First Snow Day of 2018-2019 Winter
Getting handy
I had to replace the sink disposal unit after it developed a leak. It also had been making rattling noise for a while, indicating the bearings might be shot. The leak was the clincher, though, so I decided to replace the disposal unit myself after viewing several YouTube videos on the subject.
I opted to use the existing mounting bracket that sits in the bottom of the sink opening and supports the weight of the disposal unit. Since I purchased the same brand I was certain this approach would work — and it did. Sadly, there are differences in the old InSinkErator disposal unit and the new one. First, the height of the unit is slightly different so I had to use a new piece of plastic tubing when connecting it to the waste pipe. No big deal, just cut the provided tubing a few inches shorter and connect it to the exiting pipe. Unfortunately, there is a bigger difference in the diameter of the opening of the unit itself and how the sink baffle attaches to the sink mount. The new unit’s baffle is too large for the sink mount opening and will not fit. Looks like I will have to spend a little more time on this project to replace the sink mount unit, which means a trip to the hardware store to purchase some plumbers’ putty to seal it up correctly.
Overall, I am pleased with my work and feel confident taking on more DIY projects.
Lindsay Loves Animals
Lindsay’s neighbor rescued a puppy from Craigslist so she has been bringing it to the park in an attempt to find a home for it. I am constantly amazed and inspired by her compassion for animals.
Colorado Day: Happy 142!
Hotel Artemis
Jodie Foster! Jeff Goldblum! Also: Dave Bautista, Sterling K. Brown, Sofia Boutella, Jenny Slate, Zachary Quinto, Charlie Day!
I wasn’t sure what this film was going to actually be. I had seen the trailers that indicated the movie was about an exclusive, near-future Los Angeles hospital for criminals. There are the typical ten-years-from-now-technology-will-be-amazing plot points, and the story rides on the current vibe that the wealthy of the world will take advantage of the poor, to the point where the water supply in Southern California is privatized (isn’t it already, though?) and the population riots in response to high prices and limited availability. The riots make up the backdrop of this gritty, dirty Los Angeles where somehow Jeff Goldblum is the crime boss (“The Wolf King of L.A.”) — a crime lord who wears Gucci dress sandals.
Jodie Foster is the Nurse who runs the Hotel Artemis, where criminals and wealthy VIPs pay large amounts of money for membership to provide immediate medical treatment for any issues they may have, including 3D-printing of organs. There are Rules of Membership (“do not kill the other patients”, “no weapons allowed”) that are strictly followed until they’re not, and the Nurse has a backstory that explains her gripping anxiety and inability to leave the confines of the hotel. Dave Bautista plays the Orderly, “Everest,” who uses her agoraphobia for a little comic relief, until she overcomes it briefly to save an injured police officer who turns up at the alley door. This violates another Rule of the Hotel Artemis: No Cops.
A confrontation occurs later when a weapons dealer (Day), an assassin (Boutella), a former gangster (Brown) and the Wolf King all meet up during the height of the riot. Oh, and the former gangster was in the middle of a bank holdup with his brother who accidentally stole a pen-vault thingy from a guy wearing a suit (who looks a lot like Jason Statham) that contains six Uber-rare yellow diamonds that happen to belong to the Wolf King…
The plot is not quite as convoluted as my description makes it sound, and the film is enjoyable overall.
Recommended.
Avengers: Infinity War
I would be crazy to say anything about “Avengers: Infinity War” in public before most people have a chance to see it themselves. Pro tip: don’t be a dick and talk/gasp/cry in the theatre. Nobody (me) wants to hear that.
Annihilation
I went into viewing this film without ever reading (or hearing about) Jeff VanderMeer’s “Southern Reach” trilogy of novels, and therefore had no idea how director and screenplay author Alex Garland changed the book for the big screen. Nonetheless, the film looks great and literally had me hooked from a single audio effect used in the trailers that played at nearly every film I watched at The Alamo Drafthouse for a few months prior to its release. I cannot wait until the film is released on home video so I can sample that sound effect for text tones on my smart phone — yes, I am that nerd.
The film itself kept me enthralled as it explored a different type of alien invasion, where the invader attempts to change to fit our environment while inadvertently (?) changing ours with its presence. The visuals are beautifully shot and the climatic scene weirds out into a psychedelic sequence that made me think of the equally strange “Under The Skin” starring Scarlett Johansson from about five years ago. Unfortunately I think the visualization of the scene probably did not win many fans, although after reading the “Annihilation” novel of the Southern Reach trilogy it actually made more sense to me.
I recommend you find the Southern Reach trilogy and read it before seeing the film.
Black Panther
As an old, fat Caucasian man I am not qualified to review the social importance of this film beyond the standard platitudes of “finally, a big-budget action film with a mostly black cast.” Sitting in the bar before the showing I overheard a lot of people who were VERY excited about the social importance of this film, though. It was great to see so many people enthused about a film!
I enjoyed the film and look forward to see how Wakanda fits into Marvel’s idealized universe in the future.
Mom And Dad
Holy crap, this was a crazy fun ride! Nicolas Cage was at his finest here as a part of the cast, not as the “star” of the film. There were sufficient amounts of Nic Cage crazy without overwhelming (and ruining) the rest of the plot. I realize the bar is set pretty low, but I feel this is the best film with Nic Cage (ever?).
About a third of the way into the film we start to see that something is wrong with the world. Not the most original plot point, for sure, but I enjoyed the way that something is visible peripherally to the story. There’s no obvious cause or solution, just a problem that must be dealt with as everyone begins to understand that parents suddenly have an overwhelming urge to kill their children. Not ALL children, just their own offspring.
One of the pull quotes from the film’s poster describes it as “… a twisted remake of ‘Home Alone’ on bath salts.” That feels very accurate. The kids have to deal with parents who suddenly want to kill them. The film doesn’t just present the adults as homicidal zealots, either. They carefully plan how to murder their children without any inkling that it is wrong. The parents are aware that others are killing their children, too, but dismiss it as a natural thing to do.
I laughed inappropriately at much of the last half of the movie, partly as a stress release after one particularly anxious scene at the hospital when Selma Blair’s character’s sister gives birth during the crisis. The writer and director, Brian Taylor, shoots the film in a decidedly different, almost trippy, style. I loved it!
Beers I paired with the film: Fiction Brewing Malice and Darkness, Odyssey Beerwerks Psycho Penguin Vanilla Porter
I Actually Won Something
Back in October I attended a University Of Denver hockey game over Homecoming weekend. Outside of the area before the game there was a beer garden, food and musical entertainment for “Hocktoberfest.” I entered to win a signed puck AND I WON! The puck came in the mail today.