Movie Review: Bottle Shock

Bottle Shock has the look and feel of a nicely-photographed, well-cast indy movie...for about half of the movie. The other half of the movie, unfortunately, thinks it is a Hollywood movie about '70s stoner-style kids, with a hacknied plot about an uptight father trying to straighten out his college-age son, and a potentially more interesting plot about a talented winemaker trying to break out on his own that gets lost in the shuffle.

Alan Rickman's part of the movie is much better than Bill Pullman/ChrisPine's part of the movie. Rickman plays a stodgy Brit living in Paris running a wine shop. He and American ex-patriot Dennis Farina sit and discuss wine. Rickman, not being French, is given no respect by the French wine critics. He and Farina come up with an idea (this being the summer of '76) to organize a blind taste test of American and French wines in honor of the American bicentennial.

In California wine country, Bill Pullman is running a failing vineyard. You know it's failing because he's had to go to the bank again for another loan on the place which already has multiple loans outstanding. His son, played by Chris Pine seems to help some with the business when he isn't busy having sex, surfing or smoking dope. He's friends with one of the vineyard employees, Freddy Rodriguez (who is terrific in a part that isn't fully developed). Rodriguez plays a whiz at identifying wine types and vintages in blind tastings. He is secretly working with his father to create their own wine.

They're joined by Rachel Taylor who, sadly, has little more to do in this movie than be eye candy. Eliza Dushku, practically the only other woman in the movie, plays a ballsy bar owner.

When Rickman goes to California in search of interesting wines to test, Pullman's wines are among the ones he tries and likes. While Rickman's character is a wine snob, and is convinced of the superiority of French wines, he clearly thinks the American wines have improved beyond that 70s favorite, Gallo Hearty Burgundy.

The middle of the movie gets very muddy; still has plenty of nice photography and shots of people enjoying wine on beautiful California hillsides. But the stoner son suddenly goes off and gets money from a relative and you don't know who she is until later in the movie. The stoner son and the eye candy jump from bed to bed without giving it a second thought (sure there was some of that in the '70s but...). The movie regains its focus and its humor when the stoner son helps the British wine snob get fellow travelers to hand carry two cases of wine so the wine won't be subject the rigors and cold of the plane's cargo hold.

Finally, the wine arrives safely in France, and the famous blind wine tasting, The Battle of Paris, begins. It's no surprise now, but two American wines take top honors which stuns the French. One of those wines is from the failing vineyard, so the father's business is saved.
The implication is, however, that the wine snob's business may have gone from slow to completely dead after the competition, for helping to show that French wines aren't necessarily the best.

I really wanted to like this movie, but I was somewhat disappointed. I like clever movies that don't rely on Hollywood tropes. Part of the point of a good indy movie is that it doesn't need every silly Hollywood convention. When the movie stayed true to the story of wine lovers and their various competitions, it was a much better movie. Rickman was very good, so it's worth going to see it if you're a fan of his.

While the production values were generally pretty good, and the costumes were always spot-on, sometimes the lighting, sound and editing were off. The movie also had an annoying number of things from the '80s showing up in the '70s, like "modern" wine labels, recycle deposit
information on wine bottles and UPC codes. But, the biggest problem with this movie is that it was trying to combine the charm of an indy movie with the plot devices of a Hollywood movie. Kind of like trying to blend cabernet and riesling grapes and wondering why that blend
doesn't work.

A Near-Crime Story That's Very Funny

That sort of thing doesn't happen often enough.

I've had a very busy summer, dealing with some part-time jobs, some very busy volunteer work and something like a vacation. Things are calming way down. Now that Denvention is winding down, I don't plan to take a major role in convention work for a while. I'm not gafiating (I have two fairly simple jobs for Anticipation next year); I'm taking more of a sabbatical.

The "Would You Have Been A Nazi?" Meme

I liked the answer I got!

Many Americans comprehend the difference between disliking our government and caring about our country. In fact, since we care about America (and the Constitution), we strongly disagree with the current government.

Confluence, Pittsburgh's Science Fiction Convention, July 25-27, Joe Haldeman, Kathryn Cramer, Lord Landless

Confluence is a small, friendly science fiction convention with a terrific con suite, lots of discussion and music!

Our GoH is Joe Haldeman (yes, he will bring his guitar), the P. Schulyer Miller Critic Guest is Kathryn Cramer and the special music guest is Lord Landless. Other program participants and/or filk performers include: S. C. Butler, Ken Chiacchia, Lawrence C. Connolly, Juanita Coulson, Eric Leif Davin, Lawrence Dean, Susan Dexter, Andy Eigel, Marty Coady Fabish, Stephen C. Fisher, Pete Grubbs, Gay Haldeman, David Hartwell, William H. Keith, Jr, Fruma Klass, Geoffrey Landis, Timothy E. Liebe, Paul Melko, Judi Miller, James Morrow, Kathy Morrow, Charles Oberndorf, Naomi Pardue, Tamora Pierce, Silva, Bud Sparhawk, William Tenn, Diane Turnshek, Mary Turzillo, Dave Wells and Darren Ziege. Yes, Poexry is Friday night, and, on Saturday, our local players will be performing an original satire by Jim Morrow on Saturday night.

Our hotel is the Doubletree Pittsburgh Airport. It's close enough to the airport to be a free shuttle ride away, but not so close that airport noise will keep you up all weekend. Parking is free, and you can walk to a number of local restaurants. Our hotel block closes July 3.

Conflunce also features a large (and sold out) Dealers Room, Art Show and Video Program (the theme this year is "Comics and Graphic Novels to Movies"). We also run Autographings, Readings and Literary Beers, to give you the chance to see your favorite writer in a smaller setting.

Prereg closes July 3. One day memberships will be available at the door.

Possible dpsinfo.com Service Outtage

I'm in the process of moving to a slightly different domain hosting program at Pair. As a result, my mail and Website may flake out over the next day. I expect everything to be back to normal as the nameserver updates are propagated around.

If you need to reach my domains, try http://pl524.pairlitesite.com/

Jim's mail service could also be disrupted as dpsinfo.com serves norstrilia.org's mail.

Hey, I'm Smarter than Scott McClellan!

"Former White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan writes in a surprisingly scathing memoir to be published next week that President Bush “veered terribly off course,” was not “open and forthright on Iraq,” and took a “permanent campaign approach” to governing at the expense of candor and competence."

Hey, I knew that and I didn't even work in Washington or for the Bush administration!

I guess Independents and Democrats understand the obvious more than Republicans do?

Senator Kennedy and Dying in Old Age

I was reading an acquaintance's LJ, and found some "oh it's part of the Kennedy Curse" whinging about the Senator Kennedy's cancer diagnosis. A number of people agreed with with original posting.

I had to disagree:



Um....

OK, I'll say it - he's 76 years old.

That means he, like his mother and father before him, lived longer than average.

He's not part of any mythic "Kennedy curse" (though you could certainly make a case for some of his older siblings and two of his nephews).

He survived a plane crash in the mid-60s (with a broken back), a car crash in 1969 (that killed his companion) and more eating, drinking, and fooling around (when he was younger apparently) than most people.

If anything, he's been the luckiest Kennedy of them all.

Think about it - we all die. He's not 26 - he's 76.

Sorry, I've generally liked Teddy and voted for him at least once, but I'm not in denial about his age or condition physical condition.

Last I looked, dying in old age wasn't a curse.

Sorry I Haven't Been Blogging Much Here

I've been busy with an interesting class (have a paper due this Thursday), following the local shooting of The Road, and, busiest of all, have been an extra in a 20-something comedy called She's Out of My League. I'll probably only have another day or two of extra shooting. As a longtime movie fan, it's been mostly a blast.

I will vote in the Pennsylvania primary on April 22. For the last year, I was planning to vote for Hillary Clinton. Now, I'm not so sure. It's not just her vote for the Iraq war, though that was one of the stupider thing she did. I just haven't liked the tone of her whole campaign over the last few months. Barack has about as much experience now as Bill Clinton did in 1992, and, somehow, that doesn't make him experienced enough to be president now?

I'd really like to see a woman in the White House. But I'd also like someone not so beholden to special interests, and someone who's an inspiring speaker (for a change!).

I'm definitely leaning more towards Barack Obama than I have been.

4/15/08: Change me to a definite Obama voter now. Clinton's campaign has gone negative in the kind of ad the Republicans used against Kerry. If she's going Republican, I'm voting for Obama.

Anti-Torture Blog Day

Any torture done in the name of the American government is a bad idea.

Only people who hate America would think torture was acceptable.

Only people completely unfamiliar with the Constitution would think it was a good idea.

It's common for the right wing to jump in and jabber on about how torture "keeps us safe." Right. If we're so safe, why are airports basically armed camps? Why are our borders being sealed against mostly economic refugees? Why are we bankrupting our country, both morally and economically?

If I have time tomorrow, I hope to go to the anti-war rally over in Oakland. I don't know if I'll be able to, but I'm going to try pretty damned hard.

During the Bush administration, I haven't been ashamed to be an American, as much as I've been ashamed that Bush, Cheney and their pals represent our country worldwide, and in the most negative fashion imaginable.

Bach Choir of Pittsburgh Online Charity Auction Is Open

Auction closed, 3/12/08. Thanks if you participated!

If live in the Pittsburgh area, and you're into the Steelers, art, music, dinners out or days of beauty, the Bach Choir of Pittsburgh Charity Online Charity Auction has something for you.

Auction items include Steelers memorabilia and tickets, Pitt basketball tickets, a weekend condo rental at Hidden Valley, and a shopping spree at Lippencott Alpacas Farm Store.

The auction is open until March 12, 2008.

All proceeds benefit the Bach Choir of Pittsburgh.

Support the Science2008 Presidential Debate, Set for April 18 in Philadelphia

I was an early supporter of ScienceDebate 2008, when it was just a twinkle in The Intersection's eye. While I'm not a scientist or a science blogger per-se, I've long been fascinated by science, blog about it occasionally, and find our country's slide towards the endarkenment quite depressing.

Through the hard work of Science Debate 2008, they've reserved space in Philadelphia and have invited the major presidential candidates. Great job, folks!

We don't know if any of the major candidates will show up, but we do know they've all been invited.

While "big voices" (like The New York Times) have urged this science debate, I felt more small voices would help too. So, I sent the following E-mail to Clinton and Obama today:

My E-mail to the Clinton Campaign:


Subject: I Sincerely Hope You Accept the Proposal to Participate in the ScienceDate2008


Your campaign was the first campaign to talk about the importance of good, unbiased science in government. Please help show America that you are willing to debate the important issues of science with Barack Obama (I'm not holding my breath that any Republican candidates will show up - we know how they feel about science!).

Sincerely,


Laurie D. T. Mann
McDonald, PA

PS: I am pretty sure I will vote for you in the Pennsylvania primary which follows this debate, partially because you indicated earlier in your campaign that you were taking science seriously. I want to believe that you still do!


*********************************


My E-mail to the Obama Campaign


Please Accept the Challenge to Debate Hillary Clinton in Philadelphia on April 18th on the Issues of Science


Your campaign hasn't talked too much about the importance of good, unbiased science in governmental-decision-making - Clinton's has. Please help show America that you are willing to debate the important issues of science with Hillary Clinton (I'm not holding my breath that any Republican candidates will show up - we know how they feel about science!).


Sincerely,


Laurie D. T. Mann
McDonald, PA

PS: I am pretty sure I will vote for Hillary Clinton in the Pennsylvania primary which follows this debate, partially because she indicated early in her campaign that she was taking science seriously. While I'm glad your campaign has thought about global warming and the need for energy independence, we need a pro-science president. Frankly, most European countries, Japan and Brazil have more pro-science governments than America's current government.

Is Huckabee Nadering Romney?

It looks like!

Not that I'm a fan of any of them, but it is kind of funny.

Forbes Removes "Whistleblowers on Fraud Facing Penalties"

Now, I know Web sites, particularly magazine and newspaper Web sites, are run for profit and are under no obligation to keep all their content online.

That said, I think it's a huge mistake that Forbes magazine seems to have removed the famous "Whistleblowers on Fraud Facing Penalties" article, written by Deborah Hastings and published on 8/24/07. It was about the US government prosecuting US citizens who were trying to fight fraud in Iraq.

So I wrote to Forbes to complain:


To: Forbes Magazine
Subject: What Happened to the "Whistleblowers on Fraud Facing Penalties" by Deborah Hastings Article (date: 08/24/07)?

Why isn't it online anymore?

I thought that was one of the most important articles Forbes ever published, not to mention one of the most unlikely, given the conservative tilt of Forbes. I blogged about the article, and linked to it from my Web site.

So, I did a periodic link check and found the article cannot be found at the Forbes site. I think that's very unfortunate. It's too important to not keep it online in its entirety as a constant reminder of how far our country has sunk over the last 7 years.

Luckily, I downloaded a copy of it. I am tempted to post a different 20% of it every day on my Web site, so that the content can be retained on the Web and without violating your copyright.



Disgusted, but not surprised,

Laurie D. T. Mann
McDonald, PA

Finally - Dim Sum in the Pittsburgh Area

2012 update - the dim sum place in Robinson Township died a few years back. I miss it. I'm not sure why this blog post gets so many visits. When we go to Washington, then we get decent dim sum! [[I can't recommend the York Buffet Sushi & Grill across from the Mall at Robinson. I've been there maybe three times, it has a few kinds of dim sum, everything there tends to taste stale.]]

I've had dim sum many times in Boston, New York and San Francisco since at least 1982. When I moved back to Pittsburgh in 1993, I kept waiting for a genuine dim sum restaurant with the carts to open up. I figured that since Pittsburgh was always at least ten years behind the times, maybe one would open up by 2000. I shouldn't have held my breath.

It's not that I haven't had good Chinese appetizers in Pittsburgh - I have. The China Palace in Shadyside has excellent appetizers. Ditto the New Dumpling House in Squirrel Hill, Spice Island Tea House in Oakland and Ya Fei in Robinson. We always meant to try the Hong Kong in Dormont, but as they only served dim sum one Sunday a month, it was easy to forget to go there. And while there seems to be a dim sum place in Allison Park, I've never been to Allison Park.

So I was delighted to stumble over the Golden Palace, 5920 Steubenville Pike (near Beaver Grade Rd. on the same side of the street) in Robinson Township (412-489-5398). It's in a former Chinese buffet restaurant that closed last year and has just reopened. While they don't serve buffet, it's no great loss. It has a pretty typical Chinese menu and it has dim sum every day. Not only dim sum, but dim sum from carts on the weekends! (The menu online is in Chinese, but they include photos of some items.)

It was pretty good. The menu isn't huge, but the steamed buns were excellent as were the shrimp dumplings and turnip cake. We didn't have any dessert, but the dessert cart had some good-looking custard tarts and sesame balls.

It's definitely worth the trip to Robinson Township to go to this restaurant. It's on the same side of the road as the Arby's and the Eat and Park. Maybe if they get more business, they'll add more kinds of dim sum!

The Facts Don't Matter for Bush

As I've often said, I find the lack of respect for facts and reason by the current administration a real embarrassment for our country.

Here is a good example of Bush's not caring about the facts. It's a little thing; it's not about the lies he's told about Iraq or about public policy or what the Constitution says or John Kerry or anything else like that. This lie is about a painting that's hanging in the White House, given to him by supporters.

The Abridged Version of the Story

A Myth to Keep - the Full Version of the Story

Thanks to NPR for reporting this story yesterday!

In Honor of "Blog for Choice 2008"

I cannot think of a time when I wasn't pro-choice. Even in the '60s, when I was first learning about sex and birth control and abortion was generally illegal, having the option of an abortion in a doctor's office made sense. I couldn't understand the fuss then.

While I understand the fuss now, I do not agree with it.

Abortion rights, like other rights for women (did you know women voted legally in some areas of America in the 18th century?) always seem more tenuous. We have to continue to fight for the right for legal abortion. We have to fight for the right to get birth control, given some people's opposition to that. We need to fight for the right to an accurate, science-based education on issues of biology, sexuality and birth control. We need to elect individuals to government who comprehend the difference between science and religious-based propaganda.

While I do not believe that abortion is murder, if it is murder, it is murder in self-defense. We generally don't condemn people who kill in self-defense; to preserve one's own life. If you do believe abortion is murder, the answer is simple - don't have one. But I do not believe I have the right to make that choice for you, any more than I believe a government should make such a choice for me.

Do You Want the Constitution Huckabeed?

On January 14, 2008, former Arkansas governor and Republican presidential candidate said (and it's on tape even):


I have opponents in this race who do not want to change the Constitution. But I believe it’s a lot easier to change the Constitution than it would be to change the word of the living God. And that’s what we need to do is amend the Constitution so it’s in God’s standards rather than trying to change God’s standards so it lines up with some contemporary view of how we treat each other and how we treat the family.


Well, great. I don't want an American Ayatollah in office. We finally got rid of Santorum; we don't need another person that out-of-touch in high office. I want people in office who have a clue about what the Establishment Clause means...and what it doesn't mean.

Jefferson and Madison would be rolling over in their graves to hear an American presidential candidate talking that way. They fought against such nonsense their entire lives.

Congressional Office of Technology Assessment Is Still Dead

Back in the '70s, when folks in the government still paid attention to scientists, the Office of Technology Assessment was founded, to help provide scientific data for governmental decision-making. The office was closed down after the "Republican Revolution" of 1994, when Gringich et. al. took over.

Now that the Democrats have control of the Congress, I'd hoped we'd see some changes. Granted, making any changes in Washington tends to be a very slow process. But one positive change the Congress could make is to re-establish the Office of Technology Assessment, and start paying attention to science in decision-making, rather than politics.

The Science Progress blog had a useful reminder about this situation.

I wrote to Speaker Pelosi and my own Representative Tim Murphy. Murphy would probably be opposed to including more science advising in decision-making since Republicans seem to be most opposed to this concept.

Hilary Clinton's Much-Needed Shot in the Arm

I thought people who wrote Hilary Clinton's presidential race obituary after her loss in Iowa were overreacting. Turns out that I was right.

While people in the media keep harping on Clinton's unelectability, she's been ahead or even in many national, head-to-head polls against likely Repulican candidates. Many of us would love to see a woman president for a change.

The sexist jerks are out in full color (as usual). I've always thought she's a good candidate and would make a very good president. On the one hand, like most politicians, she's sold out to a degree, and Obama is a more inspiring speaker. Still, she's done a surprising amount of bipartisan work in Washington, during a time of severe partisanship. She's tenacious, and she very smart. I don't count her out.

I do have a concern over the idea that it's not a good thing to have the presidency change hands between two families for many years. On the other hand, while George H. W. Bush was kind of a middling president, his son W. has been an unmitigated disaster. Hard to tell if Hilary Clinton would be better or worse than Bill. She might be better - she had much more national political experience than Bill had when he ran.

So while the idea of an Obama or an Edwards presidency doesn't horrify me, I'd prefer Clinton. As I live in Pennsylvania, I don't know if I'll get the chance to vote for he in my primary. But, I hope I do!

Jamie Lynn Spears: Poster Child for "Abstinence Only" Education

Remember a few years ago when famous teen pop star Britney Spears made a big deal that she was going to be a virgin until she got married?

Well, apparently she didn't, but at least she managed to delay a first pregnancy until she was married.

Her younger sister wasn't quite that "smart." I know, I know, putting the phrase "Britney Spears" and "smart" in the same essay seems a tad incongruous. But why are many teens so stupid when it comes to sex?

Currently, the stupidity is caused by a combination of strong hormones and the gutting of sex education programs at the federal level.

Granted, teens have been stupid about sex for a long time. Teen pregnancy isn't anything new. It was a little more common when I was a teenager. But, at least in the '70s, many school systems had at least something approaching sex education. And, between more factual sex education, more girls asserting their right to not have sex before they were ready, and more availability of contraception, teen pregnancy rates gradually started to decline.

However, during the reign of the Bushies, reality-based sex education been systematically removed in favor of the fantasy of abstinence-only education.

It doesn't work. The teen pregnancy rate is starting to increase again, partially due to the federal government's refusal to approach teen sexuality in anything approaching a realistic manner. The teen girls who are having sex without proper education or protection are only living out the fantasy of "waiting until marriage" that the federal government and many religious organizations like to push.

Don't get me wrong - I don't think most teens should have sex. Having a good sex life as an adult is very important. I can only imagine how many teen girl's feelings about her sexuality have been mangled by a teen boy's feelings about his. While I don't advocate waiting until marriage to have sex, I do advocate waiting until you have a potential lover with whom you can discuss sex and birth control before you engage in having sex. If you aren't adult enough to have the birth control talk, you aren't adult enough to have sex either.

Claiming that sex education leads to irresponsible sex is like claiming that driver education leads to car accidents.