I can appreciate the romantic screwball comedies of the 1930's. Also, as far as I'm concerned, William Powell is The Man. I'll even go as far as to say that a William Powell film is like sex, when it's good it's great and when it's bad, it's still a William Powell film. That's the best way I can sum up my feelings on Double Wedding.
It was originally written for the stage as Nagy szerelem by Ferenc Molnar, but something must have gotten lost in the translation because about half way through the movie things just start happening out of convenience instead of necessity. I haven't read it but it's my guess that the play has a kind of The Importance Of Being Earnest vibe to it where the movie has a why are these two suddenly together? kind of vibe.
The cast is great with Powell playing a Bohemian vagrant and Myrna Loy as an uptight business woman who controls the lives of her sister, Florence Rice, and her spineless fiancee, John Beal. It's directed by studio favorite Richard Thorpe, who directed 184 films in his career including a handful of Tarzan films and Elvis Presley's best movie, Jailhouse Rock. It's just the script that feels like the square peg being driven through the round hole that fouls everything up. Well, like I said earlier, it's still a William Powell film.
Saturday, January 7, 2012
The Matador
This 2008 documentary follows David "El Fandi" Fandila, one of Spain's most celebrated bullfighters, as he tries to enter the exclusive club of being the thirteenth person to fight 100 bulls in a season.
It's pretty fascinating to see everything these guys go through just to become a matador but to be able to achieve rock star status like El Fandi, who was 21 at the time, it will change the way you look at bull fighting.
No matter which one, if you're a sports enthusiast, you will dig this movie.
It's pretty fascinating to see everything these guys go through just to become a matador but to be able to achieve rock star status like El Fandi, who was 21 at the time, it will change the way you look at bull fighting.
No matter which one, if you're a sports enthusiast, you will dig this movie.
Cheese & Mushroom Omelet
Good morning America, how are you? I hope you're hungry because I have a recipe for an omelet that I think you'll enjoy. I once read somewhere that your ability to make an omelet reflects on your ability to cook in general. In the spirit of self improvement, I keep trying to perfect the omelet. Today's recipe is nothing overly special but it uses what I have and besides, you have to start somewhere.
I start off with 3 Hy-Vee brand eggs that I crack into the mixing bowl. Next, I put in a sliver of cream cheese. You don't need too much and it helps to make the eggs fluffier. Add 1/4 teaspoon of garlic powder. This adds a little flavor and it's also good for you. Finally, there's the 2 dashes of black pepper. Whisk it all together for 4 minutes and pour it into a pan big enough to spread out the mixture. Don't forget to use some non-stick spray or you will be VERY disappointed in about five minutes. Your heat should be low and your cook time slow.
In a smaller pan, pour a little olive oil to coat the bottom and have just a little puddle. Your heat here will be medium high to high. After it heats up, add 3/4 cup of mushrooms and stir frequently. When they turn brown and get tender, they're done. Should be about 3 minutes, give or take.
Check your eggs. By this point they should be fairly set up. Check the edges and make sure.
Add the mushrooms and 1 cup of cheese. You can use what ever kind you want. I used a combination of Mozzarella and Mexican blend because I had just enough of both but not enough of each.
Once you've added the ingredients, slide the spatula under one side and flip it over upon itself. Let it sit there for a minute of so, until you see the cheese start melting. Now for the tricky part, slip your spatula under the open side of the omelet and flip to the other side. I wish I could tell you some age old sage-like wisdom but in reality, I'm lucky to get this right 92% of the time. To paraphrase The Marlboro Man-Don't think, just flip the bastard.
Traditionally, omelet's are meant to be shared but since my girlfriend sleeps through breakfast, I ate all of this myself. If you're sharing, don't forget some kind of side dish. I recommend Sweet Potato hash browns. It's easier than you think and you only need one sweet potato. Shred the potato and cook it up in some olive oil like you did with the mushrooms.
Of course, coffee or a Bloody Mary is the perfect breakfast (read as any) time beverage, or you can get your dose of anti-oxidants with a cup of Pomegranate green tea. See you next week, Enjoy!
I start off with 3 Hy-Vee brand eggs that I crack into the mixing bowl. Next, I put in a sliver of cream cheese. You don't need too much and it helps to make the eggs fluffier. Add 1/4 teaspoon of garlic powder. This adds a little flavor and it's also good for you. Finally, there's the 2 dashes of black pepper. Whisk it all together for 4 minutes and pour it into a pan big enough to spread out the mixture. Don't forget to use some non-stick spray or you will be VERY disappointed in about five minutes. Your heat should be low and your cook time slow.
In a smaller pan, pour a little olive oil to coat the bottom and have just a little puddle. Your heat here will be medium high to high. After it heats up, add 3/4 cup of mushrooms and stir frequently. When they turn brown and get tender, they're done. Should be about 3 minutes, give or take.
Check your eggs. By this point they should be fairly set up. Check the edges and make sure.
Add the mushrooms and 1 cup of cheese. You can use what ever kind you want. I used a combination of Mozzarella and Mexican blend because I had just enough of both but not enough of each.
Once you've added the ingredients, slide the spatula under one side and flip it over upon itself. Let it sit there for a minute of so, until you see the cheese start melting. Now for the tricky part, slip your spatula under the open side of the omelet and flip to the other side. I wish I could tell you some age old sage-like wisdom but in reality, I'm lucky to get this right 92% of the time. To paraphrase The Marlboro Man-Don't think, just flip the bastard.
Traditionally, omelet's are meant to be shared but since my girlfriend sleeps through breakfast, I ate all of this myself. If you're sharing, don't forget some kind of side dish. I recommend Sweet Potato hash browns. It's easier than you think and you only need one sweet potato. Shred the potato and cook it up in some olive oil like you did with the mushrooms.
Of course, coffee or a Bloody Mary is the perfect breakfast (read as any) time beverage, or you can get your dose of anti-oxidants with a cup of Pomegranate green tea. See you next week, Enjoy!
Friday, January 6, 2012
Tootsie
Those of you born after 1982 may remember this as an episode of Family Guy. The rest of us remember it as the flip side of the coin when trying to decide whether to see Tootsie or Gandhi.
Dustin Hoffman plays an actor whom nobody wants to work with. When there's a role available on a popular daytime drama, he decides to audition. The only problem is that the role is female. No problem, he can play a woman. The problems come after he gets the role.
His roommate (Bill Murray) and his agent (director Sydney Pollack) are the only ones who know he's both Michael Dorsey and Dorothy Michaels. His girlfriend (Teri Garr) thinks he's seeing another woman and he's constantly fighting off advances from various men on the show and the woman he's attracted to (Jessica Lange) thinks he's a lesbian.
If it's been a while since you've seen it, give it a look, it still holds up pretty well. You can show it to somebody who only knows it as a Family Guy episode and see it again for the first time, just make sure she turns her phone off long enough to get the joke.
Dustin Hoffman plays an actor whom nobody wants to work with. When there's a role available on a popular daytime drama, he decides to audition. The only problem is that the role is female. No problem, he can play a woman. The problems come after he gets the role.
His roommate (Bill Murray) and his agent (director Sydney Pollack) are the only ones who know he's both Michael Dorsey and Dorothy Michaels. His girlfriend (Teri Garr) thinks he's seeing another woman and he's constantly fighting off advances from various men on the show and the woman he's attracted to (Jessica Lange) thinks he's a lesbian.
If it's been a while since you've seen it, give it a look, it still holds up pretty well. You can show it to somebody who only knows it as a Family Guy episode and see it again for the first time, just make sure she turns her phone off long enough to get the joke.
Shaft
Who's the black private dick who's a sex machine to all the chicks? Damn right, I'm talking about Shaft, John Shaft. Hot on the heels of the popularity of Melvin Van Peebles' Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song, MGM put out Shaft, an adaptation of the first in a series of detective novels by Ernest Tidyman.
Directed by famed photographer Gordon Parks and written by Tidyman and TV writer John D.F. Black, this movie opened the door for what became known as the Blaxploitation film genre.
The film made an instant star out of Richard Roundtree who's only previous film work had been the Candid Camera movie, What Do You Say To A Naked Lady? He would go on to play the character in three sequels and a short lived TV series.
For the uninitiated, the storyline deals with the events that follow the kidnapping of a crime boss' daughter as he hires John Shaft to find out who did it. If you get the chance, you should also read the Tidyman novels, you wont be disappointed.
Directed by famed photographer Gordon Parks and written by Tidyman and TV writer John D.F. Black, this movie opened the door for what became known as the Blaxploitation film genre.
The film made an instant star out of Richard Roundtree who's only previous film work had been the Candid Camera movie, What Do You Say To A Naked Lady? He would go on to play the character in three sequels and a short lived TV series.
For the uninitiated, the storyline deals with the events that follow the kidnapping of a crime boss' daughter as he hires John Shaft to find out who did it. If you get the chance, you should also read the Tidyman novels, you wont be disappointed.
Blue Velvet
While doing some research, I discovered that there is another cut of this movie that's fifty minutes longer. It apparently came out on Blu-ray. I was just happy to find a version that wasn't edited for television and modified to fit my screen. I haven't seen this movie in probably ten years, it's nice to see that it still holds up.
It also doesn't seem possible that this movie came out in 1986. Man, has it really been that long? This was Kyle MacLachlan's second film. His first being Dune, also directed by David Lynch. You know it's good because he's not playing the villain. You MacLachlan fans know what I'm talking about.
The villain in this movie is the iconic Frank Booth, played to perfection by Dennis Hopper. I think every writer in Hollywood tried to come up with a reason for their character to huff amyl nitrate after seeing Hoppers performance.
This kind of foreshadows Twin Peaks in a way because you find yourself wondering how nobody in this small town seems to know about this deranged crime lord but yet the movie still works. I guess even small town America has a side that everybody closes their eyes to.
One other interesting factoid about this movie, apparently Dino De Laurentiis had to create De Laurentiis Entertainment Group because the film was so controversial that no other distributor wanted to be associated with it. Their loss.
If you haven't seen it for a while or if you've never seen, go get it. If you happen to find the full length Blu-ray, let me know.
It also doesn't seem possible that this movie came out in 1986. Man, has it really been that long? This was Kyle MacLachlan's second film. His first being Dune, also directed by David Lynch. You know it's good because he's not playing the villain. You MacLachlan fans know what I'm talking about.
The villain in this movie is the iconic Frank Booth, played to perfection by Dennis Hopper. I think every writer in Hollywood tried to come up with a reason for their character to huff amyl nitrate after seeing Hoppers performance.
This kind of foreshadows Twin Peaks in a way because you find yourself wondering how nobody in this small town seems to know about this deranged crime lord but yet the movie still works. I guess even small town America has a side that everybody closes their eyes to.
One other interesting factoid about this movie, apparently Dino De Laurentiis had to create De Laurentiis Entertainment Group because the film was so controversial that no other distributor wanted to be associated with it. Their loss.
If you haven't seen it for a while or if you've never seen, go get it. If you happen to find the full length Blu-ray, let me know.
Sunday, January 1, 2012
The Coffee Diaries-Chapter One
As a coffee drinker I've always wondered who in this town has the best cup. Where does one go to get the taste of sweet Nirvana that is the hot brown liquid of the Gods? You may call it a New Years resolution but I call it finally getting up off of my ass and going out into the territories to hunt and gather in the tradition of my forefathers.
Each week I plan to go to a different coffee house and seek out the best cup around. Since I live in the Kansas City area, my research will mainly be based on my findings here. Consulting the latest Yellow Pages, I figure I'll just start at the top and work my way down.
Today, I'm at Black Dog Coffeehouse in Lenexa. Upon entering, I am greeted by two guys behind the counter. I ask them for the specialty of the house and they start to look at their shoes and mumble something about making any drink on the chalk board behind them. Now, admittedly, it did say House Specialties across the top so they weren't completely outside their rights to treat me like a jack ass. However, once I refined my search and pressed them for what was good or a favorite, I noticed that the glaze over their eyes didn't really clear.
This is kind of like the look I used to get when I walked into a video store and asked for a movie that wasn't on the New Release wall. It's somewhere between the deer in the headlights and the look the dog gives you after dinner. They're startled by the approach and confused as to how they got there.
Realizing that I, the customer, was looking to them, the alleged knowledgeable source, for some guidance in this matter, they told me that the John Brown was a popular item. Having the answer I came for, I ordered a large after finding out that it's not necessarily a drink but more of a particular roast of coffee.
When I asked them what kind of coffee it was, the glaze came back. I was looking for Colombian, Ethiopian, you know, some kind of answer. "I think it's a medium roast, I'm not sure, I'm not really a coffee expert." Between the two of us, he's in more of a position to be an expert than I am. I'm just a frustrated, unemployed writer, this kid works in a coffeehouse. Coffee is his livelihood, it's just my hobby.
To be fair, I Googled John Brown coffee before starting this and ran across the roasters website. They had some information but no real knowledge about what I was drinking. As an industry insider though, I would think these guys would have access to information that the general public doesn't. They are the face of the product and have to be able to sell it and answer questions from people like me. Is this what happened to the video store clerks after Netfix killed off Blockbuster? Do I expect too much thinking that somebody who lives and dies by the bean should know something about it? Stay tuned folks, this is only the first chapter.
One quick thing before I go, despite what you've read about my experience, Black Dog is a pretty decent place, what the staff lacks in knowledge they make up for in courtesy and the John Brown roast is satisfying, however, the search continues...
Each week I plan to go to a different coffee house and seek out the best cup around. Since I live in the Kansas City area, my research will mainly be based on my findings here. Consulting the latest Yellow Pages, I figure I'll just start at the top and work my way down.
Today, I'm at Black Dog Coffeehouse in Lenexa. Upon entering, I am greeted by two guys behind the counter. I ask them for the specialty of the house and they start to look at their shoes and mumble something about making any drink on the chalk board behind them. Now, admittedly, it did say House Specialties across the top so they weren't completely outside their rights to treat me like a jack ass. However, once I refined my search and pressed them for what was good or a favorite, I noticed that the glaze over their eyes didn't really clear.
This is kind of like the look I used to get when I walked into a video store and asked for a movie that wasn't on the New Release wall. It's somewhere between the deer in the headlights and the look the dog gives you after dinner. They're startled by the approach and confused as to how they got there.
Realizing that I, the customer, was looking to them, the alleged knowledgeable source, for some guidance in this matter, they told me that the John Brown was a popular item. Having the answer I came for, I ordered a large after finding out that it's not necessarily a drink but more of a particular roast of coffee.
When I asked them what kind of coffee it was, the glaze came back. I was looking for Colombian, Ethiopian, you know, some kind of answer. "I think it's a medium roast, I'm not sure, I'm not really a coffee expert." Between the two of us, he's in more of a position to be an expert than I am. I'm just a frustrated, unemployed writer, this kid works in a coffeehouse. Coffee is his livelihood, it's just my hobby.
To be fair, I Googled John Brown coffee before starting this and ran across the roasters website. They had some information but no real knowledge about what I was drinking. As an industry insider though, I would think these guys would have access to information that the general public doesn't. They are the face of the product and have to be able to sell it and answer questions from people like me. Is this what happened to the video store clerks after Netfix killed off Blockbuster? Do I expect too much thinking that somebody who lives and dies by the bean should know something about it? Stay tuned folks, this is only the first chapter.
One quick thing before I go, despite what you've read about my experience, Black Dog is a pretty decent place, what the staff lacks in knowledge they make up for in courtesy and the John Brown roast is satisfying, however, the search continues...
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