Shutter Island

Probably the best directed B movie I've ever seen.



The first two acts of Shutter Island are probably the best movie I've seen so far this year. The only problem is that the third act is so ridiculous and unambiguous that it brings down the whole enterprise. I don't want to ruin it for people who have yet to see the movie, but the ending retroactively ruins a fair amount of very effective and suspenseful scenes. Think The Usual Suspects but with a better first two acts and an even sillier and less plausible ending.

Even with the silly ending, this still worth seeing. The acting and directing is, as expected, all top-notch. I probably expected too much from the screenplay, but before being derailed at the end, it is very immersive and interesting. The influence of classic Hitchcockian thrillers is most evident in the score and cinematography. Unfortunately, even with all these outstanding elements, the plotting causes the film to fall far short of the classic it would have been otherwise.

The Wolfman

The only person more bored than me during this movie was Benicio Del Toro.



Very old fashioned and by the numbers horror with all the cliches that come along with that. I did like that Benicio Del Toro's accent was handwaved as being American and that he is supposed to be Anthony Hopkins' son but mostly this just left me flat.

If you decide to see this try to figure how exactly Hugo Weaving's character is supposed to be an antagonist. For the life of me, I couldn't do it. Nor could I figure out how someone could have such ridiculously awful facial hair in a film that cost over 100 million dollars.

Formatting

Those of you who don't read this via RSS feed may have noticed that I changed the look of the site a bit. Mostly I just wanted to be able to post bigger photos and videos.

In a unrelated note, Hulu is streaming six Zatoichi films. These are pretty awesome. Check them out here.

Music of the Moment

After absolutely no deliberation, I've determined that "Love is a Wave" by The Crystal Stilts was the best pop song of 2009.



Besides that, I've been listening to The Stooges and the Dead Boys lately.  Seems like the more programming I do, the more I listen to aggressive music.

Arroz con Pollo

A very easy recipe to make, with a very delicious result.  Also quite price friendly for hungry and cash strapped grad students.  Serve over plantains.

 

Ingredients

1. 1 tablespoon cooking oil
2. 4 chicken thighs
3. 5 chicken drumsticks
4. 2 teaspoons salt
5. 1/2 teaspoon fresh-ground black pepper
6. 1 onion, chopped fine
7. 4 cloves garlic, minced
8. 1 cup canned crushed tomatoes
9. 1/2 cup bottled pimientos, drained
10. 1 small can (15oz) drained and rinsed black bean
11. 1 1/2 cup rice, preferably medium-grain
12.  2 1/2 cups water
13. 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
14. 4 lime wedges 

Directions

1. In a large, deep frying pan, heat the oil over moderately high heat. Season the chicken with 1/4 teaspoon of the salt and the pepper and add to the pan. Cook, turning, until well browned, about 8 minutes in all. Remove. Do not pour off chicken fat.
2. Add the onion to the pan and reduce the heat to moderately low. Cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the (chopped) garlic and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds longer. Add the tomatoes and pimientos, scraping the bottom of the pan to dislodge any brown bits. Stir in the beans, rice, water, the remaining 11/2 teaspoons of salt, and the cayenne, and arrange the chicken on top in an even layer.
3. Bring to a boil and simmer until all the water is absorbed, about 12 minutes. Turn the drumsticks and reduce the heat to very low. Cover and cook until the chicken and rice are just done, about 15 minutes longer. Serve with the lime wedges.