My Kind of Town

Happy New Year to all! I hope you all had a nice holiday and safe travels. I really enjoyed my time in PA but it was also good to be back home. (That said, I think Porthos misses the roominess of my parents' house, but he hasn't run into any walls yet.) As many of you know, Alison and I spent a few days in Chicago after Christmas. It was a great time and we saw many excellent sights. We also ate deep-dish pizza at Gino's East. Although the pizza was good, we are definitely NYC "slicers." In honor of my trip to Chicago, I decided to create a Chicago-themed blog this week.

Film: The Untouchables
Yes, the car chase from The French Connection is excellent, but no film says Chicago like The Untouchables. Not to mention, the film is just awesome. DeNiro makes an excellent Capone and Kevin Costner works well as Ness. More importantly, you have Sean Connery and Andy Garcia in supporting roles. Of all the amazing scenes in this film, I'll never forget Capone beating a man to death with a baseball bat. Also, always keep in mind this sage advice from Connery's Jim Malone: "They pull a knife, you pull a gun. He sends one of yours to the hospital, you send one of his to the morgue. *That's* the *Chicago* way! And that's how you get Capone. Now do you want to do that? Are you ready to do that?"

Honorable Mention: The Blues Brothers
Greatest tagline ever: "It's 106 miles to Chicago, we got a full tank of gas, half a pack of cigarettes, it's dark, and we're wearing sunglasses. Hit it." I don't remember how old I was when I first saw this film but I know I fell in love with it immediately. Entertainment Weekly recently did an article on fake bands and included the Blues Brothers. However, I take offense at that. While they may have started life as an SNL skit, the Blues Brothers ended up a real band with a group of actual brilliant muscicians behind them. I often wonder what would have happened had John Belushi lived. Would they still be playing to sold-out crowds? Would they have sparked a new popularity for the blues? Hard to say. What can be said, though, is that this film may have the best car chase EVER!

Television: Early Edition
I want to thank Krista for reminding me of this great show from 1996. The premise - in case you missed the short-lived series - is that Kyle Chandler's character, Gary Hobson, receives the newspaper a day early so he can change something in it. Each day he has to figure out what that something is. What an interesting premise. I'm not sure if it's out on DVD yet; if it is, it's definitely worth a look. Also, I like the fact that a cat brings him the paper, sort of. You have to see the show to understand.

Literature: Oleanna
David Mamet is one of the many great writers to come from Chicago. Of all the Mamet greatness, I love the play Oleanna. For those of you who may not have read the play, it's about the lack of communication between a professor and a student. William H. Macy starred in a film version that is definitely worth a rent. The situation starts bad and then just spirals into awfulness. I am teaching this play in my Intro to Lit class this spring. I can't wait to freak out my students by making them act it out with a woman as a the professor and a man as the student.