Wednesday, May 30, 2012

La Femme's Top Five





Well, I suppose it is time we get down to brass tacks. One of the main reasons I started this blog was to improve my writing and one of the biggest areas I want to improve in is film criticism and film discussion.  I talk about movies all the time, but I rarely write about them.  So, to ease in, I thought I would start with something that I hope to be a regular feature: a top five, well technically six, list.  

The following are five of my favorite movies.  Some are new. Some are old. But, there are some common links: 1) They have great performances; 2) They have interesting direction; and 3) They are movies that bore a little tiny hole into my brain and I can't get them out.  All of a sudden, a snippet of a scene,  dialogue or a camera trick the director did come back to you and makes you think or makes you smile or in some cases even freaks you out. These aren't necessarily my top five movies of all time, but they are definitely in the conversation.


Snooker makes a great Hedwig!
1. Hedwig and the Angry Inch (John Cameron Mitchell, 2001):  A rock musical about an East German transexual and the corn pone boy /  rock star she falls in love with.  I have seen this movie twice in sing-a-long showings at theaters, and honestly, I have a smile on my face the entire time and come out with a hoarse voice after singing all the songs.  Hedwig has great songs and a great performance by John Cameron Mitchell as the title character.  This film is definitely a lot of fun but also a moving portrait of trying to figure out who you are.



2. Singin' in the Rain (Gene Kelly/Stanley Donen, 1952): This is the ultimate movie musical of the studio era.  Starring Gene Kelly, Donald O'Connor and Debbie Reynolds, it is also a great movie about movies as it tells the story of a studio transitioning from silent to sound films.  The musical numbers are perfectly choreographed, creative and a lot of fun.  The jokes are still really funny and the movie stands the test of time.  Plus, the end of the movie when Don sings to Kathy at the theatre always makes me cry (in the best, happy movie cry kind of way).  It is the kind of movie that, if you are in a bad mood and you watch it, you will smile and feel a little bit better.



3. Before Sunrise / Before Sunset (Richard Linklater, 1995 / 2004): When I decided to do this list, these were the first movies I thought of.  Before Sunrise is definitely one of the movies that I watched over and over in my formative years.  The story is simple: two people meet on a train and spend a night walking around Vienna talking.  In the morning they have to part.  Will they ever meet again?  Well, Before Sunset shows what happens ten years later.  These are truly two of the most romantic movies I have ever seen.  I am not a big crier in movies, but these two make me bawl.  Ethan Hawke and Julie Deply have this amazing natural, intellectual chemistry, and you really believe that these two people are making a life-changing connection. They are two heartachingly beautiful tales of love, fate and human connection.  I am generally pretty forgiving of peoples' taste, but if you don't like these movies, we can't be friends.

Edgar makes this beret look good :)
4. Carlos: I love French cinema (hello, see the name of this blog), but let's be honest, French cinema has a reputation of endless discussions of philosophy, unsexy nudity (Louis Garrel, I am talking to you! Je t'aime, but I don't want to see you pee!) and depressing endings that make you wish you were dead.  But Carlos, Olivier Assayas' 5 hour (in three parts) globe-trotting epic about 70's terrorist Carlos the Jackal is definitely not your stereotypical French film.  Yes, there is some discussion of philosophy but even though it is about the birth of modern terrorism, it isn't depressing at all. Plus lots of sexy nudity!  Instead, Assayas uses many of the techniques of the French New Wave (hello, jump cut!) to infuse a rock and roll energy to this movie, much like the early movies of the New Wave - the film has a great energy to it, and it seems fresh and alive.  Edgar Ramirez's performance is everything I love about acting: its bombastic and a bit over the top but, at the same time, he portrays Carlos as a real person who you are at once attracted to and repulsed by.  Plus, the sequence where Carlos and his cohorts raid the OPEC summit is amazing and is a sensational film in its own right.

5. Cabaret: Yes, I realize this is the third musical.  But I actually think all three of the musicals on this list are for people who don't like musicals.  In Cabaret, all of the musical numbers are on stage or in a natural setting, and none of the characters suddenly burst into song.  Directed by the great Bob Fosse (see All that Jazz right now... I will wait...) and staring Liza "with a Z", this movie tells the story of Sally Bowles, a cabaret singer at the Kit Kat Klub during the rise of Nazism in Berlin.  This movie won 8 Oscars in 1972, beating out the Godfather in many of those categories (including Director over Francis Ford Coppola and Supporting Actor over Al Pacino).  It is poignant, funny and Joel Grey's amazing performance as the Emcee is worth the price of admission alone.




All of these great movies are available on Netflix so if you haven't seen them I absolutely recommend checking them out.  I hope you find as much joy in them as I do!  Also, as you can see above, I own them all on dvd.  They are available from the La Femme movie library for a small check out fee :)

Julie


Thursday, May 24, 2012

It's Noon Somewhere!

Today is the start of a regular feature on this blog called It's Twelve O'Clock  (2016 edit, the title is officially changing to It's Noon Somewhere, although this is a deviation from my Mom's original quote, It's Twelve O'Clock Somewhere is just too damn unwieldy)  Somewhere.  This name came about when my mom offered a glass of wine to my wedding makeup artist at my hair trial.  It was 11:00 a.m. so my mom told her, it's 12 o'clock somewhere.  It is now one of my favorite sayings!

I almost called this column Cocktail Time which absolutely was a reference to Sandra Lee.  Yes, I will be having a regular feature on cocktails much like Ms. Lee.  No, I will not be having a regular feature of tablescapes.  If you have no idea who Sandra Lee is, please take a moment to watch this video and experience the wonderful craziness that is Sandra Lee.



 I should mention that I am not usually the mixologist in our house, that would be my husband K. But I am very good at drinking cocktails and do occasionally mix them when he is feeling lazy. I am a big proponent of making cocktails at home because not only is it a lot of fun and makes you feel all fancy but it is great for the budget! This is one of the easiest and most unique cocktails that my husband and I make at home  A Rum Sour.

This drink came about a few years ago when my family was on our yearly trip to Lopez Island in the San Juan Islands. My dad asked what I wanted to drink and I saw he had a drink in his hand with a cherry in it so I asked him what he had.  He said a rum sour and that he used to make them for my mom in the 70s.

I tried one a and a love affair was born.  Since then, this is one of my cocktails of choice and it was even one of the specialty cocktails at my wedding.  I have never seen a rum sour anywhere else and when I ordered one in a bar once, I got white rum and sour mix (yucko).  It is sweet and citrus and kind of tart all at once.  It is strong but doesn't taste too alcoholic.  It is a perfectly balanced cocktail.

So without further adieu: Rum Sour

This is actually a very easy cocktail to make because it is equal parts of only three ingredients:

  1. Dark Rum, I usually use bacardi but any kind you prefer is ok.
  2. Triple Sec (or Cointreau if you are fancy pants)
  3. Sweet and Sour Mix 
2019 EDIT: I don't drink rum sours anymore because they are too sweet.  But on occasion I enjoy a Whiskey Sour or even an Amaretto one.  But I don't ever use Sweet and Sour Mix, the juice of a lemon and some simple syrup will do just fine.  And if I were to make a Rum Sour again, I would use lemon (and maybe a touch of simple?  The orange liquer may make it sweet enough).

You will also need maraschino cherries for garnish and if you have some, an orange wedge.

The only equipment you need is 

  1. Shot Glass 
  2. Cocktail Shaker




All you do is measure one shot of each liquid.  Pour them into a shaker with lots of ice. (yes, I do use large shot glasses.  No judgment!).

Amazing artistic shot of rum.


Then the fun part, shake vigorously for about 20 seconds. The more vigorously you shake a cocktail, the foamier it will be.
Action Shot!
Finally, just pour it into a double old fashioned glass.  This drink is served on the rocks as are all sours.  Add your garnish, I used just a maraschino cherry but if you have an orange, throw a wedge in there!


I may or my not have one in my hand right now!


Skol!

Julie