Read Our Minds

The Informant a good, but not great, movie

Over the weekend I had a chance to catch the matinee showing of The Informant, Steven Soderbergh's film about a food company employee (Matt Damon) who begins feeding information to an FBI agent (Scott Bakula) about illegal activities at his company, but turns out to not quite be Karen Silkwood.

First of all, let me say it's my last matinee. As I looked around at the rest of the people heading in, I imagined them all going to dinner at 4:30 to catch the AARP specials. I'm not quite ready to be associated with that just yet.

As for the movie itself, it was entertaining, and had some good moments. Still, nothing that made it worth paying full price for in a theater. You could easily watch this movie again and again on cable or dish and not lose a thing.

It definitely carried Soderbergh's personal stamp. The titles to transition between time and place and color saturation had a feel to them like the movie was made in the late '60s, even though it is new this year and is set in the early '90s. The soundtrack was excellent, written by Marvin Hamlisch but with a jazzier, more stylized feel than some of his other work. It definitely works here.

As for Damon's performance, he does a good job of playing a man who believes himself to be a good guy, yet is deluding himself as well. From what we can see, he's a guy who sees his company doing something illegal and feels it's important to do the right thing. We are brought along with it, sympathizing with his worries, and feeling bad for him as the company tries to weasel out of the trouble it gets into. It's all very Hollywood formula about a whistle-blower. But then his personal story begins to unravel, and we find that what we were led to believe about him isn't quite the truth.

Sorry to be so vague, but to say more would ruin some of the twists the plot takes. Suffice it to say it doesn't end the way you think it will.

Kudos to Soderbergh for incorporating not one but two Smothers Brothers in separate roles. That is part of the fun with this movie -- seeing who all is in it. It's not quite as good as the "Ocean's" franchise, but it has its moments.

-- Reviewed by Ken Krause

Book review: The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

Before The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society is made into a movie (yes, it’s in the works,) get a copy and read it. For good reason, it’s been a “hot potato” on the bestseller list. It’s witty, charming, funny, poignant and hard to put down. 

Set in post WW II England, 30-something Juliet Ashton is suffering from writer’s block when she receives a letter from Dawsey Adams, a pig farmer on the British Channel island of Guernsey.  Dawsey has come into possession of a book Juliet once owned. The story of how Dawsey acquired the novel and the creation of the Society intrigue Juliet, who has become a bestselling columnist and author during and after the war. She begins corresponding with Dawsey and the other Society members. Friendship, compassion and a sense of discovering new stories about the war draw them together.

Written entirely in letters, the great strength of this novel is the character development. Everyone's so English and clever and likable in their quirky ways, except for on crotchety Islander. They come to life through their letters and I truly felt like they were real, not fictional. I laughed out loud throughout many portions of the book, and I felt sorrow within some chapters.

The novel tugs at our heartstrings and doesn't shy away from exploring some of the darker aspects of the war, including the cruelty of some German soldiers and the vulnerability of others. Captivated by this small groupof people, Juliet learns about the terrible conditions they endured during the five-year Nazi occupation and how their lives were forever changed. As she grows attached to each Islander, Juliet discovers a life she never knew existed.

I don’t recommend making a potato peel pie, but I do recommend you read this book!

--Reviewed by Donna Gaidamak

Who Says the Food Category Means Going Out to Eat?

If you have read any of my posts here on Read Our Minds, you know that the days since April 29, 2009 have been difficult. That’s the day I went to my doc to see about a lump.
 
One of the side-effects of all this chemo and stress is an abbreviated attention span. I find it hard to concentrate on the printed word. That would be true even if J.K. Rowling chose to write an eighth Harry Potter book.  So I sleep … a lot.

But I was feeling great over the Labor Day weekend. MyKevin (as he’s known around the office since one of my office mates called dibs on the name before I joined) has been so good to me around the house through my 2009 ordeal that I decided to burn all my energy on preparing a meal that he could sit back and enjoy.
 
So after a long nap or two I headed out to the grocery store to figure out what to make for my honey. Kevin's become a good cook but it’s been a lot of burgers (he makes the best), chicken and spaghetti, sometimes with beef, sometimes not.  

I decided on Jambalaya. Below is the recipe I found on Recipezaar. I don’t follow directions well so I am also including my substitutions.

I boiled the chicken breasts in the two cups of water to make a stock (I threw in onion, carrots and celery to flavor the chicken and the stock). After peeling and deveining the humongous shrimp I bought at the fish monger around the corner, I threw the remains into the chicken stock to further flavor. I was even able to find Andouille sausage for the pop! Instead of the spices below, I tossed a bay leaf, some fresh oregano, the thyme and a teaspoon of Tony Chachere’s Original Creole Seasoning into the pot.
 
I made a mess and was exhausted from boiling and removing the skins from our little backyard green bell peppers, and cherry and grape tomatoes. (Why won't my heirloom or beefsteaks grow?) But the important thing is that Kevin loved it last night and again for lunch the next day. He didn't even need to add any hot sauce.

Bon Appetit!  Let me know what you think of the recipe and share your ideas on what to make next time I feel up to it.
 

Jambalaya Recipe

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/2 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs
1 lb andouille sausage, cut into 1/4 inch slices
1 large onion, chopped
2 celery ribs, diced
1/2 green bell pepper, diced
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon sweet paprika
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4-1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
1 1/2 cups long grain rice
1 (14 ounce) can tomatoes, chopped,with juice
2 cups chicken broth or stock
8 ounces medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
3 green onions, finely chopped
Directions:
· Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

· In a large pan or Dutch oven, brown chicken in hot oil on both sides; remove and drain.

· Add andouille, onion, celery, bell pepper, thyme, oregano, paprika, salt, and cayenne pepper to the pan, cooking and stirring for about 5 minutes until onions are tender.

· Add rice, tomatoes with juice, and broth; bring to a boil.

· Place rice mixture in a baking dish or oven-proof casserole; top with chicken; cover (can use foil) and bake at 350 degrees F for 40-45 minutes or until rice and chicken are done and tender.

· Stir in shrimp, parsley, and green onions; cover and cook 5-8 minutes longer or until shrimp curl and turn bright pink and serve.

-- Reviewed by Tracy Shryer

Inglourious Basterds

When you’ve made Pulp Fiction, everything else is inevitably going to be compared to that movie making triumph.   It must be a curse and a blessing to Quentin Tarantino.  In this case, it’s a blessing for him because a lot of us are going to plop down the cash just to see his latest work, Inglourious Basterds.   

 

Yes, there are similarities between Basterds and the 1967 classic Dirty Dozen, and Quentin is both celebrating and mocking that genre of Nazi killin’ movies.  There are two parallel plots that meet at the end and that was well sequenced and fun to follow, and the character development was also very well done.  I can tell Quentin really wants his characters to come to life.  The film also develops tension and suspense nicely. 

 

There is some gruesome violence that was a little hard on the eyes, and it didn’t seem as funny to me as the violence in Pulp.  Maybe Pulp was all about awkward life and death moments, which made them funnier.  And the violence in Kill Bill was heavily stylized in an over the top homage to martial arts classic gore, and I get that. But I was unconvinced of the effect Quentin was trying to achieve with violence this time around.  For that reason, I’d knock Basterds down a peg.  The editor also could have lopped off ten minutes. 

 

It wasn’t a completely satisfying film, but it was fairly fun.  Quentin did a good job of walking the line between the predictable plot elements we want to enjoy in this genre, while adding a lot of unexpected twists that kept it entertaining.  I'll give it 3 ¾  stars.

Reviewed by Lawren Markle  Tech Image

A Special "Thank You"

I’d like to give a sincere shout out and thanks to the doctor and his team at the cardiology unit at the University of Wisconsin Hospital that took such great care of me during my recent episode.  Please take a moment to view the video of Dr. Amish Raval and you’ll learn why the UW is one of the best hospitals around, especially in cardiology.  Thanks:

http://findadoctor.uwhealth.org/findadoctor/profile.jsp?provider=7228

-- Reviewed by Kevin Johnson

Everybody Wants to be Italian -- as long as they don't have to watch this

Loving the North End and being married to someone from the Boston area, I couldn't resist renting Everybody Wants to be Italian. Too bad this hackneyed love lost, love found story about a fishmonger and two women just didn't work. Basically, this is My Big Fat Greek Wedding relocated to Hanover Street in the North End of Boston - just not as cute. The actors are pitiful, the dialogue is worse. Richard Libertini is OK as the wise old Italian. Likewise, John Kapelos as the fish counterman who is studying to be a psychologist and shares his unique psychological philosophies on relationships with Jay Jablonski (as Jake Bianski). But who the heck is going to believe Penny Marshall as an Italian-American florist? Shirley would have been a better choice than Laverne. The main characters (Cerina Vincent, Jablonski, Marisa Petroro) are very vanilla for roles that should have had some gelato texture to them. This movie was about as predictable as getting a tasty cannoli at Mike's Bakery...only with the opposite result of leaving a bad taste in my mouth. In fact, next time I think I'll spend the $5 rental on a couple of cannolis at Mike's instead.

-- Reviewed by Tim Boivin

Book Review: The Almost Moon by Alice Sebold

If there was one negative thing I would have to say about author Alice Sebold, it would be that she hasn’t written enough books. I was first introduced to Sebold’s writing when I read her award-winning fiction novel, “The Lovely Bones” a couple of years ago. After reading it, there is no doubt in my mind why it was a national bestseller. Naturally, when I was looking for a great summer read I picked up her other fiction novel, “The Almost Moon.”

One car trip and a train ride later I sadly retired the book next to the completed “The Lovely Bones.” I didn’t put it down, however, because it was dull and difficult to read, rather I couldn’t put it down and I finished it faster than I thought I would. While it isn’t a book for those that don’t like crime thrillers, it is a book that I think can act like an emerald diamond and quickly draw a reader into its pool of action.

The novel opens with an intense tale of a woman wanting to do harm to her delusional mother. It doesn’t take long for Sebold to set the plot and quickly get into the conflict of the story. After a murder is committed, so begins the tale of the woman that is a mother, daughter, friend and adulteress. The woman dreaded her mother with every ounce of hate, yet love, she had in her but as the story unfolds, she finds she truly resembles her mom more than she would have ever guessed.

One might imagine that since the first few chapters are so action-packed that the rest of the book might not carry the same tone, but it did up to the last page. The entire book takes place in a 24-hour period that is filled with murder, anxiety, mystery and thrill that keeps readers wanting more. I thought of it like watching an intense sitcom where you never want to wait until the next week to see what happens next.

If there is one complaint about the book, it’s the ending. I felt like it abruptly ended and left me wanting more while wishing it wasn’t 300 pages but the likes of the “Lord of the Rings” series. Since I only have Sebold’s memoir “Lucky” left to finish reading until I have completed all of her books, I am hoping she writes a sequel to “The Almost Moon” and finishes where she left off.

--Reviewed byChristine Rojewski

Turns out Supernatural is a pretty darned good show

I vaguely recall seeing the promos for the CW show Supernatural when it started up. But going up against NBC's must-see TV, and with me having limited time and DVR capabilities during the week, I just never got around to checking it out. But this summer my son Adam turned me on to it, and I have to say it's actually very entertaining. (Adam generally knows what I'll like, so his recommendation is usually good enough for me.)

I've been watching the DVDs of the first season. Someday I picture grandparents trying to explain scheduled TV to their uncomprehending grandchildren. Watching entire seasons on DVD is really the only way to go. But I digress.

The premise of the show combines several time-honored concepts -- two buddies on the road, going from town to town having adventures (Route 66); ghosts and demons, but with a sense of humor (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Reaper); detective work to figure out a mystery (you name it). Still, like a good stew, all the ingredients come together just right to make a tastier meal.

In Supernatural, the two buddies are brothers whose father is hunting for the demon that killed their mother. While their father has gone, he has assigned his sons the job of hunting down other phenemona as part of his overall plan. The older brother, Dean (Jensen Ackles), is all on board with it. He's been hunting demons and such all along, helping his father out. His brother Sam (Jared Padalecki) reluctantly joins him after his college girlfriend dies the same way their mother did -- plastered against the ceiling and then bursting into flames.

The two brothers travel all over the country, much of it in the Midwest, tracking down strange phenomena then trying to figure out how to get rid of it. Many of the story lines involve familiar urban legends, such as the guy with the hook, Resurrection Mary, faith healers in league with the Devil, strange things in creepy insane asylums, etc. But each story has both serious and fun elements that keep it interesting.

The one bad thing is I have a lot of catching up to do. Apparently this show has been on the air a few years and a lot has happened along the way, so it's probably not a good idea for me to watch the new episodes coming this fall. But if you're a fan of this sort of thing, or just like to see well-executed dramas, put Supernatural on your DVD list.

-- Reviewed by Ken Krause

Watching my pennies with a $3.99 movie download

It’s never a good sign when you sit down and can’t remember the movie you watched five hours earlier.Oh yeah, my iPod says I viewed Confessions of a Shopaholic. The chick flick starts out with a flashback of the main character, Rebecca Bloomwood, played by Isla Fisher, must buy sensible shoes per her mother while her school girl friends are buying trendy foot wear. Not something I understand.  As a kid I don’t think I took off my canvas sneakers until I was ordered to buy a new pair without holes. Anyway, as a 25 year old adult she chooses to take a fork in the road to high fashion, which of course leads to a massive debt to deal with. Credit card debt of $16,000 is simply impossible for me to understand.

So she quickly moves on to a higher paying job. What economy is she living in? The government claims 2.6 million jobs were lost in 2008. According to the US Department of Labor, In July 2009, the number of unemployed persons was 14.5 million. Her new boss hires her for no apparent reason, except maybe to mentor and fall in love with her. I’m thinking there isn’t much money to be had in what I’d call an intern position.

Ok Isla Fisher is as cute in this as she was in Wedding Crashers. There are some funny lines and scenes like when she pays off the debt collector with $9,000 in hand-delivered pennies.

This was one way to kill an hour and 45 minutes. But I am thinking it may be time to move beyond romantic comedies to something that I can actually recall before the day ends.

Ken, I should have taken your suggestions. Next time! Anyone else have some good ideas for my tiny iPod screen?

-- Reviewed by Tracy Shryer

The Meth-head to the Madness

AMC is the next HBO.  On the heels of the wildly successful Mad Men - whose third season just debuted this past Sunday - the network has followed it up with another winner, the critically acclaimed, Emmy award-winning show Breaking Bad.  And while AMC is still leagues behind the juggernaut of great television dramas, it is beginning to stand head and shoulders above the rest of the networks.

Breaking Bad is part serial drama and part dark comedy.  Walter White (Bryan Cranston of Seinfeld and Malcolm in the Middle fame) is a high-school chemistry teacher who is diagnosed with inoperable lung cancer.  He is fed up with years of being downtrodden by friends and family, and frustrated at his knowledge in chemistry being vastly underutilized.  When he learns that he has a limited time left to live, Walt takes charge and decides to secretely finance his cancer treatments himself, and try to earn a bit of a nest egg to leave behind for his wife and disabled son.

With assistance from former student Jesse Pinkman, Walt puts his chemistry skills to use and begins cooking crystal meth.  With no idea how to sell or distribute the drug, a pregnant and concerned wife wondering where he disappears to and a nosy DEA brother-in-law, Walt has his work cut out for him.
Bryan Cranston steals the show as Walt, and is the most convincing and compelling of the characters.  Unlike many similar shows that suffer from too large casts or poor side storylines, Breaking Bad manages to keep all the plotlines interesting. 

I am a big fan of Breaking Bad's soundtrack.  The theme song is short but sweet, and both seasons are chock full of great tunes.  Towards the end of season 2, one of my favorite songs of 2008, DLZ by TV on the Radio, is used in a pivotal scene that shows how far Walt is willing to go for his family.  I also got a kick of the use of The Outlaw's Green Grass and Hightides, an older tune perhaps only familiar to my generation via Rock Band.

Having just caught up with the first two seasons, I am anxious for Season 3 to begin in early 2010.  I highly recommend this show to everyone, and by now my friends and family are likely sick of me plugging it.

--Reviewed by Dan McDonnell