New Year's Eve Resolution Week Seventeen: Double Indemnity

This movie is too many things.  I adore this film.  I don't think there is a single thing about it that I don't love.  Even Stany's awful wig.  I was really looking forward to tonight.  Had kinda a crap weekend and I ended up not being able to do something that I really was looking forward to because sometimes I have to be an adult.  Which sucks.  So I was determined to make tonight fun and easy.  So glad that this was the movie on the schedule cause I knew I would enjoy it.  Bah to adult crap I got to watch me some Stany!  I couldn't find my copy, so the night was almost ruined.  Someone has to be messing with me.  This is the second Stany movie I couldn't find!  I will find this evil person and I will cut their little fingers off!  Rawr!  Don't touch my stuff!  Thank goodness for Amazon streaming.  They saved me again.  

I had absolutely no idea what to serve with this film.  I had a huge breakfast and was really not all that hungry.  I was all pouty and bratty too, so I didn't want anything complicated.  So what do you serve with a movie that is just awesome?  I went the traditional movie route!  Popcorn!  Pop!  Candy!  None of which am I supposed to have.  Technically I should be living on celery and water.  Screw it.  I made some wonderful Quinn's popcorn.  All natural, no chemicals.  'Bout as healthy as popcorn can get.  Then I choose root beer for my pop cause apparently caffeine will make me die. Finally, I had some prosecco flavored gummies because I wanted something just a little fancy.  

Prosecco Gummies, Popcorn and Root Beer!  

This movie is beautiful.  Every scene is beautiful.  I just love watching it for that.  I also love all of the different settings.  From a fancy house to a grocery store to a bachelor pad to a beautiful office building to a drive in restaurant.  Speaking of, you used to be able to go to a drive in and get a beer????  Wow!  Now the plot.  First, I love movies that begin at the end!  So it wins me over from the beginning.  The plot is interesting and there is a great twist.  I can watch it over and over again and I still get pulled in.

I love movies that begin at the end!

My perfect Barbara Stanwyck is her usual wonderful self.  They've got her in a terrible wig and you still can't stop this woman from being beautiful.  She plays her character so well.  You love her, you hate her, you can't figure her out.  It was the perfect role for her.  It's a challenging character and she totally pulled it off.  

Bad Hair?  Still beautiful.

Fred MacMurray.  I grew up watching him in re-runs of My Three Sons.  I always have a hard time getting past that.  I know that would bug the hell outta him too.  That's what he was afraid of when he took that role.  Sorry Fred.  He's so good in this though, that I sometimes forget that he was Steve Douglas.  Sometimes.  Not completely though.  Sorry Fred.  He is great in this though.  He plays his character more like a noir detective.  I think it's very clever.  I never would have thought to play it like this.  It works so well!  

Father from My Three Sons?  Nope!  Sexy Noir Detective?  Yep.

Finally Edward G Robinson.  Yet another one that can do no wrong in my book.  He can play everything.  Gangsters, murderers, middle aged wimps.  Everything.  I never do forget that it is him though.  I never have him get completely lost in the role.  I think it's his voice and his delivery.  It is so extreme that he's a bit of a caricature of himself.  I do just adore him though and he's a wonderful actor.  For some reason though, I always think he should be fat.  Weird, but that's what I think and he never was, so I dunno.  He's character is great though and you can't wait for him to figure it all out and get them.

Edward G Robinson. Always Edward G Robinson, but I love him.

So I got to curl up with popcorn and pop and candy and watch one of my favorite movies.  You can't go wrong here.  I feel a million times better.  I'm just sad that it's over.  Here comes Monday and more grown up bull.  Boooooo!

Love,

Olive

   

New Year's Eve Resolution Week Sixteen: Casablanca

::::sigh:::: So I wasn't looking forward to this one.  I really wasn't.  I had only seen this movie once.  I love movies, and I hadn't seen this one much to my shame, so I finally watched it.  Maybe it was all the hype, but I was really disappointed.  I didn't remember much about the movie except my impression of it.  I thought it was silly and I really didn't care how it turned out.  Could have also been my mood.  If I'm moody, any movie can suck.  But a resolution is a resolution, so I made myself watch it.  We're off to Morocco!

Tonight there was a recipe in Movie Night Menus!!  Yay!  I was thinking at least I didn't have to come up with dinner to go along with a movie I didn't like.  So on the menu was Roasted Eggplant Tangine and to drink a French 75.  Now I just had to make it vegetarian and alcohol free.  The only meat product that was in the recipe was chicken stock, so I just replaced it with vegetable stock.  Easy enough.  I'm also not a big fan of eggplant.  Instead of regular eggplant I bought white eggplant because it is supposed to be less bitter than regular old eggplant.  The recipe was pretty simple and fast.  I got to use spices that I had but never used before.  I like buying spices for some reason.  As for the French 75 weeeellll, that was a toughy.  I just replaced it with Sprite.  The recipe sounded like a lemony fizzy sweet drink, so that is what I was able to come up with.  Sprite is still very very bad for me.  So I was splurging.  I can hear my doctor screaming at me right now.  Bah.  I wanted a dessert too, so I looked up Moroccan desserts.  Turns out they're pretty healthy and simple.  There was no way that I had the skill to make baklava(YUM), and I could find any at the moment.  Plus the Sprite was bad enough.  So I choose a strawberry yogurt recipe.  Really simple.  Strawberries, vanilla yogurt, sugar, and vanilla extract.  You just mix it all together and then let it macerate for a while. Easy!  I also found out that almond cookies are a common dessert, and we ordered Chinese food last night, so I was able to get my hands on them.  Do Chinese almond cookies count?  

Here's my beautiful dinner.  Sprite(Yep that's Theta Bara on a highball glass.  I am even cooler than you thought, right?), roasted eggplant tangine, strawberries and yogurt, and almond cookies. 

(And depression glass)

The movie.  I was in a pretty good mood tonight.  I made dinner and it looked just beautiful and smelled even better.  And I was getting to have pop!  Which I never ever get!  So there was much to look forward to!  I went in with a good attitude.  This time around surprised me.  I let myself get into the story and the acting and the mood created by this film.  Yes, it is a bit dramatic.  Ok, really dramatic.  It's like close-up land.  There are so many close-ups!  Ingrid Bergman is stunning, so I understand why the director was so determined to capture every angle of the amazing face.  She looks so pretty crying  One tear trickling down her cheek.  So elegant.  And her voice.  It's like velvet.  I want her to tell me anything.

She's so lovely.

Now for Bogie.  Boy did I learn to appreciate Bogie in this film.  He was so able to convey his pain.  It was really wonderful.  Again, tons of close-ups but his face was so emotive.  It really was wonderful.  I've always loved Bogie, I think I love him a little more now.  He was a real actor in this film and I forgot it was Bogie.  

Lookit this!  Watch him crack.  It's just amazing.

I'm so glad that I had the opportunity to give this movie another chance!  I really really enjoyed it this time around.  It's beautifully shot.  The acting, particularly from Bogart, is truly wonderful.  The story line is simple but interesting.  Even the soundtrack is good.  Thank you Sam!  

So how did dinner turn out?  VERY GOOD!  I was so proud of myself.  I had to add a little more salt, but heck I'm American, we like salt.  The eggplant turned out perfect.  The spices were just right.  I would totally make this again. It was so filling, Even I was only able to eat half of my dinner.  Hope it reheats well!   It was a very rich heavy meal, so I understand why it was paired with a sweet drink to counterbalance it.  You need that contrast with this since it was a one dish meal.  The dessert turned out really good as well.  It was nice and light and not too sweet.  I don't think it needed the sugar or the vanilla extract.  It would have been just fine with the strawberries and vanilla yogurt.  I think.  The important part was letting it macerate.  That really helped the flavors blend.  And the cookies?  Didn't taste Chinese at all!  ;-)

Another great night!  So happy I did this!  

Love,

Olive

    

     

New Year's Eve Resolution Week Fifteen: Now, Voyager

I do so love this movie.  It's just fun.  You get makeovers and romance and middle age rebellion.  It's wonderful.  So I've been looking forward to this all week.  Great high note to end a weekend on.

Yet again, I'm on my own for food.  Next week, promise!  The people in this movie are super fancy, but I have to admit, I'm getting kinda sick of fancy food.  So I thought more about this movie and remembered the line the movie is most famous for.  "Oh, Jerry, don't let's ask for the moon. We have the stars,"  So that was the theme I went for, moon and carbs stars.  I went shopping for all the moons and stars I could find.  Ended up kinda weird and pitiful, but it was a fun hunt.  I found canned star shaped pasta, star shaped cookies, lucky charms cereal(What?  They have moons and star marshmallows!), and crescent rolls(Get it crescent moon?).  So there was my weird dinner.  It's almost as strange as what I ate for Duck Soup.  Almost.

Lucky Charms, crescent rolls, star shaped pasta, and star shaped cookies.

The depression glass was the best part.....

Bette is just wonderful in this movie.  I have to admit, I'm team Joan, as I'm sure you all know.  I appreciate Bette's acting so much, but I really think she "over" acts.  She's very big and dramatic and I guess I just don't ever believe her characters.  It always looks like acting to me.  I never forget that she is Bette Davis.  I guess that's why I love her in this role.  That's what this role required.  She needed to be big and broad and dramatic. Her character was a bit like a rebellious teenager stretching her wings.  She pulled it off without being bratty though, don't get me wrong.  She's just gorgeous in this movie too.  Her transformation from a cloddy frump to an elegant woman is tremendous. I think that's what stands out the most.  Even more than her acting.

It's pretty amazing what some eyebrows and some glasses can do isn't it?

Bette has some amazing looks in this movie, but I think this is my favorite.  Hot damn girl!

Mary Wickes is in this movie too.  She's great in everything.  So funny, such a character.  Loved her in Sister Act and Postcards From The Edge.  She wrote a book, I'm adding it to my very very very long to do list.

Mary Wickes

Janis Wilson was also great in this movie.  She played her character so sympathetic and sincere.  You were really rooting for her.  Very talented little girl.  She reminded me quite a bit of Pamelyn Ferdin.  Her voice and delivery.  I've loved Pamelyn's voice ever since Charlotte's Web, and The Odd Couple and The Brady Bunch..... ;-)  It took me a bit to place Janis.  I kept looking at her going, "I know her from somewhere."  Then I realized she was young Martha Ivers in The Strange Love Of Martha Ivers!  DUH!  So good in that too!  Pity she quit acting at 18.  

This little girl was really good.  You just wanted to hug her.

The dinner was just ok.  The crescent rolls were good.  But really, have you ever had bad bread?  The cereal was good, but you know same as the rolls, hard to be bad.  The pasta was too sweet.  Gross.  Even with the cheese I added.  I've never had canned pasta before.  I suppose this is what Chef Boyardee tastes like?  Ugh.  The star shaped cookies were shortbread but very very rich.  Too rich.  I shoulda ordered a pizza.  This meal was not worth the calories!  Oh well.  At least I can add to the foods that I don't like, which is a very short list!!!  Ha!!

So even though the food was really disappointing, the movie was good, as usual.  So the night wasn't a total loss.  My tummy is a bit pissed at me though.  ::::sigh:::: 

Screw the moon and stars, I should have had a pizza.  It's round.  Moon shaped.  Damn.

Love, 

Olive

New Year's Eve Resolution Week Fourteen: Citizen Kane

Tonight we had the movie of all movies.  Citizen Kane.  Like most film buffs, I have seen this movie a thousand times, and I have loved this movie a thousand times.  There is so much to this film.  The extravagant sets, the innovative filming angles, the complicated story line, the wonderful acting, the make-up, and of course Orson's voice.  I love films that run backward.  You know what happens to Kane from the very beginning and then the rest of the film is spent showing you how he got there.  I've often wondered if people can enjoy this movie on a superficial level.  I don't think that it's possible.  Maybe that is why the initial release of this film was not very popular.  People bit off more than they could chew when they went to this movie.  That and Hearst's interference, of course.  By the way, I highly recommend watching RKO 281.  It is a brilliant compliment to this film.  I just love it.  And it lets us in on the "Rosebud" joke.  ::::giggle::::

Now onto food.  I could not believe that this was not in Movie Night Menus, but whatever.  There are some in there, promise.  I had a huge huge lunch, so I wasn't up for much dinner.  And I was tired.  Busy weekend. I had planned on serving Hors d'oeuvres all along.  Just maybe not this simple.  I was thinking this story has rich people that entertain a lot so they never have to leave their home.  Rich people eat a lot of               Hors d'oeuvres, right?  Right.  From what I've seen they barely eat anything.  ::::shrug::::  Since I was so full, I put together something light.  Chopped veggies, some peppercorn ranch dressing, baked brie, some sour dough bread, and some fancy chocolate truffles.  Easy.  

Depression glass featuring fancy truffles, baked brie, chopped veggies, sour dough bread, and peppercorn ranch dressing. Yum!

 So much has been said about this movie that I'm kinda at a loss to add to the dialog.  What I noticed more when watching it this time was the fabulous job that was done on Orson's make up.  My co-movie watcher is the one that noticed it.  I can't take credit for this one.  They aged him so well in this film that they got it right!  As Orson aged in real life, he looked like Kane as an old man.  Giveortakeafewpoundsandsomefacefur.  It's really quite remarkable.

They aged him so accurately, didn't they?

The other actor that really stood out for me on this viewing was Dorothy Comingore.  Maybe it was because I'm a little tired and cranky, but gosh this woman worked my last nerve.  I know she was supposed to be obnoxious, but I think she took it to the next level! Her voice was just so shrill and whiny, and I'm not talking about her singing.  Ugh.  I liked her when she was drunk though.  That was good.  I don't think I've ever seen her in anything else, and I really don't wanna either!

Ugh.

The movie was wonderful, as expected.  I enjoyed watching it, yet again.  Dinner was just right.  I didn't feel like a fancy rich person though, but it was nummy.  I'll try harder next time.  I feel like I did this one a little half-assed.  I've just been so pooped lately!  And so busy.  Not a good combination!

Orson is proud of me for at least trying.

This is the Orson that I grew up with:  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oSs6DcA6dFI  

I think of it every time I hear his voice.  And I too will drink so wine before it's time(that is if I ever get to drink wine again). I was raised right!

Have a great week everyone!  

Love,

Olive

PS: Wanna see Orson drunk trying to film one of those famous Paul Masson commercials?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VFevH5vP32s  

I'll figure out how to add videos someday!

   

New Year's Eve Resolution Week Thirteen: The Lady Eve

I actually got to watch a movie I know NOTHING about tonight!  The Lady Eve.  I had no idea what I was in for.  The cast sounded pretty wonderful though.  I love Stanwyck.  If you don't love Stany, get out.  She really can do no wrong.  Except for all that western stuff.  I just don't like westerns stuff.  I'm sure I'll come around.  Then become obsessed with it...and blah blah blah.  Charles Coburn he captured by heart as Piggy in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes.  I pretty much like him in everything too.  Especially, In This Our Life.  Love!  He's so perfect.  Plus, he has teeth like bunny and that makes me happy.  Finally Henry Fonda.  I'm pretty sure that I've only seen two of his movies.  On Golden Pond, when it first came out when I was a kid.  I don't even really remember much about it except he fished a lot and I remember his voice.  And Mr Roberts.  I mostly watched that for William Powell and James Cagney.  Fonda didn't really strike me much in either of these films.  I know, I know, but I'm picky and weird.  I tend to focus on my favorites even if they are in teeny tiny roles.  Like anytime Louise Beavers comes on screen, I squee.  I do plan on watching 12 Angry Men eventually.

So here we go.  Nothing for me in Movie Night Menus, so I did a tiny bit of research on this movie to at least find out where it was set.  Most of it takes place on a cruise ship.  I was on a cruise once.  I was about 14.  I loved it.  Mostly because I was allowed to wander around alone.  I've always been perfectly content by myself.  I remember a lot of buffets.  And champagne breakfasts.  I think I remember the champagne the most because I wasn't allowed any.  So that's what I went for.  And I'm still not allowed any champagne!  What a crock.  ;-)  Today I ate way way too much, so I gotta be honest I wasn't really hungry and kinda felt like crap from all the junk.  So I went for a light and relatively healthy champagne breakfast.  I substituted the champagne with sparkling grape juice again.  I made a nice fruit salad and had a couple of Hawaiian rolls with a couple of slices of Irish cheddar cheese.  All things you would find in a cruise ship's buffet.

Fruit salad, Hawaiian rolls, Irish cheddar, and sparkling grape juice.  And depression glass!

I have a copy of this movie, but I couldn't find it.  I just reorganized all of my movies, and must have misplaced this one.  Ugh.  So pissed.  I hate it when I can't find my things!  So I was off to a rough start.  I was able to rent it from Amazon for 3 bucks, so my night wasn't ruined.  Amazon saves the day again!  I just want my stuff!  ::::pout::::  Anyway, the movie.  I just loved this film!  I'm so glad that it was on the list!  It's so much fun without being stupid.  That's pretty hard.  Even the running gag where Fonda keeps getting covered in food is charming.  Not over done.  He's wonderfully awkward.  A role that I didn't expect from him.  A nervous naive nerd.  He did it marvelously!  I get the Fonda thing now.  I was very impressed by him.

Fonda plays awkward perfectly!  He's putty in Stany's hands!

And my Stany.  She's sexy and strong and bright.  Perfect role for her.  Her characters are usually a bit harder and jaded.  Even when they inevitably break down and get all squishy.  This was a bit of a change for her.  She was perfectly able to pull off a softer side.  I loved it.  She wraps Fonda around her finger(twice!) so easily and with humor.  You love every second.

How can you not just adore her?  And those legs!

This was a great cap to a lazy weekend.  Dinner was easy and light and so was the movie!  Great compliment to each other.  I have to find my copy, or I'm going to have to buy it again.  This one is a keeper for sure!

One Charles Coburn for the road.  See?  Teeth like a bunny = happy.

Happy way to end a weekend!

Love,

Olive