Dinner and a Movie
RIP Fourth!
RIP Fourth!
By Steve Herte
This might be a good opportunity to give a
little of my history. Back in 1973 I joined a singing organization then known
as The Society for the Preservation and Encouragement of Barbershop
Quartet Singing in America Inc., the longest named society in the phone book. I
met many lovely and wonderful people (including Helene in 1976) but one that
stands apart is Mark Lubart who, with the encouragement of Milton Teitel, got
me over my last bits of shyness and started me on my quartet experiences. That
quartet, named Malamute Café, featured me on tenor, Mitchell Shapiro on lead,
Sandy Schuman on bass and Mark as baritone. We had a lot of fun times and
competed in the Maude’s restaurant contest, winning our first round
with “Dangerous Dan McGrew” (from which we obtained the name of our
quartet). So when I mention Mark in my review, yes, that’s him. We still have
fun times though not in an established quartet anymore.
Enjoy! And ... congratulations to my friend
Karen on her blog move! You can still reach her at the same address: www.prowrestlingdigest.com
R.I.P.D. (Universal, 2013) – Director: Robert Schwentke.
Cast: Jeff Bridges, Ryan Reynolds, Kevin Bacon, Mary-Louise Parker, Stephanie
Szostak, James Hong, & Marissa Miller. Color, 96 minutes.
Pop quiz: What do Ghostbusters, Men
in Black, Cowboys vs Aliens, Transformers 2, The
Avengers, and any recent werewolf movie have in common? Answer: They all
had special effects and/or costumes and make-up borrowed by R.I.P.D.
Is it really true that there are no new avenues
of wonder to be created in Hollywood? It would have been fun if the make-up
department kept pace with the special effects crew. I saw several “Dead-Os”
with the same looks in one scene.
What are “Dead-Os” you ask? They’re deceased
persons who refuse to go to their final judgment and remain on earth “illegally.”
It is the job of the Rest In Peace Department (a subdivision of the great
beyond) to round them up and send them on their way. Boston Policeman Nick
(Reynolds) and his partner Hayes (Bacon) split up a load of cryptic gold pieces
illegally taken from a heist they broke up with the intents of living a better
life off of it. Nick feels guilty and wants to turn it in but Hayes will have
nothing of it and kills him while searching a building for criminals on their
next case. In one of the best scenes in the movie, Nick awakens from his murder
and walks through a chaotic display of stop-action where everything is frozen
in time but him. He even ducks under an exploding police car suspended in
mid-air. He is assumed up into the stratosphere where he winds up seated at a
table facing the Proctor (Parker). She presents him with a choice: He can go to
his final judgment (where it probably won’t go well for him) or he can become a
part of the R.I.P.D. and return to the streets of Boston. He agrees to the
latter.
The Proctor shows him around the extremely busy
(and large) home base, explaining that the Boston division gets the best cops
and is the largest (A point of plot logic: Doesn’t that also mean that Boston
cops get killed in the line of duty more often than other cops?). He meets his
new partner Roy (Bridges), a lawman from the old Wild West who is a bit of a
rogue (and obviously has a history with the Proctor). Roy doesn’t want a
partner, but that’s a moot point, as they’re now stuck with each other. Roy reluctantly
shows Nick the job and explicitly warns him not to try interacting with anyone
who knew him. When Nick asks why, Roy supplies the answer: Because neither of
them appear as themselves to the living. Roy’s avatar (Miller) is a sexy
long-legged blonde woman with a killer voice and Nick’s is an old Chinese guy
(Hong). Most of the comedy in this movie depends on the audience remembering
these differences. Oh, and if you want a “Dead-O” to reveal him or herself just
talk about Indian cuisine or spray them with Indian spices.
Hayes, meanwhile, turns out to be a “Dead-O” and
is trying to assemble an ancient gold device that will reverse the effect of
the cyclone sucking up the dead to the great beyond and send them raining back
to earth in a final cataclysm. He’s also working on turning Julia (Szostak)
against husband Nick.
That’s basically the story. The rest of the
movie is rounding up “Dead-Os” and foiling Hayes’ scheme using the huge effects
of the films cited above. If you forget the lack of imagination and stick to
the concept, R.I.P.D. is an entertaining hour and 36 minutes.
It’s neither as funny as Ghostbusters, nor are the “Dead-Os” as
frightening as the ghosts therein. It is, however, a great new look for Bridges.
I could see him doing a remake of Custer’s Last Stand using the same make-up.
The only problem would be that he’d have to learn how to speak from Henry
Higgins, as Jeff marble-mouths his way through this film. Reynolds needs better
material than this. He’s so over-shadowed by Jeff’s character that he might as
well not be there. Bacon makes a great villain. I’d like to see him in more
evil roles.
I realize that with a story such as this one
must suspend belief, but I have just one question. If a “Dead-O” can run up the
vertical façade of a building, why can’t the R.I.P.D. cops chasing him?
Hopefully we won’t find out in any sequels. Rating: 3 out of 5 Martini
glasses.
The Fourth
132 Fourth Avenue (between 12th and
13th Streets) New York
A simple black marquee with red lettering
jutting from a gleaming white building (and a red awning with white lettering)
on the shortest avenue in New York City (only four blocks long) combine to
announce the presence of this six-month old “American Brasserie.”
Upon entering, if the bright red wall covered in
black-framed photos doesn’t get your attention, the huge sculpture appearing to
be either bed frames or benches arranged like a Ferris wheel and suspended over
the stairway to the restrooms will.
The charming young lady at the captain’s station
led me to my table by the window just beyond the sculpture where a row of black
stools faced it at a counter of the same color. The rest of the circular tables
in the room were served by red round-backed chairs - except for mine (and the
one opposite me), which was under a large mirror. I sat on a comfortable red
and white striped banquette with two pillows on my right to recline on if I
wished.
Damon, my waiter, brought me water, the wine
list, and the menu. After an appropriate time I selected the cocktail known as
“La Furia Roja.” When it arrived I was moderately surprised that it was pink
(not red as its name implies). It looked like a Shirley Temple with a wedge of
watermelon as a garnish, but when I tasted it, the spicy kick it delivered told
me this was no girly drink. Frankly I would love to tell you what was in it but
it’s the only drink on the cocktail list that doesn’t appear on-line - I know
the main ingredient was cachaça (Portuguese rum). Damon was
eager to serve and I suggested that I would like to order a three-course
dinner. As he was composing a possibility we both noticed something strange
about the menu: it was the Lunch Menu. He quickly produced the Dinner Menu and
we started over.
Even though he raved about the chicken dish, I
was already eyeing another entrée. I decided to start with the Wedding Soup,
with the second course their homemade Squid-Ink pasta with Calamari. For the
main course I chose a Leg of Lamb sided with cheddar Grits. Before I started
all this I had to choose a wine and the wine list had a large selection – most
of it horrendously over-priced. However, after much consideration I chose the
2009 Chateau La Grave from Fronsac vineyards, a delightful medium bodied blend
of Merlot and Cabernet Franc. The pretty Asian sommelier was pleased with my
selection and she and I had a lively wine conversation.
The Wedding Soup was an interesting departure on
the Italian original. The braised greens, pasta, soft-boiled egg and chicken
polpettini (little meatballs) were placed in front of me in a cast iron bowl
and the soup was poured over it (sort of a deconstructed version). It was
wonderful, though strange. The bread server arrived just in time to provide me
with a fresh small baguette and a crock of soft butter.
The pasta dish was a tri-color (white, brown and
sepia – squid ink, black) cavatappi (a ribbed, tubular pasta
that really looks like snail shells) with tender pieces of calamari and tuna
filet. The flavor had me saying “Wow!” It was an al dente, slightly briny
seafood adventure. The bread was used to get every drop.
The Leg of Lamb was cooked perfectly to my
specifications and sliced neatly by a grilled slice of eggplant and garnished
with kale in a light cheese sauce. It was the kind of dish you wish there was
more of it. Again, the bread helped to thoroughly clean the plate. However
someone who has been to Atlanta must have made the cheddar grits. It was
genuine Georgia Ice Cream – and gone before you knew it.
At this point I realized that the location of
this restaurant was two blocks from a good friend of mine, Mark, who sang
baritone in my first quartet and bass in our mixed quartet, The Mixed Nuts. I
called him and he arrived for dessert with a surprise guest, Neil from the Manhattan
Chapter of the Barbershop Harmony Society.
Now with company and conversation I ordered the
Quatrième Coffee Pot De Crème – a mascarpone cheese mousse with coffee crumble,
amaretto gelato and Quatrième coffee foam – a coffee-lover’s dream.
And I didn’t stop there. Instead of my usual
double espresso I had their Venice Special – a luxurious mixture of Sambuca, crème
de cacao, Makers Mark Bourbon and of course Quatrième coffee.
I was almost willing to forgive the ridiculously priced wines (I couldn’t find
a Zinfandel in my price range).
The Fourth is a unique experience, comfortable
and with unbeatable service attention and excellent food. Considering that
there are two major wine outlets in the neighborhood I may return if they allow
me to bring my own bottle.
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