Meatball And A Movie

Twice-baked lasagna. Heat Lightning, 1934, directed by Mervyn LeRoy, starring Aline MacMahon, Ann Dvorak, and Preston Foster. In the latest issue of New York Review of Books there's a good story about Aline MacMahon. She is one of three women I've briefly studied whose Hollywood careers were never fully realized. The other women were Mary Woronov and Maila Nurmi, the actress who portrayed Vampira. Not to say there aren't hundreds of such stories. These three just caught my eye.

Lasagna. What can I say, it was in my freezer. I gave it some extra zing with sprinkles of Chile Caribe and Parmesan Reggiano. The Big Lebowski, 1998, written, produced, and directed by Joel and Ethan Coen, starring Jeff Bridges, John Goodman, Julianne Moore, Steve Buscemi and John Turturro. Tomorrow night one of my film discussion groups is hosting a guy who conducted interviews with cast and crew during the production. It should be interesting and fun.

Ravioli. Slap Shot, 1977, directed by George Roy Hill, written by Nancy Dowd, starring Paul Newman and Michael Ontkean. M Emmet Walsh (later playing the role of the private detective in Blood Simple) and Lindsey Crouse (later starring in House of Games) also play roles in the movie . As do the Carlson Brothers playing the Hanson Brothers. This is a fun movie to watch when you don't want to think too much, or hardly at all.

Last week in the New York Times I saw a recipe for pasta with eggs. It sounded intriguing and I had the ingredients so I gave it a try. My version was pretty good. I would give it some tweaks if I try it again. The Hit, 1984, directed by Stephen Frears, starring John Hurt, Terence Stamp, Laura del Sol and Tim Roth.

Lasagna. I'm pretty lasagna'd out. Rain, 1932, directed by Lewis Milestone, starring Joan Crawford. Based on a short story written by W. Somerset Maugham. The film has been nicely restored and preserved by the Library of Congress. The restored film is currently streaming on Kanopy. A double feature holiday weekend spectacular MAAM: This Changes Everything, 2019, a documentary directed by Tom Donahue and created in association with the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media. This film is currently streaming on Netflix, Kanopy and Hoopla. Two great movies streaming for free.

Spaghetti and meatballs. The return of the classic. Memory: The Origins of Alien, 2019, a documentary directed by Alexandre O. Philippe. If you're a fan of Alien, I'm sure you'll enjoy this documentary. Currently, it's streaming on Kanopy.

Lasagna - not the lasagna from two weeks ago or the lasagna from three or four weeks ago. This was different lasagna. La Piscine (The Swimming Pool), 1969, directed by Jacques Deray, starring Alain Delon, Romy Schneider, Maurice Ronet, and Jane Birkin. This is an extremely slow burn thriller. While you're waiting for the plot to advance, you can watch good looking people walking around in swimwear. Since the lead actors spoke French and English, the director shot a French version and an English version.

Pasta with basil pesto. Eating Raoul, 1982, written and directed by Paul Bartel, starring Paul Bartel, Mary Woronov, Robert Beltran, Ed Begley Jr., and Buck Henry. Bartel and Woronov also had roles in Rock 'n' Roll High School. Bartel is credited with suggesting the Ramones play the renegade band in that film. And Woronov plays the most intimidating principal, Miss Togar. You could fall down a rabbit hole tracing the careers of these two. Mary Woronov first appeared at Warhol's Exploding Plastic Inevitable, dancing in front of the Velvet Underground. Wikipedia shows her as still active.

Lasagna. Not the lasagna from the week before, or the week before that. Different lasagna. Things Change, 1988, directed by David Mamet, starring Joe Mantegna and Don Ameche. I'm still on my Mamet jag.

The leftover lasagna from last Sunday. EO, 2022, directed by Jerzy Skolimowski, starring a donkey and some humans. It won the Jury Prize at Cannes.

Lasagna. Rock 'n' Roll High School, 1979, directed by Allan Arkush, screenplay by Richard Whitley, Russ Dvonch, and Joseph McBride, story by Allan Arkush and Joe Dante, starring P. J. Soles, Vince Van Patten, Clint Howard, Dey Young, Mary Woronov, Paul Bartel, Joey Ramone, Johnny Ramone, Dee Dee Ramone and Marky Ramone (collectively known as The Ramones). This movie is pure fun. Looking for the meaning of life?...turn 180 degrees away from this film. One more credit; Executive Producer, Roger Corman.

Pasta with sweet basil pesto. House of Games, 1987, directed by/screenplay written by David Mamet, starring Lindsay Crouse and Joe Mantegna.

Pasta with basil pesto. Bound, 1996, written and directed by the Wachowskis, starring Jennifer Tilly, Gina Gershon and Joe Pantoliano. 

Ziti with meatballs. Brownie and coffee during intermission. State and Main, 2000, written and directed by David Mamet, starring William H. Macy, Sarah Jessica Parker, Alec 'DeadEye' Baldwin, Julia Stiles, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Rebecca Pidgeon, David Paymer, Patti LuPone, Clark Gregg, and Charles Durning. I went on a David Mamet binge this weekend; Homicide, American Buffalo, State and Main.

The part of the lasagna I didn't eat last Sunday. The Maltese Falcon, 1941, directed by John Huston, who also wrote the screenplay, based on the 1930 novel by Dashiell Hammett. Starring Humphrey Bogart, Mary Astor, Peter Lorre and Sydney Greenstreet. Also starring Elisha Cook Jr. as one of the most inept gunmen ever. I've lost count on how many times I've seen this movie . I just watched it with Kate last year. But I'm going to discuss it with a film group tomorrow, so I wanted to be sharp. The film group invited a film historian to the discussion, which should be a lot of fun. This movie never fails to entertain me. Great story, cast and crew.  

Lasagna. Cherry pie and coffee during intermission. Remember, Pi Day is on 3.14. Sergeant York, 1941, directed by Howard Hawks, starring Gary Cooper.

Pasta with basil pesto, sourdough baguette. Carrot cake and coffee during intermission. In Bruges, 2008, written and directed by Martin McDonagh, starring Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson.

Spaghetti and meatballs. Facing Windows, 2003, written by Ferzan Özpetek and Gianni Romoli, directed by Ferzan Özpetek, starring Giovanna Mezzogiorno, Massimo Girotti, Raoul Bova, Filippo Nigro, Serra Yılmaz and Massimo Poggio.

Ravioli Stephen Tobolowsky's Birthday Party, 2005, directed by Robert Brinkmann, starring Stephen Tobolowsky. I won't say too much about this because it's on Alex's watch list, suggested by Bill. It centers around storytelling, a favorite art form of mine.

Penne Rosa from Noodles & Company. Brownie from Sugar River Bakery and coffee during intermission. The Men, 1950, directed by Fred Zinnemann, starring Marlon Brando, Teresa Wright, Everett Sloane and Jack Webb.

Ravioli. Last Film Show, 2021, written and directed by Pan Nalin, starring Bhavin Rabari, Bhavesh Shrimali, Richa Meena, Dipen Raval and Paresh Mehta.

Chicken Parmesan. Boy, am I full. No intermission sweets today. Pinocchio di Guillermo del Toro, anche noto semplicemente come Pinocchio, è un film d'animazione del 2022 diretto da Guillermo del Toro e Mark Gustafson.  

Lasagna. Intermission was a treat; coffee and a piece of chocolate covered toffee. The Banshees of Inisherin, 2022, written, co-produced and directed by Martin McDonagh, starring Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleeson and Kerry Condon.

I stopped at Noodles & Company and picked up an order of penne pasta in tomato cream sauce with sautéed vegetables and grilled chicken. Very tasty. Too much food. Fanny and Alexander, 1982, written and directed by Ingmar Bergman. I watched the 312-minute version, originally presented in five parts on Swedish television. Maybe it's just a coincidence, but like Everything Everywhere All At Once, this film addresses the theme of family reunification. And there is a degree of magic and the fantastic in both. Beyond that, they are very different films.  

Pasta with basil pesto. Everything Everywhere All At Once, written and directed by Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, starring Michelle Yeoh.

Lasagna. Darling, 1965, directed by John Schlesinger, starring Julie Christie.

Pasta with basil pesto. A friend recommended listening to the commentary tracks on Citizen Kane, so I did. First the Roger Ebert commentary, then Peter Peter Bogdanovich. I think they gave us a great analysis of the film. Very different in their approach; Ebert gave me a lecture.  Bogdanovich's demeanor was like sitting with him in the mezzanine and having him quietly speak into my ear. With Ebert, if I did attend his lecture, I would have been very active during the Q&A. Bogdanovich gave more of a thoughtful, reflective read. 

Chicken Parmesan. Day of the Outlaw, 1959, directed by Andre DeToth, starring Robert Ryan, Burl Ives, and Tina Louise. Burl Ives is the bad guy? Robert Ryan is the good guy? Tina Louise (prior to that fateful three-hour tour) is a farmer's wife? What madness is this? Also starring Frank de Kova before he became chief of the Hekawi tribe. Also starring Elisha Cook Jr because, well, why not.

Pasta with basil pesto, baguette. Carrot cake and coffee at intermission. Too much food. Triangle of Sadness, 2022, written and directed by Ruben Östlund, starring Harris Dickinson, Charlbi Dean, Dolly de Leon, Zlatko Burić, Henrik Dorsin, Vicki Berlin, and Woody Harrelson.

Lasagna. Intermission was a chocolate chunk cookie from Wonder State Cafe, which was delicious, and had so much sugar in it I thought I was going to have a psychotic episode. Joyeux Noël, 2005, directed by Christian Carion, starring Benno Fürmann, Guillaume Canet, Daniel Brühl, Diane Kruger, Gary Lewis, Alex Ferns. This is a historical drama based upon a spontaneous 1914 Christmas Eve truce among soldiers during The Great War, also known as World War One. It's the movie I'll be discussing with a Meetup group via Zoom on Thursday. I joined the group in October. It's the first time I've joined a social get-together group. Sometimes life pushes you to do things way out of your comfort zone. That's what this is for me; people I don't know, movies I normally wouldn't watch. But I'm enjoying it pretty much.