I was really surprised by how boring Speed Racer was. Yes, it’s by the Wachowski Brothers (of The Matrix fame). Yes, it has a ton of CGI. Yes, there’s plenty of racing “action.” And I even saw this in IMAX at the Bridge! But YAWN! I almost took a nap.
Unlike Iron Man, I felt like I was perhaps missing out on a lot of inside jokes or a fuller experience by not being a fan of the cartoon on which the movie was based. I couldn’t connect with what was going on on-screen. By the middle of the movie, I stopped caring.
Anyway, I lust after fast cars, drool over exotics and get goosebumps from the sound of a powerful engine. But here? Speed’s Mach 5 and Racer X’s Shooting Star did nothing to ignite that desire. And thus the races were just as hollow. Maybe because I’m familiar with cars it was hard for me to suspend disbelief. But I’ve heard other people say that they, too, didn’t find the racing scenes exciting in the least. Surely a disappointment considering that’s basically what the whole movie is about.
At an exceedingly long 135 minutes, the film needs more than what might result from the explosion of a Crayola factory, and Speed Racer has nothing extra to offer — no heart, no excitement, no moments to cherish.
So, yeah, if you want to see a really good blockbuster this weekend, go see Iron Man. But if you’re stuck babysitting a bunch of 10-year-olds hopped up on gummy bears, take them to see Speed Racer. All the fast action, shiny cars and sweeping video game-esque landscape will mesmerize them. And if there are story elements they have trouble following. Not to worry as the movie had the bad habit of overexplaining things with flashbacks. I hate that.
I don’t know about you but my mom doesn’t live in town so I don’t have to worry about taking her out for brunch or anything. Just sent her flowers. This weekend is mine (I’ll be up in NorCal though).
Friday, May 9
Kids in the Hall at the Orpheum
Yes! There are still tickets available for the Kids performing at the beautiful Orpheum Theatre downtown. Sure, it’s in the balcony but funny knows no distance. I wonder if they’ll do all their old and beloved characters from the ol’ sketch show? Should be fun and I’m sorry to miss out.
8pm. Tickets: $32-$52. Orpheum Theatre, 842 S. Broadway, Downtown (map).
Saturday, May 10
Tickets for Beck/Spoon/MGMT at the Bowl Go on Sale
Beck and Spoon and MGMT are playing the Hollywood Bowl in September but Saturday is the day when the tickets go on sale for the first time to the general public. It’s going to be an awesome show. And apparently it’s Beck’s debut appearance as a headliner here. Which is weird considering this is his town.
On sale 10am PDT. Tickets: $20 -$75.
Poketo Warehouse Sale and Cupcake Social
A sale where everything — wallets, T-shirts, plates, and stationary — is only $5-$10. Poketo really knows how to spring clean as it’s doing this to make room for its new wares for the new season. And there will be cupcakes for super cheap like $1!
10am-5pm. Poketo Studio, 510 S. Hewitt Street #506, Downtown (map).
The Princess Bride at Angel City Drive-In
So many great lines in this movie. I must have watched it a bazillion times and memorized them all. I wonder how many people at the drive-in will be quoting along with the movie. And what a fun way to watch it, at the Angel City Drive-In where the Angel City Derby Girls bring you your food, where you can sit on astroturf or in your car and where, more importantly, you can BYOB. Here’s a Princess Bride drinking game to keep things REALLY interesting.
Gates open 7:30pm, show starts at 9pm. $10. Alexandria Hotel, 240 W. 4th Street (2nd floor), Downtown (map).
Sunday, May 11
Free Red Mango Yogurt for Moms
Borrow someone’s kid and pretend you’re a mom so you can get free yogurt at Red Mango where they’re giving away a small yogurt with one topping as a special for Mom’s Day.
Dan Silberstein at CozmoCard and DrinkEatPlay always throws these awesomely fun events — Vegas in LA, Dessert Decadence and ’80s proms. And not only is he throwing a Cupcake Challenge next weekend, which I will be a guest judge for thank you very much (more on that later woo hoo!), but he has the Gourmet 5 Year Old Party next month. Yes, a party that features all the yummy comfort food you enjoyed as a kid except these will be the gourmet versions. La dee dah!
Dan’s inviting guests to once again enjoy this food with the same reckless abandon. Forget diets and cholesterol levels dammit! Dig into the Cannoli Kings’ mac n’ cheese with truffles and brie, savor Dandy Don’s ice cream with espresso shots, relish spaghetti with kobe meatballs, and stuff your face with Plush Puffs gourmet marshmallows. There will also be the food stylings by comfort food restaurants Luna Park and South, plus many more. And since you’re a big kid now, K and L Wine Merchants will be on hand to ply you with liquor, about a dozen free-flowing wines or so. No more grape juice boxes for you!
The event is all the way in June but I’m telling you about it now because you can get tickets on Goldstar for $20 off the original price admission which is $60. There is a very limited amount of tickets available for this price on Goldstar so get ‘em while they’re hot. BTW, there is a $5.50 service fee but so what? Still less than $60. And a percentage of the proceeds will go to Meals on Wheels.
EVENT: SUNDAY, JUNE 22 from 2pm to 5pm
Montmartre Lounge
6757 Hollywood Boulevard
Hollywood, California 90028
Tickets: $40 (Goldstar plus service charge); $60 regular
In my on-going search for new favorite breakfast places on the Westside, I decided to give Amandine Patisserie, located in Santa Monica/Brentwood, a go. It’s just a couple of blocks west of my current fave, Literati Cafe, and it’s gotten a ton of decent reviews on Yelp, The Delicious Life, and Chowhound. I read their online menu and with French toast and omelette specialties and yummy-sounding French pastries galore, how could I go wrong?
Well, turns out I could go a lot wrong. My problem wasn’t so much with the food as it was the entire experience — from counter service to finding a seat to table service to finishing my meal.
OK, this time I don’t care how far away from the Westside Verdugo Bar is. Tomorrow I have to have to go as that’s when the Glassell Park bar is throwing a special Duvel soiree! You know Duvel USA, don’t you? It’s the beer company responsible for such lovelies as La Chouffe, Maredsous, Ommegang and of course Duvel. The good stuff you only see in gastropubs and beer-serious taverns.
Tomorrow night, Duvel USA Market Manager Sarah Lescrauwaet will be in the beer house, I guess spreading the word of Duvel. So they’re going to have cheese pairings with select Duvel beers as well as drink specials on all Duvel beers, naturally. Plus! you get a specialty Duvel tulip glass, while supplies last, that is.
Mmm, beer.
EVENT: TUESDAY, MAY 6 from 7pm to 10pm
Verdugo Bar
3408 Verdugo Road
Los Angeles, California 90065 (map)
(323) 257-3408
When I first saw the trailers for Iron Man, my first reaction was “Meh, another over-the-top blockbuster.” I had no desire to see it. Not because I’m not a fan of the Iron Man story/comics, I’m not, but because the trailer with all its exciting flashes of special effects didn’t impress me. Plus there was a lot of military stuff in there; Afghanistan, missiles, jet fighters — boring! And although I have appreciated Robert Downey Jr. in other movies, I was not loving him as super hero.
But then hints of good reviews started trickling in. And my fate was sealed when dotsara said her friend liked the movie so much that he insisted that she quit her job just so that she could go see the movie in the middle of the work day. Apparently it was THAT good.
Iron Man is an action sci-fi blockbuster extravaganza that provides cartoon thrills for thinking people.
So despite it being opening night for the movie, something I usually avoid like the plague, I found myself buying my ticket to the 6pm show at the horrible Mann Criterion in Santa Monica. Since it was early in the evening, the theater was populated with a ton of teenage boys. Fortunately, I was able to find a seat away from them and instead sat in front of a row of 8-year-old girls wearing pink.
We all settled in for quite an exciting ride of, yes, special effects, explosions and shiny machines (mmm, the Audi R8). But to my surprise, there was also awesome casting, impressive acting and a compelling story. Yeah! I know! In a summer blockbuster! And I found Robert Downey Jr. intriguing in this part. Not annoying at all.
I guess the character he played, Tony Stark, is supposed to be a big asshole in the comic books but here, RBJ, played him like a likable lothario. Knowing about the actor’s real-life debaucherous history sorta works to round out this character. You relished Stark’s enjoyment of his money and fame. In one scene he was sitting in his private jet enjoying a bourbon while his sexy flight attendants danced and a stripper pole started to rise up from the floor. And it just felt right. “Oh, he’s such a scoundrel. Heehee.” And hey, that RBJ has been working out! Didn’t care for his 98 Degrees-style facial hair but other than he looked pretty damn good.
I just love Stark, the imperfect superhero alter ego. True, he, like most superhero alter egos, has to keep love at a distance. But Stark was like that anyway. His work always came first. Women just filled in the quiet times, like his bourbon. And instead of that annoying love interest he has to save, he has the beautiful but smart assistant, played by Gwyneth Paltrow, who can hold her own, including Stark’s respect. Hey, she can outrun super villains and pilot her Audi S5 in Christian Louboutin skyscraper stilettos, she’s definitely got my respect.
And if you’re a tech geek, you’ll drool over all the eye candy in this film. At the end of it, I wanted to buy lots o’ gadgets — an iPod Touch, maybe a MacBook Air, a new digicam. These weren’t in the movie, but I was now craving all things shiny and high-tech.
Anyway, loved Iron Man. Despite its blockbuster tendencies, it held my interest after the explosions and even though there was the occasional “Bah, I knew they were going to do that.” And seeing it with a bunch of Iron Man fans hopped up on years of comic books, energized the movie-going experience. They cheered when the suit was shown in its entirety for the first time — sheet metal flipping, gears moving, eye holes glowing. I even found myself clapping and hollering, as I was carried away in the excitement. This is definitely not the sort of movie you save for a DVD rental. To do so would be a shame.
You need to see this movie at one of those high-tech movie theaters (not a mall multiplex, like I did). Settle into your cushy stadium seat with your overpriced popcorn and soda and enjoy. Unlike most summer blockbusters, you won’t feel dirty afterward and you’ll probably still be thinking about it after you leave the theater.
This past Wednesday, I checked out the Edison’s new weekly event, Incandescence Wednesdays. Vaudeville circus/dance troupe Lucent Dossier was performing from the rafters, the stage and even from the floor among the audience. I usually don’t do nightclubs, where I’m sure this sorta thing happens a lot, so to see a spectacle like this at a downtown bar was quite a treat.
There was this scantily clad lady twirling from curtains hanging down from the ceiling. She could hold herself up with just her ankles! A sword dancer shimmied on stage alongside vaudevillian clowns. And circus-costumed folk pushed through the audience, claiming, “‘Scuse me, I need to catch my train” as they made their way toward the stage.
To enhance the surrealism of the night, there was a specialty cocktail list with libations made with absinthe. But they smartly masked that licorice taste that so many people (me) don’t like.
Grand Opening of the Americana at Brand in Glendale
The mall that took $400 million and two years to make is finally opening tomorrow and shoppers rejoice. The first 300 customers into the new Urban Outfitters there get a free UO/Glendale tote. The first 200 at the H&M store get a free T-shirt and maybe a $10-$300 gift card (gc winners are randomly selected). The first 300 frugal fashionistas at Forever 21 will receive $10-$100 gift cards. Shoppers, start your engines.
9am grand opening ceremony, 10am stores open. S Brand Boulevard and E Colorado Street, Glendale (map).
The Little Mermaid Sing-A-Long at the El Capitan
OMG, I LOVE this movie and knew/know the words to every song. That’s why I highly recommend this sing-a-long at the beautiful El Capitan. Sing at the top of your lungs, show no shame. “Part of youuuurr wooorrrrrrrrrrddddd!” Maybe stop by the soda shop next door before the show for a black & white sundae.
7:45pm, through May 11. $13 ($9 through Goldstar). El Capitan Theatre, 6838 Hollywood Boulevard, Hollywood (map). (323) 467-7674.
Saturday, May 3
Nike Beach Clean-Up and Fun Run at Dockweiler Beach
You might think I’m weird but I think this sounds like a really fun event. Help clean up the beach first and then go for a run! AND you get a free breakfast first before the activities. If you bring 9 or more of your friends, you guys will get a Nike gym sack for future workouts.
8am-11am. Dockweiler Beach, 6203 Pacific Avenue, Playa del rey (map).
BodyRock in the Park
There’s a party going off in Griffith Park! DJs spinning til dark, barbecues, volleyball games and you can BYOB just as long as it’s beer or wine. Weekend forecast says high 60s so bring a light sweater and blankets.
2pm-9pm. Free but there’s a $10 suggested donation. Griffith Park, 4730 Crystal Springs Drive, Los Angeles (map).
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