Impossible Bill's
By Steve Herte
The first full work week
since the holidays had me wondering what day it was yesterday. The weekend has
been even busier. Taking down all the Christmas decorations took quite a while,
but not as much time as it took to put them up. And it's always a challenge to
fit the ever-increasing collection into the storage bins - this year I added a
fourth. Friday night was a wonderful experience even with the rain. Enjoy!
The Impossible (Summit
Entertainment, 2012) - Director: Juan Antonio Bayona. Cast: Naomi Watts, Ewan
McGregor, Tom Holland, Samuel Joslin, Oaklee Pendergast, and Johan Sundberg.
114 minutes.
Why is a tsunami like a
tornado? If you can hear it, you’re way too close.
The devastating tsunami
that hit Thailand on December 26, 2004, as a result of an underwater earthquake
is the setting for this intense film based on a true story of the Bennett
Family, - Henry (McGregor), Maria (Watts) and their sons Lucas (Holland),
Thomas (Joslin) and Simon (Pendergast) – their survival and eventual reunion.
Juan Antonio Bayona’s
fabulous direction grabs the audience by the throat right from the start of the
movie. Imagine you are underwater. The water is so murky and dirty that
you cannot see more than a foot around you. You hear terrible, muffled
clunking, clanking and tearing sounds, but you have no idea what’s making them
and you are unable to surface though you see a dim light above. This is the
opening scene. Then a quick cut, and the audience is in the sky over Thailand
and jumps as a jet airliner roars just over their heads as it prepares for a
bumpy landing. It’s the first ominous clue that something bad will happen.
It’s Christmas Eve and
the Bennetts have a beautiful hotel room with an ocean view just beyond a stand
of palm trees. They have a lovely dinner and participate in the traditional lit
bag flight where dozens of paper bags lit by flames from below soar gracefully
into the night sky. Simon says, “Our bag isn’t going the same way all the
others are going:” The second omen of things to come.
They exchange Christmas
gifts, one of which is a bright red rubber ball that will be a scene linker
later on. The next day they’re all enjoying the hotel facilities, Henry is in
the pool with the boys and Maria is reading a book lounging on a chair, when a
sudden wind comes off the ocean and a page she’s reading flies out of the book
and is plastered to a glass wall behind her. Overhead she sees a small flock of
terrified birds racing toward the mountains inland: The third – and last –
omen.
A terrible rumbling
sound is heard growing in intensity, the ground shakes and we see palm trees
falling in the onslaught of the tsunami (frankly, at this point I would have
been high-tailing it to the hills, no matter how futile that would have been)
and they watch as the wall of brown water breaks over the cabana buildings.
Henry clutches the boys in the pool and Maria huddles by the glass wall. Then
all Hell breaks loose.
The aerial footage of
the tsunami hit looks very much like the actual news footage used by the media
to cover the event, lending credibility to the film. A small jeep bobbing along
in the flow accentuates the power of the water. The scenes below water level
with all the dangerous debris and frightening sounds fill in all the terror of
the event as Maria is banged and slashed, powerless against the rushing water.
She clings to a steadfast palm and just screams at one point. Her son Lucas
careens by and she desperately swims to join him. Together they make it to high
ground, locate another child Daniel (Sundberg) and spend the night in a tree.
They are located the
next day by Thai natives and are taken by pick-up truck to a sprawling hospital
complex where hundreds of people are being treated. The agonies experienced by
Maria are vividly portrayed by Watts throughout.
Meanwhile, Henry is
still at the hotel (how he didn’t get swept away is never made clear), and
Thomas and Simon had both climbed trees to escape the water (one of them was
too frightened to come down). The three are reunited. Henry is dedicated to
searching for Maria and Lucas, not knowing that they’re miles away, and agrees
to leave Thomas and Simon in the care of a surviving couple as they, too, are
trucked to safety.
The remainder of the
movie is concerned with Henry’s travails in searching for Maria; Lucas
assisting various people in locating loved ones at the hospital, and
temporarily losing his Mom when they mislabel her with the wrong name; Simon’s
intensifying need to go to the bathroom; plus scene after scene of devastation
and cloth-wrapped bodies. Just as Henry has finally stopped at the right
hospital, Maria recognizes his silhouette on the curtain surrounding her bed
(but cannot speak at the time). Lucas sees his Dad from an upper floor and chases
after him, the truck carrying Thomas and Simon stops, and Simon, who cannot
hold it anymore, jumps off followed by Thomas. Just as they remount the truck,
Lucas is calling out for his Dad, Thomas recognizes his voice, and the three
boys are reunited. Then Henry appears out of the crowd and four are together.
Lucas tells his Dad where Maria is and “The Impossible” happens; the entire
family is together again.
It’s an incredible tale
and I’m sure some dramatic licenses were taken, but the director takes care to
see it doesn’t become sappy. When Maria goes under anesthetic for her final
surgery before leaving Thailand, she (and the audience) has a horrifyingly
surreal dream of the underwater ordeal in retrospect. I heard several “OMGs”
from the audience (the theater was quite full) and a smattering of applause at
the end. Not only is this a definite candidate for Best Picture, but Naomi
Watts deserves an Oscar for her performance.
Rating: 4 out of 5 Martini glasses.
Rating: 4 out of 5 Martini glasses.
Bill’s
47 East 54th Street
(Madison/Park), New York City
On a rainy night in
midtown Manhattan, it’s a comfort to dry off at Bill’s. Open for a little over
a month, it occupies a five-story, 1890’s building that was an infamous
speakeasy during the Prohibition Era. The main floor comprises the venerable
bar running the entire length of the room on the right. Tables are on the left
and period art covers the walls. The original beams from Bill’s Gay Nineties
line the ceiling. I chose to dine upstairs on the second floor and, upon seeing
the banister, it was easy to date the building to the 1800s. The handrail was
at least five inches wide and beautifully shaped, solid, dark wood.
Nestled in a curl of a
brown leather banquette at a table with a crisp white tablecloth and stemware,
I was quite comfortable. Before me was an antique round table (the wine
steward’s station) with a huge vase of pussy-willow branches over which was a
large chandelier seemingly made out of Huntsman’s horns. A stuffed mountain
goat head is on the wall and the goat motif is repeated on the menu and
throughout. (Get it? Billy?)
One of my waiters, John
(I had two) took my martini order and provided the usual glass of water and a
two slice bread plate with a ramekin of soft butter. The warm, masculine décor
told me I would not be disappointed in my cocktail and I wasn’t. Chef Jason
Hall’s menu is divided into Raw, Fish and Shellfish, Salads and Appetizers,
Meat and Poultry, Prime Aged Beef, Pasta (all homemade), Sides, and For Two. It
was only a single page so I read it carefully.
Craig, my second server
assisted me with quantities and preparation. With his help I chose the
Nantucket Bay Scallops with cauliflower in vermouth butter. I don’t remember
how long it has been since I even saw Bay Scallops on a menu, much less tasted
these sweet, tender cylinders with the wonderful grilled cauliflower in that
sensuous sauce (which I used the bread to finish).
I chose a wine just
because I liked saying its name; 2011 Bruno Giacosa, Dolcetto D’Alba Falletto
di Serralunga, Piemonte, a delicious, dry Piedmont red.
The two slices of bread
went fast and were replaced by three more when I ordered the 18-ounce, 28-year-aged
Delmonico Steak, prepared “black and blue” (charred on the outside, rare on the
inside) with two side dishes. First was Lacinato Kale Gratin. Forget about your
traditional creamed spinach when you luxuriate in this one! Second was Cremini
Mushrooms in Escargot Butter – delightful. Between the wine steward’s making
sure my glass was never empty and various servers asking about my dinner and if
they could offer more I felt like royalty. The Delmonico Steak was almost as
good as the one I had at the restaurant where it originated.
How long has it been
since you’ve seen Scotch Pudding on a menu? It was delicious, slightly salty,
sweet and with a buttery scotch kick. Then a double espresso and a glass of
smooth 1994 Laubade Armagnac and I was glad Prohibition was repealed. Bill’s is
a charming addition to New York dining as well as its historic
preservation.
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