Buffa’s Buffet: 5 things on my mind

Let's talk and unwind on a chilly Friday evening.

Coming back from a vacation can be like returning from a dream. The ordinary tasks of house upkeep, work schedules, and the little things we do via habit when we’re at home. All of that comes back in an instant. 

As the plane touched down last night at 8pm, the rush of responsibility returned. After walking all over Las Vegas for three days and spending more money than a casual gambler, though, I was ready to return. After all, I’m a homebody and prefer the ebb and flow of a week day. 

A few days have passed, so let’s get into a few things. First off, I have a bone to pick with a local theater.

For the people who are waiting for the Tivoli in the Delmar Loop to reopen, don’t hold your breath. Attention, One Church Group. We’re talking about you. After purchasing the longtime independent theater during the pandemic with the goal of keeping the movies rolling, the group has since closed the theater. 

Did they lie? Not really. They most likely bought the theater with the idea of restoring/continuing a tradition, but the costs and workload scared them off. Or, they asked their imaginary friend in the sky if it would be alright to play a movie where a man’s skin is peeled off, and the investors said no thanks. Either way, I think it’s toast. 

That’s why the news of another local theater, the Hi-Pointe Theater and Backlot, being bought by Cinema St. Louis, a nonprofit organization built around the adoration of film, was such good news. They played the new film, “When You’re Finished Saving The World,” last week. Being in a busy intersection and having a beloved burger shop down the road should aid their business. 

We need those small indie theaters. The AMC and Marcus behemoths are fine and all, but there has to be a place with great popcorn and a hint of nostalgia. The Tivoli is gone, going the way of the Shady Oak. Hi-Pointe is still hanging in. Go see a movie there. Say hello to Chris and Bree. Buy some of the best popcorn in town. 

Here’s something wild yet true. Going private on Twitter could increase visibility for your account. A new trend is users making their accounts private, a tool that allows only the people you follow and follow you to see and interact with your tweets. 

For me, it’s great because the trolls and bots are deleted or should struggle to see your tweets. It also makes your thread more exclusive, like something people have to request to see. New follows have to be approved, and you end up seeing tweets from people you follow, instead of Elon Musk showing you words from people and brands you couldn’t care about. 

After going private yesterday, I can tell you it’s having a good effect. I’ve seen more interaction due to the people following me being able to see my stuff and the same for me. Private in this case means a more isolated stream of news and opinions. Give it a shot. 

Random question seen on Twitter: Who is the best sports broadcaster of all time? 

One Answer: JACK BUCK. 

That’s it. The answer is simple. He’s the first voice I think of, and that’s for more than a single sport. The man could announce and document the game of baseball to a group of monks, but he could call a football game seamlessly as well. Before his talented son Joe called Sunday and now Monday night NFL action, it was Jack calling a Super Bowl once upon a time. He didn’t do it full time, but he could have. 

Buck could call hockey or basketball too. He could call a busy situation at Starbucks, or give play by play details of a Black Friday incident. 

“We’re live from a Walmart here in Maplewood. On a night where the biggest flat screens and electronics are at people’s fingertips, there’s a young man over here posting up next to the DVDs. With a sale of a lifetime on generators, Johnny isn’t leaving without that Star Wars collection. We’ll be right back with the manager, and what he plans on doing about civilians being trampled.”

Buck could do anything. Rest in peace, king. 

A great television series is getting a second season, and a spin-off as well. “The Terminal List” was highly underrated during its first season, released this past year on Amazon Prime. Novelist Jack Carr’s adapted story of a betrayed Navy Seal Captain (Chris Pratt) who loses his whole team after an ambush, which starts to put his own life and his family’s lives in danger. 

Costarring a very good Taylor Kitsch and Jeanne Tripplehorn, the show followed Reece as he tries to uncover a global conspiracy that could include one too many surprises and betrayals. It’s Kitsch’s Ben Edwards (a friend and former Seal teammate to Reece) who is getting a spin-off series. 

The eight episode first season was perfect, and a lot of Carr books remain, so the story ideas shouldn’t run dry any time soon. All I want is a more dark Pratt. Keep the dark shades of gray in character choice coming. He’s got the action star goods down to a science, but I think he can do so much more. Flip that charisma pancake completely over.

It’s the necessary tweak to his action hero persona. We can’t trust his Reece, but we care about what happens to him. That’s what drives the show.

Amazon Studios

“Goodfellas” is still an intoxicating experience, 33 years later. The true test of a movie’s strength is the test of time. Nothing kicks our ass more than the clock. A reminder of a movie’s power is how its message or overall display of entertainment can pack a punch decades later. An intimate gathering of 60 film fans gathered at Galleria 6 Cinemas on Thursday night to revisit-or in some cases, for the first time-Martin Scorsese’s amazing 1990 picture.

We laughed, cried, hollered, and got angry in the same parts. I watched it with my dad at Kenrick, and it struck me hard in the chest before “Heat” ever showed up. “Goodfellas” was the first movie I saw in my lifetime that stood with greatness. It had that BEST kind of quality. It should have won Best Picture, Academy.

Rent it at your home, but just know you missed out on some coolness last night in Richmond Heights. I haven’t promoted an event this hard since Joey Puleo made a documentary about The Hill. Don’t tell me you didn’t know about it. Please follow me on social media for all instant film-related opinions and insights: (@) buffa82.

One more, albeit random, thing. I find it cool that Isiah Whitlock Jr. and Ray Liotta shared scenes in two different movies. “Goodfellas” and next month’s “Cocaine Bear.” Rest in peace, Liotta.

Yeah, you can say that about dead people. They’re gone and made it to the end, whether it was too early or not. We’re all going, so make the best of it. Hopefully at the end, one can find peace.

If there was a true quarterback in Scorsese’s film, it was Liotta. He was George Harrison in The Beatles. Robert De Niro and Joe Pesci had the flashier roles, but Ray dominated his Tom Brady-type role.

Goodnight, folks. Sweet dreams. Smoke some cannabis. It’s recreationally legal now in Missouri. The crime rate will continue to fall, and moods will rise in the Midwest once again.

Oh, I turned 41 today. After being told by a rugged Arnold Schwarzenegger at a young age to “stick around,” I’m just following orders.