Buffa's Buffet, Vol. 83: Strike talk, Emmy love for Bernthal, a classy cinema house in St. Louis, and those frigging Cardinals
While it reloads on compassion, St. Louis shows off plenty of passion for the arts, a way to beat the summer heat.
Days like today throw me off, weather wise. I rise with the sun, folks, delivering my first toilet well before the early onset of morning rush hour. But following a blistering thunderstorm inside a heat wave, they start out with an eerily humid but not overwhelmingly awful warmth in the early morning, and it holds up past noon.
Once again, the temperature and feel can flip on a dime in this town, from 96 to 73 inside a couple hours after some storms move through. And then, right around 1 p.m., the sun came out to play.
When it comes to sweating and the broken faucet leaks from the forehead, you get used to it after a while. The shower towel that I carry becomes heavier, gaining pounds with the accumulated perspiration. By the time 3:30 rolls around, I am ready to flee to my air-conditioned car. Please, no matter what happens in this globally warmed state, don’t stop appreciating that chilly car air.
If hot showers are winter’s escape, the almost-too-cold-but-fuck-it cold that hits you inside the car a few minutes after ignition matches its comfort. 717 calories burned, 12,558 steps, and 10 flights climbed (according to my savvy Apple watch) later… I’m firmly planted in this chair ready to unload a few topics.
Starting with my favorite Jewish soul in the world getting some recognition.
AN EMMY NOMINATION FOR MIKEY BEAR
Jon Bernthal scored a well-deserved nomination for ONE scene of work on season 1 of Hulu’s The Bear.
Playing the central character’s deceased older brother, Bernthal opened up the sixth episode with flashback scene from the young Berzatto family kitchen, spinning a funny tale about a stockbroker bar and meeting Bill “fucking” Murray.
The guest star nomination was one of 13 nominations for the incredible comedy-drama hybrid that released its second season last month. Bernthal’s role expanded in season two, playing a full supporting role in the sixth episode of the second season. There’s a strong chance that episode, Fishes, grabs another nomination for Bernthal.
Few actors can convey that much charisma in such a short amount of time. He makes you want to not only have known Michael, but wish you were his close friend. Nobody wants Carmen’s (Jeremy Allen White, also nominated) pain, but they would like a taste of his joy.
THE STRIKE IS OFFICIAL
This morning, SAG-AFTRA went on strike. The actors union denied the studios and streamers another extension, one that even brought a federal mediator in to try and solve the riddle. They failed. All movies and television shows will cease filming in the coming days, and actors/actresses will not be permitted to participate in any sort of promotion for completed projects.
They join the already-on-strike writers, who have complained for decades about unfair compensation amid a growing economy of entertainment. We’re in a different world now, gone after the exclusive Friday release. Now, new films with big stars hit streamers any day of the calendar, and they swing a heavy stick. All the writers want is fair compensation. Actors have fought and will continue to do so for wages until the end of time, but they’re also fighting the onset of A.I.
In other words, an actor’s likeness being created with computer software--something that can also produce a whole script. During my short-lived tenure as a copywriter, a friend showed me a new-ish site called CHAT GPT. You could plug a few words in, and receive an entire story, edited and ready.
Creatives are bracing for that storm, asking for compensation that equals the unique talent they bring to the game. I don’t want an A.I. produced script, something that was composited through a bevy of stats and moods mixed to a certain persuasion. Give me something that HAD to be written, as if the person writing it couldn’t afford to do anything else with the time.
Good for them. Being an avid rewatcher of film, I am fine with a stoppage in play. It’s something that is being chosen by the creatives, so let’s see what comes out of it.
THE HI-POINTE THEATER CARRIES AN INDIE SPIRIT
After acquiring the local favorite, Hi-Pointe Theater, earlier this year, Cinema St. Louis has slowly steered the focus of the establishment back in a unique direction.
In an interview with the Riverfront Times, Cinema St. Louis executive director Bree Maniscalco spoke about acquiring the beloved movie house from George and Georgia James and their plans for the types of movies to be seen at the Hi-Pointe. In a break from what was being shown there-a diverse mix of cinema that included mainstream movies-Maniscalco says the Hi-Pointe will be a second-run theater.
Typically, films open up and have a pre-planned run in theaters. But those agreements are expensive and binding in an uncomfortable way for a place that wants to appeal to all sorts of film lovers. By showing movies that were released weeks ago, they’re giving indie darlings a second wind while allowing filmgoers the chance to avoid the crazy big crowds of larger theaters.
The Hi-Pointe Theater is housed in the eastern strip of Richmond Heights, a growing area that includes Hi-Pointe Drive-In and the newly opened Hi-Pointe Cannabis. Their hope is to retain some of the intimacy that made the theater a comfortable place for escapism, while getting creative with special weekend showings.
Before John Wick: Chapter Four came out, Hi-Pointe showed the first three films in a marathon. Before Wes Anderson’s new film could open, they showed a collection of his greatest hits. Keep an eye out this summer for more unique showings, something that St. Louis didn’t have this time last year.
BE NICE, OR DON’T BE A DICK
The options seem simple, but many complicate matters. The choice to be nice or an asshat is presented to us daily. By the time we pull our bodies from soft, warm beds and go to work, all of our internal mechanisms are firing on every cylinder. It’s hot, humid, cold, uncomfortable, windy, snowy, rainy, etc. Add that to our own battles and previous night, and it’s easy to lash out at strangers.
Please don’t. Push it down. Act like you have answers somewhere in that head. Don’t be the guy who cuts someone off in traffic, or the woman who treats her car like a slow-moving rowboat heading down the highway at 45 mph. When in person at a gas station or fast food restaurant, it’s perfectly fine to put up a smile if you’re in customer service. Your day could suck, but why should they be punished for the fries being stale?
The world’s gotten itself in a hurry, and in the process have grown quite resentful of each other. That’s the general feeling around town, and due to the day job, I do get around. The nice souls, and the cool ones too, make things better. Tomorrow is another day to turn it all around.
THE CARDINALS ARE A TALE OF TWO CITIES
On one hand, the Cards acquire MVP-caliber talent via trade. Granted, Paul Goldschmidt and Nolan Arenado were acquired in December and January, respectively, but they were brought in to create wins in clutch times.
And then on the other hand, they decide to invest big money (for them) in Steven Matz, Miles Mikolas, and a declining Adam Wainwright. All the while, the team remains in a hissy-fit type back and forth with ace-wannabe Jack Flaherty.
What’s happening is the waste of Arenado and Goldschmidt’s golden years; just look at last year. Goldschmidt won the NL MVP, and his third baseman teammate came in third. Yet, the team couldn’t muster a win come playoff time. Each superstar couldn’t do much in October, but they need help.
Bill DeWitt Jr. and John Mozeliak tease fans with big offseason moves, and then do next to nothing come trade time. Acquiring Jordan Montgomery for Harrison Bader was sly, but the former isn’t going to be here long-term. On the other hand, Bader is set to stick around in New York. St. Louis’s big offseason acquisition, Willson Contreras, is hitting .240 at the break.
Misdirection yields frustrating results for people asking to open their wallet for DeWallet.
One more thing. The baby of the Buffa household, Jasper Buffa, underwent some minor knee surgery this week. The fiery ten-pound chihuahua can’t be stopped, already jumping and running on the knee. What would take Tyler O’Neill six weeks to do took Jasper just six hours. If you’re a good pet owner, they begin to feel like children as they age. Salute to that. Pet saver, I am.
That’s all I have for now. Stay cool and safe. As I used to say on the Frank O. Pinion Show, I’m Dan Buffa and I’ve had enougha.