1. Dot Ratarama
Gone Baby Gone
I don’t go to the movies much, because though theoretically I believe in the goodness of mankind, the mankind I tend to actually interact with is largely rude and stupid. I used to go to the movies all the time - more or less every day during my 10 year undergrad career, but that was before, when the world was civilized and I didn't have to work for a living. And I was obviously trying to escape from something. I did go see this one, because I'm always interested in the portrayal of "my people" in popular culture. There have been a lot of movies that tried to do Irish-American Dorchester and Southie, but none have succeeded. Good Will Hunting had great moments, but the ending sucked and Robin Williams' Boston accent was an atrocity that should have gotten him some jail time. Anyway, Gone Baby Gone, was almost note-perfect, though it seems to have unleashed a backlash against portraying the gritty side of life on Dorchester Ave or W. Broadway. For an excellent discussion of the film, see Patrick Radden Keefe's Slate essay (http://www.slate.com/id/2176404), though I think Keefe was a little bit hard on it. I think, all in all, it was wicked pissa.
2. Daisy #1
Pushing Daisies
Okay, it's quirky, but not cloyingly so. I am an unabashed lover of television. It has cost me much time and a few relationships. My favorites tend to be gritty with a dark underbelly (see # XX below) or whimsical and tragic with a smattering of song. Pushing Daisies is among the saddest and sweetest. The reviews are all kind of weird; reading most of what I've seen would have you believe that life is all brightly colored pies and Victorian houses. As enchanting as it is, the tragic fact of Ned's inability to pet his dog or touch his childhood sweetheart is devastating. Plus every once in a while, Olive Snook breaks into song. People just don't break into song like they used to. I miss that.
3. Daisey #2
Mike Daisey, storyteller
OK, first, let me be clear. I don't wear Birkenstocks, and puppets largely creep me out. I'm not into participatory improv, and the thought of a drum circle makes me break out in hives. Given all that, I'd say I'm not really the demographic for "storytellers." However, this guy is a master. This year, I was lucky enough to see him do three monologues - Invincible Summer, Tongues Will Wag, and Monopoly. His stories are strange and sweet, informative and funny. Monopoly in particular, though it's still in its early stages, was great. I had no idea the game of Monopoly was designed to show the evils of private property, and though I knew Nikola Tesla got screwed, I really didn’t know the story. The fact that Daisey can weave and tie these things together makes him a genius. www.mikedaisey.com.
1. Trader Joe's Shu mai
3. Life
4. Magellan Roadmate 650
5. Amy Winehouse