Tragic Sandwich

Kristine Oller has updated her website. Lots of good stuff, including a new blog.

This weekend, I had a dream about escaping a tsunami. So I guess it’s no surprise that we finally decided to watch HBO’s Tsunami: The Aftermath.

Once again, HBO has provided an excellent production that reminds us of ongoing recovery needs. I think that When the Levees Broke was stronger, largely because it was a documentary and Tsunami is fiction based on the actual events. However, the performances are excellent. Sophie Okonedo and Chiwetel Ejiofor are particularly moving as parents who experience the tsunami in different ways, and must search for their missing daughter. (I was struck by the idea that Okonedo is all of the actress that Thandie Newton is not, and now am even more motivated to see Hotel Rwanda.)

Toni Collette is excellent as always. I might wish Gina McKee had a bit more to do as the mother of two boys who determinedly petitions her government’s local representatives for assistance (she seems so calm that, in the wake of The Forsyte Saga, I begin to question her ability to emote any sort of passion), but that is only a minor quibble in an otherwise excellent miniseries. It’s a shame only Collette was nominated for a Golden Globe–I am surprised that Okonedo was not so honored for her poignant performance.

What were they thinking? A while ago, I posted that Crash was a bad movie. With the exception of Good Night, and Good Luck, we’ve now seen all the other Oscar nominees from last year’s ceremony. All of them were superior to Crash, but Capote–in spite of its subject’s physical stature–was head and shoulders above the crowd.

Don’t get me wrong. I would not want to spend time with Truman Capote. He seems to have been a manipulative, unthinking, even cruel man. But Philip Seymour Hoffman’s portrayal is masterful, and the movie itself is visually stunning. On the surface it is almost monochromatic–but look closer and you see all the layers and textures. This is a tremendous example of how design, lighting, and cinematography can play a powerful role in transmitting a movie’s message.

I have no doubt that Good Night, and Good Luck will be better than Crash, but I’m hard-pressed to imagine that it will be better than this film. Capote may have been a person to avoid, but Capote is a don’t-miss.

First, I will go on record as saying that the food in the Badger Pass cafeteria is nasty. That’s probably a given, but it’s worth pointing out, nevertheless.

Less well-known, perhaps, is the fact that Gummi Bears are better when slightly cold. I suspect that the ones in my refrigerator are, at the moment, too cold.

But the town of Oakhurst, a dozen or so miles outside the park’s south entrance, does offer some nice food options.

Crabcakes Fun Family Seafood offers not just crab cakes, but rich and hearty clam chowder as well. It’s definitely not the cheapest place in town, though.

For breakfast, try Country Waffles or Ol’kettle. Although they don’t have the websites offered by Crabcakes (hence the Citysearch links), they do provide affordable, filling, and–most importantly–good breakfasts.

There are also a variety of fast food restaurants (McDonald’s, KFC, etc.) and a number of small local ethnic restaurants.

On the other hand, if you’re staying on the valley floor, I wouldn’t drive to Oakhurst just to eat.