popplers

This Vicious Cabaret

V for Vendetta (IMDb:8.1|Rot:75%)

With no small number of misgivings, we went to see V for Vendetta Wednesday night. The uneasy feeling was rooted in the historically poor cinematic treatment of Alan Moore works (League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, From Hell), the increasing levels of suckitude in the Matrix-sequels, and the fact that the graphic novel is so gorram perfect. But I was encouraged by the 75% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and it was playing at the local theatre. So, fortified by ginger tea and dinner at the Korean restaurant, we headed off to the Fine Arts.

It wasn't perfect, but it was pretty darn good. I hereby forgive the Wachowski Brothers for The Matrix Reloaded (but not Revolutions). I had completely forgotten until the end credits that Hugo Weaving is "V"; he was quite good. Stephen Fry was excellent (as always). The plot is simplified (out of necessity), but the critical elements are there. Worth the $7.50 ticket price. It's been quite a while since I've read the graphic novel, and we'll see if re-reading it changes my opinion of the movie any.

They say that there's a broken light for every heart on Broadway.
They say that life's a game, then they take the board away.
They give you masks and costumes and an outline of the story
Then leave you all to improvise their vicious cabaret…

In no-longer-pretty cities there are fingers in kitties.
There are warrants, forms, and chitties and a jackboot on the stair.
Sex and death and human grime, in monochrome for one thin dime,
But at least the trains all run on time but they don't go anywhere.

Friday quickies

• Fluff New York Times article on the eternal popularity of zombies.
• If you live in the Bay Area, you can get homemade Indian lunches, delivered to your door for $4-8. Brilliant! Bonus word: tiffin.
• Brazilian pastry chef at Cambridge restaurant Chez Henri offers yummy-sounding boca negra, a dense chocolate-chipotle cake.
• Cat and Girl on theoretical vegetarianism!

Brainless fun

Harold & Kumar Go To White Castle (IMDb:7.1|Rot:72%)

Last weekend, while we were battling the creeping crud, we watched Harold & Kumar Go To White Castle. It's stupid, with lots of crude humor, but it had some extremely funny moments. The dream sequence where Kumar romps with (and marries) a giant bag of weed is an absolute hoot, as is Anthony Anderson's Burger Shack scene. There are places where the plot doesn't make a particle of sense, and bathroom humor galore, but also some interesting and funny commentary on race and class. It's a stoner buddy movie about a road trip through New Jersey, and worth a Netflix rental. (It was a lot better than Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, even as it covered some of the same territory.)

"May I interject for a second? As a Burger Shack employee for the past three years, if there's one thing I've learned, it's that if you're craving White Castle, the burgers here just don't cut it. In fact, just thinking about those tender little White Castle burgers with those little, itty-bitty grilled onions that just explode in your mouth like flavor crystals every time you bite into one… just makes me want to burn this motherfucker down. Come on, Pookie, let's burn this motherfucker down! Come on, Pookie! Let's burn it, Pookie! Let's burn this motherfucker down! Let's burn it down! Let's burn it! So you guys maybe should just suck it up and go to White Castle."

The Flufferettes? <snrk>

The Boston Globe has a feature in today's Business section, amusingly titled Salute to Fluff. Williams-Sonoma has been infringing on Durkee-Mower's Fluffernutter trademark by selling Fluffernutter candybars. (They don't seem to be selling them anymore— I couldn't find them on the W-S web site.) From the "Salute":

An early Fluff container, from 1935. In the 1930s the company launched a radio show, The Flufferettes. Then came a cookbook, The Yummy Book, an updated version of which is available on the company's website, at www.marshmallowfluff.com.

I still shudder whenever I see Raspberry Fluff.

Flu news

I love this sentence: "At the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, ferret sneezes are frozen in tiny vials and locked up in a high-security chamber called an enhanced biosafety Level 3 laboratory."

Here's to old RPI

Tyler Hinman wins again! I'm really bummed that I was too sick to make it to Stamford for the American Crossword Puzzle Tournament, but it's great to see an Engineer take first place.

After the weekend-long tournament that draws puzzlers from around the world, Hinman, 21, started the final crossword in third place behind Kedlaya and Ripstein, who held a small lead. But only Hinman completed the 70-word puzzle in the 15 minutes allotted, making him the youngest champion to win the tournament for the second consecutive year.

"I wanted to prove last year wasn't a fluke," said Hinman, originally from Hebron. "I earned this victory. I'm wired."

Friday quickies!

• Try out to be a Jeopardy! contestant— on-line!
• The Onion A.V. Club interviews Ray Harryhausen and Billy Bragg!
• Via Poz: Douglas Coupland interviews Morrissey.

  "It's not my job to develop a therapeutic analysis of the man, but I think that he's pulled so far into his shell that, save whatever friends and family he has, he's genuinely become what he once pretended to be - that reclusive glumster we all fell in love with - cranky and restless in his bedsit, mooning about obscure stars from distant eras. Which is to say, it's his myth, and he's very happy with it, thank you, and if you don't like it, piss off. And it's also why we Morrissey fans love Morrissey. Everybody wins."

Worst. Vacation. Ever.

We're back from Florida, but still deep in the throes of Martian death flu. Survived the trip home thanks to an assortment of over-the-counter decongestants, antihistamines, cough suppressants, and painkillers. My brain hurts.

My blogging technique is unstoppable

Don't miss the whole new batch of Get Your War On comics that were recently posted. Excellent and harsh as always—

Here's George Bush's constitutional analysis: "I don't understand the fuckin' thing, so why should I obey it? It's written in some kind of loop-de-loop old-timey scribble language anyway."

I also love the one that slams Dennis Miller as a "has-been with a beard and a thesaurus."

Tuesday quickies!

• Snacking yesterday spurred a discussion on where "baby" carrots come from. A quick search turned up these (old) articles on the origins of bachelor carrots and a green advice columnist's take on the ethics of consuming them.
• Free coffee at Starbuck's tomorrow (Wednesday, March 15) from 10 a.m. to noon!
• I love The Onion: New Poll Finds 86 Percent Of Americans Don't Want To Have A Country Anymore. "I already belong to a health club, a church, and the Kiwanis Club," Tammy Golden of Los Angeles wrote. "I'm a member of the Von's Grocery Super Savers, which gets me a discount on certain groceries. These are all well-managed organizations with real benefits. None of them send me a confusing bill once a year and make me work it out myself, then throw me in jail if I get it wrong."

At cross purposes

In preparation for the American Crossword Puzzle Tournament, I started reading Marc Romano's Crossworld. (I finished Kitchen Confidential last week (recommended) and haven't yet returned to Tender at the Bone.)

So far, I like it because I'm interested in the subject matter. (You can read the first chapter over at Powells.com.) But I think that Amazon.com reviewer Steve Koss pretty much nails it:

As for the 500-odd participants in the contest, the author blithely assures us that they are mostly introverts, mostly white, scrupulously honest, unhealthily consumed by puzzling, and just all-around nice people. As human insights go, these are remarkably trite. Romano apparently decided he was far more interesting than anyone else at the contest. We learn about his dating habits, his drinking habits, his use of Ativan to calm himself into a semi-hallucinatory state, and an off-base story about how his puzzling skills helped him acquire "a new bedmate." What should have been a fascinating account of crosswording aficionados ends up being mostly the author's stargazing at New York Times puzzle editor Will Shortz and navel-gazing over his own skills.

Ahh, spring.

For the past few days, it has been lovely and warm. Almost warm enough to open the windows, but not quite. Warm enough to not wear a coat and hat, and to defiantly wear a short-sleeved shirt, just so you can insist, No, I'm not cold. The crocuses are starting to emerge (but not bloom). Yesterday, our backyard was bird central: titmice, chickadees, nuthatch, cardinal, junco. And so, popplers brings you poetry, surprisingly not written by Ogden Nash. The official title is "Spring in the Bronx".

Spring is sprung,
Duh grass is riz
I wonder where dem boidies is.

Duh little boids is on duh wing--
But dat's absoid:
Duh little wing is on duh boid.

I am so jealous that I did not think of this.

The idea of an Academy Awards soiree wherein all of the food is representive of the nominated films is just brilliant. I just read about Sandy and Sarah's Oscarlicious party, which had an extensive menu including Shepherd's pie (Brokeback Mountain), Hummus (Syriana), Calamari salad (The Squid & The Whale), and many other entrees heavily dependent on awful puns. But I am truly saddened that I did not come up with the idea of reenacting March of the Penguins with penguins made from olives, carrots, and cream cheese. (Of course, I might have used olives, carrots, and hard-boiled eggs, but that's just me.)

3 things that hurt my brain today

In the order in which I read them:

• Via No soap, radio: Conservative Jews object to anti-semitism at White Supremacy conference. Ow. Ow. Ow.
  
• Via boston.com: Chicago schools require all students to pass driver's education class, even if they are blind. Gih. <fumbles for Excedrin, takes 2 tablets>
  
• Via fark.com: Guess what "United States entity" Dubai Ports World is considering selling its U.S. operations to? Hint: It starts with an "H" and rhymes with "Palliburton." <Downs entire bottle, continues beating head against desk.>

Cat and Girl are self-constructed

I love Cat and Girl. And, as the banner text so neatly puts it: If you want a new Cat and Girl comic today you are going to have to make it your own damn self! Dorothy sez:

Today instead of me making a Cat and Girl cartoon, you can make a Cat and Girl cartoon. It won't be very hard - I've already drawn all the pictures for you. (Sorry about the confusing banner kerfuffle. Sam? Are you reading? This is why I wanted that new archiving system.)

Go! Make cartoons! Donate $5 (or more) and she'll draw a picture of how she spent the money.

Varjak Paw

Neil Gaiman mentions in passing that "Dave Mckean is going to be directing S.F. Said's lovely Varjak Paw for Hensons." This makes me incredibly happy. 2+ years ago, I was on a business trip in London and went into a bookstore in search of the latest Pratchett novel. While I was there, I found Varjak Paw on a table and bought it on the strength of the first chapter and illustrations alone. It's a lovely little cat story, with certain Watership Down-ish overtones, but very much its own beast. I can't wait to see what Jim Henson's Creature Shop and Dave McKean can cook up together— if it's half as visually interesting as Mirrormask, I won't be disappointed.

p.s. You can read the first chapter over at Powells.com.

I got a shout-out on Cute Overload yesterday!

Some weeks ago, I had submitted this photo of the cutest Kiwi to hit the scene since Yahoo Serious. Go check him out, he's terribly cute, especially the feet.

The 70s will find you naked, too.

It's… recently re-discovered Monty Python footage from a 1975 public television interview.

Trader Joe's comes to the Big Apple

Trader Joe's is apparently set to open in Manhattan. It's probably less of a big deal for city-dwellers, but I was certainly psyched when our local one finally went in. The article touches on the "Trader Joe's mystique", their product development process, and how items are dropped if they don't sell well.

The products that make it through but do not find a loyal customer base meet an implacable fate. "It's like at General Electric under Jack Welch," said Mr. Sloan, the vice president for merchandising. "The bottom 10 percent is always being rotated out. It's painful but necessary, because it ensures that we always have new products for our customers to get interested in."

There is nothing quite like the chain anywhere else on the American food landscape. "Trader Joe's is radically different in many ways from other food retailers," said Stephen Dowdell, editor in chief of Progressive Grocer magazine. "The stores are small, they don't rely on national brands, you can't do price comparisons and they definitely don't offer one-stop shopping. But every product has a story."

My favorite new TJ's product is Dark Chocolate Covered Ginger— Australian crystallized ginger covered with rich dark chocolate. Decadent, with a nice little ginger hit in the middle.

And the lamb lies down…

Lileks on prog rock:

“The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway,” for example, packed the gatefold with a story written by Peter Gabriel in his best sophomore English Major style, peppered with those nifty isometric Hipgnosis illustrations, which were like Milk-Bones for stoners. You know, people hate Genesis because they remember the poppy period with Phil Collins capering about looking like a BEFORE picture in a Hair Club for Leprechauns ad, getting all Cocker-faced over Su-su-sudio. But before the fame they turned out some extraordinary compositions, and there’s moments of rare beauty utterly beyond the capabilities of 99.9% of most pop artists today. No, I don’t mistake complexity, gnarly time signatures and unexpected key changes for brilliance, or I’d be writing about Yes.

Grampa Prog! Do you remember what it was like when “2112” came out? Why yes, my lad. Have a seat, and I’ll tell you of a time when rock was so peculiar that the words “vocals by Geddy Lee” were actually considered an attraction, not a warning.

Weekend quickies!

• The Boston Globe has a fun interview with two local entrepreneurs' quest for the perfect bagel. Their solution? The bagels are made in New York, and you finish baking them at home. Ray's New York Bagels stack up pretty well in a blind taste test, and they're readily available at most grocery stores in the area. Unfortunately, they don't make salt, poppyseed, or egg.
• Swedish archaeologists have found a ship from the late 1300s, buried in the mud. This is a couple hundred years earlier than the other famous recorded shipwreck, the Vasa.
• Gooney birds! Gooney birds!

Lies, damn lies, and statistics

Interesting follow-up on the Simpsons vs. First Amendment freedoms poll: careful analysis of the statistics, and how they were perceived/ spun by the media.

Mangia!

For Chris's birthday, we went to Cambridge and celebrated with a fantastic dinner at La Groceria. The Sogliola "Margherita" (pan-fried sole with capers, artichoke hearts, and lemon butter) was delicious, but antipasto and wine is practically a meal in itself. If you go, save room for dessert— the tiramisu is quite good.

At least you wouldn't have to worry about link rot.

The ultimate in vanity publishing: turn your trivial website into a trivial hardcover book for about $30.

Would the best of popplers be a blank book?

Attention Hollywood: give this man a good script!

I love Jon Stewart. I think he is easily one of the funniest, sexiest men on the planet. The Daily Show rocks my world. I can't wait for him to host the Oscars. Why is it, then, that any movie that Jon touches— nay, breathes gently upon— turns out to be absolute shite?

I offer you empirical evidence: a graph displaying movies in which Jon Stewart has played a part (however small) vs. their rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The first data point is 1994's Mixed Nuts (wherein Jon has a cameo as a rollerblader); the final data point is the just-released CGI-fest Doogal (Jon voices the evil sorceror— Happy Meal tie-ins now available at a McDonald's near you). The average rating across the seven movies is 23%, buoyed extensively by Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back's not-entirely-appalling rating of 52%. (I like Kevin Smith, and I still thought that that movie sucked.) C'mon, people, give the man a chance. Someone send him a funny script, stat!

Free the Springfield Five!

OK— no peeking. Name all five of the freedoms upheld by the First Amendment. Did you? (I confess: I could only come up with four.)

According to a recent telephone survey of 1,000 Americans, only one was able to name all five First Amendment freedoms. Only 25% of the respondents could name more than one freedom. 22% of Americans could name all five Simpson characters, and more than 50% could name at least two characters.

The one that I couldn't remember? Freedom to petition the government for a redress of grievances.