Wow! The Oscars were pretty bare-boned this year. From the "high school project" computer animation at the beginning, to the just over 3 hour broadcast it was a pretty straight and to the point show for the Academy Awards. I think Jon Stewart did fine as host and took some good jabs at Hollywood's love of congratulating itself on job well done. Oh, and to all of the reporters covering the Red Carpet: How do you sleep with yourself at night?
Thoughts of mine in list order:
-Golden Compass winning an Academy Award for anything was pretty awesome. The movie wasn't terribly good, but I'm a big fan of the books. Plus it beat Transformers. Atheism 1, Michael Bay 0.
-Bourne Ultimatum taking home the 2nd largest number of Oscars for the night (if my counting is correct). Who knew?
-None of the schmaltzy and white-bread songs from Enchanted won.
-Javier Bardem winning.
-US armed forces presenting an award to a documentary about the fight for same sex marriages. Take that Department of Defense!
-Jon Stewart calling the Academy out on montages and sarcastically remarking on how interesting the "Award process Montage" was. That particular montage was one step above an educational movie from high school.
Switching gears, we caught Romero's Diary of the Dead on Friday, and it was splatterific. I always enjoy his ambiguous social commentary and intentional b-grade acting. At least I hope so, otherwise he really needs new casting directors. Stylistically it was in between Cloverfield and Dawn of the Dead - which was a good mix. It was bleak and zombie deaths are always a delight. Romero knows what he's doing when it comes to commanding mindless hordes.
I will try to post a recipe later this week.
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Sunday, February 17, 2008
Planesmistakenforstars Final Show
I just got back from Planes' final show. One word: epic. I remember seeing this band for the first time in the fall of '99 when I was a lowly freshman in college. I've seen them countless times through the years and one thing that's remained consistent is their passion and energy when they play. If they don't move you in some way you must be the walking dead.
Tonight's show killed, the final 3 songs kicked everyone's ass so hard they'll be waking up with bruises. Planesmistakenforstars is the best band to come from Denver in the last 5-10 years. Period. Thanks for all of the great memories and the great music.
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Sundance 2008 + The Savages
It's been a while since the last blog post, so here's a recap of the most recent movie and food doings. We cruised out to Sundance during opening weekend a couple of weeks ago to catch the happenings. The New Frontier Film Lounge on Main was really cool. My favorite piece in there was a piece by Daniel Rozin. The wooden pegs as an image screen is one of the single most incredible pieces of technology I have ever seen. The technology coupled with the organic wood was a fantastic juxtaposition.
Movie-wise we caught two films. We saw the Shorts Program V of which Isabella Rossellini had 3 called Green Porno. I believe all of the short films will be available on iTunes. The most dramatic, and overall best, of the program we saw was August 15th by Xuan Jiang. The film follows a fateful bus ride that is robbed by two men who subsequently rape one of the passengers. Her drastic actions at the end of the film bring it to its tragic and difficult moral conclusion. When this one finished, during the silence of the credits, someone in the audience simply said "great", and that was all that needed to be said.
We also caught Anvil: The Story of Anvil. This documentary about the almost forgotten, but nonetheless important and influential heavy metal band Anvil, garnered a standing ovation from the audience. I think this speaks for itself. I hope this gets distributed. Not only does this legendary band need a break (they are still together after 30 years!) but it's a moving and touching film. Imagine if Metallica weren't a bunch of whiney cry babies in Some Kind of Monster and you actually cared. This is that movie.
Tonight we caught the Savages with Philip Seymour Hoffman and Laura Linney. The film was an accurate portrayal of the difficulties and hardships of having a parent in a nursing home that is dying with dementia. I've said it before, Hoffman is one of the great actors of our time, as is Linney. Her Oscar nod is deserved, but I don't think her performance will cut it against the cinema stealing prowess of Ellen Page. But this isn't about Juno, it's about the Savages, and I would recommend it. Perhaps my favorite scene was of Linney's character having an intellectual fight with the man she is having an affair with. The combination of such a sad and pathetic situation with the obvious intelligence of both characters lent a new face to the age old 'sleeping with a married man' scenario.
On to the recipe:
Asian Slaw
1/2 of a napa cabbage chopped
1 carrot matchsticked
1/2 a red bell pepper julienned
1/4 of a red onion diced
small handful of cilantro chopped
dash of red pepper flakes
dressing:
2 T rice wine vinegar
1 T lime juice
2 T sugar
3/4 tsp. salt (I use more salt because I don't use fish sauce)
Blend dressing and pour over the other ingredients. You can use any vegetables you like, but those are what I had on hand.
Movie-wise we caught two films. We saw the Shorts Program V of which Isabella Rossellini had 3 called Green Porno. I believe all of the short films will be available on iTunes. The most dramatic, and overall best, of the program we saw was August 15th by Xuan Jiang. The film follows a fateful bus ride that is robbed by two men who subsequently rape one of the passengers. Her drastic actions at the end of the film bring it to its tragic and difficult moral conclusion. When this one finished, during the silence of the credits, someone in the audience simply said "great", and that was all that needed to be said.
We also caught Anvil: The Story of Anvil. This documentary about the almost forgotten, but nonetheless important and influential heavy metal band Anvil, garnered a standing ovation from the audience. I think this speaks for itself. I hope this gets distributed. Not only does this legendary band need a break (they are still together after 30 years!) but it's a moving and touching film. Imagine if Metallica weren't a bunch of whiney cry babies in Some Kind of Monster and you actually cared. This is that movie.
Tonight we caught the Savages with Philip Seymour Hoffman and Laura Linney. The film was an accurate portrayal of the difficulties and hardships of having a parent in a nursing home that is dying with dementia. I've said it before, Hoffman is one of the great actors of our time, as is Linney. Her Oscar nod is deserved, but I don't think her performance will cut it against the cinema stealing prowess of Ellen Page. But this isn't about Juno, it's about the Savages, and I would recommend it. Perhaps my favorite scene was of Linney's character having an intellectual fight with the man she is having an affair with. The combination of such a sad and pathetic situation with the obvious intelligence of both characters lent a new face to the age old 'sleeping with a married man' scenario.
On to the recipe:
Asian Slaw
1/2 of a napa cabbage chopped
1 carrot matchsticked
1/2 a red bell pepper julienned
1/4 of a red onion diced
small handful of cilantro chopped
dash of red pepper flakes
dressing:
2 T rice wine vinegar
1 T lime juice
2 T sugar
3/4 tsp. salt (I use more salt because I don't use fish sauce)
Blend dressing and pour over the other ingredients. You can use any vegetables you like, but those are what I had on hand.
Friday, January 4, 2008
5 Word Movie Reviews
Here we go:
Stardust - fantasy plus comedy equals winner
Charlie Wilson's War - good movie, and hoffman rules
Simpson's Movie - decent funny 2 hour episode
Spiderman 3 - what? less dance more venom
Live Free or Die Hard - surprisingly kick ass, yippee kiyaye
I made a coconut soup last night. not quite the soup from noodles and co. i was going for, but oh well:
2 cups vegetable broth
1 can lite coconut milk
2/3 block of tofu cubed
1/4 of an onion chopped
1 cup nappa cabbage chopped
1 T soy sauce
1 1/2 tsp ginger
1 clove garlic minced
3-4 T lime juice (to taste)
1 tsp sriracha
cilantro
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 T curry powder (or to taste)
1/2 tomato sliced
rice noodles cooked, rinsed, and kept in drainer
Cook onion, garlic, and ginger for 2 minutes over medium heat. Add curry powder, coat. add the rest of the ingredients (except cilantro) and simmer for 15 minutes or so. Taste to make sure flavors combined, add anything that is missing.
Put noodles in the bottom of bowl and ladle soup over top. Put cilantro on top to garnish.
Enjoy!
Stardust - fantasy plus comedy equals winner
Charlie Wilson's War - good movie, and hoffman rules
Simpson's Movie - decent funny 2 hour episode
Spiderman 3 - what? less dance more venom
Live Free or Die Hard - surprisingly kick ass, yippee kiyaye
I made a coconut soup last night. not quite the soup from noodles and co. i was going for, but oh well:
2 cups vegetable broth
1 can lite coconut milk
2/3 block of tofu cubed
1/4 of an onion chopped
1 cup nappa cabbage chopped
1 T soy sauce
1 1/2 tsp ginger
1 clove garlic minced
3-4 T lime juice (to taste)
1 tsp sriracha
cilantro
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 T curry powder (or to taste)
1/2 tomato sliced
rice noodles cooked, rinsed, and kept in drainer
Cook onion, garlic, and ginger for 2 minutes over medium heat. Add curry powder, coat. add the rest of the ingredients (except cilantro) and simmer for 15 minutes or so. Taste to make sure flavors combined, add anything that is missing.
Put noodles in the bottom of bowl and ladle soup over top. Put cilantro on top to garnish.
Enjoy!
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
Golden Compass for $12 in NYC
Alana and I spent the last week in NYC. There is so much vegetarian food it's impossible to hit it all. Our favorites were Red Bamboo and Cafe Lan. Red Bamboo has all of your favorites in mock form: cajun shrimp. bbq ribs, roasted chicken, fish sticks, the list goes on and on. The shrimp tasted pretty damn close (well if you've been a vegetarian for 11 years at least) and my ribs were smoky and meaty, if not the "same" as a real rib. Cafe Lan is a vegetarian Vietnamese restaurant whose owners are Buddhist. The food here was out of this world. Their BBQ Tempeh was crisp and tender, and the Papaya salad is out of this world - Not to mention the fact that entrees will only run you $8-$10, which isn't too shabby for New York.
We saw the Golden Compass as well. The story was engrossing and it was well made, but the editing and story flow were rushed and choppy. Alas I haven't read the book, and I'm afraid that will increase the disappointment level. All in all it was entertaining, and seeing a giant polar bear mosh some bad guys rates right up there with top bad ass film moments of the year.
We saw the Golden Compass as well. The story was engrossing and it was well made, but the editing and story flow were rushed and choppy. Alas I haven't read the book, and I'm afraid that will increase the disappointment level. All in all it was entertaining, and seeing a giant polar bear mosh some bad guys rates right up there with top bad ass film moments of the year.
Saturday, December 1, 2007
It was a Death Metal Coen Brothers Kind of Week
Alana and I went to the Faceless/Arsis/Enslaved show at the Bluebird Theater on Wednesday. All 3 bands were good. Faceless sound was a bit muddy to me, I couldn't make out the high end. They were talented, but it wasn't anything that got me excited. Arsis killed, I hadn't listened to much of them (and by much I mean a cursory glance at their Myspace page, oh I'm so ashamed). Let's just say I picked up "United in Regret" as soon as I could. Very talented musicians, good stage presence, and smoking riffs. Enslaved was dark, and surprisingly catchy but their stage setup was weird, their amps were pointed towards the center of the stage, which made it next to impossible to hear the 2nd guitar. All I could make out was a little bit of drums, lead guitar, and some vocals. That aside, they were really good, the cold weather outside was a perfect backdrop for their Nordic darkness.
Friday we caught No Country for Old Men at the Mayan. What a terrific film. It was exciting, tense, well written, well acted, and a thinker. You can't ask for much more than that. It's definitely one of my top movies this year behind The Santa Clause 3.
Sunday, November 25, 2007
Starz Film Fest: Being Michael Madsen & Jump!
In finishing the round of movies we caught at the Starz Denver Film Festival we saw Being Michael Madsen and Jump!. BMM is a mockumentary about a paparazzi photographer who accuses Madsen of murdering an actress and Madsen subsequently hiring a documentary film crew to follow the Paparazzi photographer. The other film was Jump! about competitive jump roping.
BMM was a pretty funny movie, some of the acting was a bit stilted and there were quite a few floating heads, but all in all it was an entertaining watch. Most entertaining was the Q&A where the director talked about how much he hates documentaries. It made the movie all that more enjoyable.
Jump! follows the same formula as Mad Hot Ballroom and Spellbound, but with competitive jump roping. This is a feel good movie that would be fun to watch with the family, and a good way to introduce the kids to documentaries, but it wasn't anything earth shattering.
Thanksgiving was great, I made my Sweet Potato Chipotle Soup, Roasted Brussels Sprouts w/ Caramelized Onions and Alana made smashed red potatoes with chili peppers and dry jack cheese (a recipe from Bon Appetit). We also had a Tofurky. It was all very delicious.
Here's the Brussels Sprouts Recipe, I know Brussels Sprouts are usually nasty, but these are really good, seriously:
~15 Brussels Sprouts sliced in 1/2 lengthwise
1 vidalia onion
2 T olive oil (for roasting brussels sprouts)
1 T butter + 1 T oil (for caramelizing onions)
1 T brown sugar
1 carrot sliced
salt & pepper
Heat an oven to 375 degrees. Toss Brussels Sprouts and Carrots in oil, salt and pepper. Spray a baking sheet with non-stick spray and pour sprouts and carrots onto it. Roast for 30-45 min. (Depending on how brown you want them.)
While Brussels Sprouts are roasting, Melt butter and combine with oil in a pan w/ a decent surface area over medium heat. After the onions start to soften and release their juices stir in the brown sugar. Leave onions in pan stirring occasionally until caramelized. Pull Brussels Sprouts when finished, salt again and combine in pan w/ onions once they are finished.
BMM was a pretty funny movie, some of the acting was a bit stilted and there were quite a few floating heads, but all in all it was an entertaining watch. Most entertaining was the Q&A where the director talked about how much he hates documentaries. It made the movie all that more enjoyable.
Jump! follows the same formula as Mad Hot Ballroom and Spellbound, but with competitive jump roping. This is a feel good movie that would be fun to watch with the family, and a good way to introduce the kids to documentaries, but it wasn't anything earth shattering.
Thanksgiving was great, I made my Sweet Potato Chipotle Soup, Roasted Brussels Sprouts w/ Caramelized Onions and Alana made smashed red potatoes with chili peppers and dry jack cheese (a recipe from Bon Appetit). We also had a Tofurky. It was all very delicious.
Here's the Brussels Sprouts Recipe, I know Brussels Sprouts are usually nasty, but these are really good, seriously:
~15 Brussels Sprouts sliced in 1/2 lengthwise
1 vidalia onion
2 T olive oil (for roasting brussels sprouts)
1 T butter + 1 T oil (for caramelizing onions)
1 T brown sugar
1 carrot sliced
salt & pepper
Heat an oven to 375 degrees. Toss Brussels Sprouts and Carrots in oil, salt and pepper. Spray a baking sheet with non-stick spray and pour sprouts and carrots onto it. Roast for 30-45 min. (Depending on how brown you want them.)
While Brussels Sprouts are roasting, Melt butter and combine with oil in a pan w/ a decent surface area over medium heat. After the onions start to soften and release their juices stir in the brown sugar. Leave onions in pan stirring occasionally until caramelized. Pull Brussels Sprouts when finished, salt again and combine in pan w/ onions once they are finished.
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