Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Movie Clip Wednesday - Famous/Popular movie I haven't seen but really should before I die because everyone tell's me it's great


Will Boxer ever come back so I don't have to scramble for a MCW theme...who knows? Milk River Madman is graciously continuing to host the Movie Clip Wednesday Meme where everyone picks a clip from their favorite movies based on a weekly theme. A few weeks ago I said I didn't think the theme title could get any longer or wordier, I stand corrected for a second time. This week's theme is FAMOUS/POPULAR MOVIE I HAVEN'T SEEN BUT REALLY SHOULD BEFORE I DIE BECAUSE EVERYONE TELL'S ME IT'S GREAT. Well OK then. I think we have to go with the classics here. I looked at the American Film Institute's Top 100 Films of all time. I started down the list and stopped at Number 8 - 1954's On the Waterfront. It was nominated for 12 Academy Awards and won eight including best picture, best actor and best actress (Eva Marie Saint). One of Marlon Brando's best roles and I've never seen it. Here's the most famous scene in the film:







We'll have to see if the Madman gave everyone enough time to come up with clips of movies they've never seen. Something doesn't sound right about that does it?

Sunday, September 26, 2010

Dim Sum Sunday - Bread

Wow, has it been almost 6 months since the last Dim Sum Sunday? It seems like only yesterday that I was gassing peeps in the oven. So Big Shamu over at The Karmic Kitchen has decided to resurrect Dim Sum Sunday with a theme we can all get behind - bread. I'm not much of a baker but I have a good bread machine. I have the Zojirushi Home Bakery Supreme™ Bread Machine. I can't pronounce it but I like it a lot.



So for my Dim Sum Sunday entry, I decided to do an Italian Herb Bread and have it for dinner on Wednesday night with spaghetti, meatballs and Caesar Salad. But first, a little background about how I got to this entry. The last two week's schedules have been absolutely brutal with the Boy and the Pudge back in school, the Mrs working late most nights and the weekends are loaded with sports, doctors, haircuts, etc. I had to really plan ahead to do this theme.

This week is the Mrs and my wedding anniversary (20 years, yeah I know) and we're going away for an overnight Bed and Breakfast stay this weekend while the monsters are camping with the Boy Scouts (after I haul the troop gear to the camp Friday night). That means I can't do Dim Sum Sunday - on Sunday. That leaves a weekday and every single night is chock full of something that requires me to drive someone somewhere.

So I decide last week that Wednesday (the 22nd) would be the day because this is the least busy day in the week, the Mrs isn't working late and it's the big anniversary. Fancy home-cooked dinner (fancy by my weekday standards), anniversary dinner, Dim Sum Sunday dinner all rolled into one. I'm laying all of this out so that you (gentle readers) know the reason why I need to use a bread machine and that it's not because I'm lame. Not lame because of the schedule but I'm sure there are plenty of other reasons why I am lame - but I digress.

I went with an Italian Herb Bread because I never made one before and it fits in with the spaghetti dinner theme. So to accomplish this feat, I set the bread machine up at 6:30AM before going to work so that the bread would be done (and the house would smell great) when I got home. And I have to have dinner on the table before 6:00PM because the Pudge has CCD class (for all you non-Catholics, it's religion class for kids that don't go to Catholic school) and right from there to the food store to shop for food for the upcoming camping trip. The window of opportunity for dinner is about the size of the re-entry window the astronauts use to get back to earth (I don't know where that came from).




I get home around 5:00PM (after having stopped to get milk and lottery tickets) and I could smell the bread wafting through the house. A good start. I got the food going and set the table out on the deck because it was pretty warm.







The bread looked great. The taste was so so. I think fresh herbs would have been better. Overall the dinner was a success but what's missing in this picture? The Mrs was about a half hour late, so we started without her.


If all goes well this weekend I probably won't be around until late Sunday to see every one's Dim Sum.

Wednesday, September 8, 2010

Movie Clip Wednesday - Best Movie that Became a Hit TV Show


I think Boxer is almost ready to start playing again, but the Milk River Madman still continues to host the Movie Clip Wednesday Meme where everyone picks a clip from their favorite movies based on a weekly theme. This week's theme is BEST MOVIE THAT BECAME A HIT TV SHOW. The Madman has given us an interesting twist to ponder in that most TV series go to movies, not the other way around. Right off the bat, I'd have to say the funniest TV series ever to come from a movie has to be MASH. Loved that series. I was in college (1983) when the final episode aired and everyone in the dorm got together in whatever military and doctor's garb we could steal to have a final episode party. It was that big of a deal.

My second choice would have to be 1992's the Indiana Jones Chronicles based on Raiders of the Lost Ark. A prequel TV series I thought it was interesting to see how Indiana Jones came to be and to see the very old Indiana Jones (with eye patch - go figure) even though it only lasted two seasons.

But which one did I pick for this week's theme? There can be only one - 1992's Highlander TV series. Anything that is about history, immortality, Scots and decapitation will get my attention every time. I never really liked Christopher Lambert as Connor MacLeod. He was kind of weird looking with an odd accent that I never got. But I loved the storyline and the period segments. Here is the trailer from the original 1986 movie:


Here's the trailer from the TV Series. I always thought Adrian Paul made a much better Connor MacLeod:


And here's what Ricky Bobby has to say about the movie:


I'm curious to see what the Madman has in store and I know I'm risking blogger jinx with Pam because of the Scottish thing. I'm home this week (still recovering from pneumonia) so I should get to visit everyone.

Wednesday, September 1, 2010

Movie Clip Wednesday - Best SNL Spinoff


With Boxer quickly getting her life back to normal, Milk River Madman is still graciously continuing to host the Movie Clip Wednesday Meme where everyone picks a clip from their favorite movies based on a weekly theme. This week's theme is BEST SNL SPINOFF. With the Madman disqualifying Wayne's World, that really only leaves the Blues Brothers. But I decided not to go that route at the risk of blogger jinx. Every other SNL spinoff was a disappointment. So I went with the least disappointing, the Ladies Man. Tim Meadow's Leon Phelps does have some great scenes. Some of the scenes from his radio show are hysterical, but I couldn't find any. So I offer this scene at the bar. Pay attention to the very last line he says - brilliant.





Leon Phelps: My name is Leon Phelps, and to those of you that are uninitiated, I am an expert in the ways of love. I have made love to many fine ladies from the lowliest bus station skank to the classiest most sophisticated, educated, debutant, high society... bus station skank.

I'm sure every one's picks will be interesting, if not limited, but let's see what's doing at the Madman 's. I am still out of town and didn't get to visit everyone last week, and I suspect the same will happen this week. But you know me, I'm a gamer so I hope you enjoy my entry.