch this week was the latest Coen brothers film the response was always the same: 'Wow. You haven't seen it yet?' They would also mutter something about violence. And right now after having watched the film my initial response is wow. That was a bit violent. And extremely non-sensical in a way that seemed to make sense. It's a bit daft and seems to float from one juncture to the next without a plot but at the same time it's daft in a very circular way. It's a self contained craziness that manages to be entertaining.
There is no doubting the power of the cast. This is very possibly the most star-studded film I have seen that didn't make sense; the obvious exception being 'The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou'. It says a lot about my taste in movies but I love that almost as fondly as 'The Brave Little Toaster' from my youth. I probably love those two movies for very similar reasons: they both involve an adventure that ends in a circle, and they are both films that leave you entertained and slightly confused at the end of 90 minutes. That is a trait they share with 'Burn After Reading'. I'm not suggesting that this film will become a cult classic along the lines of 'Zissou' or 'Brave Little Toaster' because of a nonsense plot with starpower, but I am saying that the circular absurdity of 'Burn After Reading' is just as comforting and not a little bit entertaining.
Three tail wags and a contented sigh. Good film both entertaining and confounding ina comfortable way.
Monday, June 22, 2009
Saturday, June 20, 2009
Degustation Friday!
As part of moving to a new city I feel the need to explore. I feel the need to become familiar with this new shiny place. As you may or may not know I have moved out to San Francisco with my parents' blessing to pursue a graduate degree in industrial design. Partly through the stress of packing up and transplanting and also through my own laziness I have not posted any of my regular installments to this blog in about two months. I know it sounds stupid and I'm the only who really cares but I am slowly, very slowly catching up on each item missed. In the meantime I submit to you two loyal readers the latest addition to my overly ambitious blogging, Degustation Friday. With this project I will explore the city through the small eateries that seem to abound here. Places not listed online, that occupy a narrow part of a building and that are the kind of places that you only find by poking around. The places that I intend to visit must be three things: discovered by accident, independent/small run businesses, and most importantly cheap. The last one is hard because it is a bit of a trick to find cheap and not dingy. Since I am going to try and post once in a fortnight it might be a little bit flexible, but I wont be making any reservations, at least without valid exception.
So for today:
Review, 'The Sunrise Deli, Eastern Mediterranean Food'
Apparently it's the best falafel in town. This is was absolutely right place right time; I was walking to pick some texts from a nearby bookstore and I found myself thinking I could really go for a gyro or possibly some taboule. I looked up and like a beacon from a tacky sign shop the Sunrise Deli advertised itself as the answer.
The interior of the restaurant was clean and well lit, a nice environment to stumble into when hungry. The grill and the register where located towards the rear of the establishment and the slight Mediterranean faux-fruit decor beckoned me across the small space. By the time I walked up to the counter to order (after a brief perusal of slightly misspelled overhead menus) my stomach was loud enough to startle the people in line behind me. With a worried look the waitress took my order, no doubt fearing I would demand a whole goat on a bun with a touch of yogurt sauce. I felt like sparing the goat so I got the 'Avocado Falafel' instead. A short wait and few sips of a diet coke later and I had in front of me a very appetizing looking pita.
The falafel/ground lentil and vegetable mixture was quite good. Crisp and fresh and with the yogurt sauce (which had a slightly funny texture) it was a very tasty combination. A layer of sprouts were between the falafel and the generous slice of avocado that topped each half of the pita. Those two slices of avocado are the very reasons why this restaurant gets a very good rating from me. I love avocado. If it weren't for the confusion with my Netflix shipping address I would legally change my name to Avocado Lachance. Part of my obsession with avocado is that I am very particular about the ripeness and the way it's cut. In this case, on top of what was already a tasty falafel, they did it right. The thick lengthwise cuts of a perfectly ripe avocado took this meal from a good lunch to a memory that made me smile throughout the rest of the day. It's just a falafel, but it was a very very good falafel.
Review, 'The Sunrise Deli, Eastern Mediterranean Food'
Apparently it's the best falafel in town. This is was absolutely right place right time; I was walking to pick some texts from a nearby bookstore and I found myself thinking I could really go for a gyro or possibly some taboule. I looked up and like a beacon from a tacky sign shop the Sunrise Deli advertised itself as the answer.
I'm not the only person who's fond of this place. Almost immediately after I sat down the small deli filled with a queue that actually went out through the door. Maybe it just looked impressive because it's a small space, but I think this a popular spot for the city.
A very good deli with good selection and wonderful use of avocado.
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Blessay Tuesday
I have not written any regular updates in a very long while. Sorry. But do not dwell in the past because as of today I am instituting a new weekly blogging tradition: Blessay Tuesday. I have decided to channel my complaints about life the universe and everything into a more structured and constructive use of the interweb. Every tuesday I will write a mini essay about something that concerns/intrigues/interests me. Hopefully my two readers will find it amusing and possibly insightful, but I could use feedback on the content and style if either of you feel up to it. Let's hope it goes well.
This is not an essay or an analysis but I feel that I do owe a bit of an explanation for not writing anything significant for a long time. For the past couple of weeks I have been in Calgary, and while that is not an excuse (they have the interweb, yay for Canada!) there were enough things going on and changes in the routine to make blogging not the most important thing. I did post pictuires from the Calgary Farmers' Market at Habibi's request. And these are a few of the pics form the drive up, me and mum got caught in a nasty blizzard in northern Montana. Calgary is a neat place to be, and being able to walk from the folks' cute little townhouse to the high-street shops and restaurants (and cupcake shops) was a very nice way to spend a week.
Now I am back in Creede. I am returned to the land of isolation with too much time on my hands (my boss at the tavern thought I just buggered off without letting him know, untrue, and so took me off the roster) and the one thing I was counting on to help me pass the week decided it doesn't like me; the HDDVR exploded while I was away, taking with it all the offices and mythbusters I was looking forward too. It's ok, I managed to get the most important episodes on iTunes. Still, it is a bit of a downer. Possibly the worst of it is that at a time when I am nothing but lonely I have to restrain myself from inundating Habibi with phone calls because this is her last week of university. She has so much stuff to do and so much going on it's a wonder she can keep her head on straight (You can do it Habibi!). For now I have a couple lists of things to accomplish since mum thinks the key to sanity up here is keeping busy. I went into town and saw Gwen and Chris today and both of them seem concerned about me sitting up here on the hill. I think we are going to make a point to have dinner tomorrow night. They tell me that it's important to get out of your own head once in a while. In that same vein I might try to plan a few outings for the remainder of the week. Movies in the valley, Pagosa Springs, a drive to the Lake City bakery. I think I can find ways to occupy my time. I also have an old-school xbox game, 'James Bond, from Russia with Love' that I think I can be convinced is a constructive use of time.
Soon I will be in San Francisco with more assignments than time to complete them, and I cannot wait. I am really looking forward to working and learning about the product design world. I'll post more on that as the situation matures. For now it's time for dinner and some iTunes Mythbusters.
Pete
This is not an essay or an analysis but I feel that I do owe a bit of an explanation for not writing anything significant for a long time. For the past couple of weeks I have been in Calgary, and while that is not an excuse (they have the interweb, yay for Canada!) there were enough things going on and changes in the routine to make blogging not the most important thing. I did post pictuires from the Calgary Farmers' Market at Habibi's request. And these are a few of the pics form the drive up, me and mum got caught in a nasty blizzard in northern Montana. Calgary is a neat place to be, and being able to walk from the folks' cute little townhouse to the high-street shops and restaurants (and cupcake shops) was a very nice way to spend a week.
Now I am back in Creede. I am returned to the land of isolation with too much time on my hands (my boss at the tavern thought I just buggered off without letting him know, untrue, and so took me off the roster) and the one thing I was counting on to help me pass the week decided it doesn't like me; the HDDVR exploded while I was away, taking with it all the offices and mythbusters I was looking forward too. It's ok, I managed to get the most important episodes on iTunes. Still, it is a bit of a downer. Possibly the worst of it is that at a time when I am nothing but lonely I have to restrain myself from inundating Habibi with phone calls because this is her last week of university. She has so much stuff to do and so much going on it's a wonder she can keep her head on straight (You can do it Habibi!). For now I have a couple lists of things to accomplish since mum thinks the key to sanity up here is keeping busy. I went into town and saw Gwen and Chris today and both of them seem concerned about me sitting up here on the hill. I think we are going to make a point to have dinner tomorrow night. They tell me that it's important to get out of your own head once in a while. In that same vein I might try to plan a few outings for the remainder of the week. Movies in the valley, Pagosa Springs, a drive to the Lake City bakery. I think I can find ways to occupy my time. I also have an old-school xbox game, 'James Bond, from Russia with Love' that I think I can be convinced is a constructive use of time.
Soon I will be in San Francisco with more assignments than time to complete them, and I cannot wait. I am really looking forward to working and learning about the product design world. I'll post more on that as the situation matures. For now it's time for dinner and some iTunes Mythbusters.
Pete
Saturday, April 18, 2009
Friday, April 17, 2009
Yay for Netflix Friday!
It's that time again, time to get excited about those little red envelopes and realize that you don't know what's on your queue.
This week the 2 hour time slot is devoted to 'Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Starfighters'. I am excited about it but I hope the actual movie is terrible; they're more funny that way. I tried to explain the premise to Mum but she didn't get it. 5 minutes into the film she asked if the guys at the bottom of the screen were going to be talking the whole time. I said yes and she took Tally and went to go watch Oprah or some such. I guess robot puppets riffing on terrible old sci-fi movies isn't for everybody.
Today was eventful enough though. It was as special as a Friday should be. There was about a foot of snow on the ground when we got up this morning and the dogs were absolutely loving it. Me and the dogs went for a couple of walks today and they just bounced around in the snow. Today was also International Silence Day in recognition of all the verbal hostility shown to sexual minorities over the years. I managed a couple hours in the morning and a trip into town for groceries and the mail using the notepad on my iPhone to explain and communicate. When I got back to the house Mum told me to stop being quiet. Apparently it was making her feel lonely and it felt like I was angry at her. So my day of silence lasted till just before lunch.
For supper we made Mexican food and margaritas and had Gwen come over with Poppy. The three dogs really had a time of it. Tally was really the instigator of all the trouble but all the dogs had a lot of fun. They're all tuckered out now. The margaritas were quiet tasty, and could have come from a restaurant. The Mexican food was also very good. The evening was very enjoyable all around and the weather made a fireplace and margaritas all the more cozy. That being said I am concerned for all the chaos the snow caused in Denver today. I-70 was closed for a stretch of 80 miles! I hope all is settled by tomorrow. For now it's time for a bit more margarita and crappy sci-fi movie.
This week the 2 hour time slot is devoted to 'Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Starfighters'. I am excited about it but I hope the actual movie is terrible; they're more funny that way. I tried to explain the premise to Mum but she didn't get it. 5 minutes into the film she asked if the guys at the bottom of the screen were going to be talking the whole time. I said yes and she took Tally and went to go watch Oprah or some such. I guess robot puppets riffing on terrible old sci-fi movies isn't for everybody.
Today was eventful enough though. It was as special as a Friday should be. There was about a foot of snow on the ground when we got up this morning and the dogs were absolutely loving it. Me and the dogs went for a couple of walks today and they just bounced around in the snow. Today was also International Silence Day in recognition of all the verbal hostility shown to sexual minorities over the years. I managed a couple hours in the morning and a trip into town for groceries and the mail using the notepad on my iPhone to explain and communicate. When I got back to the house Mum told me to stop being quiet. Apparently it was making her feel lonely and it felt like I was angry at her. So my day of silence lasted till just before lunch.
For supper we made Mexican food and margaritas and had Gwen come over with Poppy. The three dogs really had a time of it. Tally was really the instigator of all the trouble but all the dogs had a lot of fun. They're all tuckered out now. The margaritas were quiet tasty, and could have come from a restaurant. The Mexican food was also very good. The evening was very enjoyable all around and the weather made a fireplace and margaritas all the more cozy. That being said I am concerned for all the chaos the snow caused in Denver today. I-70 was closed for a stretch of 80 miles! I hope all is settled by tomorrow. For now it's time for a bit more margarita and crappy sci-fi movie.
Saturday, April 11, 2009
Saturday Review Bonus
Today is a special day, the movie review is a two for.
This evening me and mum watched 'Yesman' on the Dish payperview. I don't have too much to say about this one other than it was absolutely fantastic. Immemdiately after watching it I placed it on my 'must own' note in the notebook. The characters were all brilliant and perfect. A sort of kookie concept was taken in the hand of some very talented actors and producers and the result was a film that I hope to watch at least once every couple of months.
This film is very very good. The elements are very solid and the actors are all perfectely chosen to portray the simple and conflicted characters, all of which come together in an absolutley fantastic film.
All the people involved were wonderful and the movie really is a good one. Three solid circle wags at least.
This evening me and mum watched 'Yesman' on the Dish payperview. I don't have too much to say about this one other than it was absolutely fantastic. Immemdiately after watching it I placed it on my 'must own' note in the notebook. The characters were all brilliant and perfect. A sort of kookie concept was taken in the hand of some very talented actors and producers and the result was a film that I hope to watch at least once every couple of months.
This film is very very good. The elements are very solid and the actors are all perfectely chosen to portray the simple and conflicted characters, all of which come together in an absolutley fantastic film.
All the people involved were wonderful and the movie really is a good one. Three solid circle wags at least.
Movie Review Saturday
The film up for review this week was 'RocknRolla' and I incorrectly mentioned in the Friday post that Clive Owen featured; it was in fact Gerard Butler. I have to say that I really enjoy his work, possibly even more so than M. Owen. He is really good as the phantom from Llyod-Weber's movie production of 'The Phantom of the Opera'.
The movie was great. I love British humour and London gangster films and this film was a prime example of both. It shares a number of similarities with 'Layercake' but the approach is unique and well done. The editing is really groovy and clever, the two things that all editing should be. There is a bit of violence but that really comes with any film aimed in that direction. The double crossing and intrigue of the plot are all successfully woven in with fair doses of humour. The characters are all very well played if not terribly complicated. Frankly though characters that are too rounded would detract from the film as a whole. In short all the elements of the film would be hard pressed to work in a different genre but as a British gangster film they really get the job done well. It is really quite funny too.
I totally recommend 'RocknRolla' and as a film it recieves three solid circle wags. Very funny, if a bit violent at times but without a doubt a solid movie that I will most certainly keep in the queue.
The movie was great. I love British humour and London gangster films and this film was a prime example of both. It shares a number of similarities with 'Layercake' but the approach is unique and well done. The editing is really groovy and clever, the two things that all editing should be. There is a bit of violence but that really comes with any film aimed in that direction. The double crossing and intrigue of the plot are all successfully woven in with fair doses of humour. The characters are all very well played if not terribly complicated. Frankly though characters that are too rounded would detract from the film as a whole. In short all the elements of the film would be hard pressed to work in a different genre but as a British gangster film they really get the job done well. It is really quite funny too.
I totally recommend 'RocknRolla' and as a film it recieves three solid circle wags. Very funny, if a bit violent at times but without a doubt a solid movie that I will most certainly keep in the queue.
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