New Thing #16: I.S.S.

Sometimes a great premise can be too much of a burden for a film to carry. That is the case with “I.S.S.” The premise is ripe with opportunity - “Tensions flare aboard the International Space Station when a worldwide conflict breaks out on Earth.” Maybe it’s because I love the premise or because my friend has been working on writing a limited series with the same idea but, even after the middling reviews, I went in with hopes of something interesting and, sadly, the film didn’t come remotely close to living up to the promise I saw in the premise.

My biggest disappointment in the film is the lack of mystery. I believe a film like this should live in the gray area. Questioning allegiances. Wondering what people have up their sleeves. Trying to figure out who is playing whom. But in this film, almost every line is drawn and drawn immediately. The audience rarely discovers things when the characters do; it’s almost never a question of “What’s going to happen?!” as much as “Will the thing that seems to be happening actually happen?” You pretty much know what everyone’s going to do, so much of the film is simply waiting for the other shoe to drop. This is especially true at the end, except the “Will it happen?” devolves into “Why would anybody act like this?”

Technically, it’s a well-made, relatively low-budget film but it feels like the filmmakers should have spent more time on the script and less time on the FX. The amount of time and money spent on a fairly obvious and unimpressive metaphor involving CG lab rats feels like the first thing that most low-budget script advisors would nix. There’s also a storyline about the space station potentially falling out of orbit that added absolutely nothing to the proceedings.

Going in, I’d already read some reviews that knocked the character development but I have to say, it was worse than expected. Obviously, it’s hard to do much in a film that’s barely over 90 minutes but, again, the backstory was mostly there to draw the lines on how each person was going to act as opposed to building up any mystery as to what will happen when the shit goes down. You know where everyone’s allegiance lies from the jump and, well, yep. That’s it.

The actors do a good job with the material and keep the film afloat, and the 90-minute runtime keeps it from ever getting boring but it ultimately felt like a cliff notes version of a better story. It’s by no means a bad movie and if you go in expecting nothing, you may be pleasantly surprised but ultimately, like it or not, I doubt you’ll remember it this time next year.

New Things #15: Noypitz Bar & Grill

While I sat waiting for my food at this local Filipino bar & grill, a couple of guys walked in and asked if they had hamburgers. I was kind of floored. Do people still go to restaurants without Googling what they serve? I can’t remember the last time I walked into a place without having any idea what kind of food they served.

Anyway, Noypitz is a place that’s been across the street from me at the Little Tokyo Galleria. The place that occupied the space before them kind of ruined it by building a bar that took up a third of the space. I have no idea what they were thinking. It wasn’t a surprise that the bar closed down after only a year or so. Noypitz has been in the spot for a while even though it’s always looked empty.

Anyway, Noypitz is absolutely not a place to go to alone. The portions are big but still expensive, especially for the quality of food you get. I want to improve the quality of these entries but then once I start writing them, I don’t feel like spending more time on a place that already cost me $60 for mediocre food.

New Things #14: Met Her At A Bar

As I march my way towards 240 new things in 2024, I ran into a tricky one because I went to Met Her At A Bar for brunch but it was packed. However, when they get too busy, they open up their restaurant across the street, Met Him At A Bar (it’s a dinner spot) so technically, I ate at Met Him At A Bar but I ate the food from Met Her At A Bar. I’m counting it as Met Her, not Him.

Now that we’ve covered that bit of bookkeeping: Is Chicken & Waffles the most overrated dish?

“Overrated” is probably the wrong word but I feel like I’ve never had GREAT chicken & waffles. Most of the time, it’s kind of ok chicken on a kind of ok waffle. Sometimes, the chicken’s great and the waffles half-assed or vice versa. The famous Roscoe’s is fine not great, although no matter which one you go to, someone will tell you you have to go to a different location to get the real deal.

I can’t think of another dish that has always been so consistently just OK.

Anyway, Met Her At A Bar’s chicken and waffles was another good not great version of the dish. The chicken was salvaged by the hot sauce they served on the side. I devoured it quickly so it hit the spot but I can’t say that I’ll rush back to have it again.

New Things #13: The Book of Clarence

Maybe I just didn’t get The Book of Clarence. That’s certainly a possibility. But I believe I did and I think it just wasn’t that good.

Two of the cardinal rules of screenwriting/filmmaking are:

  1. You have to make decisions.

  2. The story must go where the characters and their actions lead it, not where the filmmaker wants it to go.

The Book of Clarence doesn’t just break these rules, it obliterates them.

The premise of the film is a ne’er do well in Jerusalem in 33 AD decides to pretend to be the new Messiah. It’s an idea that’s ripe with possibilities and writer/direct Jeymes Samuel tries to do them all.

On one hand, the film makes a clever decision to tell (for lack of a better term) a “hood movie” but based in the first century. It plays with many of the tropes of black inner-city cinema and sets them in the age of Jesus. Clarence is on his grind but not very successful, he runs afoul of the neighborhood bully/gangster, and has to find a way out. He’s also in love with the girl next door / sister of said gangster, and wants to move his mom to a nicer place.

This is an interesting approach but then Samuel also wants to make a revisionist history explaining how things might have gone down back then and why we ended up with Christianity as we know it. It tells a story of what might have happened for us to get the stories and images of the current Christ.

On top of that, Samuel also wants to make a redemption story. I’ll go more into this later but this is the biggest failing of the movie, it’s completely nonsensical, and gives us the most unearned ending since “Baby Boy.”

There’s also some family drama with Clarence’s twin brother and his mom, which is completely superfluous. The brother only seems to serve as someone to give or hear expository dialogue.

The film also randomly throws in references to various Biblical characters, with Samson, Goliath, Jezebel, and others all making Marvel-esque cameos. (The dialogue in the film also wavers from sounding like Bible verse to moments of modern language. Often times the change is an attempt at humor but it’s more miss than hit.)

While all of that is going on, the director still finds time to showcase his music. Jeymes Samuel (the younger brother of musical artist Seal) didn’t just write and direct the movie, he also wrote the music, and you can tell he’s invested in it because he’s constantly slowing down the movie so he can play out another one of his forgettable* tracks.
(*It should be noted that my ability to judge music in movies isn’t good. I left “Frozen” thinking that it didn’t have any real standout songs. Still, I stand by my take on the music from “Clarence.”)

With so much on film’s plate, it’s not surprising that the side characters are all underserved and underdeveloped. Everyone is just there to serve Clarence’s story. That’s especially problematic when one of the side characters is Jesus himself.

Also, when you take on this much, the film’s pacing is likely going to be a slog and this film takes about an hour before the story starts. And even after all of that time, the inciting action is Clarence doing drugs until a light bulb appears above his head. (And if you didn’t get the on-the-nose reference, a character explains that it looks like he has an idea.)

Now, it’s not impossible to juggle most of these issues and still make a good movie but you’re going to need some creative agility to stick the landing and… holy hell, does this movie not stick the landing.

This is where the second issue comes in. Samuel has an idea of where the movie needs to go but in no way, shape, or form do the characters or their actions lead us there. Characters don’t grow, they suddenly, inexplicably change. Clarence is considered a “good guy” throughout the film despite spending the entire film as either a drug dealer, fraud, and/or kind of guy who literally steals clothes from a homeless person. Even while he’s having a crisis of conscience (that arrives out of nowhere for no reason other than the story needs him to have one), he still buys fancy clothes and throws a big party to try to impress/hook up with the girl next door. Christian redemption is based on faith and Clarence’s main teaching as a false prophet is that Knowledge is stronger than faith, and the film (and Jesus in the film) seem to agree and go along with that idea. Admittedly, I’m a lapsed Catholic but the entire Christian angle of the film doesn’t seem to understand faith or Christianity at all. Moreso, it feels like Samuel saying, “Wouldn’t it be better if Christianity worked like this?” (Again, part of “this” being the core belief of the film’s false prophet.)
The final act is a neverending slog that is truly baffling at times and then Samuel lobs brutality into the mix, making it all the more difficult to watch. Most of the final act forgoes the “hood tropes” from earlier except for one moment that’s lobbed in at the end. It is so out of place that it is almost comical if not for Marianne Jean-Baptiste’s performance and the fact that it happens while stark violence is unfolding on screen.

Looking at some reviews, I’m struck by how many people laud Samuel’s direction. To me, the visuals are almost completely style over substance. Much like his screenwriting, the camera work seems more guided by his desire to add some gimmicks than driven by anything that’s happening on screen. I’m not sure what the decisions he’s making are supposed to tell us or how they forward the story. It’s not different from his first film “The Harder They Fall” which reminded me of the campiness of Sam Raimi’s “The Quick and The Dead.”

In the end, much like the last movie I saw, “The Beekeeper”, this film simply didn’t work for me. The key difference, though, is that “The Beekeeper” intended to be nonsense.

New Things #12: Loqui

I’m a picky eater and I like things basic. I’m the guy who goes to burger shops and asks for meat, cheese, and bun. (I’m a huge fan of Amboy Quality Meats because not only is it a great burger but they have a style - the Ordinaire - that is exactly what I want.) This pickiness often makes Mexican restaurants tough for me because the tacos are often loaded with salsa, guac, etc. Loqui is now exception and it’s why I’ve never ended up trying it out despite it being down the street from me.

But then I looked at their website and in the online ordering there was an option to get sides of the meat. And sides of the tortillas. And suddenly I realized that there was a build your own taco option! Meat and tortilla was on the table!

And… they were fine. The shrimp was the best IMO and the chicken was solid. The birria was a bit bland IMO. The build your own taco might be a little more expensive than the normal taco but not by that much. Loqui isn’t a place I would seek out or recommend* but since I’m close, it’s definitely a place I’ll go to again when I’m looking for some variety in my lunch options.

* And if this write-up didn’t clue you in, I’m the LAST person you should listen to when it comes to recommendations on Mexican restaurants.

New Things #11: The Beekeeper

Everybody knows heading into “The Beekeeper” that it’s going to be dumb.

Admittedly, I’m not the audience for “The Beekeeper” but since I got an Alamo Drafthouse season pass (which should help me reach my goal of 240 new things in ‘24), I’m checking out more movies this year and also rolling the dice on more movies that I usually would just skip. But “The Beekeeper” was what I thought it was.

One of my least favorite genres is the well-made B-movie. I feel like this genre was inspired by early Quentin Tarantino but the difference between Tarantino and others is that QT elevated B-movies and attempted to make well-written versions of the genre films he loved. The one exception being “Death Proof”; that is a film that mimicked the leaden scripts of 70s schlock films and, sadly for me, that seems to be the path most filmmakers follow.

So I say again, everybody knows heading into “The Beekeeper” that it’s going to be dumb.

Where the film lost me is that it truly is just a bad movie. Kurt Wimmer - the man who scripted the worst Mila Jovavich movie (“Ultraviolet”), the worst Expendables movie, and the uninspired remakes of “Total Recall”, “Point Break”, and “Children of the Corn” - almost seems to be parodying himself and his infamously leaden dialogue by giving Jason Statham one dull quip after another in fight scenes. I’m not sure if Statham has a single line of dialogue that an actual person would say. There’s an inexplicable amount of bad expository dialogue - much of it redundant - that makes it seem like Wimmer just watched a nature documentary about bees, became enamored with it, and was more interested in sharing what he learned about bees than writing an action script. I’m pretty sure the b-story following two FBI agents could be cut completely and not affect the movie at all. You should take their presence at the start of a scene as a sign that it’s a good time to go to the bathroom.

There are some moments of So Dumb, It’s Funny, but like Eli Roth’s film “Thanksgiving”, this movie seems to understand that it’s not a good movie but still spends way too much time playing it straight. It doesn’t commit to being gonzo. David Ayer’s direction almost seems like it’s not in on the joke. There are some crazy action moments but, in general, there’s really nothing clever at all about the film. It’s like Ayer and Wimmer watched “The Accountant” and thought, “Let’s make something like that but more expensive and WAY dumber.” (“The Accountant” is more my speed and if you haven’t seen it, I’d recommend checking it out. It’s a quality genre movie.)

Yes, everybody knows heading into “The Beekeeper” that it’s going to be dumb but my hope was that the film wouldn’t be lazy and, instead, “The Beekeeper” feels like they had a few scenes and ideas they liked and said, “We’ll fix those other scenes later” and then on the day of the shoot said, “Oh, shit, we forgot to fix up these scenes. Whatever. Everybody knows this is going to be dumb” and just kind of half-assed it. Maybe everything surrounding the “Suicide Squad” wore on David Ayer and he decided to just make a movie to relax and blow off some steam. Nobody feels committed. Even Josh Hutcherson and Jeremy Irons’s scene-chewing performances feel uninspired. Hutcherson’s haircut does most of the work for him.

But, again, I’m not the audience for this film.

If you’re someone who appreciates bad movies, this probably has enough for you to enjoy. You’ll forget it immediately - Jeremy Irons is a key player in the film and I already can’t remember what happens to his character in the end - but you’ll laugh out loud a few times and shake your head at much of what is projected on screen. But I think everyone will leave the theater thinking that there was a better bad, smarter dumb movie to be had here and the fillmmakers didn’t make the most of the opportunity.

Everybody knows heading into “The Beekeeper” that it’s going to be dumb and they’ll leave thinking the film is just that.

SIDE NOTE: The Alamo Drafthouse didn’t do the film any favors by starting things off with this PSA that sets a very high bar for gonzo.

New Thing #10: May December

Rounding out the first 10 new things as I try to do at least 240 new things in 2024 is Todd Haynes’s new movie May December.

Before I throw out my two cents, I have to confess that I am a basic moviegoer. I go for plot and character and while I am usually smart enough to pick up on deeper meanings, that’s not my primary focus nor is it something I truly appreciate all that much.
And as a basic moviegoer, I’m also someone who side-eyes a lot of critic reviews. May December may be the perfect example - some of the rave reviews for the film basically amount to people saying, “I’m not sure what it’s about but it is fascinating.” It’s a film in which there’s a lot going on but not much is really happening. It’s a film you almost can’t spoil (but I’ll warn you when potential spoilers are coming.)

To me, the movie felt like a long first act of a murder mystery that ends before the murder happens.

The synopsis of the film is that a Hollywood actress is visiting an infamous couple as she researches for her new movie. The couple gained notoriety when the woman (mid-30’s at the time) was arrested for sleeping with a 13-year-old. 20 or so years later, the woman is out of jail and the couple is married. They have three kids together and tell themselves that they are living a happy life.

!!!SLIGHT SPOILERS MOVING FORWARD!!!

One reason I didn’t really find much in the film is because I don’t think anyone really changed. Natalie Portland’s character comes in as your standard Hollywood star - saying the big house she is staying in is “quaint” and lying to get off the phone with her fiancee - and then we just slowly see just how much of a numb, narcissistic soul sucker she is. But it’s not like she changed over the film, we just got to see more of her, and the more we learn, the less we like her. Julianne Moore played the pedophile and, again, the film is just a case of seeing more and more of what makes her a bad person. We see that her manipulation of her victim-now-husband is ongoing. The final letter that reveals that she absolutely knew what she was doing was wrong didn’t really seem like a reveal unless viewers bought the moment that she said “I am naive” and bought the breakdowns and tears as anything more than manipulations.

Ultimately, to me, it was watching two horrible people and a man in his 30s who almost never grew up or got to have his own life. Even with Henry Melton’s victim character, it’s not like Natalie Portman’s visit is what changed everything; throughout the movie, he’s texting a girl he met online and then says they should go off on vacation together. So it’s not like he’s completely brainwashed or doesn’t seem to want for something more. Something of his own. The fact that he raises butterflies and then lets them go seems like a pretty on-the-nose metaphor for what he wished he could do.

The film throws so much out there - including a campy score and some silly push-ins - that critics seem to give it a pass, assuming that it has something to say. The Wall Street Journal review is, “Any five audience members might have five different takeaways, which tells you there is a lot going on here. I was left with this thought: How well do we really know anyone, even ourselves?” I honestly don’t know how he came away with that thought but I think it might be 100% wrong.

I should end by saying, I didn’t hate the film. It was an entertaining enough watch. It just ended and my main takeaway was that I’d probably never think about that film ever again.

New Things #8: Pine & Crane DTLA

If I worked near the South Park area of DTLA, I’d probably have Pine & Crane’s Three Cup Jidori Chicken all of the time. Not only was it a tasty dish but the service was some of the quickest I’ve ever had outside of a fast food joints (and it’s faster than even some of those.)

The wontons were solid but, honestly, I think I’m just not a wonton fan. They’re fine but I don’t think I need to order them again.

Pine & Crane DTLA is right by the Belasco Theater and a little under a half mile from Crypto Arena and I’d definitely recommend it as a place to grab a quick bite before seeing a show or a game.

I’m not sure if I’ll add it to The List but we’ll see how my next visit goes. It’s very close; call it List adjacent.

New Things #7: Mrs. Fish

Since I went to Señor Fish, I decided why not check out the unrelated Mrs. Fish.

Mrs. Fish is VERY different from Señor Fish. It’s an upscale Japanese restaurant that feels like you’re walking into an episode of Miami Vice or some 80’s music video. It’s a nice spot but feels like a first date spot, at best. The blue lighting and decor give it a cool and almost sterile feel that didn’t particularly invite revelry. Maybe it’s a good break up spot.

I have a knack for ordering the wrong thing at restaurants and the Uni pasta might not have been the best thing to get here. It was good but didn’t blow me away, especially for the price. Similarly, the steak skewers didn’t have a ton of flavor to them.

I wouldn’t say that Mrs. Fish is off the list but it’s not a place that I foresee myself frequenting. Especially since it’s right next to Perch, which is a better and more romantic spot. Mrs. Fish almost feels like a Plan B. Although I’m not sure why, if you couldn’t get into Perch, you’d feel the need to stick around the Pershing Square area.

And for me, it’s all about dinner and a movie spots. I was coming from the DTLA Alamo Drafthouse and am always looking for a spot to eat afterwards. So far Hatch Yakitori is still the winner on that front.

New Things #6: All of Us Strangers

There are two reasons why it’s tough to discuss “All of Us Strangers”.

The first issue is that the film is almost too surreal for its own good but without the surreal element, the film doesn’t really exist. “All of Us Strangers” is about a writer who is penning a script about his parents who died when he was 12; when he goes back to his family home, he finds his parents there, back as they were before they died. The writer, a gay man, then gets to talk about his childhood and being gay with his parents whose perspective is still from the 80’s.

All of the moments of Andrew Scott’s character talking to his parents are amazing. Scott’s both timid and childlike but strong-willed. His parents, played by Claire Foy and Jamie Bell are top notch as they deal with reconnecting with their son who is now the same age or older as they are (despite last seeing him when he was 12.)

And while these conversations are tremendous, there is a layer of WTF?! hovering over it because none of the characters seem stunned by what’s going on. Nobody really questions how it is happening and all of the emotions (before the conversations begin) is muted. In doesn’t take away from the very real conversations in the surreal setting but it’s just a bizarre way to kick things off.

The second issue is the ending. Obviously,I won’t go into it but I just didn’t think the film stick the landing. I’ll leave it at that.

The film is still worth checking out but it’s one I’d recommend to wait to watch at home. Yes, I want to support smaller movies like this and if possible, people should see them in the theater but, speaking realistically when my most of my friends have jobs and/or kids that limit their free time, I can’t really say that this film is what they should spend that time on. It’s quite good but I’d almost call this a Tik Tok film; you can watch three or four scenes on TikTok and pretty much get the best parts of the film.

New Thing #5: Fourth Wing

I’ve gotta say, so far, these new things haven’t been helping my goal to be more positive this year.

To start off with something positive, I will say that Fourth Wing is a certified page-turner. I blasted through the book and often found myself reading one or two more chapters than planned because I wanted to see what happened next.

And for 3/4’s of the book, what happened next was pretty good. Ultimately, the novel reminded me a bit of my experience watching Vampire Diaries, a show that’s fairly far out of my usual viewing preference. For the first few seasons, I was pleasantly surprised by the show and told people to give it a chance because it wasn’t what you expected. Then, eventually, it became EXACTLY what you expected. And then it just got real dumb.

Being only the first book, Fourth Wing never got a chance to be dumb but it did kind of wind up being exactly what I wasn’t looking for. In books as in film, I’m not a huge fan of overlong actions scenes or sex scenes. If you’re the same, feel free to avoid Fourth Wing. Or just read the first three quarters and conjure up your own ending.

Now, I’m sure fans of the book would quickly point out that I’m simply the wrong audience for the book and I agree. I’m not saying it was bad; I’m just saying it wasn’t something I really enjoy. Especially when the “romance” is cheap romance novel levels deep. It’s more of a story about lust than romance.

The other thing that I bumped on with the book is that it was written with a very modern voice. I know that Randy Jackson didn’t invent the phrase but when someone in the book responded with, “That’s a no from me,” it just felt odd. Granted, I’m sure the more modern voice is why the film blew up on BookTok. It was probably the correct choice for the audience, which, again, I am not part of. I was hoping for a book that might have transcended the genre and won me over but alas, it was not meant to be.

And it’s not just the romance side; I’m also not much of a fantasy fan. I enjoy grounded fantasy but once you add dragons and magic and healing and stories of mythical evil beasts, you start to lose me. And yes, I know, I know, I just shouldn’t have read the book but I wanted to give it a chance and the Something New challenge should involve some risks, not just looking for new versions of things I already know I enjoy.

To end with something positive, word is that the show has been optioned to be a TV show and this is absolutely a novel that could be improved upon when adapted. With so much focus on being a pulpy page turner, there’s not much depth to the story and there are large jumps in time that the show could live in and help explore more of the relationships and dig deeper into the world.

I probably won’t bother watching it but I wouldn’t be surprised if the show was an even bigger hit than the books.

New Thing #4: Cara Cara

Cara Cara is a nice rooftop eatery at the Proper Hotel.

If you’re in the area, it’s not a bad space to go to meet a friend for some fresh air and a nice view of DTLA. As for the food, I opted for the peri peri fried chicken ($24) and broccolini ($15). Needless to say, at those prices, this isn’t an everyday lunch spot for me. Especially when I got the check and realized that a Diet Coke was $7.

The fried chicken was moist and tasty but I’m not sure I’d call it peri peri chicken. There was a faint flavor but not enough to live up to bar that Nando’s or even Portucal Peri Peri have set for me. (RIP Portucal; apparently it’s closed now. And WHY can’t we get some Nando’s in LA?!)

The other issue was that the broccolini had so much citrus on it that it overpowered everything that touched the same plate as it. Although I do have to say that the portions of the side of broccolini was enough for two people so the price tag wasn’t that bad.

This is the point in the relaunched blog that I should add that I have an incredible knack for ordering the wrong thing as restaurants so maybe there are other dishes that are better. The location is nice enough that I wouldn’t say no if a friend wanted to meet there and I’d be happy to explore more of the menu but for the time being, I can’t say that it’s on The List or that a repeat visit is looming on the horizon.

New Thing #3: The Lesson

The Lesson is one of those movies that, if you’ve seen the trailer, you’ve seen most of the movie, almost to the point that you might be better off conjuring up your own version of the film in your head rather than actually watching the movie.
The synopsis is: Liam, an aspiring and ambitious young writer, eagerly accepts a tutoring position at the family estate of his idol, renowned author JM Sinclair. But soon, Liam realizes that he is ensnared in a web of family secrets, resentment, and retribution.

Ultimately, this movie feels like it’s the stuffier, less horny, less over-the-top uncle of Saltburn. Both movies are pulp but Saltburn revels in its b-movie-ness and decides to just get bonkers whereas The Lesson tries to play it straight. I wasn’t a huge fan of Saltburn but this film made me appreciate its gonzo approach.

I don’t want to say the movie is bad but it’s just cold and feels, even at just 104 minutes, that it could be a lot tighter. My patience with movies has really crumbled over the last few years and I’ll admit that I failed to steer clear of the siren song of my cellphone more than a few times. I wish streaming services would launch some anthology series to give a home for stories that are probably best suited between 50 - 70 minutes - too long to be a short but too short to be a feature.

New Thing #2: Señor Fish

Another goal for this year is to try out more of the local eateries that I pass by all the time. There are a lot of great places in DTLA and I often stick to my go-to spots. I do want to revisit my favorites this year - especially the ones I haven’t been to in a while - but for January, at least, I want to check out the places I’ve bypassed.

Señor Fish is a place I’ve walked by countless times and I thought, Today will be the day! And as I neared the entrance and spied the B food inspection grade on the front door, I wondered if maybe I should just go across the street and check out Badmaash, a place I’ve tried and really liked but never returned to. But, since Badmaash isn’t something new, I decided to stick with the original plan.

I should have gone to Badmaash.

That’s not to say that the food at Señor Fish was bad but it was just very bland. I got the diabla sauce that was advertised as”Ay mucho caliente” but it had almost no kick whatsoever. I feel like you’d be just as well off at any Mexican stand or food truck. (In fact, odds are you might get something better.) You also might find something cheaper; all told, it was around 25 bucks which is about on par with most lunch spots in LA. I will say that the portions looked to be sizable so there’s quantity if not an abundance of quality.

Anyway, I’m trying to be less negative this year so I won’t dwell on this one but I’ll just leave it that Señor Fish will not make The List of places I’ll be trying again.

New Things #1: Godzilla Minus One

One of my most strongly held unpopular opinions is that cinephiles and movie critics often give foreign films a pass or judge them less critically than English-language films. Godzilla Minus One is a perfect example. I believe that, if the movie had been in English, more people would be critical of the melodrama, acting, dialogue (although maybe the actual dialogue is better than the subtitles make it seem), the formulaic plot, the silly plans, the sillier ending, etc.

All of that being said, the lower bar is what should be used to judge this movie, it’s a Godzilla film for crying out loud. It hit all of the right notes for me. I’m sure some monster movie fans might have wanted more action and destruction but I was pleasantly surprised with the mix of action vs. emotional scenes.

I do think some of the praise the film is getting is over the top. Godzilla Minus One was a fun way to spend a couple of hours. I can’t imagine I’ll ever want to watch the film again and I have zero interest in a sequel and I’m not sure I’ll even remember much about it this time next year.

Happy New Year!

Let’s try this again.

I’m going to give the blog another go. Will I keep up with it? Who knows? History says no but hey, it’s a new year with new hopes and dreams.

I’m also bringing back my New Things challenge but I’m only putting the goal at 240. A few years ago, I tried to do 500 New Things and it proved to me too much. I came close to finishing but by the end of the year, I found myself getting annoyed if friends wanted to go to old haunts or our usual spots because it wasn’t helping my goal. Needless to say, the purpose of the challenge was not to make things more annoying in my life so I basically put the kibosh on it for December.
As with last time, the New Things requires some time or effort. Listening to 240 new songs doesn’t count. Movies count but I have to watch 5 episodes of a new TV show before counting it. It’s likely going to be a lot of new restaurants but I’m also hoping to read more and see more theater this year, especially the small local spots around Hollywood that I’ve always passed by and wanted to venture to but never have.

We’ll see how this shapes up. I’m going to stick with the basic blog for now but might jazz things up once the year gets going. Or maybe not. No promises.