Category: Recommended

Reviews, praise, or otherwise promoted.

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Recommended

I Dig Big Pig Gig

There are a handful of events in life that are so enjoyable, you can only write about it in the hopes that everyone else will get a chance to try it. This was one of those events.

Mid Big Pig Gig

Friday night, we took part in the [Big Pig Gig](http://www.daisymaysbbq.com/bigpig.html) at Daisy May’s BBQ. [Tien](http://www.tienmao.com/) was the organizer and ringleader; the crowd was predominantly *bloggy*.

The meal we had ordered consisted of both the whole pig as well as a whole pork butt, six sides, texas toast, and watermelon. Even with eighteen people there, this was a lot of food. No one left in a state resembling “hungry”.

As for the food: If you enjoy barbecue, you must do this at least once in your life. Hand-pulling the steaming hot meat right off the pig – dredging it in sea salt or a mustard-based sauce, or just downing it straight – is satisfying in ways I didn’t think was possible. (Unfortunately, the skin was absurdly chewy. Despite its deliciousness, it’s requires a little too much effort to eat.) The sides were heavenly: baked beans that almost resembled a chili, given the amount of pork; perfect mashed potatoes; a deliciously zingy coleslaw.

I recommend sitting close to the pig, as I had the chance to do – it’s quite pleasant to randomly pick off pieces of meat from different areas. Meg kept exclaiming “Ooh, there’s more meat *here*!” from the opposite side, so I am not alone in the excitement of pork discovery.

Daisy May’s does, of course, have a [regular menu](http://www.daisymaysbbq.com/menus.html) too, so don’t think you have to show up and just get a giant pig. I will have to test their promises of delivering to anywhere in Manhattan one of these days.

From others that were there:

* Jake’s got [pictures.](http://www.flickr.com/photos/gothamistllc/sets/72157594316162153/)
* Tien’s got [pictures](http://www.flickr.com/photos/tienmao/sets/72157594319662203/) as well as a [post](http://www.tienmao.com/archives/002271.html).
* Jen’s got [pictures.](http://www.flickr.com/photos/jenchung/tags/bigpiggig/)

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Recommended

Tideland: Notes And Thoughts

[The Museum of the Moving Image](http://www.ammi.org/) tonight presented a preview of Terry Gilliam’s new film, [Tideland](http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0410764/), as well as a Q&A with Gilliam himself. As a long-standing Gilliam fan, this was something resembling a dream come true.

Some notes from the Q&A:

* He described taking on *The Brothers Grimm* as being “desperate for work”, although he said he wasn’t disappointed with the product so much as the process.
* *Tideland* was edited at the same time as *Brothers Grimm*.
* He came across Tideland in the pile of materials he is sent from people he doesn’t know. The author had only sent it to get a quote for the jacket, but Terry was immediately pulled in to the book and wanted to make the film. He did provide a jacket quote of “Fucking Marvelous!”.
* *Tideland* was a joy to make: the crew was great, the producer left him alone to shoot the movie however he wanted, and they filmed in Saskatchewan, which was basically as far away from “the world” as they could get.
* The only substantial difference between the book and the movie is that the movie is not shot in the first person. This adds some tension, and makes the movie a bit more “difficult” than the book. Part of the reason for this was because Gilliam wanted to avoid traditional narrative films. He complains that movies are too similar in rhythm anymore, like pop songs.
* He considers the movie a “litmus test of people”. He knows some people will love it, and some people will hate it – he really just wants to get people thinking. He has had “some wonderful almost-fistfights over the film”.
* Jeff Bridges has the major prop of the film sitting in his garden. I will not spoil what this is, but if you see the movie, you’ll be able to figure it out without too much difficulty.
* He had nothing but kind words about [Jodelle Ferland](http://us.imdb.com/name/nm0272706/); he claimed that the dynamic on set was reversed, so that he was the kid and she was the adult.
* The most surprising question of the night was when someone asked if he had any words for aspiring filmmakers who wanted to follow in footsteps. In extremely strong terms, he said that it was nearly impossible: that he was the last of a dying breed; that even he is having problems funding his movies or getting distribution deals; that the studios are in a panic; that independent studios are a sham and owned by the major studios. He was actually getting choked up while laying it out this bluntly.

As for the movie: in my eyes, it was glorious. It is certainly not for everyone, and requires a fairly open viewpoint on the world. This isn’t because anything in the movie is terribly controversial, but because it’s a true picture of how children deal with a strange world around them (instead of the way movies tend to paint them). With a lovely score, a strong cast (Jodelle is in practically every scene), and absolutely gorgeous cinematography, Tideland will certainly please Gilliam fans, and will probably baffle more than a few people along the way.

Tideland opens in New York on Friday, October 13th.

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Recommended

Please Don’t Break My Kneecaps, Tony Carnivale

Friends, particularly those in NYC: Please come to Channel 102 on Monday.

If you are just tuning into me talking about 102 – it’s a short film competition that runs nearly every month. Up to ten television shows, of no more than five minutes in length, do their best to entertain the audience. At the end, the audience takes their ballots and votes for their five favorites. The top five survive, chosen to make another episode. The rest are canceled, never to be shown at 102 again.

Channel 102 has been the venue where a number of great, great shows have been screened. From the hilarious (Dr. Miracles, Cakey) to the silly (28 Day Slater, Cat News) to the strange and twisted (Sexual Intercourse American Style, Puppet Rapist) to the epic (Shutterbugs, Gemberling) – I could go on and on, but you can peruse the list of cancelled and failed shows on your own.

If you don’t come, there is a significant chance that Tony Carnivale will break my kneecaps. No one wants that. Tony has assured me he doesn’t *want* to break my kneecaps – but if push comes to shove, he might not have a choice. So come to the screening! I’ll be handing out ballots, taking photos, and hanging around the after party.

(I am joking. Tony is awesome and would never do anything to harm my kneecaps. I think.)

If you aren’t in the NYC area, you have a couple of options: add 102 to your MySpace, subscribe to the podcast to get new episodes, or hit the forums.