Motion Pictures

So I think this will be recurring…the last 6 films I’ve watched. Need a good way of titling posts.

Away We Go ****

As much as I try to stay away from reviews, I had heard people didn’t really like this, but I really enjoyed it! And I know that it’s sort of contradictory to say that I don’t like reading reviews of movies that I haven’t seen, and then in turn sort of writing reviews myself, but these posts serve mostly as a reminder of what I have seen and how I felt about them, and maybe we can talk about that. Who knows.

Anyway, really liked it. Hit just the right tone for me without being too much of an “emotional porn” (Shawn’s term). Maya Rudolph is awesome, and Jon Krasinski is fine/adorable. Ladies will want babies after watching, so beware. A good motion picture for a Sunday afternoon.

Moon ****

A really solid new sci-fi that managed to be its own thing, even though it could have easily slid into 2001 and Solaris territory. Great atmosphere and interesting premise (although I think it could have been taken farther). It ended leaving me feeling slightly underwhelmed, but I’m not sure if it’s just because it resonated strongly with 2001 and Solaris ( Tarkovsky). I really like Sam Rockwell too.

Gomorra ***

Like City of God, Gomorra showed the impact of organized crime (the mafia) on a city/community (Naples). Unlike City of God, I felt it lacked the narrative strength and characters you could care about. (Watch Instantly)

Julia **

OK, we get it, miss crazy-looking lady, you can act in circles around everyone. But I thought this would never end! And it didn’t! Because even when I thought it was over it turned out I was still only like 75% complete! So I turned it off. But then I turned it back on and finished it, and wished I hadn’t. Also, she has a hard time keeping up an American accent. (Watch Instantly)

A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints ***

I liked this OK, but mostly because I like seeing NYC at different time periods represented on screen. Reminded me of Sleepers in a way. I did not despise Shia LaBeouf. It tried to do some interesting things technically, but those mostly didn’t work. But it’s an autobiographical story, and the emotional elements rang true. (Watch Instantly)

In The Loop *****

Malcolm is my new personal hero. I absolutely loved this. You get about 3/4 of the way through and then have an “oh shit” moment when it becomes more scary than funny. All the hype I did not hear is true – best political satire. How the fuck did The Blind Side and District 9 get best picture nominations and this did not? Sorry, this one makes me want to swear a lot.

2010
02/02
CATEGORY
Film
Watch Instantly
3 comments

Braised Kale with Sausage and Caramelized Onions

This was the best easy meal I’ve made in a long time. I’ve made it twice in the past two weeks – the first time over mashed potatoes (meh) and the second time over brown rice (yum!). The leftovers are great as well, either as-is or wrapped in a tortilla with some cheese. This recipe is adapted from Cooking School Secrets For Real-World Cooks, which is a bargain on Amazon right now for only $9.

Braised Kale with Sausage

  • One head of kale (~1lb.)
  • 1 lb. sausage (I used bulk Italian)
  • One medium yellow onion, chopped
  • One clove garlic, minced
  • Red pepper flakes
  • 2 cups chicken stock
  1. Wash the kale, separate the leaves from the stem, and cut/tear into forkable pieces.
  2. In a dutch oven (I have a 7 qt.), start cooking the sausage a bit, breaking it up with a wooden spoon, to render some fat. Just until the sausage is no longer really pink, about 10-15 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the sausage to a bowl, and dump out all but 2-3 tbsp of fat.
  3. Cook the onions in the sausage fat over med/med-low heat, til they’re nice and starting to brown, about 30 minutes. Add red pepper flakes to taste.
  4. Add the sausage and cook until nice and browned. Add the garlic, cook 30 seconds, then add the chicken stock. Scrape up the fond from the bottom of the pan. Add the kale – if it doesn’t all fit at once, add some, put the lid on for half a minute until it wilts a bit and then add the rest.
  5. Bring it to a boil, then lower the heat to a simmer, and cover. Cook for 35 minutes, covered.
  6. I recommend this over brown rice, although I’m sure it would be great over pasta too. The “pot liquor” (what that liquid is called) makes for a nice sauce.
2010
01/26
CATEGORY
Cooking
Food
Write comment

Recent Motion Pictures

The French Connection ****

I liked this. I’ll be honest, I wasn’t paying very close attention, and mostly watched it because I wanted to see the car chase. Good one though! And fun to see young and almost good-looking versions of Gene Hackman and Roy Scheider.

District 9 **

OK, so I think that unlike most people, I did not like District 9 (also unlike most people, I actually liked both The Watchmen and The Road better than their source texts. I know, blasphemy!). Overall I thought it was pretty lousy. I didn’t get emotionally involved in a positive way (I was plenty annoyed). I didn’t like it as sci-fi, as social commentary, as drama, as mock documentary.

I did think that the special effects were super cool, though. I really liked it when they used those crazy weapons to blow shit up! I am being totally serious here. Big fan of that.

    Observe and Report ***

    hoo-boy! I liked this one. I’m a big fan of Doug Benson’s podcast, I Love Movies, and he mentioned this picture a few times. It’s really pretty dark. And it plays a lot with taking jokes too far and then taking them even farther, so if you’re easily offended, don’t watch. But overall, some pretty good laughs.

    Thank You For Smoking ****

    Really liked this one. I think it came close to being a bit too clever, but overall it came off really well. Fantastic title sequence too! Ohm

    The Road ****

    I went to see this in the theatre. I was worried that they might try to play up the scariness of it. My friend started to worry too when I nearly jumped out of my chair during one of the previews. However, I thought it was good, and it wasn’t scary. And Omar!

    As I said before, I wasn’t a huge fan of The Road the book. I know that the book won awards and was lauded by critics who read more and criticize more than I do, but I just didn’t like the writing. This post focuses on one aspect of the prose, but it was this sort of thing that caused me to skim most of the book. I felt that the thing I did like about the book – the realization of the post-apocalyptic world – was evoked really, really well in the film. So many descriptions of gray landscapes like some forgotten blah blah blah were not as clear in my mind as they were on film.

    The International *

    Oh crap. I thought I had seen this on someone’s end of year overlooked films lists, but I think it was the other Clive Owens movie, the one with Julia Roberts. Is Naomi Watts supposed to be a good actress? Ugh, this was terrible. I think my favorite character was the hitman.

    2010
    01/19
    CATEGORY
    Film
    Watch Instantly
    Write comment

    Food resolutions

    I don’t really remember my food resolutions from last year, but I’m pretty sure I had some. From what I remember, eat fish once a week (HAH!) and eat vegetarian at some frequency (followed much more closely) were in there. Here are some things I’d like to do with food this year:

    • Continue to eat mostly vegetarian meals, with chicken as my main meat, pork sometimes, and beef at max four times per month (I’m being realistic here). I think I’ve been following this pretty closely, especially within the past few months. I usually think that I rarely eat beef, but I forget about how salami and sausage get the best of me sometimes.
    • Up my fish consumption. There’s no excuse. I’ve only cooked fish twice since I moved, and both times it was great, but I need to start aiming for at least every two weeks (hopefully more).
    • Cook for myself. Cook food for myself even when I don’t feel like really cooking. Eat something made at home instead of going out. I’ve been doing a good job with not eating out for lunch, but I need to start throwing together something quick for dinner when I don’t feel like cooking, instead of going out for tacos or a burrito. I just bought The Pleasures of Cooking for One, so hopefully I get some good ideas for that.
    • Do more disciplined meal planning. This will help with the fish and with eating at home. I’m starting to keep lists of easy meals, favorite meals, and staples to keep in the house (using Evernote). I think I need to try to make a weekly meal list with one or two dishes that require something really fresh, and then the rest that can be made with mostly pantry/freezer staples. In the past I’ve gotten excited to do this, but then I’d plan like a full week’s worth of meals that required all new, fresh ingredients, and then not feel like making anything. I think I’ll aim for one fish dish and one chicken dish, some veggies that can be used throughout the week, and mostly other things that can come from the cupboard or freezer.
    • Start making and freezing staples. I started to do this a little while ago and need to keep it up. Beans, soups, sauces. I also want a bigger stock pot. This will help with meal planning. I also need to remember to make notes to myself to take the stuff out of the freezer so I’ll use it. Speaking of which, does anyone have suggestions for dishes to make using mushroom soup?
    • Start eating better breakfasts. Steel-cut oats, frittatas, breakfast burritos, muffins – things I can make ahead.
    • Like the following foods: red peppers, egg yolks, pickles. Try more vegetables.
    • Cook with tofu and seitan.
    • Get over my fear of cooking Indian food.
    • Remember to take pictures of the food I make.

    There were lots of things I did do over the past year that I was proud of. I cut way down on meat. I made ravioli, focaccia, pizza dough, mayonnaise, and lots of other things without cheating. I made Thanksgiving dinner. Looking forward to making lots more this year.

    2009
    12/30
    CATEGORY
    Cooking
    Food
    1 comment

    Random things on my mind today

    1. Oh H-E-double hockey sticks 1, I need to pack when I get home from work today. There is no way I am going to be able to prepare myself for the extreme cold of the north. I will be bringing my down jacket, every piece of cashmere I own, and I may have to break out the cuddle-duds 2. It’s 70-ish here in Austin and I really don’t want to leave it.
    2. Restaurant up-charges. OK, so we went to a steakhouse last night to celebrate Chrismukkah/Shawn moving to a new area of work/vacation/etc. I don’t know, maybe it’s just me, but when I hear “up-charge” for, say, substituting a caesar salad for the iceberg wedge, I normally think that “up-charge” means a few extra dollars for the substitution. You know, like a portion of the cost of the item, because if it was the whole cost they would say something, right? Well, not at Sullivan’s Steakhouse. If you try to substitute a caesar for the iceberg wedge 3, it’s the full $6 for that salad. Not that it’s that much, but don’t try to tell me that’s an up-charge.  Unless that is common and I am mistaken? Or is that just in the world of already-overpriced steakhouses? Anyway. Decent meal, and I didn’t feel like I was on a cruise ship.
    3. I love I Love Movies. I stumbled onto it from the McSweeney’s Recommends 4
       list one day. This is a great list. It turns out that, hey! I already like a lot of the things that McSweeney’s recommends 5. However, one thing I did not already like that I now do like is Doug Benson’s I Love Movies podcast. Doug Benson 6 is a comedian who gets other comedians (usually) together to talk about movies. Very fun.

      4. Read more

    2009
    12/23
    CATEGORY
    Film
    Food
    Ramblings
    Reading List
    Restaurants
    Write comment

    Panda Day!

    I have decided that today is Panda Day. Pandas!

    And of course, panda sneezes!

    2009
    12/18
    CATEGORY
    Cute
    Write comment