Live Goods: Point Break

From Anthony Hopkins to Hugh Jackman to Daniel Craig, some of today's film best actors began their careers on stage.  For some reason I've never really liked plays too much.  I've seen a few big ones like Cats and Wicked as well as some small ones in black box theaters to support friends and a few in between.  As a film kid in college I crossed paths with the theater department regularly, while some were enjoyable humans many were just loud and obnoxious.  It didn't help that I was forced to see a production of Pirates of Penzance for a class where I couldn't understand a fucking word of the sing song performances.

In exactly one month I'll take in Hugh Jackman's one man show at the Dolby Theater in Hollywood.  To warm up, I attended a small show on Theater Row in West Hollywood.  One that was three years in the planning stages before finally attending for a bachelor party, an adaptation of 1991's Point Break.  Before she broke new ground with The Hurt Locker and Zero Dark Thirty, director/writer Kathryn Bigelow gave us one of the greatest action/buddy/thriller's of the last twenty years.  Rookie FBI Special Agent Johnny Utah (Keanu Reeves) is fresh to Los Angeles and assigned to bank robbery where a band of President mask wearing thieves has hit dozens of establishments and never been caught.  A theory that the Ex-Presidents are a band of surfers sends Utah to the beach where he meets wave and zen master Bohdi (Patrick Swayze, from Road House?!).  Action, chases, extreme sports, meatball subs, Gary Busey, cold pizza, Narco entrapment, random crazy naked lady attacks and bromance ensues.

The stage play version, dubbed Point Break Live! is a continuation of parody performances of Road House and now Terminator where an audience member plays the lead and reads off cue cards.  It's a fun concept with food and drinks available before and during the show so you can make an evening out of it.  The first two rows are subject to being sprayed with water, fake blood and other artificial bodily fluids so they make extra money by selling ponchos.  The performers interact with the audience frequently in kind of an uncomfortable way if you're not expecting it.  I had the impulse of yelling "get your fucking hands off me" but remembered it was just part of the show.  Overall it's a fun night and definitely a memorable experience that only Los Angeles would have thought up.

Here's some of Bigelow's gift for intense kinetic action, just missing some screaming:

Gotta Drank! The 3rd Stop

After seeing The World's End, I really felt like having a pint (In Bruges had the same effect).  But being a beer loather ("You just have to get used to the taste."  Well I could get used to drinking my own urine but I don't do that and it's good for you.)  makes it a little difficult.  Enter, Cider, fermented apple juice that is gluten free and has a stronger alcohol content than most beers.  I used to judge an establishment by the brand of Cider they served, if they did at all.  You'll likely find Wyder's Pear Cider or Woodchuck around but those are just too sweet.  The gold standard is Strongbow, the dry, crisp, not too sweet label from England.  Just a few years ago you could only find it in English style pubs or high end groceries like Whole Foods.  Now they sell it at your local Ralph's (or Kroeger, regionally speaking).  Magner's is another fine brand of cider from Ireland but I've only seen it served in one southern California establishment.  If a bar is serving Strongbow, they've probably been around a long time.

The 3rd Stop has 30 some beers on tap and one cider that isn't Strongbow or Magner's.  They used to serve The Bow once upon a time but the cider revolution hadn't occurred yet.  Once again, I'm just a man out of and ahead of time. They make up for the lack of cider by being a solid gastropub though with an attractive happy hour that includes $4 wine and drafts as well as your typical pub fare of burgers, wings and pizza.  It's also right across the street from a huge hospital so you'll feel like you missed a memo about the wearing scrubs convention.



Cider is coming up but this is usually the reaction people give me (and relax, it's a joke, it's a great movie, so do yourself a favor, rent it, watch it, lock it in a box for a year then watch it again):

Summer Cinema Shootout: June

It's been a pretty mild summer weather wise up until these past couple of weeks so going to the movies is always a good way to get out of the heat.  Star Trek Into Darkness, World War Z and This Is The End popped back into theaters to wring that last bit of cash out of summer movie goers.  I saw two of those back in June which was far from filled with gloom, movie wise.  Instead we got superheroes, buddy action flicks and end of the world scenarios via Rapture and Zombies.

Man Of Steel:  Surprisingly enjoyable, action and spectacle overload. Russell Crowe and Kevin Costner as my two dads was a nice touch but their extended screen time just shows you how boring Superman is on his own.

This Is The End:  Really funny, great cast and one of the greatest endings of the year.  Michael Cera's coked out version of himself was his best performance probably ever.  Was waiting for someone to go full JCVD and do a monologue to camera.

World War Z:  Solid, quasi-realistic, globe hopping, epidemic evading, adult entertainment thriller.  The quiet, reworked last act was a welcome change from the explosions and destruction we got with Iron Man Three, Star Trek and Superman.

White House Down:  Like an 80's buddy movie with cheese, excitement and jokes.  Has several moments that are uber ridiculous that you're sure the filmmakers are aware of but do it anyway.  I mean the President fires a grenade launcher out of the back of a SUV, what do you want?

The Heat:  The buddy movie that could, funny and purposely cringe worthy on multiple occasions.  Nice to see Biff back on the big screen as well, butthead!

Much Ado About Nothing:  Once you get used to the Shakespeare lingo, it's good times with lots of laughs and that kid from Gladiator all growed up but looking virtually the same.

June Champion:  A tie between This Is The End and World War Z.

Couldn't find the JCVD scene in English so settle for this:

Brawl Fall 1996: Sylvester Stallone

Aka the Death of the Action Hero Part I of IV

Sylvester Stallone.  Arnold Schwarzenegger.  Steven Seagal.  Jean-Claude Van Damme.

These four men were their own brand of action hero in the 1980's and 1990's.  Big muscles, big personalities, bigger egos and biggest paychecks.  But 1996 was the beginning of the end...

1985. Stallone was on top of the world, his Rocky IV and Rambo:  First Blood Part II were the second and third highest grossing films of the year behind Back to the Future.  Not only had Stallone written and directed Rocky but in the process won the Cold War while bringing some cathartic closure to Vietnam with Rambo.  In 1987, he would make history by earning $10 million for Cannon's arm-wrestling, father son road trip adventure, Over the Top.

Where do you go when you're on top?  Stallone quickly found out: to the middle and finally to the bottom.  Further late 80's efforts would seemingly hit:  Tango & Cash, an expensive, troubled production but solid box office earner and miss:  Rambo III and Lock Up both underperformed.  A 90's run at comedy in Oscar and Stop!  Or My Mom Will Shoot didn't pan out as audiences weren't interested in Sly laughers like they were of rival Arnold Schwarzenegger (Twins, Kindergarten Cop).  In 1993 things were looking up as Cliffhanger was the 7th highest grossing film of the year, making $255 million, handily beating Arnie's summer entry Last Action Hero, while scoring solid critical reviews.  1994's Demolition Man and The Specialist would make decent bank but 1995's Assassins, the $50 million, dueling hitmen team up with Richard Donner (Lethal Weapon), Joel Silver (Die Hard) and Antonio Banderas would be a non-starter.

1996.  At another crossroads in his career, Stallone signs a mammoth deal with Universal Studios worth $60 million for 3 pictures.  The first flick would be $80 million disaster yarn, Daylight.  Directed by Universal stalwart Rob Cohen, (Dragon:  The Bruce Lee Story, Dragonheart, Fast and the Furious) Daylight stripped away much of what made Stallone a star in the 80's; the muscles, the violence, the one liners and replaced them with bland characterization and cliched reluctant heroics.  The genre that Stallone and Arnold created and brought to the masses of the one man army cutting through red tape, hyper violent, skilled and physical types blowing away the bad guys while cracking wise was now making room for everyman heroes, keeping shirts on and no need for baby oil.

Daylight would be a financial disappointment and his next film with Universal, the $55 million ensemble murder mystery thriller D-Tox/Eye See You would languish for three years before being dumped in 78 theaters and sent quickly to DVD.  By 2002 the party was over, Stallone went straight to DVD in Avenging Angelo.  The good time 90's, magazine covers, international fame, the Planet Hollywood openings and $20 million paydays were gone and not coming back.  Stallone would be relegated to supporting roles (Shade, Spy Kids 3D) while unsuccessfully branding himself with a supplement line, magazine and reality show.  Five years since his last wide release, Sly went back to the well for 2006's Rocky Balboa and began his ascent back up the ranks, aligning himself with rising talent and former competition to stay afloat in the changed cinema landscape.

2013.  The 80's and 90's are back.  Stallone's third franchise, The Expendables, has been filming in Bulgaria and features new addition throwback favorites like Mel Gibson, Harrison Ford and Wesley Snipes.  Joining the nostalgic tough guy club that already includes Dolph Lundgren, Bruce Willis, Mickey Rourke, Jean-Claude Van Damme and Chuck Norris.

Keep punching:

Track Star: Pacific Rim

I had very little interest in seeing Pacific Rim.  The concept seemed like a mix of Transformers and Godzilla, Guillermo Del Toro is a talented and funny guy but his films don't match his fanboy worship, the trailers looked BAD with their mix of physical and computer created elements and quasi painful dialog.  Maybe it was those low expectations, not knowing what the movie was really about mixed with the fact it was incredibly well made, funny, exciting and original that made Pacific Rim my favorite film of the summer.  It was just the most fun I had and I left the theater in a great mood.  The soundtrack by Ramin Djawadi is fantastic from the very start and primes you for a wonderful 2 hours.  Even if it features a loud mouth douche on guitar but give credit where it's due.

Van Dammage: Cafe Etiquette

"Love is like milk when you get a coffee.  If the waiter forgets to bring you some, don't ask for it.  Because love is about giving, not asking."
     Jean-Claude Van Damme

Chief Goods: GQ Awards

"You will never be as cool as your dad.  Remember that"

     - Noel Gallagher

The Chief himself has just won the GQ "Icon" Award (and took a nice dig at the Foreign Secretary in attendance).  Plans are in order for a follow up to High Flying Birds but apparently Noel's not too keen on getting back on the road for a year and a half...

A great backstage interview here.

Displays of genius:

Gotta Drank! Maker's Mark Bourbon House and Lounge

Bachelor party recollections continue!  Coming at you one more time from Kansas City, MO is the Maker's Mark Bourbon House and Lounge, a full fledged bar and restaurant themed around you guessed it, Maker's Mark!  You know, the Kentucky Bourbon Whiskey sold in a square bottle sealed with red wax?  I'm usually a Jameson man but MM has grown on me with it's light flavor and smooth finish.  The House and Lounge had a huge list of Bourbon, (Whiskey made in America in the style of Kentucky's Bourbon County made at least half from corn) two New Old Fashioned's later we continued our tour of the KC Power & Light District.

Gotta Eat! Gates VS Arthur Bryant's Barbeque

It's almost time for me to be in another wedding and the bachelor party is this weekend.  The sunny southern California locale will be a marked difference from the last bachelor party I attended this past spring in what would be snowy Kansas City, Missouri.  While there we sampled three barbeque institutions: Jack Stack, Gates and Arthur Bryant's.  I'll only get into Gates and Bryant's since Jack Stack was more of an actual restaurant while the latter two were hole in the wall types.

Gates had the atmosphere: bustling, orders taken in code (B on B!), confusion and a hidden back dining room.  After ordering you were hustled down the line before paying so it was a little weird.  The BBQ itself is not my favorite since the meat was slathered in sauce of a vinegar base and I hate that tangy shit.  The meat was lukewarm and the flavor just didn't jump out at me, well besides the sauce...

Arthur Bryant's was more my style, easily navigated, one order window and not too hectic.  The meat came tender and without sauce, you could add your own at the table.  It was crowded but not uncomfortably so, patrons had come from all over and easily mixed in with locals.  If I were in the area again, I would definitely come back to Arthur Bryant's.

Track Star: Rod Stewart

After seeing Star Trek Into Darkness again, I had a hankering for some Peter Weller action.  Luckily he guest starred as another war mongering villain in the Star Trek universe on two 2005 episodes of Enterprise.  Over the years I've caught a few episodes of the original series, more than a few of Next Generation, a couple Voyager but not one of Deep Space Nine or Enterprise.  Imagine my surprise when the theme song was a cover of Faith of the Heart by my favorite English crooner, Rod Stewart! 



The credits list the song written by one Diane Warren who I found out is one of the world's foremost writer of songs having had her tunes belted out by the likes of Aerosmith, Stewart, Elton John, Barbara Streisand, Roy Orbison, N'Sync, Celine Dion and Canadian crooner Bryan Adams.  Warren and Stewart's collaboration was produced for Robin Williams' 1998 "medical student uses humor on patients" effort Patch Adams.  Didn't that movie end in a really messed up way?  Like his best friend or love interest got murdered messed up?

Three years later, Russell Watson would cover and rework Faith of the Heart, now dubbed Where My Heart Will Take Me for Enterprise, making it the first vocal track used for a Trek theme song.  Apparently the ol' Trek fanbase didn't love the song and petitioned for it's removal.  Producers stood firm and kept the track for the shows four years.  I can't say Watson's rendition beats the original because let's face it, who can really beat Rod the Mod, Rod the Bod when it comes to sweeping performances that get to you on multiple levels?  Soothing, uplifting, nearly inspiring...what?  I've got Tiger Blood bro, bring it!



Close your eyes and listen, tell me you don't have visions of clouds, sailing and winning:

Summer Cinema Shootout: May

It's Labor Day!  You know, the "yearly national tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country". Hopefully you're doing something relaxing or fun, unless you work in the service industry and are getting some nice Over Time.

Labor Day marks the end of the summer cinema season, not just big, special effects filled blockbusters but outdoor screenings in the grass as well.  If this summer's films taught us anything, it's that 1)  Hollywood crams too many movies into a short time and 2)  Audiences can only take so many big spectacle action films.


Thanks to surprise hits like 1998's Deep Impact, 1999's The Mummy and 2000's Gladiator, early May has officially become the start of the summer movie season.  It's great to be first before viewer fatigue sets in as Marvel learned since they've slotted Iron Man Two, Thor and The Avengers there, essentially getting while the getting is good.  This year my May consisted of:

Iron Man Three:  Great way to start the summer.  Fun and surprisingly funny.  Ben Kingsley's Mandarin was superb even if Guy Pearce's Mortal Kombat-esque villain, Gwentyh Paltrow's presence and inherent subsequent annoying media quotes and too many damn Iron Man suits flying around make you wonder where they can really take the franchise from here.

The Iceman:  Not exactly a summer blockbuster but a nice change of pace.  Small, character driven, well cast and executed.  Michael Shannon's killer warm up before going full out for Man of Steel.

Star Trek Into Darkness:  The summer's best use of Peter Weller.  Exciting and funny but with some real high peaks and really low valleys.  Still talking with Trek purists about their loathe for the film but hey, they tried to get Benecio Del Toro to play Khan!  Not sure if J.J. Abrams told Karl Urban to go complete Deforest Kelley... "Are you out of your corn fed mind?!"

Fast & Furious 6:  Good times with car chases, destruction and fights.  A couple truly "What The Fuck but I'm going with it" moments to keep you paying attention.  Diesel and company need to learn from Arnold that the hero shouldn't be noticeably bigger than the villain because when hero wins it's not exciting.  The Rock has become a caricature of himself though and not in a good way.  Well, he was great in Pain & Gain...

The Hangover Part III:  Got a little dark, got a little who gives a shit...I'd rather watch Old School.

May Champion:  Close fight between Iron Man Three and Star Trek Into Darkness.

Great clip of Peter Weller talking about how he got involved with Trek:

Workout of the Day: The Dark Knight Rises

Watching The Dark Knight Rises while sick inspired today's workout.  In the flick, Batman has just been pummeled by Bane and had his back broken.  Now locked away in a remote prison to suffer, an inmate punches Bruce Wayne in the spine to reinsert a disc.  Fueled by anger, Wayne begins to mend and starts a prison regimen of pull ups, push ups and sit ups to get back in fighting shape.

Technically a Pull Up uses an overhand grip (knuckles facing you) and work more of your back/lats and shoulders while Chin Ups are underhand (palms facing you) and use more bicep.  I think it's a pretty stupid distinction to make because variety is a spice of life and training.  If you're only doing Chins with one grip, you're hurting your own physique.  Pulls are a smidgen safer since there's no pressure on your wrists like a Chin.  But you only have to worry about that if you have sloppy form and are flaring your elbows out.  Hands Parallel is the ultimate no wrist impact position though.



So why not do all three?  That's what my session entailed, hands wide, shoulder width, close with an overhand grip, then the same three repeated with an underhand grip, finally it was two sets of parallel grip wide and narrow.  If you make the effort to pull to your chest, the pecs and delts get more involved as do your abs.

They say the average male cannot do one chin, that's not surprising because how often do people even think of doing them?  They probably harken back to some kind of bad high school memory of gym class.  But chins are one of the best exercises you can do as they work your forearms, biceps, shoulders, core and chest.  If you can't do one yet, no biggie.  I started out struggling to do one as a sophomore in high school and built my way up to doing 135 in one workout.  It just takes time and persistence, if you can't do a full chin, then use a chair and step into the top position and lower yourself down, controlling the movement.  In college, I installed a chin up bar in my apartment and took Arnold's advice and did 50 chins on a given day.  No matter if it was 50 sets of 1 or 5 sets of 10, I just got to 50.

Push Ups can have the same variety, hands wide, shoulder width and close, fingers facing each other, fingers out, hands staggered, on knuckles, etc.  You can work your chest, shoulders and triceps with just a changing of hand position or putting your feet up on a chair.  Keep your elbows tight to avoid shoulder strain and to keep the pressure on the muscles you're working.

The brawl that started it all: