And the Award for the Next HBO Goes to...

The quirky little start-up that once printed money by mailing you DVDs is hell-bent on morphing into the HBO—and the network, and the any-show, any-time streaming service—of tomorrow. Can Netflix and its pathologically modest founder, Reed Hastings, pull it off? Who knows? But it's going to be fun to watch, starting this month with David Fincher's $100 million House of Cards. The only guaranteed winner in the bloody battle for the on-demand future? You. On your couch

 In the beginning, there was the tube. The cathode-ray tube, that is, and "The Tube," that squat shiny box that ate up half the living room and all of your family's attention. Then came cable, and videocassettes, HBO, DVDs, and the Sony PlayStation and TiVo, satellite and Blu-ray, and the ninety-six-inch flat-screen and a slew of awkward little boxes with those mysterious colored lights, all of which changed the way we entertain ourselves. But most important, there came the Internet and Steve Jobs and Jeff Bezos and Reed Hastings, who blew up all the old paradigms about who, what, when, where, why, and even how we watch, busting the chains that bind us to our cable boxes, to the never-ending scroll of 739 channels, to our prime-time prison.

How to Kick Your Jeans Habit

We're not announcing a ban on denim. But we do think you should branch out. For moves that will set you apart, learn how to wear trousers, dress chinos, motopants, and more—just like the Internet's illest dance phenomenon, Lil Buck "

 1. Winner of the 2013 "Every Man Must Wear These Pants" Award
When you finally peel off your beloved jeans, the first thing you should step into is a pair of simple gray trousers. Wear them in all the ways you wore those jeans, just like Buck does here. Nerd note: These are tropical wool—made for spring and summer.

Pants, $248 by Diesel.

From left:
Polo shirt, $1,090 by Louis Vuitton. Loafers, $70 by Perry Ellis Portfolio. Hat by Biltmore. Watch by Bell & Ross. Bracelet by Tiffany & Co.

Jacket, $2,258 by Neil Barrett. T-shirt, $16 by American Apparel. Sneakers, $75 by Vans. Sunglasses by Super. Necklace by David Yurman. Watch by Cartier. Belt by Charvet.

Sports jacket, $895 by Emporio Armani. Shirt $395 by Ralph Lauren Black Label Denim. Tie, $49 by DIBI. Shoes, $995 by Salvatore Ferragamo. Pocket square by the Tie Bar. Belt by Gucci.

2. Like Jeans But with More Horsepower
The French brand Balmain made biker-inspired motopants a sensation, but now more reasonably priced designers have caught up. The pants are tough and more than a little rock 'n' roll. Wear them with black and you'll never go wrong.

Pocket
Practical function: Keeps your wallet off the highway. Style function: Sets these apart from plain ol' jeans.

Knee Patches
Bikers need their pants to be skinny; knee patches allow for movement, whether you ride a Ducati or an Aeron.

Tailoring
It's not that we tailored these short—this is how motopants fit. Works with Hells Angels boots or beer-run Vans.

"Matt Dillon's character in Rumble Fish would wear these today. I wear mine every day, mostly with boots but occasionally with monkstraps and a blazer. They make a statement, and the price is right."—Rogue designer Jimmy Reilly

Pants, $185 by Rogue. Tank top, $38 (for three) by Calvin Klein Underwear. Sneakers, $75 by Vans. Ssunglasses by Fabien Baron. Necklace by Tiffany & Co. Watch by Cartier. Belt by Baldwin.

3. The Best Way to Hold All These Pants Up
Give your conservative office belt the day—maybe even the summer—off by adding one of these nylon, ribbon, or even crocodile D-ring belts to your repertoire. It's the smallest things that get the most compliments.

From left: Belt (orange), $25 by Penfield. Belt, $125 by Caputo & Co. Belt, $115 by Gant by Michael Bastian. Belt, $34 by Scotch & Soda. Belt, $1,250 by Ralph Lauren.

4. We're Taking Linen Back from the Retirees
It's the slim cut that separates you from the blue hairs. Just remember: Linen's natural wrinkles add character, like distressing on broken-in denim.

Pants, $995 by Giorgio Armani. Cardigan, $780 by Prada. Shirt, $280 by Band of Outsiders. Shoes, $420 by Seize sur Vingt. Sunglasses by Ray-Ban. Watch by Longines.

5. Not All Pockets Are Created Equal: Three Different Cuts You Need to Know
Yep, it's geeky. But different kinds of pockets can change the way a pair of pants fits your body type. Find the right pockets for your shape and style—and never look back.

On-Seam Pockets
Not many guys will say it out loud, but let's be real: Some of us have big hips, we know it, and we'd ideally like to hide them. If you're that dude, on-seam pockets will slim you down.

Pants, $485 by Michael Bastian. Shirt by Ovadia & Sons. Tie by Ralph Lauren Black Label. Wallet by Ermenegildo Zegna.

Quarter Pockets
The most common. If you're constantly using your pockets—for your phone, for your wallet, or just to have something to do with your hands—these are the most convenient.

Pants, $400 by Kenzo. Shirt by Polo Ralph Lauren. Belt by Dolce & Gabbana. Key holder by Louis Vuitton.

Continental Pockets
Or "slant pockets." For your inner European. Originally found on British military uniforms, perfect for someone obsessed with minute, unique details.

Pants, $450 by Prada. Shirt by Mark McNairy New Amsterdam. Sunglasses by Fabien Baron.

6. When You're Ready to Take the Next Step
Once you've got a pair of basic pants, forge ahead into the terrain of patterned trousers. Labels like Gant Rugger have stripped away the Caddyshack vibe by slimming them down and going minimalist with the patterns.

"As long as you keep everything else simple, glen plaid pants won't make you look like a douche. I'd wear them with a blue oxford shirt or a polo and chocolate brogues or sneakers."—Gant creative director Christian Bastin

Pants, $350 by Gant Rugger. Sweater, $215 by Band of Outsiders. Sneakers, $530 by Marc Jacobs. Cap by Polo Ralph Lauren. Bracelet by Tateossian.

7. Make 'Em Green with Envy
From Milan to N.Y.C., we kept noticing different designers showing icy green pants like these at the fashion shows. If they jumped out at us on the runways, they'll do the same for you on the street.

Can't see yourself in green? All good. Chinos come in myriad colors, from tangerine dreamto purple haze.

8. Three Ways to Ditch the Belt and Streamline Your Look

The 2013 Dandy
In the bespoke days of yore, men scoffed at belt loops. Were the pants not made for you, sir? Side tabs let you adjust on the fly (and save at the tailor).

Pants, $448 by Richard James. Shirt by Band of Outsiders. Watch by TAG Heuer.

The Hollywood Nostalgist
See that V-split in the waist seam, known as a notched waist? That offered ease for Robert Redford types in higher-waisted suit pants.

Pants, $150 by Club Monaco. Shirt by Michael Bastian. Watch by Bell & Ross.

The Urban Minimalist
Designers are bringing back the waist-extension tab, which gives you a sexier profile than a button. Style points for your crotch area!

Pants, $225 by Surface to Air. Shirt by Saturdays NYC.

9. The Cuff vs. the Roll: An Existential Pants Question Finally Answered
Some guys are rolling when they should cuff, and vice versa. The rule:
If the fabric is formal—wool suit pants, say—have a tailor cuff them.

Pants, $640 by Jil Sander. Shoes, $740 by Salvatore Ferragamo.

If they're more casual—chinos or cargos—roll like Willie Nelson in Amsterdam.

Pants, $150 by Kenneth Cole New York. Shoes, $270 by N.D.C. Made by Hand.

10. Because Not All Khakis Are All Casual
There's a breed of khakis that's not meant to get ketchup-stained. These are office-ready dress khakis—think Damian Lewis in uniform on Homeland. They should be cut slim and short, creased like suit trousers, and dressed up.

Pants, $60 by Calvin Klein. Shirt, $250 by Burberry London. Tie, $150 by Alexander Olch. Loafers, $695 by Salvatore Ferragamo. Hat by Gents. Belt by Gant by Michael Bastian.

Pants, $420 by Prada. Sweater vest, $735, and polo, $880 by Prada. Shoes, $740 by Salvatore Ferragamo. Watch by Timex for J.Crew

10 Essentials: Eddie Huang

The chef and Baohaus founder shares his favorite threads, caps, vaporizer, and more

If you've followed the world of food this past year, you'll recognize Eddie Huang as the next big celebrity chef. The former lawyer turned Baohaus founder becomes a memoirist this month with Fresh Off the Boat, his story of growing up Asian-American. As sharp as Anthony Bourdain (a man he's often compared to), as marketable on TV as Guy Fieri (a man he'd rather not be), he's fresher than both, with a backwards-cap swagger and no doubt of what's dope and what's dumb. After shooting him a direct message on Twitter, Eddie got on the phone with us to talk about the ten things that are Huang-approved.

A Brief History of Retro-Mobiles

Jamie Lincoln Kitman breaks down the car world's obsession with remakes, rebirths, and rehashes.

The Real Retros
Some things never change, including these cars.

Land Rover Defender

Land Rover Defender
The most basic of Land Rovers has evolved much since its direct ancestor's debut in 1948, but it's also stayed a lot the same. One of the world's most long-lived automotive icons, it's fresh from a turn in the new Bond film and still bouncing down the road. A replacement is planned for 2016, but we can't imagine a satisfactory one.

Hindustan Ambassador
Still in production in India 53 years after England's Morris Motors stopped making it, the Amby remains beloved on the streets of both these two intertwined lands. Though rarely seen in the UK, where appalling performance, handling, and safety could be seen as liabilities, it still graces Indian new-car showrooms.

Old advertising | Remember (rebus) The 15 Sexiest Superbowl Ads of All Time — In GIF Form

The football-industrial complex knows it as well as you do: Sex sells. That said, it has made the big game a whole lot more watchable. Here, the best ads from the ages, starring Beyoncé, Britney, Adriana, and, yes, twins.

Apple, 1984
The Ridley Scott-directed ad that helped kickstart the Super Bowl Commercial Industrial complex might have also, unintentionally, been the first sexy Super Bowl commercial. All revolutions should be delivered by way of a fleet-footed Hooters waitresses.

Cindy Crawford for Pepsi, 1992
This ad proves there's nothing more enduringly hot, or American, than a beautiful woman in daisy dukes and a tank top.

Make Your Super Bowl Party a Hot Mess | Three recipes

Still letting Buffalo sauce take over your game-day buffet? Bench the orange sludge for tastier, tangier wings from three chefs leading the new Asian flavor invasion. Just don't forget the napkins

 It's not our fault we've let the one-note neon slathering known as Buffalo sauce take center field on our Super Bowl snack table for so long. All we ever knew was gloppy blue cheese and hot, hotter, heart attack.

But if you have taste buds, lately you've noticed that bold, nuanced Far East flavors are taking over the food game: David Chang of Momofuku has achieved celebri-chef status, and even your mom has a bottle of Sriracha in her fridge. So we asked three rising chefs in the East-meets-West school to remix the Super Bowl staple. Your options: a Korean chile bomb, a nuanced bite of Japanese spice, and a salty-smooth riff on Filipino adobo. No matter which one you make, the result will be sports-bar-meets-street-stall fare that's more complex—and unexpected—than Buffalo sauce.

To deep-fry, you need a high-sided vessel (like a Dutch oven or wok), a thermometer, and paper towels to pat down the wings before frying—a dry wing is a crunchy wing. Nail that and you'll win on Sunday.


K-Town Pantry Wings

1 lb. chicken wings
3 Tbsp. gochujang (Korean chile paste)
1 Tbsp. dark sesame oil
6 Tbsp. dark soy sauce
6 Tbsp. rice vinegar
3 Tbsp. granulated sugar or rice syrup
1 tsp. minced garlic
2 tsp. minced ginger
Ground black pepper, to taste
All-purpose flour for dusting
Canola or cottonseed oil (for frying; enough to be two inches deep)
Toasted sesame seeds
1 scallion, chopped

1. Cut each wing into three parts: the drumette (looks like a small drumstick), the wing (with the two bones), and the tip. Throw away the tips.

2. The night before, combine everything except the chicken, flour, frying oil, scallion, and sesame seeds in a large bowl.

3. Add the wings to the marinade, stir to coat, cover the bowl, and let it sit overnight in the refrigerator.

4. When you're ready to fry the next day, remove the wings, reserving the marinade in a separate bowl. Dry the wings with paper towels.

5. Cook the remaining marinade in a saucepan over low heat until it reduces by one-third, about 20 minutes. Then let the marinade cool.

6. Heat the oil to 350 degrees. Dust the wings with flour, and drop each into the pot—gently, unless you like third-degree burns. Fry each wing until it's golden and crispy, 5 to 8 minutes, then drain it on a plate with paper towels.

7. Once all the wings are done, toss them in a bowl with the leftover marinade.

8. Garnish with the toasted sesame seeds and chopped scallion, then serve them up.

***

Hopscotch Chicken Wings

1 lb. chicken wings
2 Tbsp. salt
12 Tbsp. butter
7 Tbsp. red miso
4 Tbsp. rayu (Japanese chile sesame oil)
6 Tbsp. water
2 Tbsp. ginger, grated
1 bunch green onions, charred and sliced (broil in oven until charred, then slice)
Canola or cottonseed oil (for frying; enough to be two inches deep)

1. Cut each wing into three parts: the drumette (looks like a small drumstick), the wing (with the two bones), and the tip. Throw away the tips.

2. Put the wings in a saucepan, cover with water, and add the salt. Bring the water to a simmer on medium-low heat, being careful not to boil the water.

3. Once the water starts simmering, cover the pot, turn off the heat, and let the wings sit for 8 minutes so that they cook through.

4. Drain the wings and pat them dry with a paper towel, then let them air-dry on a plate, rack, or backing sheet until they're no longer moist to the touch.

5. While you're waiting, start the sauce: Mix everything but the frying oil in a large bowl using an electric whisk or a spatula and some elbow grease.

6. Heat the frying oil to 350 degrees and gently ease in the dry wings. Once the wings turn golden brown (about 5 minutes, since they're precooked), pull them out and let them drain for a moment on a plate topped with paper towels.

7. Put the wings in with the sauce, get 'em slathered up, then eat.

***

Faux-Dobo Wings

1 lb. chicken wings
1 cup soy sauce
1 cup white vinegar
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 tsp. black peppercorns
2 bay leaves
1/4 Tbsp. annatto seeds
1/2 Tbsp. cornstarch
1/2 Tbsp. water
1 Tbsp. butter
Rice flour
Canola or cottonseed oil (for frying; enough to be two inches deep)
Fresh cracked black pepper

1. Cut each wing into three parts: the drumette (looks like a small drumstick), the wing (with the two bones), and the tip. Throw away the tips.

2. The night before, combine   cup of the soy sauce,   cup of the white vinegar, one clove of crushed garlic, one bay leaf, and all of the peppercorns in a mixing bowl. Add the chicken wings, stir to combine, and let them sit overnight, covered, in your fridge.

3. The next day, pull the wings out and dry them off completely with paper towels. Then dredge them in the rice flour.

4. Heat the frying oil to 350 degrees and gently add the wings. If they've warmed to room temperature, they should take only 8 minutes to cook through and crisp up. If they're still chilly from the refrigerator, let them cook for 10 to 12 minutes. Pull them out and drain on a plate with paper towels.

5. In a small saucepan, combine the remaining soy sauce, vinegar, garlic, bay leaf, and the annatto seeds. Dilute the sauce with water if the flavor is too strong.

6. Bring the sauce to a simmer over medium heat. chicken

7. Separately, mix the cornstarch and water in a small bowl to make a slurry. Slowly add it to the simmering sauce while gently whisking the sauce at the same time. Once the sauce takes on a glossy sheen and thickens, you can remove it from the heat.

8. Let the sauce cool slightly for a minute, strain out the bay leaves and annatto seeds, then add it to a bowl along with the butter. Once the butter melts, toss the wings in the sauce until they're covered. Garnish with some cracked black pepper and devour.

The Worst Movie Experience of the Year (And Not Because It Sucked): Compliance

Listen, Compliance is the best film, qualitatively, on this list. It's flawlessly directed and uncompromising, and includes at least one so-subtle-it's-masterful performance. It has an eighty-nine percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Eighty-nine percent.

The problem with Compliance is that it will sap your vitality and crush your soul and leave you questioning the innate goodness of the human species, including yourself and, if it applies, the woman sitting beside you, whom you only married the month before. And I'm not being (completely) melodramatic. When Compliance was in theaters, walkouts were common. Despondence is rarely what people want from their leisure time.

The hurt starts early. Sandra, manager of a generic fast food hut in Eastern Podunk, Everystate, U.S.A., gets a call from a policeman who says that her doe-eyed high school-age cashier, Becky, stole money from a patron. The officer needs Sandra to detain Becky until he gets there.

But then he's running behind. So he asks manager Sandra to strip-search Becky. In the storeroom. And to leave her locked in the room, naked but for an apron. Sandra hesitates, but the officer eases her conscience. It'll be quicker this way, he says. You want to help Becky, don't you? You're doing great. What follows is a fifty-car-pileup of personal violations brought to bear on poor doe-eyed Becky by the people she trusts to know what's best—people who see the wrongness of what's being asked and hesitate, but quickly acquiesce to the authority figure on the other end of the line. When halfway through you the film learn what you already suspected—that the voice on the phone isn't a cop, but a sleazeball playing mind games with unsuspecting, weak-willed people—the reveal's almost irrelevant. You're already hoarse from shouting "Seriously?!" at the screen like a Tourette's-afflicted Amy Poehler. It's the supposed good guys you loathe. Can't you people take some responsibility? Show some balls? Say no? Who wrote these characters?

When the film ends on a crushing nadir, you hate-Google "Compliance" only to learn that the film is a painfully faithful re-enactment of what happened in 2004 at a Kentucky McDonald's, and that no pervy wackjob has been convicted over this call (or any of the over sixty-nine others around the country).

Suddenly, Taken 2 doesn't look like such a bad choice. At least low-grade cinematic schlock can only ruin two hours, and not your faith in humanity.

Worst Comedy: A Thousand Words

Another what-if comedy from the writer of Bruce Almighty and Click, A Thousand Words tells the story of a motor-mouthed literary agent (an utterly disinterested Eddie Murphy) who brazenly exclaims in the first five minutes he can "talk anybody into doing anything." That is, until...well, I don't exactly know...he can't?

Somehow a magic tree (yes, really) curses him and if he says more than a thousand words he'll...well, again, I don't know. Die? It's hard to tell exactly what is going on in A Thousand Words, as it clumsily jumps from one excruciatingly unfunny madcap scenario to another with all the subtly of a smack to the ear. A better title would have been 47 Minutes, because that's as long as I was able to stand.

Worst Case of False Advertising: The Grey

For those of you who haven't seen The Grey yet and want to watch it for any reason other than seeing Liam Neeson kick some wolf ass—I dunno, you like to watch people wander in the snow?—then stop reading now.

But if, like most red-blooded Americans, you were chomping at the bit to see ol' Liam go toe to toe against nasty lupine foes with nothing but broken mini-bar bottles strapped to his knuckles—I repeat: Broken mini-bar bottles. Strapped. To. His. FISTS!!!—then, read on. I'm going to save you $2.99.

Still here? Then I hate to break it to you. This doesn't happen.

I know what you're asking right now. "What? That's on the movie poster? It's the best part of the trailer! How...is there a God?"

Why we do not see Liam Neeson bottle-stab a wolf in The Grey is one of the greatest mysteries of 2012. (Stick that on the back of the DVD box, Universal.)

Sure, there are a few CGI-wolf tussles. But mostly, this is a movie about working-class men battling nature and getting to know their true selves along the way. Snore, right?

The worst part: Just when you think the epic Liam vs. the Wolves showdown is going to happen, when he actually arms his hands with those little bottles and curls up his ham-sized fists into weapons of wolf destruction, the movie ends and the credits roll.

Was that it? Yes, that was it. Fuck. Let's go drain the mini-bar.

Worst Marketing of a Bajillion-Dollar Movie: John Carter

No, of course I didn't see John Carter—what do you take me for? I heard it wasn't that bad of a movie, right after I heard that it was one of the biggest flops in movie history. But you know what I neverheard about? What the movie was actually about. Because Disney, in their infinite wisdom, decided to base a tent-pole summer blockbuster around a pulp sci-fi novel written a century ago, name it John Carter of Mars, and blast that name out in all caps as the centerpiece of a multi-million-dollar marketing campaign—forgetting that the general public has no idea who John Carter is or why they should care, besides some typically snooze-worthy CGI and Tim Riggins fighting aliens. Disney reported a $161 million loss that quarter, and ejected their studio head soon after; thank god for The Avengers, right guys?