Buffa’s Buffet: 'The Bear' is back, Fake-mourning billionaires, appreciating Jennifer Lawrence, and trimming the cord with the Cardinals
5 things on my mind, starting now.
Nobody cares. A line immortalized by Robert De Niro’s A Bronx Tale gets plenty of mileage in everyday life, like a relentless reminder that the goodness in people is overmatched by their survival instinct. It’s been a minute, but the buffet is open.
LET JAMES CAMERON HANG WITH THE TITANIC
Nobody really cared that five billionaires chose to flip $250,000 at the chance to float right next to the Titanic. Trust me, they really didn’t care about these over-indulgent humans who were flattened like a pancake when their tiny sub imploded due to the ocean pressure. James Cameron did it 33 times, but I can guarantee you his equipment, scientists, and team were better by miles. Ocean Gate, or whatever it’s called, formed the Walmart/IKEA special offer thrill ride that ends up broken.
Before we get into the St. Louis Cardinals shitting the bed like jet-lagged tourists in London this weekend, remember we operate in a world of choice. Believe in whatever religion that gets you through the day and makes life seem less cruel, but our hands are on the joystick here. We can spend $250 on a doomed vacation, or start a small company with that dough. Use it on something useful. Choice determines this, not common sense.
CARDINALS REACHING GROUND FLOOR
Any common sense would instruct a Cardinals fan to look away from the 2023 season. Recall the golden era of this city’s team, instead of the embarrassment that is currently getting ass-whooped by the Chicago Cubs in London. An overseas debacle that will pull the team closer to a “must sell” mode when the trade deadline arrives in a little under five weeks.
When your only success comes against the very lowly Washington Nationals and the Cubs seem like an obstacle, things are dire. The team will make moves in the next month, but nothing will help this team in 2023. Shedding salary, regrouping for next year, and finding a glimpse of hope is all Cardinal Nation can hope for.
It’s been coming, right? A full rebuild is not in order, and won’t be until John Mozeliak doesn’t run the team anymore. But moving a few pieces around and shuffling the chairs on the deck will be what this team does. Perhaps some bigger action in the offseason.
But this team will be a non-factor until they rebuild their front office, coaching staff, and finally hire a manager with actual MLB experience. How’s hiring three straight managers with zero MLB games managed doing for you, Mr. Mozeliak? How is undermining every inexperienced manager you hire out of the gate with an underdeveloped and weak rotation holding up?
If you really enjoy baseball, keep watching. Somewhere along the line, I decided it wasn’t healthy for me to continue to watch every game. Until Mozeliak makes better choices with his roster moves, I’ll make better choices with my time.
Understand this, though: Nothing changes if the seats at Busch Stadium keep being filled. If the attendance doesn’t take a hit-merchandise and overall sales staying near the roof-the team won’t change their tactics. Book it.
THANK YOU, MS. LAWRENCE
I didn’t book my flight to see the new Jennifer Lawrence film, and it wasn’t a good move. I’m a big J-Law fan, but the day job kicks my ass some days and last Tuesday was one of those. But I applaud one of my favorites for signing on the dotted line to star in a raunchy, R-rated comedy.
No Hard Feelings won’t change cinema, but it could remind the rule-makers out there that creating a simplistic yet hilarious (the film is scoring well on RT) production around the star power of one lady isn’t a bad idea. Say no to the intergalactic space odyssey series that will cost $350 million, and just give us Lawrence teaching the rigors of romance and sex to a teenager for 90 minutes.
Great movies don’t have to be packed with morals, meaning, and lasting discussion. Sometimes, watching a grown woman figure out her own problems by helping someone else is all the fuel required for a good trip.
Go see No Hard Feelings. I will. Again, I prefer chasing down the movies these days, instead of the other way around.
THE BEAR RETURNS WITHOUT LOSING A STEP
A great television show must have two integral things: writing and acting. The two work together like water and wine. One could argue that it was the action or fighting on my two favorite shows of all time-Banshee and Kingdom-that made them extra special or a lasting delight. Wrong. They were terrifically written shows that grew taller with great performances.
Hulu’s The Bear is reaching those TV show adoration levels in its second season, which debuted Thursday. Ten episodes, a two episode bump up from the first season, that push on the story of the Berzattos and their embattled restaurant in Chicago.
There will be more words on this season once I finish it (and then rewatch it), but I can tell you Jeremy Allen White, Ayo Edebiri, Abby Elliott, Liza Colon-Zayas, Lionel Boyce, and company are creating another masterpiece of a season. Creator Christopher Storer injects all kinds of Chi-town shoutouts into the episodes, including song choice and beautiful shots of the Windy City in motion.
At the heart of this kitchen-centered tale is the struggle we all face. The task of creating a life that combines JOY and PURPOSE into a concoction that keeps us happy and hungry, making the aging process unpredictable instead of tepid. What Carmen Berzatto (White couldn’t be better) does with knives, I do with words here and my body on the day job. The endgame is the same: be happy and fulfilled, as often as you can.
The Bear also gives me small yet premium doses of one of my favorite actors, Jon Bernthal. Let it rip, Mr. Storer.
THE LOU NEEDS TO GET A CLUE
I love my city, dearly. So much that my third tattoo will be a personal tribute to St. Louis, a place I’ve spent the majority of my life living around. But one can’t ignore the awful news clips of violence, death, and overall aggression that circulates daily. The latest action will make a dog lover wince.
Local musician Ellen Cook was watching a movie in her home this past week when a drive-by shooting left 19 bullets in her home. A few of those hit her lovely door, with two of them remaining inside even after surgery.
Cook and her husband, Eric, escaped the attack safely. But they have no idea why someone would want to harm them or their animals. The motive behind the attack is unclear: wrong house, random act, or something in between? All of it makes no sense and maintains the dark cloud of shit hanging over this town.
While homicide rates have decreased, the overall violence rate has not. Shooting a dog steps on a vein that few others can touch. That animal was wrapped up in a sea of coziness, before a shattering array of lead smashed all of that up. It infuriates me, and helps one understand why so many have left the city for the county.
As someone who drives around St. Louis county five days a week, I can tell you it’s calmer and quieter out there, serene even. You wouldn’t have to worry in O’Fallon, Missouri or Chesterfield about someone shooting random bullets into your home.
Stay safe, my friends. Until next time, the buffet is closed.