Have you ever sent a text message and then regretted it later? Do you wish you had not sent a certain someone a certain picture? It’s happened to a lot of us at one time or another. For everyday people, an ill-considered text message can be mighty embarrassing, but the general public doesn’t usually find out about it. When celebrities’ imprudent texts and sexts are revealed, the whole world finds out in a hurry.
Month: December 2015 (Page 10 of 11)
Sometimes you just need something small to stick in a stocking or as a complement to a bigger present. These are usually lower priced items, but that doesn’t mean they shouldn’t be high quality or require the same level of thoughtfulness. Here are a few cool products to consider for the person that has everything.
Click the links within the write-ups to purchase each product online, and for more gift ideas, check out the other categories in our Holiday Gift Guide.
Orbitkey
Everything is getting slimmer these days – phones, wallets, you name it – but many of us still carry around a bulky set of keys that rattle around in our pockets and make our pants bulge and crease, which is where a product like Orbitkey comes in handy. Made from genuine cowhide leather or TPU Elastomer polymer for active lifestyles, the Orbitkey uses a custom-designed locking mechanism to secure your keys within a slim profile that eliminates rattling keys, protects belongings from scratches and takes up less space. It holds up to seven keys or tools – including an optional bottle opener or key-shaped USB drive, which we highly recommend – and features a D-ring attachment for larger car keys. Though guys will appreciate how much easier it makes carrying keys around in their pocket (whether in the side or the back), the OrbitKey is also great for women who have a habit of scratching their phones from throwing keys into their purse.
SteakChamp 3-Color Thermometer
Whether you’re firing up the grill for tailgating season or counting down the days until next summer, the endeavor for the perfect steak never ends. Between the different cuts of meat and cooking methods available, there are several variables that can affect how your steak turns out, but why would bother taking that chance when there’s a gadget that ensures your preferred doneness every time? The SteakChamp 3-Color Thermometer is an innovative, stainless steel meat thermometer that uses integral temperature measurement to determine when your steak has reached either medium rare (green), medium (yellow) or medium well (red) with an LED light at the end of the probe that flashes the corresponding color. Plus, once the steak has been removed from the grill, the SteakChamp continues to flash to measure the meat’s resting phase, only turning off when it’s reached optimal doneness. Though it’s most effective with beef (and yes, it works exactly as advertised), it can also be used on duck breast, pork loin, lamb, salmon and other game. This is the future of at-home grilling, and it tastes delicious.
Moleskine Star Wars Notebooks
There’s just something about the Moleskine brand that oozes quality, which is probably why it’s become so popular across the world. With an amazing variety of notebooks, journals and planners (and much, much more) available in different sizes and colors to meet your needs, Moleskine is a great gift for just about anyone in your life, whether it’s a simple stocking stuffer or an entire bundle of faux leather-bound joy. With “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” due in theaters this December, Moleskin has expanded its “Star Wars” line with a pair of limited edition, hard cover notebooks that include a montage of scenes from the movie on the inside cover and some cool stickers in every back pocket. Though we wish there were more designs to choose from besides the red-and-black Kylo Ren and white-and-black Stormtrooper themed covers, this is a great way for fans to show off their “Star Wars” passion wherever they go.
Let’s get this out of the way: the Perfect Cocktail is not the perfect cocktail, but you already knew that. It is, however, not one bit bad.
My guess would be that this little known selection from Harry Craddock’s 1930 “The Savoy Cocktail Book,” such as it is, is either named after the Perfect Manhattan or I suppose it could be a precursor. What they both have in common is a combination of sweet and dry vermouth combined with a spirit…though the proportion of hard liquor is less than it would be if were something closer to a sweet or dry martini. It’s a fairly tasty concoction if you use the right ingredients and it’s not too terribly strong, which is sometimes a very good thing. Also, the simple symmetry of its ingredients is, if not actually perfect, pretty snazzy.
The Perfect Cocktail
1 ounce sweet vermouth
1 ounce dry vermouth
1 ounce gin
Combine the liquids in a cocktail shaker with plenty of ice. Shake well and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. If you insist, it is also okay to stir this in a shaker or mixing glass and then strain the slightly prettier, but less icy, liquid into that same chilled glass.
*****
In preparation for the Perfect Cocktail, I made sure I was well stocked with various types of vermouths — all purchased in small bottles to maximize freshness. (Yes, I’m going to remind you, yet again, to always refrigerate your opened vermouth bottles and to try and use them up within a month or two, if possible.) Since the vermouths actually predominate in this drink, they’re obviously the most important ingredients.
I used Martini and Dolin for my dry vermouths; Martini, Vya, and Carpano Antica were my sweet choices. Overall, the more expensive options seemed to work notably better, with the possible exception of Vya. Martini Extra Dry seemed to pose a special issue, as the Perfect Cocktail seemed to accentuate some of its more imperfect bitter flavors.
My gins this time around were Bombay Dry, Gordon’s, and Plymouth. A slight edge went to the latter. Using Dolin, Plymouth (slightly less dry than you standard dry gin), and Carpano seemed to yield the best result, with the most piquant combination of sweet, floral and more mouth-friendly bitter flavors.
Though I usually suggest stirring gin-centric beverages, I liked this a lot better shaken. That’s probably because it’s really the vermouths that are the star of the show, with the sweet vermouth being the most dominant. It might be worth trying this drink even if you’re out of gin but have some vodka on hand.
I also experimented with using a cocktail cherry. I can’t say it helped noticeably, but neither did it hurt. So, if you’re looking for an excuse to use a cocktail cherry — and some of them are better than you might think — you might as well use it for the Perfect Cocktail.
Adam Scott, Toni Collette, Emjay Anthony, David Koechner, Allison Tolman, Conchata Ferrell
Michael Dougherty
It’s been eight long years since Mike Dougherty’s directorial debut, the excellent horror anthology “Trick ‘r Treat,” and he’s back to once again raise hell on the holidays with his sophomore effort. “Krampus” is a darkly funny Christmas film that features some solid laughs, playful set pieces and a fantastic use of practical effects.
Max (Emjay Anthony) loves Christmas. His family, however, doesn’t exactly share his excitement for the holidays: Max’s dad, Tom (Adam Scott), works too much; his mother, Sarah (Toni Collette), is a worrying control freak; and the rest of his family is constantly bickering and fighting. After Max tears apart his letter to Santa, asking for his family to be happy again, Krampus – an evil spirit who’s sort of like the anti-Santa Claus – comes to town. At its side is a horde of minions, including evil gingerbread men, a bloodthirsty teddy bear and a monstrous jack-in-the-box. If they hope to survive the night, Max’s family must put aside their problems and fight back.
The villains are the highlight of “Krampus.” Dougherty’s handmade approach to the film is exciting to watch. There’s a huge reliant on practical effects, making these monsters all the funnier, scarier and more believable. There’s very little noticeable CGI in the movie, with the exception of the comical gingerbread men.
But as fantastical as the story is, the threat in “Krampus” feels real. The first kill in the movie is unsettling, and as much as this family bickers, the audience cares when they’re attacked or mutilated. The actors, especially the young ones, bring a real sense of fear and sadness to the film. It also helps that Dougherty has a great handle of tension. When Max’s sister, Beth (Stefania LaVie Owen), is running from Krampus, jumping from rooftop to rooftop, it’s wonderfully timed.
Michael Fassbender, Marion Cotillard, Paddy Considine, David Thewlis
Justin Kurzel
Some lucky high school kids are going to watch director Justin Kurzel’s “Macbeth” during class someday. If you find William Shakespeare’s language difficult to interpret, Kurzel helps you wash it down with some stunningly nightmarish imagery, stirring performances and a surprising amount of levity.
Macbeth (Michael Fassbender) is a battered and scarred soldier. A thane of Scotland, he hears of a prophecy from three witches that he will one day rule his land as its king. The character is haunted by the start of the film, after he and Lady Macbeth (Marion Cotillard) lose a child, but his madness grows and grows over the course of the story. At the insistence of his domineering yet loving wife, he murders the King of Scotland, taking over the throne.
Kurzel and the film’s three screenwriters, Jacob Koskoff, Michael Lesslie and Todd Louiso, have turned Shakespeare’s play into a horror movie of sorts. They dive under the skin of the characters, making their pain, past and present, collide in an explosive fashion. It goes without saying that Shakespeare did that as well, but Kurzel and the writers have crafted both a faithful and modern adaptation, although one that’s not too modern.
The battle sequences rely more on mood than hack-and-slash action. This isn’t “300,” for example, as Kurzel is more focused on how the violence affects Macbeth than showing heads flying in the air. There are these fantastic moments in which Kurzel and his DP Adam Arkpaw use slow-motion, not to amp up the action, but to heighten the reaction shots of Macbeth. The battle sequences are impressive on a technical level, but how the director tackles the interior conflicts is just as powerful, if not more so.
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