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February 14, 2005

Noisy Blackbird delivers

I went to Blackbird, that institution of chic, urban Chicago fine dining, and except for the hipper-than-thou waitstaff, I was suitably impressed by the food (if not by the fact that I could hear every single, dull converation around me thanks to the close-set tables and the amazing acoustics of the room).

A pioneer of the glitzy restaurant strip on Randolph Street, Blackbird's minimalist white facade and stark interior stand in contrast to the intense flavors of the contemporary American food of chef Paul Kahan. Appetizers include a silky foie gras terrine paired with gingerbread and fig-molasses-drizzled green apples, as well as a more subtle and simple California mussel soup chock full of the delectable, plump shellfish. The entrees also combine a variety of robust flavors that work together at the very edge of overpowering the tongue, including a succulent tea-infused Pekin duck breast and confit (with plump prunes to add sweetness to the savory), mustard greens, and braised root vegetables, or Kahan’s signature dish of wood-grilled California sturgeon served on a bed of oxtail and dill with curried corn and chanterelles. Even the desserts are startlingly original, including a rich and strangely unsweet, olive-oil-drizzled cocoa cake with kumquats, and a hot, buttery beignet atop a slab of cool creme-fraiche ice cream garnished with black cherries and sugared sage leaves. (Just a warning: the tables are extremely close together and the restaurant is noisy, so if you’re looking for a quiet, relaxing dinner out, this is not your best bet.)

Posted by oko at 05:07 PM | Comments (0)

February 11, 2005

Grandma does Spiderman

I saw Mark Newport's "New Works," an odd, if comfy-looking, exhibit of handmade superhero suits at Chicago's Cultural Center a few days ago.

Spiderman doesn't fly, but limply hangs, in one of several life-sized, hand-knitted recreations of superhero costumes (complete with booties) on display until February 20. Using elaborate embroidery and knitting, Arizona-based artist Mark Newport turns stereotypical gender roles on their heads with his comfy-looking versions of the Batman, Iron Man, and Aquaman suits. Newport's own superhero invention, the Patriot, is knit in a hideous red, white, and blue pattern that only a Supergrandma could love. There's more humor as well: the Fantastic Four's Reed Richard's costume is some 15-feet long as befits that superhero's superstretching ability, and the Rawhide Kid has his white gloves childishly hanging with a string through the sleeves, adding to the helpless feel of the empty suit. Embroidered cartoon covers, which Newport calls samplers, show delicate, convoluted stitching, which retraces the letters of the titles, or gracefully fills in the costumes of the superheroes portrayed; their preciousness belies the masculine scenes of fighting and rescuing. Of course, you might not notice any questions about gender, but instead wonder what it would be like to try on a suit and pretend to be Batman for a while.

Posted by oko at 02:35 PM | Comments (0)

February 01, 2005

Three films I liked in 2004

2004 wasn't a particularly strong year for movies, but three of my favorites were Million Dollar Baby, The Aviator, and Shaun of the Dead. (I also liked Sideways, but I plan on addressing the film and how Paul Giamatti was robbed of his best-actor nomination in another post.)

Million Dollar Baby is admirable for its spare style and its ability to handle its melodramatic, hyper-emotional elements with restraint, making them even more powerful. From a classic underdog story set in the world of female boxing, it goes off in a completely unpredicted direction; such a shocking wrench in tone and plot would sink a lesser film. Yet thanks to Clint Eastwood’s assured direction, it works. All three leads, Hilary Swank as the determined boxer, Eastwood as her reluctant trainer, and Morgan Freeman as Eastwood’s long-time employee and friend, are perfectly cast, and the acting rapport is genuine. I'm not a huge fan of Swank, who hasn’t done any interesting work since Boys Don’t Cry, but her performance is so natural and true, as is Morgan Freeman's, that they are a joy to watch. No flash, no glitz, no arty shots, just a great story, great acting, and some great directing from Eastwood, whose art is only improving with age.

After being badly miscast in Gangs of New York, Leonardo DiCaprio finally has a role he can sink his teeth into in The Aviator, playing young playboy-billionaire and aviation pioneer Howard Hughes. In contrast to Million Dollar Baby, the film is all glitz and color and flash, another bravura piece of big-scale movie making from Martin Scorsese in almost top form. For any film buff, the best part is the lush recreation of the golden age of Hollywood. There’s Gwen Stefani as Jean Harlow, an entertaining cameo from Jude Law as Errol Flynn, and best of all, Cate Blanchett’s sly, on-the-edge-of-parody portrayal of Kate Hepburn. The first scene where the eccentric Hughes and the unconventional Hepburn meet, filmed in the slightly faded colors of a period newsreel, is funny and enchanting. The Aviator is an American tragedy that strangely ends decades before its well-known final act, but the strong performances and confident direction make this one of the best films of the year.

For silly, pure, and almost perfect light entertainment, with just a tad of gore, look no further than the British horror-comedy, Shaun of the Dead. A British parody of just about any zombie flick, the running gag is that Shaun, the slacker hero, doesn’t appear to notice that most of his neighbors are turning into zombies. The inventive screenplay is filled with laugh-out-loud jokes, for example, when Shaun and his roommate argue over the merits of the records they’re throwing at fast-approaching zombies. Even though the movie is fairly violent (characters are eaten by the living dead and plenty of zombies get whacked with Shaun’s weapon of choice, a cricket bat), the film remains light in touch, and the end is actually heart-warming. For lovers of the BBC comedy The Office, there’s a bonus in the casting of Lucy Davis as one of the zombie-fleeing team, and a brief cameo by Martin Freeman in one of the film’s funniest scenes.

Posted by oko at 02:18 PM | Comments (0)