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The Best of 2003

(Re-posted due to server change axing a few posts ...)

For once, I'm trying to do something in a timely manner around here ... getting the traditional Year-End post up a few days early will have to do. Easy enough since most of these calls are easy ones for me.

Best New Movie of 2003: The Pianist
Easy call here as the movie has a great deal of depth to it and also holds one's interest for 150 minutes. At parts, achingly slow paced, but the story is compelling throughout. Ironically enough, I decided to pass out on a friend's sofa last night, and one of the options to view as I tried to doze off was this very movie. I passed, only because I knew if I started watching, I'd not stop till it was over (and sheesh, was I tired). Grab the DVD, though ... its worth adding to the collection. (Full review)

A few other worthy contenders for this honor were Spellbound, and Blind Spot. Both were of the documentary craze that swept arthouse theaters over the summer. Both are great for different reasons, too. Blind Spot ties into the Nazi era theme of The Pianist, focusing on a lone interview with Hitler's bunker-era secretary. Spellbound explores the paths of several kids headed for the National Spelling Bee and finds a bit of richness that one might not expect to find. Both rewarding for the time invested in viewing. Neither will win major awards, but both are worth catching. Tough to leave off this now-lengthy list of honorable mentions is Chopin: Desire for Love. This one speaks to the musical interests of mine, so that and the fact that its an historical peice make it less likely to win some trophies. But it covers a nice era of classical music and the most tubrulent time of Chopin's life. If you don't watch the movie, read the book. Either is highly recommended.

Best Old Movie Seen in 2003: The Apple.
With the advent of Weird Wednesdays at The Alamo Drafthouse, I introduce this new category. Picking the winner here is a tough one. So it would be ironic that the winner in this category would come from a movie viewed at River Oaks Theater. But in fairness, there can only be one The Apple. Shown in late April, this movie is now on the Begging-to-be-shown-at-The-Alamo list.

All that aside, the Alamo is to be commended for their addition to the retro movie concept. Weird Wednesdays are now something to schedule around. Ever since The Garbage Pail Kids movie changed Houston, we've been encouraged to watch out for snakes, form a squad, and just say no to hobos offering a pint of Viper to us. Fitting that the first WW offering of the year is a movie that I've long held as a classic horror film that never got its just rewards: Motel Hell.

Best New CD of 2003: Kathleen Edwards - Failer
Not even close on this one. Kathleen Edwards entered my vocabulary with insertion of a tune in the hit Canadian movie about curling: Men With Brooms. Ever since, I've awaited the day she hits Houston. She got close (Austin, during SXSW), but thus far, no dice. She's recently released a combo live CD-ette with DVD of her two videos. The live songs are curious, but its nice to hear another adaptation of a few faves. She also does a standup version of AC/DC's "Money Talk" (also available for download on her site.) Overall, Kathleen's work is mellow enough to play on a slow, rainy day and uptempo enough to play on a sunny, outdoorsy day. I simply can't recommend this CD highly enough to do it justice.

Best Retro CD Procured in 2003: Nick Gilder - City Nights
How does one top finding their first album finally making it onto CD years after its been long overdue? I can't think of a way. Nick Gilder's signature release still holds up for me. The tunes that made me appreciate the brilliance that a wax LP could store while radio ignored it still makes me want to pick up the guitar and jam along. The only remaining feat for me in all things Gilderian is that I've yet to see him perform live. Fingers remain crossed that I'll live to see it happen.

Best Concert of 2003: Stryper
Seeing one of my favorite 80s bands regroup for a small tour to revive the good ol' days? Beyond description. Obviously, that didn't stop me from trying.

Best Book of 2003: At War With Ourselves
Another slam dunk for my own interests. I've not yet been able to write a review that does it justice. Perhaps if I get around to re-reading it soon (something planned on anyway), I'll find the means to make that happen.

Sidenote: Mark the calendars for April 16th. WorldFest begins the 2004 season. Houston's International Film Festival may not have a wide recognition, but its a great place to catch some out of the way artfilms that sometimes take eons to re-reach the movie theaters. I caught Chopin there last time and kicked myself for missing the Martin Luther biopic. A Film buff movie pass of $75 gets you into 11 flicks, and is worth every penny. I'm hoping to take in more of the movie this time around.

Merry Christmas

My present to myself: a well deserved, long nap. I woke up early anyway, popped in the DVD of THE WORM EATERS, and fell back asleep quick enough. All I'm hoping for today is a win by my Coogs in the Hawaii Bowl (7pm on ESPN).

That aside, some decent Christmas punditry/news can be found here:

Run-and-shoot convention in town

I just love the graphic the Honolulu Star Bulletin has for their article:

Posted by Thrillhouse at 01:17 PM

UBERMAS!!!!!

If you know what it is ... just be there. Movies galore will be shown - not a damn one of them any good, too!

A Rant on Spam Filters ...

Having done some work involving bulk email, I'm well aware of both the concern for receiving spam, as well as the frustrations of legitimate marketers that would like to get their message out to people that agree to receive it.

Unfortunately, all that runs into a brick wall when it comes to AOL's hyper-secure spam filter. But I'm already used to swearing at AOL in the first place, and this bit of angst directed at them is nothing new. It's as if Microsoft came out with a new product and it made your computer crash ... who's really surprised by that?

But now, I've done what I occassionally do and checked my Yahoo spam folder ... and discovered that one of my friend's emails has been in there since yesterday. Every other email I get from him goes through fine ... but in this one weird, flukey moment, one email doesn't. There's also a lot of cases in which stuff I subscribe to will occassionally get filtered out, but not always. I've tended to be indifferent towards that since many such subscriptions aren't at the top of my reading list anyway.

The whole point here is ... what's the point? What purpose does it serve to have such a great spam filter if, in the end, you have to check through all that damned spam anyways to sift out the emails you do need?

*end of rant*

Fine Dining ....

I meant to do a full-scale restaurant review of one of the plethora of mom & pop taquerias in my neighborhood. There's like a zillion of them, it seems, and I've not eaten at enough of them. As luck would have it, the one I went to cannot be identified online and I'll be damned if I remembered the name of it. But if you're in the vicinity of 6700 Hillcroft, its right next to a Walgreens.

I note this place for a few simple reasons. One centers on the fact that places like this are typically hit or miss for one's taste. The other is that the better ones tend to have some semblence of authenticity to them. This one ranked up there on the scale of local taquerias.

First thing I notice upon arrival is that they don't have soft drinks ... strictly Mexican sodas. I, being the white boy that I am, opt for iced tea. The place didn't have just the garden variety offerings, either. The menu was a little more upscale ... full plates of steaks, a decent seafood sampling, even Mexican-style ribs (I'm not a fan of ribs and yet that intrigues me).

Being the cautious, yet experimental type, I opt for the known quantity ... chicken quesadillos. I'm informed that they're rather small (single tortilla), so I opt for two. I should have gotten a side of rice, but live & learn. The quesadillos were stuffed to the gills and downright yummy. The chips and a good book kept me occupied for a short wait. Oh, and the waitress, after taking my order, apparently had no clue what I ordered as someone else had to come out from back to clarify (what with my Spanish being nonexistant).

Still, the food was good, but the offering wasn't what I had expected. I know I've been spoiled by the fast food chains into thinking everything comes with a side of rice & beans ... unless you're at Taco Bell, which cannot be considered Mexican food in any way shape or form.

My point in offering this here is that since I don't live close enough to a Ruchi's (and I'm talking about potential walking distance ... my apartment is within just such a distance from about 10-15 taquerias), so I'm exploring the mom & pop places for a quality dining option. Just a little burned out on Wendy's, Jack, Whataburger, & Sonic. Oh, and being too lazy to cook counts as my excuse for not going the do-it-yourself route.

One option worth noting is that the inhouse taqueria at Fiesta is not half-bad. Not great, but not half-bad either. The taco truck that parks outside of either the nearest Diamond Shamrock or "unnamed" convenience store is, on the other hand, a shade disappointing. Not that I have lofty expectations for food served out of a truck.

Up next is Taquerias Mexico which is caddycorner to the Walgreens-place on the corner of Hillcroft & Bellaire. I know I tried that place a year or two ago and was disappointed with their quesadillo ... larger, but also greasy as all getout. I'm in need of another menu item to get out of my dietary rut, so hopefully, I'll be a little more venturesome when I attack that place.

Any known experiences with any local mom & pop taquerias, by all means pass them on in the comments. I know there's always a hidden gem out there among this group of restaurants. Finding one, unfortunately, can be a chore.