Burgh Film Power Rankings

Fresh off the review of The Next Three Days, I thought I'd put together my personal power rankings of 'Burgh movies. The list is completely subjective based on my personal taste, the quality of the film, and, most importantly, how "Pittsburgh" the movie is. Ideally, the movies are both set and shot in Western Pennsylvania. So, without further ado, here's my list of Best Pittsburgh Movies:

	1. Striking Distance - THE Pittsburgh movie for me. This movie has it all, from the Pittsburgh River Patrol, the Polish Hill Killer and the Pittsburgh 'stache. This movie is exactly what you'd expect if a Hollywood writer took a group of Yinzers out for some drinks and had them just throw out their ideas for a cop thriller: Bruce Willis doing a chick on his house boat on the Mon, car chase that goes all over the city, policeman's ball at the Point, etc. etc. Not the best movie on the list, but certainly the most Pittsburgh.
	2. The Deer Hunter - Probably the best movie on the list, it's about a group of steelworker friends from Clairton struggling after returning home from Vietnam. The cast includes DeNiro, Christopher Walken and Meryl Streep. Includes the famous Russian roulette scene.
	3. Night of the Living Dead - The defining movie of the zombie genre was, of course, set and shot around Pittsburgh. Includes a great news report early on in the film listing the various towns and suburbs in Western Pennsylvania being overrun by zombies. Sequels Dawn of the Dead, Land of the Dead and Diary of the Dead are all also set in the area. Pittsburgh takes great pride in being the center of the zombie universe and while zombies can be a fleeting fad that comes and goes in the national culture, they never go out of style in Pittsburgh.
	4. Wonder Boys - I played with putting this one as high as #2 on the list and, in truth, this might be my favorite movie on the list. The story follows the hijinks and struggles of an English professor (presumably Carnegie Mellon, maybe Pitt), his editor, the chancellor of the university, a few of his writing students, a transvestite and a James Brown look alike over the course of a few days during the annual writing festival. The movie is based on Michael Chabon's (who went to Pitt) novel of the same name and is a very faithful adaptation. I decided to knock it down to four on this list because the city isn't necessarily integral to the plot, but the city is featured nicely nonetheless and was written by a real genius who cultivated his talents here.
	5. Adventureland - A tough call for this last spot, and a sign that maybe I should have stopped at four, but I went with this one because I like the story and the vision for it and for the prominence of Kennywood and the 16th Street Bridge. That said, it's not a great movie or anything, most notably for how annoying Jesse Eisenberg can be. But really, the only movie I gave consideration to for this slot was Gung Ho, but decided I couldn't go there because it was set around a car manufacturing plant and in the fictional town of Hadleyville, PA.

Honorable Mention: That Thing You Do!, Zach and Miri Make a Porno, She's Out of My League, The Next Three Days, Gung Ho, The Road, Groundhog Day, Houseguest, Kingpin, Silence of the Lambs, All the Right Moves, Slap Shot

Dishonorable Mention: Sudden Death, Rock Star, Stigmata

Haven't seen yet, but plan on it now that I'm keeping this list: Flashdance, The Mysteries of Pittsburgh, Angels in the Outfield, The Fish that Saved Pittsburgh, Inspector Gadget, Unstoppable, Love and Other Drugs

What movies am I forgetting? And how would your list be different?

Yinzer Movie Review: The Next Three Days

I finally got around to watching The Next Three Days last weekend, the Russell Crowe prison breakout movie set in Pittsburgh. In the movie, Russell Crowe's wife (Elizabeth Banks) is imprisoned for a murder that we don't know if she committed or not. When it becomes clear that the legal process has played itself out and she will be spending the rest of her days in Allegheny County Jail on the Mon, Crowe begins hatching his escape plan for her.

Of course, as we find out, Pittsburgh's jail is a particularly difficult nut to crack, with a natural moat provided by the three rivers that require traversing easily roadblocked bridges on the way ahta tahn.

The big escape scene includes a ride on the T, blending into a Penguins game day crowd, a near crash on 376, a drive through the Armstrong Tunnel and even a trip to the polar bear exhibit at the zoo.

Otherwise, it's a pretty formulaic prison escape flick that requires a suspension of disbelief but nonetheless delivers quality suspense and action. But it's our prison escape flick, damn it, and well worth the $1 at Red Box for any self-respecting Pittsburgher to check out.

Live Blog: Outside the Consol

Pills, Zuk and I decided to take in the recent tradition of watching Penguin playoff games on a big screen TV outside of the arena. They like to call it Mario's TV, not sure if he actually bought the TV or it was even his idea, but I'll roll with it.  The three of us, donned in Penguin jerseys (yeah we were wearing them), lugged a couple of folding chairs through a windy but sunny 65 degree evening in downtown Pittsburgh and arrived at or destination; the old Civic Arena parking lot.  Upon entering we were told that alcohol is prohibited and one will immediately be ejected and may spend a night in the county jail if caught.

6:50pm arrive at Civic Arena parking lot, usher tells us we "can't squat here" but find spot close to screen anyway.  This place is an absolute yinzer fest: young and old. I haven't seen this many yinzers in one place since the '97 South Park Rib Fest.
7:08 pm they are passing out towels, people are going after them like vulchers on a dead carcass
7:12pm too busy blogging to realize the game started

'Mario's TV'

7:15pm Tampa scores on 4 on 4, people kind of pissed but not overly upset
7:24pm Tampa's Lecavalier scores; 2-0 Lighting. People still not that upset. Long way to go still
7:34 Kovalev takes one of his patented lazy penalties
7:43pm some guy named Thompson scores for Tampa making it 3-0. The wind is starting to pick up and crowd is in disbelief.
7:49pm end of the first period, pens trail 3-0. Time to check on the Buccos?
7:55pm fringe Pittsburgh celebs Mikey and Big Bob from 96.1 Kiss FM standing behind us. Little kid with an Oliver from the Brady Bunch haircut getting his picture with him


Mikey and Big Bob

8:04pm. Guy with a mullet, mustache and wrinkled Malkin jersey walks by us 8;06pm Second period begins and its starting to get chilly
8:16pm Tampa really taking it to the Pens
8:17pm told by 'Big Bob' to stand up because we will be seen on the jumbotron inside of the arena
8:20pm Adams scores!!! 3-1 Tampa

8:27pm KDKA's Paul Martino setting up shop, Pens dictating play

8:35pm word around our inner circle is that Mr. Electric, Charlie Morton is mowing down the Reds and Walker hit a big HR 5-0 Bucs
8:43pm Lecavalier scores again with 14 seconds remaining in second period on the pp
8:45pm End of second period, Lighting lead 4-1
8:57pm its approaching 9pm and Pittsburghers turn into pumpkins after 9pm; the tradition of people leaving an event early no matter what the score or night of the week begins. We all know there is a lot of important business to take care of so we got to get home ASAP, especially on a Friday night.
8:58pm 'Oliver' is running and takes a spill in front of us. I'm glad my parents didn't get me a haircut like that when I was little
9:02pm looking at people inside of the arena watching the game on Mario's TV through the window. Seems like a waste of money to me to be inside
9:11pm Sorry to report that not much going on inside or outside
9:20pm really starting to clear out now, many have given up

9:25pm Steigy getting really annoying and commentary is asinine at this point especially the anecdote he shared about his conversation with Steve Yzerman...If I want to hear something absurd I'd try to find brother John on some station right now

9:34pm Legendary Sega Genesis NHL '96 star Mattias Ohlund scores an empty net goal to make it 5-1 Tampa. Let the fights begin...
9:40pm Game over Tampa wins 5-1, series tied 1-1

Watching games outside on the big screen started a few years ago and I never had any desire to be amongst hundreds of people watching a game, I like to focus squarely on the game without any distractions, but it was okay.  The crowd wasn't as raucous as I anticipated, the sound was fine and the spot we chose to watch from was adequate.  I'm glad I did it once.  As for the Pens, we'll get 'em next time.

Lenten Fish Fry Reviews

The best part of being a non-Catholic in Pittsburgh has to be Fish Fry Fridays during Lent. This year might have been my most prolific yet as I've hit five different fish fries over the past six weeks. Here's my expert take on each one:

Week 1, St. Bernard's in Mt. Lebanon - Things did not get started right at St. Bernards. For such a big church, I assumed there's would be pretty good. But despite a crowd large enough to be annoying, I was very wrong. The batter could hardly stick to the fish and the sides were forgettable. Making matters worse, the ordering system was anything but orderly as it seemed like a free for all more than a line and there was absolutely no direction to the parking system. I won't be back to this dud of a fish fry.

Week 2, St. Anne's in Castle Shannon - Again, slightly underwhelming. The fish portions were small, but flavorful. There's was more of a breaded topping than battered, which I typically like. I'll also give them high marks for making it easy to order and get out of the way until your fish were up. By far the smallest portions we saw though.

Week 4, St. Joan of Arc in South Park - I drove out to this one on the recommendation of the Kornosky family and I wasn't disappointed. The fish portions were large, the service was excellent and the sides were unmatched. Seriously, a lot of the churches really mail it in on the side dishes, but the fries and slaw here were both obviously home made and excellent. Evelyn went with the mac 'n cheese on the side, which was also very good. Not the best fish I had, but still very good and worth going back to.

Week 5, Christ United Methodist in Bethel Park - The only non-Catholic option I went to, this is also the church I attend. And, surprisingly enough, this was probably my favorite fish overall and, really, isn't that what it's all about? The portion was large and the flavor was excellent. This was also a breaded fish, as opposed to the typical beer battered fare. However, huge negative mark for serving bagged Lay's and a very small (but tasty) cole slaw portion as the default sides with the sandwich.

Week 6, St. Margaret of Scotland in Greentree - I hit this one up today based on a message board recommendation, but it didn't live up to expectations. The fish was undeniably large, but something was slightly out of place about it. There were, like, edged corners and a bland taste to the batter that make me think they're ordered frozen and pre-battered, rather than freshly prepared. Even the fries and slaw gave off a Costco vibe. If they deserve one major point of emphasis though, it is that their cocktail sauce was seriously spicy from the horseradish, which I think is freaking fantastic. Too many places don't place enough emphasis on their cocktail and tartar sauces, handing out only packets of generic brand. I've taken to mixing my own cocktail sauce at home as a result of this oversight.

Only one more week of the Lent season, and most Catholic churches don't do the fish fry on Good Friday, so the options are limited. I know that Christ UMC is open for business, so that's probably where I'll end up to wrap up the 2011 season, unless someone else has a recommendation for a place I haven't tried yet that is open this week.

Let me know your favorite fish fry in the comments.

Gene's Place, an Instant Hit

Owner and Bar Tender Gene courtesy of The Pitt News

The Pitt authors on this blog rarely if ever stopped by Gene's Place during their time as undergraduate students at the University of Pittsburgh, but one evening of being out on the town a few years after graduation we decided to give it a try.  After our usual stops at Hemingway's and Cumpy's/Garage Door Saloon we wondered into South Oakland for our last stop before nights end.  Located on Louisa St., a bar sat with an Old German Beer logo attached to a sign that read "Gene's Place."  I had always known this place as Denny's Bar, but a Pitt alum and former Denny's regular named Gene Ney bought the bar when it went up for sale.  Approximately eight of us walked in the door only to be carded by a plump twenty-something individual nicknamed the 'Grumble.'  The bar was dark, dingy, and smokey.  The walls were wood paneled and plastered with the bar's historical documents and pictures of Oakland.  Gene's was very cramped on this night with patrons, but cozy.

We immediately noticed Gene's fine selection of barely and hops.  Of course they had the usual over-hyped regulars, but they also had some atypical brews such as Mon Valley favorite Stoney's, Hop n Gator, 75 cents a beer, and a little known American lager named Gibbons.  (See Pills' blog about Gibbons below)  This bar became in instant favorite for us and a regular stop in Oakland.  'Steller' even coined the infamous phrase, "Hey Barkeep, get this man a Gibbons!" at this fine establishment.   Mr. Ney was always professional and accommodating to the group.  A few of us once stopped there around Thanksgiving and Gene was frying a turkey for his customers, it was one of the finest turkey's we have ever eaten.  Gene has made his residence above the bar, which makes for a convenient commute to work as a Professor at Carlow University and easy access to tend some bar.  I'm wondering if he has a pole that slides from his apartment down to the bar a la Batman.

We have even heard stories that Gene would leave a case of beer on the bar for the birthday of an old high school acquaintance of ours after hours.  It's always nice to walk in and be greeted by the Grumble, see regulars like 'Kevin Smith', and see Gene doing what he loves.  I thought I'd share a Pitt News article from October 2009 that some of you may have already seen. 

http://pittnews.com/newsstory/genes-place-owner-offers-nostalgia-advice-for-students/

An Ode to the Professional Softball Player

As softball season begins, take a few minutes out of your day to read tips from one of the softball greats. You won't be disappointed.

Older professionals still Day Drink, Fall Over

After work yesterday, I had to drive into Shadyside to get my haircut. This led me to drive through Oakland, where I witnessed pure drunkenness at its finest.

Across the corner from the Garage Door saloon were two businessmen, in their mid 50s most likely, staggering down the street. At first glance, I thought the one gentleman was helping the other because the one guy suffered from some sort of knee problem. As I got closer, I realized that the guy's knees were buckling not because of an ailment, but because he was completely smashed.

I pulled up to the stop sign as they also staggered towards the sign. Guy 1 gave up trying to hold up Guy 2, and Guy 2 immediately crashed to the ground. At this point, it was a good thing I was stopped at the stop sign, not only because I now had front row seats, but because I was laughing so hard I would have crashed my car. The guy then grabbed for the stop sign, began pulling himself up -- while at the same time swinging around the sign like a pole dancer, and then immediately fell down again. He tried a second time; this time buckling at the waist while his knees locked, and then spun around and crashed to the ground. At this point, maintaining his dignity of course, he straightened his tie even though there was blood all over his forehead. Guy 1 was still reaching to help him up, but he couldn't balance himself well enough and kept staggering back and forth.

At this time I had to drive away, but I saw those two clowns flopping around in my mirror as I drove away. It was about 6 pm at this time, so I wonder, what time did these guys start drinking? What was the occasion? Why on a Wednesday? And what were they doing in Oakland, of all places?

Photo courtesy of RKorn

New acquisitions fuel Pens past Lightning

I posted this on my facebook earlier, but figured I'd like to share it now. Kovy from Neal and Martin and then Asham scores. All new acquisitions this year -- two of them late additions. You have to give Shero and Penguin management some credit in these acquisitions. Thoughts?

Prediction Time: 2011 MLB Season

Here are my predictions for the just started MLB season, let's see everyone else's in the comments. I'll do some status checks throughout the season.

NL East Champ: Phillies
NL Central Champ: Brewers
NL West Champ: Rockies
NL Wild Card: Giants
AL East Champ: Boston
AL Central Champ: Detroit
AL West Champ: Rangers
AL Wild Card: Yankees
NL Champ: Phillies
AL Champ: Detroit
WS Champ: Phillies
NL MVP: Troy Tulowitzki
AL MVP: Miguel Cabrera
NL Cy Young: Josh Johnson
AL Cy Young: Justin Verlander
Pirates victories: 74

Predictions Time: NHL Playoffs

Even more than lists, I love making predictions. With the start of the NHL Playoffs tonight, I want to get everyone's predictions down. Here are mine, leave yours in the comments and then I'll revisit them when throughout the playoffs:

• Bruins over Sabres in the Eastern Conference Finals
  
• Canucks over Sharks in the West
  
• Canucks win the Cup
  
• Ryan Kesler wins playoff MVP
  

MLB season predictions next

Ghosts of Barry Bonds still haunt me

Bob Smizik's blog has one of the best non-cocaine or LSD story I've ever heard about the Pirates. It's from the infamous Francisco Cabrera-Sid Bream play in Game 7 of the '92 NLCS:

Van Slyke told the MLB Network that on the game-winning hit, ``he motioned to Bonds to move in. Bonds responded by giving him the finger, and the ball ended up landing exactly where Van Slyke said to play.''

That made me laugh out loud. By coincidence, my dentist has a signed photograph of Sid Bream sliding home on that play hanging on her waiting room wall. I asked her about it one time and it turns out Bream is her uncle. One time I was in the waiting room and Sid Bream's mom was there for a cleaning. She was actually very nice. I had just presumed that Bream was the spawn of Satan for the way he ripped my 11-year-old heart out.

"First Overall," Pittsburgh is Ranked as Top American City of the Future

This really shouldn't be a surprise at all. Pittsburgh ranked number 1 in another category... again. 'America's "Most Livable" City Now Recognized as a Top Destination for Global Business Investment' http://us1.campaign-archive1.com/?u=3d70a7e788f6f15096e67163b&id=b0ca155d00

Creepy kid from Back to the Future 3 points to his Flux Capacitor

I consider myself quite knowledgeable of the entire Back to the Future trilogy. However, I must not have not paid close enough attention to the third installment to notice some extracurricular activity occuring in the background of the final scene. This is not surprising, as the third movie was awful compared to the first two. I saw this posted on a friend's facebook page the other day, and decided this needs to be shared. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zq5-6PkVGCg&NR=1 Wow is that kid creepy.

Your Last Meal

I was listening to Joe Starkey on the FAN this afternoon and he posed the question, "If you could only have one piece of pie for the rest of you life what would it be and why?" It made me think of this question: If you could have a last meal planned what would it be? Also, would you be able to enjoy it knowing it was your last meal. Here is what I came up with and keep in mind that I am not trying to be thematic with my choices.
Appetizer: Shrimp Ceviche, this is the taste of Ecuador for me, just add some fried plantains and it takes me back to the beaches of Ecuador and great memories.
Soup: Chili, I could eat a bowl of good chili at any time of day.
Salad: Traditional House Salad with Italian dressing, nothing fancy just add some feta cheese.
Main Course: New York Strip Steak grilled medium well with some A1. This was a tough choice, but it had a narrow margin over my Aunt's Lasagna.
Side Dish: My mom's Thanksgiving mashed potatoes. I could eat a whole plate of these without a drop of gravy.
Dessert: Chocolate Chip Cheesecake, to me it is the best of the pie and cake world in one.
Cocktail: Johnny Walker Blue Label on the rocks, I love Black and would want the best. 2nd place to a Margarita on the rocks, I have really grown to like margaritas recently.
Drink: Schneider's Peach Iced Tea, I loved these 1 pinters from BPHS cafeteria.
After Dinner Drink: Ecuadorian Coffee, it is the best I drink and brings back good memories.

Worst. Column. Ever.

SI.com's Hot Clicks is one of my must-visit sites for when I take a quick mental break at work. It's just links and pics so it's quick to get through. Today's edition was especially delightful as it ripped on John Steigerwald. Steigy's latest column blames the fan who got attacked in the parking lot of a Dodgers game and is now in a coma for wearing a Giants jersey in the first place. If you've ever read Steigy's blog, with all its attention-whoring and mispellings, you know that this bothers him greatly for some reason. In his mind, real, mustachioed men like him don't wear jerseys with the names of other men on the back. That would totally be gay, which neither him nor his dad are, really.

Also, as a bonus, today's Hot Clicks also had this video of people hanging up the phone in movies without saying "goodbye." This drives me nuts and is something I always point out to Evelyn while we're watching television. I'm glad someone else with better technical skills than me has noticed it.

Update: Boom! Just saw that Deadspin is also showcasing the stupidity of Steigy. You know though, this is all Steigy has now, to say something outrageous and hope for some attention. And when he hits on something, it just validates his existence. It won't be until he's completely ignored that he'll finally go away.