Post Dispatch: Joe Holleman's Best Movies of the 1990s

I don't know if it's just that I was in my 20's and free as a bird, but I loved the 1990's. They kicked the 80's and 00's ass as far as popular culture is concerned. Music, clothing, TV and finally movies seemed to be extremely creative and fresh. Remember when the Breeders, Dinosaur Jr., Beck, Meat Puppets, Son Volt, Flaming Lips were all played on popular radio and MTV? Many of their "hits" were consumed by the masses and helped contribute to the soundtrack of the time.

When it comes to movies from the 1990's I really like Joe Holleman's take in the PD. His top 10 are: Pulp Fiction, L.A. Confidential, Fight Club, Shawshank Redemption, Fargo, Unforgiven, The Truman Show, Saving Private Ryan, Silence Of The Lambs and Goodfellas.

If a Quintin Tarantino movie is not at least in your top 3, I'll dismiss all other opinions. Mr. Holleman really seems to get it right. Although, I've never seen the Truman Show. Even his best actress (Frances McDermott) and most overrated movie (Dances with Wolves) is right on. And although the Big Labowski is a geat choice for best comedy, I've always thought Office Space is underrated with the pundit crowd. To me it's as representative of the 90's as Big Labowski.

My only complaint? Where is Rushmore?

Delor Street Improvements?

Delor between Alfred and Gravois in the Bevo neighborhood is getting some work. This could be a good sign, as it appears they are putting in new sidewalks, and maybe trees or lights.I've always thought the city has done a terrible job of sprucing up this neighborhood for it's newest immigrant residents. When I first moved to the city, this was a completely different neighborhood. Closed businesses, shuttered storefronts, deteriorating homes, etc.

The neighborhood now is one of my favorites in the entire city. There are many, many great bars, restaurants, coffee shops, fruit/veggie stands, etc. The Bosnians, Serbs, Croats in this region have made it an urban, thriving, fun place.

The city should be selling this neighborhood. It should be marketed as little Sarajevo. Why aren't there flags, banners, commercials, ads to draw attention to this part of town? It is nearing destination status, just like the Hill.

One of my favorite things about Delor are the coffee bars that old Eastern European men frequent. They sit outside hunkered over an intense cup o joe looking surly and completely happy at the same time. I could see myself being one of those guys upon retirement.

Dubious Window Treatment

Su Sala Mexican Cafe and Restaurant was open for a very short period of time in SoHa/Princeton Heights. I only went once, but once was enough. Now, it appears someone, if not the same people are taking another stab at it with La Sala Bar and Grill.Will I give it a try? Yes
Do I wish them well in their business venture? Of course
Do I like what they've done with the windows? No
Is it annoying when guys ask themselves questions and then answer them? Yes

Wow, yikes.

Murdoch home-leveled

A rare thing occurred recently in the beautiful South Hampton neighborhood. A home was razed. This drew my attention simply because this is such a rare event in this prideful, well established, cared for neighborhood. I wanted to get some pictures of the house as it was being demolished, but it happened quicker than I could react.

But thanks to google street view, I was able to get an idea of what was there. A nice little home.

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Here's what the site looks like today:
Why would a house in one of the nicest neighborhoods in St. Louis be torn down? My gut told me the reason was parking or otherwise car related.

Well tonight I was lucky enough to run into a Murdoch resident as I was taking some photos to ask about the situation. She indicated that the previous owner of the home was very old and the house was more than she could maintain. The woman was approached by the owner of Eddie's Donuts, the grey building in the photo above. And the verdict is.....drive thru window for the donut shop.

If this story is true, we just lost a habitable and/or rehab ready home in this stable neighborhood for a freaking drive thru.

These wrecking ball blues are still blue.

Wrecking Ball Blues

With the impending loss of the San Luis Apartments for a damn surface parking lot, the home on Kinshighway between Murdoch and Nottingham that is coming down, and countless others, I can't help but feel helpless and saddened by the crumbling structures that are erased from our landscape under dubious circumstances. I feel powerless as a citizen of St. Louis standing by on the sidelines and witnessing more of these structures fall. I don't want more surface parking lots. I don't want generic crap overlaid on the history and streets of St. Louis. Can't the powers that be see that these buildings are part of the fabric that keep people living here?

This is not progress. This is depressing. What can be done to stop this? I know there are like minded others out there, I'm just not connected. I feel like action is necessary to rethink the way the city green lights demolition for such short sighted goals as surface parking. I commend the efforts of the Friends of San Luis. These folks really tried hard, albeit maybe too late to fight the Arch Diocese lust for surface parking in the CWE.

I'm down on this one. The alderman, the church, the city, the judge, they all want more surface parking at any cost. Can't they see this is wrong?

I'm again reminded of the excellent Son Volt song "Way Down Watson" from the 1999 album Straightaways by local musician Jay Farrar :

"Put whiskey on the wounds

Salt the glass and say goodbye

No feel good scenes to bring you back

Just falling brick and broken glass

Wrecking-ball operator

Twenty years pulling the lever

And these windows shield the cold

From the weather of my soul

And feel the heart strings

Sinking fast

Another treasure found

Another tumbling down

I protect my ears and eyes

From the dust and noise

The word comes down to the bitter end

The diesel hums, the cycle spins

When we meet on that hard hat ground

Just a photograph, no one else around

Words to live by, just goes to show

Some day we all gotta go

And feel the heart strings
Sinking fast
Another treasure found
Another tumbling down"

That just about sums it up for me. I can't imagine being part of the team of people that green light the kind of destruction that destroys an old building for a surface parking lot. The lyrics above remind me of the Coral Courts or the Kingsland Cinema destruction.