Fino's Weblog

TV Series: Star Trek Enterprise S03 – The Xindi: My Enemy is My Friend

mfinocchiaro — Thu, 06 Jun 2013 13:02:46 +0000

Wow, I really enjoyed Star Trek Enterprise S03. And yes, I know that this is a decade old but as I previously explained, I am just catching up. This season featured a relatively constant storyarc around the conflict with the Xindi. I really liked the alien species of Xindi – especially the reptilians because their costumes were so cool – but wondered how the aquatics could have possibly built those massive spaceships with just three fingers and underwater…I mean does electricity not short-circuit underwater in their part of the galaxy or something? I was also a little bothered by the M.A.C.E. team on the Enterprise as it seemed to be a bit of a Semper Fi patriotic move which seemed to me to be a bit against the original tenants of the Star Trek universe. Archer definitely grew a pair in this season as he showed cunning and ruthlessness in his dealings this season and that was a radical departure from his character in S01 and S02 I felt. I liked – as always – T’Pol and her evolution into a drug-addict and emotive Vulcan. I just wondered whether the ship’s tailor was and why she was allowed to change her uniform from episode to episode whereas the other crew members were always in the same one. Dr Phlox was hilarious as always. He is probably my second favorite doctor after Bones. I felt that the other characters: Malcolm, Merriweather, Hoshi, and Tripp didn’t really evolve very much either. I also found it curious how Chef was still talked about all the time but we never actually saw him. I haven’t watched S04 yet but wikipedia seems to say that he will be played by Next Gen’s Ryker in the final episode.

What I liked here: the space battles particularly in E23 and E24 and around E19 or E20 when the Enterprise gets bashed up pretty bad. I also appreciated the suspense around the Xindi

What I didn’t like: the military aspects and the pseudo-flag waving with M.A.C.E. complete with fallen comrades (most likely influenced by 9/11 and Iraq War I would imagine) and the lack of evolution of characters like Hoshi until the next to last episode where she shows some real substance.

Overall, it was a good and I will be watching the last Enterprise once I catch up with Arrested Development, The IT Crowd, and perhaps Downton Abbey…

TV Series: Rectify (2013) – Intense, compelling TV that makes you squirm and think

mfinocchiaro — Mon, 03 Jun 2013 19:40:03 +0000

Sundance Channel ran a new show from Ray McKinnon of Deadwood fame recently called Rectify. Those viewers that feel that Boardwalk Empire is slow will be bored to tears. But those who appreciate careful, intense storytelling albeit slow-paced will not be disappointed. There are no explosions and little real suspense in the show but the tension is very real and vivid throughout. Daniel Holden (played with a rare intensity and passion by Aden Young) gets out of prison on a technicality despite being on death row for 19 years for raping and murdering his high school sweetheart. We actually never find out whether he did it or not – there is solid evidence for it and yet there is plenty of room for doubt plus no DNA evidence and apparent tampering by the local police. It has been described elsewhere as a Southern Gothic mystery and that seems relatively accurate if somewhat reductive. Each episode reveals more about the experiences of Daniel on death row – a fascinating look into the sadism of some and the sadness and affinity of others. Meanwhile, his family struggle with their own feelings of support - especially his sister Amantha in a superb job of acting by Abigail Spencer – and ambiguity – especially that of his mother. There is even a soft love story here and a case of jealousy but I won’t spoil that for you. The delicate line that the scenario walks between the lines of good and evil and particularly is surgical precision in analyzing each of the characters in situ as it were, is absolutely spell-binding. I particularly appreciated how the main narrative rolls like a wake but there are always eddys and pools forming where we get insight into Daniel and start to question his sanity and ability to cope on the “outside”.

I highly recommend each of the six episodes of this extraordinary piece of television. I am going to have such a hard time rating the shows this year after the excellence of The Americans and House of Cards and now Rectify. I wonder what some of this summer’s new shows – Ray Donovan, Low Winter Sun, The Bridge, Orange is the New Black, and Top of the Lake – and the return of some favorites – Dexter, Magic City, and ESPECIALLY Breaking Bad – will bring…

‘Rectify’ Renewed for Season Two by Sundance (tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com)
‘Rectify’: Join a live chat with star Aden Young at 4 p.m. (latimes.com)
“Rectify” Review (mindresidence.wordpress.com)
‘Rectify’ Dances Around Innocence and Guilt Rectified? Yes. Free? No. Innocent? We’re Not Sure (usnews.com)

TV Series: Star Trek Enterprise S02 – T’Pol’s alliances shift and Archer proves his mettle

mfinocchiaro — Sat, 25 May 2013 12:30:05 +0000

Season 2 of Star Trek Enterprise was as good or better than S01. It was pretty action packed where some of the new villains from S01 like the time-travelling lizard-like Suliban are back and loads of new species are discovered. The characters also are painted with richer colours exposing both strengths and weaknesses. I really appreciate the core of the crew. It is a LONG show – it took me two months or more to get through its 26 episodes – but it is rewarding. There are some excellent episodes here including Carbon Creek with the fascinating back story about early Vulcan/human contact, the brief collective insanity during Singularity, the romantic encounter for Trip in Precious Cargo, the tense and exciting Catwalk, mind-meld aftermath for T’Pol in Stigma, an awesome, chilling and explanatory Borg encounter in Regeneration, the first test of Archer’s father’s warp engine in First Flight, a horny T’Pol in Bounty, and the backstory for season 3′s bad guys, the Xinda in The Expanse. We get Klingons and even an imprisoned and escapee Archer in Judgement and the aftermath where the Klingons have actually but a bounty on his head in the aforementioned Bounty. There is also first contact with the Romulans in Minefield. Throughout, the crew has multiple tests of their ability to work together and accept different cultures and points of view – some of the key features of the whole Star Trek genre (and of Gene Roddenbery’s world-view) that make this show so compelling.

I was really impressed with how the Archer character filled out in this season. We see him take on many roles with pizzaz – a great leader, a great fighter, an excellent pilot – even of alien ships while researching nebulas, a risk taker – particularly when pushing something he believes in or defending his values, and both a good friend and when necessary stern boss. He seemed a bit one dimensional in S01 but was far more fleshed out in S02.

Tucker is also better filled in as a character as well with strengths as an engineer (we learn why he is Archer’s engineer in First Flight) and weaknesses. In particular, his actions although well-intended lead to a suicide in Cogenitor but he seems right back in the saddle and on Archer’s good side in the following episode. I guess that was one thing that I had a hard time with, because more of the rest of the plot devices and character development were great as were the special effects.

I am impatient to watch S03 now and sad to realize that there are ONLY 52 more episodes…

Could STAR TREK: ENTERPRISE Return? (comicbookmovie.com)

Being Dad: London and Legoland, a very British weekend

mfinocchiaro — Fri, 24 May 2013 12:30:30 +0000

Last weekend, we took the kids to London with the ultimate goal of heading up to Legoland in Windsor. We found that the Premier Inn next to King’s Cross was conveniently close to the Eurostar station and both clean and affordable. The hotel restaurant had rather slow service but some coloring pages and such for the kids. In London itself, we walked around quite a bit enjoying the British Museum for an hour which was the perfect limit of tolerance for my 3- and 6-year old gremlins. I chose to go see the Elgin marbles (lots of little stories to tell), then up to the Japanese section clear in the back on the 5th level and meander down towards the mummies and then out and away. A stroll through Green Park and a gander at Kensington before walking through Whitehall and over the Thames to the London Eye. Beware, the lines for the Eye range from 45 minutes to several hours so it behooves you to purchase tix on-line before you get there. Since we hadn’t done that, the backup plan was a boat taxi on the Thames all the way to Greenwich (geeky satisfaction in seeing the Observatory marking “zero hour”!). That was a super affordable (only like £11/each I believe as opposed to £28/each for the Eye!) way of exploring London, passing under the bridge, seeing the Olympic Stadium, etc. all while seated and enjoying a beer. Oh, the kids liked it too Unfortunately, the show we were to see (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory in “avant-premiere”) was cancelled owning to logistical issues, so we ate at Covent Garden and headed to my friend’s home in the western burbs for bedtime.

The next day was Legoland. Fantastic place which is perfect for kids from about 3 to 11. The rides are fun without being boring or scary. The Miniland with mockups of London, Paris, Amsterdam, Copenhagen, NASA, etc were incredible! Of course, my son who is a massive Star Wars fan, loved the Star Wars bit which featured some kickass models of various figures and ships from the movies including an awe-inspiring Millenium Falcon. It is a very accessible park which has plenty to do but lots of shade (as opposed to Disney which is a bit lacking in the shade department). We got lucky because there were no lines owning to the fact that the Brits had their spring break starting the following weekend so that also enhanced the experience. Of course, the food and drink are prohibitively expensive in the park, but that is always to be expected anyway.

Before taking the Eurostar back, we hit the London Eye (having reserved over the internet this time!). Definitely pay the few extra £ for the “Fast Pass” because it shaves heavily on wait times. That being said, it is rather expensive and if the day is overcast (which is pretty much all the time) you risk being disappointed (we were a little). I think it is probably something you do twice – once in the daytime and once at night.

So, there you go – a few ideas and observations on how you can fill a short weekend with some great stuff in and near London

Pictures: Star Wars Days At LEGOLAND Windsor (llwfansite.wordpress.com)
Star Wars Days For May At LEGOLAND Windsor (llwfansite.wordpress.com)
10 Quotes From My Son About the New Legoland Discovery Center Near Us (jerry-mahoney.com)

TV Series: Archer S01-S04 – Californication meets The Americans

mfinocchiaro — Mon, 20 May 2013 19:50:47 +0000

I discover lots of stuff from podcasts these days. I listened to one from afterbuzz.tv about The Americans and one of the writers was asked what his favorite shows were. I checked them out, Girls and Archer. I am still catching up on Girls (fantastic show from a mega-talented writer / producer / actress BTW that I will blog on later) and totally was drawn into Archer.

The premise of Archer is that Mallory Sterling runs her spy agency ISIS as a for-profit enterprise which also serves to keep her bar stocked, her office decorated, her lovers entertained, and her wardrobe full. Mallory’s son is super-spy Archer who inherited her alcoholism and her devil-may-care attitude despite her absence and abusive behavior that we learn via flashbacks throughout. The #2 agent is Lana, an amazonian ex-girlfriend of Archer that – despite her boisterous attitude and great field skills – is still plagued by a lack of self-confidence in either her professional skills or her capabilities to maintain a romantic relationship. The office staff consists of Pam in HR who is an overweight, oversexed farm girl who we learn over time kicks serious ass in the ring and becomes an agent in her own right as well as Janice (although her name changes nearly every episode) who we learns inherited over $1B from her railroad/shipping family and is turned on by violence (choking, slapping) and sniffs (or eats) glue to get off. Cyril is the accountant/spy wanna-be and current bf for the hapless Lana and is also a sex addict. Kreiger is the crazy-ass Q-equivalent who’s girlfriend/fiancée is a holographic manga chick and whos “junk” is radioactive. Let’s just say, it ain’t your normal spy agency.

What makes the show work consists of several factors:

1/ The story truly builds week after week as the back-story of the characters is revealed and becomes funnier and more twisted all the time. I have not often seen an animated show that can do the “caper a week” business while still building character and keeping all the backstories so consistent and hilarious

2/ Archer himself is a fantastic character – despite being a functioning alcholic, he is the most awesome field agent in terms of skills (sniper, acrobatics, bravery, taking bullets and continuing to fight, even dying and coming back to life!) and yet nearly always fucks something major up during nearly every mission. All these elements make the show unpredictable and hilarious. Another aspect of Archer I love is that he is deeply anchored in cinematic culture – standard cinema but also science fiction and even obscure anime (his reference to Lucy Daughter of the Devil being underrated was greeted by me from a hearty “hellya!”). Not to mention that he comes up with some fantastic lines and dialogs. Here is a classic interchange with he and Pam (yes, they actually do have a short fling):

Archer: If anyone found out, I’d literally die of shame.
Pam: And how do you think that makes me feel?!
Archer: I don’t care, Pam! [Pause] Having said that, would you please come into this dirty toilet stall and have sex with me?
Pam: Oh, alright.

Perhaps you have to watch the show to appreciate that but trust me, it is hilarious.

3/ The whole disfunctional office environment where no subject is taboo, no joke is too dirty, no one is sacred. No one is spared in the humor and everyone deserves everything that happens. Well, except for that poor guy that gets shot and nearly killed every episode The way the characters work together, antagonize each other, and bungle the missions is incredibly funny and original.

So, give Archer a shot. All four seasons are great – but perhaps the best episodes are from season 4 where Coyote Lovely and The Honeymooners were extraordinary. That being said, there was Bloody Ferlin and the Space Race episodes in Season 3, Swiss Miss (awesome!), Jeu Monegasque (a nice piss taken at James Bond and Casino Royale), and Double Trouble (with the recurring character Katya!) and probably all of Season 1. Come to think of it, go ahead and watch ‘em all. If you can keep from laughing out loud at least a few times and are not smiling ear to ear throughout, I’d be awfully surprised.

A little of column A, and a little of column B…

“Archer: Sea Tunt: Part II” Review: What Will Season 5 Have In Store? (vlizz.com)
Watch: Archer (geekmymind.wordpress.com)
Why you should be watching Archer (musingsofamildmanneredman.com)
Best TV You’re Not Watching: Archer on FX (eonline.com)
Archer Season 4 Wrap Up (thisisthecommonroom.wordpress.com)
Archer (netflixblogger.wordpress.com)
Why Archer Might be the Funniest Show on Television (funindoors.wordpress.com)

Paris Burger Wars Part 5: PNY (Paris New York) – great ambiance, OK burger

mfinocchiaro — Fri, 17 May 2013 12:13:43 +0000

In my continuing investigation of the hot Parisian Burger scene, I tried the relatively new entry, PNY down at 50, rue Faubourg St Denis. It is a cozy place (about twice the size of Big Fernand and I think it has a second floor for even more seating). I like the facade a lot and the inside is light and airy. As a side note, this part of the 10th is BUZZING big time with loads of restaurants popping up everywhere, I’d like to say that it is the “new” Belleville! And, even better, it is right next to the best Jazz Club in all of the City of Lights, New Morning!

Its menu features only four burgers, one of which is a veggie burger. There is (unfortunately) no alcohol served, just soft drinks. And the fries are actually an extra cost (two minuses versus Big Fernand and BLEND). That being said, the presentation of the menu on the clipboard is clever, the serving of some drinks in mason jars, the baskets with both normal and balsamic vinegar ketchup and two kinds of tabasco sauce also are positive aspects.

As for the burger itself, I had the Vintage Cheeseburger and fries. The portion was about the same size as either BF or BLEND and the plates were totally vintage. I ordered medium-rare and got rare to be honest but it still tasted pretty good. The fries were home made but – again unlike BF – not spiced up or anything. Overall, the meal was pretty much OK but nothing that I would cross town for to be honest. Or perhaps, I just have a penchant for buns with sesame seeds? Anyway, this one is not knocking Big Fernand off its well-deserved pedestal.

More Paris Burgers: Loulou’s Friendly Diner – A Great Left Bank Grill (mfinocchiaro.wordpress.com)
Paris Burger Wars Part 4
Paris Burger Wars Part 3
Paris Burger Wars Part 2
Paris Burger Wars Part 1
Burgers and Bruce

TV Series: Breaking Bad Redux – A look back to the end of S03E12 and E13 – Half Measures and Full Measure

mfinocchiaro — Wed, 15 May 2013 19:55:53 +0000

I am so excited about the final eight episodes of Breaking Bad S05 that will air starting this August that I am watching with relish each of the episodes once again. I am up to the end of Season 3 now and, boy, was that a STRONG ending! The screenshot here of the standoff between Gus and Walt demonstrates the extreme quality of the camera work and lighting and the cinematic aspect to how they film the show. They are about equal distance from the edge of the frame and yet miles and miles apart. The New Mexico sunset behind them adds to the drama and heightens the suspense. Both episodes were very strong, but in particular, Full Measure had a nearly perfect balance of drama and humor. The humorous bits were Marie getting a “rise” out of Hank so that she would win her bet and get his “feeling sorry for his ass” self back home. The other hilarious bit was the Odenkirk/Saul confrontation with Mike. I always love the hypocritical integrity of Saul as here when he gives up Jesse‘s address by suggesting that it just might be on a paper on his desk. Then, Mike gets us again with his totally bad-ass assault on the oxy storage facility where he wastes, what, 6 cartel guys? and then shoots the guardian in the arm to get their asses out of there to the hospital. This is totally classic Breaking Bad and reminds us why we are so sad when Mike goes out in S05. As for the action, holy shit was it hot and heavy! Starting with the end of Half Measures where Walt runs over the two hoodlums and then shoots the one survivor in the head leading to the confrontation in the photo above at the beginning of Full Measure, the final episode does not let up. There is so much packed into E13 that you barely see the time go by as you watch it. The performances of Giancarlo Esposito and Bryan Cranston are riveting throughout. I love the last meeting between Walt and Jesse at the Laser Tag (another hilarious Saul moment!) place where they barely have to say words to understand each other and loved even more Walt’s acting when confronted by Mike and Victor at the lab. His pathetic plea for mercy was incredible acting and was such as excellent setup for the call to Jesse which, of course, has tragic consequences for Gail. How much better can television get than this? I know that Season 4 and Season 5 raised the bar even further, but this pair of episodes must go down in my book among the top 2 or 3% of Breaking Bad awesomeness.

[contact-form]

TV Series: House of Cards (2013) – I hope real politicians aren’t as evil as Kevin Spacey’s portrayal

mfinocchiaro — Tue, 14 May 2013 20:44:39 +0000

I heard about this year’s other new show (after The Americans) House of Cards from a few different people before I finally got around to watching it. And then I was captivated and hooked! It is a fantastic, riveting show with an extraordinary performance from Kevin Spacey as the completely amoral House Minority Whip Frank Underwood. Despite being from New Jersey, Spacey affects a perfect South Carolina accent – just enough to know you are just south of the Mason-Dixon line but north enough to be comprehensible to Yankees. Like House of Lies, Spacey’s character is always breaking the fourth wall and talking directly to us in the audience (and sometimes just glaring or smiling at us) and explaining his understanding of how Washington works, what he is working on, how he is manipulating people and situations, what he fears…it is captivating television. And he is an evil mofo. Because I want you to go immediately to Netflix and download and watch this, I will not give any spoilers. [Speaking of Netflix, isn't it interesting that this killer of Blockbuster has now started producing its own shows? My reading says that they outbid HBO, Showtime and AMC to capture this masterpiece!] I found this far more compelling than West Wing for which I could only last about 6 or 8 episodes of the first season. Robin Wright as his wife Claire is a perfect Machiavellian match for Frank as she also is willing to destroy lives in order to further her ambitions and her acting is spectacular. The quiet scenes at their window as they smoke and plot and chat are some of the best written in the entire show. The sultry Kate Mara plays Zoe Barnes, a journalist cut from the same cloth as Frank and Claire. She plays a huge role throughout the season with some superb twists thrown in – no spoilers I promise! The show is rich in minor characters (one of my favorites being Reg E Cathey’s Freddie who owns Frank’s hidden barbecue haven) and abounds in plots and subplots. There are NO dull moments here. Beau Willimon‘s writing (10 out of 13 episodes including Executive Producer credits alongside Spacey himself and a bunch of others) is balanced, nuanced, and subtle – he doesn’t overplay or undersell his characters. OK, so sometimes the lines of, say, Pete Russo (played amazingly by Corey Stoll) are a bit dead-pan, but I think that overall it was very close to flawless. If I had to choose, I’d say that the pilot and Chapter 8 were among the best along with Chapters 12 and 13 but honestly, my heart was pounding end-to-end. Yet another series for which I will be breathlessly waiting the next instalment in 2014.

Why you should watch House of Cards immediately (thefirstruleoffilmclub.wordpress.com)
Kevin Spacey talks politics, ambition and ‘House of Cards’ (washingtonpost.com)

New Orleans and Jazz Fest 2013: A Chronicle

mfinocchiaro — Sat, 11 May 2013 21:58:15 +0000

It has been 20 years since I cast my shadow on the hallowed fairgrounds where the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival is held every year. Back in the early 90s, I went to the festival three times and held very fond memories of the ambiance and food and was curious to see whether so many years and several hurricanes later whether it remained the same incredible event. The following is an account of my short but happy discovery of the marvels of Jazz Fest in 2013. At least four of my five senses were in overload the entire time – sight, sound, taste, and smell where all super-stimulated.

The trip did not start out well as American cancelled my flight into New Orleans on Thursday night forcing a noon arrival at the airport and thus cancelling ideas of visiting the festival on Friday itself. I had purchased two one-day passes and didn’t want to burn one on less than half a day. A few things I learned by the way: there is a 4-day pass that gets you private rest rooms and some food plus a little preferential seating called Krewe of Jazz that costs about $225 (already sold out for the 2014 edition!), a Grand Marshal pass that allows you to be right down next to the stage at Congo Square, the Gentilly Stage and most importantly at the Acura Stage for $750-850, and lastly the Big Chief pass with special semi-private VIP seating (on the actual Acura stage I believe) which costs between $1175 and $1250. All of these are only worthwhile if you are staying for the full Thursday-Sunday experience rather than just a weekend as I did for $65 per day (I actually bought tickets on StubHub for $55/each about one month before the festival).

Longest line seen during my stay (seriously, there were like 100 people queued up on the sidewalk!)

As for accommodations, book EARLY because it is excessively hard to get a room at a “reasonable” price during Jazz Fest. In the past, I stayed at a ramshackle mansion in the Garden District for cheap. Well, that place (now the Creole Gardens, was The Prytannia Inn) was renovated and now goes for about $240-$400/night with a 4-night minimum stay. You will most likely find – as I did – that the 3-4 night minimum stay is pretty standard, so if you are planning a shorter stay, you’ll have to keep digging. I found the O’Keefe Plaza Hotel this time at $160/night was a good price/performer. It got miserable reviews on Trip Advisor (only #134 out of 150), but was honestly not at all as dirty or unfriendly as some of the comments there indicate. Better yet, it was only a 5 minute walk to the quarter and especially the Roosevelt Hotel (>$200/night) which as you may know is the home of the classic Sazerac cocktail. I highly, highly recommend a detour over there to enjoy this perfect mix of Sazerac Rye Whiskey, Absinthe, Peychaud’s Bitters and simply syrup. Perhaps one of the smoothest, most satisfying drinks I have ever enjoyed for the not-so-modest price of about $15.

All that to say that I skipped Friday and just moseyed around the French Quarter checking out old haunts. It has not changed all that much – many of the semi-crappy jello shot and hand grenade bars are there on the strip, Pat O’Brien’s is of course still there next to Preservation Hall serving their “world-famous” hurricane’s, and my mainstay bar – Molly’s on the Market (as well as Molly’s on Toulouse) is still the best rock-n-roll bars down there IMHO. Food is naturally amazing but more on that later.

Now what I haven’t said is that I was not in Nawlins alone. I have a cousin that is a punk rock singer and born exactly two days before me and had I not had my flight cancelled, we would have celebrated out birthdays together down there as mine was the original arrival date. Despite the airplane mishap, my cousin and I had a great time and I took him out to an old favorite Superior Seafood out at 4338 St Charles in the Garden District. He nearly keeled over from the extraordinary shrimp on grits pictured here. My blackend catfish was similarly mind-blowingly delicious. That is truly one of the magic elements of the Big Easy – the local cuisine is unparalleled in America for variety, flavor, and originality.

A teaser photo – New Orleans hangover cure – thank god for the open container law

New Orleans spicy bloody mary

On Saturday morning, we had a nice cajun breakfast and headed to the Sheraton. Another Jazz Fest tip: best way out from downtown/French Quarter out to the festival is the shuttle bus from the Sheraton on Canal Street. It costs $18 round-trip and is commented by knowledgeable tour guides and runs literally ALL THE TIME before, during, and after the festival. I grabbed a schedule there (but was idiotic because I forgot to just download the App for my iPhone from the hotel (I don’t have global roaming so am hopelessly dependent on wifi during my trips out of France)) and hopped on the bus. Our tour guide taught us several things about NOLA during the 25 min ride in. Once there, we got our bearings and just walked around for a while. At 11:30am, things are just getting wound up and the fairgrounds were only about 20-30% full. This number swelled to probably close to 90k or 100k folks by 4pm. The weather was absolutely perfect. In fact, we learned that we had lucked out in skipping the Friday shows because it was miserably rainy and muddy all day.

Funniest sign I saw:

Both days I visited – Saturday and Sunday – were spectacular in that it was sunny and cool and slightly breezy. Just walking around I saw Tonia and the Left Field Band (R&B with a NOLA twist), Al Berard Family Band (great cover of the Kinks “You Really Got Me” in French), Roddie Romero and the Hub City All Stars (great classic blues and cajun blues), Eric Lindell (country blues from my cousin’s hometown of Sonoma, CA), Terrance Blanchard (extraordinary set including a young Cuban pianist/composer of exception and a guitarist from Benin that performed an astounding solo where he sang through a harmonizer and sounded like an entire band and chorus all by himself), and a disappointing Fleetwood Mac. A word on that: I was disappointed with Stevie Nick’s voice which couldn’t hit any high notes and with the depressing songs they chose in the middle of the set. Now, I was really far back (they started earlier than on the printed program) and I couldn’t hear very well and I understand that she apologized for having a virus affecting her voice so perhaps I am being unfair. There was a crowd of probably 60 or 70,000 people there and I was way back on the right. In any case, after nearly 90 minutes, I was fed up and walked away. Needless to say, the food was incredible and unforgettable.

Side note: I realized that the iPhone is far from the ideal camera for concert photography. I took shots of various stages and artists but with barely any zoom and no control over focal length or aperture, I am too embarrassed to publish any here. Instead, here is another foodgasm photo or two:

Gumbo!

Crawdads!

Softshell crab Poboy!

My cousin had to head back home Sunday so I was on my own. I met Brian Ross on the bus over who was a Big Chief pass holder (and given the crappy Fleetwood Mac experience I had, I can appreciate why one would fork out money for decent seats!) who suggested a few bands I needed to see and I appreciate greatly his advice. I checked out the young talent of NOCCA Jazz Ensemble in the Jazz tent before heading over to Lagniappe Stage to catch a little of The Grayhawk Band (white native American indian music) before watching a piece of Ellis Marsalis in the Jazz tent (always a pleasure and a Jazz Fest classic), then headed over to thoroughly enjoy Doreen’s Jazz New Orleans (incredible clariphonist that they call the female Satchmo because of her huge cheeks as she is playing old ragtime and New Orleans jazz standards – a MUST!!) at Economy Hall, hurrying back to the jazz tent for a bit of John Boutté (perhaps the most beautiful male voice in New Orleans today) and then skipped out to wait for The Black Keys. Now, I had to grab a cab back to the airport for the last flight back at 18h30 so I knew I’d be pressed for time. I got a decent spot about 200m in front of the left screen at the Acura Stage. Rumors were spreading that Dr John would join the duo on stage but these turned out to be unfounded. I am a big Black Keys fan dating back to their thickfreakness disc and was blown away by the eight songs I was able to catch before fighting the crowd out to the taxi stand. These guys are electric live – they were traveling with an extra rhythm guitarist and bassist (he played a dual-neck bass on a few tunes – I had never seen one of those before!) but the real treat was Dan Auerbach’s blazing guitar (changing axes for nearly every song) and blistering vocals with Patrick Carney’s massive chops on drums. They didn’t waste time talking but dove into the heart of their repertoire with infectious energy. I missed about 2/3 of the set which apparently concluded with an amazing Lonely Boy / I Got Mine encore. Oh well, I’ll just have to see them again. They easily exceeded my expectations.

So, get off your ass and reserve some tickets for 2014 Jazz Fest – you should definitely check this out at least once. I can’t compare it to Mardi Gras having never been at that bucolic event but given the safety of the event, the outstanding quality of food and music, and the entire overall experience, it is the one festival you do not want to miss.

NSFCCDP Movie Review: Iron Man 3 (2013) – Great Superhero Flick

mfinocchiaro — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 06:14:57 +0000

I will quickly throw down some thoughts here and write a more comprehensive review later. Iron Man 3 was a great film with interesting tie-backs to The Avengers, startling special effects, super mean and powerful bad guys, and a typically egomaniac-but-hilarious Robert Downey, Jr. There were a few plot holes but overall the viewer is pulled into the story from end-to-end and it nevers dips into sentimentalism or sappiness despite the many temptations that the writers had. A MUCH better sequel than the abysmal Iron Man 2, Iron Man 3 will probably age pretty well and gives us a first taste of the changes coming in The Avengers 2…in 2015…

Fino's Weblog

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