Fritz's World

An exciting and awe-inspiring glimpse into my life: movie reviews (which are replete with spoilers), Penn State football, Washington Nationals, and life here in the nation's capital. Can you handle it?

Tuesday, July 31, 2007

Two Spocks are better than one?

According to E! News, Leonard Nimoy will be making a cameo appearance in the upcoming Star Trek prequel, complementing actor Zachary Quinto as the younger version of our favorite Vulcan.

As the article mentions, Nimoy hasn't donned his pointed ears since Star Trek VI premiered in 1991, though I know he made a guest appearance in a two-part episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation right around the same time (though which came first, I can't quite recall.)

I'm still of two minds on whether a prequel should be made at all (I say again, did we learn nothing from Star Wars?), but I'll grant this: the addition of Nimoy to the fray will make this film a good bit more palatable. Audiences and Star Trek fans I'm sure will agree, given that Spock was always the preferred character over Captain Kirk—and actor William Shatner.

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Monday, July 30, 2007

In need of a laugh (V)

Instead of a YouTube video, this is an article from CNN.com entitled, "5 of the largest, oddest and most useless state projects". When I first saw the article, I was wondering if they were talking about highway interchanges and such—but instead, it read almost like a variation of the Darwin Awards, only with tax dollars at work.

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A hero's weekend?

It was a busy weekend in Paradise, that's for sure! The main event was Cal Ripken's induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame. The other (lesser-known) event was John Wayne being honored with a statue at the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma.

Both events make sense to me: Cal was the face of the Orioles for many years, bringing class and honor to the game, and John Wayne helped solidify the Western film genre. Welcome tributes to two great men.

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Saturday, July 28, 2007

The Simpsons Movie

In my lifetime, I've only been die-hard enough to see two movies on opening day—and as it so happens, they were both movies that jumped from a TV series to the big screen. The first was X-Files: Fight the Future in 1998. The other was The Simpsons Movie, nearly 10 years later. Given the immense popularity of The Simpsons, particularly after gracing the airwaves for 18 years, I actually didn't think I'd be able to make it into a showing on opening night. Indeed, the parking lot at Potomac Yards was rather full when I pulled in—but to my surprise, the ticket line was unexpectedly short. I arrived at the theater at 8:30 p.m., and the 9:25 showing was sold out, so I bought a ticket to the 9:55 showing. So for the next hour, I just hung out at the nearby Barnes & Noble in Potomac Yards . . . but when I returned to the theater and made my way to the auditorium, there was actually a line to get into the auditorium! And don't forget, these are people who've already bought tickets.

But getting in and finding a seat didn't prove to be a problem. And after 15 minutes of PG-rated trailers, the 20th Century Fox logo slowly circled into view, complete with its standard entrance music . . . only Ralph Wiggum stood inside the zero in "20th", singing along to the entrance music! From there we progress to a shot of a spacecraft landing on the moon, and who should emerge from the capsule but our favorite Simpsons cartoon duo, Itchy and Scratchy!!! Naturally, our favorite cartoon mouse (sorry, Mickey!) provides his trademark abuse to our favorite cartoon cat (sorry, Garfield!)—but then we suddenly see Homer stand up and start badmouthing Itchy and Scratchy. At this point, we realize that the Simpson family is actually in a movie theater themselves, watching an Itchy and Scratchy movie (though we're never clued in to whether it's the Itchy and Scratchy movie). Then Homer turns around and shouts to the audience, "Why pay money for something you could watch at home for free???"

With that lovable little jab at itself, we the audience went full steam ahead into The Simpsons Movie! And it was at this point, when the opening credits began to roll (in an ever-so-familiar pattern of Bart writing 100 times on the chalkboard, "I will not download this movie illegally"), that it finally hit me: The Simpsons had made the move to the big screen!!! In those few minutes, as I watched the beefed-up credit sequence play out, the realization of The Simpsons doing a feature film hit me like a runaway train . . . and my awed focus became razor sharp for the next hour and a half.

The first thing I noticed about the movie was the picture quality, in that it was significantly sharper than the TV show ever was. Plus, there was a far greater sense of three-dimensional depth to each scene! I don't know quite how they did it, but it was almost as if they took the movie and put 3-D glasses overtop! Hey, I'm not knocking the results, because it looked wonderful. And as the story opened, somehow it was easy to accept the Simpson family gracing the big screen. I welcomed them with unexpected and surprising ease, quite possibly because they've been on the small screen for so long that they finally deserved this leap upwards.

But anyway, as the story opens (and I must emphasize, there are spoilers from here on in!!!), Lisa is going door to door trying to get people to sign a petition that would prohibit the dumping of garbage in Springfield Lake. Suffice it to say, she gets the door slammed in her face at every turn. But along the way, she meets Colin, a young Irish boy whom she immediately falls for. Back at home, relations between Homer and Bart become strained when Bart, on a dare, skateboards naked from their house to Krusty Burger (and yes, the rumors are true: Bart does a full frontal, though it's very brief). Homer, though, decides not to take the fall, despite the fact that he encouraged Bart—all to avoid a one-hour class on good parenting. But while at Krusty Burger, Homer befriends the pig that was being used for Krusty's commercials . . . and after he takes him home and names him Spider Pig, it becomes clear to Bart that Homer's parental priorities don't lie with him anymore. Thus, he finds fatherly solace in a very unexpected place: Ned Flanders.

Lisa, meanwhile, is successful in stopping all dumping at Springfield Lake, courtesy of a rather nasty trick she played at the town meeting to sway public opinion to her side. But as it turns out, Springfield Lake is so badly polluted that even the littlest addition of filth will turn it into a full-on toxic waste dump. And who better to serve as the straw to break the camel's back than—you guessed it!—Homer Simpson? And how does he do it, you ask? Simple! By dumping a homemade silo full of pig feces into Springfield Lake.

At this point, Springfield Lake becomes a national emergency, and the EPA steps in to resolve this crisis. Leading this team is Russ Cargill, voiced by Albert Brooks A. Brooks, who always advises the president by giving him five minutely-detailed but often violent options to choose from. Please note, though, the president in The Simpsons Movie isn't George W. Nor is it Rainier Wolfcastle. It's the man he parodies: the governator himself, Arnold Schwarzenegger!!! And President Schwarzenegger orders a massive, impenetrable bubble placed over the town of Springfield . . . and when the townspeople of Springfield discover who's to blame, it's lynching time for the Simpson family!

I've heard a few reviewers decry The Simpsons Movie for being little more than a 90-minute TV episode, but I can't say I agree with their assessment. In fact, I found the movie to be rather daring! It kept to many of the tried-and-true Simpsons motifs, but took them a tad further at just the right moments. Not much, maybe, but enough to satisfy the fans of the show. For example, when Homer is walking through the snowy foothills of Alaska trying to get back to Springfield, he has a vision in which he must have epiphany . . . and in despair, Homer says something that I, as a Simpsons fan, never thought I'd hear him say in a million years, "I don't like myself anymore." Just that single moment of deep humility pushes the character of Homer to a level I've never seen before—to a human being who's actually vulnerable, despite his sloth and inconsiderate views towards his family. Because now he realizes all that he's lost, and what he must do to win it all back—prove once and for all that he's a good man and a good father.

I may be a little biased, me being a fan of the show and all—but you know what? Who cares??? I still give The Simpsons Movie a 9. For a show that's run for 18 seasons, it leapt remarkably well to the big screen, never once losing its edge or freshness. Rather, it was as delicious and fulfilling as a freshly-opened Duff Beer.

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Friday, July 27, 2007

The day all Simpsons fans have waited for

Today promises to be a big day—or at least a big night, with The Simpsons Movie premiering in theaters! The advertising campaign has been surprisingly strong, and apparently pretty well received. Normally, I don't pay attention to all the movie buzz leading up to a film's release (*cough cough* Harry Potter!), but given my affection for The Simpsons . . . well, this time I bought the ticket and took the ride (to paraphrase Hunter Thompson), starting with a visit to the Kwik-E-Mart in Bladensburg. (Also, the Post did a write-up earlier this week on The Simpsons and their creative team.)

Now, if I'm very very lucky, tonight I'll make it to Potomac Yards to see The Simpsons Movie. I'm sure it'll be a zoo at the theater (like any other Friday night, really), but I'm going to make a respectable attempt nonetheless. And if I'm not too weary tomorrow, I'll post a review.

In the meantime, let's enjoy some funny moments from the show.













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Does anyone really care what Marion Barry has to say?

So Marion Barry is going on record as saying he feels "betrayed" by the DC United's threat to leave the city should their new soccer stadium deal fall through. Now correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't seem to recall him displaying such feelings towards the Nats when MLB threatened to pull the plug on them for DC's inability to secure ballpark funding. If memory serves, Barry was ready to ride the Nats out of town on a rail!

In my personal opinion, Barry, opportunist that he is, was looking to capitalize off the anti-MLB fervor at the time and gain some grand standing in the public eye. So I can't help but wonder if his current support for the local soccer team is another such move.

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Tuesday, July 24, 2007

Godspeed, Todd Siebert

I've had the July/August issue of The Penn Stater sitting around my apartment for the last few weeks now, and on Saturday night, I finally picked it up to read. I just did a quick read-through, just glancing at some of the various articles and short columns in there . . . until something caught my eye.

Towads the end of the magazine is an In Memoriam section—and I realized that I recognized one of the faces there! The obit in question was for Todd Siebert, and his obituary column was headlined, "A True Military Man." I recognized him because he was someone I had several classes with when I was an undergrad at Penn State. He had already joined the Marines when I knew him, and according to the article, he died in a mortar attack in Iraq on February 16.

Truth be told, it's been years since I've thought about him, but the news of his death still fills me with great sadness. I guess because he was someone I knew and associated with, even though it was a long time ago, and it's sort of hard to believe that the classmate I knew from German 003, Philosophy 003, and Stat 100 has left this world.

Not sure what else to say, except that I salute you, Todd. Godspeed to you!

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Monday, July 23, 2007

Metro ride update

I received an e-mail not too long ago from Metro's customer service division, asking me to call them and supply more information on the 40-minute wait I endured for a Yellow Line train after a Nats game earlier this summer.

The operator I spoke to was very cordial and friendly, naturally asking for as much information as I could provide her, and while I doubt there's much for Metro to investigate in the matter (especially close to two months after the fact), they're nevertheless sending me a free trip ticket as compensation—which I actually didn't expect, though I'm very gratified by the gesture, because it shows me that Metro is taking their customer service more seriously than it recently has been. For my non-DC readers, Metro's gotten one hell of a bad reputation in the last several years for their customer service, not to mention various high-profile, embarrassing incidents (e.g., handcuffing a girl for eating a french fry).

While speaking with the customer service operator, it occurred to me to ask about the general service on the Yellow Line—specifically, the frequency of the train times. She assured me that the schedules haven't changed, and that they've in fact increased due to the line extension up to Fort Totten, even during off-peak and weekend hours. I haven't noticed this increase myself (hence why I was asking in the first place), but going forward, I'll try to make note of the time between trains and compare notes.

That being said, I think I can comfortably lay this matter to rest—even without $54 million!

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In need of a laugh (IV)

This clip is from Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, who learn a valuable lesson during a train robbery: less is better.

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Saturday, July 21, 2007

Déjà vu, anyone?

Negotiation breakdowns, threats to move the team from the city, demands for high-stakes financial concessions from both sides of the table: talking points that us Nats fans are all too familiar with. Though this morning I'm not talking about the Nats—I'm talking about the DC United!

In my morning stupor, I came across this article in the Post, and boy did it bring back memories of the Nats' ballpark negotiations with the city (most of them bad)! And the more I read it, the more I kept thinking, "Only in DC . . ." I guess it's a good thing I'm seeing my first DC United game next week, before the shit really hits the fan.

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Friday, July 20, 2007

Thoughts on Harry Potter (II)

(This was actually going to be my original posting today, but after careful consideration, I decided against it—in the interests of credibility. So I'm posting it now merely for a chuckle.)

My thoughts on tomorrow's release of the final Harry Potter novel:

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Thoughts on Harry Potter

Sorry, but I gotta get this out of my system.

The buzz is everywhere about tomorrow's release of the final Harry Potter novel. Amazon's got trillions of pre-orders to fill, and I'm sure Harry Potter parties tonight will rival any frat party. (And as icing on the cake, they've just released the latest film in the series.) I've honestly never read the books, and to be honest, I don't have any particular desire to. I did see the first two films (so no, you can't poo-poo me for dissing the series without having been exposed to it), and while the stories were original and innovative, they just didn't appeal to me. (Nor, for that matter, did any of the Tolkien stories—i.e., The Hobbitt or Lord of the Rings.)

I can commend the fact that Harry Potter has incentivized a lot of children to read (which is something our culture has needed badly for some time), but all the same, the stories just never appealed to me personally. So I can't get excited about book seven being released tomorrow.

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Thursday, July 19, 2007

In need of a laugh (III)

Does anyone remember the Claymation Christmas Special that was aired sometime in the late '80s? I don't know why, but it popped into my head recently, and this clip below was always my favorite.

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Wednesday, July 18, 2007

The transformation is complete!

I almost couldn't believe my ears when I heard it on the news last night, but apparently there's no denying it: the construction at the Springfield Interchange is now complete!

Having lived in Alexandria from 2001 to 2006, I bore witness to much of the construction—largely because my daily commute took me through the Springfield Interchange, starting in the summer of 2002. And I can tell you quite definitively that, at the time, traffic on the Outer Loop approaching Springfield was usually pretty bad. Traffic would slow to a crawl right around the Braddock Road exit, and I would inch my way forward for the next mile to my left-hand exit onto 395 north (the traffic slowdown was actually caused by all the cars wanting to exit onto 95 south).

I don't think it was until sometime in 2003, when a new exit ramp for 95 south opened up, that traffic started to open up and flow more smoothly from Braddock Road down to Springfield; after that, I encountered very few backups, unless it was an accident or disabled vehicle. And even though it didn't affect my commute at all, the opening of the flyover ramp from the Inner Loop onto 95 south was a huge event! But what boggled my mind was the fact that, not too long after it opened, the flyover too began to back up with traffic! (Talk about opening the floodgates, huh?)

Sometimes, though, I would drive down to Potomac Mills in Woodbridge or to some of the stores near the Springfield Mall, which would require me to travel 95 southbound, and I won't lie—sometimes the drive through the construction zone could be a bit hairy . . . particularly when trying to meander around all those tractor-trailers that love to travel 95 (oh, and I'm referring to the highway, too!). But I was reasonably pleased with the new ramps that I saw, and I kept my fingers crossed that in the final analysis, traffic would flow through there with greater ease.

I know there have been a lot of complaints about the signage around the Interchange, and I won't deny that they can be a bit confusing—largely because they seem so illogical. Like if you want to exit from the Inner Loop to the Franconia Road exit—which is only accessible from 95 southbound—the exit ramp begins on 495, and requires you to stay on 495 for a time, utilizing the original exit ramp from the Inner Loop onto 95 south (rather than take the flyover) to take you to the newly-formed Exit 169 for Franconia Road. I guess the only thing I can suggest to those who find this new layout confusing is to trust in the signs, to take it on faith that you're being pointed in the right direction . . . however illogical it may seem.

On a funnier note, I don't know if it's still up, but the Springfield Interchange website at one time posted photos of "before and after" shots, and a friend once jokingly remarked, "Got any sauce for that spaghetti?"

But with this project now complete, I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the Springfield "Mixing Bowl" is now less burdensome to travel through. Now all we need is for the Route 1 interchange by the Wilson Bridge to be finalized, and we'll be in business!

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Tuesday, July 17, 2007

Happy birthday, Kaylyn!

A happy birthday to the newly-crowned Mrs. Sweitzer!

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Monday, July 16, 2007

Who needs the Kwik-E-Mart?

(I doooooooooo!!!)

On Saturday afternoon, Will and I indulged our Simpsons nostalgia and ventured up to Bladensburg to visit the 7-Eleven turned Kwik-E-Mart. Suffice it to say, this was something I had to see with my own eyes, and it proved to be quite a fascinating experience.




Usually when I visit a 7-Eleven, I can count the number of customers (myself included) on one hand, but the crowd at the store on Saturday was surprisingly large! I'd like to think that the local fan following of The Simpsons is pretty strong, but in reality, I'm sure the draw came from the novelty of having a local convenience store converted into one from a TV show. In that respect, the redesigning of the store was primarily cosmetic—i.e., surface changes to make the store's exterior and street signs resemble that of the Kwik-E-Mart. But that's not to say 7-Eleven skimpped out on decorating the interior like the show! Many life-size cutouts of the show's regular characters were prominently featured, and signs above many of the displays shouted hilarious slogans like, "If you're not 100% satisfied, your money will be grudgingly refunded" or "Thank you for loitering."

Milhouse and Bart


Marge


Comic Book Guy—worst picture ever!


Frostilicus Jasper


Chief Wiggum

Naturally, much of the merchandise was tailored to the show, featuring such Simpsons brand material as Krusty O's cereal, Buzz Cola, Squishees, and Homer's infamous pink donuts. Duff Beer was noticeably absent from the fray, but that's partially because you can't buy alcohol in grocery stores within Maryland (whereas you can in Virgina).








The Buzz Cola was likely the generic 7-Eleven brand, and the Krusty O's cereal bore a good resemblane to Froot Loops (never a bad thing!). The Squishee machine was quite a popular draw, too. I bought the pina colada flavor, and Will bought the blue. Mine was pretty good, though it was quite sweet! (This might also be the appropriate time to make a confession: in my lifetime, I've actually never had a 7-Eleven Slurpee.)

My total purchase at the Kwik-E-Mart was $12.27, covering all the above-mentioned items. As Will also noted, these appeared to be the regular 7-Eleven prices—and not at all marked up for The Simpsons Movie. Good call on the part of 7-Eleven! The cashier even bade me farewell using Apu's famous line: "Thank you. Come again!"

I have to say, it was quite an impressive makeover at the Bladensburg Kwik-E-Mart! And this trip was definitely worth it.


Here, too, is Will's companion piece.

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Saturday, July 14, 2007

Nothing is sacred anymore (IV)

These clips just keep getting better and better! Either that or I'm getting more and more corrupt—neither of which is a bad thing. :)

But anyway, I stumbled across a Peanuts clip on YouTube recently that's recut to David Lynch's Blue Velvet. That loud, foul mouth you hear in the background is Dennis Hopper, in what has to have become his trademark role by now: the hilariously psychotic Frank Booth.

Be warned, this is not work-friendly! (Hence, why I'm posting this on a weekend.)



Though if that's a little too crazy for ya, allow yourself to be buoyed by the next clip (this one is work-friendly, and far more light-hearted).

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Friday, July 13, 2007

On this Friday the 13th . . .

Today is Friday the 13th. For me, that's usually a lucky day—particularly as I was born on Friday the 13th! Though for many a superstitious mind, this is a day that brings bad luck. So with that in mind, I now turn the discussion over to he who summed it up best.

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Thursday, July 12, 2007

Doh!

On behalf of all Washington-area Simpsons fans, I must loudly proclaim, "Doh!!!" For it has officially been announced that Springfield, VT, has been selected for the premiere of The Simpsons Movie.

I first learned of this selection process a few months back, when it was announced that Hollywood would premiere the film in one of the many Springfields around the U.S. Naturally, I was cheering for Springfield, VA, because of its proximity to me; it sits just outside the Beltway—and in fact came to notoriety for housing one of the area's three "mixing bowls."

But given that I won't be in Vermont for The Simpsons Movie premiere, the choice now becomes whether I remain die-hard enough to see the film on opening night at Potomac Yards, or whether I wait until it runs at the Drafthouse.

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Wednesday, July 11, 2007

The Good German

When I discovered that Steven Soderbergh, creator of such films as Traffic, Ocean's Eleven, and sex, lies, and videotape, was migrating back to the director's chair—particularly for a film outside of the Ocean's Eleven franchise—I grew excited rather quickly! That new film was The Good German, and at first glance (i.e., the long-ago description on IMDb, coupled with the trailer), it appeared to be very compelling! A wondrously good trait for an established director like Soderbergh.

But then I saw the lukewarm reception it was receiving prior to its DVD release (I missed it during its brief theatrical run), and I became a little unsettled, largely because I had been anticipating a new Soderbergh film (again, outside the Ocean's Eleven franchise) for some time—and when you're anticipating something this much, naturally you don't want to be disappointed. So when I finally sat down to watch The Good German, I kept my fingers crossed.

The Good German stars George Clooney in the role of Jake Geismar, an American Army journalist who comes to Berlin to cover the Potsdam Conference just weeks after the collapse of the Third Reich in World War II. He's met by Patrick Tully (Tobey Maguire), who's to serve as his driver for the duration of Geismar's stay in Berlin—but we see right away that Tully is a pretty shady character, particularly when he steals Geismar's wallet shortly after meeting him. And as the story unfolds, we discover that Tully is actually a war profiteer who regularly crosses into the Russian-controlled part of Berlin to do black market dealings with his Russian counterparts. Plus, he's recently entered into a relationship with Lena Brandt (a barely recognizable Cate Blanchett), who's not only Geismar's ex-girlfriend but who's also married to Emile Brandt—a hotly-pursued German scientist . . . who just so happens to be missing. In fact, Tully is mistaken for the missing Emile a few times—until Tully ends up dead one morning.

With a starting point like this, you'd think an edge-of-your-seat Steven Soderbergh thriller would follow, but sadly it never quite came to fruition as such, largely due to several factors—the major one being the focus of style over plot.

The filmic style of The Good German catches the viewer's attention right from the get-go. Opening with the old-school Warner Brothers logo followed by the 1940's style credits flow, you can sense right away that Soderbergh intends to pay tribute to the noir films of the 1940s—because The Good German is filmed entirely by old-school techniques (boom mikes, back-lot sets, etc.). Thus, we don't see the film in widescreen but rather windowbox framing that later gives way to full-screen framing. This initially caught me off-guard, but later began to make sense, since widescreen framing wasn't as common in the 1940s as it is now. (Correct me if I'm wrong, but Casablanca is a full-screen print, yes?) The retro filming style was impressive, but two major factors made the style lose ground:

  1. It featured modern-day scenarios, like graphic sex scenes or f-bombs being dropped helter-skelter. While these traits are more commonplace nowadays, they look brazenly out of place in the context of a black-and-white 1940s film noir. Stylistically, sex would have been more implied, and language would have been kept to an extreme minimum—and I use the word "extreme" because it was a huge deal just to say the line, "Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn" in 1939's Gone With the Wind. That's how taboo language was back then.
  2. It featured modern actors, who looked noticeably out of place in a 1940s noir setting. Maybe I'm just used to seeing George Clooney, Tobey Maguire, Beau Bridges, or Leland Orser in modern films, but somehow it took away from the ambiance to have them show up in this setting. (To be fully honest, even seeing George Clooney in Good Night, and Good Luck was a stretch.) Cate Blanchett is the one exception, though, and I don't know how she did it, but she actually blended in perfectly with the 1940s filmic style. I partially wonder if it was a combination of her acting and the makeup, because she played the 1940s femme fatale in much the same way Ingrid Bergman or Marlene Dietrich did years before.
Just a thought, but to really go the extra mile in filming this like a '40s noir, the end credits should have been one single screen listing all the characters and their actors set to a few dramatic bars of score, rather than the modern 5-minute rolling of the full cast and crew.

The one element I did enjoy, though, was the shared narration—i.e., different characters narrating the story at different times. Usually, it's just one character providing voiceover narration, but here we have all three leads do voiceover. That was a nice touch! And since we're on the subject of acting . . . I have to be honest, I felt it was just standard-fare acting, with the actors merely playing themselves—with the notable exception of Cate Blanchett, as I said earlier. But the Jake Geismar that George Clooney offers up isn't that different from any of his other acting jobs over the years. Tobey Maguire doesn't offer much substance, either. The only thing we get from his rendition of Tully is that he's a slimy war profiteer only interested in lining his own pockets. Plus, he wasn't even in the film for very long! (Tully turns up dead after maybe half an hour.) I can't even say that Leland Orser added anything significant to the mix—even though it was a nice touch to see him play a character who wasn't hyper or edgy (think of his cameo in Se7en).

The plot had lots of problems as well, because the film left lots of questions unanswered. Plus, the story often hinted at a deeper, more sinister plot with important questions being asked, but ultimately the audience is left hanging because these plot points and questions are never revisited. Plus, the ending literally screamed Casablanca. Given the nostalgic noir style of the film, I'm betting Soderbergh intended this as an homage—but somehow, I don't think many filmgoers will see it that way.

As much as I want to like this film, I can't give The Good German more than a 5. Given the elements that went into making The Good German, particularly from as good a director as Soderbergh, this was a film that had great potential. It's just unfortunate that it didn't come together in the end to fully realize that potential.

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Tuesday, July 10, 2007

I missed the Commish

MLB Commissioner Bud Selig did a chat on MLB.com today, but I unfortunately missed it. I wanted to ask him how he justifies selling the Nats' TV rights to the man who tried to move heaven and earth to keep a team out of Washington, but I guess that question will have to wait till the next chat.

On another note, tonight's the All-Star game, and I'm glad the Nats are representin'.

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Monday, July 09, 2007

"Oh, they don't close Florida!"

(But apparently they close PA?)

I wasn't even aware of this until I went up to PA this weekend (I was in a friend's wedding), but apparently the state of PA has reached a budget impasse that's shut down state operations until an agreement can be reached.

As a transplanted PA native, I've known a lot of people who have worked for the state, though I have no word on whether any of them have been furloughed or not.

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Friday, July 06, 2007

Wedding Crashers

Tomorrow, my friend Colby gets married (I'm a groomsman in his wedding), and in the spirit of the occasion, I popped Wedding Crashers into the DVD player recently. Let me tell ya, this movie was a classic right from the moment it hit the theaters—and it gave me some ideas about doing my own wedding crashing! Just picture it: me dancing with some beautiful guest at Colby's reception, then me choking up and uttering that famous phrase, "We lost a lot of good men out there . . ."

Okay, okay, now that you're done laughing (or rolling your eyes), let's get back to Wedding Crashers, where we have Frat Pack regulars Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson starring as Jeremy Grey and John Beckwith, respectively. They're childhood friends who now have their own law practice in DC, specializing in (of all things) divorce settlements. Even as the film opens, they're right in the middle of one such settlement (between Dwight Yoakam and Rebecca De Mornay, neither of whom I recognized immediately). The session has turned into a major bickering match between the newly-crowned exes, and John and Jeremy manage to calm the situation by bringing back memories of their wedding, which they're so sure was a happy time, with dancing and frolicking and crabcakes galore. This first scene serves to showcase Vince and Owen at their comedic best, right from the get-go, highlighting their chemistry and camaraderie to a T.

But shortly after this settlement meeting, John breaks the news to Jeremy that wedding season is right around the corner . . . and what follows is a 15-minute extravaganza where John and Jeremy show up at every wedding imaginable, and completely crash it—i.e., don fake names, happily mingle with all the guests, party and dance like there's no tomorrow . . . and use the perfect maneuvers to bed every beautiful unwed female guest at each wedding. (Let me tell ya, the "Shout" montage is just mouthwatering! Can we say, "Boobs galore"?)

So yeah, when John and Jeremy aren't settling divorces, they're crashing weddings and getting as much tail as they possibly can. (Enough to make a guy envious, really.)

But at the conclusion of wedding season, Jeremy discovers one wedding that he describes as "the Kentucky Derby of all weddings"—that of the daughter of U.S. Secretary Cleary, one of John's role models from college and played by none other than Christopher Walken. I think it's safe to say that, at this particular wedding, John and Jeremy get in a little over their heads (pun most certainly intended!) when Gloria (a smokin' hot Isla Fisher), Jeremy's wedding catch who proves to be a little more clingy—and far more sexually-liberated—than he expects, persuades her family to invite John and Jeremy to their estate for a weekend of sailing, football, and general partying. Jeremy's strong reservations are tossed aside by John, who's unexpectedly fallen for Claire (Rachel McAdams), the older daughter of the secretary . . . who's naturally betrothed to another guy, this one the mandatory jerk who has no business being with someone like Claire. Add in Jane Seymour as the secretary's wife—who has her eye firmly set on John—and you have the makings for either a highly successful or an outrageously disastrous weekend.

Though what John and Jeremy get is something in the middle . . . which essentially equates to a weekend of unbridled lunacy, but with the clock ticking on how fast they can go without being caught for what they are—wedding crashers who have been pulled in a little too far (and yes, being that this is a Frat Pack movie, there's raunch galore!). Yet as the weekend goes by, the lines begin to blur about who's crazier: John and Jeremy, or the entire Cleary family. Jane Seymour seriously renounces her pure Dr. Quinn persona for a more sex-hungry leading lady. Believe it or not, she even does a topless scene! (Okay, more of a side-boob scene, but still.) The Cleary grandmother steals every scene she's in with her over-the-top proclamations about the Roosevelt family, and Gloria proves to be damn near psychotic! She literally becomes Jeremy's worst nightmare—yet you can't stop laughing at all her antics! Just take the dinner scene, which had to be one of the funniest scenes in the whole movie (though if you're offended by raunchy humor, you might want to skip this).



Between Owen and Vince, I'm more of a Vince fan, and here in Wedding Crashers, he was definitely at his best. I'd say it's an even split between his acting abilities and the dialogue he delivers, because his anger and frustration are perfectly delivered at every turn. Owen Wilson makes a good turn as the smitten John, who decides to cast off his party-boy wedding crasher role in search of pure emotion with Claire—and who makes true love look so easy. Christopher Walken, though . . . well, here he just played Christopher Walken. Don't get me wrong, I think the man's a fabulous actor! But I think his talents aren't being utilized to the best of their ability, and instead he does so much supporting work nowadays that's really almost cookie-cutter in scope (i.e., it's largely all the same). That's not to say that it wasn't a treat to see him here in Wedding Crashers (because it was!), but it just bothers me to see an actor like Christopher Walken take such standardized roles.

On first viewing, though, I completely didn't see Will Ferrell's cameo coming (even though I should have). When I first saw this scene, somehow I knew that the actor emerging from the darkness was going to be big, but for some reason it just never occurred to me that it would be Will Ferrell. And yes, I do admit to not being the world's biggest Will Ferrell fan, but here in Wedding Crashers, his cameo is priceless . . . and jaw-dropping.



The only spot where Wedding Crashers started to drag was towards the end, I felt, when John falls into his funk over Claire. Plotwise, it was expected and probably necessary, but I think it could have been pared down some. But beyond that, Wedding Crashers earns no less than a 9 on my scale, with the following proclamation: if you enjoy raunchy humor at its raunchiest, watch Wedding Crashers. If you like outrageous comedy that you never in a million years thought you'd see on the big screen, watch Wedding Crashers. If you like seeing Frat Packers pull off some of their finest work, watch Wedding Crashers. Or if you just like looking at hot women, watch Wedding Crashers. All of the above reasons are good enough for me!

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Thursday, July 05, 2007

The London experience

I can think of at least one person who'd want this long-awaited posting to be headlined, "Dateline: London", but that headline would only work if I were blogging directly from London.

But anyway, as many of you already know, I went to London recently for business (thankfully, my visit took place before the London bomb scare), and during my downtime in the evenings and over the weekend, I played Mr. American Tourister to great effect.

Some of you were aware of this next bit, too, but my business trip to London actually coincided with my parents' vacation there! They had made their vacation plans long before I was even asked to go for work, so it was just an ironic twist of timing that we should end up there at the same time. But all the same, talk about a supreme moment of "Of all the gin joints in all the world . . ." (Though upon reflection, maybe we should substitute "pubs" for "gin joints.")

All told, though, spending a week in London was quite a remarkable experience, and as you can see, I have plenty to talk about! (NB: most links will take you to pictures.)

Cultural Adaptations

The only major cultural adjustment I had to endure were cars driving on the left side of the road. I knew to expect this, but it's actually something of a shocker to look down from your airplane and see an entire highway of cars driving on the left side.

I have to admit, I never quite got used to this. I might add, too, that it made crossing the street rather confusing. I'm so accustomed to looking left, then right, when crossing the street that it genuinely threw my sense of left and right out of whack by having to reverse that. Thankfully, though, messages were painted on the ground at each crosswalk, "Look to the right" or "Look to the left"—so that helped. My one tour guide made mention of this, and I wasn't sure if she was joking or serious (probably both!), but she said that the tourism industry was suffering without these signs because way too many foreigners were being run over from looking the wrong way.

Finding my office was a little challenging at first, too. For one thing (and this is my own fault), I didn't have any kind of real London map on hand when I arrived. The only geographical reference points I had were Google printouts showing where my office and hotel were. And trying to determine street names provided an unexpected twist! I was looking for street signs up on posts, like I'd normally see in America. Instead, what I found were the street names printed on the sides of the buildings, up around the second floor! I might confess, I found this approach rather fascinating.

Oh, I almost forgot about something! This isn't necessarily a cultural thing, mind you, but more of a noodle-scratcher: the hotel I stayed in didn't have any public phones. I first noticed this when I thought to call my parents to arrange a dinner meeting after I'd arrived in town—and lo and behold, there wasn't a phone in sight within my room! According to the front desk, too, the hotel didn't have any public phones, so I had to make any and all calls either from a pay phone or from my office phone.

The Pubs

Before I left, I was telling people that I'd probably spend every night at the pubs—and I wasn't kidding, either!

The pubs were quite a fascinating experience! "Pub" is short for "public house", and it's sort of a cross between bars and classy restaurants. It's a place where class and wealth don't matter, where everyone is equal, and where anyone can go to wind down from a long day at work. I found the experience of dining at a pub much more logical (and relaxing!) than a regular American bar: at a pub, you order your beer and food right there at the bar, and pay right when you order. The waiter serves your beer right then and there, and brings your food to your table when it's ready. To me, this feels more efficient than ordering at your table.

One thing I noticed right away is that the pub menu is exactly the same from pub to pub. I kid you not—there's little to no deviation whatsoever. I visited several pubs while in London, though I divided my time primarily between two (The Museum Tavern near work, and The Goat across from Kensington Gardens), and again, the menu was practically identical at each one. From the set menu, various dishes I sampled included the black angus burger, the eggs and mash, the sausage and mash, the Ploughman, and it was all fabulous! The portions were quite large, too. They don't look large at first sight, but when you actually dive into it with a knife and fork, all the servings of sausage, bacon (more resembling cooked ham than strips of pig meat), steak and ale pie (like pot pie but with different meat), baked ham, mashed potatoes and gravy, fried eggs, thick slices of cheese, mincemeat, hard bread, apples, cooked carrots, and peas . . . let's just say I never left hungry. And a few times, I was even brave enough to order dessert: bramley apple pie (apple pie served with hot custard) and profiteroles (little cream puffs with powdered sugar and warm chocolate sauce drizzled overtop).

And for all those wondering, yes, the Guinness was fabulous! I'd actually already sampled some authentic European Guinness before this visit, but consuming the genuine article in a British pub is an experience in its own right.

The London Tube

Having lived in DC for knocking on 7 years now, riding the subway has become second nature to me. I rode the Tube literally from the moment I arrived, because it runs from Heathrow to the general neighborhood of my London office (a very long ride, I might add). The rail cars and the stations are more reminiscent of the New York subway system in terms of station architecture and rail car layout, and I felt completely safe riding the Tube, even at the oddest of hours.

The Tube has a few practices, too, that I think DC's Metro could take a few pointers from:
  • Rail cars run with surprising frequency, even during off-peak hours and weekends. I got on the Tube around 7:15 Saturday morning and again at 8:30 Sunday night, and if this had been the Metro, I'd have waited at least 10-15 minutes, minimum, for what would probably be a Blue Line train. On this particular weekend in London, I waited no more than two minutes for a train, with each line running one after the other. I can't tell you how much this eased my travel throughout the city!


  • There are several more rail lines on the system, covering a vastly greater amount of the city. So that like the New York subway system, you can take the Tube to damn near anywhere you wish.


  • The "Walk to the left, stand to the right" signs have been a constant issue on DC-area escalators, and I noticed a practice on the Tube that I think might work for Metro: on London's escalators, they post signs that simply read, "Stand to the right." That alone I think is enough to get the point across that those wanting to stand on the escalator, as opposed to walking, should move over to the right. Thus, those wishing to walk can simply take the pathway on the left—thus alleviating Metro's worry about liability for "encouraging" people to walk on the left, because it doesn't actively encourage people to walk. It just asks those who are going to stand to politely move to the right.
The British Museum

Our London office is actually located right next to the British Museum, which is famous for housing one of the world's largest collections of Ancient Egyptian artifacts and exhibits (next to the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, of course). And I'm not talking random Egyptian artifacts here—I'm talking actual mummies and sarcophagi of famous rulers, like Ramesees and Cleopatra! I've held a lifelong fascination with Ancient Egypt, and paying a visit to the British Museum was like winning the lottery for me.

Suffice it to say, I got a bit camera-happy when I walked into the Egyptian wing—and let me tell ya, they waste no time thrusting you into the exhibits! The very first exhibit after you pass through the entrance is nothing less than the Rosetta Stone! Off to the right, you're greeted by the busts of Ramesees II and Amenhotep III, a portion of the beard from the Sphinx, several vaults and sarcophagi, countless artifacts, artworks, eye-catching mosaics . . . and last but not least, actual mummies. The real treat was the mummy of Cleopatra, which was visibly rewrapped but nevertheless captivating, because right in front of my very eyes was an actual historical figure! The feeling of standing outside Cleopatra's case was much the same as when I first visited Washington's tomb at Mount Vernon and understood that one of the fathers of this nation was literally only a few feet away from me.

Adjacent to the Egyptian wing was a Greek exhibit. Here we found several sculptures from the Parthenon, along with the Elgin Marbles—the highlight of the Greek exhibit.

Windsor Castle

Once work was done for the week, I fell fully into the tourist role, and on Saturday I ever-so-subtly made my way into my parents' tour group of Windsor Castle.

I was surprised to discover that Windsor isn't too far from London, actually (just past Heathrow). I had kind of expected it to be out in the country—which is was, but I had guessed it to be further from the city. The town surrounding Windsor is quite charming, with a lot of quaint little houses lined up along narrow streets—though the castle itself overshadows all else.

All my photos are of the outside of the castle, because no photography was allowed inside. A pity, because the interior was quite eye-catching as it showcased some beautiful architecture and artifacts from past monarchies. (We were even lucky enough to witness a changing-of-the-guard ceremony in the courtyard outside!) The castle tour itself lasted only about an hour, and at the end, we managed to get a very informal tour of the chapel below, where several past monarchs (and a few more recent ones) are buried.

Touring London

Visiting the British Museum was the first real chance I had to play tourist inside London. After returning from Windsor (outside London), we hopped onto the double-decker tour bus that goes all around the city—passing nearly all of the key sites and providing tourists (like me) once-in-a-lifetime chances to see some of the most famous monuments, relics, and sites that we have heretofore only seen in movies and on postcards.

And let me state here and now that some sites, such as Big Ben, can only be seen with the naked eye, because postcards and photos in no way compare to seeing it up close and personal!

Though before we got to Big Ben and Parliament, we passed by such sites as Marble Arch, St. Martin in the Fields (which was actually undergoing extensive renovation), the National Gallery, Piccadilly Circus, as well as several random sites. Then we came up on Big Ben and Parliament, Westminster Abbey, 10 Downing Street (I never knew they were all within blocks of each other!), the London Eye, St. Paul's Cathedral (which was even visible from my hotel room), the Tower of London—and of course, the Tower Bridge! Only briefly did we get to see some of Buckingham Palace, but by then it had started to rain heavily, so we sought refuge in the most logical place—inside the nearest pub.

I didn't make it over to Hyde Park, but my parents were actually staying near Kensington Gardens, which houses Kensington Palace—birthplace of Queen Victoria and current home to various royal relatives. As expected, the grounds of Kensington Gardens are quite spectacular! And not too far from there is Royal Albert Hall (which Alfred Hitchcock helped make famous) as well as the Albert Memorial.

Stonehenge

Like Big Ben, the ancient grandeur and mystique of Stonehenge can only be experienced up close and personal; no amount of pictures can prepare you for the real thing. Sadly, though, it poured rain the entire time I was there—but I was still able to get in a fair amount of pictures (but nearly froze in the process, because it was only 50-some degrees out in a cold rain, and I was wearing only a T-shirt).

I didn't even see Stonehenge when the bus was approaching the site, but I was looking out my bus window at the countryside, and then much to my surprise, my tour guide announced, "We're here!" Caught off-guard, I shot bolt-upright in my seat and began frantically looking out the windows—and lo and behold, there it was, right at the top of the next hill and off to the right. Despite the rain, Stonehenge was still very crowded that day! Nobody was allowed to get up inside the circle of stones; everyone had to follow a circular footpath around the monument, but even so, the path still allowed us to get pretty close—maybe to within 10 or 20 feet!

Moss covered many of the stone slabs, but that's to be expected after eons of exposure to the elements. Yet in a way, it enhanced the ancient mystique of Stonehenge, because it makes the mind wonder what rituals took place on this same site hundreds, thousands of years before our time.

Bath

A visit to Bath was part of the Stonehenge tour. By the time we left Stonehenge, it had finally stopped raining (Murphy's Law to full effect), and the drive to Bath was serene and uneventful—though it afforded lots of beautiful countryside (more on that below).

We arrived in Bath late into the afternoon, and it struck me as being much smaller a town than I had expected. In a way, it felt like a small town with a bustling day-to-day life, with quite a lot of shops and plenty of sites to see. We parked near Bath Abbey, which was just as stunning as Westminster Abbey in London, and just around the corner from the abbey were the famous Roman baths that we had come to see. We only had about an hour to spend inside the baths, so it was up to us to make the most of it. Upon entering the building, we immediately came into something of a rotunda that greatly called to mind domed ceilings of Ancient Rome (not to mention the National Art Gallery in DC!).

At first, we could only view the baths from the glass enclosures above, but the end of the tour allowed us to get up close and personal with them—though not to go into the baths themselves, because the water was very old (and probably contaminated). I could be wrong in this, but I think I'd heard that the water was the original water used in the baths thousands of years ago! But in between the glass enclosure and the final baths were several underground exhibits. I didn't get to see what many of them actually were (since I didn't listen to all of the audio tour), but they were quite eye-catching all the same.

On a funnier note, we ran into something of a heckler when we were about to depart for our return trip to London. A middle-aged lady was standing near several of the tour buses, was visibly drunk, and started heckling Americans a little bit, with such lines like, "You're a weird lot, we don't understand you, but I still love you guys!" My slightly embarrassed tour guide politely suggested the heckler have a nice pot of tea when she returns home. The heckler's happy proclamation in response to said suggestion was, "I drink gin." Touché!

Countryside

Let me state this here and now: the British countryside is unbelievably beautiful! I must have taken close to 30 pictures of the countryside alone when I went out to Bath and Stonehenge. The countryside is so vast, so green, so lush, that it's almost impossible to take your eyes off it. And on this particular day, the clouds over the horizon were simply indescribable! It poured rain all through the Stonehenge visit, so dark grey clouds hung precariously over the horizon for much of the afternoon, but the interplay between the dark clouds and the bright white puffy clouds were so stark that it was impossible to take my eyes off them. The brightness of the white clouds was actually augmented by the darkness of the storm clouds, creating an unbelievable and captivating contrast.

In Conclusion

What can I say, except that this was one hell of a trip!!! I highly recommend going for those ever itching to travel the UK! The food is excellent, the sites are spectacular, the people are nice—it's well worth it.

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Wednesday, July 04, 2007

Fireworks pictures from the Riverhouse roof







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Happy 4th of July!

May your barbecues be plentiful, may your fireworks be spectacular! Me, I plan to sit back and relax, possibly go to the Nats game, definitely see the fireworks from the roof of Riverhouse.



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Monday, July 02, 2007

Apu would be proud!

At first I thought this article was a joke, but the more I read, the more I want to make a 7-Eleven run to see if this is true! If so, I think I'll buy myself some Buzz Cola, a squishee—and most importantly, some Duff beer!

According to the article, the nearest converted store to me would be Bladensburg, MD.

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Sunday, July 01, 2007

Does lightning strike twice?

Today was part one of Colby's bachelor party, and suffice it to say, it's been a full day: lots of beer, burgers, snack food, bocce ball, croquet, Texas Hold 'Em, even fireworks! (No strippers, though.) Tomorrow we embark on part two, as it were: a trip to Atlantic City! And as I sit here remembering the last time a bachelor party migrated to Atlantic City, I have to wonder . . . will history repeat itself? Will lightning strike twice? (Brad, I'm looking in your direction!)

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