The Ecq Review

Micmacs ***

March 26, 2013 by rurugby Leave a Comment

Enjoyable movie, very much a romp. I love Jean Paul Jeunet’s cast and writing. This is one is just fun. It’s definitely not the masterpiece of the wonderful “City of Lost Children”, “Amelie” or “A Very Long Engagement” but definitely a good time. Much smaller than those 3 classics.

I liked it. I also very much enjoyed the making of Micmacs documentary on the DVD. Was nice to see how they made scenes and the hassles of shooting in Paris. Far more interesting than the usual light interviews that really don’t say anything.

Good stuff. I like Jeunet, still need to see Alien 4. This one reminded my a lot of “Delicatessen” even though it wasn’t quite as good. It’s good to have eccentric movies with crazy characters.

***

Filed Under: movies, The Blog, The Ecq Review

Open for Business

March 23, 2013 by rurugby Leave a Comment

Was in Manchester, NH this weekend for the North Beast poetry slam and to see our great friend Elizabeth.

On the way home I see the sign to welcome people to the state. Maine: The Way Life Should Be. We all love this sign. But when our complete imbecile of a Governor came into office he had to add “Open for Business.” So now it reads. “MAINE: The Way Life Should Be. Open for Business.”

Open for business? Really, Governor. That doesn’t mean what you think it means.

And Open for Business is not the way life should be. Open for business is Mountaintop Mining in Applachia, destroying billion year old mountains for coal and filling in rivers and valleys with slurry. Open for business is clear cutting of rain forest in the Amazon river basin, destroying all sorts of animal and plant species and the land forever. Even putting less oxygen in the air, and helping accelerate global warning.

Open for business is drag nets that are hundreds of square feet destroying the cod population of the Gulf of Maine for freaking fish sticks. A cod fishery that was so big when the New World was “discovered” that you could catch cod with a net.

Open for business is incentives for a company to destroy natural resources and leave the residents with pollution. Open for business has been the policy of the Republican Party for 30 years, where the rich get richer and the poor are blamed for being poor.

Maine is a beautiful state. It has amazing resources. Four distinct seasons although with a long winter and short summer. It’s a wonderful place. It could even be called the way life should be. But what it doesn’t need to be is open for business.

And Governor LePage, the sign should be taken down. Like most things you have done it’s full of bluster, and useless on paper. Open for business may sound good to some idiots, but it’s not what you think. Government’s job is not to prostitute citizens for industry.

Edmund

Filed Under: Maine, politics, The Blog, The Ecq Review Tagged With: LaPage, Maine

Durgin Park **

March 17, 2013 by rurugby Leave a Comment

Durgin Park is one of the institutions of Boston.

“There from before you were born,” on 1827 according to Wikipedia.

I have heard of it before on cooking/food shows, and it got a great 5 star review on Roadfood.com that said it was worth going to from anywhere. But, really meh. It’s fine. But I live in Maine. It’s not hard to find New England food here. Boiled dinner is part of the tradition. I am sure a lot of you are having it today with St. Patrick’s Day and Corned Beef and Cabbage.

I can get great New England food that is far better than Durgin Park at my mother-in-law Dottie Maheux’s house. Having the pot roast which was recommended by Roadfood.com as leftover now and it’s fine. Not great, just fine. Honestly the corned beef and cabbage leftovers I had for lunch was better. I ordered the pot roast with squash and mashed potatoes. The pot roast was fine, if a little bland. The squash had nice flavor and the mashed potatoes were fine. The baked beans were actually quite good, probably the best thing I had there.

Even the room isn’t really that interesting. Feel like it should have more character. The restaurant was bought by Ark Restaurants in 2007, and maybe that calmed things down.

There is rumors that Durgin Park used to have rude service. Honestly, the server was one of the best parts of the meal, very sweet. And she did try to warn us off the Indian Pudding that Foursquare and RoadFood mentioned. I think my father-in-law would have loved it, but he ADORED molasses. For us, it had a very odd texture and taste. And she noticed we didn’t eat much of it, and took it off our tab. Very much appreciated.

So, it’s an option in Faneuil Hall but I bet you can find much better food for the price. Glad I can say I went, but I am very unlikely to come back. I think you can get much better food at a bean supper. Now that’s a Maine cultural institution I need to go to. I have lived in Maine since 2005 and still haven’t been to one, I will soon.

Filed Under: casual, food, restaurant, The Blog, The Ecq Review

For the Good Times

March 4, 2013 by rurugby 3 Comments

It’s amazing how a song can make you realize how little you are holding together.

This song makes me think of my mom. She has known my dad since she was 19, 44 years ago. I worry how she will do without my dad.

It’s gorgeous and it’s clearly a love note from Johnny Cash to his beloved June Carter Cash.

Music is evocative in a way nothing else is.

I am happy to be in Maine, I worry about my dad all the time.

He is on oxygen now. He is eating less and sleeping more. It could be near the end or there could be weeks or months to come. Brain cancer. He’s a 4 1/2 year survivor, so he’s beat the odds, but it’s soon. Very soon. It’s a strange time for me. I really did think (and mom did too) that he would live into his 80s. He’s only 66 now.

The love my parents show for each other is the great love story on my life. It’s inspired the great love of my life Lanna Lee Maheux and the amazing 10 years we have been together. It just breaks my heart that it will be over so soon. I don’t think my mom is ready. I don’t think she will ever be ready.

Sometimes you just need to cry with Johnny Cash.

Don’t look so sad, I know it’s over
But life goes on and this old world will keep on turning
Let’s just be glad we had some time to spend together
There’s no need to watch the bridges that we’re burning

Lay your head upon my pillow
Hold your warm and tender body close to mine
Hear the whisper of the raindrops blowing soft against the window
And make believe you love me one more time for the good times

I’ll get along, you’ll find another
And I’ll be here if you should find you ever need me
Don’t say a word about tomorrow or forever
There’ll be time enough for sadness when you leave me

Lay your head upon my pillow
Hold your warm and tender body close to mine
Hear the whisper of the raindrops blowing soft against the window
And make believe you love me one more time for the good times

Filed Under: acceptance, Johnny Cash, music, poetry, The Blog, The Ecq Review

Argo ****

March 3, 2013 by rurugby Leave a Comment

Good tense political thriller based on current events.

Solid Best Picture winner if not as good as “The Artist” which I loved.

Not sure why there is a contraversy about it in Canada. It is based on true events, and Canada comes out wonderfully.

Good acting all around. I guess this Ben Affleck fellow has a future in Hollywood.

And it was interesting to me to have the perspective of “Persepolis *****” which is one of my all time favorite books. To be able to see it from the perspective of an Iranian teenage girl gave the movie a lot more background.

Good stuff. I think you will enjoy it.

Filed Under: graphic novels, Media, movies, The Blog, The Ecq Review

Pinball Wizard

March 1, 2013 by rurugby Leave a Comment

I have always liked pinball.

And I am okay at it.

Went out to First Friday night planning to maybe check out the studios in the State Theatre Building, and maybe the Portland Museum of Art.

Instead I went to Coast City Comics and played pinball, then across the street to Local Sprouts and heard a very cool guitar player and someone reading and showing their new graphic novel.

It was a good night.

I have played a fair amount of pinball since I was in the Rutgers pinball club back in college. There were several players in the club who were nationally ranked and played tournaments in New York City. I was just happy playing some of the great machines in the Rutgers College Avenue Student Center in the mid 90s like World Cup 1994, Addams Family and the Twilight Zone. And to every once and a while hear that ultra satisfying loud plonk of a replay.

And when I travel down the Mass Pike back and forth to Pennsylvania in this tough time, I often will play a game or two to calm down after the road. I enjoyed the Monopoly game Westbound near 495, didn’t like the Gofers game so much.

Tonight I played a few games. The first was Family Guy, which was okay. I actually like the Stewey mini-pinball game the most which felt like a toy pinball machine. Very cute.

The Star Wars pinball game which I often like felt beat up. Wasn’t a fan of it at Coast City.

Played an Elvira magic pinball which was okay.

But my two favorites were a game I like from back in the day, and I think was back to my mid 1990s Rutgers days, Attack From Mars. Lots of fun good sounds, fun gameplay reasonably easy center shot for a lot of the points. Fun game. I am not sure many pinball games use sounds better. I like the Revenge from Mars (I think that’s right) follow up too.

The other was an older game which I hadn’t played before Doctor Who. It reminded me a lot of one of my other favorite pinball games Pinbot. Pinbot is where I had possibly my best pinball game ever the first time I played it. Fun old school pinball. And I loved hearing the Doctor who music and Dalek noises.

Other favorites include games like Cyclone and Comet, both based on Coney Island roller coasters.

Was also nice to be back at Local Sprouts. Got used to going there every Tuesday when Port Veritas was there last year (2011-2012). It’s a fun place with great organic food, a nice beer list and very good coffee, bread and dessert. But, someone was reading today a graphic novel he just finished and it was his 30th birthday. Yet, someone still felt like they needed to talk the whole time he was reading. Please respect the artist and try not to talk when they are reading. It makes it hard for everyone else who is enjoying the artists work.

So a very satisfying Friday and I even got to see my friend Alexis Lyon when I came back to Coast City Comics on my way out to play Doctor Who pinball some more. Although I do wish I heard the satisfying clunk of a replay tonight.

Going out is making me feel better. It’s too easy to dwell at home. Too bad I have no money after not working much of the last 2 weeks and spending money in PA and getting there.

Pinball is fun. If you haven’t played or haven’t played in a while take a couple bucks in quarters and play. It’s a good time.

Filed Under: games, geek, poetry, reading, The Blog, The Ecq Review Tagged With: pinball

Books You Like That Others Love

February 12, 2013 by rurugby Leave a Comment

Just finished two books today that judging from Goodreads others loved that I merely liked.

Jeff Lemire’s graphic novel of memories you can’t shake “Underwater Welder” and Kurt Vonnegut’s classic “Mother Night.”

I give them both 3 stars.

In reading the Goodreads for each book, it’s clear that both books deeply affected people. For me the ending in “Welder” was all too sudden, and I wanted more.

“Mother Night” was a slow, awkward read for me. I just don’t really like Howard Campbell Jr. very much. He isn’t very sympathetic to me. And frankly being a Nazi propagandist is something that is awkward to read about even in fiction.

But, like other things it’s okay to like or not like something others love.

For instance I saw “Cloud Atlas” which to me seemed long, and disjointed. My wife and her friend both adored the movie. To me it was kind of a mess.

And I really don’t like the big hipster literary fiction. I can’t get into David Foster Wallace’s “Infinite Jest”, or most of Dave Eggers (although I loved “Zeitoun), and a lot of the other leading literary lights of our day.

It’s perfectly okay to like what you like.

But, there are times I wish I loved a book or movie or any art as much as others do. To each their own.

Filed Under: books, FridayReads, graphic novels, No Filter, The Blog, The Ecq Review Tagged With: Kurt Vonnegut, Literary Fiction, Mother Night, Underwater Welder

Words of Advice: William S. Burroughs on the Road ***1/2

February 11, 2013 by rurugby Leave a Comment

I have been a fan of William S. Burroughs since college. Really more then than now.

But there is nothing like his voice.

Nothing like his presence. Although I do have to acknowledge the tragedy that he shot his wife in the 1950s.

I remember in college loving “The Ticket That Exploded” although I can’t really get into it now.

And I love the idea of the bizarre character of American culture being part of Americana.

It’s a documentary well worth seeing, and like most of what I see free on Amazon Prime.

Worth seeing. And it’s even available free online.

I also owned his “Dead City Radio” album at one point, but one I lost along the way sometime.

Here is his famous “Words of Advice for Young People” with the wonderful Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy. Prefer the song to the video. But of course William S. Burroughs may be up their with Keith Richards in all-time heroin usage.

And here is the wonderful “Spare Ass Annie.”

Filed Under: Documentary, movies, The Blog, The Ecq Review Tagged With: William S Burroughs

American Splendor

February 6, 2013 by rurugby Leave a Comment

Just finished Harvey Pekar’s “American Splendor” opus. Great to have comic about the mundane. Interesting stuff, and groundbreaking in it’s time.

It also reminds me of myself a lot. Smart guy, sometimes (or often) think too much. I think I am easier to get along with though. And I have a partner that seems to like to keep me around.

The book is very good. ***1/2

I actually in this case prefer the movie. There is something about the way the movie is written which is far more character driven than Pekar’s usually shortish comics (longest one is 12 pages). I also think have Joyce Brabant in the movie (Pekar’s 3rd wife) as a major character really grounds his stories. He is in a sense more real in the movies.

So being able to do all these things makes the movie American Splendor a triumph. Haven’t seen many movies where they use both the real people from Cleveland and the actors and it moves seamlessly together. Tremendously well acted, directed and written. ****

Both are clearly excellent though. And sometimes it good enough to just be working, reading and listening to good music.

Filed Under: books, movies, The Blog, The Ecq Review Tagged With: American Splendor, Harvey Pekar

Skip, consider, go

February 2, 2013 by rurugby Leave a Comment

I have more of these to add later.

Doing some mainly tweet reviews of restaurants, bars, etc.

May have seen a few uf you follow me at @rurugby, Foursquare or my Facebook (the even I admit pretentious Edmund Charles Davis-Quinn, my original Edmund Davis-Quinn got hacked.)

So here are some examples:

Saigon: Excellent service, excellent food. Everyone I have taken here has loved it. Go!

Schulte and Herr: The potato pancakes here were a revelation. Excellent cucumber salad, soups, entrees and bread. If you haven’t eaten here yet you need to. Go!

Kamasouptra: Seriously great soup. One of the few places I an happy to eat vegan. Go.

Local Sprouts: Great use of local ingredients, nice atmosphere, good space for kids. Good stuff. Go.

China Villa: Good takeout, yummy and craveable fried dumplings. In a bad town for Chinese food the portions are huge and satisfying. Definitely good not great though. Consider

Catbird Creamery: Excellent ice cream, truffles, and coffee. The ice cream sandwiches are the best I have ever had, simply ridiculous. Really nice owners too. Give this hidden gem on Main Street across from Bank of America in Westbrook a try. Go.

Dancing Elephant: Excellent Indian food. Highly recommend the garlic naan, the tandoori chicken and the masala tea. Go.

I have more to add but will add more later.