Bite Me, Tony

With nothing really calling out to us from the local movie houses, C and I found ourselves, once again, glued to the usual media outlets this week. Just like last week and the week before and the week before that. Look, I just can't with the whole damn DC Comics / Marvel Cinematic Universe thing, okay? And while I like some of the current animated stuff more than C (in truth, he hates it), it just feels like the entire cinematic experience has been juvenilized to the point that when a movie made of, by and for adults does come out, it is immediately sent to a streaming service like Netflix or Amazon Prime -- if we're lucky. People love to complain about these services, but if not for them, we'd be stuck with endless variations of The Bachelor , Kardashians and Real Housewives (or more fucking home improvement shows) on TV, or Spiderman 37, Thor Tjueen , and Indiana Jones versus the Shady Pines Raiders at movie theaters. So, all things considered, I'll ...

If you were old enough to see it on its initial release in 1992, you are doubtless aware that trash-classic Basic Instinct was one of those cultural milestones that stirred no small amount of controversy amongst puritans and progressives alike. The puritans complained about all the sex and skin on display, the progressives about the implicit (?) connection between non-heteronormative sexual behavior and psychopathology (a long Hollywood tradition).  Since 2022 is Basic Instinct 's much-ballyhooed 30th birthday, a brand new 4K restoration package is scheduled for U.S. release this June. However...upon discovering that the new Blu-ray set is already available in Europe, I immediately ordered it from Studio Canal. And, boy, oh boy, does it look amazing ! In fact, it looks much better than I remember it looking way back in 1992 when I first saw it. Of course, Jan de Bont's exquisite cinematography is a highlight of this new restoration--the luxe life of San Francisco and Marin C...

An old friend recently messaged me some pics from 1980-something and I was astounded to see myself wearing a mullet . A mullet! What was I thinking? Okay, on some level I recall rocking that most unfortunate of hairdo's but I'd  put it well out of my memory until receiving the dispatch from my friend. When I was out west last summer, the son of a niece was sporting a mullet--apparently they are back in style?--and I wondered why ? Just why ? I was never, ever mistaken for a fashion victim, and neither, apparently, is my great-nephew, but if I could go back and advise my younger self on one thing, I would say a mullet is not the way to go. Of course, my niece's son is either 10 or 11 so he at least has a good excuse. I, on the other hand, was considerably older when I adopted that look so can come up with no plausible explanation for this breach of etiquette (and good taste) except to say that, inexplicably, I got a lot of mileage out of that mullet--if you get my drift, an...

TRAVEL: THE BIG CITIES LIST PT. 2 I'd planned to give it a few days before diving into researching and writing this post but then came the cataract surgery and I've been disinclined to read or write much of anything lately. At any rate  I should soon be seeing in Panavision. Or at least not Mister Magoo-vision. Remember that this list is based on my own experiences, and those of others I know, and is not reflective of current travel limits or COVID concerns . If you plan on going to any of these places, please familiarize yourself with the local regulations and attitudes regarding the level of COVID risk. Anyhow, on with the remaining 3 favorite big cities. New Orleans, LA .: Both a feast for the senses and an assault on the senses, New Orleans is a city of extremes and a cornucopia of delights. If the unofficial motto of Las Vegas is " what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas ", New Orleans is all about letting the good times roll!  And boy do they ever roll! From th...