I know I haven't posted a list in quite some time. The following is a list of some of my favorite places. Some of them are big important places, others are much more simple and much more personal. As always, the list is in no particular order. Enjoy!
What are some of your fave places?
1. The Record Exchange (St. Louis, MO) 2. The Anchor Bar (Buffalo, NY) 3. Niagara Falls- Canadian Side (Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada) 4. Castle Rock, S-F Scout Ranch (Knob Lick, MO) 5. Dixie Truck Stop (McLean, IL) 6. Union Station hotel lobby (St. Louis, MO) 7. St. Louis Brewery and Tap Room (St.Louis, MO) 8. Cassadaga Country Club (Cassadaga, NY) 9. Chinatown (Chicago, IL) 10. Bass Pro Shop (Springfield, MO)
I know what it says in the "About Me" section of the blog layout. But I'm going to do some complaining in this post.
I just cannot believe how badly my beloved St. Louis Rams played today. they just plain sucked. Let me quote that "Pin Pals" episode of "The Simpsons": "Those guys sure did suck...They were the suckiest bunch of sucks that ever sucked." Losing 38-3 to the Philly Eagles today was just inexcusable. Not that there's any shame in losing to this Eagles team in and of itself. But to lose by that much and to play with no real sense of team effort was just painful to watch. After that game today, I am curious as to how these guys can think that they are worth every penny they're paid. And I have nothing against athletes being paid what they are. It's a free market, and if someone thinks they're worth that, I've got zero problems with that. And I'll gladly contribute it by going tot he games and buying the gear. But come on Rams, do you really think you earned it today?
But all is not lost! It's hard to live in Western NY and not fall in love with the Buffalo Bills. What a game they had! They crushed the Seattle Seahawks, a Rams division rival. I turned off the Rams game once it got completely out of hand and switched to the Buffalo game. I made my choice and I stand by it.
Another positive note is that I am able to track my fantasy team players on DirecTV. I am a proud subscriber of DirecTV's NFL Sunday Ticket package. Kudos to DirecTV!
I've been really in the mood for a heavy drama as of late. Nothing on TV I've seen recently did the trick. I suppose I could have watched something I already own, but I'm not sure that would have sufficed. So I headed to a local picture house. I watched "The Last Mistress." I was not disappointed. It did exactly what I wanted it to. This is a French film, directed by Catherine Breillat.
Before beginning my review, let me put forth some ideas on non-American directors. I do like some foreign films. I don't have enough exposure to foreign cinema to call myself anything other than a casual observer. Most of what I've seen, I've enjoyed. I am not a very discriminating aesthete. Nor am I a any sort of cinematic elitist. It may sound axiomatic to cinephiles, but I do enjoy the films of Kurosawa and Bergman (Japan and Sweden, respectively). I've seen other foreign films, and have liked most of them. This film gave me an introduction to Catherine Breillat. I have heard that she is a very provocative filmmaker, a true artist. This is my first exposure to her work. Based on this, I'm ready for more.
One more thing I've noticed about world cinema vs. American films. For sheer production values, American movies have the market cornered. However, for plot and acting, as well as willingness to explore things a bit more deeply, the non-Americans win hands down. There are exceptions, and I could probably list them if I thought about it, but I'm kinda pressed for time.
So, on with the review...
This is a period piece set in 1830's France. It's about a guy who is getting married to a woman of high standing in that polite society. He's had the same mistress for about 10 years, and people wonder whether or not he'll be able to give her up after such a long entanglement. he bulk of the film is told in flashback, which I normally don't like, but the flashbacks are long enough to actually say something. Anyway, There's this long romance between the 2.
The acting is quite good. Having no previous exposure to these actors, I could not evaluate their performances against previous performances they had given (see Heath ledger in my review of "The Dark Knight"). All players did a fine job. I felt that Asia Argento (in the role of the mistress) played her part extremely well. She really convinced me that she was a mistress in a tempestuous relationship.
I hate to disappoint my dear readers, but I cannot give a grade for the "That Guy" factor. I'm sure if I were more in touch with French cinema, I would recognize someone. Alas, I cannot.
The discussion factor, though, is moderately high. The issues it raises are obviously fidelity and keeping up appearances in society. Some larger issues would be: what is the nature of love? How does one express love? Is that love and its expression shaped by society? Should it be?
I would definitely recommend seeing this film. It would serve, ideally, as a good first foray into foreign films (though, in my humble, non-professional opinion Benigni"s "Life is Beautiful" is a better choice for that).
Acting: A- Directing: A That Guy Factor: N/A Overall rating: A-
Go ahead. Call me a tool all you want. But it's time for fantasy sports.
I don't take it seriously at all. I don't compete for money or prizes. I just do it for fun. It makes for an interesting way to follow the season. I signed up for fantasy football for the 1st time. I also just signed up for fantasy hockey. Both leagues are free on Yahoo!
I have 2 team names I like. My football team is the "Tie-Dyed Chasubles." And my hockey team is "The Green Alephs." For those dear readers who don't happen to have a churchly vocabulary, a chasuble is a liturgical garment worn during the celebration of Holy Communion. An aleph is the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet. The world kinda sounds like "olive"; that's why I picked it.
It occurred to me that this blog gets the most hits when it publishes photos. That's when I notice people from all over the world look at the pics. To those international viewers, I say "Welcome!" Keep looking at them! And please don't be afraid to leave a comment.
Today's pics are just random shots I took on several golf outings made this year. There's really no order to them.
Yesterday, I went to the annual chicken wing festival in Buffalo, NY. What a thrill! How could it not be, since chicken wings (or Buffalo wings, to you non-WNYers) are one of my all-time fave foods? It was great to try wings from all over the region, as well as the country. I was surprised at what a great value it was. It was $5 to get in, and then you had to buy a sheet of tickets. The sheets were $10. At the wing restaurants, 2 tickets got you 3 wings. So, a whole sheet got you 30 wings. My personal limit is about 20, so I had some leftover. Plus, drinks and non-wings foods were on a cash basis. Now, why you would go to a Chicken wing festival (in Buffalo, no less) and get a friggin' slice of pizza is beyond me. But, I digress.
The other big thrill for me was getting to meet and have my picture taken with the Wing King. He's a local guy named Drew Cerza (I hope I'm spelling that right). Anyway, he founded the festival. His other claim to fame was that he beat Bobby Flay on the "chicken wings" episode of "Throwdown." Nice, huh? That's us in the top photo.
So, the big question is this: Who had the best wings? Time to lay yet another bias on the table. I have to go with The Anchor Bar. It's one of my fave places to go in Buffalo. And they have the best wings in the known universe (in my book).
This blog marks the end of a hiatus. This blog has had many incarnations, some successful, some not so much.
Despite the title, I hope to not do much complaining. Most of this blog will be reactions and lists, thoughts and ideas.
This blog will probably not intoduce anything new or be very deep. In fact, most of what's on here will probably be quite inocuous and/or inane (to most of you anyway).
But, who knows? Maybe it'll give you something to talk about while you're bored.
