Today's Two Beers

Dogfish Head 120 Minute IPA
I'm the kind of guy who has always had favorites. Jim Rice is my favorite baseball player. The Wire is my favorite TV show. Diet Mountain Dew Code Red (R.I.P.) is my favorite soft drink. Guided By Voices is my favorite band. And Dogfish Head is my favorite brewery. Sure there's some root-for-the-home-team sentiment to my feeling this way about Dogfish Head; they are based in nearby Milton, Del. But mostly they are my favorite because I love all of their beers, they push the envelope in terms of brewing, they have their own unique style, and they seem to do what they want solely because they want to do it. You have to respect that. Naturally, I have a favorite Dogfish Head beer: their 120 Minute IPA. This is not a beer you drink on a regular basis (that's what their 90 Minute IPA is for). This is one you keep for special occasions, which the Red Sox winning the World Series certainly qualifies as for me. At 20% alcohol, this is one that can knock you on your ass. It is also unlike anything I have ever tasted: thick and fruity and sweet and hoppy, but surprisingly easy to drink. God, I LOVE this beer.

New England Elm City Lager
This brewery is based in Woodbridge, Ct., which I think is pretty close to where Reservation Road (reviewed below) takes place. (I also bet that the Sox winning the Series was a special occasion for a lot of the guys working at the New England Brewing Co.) This pilsener comes in a can, which might offend a lot of beer guys, but I'm fine with it. Besides, cans have come a long way in the past handful of years and don't seem to really affect the taste of a beer like they used to. Elm City Lager is crisp, refreshing beer that would easily appeal to the Budweiser crowd, but there's enough going on here that I have to say I enjoyed it.

Movie Review: Reservation Road

The latest from Hotel Rwanda director Terry George is a lot like a made-for-TV version of Todd Fields’ In The Bedroom or Little Children, both of which earned multiple Oscar nominations for their tales of the dark side of life in the rich New England suburbs. Reservation Road is the story of a professor (Joaquin Phoenix) who loses his 10-year-old son when a lawyer (Mark Ruffalo) accidentally hits him with his SUV and then drives away. The accident deeply affects both men and alters their relationship with their families: Phoenix obsesses over finding his son's killer at the expense of comforting his wife (the underused Jennifer Connelly) and daughter, while Ruffalo desperately tries to reconnect with his own son before the truth about what he did comes out. Gradually, the two stranger's lives overlap –- Phoenix hires Ruffalo to assist the police investigation into his son's death, Ruffalo’s ex-wife gives Phoenix’s daughter piano lessons -- setting the stage for a confrontation between the two men that you can see coming from the second Phoenix's son is killed. While the plot lacks the nuances that made Fields' two films so engaging, Reservation Road is saved by terrific performances from the two male leads, Ruffalo in particular.

Movie Review: Control

Photographer Anton Corbijn’s debut as a film director is a moody, black-and-white portrait of Joy Division frontman Ian Curtis. Control begins in 1973, when Curtis was a 17-year-old Macclesfield, England, schoolboy obsessed with glam rock and poetry and ends seven years later with his suicide on the eve (literally) of his band’s first U.S. tour. Corbijn, who photographed Joy Division shortly before Curtis’ death, has made a visually stunning, understated film that doesn’t judge the flawed, enigmatic Curtis (played brilliantly by unknown actor Sam Riley). Unlike most music biopics, Control never places its subject on a pedestal; rather, it strips away Curtis’ mystique, which has only grown in the 27 years since his death. Corbijn has made a human, at times hilarious film that stays with you long after the end credits. As far as rock movies go, Control ranks with the best of them.

Today's Two Beers

Moylan’s Moylander Double IPA
This beer's motto is "if one is good, then two is better"; who can argue with that? I don't know much about this Novato, Calif., brewery (I think they have something to do with the Marin Brewing Co., whose beer I have also enjoyed), but most of their brews could be classified as "big," which is fine by me. As far as double IPAs go, the 22-ounce Moylander is very hoppy and very malty but still very drinkable. If you aren't a hophead, don't even bother with this, but if you are, you will probably love this.

Sea Dog Porter
I'm not a big porter guy, but I have loved the fruit beers (blueberry, apricot, raspberry) made by this Maine brewery, so I decided to check this one out. It was good, easy to drink and creamy -- like a lot of other porters I've had. But any beer that has a dog on its label is OK in my book. Woof.

Today's Two Beers

Lagunitas Lucky 13
Both times we had Tom Waits on the cover of MAGNET, our writer and photographer were instructed to fly to California and meet him near his house in Petaluma. Though I know next to nothing about Petaluma, I always assumed it must be a pretty cool place if Tom Waits lives there. So when I first discovered the Lagunitas Brewing Co. a few years ago and learned it was based in Petaluma, I knew that I would like their brews. (I know Tom Waits would not allow shitty beer to be brewed in his backyard.) I was right; I especially dig their IPA Maximus. Lucky 13 celebrates Lagunitas' (duh) 13th anniversary, and it's a limited-edition red ale that comes in a 22-once bottle. It's malty, hoppy and 8.1% alcohol, and you'll want to drink it until closing time.

Bell's Batch 8,000
One of my favorite parts of Paul Kermizian's entertaining documentary American Beer is when they profile Kalamazoo, Mich.-based Bell's Brewery, which was founded in 1983 by Larry Bell. In American Beer, Bell stuck out a bit from the other craft-brewery owners: He was older, kinda nerdy, wore a tie and seemed a bit overly serious ... until he was done giving a tour his brewery and headed down to The Eccentric Cafe (Bell's pub), at which time he became a beer-guzzling, cigarette-smoking, hat-wearing Party Animal. And it was at the moment that I knew I loved Larry Bell and that I was gonna do him proud by trying to taste all his brews. (Still working on that, though I have had most of them.) Batch 8,000 is a limited-edition wheat beer that's fruity, spicy and -- despite its 9% alcohol content -- easy going down.

The Red Sox Win The World Series ... Again

The Red Sox have now won their second World Series in four years. For those of us who were long-time fans before 2004, this just feels wrong. I don't want to be part of a dynasty. Dynasties are why we hate the Yankees. Thank god I'm also a Phillies fan.

Shut Out At The Movies

Residents of Center City Philadelphia are blessed to have the Ritz Theaters, three movie houses showing non-mainstream, arty, foreign and documentary films. Between the three, that's 12 screens, which given the relatively small size of Center City, is pretty amazing. Sure New York and Los Angeles get some adventurous movies that don't play here, but at the Ritz, you rarely have to show up more than 15 minutes ahead of showtime to get a good seat. I can honestly say that when I think of the things that have kept me in Philly my entire adult life, the Ritz is pretty high up on my list. I like movies that don't play the local multiplex, I like seeing movies on the big screen (I don't even have a Netflix account), and I like not having to rearrange my life to see as many movies as I do (an average of about two per week).

Ramon L. Posel, who started the Ritz in 1976, died in 2005. Not surprisingly, the Ritz was bought last March by Landmark Theatres, this country's biggest theater chain devoted to indie movies. I was a little worried, but not much has changed. The same people take my ticket when I go in or pour my soda at the concession stand. They play the same kinds of movies the Ritz has always played. What has changed, however, is that I now realize that I took for granted how smoothly the Ritz was run, especially given that it was a tiny, independently owned company. But now that Landmark has taken over, nothing is simple anymore. Movies start late. The sound is often dreadfully low. The Web site lists upcoming movies that never open and doesn't list movies that do open. The air conditioning at the Ritz Bourse hasn't worked in weeks, and the theaters are hot as hell. They even started selling crap candy and DVDs and books, and they have some promotion involving blue seats that I still don't understand. But whatever, no biggie.

Until today.

We went to see the 5:10 Reservation Road, bought tickets ... and then were told the 5:10 Reservation Road was CANCELED. Huh? I have been going to movies for 30 years, and never once has a movie been canceled. I didn't even realize movies were something that could be canceled. For me, that's like telling a kid the morning of December 25 that Christmas was canceled.

Since we've seen all the films playing on the other 11 screens (save O Jerusalem, which is getting some pretty, pretty, pretty bad reviews), we couldn't even go see another movie. I missed the end of the Eagles game (they won) for nothing.

This wouldn't have happened on Ramon L. Posel's watch, believe me.

Today's Two Beers

Sierra Nevada Harvest Fresh Hop Ale
Sierra Nevada's popular Pale Ale is the second craft brew I ever tried. It was 1993, and I was at a music-conference-related event. I ordered one for two reasons: I had never heard of it before (I like to try new things) and I wasn't paying (I was poor at the time, so I ordered the most expensive beer on the list). From the first sip, I was hooked, and since, I have tried every Sierra Nevada beer I could find. Harvest -- bottled for the first time this year -- is aimed at hopheads like me, and it did not disappoint. Plus, it comes in a 24-ounce bottle, which makes it twice as good.

Magic Hat Roxy Rolles
I've never had a bad beer from this funky Vermont brewery. Roxy Rolles is a somewhat spicy seasonal amber with hints of caramel and lots of delicious hops. Although it's marketed as a winter brew, this is one I would gladly drink any time of the year.

Today's Two Beers

Rogue Imperial India Pale Ale
To me, there is no such thing as too much hops. It's like having too much money. Newport, Ore.-based Rogue Ales is one of my favorite breweries because they mix radical thinking with quality ingredients (and they never use preservatives or chemicals). This intense, complex IPA comes in a 750-ml ceramic bottle and has been known to put hair on peoples' chests. If you like lots of hops, this Rogue's for you.

St George Golden Ale
I've had some very good brews from St George, but this one isn't one of my favorites, maybe because I don't love golden ales. That said, it did have a nice citrusy taste to it, which was pretty enjoyable on a unseasonably warm October night. St George is based in Hampton, Va., which is the hometown of a certain ex-Philadelphia 76er, whose trade last season pretty much made me stop watching them play on a nightly basis.

10 Things I'm Digging

Casey Affleck
This year, the underrated Affleck was the best part of a summer blockbuster (Ocean’s 13), topped Brad Pitt’s most accomplished onscreen performance (The Assassination Of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford) and established himself as a leading man (Gone Baby Gone).

Babyshambles Shotters Nation (Astralwerks) / The Libertines Time For Heroes: The Best Of The Libertines (Rough Trade)
Anyone who’s avoided Pete Doherty’s music because of his frequent, often pathetic brushes with the law has missed out on some of the best stuff coming out of England during the past decade.

A Dirty Carnival
This under-the-radar Korean gangster flick is among the best films I’ve seen in 2007.

Dennis Kucinich
He has no shot at his party’s nomination, but it’s nice see the only Democratic presidential candidate who voted against the Iraq War finally get his message of peace out to the mainstream.

Ben Lee Sings Against Me! New Wave (www.ben-lee.com)
Not every one of these songs works, but who cares? I wish more artists would cover other bands’ albums and make them available as free downloads.

Organic beer
If you think it doesn’t taste better than regular beer, it’s time for a taste-bud transplant. My favorite brands: Bison, Butte Creek, Eel River and Fish Tale.

Frank Rich
The New York Times columnist’s weekly dismantling of the Bush administration is a thing of beauty.

Bruce Springsteen “Girls In Their Summer Clothes” and “Your Own Worst Enemy” from Magic (Columbia)
Who knew the Boss sounding like Stephin Merritt would be a good thing?

Various Artists Drive XV: A Tribute To Automatic For The People (Stereogum)
The Wrens, the Veils, Dr. Dog, Rogue Wave, Dappled Cities, Shout Out Louds, Figurines and others interpret one of last decade’s finest albums.

Robert Wyatt Comicopera (Domino)
There’s a term that refers to people’s ability to recognize something while being unable to describe it: elephant test. I recognize that Comicopera is brilliant, though I’m unable to describe it.