Jason watches BEER WARS: LIVE (on a 3 hour tape delay because I'm on the west coast)

Mmmm...beer, the cause of--and solution to--all of life's problems.


So last night I met some friends in Hayward to down a few brews at Buffalo Bill's and then watch the one-night only (courtesy of Fathom Events) screening of BEER WARS, followed by a panel discussion with the director and a few of the craft brewers from the film (moderated by Ben Stein). Everywhere else in the country this was simulcast live with their world premiere in LA, but on the west coast it was on a 3 hour tape delay so it would start at a more appropriate time (8 pm instead of 5 pm).


The movie sets up a classic David vs. Goliath scenario, small craft brewers trying to survive and even thrive in a world controlled by the big 3 (Anheiser Busch, Miller, and Coors). So of course it's a compelling story with heroes who are easy to like. And the audience had a good time cheering for their favorite beers (that guying whooping it up for Stone Brew and especially Arrogant Bastard Ale was...me).

I suppose a more balance critique would point out flaws in the movie. I didn't really get a good sense of what the 3 tier system is (how exactly are brewers, distributors, and retailers kept separate?). And I think it would be interesting to look at some of small craft brewers who failed. Given ~1,500 different breweries in the U.S., it's surprising that nearly all the craft brewers they mentioned were ones I knew about, and they're ones that are at least surviving the Beer Wars and finding their little niche. But overall, it was a fun movie, and I was way too drunk to be making critical observations like that.

The panel discussion afterwards was...okay. I probably could've skipped it, but it was nice to spend a little extra time with some of the more entertaining personalities from the movie. The guy from Dogfish Head brewery was pretty funny, and I got to hear Ben Stein talk about Arrogant Bastard ale. Oh yeah, Ben Stein was an odd choice to lead the panel, and it was weird at times to see Richard Nixon's speechwriter challenge craft brewers on their views of success (essentially, isn't their ultimate goal to be bigger and have more market share? So why should they be so dismissive of the big 3?) But that's just part of Stein's charm, that he can live in so many worlds.

Jason watches "Death Note II: the Last Name"

Thanks to Fathom Events, I got to see the sequel to the manga adaptation I saw at Asianfest.  First, a few notes.  First, it was projected on digital video instead of film.  Probably doesn't make much difference to most people, but there's a clear difference from the front row.  Not distracting, but a distinct step down in look from the film version I saw of part I.  Second, after the credits it included a special bonus making-of video, which wasn't really that special.  Fanboys will like it, but I was bored, tired, and just wanted to go home.  Third, it was dubbed instead of subtitled.  This was the only distracting part, as it had been so long since I've seen a dubbed movie (everything in film festivals is subtitled).  I have no idea if it was bad dubbing or good dubbing, but dubbing definitely made it cheesier. 

Okay, as for the story.  As we ended part 1, Light Yagami (Kira, the deadly force of justice with a death note) was just meeting and teaming up with L, the brilliant detective tasked with tracking down Kira.  Meanwhile, a second Death Note is given to Misa Amane, a young singer who witnessed her whole family die.  She's Kira's biggest fan, and starts killing not just criminals but anyone who criticizes Kira (and she goes by the name of Kira II).  She's also sold half her life in order to get Shirigami eyes, which let her see people's true names.  Light is horrified by her murders, but intrigued that if she can arrange for her to meet L, he can learn his true name and kill him.  So an intense cat-and-mouse game begins.  Surprising twists always (usually) kept me guessing, and it was really a brilliant, clever way to wrap everything up.   I'm definitely glad I saw it.  Although I haven't gotten around to reading the manga or seeing the anime yet.

Jason watches "First Blood"

Aka, the good Rambo movie. I guess I should've let my readers know, thanks to Fathom Events this played one show only, one night only (last night) at select theaters across the country. It opened with a ~20 minute interview with Stallone, then the movie, then the alternate ending. I'll go ahead and assume everyone knows the movie (if not, you can find it anywhere). In the alternate ending, Rambo dies and there are now sequels. Awesome.

Next Fathom Event--Death Note, for two nights only, May 20 and 21. I saw it at SFIAAFF, it was awesome (although rumor has it not as awesome as the manga).