My v. busy weekend
I spent a very busy weekend running to and fro, seeing movies and old friends, and
generally not having two minutes free to rub together.
Friday evening, Mr. Bhil, Deb, and I ate at Saigon, then Pete and Mimi joined us to go see Dark Shadows. I suspect I've reached the saturation point with Burton/Depp collaborations, because although I found the concept amusing, I was not super keen on the execution. Mr. Bhil, Pete and Mimi loved it, Deb's reaction was more like my own "Meh". There are some credible performances (I especially liked Jackie Earle Haley's slack-jawed take on the Willie Loomis character, but then I'm quite fond of Jackie Earle Haley). Eva Green plays "Crazy Eyes" Angelique with scene-chewing style (if there's ever a biopic of Michelle Bachmann, I nominate Eva Green for the lead), Michelle Pfeiffer is okay as Collins family matriarch Elizabeth, and Bella Heathcote is nicely decorative as solid, practical Vicky Winters and ethereal Josette. There are blink-and-you'll-miss-them cameos by David Selby, Lara Parker, Jonathan Frid *sniff*, and Kathryn Leigh Scott, and Christopher Lee has a bit part as a fishing captain. I'm not sure why Roger Collins (Jonny Lee Miller) was even included - the character adds nothing to the film, and vanishes about halfway through. Johnny Depp was... Johnny Depp. Honestly, I know the boy can act - he's really good, and low-key, in a number of roles - but if I never see him in another Jack Sparrow or Ichabod Crane type role, I'd be perfectly content. Still, if you like Depp's over-the-top collaborations with Burton, you'll probably love the film.
Saturday morning, I gave blood, then Deb and I trooped off to The Wilmington Flower Market for a few hours. We picked up some fancy foodstuffs, and I got a few plants,and we headed home, where I had a brief respite before Mr. Bhil swung by to pick me up for Mr. Mike's surprise 50th birthday party. I saw many people I haven't seen in years... decades... I took along a test bottle of vanilla mead, and shared it around. It was interesting, and grew on you. Or maybe that was just the alcohol content. It didn't taste like it was very strong, but judging by the way it hit my tongue, I'd guess it to be ~14% - 16%. The flavor was a little like a vanilla-y baked good. Cameron Brown, who I had not seen for about twenty years, suggested adding ginger and cardamom, which I had already been contemplating, so when I get around to bottling the five-gallon batch, I'll doctor up some individual bottles.
Sunday morning, I drove to Bird Paradise in Burlington, NJ, to pickup food for my parrots (and play a little with some of their babies). I got home, bolted lunch, and then Mr. Bhil and I were off to see The Avengers! Gods, what a fun film! Joss Whedon was absolutely in top form, and everybody turned in great performances.[On the off chance I'm not the last among my friends to see this, spoiler cut.]Of course, Whedon has (possibly) killed off my favorite character, Agent Phil Coulson. Coulson gets suckered by Loki's favorite maneuver, and Loki stabs him through the chest, but since he doesn't expire immediately - he speaks to Loki (and blasts him with a weapon based on Asgardian tech), and then talks to Fury just before the medics arrive - I'm holding out hope that Fury has lied to the team about Coulson's death. We do know, since Maria Hill tells us, that he's lying about Coulson's Captain America trading cards being in his pocket when he was stabbed. If a little lie, why not a big one? And Clark Gregg was reportedly in talks for Iron Man 3, so, y'know... a fan-girl can hope. Heartily recommended - I may just have to go back and see The Avengers again in the theater, and it's *definitely* on my BluRay list.
So that was my weekend... how was yours?
generally not having two minutes free to rub together.
Friday evening, Mr. Bhil, Deb, and I ate at Saigon, then Pete and Mimi joined us to go see Dark Shadows. I suspect I've reached the saturation point with Burton/Depp collaborations, because although I found the concept amusing, I was not super keen on the execution. Mr. Bhil, Pete and Mimi loved it, Deb's reaction was more like my own "Meh". There are some credible performances (I especially liked Jackie Earle Haley's slack-jawed take on the Willie Loomis character, but then I'm quite fond of Jackie Earle Haley). Eva Green plays "Crazy Eyes" Angelique with scene-chewing style (if there's ever a biopic of Michelle Bachmann, I nominate Eva Green for the lead), Michelle Pfeiffer is okay as Collins family matriarch Elizabeth, and Bella Heathcote is nicely decorative as solid, practical Vicky Winters and ethereal Josette. There are blink-and-you'll-miss-them cameos by David Selby, Lara Parker, Jonathan Frid *sniff*, and Kathryn Leigh Scott, and Christopher Lee has a bit part as a fishing captain. I'm not sure why Roger Collins (Jonny Lee Miller) was even included - the character adds nothing to the film, and vanishes about halfway through. Johnny Depp was... Johnny Depp. Honestly, I know the boy can act - he's really good, and low-key, in a number of roles - but if I never see him in another Jack Sparrow or Ichabod Crane type role, I'd be perfectly content. Still, if you like Depp's over-the-top collaborations with Burton, you'll probably love the film.
Saturday morning, I gave blood, then Deb and I trooped off to The Wilmington Flower Market for a few hours. We picked up some fancy foodstuffs, and I got a few plants,and we headed home, where I had a brief respite before Mr. Bhil swung by to pick me up for Mr. Mike's surprise 50th birthday party. I saw many people I haven't seen in years... decades... I took along a test bottle of vanilla mead, and shared it around. It was interesting, and grew on you. Or maybe that was just the alcohol content. It didn't taste like it was very strong, but judging by the way it hit my tongue, I'd guess it to be ~14% - 16%. The flavor was a little like a vanilla-y baked good. Cameron Brown, who I had not seen for about twenty years, suggested adding ginger and cardamom, which I had already been contemplating, so when I get around to bottling the five-gallon batch, I'll doctor up some individual bottles.
Sunday morning, I drove to Bird Paradise in Burlington, NJ, to pickup food for my parrots (and play a little with some of their babies). I got home, bolted lunch, and then Mr. Bhil and I were off to see The Avengers! Gods, what a fun film! Joss Whedon was absolutely in top form, and everybody turned in great performances.[On the off chance I'm not the last among my friends to see this, spoiler cut.]Of course, Whedon has (possibly) killed off my favorite character, Agent Phil Coulson. Coulson gets suckered by Loki's favorite maneuver, and Loki stabs him through the chest, but since he doesn't expire immediately - he speaks to Loki (and blasts him with a weapon based on Asgardian tech), and then talks to Fury just before the medics arrive - I'm holding out hope that Fury has lied to the team about Coulson's death. We do know, since Maria Hill tells us, that he's lying about Coulson's Captain America trading cards being in his pocket when he was stabbed. If a little lie, why not a big one? And Clark Gregg was reportedly in talks for Iron Man 3, so, y'know... a fan-girl can hope. Heartily recommended - I may just have to go back and see The Avengers again in the theater, and it's *definitely* on my BluRay list.
So that was my weekend... how was yours?