Month: March 2013 (Page 6 of 14)

The Italian Mistress

March 22, 2013 / Bob Westal

I’m guessing that, even if you weren’t getting hammered specifically on Conhattans or Shamrock Sours last weekend, at least a few of you were overindulging. For your sake, I’m hoping you weren’t overdoing it on bad green beer (is there ever good green beer?) and, if you were doing shots, I’m hoping it was on the good Irish stuff. (I’m personally partial to Bushmills.)

All of that is now in the past, and it’s time to recuperate with a drink that — unusually for DOTW — features not a single drop of hard liquor. Just some of my personal favorite mildly alcoholic grape derivatives. One of them happens to be this week’s sponsor, an old favorite of mine previously featured here several times, most memorably (to me) in the Ugly Americano. I speak of Punt e Mes, which basically tastes like regular sweet vermouth imbued with the spirit of the best dark chocolate you ever had.

Also, as readers of an online men’s magazine, you guys have got to love the name of this week’s tasty but tempestuous beverage.

The Italian Mistress

1/2 ounce Punt e Mes
1/4 ounce simple syrup
3-4 dashes Angostura Bitters
Sparkling white wine
1 orange twist (garnish)

Combine the Punt e Mes, bitters and syrup in the bottom of champagne flute or, if you haven’t got one, a regular champagne glass — in which case you might want to reduce the proportions of syrup and vermouth as flutes tend to be larger. (If you don’t have any simple syrup on hand, by the way, a dissolved teaspoon or less of superfine sugar will also work.) Top off with the sparkling white wine…very carefully. Excess foam can be a factor.

Once your drink is fully poured, add your orange twist. Now, sip and salute the Italian mistresses of the world, not that we have anything but good thoughts for Italian wives and girlfriends.

****

This is a pretty simple and straightforward drink, which is one reason why I like it. However, the recipe that came to me simply said it was to be built in a champagne glass, so I originally made this in a smaller regular champagne glass which I also happen to use as a cocktail glass, since it’s essentially the same thing. (The Y-shaped martini glass is a relatively modern invention. Nick and Nora Charles drank their martinis and Manhattans from champagne glasses/coupes and so do I, most of the time.)

It was only when I received the picture above that I realized I was using a slightly wrong glass. I have to admit it was a better balanced drink in the flute, but the version in the champagne glass did put the Punt e Mes a bit more forward, and that’s realy never a bad thing.The one thing I will say is never stint on the bitters on this one. Though Punt e Mes has more than its share of bitter notes, the Angostura is definitely needed to sort of counter-intuitively smooth things over.

The one place where I may have gone wrong was on my choice of bubbly. I stumbled over a very cheap genuine Champagne which had a slightly unpleasant bitterness to it and which I therefore can’t quite recommend. Still, the drink was sturdy enough to absorb that small blow. After all, any Italian mistress should be able to deal with a bit of French unpleasantness.

Now, we mambo.

Food & Drink, Lifestyle, Vices

Champagne cocktails Drink of the Week Happy Hour Punt e Mes sparkling white wine the Italian Mistress

Movie Review: “Admission”

March 21, 2013 / Jason Zingale

Tina Fey, Paul Rudd, Nat Wolff, Lily Tomlin, Michael Sheen, Wallace Shawn

Paul Weitz

There was a time when Paul Weitz used to make great movies. After reviving the teen sex comedy with “American Pie” and adapting the Nick Hornby bestseller “About a Boy” alongside brother Chris, the eldest Weitz stepped out on his own, continuing his fantastic track record with underrated gems like “In Good Company” and “American Dreamz.” In recent years, however, the director’s career has been marred by a series of flops, and though “Admission” is probably the best of his cinematic failures, it’s a failure nonetheless. Not even Tina Fey and Paul Rudd, arguably two of Hollywood’s most likable performers, are able to do much to save Weitz’s latest effort, and that only makes “Admission” even more of a disappointment.

Fey stars as Portia Nathan, an admissions officer at Princeton University who spends her days diligently poring over student applications and her nights with her dull, longtime boyfriend Mark (Michael Sheen), who also works at the university as an English literature professor. When she receives a call one day from John Pressman (Rudd), a teacher at the alternative academy New Quest, asking her to visit the campus to meet a promising student named Jeremiah (Nat Wolff), she’s completely blindsided by John’s suggestion that the gifted teen is the child she gave up for adoption nearly 20 years earlier. Though Jeremiah is far from the typical Princeton applicant, he’s a prodigy and self-proclaimed autodidact who wants nothing more than to attend the university. But while Portia comes to appreciate Jeremiah the more time that she spends with him, she faces an uphill battle convincing her peers that he’s worth the risk, all while hiding the fact that he may be her son.

Entertainment, Movie Reviews, Movies

Admission Paul Rudd Tina Fey

Movie Review: “The Croods”

March 21, 2013 / David Medsker

Emma Stone, Nicolas Cage, Ryan Reynolds, Catherine Keener, Cloris Leachman, Clark Duke

Kirk De Micco & Chris Sanders

If this movie had a plot, it would be dangerous. As it is, “The Croods” is a rough sketch of an idea, kept afloat courtesy of some well-timed gags. It has heart and a fair share of laughs, and it’s hard not to like the message that we must evolve as a species if we intend to survive, but it feels like a sitcom episode stretched out to a grueling 98 minutes. Ninety-eight-minute movies aren’t supposed to feel long. This one does.

The Croods are a family of cavepeople who have outlived their Neanderthal contemporaries by playing it very, very safe. The father Grug (Nicolas Cage) insists that everyone stay near their cave, and to never leave the cave at night, much to the chagrin of his curious daughter Eep (Emma Stone). One night, unable to sleep, Eep sees a flickering light outside the cave. She sneaks out to investigate, and meets Guy (Ryan Reynolds), a homo sapien boy who warns her that the world is coming to an end (it’s actually continental drift), and that she and her family must find better, higher ground if they wish to survive. This idea, of course, does not sit well with Grug, but it is not long before Guy is proven right, which creates, in Grug’s mind anyway, a battle for supremacy between brains and brawn.

This is the kind of movie that sweats the small stuff – the disaster sequences will make Roland Emmerich squeal, and the animals they created, especially the piranha birds, are both amusing and inspired – but for some reason, they don’t put the same effort into the story. It gets to the point where they let Cage off his leash (never a good idea) and do this bit where Grug tries to be a thinker like Guy, only Cage sounds like he’s trying to channel Jeff Bridges in “The Big Lebowski.” On the one hand, it’s kind of fun to see an animated film play it loose and experiment. On the other hand, it feels forced and out of step with everything around it.

Entertainment, Movie Reviews, Movies

Emma Stone Nicolas Cage Ryan Reynolds The Croods The Croods review

The Light from the TV Shows: Giving HBO’s “Phil Spector” a spin

March 21, 2013 / Will Harris

When it was announced that Al Pacino and David Mamet, who proved to be a formidable combination of actor and writer/director on 1992’s “Glengarry Glen Ross,” would be reteaming for HBO’s original movie about Phil Spector, reactions of giddiness and uncertainty seemed to be in equal measure. Sure, Mamet’s awesome, and he’s obviously proven that he can get a great performance out of Pacino, but surely there’s substantial chasm between the fiction of Ricky Roma and the reality of Phil Spector, isn’t there?

Actually, you might be surprised.

If you haven’t seen “Glengarry Glen Ross” recently, maybe you should see how Roma’s described on Wikipedia:

Although Roma seems to think of himself as a latter day cowboy and regards his ability to make a sale as a sign of his virility, he admits only to himself that it is all luck. He is ruthless, dishonest and immoral, but succeeds because he has a talent for figuring out a client’s weaknesses and crafting a pitch that will exploit those weaknesses. He is a smooth talker and often speaks in grand, poetic soliloquies.

Those who’ve read about Spector’s brusque, often downright crazed interactions with musicians in the studio, his turbulent relationship with ex-wife Ronnie Spector, and a notorious obsession with firearms which—no matter how you spin the story of the night a woman named Lana Clarkson ended up dead in his home—was directly responsible for his eventual incarceration will certainly see some immediate similarities between him and Roma. After seeing HBO’s “Phil Spector,” you will see even more of them. What you will not see, however, is a movie that matches “Glengarry Glen Ross.”

But, then, you probably didn’t expect that, anyway.

Entertainment, Movies, News, Television

Al Pacino Angels in America Bruce Cutler David Mamet Dead or Canadian Dr. Jack Kevorkian Glengarry Glen Ross Helen Mirren John Milton Linda Kenney Baden Phil Spector Remote Control Ricky Roma Roy Cohn The Devil's Advocate The Light from the TV Shows Will Harris You Don't Know Jack

Why You Should Buy a Blu-ray Player

March 21, 2013 / Bullz-Eye Staff

Although Blu-rays have been around for a few years now, not everyone understands the benefits that a Blu-ray player can offer the viewer. Yes, Blu-ray discs may be a little more expensive than DVDs, but there are some great benefits to watching your favourite movie releases on Blu-ray. Check out these top 5 reasons why you should invest in a Blu-ray player to enjoy the latest Blu ray releases.

Best Picture Quality

Blu-ray gives you up to five times the picture quality of a standard DVD. All you need is your new Blu-ray player, your latest Blu-ray release, a good quality HDMI cable, and your 1080p image TV and you’re all set. You get to enjoy amazing, crystal clear pictures that bring your favourite movie to life in your own living room.

Blu-ray discs also provide better picture quality than HD television. You can get high-definition viewing through satellite, and many of the stations are now broadcasting in high-definition. But this won’t match up to the picture quality of a Blu-ray player. This is because HD streamed over the internet or sent through cable or satellite needs to be significantly compressed, resulting in a less-than-perfect image.

Superior Sound Quality

When it comes to Blu-ray players, it’s not all about the improved picture quality. Blu-ray also offers superior sound quality. Surround sound quality and capabilities are significantly better than sound from your standard DVD player. With a Blu-ray player you have access to high-resolution audio formats like Dolby Digital Plus and Dolby TrueHD, not to mention the 7.1 surround-sound channels available to you for a true surround-sound cinematic experience in your own home.

Huge Number of Titles Available on Blu-ray

When Blu-ray players hit the market back in 2006, there were only a limited number of titles available on Blu-ray. Granted, it did take a little while for titles to be released onto Blu-ray, but today there are thousands of movies readily available. From new releases to movie classics like “The Godfather,” you can now find almost any title you want on Blu-ray. Movie studios have come to realise the demand for titles to be released onto Blu-ray immediately, and there are more and more titles being released onto Blu-ray every day.

Great Value for Money

These days Blu-ray players don’t actually cost much more than standard DVD players. Take a quick look at some of the top-branded Blu-ray players and you’ll quickly work out that, with all they have to offer over standard players, they really do offer great value for the money. While you’re at it, take a look at Blu-ray disc prices as well. It used to be that these cost significantly more than standard DVDs. However, with a greater market demand for Blu-rays, the difference you’ll pay for a superior Blu-ray title is relatively insignificant.

Many Blu-ray discs are being released with an extra standard DVD included for free. This means you can use the standard version on your computer, laptop, second TV or portable DVD player, and keep the awesome Blu-ray disc for you to enjoy in cinematic quality.

Newer Blu-ray players also offer the ability to stream online content. This opens up a whole new world of interactive viewing, including BD Live, video streaming, and even updating the player’s hardware.

Blu-ray discs have more capacity than standard discs. This means you have access to more content. Extra scenes, commentaries, cast interviews, image libraries, and even games are all on offer when you buy a Blu-ray disc instead of a standard DVD.

You Can Still Play Your Old DVDs

One of the greatest benefits of a Blu-ray player is that it is backwards-compatible. In simple terms, this means you can still play your standard DVDs on a new Blu-ray player. You may also like to know that a Blu-ray player actually improves the picture and sound quality of your standard DVD movies. Put a standard DVD into your new Blu-ray player and you are likely to hear surround sound like you’ve never heard it before. That is thanks to Blu-ray’s Dolby Digital Plus format for high-definition audio. However, standard DVDs won’t ever match the superiority of a Blu-ray disc.

Image by pitzyper! from Flickr’s Creative Commons by pitzyper!

About the Author: Having worked in the electronics and audio industry for several years, James Tonks is a regular contributing writer who enjoys sharing his knowledge of superior audio and visual quality.

Lifestyle

Blu-ray Player Superior Sound Quality