After the surprise 1998 indie hit Pi, a hyperstylized exploration of mathematics and obscure Orthodox Jewish ritual, Darren Aronofsky’s choice of adapting Hubert Selby Jr.’s 1978 novel “Requiem for a Dream,” a downbeat drama about a clan of drug addicts in New York’s Brighton Beach, might appear to be an act of random perversity. As…

Ian Grey

Ways to get a bird in the hand

So maybe a five-hour oven battle isn’t your idea of Thanksgiving delights. To get a good bird anyway, what recourse do you have? Trot down to the Winter Park Farmer’s Market and talk to William “everybody calls me Bill” Brown at the M&J Seafood table, who will deep-fry a turkey for you, Cajun style, for…

Joseph Hayes

Somewhere amid the 20,000…

Somewhere amid the 20,000 adolescent broken hearts, the 10,000 oversized Justin Timberlake T-shirts and the (at least) 2,000 $10, special-edition ‘N Sync strobe glowsticks igniting the T.D. Waterhouse for the fearless fivesome’s Nov. 1 homecoming exists a hugely exploitable bit of disposable promise. Cheeky harmonic come-ons and sheepish, matinee-love paeans may prevail at the surface,…

Billy Manes

Balls! Gift Giving Guide

Seeing double ;; You walk into the store thinking, “Wow, this is a great place! Look at all this cool stuff! I love it!,” and then you get that funny feeling that even though it’s only a few months old, you’ve been to this place before. It’s déjá vu, and it’s going to happen to…

Liz Langley

Culture

No story

Orlando Weekly Staff

Gridlock, and regrouping

As the clock neared 7 p.m. Eastern time on Nov. 7, CNN anchors Bernard Shaw and Judy Woodruff could hardly contain themselves. Voting in Florida, the most important of several “battleground” states, was about to end. According to pre-election conventional wisdom, the 2000 presidential election would be determined by the outcomes in Florida, Michigan and…

Michael Hoover

Mass produced

During the five minutes a year I imagine having kids, my dream progeny are goths. I picture helping little Azrael or Wednesday with her essay on what she wants to be when she grows up: “Death Angel is two words, honey.” I imagine becoming exasperated when little Damien paints his eyelids with my expensive L’Oreal…

Liz Langley

In one House and out the other

I’m not going to use this week’s space to go into an extended, Dennis Miller-like rant about Florida’s election imbroglio. Let me just note my disappointment, however, that (1) the presidential recount wasn’t performed live during one of WUPN-TV Channel 65’s Florida Lottery telecasts (“Tonight’s winning numbers are 3 … 15 … Buchanan … 27…

Steve Schneider