03.27.2009 :: These United States @ Hi-Dive

Opening Act--------------------
The band billed as “Lurleens” began rocking soon after we arrived at Hi-Dive. It’s quite an oddity for a band to have two people with the same name. I can’t think of any off hand. For me to believe that an entire five-piece band could be named “Lurleen” would require some sort of religious leap of faith. Good thing for me I’m not as easily fooled as the suckers I normally go to concerts with. I was quickly able to shout, “Hey! Those are The Hollyfelds!” Just kidding. I had no idea who Lurleens or The Hollyfelds were before going to the show, so the joke was pretty much lost on me. Still, the fact that they were referring to each other as “Lurleen” and saying things like, “Hey Lurleen, let’s play another song off the new Hollyfelds CD, which you can all buy right over there” was nothing short of genius. This event was billed as a "Hillbilly Prom” and The Hollyfelds totally kicked our three teeth in to open the evening. Playing stringed instruments of all shapes and sizes all different ways, the got the evening off to a raucous start and had half the audience singing along to Dolly Parton’s “Jolene” to finish their set. If I were you, I’d go check out their CD release show at Skylark on Friday, April 3rd. Tell them Empty sent you. They won’t know what you’re talking about.

Headliner--------------------
Sporting cummerbund, overalls, and a Mohawk (a classy move), These United States took the stage and delved into their distinctive alt-bluegrass-meets-Coldplay-inspired set list. Having played a whopping seven shows at SXSW the weekend before, the band looked a little bit haggard (understandably), but was still able to deliver a stellar performance. Pretty much every song The Hollyfelds played was meant to get people up and moving around, which is not TUS’s forte, so the mood was a little more subdued than during the previous act. However, the highlight of the show was the birthday serenade for Ms. Angora Holly Pollo of The Donnybrook Writing Academy, who the poster outside told me presented the event. TUS front man Jesse Elliott led the audience in a round of “Happy Birthday,” followed by a cover of Tom Petty’s “American Girl” that had Ms. Pollo and 100 of her closest friends dancing their moonshine-laden asses off. Having given the audience all he had, Elliott looked like he was ready to collapse by the end of the set, a performance that can be appreciated by any fan of rock and roll.

The Venue & Whatnot--------------------
I must comment on the way the show ended for me, because is was one of the strangest end-of-evening occurrences I’ve had in a long time. So there I am, several beers and four or five Jimmy Beams into the evening, my buzz in full effect. I’m chatting up Father Guido Sarducci IV as I wait for my lady friend to powder her nose. All of a sudden the front door opens and a conga line of about 15-20 people dressed in sailor boy uniforms struts from the front of the bar to the back, then back out the way they came in.

“That was weird,” I say to Father Sarducci, “My lady friend is never going to believe that happened.”

As I see her making her way back to my area, the door connecting Hi-Dive and Sputnik flies open and the conga line comes back in. This time, they circle the dance floor and come past me again towards the front door. I don’t miss my opportunity for Hi-Dive-Hi-Fives this time and get about half of them before they exit. Father Guido and I look at each other shaking our heads at which point he spots TUS musician J. Tom Hnatow getting a drink and chatting up some patrons at the bar.

“Hey, isn’t Tom supposed to be on stage right now?” Father Guido says to me.

“I have no idea what’s going on. I’m leaving.”

And I did.

Link It Up--------------------
These United States
The Hollyfelds
Hi-Dive
Gigbot (photo)
The Donnybrook Writing Academy

Watchmen :: A Late Night With The CBC

If you’ve never done it, I highly recommend treating yourself to a opening-midnight showing of a movie based on a comic book. As soon as we entered the theatre, my friends and I felt like we were crashing a Gygax family reunion. Whereas franchises such as Iron Man, Batman, and Spider-Man are accessible to all, Watchmen brought out the hardcore comic book crowd (CBC, as we called them, or Charlie Bravo Charlie). We got there a full hour before show time and still had difficulty finding three seats next to each other… partly because some of the Comic-Book-Guy-types were taking up two seats. Yes ladies, you missed out on some partially exposed bellies, 3/4” thick glasses, and the sweet scent of back-sweat and Mom’s basement. Taking this all in, we quickly deduced that we were by far the coolest people in the room and immediately starting tossing around comic book movie superlatives. Something about the Dr. Manhattans (non-nude, thankfully) and Rorschachs walking around was intoxicating and brought out the 7th grade boy that lives in all men.

The titles came up and we dug in for the next 160-plus minutes, wondering if director Zach Snyder’s take on humanity’s most revered graphic novel would be worth staying up until 3am. The verdict? It’s debatable. It felt as if the filmmakers felt a little bit of pressure in trying to adapt the novel which resulted in a film that feels a bit like a book-on-tape. Consequently, I’m not sure how the film will be received by those who have not read the book and don’t already have a sense of the story. The timeline especially will certainly be confusing to many.

The story takes place in an alternate 1985, where Richard Nixon is still president, masked superheroes roam the streets of New York, and the world sits on the brink of nuclear war. With the Russians and Cubans poised to strike and the US government thoroughly distracted, a mystery assailant begins taking out heroes that belonged to a now-disbanded group called The Watchmen. As the plot unfolds the story examines each character and reveals their motives for both discovering who is behind the plot wipe out The Watchmen and saving the world from nuclear holocaust.

The strength of the book was the depth and complexity of the characters. Only one of them, Dr. Manhattan, actually has super-powers, the others are simply well-trained and/or well-equipped ordinary people, but all of them are flawed as a result of being heroes. The first major issue I had with the film was that they tried to squeeze too much of the characters’ stories on screen. This will probably be a divisive issue amongst the diehards and those unfamiliar with the story. I think the filmmakers were a little too true to the book at some points, which turned into the main reason for the nearly three-hour runtime. The first scene to be guilty of this is the funeral for The Comedian, who is murdered in the opening scene. Snyder takes turns doing a flashback with each character, depicting their most memorable moments with the fallen hero. This scene lasts about ten minutes and serves little to no purpose in furthering the plot of the movie. Most of the conclusions about The Comedian that are shown in the flashbacks are either implied or talked about later in the film. For the sake of those unfamiliar with with Watchmen, I think the story could have been better served if it had been streamlined for the screen. Getting rid of some of the flashbacks would have angered some fans, but made for a more engaging movie for the masses.

One thing that everyone expected from this film was that it would be a treat for the senses and it did not disappoint. Synder is quickly solidifying himself as one of the top action movie directors of his era. While not appreciated by most critics, Snyder will be laughing all the way to the bank as Watchmen is destined to be a hit at the box office and on DVD. Much like his previous films (300, Dawn Of The Dead), Watchmen showcases Snyder’s talent in the physical aspects of filmmaking. The film’s look was ripped directly from the pages of the novel, but still had a cinematic quality unlike the recent hyper-stylized Frank Miller adaptations of Sin City and The Spirit. While not as visceral as Christopher Nolan’s Batman movies, Watchmen audience members had the feeling that this world could have actually existed, but never strayed from the fantastical world where superheroes exist. Snyder used the perfect mix of back-lot and blue-screen sets as well as CG and model effects to create some near-perfect action sequences. The opening fight scene and the Rorschach jailbreak alone are worth the price of admission. The late-70’s through early-80’s soundtrack was nearly flawless aside from Leonard Cohen’s version of Hallelujah playing during the film’s laughable love scene.

The performances by the key players were led by Patrick Wilson as Nite Owl/Dan Dreiberg and Jackie Earle Haley as Rorschach/Walter Kovacs. Haley’s Rorschach led the audience through the first half of the movie in amazing fashion, introducing us to the other characters and locations through the jaded eyes of a man who is completely dedicated to cleansing a society that blatantly ostracizes him. Once Rorschach’s role is reduced the film loses a little steam, which is a testament to Haley’s performance. Wilson portrays Dreiberg’s awkwardness perfectly making him the on-screen character most true to his depiction in the novel while not becoming a caricature. Malin Akerman, Matthew Goode, Billy Crudup, and Jeffery Dean Morgan rounded out the rest of The Watchmen in passable if unremarkable fashion. Goode especially was difficult to believe as the world’s smartest man, Adrian Veidt. The character itself just didn’t seem to work as well as it did in the novel.

Oh, a note on Dr. Manhattan’s blue wang, because no internet review is complete without mention of it. Yes, it’s there. Yes, it’s distracting. And yes, it’s funny

While Watchmen probably won’t win any awards, it is a well made mix of drama, character development, and eye candy. It’s not your typical costumed hero movie, and it should not be expected to be. The subject matter is adult, dark, and complex and (thankfully) strays from typical Hollywood fare. However, whereas the book set the bar for graphic novels, the film does not do so for the cinema. It will be enjoyed greatly by the CBC, but might not be totally appreciated by first time visitors to the Watchmen universe.

NoRTH :: WhY ThE LoWER CaSE LeTTER?

NoRTH
190 Clayton Lane
http://www.foxrestaurantconcepts.com/north.html

As part of Denver’s annual Restaurant Week I dined at NoRTH, a “modern Italian” restaurant in the Cherry Creek area. As is customary for this crazy week (this year two weeks), the place was hopping at dinner time. While we waited for our table, my lovely companion and I enjoyed some cocktails from the crowded bar area, the only place to rest our weary tushes being at the end of a table occupied by some “Ashleys.” These are the people you will be dining next to at NoRTH; the Cherry Creek regulars.

The host and wait staff at NoRTH was great. They were very friendly and accommodating, but not patronizing. They made small talk on the way to the table, offered their opinions about their favorite dishes, and apologized profusely when an incorrect dish was brought out. It should be the practice of any restaurant staff, but too often it’s not, especially with the kind of sincerity shown by the staff at NoRTH.

We went a little off the pared down Restaurant Week menu and started with the bruschetta served with crescenza cheese, asparagus, and prosciutto di parma. It was little messier than bruschetta I am used to eating, the toppings were stacked so high I could barely fit it in my mouth. They nailed it though. It’s hard to go wrong with prosciutto and cheese on anything.

For the main course I ordered the flank steak salad, which is 6-8 ounces of flank steak lightly covering a roquette salad with tomato, red onion, and gorgonzola. Having gorged myself on the bruschetta, salad, and seasoned olives, the plate was more than I could finish and I gladly took the leftovers home with me. The antipasti and main dishes were tasty, but some people at our table, myself included found them all to be very salty, which took a lot away from the natural flavors on the food being served. The result was that everything was decent, but it all tasted very similar.

My favorite dessert was the whiskey and Irish cream flavored ice cream, which offered subtle flavors of both the ice cream and the alcohol without either being overpowering.

Based on a perusal of their menu, I think NoRTH is a little overpriced considering the quality of their food. The atmosphere was very Cherry Creek, but the strange u-shaped booth they sat us in wasn’t very comfortable. It’s probably one of the more affordable upscale restaurants in the neighborhood, but for $10 more per plate you might enjoy your experience more somewhere else.