Dinner And A Movie Monday – Awakenings

Tags

Awakenings, Dinner and a movie monday, movies, Robert DeNiro, Robin Williams

Awakenings is a 1990 film based on British neurologist Oliver Sack’s 1973 memoir, directed by Penny Marshall. In 1969 the doctor discovered the beneficial effects of the drug L-Dopa when administered to catatonic patients who survived the 1916-28 encephalitis lethargica epidemic. Leonard Lowe and the rest of the patients were awakened after decades of catatonia and have to deal with a new life in a new time.

Robert DeNiro plays Leonard Lowe, one of the patients. After a trial run with L-Dopa produces astounding results with Leonard, it is administered to the rest of the catatonic patients.

Robert DeNiro was nominated for Best Actor for this role. In my opinion, he should have won. He did a remarkable job of bringing Leonard Lowe to life. Through his portrayal, we see the despair and isolation of his condition, and the attitude of wonder he adopts when awakened. We watch his struggle to relearn, his fight to find a place in the world, and the heartbreaking realization that the miracle is only temporary. It will probably move you to tears, but it is a poignant movie that has a lesson for everyone. Enjoy the wonder of living. Learn to appreciate every moment.

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Dinner And A Movie Monday – Passengers

Tags

Chris Pratt, romantic, scifi

Passengers is a move starring Chris Pratt and Jennifer Lawrence. If you went to see it, expecting something like Firefly or Star Wars, you were probably disappointed. It isn’t an on the edge of your seat action movie that takes place on some starship in outer space. It’s about relationships and what loneliness will do to you.

The starship Avalon is transporting hibernating colonists and crew to another planet where they will begin new lives. Just 30 years into their 120 year journey, a malfunction awakens mechanical engineer Jim Preston.

He’s got the whole place to himself, so Jim enjoys living like a rich man. He takes advantage of all the amenities offered on the ship. But after realizing he’ll be alone for the rest of his life, he falls into a deep depression. He can have anything he wants except for human companionship. He even contemplates suicide, but can’t go through with it.

Eventually Jim goes against his conscience and wakes another traveler, Aurora. He tells her that her pod malfunctioned. She’s devastated that she will grow old and die before the ship reaches their new home and tries unsuccessfully to find a way to re-enter hibernation.

They fall in love and are happy until Aurora finds out the truth. She accuses Jim for stealing her life and cannot forgive him. They avoid each other until they discover the ships systems are failing and must find a way to repair it and save the other passengers. This is where the action begins.

It was a touching movie about loneliness and isolation and the lengths someone would go to in order to find companionship. This is another side of Chris Pratt I’ve never seen, and I really liked the way he handled the role.

Lobster

If I was stranded like Jim Preston and resigned to enjoying all the gourmet food available onboard, I’d eat lobster every single day.

I’ve never cooked it before, but apparently there’s not that much to it. Pour the water into a large pot and add the onions, garlic, lemons, oranges, celery, black pepper, seasoned salt and jalapeno peppers. Bring to a full rolling boil and boil for 20 minutes. Add the lobsters and place a lid over the pot. Boil for 15 minutes (depending on the size). Cook no more than two at a time.

Makes me hungry.

Dinner And A Movie Monday – Dunkirk

Tags

Christopher Nolan, Dunkirk, little ships of Dunkirk, reviews, Spitfires, WWII

Last Sunday my sister and I went to see Christopher Nolan’s Dunkirk, and it’s been on my mind ever since. Stark and gripping, the film allows viewers to experience the events set into motion the end of May and the first of June in 1940.

The movie is about the evacuation of 338,226 men (including 123,000 French soldiers) who were cut off from the rest of the French Army by the German advance and left stranded on the beaches of Dunkirk. It was written, co-produced and directed by Christopher Nolan and told from three perspectives—the land, the sea and the air.At first, it was difficult to follow the non-linear narrative, especially since the time frame varies from one week to one day to one hour and switches from one to another throughout the movie. On land, we see a week’s events through the eyes of Tommy, a young British private and Commander Bolton caught in the middle of a seemingly hopeless situation. By sea, we join Mr. Dawson and his son who volunteer to head to Dunkirk the day before. In the air, we see what happens in an hour when three Spitfires take on the German Luftwaffe.

It contains little dialogue, projecting the suspense through the visuals and music. Written to accommodate the intensity of Hans Zimmer’s music, we heard the sound of a ticking clock throughout the movie. Thousands of extras were employed, and boats that had participated in the real Dunkirk evacuation were used, as well as using genuine era-appropriate planes for aerial sequences. Nolan was also adamant that the entire cast be British.

To those of you who like historical movies like this, I recommend Dunkirk. It’s the first WWII film I’ve seen from the British point of view. I saw a whole new perspective. It was an emotional journey with all the impact of Saving Private Ryan without the blood.

The reaction of the soldiers on the beach, hoping to be rescued and wondering if they would ever see home again, the frustration of British officers trying to achieve the impossible, the resolve of the pilots, and the selfless courage of those men who piloted the little ships of Dunkirk.

(Note: no recipe this time. I don’t think I saw any eating in the movie with the exception of bread and jelly sandwiches, and we all know how to make those)

Dinner And A Movie Monday – Morning Glory

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Christopher Reeve, Dinner and Movie Monday, Lavyrle Spencer, Morning Glory, romance

My sister and I stumbled across this movie years ago and it’s become one of our go-to films, because it’s such a simple little story of how two damaged people open up and learn to love.

It’s based on a book written by Lavyrle Spencer. I’ve read most of her stuff, and it was one of my favorites…the kind that makes you go “awwwww”. I was thrilled to learn it had been made into a movie. It stars Christopher Reeve and Deborah Raffin.  We watched it again just last week and decided the acting was his best ever.

Will Parker is a man with an unfortunate past. After serving five years in prison for manslaughter, he’s just trying to find work. While passing through a small town in Georgia, he sees an ad in the paper. Ellie Dinsmore, recently widowed mother of two small boys and another on the way is advertising for a husband.

Desperate, Will goes to her farm. Despite Ellie’s misgivings, she agrees to put him up in the barn. After discovering how much they need each other, Will and Ellie fall in love and marry. She gives birth to a healthy little girl, and they work together to make the farm profitable.

But something happens to threaten their happiness, and Ellie is forced to come out of her shell and fight for the man she loves.

Honey Butter

• 1/4 cup butter, softened
• 1/4 teaspoon grated orange rind
• 1/4 teaspoon grated lemon rind
• 1/2 cup honey

Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until blended (about 2 minutes). Serve butter at room temperature.

Dinner And A Movie Monday – Sommersby

Tags

Jodie Foster, movie review, Richard Gere, romance

(Reviewed this movie a couple of years ago. Watched it again last week. Enjoyed it as much as the first time, maybe even more.)

Sommersby , a 1993 film starring Richard Gere and Jodie Foster. Adapted from the historical account of 16^th century French peasant Martin Guerre, this version takes place in the Reconstruction period following the War Between the States. It’s a period movie, with a touching love story and the chance for redemption.

Six long years after leaving his farm to fight in the war, Jack Sommersby is presumed dead. In spite of the hardships, his young widow and son are content in his absence, because he was an unpleasant and abusive husband. Her neighbor has asked her to marry, but she’s strangely reluctant.

Imagine her surprise when her husband returns a changed man. He’s kind and loving to Laurel and their young son, Rob. He even reads from Homer to them, something the old Jack never would have done. When she asks him why he’s different, he claims “War changes you; makes you appreciate things.”

The neighbor has reason to believe Jack is an impostor. And he’s not the only one. Everyone says he seems completely different. After taking the townspeople’s money, he sets off to buy the tobacco seed claiming that the crops will raise enough funds to rebuild the town church. All those that bought in on the deal set to work, transforming the dull and lifeless plantation into a breeding ground of promise and prosperity.

Laurel gives birth to a daughter, Rachel. Shortly after her birth, two US Marshals come to town town to arrest Jack for murder, Once the trial begins, Laurel’s attempts to save her husband quickly focus on the question of his identity: whether this “Jack” is who he claims to be, or a lookalike who met the real Sommersby in prison.

Laurel and Jack’s lawyer agree to argue that her husband is an impostor, not the same man who left Laurel to fight in the war. This would save him from being hanged, but it would mean those people who believed him to be the real Somersby would lose everything. Although she tries to convince the jury the man she loves is not a murderer, Jack is determined to be noble.

This was another ‘sister’ movie. I’ve never cared for Richard Gere, but I do love a good story about the old south after the War Between the States, and this one did not disappoint. The scenery was rich and earthy, the colors were vibrant, the characters real and the love story between Jack and Laurel was touching.

Southern Fried Chicken

Nothing personifies the south better than fried chicken. To make the best batter ever for chicken or anything fried, this is my recipe.

1 c. milk

1 egg

Salt

Pepper

1-2 c flour (depending on how much chicken you’re frying.

I either pull the skin off or use skinless chicken. Salt and pepper each piece and roll in flour. Dip in a mixture of milk and beaten egg. Roll in flour again. Use a cast iron skillet on medium heat with about a ½ inch of olive oil and fry on both sides. Makes a wonderful, crunchy golden brown crust. Take care to cook thick pieces long enough or they’ll be raw on the inside.

I like to serve it with mashed potatoes and gravy, fresh green beans and homemade biscuits, dripping with butter.Add iced tea, of course, and lots of it. Makes my mouth water just to think about it.

Makes my mouth water.

Dinner and a Movie Monday ~ Sophie and The Rising Sun

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Dinner and Movie Monday, love story, Pearl Harbor, Sophie and the Rising Sun, WWII

Last weekend my sister and I took the chance on another movie we hadn’t seen advertised and didn’t know anything about.  It turned out to be a very good choice.

Sophie and the Rising Sun is a 2016 American film based on the 2001 novel of the same name. The film was released at Sundance Film Festival on January 25, 2017 by Monterey Media.

It opens in the autumn of 1941 in a small southern town. From the first scene I felt transported to Salty Creek, South Carolina. I could feel the cool air against my neck, bringing with it the rich smell of earth and subtle fragrance of hydrangeas and the sound of soft, southern voices rising and falling.

Sophie and the Rising Sun tells a compelling love story. Sophie, an artist who also fishes and sells crabs to the townsfolk, and an Asian stranger to town are swept up in the tides of history. Like all small towns, Salty Creek has it’s share of gossip. And people who are quick to judge, many while harboring their own dark secrets.

Mr. Ohta, appears in the town badly beaten and under mysterious circumstances. Sophie, a native of Salty Creek, quickly becomes transfixed by him and a friendship born of their mutual love of art blossoms into a delicate and forbidden courtship.

After Pearl Harbor is bombed, a surge of misguided patriotism, bigotry and violence sweeps through the town, threatening Mr. Ohta’s life. A trio of women, each with her own secrets – Sophie, along with the town matriarch and her housekeeper risk their lives to protect him.

 

~Crab Cakes~

1. 1.  In a large bowl, combine 1/3 cup bread crumbs, green onions, red pepper, egg, mayonnaise, lemon juice, garlic powder and cayenne; fold in crab.
2. 2. Place remaining bread crumbs in a shallow bowl. Divide mixture into eight portions; shape into 2-in. …
3. 3.  In a large nonstick skillet, heat butter over medium-high heat  – Serve hot and enjoy!

Note: Once again, I feel the need to apologize to my readers. When I retired the end of January, my intention was to post on my blog at least once a week. But the past few months have been even busier than expected. My time has been split between things I need to do (get my finances in order, finish the house remodel and landscape the yard) and things I want to do (attend critique meetings, spend time with friends and family and get ready for a new grandchild)

Soon things will change. Texas summer weather will be here. Heat and humidity. For me, it means hiding inside the house with a tall glass of iced tea and spending my time writing. Maybe I’ll get caught up. Fingers crossed.

 

Dinner and Movie Monday – The Dressmaker

Tags

Australian, Judy Davis, Kate Winslet, Liam Hemsworth, movies, reviews, The Dressmaker

When my sisters and I were little, sometimes my parents let us stay up late to watch an old black and white classic. Other times they took us to the drive-in. There we piled into the back seat in our pajamas with pillows and blankets, watching a double feature.

The three of us love to get sit back, get comfy and lose ourselves in a good flick. All kinds. So, when we had lunch together recently, one of my sisters recommended one she’d recently seen. She said it was great and loaned us her copy. She was right.

The Dressmaker is a 2015 Australian film written and directed by Jocelyn Moorhouse, based on the novel of the same name, written by Rosalie Hamm. Kate Winslet plays a dressmaker, Myrtle “Tilly” Dunnage, who returns to a small Australian town to take care of her mother. It’s a story of revenge and reckoning. Moorhouse has described the movie as “Clint Eastwood’s Unforgiven with a sewing machine.

After being accused of being responsible for the death of classmate Stewart Pettybone, Myrtle Dunnage is sent away from her hometown of Dungatar. Twenty-five years later, she returns to take care of her mother and ends up unraveling the mystery of Stewart’s death.

The whole town is buzzing about Tilly, especially handsome Teddy McSwiney. It only gets worse when she fashions a beautiful dress for one of the local girls who successfully uses it to catch a young man’s attention. Soon, every woman in town is wearing a “Tilly original”.

The film was filled with funny as well as touching scenes. Judy Davis played her mother, and she was a wonderful character. Liam Hemsworth was good as well. And when Tilly ends up getting her revenge, you’ll want to applaud.

Thanks for the heads up Jo Beth. This was a good one!

Lamingtons – In the movie, Tilly’s mother made Marijuana Brownies, which were a hit. However, this is an authentic Australian recipe I thought looked interesting.

Prepare time: 30 min

Cook: 60 min

Serves: 6

 Ingredients

•   Butter – 1 cup + 4 tbsps (unsalted and softened)
•   Sugar – 1 3/4 cups
•   Vanilla – 2 tsps
•   Eggs – 4
•   2 1/2 cups flour
•   Baking powder – 2 tsps
•   Baking soda – 1/2 tsp
•   Milk – 2/3 cup
•   Buttermilk – 1/3 cup
•   Salt – 1/2 tsp
•   Coconut – 2 cups, for coating
•   For Chocolate Sauce/Icing:
•   Butter – 2 tbsps, unsalted and softened
•   Milk – 1/2 cup
•   Sugar – 2 cups, powdered
•   1/3 cup, unsweetened cocoa powder
•   Hot water – 2 1/2 to 3 tbspsPreheat oven to 350° Grease and line two 8″ cake pans with baking/parchment paper. In a bowl, cream butter, castor sugar and vanilla on medium-high speed until light and fluffy. Add the flour, a few tbsps at a time. Use a wooden spoon to combine. Next add a little milk and stir to combine. Repeat with remaining flour and milk, ending with the flour. Turn out onto a wire rack to cool down to room temperature and store in fridge. Next day, prepare the lamingtons. Stir the mixture until smooth and a bit thick. It should not be a thick liquid as the cake will not absorb the chocolate coating. Once the excess sauce is drained which takes about 2-3 minutes, place each chocolate coated cube on a plate of dried coconut. Lamingtons can be stored in an airtight container for 4-5 days.
• Sprinkle dried coconut all over the chocolate coated cake and allow to set for a couple of minutes and serve.
• Once the cake is firm on touch and not crumbly, cut into small 2 inch square pieces. Cut each square in half, sandwich with jam or chocolate sauce. Use a fork or wooden skewer and dip each sandwiched cake squares in the chocolate sauce and coat well on all sides. Place on a cooling rack and allow excess sauce to drain by placing a parchment paper below the rack.
• Prepare the chocolate icing. Place the icing sugar, cocoa powder, butter and milk in a stainless steel bowl over a pan of simmering water.
• Divide the cake batter equally into the two greased and lined pans. Bake for 55 mts to an hour or until a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean.
• Add the eggs, one at a time, beating to combine. Add the buttermilk and beat for 10 seconds.
• Sieve all purpose flour, baking soda and baking powder in a bowl. Add salt and whisk together. Keep aside.
• Method for making Lamingtons

Dinner And A Movie Monday – The Magnificent Seven

Tags

Dinner and Movie Monday, movies, The Magnificent Seven, Western

Every once in a while a good western comes along. And it’s even more surprising when it’s a remake. I don’t know how many of you have seen the 1960 version of The Magnificent Seven with Yul Brenner, but it’s a re-imagination of the 1954 Japanese film call Seven Samurai. That makes the 2016 version the third time around.

Another little piece of trivia: It is the final film of composer James Horner. He died the previous year and his friend completed the music.

When one the locals in a mining town try to stand up to bad guy Bartholomew Bogue, he murders the man in cold blood. His wife rides to the nearest town for help where she encounters warrant officer Sam Chisom, played by Denzel Washington. Washington plays the perfect mix of cold-blooded determination and the desire to right a wrong.

Chisolm recruits a group of gunslingers. Chris Pratt plays Josh Faraday, a joker who is fast with the gun and cards. They are joined by an unlikely crew, sharpshooter Goodnight Robicheaux and friend, knife-wielding Billy Rocks, a notorious Mexican outlaw, a skilled tracker and a Comanche warrior.

They kill Bogue’s men and drive the corrupt sheriff away with a warning to leave Rose Creek alone. Certain that Bogue and reinforcements will return, they begin training townspeople to defend their home. Fighting side by side with ordinary people determined to take back their town, the cold, hard gunslingers find themselves feeling like a part of something good for the first time in a long time.

When Bogue returns, he brings an army and a Gatling Gun. Somehow the town manages to defeat them. But it is a costly victory.Those who did not survive are honored by the people of Rose Creek as heroes, while Chisolm rides off with the survivors.

Even though unlikely comrades, these men become friends who are willing to fight for a cause and die for each other. If you liked the l960s version, you’ll like this one. The music is perfect. The setting is perfect, and the characters have the same gritty appeal.

Pinto Beans

In every western I’ve ever watched, at some point in the movie you see a cowboy scraping beans out of a plate with a spoon and sopping up the juice with cornbread. I don’t know what spices they used or how they were cooked, but this is how my mama taught me.

1 lb dried pinto beans (washed, sorted and soaked in water for 24 hours. Rinse and add water to cover)

1 onion, finely chopped

1/4 c bacon grease.

Salt, pepper, garlic powder to taste

Brown the onions  in the bacon grease. Add to crockpot. Add Beans and water. Add spices. Cook on low heat for 6-8 hours. Serve with cornbread and jalapenos.

 

 

 

Dinner And A Movie Monday – Robin Hood

Tags

action, Cate Blanchett, Dinner and a movie monday, Ridley Scott, Robin Hood, romance, Russell Crowe

If you have read many of my movie reviews, you’re probably certain I’m a Russell Crowe fan. And I am, but mostly because I like the kind of movies he does.

Take Robin Hood. It’s a 2010 British-American film by Ridley Scott, based on the legend we all know. It takes place in 1199. Robin Longstride, played by Russell Crowe, is a common archer who fights for King Richard the Lionheart. The story opens during the siege of Chalus Castle. Robin and his comrades are disillusioned and weary of the war. So, when the King is killed during an attack, they decide it’s time to go home, so they desert.

On the way, they come across an ambush of the English royal guard returning to England with the King’s crown and news of his death. Too late to do anything but scare them away. Robin and his men impersonate the dead English knights so they can return to England. He promises a dying knight, Sir Robert Loxley to return his sword to his father in Nottingham.

In London, Robin assumes the identity of Loxley and informs the royal family of the King’s death. He witnesses the coronation of King John, who is swayed by Godfrey, who plans use French troops to stir up unrest and create an opening for Philip to invade England.

When Robin returns Loxley’s sword to his father, the man asks him to continue impersonating his son to prevent the family lands being taken by the Crown. He wants Loxley’s widow, Lady Marion, played by Cate Blanchette, to inherit instead. Robin agrees and in the process, he and Marion fall in love. What I liked about this is the way it happened. A glance, a smile, her hand in his when he helps her up on her horse, they way he studies her when she isn’t looking. They get to know each other and each of them like what they see. It tugs at the heartstrings.

After King John hears Robin’s plea to sign a charter of right and unite his country, a battle must be fought to stop the French marauders from taking over England. It takes place on the beach below the Cliffs of Dover and the cinematography is spectacular.

I enjoyed the movie and the twist at the end, giving us a new take on the story of Robin Hood and how “the legend began”. There’s comradeship. There’s action. And there’s romance. Definitely my kind of movie.

Medieval spiced beef stew

1.5kg lean braising steak, chopped into bite-size chunks
3 tbsp plain flour
Oil for frying
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground mace
1/8 tsp (small pinch) ground cloves
4 black peppercorns, crushed
1/2 tsp cardamom pods, crushed and green pods discarded
1 large onion, finely chopped
6 large sprigs parsley, stalks and leaves finely chopped, plus extra to garnish
900ml beef stock
50g stale wholemeal bread, torn into small pieces
3 tbsp cider vinegar
Pinch of saffron threads

1 Toss the beef with the flour to coat. Cover the base of a large casserole dish with a thin layer of oil and place over a medium high heat. Add the beef in batches and fry, stirring occasionally, until browned.

2 Return any browned beef to the pan with its juices. Add the spices, onion and parsley with a splash of the stock and fry, stirring frequently and scrapping up the crusty layer from the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon, for about 5 minutes until the onions have started to soften. Add the rest of the stock with a pinch of salt and bring to a gentle boil. Cover, reduce the heat to low and simmer for 2 hours, until the beef is tender.

3 Meanwhile, soak the bread in the vinegar with the saffron. Stir into the stew and simmer, uncovered, for about 20 minutes until the bread has broken down and the stew is thick. Taste and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Serve with bread and buttered green vegetables, garnished with chopped fresh parsley

Dinner And A Movie Monday – Big Stone Gap

Tags

Ashlyey Judd, Big Stone Gap, chick flick, Fried Chicken, romantic comedy, Whoopi Goldberg

Big Stone Gap was one of those movies my sister and I love to watch. I guess you could call them chick flicks, but to us, there’s more to it. Movies like this tell the kind of story that makes us laugh and cry…and sometimes all in the same scene.

The story takes place circa the 1970s in a small town in Virginia. Big Stone Gap considers Ave Marie Mulligan a spinster. After all, she’s forty and never been close to considering marriage, even though it’s apparent that childhood friend Jack is in love with her and has been for years. She claims the only thing he loves is his brand new truck.

She’s far too busy running the family pharmacy, being involved in her community, volunteering on the coal mining town’s Emergency Response Team, and directing the town’s annual production of “Trail of the Lonesome Pine”.

When Ave’s mother dies suddenly, she discovers Fred Mulligan is not really her father. Her mother was pregnant with another man’s child when they married. She left Ave’s father behind in Italy, but she never stopped loving him. She even kept his letters. That explains why Fred’s sister doesn’t think she should inherit the pharmacy or the house that’s been in the family for years.

Jack admits to Ave he has always had a crush on the little Italian girl that sat beside him in elementary school, and she realizes she has feelings for him. But when he blurts out they ought to get married, she’s offended.

Ashley Judd plays an independent woman who is a romantic at heart. I admire her passion for life. Whoopi Goldberg’s character is every bit as funny as her character in Ghosts. I love her sarcasm. Jenna Elfman is perfect as her wacky, off-the-wall friend. The movie depicts small-town living as only someone who’s been there can pull off. Great little movie.

Fried Chicken

Nothing says southern small town cooking like fried chicken, does it? There’s an amusing scene involving fried chicken in the movie. Elizabeth Taylor and her husband, John Warner, make a stop in town while on a campaign tour because she wants to try the friend chicken they serve at the diner.

When my family was young and we were on a tight budget, a friend taught me how to cut up a fryer without hacking it into unrecognizable pieces. We each had our favorite pieces. My youngest always ate the legs, my oldest the thighs, and my daughter and I fought over the wishbone.

These days I don’t fry chicken very often, and when I do, I only cook tenders. However, I still use the same recipe. It’s messy, but simple and yummy.

1 lb chicken tenders

1 cup flour

kosher salt and large grain pepper

one or two eggs, whipped

1 cup milk

Salt and pepper the tenders. Coat them with milk, salt and pepper. Dip each tender in a bowl of egg and milk mixture. Return them to the flour mixture one more time and fry in a cast iron skillet using vegetable oil. Cook until golden brown.

Makes the crispiest homemade chicken I’ve ever eaten.