Movie: Blue is the Warmest Color

I saw the trailer for this a while back and remember being excited to see it. Lea Seydoux is a wonderful up and coming actress and the lead Adele Exarchopoulos seemed like an infinitely charming girl in just a few seconds of footage. And then the reviews came out and it attained a bit of a reputation. I mentioned that I wanted to see it to a coworker and he gave me that suggestive smirk... I felt so much rage in that moment, but this is an older coworker who has a history of objectifying women, so I let it go. But, it left a residual ickyness about going to see it at the local indie theater. If the assumption is that no single young guy could ever appreciate a film like this, a film that closely examines the intense passion between two young girls, then what am I doing there in the eyes of other people. I must be there perving out. People should know the difference between pornography and drama, but that single comment from a coworker made me question that.

But, tonight I built up a little courage and went to see it. Unfortunately, my worst fear came true. I walked in to find a seat and while taking off my coat a woman in the next row looked at me with eyes of harsh judgment, but without initially saying anything. To break the tension of the moment, I said "Hi," with my library voice, given the venue. After an awkward pause she raised her voice so that everyone around could hear and said, "Uh, hi. You here to watch the girls?" I was stunned, shocked, disgusted that someone would actually accuse another person of something like that. Instinct delivered the next line, but I was so flustered it came out awkwardly, "No! This is an art film... funny though." She just turned back to face the screen and I tried to hide the red hot anger I felt. 

Then the film started... and it was beautiful. It was passionate and intimate, full of complex, confused emotions, intelligent scenes of witty dialog. The lead actresses gave such stunningly real performances. But, the audience in the theater tried their best to judge it, giggling during scenes of immense tension, giggling and guffawing during the sex scenes which really did push the boundaries of mainstream film, but why we're still considering the human body a taboo at this point in societal development is beyond my comprehension. All people should care about is that the sex was important for the filmmaker to express. He wanted to show us the frantic love between two girls, one confused with her sexuality, confused with what love means, and the other mysterious and charismatic, a teacher, a happy guide into unknown territory, and the sex between them was a very important part of that. I loved the film and I'm glad Abdellatif Kechiche had the guts to do this.

On my way out of the theater I was behind a few young people and overheard one person's review which was met with agreement among friends, "I thought it was bland, I wasn't even surprised by anything, it was just boring." A comment like that after a film like this makes me think they had never loved before, had never been lied to and felt pain, had never had frantic, desperate sex with someone they were infatuated with, because if they had, this film would remind them of all those moments in their life and fill them with an appreciation for life itself.

5/5

Beer: Ballast Point Victory at Sea Imperial Porter

Appearance: Thick pour on this one, like pouring out a bottle of motor oil that's been sitting in a broken down chevy pickup for decades. Thin, dense, light brown head leaving sticky lacing as the level descends.

Aroma: Smoke, vanilla, coffee, with a dark fruitiness somewhere in there, like raisins or figs.

Taste: Over the top richness, like biting into a block of fudge topped with vanilla bean seeds. The coffee presence brings a little chalky bitterness balancing all the sweetness. The resolution is reminiscent of caramel.

Mouthfeel: Very thick, but not unpleasant. That slight chalky bitterness is enough to resolve the molasses-like heft and the alcohol at 10% is right where it should be for a beer with this much body. It's a dessert for sure, so if you approach it with that perception, it's not too much to handle.

Overall: Ballast Point won't be winning any awards for subtlety any time soon but that's alright by me and if you're looking for a rich dessert beer this is perfect. 

5/5

Beer: Dogfish Head - Bitches Brew

I was watching Bill Maher today, his latest installment of Real Time, an HBO show which attempts to address modern times in a comedic way, a little more caustic than the Daily Show is allowed to be. Bill was explaining that a trend is rearing its head in that notorious stretch of America known as the bible belt. People are snubbing their waiters and waitresses with small rectangles of paper that look very much like currency, the green color, the intricate bordering, but it's not money, it's a trick. On the front is all the legitimacy of what a ten dollar bill looks like, but on the back is a line of dialog: "Some things are better than money, like your eternal salvation that was bought and paid by Jesus going to the cross."

Hearing about that sort of thing hurts me, somewhere deep inside where empathy comes from. I'd like to resolve the disappointment with some sort of answer, some form of hope, but I can't really. There will always be people who compartmentalize their capacity for compassion and only dole it out to people they deem worthy. All I can do in this particular circumstance is, when the opportunity should arise, to tip a lot, tip half the bill or more because I can still make ends meet and I need those people to keep me company on lonely nights.

That information isn't really related to this review, other than the fact that it depressed me to the point of needing a drink. So I drove to my nearest distributor and wandered the short aisles for... I really don't know how long. Long enough for the people working there to take a passive interest in my reading every label on every shelf looking for the right kind of help in my moment of weakness. Scanning through the Dogfish section, Bitches Brew caught my eye. This is a beer brewed by someone who just likes to honor people, to respect them and remember them, authentically and compassionately. The micro-brew industry is a group of people who just want other people to be happy, and Dogfish Head is a distilled embodiment of that sentiment. This particular beer was originally designed as a commemoration to the late, the great Miles Davis on the 40th anniversary of the release of his "Bitches Brew" album and so begins the review.

Appearance: Impenetrable darkness, the gentle light of my table lamp is obviously unworthy of making it through this brew. The head is luxuriously fluffy, huge bubbles of carbonation the color of the froth on a freshly brewed cup of espresso. Lacing is heavy as the level descends maintaining that lovely brown hue.

Aroma: Not much of a tell. I get a little smokey malt, I get a little cocoa, maybe even a slight dose of vanilla. But, this is subtle and all it does is invite you. For this beer, it's a perfect introduction. The big, bold appearance gives you a vivid expectation, then the aroma baits you with a little mystery, inviting you to see what other surprises are in store.

Taste: The foretaste is surprisingly light, slightly acidic, slightly sweet, reminiscent of a caramelized cherry. Then the roasted malt takes center stage revealing lots of dark flavor, bitter cocoa, dark coffee, which hangs around for a good long time. The darkness resolves into the final ingredient, the warming sweetness of raw honey, a very welcome twist on the imperial stout varietal.

Mouthfeel: Everything about this beer implies heavy, but it's surprisingly delicate on the palate. At 9% ABV, the alcohol is just right to balance the smoked malt letting the presence of honey resolve into a sweet beckoning for the next sip. 

Overall: I don't have much to say here. If you like beer, get this beer. Enjoy it with dinner or dessert or just by itself. Share it with a friend, talk about it, express joy. Let it distract you from all the ills of the world for a second and in the next second shoot a few bucks over to http://wfpusa.org/  to help a few people in the Philippines.

5/5