Lafamiglia Giorgio

Located at the top of Salem St. on Boston's North End, this Italian eatery is quaint and tastey. The décor is typical of most resturants in the North End-small but cozy. The food, the real reason to eat out, is excellent. I got a pasta dish with spicy sausage and whole wheat pasta. The serving size was large but managable. Prices are reasonable for the area. Most main courses are in the $20 range.
As a side note: We waited for our table across the road at Bacco. We enjoyed Gingertinis. Despite the trendy name and the crazy price, the drinks were lovely. The ginger masks the alcohol with out burrying in Fabreeze. They are worth the price.

W.

Last Saturday H and I saw W at the theater in West Newton.
I expected the movie to evicorate President Bush in a hillarious black comedy. My expectations were way off base.
Instead of making a farce of our parody of a President Stone took the high, and more difficult, road. The movie plays it straight. Brolin plays Bush as an under achiever trying desperately to live up to the family heritage.
Overall, the movie is a solid piece of work. It is not spectacular in any way. No new insights are gained. You will not laugh, or cry, your ass off. You will enjoy a well told story.

Tropic Thunder fails to Boom

There are a few actors whose films I do not see. Ben Stiller is on the list. In fact, he is so bad that not even John Stewart can make the man seem funny. However, he has been in movies with other actors that overwhelm his badness. I'm thinking "The Royal Tanabaums."
I was hoping that Robert Downey Jr., in black face, and Jack Black would do the trick for Tropic Thunder. I was wrong... It was about what I expected from a Stiller film: stupid, sophomoric humor that often falls flat.
Ironically the best performance in the movie comes from another actor on my avoid list: Tom Cruise. He is fantastic.
Cruise is on the avoid list for being an ass. He can act.

The Dark Knight

The movie is as awesome as everyone says it is. Unlike most comic book spin-offs, it does not give up on having ideas. The story line is solid and does not rely on great special effects and fight scenes.
In many ways, it is the accompanying cast that make the movie. Ledger's Joker, Olodman's Gordon, and Eckhart's Dent overshadow the Knight. This is both good and bad. It makes the movie more watchable. However, it does make it a little harder for the audience to feel the struggle going on inside Wayne.
The only real concern was the Batman voice.....

Like Greek food?

It had been a very long while since I had seen any of the movie group clan so tried to corral people for dinner. I managed to meet up with a few of the group on Friday night. I was kind of craving Greek food but had bit of a challenge finding a place that was near a T stop in Cambridge that wasn't too pricey. I managed to discover Greek Corner II which is actually a mini knockoff of the Greek Corner Restaurant in Porter Square. The place was small - looks like it caters more to the take out crowd - but it met my needs. The food was basic but yummy (I had souvlaki) and the price was right. I would definitely recommend this place for take out or if you want a quick bite. But if you want a bit more atmosphere for during your dinner, would suggest you look elsewhere. However, the best part of the night was spending some time catching up with a few friends who I hadn't seen a while.

War, Inc.

I was excited to see a John Cusack film that harkened back to his golden age. War, Inc. had the potential to be witty and cutting. It also had the potential to be a complete disaster.
The truth was somewhere in between. Like his early films, War, Inc. is very uneven. The premise takes a poignant relevant issue and takes it to it ridiculous extreme. There are many scenes that are excellent. The space between the excellence range from mediocre to painful.
Largely this is the fault of the script. The main characters do an admirable job. Cusack plays the troubled assassin with his usual aplomb. Joan plays his corporate assistant in her typical harried, slightly crazy manner. Tomei is cute as the love interest. Most surprising is Hillary Duff. She does a great job of playing a twisted version of herself.
The best way to sum up the movie is this: Gross Point Blank with a preachy message.

Lions for Lambs

In a word: Preachy.

It is incredibly boring, self-absorbed crap full of common place high mindedness.