Moon is a classy sci-fi flick closer to the 2001 vein than the increasingly popular sci-fi action hybrid (Star Trek, Avatar, etc). In fact, at first I was a little concerned that Moon was going to be too similar to 2001. Fortunately, at pretty much every step of the way, Moon defied expectations by taking the road less traveled by at every turn.
I don't want to say too much about the plot, since the movie is better if you don't know much going into it. I will say that the tone is strong throughout, and everything is well supported by the visuals. Sam Rockwell turns in an excellent performance and Duncan Jones did a great job in what I believe is his first time directing.
While I love some good old sci-fi action, I'm also a huge fan of movies that can tell stories without super-complex action sequences, and this one does it quite well. Go check it out!
Monday, February 8, 2010
Friday, February 5, 2010
An Education
Had a chance to see another of the Best Picture contenders. An Education is a school girl in 1960s England who jumps at the chance to escape from her relatively humdrum existence to live a bohemian lifestyle with an older man. It's well written (Nick Hornby, adapted from someone's memoirs), well acted (especially the young Carey Mulligan and Alfred Molina), and generally well put together.
Structurally, I had a few problems. The big "problem" or hurdle that the main character has to overcome doesn't actually occur until towards the very end of the movie. This is problematic, in that the beginning of the film drags a bit without much tension. Throughout, there's the obvious discomfort that most viewers will experience with the youth of the main character and her relationship with an older man. In fact, its almost unbelievable to the audience that main character is so comfortable with the relationship since she's portrayed as someone with a pretty level head and not one to take crazy risks.
When it comes down to it, the message of the film is a little muddled as well. Choose the boring life? There are no shortcuts? Don't trust anyone?
In reading what I've written, I feel I may have been a little harsh. The movie was actually pretty good and I wasn't bothered by many of these things while watching. It's just after thinking about it for a little bit that some of the structural issues jumped out at me... I'd still recommend this one, if for nothing else than Mulligan's sensitive and ranged performance. Best picture? I'd say no. But they nominated ten films in a so-so year. What can you expect?
Structurally, I had a few problems. The big "problem" or hurdle that the main character has to overcome doesn't actually occur until towards the very end of the movie. This is problematic, in that the beginning of the film drags a bit without much tension. Throughout, there's the obvious discomfort that most viewers will experience with the youth of the main character and her relationship with an older man. In fact, its almost unbelievable to the audience that main character is so comfortable with the relationship since she's portrayed as someone with a pretty level head and not one to take crazy risks.
When it comes down to it, the message of the film is a little muddled as well. Choose the boring life? There are no shortcuts? Don't trust anyone?
In reading what I've written, I feel I may have been a little harsh. The movie was actually pretty good and I wasn't bothered by many of these things while watching. It's just after thinking about it for a little bit that some of the structural issues jumped out at me... I'd still recommend this one, if for nothing else than Mulligan's sensitive and ranged performance. Best picture? I'd say no. But they nominated ten films in a so-so year. What can you expect?
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Risotto
On a whim (ok, that's a lie, it was basically because the only things we had in the house was Arborio Rice, half an onion, and some parmesan) I decided to take my first stab at making a Risotto last night. I didn't want to go to the store, so I ended up using what we had lying around and combining two Marcella Hazan recipes (from this fantastic book). I combined a recipe for Sausage Risotto (that's why I keep those frozen sausages) and your standard "white risotto." In a move that I'm sure would make Marcella cringe, I used beef broth instead of chicken (didn't have beef broth on hand).
For those who haven't made it, Risotto is a little tricky because its easy to mis-cook. It involves regularly adding cooking liquid (broth and/or water) to a pot of rice that must be stirred constantly. The recipe instructs you to add water when the cooking liquid in the pot "runs out." Unfortunately, "runs out" isn't the most descriptive of terms. So it's a bit of a guessing game, although I imagine it doesn't matter all that much. Either way, you keep adding liquid and stirring until the rice is "done," another vague and possibly subjective description. It's relatively easy to either undercook the rice or have a finished product that ends up a little too soupy.
Mine turned out fairly well- perhaps could have cooked a little longer with a little more liquid. But the texture was close to what I was going for if not a tiny tiny bit underdone. I was happy I added the (real) parmesan cheese as that added some nice flavor to the sausage base, although next time I think I'll add more to make it even cheesier. I like that the rich flavor of the starches in the rice come through so well in this dish. The constant stirring is a bit of a pain, but the limited number of ingredients make this a relatively easy dish to prepare otherwise. I'll do it again for sure, maybe with some tips from my father who is a bit of a risotto specialist.
For those who haven't made it, Risotto is a little tricky because its easy to mis-cook. It involves regularly adding cooking liquid (broth and/or water) to a pot of rice that must be stirred constantly. The recipe instructs you to add water when the cooking liquid in the pot "runs out." Unfortunately, "runs out" isn't the most descriptive of terms. So it's a bit of a guessing game, although I imagine it doesn't matter all that much. Either way, you keep adding liquid and stirring until the rice is "done," another vague and possibly subjective description. It's relatively easy to either undercook the rice or have a finished product that ends up a little too soupy.
Mine turned out fairly well- perhaps could have cooked a little longer with a little more liquid. But the texture was close to what I was going for if not a tiny tiny bit underdone. I was happy I added the (real) parmesan cheese as that added some nice flavor to the sausage base, although next time I think I'll add more to make it even cheesier. I like that the rich flavor of the starches in the rice come through so well in this dish. The constant stirring is a bit of a pain, but the limited number of ingredients make this a relatively easy dish to prepare otherwise. I'll do it again for sure, maybe with some tips from my father who is a bit of a risotto specialist.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)