A busy day in both Boston and Cambridge ended with a great evening spent with Tim and Mari, as we enjoyed the “exotically hip atmosphere” at Pho Republique (and it’s ‘fuh,’ not ‘foh,’ by the way…) in their new ‘hood, the South End. We couldn’t make their wedding last month, but we got the scoop, the stories, the photos, the slight fiascos and larger joys and surprises of the experience over dinner and at their amazing apartment. Some elements of the Putnam Ave. Experience were still present, like the sweet vertical turntable (like this “late ’80s scene-setter” only with more wood), but others, such as the gigantic “Horses Crying Over Spilled Milk” painting and the Olsen Twins poster, were sadly things of the past. It was, of course, great to see both of them, and we had an abundance of things to talk about, if I may say so. Their apartment and neighborhood are so inviting we’ll definitely be back soon.



The day began in Boston, as I commuted in with Aimee as far as Cambridge, and then headed in to work. After about three hours there, I caught the bus over to Boston again, to catch a preview screening of Jean Pierre Jeunet‘s new film, A Very Long Engagement, at the MFA. Jeunet, one of my favorite directors since I first saw Delicatessen at the Capri in Anchorage twelve years ago, was in attendance, and answered questions for about 45 minutes after the film. The film was a pretty amazing piece of work, an engrossing story, both emotionally and viscerally, though I’m still sorting through it. I’ve been trying to reconcile the playful, observant eye of the master choreographer, Jeunet as capturer of moments of serendipitous wonder, with the unceasing, bone-crushing horror of the rain-soaked trenches of the First World War. He does it better than most would, I suppose, but it’s still a tough gap to bridge. Imagine the heart and imagination of Am?lie, the storyline of Rashomon, and the combat scenes from Saving Private Ryan, and you begin to get the picture. The best part about the film for me is that it also stars the butcher, the ex-clown, and “Rufus” from Delicatessen – he likes to work with the same stock company of actors from film to film, adding new ones along the way. I’ll be interested to see how this big-budget Warner Bros. film does over here, all blood-and-subtitles (is that a new niche market, maybe?).