still busy living..... a few notable celebrations and movie reviews in the midst of it...
it was 20 years ago today.....sometime in the fall of 1987 i went to the famous astor place barber shop....three levels of barbers, celebrity sightings, live music(sometimes), buzz....an exciting place to get a haircut....i got randomly assigned to a joyous russian who went by dr. mike and i've been going to him for 20 years....over that span, he's won awards in fan polls, newspapers and magazines as a top barber...and eventually opened a shop just north of ground zero with his son. to celebrate the anniversary, we got him a cake(kosher....even the lettering was kosher thanks to steff)...and threw him a mini party.....after i got a haircut of course. go visit him but please call ahead! he takes no walk ins and is booked only by appointment. his son albert(recently featured in time out ny)and others do take day of customers with haircuts ranging from $15-20 before tip.
we went to our final concert of the year with club vision....mute math at irving plaza! another amazing live set....the best bands for my money are my irish boys, arcade fire, the killers and these guys. mute math are set to tour with matchbox 20 and alanis morrisette across the country but tickets will be nearly double, triple or higher. the days of $15 tickets for this band maybe over.
before the concert, i was threatened into selling an extra ticket to a scalper. i scouted the area for some real fans and avoided those who had the look and feel of greed and profit. finally deciding on some teenage kids, i proceeded to start the transaction when one of the scalpers came and accused me of racism for not selling to him. as the dispute escalated he made veiled threats about a gun and then finally a real threat. my 'this is not worth it for a $15 ticket' alarm went off. the teenage kids seemed to have the same look on their faces and gave me the nonverbal cue to sell to this thug. afterwards, i apologized to the kids about it but they were totally cool and reaffirmed that the situation was starting to get crazy. i still wonder if i did the right thing.
for halloween, we didn't dress up but we wanted others to! we originally got this costume for brian but tried it out on donovan here. brian was in a bad mood at church sunday so he didn't get to put it on. but donovan looks funny here....and not very angry or threatening. i think brian will make a better hulk but he has to get his gear on first!
fall means more intelligent movies which makes me happy and we've been able to sample a few.....
beowulf in 3d imax the cgi was at a new high but its still in a in between stage...right before it gets really, really good. the story is standard and very lusty for a "cartoon" so think pg anime and not mickey mouse. don't bring your young daughters or any of your daughters, unless you're willing to squirm through some breast and penis references. i saw it on 3d imax which makes any movie good....but i'm looking forward more to u2 3d in imax. but that's a given. if you can see it in this format, go! but if, you can't...then just rent.
no country for old men this is a brutal violent movie that portrays humanity as it is. sorta. pulp style. but people's greed, personal codes of conduct, sense of survival and foolishness are on full display. it was enjoyable to watch but ends with several wordy monologues that leave some threads unresolved or unsatisfying. at the end of my screening, some one asked out LOUD: what the F was that? the movie does create one of the most memorable and haunting villains in cinema history. for most people, this is a rental. for indie snobs and artsy fartsy types, its a must on the big screen. you can determine which you are.
margot at the wedding i like the review in the print ads that goes if you are looking for a warm, fuzzy, heartfelt family movie, then stay the hell away. another review said it was the most emotionally mature movie about emotionally immature people ever made. this is a painful movie to watch because the people are so self centered and emotionally vacant but like another review i read said: if you allow yourself to be honest, these people are very much like you. if you can stand looking in the mirror, perhaps a rental. if your thanksgiving was painful enough, you can skip this. right after we saw this movie, theresa and i had one of the worst fights we ever had. it will set you on edge.
gone, baby, gone of the four movies here, i would watch this again. and perhaps over and over. after the sox won again, i celebrated and mourned by watching this movie about the city of boston. its a thriller, kidnapping, murder mystery...but its really about the people of boston and life in boston. it reminded me of my boston and brandeis days. casey affleck was great as was the top notch cast. some jumps in logic but it's smart and will have you guessing until the very end(really!) and talking after its over. what would you do? i would consider owning this but most will be satisfied with a winter rental on a snow day.
