Dance After Dark Photography

I experimented a bit in the kitchen tonight. I started with the intention of doing my usual pan-seared chicken with various vegetables. Then I thought I’d make some kind of chicken wrap, initially to be made with tortillas. Then I decided to use the butter lettuce in the fridge instead of tortillas, but alas the lettuce is past its prime.After much deliberation over a period of hours, I settled on pan-seared chicken with various vegetables. I know, I know. I really went out on a limb.The chicken was covered with smoked paprika, lots of cumin, kosher salt, and a bit of Chinese five spice powder. The veggies wound up being sweet caramelized onions and organic baby carrots. (Does the fact that they’re organic ameliorate some of the evil inherent in plucking them from the ground before they’ve really had a chance to live?) I also chopped up some fresh (also organic but this time adult) spinach. Mix in some leftover basmati rice, and we’re good.When I picked up the chicken at the grocery store, I also picked up some Woodchuck cider. I used a bit of the cider to deglaze the chicken pan and then squeezed in the juice of an organic tangerine. Add a little chicken broth and corn starch, and voila! Tangerine & cider glaze for the chicken. Pretty groovy, if I do say so myself. Then Kimberly, mom, grandma, and I were disturbed by the first half hour of Last Tango in Paris. It’s one of those movies I always thought I should see but apparently knew nothing about. I was expecting an old B&W movie. Way off base. We gave up on the movie and switched to The Whole Nine Yards with Bruce Willis, Matthew Perry, Michael Clarke Duncan, and Amanda Peet. The horrible accents by Rosanna Arquette and Kevin Pollack were quite painful to hear, but it was still a very funny movie.

It’s been quite a while since my last update. In theory, I’ve been sorting and editing pictures from my two weeks in Arizona. In practice, I’ve been sitting here staring at the screen and not accomplishing much.

I think I took too many pictures. It’s overwhelming. I’ve gotten rid of most of the outtakes. I edited all of Stacey’s pictures. (She’s a Phoenix-based model who met up with me for a TFP shoot. Time For Prints - an even trade between photographer & model.) I’ve already printed several of my favorite shots from the South Maricopa Mountain Wilderness, Camelback Mountain, and the Tonto Natural Bridge. The problem is the remaining mass of photos from Camelback, Besh Ba Gowa, the Superstition Mountains, Globe, etc.

Tonight I’ll begin with the photos of Empty and the Pimplet. I should’ve had those done by now, so they make a good starting point. At least cute kid photos are easy to edit.

In other news, I’ve watched several movies lately. Some of them were even worthwhile. The one that stands out in my memory is Rise: Blood Hunter, starring Lucy Liu. Be afraid. This movie is a horrible waste of time. Sure, she’s half-naked in several scenes. Go for it if semi-anorexic spine protrusion is your thing.

Best line was between Michael Chiklis and Lucy Liu. She’s already become a vampire at this point, but she’s been drained of blood. She wakes up and asks, “Am I dead?” He says, “I’m not sure how to answer that.” This sucked pretty hard (no pun intended) for a movie with Lucy Liu, Michael Chiklis, and Mako. I’ll blame it on very poor direction and a horrible script - both of which can be laid at the feet of Sebastian Gutierrez. Remember this name. Never watch his movies.

In an effort to revive Family Movie Night, we watched Surf’s Up and Ratatouille. I was disappointed with Surf’s Up. The kid penguins were cute, and there were some good lines. Overall, the movie wasn’t worth it. It was cliché, of course, and the dialogue wasn’t clever enough to make up for the formulaic approach. Ratatouille was better, but it’s still not on par with Flushed Away or Toy Story.

I hate to admit it, but Knocked Up is one of the funniest movies I’ve seen in a long time. Seth Rogan cracks me up. I just stayed up entirely too late because I had to watch all the deleted scenes, and I get the feeling I’m going to watch them again before I return the DVD.

All this because it was the least unappealing thing on the shelf at Blockbuster. I got Surf’s Up because I know the family will want to see it, and I still had another movie to trade in. I’m curious, but I can’t make myself rent Black Snake Moan. It sounds too much like porn.

alt title: Phoenix update # who knows? I can’t be bothered to check.

I was entirely lazy this morning, so I sit here typing instead of walking around downtown Phoenix and taking photos of the Willow House like I intended. The original plan was to walk down there (about a mile), and then I found out that the AZ Irish Festival is also today and down the street from aforementioned coffee house. Trick is, I wanted to walk to the Willow House and take photos very early, like 7:00. Irish Fest gates open at 10:00.

In the end, I talked myself out of both. I have lots of time to get the photos of the Willow House. They’re moving in a week, but the building will be there regardless. When you see pictures, you’ll understand. As for the Irish Fest, I didn’t realize it was just a one-day affair. That doesn’t sound terribly impressive. It starts at 10:00, and we’re due in Casa Grande by 11:30. Maybe I’ll drop in this afternoon, when we come back from Casa Grande and Jenn goes to work. Festival is over at 5:00. Maybe not. I’m indifferent.

Much fun has been had, though! I already feel like I’ve had a few weeks of vacation, and I’m not even halfway there. I watched Mr. Show last night because Jenn keeps making references. I’d never heard of it, so I’m glad I dragged it out. It stars Bob Odenkirk and David Shaw with a metric ton of other comedians you’ll recognize. Jack Black, Sarah Silverman, several of the folks now on the Sarah Silverman Show whose names I don’t know. I find my sense of humor warping. More and more I enjoy awkward, uncomfortable humor.

Okay, it’s time to start thinking about breakfast. Do I make the mesquite-smoked turkey breakfast burritos w/ avocado & muenster, or do I wait for Jenn to get up so we can get something on the way to Casa Grande? Decisions, decisions.

I’m really hoping to see more from Scott Adkins soon. He was the bad guy in Undisputed II, opposite Michael Jai White (of Spawn renown.) The fights between those two were some of the best and most brutal-looking fights I’ve seen in a long time.

There’s a movie in post-production now called The Tournament. It also stars Ving Rhames and Kelly Hu. That puts it firmly on the B-list roster, but I’ll see it anyway.

I haven’t written a real update in a while. I can’t say that I’ve been busy. I’ve just been frustrated and feeling uncommunicative. I’ll feel better on Friday, when I get paid. I bought my plane ticket for the trip to Phoenix, but then a few unexpected expenses used up my available cash.

I just read about “The Wave” at North Coyote Buttes in the Vermillion Cliffs-Paria Canyon Wilderness. You can see The Wave as a day hike, but access is limited to 20 people per day. I wish I’d known about this in April, since you have to apply months in advance to get the necessary permits.

On the upside, I’ve watched lots of movies lately. Here are some reviews:

Shoot ‘Em Up
I’ve become a big fan of Clive Owen since Sin City and Children of Men. This movie has the violence and stylish camera work of Sin City with several great lines and a few bad jokes thrown in. I didn’t realize this is the film version of the Postal video game, which made perfect sense afterward. Paul Giamatti plays a great bad guy — creepy, funny, and plagued by phone calls from his nagging wife. I went to the theater expecting to suspend disbelief, so I didn’t mind the over-the-top violence and some of the truly impossible sequences.

China Dragon
The horror! The absolute bad 80’s fight scene, terrible film quality & no storyline whatsoever HORROR! This film isn’t even worth mocking, it’s so bad.

Running Out of Time
I’d watch this again. The story was much better than I expect out of a kung fu/gun fu movie, and it was well-filmed. Andy Lau and Lau Ching Wan do a good job of creating the cat & mouse game between their characters that really drives the movie. This particular DVD conversion lost a little in the quality department, but it’s still great.

Kill Zone
OMG! OMG, this movie is so good I’ll actually say “OMG!” It’s corny as a truly good kung fu movie should be, but Donnie Yen plays a superbly-skilled cop going up against the A-list of bad guys. It culminates with a showdown against Sammo Hung. Admittedly, that face-off was my reason for renting this movie. I’d seen previews with a few snippets from that fight, but I have to say that the best fights were against the younger, lesser-known martial artists playing the henchmen. Very good movie. Nice story, fantastic fights, and well-filmed. It’s not Shakespeare, but it’s a lot of fun.

Thin Blue Line
This one’s a TV series starring Rowan Atkinson as a bumbling inspector. It’s definitely not high-brow comedy, but it’s certainly more accessible to Americans than Mr. Bean. I’m an Atkinson fan, aside from Mr. Bean, so I knew I’d like it. I didn’t expect all of the other characters to shine through so well. Great show. I highly recommend it. It’s like The Office with a badge.

Dead Reckoning
Humphrey Bogart stars as Rip Murdock, a WWII vet trying to unravel the mystery around his friend’s disappearance and death. Everyone knows I’m a Bogart fan, so of course I loved this movie. Some people say it’s an unoriginal addition to the film noir genre, but I still call it a classic.

Panic
William H. Macy in an unconventional role. He plays Alex, a seemingly normal guy with a typical life. Not even his wife & son know that he’s really a contract killer — a family business he inherited from his father (Donald Sutherland). Macy’s dismay at his profession becomes a full mid-life crisis when he’s hired to kill the therapist (John Ritter) who’s been helping him. Throw in Neve Campbell as a love interest, and you’ve got one unusual but excellent movie.

Central Station
I was reminded of this film while discussing movies with a Brazilian co-worker. I saw it 3 or 4 years ago and loved it, but I had forgotten the title. It’s in Portuguese, so beware of subtitles. Fernanda Montenegro stars as a woman who writes letters for a living, but who is so jaded that she often doesn’t even mail them. Against her wishes, she finds herself responsible for the welfare of a young boy whose mother is killed. The movie follows them as they travel in search of the boy’s father.

Kinky Boots
Based on a true story, this movie chronicles the humorous and touching efforts of Charlie Price as he struggles to find a niche market for the failing shoe factory he inherited from his father. Charlie wants to remain loyal to his father’s memory and the villagers who depend on the factory for employment, but his London high-life fiancée wants him to sell the place and return to her lifestyle. Enter Lola, the drag queen who inspires Charlie to make sexy women’s boots for men and turn his fortunes around. Chiwetel Ejiofor gives a surprising and stunning performance as the female impersonator. I’d seen him in Serenity and Children of Men, but I never expected him to turn up in this kind of role.

Getting back into the kitchen tonight was great. My fingers normally smell like garlic after I’ve been cooking, but I went easy on the garlic this time. Instead, I smell like pumpkin pie.

I’ve been trying to watch An Affair to Remember all day. I started it this morning but had so many interruptions that I decided to hold off until after dinner. I’m on my fourth phone call, two of them coming from my mother who’s two doors down. (Aggravated? No, of course not. I’m a bad liar, too.) I’ve never actually seen this movie, despite my reverence for Cary Grant’s movies. My favorite is still To Catch a Thief.

I took mom to visit Grandpa Wilson today. He looks good. He’s wearing normal clothes now instead of the hospital gowns. He walked 72 feet today, so he’s getting closer and closer to the 100 ft goal that means he can go home. He seemed in pretty high spirits, too — cracking jokes with us and flirting with his favorite nurse, Dana.

Mom and I went to Polonia for lunch before visiting Grandpa. I got chicken paprikash, which was excellent. My favorite dish is still their smoked kielbasa & sauerkraut platter, but I’m trying to explore the rest of the menu.

Daniel and I went to see Balls of Fury tonight. I thought it would be funny. I didn’t expect to be alternately cracking up and giggling like a little girl throughout the whole film. I came into it eagerly awaiting Walken to ham it up, but I really think James Hong (a.k.a. Lo Pan from Big Trouble in Little China) stole the show. You must see this movie. Expect silliness, and expect to laugh your arse off. Also expect to fall in love (or lust, at least) with Maggie Q.

I’m watching Pathfinder right now, and I’m wondering why. I didn’t pay for the rental, so I’m not terribly upset. Most of my frustration comes from obvious fallacies in the movie, some of which are pretty standard fantasy conventions.

The hero finds a sword in woods, so of course he teaches himself to use it. Of course he’s better with it than Viking warriors who’ve fought their entire lives.

The Viking baddies in this movie are supposed to be settlers, but there are no women. They brought horses, but they didn’t bring women. (No comment.) Never mind the fact that they should’ve had room for both in the huge wooden boat that Vikings didn’t actually build. These guys all look like an album cover from Molly Hatchet rather than anything remotely historically accurate.

When an enemy pops out of the river in front of you, you should strike down at him. Under no circumstances should you swing horizontally, well above his head even if he weren’t still ducking, so that he can easily gut you.

In the snowboarding scene (yes, there’s a snowboarding scene), the hulking Viking warriors with their armor and big sleds that they just happened to have handy slide down the snow-covered mountain at the same speed or slower than a much smaller, half-naked teen sliding belly-down on a stolen shield.

Since when do action movies have to be dumb? I know you’re supposed to suspend disbelief, but help me out! I can’t do all the work.

I’m still watching the movie, but I already highly recommend it. It stars Alfred Molina with incredibly funny appearances by Christopher Walken and Lee Evans from Lock Stock & Two Smoking Barrels. The movie is off-kilter like so few others, and I love it.

The story is a little complex to explain, but it’s apparent in the first 20 minutes. The twists and turns will keep you laughing throughout, and Walken puts on one of his classic mad-cap performances. Watch the movie. You won’t regret it.