Sunday, January 28, 2018

Toad-in-the-Hole

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Below is an article about a traditional English that may (or may not) have been created in the mid 18th century called Toad-in-the-Hole


TOAD-IN-THE-HOLE

Created as a cheap comfort dish, Toad-in-the-Hole originated Alnmouth in Northumberland, England. Toad-in-the-Hole is basically a dish that consists of sausages in Yorkshire Pudding batter. Ironically, the first recipe for the dish consisted of pigeon, not sausages. And that recipe was found in Hannah Glasse's 1747 cookbook called "The Art of Cookery made Plain and Easy". She called the dish "Pigeon-in-the-Hole".

How did the dish acquired his name? Well . . . here is an idea. Alnmouth has a golf course which can at certain times of the year be overrun with Natterjack toads. It was at just such a time, that a golf tournament was being played and the leader made his putt, only to have the ball ejected by a toad that had been quietly asleep in the bottom of the cup. Who created the dish? Well . . . on hearing of the players misfortune, achef at the town's hotel where the players were staying devised the dish, thinking it would resemble a toad rising from the eighteenth, and served it that night. Is this really the truth?

The dish with sausages may have first appeared in 1769. Toad-in-the-Hole became very popular with members of the Royal Philosophers. They enjoyed the dish at least once or twice a year at the Mitre Tavern, the dining club’s chosen dining venue. Toad-in-the-Hole was served alongside such delicacies as venison, fresh salmon, turbot and asparagus.

Below is a recipe for "Toad-in-the-Hole" from the Simplyrecipies.com website:


Toad-in-the-Hole

Ingredients

1 1/2 cup of all purpose flour
1 scant teaspoon Kosher salt
Pinch of freshly ground black pepper
3 eggs, beaten
1 1/2 cup milk
2 Tbsp melted butter
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 lb of bangers (an English sausage made with pork and breadcrumbs), or good quality pork or beef sausage links (in casings)


Preparation

Whisk together the flour with the salt and a pinch of pepper in a large bowl. Make a well in the center of the flour. Pour in the eggs, milk, and melted butter into the well and whisk into the flour until smooth. Cover and let stand 30 minutes.

Coat the bottom and sides of an 8x12 or 9x9 casserole dish with vegetable oil (we use high smoke point grapeseed or canola oil). Place a rack in the bottom third of the oven. Put the empty dish on the rack. Preheat the oven with the dish in it to 425°F.

While the oven is coming to temperature, heat a tablespoon of vegetable oil in a skillet on medium high. Add the sausages and brown them on at least a couple sides.

When the sausages have browned, and the dish in the oven hot, pull the oven rack out a bit, put the sausages in the casserole dish, and pour the batter over the sausages. Cook for about 20-30 minutes or until the batter is risen and golden.

Serve at once.

Friday, January 26, 2018

"MILDRED PIERCE" (1945) Photo Gallery



Below are images from "MILDRED PIERCE", the 1945 adaptation of James M. Cain's 1941 novel. Produced by Jerry Wald and directed by Michael Curtiz, the movie starred Oscar winner Joan Crawford and Ann Blyth: 


"MILDRED PIERCE" (1945) Photo Gallery











Sunday, January 21, 2018

"2 GUNS" (2013) Review

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"2 GUNS" (2013) Review

I have been a major fan of both Denzel Washington and Mark Wahlberg for years. But when I first learned that the pair would be starring in one of those "cop buddy" action flicks called "2 GUNS", I did not greet the news with any real enthusiams. And I had a few reasons for my lack of enthusiasm. 

As much as I admired the two, I could not envision the both of them as an effective screen team. I thought they would either cancel each other out or simply lack any real screen chemistry. There have been less and less "cop buddy" movies in the past decade. The genre is not as popular as it used to be during its heyday from the late 1980s to the mid 1990s. Also, the movie was released during the month of August, which the Hollywood studios use as a dumping ground for their second-rate summer fare or for movies they are uncertain of any success. And if I must be brutally honest, the movie's title - "2 GUNS" - did not particularly ring with any originality or zing. I did the math and concluded that this movie would be, at best, a sample of cinematic mediocrity. But . . . this was a movie with Denzel Washington and Mark Wahlberg and decided to see it anyway.

"2 GUNS" began in the middle of the story with the two main characters - criminals Robert Trench and Michael Stigman - plotting the robbery of a local Texas bank that holds the money of Mexican drug lord named Papi Greco. The story rewinds back a few days to Trench and Stigman's meeting with Greco in Mexico, where the latter fails to give Trench the cocaine that he wanted. As it turned out during a stop at the U.S.-Mexico border, Trench is an undercover D.E.A. agent who needs the cocaine as evidence to convict Greco. Trench decides to continue his cover and assist Stigman in robbing Greco's $3 million dollars from a Texas bank. Unbeknownst to Trench, Stigman is an undercover U.S. Navy Intelligence agent who is ordered by his commanding officer, Harold Quince, to kill Trench and take the $3 million so that the Navy can use it to finance covert operations. Upon robbing the bank, both Trench and Stigman discover that Greco had $43 million dollars in the bank. Even worse, the money actually belongs to a C.I.A. official named Earl, who has been using the money given to him by Greco for C.I.A. black operations. Stigman finds himself in trouble with Quince for failing to kill Trench. And before the latter is framed by Earl for his superior's murder, he is instructed to get the money back or face prison. Trench and Stigman team up to find the money.

Just as I had expected, "2 GUNS" proved to be a typical "cop buddy" movie that was prevalent during the late 1980s and the early 1990s. However, I was surprised how complex it proved to be. Instead of two police officers already established as partners or being forced to become partners, "2 GUNS" featured two intelligence agents unaware of each other's profession and mission, and forced to become partners when they find themselves ostracized. I was also surprised to discover that both Washington and Wahlberg managed to produce a first-rate screen chemistry. Not only did they work well together as an action team, but also proved to be quite funny. And thanks to Blake Masters' screenplay, the movie featured some top-notch action scenes that included the actual bank robbery, Trench and Stigman's encounter with Quince's shooters at Trench's apartment, and an encounter with Grego's men at the home of Trench's fellow DEA colleague, Deb Reese. Apparently, Masters and director Baltasar Kormákur saved the best for the last in a blazing shoot-out between the pair, Quince's shooters, Earl's killers and Greco's men at the latter's ranch in Mexico. Despite my observation that the movie evolved into a complex story, both Masters and Kormákur made it clear for me - aside from one or two scenes.

One of those scenes that confused me centered around Trench's DEA colleague and former lover, Deb Reese. I understood that she was involved in a scheme to get her hands on Greco's money with Quince. But after she found herself a hostage by Greco, she immediately gave up on the idea of Trench and Stigman finding the $43 million she had hidden, despite giving Trench a clue to its location. It seemed as if her character seemed to be in some kind of conflict over the issue . . . and an unnecessary one at that. Another scene - or I should say plot line - that confused me concerned Stigman's position with the U.S. Navy. He managed to infiltrate a naval base in Corpus Christi and informed an Admiral Tulway about the mission, Quince and the missing $43 million dollars. Although Tulway declared Quince a wanted man, he also disavowed Stigman from prevent the scandal from tarnishing the Navy's reputation, which would have required Stigman's arrest. Does that mean by the end of the money, Stigman remained wanted by the Navy, while he helped Trench take down the C.I.A.'s other bank stashes at the end of the film? Why did end Stigman's situation on such a tenuous note? And why would Trench even bother to go after the other C.I.A. money stashes? Were they connected to Greco's drug operations? If so, the screenplay failed to make the issue clear.

The cast gave first-rate performances. This is not surprising, considering the names in the cast. Both Denzel Washington and Mark Wahlberg were not only excellent as the two leads, but also seemed to be having a lot of fun. Paula Patton made a rather subtle femme fatale as Trench's double-crossing colleague. Bill Paxton proved to be a very scary adversary as the malevolent C.I.A. official trying to get his money back. Edward James Olmos proved to be equally effective as the ruthless, yet soft-spoken drug dealer, Greco. And I was surprised to see James Marsden portray an unsympathetic role as the ruthless Harold Quince, whose scheming got the two leads in trouble. And he was damn good.

I might as well say it. Aside from a rather complex plot, "2 GUNS" is not exactly a memorable action movie that will rock your world. It is also marred by some vague writing in its second half. It is entertaining, funny and has plenty of exciting action scenes, thanks to director Baltasar Kormákur. But the best thing about this film proved to be its cast led by the dynamic duo of Denzel Washington and Mark Wahlberg.

Tuesday, January 16, 2018

My Ranking of the Movies in the "DIE HARD" Franchise

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Below is my ranking of the five movies in the "DIE HARD" movie franchise that starred Bruce Willis as John McClane: 


MY RANKING OF THE "DIE HARD" MOVIES



1. "Die Hard" (1988) - The first movie is not always the best. But in the case of this particular movie franchise, it is for me. While visiting his estranged wife, New York City detective John McClane is trapped inside a Los Angeles skyscraper during a Christmas Eve heist led by former German terrorist Hans Gruber. Alan Rickman, Reginald VelJohnson and Bonnie Bedalia co-starred.





2. "Live Free or Die Hard" (2007) - John McClane is ordered to escort a suspected hacker targeted by cyber terrorists led by former Federal tech employee Thomas Gabriel trying to steal from the U.S. government in this surprisingly well-made film. Justin Long, Timothy Olyphant and Mary Elizabeth Winstead co-starred.





3. "Die Hard With a Vengeance" (1995) - McClane and a Harlem storekeeper named Zeus Carver are forced to play mind games by terrorist Simon Gruber (brother of Hans), while he plots the robbery of the Federal Reserve Bank in New York City. Samuel L. Jackson and Jeremy Irons co-starred in this first-rate action film, marred only by an anti-climatic ending.





4. "A Good Day to Die Hard" (2013) - McClane finds himself helping his son Jack, a C.I.A. operative, protect a Russian ex-millionaire from terrorists who want to use him to access a source of valuable weapons-grade uranium. Jai Courtney, Yuliya Snigir and Sebastian Koch co-starred in this movie with a first-rate and original narrative that is marred by a running time shorter than it should have been.





5. "Die Hard 2: Die Harder" (1990) - McClane ends up clashing with former Special Forces mercenaries at Dulles Airport on Christmas Eve, while waiting for his wife’s plane to land. William Sadler, John Amos, Dennis Franz and Bonnie Bedalia co-starred in what I believe is an entertaining film. But . . . I thought it tried too hard to copy the success of the 1988 movie.

Wednesday, January 10, 2018

"THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA: PRINCE CASPIAN" (2008) Photo Gallery



Below are images from "THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA: PRINCE CAPSIAN", the 2008 adaptation of C.S. Lewis' 1951 novel. Directed by Andrew Adamson, the movie starred William Moseley, Anna Popplewell, Skandar Keynes, Georgie Henley and Ben Barnes: 


"THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA: PRINCE CASPIAN" (2008) Photo Gallery











































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Monday, January 8, 2018

"THE BODY IN THE LIBRARY" (1984) Review

   
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"THE BODY IN THE LIBRARY" (1984) Review

As far as I know, there have been two adaptations of Agatha Christie's 1942 novel, "The Body in the Library". I have already seen the latter version that aired on ITV in 2004. Recently, I saw the earlier version that aired twenty years earlier. And I must say that I was taken by surprise by the differences in the two versions.

I now realize that I should not have been taken by surprised. The screenwriter for the 2004 made numerous changes to Christie's novel. However, screenwriter T.R. Bowen was a lot more faithful to the novel in the adaptation that aired in the 1980s. Most people would see this as a sign that 1984's "THE BODY IN THE LIBRARY" was the superior version. Well . . . they would be entitled to that opinion. But it is not one that I would share.

"THE BODY IN THE LIBRARY" beings when the dead body of a young blonde woman is found inside the library of Gossington Hall, the home of Colonel Arthur and Dolly Bantry of St. Mary Mead. While Mrs. Bantry enlists the aid of their friend and neighbor Miss Jane Marple to investigate the crime; Detective Inspector Slack first suspects Colonel Bantry and later, another local named Basil Blake as the murderer. However, the police is finally able to identify the body as Ruby Keene, a local dancer at a resort hotel called the Majestic, in the nearby seaside resort of Danemouth. Her cousin, another dancer named Josie Turner, had identified the body. And according to Josie, Ruby had been missing for some time. Worried over the investigation's impact upon her husband, Mrs. Bantry suggests that she and Miss Marple spend a few days at the Majestic Hotel. There, they learned about Ruby's connection to a wealthy invalid (and old friend of the Bantrys) named Conway Jefferson, who was planning to leave a considerable amount of money to Ruby.

During the first three years of "MISS MARPLE", the episodes usually aired over two or three nights. In the case of "THE BODY IN THE LIBRARY", it aired over three nights, resulting in a running time of 156 minutes. And that is a hell of a long time for a story like "THE BODY IN THE LIBRARY". It was simply too long. And it felt like it, thanks to the slow pacing. One, the story's setup - namely the discovery of the body, Miss Marple's recruitment into the case, the introduction of the police - seemed to drag forever. I found myself wondering when Miss Marple and Mrs. Bantry would finally make it to the Majestic Hotel. And it seemed as if T.R. Bowen and director Silvio Narizzano were determined to include every detail to Christie's novel. I might as well say it. I am not one of those who demand that a television or movie adaptation of a novel be completely faithful to its source. It depends on whether or not being faithful served the production in the end. I do not feel that this faithful adaptation did great service to a novel that was never a particular favorite of mine in the first place. I really had to struggle to maintain my interest in this television movie.

I have one other major complaint. I noticed that Christie's novel, along with this movie, tried to include as many suspects as possible in the murder of Ruby Keene. But once the story shifted to the Majestic Hotel and Conway Jefferson's family, the number of real suspects seemed to whittle down to two - Jefferson's son-in-law and daughter-in-law, Mark Gaskell and Adelaide Jefferson. Even worse, Bowen failed to create a balanced portrayal of the pair. One ended up receiving more attention and screen time over the other.

I had no problems with most of the movie's production. I thought it did a serviceable job in re-creating St. Mary's Mead and a seaside resort circa 1955, thanks to the work of production designer Austin Ruddy. John Walker's photography struck me as serviceable. But like most productions that featured Joan Hickson as Miss Marple, it is obvious that the movie was shot on inferior film that managed to fade over the years. I enjoyed Jan Wright's costume designs. But they did not blow my mind. I do not know who did the actresses' hairstyles. But whoever worked on Sally Jane Jackson's hairstyle did a very questionable job - as seen in the images below:

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What in the hell happened?

At least the performances for "THE BODY IN THE LIBRARY" were up to snuff. The television movie marked Joan Hickson's debut as Jane Marple. And she did an excellent job in setting up the numerous first-class work that eventually did for the next seven to eight years. The movie also marked the debut of David Horovitch as Inspector Slack, the police detective featured in most of Hickson's Miss Marple productions. I found his performance rather interesting, considering Slack's hostile attitude toward the elderly sleuth in compare to later movies. Three other performances also caught my attention. Moray Watson (from 1980's "PRIDE AND PREJUDICE") did a very competent job in portraying Colonel Arthur Bantry's growing sense of isolation from his neighbors' suspicions that he may have been involved in Ruby Keene's death. Anthony Smee gave a very entertaining performance as St. Mary Mead's new resident, the colorful Basil Blake. And I was very impressed by Trudie Styler's portrayal of the victim's pragmatic, yet reserved cousin Josie Turner. The movie also featured competent support from Andrew Cruickshank, Ciaran Madden, Gwen Watford, Ian Brimble, Raymond Francis and Jess Conrad.

I am not saying that "THE BODY IN THE LIBRARY" is a terrible movie. I thought that director Silvio Narizzano and screenwriter T.R. Bowen did a solid job in adapting Christie's novel. And the movie featured excellent and solid performances from a cast led by Joan Hickson. But . . . two hours and thirty-six minutes struck me as too damn long for an adaptation of a novel that has never struck me as extraordinary. And quite frankly, the long running time and the slow pacing nearly put me to sleep.