BIG SCREEN: A Dangerous Method

Ever found an amazing recipe that seemed like a slam dunk? You buy all the best ingredients – the freshest herbs, the choicest cuts of meat, the finest wine to pair with it – but it just results in… meh?

That’s sorta how I felt about A Dangerous Method.

So, the story… it gives us a glimpse into the volatile relationship between psychological pioneers Carl Jung (Michael Fassbender) and Sigmund Freud (Viggo Mortensen), which developed in the years leading up to World War I in Zurich and Austria. Along comes a really, really disturbed patient named Sabina Spielrein (Keira Knightley), who becomes one of the first female psychoanalysts, but only after drawing her doctor, Jung, into a sexual relationship that completely screws up his sensibilities and further complicates his relationship with Freud.

According to the official studio synopsis: “Sensuality, ambition and deceit set the scene for the pivotal moment when Jung, Freud and Sabina come together and split apart, forever changing the face of modern thought.”

Sounds titillating and thought-provoking and fascinating, no?

Knightly’s performance is certainly adequately disturbing and extreme, but everyone else gets lost in (I’m guessing) an attempt to remain overly understated, stifled, restrained. A tension-building technique? Snore.

Mortensen’s, well, Freudian relationship with his ubiquitous cigar is pretty much the most notable part of his performance. And I kept waiting for Fassbender to explode or implode or pretty much do anything not subdued.

Not their faults, though. A so-so script and dull direction at the hands of festival darling David Cronenberg (Crash, History of Violence) are to blame, says me. Give me new insight into Freud and Jung… illustrate how revolutionary their concepts were for their time… make me believe in or become excited by any one of these relationships! But, alas, it wasn’t meant to be.

Sadly, with all the fabulous ingredients -- great actors and cool subject matter and costumes and such – it comes up rather bland. Lukewarm. Needed salt. And maybe a shot of Tabasco.

BIG EASY: Enter the Dragon: Restaurants for celebrating Chinese New Year in New Orleans

I don’t want to brag, but I once threw a baby shower with a Chinese New Year theme -- for a Catholic girl of German-Irish heritage. I’m about as far away from being Chinese as she is, but I’ve always had an unnatural affinity to this holiday. Go figure. Anyway, in case you didn't know, we’re approaching the 4709th Chinese year, which begins on January 23rd, ushering in the Year of the Dragon. This means excitement, unpredictability, exhilaration and intensity. It’s supposed to fill us with energy, vitality and unbridled enthusiasm! Money is supposed to be easier to come by, so it’s a good time to start a new business or project of any sort. I’ll take it! Let’s ring in this new year!

Apparently, New Orleans once had an actual Chinatown on the 1100 block of Tulane Avenue, but much of this block have been shuttered since Hurricane Katrina. And none of the Chinese churches or cultural societies I contacted have any festivities or celebrations planned this year.

What? New Orleans is missing an opportunity for a parade and festival?! Someone needs to look into this...

But, never fear, we’ve got some tasty Chinese establishments to satisfy our celebratory needs with saucy stir fries, sumptuous dumplings, and such. Maybe you've been blessed with children who have adventurous palates? Lucky you.

Here are five of the top Chinese restaurants in New Orleans to visit or from which to order to celebrate this auspicious occasion:

1. Five Happiness (Mid-City)
3605 S Carrollton Ave
New Orleans
(504) 482-3935

2. China Doll Restaurant
Harvey
(504) 366-1111

3. Hot Wok
901 Veterans Memorial Blvd
Metairie
(504) 831-3328

4. Chinese Tea Garden (Gentilly)
2170 Filmore Ave
New Orleans
(504) 282-1493

5. China Rose (Fat City)
3501 N Arnoult Rd
New Orleans
(504) 887-3295

(Originally posted on GoNola.com)

BIG EASY: Cirque Dreams Holidaze

For anyone who’s a Cirque du Soleil aficionado (or at least a fan), if you attend a Cirque Dreams Holidaze performance this week at the Mahalia Jackson Theater, you’ll know right away that it’s no Saltimbanco or Alegria. Gone are the foreign languages and super eccentric musical scores and freaky clowns and the slightly aloof air of sophistication of many of the other shows.

Naturally!

Because this is not your run-of-the-mill Cirque show. Its holiday themes are designed to capture adults’ and children’s attention with a more accessible wonderment. That’s not to say that the performances are anything but astonishing. While this kinder, gentler production is probably more palatable to a wider audience, it still has the “Whoa!” and “Wow!” factors. Both of which I uttered more times than I can count.

Throughout the show, an international cast of over 30 artists demonstrates feats of strength and balance, magical illusions, soaring vocal performances, and of course, there are the elaborate costumes, props and set design. There are daring penguins, fearlessly flipping gingerbread men, dancing trees, giant candy canes, and a whole lot of people whose sole purpose, I’m convinced, is to remind me that I’m sorely lacking in any sort of physical talent, stamina or flexibility. I feel confident, however, that I could do a bang-up job as one of the guys with sparkly cornucopias on their heads who always look astonished and do “ta-da” hands after someone does something amazing.

Maybe I can run away and join the circus afterall!

But, I digress. Get your tickets soon -- I'm sure they're in short supply!

Cirque Dreams Holidaze is at New Orleans’ Mahalia Jackson Theater through this Saturday,
Christmas Eve. The performance schedule:

Wednesday, December 21, 2011 at 8:00pm
Thursday, December 22, 2011 at 8:00pm
Friday, December 23, 2011 at 2:00pm & 8:00pm
Saturday, December 24, 2011 at 2:00pm

For tickets, click here or call 800-982-ARTS(2787).

Enjoy!

BIG EASY: Cajun Holiday Tea with Papa Noel

So, there I was at a Laser Tag birthday party in Elmwood, trying to decide if it was worth it to drag my son away from his friends and brave the Krewe of Jingle traffic/parade route to get to the Cajun Holiday Tea with Papa Noel… well, I’m pleased to announce that, YES! We made it, and it was, in fact, totally worth it!

My husband wasn’t really thrilled at the prospect, not being a very tea party kind of guy, but nonetheless, we made a mad dash across town and boarded the Creole Queen. We were handed an agenda for the event, and directed to the next room for Santa pictures. And what to our wondering eyes should appear? But a little person in a Gingerbread Boy suit, a tall dude in a very silly Gaston the Gator costume, and a Cajun-ly dressed Papa Noel in front of a tin-roofed cabin and swampy backdrop. What an eclectic group – I’d expect no less from a Cajun tea party! Such a hoot!

With a buffet-style set up and okay food, it was certainly not the Ritz. But the jovial, attentive staff and very kid-friendly activities more than made up for it. (And, truth be told, the laid-back approach made it much more palatable to many of the macho menfolk and squirmy kids!)

Holding an eighteen-inch live alligator was certainly a highlight, as was the candy buffet. Writing, decorating, and mailing a letter to Santa was a pleasant little activity, as well. But the Magician Elf was, by far, the most entertaining part of the day. Not only did he perform some pretty amazing tricks and handily field some odd questions and requests from the kids, but he stepped up when the Gingerbread Boy was either unwilling or unable to perform his reading of The Cajun Night Before Christmas. Mr. Elf looked a bit surprised by the circumstances, but he took it all in stride, prefacing his reading by saying, “Boys and girls, I’m from a magical land called Pennsylvania, so this should be interesting…”

Hilarious! And the kids were delighted!

It’s hard to tell how these events are going to go (especially if you’re captive on a boat the whole time), but this actually wound up being one of those “good for the whole family” deals, and it really sped by. As we disembarked, each child was handed a huge stuffed alligator. Details like that made the whole experience quite unique. So many element at that party screamed New Orleans. I mean, do you think they’re petting live gators at kiddie Christmas parties in Atlanta? I don’t think so.

I highly recommend you snap up your tickets quickly. Only two more Saturdays for this special holiday party/cruise!

Boarding: 1:30pm - 2pm at RiverWalk Dock (next to N.O. Hilton Riverside Hilton Hotel)
Cruising: 2pm - 3:30pm
Price (taxes are included):
Adult: $49
Child (under 12): $34

BIG SCREEN: The Skin I Live In Revieux (Rated R)

If you dig movies about beautiful people in horrific situations that make you squirm in your seat and beg for mercy… well, look no further. Yes, just in time for Christmas, Antonio Banderas provides eye candy that quickly gets mauled, gutted and violated before your very eyes!

In In the Skin I Live In, Banderas plays Robert Ledgard, a brilliant surgeon who has developed a synthetic skin that can withstand injury. Seems like an interesting concept that was born from the grief of losing his wife in a fiery car accident. But, there’s way, way more to it, beginning with the woman/guinea pig he keeps in a sealed room in his mansion and monitors on a giant screen. She’s beautiful and mysterious and practically mummified in the aforementioned faux skin, leaving us dying to figure out who the heck she is.

Ah, but be careful what you wish for. As the story begins to unfold, we discover that Ledgard is actually a mad scientist who is tortured by a series of traumatic events that turned him into a sadistic monster. That it’s all in Spanish somehow makes it more sensuous and sinister, which raises the creepy factor to almost unbearable levels.

I kid you not, I had to run to get groceries from WalMart after the screening (I know, glamorous, right?), and I found myself nervously checking out seemingly normal people to see if I could figure out which of them might have similarly twisted, sociopathic secret lives. The movie obviously made an impression on me, at the very least. So, kudos for that!

It’s certainly not for mainstream audiences, but I certainly applaud Antonio Banderas for a bold and convincing departure from the mainstream, and celebrated Spanish director Pedro Almodóvar for delivering a unique, albeit demented, movie experience.