Bernie, Bernie, Oh Bernie!

Andy: I love lazy weekends with my Boo! You know those Saturdays you’re just snuggling on the couch watching a marathon of those murder mystery shows on the ID Network? OK, that sounds kind of creepy and it’s mostly me watching those while Julia is in the midst of a Pinterest black out, but I digress. If you love the mix of those and a doc block on MSNBC you will get a kick out of Bernie!

Bernie is filmed almost exactly like one of those “whodunit” shows - from the interviews with people who knew the real life victims and “perps” right down to the sometimes cheesy re-enactment segments. Jack Black plays the titular character Bernie and was a perfect choice for the role. The movie is a very dark comedy so you have Jack Black playing a watered downed zany as opposed to the normally off the wall School of Rock crazy. His character sings publicly at the funerals conducted by the funeral home at which he is employed and I must say Tenacious D, or not Jack Black, really does have a good singing voice.

Shirley MacLaine plays the ill-fated widow who Bernie befriends and not since Steel Magnolias have we seen a more loathsome character played by the Hollywood legend. Unfortunately, for MacLaine’s character no matter how nice and good hearted somebody is (Bernie) we all can take just so much.

Matthew McConaughey plays the DA out to put Bernie away despite the uphill battle of the town’s disbelief that Bernie- who gives money to everybody else but himself- could commit such a horrible crime. Wooderson was good in the movie but barely in it at the same time. I feel like a girl, “More McConaughey!”

So, next time you find yourself getting sucked into another MSNBC doc block or Scorned: Love Kills on the ID Channel rent Bernie! 

Julia: I definitely agree with Andy on this one - more Matty McConaughey (now I digress)! While watching Bernie, we enjoyed bacon topped BBQ turkey meatloaf.  Let's just say it was to die for!  This sinful recipe comes to you courtesy of a blog I found through Pinterest :) I have tried out a few recipes on this site and they never disappoint.

I modified the recipe a bit, mostly because of my lack of baking pan selections.  Instead of mini meatloaves, I just made one large meat loaf which was delicious but sadly took much longer to cook.

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup grated zucchini
• 2 tbsp onion, minced
• 2 tbsp diced red pepper
• 1/2 cup Italian style breadcrumbs
• 1/4 cup Jack Daniels Honey Smokehouse BBQ
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1.5 lb raw lean ground turkey
• 3 slices precooked turkey bacon, cut in half
• 2 1/2 tbsp Jack Daniels Honey Smokehouse BBQ Sauce

Directions:

• Preheat the oven to 350° and lightly spray the pan with oil.
• Mix the zucchini, onion, red pepper, breadcrumbs, 1/4 cup BBQ sauce, egg, paprika, kosher salt and ground turkey in a large bowl.
• Transfer the mixture into your pan.
• Cut the turkey bacon slices in half, place on top of the meatloaf and coat with the remaining BBQ sauce
• Cooking time will vary depending on the size of the pan so keep checking after about 30 minutes.

P.S. Unfortunately, I forgot to take a photo of the finished product (likely due to the longer cooking time and ravenous newlyweds) so I have supplied the photo above from Pinterest.

P.P.S. If you are a Clevelander, please sing the post title in the style of the "Bernie, Bernie" Superbowl song.  I had to throw that in there in honor of the Browns win this past Sunday.

Cervezas with The Master

Andy: My first memory of becoming a straight male Oscar enthusiast probably goes back to the 1990 ceremony where Dances with Wolves won the top two Oscars for Picture/Director. From there I was hooked! I had always been a huge fan of film, randomly owning and studying Roger Ebert books on film in elementary school and memorizing my favorite lines of movies to the point where my mother insisted I take the same interest in school as I did with film.

So, needless to say we are entering my favorite time of year…OSCAR SEASON!

To start what’s sure to be on the 5 (maybe 10 depending on votes) best picture nominee list of 2012 I decided to drag my fiance, er wife, sorry we are newlyweds : ),  to see The Master directed by Paul Thomas Anderson (PTA). I have been such a fan of PT Anderson since first seeing Boogie Nights all the way through There Will Be Blood (TWBB) that I even own his obscure film Hard Eight or Sydney depending on who you ask.  I loved the multiple story lines of Boogie Nights, the” these things happen every day” weirdness of Magnolia, the quiet/psycho Barry Egan of Punch Drunk Love (PDL) and of course “I’VE ABANDONED MY BOY!!!” – need I say more about TWBB?  So I went into The Master like it was Christmas morning. (On a side note I am from Cleveland where PT Anderson’s dad Ernie was the original "Ghoulardi". I grew up with the ‘Son of Ghoulardi" so just knowing that connection makes me root for him more.)

From the start of the film it felt very different from any of the other PTA movie. I was shocked and impressed to hear my wife after the movie say the exact thought I was thinking at the beginning of the movie.  It reminded us at times of a Terrence Malick picture! The war scenes and flashbacks were very similar to Malick’s The Thin Red Line. Not sure where he was going with the R&R time on the beach with the drinking and making sweet, sweet love to the sand lady? But it was clear that war had been hell on Freddie (Joaquin Phoenix) and he would clearly never be the same.

Phoenix does such an Oscar worthy performance during the movie with just the mere fact that he is so uncomfortable to watch. From his boozy speech pattern, to the old man stance of his hands on his hips and his bent frame its cringe worthy. Not to mention his hair trigger temper that makes it pretty hard for him to hold down a job.

Enter Lancaster Dodd (Phillip Seymour Hoffman) whose ship Freddie escapes onto after maybe killing an old man at a job with too much of his booze concoction – which is so disturbing to watch him make…what is he mixing together??? Dodd, mainly due to his love of Freddie’s booze, picks up an instant friendship with Freddie and takes him on as his protégé much to the dismay of his wife Peggy played down Amish-ly by a usually perky Amy Adams. (Doubt not included.)

It’s clear that Dodd is a bit of a mixture of L. Ron Hubbard and any cult fixture of the twentieth century. He could be a way to save self destructive Freddie from himself if he can convince the doubt that is always in the back of Freddie’s mind despite the fact that he physically defends Dodd on several occasions. No one, especially Peggy, is ever sure that Freddie isn’t simply a psychopath.

Despite the fact that this movie has Oscar worthy performances by all three principal cast members it does have a few rarely seen flaws in a PT Anderson film. Flaw number one – way too long! This movie will never be a box office draw such as a Dark Knight Rises or The Avengers but it definitely won’t help the somewhat indie film with a more than two hour run time where a lot of the time you are confused as to what exactly is happening and why? (ie. walking back in forth in a room for 10 minutes…you know the scene). Finally, flaw number two seems to be going around in films these days – a character with no redeemable features. I guess PTA gave us a bit of that in TWBB but sometimes it helps to have a character that was worth two hours of movie not just for the acting alone.

I still give this movie an 8 on acting alone and will always see a PTA film! Just maybe go for a lighter/wrapping things up ending PDL or Magnolia style next time and oh yeah MAKE IT UNDER TWO HOURS, JEEESH!

Julia:  Not only should I better vet the movie selections, but also our dinner choices.  After the movie, we headed to a Mexican place near the theater and enjoyed street tacos, street hot dogs and of course, cervezas.  The food wasn't too bad but I think the best part was that we were there during happy hour so it was cheap :)  As for the movie, I think SNL's Aunt Linda would agree it was one "Whaat?" and a "Not This Time PTA".

Andy & Julia's Cinema Cucina

Welcome to Cinema Cucina!  Andy and I recently got married and received a plethora of gifts for the kitchen including some cookbooks, non-stick cookware, cooking utensils, mixing bowls, cutting boards and personalized his and hers aprons (thank you!).  I must admit that I brought a lack of cooking skills to the table when we first moved in together and have come a long way over the years.  Having these brand new kitchen essentials (and some pretty extensive Pinterest foodie boards) has inspired me to refine my mediocre skills.

Andy, on the other hand, is a cornucopia of movie knowledge.  His vast understanding of the movie industry is not limited to Oscar caliber movies, but also includes action movies, thrillers, horror movies, cult classics and rom-coms (ok, maybe not the last one).  In fact, if Andy and Siri were competing to see who could list all best picture nominees from the 1985 Oscars, my money would be on Andy.

We plan to combine these two interests to provide you with movie reviews and some great dinner ideas for your very own movie date nights.  If there are any movies you want to see reviewed or dinner ideas you would like me to try, feel free to let us know in the comments section.

First up is an easy one :)  We're going to see The Master and then grab dinner out.  Andy will give a review of the movie, and I will give a review of the dinner.  I promise, next one will be a home cooked meal!