Chicago 2011

I am officially jealous of the citizens of Chicago, IL. I just spent the better part of a week making my first trip to the Windy City, and I enjoyed every second of my stay. The weather conditions were unseasonable warm for November, mid-50s and low-60s, which made it perfect to walk around the city for hours each day checking out the sights. I was able to get out and cover lots of ground downtown and through some of the outskirt areas. I’m not sure how many miles I logged, but it was quite a few. I might not be so excited to walk everywhere had I gone to Chicago in January with several feet of snow on the ground, but for this trip, walking was the cheap and effective way to go.

My reasons for the trip to Chicago are two-fold. Most importantly, there’s this:

I am a big Gun’s N Roses fan and like to travel to new and exciting places to see them in concert. The second reason is because Chicago is home to the Field Museum of Natural History, which has one of the largest fish collections in the U.S. including several genera of Stichaeidae, the family of fishes I am studying for my dissertation (Xiphister, the namesake of this blog is a genus of Stichaeidae and a major contributor to my research).

I’ve been looking for funding or an excuse to visit Chicago since the beginning of my dissertation to visit the Field Museum collection. All the stars aligned perfectly when Guns N Roses announced North American tour dates and included Chicago. I view it as killing two birds with one stone: attend a concert by my favorite band and make progress towards my Ph.D.

I stayed in a hostel on the North side of Chicago, the first time I’ve gone the hostel route during my travels. I had always envisioned hostels as being populated by dope smoking hippies, but this place was a little different. It was populated by dope smoking hipsters. Ah well, it was a cheap place to stay, and it wasn’t like I stuck around the place very long to interact with any of them. It was a lot like living in a dorm room, which I’ve done plenty of in my day and doesn’t bother me. I will entertain the thought of staying at another hostel next time I travel.

I spent the first day and night orienting myself with the L, the light rail system in Chicago. It’s a very effective and intuitive way to get around. Using it and my iPhone I found a Giordano’s Pizza and ate most of this:

I don’t know what they did to make this pizza so good, but I guarantee you will find nothing of the sort back in Virginia. Amazing pizza. Definitely worth tracking that place down. I wish I weighed about 600 pounds and could manhandle two or three of these, but I’m not so bovine yet, and could only handle so much.

Chicago is known for a good blues music, and I assumed that the House of Blues would be a good spot to hear some live music. Fortunately, the music was good, and it was a pleasant way to cap off the night.

Day 2 was centered around the Shedd Aquarium and the GnR show.

The Shedd Aquarium is one of the most highly regarded in the world, and it’s easy to see why from the moment you walk up the marble steps to the front entrance. It’s a beautiful building with a beautiful view of Chicago. Inside, there are exhibits for Amazonian fishes, Gulf of Mexico fishes, fishes of the northwest Pacific, coral reef fishes, and many, many more fishes from all over the world. Practically every major group of fishes and habitats are represented. If you’ve ever wanted to see a fish from someplace on the planet, then there’s a good chance the Shedd Aquarium has something for you. There are even beluga whales, dolphins, and sharks swimming around for your charismatic megafauna fix. My favorite, of course, were these guys:

A little stichaeid action for you with Chirolophis japonicus. I was able to get pictures of a few species that should be useful for presentations of my research.

After spending the better part of the morning at the aquarium, it was time to make my way to the Allstate Arena to see the Guns N Roses show. It should be noted here that I’m a cheapskate and, in an effort to save cab fare, I decided to walk everywhere in Chicago, including from the blue line stop in Rosemont to the GnR show. It turns out that the train stop is 2.5 miles from the Allstate Arena. Not so bad walking in at 6:00PM, but the trek back at 2:30AM had me a bit more nervous.

The venue doors didn’t open until 8:00PM, but I was there by 6:30. Fortunately, there was a shopping center with a sushi restaurant next to the arena, so I was able to grab a pretty sweet pre-concert dinner. I spent the hour before the opening act performance walking around, checking out the merch ($40 for a shirt, geez), and people watching. The opening act came on at 9:30 and played a terrible yet spirited set. It’s pretty bad when the backup singer sounds 10X better than the lead and the lead forgets to sing into the microphone. They had energy though. They only lasted three shows as an opening act and will probably never be heard from again.

I have a confession to make. I had been feeling guilty about blowing off my school and research obligations to fly out to Chicago for a concert. Honestly, my priorities should probably be more geared towards graduation. As all Ph.D. students, I have a ton of projects going on that each need attention. I’m behind on the timeline I’ve set for myself. I hear the tick-tock in my head to get things done. All that went away as soon as the lights dimmed at 11:30 and the opening chords of Chinese Democracy came blasting out from the overhead speakers.

Guns N Roses are Rock Stars. Axl Rose might be the only one of the current lineup that anyone can name, but I can gladly report that the other members of the band are professionals and can rock with the best of them. They all have charisma, swagger, and tons of talent. The band sounded amazing. Axl himself is getting up there in years, and there have been rumblings and concerns about the strength of his voice. Can he still scream out Welcome to the Jungle like he could when he was 20? He sounded pretty great to me. He sang the hell out of those songs.  The whole set from Chinese Democracy to Paradise City sounded phenomenal. I’ve seen them three times now, Las Vegas 2001, Jacksonville 2006, and Chicago 2011, and this is the best performance yet. Vegas is still my favorite show (first time, small venue, in Vegas baby!), but this will definitely fall in as number two. I got to see Estranged performed live or crying out loud! They basically played non-stop until 2:15AM at which point I had an hour walk to the train and an hour train ride back to the hostel. In bed at 4:30 with ringing ears and a happy heart. Awesome!

At 7:00AM, my alarm went off. No rest for the weary I suppose. Wednesday was my day at the Field Museum, and I needed to spend all day there to get through the stichaeids in their collection. I was there a little before 10, and headed straight for the basement where the fish collection is housed. I didn’t see anything at the museum except rows of jars containing fish. They had some cool-sounding exhibits, but it seems I will have to go back to actually see them. I measured and photographed several rare stichaeid specimens though, so that was a productive trip.

I was run out at 5 and took a leisurely stroll down to the Willis Tower (formerly Sears Tower). Yeah, that’s one tall building. Next was Michigan Avenue and Michael Jordan’s Steakhouse and Lounge. I didn’t want to pay $50 for a steak, but the crispy chicken and waffles rocked. Finally, I capped the night off with a movie (Melancholia) at a boutique theater near my hostel.

I left Chicago Thursday morning very impressed by the city. I only scratched the surface of things, but what I was saw fantastic. I tried my best to pack a lot in my short visit, and I did get to see and do some cool things. Maybe one day I can go back and see more of what I missed. I wonder where the next Guns N Roses concert will take me?

99¢ Review: Puss in Boots

I watch a lot of movies (Check out my list of movies seen in 2011), but I don’t always have the time to write up a full review. Instead, I thought I would start up a new column where I give you the discount version of the review. What’s good, what’s bad, if it’s worth your time.

The Movie: Puss in Boots

The Good: Puss in Boots, lack of pop culture jokes, fun cat humor

The Bad: Overcooked story, Humpty Dumpty

I think we can all agree that the best thing about the Shrek movies was the character Puss in Boots. The rascally orange cat, voiced by Antonio Banderas, had more personality than Shrek or Donkey combined. I was really excited when I heard that Puss in Boots would be getting a spin-off movie. It was a brilliant move by DreamWorks Animation Studio to pick this character with so much personality, a flair for the dramatic, and a taste for action to star in his own film.

The movie is an origin story recalling the childhood relationship between Puss in Boots and Humpty Dumpty. They are best friends who dream of finding the magic beans that will sprout the giant beanstalk and lead them to the giant’s castle. The castle for them represents an escape from dull village life and untold riches from the golden eggs of the giant’s goose. After long years searching, and an unfortunate fallout, the magic beans are finally found. With the help of the mysterious and seductive Kitty Softpaws, Humpty Dumpty and Puss in Boots reunite and set out to steal the magic beans from the evil Jack and Jill so they can finally realize their dream of making it to the giant’s castle. The story has quite a lot of action and general fun, but you'll see the crosses and double-crosses and triple-crosses coming from a mile away. 

The characters and humor is mostly great. Puss in Boots shines as the hero, and he gets into the kind of fun mischief that you’d expect. Antonio Banderas clearly is having fun voicing him. Kitty Softpaws is fun too, and the banter between her and Puss is playful, funny, and sweet. Humpty Dumpty, however, is terrible. He’s shallow, petty, spiteful, and generally a crappy character. Fortunately, Puss and Kitty are so great that the sour taste left by of Humpty doesn’t stick around for long.

This is a fun little flick that establishes Puss in Boots as a great character. It’s exciting and fun and will leave a big smile on your face. It will also give you a lot of fun names to call your own cat at home. I call this one Diablo Gato now.

3.5 out of 5

Movies of the Month: November 2011

Each month, I will discuss the major movie releases, and maybe a few smaller ones, if I find them noteworthy, to give you guys an idea about what to expect at your local Cineplex. I’ll also tell you which movies I’ll check out and which ones I’ll be avoiding at all costs.

Week of November 4, 2011

Tower Heist

The plot: A billionaire owner of a luxury condominium unit loses the life savings of his workers in a Ponzi scheme. A rag-tag group of employees decides to turn the tables and steal the billionaire’s stash of $20 million he keeps hidden in his penthouse.

Who’s in it: Ben Stiller, Eddie Murphy, Alan Alda, Matthew Broderick, Precious

Ultimate fate: Tower Heist is directed by Brett Ratner, the guy who brought you Rush Hour, and stars Ben Stiller and Eddie Murphy so you know that this one’s going to be a light affair. Expect silliness and action in a shallow but moderately entertaining movie.

A Very Harold and Kumar 3D Christmas

The plot: The stoner comedy boys return for their third adventure, this time reuniting for some Christmastime hijinks to replace a torched Christmas tree and, I’m guessing here, smoke lots of weed.

Who’s in it? Harold, Kumar, Neil Patrick Harris

Ultimate fate: The Harold and Kumar brand of comedy has never been my thing, but apparently these guys are good at what they do. The 3D is a big seller for this installment, as the trailers have made abundantly clear. I am curious to hear from the people who smoke a bowl and then go see this aggressive IN YOUR FACE 3D movie. I’m hoping for some epic freak-outs in the theater.

Where I’ll be this weekend: It’s a light week for new releases, and neither of these really does much for me. I’ll probably stay home and catch up on my backlog of DVDs.

Week of November 11, 2011

Immortals

The plot: King Hyperion and his minions set out to release the Titans and overthrow the Gods of Olympus. A young man, Theseus, vows to avenge his parents murder at the hands of Hyperion’s horde.

Who’s in it? Mickey Rourke and a bunch of muscle-bound dudes

Ultimate Fate: It has a strong 300 vibe with the visual style, emphasis on muscles and action, and epic battle of mythical personas. It should be fun to watch a whole swarm of fighters squaring off in giant battles in fantastical locations and Mickey Rourke chew scenery as the evil king.

J. Edgar

The plot: This is a biopic of J. Edgar Hoover portraying his rise to one of the most powerful men in U.S. history, head of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. 

Who’s in it? Leonardo DiCaprio

Ultimate fate: This is a Clint Eastwood directed film and Leonardo really wanted to see this film made, so it should be a solid drama piece. They are going to put out a good product. Hoover was a fascinating guy, a power-hungry egomaniac who had dirt on everybody who was anybody while also going to great lengths to cover up his own secrets. This could be a really good film.

Jack and Jill

The plot: Adam Sandler’s annoying twin sister (played by Adam Sandler, sigh) comes to visit for Thanksgiving and stays longer than anticipated. Somehow Al Pacino is involved as a love interest to the sister. I’m sure Al can do better than Adam Sandler in drag, but who am I to judge?

Who’s in it? Adam Sandler and Adam Sandler

Ultimate fate: It’s an Adam Sandler film in which he plays the fairly normal brother and also the borderline insane twin sister. He doesn’t play Al Pacino though. Al handles that himself. Expect a lot of zaniness and ridiculous humor. It will probably be filled to the brim with dumb moments, but that’s what Adam Sandler fans expect, so that’s what Adam Sandler fans get.

Melancholia

The plot: Justine and Michael celebrate their wedding against the backdrop of family tension. Meanwhile, a planet named Melancholia is on a collision course with Earth. Yeah, it’s an odd premise, but I’m really excited. Why, you ask?

The people: Directed by Lars von Trier, Kirsten Dunst

Ultimate fate: Lars on Trier films are visceral experiences. You can feel a von Trier film gripping you as you watch, and then it sticks around in the dark corners of your brain long after the credits roll. His most recent film, Antichrist, was a primal deconstruction of love, lust, and loss, and is one of the most incredible films I’ve seen. The guy is an artist, so expect a compelling story married with stunning visuals in a true cinematic experience. He is working with his largest budget to date, and the trailer showcases the film’s beautiful setting and style. Plus, he has a knack for getting his leads to undress, so Kirsten Dunst fans should be happy. It opens in limited release this weekend, and I just hope that it makes it to my area someday. 

Where I’ll be this weekend: For the second weekend in a row, I might not make it to the theater. Melancholia is a possibility, but with its slow rollout, it probably won’t play near me. J. Edgar has enough quality people behind it that it should be worth a look. However, the real reason I’ll stay inside all weekend is because The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim releases Friday. I’ll lock myself away Friday afternoon, fire up the Xbox, and won’t come out until Monday morning.

The week of November 18, 2011

Happy Feet Two

The plot: The loveable penguins get trapped in the ice and it’s up to Mumble to find an escape route.

Who’s in it? The voices of Elijah Wood, Robin Williams, Hugo Weaving, Pink, Sophia Vergera

Ultimate fate: It’s the penguins we know and love back for another adventure. It will be filled with ultra cute characters, singing and dancing to slightly dated pop songs, and, most likely, thinly veiled commentary on the effects of global warming, ocean pollution, or overfishing.

Twighlight: Breaking Dawn Part 1

The plot: Yeah, I have no idea what’s going on in these films, and don’t really care to find out. From what I can gather from the trailers for this movie I saw playing in front of good movies I saw, some chick gets married and then her werewolf husband knocks her up with some sort of weird mutant fetus hybrid that tries to tear her apart from the inside out. Whatever. All of these films look dumb to me.

Who’s in it? I don’t care.

Ultimate fate: It’ll be a huge hit, but not because it’s quality cinema. All the down-on-their-luck, single, thirty-something-year-old girls everywhere who are still holding out hope to find real love with the man of their dreams will generate truckloads of money for the midnight shows of this film. You couldn’t drag me to see this dreck if you tried. Clearly, I’m not the target audience for this movie.

Where I’ll be this weekend: Probably still playing Skyrim.

Week of November 25, 2011

The Muppets

The plot: The Muppet Theater is going under, but all the Muppets are too busy with their solo careers to know or care. One of their biggest fans decides to get the gang back together to put on a fundraiser so that they might save their legacy.

Who’s in it? Jason Segel, Amy Adams, The Muppets, lots of stars in cameos.

Ultimate fate: It’s a freaking Muppets movie! I hope this one rocks it out, proves the Muppets can still be a viable franchise, and spawns a half dozen more Muppet movies. Unfortunately, this week is packed with two other movies targeted to younger audiences. All these films will likely split the pot such that none of them are likely to make killer profits. Still, it’s been a long time, and I’m excited to see the crew back in action. It’s going to be funny, silly, a little tongue-in-cheek, and will have more than a few musical numbers. 

Hugo

The plot: Based on the story “The Invention of Hugo Cabret”, this film follows young Hugo as he uses a key left to him by his father to unlock adventure in a Paris train station.

Who’s in it? All the advertisements are too busy letting everyone know that this is the first motion-capture and 3D film by Martin Scorsese to mention who the actors are.

Ultimate fate: Scorsese has apparently embraced the tech for this film and has produced a very detailed, imaginative world. It’s also his first attempt at making a children’s film. I know nothing about the book on which it’s based, but I know an excited and motivated Scorsese can shoot a good film.  

Arthur Christmas

The plot: Santa’s son, Arthur, discovers a present that gets left behind on Christmas Eve. He takes it upon himself to deliver the package and save someone’s Christmas.

Who’s in it? The voices of James McAvoy, Hugh Laurie, Bill Nighy and others

Ultimate fate: It looks like it could be a cute, family-friendly, animated adventure movie. Unfortunately, it’s going against two other kid-centric films that could blow it out of the water.

A Dangerous Method

The plot: A story of Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung in the early days of psychiatry. The film focuses on a series of unorthodox experiments Jung conducted on a young woman he treated for hysteria and the relationship between the two renowned psychiatrists.

Who’s in it? Directed by David Cronenberg, Viggo Mortensen, Michael Fassbender, Kiera Knightley

Ultimate fate: Cronenberg is known for making some of the best horror films ever (The Fly, Scanners) but he also makes some very compelling, non-horror films as well (A History of Violence, Eastern Promises). You can still expect some intense moments in this story of dueling psychiatrists who are trying to not only identify the best ways to treat patients, but who also are attempting to legitimize the entire field. There are some talented people involved in this movie, and the early buzz has been good. It should make for a nice drama.

Where I’ll be this weekend: I’ll be rounding up anyone and everyone I can find and taking a big group to see The Muppets. I’m excited to see them back on the big screen and am confident that it will be a great time.

Pick of the Month: The Muppets, clearly. It’s about time we had these guys back on the big screen again.

I hope this helps you plan your weekends for the next month!