Pacino or De Niro

The subject was raised on a forum I participate in... who's the better actor? Al Pacino or Robert De Niro. This requires some thought, as they're both such wonderful actors. They each have a long filmography, full of movies that I absolutely love. Yes, it requires a lot of thought.

I love both of these actors, so it's very difficult to choose one. But personally, I have to go with Pacino. Not because I love him more or anything like that. But because he sells it everytime.

I've seen a lot of the movies in each of their bios and of the two, Pacino is the only one who has completely sold the character in every film I've seen him in. He's not Al Pacino, playing Lt. Col. Frank Slade, he's simply Lt. Col. Frank Slade. There have been a few De Niro films in which I
wasn't sold. Analyze This for example, it was always "Ok, this is Robert De Niro trying to be funny." There are a few films that De Niro has been in where he never sold me. It was always Robert De Niro playing this character. I'm not saying that he's a bad actor because of it. I'm saying that he never found that place where he and the character became one.

They both played so many characters that I love. Michael and Young Vito Corleone, Frank Slade, The Creature (Frankenstein), Walt Koontz, Arthur Kirkland, Johnny (Frankie & Johnny), Jack Byrnes...

and apparently there's a movie due out next year with both of them. It's about time. Hopefully they'll share more screen time than they did in Heat -- a movie I didn't particularly care for, but I LOVED the diner scene. I can't wait until Righteous Kill is released.

less than a month...

Until the Avs' pre-season starts. I can't wait. I love hockey season. I think the Avs will do well this season. Part of me hopes that they can manage to get Peter Forsberg back on the team this year. The other part of me thinks that it might mess up the team chemistry too much.

Then there's the series of "what if's." I love Peter Forsberg, with a passion, but I'd rather see him retire than put his body through something it can't go through anymore. It pains me to say that, but it's true. What if the Colorado Avalanche get Foppa back and he spends half of the season on the injured list? What if the magic that he has with some of the current Avalanche lineup is gone?

Then again, what if he goes to Detroit and plays his best season ever? Oh how that would anger Avalanche fans. They'd call for Giguere's head for not pursuing Foppa more stridently. Then again, if he DOES come to Colorado, and plays poorly... yeah, it's a double sword.

Bottom line, if Peter Forsberg is healthy enough to play in the NHL next season, I would love to see him back on the Avalanche bench.

Secretary

I finally got to see this movie. I've been wanting to for ages. Unfortunately, the copy I got (rented) skipped a lot, so I probably missed quite a few good parts. But overall, I really enjoyed the movie. Having a bit of an interest in that sort of thing, the movie rather inflamed that interest/desire. It was a great story and it was beautifully cast, and I do love James Spader. I think that eventually I'm going to have to buy myself a copy of this movie.

This kinky love story features a standout performance by Maggie Gyllenhaal, an offbeat young actress in her first starring role. Gyllenhaal plays Lee, a nervous girl who compulsively cuts herself, who gets a job as a secretary for Edward, an imperious lawyer (James Spader, an old hand at tales of perverse affection). Edward's reprimands for typos and spelling errors begin with mild humiliation, but as Lee responds to his orders--which are driven as much by his own anxieties and fears as any sense of order--the punishments escalate to spankings, shackles, and more. Secretary walks a fine line. It finds sly humor in these sadomasochistic doings without turning them into a gag, and it takes Lee and Edward's mutual desires seriously without getting self-righteous or pompous. Certainly not a movie for everyone, but some people may be unexpectedly stirred up by this smart and steamy tale of repressed passion.

Silver Jewelry

Ok, so this wasn't listed initially in my "things I'm passionate about," but I do love Silver jewelry immensely. This site is giving it away for $5.99 to cover shipping and processing. Excellent. At the moment I've got my eye on a couple of garnet pieces that are coming up. I do love garnets. I'd like to add to my collection (at the moment I only have 2 rings).

The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon, by Stephen King

Long have I had a passion for Stephen King's books. True, some are hits and some are misses... and there's the odd novel that leaves you thinking "What? clearly he was under alien control when he wrote this one." I held off on reading this one for awhile... why? Well, the only excuse I have is the baseball angle. I'm not much of a baseball fan. Oh, I'll watch a game or two every now and then. Even more games if someone I love is detained and his team is playing for the NL title and a trip to the World Series. It's an interesting game, but I prefer hockey.

That said, I wish that I'd picked up this particular book earlier. Damn was it good. Yes, I'm a King fan -- but I'm a King fan who is willing to put down one of his books and say "Damn, Steve... that was a steaming pile of pony loaf." I assure you that if I didn't like the book, you'd know. The baseball angle was not alienating to a non-baseball fan, actually it was a really interesting twist. The story was frightening, unnerving in places. It made me question my own abilities to survive if I'd gotten lost in the woods (she's lost for about a week!). I don't know half of what the girl (who loved Tom Gordon) knew about what is edible in the woods. Hell, unless it's a clearly recognizable piece of vegetation, lettuce for example, I wouldn't know if I could eat it or not. I was rooting for the girl (who loved Tom Gordon) to make it back to civilization safe and sound and whole. But I was very frightened that she would not.

Nine-year-old Trisha McFarland strays from the path while she and her recently divorced mother and brother take a hike along a branch of the Appalachian Trail. Lost for days, wandering farther and farther astray, Trisha has only her portable radio for comfort. A huge fan of Tom Gordon, a Boston Red Sox relief pitcher, she listens to baseball games and fantasizes that her hero will save her. Nature isn't her only adversary, though - something dangerous may be tracking Trisha through the dark woods.

hockey countdown begins...

Writing

From time to time, Associated Content does a bit of a writing contest, offering the winners gift certificates for Barnes and Noble and the like. I was one of the winners chosen in one of their last contests. The challenge was to write something about Harry Potter. I submitted 2 articles. The first one, Harry Potter is no Horcrux, is the one that won. The second one, 10 Ways to Pass the Time Waiting for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, was written more for fun that to be competing with serious articles anyway. Either way, I invite you to check them out and feel free to browse the rest of my Associated Content articles while you're there.

Oh yes, my gift certificate was for $25 at Barnes & Noble. So I ordered a holiday memory book, a journal in which to write recipes, a book of simple crafts for children (for my son) and a book called Witch's Kitchen.

The Crow: Lazarus Heart by Poppy Z. Brite

This is a great take on the whole 'The Crow'... well, what? The only common character is a crow, and likely not the same crow. So not really a series. Theme? Yes, theme is a good way to put it. Started by James O'Barr and perpetuated by those who love the concept and hold it dear to themselves in some way. That sounds about right.

This is a great take on the theme of The Crow. There is pain, murder, death and vengeance. With a couple of unique twists that I really enjoyed. If you're a fan of The Crow and the whole idea behind it (coming back to avenge the wrongful death of a loved one), and if you don't have a problem with books that involve homosexuality and trans gendered characters this should definitely be read. Hell, if you DO have a problem with those things, but you still love The Crow's ideology, get the fuck over it, get a copy and read this book. It's a really beautiful story.

"The man who wears the names of rivers knows that he is no longer like other men, that some part of his fearful work has changed him forever and he can never return to the simple, painless life he lived before.... The invaders are everywhere, and Their agents are everywhere.... In [his] dreams They walk the streets without fear, spreading the androgyne contagion, and the sky burns with the roaring engines of Their warships." In a novel about a serial killer, the evocation of the killer's madness can make or break the book. In The Crow: The Lazarus Heart, Poppy Z. Brite delivers her usual complement of gay/transsexual pale-faced lovelies dressed in black Lycra and lace, giving just enough of a spin to their aesthetics that they are mildly entertaining to read about. But the way she puts the good gory meat into the story is through the character of a mesmerizing serial killer whose unique brand of paranoia serves as a sly commentary on Brite's own fiction. This is a short and relatively simple novel for Brite, but its narrative momentum never lapses: the plot structure hangs together better than in her longer, more ambitious works. It's overwritten in places--Brite wants to use two similes where one will do--but it's fun. And that's what horror is all about.

Taran tara -- The Pirate Movie

I am the Pirate King! Well, not really. I was up late the other night and caught this movie. It's an old favorite, to be sure. My little sister and I always looked forward to whenever this movie would be on (or when we could convince our parents to let us rent it). It's just so funny.

From a cowardly crew of cops marching/strutting around (indeed they could give the Mummers a run for their money) and singing to Pirates breaking into song and dance. Assorted hidden references (really, look for them!), fun music and a whole armada of laughs. Would I call it a serious film? Nope. Cheesy, yes. But also a lot of laughs.

Buckle your swash and jolly your roger for the ultimate musical comedy pirate adventure! Kristy McNichol (LITTLE DARLINGS) and Christopher Atkins (THE BLUE LAGOON) star as dreamy young lovers in this uproarious update of Gilbert & Sullivan s THE PIRATES OF PENZANCE, filled with virtuous maidens and shirtless cutthroats, savage swordplay and buried treasure, a dashing Pirate King (Ted Hamilton) and a modern Major General (Bill Kerr), plus plenty of pillaging, plundering, plank-walking fun!

Movies: Halloween

I've seen a lot of horror films. I've been watching them as far back as I can remember. Let me put it this way, we used to go to the drive in theater all the time. I can remember cuddling up in the back of the truck between my mom and dad during a horror movie triple feature... and my mom was holding my baby sister. She was born in 1980, I was born in 1976. So I was watching horror films as far back as the tender age of 4 years old and loving every minute of it.

Halloween is one of the best horror films ever made, hands down. I watch it whenever I can. The beauty of Halloween is that it doesn't rely on a lot of blood and guts to get the terror across. The music (and sometimes silence) is far scarier than the gore. The scene where Tommy is looking out the window at the house across the street and sees Michael Myers standing by the house... that alone can give you a jolt of shock/fear/etc. It's a perfect film.

Now we have a remake coming out. This New Halloween movie being directed by Rob Zombie.
On one hand, how dare he mess with a classic like Halloween. On the other hand, Rob Zombie is a twisted individual and I like that about him. I'm very curious as to what his spin on the story will be. Frankly, I'm intrigued. I really want to see this movie... and I'm perplexed by that feeling.

Cooking: Beef Patties w/ Mushroom

I didn't write this down as I went, so I'll just give you the gist. Then you can take it and run with it, no? Ok, so last night I took some ground beef (about half a pound of the good lean stuff). Mixed it with some salt and pepper (and nothing else) and formed it into 4 little patties.

I put the patties in a skillet and gave them a good sear on both sides then I took em out and set them aside.

Then I put about a tablespoon of butter into the pan and started to sweat about 1/3 cup of diced onion. When they were nice and translucent I added 1 cup of sliced white mushrooms. I also added a dash of salt and pepper and some Mrs. Dash grilling seasoning (it was the chicken blend, but who's counting?). I covered that and let it cook on medium heat for about 7 minutes stirring often.

Then I reduced the heat to low and put the beef patties on top of the mushrooms and onions. Covered it again and left it for 10 minutes. It was mighty tasty and went well with mashed potatoes. My original plan was to make gravy, but halfway through I realized that I didn't have any flour.

The Sands of Time -- Sidney Sheldon

This is only the second of Sidney Sheldon's book that I've read and it did not disappoint. It was exciting and I was drawn in completely from the first few pages. I did NOT want to put it down. This follows the suspense/thriller theme to a tee. There were some very unexpected twists through the course of the story. It's an adventure that I enjoyed thoroughly from beginning to the surprising end.

The backdrop for this romantic adventure story is the conflict between Basque nationalists and a repressive Spanish government in the post-Franco years. Pitted against each other in a fight to the death are charismatic Basque guerrilla leader Jaime Miro and corrupt, sadistic Colonel Acoca. When Acoca brutally sacks a convent in search of Miro, four nuns escape at the urging of Sister Lucia, who has been hiding in the cloister since taking vengeance on the men who put her Mafioso father behind bars. Beautiful Sister Graciela, tomboyish, orphaned Sister Megan and Sister Teresa, who is teetering toward a breakdown, flee into the forest with Lucia, where they are grudgingly befriended by Miro and his gang. Before crossing Spain to a rendezvous point, the group splits up to more safely evade an increasingly enraged Colonel Acoca. Lucia's predicament presents an amusing counterpoint to suspense, as Rubio, the simple peasant who accompanies her, kindly explains worldly activities to a woman who knows a great deal more than he does.

Cooking AND Writing

Here's a combination of cooking and writing for your reading/dining enjoyment. My technique for grilling the perfect steak on Associated content.

If you're interested in seeing what else I've written for Associated Content. My cooking articles include my technique for cooking perfect chicken soup and using up turkey leftovers. Enjoy!

Cooking: Meatloaf

I have several meatloaf recipes, to be honest. Many of them are fairly unorthodox (like an italian meatloaf that's to die for). I made one last night and thought that I would share the recipe:

1 lb. ground beef
1/4 c. diced onion
1/2 c. chopped white mushrooms
1/2 c. chopped portabello mushrooms
2 tbsp. butter or bacon fat (or a combination)
dash of salt, pepper, ground cloves and ground thyme
1 egg
1/2-1 c. italian style breadcrumbs
1/4 c. parmesan cheese
1 tsp. minced garlic
6-8 slices bacon (uncooked)


In a skillet, melt butter (or bacon fat) and add onion and mushrooms. Cook until onions are translucent then add salt, pepper, cloves and thyme. Continue to cook until onions start to brown a little then set aside to cool. In a large bowl combine ground beef, garlic and 1/2 c. breadcrumbs. Mix well with your hands. Add mushroom and onion mix and blend into the meat. Mix in egg and parmesan cheese, add additional bread crumbs if needed.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a baking pan with non-stick spray, form meat into loaf shape in the pan. Cut bacon in half and wrap it over the top of the meatloaf, tucking the ends underneath. Bake at 350 for 40-55 minutes (depending on the shape/thickness of your loaf). Bacon should be a little crisp and a little chewy on top.

Serve it up with a side of mashed taters with mushroom gravy. It's lip-smackin delicious.

Just something to note. Yes, you can reduce the fat by using meat with less fat in it, but the resulting meatloaf will be drier than you might want. You're better off using moderation. A single serving of meatloaf (a 3-ounce slice) along with a nice salad and a side veg or two. Perhaps next time I do a meatloaf I'll do one with turkey and lots of veg.

Jose Theodore

Let us discuss for a moment... Jose Theodore. 30 year old, 5 foot 11 inch tall Colorado Avalanche goaltender. Started last season as the Avs #1 guy. Ended the season as the Avs backup guy. In 2002 he won the Hart Trophy, which is awarded to the league's Most Valuable Player. Only 6 goaltenders have ever done that. So there IS something to this guy. I've liked him for several years, thought he was a really good goaltender. Solid, dependable, that sort of thing. And then he had a bad season with a few injuries (like a cracked heel-bone from slipping on some ice outside his apartment in Montreal before he came to Colorado). He has yet to recover.

Can he?

I say yes. I think that Jose Theodore is more than capable of recovering himself from the downward spiral and coming back to be better than he was. He's not going to do it with any mamby-pamby molly-coddling, that's for sure. I think that he needs his team to stand up in front of him and help him to have a run of good games, but they have to be games in which he works. Winning a game when there were only 20 shots on goal isn't going to cut it. He needs a run of wins vs. 40-50 shots. A run that will bring his confidence back. After all, confidence is key to a solid goaltender. Look at Patrick Roy for example. Yeah, he fucked up a time or two, but it didn't stop him from being an arrogant bastard, did it? That's the attitude that a goaltender needs. That's the attitude that I WANT in my goaltender.

I look forward to watching the upcoming season. I have no doubt that Peter Budaj will start the season as the Avs #1 goaltender. No doubt at all. But I do hope that Theodore can find the confidence in himself to steal that position away from Budaj (much as I love Budaj).

A little sidebar on Theodore... I'm one of those people who watches the players go onto the ice at the end of the game to acknowledge the goaltender w/ the traditional pat on the head or whatever. When Budaj and Kolesnik were taking the #1 spot away from Aebischer the season before last, I noticed that Aebi was very... unhappy when his fellow netminders had a good game. Last season, when it was between Theo and Budaj, I noticed that no matter how badly Theodore's game had been the night before or whatever, he was all smiles for Budaj's win. I like that. It makes me like and respect Jose that much more.

When Harry Met Sally

I was flipping through channels this morning and caught the last hour of this on TBS (or was it TNT?). Anyway, I love this movie and will watch it every time it comes on, if I can. I spent New Years Eve watching a marathon that consisted of just this film. It's probably best known for the fake orgasm in a deli scene, not to mention the follow up line delivered by Rob Reiner's mother "I'll have what she's having."

But it's also an incredible love story. To be perfectly honest, I hadn't gotten around to seeing this movie until I moved to Colorado (about 6 years ago). What got me was how effectively the film shows the acquaintanceship between Harry and Sally growing into friendship, and from there blossoming into love.

Harry and Sally meet when she gives him a ride to New York after they both graduate from the University of Chicago. The film jumps through their lives as they both search for love, but fail, bumping into each other time and time again. Finally a close friendship blooms between them, and they both like having a friend of the opposite sex. But then they are confronted with the problem: "Can a man and a woman be friends, without sex getting in the way?"

Assumed Identity - David Morrell

I've been a big fan of David Morrell's style of writing and espionage theme since I read Fifth Profession years and years ago. Assumed Identity was absolutely not a disappointment. First of all, the story was great. Exciting, dramatic and there were very many unexpected tidbits that made it all the more intriguing. The story sucked me in right from the first few pages and I didn't want to stop reading until I knew how it ended. The action and suspense were there, but not over the top, which tends to happen in suspense/thrillers that have an espionage twist to them. I recommend this book whole heartedly. Happy reading!

During his career as an undercover Army Special Operations agent, Brendan Buchanan has taken on more than 200 assumed identities. But when his cover is blown on a drug sting in Mexico, he is forced back on the identity he knows the least--his own. Buchanan receives a desperate SOS from Juana Mendez, the operative who posed years before as his wife. Determined to save her, Buchanan travels across the U.S. and ultimately back to Mexico accompanied by fearless, sexy Washington Post reporter Holly McCoy, who knows a lot about covert operations and is planning a feature on Buchanan. During their travels, they uncover a bizarre tale of a missing opera diva, her billionaire industrialist lover and his plot to destroy ancient Mayan ruins in order to exploit the world's greatest untapped oilfield.

The countdown begins...

Hockey season is once again almost upon us. I eagerly await September 17th, when the Avs start their pre-season games vs. the Phoenix Coyotes. The only bad thing about pre-season games is that they aren't televised. That's ok thought. I don't mind listening to the games, as long as Curtis Lechysen (pronounced like "decision") doesn't yell at me everytime the Avs score. I love Lechysen, I really do, and I'm so glad that he was able to continue to work with the Avalanche franchise after retiring. But sometimes he gets so excited on the radio broadcasts that it sounds like he's yelling at ya.

The Colorado Avalanche has made some interesting changes in the off-season. Not the least of which being the acquisition of Scott Hannan and Ryan Smyth. Two solid players that I'd rather see on my team than anyone else's team, LOL.

Still, my favorite player hands down is Karlis Skrastins. I love the way he plays. He's getting a lot of crap on the Avs Forum, but I don't get it. He's solid defenseman, a great shot blocker. He and Brett Clark do a fine job together of shutting down the opposition's biggest lines. No, he doesn't rack up the points. But that's what guys like Joe Sakic and Paul Stastny are there for. Skrastins is there to prevent the other team from racking up points. Give me a solid "at home" defenseman like him over a big scoring defenseman anyday.

this blog...

I've decided to create this blog for a couple of reasons. 1, I would like a place to discuss things that I'm most passionate about. Among those things are: hockey, cooking, writing, reading and music. Those things will be the focus of this blog. Hence the title "how do i love thee..." Things that I love (apart from family) will be discussed here. Come hockey season, there will be a great many posts regarding hockey... games, players, rules, officials, coaches... and anything else that I decide I want to talk about. Really, when hockey season starts, hockey takes up quite a bit of my time and attention. Good thing my family likes it, no?