Should I Press the Button?

I'm not going to lie: I was pretty excited by the story in Thursday's Boston Herald about how Regal Cinemas is going to start having selected moviegoing patrons monitoring the conditions in the theaters. Sure, I don't exactly agree with the methodology (how will they choose the one person to hold the device?), but I appreciate that at least one theater chain is willing to take action against bad moviegoers and will fix things when the presentation quality is off.

I agree with the person in the article who said you take a risk when going to watch a movie in a public place that people will be discourteous or that there will be disturbances. So that makes it difficult to gauge how successful this device will be. I hate when the sound in a theater isn't right. I'd definitely press the button for that. But would an average moviegoer be as sensitive about that as I am? And if someone behind me is laughing annoyingly, or there's an intermittent request to repeat a line of dialogue, is that worth alerting an usher? I don't think so. After all, I'd be more annoyed if I had to explain to an usher why I had pressed the button in the first place. And I'd be even more annoyed if the person behind me was explaining it to the usher. But if it's nonstop talking or repeated looks at a cell phone, then of course I'll do it. And an unruly kid who should be in bed instead of at a 9pm movie? Sure, that's worth pressing the button for too (even if it's during an animated film).

So I'm excited for this new device and secretly (or maybe not) hope that I'm asked to hold it once or twice. But I'd hate for a normal Sunday afternoon at the movies to turn into Symphony Hall, so I'd try to use some restraint. Which means things probably won't change at all. And that sorta sucks.

Don't I Feel Old?

My sister turns 30 years old today. When the heck did she get so old? It seems like just yesterday she was my little sister, playing with her Barbies in the basement or dancing in ballet recitals. Now she's a big working girl, a married woman, and we're both in our 30s. Damn ... Where does the time go?

But seriously, happy birthday, Mitzi!

(And on the good side, posting about Mitzi's birthday means I get to post a reminder that my birthday is just one week away. Woo hoo!)

They Can't All Be Josh Beckett

I knew all along that the Player of the Week crap was just a fluke, and now my suspicions have been confirmed. Daisuke Matsuzaka was back to his old ways Wednesday night, giving up 12 hits and six runs over just five-and-two-thirds innings. Sure, he's a seven-game winner thus far in the season (how, I don't know), but like a box of chocolates, you just never know what you're gonna get when Dice-K is on the mound. You can't be too comfortable. Hell, even Julian Tavarez is more predictable, for better or worse. So right about now, all my support is behind Kevin Youkilis, my second-favorite Jewish athlete. And I'm not changing my tune about Dice-K.

Sometimes a Fantasy

Let's get a few things straight: In the real world — at least the one that I live in — a schlubby guy like Ben Stone (Seth Rogen) and his pothead friends would never get into a hot club like the one they're at toward the beginning of Knocked Up. And said hot club would be much, much more crowded, and populated with hotter people like Alison Scott (Katherine Heigel), an E! producer who should probably be at a hotter club than that. And if said hot chick were at this hot club (with her equally hot sister), she would undoubtedly be mobbed with guys, and would never — never — give the time of day to a schlubby but good intentioned guy like our friend Ben. (Jeff Wells is so right-on about that.)

Which makes Knocked Up the year's best sci-fi/fantasy flick. And all kidding aside, this is a very good, very enjoyable movie. Made by the same folks who did The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Knocked Up tells the story of a schlubby guy who meets a hot chick at a club, and after getting drunk and sleeping together, she ends up pregnant. So he does the unlikely but right thing and decides to stick by her and be a supportive father-to-be. Laughs and romance ensue.

Like Virgin, this movie deftly mixes sweetness and raunch. The two leads are undeniably cute and charming, and they're surrounded by an uproarious supporting cast. There are plenty of quotable lines. There are hysterical cameos by the likes of Ryan Seacrest. And sure, the fact that the two fall in love — and do so quickly, I might add — is pretty unbelievable, I think. In real life, Alison would have run for the hills the second she learned more about this guy, no matter how sweet and funny he is. But this is a movie, and these flights of fantasy didn't interfere with my enjoyment of it at all. Knocked Up is a ringing endorsement for having a baby, and for attractive women to give funny, schlubby guys a chance. If there's any truth to the movie, then maybe there's hope for us all. I'm giving Knocked Up a B+.

And It Don't Stop

Don't get me wrong: I like my job. Really I do. But sometimes it feels like I'm on an endless treadmill. I come in for a couple hours on the weekend, or I stay late (i.e.: until 8:00 or 9:00), with the hope that doing so will make the next day that much easier. But the opposite thing happens. I finish my part of the process, move the work to other people, go home, relax ... and then the next day it all comes back to me to work on again and move along to the next people. That's what this week has been like for me. Late hours, long days, lots of work. Just non-stop shuffling of folders and trafficking of documents. Thankfully the end is in sight (the beauty of deadlines) and it'll all be over soon (at least for this month). But that doesn't change the fact that I'm exhausted and ready for the three-day weekend. It's a miracle I was able to stay awake for Pirates of the Caribbean last night. So, thank God tomorrow is Friday.

Love Them Summer Girls

Is it just me, or do people get better looking when the weather gets warmer? I'm serious (sort of). Walking around the city today, both on the way in to the office and just now at lunch, it felt like the number of attractive people had doubled. Where were these people during the winter? Were they hibernating? Or have we imported a truckload or two from down south? Maybe it's all the young interns. Maybe it's the lighter clothing. Maybe it's none of these things, and if not, then is it just the weather — or spring fever — that is making it seem this way? And by extension, does this mean I am better looking in the summer? It's an odd phenomenon. I love summer. And I love summer in Boston. And maybe this is why.

Jack Is Back

At the risk of getting too high-falutin' for a summer popcorn flick, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End serves as a metaphor for itself. To wit: when we last left Captain Jack Sparrow (and the Pirates franchise), he was dead, and had disappeared into an abyss. As part three opens, our team of heroes (now joined by the not-dead Captain Barbossa) have rallied together to bring him back. And behold, when Jack returns to the land of the living, he's full of life and spirit, the Jack we remembered from the first flick. But there's a bigger threat at hand: the East India Company (read: critics and unhappy moviegoers) want to do away with all pirates, and it takes a veritable pirate army to defeat their foes.

Alright, enough with all that. My point is this: At World's End is a vast improvement over Dead Man's Chest, which I really didn't like. Part three is a rousing, epic adventure, full of life, and despite its epic length (nearly three hours), I can't say it ever drags. No, this film is not as good or fun as the first one, which was full of novelty and newness. But so what. The franchise has become a full-on action series, and at that, it's redeemed itself. There are some good laughs, some great effects (Davy Jones, again, is just amazing), a thrilling final battle sequence, beautiful photography, and plenty of Johnny Depp's charm. How can you go wrong? I'm giving At World's End a B+. Go see this one, and see it in the theater.

Is the Globe Desperate for Readers?

I don't really need to make fun of BostonNOW since other folks are already doing so, but I thought I'd take a second to laugh at the situation outside the Washington Street exit of the T this morning at Downtown Crossing. At the top of the stairs was that guy who is always there, hawking the BostonNOW in the same annoying way he always is: "BostonNOW. Free PAPER. Win a THOUSAND BUCKS. FREE paper." A few feet behind him, in front of Macy's, was the guy hawking the Metro, only he was older, quiet, subtle, and knew he didn't have to try hard to give away his papers. But then, also right next to the T exit, was a slightly sad-looking woman in a wheelchair, speaking in a meek tone, asking if anyone wanted a free copy of The Globe 100. It was as if the folks at the Globe were throwing their hands up and surrendering, knowing they just couldn't compete with the aggressive tactics of BostonNOW's hawkers, and had to play the sympathy card. I mean, she wasn't even handing out free copies of the day's paper or anything — just the special edition magazine that was in today's paper — and I guess that made it even worse. The whole thing was pretty comical, if you ask me.

And So, It's Come to This

I've got two words to say about the American Idol finale this week: Who cares? Alright, fine, I've got more than two words, but I write them hesitantly. After all, I really could care less about the final matchup between Jordin and Blake. Really. I mean, I predicted all the way back on March 8 — that's right, March 8!! — that Jordin was going to win the whole thing (it was pretty obvious even then), and since she's up against Blake in the final, well, there's no contest there. And can you believe she's only 17? (Ha!) I'm so uninterested in the whole thing that I actually have plans on Wednesday night, so I won't be home to watch. And when I get home, I'm turning on Lost. Now, before you jump to any conclusions, no, this is not about Haley. I mean, not entirely. I just think this has been the worst season yet for Idol, and as soon as it's over, that means summer can begin. So I say to Jordin and Blake, sing out — and then shut up.

One YouTube Video to Rule Them All

Well this is fun. Someone has posted a video on YouTube that's basically just a compilation of film clips that reference the numbers 1 to 100. It's a countdown kind of in the spirit of Apple's ad for the iPhone. Enjoy.

So Long, Farewell, Good Riddance

Welcome to one of my favorite weeks of the year, the one right after all the big graduations, when the seniors have their diplomas, all the students have moved out of their dorms and apartments, and things along the C and especially the B line are much quieter than they are the rest of the year. It's the best time to do things like go to T. Anthony's because you won't have to deal with any of the B.U. kids causing long lines and tying up all the tables. Or go to Shaw's because it's less crowded. Or just, you know, ride the B line in peace without having to squeeze in. The drivers will even go express from Kenmore to Packard's Corner, which is awesome. Or drive up Comm Ave and see if you can go the whole way without stopping at a light or because of traffic, like I did over Christmas week. Of course, it's all short lived, because in just over a week, after Memorial Day, we'll have to deal with all the out of towners here for internships and summer school, who don't know the B line from the C or the D, who tie up the self-serve lines at Shaw's because they don't know what they're doing, and who just generally get in the way. But for now, it's a great time to live in the Brookline/Brighton/Allston area.

This Is Butter, Not Soap!

It's hard to believe the TV season is already coming to a close. I feel like it was just beginning and now all the networks have already announced their new shows for fall. Actually, one of the best laughs I got this week came from CBS' announcement of one of their new shows. It's called Kid Nation and here's the gist: 40 kids, ages 8–15, are left alone to live in an abandoned New Mexico town with no adult supervision for 40 days. It's like Lord of the Flies crossed with The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly. The kids have to govern themselves, work, cook, clean ... all by themselves. Sounds like a total mess, right? So check out the clip below (or watch it here) and try not to laugh too hard. At the nerdy white kid who quotes Martin Luther King, Jr., or the princess girl who says she doesn't work, or how earnest some of the kids are, or how so many of the kids seem to cry at the drop of a hat. The best laugh of all is when one kid screams out, "This is butter, not soap!" Kid Nation airs this fall on Wednesday nights at 8 p.m. You know I'll be watching.

My Two Cents

It's not that my mom isn't worth it, but I just wanted to quickly thank the U.S. Postal Service for waiting until after Mother's Day to put their new rates into effect. It's surprising, given how much mail was sent this past week, but it's much appreciated. Now it's off to go buy some two-centers.

Movie as Mac-n-Cheese

Just like with pies, there are different kinds of movies. Some are huge but empty blockbusters. Others are small, personal statements. Still others try to push buttons. And then there are movies like Waitress that don't appear to have any greater ambition than to be a glimpse at the life of someone different from us. They don't blow you away, but they do go down easy. It's like comfort food. Keri Russell (the fickle pickle herself) stars here as Jenna, a waitress in a southern pie shop diner, who learns she is pregnant with her louse of a husband's baby, and finds herself falling for her obstetrician. One of Jenna's few escapes is pie-making, and she spends much of her time creating different pie combinations that reflect her state of mind (for example, "Pregnant Miserable Self-Pitying Loser Pie" or "Falling in Love Chocolate Mousse Pie." Mmmmmm). Add in two fellow waitress friends (Cheryl Hines and writer/director Adrienne Shelly) and a quirky old guy (Andy Griffith), and you basically have the entire movie. As I said, Waitress is nothing earth shattering, but it is a good, enjoyable slice of life. Russell gives an endearing performance (totally different from how she was in Mission Impossible III) that makes you fall in love with her easily. This is a movie that makes you smile, even if it doesn't make you think, and on a slightly chilly Sunday afternoon, you couldn't ask for much more. I give Waitress a solid B.

Staying Put, For Now

I'm not yet ready to change my position on Dice-K, but I wanted to acknowledge that he did a real nice job Wednesday night. It's the kind of outing he should have been having all season. I haven't been a fan of this guy for a while (my earliest post about him dates back to April 17), and it'd be really lame if I liked him now, just because he had one good start. But I'm capable of change, or admitting I'm wrong, so I had to be fair here since he did well Wednesday. Besides, if I keep up this vote of no confidence thing, maybe I'll upset him. That'd be so cool.

Making Ballplayers Cry

You know, I thought my blog was powerful. But it seems my buddy Todd's blog has actually upset Dontrelle Willis, a pitcher on the Florida Marlins. Really. In an article in the Press-Enterprise, a paper out in Los Angeles, Todd's blog is actually mentioned by name. (And the story was picked up by the Scripps-McClatchy Western Service and also ran in the Knoxville News Sentinel.) I'm totally impressed by this so I thought I'd post a link.

Love Is ... a Good Book

I don't read books. People ask me all the time, "What's the last book you read?" And my response is always "I don't read books." It's not that I don't read. In fact, I devour magazines on a weekly basis — Entertainment Weekly, Rolling Stone, Esquire, Improper Bostonian, etc. But I've never had much patience for or time to devote to books. Of course, this hasn't stopped me from accumulating quite a library of books that I hope one day to read. So every time I go on vacation, I bring one with me, but I never get that far (it's happened recently with Franz Wisner's Honeymoon with My Brother and Steve Almond and Julianna Baggott's Which Brings Me to You). I think the last book I read from start to finish was Dave Egger's A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius, and that was, like, six years ago.

So why am I mentioning all this now? Well, I don't want to jinx it or anything, but I may just be on the verge of finishing another book: Rob Sheffield's Love Is a Mix Tape. Rob is a contributing editor at Rolling Stone (he writes the "Pop Life" column) and he's been a commentator on MTV and VH1. The book is Rob's memoir about he and his late wife, Renee, who had nothing in common but a love of music, and Rob tells the story by using the various mixes he made for her (or she for him) as a uniting theme. As he writes, "Every mix tape tells a story. Put them together and they add up to the story of a life." I'm sure years from now I'll be able to remember certain times of my own life based on mixes I've made (and not just Xmas ones). That's the idea behind the book, and given that it takes place in the early 90s, the lists of artists on the tapes gives the book a definite sense of time and place. There's even a chapter devoted to the weekend Kurt Cobain died.

Basically, Mix Tape is a love letter to Renee and to music, and whether you're a romantic, a music lover, or just like good memoirs, the book is great. It's written in a conversational tone, making it fast-moving and, at times, hard to put down. At the end of each chapter, I found myself eager to read just one more. Usually I struggle to finish chapters and can't wait to put down the books. I found out about Mix Tape when it was excerpted in GQ in the January 07 issue. I don't usually get affected by books or magazine articles (other than those that make me laugh), but I found myself tearing up a bit reading the excerpt.

It's been less than a week since I picked up Mix Tape, and I'm more than halfway through. I'd be surprised if I wasn't done with it in another week or two (not being on vacation anymore and all). I wish I could write a more convincing recommendation than this is. But suffice it to say, any book that gets me from start to finish has to be good. If you go to the book's web site you can read an excerpt and decide for yourself if it's worth picking up.

Update, 6/8: I've finished the book.

They Should Be Faster

Just a quick question: Why aren't Boston cabs equipped with Fast Lane transponders? I know the drivers are trying to make money, and a longer ride equals a higher tab, but considering how often they go through the toll booths, and considering the passenger isn't paying the toll (at least not directly), wouldn't it make sense for the cabs to have a Fast Lane transponder so they can zip right through and don't have to sit in traffic?

A Prince. But Not Quite a King

On my list of all-time favorite movies, The Lion King ranks up there somewhere around number 5 (right after Rushmore, Singin' in the Rain, North by Northwest, Good Will Hunting, and sometimes What's Eating Gilbert Grape). So it's always puzzled me why I never got around to seeing the theatrical adaptation of The Lion King, even though it's been on Broadway for 10 years. Well, seeing the show is no longer on my to-do list because I saw it Tuesday night at the Broward Center in South Florida.

Unfortunately, Lion King will not be on my top-5 list of musicals (like, say, Company). I liked the show overall, thought it was a very creative adaptation of the movie, but I found some of it corny like a show at Disney World, didn't like a lot of the individual performances, found the transition between some scenes choppy because they were trying to replicate every scene of the film, and thought the way the story was padded (especially in the second act) just slowed the whole thing down. In fact, the first act is much better than the second, but maybe that's because that's when all the good stuff in the movie is. On the other hand, the "He Lives in You" reprise is a really nice addition. I also loved how colorful some scenes were (though not "I Just Can't Wait to Be King"). But I think the movie is really ingrained in my head, because scenes that always get me when I watch the movie totally got me here too. It's almost a Pavlovian reaction that I get chills when I see "Circle of Life," for example, and here, with the animals coming from everywhere in the theater, it had a similar effect on me. The wildebeast stampede scene, too, was an emotional experience seeing it in the theater. It's hard to watch those scenes play out on stage without thinking of how they look in the movie. I have to say, though, that if there was something I really sorta didn't like, it's how Timon and Pumba were portrayed. It's totally pandering in an attempt to mimic Nathan Lane and Ernie Sabella's performances. I also thought "Hakuna Matata" didn't end the first act effectively.

So am I happy I finally saw the show? Of course. But when I think of The Lion King, I'll think more fondly of the movie. To me, that's a perfect animated movie, and it just can't be replicated in live action.

Gone to the Dark Side

I guess I'll cut right to the chase: Spider-Man 3 is the worst film in the series. There's just too much going on. There's too much hokey dialogue and stiff acting (even for a comic book movie). There are too many attempts at easy laughs. It's too long. And the finale just doesn't have the same power as those in the other two films did.

But that's not all. I've never been a fan of Kirsten Dunst's casting as Mary Jane because I don't like Kirsten Dunst and because that's not the Mary Jane I remember from the comic books. M.J. is supposed to be a strikingly hot, unattainable supermodel-type girl and here, again, they have her cutesy, lame and annoying — and worse, they actually have her singing. (Yuck.) Twice. (Double yuck.) Further, I just didn't like how "young" the movie felt. This was fine in the first film, and it was actually not a problem in the second. But here, it's really frustrating. And this is really pronounced in the climactic battle. It's like the young superfriends or something.

The best part of the movie is the stuff with Venom. No question. But there's just not enough of it. If I was writing this movie, I'd have made that the real crux of the movie, and made Eddie Brock/Venom the only villain. It's the most compelling plot thread (we've been through the guilt over Uncle Ben stuff before, which makes the Flint Markoe/Sandman stuff really repetitive), and I think it's actually the cooler effects work than the Sandman stuff. Actually, to go one step further, if I was writing the movie, I'd have made the Gwen Stacy part even bigger too, and would have made the character arc be a little more like it was in the comic book. Knowing there's going to be a fourth, fifth, and six Spider-man movie (so says Variety), I'd have had Peter end the movie with Gwen, not Mary Jane.

But back to the movie that's there. Sam Raimi regular Bruce Campbell shows up for some lame comic relief as the host in a French restaurant. The scene is symptomatic of how the film tries just a little too hard to be audience-friendly by going for easy laughs. There's too much of this. It's distracting. So was that cooking scene where for some unknown reason, Mary Jane and Harry are listening to Chubby Checker's "The Twist." Huh??

I'll say I liked some of the movie. As noted, the Venom stuff is cool, even if Topher Grace's performance isn't (at least it isn't until he gets the symbiote, and even then I may have been distracted by the cool effects). I liked how the film started out being very fast moving (before all that plot kicked in to slow things down — and don't get me wrong, I like plot). I liked the casting of Bryce Dallas Howard as Gwen Stacy — but again, I wish there was more of her. So in the end, the stuff I didn't like out-weighed the stuff I did, making Spider-Man 3 a real disappointment for me. I'm going to give it a C.

Spiderman, Worms, and Funny Money

It's probably better if I didn't post anything about what happened during Andrew's bachelor party in Miami this weekend. After all, it was a bachelor party ... in Miami Beach ... with 15 guys. Make your own assumptions about what kinds of activities we did. But if I let it pass without making some kind of comment, then what kind of service would I be offering you, oh dear readers of mine? So let me at least say that a good time was had and yes, it involved all the necessary elements of debauchery.

I'll also tell you I had a great, great time fishing on Saturday, even if I didn't catch all that much (only about 8 or 9, I think). We had to leave the hotel at 6 a.m. to make it down to Islamorada by 8, but it was worth it. Between this and my boating adventures in the Bahamas last month, I'm totally jonesing for a boat of my own. And hey, I was out on the water for four hours and didn't get a sunburn. That's pretty impressive (for me, anyway). Had a tasty dinner Saturday night at Prime 112. Poor Allison. Thankfully, my food came without worms. Skybar at the Shore Club was a pretty cool place to spend an evening too. Actually, no surprise, South Beach in general is a beautiful area, and I'm not talking about the architecture. The best sights were the ones that didn't require fake cash. And on an unrelated note, I'll never be able to think of Spiderman and donkeys (separately) in the same way again. Also, it was cool to finally meet and hang out with the guys Andrew talks about so often. He's pretty lucky to have so many friends who love him that much. It made for a really fun weekend.

"I Hate L.A."

You already know I'm a big fan of Kate Walsh's Addison Montgomery character on Grey's Anatomy. So I was looking forward to the big two-hour episode Thursday night that would serve as a pilot for an Addison-centric show. But if it's going to be anything like this, I hope she'll decide to stay in Seattle. The episode played out sort of like how the second season of Ally McBeal did: all of Grey's quirks became more pronounced and were the feature attraction of the L.A. part of the show, not the characters themselves. Actually, there were so many big names in the cast that it almost seemed like an all-star medical show, which was a real distraction for me. And it was all too, I dunno, perfect at times and it almost became a total cliche (the three women oogling the surfer dude receptionist? Puh-leeze). The contrast with the action back at Seattle Grace made it so clear which would be the better show of the two. Frankly, the best part of the episode for me was seeing Merrin Dungey and David Anders (both former stars of Alias) back on TV again. So while I'd continue to watch Addison transition to L.A. where she'd (hopefully) be much happier (I like Addison and Merrin Dungey that much and I like that guy Paul Adelstein, who was in one of my favorite movies, Intolerable Cruelty), I hope she'll stay in Seattle come the fall TV season.

This Is What $103 Million Looks Like?

I hate to sound like a broken record, but ... I've said it before, and I'll say it again: Dice-K sucks. In the game tonight, he gave up seven runs, five hits, and five walks in just five innings. To date, he has a 5.45 ERA and has walked 15 in 38 innings. That's no ace, ladies and gentlemen. That's not even average. I mean, he walked the first three batters of the game tonight, and then hit a batter. Five of the runs in tonight's game he gave up in the first inning. And it's not like he didn't have the run support tonight, either. Can someone — anyone — tell me what I'm supposed to be excited about here? I promise, I'll lay off the guy when he pitches well. But so far it's clear to me that the Sox were sold overpriced goods.

No Disaster

Chances are good that you haven't heard much (if anything) about Jon McLaughlin, or his album, Indiana, which drops today. I first learned about Jon back in February when Ali's Blog linked to two songs off the album. I especially liked "Industry," so I've been waiting to hear more. And now today is the day. Jon's one of those piano-playing singer-songwriters who sing catchy melodies. I suppose he's not unlike Gavin DeGraw, though I'll admit Jon's got a somewhat generic and not terribly unique sound. Still, I like what I've heard enough to recommend it. So if you like this sort of thing, check out the two tracks at that blog. And if you like them, give Jon's entire CD a chance, as I'll be doing (via iTunes for $7.99). And as extra incentive, here's the video for his other single, "Beautiful Disaster."

Totally Legal

Thought I'd put up a link to my story in the new issue of Continental magazine. As you can see, it's the cover story and it's about Laura Bell Bundy, who plays Elle Woods in the new Broadway adaptation of Legally Blonde. Reviews of the show (which opened Sunday night) have been mixed, but some critics (like the ones at Variety and The New York Times) say it's a lot of fun and that Bundy gives a very good performance. A year ago I interviewed LaChanze, who won the Tony for her performance in The Color Purple. In 2004 I interviewed Idina Menzel and then she won the Tony for Wicked. (I had an off year in 2005 when Sutton Foster didn't win for Little Women). Will my pick win this year? You can count on me to keep you in the loop, though not as obsessively as I did with Jennifer Hudson. For now, here's a link to my Laura Bell Bundy story. Enjoy.