Top Five Favorite Episodes of "THE CROWN" Season Two (2017)

 

Below is a list of my favorite episodes from Season Two of the Netflix series, "THE CROWN". Created by Peter Morgan, the series starred Claire Foy and Matt Smith as Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh:

TOP FIVE FAVORITE EPISODES OF "THE CROWN" SEASON TWO (2017)

1. (2.05) "Marionettes" - After Queen Elizabeth II makes a tone-deaf speech at a Jaguar factory, she and the British monarchy come under public attack by an outspoken liberal peer named Lord Altrincham.

2. (2.03) "Lisbon" - Palace insiders try to prevent the scandalous divorce of the Duke of Edinburgh's aide, Lieutenant-Commander Mike Parker, that could reflect poorly on the former and the monarchy. Prime Minister Anthony Eden faces censure from his cabinet and the press over the Suez Crisis.

3. (2.09) "Paterfamilias" - Prince Philip insists that Prince Charles attend Gordonstoun, his alma mater in Scotland. Also, he reminisces about the life-changing difficulties he experienced there as a student.

4. (2.07) "Matrimonium" - A heartbreaking letter from former lover Peter Townsend spurs Princess Margaret to make a bold proposal to her current lover, photographer Antony Armstrong-Jones. The Queen has good news that causes complications for Margaret.

5. (2.02) "A Company of Men" - Elizabeth feels disconnected from Philip during his five-month royal tour in the South Pacific. Meanwhile, Eden copes with ill health and international pressure to withdraw British troops from Egypt during the Suez Crisis.

"HOPSCOTCH" (1980) Photo Gallery

 

Below are images from "HOPSCOTCH", the 1980 adaptation of Brian Garfield's 1975 novel about a veteran CIA field officer who walks away from the Agency in order to keep from being retired and placed behind a desk. Directed by Ronald Neame, the movie starred Walter Matthau:

"HOPSCOTCH" (1980) Photo Gallery

"TO WALK INVISIBLE" (2016) Review

 

"TO WALK INVISIBLE" (2016) Review

Years ago, I had viewed a 1946 movie called "DEVOTION". It was a fictionalized movie about the lives of the Brontë sisters. Needless to say, I had finished the movie feeling less than impressed. I also recently viewed the 1973 BBC miniseries, "THE BRONTES OF HAWORTH". I considered it an improvement over the 1946 film but found myself turned off by the bombastic dialogue. In the end, I discovered "TO WALK INVISIBLE", another biopic about the Brontë sisters. Despite my disappointment in the previous two productions about the sisters, I decided to give it a chance.

Unlike previous cinematic biographies of the Brontë family, the setting for "TO WALK INVISIBLE" during the three-year period between 1845 and 1848. The series began with the family's reunion at their home in Yorkshire, after Branwell Brontë was dismissed from his position as tutor, and Anne Brontë, who had been working as a governess for the same family, resignation. Anne reluctantly informed her two sisters - Emily and Charlotte - that Branwell had been dismissed for his sexual affair with the mistress of the house. The three sisters came to the conclusion that despite years working as governesses or housekeeping for their father, the Reverend Patrick Brontë, they had continued their one passion - writing. However, the sisters eventually realized the possibility of a bleak future for themselves, and they could no longer regard their writing as a mere hobby. Reverend Brontë's was becoming increasingly blind. The sisters also realized they could not depend upon Bramwell to support them, due to his alcoholism, lies and erratic behavior. Due to this realization, the three sisters decided to embark upon professional careers as authors in order to support the family's financial situation . . . and maintain their love for writing.

"TO WALK INVISIBLE" has to be the only Brontë family biopic that has failed to bore me. I think it is a well-paced drama that did an excellent job of exploring the family's emotional dynamics. Thanks to Sally Wainwright, it featured some tight writing. What I mean is . . . Wainwright did not drag the story's pacing, making it unnecessarily long. Yet, at the same time, she prevented the narrative at dashing forward at breakneck speed. Wainwright's excellent direction also helped the production.

Another aspect of "TO WALK INVISIBLE" that I found interesting was its raw portrayal of the Brontës' lives in Yorkshire. Most period dramas have a tendency to project of veneer of gentility in its production designs. The most "genteel" or "sophisticated" aspect of production designs for "TO WALK INVISIBLE" seemed to be Grant Montgomery's designs for Charlotte and Anne Brontë's journey to London in the movie's second half and Tom Pye's costume designs for the Charlotte Brontë character. However, Montgomery's production designs were not the only aspect of this movie that projected its raw portrayal of the Brontës' lives. I could also say the same about Wainwright's portrayal of financial desperation that faced the family by 1845 and Bramwell Brontë's behavior and the consequences. "THE WALK INVISIBLE" was not the first period drama from the U.K. that convey the more rugged aspect of life before the 20th century. But Wainwright's writing, dialogue (especially for Bramwell) and direction injected a certain rawness and energy that seemed more suited for crime dramas or war movies. And I loved it.

I cannot deny that I truly enjoyed the performances for "TO WALK INVISIBLE" - especially from those who portrayed the four Brontë siblings. Finn Adkins projected a great deal of emotional energy as the uber ambitious Charlotte Brontë. Chloe Pirrie struck me as equally energetic as the moody and sharp-tongued Emily Brontë, who also projected a fierce sense of protection toward her family - especially her father. Adam Nagaitis nearly stole the movie as the only brother, Branwell Brontë. I have to admit I found it fascinating to watch Nagaitis convey how Bramwell's self-destructive tendencies - alcohol and drug addiction, insecurity, and a licentious love affair with an employer's wife - led him to destroy the artistic potential within him. I realize that many would disagree with me, but I believe Charlie Murphy had the most difficult role in this production - that of the family's youngest sibling, Anne Brontë. I thought Murphy did an excellent job of portraying both Anne's reserved nature that barely hid a driving ambition. It is the type of role that people tend to ignore . . . just as many literary critics had ignored Anne Brontë for over a century. And finally, there was Jonathan Pryce, who portrayed the siblings' surviving parent, Patrick Brontë. I would not regard the Reverend Brontë as one of Pryce's most interesting roles. But I cannot deny that he gave a very solid performance as the family's patriarch, whose control and protection seemed to be in a decline due to age and oncoming blindness.

If there is another biographical production about the Brontë family that I might regard as compelling, please let me know. I realize that "TO WALK INVISIBLE" is not historically accurate - at least not completely. But thanks to the raw and energetic wiring and direction of Sally Wainwright, along with a superb cast, the two-part production did more to ignite my interest in the Brontë family than any other biopic or miniseries I have ever seen.

Dobos Torte

 

Below is an article about the dessert known as the Dobos Torte:




DOBOS TORTE

Several years ago, I had written a small article about the famous New Orleans dessert known as Doberge Cake. In my article, I had pointed out that the cake was a deviation of the Hungarian dessert, Dobos Torte. Below is my article on the latter.

The Dobos Torte is a Hungarian sponge cake layered with chocolate buttercream and topped with caramel. The layered cake or torte was named after its inventor, Hungarian chef József C. Dobos, who was a delicatessen owner in Budapest, Hungary. Tortes are commonly baked in a springform pan. A torte is a rich, usually multilayered, cake filled with whipped cream, buttercreams, mousses, jams, or fruit. The sponge cake serves as a common base, but a torte's cake layers may instead be made with little to no flour, using ingredients such as ground nuts or breadcrumbs.

Sometime during the late 1800s, Dobos had decided to create a cake that would last longer than other pastries in an age when cooling techniques were limited. Dobos coated the round sides of the torte with ground hazelnuts, chestnuts, walnuts, or almonds, and the hardened caramel top helps to prevent drying out, for a longer shelf life. His use of fine chocolate buttercream was very little known at the time, because cake fillings and frostings were usually made with cooked pastry cream or whipped cream. Dobos had discovered buttercream, while traveling in France. But he invented the cake's batter. Dobos also added cocoa butter into the buttercream for extra smoothness.

Dobos first introduced his torte at the National General Exhibition of Budapest in 1885. Both Emperor Franz Joseph I and Empress Elisabeth were among the first to taste the dessert. The latter soon became popular throughout Europe, for both its durability through shipping and for its unique appearance. With its flat, shiny, caramel glazed top, the Dobos Torte proved to be a simple but elegant dessert, as opposed to the more intricate cakes of the age. During Dobos' lifetime, the torte was often imitated, but never reproduced. Dobos traveled to other countries in Europe to introduce his cake, and soon began exporting the product in specially designed wooden boxes. Near the end of his career in 1906, Dobos donated his recipe to the Pastry and Honey-Makers' Guild.

Below is a recipe for the Dobos Torte from the Spruceeats.com website:


Dobos Torte

Ingredients:

Cake
*1 cup (8 ounces) unsalted butter, room temperature
*1 cup sugar
*4 large eggs, room temperature, lightly beaten
*1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
*1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Filling
*8 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
*2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
*2 cups (1 pound) unsalted butter, room temperature
*5 large egg whites, room temperature
*1 cup sugar

Caramel Glaze
*2/3 cup sugar
*1/3 cup water
*Nuts of your choice, ground, to sprinkle on top and sides of cake


Preparation

Preparing the Cake
*Gather the ingredients.
*Preheat oven to 350 F.
*In a large bowl, cream the 8 ounces of butter and 1 cup of sugar until light and fluffy.
*Beat in the 4 eggs, one at a time. Beat in the flour and vanilla until smooth.
*Weigh the batter, remembering to subtract for the weight of the bowl. Divide that number by 7—this is the number of ounces you will need for each pan in order to create even layers.
*Lightly coat the bottom of 7 (9-inch) round pans with cooking spray. Alternatively, you can bake as many layers at a time as you have 9-inch cake pans and reuse them to bake the rest of the batter.
*Bake each layer for 7 minutes, or until edges are very lightly brown. Don't overbake.
*After removing from the oven, loosen the cake layer and immediately invert onto a cooling rack.
*Continue until all the batter is used and all of the layers are cooling.

Preparing the Filling
*Gather the ingredients.
*Melt the semisweet and unsweetened chocolates in a microwaveable bowl, stirring often. Set aside to cool.
*In a large bowl, beat the 1 pound of butter on low for 2 minutes, then on medium for 3 minutes, and finally on high for 5 minutes.
*Place the 5 egg whites and 1 cup sugar in a double boiler over medium heat. Whisk gently and heat to 120 F.
*Transfer to a mixing bowl and whip on high until stiff peaks form.
*Fold the melted and cooled chocolate into the whipped butter.
*Fold the egg whites into the mixture until all traces of white are gone.
*Refrigerate until ready to use.

Preparing the Caramel Glaze
Gather the ingredients.
Place 1 cake layer on a cooling rack set over a pan to catch the drips.
Add the 2/3 cup sugar and 1/3 cup water to a small heavy saucepan.
Without stirring, cook until the sugar dissolves and it comes to a boil and begins to darken in color.
Swirling the pan, continue to boil until the caramel becomes a golden brown.
Immediately pour the caramel over the cake layer, creating an even coating.
With a buttered knife, mark the glaze before it completely hardens into 16 equal wedges without cutting all the way through.


Place 1 cake layer on a serving plate or in a 9-inch springform pan to use as a guide, and spread on 1/8-inch of filling.
Repeat with remaining layers and portions of filling, and finish with the glazed layer on top.
Use the rest of the filling to cover the sides of the cake. Sprinkle with ground nuts of choice, if desired. Refrigerate until serving.
To serve, slice along the lines marked in the caramel glaze.

How to Store
A Dobos Torte will keep for a few days, covered, in the fridge. The caramel may become chewy stored in the moist refrigerator over time. A Dobos Torte freezes best if cut into individual pieces and tightly wrapped. Freeze for up to a month and defrost in the fridge before serving.

"SHANG-CHI AND THE LEGEND OF THE TEN RINGS" (2021) Review

 

"SHANG-CHI AND THE LEGEND OF THE TEN RINGS" (2021) Review

I might as well put my cards on the table. I have not fully admired the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) since the beginning of its third phase. Nor do I believe that its Phase Four had improved matters. With the exception of a handful of movies and television series. One of those exceptions proved to be the franchise's 25th film, "SHANG-CHI AND THE LEGEND OF THE TEN RINGS".

The 2021 movie is not an exact adaptation of the Marvel Comics superhero, who had debuted in the comic books back in 1973. However, director-screenwriter Destin Daniel Cretton and his fellow screenwriters, Dave Callaham and Andrew Lanham, used elements from the comic books to create not only an interesting backstory for the leading character, but also a solid narrative for the film. "SHANG-CHI AND THE LEGEND OF THE TEN RINGS" began with a warrior named Xu Wenwu, who discovers a set of ten mystical rings that gave him power and immortality. Utilizing the rings and his army, Wenwu (who acquired the name of "the Mandarin") created the Ten Rings criminal organization that conquered or toppled many governments throughout the centuries. In 1996, Wenwu engaged in a search for Ta Lo, a village said to harbor mythical beasts. While traveling through a magical forest to the village entrance, he was stopped by one of the village's guardians, Ying Li. The two fell in love, and when the Ta Lo villagers rejected Wenwu, Li chose to leave with him. They married and conceived two children, Shang-Chi and Xialing. Wenwu abandoned his organization and locked away the ten rings.

The Xu family's happiness did not last very long. Wenwu's old enemies, the Iron Gang, murdered Li in an act of revenge when Shang-Chi was seven years old. Wenwu used the ten rings to massacre the Iron Gang members and resumed leadership of his old organization. Then he forced Shang-Chi to undergo a brutal training in martial arts but prevented Xialing from being trained. When Shang-Chi was fourteen, Wenwu sent him to assassinate the Iron Gang's leader. After completing his mission, a traumatized Shang-Chi ran away to San Francisco, California and adopted the name "Shaun". During his time in the United States, "Shaun" learned English, and eventually became a valet at an exclusive San Francisco hotel along with his best friend, Katy aka Chen Ruiwen. While riding a local bus, Shaun and Katy found themselves under attack by members of the Ten Rings organization. Wenwu had ordered them to steal Shaun's pendant, given to him by his late mother. Despite a brutal fight that left most of the assailants unconscious and the bus seriously damaged; one Ten Rings warrior, Razor Fist, managed to steal Shaun's pendant. Suspecting that his father might also want the pendant given to Xialing; Shang-Chi and Katy travel to Macau to warn his sister. And the trio eventually found themselves swept into a situation in which a threat larger than Wenwu, loomed ahead.

Many fans have declared either 2022's "SPIDER-MAN: NO WAY HOME", "BLACK PANTHER: WAKANDA FOREVER" or "SHANG-CHIAND THE LEGEND OF THE TEN RINGS" as the best movie of the MCU's Phase Four. My choice? None of them. But I will admit that I enjoyed all three films. Especially "SHANG-CHI AND THE LEGEND OF THE TEN RINGS". The latter film struck me as a poignant family drama at the heart of a movie filled with humor, pathos, action and magic. In fact, it occurred to me that the movie reminded me of the STAR WARS saga's Skywalker Family Saga - at least the six films produced and directed by George Lucas. Seriously. The Xu Shang-Chi character is basically Luke Skywalker, his sister Xialing could be Princess Leia Organa (only not adopted) and his parents Wenwu and Li - Anakin Skywalker and Padmé Amidala. Only the Xu family's family narrative differed . . . somewhat. Wenwu's inability to recover from his wife's death led to the family's breakup, and an even more dangerous Big Bad to exploit his grief. Sounds family? However, the poignant flashbacks of Wenwu and Li's courtship, those happy years before Li's death, along with the drama that surrounded Shang-Chi and Xialing's resentment and fear toward their father really cemented "SHANG-CHI AND THE LEGEND OF THE TEN RINGS" as a family drama.

However, the movie did have its share of action sequences. I had nothing against Shang-Chi's reunion with Xialing, which resulted in a funny fight scene inside her Macau fight club; or the siblings' attempt to prevent the Ten Rings from taking her pendant on the construction site outside of her club (a scene that produced memories of another from the 2001 movie, "RUSH HOUR 2"). Also, Shang-Chi's fight against Wenwu in the movie's final action sequence struck me as pretty solid. But I had to choose two sequences that really impressed me, they had to be the one in which Wenwu and Li first met, when she prevented him from entering Ta Lo; and Shang-Chi's fight against the Ten Ring operatives aboard a San Francisco bus. What I really enjoyed about Wenwu and Li's fight is that it started out as a serious confrontation and slowly developed into a sly, yet romantic dance between two people who had become attracted to one another. I believe Tony Leung and Fala Chen's performances made this transformation both believable and very entertaining. For me, the movie's most thrilling fight scene - hell, action scene - was Shang-Chi's fight against some of the Ten Rings operatives aboard a moving San Francisco bus. I would say it was one of the best action sequences I have ever seen in a MCU film. Not only did leading man Simu Liu and the fight choreography team led by Andy Cheung and the late Brad Allan created an exciting fight, but leading lady Awkwafina and cast of supporting performers, cinematographer William Pope and especially director Destin Daniel Cretton all contributed to the sequence's action, thrills and some very sharp humor.

I certainly do not have any complaints about the performances in "SHANG-CHI AND THE LEGEND OF THE TEN RINGS". The latter featured solid performances from Randolph Fields, Charlotte Leonie, Jodie Long, Jayden Zhang, Arnold Sun, Wah Yuen,
Kunal Dudheker, a very imposing Florian Munteanu and Stephanie Hsu. The movie also featured cameos from the likes of Benedict Wong (as Wong), Tsai Chin (whom I have not seen since the Marvel series, "AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D."), Tim Roth (or perhaps I should say a CGI image of Abomination aka Emil Blonsky), and a surprising and funny Ronny Chieng. It was nice seeing Michelle Yeoh, who portrayed Shang-Chi and Xialing's aunt Ying Nan. But if I must be honest, I found her performance solid and serviceable - nothing else.

The performances that stood out for me came from the likes of Meng'er Zhang, who portrayed Xu Xialing, Wenwu and Li's only daughter. I thought Zhang did a first-rate job of conveying Xialing's anger and resentment toward both her father and older brother. She also did an excellent job of revealing how the Xu family's break-up had affected her family. Not many people approved of Ben Kingsley's return as Trevor Slattery, the actor who had been hired to impersonate the Mandarin in 2013's "IRON MAN 3". I had no problems seeing Kingsley in the role again. He was funny as ever and it felt nice to see Slattery express remorse for his false portrayal of Wenwu and come out of his situation as a better man. Fala Chen gave an elegant, yet slightly sly performance as Ying Li, whose warmth and strong will kept the Xu family together, while she lived. Awkwafina proved to be as hilarious as ever with her portrayal of "Katy" Chen, Shang-Chi's somewhat witty best friend. Not only was Awkwafina funny, I thought she did an excellent job of conveying Katy's difficulty in finding a solid direction in her life and reactions to her friend's past and the world of the Ten Rings and Ta Lo. If I had to give the award for the film's best performance, I would hand it to Tony Leung's portrayal of Xu Wenwu, Shang-Chi's father and leader of the Ten Rings. Leung did a masterful job of portraying a complex man, whose decisions led him toward a path of a loving family man, feared parent, villainy and convenient tool for a bigger villain. More importantly, I found Leung's performance skillful, subtle and worthy of a major acting award. You know, looking back at Leung's portrayal of the "Mandarin", I found myself wondering why Marvel Films/Disney had originally thought that casting an European actress was the only way to avoid any Asian clichés of the Ancient One character in 2016's "DOCTOR STRANGE".

Some film critic had expressed disappointment that actor Simu Liu's portrayal of Xu Shang-Chi was not as charismatic as his true self. I found this criticism rather ridiculous, if I must be honest. Since when was Shang-Chi supposed to be a "charismatic" or extroverted personality in the first place? I certainly did not get that impression of the character as a young boy. Following my viewing of "SHANG-CHI AND THE LEGEND OF THE TEN RINGS", I came away with the impression that Xu Shang-Li was a reserved child forced to tap into his aggression by a grief-stricken father, obsessed with revenge. I also came away with the impression that Shang-Chi's time in the U.S. and his friendship with Katy gave him an outlet to forget his past and just enjoy life. But the return of Wenwu and the Ten Rings in his life forced him to realize he had to face his past. THIS is what I came away with Simu Liu's portrayal of Shang-Chi. And I thought he did an excellent job in conveying every emotional beat of the character's adult life through most of the film.

I wish I could end this review with a declaration that "SHANG-CHI AND THE LEGEND OF THE TEN RINGS" was a perfect movie. Or even one of the best in the MCU franchise. But I believe the movie possessed enough flaws for me to not come to that conclusion. My first complaint centered around the Wong-Abomination fight at Xialing's fight club. What on earth were they doing there? Why did Wong break Abomination/Blonsky out of prison for a match in the first place? The Disney-Plus series, "SHE-HULK: ATTONEY-AT-LAW" actually provided an answer and it proved to be pretty lame in my eyes. However, I believe most of the film's problems had materialized in the film's second half - when Shang-Chi, Katy, Xialing and Slattery arrived at the mystical realm of Ta Lo. At this point, the film into the typical MCU film finale. The major protagonists prepare for a fight against a deadly foe. A battle ensues - first against the Ten Rings and later, against the film's real Big Bad. And yes, the battle had its moments of the usual MCU humor - especially from Ben Kingsley and Awkwafina. I am only thankful that audiences were spared the usual Marvel wit. There is the issue of Katy's participation in this battle. The movie had hinted her talent as a skillful driver. But can someone please explain how she had become a talented archer within a space of a few hours (or days)? You know, a part of me wishes Wenwu had turned out to be the film's main villain. Unfortunately, the "the Dweller-in-Darkness" (which had originated in Marvel Comics) was no Emperor Palpatine. Instead of a demon, the Dweller-in-Darkness turned out to be a mystical soul-consuming dragon that used Wenwu's grief and ten rings to break free and enter Ta Lo. And the battle between Dweller-in-Darkness, the main protagonists and another dragon called the Great Protector. Needless to say, I was not impressed by this final action sequence. I found it clumsy, overwrought and at times confusing. You know . . . the typical MCU grand finale.

I would never regard "SHANG-CHI AND THE TEN RINGS" as one of my favorite comic book movies or MCU films. But I still believe it was definitely better than average, thanks to director Destin Daniel Cretton. After all, the film did feature some top-notch action sequences, a decent narrative and first-rate performances from a cast led by Simu Liu.