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?

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.

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.

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.

Movie Clip Wednesday - Favorite Actor from the '90s

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 FAVORITE ACTOR FROM THE 90s. A quick google search told me what I already knew. Tom Hanks is the man of the 90's. With such movies as A League of Their Own, Sleepless in Seattle, Philadelphia, Forrest Gump, Apollo 13, Toy Story, Saving Private Ryan and The Green Mile, it's pretty easy to see why.

So I decided to go with my second favorite actor of the 90s - Morgan Freeman. With such movies as Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991), Unforgiven (1992), Se7en (1995), Amistad (1997), Glory (1989) and Driving Miss Daisy (1989) , well he's right up there with Hanks. Wait, I left out the best movie he ever made - The Shawshank Redemption (1994). This could easily have been in last weeks theme about movies you stop on when channel surfing. A haunting story about prison life and after prison life. I can listen to Freeman tell a story all day long. Here is one of my favorite scenes (the ending) but unfortunately, I couldn't embed it, so you're going to Youtube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YInN9mc9vXA
I'm sure there will be more good, favorite actors of the 90s at the Madman 's (including Hanks). I hope we get a good variety.

Movie Clip Wednesday - "Movie that when I see it while channel surfing I stop and watch no matter what part of the movie is showing"

With Boxer still tying up loose ends (her stripper chair project), 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. This week's theme is MOVIE THAT WHEN I SEE IT WHILE CHANNEL SURFING I STOP AND WATCH NO MATTER WHAT PART OF THE MOVIE IS SHOWING. What? How much Crown was the Madman drinking when he came up with that? OK, it's actually a no-brainer for me and I'll get to that in a minute. But here was my problem this week. I totally missed this weeks theme buried in the Madman 's last weeks entry. I sat patiently waiting for the Madman to post a theme. Then I saw Pam's entry for this week (last night), went back and read all of Madman 's post from last week, and there it was - crap.

Anyway, the movie I've seen a hundred times (and I don't think that's an exageration) on TNT, BRAVO and a host of other commercial-laden channels and the movie I will always stop and watch - 1989's Road House featuring the legendary Patrick Swayze as the badass cooler - "His name is...Dalton". It also features a very hot (and naked) Kelly Lynch, the man's man Sam Elliot (I could listen to him talk about beef all day) and the incomparable Ben Gazzara as the sociopathic Brad Wesley. This is the best "B" movie ever made - EVER MADE. There's not a bad scene anywhere.

I submit for your viewing pleasure one of the best bar room fight scenes ever filmed.



Other great movies that when I see it while channel surfing ...blah blah blah ...are going on over at the Madman 's. Go on over and see what everyone else's guilty pleasures are because - opinions vary.

Fish Dinner for the Eagle

The Boy is making a big push right now for the rank of Eagle Scout in the Boy Scouts of America. You must have 21 merit badges (12 are required, 9 are elective) and complete an Eagle Project by your 18th birthday. He has about 6 1/2 months left and (as of this writing) still needs 4 merit badges and the Eagle Project. He just completed summer camp 2 weeks ago and was able to crank out 5 merit badges there to get down to the 4 he still needs.

I'm very impressed with his ability to get this done in such a short amount of time, although he has put himself behind schedule more than a couple of times because of "other priorities". He didn't join Boy Scouts until he was almost 15 (most scouts join at 11). And he didn't realize he really wanted Eagle (and all the honor and weight that it carries) until he was 16 1/2. Needless to say he's on a fast-track schedule. If he can hold it together and get done in 6 1/2 months, I will be very impressed and very proud. I never made Eagle when I was in scouts (I made Life, one rank below Eagle) and have always regretted it.

Anyway, of the 4 merit badges he needs, 3 of them are about 3/4 of the way completed. One elective merit badge he almost has completed is the Fishing Merit Badge. One of the requirements is to clean and cook a fish. He also needs to show evidence that he caught a fish too. The merit badge counselor (who is also his Scout Master) said that the cleaning and cooking requirement allows for a store bought fish. Because quite frankly, I wouldn't want to eat a fish caught in one of our local lakes and we don't have time to do any ocean fishing.

So off we went to the local Asian Food Market. They had a pretty good selection of whole fish. We chose Striped Bass (with guts in) and Red Snapper (with guts out).

Here he is cleaning the fish. This will be sent to his MB counselor as proof.

Here he stuffed the fish with butter, lemon slices, salt, pepper, fresh thyme and fresh rosemary. Salt, pepper, lemon juice and butter were placed on top of the fish, then it was sealed in tin foil.

After about 15 minutes on the grill, it's ready to eat.

I made some glass noodles and added them to a wok with eggplant, onion, green and orange pepper, jalapeno pepper, teriyaki sauce, garlic, salt and pepper. This came out really good and the Boy and I dusted off all thie fish. The Mrs won't eat fish but had seconds on the vegetable lo mein, so I guess that was a success too.

All he has left for this badge is to catch a fish and demonstrate some fishing knots. I'd say he has this one is in the bag. Now on to the remaining badges and the dreaded Eagle Project.