The Bon Vivant of Brooklyn

The first true Summer blockbuster is here!  Forget the pirates and the superheroes, it's all about John McClane, the unstoppable one-man terrorist-destroying-machine.  This time the creators pulled out all the stops; Director Len Wiseman has brought forth a worthy successor to the dynasty 19 years after the original film, recovering from the disappointing Die Hard with a Vengeance (which I think only slightly redeems itself with its judicious usage of Samuel L. Jackson).

There were at least as many thrills here as there are in the seminal film in the series (which I happened to catch clips of on television earlier today - young Bruce Willis!  With hair!!), and perhaps there are more; though Timothy Olyphant's dry-mouthed, even-tempered, wide eyed and baby faced villian does no justice to Alan Rickman's villainous Hans Gruber (HAAAANNNNS!!!).  Tim really could have used some sinister facial hair!  Honestly, the role really could have been done much better by Sam Rockwell, Christian Bale, or Ed Norton - someone who could have injected the right amount of rabid ultra-patriotism, overinflated ego, and self-righteousness into the black hat hacker who breaks things just to prove he's right.

Still, this is all besides the point, as the film still delivers a solid ride.  Just when you think it can't get any more over the top, WHAM you get a shot right to the chin, and McClane pulls off another incredible stunt.  You definitely will get the full experience of the film if you take a date who doesn't mind grabbing you or being grabbed at all the high adrenaline moments.  Also, fans of La Parkour (the French acrobatic art of urban/rooftop running) will get an extra thrill from Cyril Raffaelli of District B13 fame.

Ultimately, the story is a sort of passing of the torch and feels like the closing chapter of the saga, as McClane takes a young hacker (Justin Long, who is a Mac, not a PC) under his wing as a reluctant partner; it is a new age of digital terrorism, where McClane supposedly can't cope - but who can?  The answer is no one, certainly not even an enormous, all-powerful government that supposedly trains to handle these disasters.  The "Live Free or Die" part of the title does touch a little bit on the theme of fighting for freedom from fear and oppression, but in the end you see that everyone is really just running around not knowing what to do, and the fate of the whole country rests solely in the hands of our favorite NYPD detective.  They may as well have called this one "John McClane versus God" as the bad guys are seemingly omniscient, omnipresent, and omnipotent through the use of technology.

The film also claims to be based in part on a Wired article from May of 1997 which is probably one of the first works to openly discuss "cyber-war."  And I do have to say, they did a very decent job of making the technology believeable; they didn't misuse any terminology or make any blatant technical errors.

All told, I would totally go see this movie again with friends.  It's a real crowd-pleaser, and it's going to be huge this Fourth of July.

What was old is new again!  Di Fara's pizzeria has been a Brooklyn landmark for many decades; proprietor Dom DeMarco has been perfecting his pizza there for over 40 years, and he uses only the tastiest ingredients imported from Italy.  Slices may seem pricy at $3.00 for plain and $4.00 for a topping, and $22.00 to $25.00 for a whole pizza, but once you bite into a fresh pie that has emerged bubbling and molten from the oven, sprinkled with freshly handgrated Grana Padano cheese, you truly no longer care.

The DeMarco family has been plagued with troubles recently.  A second location opened by the younger generation in SoHo was closed after a tragic shooting, and the primary location has been shut down five times over the last few months by an overzealous Department of Health.  As I've been a longtime appreciator of Di Fara's, I can personally attest that conditions at the restaurant have improved significantly.  Dom is now wearing a hat, the floors and tables are kept much cleaner than they were, and fresh paint adorns the walls.

The food of course has not changed one whit, and for that I am extremely glad.  However, I have to strongly recommend that you experience Di Fara's for yourself as quickly as possible, before the DOH Gestapo rushes in there again.  And to anyone who thinks that there's any reason for concern, I say this:  you're living in a fantasy world if you think that any restaurant in thiis city adheres to some Draconian standard of cleanliness.  If any of them do, they are likely to be antiseptic, pesticide-ridden fast food chains with chemically laden food that is nutritionally bankrupt and artificially tasty.  Go right ahead and eat anywhere else - it'll mean a shorter wait for my pizza!

You heard it here first - Domenic DeMarco has reopened Di Fara's pizzeria in Midwood on Avenue J.  Hailed by most and considered by me to be the greatest pizza in the world, Di Fara's is truly a unique establishment serving the finest product imaginable.  The very definition of pizza itself!

The interior has had a major overhaul.  Pictures and more detail soon to follow. 

What do you get when you forcibly mate the mutant zombie spawn of the Evil Dead movies with the raunchy gobs of bloody gore from Bad Taste and the self-effacing humor of Shaun of the Dead?  Well, if you set it in the pastures of New Zealand, where sheep outnumber people, you get Black Sheep.  I caught this gem of a film at Tribeca some weeks ago, at a completely packed midnight screening with the creator in attendance for Q&A, and it was one of my top 3 favorites of the whole festival.  Campy horror never fails to get my attention, and this first-time production from newcomer writer and director Jonathan King does not disappoint in the slightest.

You have to be impressed when a creator has the artistic chops to evoke foreboding tension remniscient of Hitchcock's The Birds with a herd of ordinary looking sheep in one scene, and then to make you laugh out loud at someone being eaten by mutant mutton in the next (can you say "mutant mutton" five times fast?  How about "creepy sheep?").  The alien looking landscapes of New Zealand also lend great effect to the otherworldly nature of the ovinophobic tale, and the special effects are pleasantly cheesy and just as over the top as they should be.

You may never look at sheep in quite the same way again... there's even a bit of a moral snuck in there somewhere about Genetically Modified Organisms, tampering with nature to make frankenfoods and all that; but not so much so that it at all detracts from the laughs.  It's currently playing at the Landmark Sunshine, and I highly recommend that you catch a late night showing!  BEFORE IT'S... TOO LATE!  mu hu hahahaha!

It's late... you've just finished your workout, your muscles are hot, and you're famished.  Where do you go for a satisfying meal that won't undo all your Herculean efforts?  Billyburgians now have a tasty new option - the reFRESH cafe and restaurant at 287 Bedford Avenue (between South 1st and Grand Street).

The space is small, so takeout is key (and free delivery is an option), but don't deny yourself the joy of eating in and having a piping hot and juicy rare bison burger with greens and veggies - and everything really does come out fast and fresh, as the joint's name implies.  You can even get it and all other entrees in carb-friendly-form within a wrap instead of on a multi-grain bun. 

For those who prefer their apres-exercise dinner in liquid form, a wide array of protein and fruit smoothies awaits - the Peanut Parfait, a mixture of peanut butter, banana, soy milk, and chocolate whey is fairly dessert-like but too luscious to be denied.  Other exciting things to try:  Peach Clover fruit smoothie - peaches, cloves, strawberry, banana, apple juice, yogurt, soy milk; Green Lemonade juice - kale, apple, lemon, ginger, lettuce, agave; Sweet Pancakes - sweet potato pancakes with cinnamon walnut agave syrup and yogurt (soy or regular).

Prices are moderate; meals average around $9 and change, juices $2-$3, smoothies $4-$5, and breakfasts around $6.  They're open every weekday from 8:00a.m. to 11:00p.m. and starting at 9:00a.m. on the weekends, making them a plenty viable alternative to the early morning bagel and cream cheese, or those late night fries and pizza slices.  No excuses!!