SHAME PIZZA
When you drunk order a late night pizza but then pass out and all your neighbors see it in the hallway on the ground in front of your door the next day until you finally wakeup and discover your pizza shame.
No, it wasn't me. I am merely bearing witness to ignominious history.
Oh in case you’re wondering what my favorite pizza is now that I’ve lived in Manhattan for almost a year, I do have a best ever. It’s called Spicy Spring (TM) by Prince Street Pizza. It’s like those delicious, burnt pepperoni pies from Chuck E. Cheese’s grew up and became gourmet. LOOK AT HOW MANY. I never expected my favorite slice to be Sicilian-style, but here we are.
They aren’t typically available for delivery because people will just wait in line for them all day, but I strike when they are. They also have locations in some of my favorite cities like Toronto, Vegas, and LA, so I’m covered.
CHUCK E. CHEESE
Did you know that Nolan Bushnell, the co-founder of Atari (and Steve Jobs first boss), is also the founder of Chuck E. Cheese? Did you further know the middle initial E. stands for Entertainment? Yes, the original pizza rat’s full legal name is Charles Entertainment Cheese.
CIVIL WAR
I've been nervous about this new film from Alex Garland (28 Days Later, Ex Machina, Devs, generally he's just good at making stuff). I knew it would be well made, but do we really need a story about some group of Americans banding together to wage war on the U.S. government?
I had anxiety just watching the trailer these past few months. But something strange happened on the way to the White House.
Garland found a way to make a war movie that I was never gonna skip but also was surprisingly impressed by. Uniting California and Texas as one of the rebelling factions was a compelling choice. Telling the story through the lens of war photographers was perfect.
The movie was expertly made and acted. But what to do with it? I think the critics have it about right on Rotten Tomatoes at 81%. My friend JR. affirms its strengths while calling it "naive," and that feels correct too. I guess the best I can say is I'll never forget it and will be pondering this one for years to come, just like most everything Garland creates.
Also, don’t look now, but Nick Offerman is amassing a body of work that’s almost Robin-Williamsian.
THE MINISTRY OF UNGENTLEMANLY WARFARE
If war history is your jam, check out The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare. The new movie from Guy Ritchie is based on a true story and the private papers of Winston Churchill. Probably. Maybe.
It’s 1942. Future Highlander Henry Cavill and the boys are killing some Nazis. It’s red meat for action fans. Critics are meh, but I enjoyed it. You get jokes and spies and lots of casual violence. But best of all, it hides the fact that it’s a heist movie in the best way. And when the flick reveals this secret later than you’d expect, you realize it was following the genre conventions all along.
HERMEY
Last week I mentioned Kaiju dentistry and the scene from Godzilla x Kong that must be the most expensive commercial ever for animal dentistry. Well, one eagle-eyed reader who is also me reminded myself of the first and probably greatest monster dentist.
Remember Hermey the Elf from Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer? I’m taking the 1964 Claymation version of course. No relation.
Stuck in a miserable workshop life, Hermey dreamed of being a dentist. And when fate called, he stepped up and saved the Abominable Snowman's life with some emergency dental surgery that he learned by playing with wooden toys.
See also: Kaiju Dentistry
URINALS
It’s amazing how many people spend so much of their precious energy worrying and/or complaining about unisex bathrooms. I wonder if they have ever seen one.
Gender-neutral bathrooms are just so normal in so many places. Hop off a plane in Europe, visit a bar in Toronto, or do just about anything in New York City, and you’ll encounter and easily navigate a public restroom.
The actual bathroom debate we should have is urinals without dividers. Shouldn’t peeing in public grant at least the same level of privacy as Final Jeopardy? The person next to you doesn’t need to know what you’re putting down. It’s not like adding dividers is a massive expense or some visually devastating aesthetic.
But most of all, some busy washrooms require waiting in lines out the door with clear lines of sight to urinal row. If we’re gonna have egalitarian facilities, kids of all gender identities are also welcome, and maybe some views should be obstructed for everyone’s sake.
Random Midjourney Art of the week
Here’s what my brain did with AI recently.
Elizabeth Taylor graphic t-shirt design where the only color is supposed to be her violet eyes and a French bulldog wearing sunglasses while giving a high five.
Notes & Quotes
“What I’ve found is, as long as you are willing to try to make the future happen sooner, it’s almost always a good trajectory.” Nolan Bushnell
Hockey’s Stanley Cup playoffs remain the undisputed best tournament in sport.
“Who are you? What are you? To a large extent you are a compilation of memories. Memory is the most powerful thing in human existence.” Howard Suber in The Power of Film
Clay- This is funny. I haven't equate pizza to shame in some time, but can definitely remember a couple of times in my younger years when I've downed an entire pie. Which originally results in satisfaction, quickly followed by shame's brother: disgust. :)