Bites, Camera, Fashion: Bites, Camera, Fashion is a column from Davey McNelly, who is disabled, likes films and makes poor choices while trying to simplify his life.
What better way to celebrate some water falling from the skies than to see “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice,” where blood and goo is sprayed upwards from the ground? And why not take your children and two of their friends to Casa Nueva beforehand? What could go wrong?
Like most of my opinions, this may not be very popular. Take a moment and take a deep breath.
Bites
Pull up a chair. Huddle around everyone. We’re going to get through this together. Here’s the thing about Casa Nueva. Sometimes it is really really really really good. And sometimes you take a bite of queso and realize it is a WHOLE ONION SLICED ONION RING STYLE MIXED IN LUKEWARM CHEESE. Then you wonder what the hell is going on back there in the kitchen.
As my 9-year-old says, “It’s not how it’s supposed to be, but it tastes good.”
And it’s true — Casa uses good ingredients. As my oldest kid’s friend said, ordering his kid’s quesadilla, “I read on the website that everything is organic.” That’s what Athens does to kids: Make them care about ingredient sourcing.
And this intermittent reinforcement (as my friend Will puts it) is the best way of getting repeat customers. Don’t be consistently good, be inconsistently great.
The seasonal tacos with tofu have been my go-to recently. My oldest daughter liked her half seasonal burrito. Casa’s tofu is always good. One taco is actually plenty of food for me, and I am always on the look out for a cheap meal. My youngest daughter’s friend ordered a beef and jalapeno quesadilla and predictably thought it was too spicy.
Camera
Okay, here goes: I didn’t think the acting was very good.
Is Winona Ryder typecast, or can she now only play a concerned mother? Acting in so many episodes of “Stranger Things” to that poor malnourished boy may have scarred her range forever.
Is Danny Devito still alive? Not in this movie.
Jenna Ortega? She was a little drab.
Willem Dafoe? He should only act in films by Scandinavian directors. They get his darkness.
Perhaps my greatest heresy of all? Even Catherine O’Hara didn’t stand out.
Honestly, the movie was a bit of a slog until Beetleguese came into the picture. Thank god for Michael Keaton. Finally! Someone having some fun? Yes, please!
And the villain, played by Arthur Conti, is just another boy with good hair and a vinyl collection who thinks that because he is hot he can go around murdering everyone. Keep an eye out, people of Athens. We have plenty of these men with no discernible skills failing upwards despite women obviously being preferable. Let’s at least keep it from getting murderous.
And the plot? It centers around marriage. I encourage everyone to give it a try one time. I know I did. Unfortunately, unlike last weekend, where I married two of my best friends as their officiant, these ones are not good matches.
Here I am presiding over my friends’ much-sunnier wedding.
The best thing about the movie? You really feel for Beetleguese. He is managing a bunch of small-headed monsters in some sort of call center for the dead. So a dead end job (get it?). With his gravely voice, too-quick head movements, and absurdist tendencies, he breathes life into a pedestrian plot. Unlike his ex-wife, who breathes in souls.
The guy really goes all out for his now middle-aged love, Winona Ryder. He’s no longer a pedophile! In fact, he saves her daughter. In the best part of the movie, he orchestrates an amazing wedding dance sequence centered around the song MacArthur Park by Richard Harris. It is truly brilliant, and where Tim Burton is best — the man can’t film a plot, but he can film a music video. Melting green cake and all.
I’m not ready to get married right now, but if I was I would consider going on a date with Beetlegeuse due to all his reformed behavior. Let’s reward men when they actually change.
Fashion
I brought a giant blanket with me into the theater. Normally, this is okay at the Athena. There aren’t that many people around. You might be one of 10 people. I think this is partly why I am allowed to bring in so much food, other than the Athena’s continued decision to not become ADA compliant.
Fashion note: Please don’t forget to wear your pro-Palestinian keffiyah, buttons, and other items and keep putting pressure on politicians to stop funding the genocide.
Other movie to watch: instead of going to see Beetlejuice 2, considering tucking in on your couch and watching “Perfect Days,” a 2023 Japanese film by Wim Wenders and Takuma Takasaki. It’s about cleaning public toilets, and is peaceful and beautiful.
