November 2020 Coffee-Talk

Spudguns! it's been too long since I posted anything, and to be honest, with everything that's been going on the last while, I didn't even realize it's been as long as it has. Each day sort of blended into the other for a while. 

For those of you who have been following me for any length of time, you know I normally do my 13 Days of Hallowe'en on here, but this year, since it was all done as videos, I only did them on my facebook page. (here)  I did my usual mix of "what that movie inspired me to do" as well as straight up movie reviews, plus a few extra goodies.  Somethings turned out much better than others, but it proved to be entertaining either way. 

I think that's about all I have to say for today, just wanted to come in here since I realized it's been a few months. 

Till later

 

July 2020 Foodn'Flix Round Up

Spudguns!, it's that time when we see what's on the table, and who brought what to our Foodn 'Flix  movie and potluck.  The selection was Coyote Ugly from 2000, and first up is Wendy from A Day in the Life on the Farm. Inspired by a few different scenes and elements in the film,  She made a Breakfast Pizza.

Next up, we have Debra from Eliot Eats. She was inspired by a personal story to do with the film as much as the film being set in a bar, she made A Spiced Moscow Mule.

We're also joined by Amy from Amy's Cooking Adventures. She was as much inspired by the movie as she was with the fact it's based on a true life situation. And after digging for menus from the real bar, she created her Caprese Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms.

And lastly, we have mine. I made for you just a good old fashioned pizza. I was inspired by the opening scene of the lead character working in a pizza place, as well as remarks she makes later on when asked about some burn scars.

That's all that's on the table this time around. Don't forget  you can join in with Foodn'Flix every month. August 2020 is being hosted by Tina at Squirrel Head Manor, and she's picked the first Harry Potter film.

Until next time.

Foodn Flix Recipe July 2020

Spudguns!, it's that time again, when we watch a movie and make something to eat inspired by it. I hosted Foodn'Flix again this month, and my selection was the 2000 film Coyote Ugly. 

plot: Violet wants to be a songwriter like her mother had been, and moves to the city in order to do so. Only thing is, she's got stage fright. The first few nights she's in town, she is robbed. This forces her to look for a job, and ends up working at a popular bar in her neighbourhood. Along the way, she meets Kevin, who works at a diner. They quickly start dating, and he helps her attempt to get over her stage fright.

Notes: pizza, pop, meatball hero (mentioned) oil, sat, pepper, chili flakes, parmesan cheese, dried herbs, beer, eggs, sausage (mentioned) Lean Cuisine (mentioned) coffee, juice, toast, fish heads, celery, chili peppers whole, nuts, crackers, rum, burgers, fries, ketchup, apples, mustard, pie, sugar, hot sauce, milk, cake, cherries, lemons, limes, fried chicken, lettuce, melon, olives, oranges, taco shells, pickles, bananas, whiskey, bread, buns, ice, kabobs, Seafood Market, Chinese food, wine, turkey sandwich with sprouts, MacDonalds, martini (mentioned) breadsticks, sub sandwiches, pears.

So I went with the obvious on this one and made a pizza.  I started with a basic dough, which can be found in the Joy of Cooking on page 607. 

1/2 c warm water
1 package yeast
3 and a half cups flour
2 Tablespoon olive oil
1 Tablespoon salt

now, I didn't have any yeast on hand, so I substituted that for a Tablespoon of Baking Powder.
Mix, then let dough rise for about a half hour.  Then roll out, or stretch to desired size/shape.
Bake dough on a floured tray for 30 minutes on 375 degrees depending on your oven.

While that was pre-cooking, I made my sauce.  I used  one can of tomato paste, half a cup of grated parmesan cheese, 2 teaspoons of garlic salt, 1 teaspoon of fresh ground black pepper, 2 Tablespoons olive oil, and water.    

I then topped the pizza with black olives, chopped onions, spinach, and cheese. I used both shredded mozzarella, and a nacho cheese blend. I then added another 3 Tablespoons of grated parmesan.

I then baked it at 375dgrees for another half hour.

That's about all I have for you guys, don't forget to come back at the end of the month to see what else this movie inspired people to make.  And don't forget, you can join in every month with each Foodn'Flix host.  Next month we've got Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone  if you live outside the states) hosted by Squirrel Head Manor. 

Till next time.
  

2020 July FoodnFlix Announcement

Spudguns! guess what? It's a new season, a new month and once again, I'm attempting to host Foodn'Flix.  I've selected the 2000 film Coyote Ugly.   (I mentioned this film back in the first year of the blog, Day 91.)

If you've never seen Coyote Ugly here's a brief plot : Violet moves from her small town to a big city in order to become a songwriter and producer. Finding herself broke after being robbed her first few days there, she ends up getting a job at the hottest dive bar in town. Her time is split between her new friends, her relationship and dealing with some family emergencies.

To join in:  you have to watch the movie, and then head into the kitchen and bake/cook something inspired by it.
Blog about it with a link back to both this announcement post and a link to FoodnFlix, and then send me an email  at domesticanddamned (at) gmail (dot) com.  and one to Heather at "heather@foodnflixclub.com"  titled Foodn'Flix Submission with your name, name of your blog, name of your dish, a link to it, a photo of the finished dish or give us permission to grab a photo.
If you decide to Instagram your dish, make sure to tag me  @ardethblood  and tag Foodn'Flix and hashtag Foodnflixclub, FoodnFlix.  Instagram posts must include a short intro and the recipe.
If you decide to share on Facebook, tag FoodnFlix, All Roads Lead To The Kitchen, (that's Heather) and GhoulNextDoorCanadian. (that's me)

Submissions must be during the current month -in this case July 2020- and that means, it must be a newly made post.

Submissions deadline is Thursday July 30th 2020

I'll see everyone a day or two after that with the group Round Up.  Till later.

FoodnFlix May 2020

Spudguns!, it's been a few months...I've had nothing to say the last two months. But, I joined in for the May Foodn'Flix...literally just crawling in under the finish line with my offerings. The May selection was hosted by Debra over at Eliot's Eats and she picked the 2011 Midnight in Paris.  Now, I've mentioned this on the blog way way way back in the first year of the blog, Day 75.  But, here's a brief recap.

plot:  When a writer suffering from writer's block goes on vacation with his girlfriend and her parents, he finds himself in awe of the city around him. As he ends up spending his nights alone wandering the streets dreaming about his heroes, he mysteriously travels back in time to the 1920's. Inspiration begins to strike as the midnight hour engulfs him, leaving him wondering if it's just a dream.

Okay, so as I mentioned, I've talked briefly about this movie before when it first came out, and I didn't care for it. I should have loved it. All the markings of my kind of movie was there. It's a Woody Allen movie, it's about a writer, it's about time travel, it's about art and magick.  Only, for me it missed the mark. Sitting through it a second time for group, I was halfway hoping I had missed something the first time around, that maybe since it's been almost a decade I'd discover something in it I liked. Nope. Still not doing much for me.

Notes: beer, baguette (mentioned) wine, bread, sauerkraut and frankfurters (mentioned) whiskey sour (mentioned) petit fours (mentioned) grapes, sweets, candied ginger, nuts, cheese, coffee, cake, Indian food (mentioned) pita bread (mentioned) jam, juice, melon, croissants, strawberries, blueberries, fruit plate, tea, cookies, chocolate, beef bourguignon (mentioned) pineapple, whipped cream, dates, steak, absinthe, honey, meat pie, pears, peaches, butter, lemon, pop.

Okay, so the food in this movie is sort of there but it's not a main concern, so it's pretty much in the far background most of the time.

There is a scene near the beginning of the film, where one of the characters mentioned the sauerkraut and frankfurters, and my mind right away went to that. So I went right out to the store and picked up a package of veggie dogs and ...could not for the life of me find any sauerkraut. It ended up being one of the crazy items that the stores in my city have not received since the whole isolation situation has been going on in the world.  Then I thought I would just go with it anyway.  I "assembled" my loaded veggie dog with cole slaw, mustard, mayo, cheese, onions and peppers.

But I wasn't happy with how it looked on camera. So, I started thinking about a second dish and my mind kept returning to the end of the film, where we see a very minor character who literally has two scenes near the end of the film, a detective who himself travels back into time to the Court of Louis XIV.  This seemingly unimportant character actually ends up being a key player. Through the whole movie till this point, you never know if the lead is daydreaming, or drunk or in a coma from a scene where he trips and hits his head or if he's actually traveling back and forth in time? That is until the detective finds himself trapped back in time.  The table of Louis XIV has a breakfast which consists of the pears, peaches and meat pie. So I decided to make a "mock steak and kidney pie".

Ingredients

1 can of kidney beans drained
two mushrooms chopped
half a carrot chopped
half a stalk of celery chopped
half a small onion chopped
ground black pepper
garlic salt
cornstarch
jackfruit
pastry
water

Drain the kidney beans, boiling them till soft.   Add mushroom, celery and carrots. Let simmer for about 15minutes.
Add onion, ground pepper and garlic salt. Stir and let simmer for another 10 minutes.

Add jackfruit, stirring in more water if needed.  Simmer for another 15minutes.

Prepare pastry.   I used a store bought ready made tart shell.
Fill pastry and cook at 350degrees for 35 minutes depending on your oven.

I've never used jackfruit before this. In fact, never even tasted it. I wasn't sure if the bitterness would work with the rest of the savoury ingredients so I only used three medium sized pieces. Thankfully it did.

There you go, two dishes inspired by very different characters. Don't forget to check out June's Foodn'Flix selection, being hosted by Culinary Adventures with Camilla. She's allowing the theme of Any Movie that is  Set or Made in Hawaii.

Till next time.

FnF Round Up

Spudguns!, it's that time of the time, when we offer up a potluck of groovy goodies. As I mentioned beginning of the month, I hosted Foodn'Flix once again, and my selection was not one movie but a whole genre of movies. Your choice of anything by Tim Burton.

Our first submission was Camilla, from Culinary Adventures with Camilla. She picked the movie Mars Attacks!  and made Blue Gummy Brains.

Next up, Wendy from A Day in the Life on the Farm,  gave us a Lebanese Salad inspired by the movie Big Fish. 

We then had an offering from Tina over at Squirrel Head Manor.  She pulled inspiration as well from the movie Big Fish, and made Pepin's Chicken and Mushrooms.

And then we had Pumpkin Apple Donuts from Debra at Elioteats. Inspired by the movie Sleepy Hollow.    

Up next we have  a Strawberry Moscow Mule from Amy over at Amy's Cooking Adventures. She was inspired by the live action version of Alice in Wonderland.

And next up is Heather from All Roads Lead to the Kitchen. She was inspired by Sweeney Todd to make a Peppered Shepherd's Pie.

And finally, my own offering. I went with the movie Dark Shadows, and made my vegetarian version of Mock Fish (Tofu) and Chips.

All in all, a fabulous potluck of ideas, treats, and movies. Don't forget you can join in next month as the Foodn'Flix group watches The Biggest Little Farm, hosted by Wendy at A Day in the Life on the Farm.

That's about all I've got for you this month. Until later.

2020 March FoodnFlix dish

Spudguns!, it's been a wacky month to say the lest. I hosted Foodn'Flix once again this month, and my selection wasn't just one movie, but a genre of movies. I asked everyone joining in to pick their favourite Tim Burton film.

Now, my original plan was to do a dish for at lest three films, but with the zombie apocalypse isolation situation shopping panic; well I was lucky to get one done. Shelves have been pretty empty around my city.

I ended up doing it backwards because of the shopping issues. I was able to find some tofu at the store, and tried to think what I could make with it. That's when I remembered a subplot in the 2012 Tim Burton/Johnny Depp film Dark Shadows.  They owned a fishing cannery.

I've covered this film in the first year of this blog (Day 281)  but for anyone who hasn't seen it here's a brief summary.

plot:  After rejecting his lover Angelique, who is a witch, Barnabas Collins, has a curse placed on him and his family. He is then turned into a vampire by Angelique and is locked in a coffin and buried for 200 years. When Barnabas is released by accident in the 1970's, he returns to his family home to find that the few remaining family members are still living under a form of the curse, and that Angelique has taken over the town. The two immortals end up in a battle of wills as each tries to gain control of the small fishing town they live in.

Notes: fish, pumpkins, pineapple, whiskey, ketchup, pot roast, carrots, potatoes, wine, salad, pop, McDonalds, milkshakes, pie, pizza (sign) grapes, waffles, cereal, syrup, juice, strawberries, coffee, sugar, milk, cherries, beer, melon, oranges, bread/buns, tomato juice, bacon, blueberries, mustard, crab (ghostly vision) canned seafood

Even though, there are a bunch of scenes where the family are eating, you don't see a lot of closeups of the food.  But, as I said, the situation we are currently in, caused me to work this backwards.  I ended up making a Mock Fish (tofu) and Chips.

Ingredients

1 egg
1 cups breadcrumbs
1/2 package of tofu
2 medium or 1 large potato
seasoning of your choice

I started by chopping the potatoes into large strips. I ended up keeping the skins on, and having a thicker cut. I then seasoned with salt, pepper, and a spiced seasoning mix. Then placed them in the oven for half an hour on 350 degrees.

 

While that was in the oven, I drained and sliced my tofu before dredging it through the egg and breadcrumbs. 

I then deep fried the tofu, carefully turning it every few minutes,  for close to twenty minutes, before placing it in the oven to finish cooking for another half hour.

At this point, I switched out the fries from the oven and finished them off in the deep fryer. 

After draining everything, I decided to add a basic bagged coleslaw of carrots, red cabbage and green cabbage. I tossed this with a simple dressing of Miracle Whip, vinegar and ground black pepper. 

I am surprised how well this ended up fitting together. It's not the way I had hoped to go with this month's movie selections, but in the end it worked nicely.  Okay, I'll be back at the end of the month with the group round up. 

FoodnFlix Jan 2020

Spudguns!, it's that time again. This month's Foodn'Flix selection was 2019 movie Always Be My Maybe, and is being hosted by Culinary Adventures with Camilla.

plot: A celebrity chef returns to her hometown to launch a new restaurant and reconnects with her childhood best friend/first love.

I didn't really care for this film. I've said before, I'm not a big fan of romantic comedies, and this really felt too formulaic for me. The highlight for me were the scenes with Keanu Reeves playing a hyped up version of himself.

Okay, so the amount of food in this movie is really high. I was not even ten minutes into this movie when I already had a half page of written notes.

Notes: canned spam, rice, herbs, soup, kimchi, lemons, apples, green onions, bananas, melon (in painting) greens, potato-chip sticks in chocolate, pop, fries, jack'O'lantern, onion, beef, sauces, dumplings, dough, juice, potstickers, sugar, salt, pepper, beer, hamburgers (mentioned) oranges, grapes, ham, coffee, casseroles, parmesan cheese (mentioned) Burger King menu, wine, prawns, tuna, cereal, donuts, fish-sauce (mentioned) tea, roast beef sandwiches (mentioned) saffron (mentioned) limes, scallops, lettuce, garlic, oyster sauce, kale, popcorn,  a scene with a walk in freezer (at the 15 minute mark!) count chocula (mentioned) breakfast burritos, ginger (mentioned) cabbage, dragon fruit, carrots, mushrooms, chilies, asparagus, sesame seed mixture, hot dogs and spaghetti, ketchup (mentioned)  matcha (mentioned) rice paper (mentioned) goats, buffet, lemonade, chocolate, iced tea, spare ribs, chop suey (sign) chicken (sign) martini, lobster (screen saver) pineapple sandwich (mentioned) a scene at a farmer's market, beets, tomatoes, venison (mentioned) micro-greens, fish flakes, caesar salad, mango, lamb carpaccio, quail parfait, rice noodles (mentioned) scotch, fig (mentioned) daikon, red and orange peppers

I just gave up trying to take notes on the walk-in freezer and farmer's market.

I had a difficult time with this one. But the scene with the breakfast burrito sort of stuck in my mind. I've done one before though for the blog few years ago (one of my zombie recipes) so sort of didn't want to go that route again. Then I was thinking about the potstickers and I ended up going with a super simple snack. A deep fried wrapped banana.

Super simple, simple, simple dish (3 ingredients so can't really call it a recipe) with just sliced banana, chocolate and eggroll wrappers.

I just cut the banana in half, then cut each half on the diagonal, and rolled them each with two squares of the chocolate.  Then deep fried them for about five minutes, rotating the rolls constantly.

I drained them on a paper towel, letting them cool for another five minutes, and ate them while still warm.

I decided to use a heavy cream at the end instead of a dipping sauce, as the chocolate made the rolls a bit sweet already.

That's all I have for you this time around,  don't forget to check out Foodn'Flix  next month, as our selection will be Nina's Heavenly Delights, and it's being hosted by Heather at All Roads Lead to the Kitchen.

Till later.

Foodn Flix Dec 2019

Spudguns!, it's time for this month's Foodn'Flix recipe. This month was hosted by Heather on the FnF site, and the selection was your favourite holiday film.  I know, this was a difficult one for me, given I'm not a xmas person. I ended up settling on Christmas with the Kranks, for a few reasons. 1) it's one I've seen before 2) it's on Netflix Canada and constant rotation on tv, 3) I know it's got a ton of food scenes in it. 

Now, as I said, I've seen it before and briefly mentioned it back in year one of the blog but here's a more in depth recap.

plot:  After learning that their adult daughter is not coming home for the holidays, Luther books a vacation holiday for himself and his wife Nora. Knowing they won't be home themselves, they decide to not bother decorating their house, even though the entire neighbourhood is decked out trying to win the yearly lights contest. The neighbours then begin to pressure them into decorating as well. On the day they are supposed to leave for the vacation, their daughter calls and tells them she's changed her mind and is coming home. This sends Luther and Nora into a scramble trying to make everything like their daughter expects for Christmas eve.

Notes: water, white chocolate (mentioned) pistachios (mentioned) cheese, fruit baskets, coconut, tea/coffee, pears, apples, pop, steak, wine, salad, pasta, buns, salt, pepper, pumpkin seeds (sign in background) cheesecake, beer, yogurt, fish tacos (mentioned) milk, chicken (mentioned) brownies, carrot cake, cottage cheese and fruit, pot pie, pizza, ham, juice, candy canes, hard candy, eggs, butter, canned food, tomato sauce, bologna, bacon, prepared lunches, cookies, lettuce, onions, ice cream, chips, turkey, rice, spices, lemons, potatoes, maple syrup, cereal, smoked trout, bread, caramel pie, marshmallows, grapes (photo) strawberries (photo) alcohol, gingerbread house, cinnamon sticks, punch, icing, veggies and dip, cake, pumpernickel bread with salmon, tarts, cauliflower, radishes, cranberries, brussel sprouts, nuts, mashed potatoes

Okay, so after staring at my notes for a few days, I finally came up with the idea of a brussel sprouts dish. Now, I watched this on Netflix Canada the day I decided to do this film and took all my notes. And as I was at the grocery getting the ingredients arguing with myself  on if it was enough of a dish, something happened. The grocery I was at has a $5 movie bin and as I was making my way down the produce area the stock guy was refilling the bin, causing a stack to fall to the floor. I helped him pick them up, and there in the middle of the mess was a copy of the movie. Dude. I mean, dude come on how much clearer of a message is that?  So yeah, not only did I make the dish, had to get the dvd.

Ingredients

2 cups brussel sprouts
2 cups cauliflower chopped
1/2 cup onion chopped
salt to taste
ground pepper to taste
1 Tablespoon butter
2 Tablespoon parmesan cheese
handful of chopped/slivered almonds

Mix the brussel sprouts, cauliflower, onion and butter. Bake at 325degrees for 45 minutes, stirring at the midway mark.

Add salt, pepper, and parmesan cheese stirring again, and bake for another 15 minutes.

Add the almonds and return to oven for another 10 minutes. 

It's a simple side dish that works in a pinch. Much like how the characters manage to bring together a last minute xmas dinner/party for their daughter in the film. This was literally inspired more by the way my list of seen foods in the film were written down and less of any real scene in the film.

And that's about all I have for this time. Foodn'Flix will be back in 2020 kicking off another year and a new decade with the January selection Always Be My Maybe  which is going to be hosted by Culinary Adventures with Camilla.

Random Xmas movie part 2

movie:  Christmas Under Wraps
starring: Candace Cameron Bure, David O'Donnell
genre; Romance, Comedy,
year: 2014
format: TV EDIT

plot: When a doctor takes a job in a remote area of Alaska, she begins to wonder if she's really landed at the North Pole and if the man she's dating could actually be Santa Claus Jr. ?

So this is one of the Hallmark movie. One of just a million they seem to produce every single year to no end.  I have to say, I've seen a ton of these over the last couple of years, and this is one of the better ones. It's not too overly sappy, nor is it too preachy.  It's just the right amount of fluff.

It starts out like so many seem to this decade, a strong willed business/successful woman who's love life is not as desired, who needs to reinvent herself. Cut to, the job of a lifetime that seems to slip through our heroine's fingers, causing her to take anything she can which leads her to the middle of nowhere. And of course then it's the traditional fish out of water theme for a few clicks before she settles into the coziness of the town's pace.

Yes, I said I liked this one. You know when you see Bure as the lead that it's going to be a little lighter than some of the other Hallmark movies, not that I've ever seen one get "dark" really; but you also know it's not going to get overly sappy either. There's always a sense of "what if" with the roles she seems to take on. That leads almost to a fantasy element.

As the movie progresses, we see her thrown into the heart of the story; she's actually landed at the North Pole and Santa's workshop village. Which doesn't really seem to cause her any strife. She almost seems to accept the idea too willingly.  Add to that, she finds herself then dating the son of Santa. It's a Hallmark movie, so I'm not spoiling anything by saying that the whole thing gets a happy ever ho-ho-ho, as she decides being the next Mrs Claus wouldn't be so bad.

The over all theme of this isn't really new as we saw a similar story in the Merry In-Laws, and Becoming Santa.  As someone who's not a big xmas person, I could sit through this one again.

Random Xmas movie part 1

movie:  The Grinch
starring:  Benedict Cumberbatch, Rashida Jones
genre: Comedy, Cartoon
year: 2018
format: Crave

plot: When the holiday hits the town of Whoville, everyone gets a little bit crazy, as the mayor has informed them to make everything three times larger than previous years. This is bad news for the Grinch, who just wants a quiet holiday. Deciding he must stop the festival, he hatches a plan to steal everyone's xmas related things. Meanwhile, a local group of kids decide to stay up late and capture Santa. Unknown to them, they accidentally trap the Grinch instead.

Okay, so if you've been following me for any amount of time, you know I don't celebrate winter holidays, so for me to sit down and watch an xmas movie something is going on. In this case I was looking for something for the upcoming Foodn'Flix.  I actually ended up liking this new version of the story.

The characters in this new version of The Grinch have more depth and they are fleshed out a lot more than previous versions. You get to know the kids in the neighbourhood as characters this time around with personalities which is something previous versions didn't really do.  And the addition of the reindeer buddy was cute.  I found myself giggling at the scenes of the Grinch, his dog and the reindeer thinking they'd make a great buddy comedy.  Which, is basically what this boils down to be. An animated buddy comedy with some over the top slapstick gags. Which, are actually funny.

I think this version is smart, witty and likeable.   Though, ironically, I decided not to go with this for Foodn'Flix, it's got a ton of food scenes.

The moral of the story hasn't really changed, the Grinch unwittingly reminds everyone the lesson that having tons of stuff isn't the point of the holidays, or the point of anything really. The rest of the town seem to bounce back from their "loss" easily as if it never happened.

I will say this about the film though, you almost get a sense that the producers/directors wanted to give the Grinch a romance because they point out more than a few times that the lady down the road is a single mom.  That would have been an interesting twist I think.

FoodnFlix 2019 RoundUp

Spudguns!, it's time to see what my ghoulfiends dug up for our kooky spooky October FoodnFlix selection. This month we watched The Addams Family and Addams Family Values.

First up is a deadly delicious looking offering from Camilla, of Culinary Adventures with Camilla.  She brought to the table "Creepy Crawlers and other Ghoulish Gobbles."  The main of which was a plate of Squid and Peanut Dipping Sauce. Inspired by a few scenes of Grandma Addams's cooking.

Next up was actually myself, with my offerings of Wednesday's Lemon and Poppy Seed Ghoul Guides, and Uncle Fester's Poisoned Pineapple Punch. I was inspire by the lemonade scene in the first movie, and more than a few scenes from the second movie.

From there we went to Wendy at A Day in the Life on the Farm, for her Monster Brains and Witches Brew.Who was inspired by her love of her family's own spooky Hallowe'en dishes.

Then we have Amy from Amy's Cooking Adventures, with her Addams Family Pancakes. Her inspiration came from not just Wednesday Addams in Addams Family Values, but also the fact the new animated movie is trending on breakfast menus everywhere.

Then from Heather at All Roads Lead to the Kitchen, we have her Fester's 3 Week Anniversary Meatloaf   She took her inspiration from a scene in Addams Family Values, where Uncle Fester is cooking dinner for his new bride.

And then to Debra from Eliot Eats with her Frog Eye Salad.   She was inspired by the vintage feeling of  the 1990's, and a scene in Addams Family, where Grandma tells Fester to "start with the eyes" when serving him a meal.

This was a fun table this month. Don't forget to join Heather from All Roads Lead to the Kitchen for November. Her selection is the movie What's Cooking? (2000)

13 Days of Hallowe'en 2019 Day 13

Day 13

SPOILER ALERT

movie: Zombieland 2 Double Tap
starring: Woody Harrelson, Roseario Dawson,
genre: Comedy,
year; 2019
format: Cinema

plot: Its been ten years since the zombie outbreak and they have evolved to smarter, faster and harder to destroy. Little Rock has decided that she wants to find other survivors closer to her own age and runs away from the rest of the group. This sends Wichita into a panic, and forces Columbus and Tallahassee to follow. Along the way, Little Rock meets Berkeley, who talks her into joining him at a love in commune where the only rule is no weapons. Too bad for them, the new zombie terminators follow them.

Well, I liked it. It was half the gore of the first one, and twice the relationship issues. The comedy came more in the form of how the characters seemed to be smarter than everyone else. The idea that the family dynamic gets disrupted by simply growing up and not by any outside forces, lends it to a family drama more than anything else. I think it could have explored that a lot deeper, but instead, once again the characters end up isolated by choice.  Where as the first film was about learning to trust the outside world; this was more about accepting things change.

What I found interesting from both movies, is that both films deal with the illusion of hope. In the first film, we see Little Rock still young with a hopeful innocence about a fair ground being a safe place, where as in part two we see Tallahassee in the same light as he finds out Graceland has been zombied. There is just this great sense of full circle and sort of this message that no matter how old you are or how tough you think you are, everyone has a bit of innocence they are holding on to. Even in the worst of times, there is always that glimmer of hope.

One thing I wasnt super crazy about was the whole idea of each character having a double. I know, that was a big chunk of the gimmick for the movie, but it just feel flat for me in the end. It happens midway in the film, and is over too soon. I would have expected that gag to have followed through to the end.

I am going to bury this one here in the graveyard. Happy Hallowe'en.

13 Days of Hallowe'en 2019 Day 12

Day 12

movie: Friend Request
starring: Alycia Debnam-Carey, Brooke Markham
genre: Horror,
year: 2016
format: Netflix Canada

plot: After accepting a friends request on facebook, Laura, the most popular girl on campus becomes the latest obsession of the school's outcast Mia. Things quickly become stressed as Laura finds herself stalked by Mia and unfriends her profile, who then commits suicide live on camera. Before long, Laura's friends begin to die one by one in horrific ways.

I thought I was getting just another creepy stalker film, but it ended up becoming a ghost story. So bonus. I have to admit too, that this one made me jump a few times. Yes, there are a lot of old fashioned jump scares in it, and they work.

You've got a few things going on here. The obvious, which is the whole cyber stalking/bullying issue, and the psychological effects/side effects of how jacked-in society has become. When you strip away the paranormal elements of the story, you are left with just as scary a one. The fact that from a day to day stand point, social media allows people to get personal without getting too close, is scary all on it's own. Add to that the growing number of people with anxiety issues who find it easier to live "online" than it is in reality; and you've got the perfect cocktail to build upon.  And build upon it does.

If you remove the reality based story and simply go with the paranormal elements; then you've got a really great ghost story that has some cliched ideas that come across as fresh and new. The orphan who's family died in a mysterious fire, the occult, and a haunting.

Jealousy is used as a weapon in this. From Laura's boyfriend who feels insecure towards her best male friend, to the actual idea that one media profile is something to covet.

I am going to bury this one here in the graveyard. I'll be back tomorrow with one last treat for your Hallowe'en displeasure.

13 Days of Hallowe'en 2019 Day 11

Day 11

movie: Wishmaster 2 Evil Never Dies
starring: Andrew Divoff, Holly Fields
genre: Horror, Comedy
year: 1999
format: TV Edit

plot: When an art thief accidentally releases a centuries old djinn, she finds herself in the middle of a prophecy trying to return him to his prison.

This is a made for tv/straight to video sequel.

This is suppose to be a horror film, but like so many movies that were released between 1997 and 2012, it plays more like a comedy. The moments it hits the horror is sadly with too much of the gore factor and not really what I consider horror. The story itself is pretty much been done to death and I actually found myself cheering on the djinn played by Divoff.

Honestly, the idea is there, I just felt it was lost under the typical religion vs the world thing that horror films have fallen prey to so often.

Divoff is about the only bright spot in this. He plays the villain as the straight man in what feels like a bad comedy duo. The fact the djinn begins paling around with a Russian mobster begins to make the audience believe he's softened, as the movie begins to dip into buddy comedy territory. Which, plays better than the rest of the plot of bringing on the end of days.

I'm going to bury this here in the graveyard. I'll be back tomorrow with another treat for your Hallowe'en displeasure.

13 Days of Hallowe'en 2019 Day 10

Day 10

movie: Sheep Skin
starring: Michael Schantz, Laurence Mullaney
genre: Crime, Thriller
year: 2013
format: TV Edit

plot: After his sister is killed, a drug addict and his friends kidnap the ex-boyfriend, believing he's a werewolf.

Not really a horror film, not really a thriller either, but a decent drama. Except for the first five minutes, everything happens within one room, and the character's paranoia pits everyone against each other. I think that's what brilliant about this story. It plays on the claustrophobia and mistrust created by the fear and prejudice the main characters already have. You've got a great metaphor happening for 90% of this film, the other 10% is ...well a werewolf movie.

The pay off in the last 2 minutes, you can see coming a mile away, but it works. I found myself smirking and nodding to the last scene as the screen went black. It takes a long time to get to the point, but the rest of the movie is actually good. You don't mind how long it takes to get to it.

And yes, there is a werewolf transformation, even though it ends up more of a man in a gorilla suite which makes you laugh out loud. I don't know if the intention was just to straight up do a werewolf movie, or if the intention was more to explore the metaphor of fear? I felt it did one better than the other. Through most of the movie you are watching the lead character lose his mind more and more as he's trying to prove he's right and coming up empty. The fact that midway the character is caught taking a handful of pills, causing his credibility to be questioned helps to put more doubt in the viewer's mind.

As a movie about fear and paranoia, this is pretty decent.

Okay, I'm going to bury this here in the graveyard. I'll be back tomorrow with another treat for your Hallowe'en displeasure.

13 Days of Hallowe'en 2019 Day 9

Day 9

movie:  Plan 9
starring: Brian Krause, Mr. Lobo
genre: Comedy, Horror, Sci-Fi
year:2014/2015
format: TV Edit

plot: After a meteorite strikes the earth, a small town is overrun by zombies, with only a handful of survivors making it through the night.

This is a remake of the 1959 cult-classic Plan 9 From Outer Space.  I have to say, this was really good given it's an independent remake of one of the most famous movies known to man. This version of the story is 50% Plan 9 From Outer Space, 50% every other zombie movie you've seen in the last 50 years. I kept thinking about Return of the Living Dead while watching this. I found this version of the story to be more complete, smarter and also easier to follow.  Besides the baseline story of Plan 9, you get a few little nods through out, like seeing a model spaceship and graveyard that our lead scientist is for some reason playing with.  They even managed to get Conrad Brooks, who at the time was the last living actor from the original Plan 9 movie.

Where it sort of leaves Plan 9 and becomes it's own movie, is with the science behind the story, as well as the wonder twins of doom...er the aliens. By giving them a more fleshed out...no pun intended...back story you get where this version is able to stand on it's own.  And can I say, I'll forever think of this movie whenever I see baby food or apricot jam again.

Where as, I've always considered the original Plan 9 to be more a vampire movie than zombie mostly because of the way it was shot, you know this is straight up zombie gore. There's no hiding the intention of the film makers here.  I've had to sit through enough zombie genre films in the last few years to know this one is worth checking into. And if you've followed me much at all over the years, you know the zombie genre is still one I'm only lukewarm towards.

I'm going to bury this one here in the graveyard. I'll be back tomorrow with another treat for your Hallowe'en displeasure.

13 Days of Hallowe'en 2019 Day 8

Day 8

movie: Holiday Hell
starring: Jeffery Combs, Joel Murray
genre: Comedy, Horror
year: 2019
format: TV Edit (Tubi)

plot: 4 short stories about cursed objects/murder weapons told in an occult shop.

This is done in the same vein as Tales From the Crypt, Are You Afraid of The Dark, RL Stine etc. And I have to say, this was the best thing I've seen so far this week for my Hallowe'en week. I mean, you've got a drunk paranoid husband who slaughters everyone at x-mas, a deranged teenaged serial killer, a golem and a coven of angry witches. And Jeffery Combs. Everything is better when Jeffery Combs is in it!

The movie starts off with Combs's character about to close his shop for the long weekend, when a customer comes in, and quickly the set up for the first story is given. It centers around a broken mask that had belonged to the teenager who wanted revenge on her classmates. The second story is about a wooden doll that was brought to life by a little boy. The third centers around a santa suit that had been worn the night a jealous husband killed his rivals. And the final story about a fertility cult who raise the dead. That last one also ties up the ending of the film by interacting with the Combs's character.

I thought this movie was well thought out and the creep factor is there without getting too gory;
although, I felt the first segment is the weakest link. Given the amount of time each piece had, this one takes way too long to set it's pace and actually dive into it's story.   The third segment was the most realistic, therefore I remembered the most. An executive who gets his hands on an experimental drug blacks out and goes on a killing spree. Dude, that's down right nerve racking because it could happen.

I'm going to bury this one here...in the front yard near the pumpkin patch. I'll be back tomorrow with another treat for your Hallowe'en displeasure.

13 Days of Hallowe'en 2019 Day 7

Day 7

movie: Soul Survivors
starring: Eliza Dushku, Luke Wilson
genre: Thriller
year: 2001
format: TV Edit

plot; On their first night away at college, a group of friends end up in a car accident. Three of them survive and end up grieving over the death of their fourth. A few days later, one of the survivors begins to have hallucinations and can no longer tell what's real.

Um...er yeah, I'm not having a lot of luck this season with the movies. This is one that could have been good, but it just manages not to put you to sleep...mostly because of the headache inducing light show you get through out. Seriously, there isn't a lot going on here. You have some stupid teenagers who are all cheating on each other and cause a two car accident, one of them begins to see ghosts and becomes paranoid to the point of confused black outs. You're purposely tossed in circles for the second act of the movie, with the lead character's sanity in constant question. She's seen in and out of the emergency having surgeries on her after the accident, and drifts in and out of consciousness. Which of course is set to make you wonder at this point what's really going on. The "big twist ending" - spoiler alert- is that the lead is still in a coma after the accident and the ones who "survived" are actually the ones who died, but because she's in a coma hovering between life and death, she's the only one who can see their ghosts.  Been done to tears.

We see the lead character being chased more than once by the three people in the second car. I was fully expecting for the ominous looking guy with the scars to have been a grim reaper or something, but sadly he was just the drunk dude from the other car she was paranoid about. I think if they had actually given this film more of a supernatural plot and less of the relationships, it might have been better.

Okay, I'm going to bury this here in this unmarked grave. I'll be back tomorrow with another treat for your Hallowe'en displeasure.

13 Days of Hallowe'en 2019 Day 6

Day 6

movie: Saturday the 14th
starring: Richard Benjamin, Jeffrey Tambor
genre: Comedy
year: 1981
format: TV Edit

plot: A family moves into the estate house left to them in their aunt's will. Unknown to them, the house is haunted, and contains a very powerful book that the children unwittingly use to unleash a bunch of monsters.

Okay, so it's plot sounds a bit like some of the horror spoofs that popped up the last decade as well as elements of Elvira Mistress of the Dark.  And I have to say, this was a long arse waste of time. It was not funny, it did not have a clear storyline at all, the limited use of the mythos it was trying to create got muddled within itself and just seemed to fall over it's own feet.

You have two vampires who want the house for themselves, and try to buy it from the owners only to be turned down. Then instead of doing what anyone would expect them to, which is kill the owners and take the house or at the very lest hypnotize the owners into giving it to them; the vampires just wait. Literally, they just sit in their car in the driveway and wait for the owners to leave. It's not till half way through that you learn it's the book hidden in the house they really want. As well, you learn the vampires can enter the house without any issues, so that plot point is really thin. The movie's big ending centers around everyone being trapped in the house with a monster hunter who spoiler alert, turns out to be the bad guy.

Granted this was from the beginning of the 80's, but the plot feels like it was meant for a bad Saturday morning cartoon - no pun intended on the name.  It just left me scratching my head the whole time trying to figure out if the writers/producers were on crack at the time?

If you're a fan of either Monster Squad from 1987 or Elvira Mistress of the Dark from 1988, you would have to admit, both those movies took the two main storylines  and did them 100% better.  Clearer. Funnier. Smarter.

I'm going to bury this here in this unmarked grave. I'll be back tomorrow with another treat for your Hallowe'en displeasure.