never thought i woud ever say i seriously enjoyed a jean-claude van damme movie except for a few cheezy laughs, but here is the movie to force me to utter those words. now you don’t have to take my word for it, but i hope by me saying i was impressed will at least spark some curiosity rather than thinking i’ve lost my damn mind. the best thing that helps this movie for me is that it’s not in english. this is a french film that takes place in brussels. so not having to hear his awkward accent saying cheezy lines in english keeps it from being an unintentional joke. it’s funny, quirky, dramatic and unique. all that and it’s actually not an action film.
after a few years of having the best time of my life, the second half of 2007 was in contrast, easily the worst year of my life. and it spilled over into 2008. i’m definitely ready for “the suck” to be over with. it has been looking better lately and 2009 really looks like it could be a good year. looking forward to a better job, new projects, old projects like David and Goliath returning and meeting new people. so far, returning to new york has been great, i can’t wait for more.
just watched this great little film called the wackness. i had no idea what it was going to be about which is always a pleasant surprise when the film turns out to be good. one of the things that definitely struck a chord with me was that it took place in the summer of 1994 in nyc. just before cell phones and the internet were everywhere. and pretty much in the area of nyc i grew up in and i also graduated from high school around that time and listened to the same music. arguably the best days of hip-hop. tribe, biggie, wu-tang and many others.
so i dropped by gray’s papaya in my old neighborhood for some cheap hot dogs with my cousins and apparently they’re not so cheap anymore. when they first started doing the the recession special, it was $1.95, two hot dogs and a drink. But now it’s gone up to $4.45 or $1.50 per hot dog. it’s really not much cheaper than a hot dog anywhere now. i can get two slices and a soda for $2.50 down on st mark’s if i want some cheap eats. i miss getting a hot dog from gray’s for 50 cents. inflation sucks.
it’s cold enough now that i can see my breath when i go outside and with that, christmas lights have gone up. although, i didn’t expect them to pop up in the LES. not complaining, just surprised.
the lights go all up and down orchard street. nothing feels more like christmas to me than christmas in new york city. even down in the LES i guess.
this is from my window. i laughed when i saw that they actually put the letters LES in the lights. christmas neighborhood pride? :P
