Void of Compassion, Priest Denies Lesbian Communion

I just read an article posted on Advocate.com about a catholic priest at St. John Neumann Catholic Church  in Gaithersburg, Md. that denied a woman communion at her mother's funeral.  He said "I cannot give you communion because you live with a woman and that is a sin according to the church."

Read the article: Priest's Actions Against Lesbian Stir Uproar

Immediately upon reading this I became enraged. It's this priest's brand of self-righteous arrogance, his literal 'holier-than-thou' attitude that has made me an Atheist.  I mean really, who do these people think they are?  Do they really think they're better than other people?  Is that what their god teaches them, that they've been elevated above the rest of us?  What a crock of shit.  I hope this priest, Father Marcel Guarnizo, experiences the kind of rejection, humiliation and emotional pain he subjected this woman to during her mother's funeral.  He deserves nothing less.

Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011)

Rise of the Planet of the Apes

(2011) directed by Rupert Wyatt and starring James Franco, John Lithgow and Andy Serkis

Spoiler Alert! This review of Rise of the Planet of the Apes includes references to specific scenes and plot points.

This is a brilliant story idea with just enough "I almost believe that could happen" mixed in to make you really ponder the future and wonder about what's going on behind closed laboratory doors.

And before I go any further I have to say that Andy Serkis as Caesar the chimpanzee is absolutely amazing. Andy deserved an Oscar nomination for his work. When will the Oscars catch up with technology and modern film making techniques and recognize performances like Andy's, or maybe Ed Asner for perfectly voicing Carl Fredricksen in Up? Maybe there should be a category for "Best Performance During Which You Didn't Actually See The Actor"...

Second best performance in the film goes to John Lithgow for his portrayal of the father of lead character Will (James Franco), and suffers Alzheimer's disease, which is the reason for Will's research at Gen-Sys. So, in a way I guess we can blame the near-complete destruction of the human race on John Lithgow. I always suspected he'd be the one. James Franco is weak as the leading man, often seen with a bit of a scowl or in a huff when he thinks someone is messing with his research or Caesar. In fact, in many scenes a cardboard cutout of Franco would have sufficed.

There are several flawed plot points. Are we really to believe that a high tech lab with a professional primate handler wouldn't detect that a test chimp was pregnant when she entered the lab? And what about Jamie Harris's teeth? He plays a slightly slow handler at the primate sanctuary and his teeth are a blinding Hollywood white.

In a closing scene the cops are positioned at the north end of the Golden Gate Bridge armed to the teeth with automatic weapons prepared to fire south on the approaching apes. But behind the apes, fleeing in the opposite direction, are the people from the vehicles abandoned on the bridge. Are the cops going to open fire on the apes and risk shooting the humans behind them? Yes, they are. Speaking of the bridge scene, the gorilla leaping from the deck of the GGB into the helicopter that's hovering nearby was fabulously over the top.

The most terrifying part of the entire film is the closing credits and here's why - it makes clear just how vulnerable our technology has made us. One person infected with a fatal virus flies from San Francisco to Paris, along the way infecting other travelers bound for other parts of the world. It's frightening to see right in front of you how easily a virus could be spread creating a global pandemic that could decimate the human race.

Find the film on Wikipedia here and on IMDb here as well as its official website here.

Colombiana (2011)

Columbiana

(2011) directed by Olivier Megaton and starring Zoe Saldana, Cliff Curtis & Michael Vartan

"I want to be a killer," says the nine year old child sitting at the table eating breakfast, "can you help me?" "Sure," says her uncle. A few minutes later he's registered her for public school, she protests saying that the school can't teach her what she wants to know. In response her uncle pulls out a very shiny silver handgun and opens fire on a car coming down the street. As sirens are heard in the distance he tells her that it's not as simple as pulling a trigger, that she must first learn about life and then forces her to chose between the gun and her backpack. She chooses the backpack and they stroll away as police cars roar up on the accident behind them. Sure, that all makes perfect sense...

The action sequences are really well choreographed - the opening chase scene through the streets of Bogota will make your heart race - but they're not good enough to make up for the horrible script, and I do mean horrible, as in pure crap. I can almost say that there's not one original bone in this film's body, but I've never seen a toothbrush used as a weapon. Other than that, it's just one ridiculous cliche after another. The direction is as bad as, if not worse than, the script. Put them together in a scene that's just dialogue and it's excruciating to watch.

Unfortunate for the film is that its highlight is the song playing over the closing credits - "Hurt" by Johnny Cash.  Unfortunate for the song is that it's associated with this film.

Thai Flavor in Syracuse, NY

Never ones to say 'no' to Thai food we decided to reap the benefits of a recent explosion of Thai restaurants in the Syracuse area and selected Thai Flavor, located at 2861 Erie Boulevard East between Thompson Road and Midler Avenue, for lunch.

The restaurant exceeded our expectations on every level.  The decor was classy yet comfortable and inviting, the service prompt and polite, and the food outstanding.  We started with Mock Duck Satay ($5), described as "aromatic gluten grilled on skewers with cucumber salad and peanut sauce", and Fried Bean Curd ($4), which is fried tofu and was served with a sweet chili sauce and ground peanuts.  The mock duck was savory and made sweet by the peanut sauce. The accompanying salad of diced cucumber and red onion in a sweet vinegar was refreshing.  Light airy triangles of fried tofu dipped into chili sauce that started sweet before heating up were just right.

For entrees I chose Pad Thai Shrimp ($13) and Lu had Thai Curry Noodle Seafood ($15), which is steamed egg noodles with shrimp, mussels, scallop, squid and vegetables in a spicy red curry sauce.  Both were generous portions bursting with flavor.  My shrimp were grilled to tender juicy perfection, and Lu's dish was loaded with mussels, shrimp, squid and scallops.

Our total bill was $40 including tax, which seemed like a steal considering that we were both in agreement that the experience was much better than places we've been that charged twice as much.  We will certainly return to try some of the other menu options.  I work nearby and was thinking this would be a great place for lunch, so you can imagine how happy I was to discover that they offer a $9 3-course prix fix lunch during the week!

Check out their website, Thai Flavor, and on Yelp; and then make plans to enjoy some amazing Thai food at Thai Flavor.

Sarah Dash's New Single: "I'm Still Here"

I'm embarrassed to say that before her appearance last Friday on The Morning Jolt with Larry Flick (SiriusXM OutQ108) I wasn't familiar with Sarah Dash.  Dash started singing in Philadelphia in the late 50's with The Ordettes, which became The Bluebelles before becoming Patti LaBelle and the Bluebelles.  In 1971 the group changed its name one last time to LaBelle, and in 1978 Sarah released her first solo effort, a self titled album that included the top-ten disco hit "Sinner Man".  Check out Sarah's page on Wikipedia for more information.

After hearing Sarah's interview with Larry and a couple of tracks off her soon-to-be-released CD, The Seventh Child, I could only think that she may very well be the most overlooked diva in recent R&B history. Her brand of sassy, soulful wisdom was beautiful.  That's the best word to describe her as a person and an artist - beautiful.

I immediately jumped on iTunes and downloaded her new single, "I'm Still Here", which tells a tale of triumph and survival.  We've all gone through events in our life that we thought would surely destroy us, but from somewhere deep inside we found a strength we didn't know we had and rose from the ashes stronger and wiser for the experience.  It's the essence, the soul, of this experience that Ms. Dash has captured so beautifully.  This song moved me the very first time I heard it, and that doesn't happen easily or often.  I strongly encourage you to give it a listen.

On a side note, I adore Larry Flick and his show, The Morning Jolt, which he hosts weekdays at 7 am on SiriusXM OutQ108 with comedian Keith Price.  Larry has reminded me of so much music I'd forgotten about, but more important is that he's introduced me to new music from both established and new artists.  Thank you for doing what you do and being you who you are, Larry!

You can follow Sarah Dash on Twitter at @SarahDash, and Larry Flick at @LarryFlick.