Crash and Hamburger Mary's

The other night, I went to meet my friend, Joyce, at an art showing. She's a local artist who works with, among other things, fused glass. I liked her work so much that I've asked her to make the jewelry for my wedding party. She has her work--paintings and some really cool shadow boxes--on display at this place called Hamburger Mary's. You can eat there. They have really good food. It's one of those little hole-in-the-wall type of places that looks like the health board should've closed it down ages ago on the outside, but has some pretty decent decor on the inside. The moment I stepped into the place, I immediately noticed that it wasn't the usual burger joint/bar.

The music should've been my first clue: the techno-remix crap that practically screams polyester shirt with a butterfly collar. Or the all male servers that had a more feminine walk than me. Or the same sex couples that littered the tables. I think what really tipped me off were the two drag queens strolling around. They never walk, they stroll. Or strut. They'd be doing that later, seeing as how it was Fat Tuesday and they were going to be having all sorts of shows. Don't get me wrong, straight people are welcome there, too. And I have nothing against gays or lesbians. One of my good friends is gay and has the best sense of humor in the entire universe. Definitely one of those I'm-going-to-have-to-put-this-place-in-my-book-somewhere kind of place.

Later on that night, Steven and I watched the movie Crash. I would have to say that this is the 3rd or 4th movie I've watched that I never intended to see in the first place. There are two categories of movies I won't see: 1) horror and 2) just not interested. #1 is a given and something I will never ever budge on. If you want me to see a horror movie with you, you're gonna have to slip me a Valium and tie me to the chair, because it just. ain't. happenin'. #2 probably has more to do with my perception of the trailers I see than the actors/actressess playing in the movie. I see the trailers, read the plot, and decide it's not something I want to see. And yet...somewhere down the line, I end up watching this type of movie and liking it. The Green Mile, Stir of Echoes, Murder in the First, Shawshank Redemption, Million Dollar Baby, the movie with Bruce Willis and Samuel L. Jackson that's along the same lines as The Sixth Sense, Firewall, and now Crash fall into this category. I had no inclination to see Crash when it came out in the movie theater, but Steven's best friend, Josh (who really should've been Roger Ebert's new sidekick) kept talking about it, so Steven moved it up on his NetFlix list

I was floored to see Ludacris (looking younger and playing against type), Ryan Phillipe and Brendan Fraser (where the hell have they been lately?). Truly though, I enjoyed this movie. I liked how the story connected all the major characters in a six-degrees-of-separation kind of way, even as the characters never really connected. If that makes sense. It was worth it to step outside my little "movie box", watch something different and be pleasantly surprised.