There is a God

McCarren Park Pool

We ventured out to the capital of hipsterdom to see a free show at the famed McCarren Park Pool. Alison, Cichelli and I left, in what we thought was plenty of time. When we got to Williamsburg, we found our way to McCarren Park. We started our trek to find the end of the line. Probably about a half hour later we found it. It stretched for at least 10 blocks. Two and half hours later, and one quasi-severe thunderstorm later, we still were not even close to the front of the line.

Nick and his friend Hyeku had met us and waited with us for a little while longer. At this point, the band we really wanted to see (The Ting Tings) were already well into their set. Cold, wet and frustrated, we decided to just go to the front of the line and just listen. We made our way up there and then Hyeku got feisty. She worked some magic, told a little white lie, and poof! We got inside for the end of The Ting Tings, of which I enjoyed immensely.

The venue was really cool. I was never clear if the "pool" in McCarren Park Pool was an actual pool and it turned it was. "Was" being the operative word. The concert was literally in the basin of a HUGE pool. It was big enough to hold a solid concert pit of people, along with a dodgeball game and a slip and slide. We grabbed a seat on backside, upon the fence that encircled the pool, so we had a great vantage point form which to judge the concertgoers. And we did.

We are funny.

Later on I found out that this is the last summer for concerts at the pool. They are closing it and turning it back into an actual pool, so I'm really glad we made the journey when we did. Even if the rain, the crowd and ineptitude all threatened to ruin it for us.

The Dark Knight

I'd waited through opening weekend to see it. I was foolish and waited too long to get my tickets and all the IMAX shows for opening weekend were sold out. So I had to grit my teeth and wait until Monday. Luckily, I had Alison to wait with. So we waited...I saw Mamma Mia instead. Not a worthy substitute, FYI.

IMAX...I've only seen two other movies on it. Batman Begins and Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. Harry was worth it because at the end it went 3-D, which was awesome, in my opinion. The first Batman, eh, but this one was definitely worth the $16 (yes, that price is right, this is New York). From the first scenes, those floating "beauty" shots of Gotham, I was off-kilter and I think that was the point.

From that point on, I don't know if my mouth closed. I haven't seen many movies that literally make my jaw drop. This one did, over and over. In case you are late to The Dark Knight party, the film picks up where the last left off. Gotham has begun to be terrorized by Batman's most infamous villain, the Joker. I'll get my praise for Heath Ledger out of the way now. I remember seeing the first teaser for The Dark Knight, last year, when Ledger was still alive. I remember the hairs on the back of my neck standing up, seeing a shot of him against a wall looking up in the most classic case of rapist face I've ever seen. So I'm going to go ahead and say that my critique of his performance was not colored by his untimely death. Say what you will, but it is a masterpiece. I sat there in awe the entire time, especially in a scene where he has been captured and is being questioned in his cell. He owns the movie from the very beginning, when you can only see the back of his head. He is remarkably creepy, twisted, funny and yet, still attractive.

(Side note: this isn't the first time Alison and I have found such an evil character attractive. We're both hold a hankering for Ralph Finennes as Voldemort (re: suit in the train station, film 5). After seeing this film and realizing we were both attracted to the Joker, green hair, well-cut purple vest and all, we feared what level of evil would next attract us. I said, at the rate we were going, it would probably be the inevitable biopic of Hitler.)

I could go on and on about how much I loved Ledger as the Joker, but you can go elsewhere for more poetic praise. As for the plot, the Joker is using the mob as a backer to wreak chaos on Gotham. Meanwhile, Gotham's newest hope is new D.A. Harvey Dent, who Batman hopes can clean up Gotham enough to allow him to hang up his batsuit so he may pursue his one true love, Rachel (Maggie Gyllenhaall), who happens to be dating Dent, naturally. I don't want to give a lengthy plot summary, honestly, just go see it and pay close attention. In the words of Michael Caine as Michael Caine, er, Alfred, "some men just want to watch the world burn." That's the Joker and that's what he does for the entirety of the movie. There are some cool twists, nifty chases, ahem, flipping over a semi and unexpected deaths.

In short, although, I absolutely loved this movie. It was one of the best examples of art and commerce working seamlessly. I loved it so much, I went and saw it again the following Friday. I haven't done that since a movie that shall remained unnamed (Leo!). I left the theater thinking about it and I was still thinking about and marveling at it the next day and now anytime someone mentions it. I have some negative critiques (Batman's voice) but they were so few, they're not even worth getting further into. Since Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince has been moved to next summer, the race is on to replace The Dark Knight as my favorite movie of the year.

Disagree? Discuss.

The Dark Knight

So. Fucking. Good.

More to come.

Celebrity Sighting #4

Celebrity Sighted: Jason Alexander

Location: Washington D.C., Marriott Hotel

Info: I am in D.C. for a work conference. I leave early tomorrow and am missing the big gala tomorrow evening. According to the schedule, Alexander is going to be performing but I assumed I'd miss him. However, as I returned from dinner tonight, I was walking through the automatic door and was blocked by a group of men. Then I saw him, watching me try to maneuver through his group. He looked right at me.

Notes: He was short (of course), wearing a baseball cap, jeans and a plaid shirt that I'm pretty sure my Dad has.

Hancock

What attracts you to see a movie? What about a trailer or ad campaign will get your hard earned money out of your pocket?

Apparently for me (and Alison), it is relatively simple. In the case of Hancock, we were watching trailers and as a laugh we decided to watch Hancock. From the first few glimpses, it seemed mediocre and then . . .

MOVE! Bitch, get out the way, bitch get out the way... (ah Ludacris)

That song set to images of Will Smith flying into a highway sign? SOLD!

So when opening weekend came around, it was with trepidation that we followed through on our excitement to see the film by attending opening night, in the hope the song made an appearance in the actual movie. But we were not disappointed.

First action sequence, there it was. Said song accompanied by said image. Then to completely convince we had made the right decision, during the fight scene the bad guy breaks Hancock's bottle of rum or whisky or whatever (He's an alcoholic superhero, hi jinks ensue) and Hancock looks directly into the camera (i.e. the bad guy's face), holds the bottle up and simply shakes his head. It's that kind of simple comedy that we fall for every time. So things we're looking up. Will Smith was in top form, Jason Bateman showed up to remind us to watch Arrested Development reruns, inexplicably Charlize Theron was there, but we didn't mind.

Our love for the movie started to decline after a particular high note. Hancock, having just saved Jason Bateman from an oncoming train, derailing it and making a huge mess in the process, encounters an angry mob of people who are ungrateful for his heroics. One woman in particular engages in the following exchange:
Lady: "You smell like alcohol."
Hancock: "That's cause I been drinking, bitch!"

HAHAHAHAHAHAHA

Then it was all downhill from there. (SPOILER) Something about Charlize being Hancock's long lost superhero wife or some such nonsense. Lame. But had the film continued it's first hour of brilliance, we might have a had a favorite new superhero on our hands.