Monday, July 24, 2017
Tuesday, March 28, 2017
Asylum (1972)
The Solitary Review
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Asylum (1972) is a British anthology movie comprising four stories related to a psychiatrist by the asylum's residents. The opening story is Frozen Fear, in which an adulterous husband murders his wife, dismembers her, wraps the pieces in brown paper, and stores them in the freezer. The frozen pieces proceed to exact revenge on the murderer and his lover. This segment is followed by Weird Tailor, featuring the venerable Peter Cushing as a father devastated by his son's death who delves into the occult to resurrect his child. Our third story is Lucy Comes to Stay which introduces us to a young woman recently released from an institution whose imaginary friend drives her towards murder and mayhem. We finish with Manikins of Horror wherein a former doctor believes he can construct and control tiny robots.
All four of the segments are done very well. The actors are good. The direction is good. But none stands out from the others. If I had to pick a favorite, it would be Lucy Comes to Stay. Britt Eckland's turn as the imaginary friend is perfect.
Horror anthologies like Asylum can succeed or fail based on the premise used to introduce the stories. Asylum stands out with a premise that actually allows the stories to be told rather than forcing the stories into a framework. In the sub-genre of horror anthologies I believe Asylum ranks near the top and fans of this type of movie should most certainly include this one on their watch lists.
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MOVIE INFO
A young psychiatrist interviews four inmates in a mental asylum to satisfy a requirement for employment. He hears stories about 1) the revenge of a murdered wife, 2) a tailor who makes a suit with some highly unusual qualities, 3) a woman who questions her sanity when it appears that her brother is conspiring against her, and 4) a man who builds tiny toy robots with lifelike human heads.
Links:
My Rating: 6.00 / 10.00  |
ACTOR
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ROLE
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Bonnie (segment: "Frozen Fear")
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Walter (segment: "Frozen Fear")
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Ruth (segment: "Frozen Fear")
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Smith (segment: "The Weird Tailor")
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Bruno (segment: "The Weird Tailor")
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Anna (segment: "The Weird Tailor")
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Stebbins (segment: "The Weird Tailor")
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Lucy (segment: "Lucy Comes to Stay")
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Barbara (segment: "Lucy Comes to Stay")
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George (segment: "Lucy Comes to Stay")
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Miss Higgins (segment: "Lucy Comes to Stay")
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Byron (segment: "Mannikins of Horror")
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Dr. Rutherford (segment: "Mannikins of Horror")
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Max (segment: "Mannikins of Horror")
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Dr. Martin (segment: "Mannikins of Horror")
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Asylum Head Nurse (segment: "Mannikins of Horror")
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Otto the Dummy (segment: "The Weird Tailor") (as Daniel Jones)
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Asylum Gatekeeper (segment: "Mannikins of Horror")
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New Houseman (segment: "Mannikins of Horror")
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Monday, March 27, 2017
Jeepers Creepers (2001)
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MOVIE INFO
A brother and sister driving home for spring break encounter a flesh-eating creature in the isolated countryside that is on the last day of its ritualistic eating spree.
Links:
My Rating: 8.00 / 10.00
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THE CAST (CREDITED ONLY)
ACTOR
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ROLE
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Trish
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Darry
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The Creeper
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Jezelle Gay Hartman
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Sergeant Davis Tubbs
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The Cat Lady
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Waitress Beverly
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Manager
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Binky
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Trooper Gideon
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Trooper Weston
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Cellblock Officer
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Roach
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Officer with Hole in Chest
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Camper Driver
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Dying Boy
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Sunday, March 26, 2017
Abbey Grace (2016)
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MOVIE INFO
After her mother dies, a businesswoman abandons her career to move back home and care for her brother, an agoraphobic who hasn't left the house they grew up in together for more than 20 years. But the woman quickly realizes something is seriously amiss in her old home after moving back in.
Rotten Tomatoes: https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/ab...
My Rating: 4.00 / 10.00
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THE CAST
ACTOR
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ROLE
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Debbie Sheridan
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Stacey
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Jacob Hobbs
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Ben
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Amber Gallaway
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Bridget
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Semi Anthony
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Roman
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Maggie McNabb
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Abbey Grace
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Roach
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Duke
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Jamie Hickman
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Headmistress
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Kirbi Mason
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Ben and Stacey's Mom
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David Dittlinger
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Cab Driver
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Baylee Kern
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Store patron
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Bill Kern
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Store Owner
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Carson Kern
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Store patron
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Jennifer Kern
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Store patron
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Luella Kern
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Store patron
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Morgan Kern
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Store patron
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Sylvia Kern
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Store patron
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Kennedy Kersten
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Elizabeth
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Sammie Kersten
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Violet
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Addison Nagel
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Young Stacey
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Alison Niermann
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Mrs. Keller
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Joey Saxburry
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Young Ben
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Saturday, March 25, 2017
Still working this out...
I haven't given up on using blogger, but I am close. This platform is severely limited and I am more than a little frustrated trying to achieve the effects I want. But, I am nothing if not persistent. Stay tuned and I will post as soon as I get this worked out.
Thursday, March 16, 2017
Something Sweet to Start Off
This is my first posting and I wanted to do a little experimenting so I am putting up this recipe for a delicious Butterscotch Pie. While figuring out how to create posts, I discovered that Blogger's HTML support is very limited and, regardless of how the layout looks in the post composition window, the layout when viewed in the blog is very different. Now that I have that figured out I think I can work with Blogger.
One of the things you will learn about me is that I love to cook and baking pies, cakes, and breads is my favorite kitchen activity. When I cook, I don't take the easy way. I don't use the microwave. I don't use a bread machine, preferring to knead the bread myself. I don't by instant foods or frozen dinners. I like to start from scratch and take my time when preparing food.
That is how the below recipe is composed. It starts with making the pie crust. But, if you don't want to make a crust, you can simply buy a frozen crust. This will make the preparation go a lot faster.
I hope you will give this pie a try, whichever way you decide to go with the crust. And check back now and then. Besides cooking there are a lot of activities I'd like to share with you.
The Solitary Man
Butterscotch Pie
INGREDIENTS
For the Crust:
- 1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1-1/2 teaspoons sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup cold butter, cut into chunks
- 1/4 cup very cold water
For the Filling:
- 1/2 cup cold butter
- 1-3/4 cups brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
- 2/3 cup cream, cold
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 6 large eggs
To Serve:
- Softly whipped cream, lightly sweetened
DIRECTIONS
Make the Crust:
In the bottom of a large bowl, combine the flour, salt and sugar. Work the butter into the flour with your fingertips or a pastry blender until mixture resembles a coarse meal and the largest bits of butter are the size of tiny peas. Add 1/4 cup cold water and stir with a spoon or flexible silicone spatula until large clumps form. Use your hands to knead the dough together in the bottom of the bowl. If necessary to bring the dough together, add water a teaspoon at a time.
Wrap dough in a sheet of plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least one hour, or up to 48 hours, or you can quick-firm this in the freezer for 15 to 20 minutes. Longer than 2 days, it’s best to freeze it until needed.
When ready to make the pie, preheat the oven to 400°F.
On a floured counter, roll the dough out into a 12 to 13-inch circle shape. Fold dough gently in quarters without creasing and transfer to a 9 1/2-inch standard (not deep-dish) pie plate. Unfold dough and trim overhang to about 1/2-inch. Fold overhang under edge of pie crust and crimp decoratively. Save scraps in fridge.
Freeze for 15 minutes, until solid. Dock all over with a fork. Coat a piece of foil with butter or nonstick spray and press tightly against frozen pie shell, covering the dough and rim and molding it to fit the shape of the edges. Bake for 20 minutes, then carefully remove foil. If any parts have puffed, press them gently back into place. Patch any tears or cracks with reserved dough scraps. Leave oven on.
Make the Filling:
Melt butter in a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat. Add the sugar and salt and stir to combine (it will be clumpy, not smooth) then let simmer for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring. Whisk in cream and remove from heat. Let mixture cool for 15 minutes, then whisk in eggs, one at a time, and the vanilla.
Assemble and Bake the Pie:
As soon as crust comes out of oven, you can pour in the filling. Bake for 10 minutes at 400°F, and then reduce heat to 300°F and bake pie another 25 to 30 minutes. A fully baked pie will only jiggle slightly in center when moved. Let cool completely and serve in wedges with softly whipped cream.
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