"THE DARK KNIGHT RISES" (2012) Review

"THE DARK KNIGHT RISES" (2012) Review

After seven years, Christopher Nolan's three-movie saga about the D.C. Comics character, Batman, finally came to an end. The saga that began with 2005's "BATMAN BEGINS", ended with this year's "THE DARK KNIGHT RISES".

The new movie, set seven years after 2008's "THE DARK KNIGHT", began with the aerial kidnapping of a nuclear scientist by an escaped terrorist named Bane. The scene shifted to Gotham City, where a fund-raiser was being held at Wayne Manor. The only person missing was millionaire Bruce Wayne, who had given up his vigilante activities as Batman after claiming he had murdered former District Attorney Harvey Dent. During the fundraiser, Bruce caught a maid breaking into his private safe. She turned out to be a resourceful cat burglar named Selina Kyle. Aside from a necklace that once belonged to Bruce's late mother, Selina did not steal any other object from the safe.

Curious over Selina's actions, Bruce resumed his Batman alter ego and tracked down Selina. He discovered that she had been hired by a rival corporate CEO named John Daggett to lift and steal his fingerprints. Bruce also learned that Daggett had hired the terrorist Bane to attack Gotham's stock exchange and bankrupt Wayne Enterprises. And along with Police Commissioner James Gordon and Wayne Enterprises executive Lucius Fox, Bruce also discovered that Bane was a former member of the League of Shadows and planned to continue Henri Ducard's (aka Ra's al Ghul) goal of Gotham City's destruction. Bruce asked fellow millionaire Miranda Tate to take control of Wayne Enterprises to ensure that Daggett and Bane will not gain control of their clean energy project, a device designed to harness fusion power.

Re-reading the above made me realize that Christopher and Jonathan Nolan had created a very complicated plot. For me, the plot became even more complicated two-thirds into the movie. "THE DARK KNIGHT RISES" obviously exists under the shadow of its two predecessors - "BATMAN BEGINS" and "THE DARK KNIGHT". I would say that this especially seemed to be the case for the 2005 movie. Batman and James Gordon's decision to lie about the circumstances behind Harvey Dent's death in the second movie had a minor impact upon this third movie. But Bruce's relationship and later conflict with Ra's al Ghul seemed to be the driving force behind his conflict with Bane in this third film.

I had heard rumors that Christopher Nolan was initially reluctant to make a third BATMAN movie. Personally, I found that rumor a bit hard to believe, considering how "THE DARK KNIGHT" ended with Batman accepting the blame for Harvey Dent's crimes and death. But there were certain aspects of the script he wrote with his brother Jonathan that made me wonder if he had truly been reluctant. There were certain aspects of "THE DARK KNIGHT RISES" that I found troubling.

It seemed a pity that the second movie ended with Batman and Jim Gordon's decision to lie about the circumstances behind Dent's death. I found their decision unnecessary back in 2008 and I still do. The impact behind their lie proved to be hollow. It merely kept Batman off Gotham City's streets and led Mayor Anthony Garcia and the city to pass a strong anti-criminal law that proved to be hollow following Bane's arrival in Gotham City. I also found Bane's mid-air kidnapping of a nuclear scientist and escape from a U.S. marshal (portrayed by Aidan Gillen) rather somewhat idiotic. I understood that Bane needed that scientist to weaponize the Wayne Enterprise device.  But I never understood why that U.S. marshal failed to take the trouble to identify the hooded prisoner (Bane) before boarding the plane.  In the end, the movie's opening sequence struck struck me as unnecessarily showy. Was this the Nolan brothers' way of conveying Bane's role as a badass to the audience? If so, I was too busy trying to comprehend the villain's dialogue to care. I understood why Batman had not been seen in Gotham for so long. But what was the reason behind Bruce Wayne's disappearance from the public eye?  His physical state was not really that severe.  Rachel Dawes' death? Rachel's death did not stop him from going after the Joker and Harvey Dent in the last movie's half hour. Was it an injured leg? How did he injured it? And why did Gotham's citizens failed to put two-and-two together, when both Bruce and Batman finally appeared in the public eye a day or two apart after many years? The only person who managed to discover Bruce's alter ego - namely Officer John Blake - did so through a contrived reason.

For me, the movie's real misstep proved to be Bane's three-month control over Gotham City. As a former member of Henri Ducard's League of Shadows, he planned to achieve his former leader's goal of destroying Gotham City. And he planned to use Wayne Enterprise's energy device to achieve this. One - why not simply build or snatch his own nuclear device? Why go through so much trouble to get his hands on the energy device? Why did Wayne Enterprises create a device that not only saved energy, but could be used as a bomb, as well? And why did it take three months before the device could become an effective bomb? The Nolans' script could have frustrated Bane's attempts to acquire the bomb during that three-month period . . . or anything to spare the audiences of that second-rate version of the French Resistance. The latter scenario seemed so riddled with bad writing that it would take another article to discuss it. And what was the point of the presence of Juno Temple's character Jen? What was she there for, other than being Selina's useless and cloying girlfriend? And Wayne Enterprises executive Lucius Fox was last seen declaring his intentions to leave the corporation for good, following Batman's misuse of cell phones in "THE DARK KNIGHT". In this movie, he is back, working for Wayne Enterprises. What made him change his mind?

But not all was lost. I found Bruce's introduction to Selina Kyle very entertaining and sexy. Even better, the incident served as Batman's re-introduction to Gotham City and allowed him to discover Bane's plans regarding Wayne Enterprises and the energy device. One of the more interesting consequences of "THE DARK KNIGHT" proved to be Rachel Dawes' last letter to Bruce. Its revelation by Alfred Pennyworth after seven years led to an emotional quarrel between the millionaire and the manservant and their estrangement. At first, I had balked at the idea of Bane carrying out Ra's al Ghul's original goal to destroy Gotham. After all, why would he continue the plans of the very person who had him kicked out of the League of Shadows? But a surprising plot twist made Bane's plan plausible . . . even when I continue to have problems with his three-month occupation of Gotham.

Many critics had lamented the lack of Heath Ledger's Joker in the movie. As much as I had appreciated and enjoyed Ledger's performance in the 2008 movie, I did not need or wanted him in "THE DARK KNIGHT RISES". Tom Hardy's performance as the terrorist Bane was good enough for me. Mind you, I found it difficult to understand some of his dialogue. And when I did, he sounded like the now aging Sean Connery. But I cannot deny that Bane made one scary villain, thanks to Hardy's performance and intimidating presence. Before I saw the movie, I never understood the need for Marion Cotillard's presence in the film. I thought her character, Miranda Tate, would merely be a bland love interest for Bruce. Not only did Cotillard ended up providing a subtle and intelligent performance, her Miranda Tate proved to be important to the story as the co-investor in the energy device and for the plot twist in the end.

"THE DARK KNIGHT RISES" provided some solid performances from other members of the cast. Matthew Modine shined as the ambitious and arrogant Assistant Police Commissioner Peter Foley, who proved to be capable of character development. Another solid performance came from Brett Cullen, who portrayed a lustful congressman that had the bad luck to cross paths with Selina Kyle. Both Michael Caine and Morgan Freeman continued their excellent performances as Bruce Wayne's "heart" and "mind", manservant Alfred Pennyworth and Wayne Enterprises executive Lucius Fox.

In the end, the movie was fortunate to benefit from four outstanding performances. One came from Gary Oldman's excellent portrayal of the now weary, yet determined police commissioner, James Gordon. His guilt over the Harvey Dent lie and discovery of Batman's true identity provided Oldman with some of his best moments in the trilogy. Another came from Joseph Gordon-Levitt, who was superb as Gotham City beat cop John Blake. The actor did a wonderful job of balancing Officer Blake's intelligence, passion for justice and disgust toward the bureaucracy.

When I learned that Anne Hathaway would end up being the fifth actress to portray Selina Kyle aka Catwoman, I must admit that I had my doubts. Then I remembered that Hathaway was an Oscar nominee, who has also done action before. Watching her sexy, yet complicated performance as the complex cat burglar removed all of my doubts. She was superb and her sizzling screen chemistry with star Christian Bale made me wish Selina had been Bruce's love interest throughout the movie. Speaking of Bruce Wayne, Bale returned to portray the Caped Crusader for the third and final time. I must admit that I found his performance more subtle and complex than his performances in the previous two movies. Bale did an excellent job in re-creating a slightly aging Bruce Wayne/Batman, who found himself faced with a more formidable opponent.

I was a little disappointed to see that "THE DARK KNIGHT RISES" lacked the Chicago exteriors of the 2008 movie. In the end, Gotham City resembled a collection of East Coast and British cities. But I cannot deny that I found Wally Pfister's photography very eye catching. And Hans Zimmer's entertaining score brought back memories of his earlier work in both the 2005 and 2008 movies.

I have a good deal of complaints about "THE DARK KNIGHT RISES". It is probably my least favorite entry in Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy. For me, the movie's main problem centered around the script written by Nolan and his brother Jonathan. But despite its flaws, the movie still managed to be both entertaining and intriguing. It also has an excellent cast led by the always superb Christian Bale. It was not perfect, but "THE DARK KNIGHT RISES" did entertain me.

"The Uninvited" [PG-13] - Act II

"THE UNINVITED"

ACT II

The Melora Dimension has served as a sanctuary - a literal 'No Man's Land' - from the numerous conflicts that have flared between various factions in the magical world. Arnen, one of the dukes of the dominion spirit, Usiel; had discovered the lush, green dimension, over four thousand years ago. Following a devastating conflict between two wizard covens, Arnen - with Usiel's permission - decided to transform Melora into a sanctuary where all magical beings - except for deities, who harbored no interest in hobnobbing with non-deities - could find respite from the never-ending battle for power in the universe.

Gweneth McNeill and Cole had revealed all of this to Olivia and the others before the half-daemon teleported the entire family to Melora. But what she had learned did not prepare for the other dimension's reality. The redhead had visited her share of other dimensions during her fourteen-and-a-half years as a witch, but none could match the sheer lush and natural beauty of Melora. Aside from the Valinor Dimension.

"Good God!" Bruce exclaimed, as his eyes scanned the surroundings.

Barbara clutched her husband's arm. "No kidding! I can't think of any spot on Earth that looks this beautiful."

Cole replied, "Now you know why the Melora dimension has been so popular with the magical world."

"And no one has tried to take control of it?" Harry asked.

Gweneth commented, "And face the wrath of both Arnen and Usiel? No one dares."

"Where is this Berisa Resort?" Jack asked.

A sheepish expression appeared on Cole's face. "Ooops! I, uh . . . I think I may have teleported us to the wrong spot. Hold on, everyone." Seconds later, the half-daemon beamed the McNeill family to the middle of a long driveway that led to a sprawling building. The Berisa Resort Hotel turned out to be a six-story, villa-style building with a red-tile roof with spirals soaring from it. A wide verandah with wicker chairs scattered across it wrapped around the building's ground floor. It reminded Olivia of the Coronado Hotel in San Diego - only larger and with more intricate designs.

"This is it," Cole declared. He led his future wife and in-laws up the driveway and toward the hotel's entrance. Once inside the lobby, Olivia could not help but gasp out loud. She had never seen such sheer elegance and luxury in her life. Certainly not in any of the luxury hotels and resorts she had visited over the years.

Harry exclaimed, "Wow! And I mean wow!"

"You can say that again," Olivia's grandmother commented. "Gwen, why haven't you told us about this place?"

Gweneth shook her head. "Because I haven't thought about it, in nearly forty years. But it certainly brings back memories."

Olivia, Cole and Jack strolled toward the front desk. Behind it stood the hotel clerk, a humanoid male with light blue skin, long earlobes and no hair. The half-daemon asked the latter for directions to the location of the Turner party. The clerk's dark eyes blinked. "Turner?" He glanced at a large book in front of him. "I'm sorry sir. There is no Turner party booked for this hotel."

An irritated sigh left Cole's mouth. "Is there a party hosted by Nimue of the Thorn Order?"

Again, the clerk checked the book. "Ah yes! Yes, there is. The Thorn Order's party is being held in the Leithian Room. Hosted by Nimue."

"That would be it," Cole murmured.

"Hadir!" The clerk summoned a tall, bi-pedal creature with deeper blue skin, two tusk-like ears that flowed from the crown of his head, wide dark eyes and four arms. He wore a uniform similar to that of a bellboy. "We have more visitors for the party in the Leithian Room. Escort them, there."

The creature . . . or Hadir bowed to Cole and the McNeills. "Please follow me," he rumbled in a deep voice. He then led them to their destination - a large, elegant ballroom with a black-and-white marble floor, candlelit chandeliers, and a nymph-shaped fountain surrounded by an ottoman. Water sprouted from the nymph's mouth. "The Leithian Room."

"Bloody hell!" Gweneth murmured. "Remind me to book this place for the next major family occasion."

Cole tipped Hadir with some kind of gold currency and the latter disappeared. At that moment, Nimue made her way toward the newcomers, smiling brightly. "Welcome!" she greeted cheerfully. "I'm so glad that you finally made it. Belthazor." She offered one cheek to her son. Who reluctantly kissed it. "And Olivia." The demoness grabbed hold of her future daughter-in-law's hands. "My dear, you look absolutely lovely."

"Thank you," Olivia replied with a smile. And so do you." She shot a glance at her fiancé, who regarded his mother with slight suspicion. "I see that we're not the first to arrive."

Nimue added, "You're among the early arrivals. Marbus and his family are here." She indicated her brother and his family with a wave of her hand. "Let me introduce you." She led the McNeills over to one of the refreshment tables - and her brother's family. "Marbus, look who's here."

The jovial daemon greeted his nephew and the McNeills with his trademark good humor. "Well, it's good to see all of you. Glad you could make it. You remember my wife, Mauve, don't you?" He indicated a tall, dark-haired elegant woman, who stood beside him. Olivia recalled meeting her at one of the McNeills' Sunday brunches, nearly two months ago. Mauve had also joined Marbus at the other engagement party, at the St. Francis Hotel. The daemon continued, "And these are my children - Liam and Siobhan."

Liam turned out to be a tall man who strongly resembled his mother. Like her, he possessed sharp, elegant features and very dark hair and eyes. Siobhan, on the other hand, was a married woman with two children. She shared her father and aunt's auburn hair and piercing blue eyes. The same eyes that Cole also possessed. Olivia also noticed that her fiancé's cousin stood an inch shorter than herself.

After all the introductions had been made, Liam said to Olivia, "I must say that it's nice to finally meet you. It was quite a shock to find out that Cole has finally found someone to marry."

"Thanks," Olivia said with a smile. "But I won't exactly be Cole's first wife."

Siobhan's blue eyes widened. "Of course! Frances!"

Cole rolled his eyes and retorted, "You mean, Phoebe." He glared at his uncle. "Marbus!"

"What?" the older daemon protested. "I can't help it if I can't remember her name, properly."

Mauve asked, "Is she here? Fra . . . I mean, Phoebe."

"I don't think she's coming," Jack said. His gaze focused upon the ballroom's entrance. "But I believe that her sisters have arrived."

-------------

The two figures teleported in front of the hotel's driveway. One of them - Eric Logan - heaved a sigh. "All right," he said. "Let's get this over with."

His companion gripped his arm. "Wait a minute. How do you plan to get inside? You don't have an invitation."

Logan stared at the daemon. "I don't need an invitation. I have you."

"Don't be absurd! I have no intention of introducing you as my personal guest. No one will expect me to show up with a companion. Especially one who's assigned to kill the bride-to-be."

A sigh left the warlock's mouth. "Great! Then it looks as if I'll have to check in as a guest. And join the party later. As a waiter." He shook his head is disgust, as he and his companion strode up the driveway. "I should have never accepted this job," he muttered. "A hit inside the Melora dimension?" He glared at his companion. "Even if I get away with it, sooner or later, Arnen or any of his goons will track me down for violating the dimension's sanction against violence."

"Oh please!" The daemon retorted airily. "The so-called 'sanction against violence' is not the law in this dimension. It's just an idea that everyone pays lip service. Don't worry."

Logan protested, "I should have went after the witch near her home or job! Not here, in Melora."

"Artemus felt that the target would be less on her guard, her in Melora." When Logan failed to respond, his companion expressed impatience. "Listen, if you think you cannot complete this assignment, we'll find someone who can. Like myself."

Logan scoffed at the suggestion. "You may be a daemon, but I am the assassin. Or else Artemus and Prax would have never hired me. Don't worry. I'll do the job."

"Fine," his demonic companion shot back. "Then stop your bitching, so we can get inside." The warlock glared at the daemon and continued toward the hotel.

--------------

Piper felt inclined to pinch herself, as her eyes roamed over the vast ballroom. She had never encountered such beauty, elegance or luxury in her life. Not even in the McNeills' San Mateo home, Castle Dunleith in Scotland, or the Westin St. Francis' Colonial Room. Quite simply, the Melora dimension and the Berisa Resort Hotel had completely blown her mind from the moment she, Paige and Chris had arrived.

"There's something wrong about this place," Chris commented. He glanced uneasily around the room. "It just doesn't seem normal for both good and evil to hang together. Like old war buddies at a reunion."

Piper rolled her eyes. She and Chris sat at one of the tables that surrounded dance floor. "I can't believe I'm hearing this from a half-whitelighter who fell in love with a witch assassin."

"It's not the . . ." Chris broke off and sighed. "Okay, maybe some might consider me falling in love with Bianca as wrong . . ."

"No kidding," Piper murmured. She reached for her glass of champagne. "Look Chris, let's put an end to this conversation, okay? You haven't been honest with us about a lot of things. Especially about you being part witch. By the way, Leo didn't raise a fuss when we mentioned this place. Why should you?"

Chris snorted with derision. "Yeah, like he would know everything."

Perturbed by Chris' continuing hostility toward her former husband, Piper demanded, "What is with you and Leo? Why do you resent him so much?"

A long pause followed before the young whitelighter replied, "Let's just say that our future relationship isn't so hot."

Before Piper could demand a further explanation, Scott Yi appeared at the table with a plate of food. "So, how are you enjoying the Melora dimension?" he asked, before sitting down in an empty chair.

"Great," Piper replied. She frowned. "I didn't see Darryl. Are you the only one from the station who's here?"

Scott replied, "I believe that Darryl did receive an invitation, but I think that he and Sheila were more than satisfied with the party at the St. Francis. If you know what I mean."

Knowing Darryl's anxiety toward all things magical, Piper understood perfectly. She glanced at Scott's plate. "Is that food . . . uh, normal?"

With a shrug, Scott said, "Of course. These are appetizers. Canapés. Smoked Trout, Frittata, Ricotta Cheese and Spinach and little Quiche Lorraine. Haven't you tried anything, yet?"

Piper's stomach growled in reply. "To be honest, I didn't know if I should."

"Go ahead and try it," Scott insisted. "Of course, there are some dishes that aren't from our dimension. But I don't think that will kill you. Trust me."

"Well . . ."

Chris spoke up. "I think Mo . . . uh, Piper and I will eat later."

"Excuse me?" Piper glared at Chris. "Since when did you become my nutritionist? Or babysitter, for that matter?"

The young whitelighter explained, "I just think you should be careful about what you eat in this place."

"Chris, knock it off! You're becoming a bore."

Scott picked up one canapé and commented, "You don't have to worry about this place. Like I said, it's quite safe. Most of the time."

Piper stared at the sorcerer/cop. "I didn't realize that you were familiar with this place."

"Oh sure," Scott replied. "I've known about it, since I was in high school. The Chinese call it Lotus Haven. This is my first visit, here." He sighed. "Just as my uncle had described it."

A figure in dark-blue loomed before the table's three occupants. "Yes, it is quite perfect. Isn't it?" Piper and her companions glanced up at the slim man, who smiled at them. His smile revealed large, white teeth that struck the oldest Halliwell as wolfish. "Hello." His deep gray eyes focused upon Piper. "May I assume that you are one of the Charmed Ones?"

Both Chris and Scott immediately stiffened. Piper maintained her cool and tartly replied, "You may assume. Do I know you?"

The man . . . or whatever he happened to be, threw back his head and laughed. "I'm afraid that we've never met. My name is Guldur, by the way. Emphasis on the last syllable."

"You're a demon," Chris flatly stated.

Guldur stared at the whitelighter. "Why yes, I believe so. Are you, by any chance, a witch? Or a wizard? You look familiar." His eyes narrowed slightly. "Come to think of it, you fit the description of a whitelighter who had been looking for a daemon I know. A daemon named Gith. Poor bastard ended up dead, over a month ago."

For reasons that eluded her, Piper immediately came to her whitelighter's defense. "Actually, my sisters and I were the ones who killed Gith. He was trying to kill us." She gave the demon a challenging stare. "Is that a problem?"

Again, the demon laughed, taking Piper by surprise. "What do you think?" he finally answered, after his laughter had subsided. Then a deadly light gleamed in his eyes. "Twelve years ago, Gith had arranged the death of a close friend of mine. A very close friend. I even hired a zoltar to find Gith, but it seem that you and your sisters got to him, first."

Frowning, Scott said, "So, what you're saying is that . . ."

". . . the Charmed Ones had done me a favor," Guldur smoothly finished. He turned to Piper. "I would give you a reward, but something tells me that you wouldn't accept one from a daemon." Piper's only response came as a weak smile.

Cole appeared at the table, looking handsome in a tailored suit. "Perhaps you should accept that reward, Piper. It's not every day that a daemon as powerful as Guldur would be indebted to a witch."

"Belthazor!" The other demon turned to shake Cole's hands. "Congratulations on your upcoming wedding. I've already met the bride, by the way. Outstanding!"

Cole allowed himself a genuine smile. "Can't argue with you, there. Speaking of Olivia, have you seen her?"

It was Scott who answered, "I last saw her with Bruce and that friend of yours, Nathalie Green. Near the bar."

"Thanks." Before Cole turned away, he said to Guldur, "Since you're here, I can only assume that Lohdon is here, as well."

"Who?" Piper asked.

Guldur replied, "Lohdon. The head of my order."

Cole added, "I had expected to find a few members of the old Thorn Brotherhood, here, but not from the Fornost Order." His eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Something tells me that Lohdon's presence has more to do with business than my upcoming wedding."

The other demon's eyes widened with innocence. "Really, Belthazor! How would I know? Lohdon doesn't tell me everything. Besides," his gaze focused past Cole's shoulder, "I believe that Lohdon should be the least of your worries."

"Wha . . .?" Cole's gaze followed Guldur's. His blue eyes grew wide with shock. "What in the hell is she doing here?" he growled.

Piper noticed that Cole was glaring at a curvy, dark-haired female with cat-shaped hazel eyes. Her wardrobe consisted of a tight-fitting dress and heeled sandals. The woman reminded Piper of a second-rate sex symbol from a 1960s "B" movie. "Who is that?" she asked.

Cole replied through clenched teeth, "A nightmare from the past." A scowl now fixed upon his face, he marched away from the table.

"Who is she?" Chris asked Guldur.

The demon sighed. "Oh, some old girlfriend of Belthazor's. Her name is Idril. They were quite an item for a brief period back in the late 60s or early 70s. And I heard that they were seeing each other again, some four or five years ago. As far as Belthazor is concerned, she was a mistake." An amused chuckle escaped his lips. "And it looks like Idril is one that refuses to go away."


END OF ACT II

"OUR MUTUAL FRIEND" (1998) Photo Gallery

Below are images from "OUR MUTUAL FRIEND", the 1998 television adaptation of Charles Dickens' 1865 novel. Adapted by Sandy Welch, the miniseries was directed by Julian Farino:



"OUR MUTUAL FRIEND" (1998) Photo Gallery

The Welsh Rarebit

Here is some information and an old recipe about a dish made with a savory sauce of melted cheese and various other ingredients served hot over toasted bread. The dish is called the Welsh Rarebit:


THE WELSH RAREBIT

The origin and evolution of Welsh Rabbit (aka Welsh Rarebit) differs according to one's point of view. Combinations of melted cheese and toasted bread have been enjoyed in several cultures and cuisines for thousands of years. However, the name of this dish originated from 18th century Great Britain, after Wales. Welsh Rarebit is typically made with Cheddar cheese, in contrast to the Continental European fondue. And Welsh Rarebit made be considered a local variant.

There is no evidence that the Welsh actually originated this, although they have always had a reputation as cheese-lovers. A more likely derivation of the name is that Welsh in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries was used as a patronizingly humorous epithet for any inferior grade or variety of article – as a substitute for the real thing. Welsh rabbit may therefore have started life as a dish resorted to when meat was not available.

Although the term is often used simply for a slice of bread topped with cheese and put under the grill, the fully-fledged Welsh rabbit is a more complicated dish with several variations - the cheese (classically Cheddar or Double Gloucester) can be mixed with butter or mustard, beer or wine, and it can be pre-melted and poured over the toast rather than grilled. Welsh rabbit has of course produced one of the great linguistic causes celebres of gastronomy with it genteel variant Welsh Rarebit. There is little doubt that rabbit is the original form and that rarebit (first recorded in 1785) is an attempt to reinterpret the odd and inappropriate-sounding rabbit as something more fitting to the dish. Precisely how this took place is not clear. It has been speculated that ”rarebit” was originally ”rearbit” - that is, something eaten at the end of a meal. But there is no actual evidence for this.

Here is a recipe for Welsh Rarebit from Chowning’s Tavern, located in Colonial Williamsburg:





WELSH RABBIT

- from Chowning's Tavern
Colonial Williamsburg, Williamsburg, Virginia

Serves 4 to 6

Ingredients:

1 cup beer
2 teaspoons mustard powder
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1½ cups grated Cheddar cheese
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
Salt to taste
4 to 6 tomato slices
8 to 12 slices (½ inch thick), toasted French or Italian bread
Instructions:

Preheat a broiler. Place the beer, mustard, cayenne and Worcestershire sauce in a saucepan, and heat over medium heat until boiling. Slowly whisk in the cheese, making sure each addition is melted before adding the next. Add the butter, and whisk until smooth. Season with salt to taste, and set aside.
Place the tomato slices on the rack of a broiler pan, and broil for 1 minute, or until lightly browned.
To serve, place the toast slices on the bottom of an oven proof gratin dish or in individual gratin dishes. Pour the cheese over the toast, and then top with the tomato slices. Place under the broiler and broil until the cheese is bubbly and brown. Serve immediately.

Note: The components of the dish can be prepared up to a few hours in advance and kept at room temperature. Reheat the cheese until hot, whisking until it is smooth, before the final broiling.

- history.org

"TAKEN AT THE FLOOD" (2006) Photo Gallery

Below are images from "TAKEN AT THE FLOOD", the 2006 adaptation of Agatha Christie's 1948 novel.  The movie starred David Suchet as Hercule Poirot:

"TAKEN AT THE FLOOD" (2006) Photo Gallery

"DREAMGIRLS" (2006) Review

“DREAMGIRLS” (2006) Review

When I had first learned that the eight Academy Award nominations for the 2006 musical, "DREAMGIRLS", did not include one for Best Picture and a Best Director nod for Bill Condon, it seemed pretty odd to me. The movie, based upon the 1981 Broadway musical, had already won plenty of accolades – including a Best Musical/Comedy Picture and two other Golden Globe awards. Was it possible that "DREAMGIRLS" had failed to live up to its hype? 

Several movie critics, including one for “The New York Times” claimed that this might be the case. This critic and others went on to say that although "DREAMGIRLS" was a pretty good movie, it lacked the qualities to be considered as a nominee for Best Picture. Since I had yet to see "DREAMGIRLS" at the time, I began to wonder if my sister – who had first recommended the movie – had exaggerated its good qualities. Just recently, I had watched "DREAMGIRLS" for the umpteenth time. Needless to say that when I first saw the movie, I realized that my sister had not exaggerated. The movie not only possessed a rich, in-depth look at the music industry for African-Americans in the 1960s and 70s, it can also boast fine performances and a very unusual direction.

The cast, which included Jamie Foxx, Beyonce Knowles, Eddie Murphy, Anika Noni Rose, Danny Glover and Jennifer Hudson; were all excellent. Foxx, Knowles and Glover all did competent jobs in their respective roles. I was especially surprised to see Foxx (usually seen in comedy and action roles and an Oscar winner for his portrayal of Ray Charles) portrayed villainous record producer Curtis Taylor Jr. in a rather subtle, yet intimidating manner. Knowles proved that she could be a competent actress – especially in two scenes that feature her character’s (lead singer Deena Jones) growing resentment toward Taylor’s control over her career and life. It was good to see Glover in a substantial role again, after so many years. He was his usual competent self as the more conservative manager of Eddie Murphy’s character, James “Thunder” Early. Another character connected to the Early role was Lorrell Robinson, portrayed by Anika Noni Rose. I must admit that Rose’s portrayal of the young, star-struck Lorrell seemed a little hammy and unconvincing. Fortunately, her performance improved when her character matured. By the time Lorrell became convinced that her long affair with the mercurial James had been a mistake, Rose gave a very poignant performance.

Two of the best things about "DREAMGIRLS" turned out to be the show-stopping performances of Eddie Murphy and Jennifer Hudson as R&B singer, James “Thunder” Early and the Dreams’ real talent Effie White. Not only did both performers won Golden Globe awards for Best Supporting Actor and Supporting Actress respectively, both received Oscar nominations for the same categories. Murphy bypassed his usual comedic performances to portray James Early as a R&B singer doomed to have his raw talent being slowly squeezed to death by Curtis Taylor’s ambition for acceptance by the white audience in 1960s/70s America. Not only did Murphy give a brilliant performance as the doomed Early, he also proved that he could be a knock-out musical talent. "DREAMGIRLS" must have seemed like sweet revenge for Chicago native, Jennifer Hudson. After being dismissed by “American Idol” judges halfway into competition, Hudson managed to win the role of Effie White, a talented and mercurial singer forced to deal with rejection by Taylor because of her “soulful” voice and physical appearance. Hudson’s show-stopping performance of “And I’m Telling You I’m Not Going” combined the best of her acting ability and magnificent voice, and may have possibly rivaled Jennifer Holliday’s performance of the same song in the Broadway version.

Not only did “And I’m Telling You I’m Not Going” beautifully showcased Jennifer Hudson’s talent, it also proved a theory of mine. I had once told a friend that singing in front of a live audience took more than simply holding a microphone and singing. To get the song across to the audience, the performer needed to act out the meaning behind the song through facial expressions and body language. Such expressions through song has been shown before on both the screen and stage, but Hudson took it to a level that left me breathless . . . and almost crying. Not only did the song’s lyrics expressed Effie White’s desperation to maintain Curtis Taylor’s love, but her facial expression and body language effectively did so, as well. I also have to commend Knowles, Foxx, Rose, Keith Robinson (who played Effie’s songwriter brother C.C.) and Sharon Leal (who played Effie’s replacement, Michelle Morris) for their performances in a scene in which they all express their hostility and resentment toward Effie’s volatile behavior. For a moment, I thought I was watching an opera.

In fact, one felt the sense of watching an opera or an operetta, instead of the usual musical. Since the Astaire/Rogers series of the 1930s, movie musicals have perfected the art of movie dialogue seamlessly segueing in a song. In "DREAMGIRLS", not only does the dialogue segue into song, but sometimes segue back into dialogue in the middle of a song. Or . . . two characters would end either do the following: 1) interrupt the dialogue with a few lines of song; or 2) switch back and forth between song and dialogue. This made "DREAMGIRLS" feel like no other movie musical I have ever seen and I have to commend director Bill Condon for creating this unusual style for any musical.

Now, I find myself back to thinking about those Academy Award nominations. Had the critics been right to believe that "DREAMGIRLS" had never deserved the nominations for Best Picture and Best Director? In the end, those critics were entitled to their own opinions. But I had learned from another source that "DREAMGIRLS" had enough votes from the Academy members to receive a Best Picture nomination. But from my personal view, all I can say is . . . ”What in the hell had the Academy been thinking?”

"TOTAL RECALL" (2012) Photo Gallery

Below are images from "TOTAL RECALL", the new adaptation of Philip K. Dick's 1966 short story, "We Can Remember It for You Wholesale". Directed by Len Wiseman, the movie stars Colin Farrell, Kate Beckinsale and Jessica Biel:


"TOTAL RECALL" (2012) Photo Gallery