As an alky, I always loathed St. Patty's Day -- like New Year's Eve, it's amateur night. The streets surrounding the parade in Manhattan were always dotted with piles o' puke.
I celebrated St. Patty's Day once, in college, at a bar. It was pretty miserable. After that, I just acknowledge the day by staying as far away from the revellers as I possibly can.
I also don't like St. Patrick's Day. I no longer drink, but I certainly still did by the time I put the kibosh on going out on March 17. My wife and I went to The Dubliner in Washington, DC, one year. If you don't know the place, it's a pretty great Irish bar and restaurant, with terrific food and hootch. It was the natural destination for she and I, when we still lived in Northern VA. We got there at about 6:00 PM, and the place was already packed to the gills. Every table and chair that wasn't bolted down had been removed, to allow more sardines in. Their great menu had been reduced to sandwiches (and maybe actually sandwhich, singular), and though it was still light outside, someone had already vomited on the floor, and it hadn't been cleaned up yet.
Bill, I love the Dubliner. I've been there many times but never on St. Patrick's Day. The one time I went out on St. Patrick's Day in college was the Four P's on Connecticut Ave by the Cleveland Uptown Cinema. Boy did it suck, big time.
My favorite Irish bar is the James Joyce Tavern in Baltimore. That place is great. Terrific food, but again, I wouldn't approach it on St. Patty's Day.
One of my favorite entrances/exits (it's a bit of both) in Ford is the shadowy hospital hallway in THEY WERE EXPENDABLE. So expressive in its shadows, and caught in gorgeous long-shot, like something out of CITIZEN KANE.
So what shall I watch in commemoration? THE INFORMER or THE QUIET MAN?
Or shall I go even deeper into the ethnic underpinnings with a showing of DARBY O'GILL AND THE LITTLE PEOPLE? Ha! Or perhaps the militant Loach film THE WIND THAT SHAKES THE BARLEY or Daniel Day Lewis in MY LEFT FOOT?
I think I'll go with ONCE, as I love that deliriously and the mood is so uplifting!
I never saw The Last Hurrah but it seems like a very interesting political movie. I may use one of my DVD slots on that one. After all, now that Netflix has so many titles on instant my DVD rentals rarely ever get used anymore.
13 comments:
As an alky, I always loathed St. Patty's Day -- like New Year's Eve, it's amateur night. The streets surrounding the parade in Manhattan were always dotted with piles o' puke.
I celebrated St. Patty's Day once, in college, at a bar. It was pretty miserable. After that, I just acknowledge the day by staying as far away from the revellers as I possibly can.
That's a good one!
Cheers! Beers! Queers! I love St. Pat's!
I also don't like St. Patrick's Day. I no longer drink, but I certainly still did by the time I put the kibosh on going out on March 17. My wife and I went to The Dubliner in Washington, DC, one year. If you don't know the place, it's a pretty great Irish bar and restaurant, with terrific food and hootch. It was the natural destination for she and I, when we still lived in Northern VA. We got there at about 6:00 PM, and the place was already packed to the gills. Every table and chair that wasn't bolted down had been removed, to allow more sardines in. Their great menu had been reduced to sandwiches (and maybe actually sandwhich, singular), and though it was still light outside, someone had already vomited on the floor, and it hadn't been cleaned up yet.
That was it.
Arbo Go Bragh!
Bill, I love the Dubliner. I've been there many times but never on St. Patrick's Day. The one time I went out on St. Patrick's Day in college was the Four P's on Connecticut Ave by the Cleveland Uptown Cinema. Boy did it suck, big time.
My favorite Irish bar is the James Joyce Tavern in Baltimore. That place is great. Terrific food, but again, I wouldn't approach it on St. Patty's Day.
One of my favorite entrances/exits (it's a bit of both) in Ford is the shadowy hospital hallway in THEY WERE EXPENDABLE. So expressive in its shadows, and caught in gorgeous long-shot, like something out of CITIZEN KANE.
So what shall I watch in commemoration? THE INFORMER or THE QUIET MAN?
Or shall I go even deeper into the ethnic underpinnings with a showing of DARBY O'GILL AND THE LITTLE PEOPLE? Ha! Or perhaps the militant Loach film THE WIND THAT SHAKES THE BARLEY or Daniel Day Lewis in MY LEFT FOOT?
I think I'll go with ONCE, as I love that deliriously and the mood is so uplifting!
Erin Go Braugh!
Brian, They Were Expendable is a terrific movie and your absolutely right about that look. Ford was a master.
Sam, you really can't go wrong with any of those choices but I think I'd go with Once too. I was really taken with that movie when I saw it.
Ford loved the shadowy hallway shot. He used it in the endings of YOUNG MR. LINCOLN and THE LAST HURRAH, too.
I never saw The Last Hurrah but it seems like a very interesting political movie. I may use one of my DVD slots on that one. After all, now that Netflix has so many titles on instant my DVD rentals rarely ever get used anymore.
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