film.Movies & MusingsSummer movie season hits full stride with the release of two popcorn extravaganzas – Marvel’s latest superhero flick and the returnof Jack Sparrow in the fourth installment of the Pirates of the Caribbean series, possibly the most unusual and controversial Hollywoodrelease of the year, the return of your favorite group of bachelors and Dreamworks much-anticipated sequel to Kung Fu Panda.Flash Cutsby Les KanekuniThor (May 6) Marvel rolls out another individual comic bookcharacter, gearing up for their big Avengers movie next summerwhich will feature Iron Man, Thor, the Hulk and Captain Americaamong others. Although not the most popular Marvel book,Marvel has not skimped on Thor, making the unusual choice ofKenneth Branagh, mostly known for his Shakespearean films andacting than big budget directing. Also unusual was the choice ofunknown Australian actor Chris Hemsworth for the title role of theNorse God of Thunder. Samuel L. Jackson makes an appearance asNick Fury as he has in the Iron Man films. Synopsis: After precipitatinga war in the Norse god kingdom of Asgard, Thor is cast outby Odin, kingof Asgard(AnthonyHopkins) toEarth andstripped of hisgodly powers.Found in NewMexico byastrophysicistJane Foster(Natalie Portman),Thorhas problemsadjustingto life as amortal. Hebegins aromance withJane, but Loki,his nemesis inAsgard, sendsthe Destroyerto Earth to killhim.Bridesmaids (May 13) SNL star Kristen Wiig and comedy producer/directorJudd Apatow (Knocked Up) team up for this distaffversion of The Hangover. Single and broke, Annie’s life is a disaster.But after Annie (Wiig) is asked by her best friend Lillian (MayaRudolph) to be her maid of honor, she and her colorful group ofbridesmaids must navigate the pitfalls of the wedding processfrom fittings to reception to a wild trip to Vegas. Earthy, blatantlysexual and funny, this is not Sex and the City. Co-written by Wiigand directed by Paul Feig (the TV show Freaks & Geeks), Bridesmaidsis a frank look at female friendship and how it is tested by thefrightening ritual of marriage. Jilly Clayburgh plays Annie’s Mom inher last screen appearance.The Beaver (May 20) Perhaps the strangest Hollywood release ofthe year is this dark comedy directed by Jodie Foster and starringMel Gibson. Kyle Killen’s script topped the 2008 Black List, Hollywood’sinsider list of most-liked screenplays. After Steve Carell andJim Carrey signed on and dropped out of the project, Foster cameon board as director and convinced her old friend Gibson to takethe lead. Sufferingfrom severe depression,Walter Black(Gibson) has hitbottom. His sons areembarrassed by him,his wife Meredith(Foster) can’t dealwith him and histoy company nearsbankruptcy. Afterbeing kicked out ofthe house and goingon a drunk, Waltertries suicide but fails at this, too. When he wakes up, a beaver puppetis on his hand which speaks with a British accent (another partof Walter’s personality). With the puppet giving him confidence,Walter turns his life around. Patching things up with Meredith andsaving his company by manufacturing hand puppets. Only histeenage son Porter (Anton Yelchin) pushes him away. However,with things finally looking up, Walter finds the puppet totally incontrol of him. Already a pariah in Hollywood after a DUI where hemade anti-Semitic comments, Gibson’s standing hit rock bottomafter the film was shot and a phone call of his angry tirade to his exwas made public. Foster asked for understanding, while the restof Hollywood ran the other way. Referring to the film’s tone, Fostercalled it “probably the biggest struggle of my professional career”in The New York Times.Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (May 20) CaptainJack Sparrow returns with the fourth installment of the phenomenallysuccessful series. This time Jack has the playing field tohimself with no co-stars. Also, for the first time in the series Jackhas a love interest played by Penelope Cruz, something Depprequested after taking the back seat romantically to OrlandoBloom and Keira Knightley in the first three films. As implied by thethird installment, in Stranger Tides Captain Jack takes on the questfor the legendary Fountain of Youth. On his quest he encounterskiller mermaids, zombies and, most threatening, a woman fromhis past, Angelica (Cruz), every bit his equal as a pirate. Angelicaforces Sparrow on board the Queen Anne’s Revenge, the shipof legendary pirate Blackbeard (Ian McShane), also seeking theFountain, leaving Sparrow to wonder if Angelica is his ally or a ruthlesscompetitor. Geoffrey Rush returns as Captain Hector Barbossa.Rob Marshall (Chicago) directs.The Hangover Part II (May 26) Smelling a hit, Warner Brothersasked writer/director Todd Phillips to write a sequel to TheHangover even before the first film opened. When the bachelorparty in Vegas comedy was a worldwide hit, Part II hit the groundrunning. To no one’s surprise, the plot to Part II is nearly the sameas Part I, except the story is transplanted to Thailand and an actualwedding takes place. Phil (Bradley Cooper), Stu (Ed Helms), Alan(Zach Galifianakis) and Doug (Justin Bartha) travel to Thailand forStu’s wedding. After the insanity in Vegas, Stu is taking no chancesand wants a safe pre-wedding brunch. Of course, things don’t goas planned. Controversy hit the production when Phillips cast MelGibson in the cameo part of a tattoo artist. Coming on the heelsof Gibson’s abusive phone calls, members of the cast and crew(including Galifianakis) refused to work with the actor, forcingPhillips to replace him with Liam Neeson before shooting. Ironically,months later, due to editing choices Phillips had to re-shootthe scene with Nick Cassavetes replacing Neeson due to Neeson’sunavailibility. Mike Tyson appears again as himself.Kung Fu Panda 2 (May 26) In 2008, Dreamworks animatedstory of Po, a panda who dreams of being a kung fu master wasa surprise hit, racking up $600M worldwide. Synopsis: Po is nowliving his dream as The Dragon Warrior, protecting the Valley ofPeace alongside his friends and fellow kung fu masters, The FuriousFive – Tigress, Crane, Mantis, Viper and Monkey. But Po’s new lifeof awesomeness is threatened by the emergence of a formidablevillain, who plans to use a secret, unstoppable weapon to conquerChina and destroy kung fu. Jack Black (Po), Angelina Jolie (Tigress),Jackie Chan (Monkey), Seth Rogen (Mantis), Lucy Liu (Viper), DavidCross (Crane) and Dustin Hoffman (Master Shifu) all return in theirrespective roles. Gary Oldman, Jean-Claude Van Damme, DannyMcBride and Michelle Yeoh are new additions.may11 hipfishmonthly.com24
FREE WILL ASTROLOGYMay© Copyright 2010 Rob BrezsnyARIES (March 21-April 19): To convey my vision of how bestto proceed in the coming weeks, I’ll offer the following metaphoricalscenario: Imagine that you are not a professionalchef, but you do have a modicum of cooking skills. Your taskis to create a hearty, tasty soup from scratch without thebenefit of a recipe. You will need a variety of ingredients, buton the other hand you don’t want to just throw in a welterof mismatched ingredients without regard for how theywill all work together. To some degree you will have to usea trial-and-error approach, sampling the concoction as itbrews. You will also want to keep an open mind about thepossibility of adding new ingredients in the latter stages ofthe process. One more thing: The final product must not justappeal to you. You should keep in mind what others wouldlike, too.TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Many artists want “to aim for thebiggest, most obvious target, and hit it smack in the bull’seye,” says Brian Eno, a Taurus genius renowned for his innovativemusic. He prefers a different approach. He’d rather “shoothis arrow” wherever his creative spirit feels called to shoot it,then paint the target around the place where it lands. That’swhy his compositions don’t resemble anyone else’s or fit intoany traditional genre -- it’s Brian Eno-like music. Can I talkyou into trying a similar strategy in the coming weeks andmonths, Taurus? I’d love to see you create a niche for yourselfthat’s tailored to your specific talents and needs.GEMINI (May 21-June 20): When World War I ended in 1918,the victorious nations demanded crushing financial reparationsfrom the loser, Germany. It took 92 years, but the remaining$94 million of the debt was finally paid last October.I hope this story serves as an inspiration to you, Gemini. Ifentities as notoriously inflexible as governments can resolvetheir moldering karma, so can you. In the next few weeks,I’d love to see you finally clean up any messes left over fromyour old personal conflicts.CANCER (June 21-July 22): I know how secretive you Cancerianscan be because I’m one of your tribe. Sometimes thesecrecy is a bit neurotic, but more often it serves the purposeof sheltering your vulnerable areas. I’m also aware of howimportant it is for you to be self-protective. No one is betterthan you at guarding your goodies, ensuring your safety,and taking care of your well-being. I would never shame youfor expressing these talents and I would never ask you todownplay them. Having said that, though, I want to makesure that in the coming weeks they don’t interfere with yougetting the blessings you deserve. It’s crucial that you allowyourself to be loved to the hilt. You simply must let people infar enough so they can do that.LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): With a fortune of $27 billion, businesstycoon Larry Ellison is the sixth richest person in the world.His monumental sense of self-importance is legendary. Oneof his colleagues says, “The difference between God andLarry is that God does not believe he is Larry.” Ellison seemsto be what astrologers call an unevolved Leo -- an immaturesoul whose ego is a greedy, monstrous thing. Evolved Leos,on the other hand, are very different. Are you one? If so, youdo a lot of hard work on your ego. You make sure that inaddition to it being strong, it’s beautiful and elegant. It’s notjust forceful; it’s warm and generous. It gets things done, butin ways that bless those who come in contact with it. For youevolved Leos, this is Celebrate Your Ego Month.VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Seventy-five percent of all adultsconfess they would like to have sex in the woods at leastonce in their lives, and yet only 16 percent say they haveactually enjoyed that thrill. If you’re one of the 59 percentwho would like to but haven’t, the coming weeks will be anexcellent time to make it happen. Your capacity for pleasurein wild places will be at a peak, as will your courage for exoticadventures. In fact, I suggest that between now and May21 you consider carrying out three fantasies that have beenmarinating in your imagination for many moons.LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): It’s time for the Big Squeeze. All thecontradictions in your life are coming up for review. You willbe asked to deal more forthrightly with enigmas you’ve beenavoiding, and you will be invited to try, try again to unravelriddles you’ve been unable to solve. Does all that sounda bit daunting? It could be. But the end result should beevocative, highly educational, and maybe even exhilarating.The scintillating play of opposites may caress you with suchintensity that you’ll experience what we could refer to as ametaphysical orgasm.SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): In the coming weeks, I wouldlove to see you get excited about many different people,places, animals, and experiences. And I hope you will showerthem with your smartest, most interesting blessings. Do youthink you can handle that big an outpouring of well-craftedpassion? Are you up for the possibility that you might blowyour cover, lose your dignity, and show how much you care?In my opinion, the answer is yes. You are definitely ready togo further than ever before in plumbing the depths of youradoration for the privilege of being alive.SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Here’s poet James Schuyler:“It’s time again. Tear up the violets and plant somethingmore difficult to grow.” In my opinion, that’s almost the rightadvice for you these days. I’d prefer it if you didn’t actuallyrip out the violets to make room for the harder-to-growblooms. Would it be possible to find a new planting area thatwill allow you to keep what you already have in the originalplanting area? One way or another, I think you really shouldgive yourself a challenging new assignment.CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): “Dear Dr. Brezsny: For fiveyears my wife and I have been married but still have madeno children. We have consulted uncountable physicians withno satisfying result. Please predict a happy outcome for ourtroubles. When will the stars align with her womb and mymanhood? She: born December 31, 1983 in Chakdaha, India.Me: born January 7, 1984 in Mathabhanga, India. - Desperatefor Babies.” Dear Desperate: I’m happy to report that youCapricorns have entered a highly fertile period. It’s alreadygoing strong, and will culminate between May 16 to May 23.I suggest you jump on this sexy opportunity. You couldn’task for a better time to germinate, burgeon, and multiply.AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): “Welcome home, beautiful!”I hope you hear those words or at least experience thosefeelings very soon. In my astrological opinion, you need tointensify your sense of belonging to a special place or community.You’ve got to grow deeper roots or build a strongerfoundation or surround yourself with more nurturing -- orall of the above. And that’s not all. As you bask and thrive inyour enhanced support system, you also deserve to feel betterappreciated for the wonderful qualities you’re working sohard to develop in yourself. Ask and you shall receive.PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Whatever you have been tryingto say, it’s time to say it stronger and clearer. You can no longerafford to hope people will read your mind or guess whatyou mean. Your communications must be impeccable andirresistible. A similar principle holds true for the connectionsand alliances you’ve been working to ripen. It’s time to raiseyour intensity level -- to do everything you can to activatetheir full potentials. Starting today, you’d be crazy to tolerateshaky commitments, either from yourself or others. Be sharpand focused and unswerving, Pisces -- keen and candid andto the point.Homework: What famous historical personage were youin your past life? If you don’t know or weren’t really, makesomething up. Testify at www.freewillastrology.com.In addition to this column, Rob Brezsny offers expandedweekly audio horoscopes and daily message horoscopes.To buy access, go to realastrology.com The audio horoscopesare also available by phone at 1.877.873.4888 or1.900.950.7700Featuring biking quips, quibbles, and some damngood advice from Margaret Hammitt-McDonald.Cycling Power to the People!While waiting on line for therestroom at Powell’s City of Books,I perused some books on a nearbyshelf. One offered an ironic critique ofaffluent urban fashionistas throughtheir favorite objects (probablywritten by affluent urban fashionistas).Guess what one of the trendyaccoutrements was? Yup, right upthere with color-coordinated espressomakers was the humble bicycle.I’ve seen this charge in othervenues too: that cycling is an eliteactivity, while Everyman and –womanare ensconced behind the wheelsof their salt-of-the-macadam autos.This notion fits a larger misperceptionthat environmental friendliness is thepreserve of the wealthy (at least until“green” stops being the latest style).My childhood experiences in ruralPennsylvania attest to the popularrather than elite origins of reusingitems, reducing consumption (ornot consuming much to begin with),and relying on low-tech solutions tothe challenges of daily living…longbefore these common-sense ideasgained currency among Hollywoodstars. The authors of that book mighthold up pricey custom bikes as hipsteraccessories, but human-poweredvehicles can be embodiments ofthe power of the people, for severalreasons.Bikes are cheap. Even if you gofor that high-performance beastmade out of NASA-approved materials,it’s still cheaper than a new car(and many used cars). Used cyclescan be incredible bargains, especiallyif you’re a do-it-yourselfer. My fatherpurchased a road bike from Goodwillfor $8. I cleaned up the drive chain,replaced the busted tires and tubes,lubed and greased everything, andhe was ready to roll. The replacementparts brought the total to under $50.You also don’t need to fuel the bike(and hopefully you’re fueling yourselfanyway!) While a bike isn’t practicalfor a long commute, mostpeople’s driving patterns(to and from nearby workand errands in the localarea) are actually perfectfor cycle travel. Just adda trailer and you can domost kinds of shopping(although buildingmaterials might be achallenge).Bikes are easy tomaintain and repair.Unlike a contemporarycar, cycles are entirelymechanical (with somebattery-powered accessorieslike lights). They also have fewmoving parts in comparison with amotorized vehicle. Therefore, even ifthe rider isn’t an engineer, he or shecan do most routine maintenanceand repairs. It’s rewarding to takemaintenance matters into your ownhands, and you can also make customchanges to fit your unique ridingneeds and experiences. What couldbe more empowering?Bikes enhance communitylife. The slower speed of a bicycle, itscomplete openness to the surroundings,and many riders’ preferences forriding on less-traveled neighborhoodstreets, all make human-poweredtransportation an excellent wayto enhance one’s participation incommunity life. It’s easier to wave topeople and engage them in a briefconversation while cycling than whiledriving. (The construction workers onRoute 26 know me by name.) Slowertravel also means the rider noticesmore, including local issues that needto be addressed.Bikes exert minimal impacton infrastructure and the environment.Cycles are the originalzero-emissions vehicles, and theirlight weight means they don’t tearup roads like larger vehicles do. Dedicatednon-motorized transit routesare excellent investments: they’relong-lasting (as pedestrians andcycles have a gentle footprint) andreduce air, water, and soil pollutionby getting more people out of cars.Many people would like to ride butare concerned about the dangers ofmotorized traffic; pedestrian and bikecorridors alleviate that problem andreduce those big-budget highwayprojects.Bikes are fun. And who couldn’t usemore of that?25 may11 hipfishmonthly.com
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