h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

If you take it off the tap, could you still keep a few six packs in bottles?

I was mad at A/B before watching that film. After I was livid. But after hearing about what they're doing to Bass... Is Furious the next step? Bass was never my favorite ale, but lots of bars carried it before they carried other ales I preferred. And every once in a while I actually wanted a Bass. Seriously, now I'm going to try to avoid all A/B products. It's not easy.
So... Have you tried Dundee Honey Brown.
What anything from Southern Star Brewery. They're a very small brewery in Conroe, TX (just North of Houston). They decided to buy a canning line rather than a bottling line to save costs and it hasn't hurt the flavors of their beers at all. So far I've tried two of their beers, they have at least a third one, a stout. The ones I've tried are "Bombshell Blonde Ale" and "Pine Belt Pale Ale". Both are easy to drink.
Link: http://www.southernstarbrewery.com/SSBBeers.asp

After watching Beer Wars, I think I'll see if I can get my local pub to carry these just because we should support local beers and because he should be able to get these as the local distributer seems to carry them; I've seen them in a local Spec's and a local sports bar/car wash.

[sorry for the bad edit above, but I think the gist is there.]

We've had Southern Star cans on the menu for more than a year now. Started off with Pine Belt Pale, and now we've got Bombshell Blonde. I want to get one of them on tap at some point, but it's difficult, especially with five or six new breweries either about open, being built or raising capital, in Austin.

We have 24 taps. Up to now it's been my policy to give two taps each to the three Austin breweries (Live Oak, Independence, (512)) and two to Real Ale (who actually now have three because they make our top selling draft (Fireman's #4), our house beer (Drafthouse ESB) and I want a Real Ale seasonal tap because their seasonals are so good). Then there are the 'got to have taps' such as Guinness, Shiner Bock, Bass (so you can make a real Black and Tan) and a draft cider (so you can make snakebites). Then there are the taps that I personally consider 'must-haves', such as Arrogant Bastard and a Sierra Nevada seasonal tap. We also have an Austin-brewed organic root beer on tap which I can't remove. And then there's our rotating premium tap - the Badass Tap, which is my own creation

So when you take out all those I only have maybe seven or eight taps out of 24 to play with and put new beers on. I really want an Avery beer on tap, and an Allagash. And a Great Divide, and a Lagunitas. And then there are all those new breweries Seriously, something's got give in the Austin beer scene once they're all up and running. There just aren't enough taps in town for everyone. It's only places like Ginger Man, Flying Saucer and the Draught House who have 50+ taps who are going to be able to carry something from every brewery.

As far as Bass as concerned, if I took it off draft I don't think I'd have it in bottles, although it's not out of the question. Yesterday I tried a sample bottle of Boulevard Pale. It's pretty good and I reckon it'd make a good Black and Tan. But I still think there should be a classic English Pale on tap. There just aren't any as cheap and as easy to get as Bass, in Texas.

Last night I (re)watched Down By Law. This was the first time I'd watched after having been to New Orleans. I went there after Katrina, so I was doubtful that I'd see any familiar scenes. The only scenes filmed in the Quarter show only the upper floors and balconies of the buildings. There was one building that looked quite similar to one that I took a picture of (at nearly the same angle as in the film) that was across from my hotel the last time I was there. In my picture it shows damage from a fire. I seriously doubt that very many of the buildings that Jim Jarmusch filmed are still standing. If they are it's only because no one's gotten around to demolishing them yet. Of course many of the buildings he filmed were ready to be demolished then. I wonder if "Luigi's Tin Top" is still there? I wonder if I was driving through the middle of absolutely NO WHERE, LA if I'd stop at an Italian restaurant.

I'd really like to see Jim Jarmusch and Tom Waits work together again.

Heh... I just watched the trailer for Down By Law. http://www.imdb.com/video/screenplay/vi1721958681/

Of all the trailers I've ever seen, this one comes as close to being simply a synopsis of the entire film in chronological order.

Jarmusch films aren't really about their plots as much as they are about the minutia and textures of life so it's not really a spoiler.

Be interesting to see Jarmusch and Waits work together again after all these years

I haven't seen Down By Law for a while. I think that's a Netflix add. For some reason I always think this http://www.kurtodrome.net/moviedrome.htm is where I first saw it, but it's not on the list. I did see several of those though. Moviedrome was my favourite way to round off a weekend. I remember watching Big Wednesday, The Last Picture Show, One From the Heart (still one of my favourite films), The Incredible Shrinking Man, Ace in the Hole, Two Lane Blacktop, Five Easy Pieces, The Sweet Smell of Success, Assault on Precinct 13 and so many others, and Moviedrome introduced me to most of them.

I could have sworn that Moviedrome also introduced me to Paris, Texas and The Outsiders too.

Not there.

It's worth clicking on the link next to The Wicker Man - spot the Waits music

Ooh, that's a very nice list. I've seen a lot of those films and most of those I liked a lot. I'll have to look this over with a netflix frame open tomorrow while I'm doing all at work.

You would like the documentary Z Channel: A Magnificent Obsession. It's about the first cable film channel in L.A. and the man who made it great. It focuses on many of the films he ran on the channel. This was before video so often this was the first time since their original theatrical release these films were seen and often he got the films directly from the film makers. I was introduced to quite a few great films from watching this.

I think we talked about that a while ago, didn't we? I never got around to watching it yet.

When I added Down By Law to my Netflix queue, Netflix recommended another Tom Waits film called Cold Feet(1989)[ http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0097076/ ]. I don't think I would necessarily recommend it to Tom Waits fans. It's an odd little 80's caper flick about three quirky losers smuggling emeralds surgically hidden in the torso of a beautiful horse. Keith Carradine decides to steal the horse rather than kill it after they cross the Mexican border and get back to Montana. I think the director told the actors to play it "big". All of the major characters are completely overplayed, none more so than Tom Waits' Kenny, the psychotic killer. He was chewing the scenery. Everyone was except for maybe Jeff Bridges who had an uncredited cameo. It's not a bad film, exactly, just silly and hammed up. Very 80's. A good film if you want to check your brain at the door.

I love Cold Feet Jeff Bridges' cameo is great, but I think my favourite scene is:

Kenny: Jahasius Key-rist!!!
Maureen: What happened?
Kenny: Monte took the horse!
Maureen: What do you mean?
Kenny: I mean Monte must die!
Maureen: I agree with you. Monte is dead. I believe he must pass away in a rather cruel fashion... and might I add, he has broken my heart

I love Tom's character in this film. It's so Tom Waits and so un-Tom Waits at the same time.

Boogie Man: The Lee Atwater Story http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1262863/

I highly recommend this if you can find it. If American politics seem baffling, hateful and asinine, Lee Atwater wrote the play book. He destroyed politicians by any means necessary. Perception is reality. Make your opponents defend themselves even from utterly false accusations, and what ever you do, don't let them campaign on issues. It's sadly both predictable and very effective. Republicans want to avoid real issues by creating irrelevant, divisive and hateful ones instead. Willie Horton, flag burning, gay marriage then; "Ground Zero Mosque", terrorist anchor babies and well, gay marriage today.

I knew the name but not much about him so I read his Wikipedia entry.
"...and, in an act of repentance, Atwater issued a number of public and written letters to individuals to whom he had been opposed during his political career."

No, no, no. Being faced with death might give you a different outlook compared to when a long life is what you're looking forward to, but this whole repentance before you die thing is a bunch of hooey if you acted like a shit beforehand. Don't do those things in the first place. You people's lives up His actions were shameful and beneath contempt.

One of his "friends" remarks at the end of the film that while gathering some of his books after Atwater died, he found the bible that he had seemingly been turning to in those last months... it was still wrapped in plastic. Maybe he was still "spinning" on his death bed.

Oh, I simply can not wait for this to be available over here.

http://www.americanthemovie.com/

My favorite fellow Texan.

Damn, I wish I could away with that shit at work.

44 Inch Chest

Some really fantastic performances in this one. Also a great cast. Ray Winstone plays a character that's, on the surface, much like many he's played before, cockney tough. But here he's brought down low. It's a very emotional role.

John Hurt plays the old tough with few redeeming values, a right bastard. Ian McShane is, well, Ian McShane, cool as ice.

This film is driven by characters and story. Nearly the entire film is shot on one set with stark camera work. The story hinges on violence, but you don't see much on screen.

It's a shame that films like this don't bring in audiences but audiences today have been raised on the pablum of shallow character archetypes, big explosions and minimal originality.

Added to my Netflix queue I'd never even heard of this one.

Yea, I'm not sure where I found out about it. Possibly AICN, Harry's list of new DVDs.

Just had a closer look at the cast list. Pretty impressive. I can't wait to see Steven Berkoff.

Yay! Agora FINALLY got a DVD release last week (or so). This film was barely released theatrically in the States and has been overly delayed for DVD (no BluRay yet). It's an "historical fiction" about Hypatia of Alexandria. I suspect, but haven't actually read anything to corroborate, that religious pressure, real or merely anticipated, was the reason no one has seen it here.

Anyway, I've bumped it to the top of my list. In a week or so, I'll let you know if I enjoyed it.