Some time ago we added a lovely teak wine rack to our den. The plan was to eventually be able to afford a matching teak cabinet and then remount everything so our organizer would sit atop both units. Well, Saturday night, the re-org took place. I am utterly amazed how much ‘stuff’ this unit holds … especially once we moved everything out into the livingroom. OMG, what a mess.

To aid in the work, Blee kindly visited and G, in his continuing quest to be G,The Pizzaman, made us homemade pizza that was to-die-for. Thanks G!

Along with yet another hectic weekend that involved a wedding (more on that later), a visit to a modern Japanese ‘homestyle’ eatery – Manpuku – in the Village on the Grange (which was excellent), and continuing attempts to mount the floating shelf at her condo (which we finally after three attempts succeeded in), there was movies, of course.

Star
Trek
What
a great prequel! Director JJ Abrams and writers Roberto Orci and Alex
Kurtzman have dusted off the institution that is the Star Trek
phenomenon and given us a refreshing, fun, action-filled version true
to the original series. Chris Pine stars as James T. Kirk, the James
Dean-ish renegade Starfleet Academy cadet, and yes that was Eric Bana
as the evil and messed-up-in-time Romulan, Nero, and Winona Ryder as
Spock’s mommy, Amanda Greyson. The story is your typical Star Trek
romp and has Kirk captaining the USS Enterprise as it tries to
recover Captain Pike (Bruce Greenwood) from the menacing Romulan
who’s destroyed Vulcan and is now on his way to destroy Earth (but
of course). The story is just a vehicle here to get us reacquainted
with the characters we’ve long loved, and who, through the tragedy
of time and too many Hollywood Star Trek films had become lost. This
Star Trek is a real winner and it’s great to have the institution
we love grounded again. My rating 9 out of 10.

Blonde
and Blonder
There
are dreadful movies we watch simply because in being so awful there
is a redeeming factor in seeing them through to the end. These movies
are often termed ‘campy’ and reward the viewer despite the
embarrassment they were ever made. Blonde and Blonder is no such a
movie. Dreadful from start to finish, it is a sad vehicle for Pamela
Anderson’s breasts and ego. Worse, director Dean Hamilton and
writers Gerry Anderson and Rolfe Kanefsky in trying to be funny only
succumb in being mean, obnoxious and insulting. Anderson’s breasts
star as Dee Twiddle to Denise Richard’s Dawn St. Dom, two blondes
with nary a brain betwixt them, who end up getting confused as
international mob killers. While the film does have high production
value (a compliment I’m using to find at least one redeeming thing
to say here), Blonde and Blonder is an embarrassment to every single
person involved in its production. And is often the fact with such
tripe, sadly, a sequel is currently in the works. My rating 1 out of
10.

Man
On Wire
Directed
by James Marsh, Man On Wire – winner of the 2009 Best Documentary
Oscar – recounts Philippe Petit’s own book detailing his
fantastic crossing of the World Trade Center buildings in August 1974
… on a tightrope. The film uses Petit and his co-conspirators own
recollections of the event and mixes archival footage with
dramatization. The story is infectious, crossing personal drama with
mystery and anticipation as the small group manages to haul a ton of
equipment up the towers and rig the wire in the dead of night. The
moment where Petit steps out onto the wire is, in a word, mesmerizing
and sobering now that the WTC is no more. Man on Wire is a thoroughly
engaging film that keeps the viewer on edge throughout its ninety
minutes. More importantly, it allows us a glimpse into the unique
mind of an artist and the mysterious force that guides his approach
to life. My rating 8 out of 10.

Young
People F*king
This
film is what its title says; the stories of four couples (and one
manage-a-tois) f***king. Each is a couple in transition but isn’t
that true of all of us? And being in transition, the young
stars are sweet, vulgar, mean, loving and frisky. Young People
F*king works because of this and shows each of us, its viewers, some
image of our own lives and loves. Never pornographic, it starts well before
stalling mid-point (dare I say becoming boring despite its title) but
climaxes well. Not for kids. My rating 6 out of 10.

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