January 2022 Newsletter

Life in Mexico

I know this is a rotten thing to do to all my friends and family back in Canada, but I noticed the other day that it was -30C in Calgary and it inspired me to write about all the things I love about Manzanillo.

There are banana trees growing in my backyard.

I don’t have to chop a hole in the pool with an ice axe to go swimming.

It’s so hot on the beach the girls are forced to wear thong bikinis.

I bought a car here five years ago and I still don’t know if the heater works.

I’ve been wearing flip flops for so long I forgot how to tie shoelaces.

Do I get homesick? Yes I do, but I just stick my head in the freezer for two minutes and the feeling goes away.

Movie Review

The Power of the Dog

Streaming on Netflix

BLOOPER ALERT! Ranch hands certainly wore chaps during the early 20th century, but they didn’t wear them inside when dining as depicted in this movie! Mothers taught their sons it was impolite to wear cowboy hats or work clothes indoors – period.

This is a movie that you’re either going to love, or hate (or both).

Written and directed by Jane Campion (The Piano), it features an enigmatic rancher Phil (Benedict Cumberbatch) who constantly berates his brother George (Jesse Plemons), his sister-in-law Rose (Kirsten Dunst), and her son Peter (Kodi Smit-McPhee ). It is part western, part psychological horror and part mystery murder.

What I didn’t like. The pace of the movie is extremely slow and the soundtrack purposely disquieting. I was almost overwhelmed with the desire to turn it off several times.

I’m glad I didn’t. The cinematography is superb, the acting brilliant and the story comes to a satisfactory conclusion in the last five minutes that wraps up all the loose ends and makes perfect sense. I predict this movie will win Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress and Best Supporting Actor at the next Oscars.

I highly recommend you watch The Power of the Dog right to the very end!

Recipe: Vietnamese BBQ chicken

The delightful aroma of this recipe cooking on the BBQ is enough to transport me back to the streets of Asia. The fact that it’s easy to make and tastes delicious is just a bonus!

4 chicken thighs

Marinade

2 Tsp of sesame (or Canola) oil

1 Tsp of finely chopped lemongrass

1 tsp of lime juice

1 tsp of soy sauce

1 garlic clove, minced

¼ cup of rice vinegar

2 Tsp of fish sauce

1 Tsp of hot sauce.

2 Tsp of brown sugar

Directions

Mix marinade ingredients in a blender then pour into a saucepan and heat for a few minutes to thicken. Let cool and pour over the chicken and marinate for one hour.

BBQ thighs on medium heat. Serve with rice.

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The year is 1944. Paris has been under German occupation for four years. The French Resistance knows that an Allied invasion is imminent.

Veronique Grenelle is growing up in an impoverished inner-city neighborhood, scrambling to feed herself and her family.

The Resistance recruits the vivacious young woman to befriend Lieutenant Gunther von Clause, an aide-de-camp to the German Army’s Military Governor. She gradually gains his trust and affection.

James Gallagher, a lieutenant in the US Army’s Military Intelligence unit, frequently parachutes behind enemy lines to deliver funds and instructions to the Resistance. He meets and befriends Veronique, who falls madly in love with the dashing American officer.

D-Day approaches, and Veronique finds herself in a bind; should she pursue her heart or her duty? In the end, her decision will not only determine the fate of Paris, it will reverberate down through her family for generations to come.

TV Review

Being the Ricardos

Streaming on Amazon Prime

Is I Love Lucy the most popular sitcom of all time? M*A*S*H tops the list as the most-watched sitcom, with 105 million viewers tuning in for the final episode in 1983, or about 60% of households with TVs. But in 1953, 44 million people watched the episode Lucy Goes to the Hospital, which represented 77% of all TVs households in the country, a feat that’s never been surpassed.

Being the Ricardos is a TV mockumentary meant to follow a week in the life of Lucille Ball (Nicole Kidman), and Desi Arnaz (Javier Bardem) as they film an episode of the 1950s series I Love Lucy.

Written and directed by Aaron Sorkin (The West Wing), the action is centered around a typical week of writing, rehearsing and filming an episode of one of the most successful comedy series of all time .

Sorkin spices up the action with a spectrum of complications; not only does Lucy suspect her husband Desi of infidelity, but a rag sheet announces her communist membership at the height of the red scare.

Sorkin’s pick of Kidman to play Ball also created a lot of controversy. Why hire a dramatic actress to portray one of the world’s funniest women? Would her glamorous looks overpower the production?

As it turns out, Kidman is perfect for the part; she draws out the secrets behind Ball’s incredible talent, showing her develop the timing of a skit involving Fred and Ethyl Mertz to comic perfection.

I highly recommend Being the Ricardos!