Spare Time Again

As I sit here and write this little posting, one of my favorite shows, “Anthony Bourdain’s No Reservations” on the Travel Channel, is ending. For those of you not familiar with this program, Bourdain is a famous chef who is very snide, but creative and funny too. He has made a career out of traveling, eating, drinking liquor, and basically making it all into weekly television show. I had first heard of Bourdain in 2000 when he released a book titled “Kitchen Confidential” which supposedly revealed a number of trade secrets. Honestly, I’ve never read his book, but after watching his old show on the Food Network, “A Cook’s Tour”, he caught my attention. His job right now is basically my dream job.
The episode this week he traveled to New Orleans, and chose to focus on the rebuilding efforts, zeroing in on the resurrected restaurant industry, one that has been hit especially hard since Katrina. A food show in New Orleans would have to have a small cameo by Emeril LaGass, which it does. But that is hardly the highlight. Perhaps the most interesting moment comes from the anecdote of one owner who related and flashed photos of the disgusting remains of foodstuffs that would occupy the pantry and walk-in freezers of his former restaurant. Funny how I would never even think about something like that.
I would recommend “No Reservations” for anybody who likes travel, humor and food. It’s on a few times per week on the Travel Channel. Monday nights are the new episodes.

“No Country for Old Men” (2007)

I can’t really say that any movie by the Coen brothers has ever disappointed me. Once in a while they may go overboard with the token eccentricities, but usually the films the two brothers make are solid. I haven’t read Cormac McCarthy’s book with the same title, but after seeing this film his books can be expected to join my list.
“No Country” is different from the Coen brothers’ other films because it is unusually dark, and with much less humor and quirkiness then usual. Josh Brolin plays kind of an average joe, though a Vietnam vet, who stumbles upon a drug scene circa 1980 while hunting and finds corpses and a ton of cash. He takes the money of course and ends up being chased across Texas by a hitman played by Spanish actor Javier Bardem, who in turn ends up being pursued by sheriff Tommy Lee Jones and (briefly) bounty hunter Woody Harrelson. This is really a study in characters, as Brolin is clearly in over his head and Jones is mystified at how explicably violent this whole case becomes. Bardem is so twisted, psychotic, mellow and quiet that that you end up chuckling during a couple of scenes because he is just plain wrong in the head and there is something sickly amusing about his character.
I would not be surprised if this movie won an Oscar for Best Picture, and Bardem won for Best Supporting Actor. Admittedly though, this movie is not for everybody. But if you like something different, here you go.