Be Curry-ous, Buy Curry

Experimentation can spice up your life in many regards, including in the culinary sense. Whether you normally cook for just yourself or for others, trying new things
in the kitchen can be extremely gratifying. And especially around the holiday season, it offers you all sorts of pronounced reactions that you’re looking for, as well as those you’re not: everything from “Mms” and puckered faces to flatulence and heartburn. So tread softly, friends.

Should I Give to Hobos?

Ahem. This question has often circulated within religious and intellectual communities, not that the two are at all mutually exclusive. Since people inevitably fall pretty nicely into one of the categories, (that is, their actions are governed either by rational thought and ethical principles or by rational thought and moral dictums) let’s explore both sides.

We’ll start with religious people. I've seen countless examples of industrious Christians asking if they should share their hard-earned dollars with beggars, and the overwhelmingly popular answer is no. With “charity” and Christianity being so closely associated, it is an interesting phenomenon. The argument is as follows. Some people think that since Christ often begged himself and performed generous acts, he was all for charity. He didn’t just hand out cedar walking sticks and try to teach lame men how to adapt, he actually healed them. Or I guess we could just go with the whole “Give a man a fish; he’ll eat for a day. Teach him to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime.” expression, because he did that, too. Jesus gave people fish, okay? Yet others point out that saving that dollar bill handout is actually doing society more of a favor. Having that industrious Christian spirit and contributing instead to larger charities and institutions is promoting help for those who deserve it, who want to better themselves and will put the work in like the rest of us. The Bible stresses the importance of work to human existence and how staying away from idleness contributes to all people in society.

RIP Dave Brubeck (1920-2012)

Dave Brubeck, one of the leaders in the progressive jazz movement, died today at age 91. Jazz fans everywhere recognize the wonderful contributions Brubeck and the Dave Brubeck Quartet brought to the world. I know I play my vinyl copy of the album Time Out more than anything else in my record collection. Brubeck was truly a treasure to music in general. Here's the Brubeck family's statement:

Our much loved and revered father, Dave Brubeck, died of cardiac arrest today, December 5, 2012, one day before his 92nd birthday. He died peacefully with family present. The news spread before we even left Norwalk Hospital and our family is deepy appreciative of the phone calls, messages of condolence and continuing tributes in the media and those received personally, certainly a reflection back to us of Dave's powerful and positive impact on the world. He specialized in long relationships; married to our mother for 70 years, had few changes of personnel in his outstanding quartets or in professional management and many of his fans became personal friends he new for decades. We thank you all for your appreciation of him and the respect you have shown our family.

Darius, Chris, Dan, Catherine, and Matthew Brubeck.  

If you're not familiar with the wonderful tunes Brubeck brought to the world, you owe it to yourself to give him a listen or two. In fact, here's the quintessential Brubeck piece. A master has passed on, but his music never will.

A Fascinating Director's Roundtable Discussion

The Hollywood Reporter has put together this absolutely fascinating discussion between Quentin Tarantino, Ben Affleck, Ang Lee, Tom Hooper, David O. Russell, and Gus van Sant about the art of directing. Each filmmaker has a prestigious film that has either been released this year or will soon come out. It's really a great way to spend an hour if the craft of filmmaking interests you.

The Show is Cancelled Tonight, Sorry Everyone!

Guilty Pleasures Radio is cancelled for tonight, sorry everyone. A last minute scheduling mixup has prevented one of the hosts from being there so we will not be able to perform the show tonight. We should be back and running for our premiere next week. We'll keep you posted.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving to all our American readers/fans of the show. We really appreciate all your support and hope you have a wonderful holiday. For all our international readers, well, I'll feel bad now if I don't post something on some foreign holidays so you'll get some recognition, too.

Anyway, be sure to tune into our podcast when it returns next Tuesday as well as the return of Guilty Pleasures on KVNO really soon. I promise the official start date will get announced any day now.

Have a great day, everyone!

Sex Toys and Dolphins

Living in a household of phenomenally empowered and progressive women is a life experience everyone should have. In every discussion, from politics to religion, you get insights into the roles of gender, specifically women, as well as sex’s position in the issue. Whether it was during the presidential campaigns or a more recent trip to a sex shop, larger issues are always available upon which my roommates jump to elaborate and inform. While searching for bachelorette party gear at this particular store, we had the opportunity to engage in some particularly stimulating conversation. (And for fear of this whole entry becoming a succession of sexual puns, I will henceforth disengage from such colorful vocabulary… or at least try to.)

Lincoln (Or, Spielberg's Middle School History Lesson)

What do you know about Abraham Lincoln? In America, at least, middle school and high school tend to give off this mythical impression of the president that ended the Civil War and freed the slaves. There's generally some attention directed to the importance of the thirteenth amendment, as well as a basic understanding of the key players in the war. You know the generals, you know some of the politicians, and you know the political implications of Lincoln's actions. So, when Steven Spielberg announces he's making an Abraham Lincoln biopic starring Daniel Day-Lewis and a million other great actors, you're incredibly excited to see what the director of such biting true story films like Schindler's List or Amistad will bring to the table. At least, that was my reaction. This movie could teach me so much more about the depth of these incidents I've been learning about my whole life, right? Well, walking out of Lincoln, I honestly can't say I learned anything at all.

Does this mean Spielberg has failed to make a compelling film? Well, no, not really. In fact, there are parts of Lincoln that left me far more moved than I thought I would be and overall it does have a certain compelling quality to these historical scenes that are predictable, simplified, and ultimately tell you nothing new. The vast majority of the film details the courtroom drama of passing the thirteenth amendment to abolish slavery as the Civil War is moving towards closure. Spielberg introduces you to a wide variety of characters played by the likes of Hal Holbrook, David Strathairn, Sally Field, James Spader, and an absolutely wonderful Tommy Lee Jones. Each actor brings a great energy to their respective historical roles and helps bring them to life. The acting is often powerful and sucks your heart into the scenes that your brain is assuring you are silly in their overdramatization or oversimplification. Such is an issue I had many times throughout the two hour run time.

As far as the performances go, most are applauding Daniel Day Lewis for his effort, but I have to say this was one of the least impressive performances I've seen from him. Let me of course make the important distinction here that a not-as-impressive Daniel Day Lewis performance is still likely to be among the top ten performances anyone will see all year. What I took issue with was this high pitched voice Day Lewis affected for the role. In historical accounts, Lincoln was documented as speaking in a more shrill, high pitch, which Day Lewis does his best to create. It works for the most part, but his high voice never changes pitch and is never really able to capture emotion outside of inflection. Not everyone speaks at the exact same pitch at every moment with only volume and speed fluctuating, and every other actor demonstrates a wider vocal range than our title character. This certainly was a character, for its performance and the screenplay aren't interested in painting a flawed man. This is undoubtedly that mythical figure you've heard about since you were a child.

Who am I to say that Abraham Lincoln wasn't this fable-spewing social genius at all times? Well, I'm not to say that at all, but let me just say it didn't feel all too real. I'm not here to argue the history when something simply doesn't work in the film. These characters do their best to seem genuine when Tony Kushner's screenplay paints so many of them as simple caricatures. If you're a good guy, you show some mild range of emotions, are a Republican, and hate slavery with a burning passion. If you're a bad guy, you're a close minded Democrat who hates blacks. Lazy expositional writing keeps you constantly aware that you are, in fact, watching a scripted version of events that were probably not so conveniently constructed. If Lincoln was a play, its cinematic shortcomings might feel a lot more at home, but unfortunately, this is a freaking Steven Spielberg movie.

Where is the sense of shock at the depth of characters impacting history singlehandedly we were so wonderfully exposed to in Schindler's List and Amistad? Where is the bite this once great director was so famous for? Are we forever going to be stuck with these long, overly sentimental dramas like War Horse? What bothers me even more than just how safe Lincoln is was the moments where you can really sense Spielberg waking up and beautifully directing a scene to a well deserved impact. There are these great little moments in Lincoln that make you wish there was more to talk about, either historically or just in terms of his wide cast of characters. This should have been a thought provoking movie, but instead we are left with a simple middle school history lesson that would certainly bore the hell out of middle schoolers.

6/10

Skyfall: Bond Goes Wrath of Khan

There are the occasional mainstream franchises that I absolutely adore. In most of those cases, I don't adore them by the time studios are finished with them, but there's some amount of love associated with the basic mythology and characters that carries into each new opus. Then, there are far more franchises I am either indifferent to or actively despise. The 007 series has been hanging around cinemas for 50 years now and I must confess I'm rather indifferent to the lot of them. I've seen a handful and yet none of them really left much of an impression. Most of them fell into the average category, with the only exception being Quantum of Solace, an embarrassment to all involved. That being said, Daniel Craig's more serious and realistic James Bond has always had a lot of promise to it and I went into Skyfall with the hope that the payoff I'd been hoping for since Casino Royale finally existed.

Skyfall is one of those movies that would no doubt play best to one who knew absolutely nothing about it, but for the sake of writing a review, I can't leave out all plot details. So here's my abbreviated paragraph giving you a small taste. MI6 is in trouble. A flash drive containing the names of every agent embedded in terrorist organizations around the world is stolen and released. Bombings target M (Judi Dench), the leader of MI6. James Bond (Daniel Craig), now the oldest agent in the organization is faced with the question: in the age of advanced technology, are field agents even necessary anymore when all this destruction can be caused with the use of a computer? Faced with a foe (Javier Bardem) unlike any of the traditional Bond villains with a personal vendetta and no grand conspiracy, and no fear of failure. This is truly a worthy adversary because, to use the old adage, this time, it's personal.

Spike TV Offers $10 Million for Proof of Bigfoot

Oh, you all know how much I love Bigfoot. As someone who is very (VERY) open to the strange mysteries of the world we live in, Bigfoot has gone from a subject of interest to something I ridicule after my show has gotten multiple fake scoops about the alleged revelation of proof of the Sasquatch race. Not only that, but even some of my friends working at similarly paranormal themed shows/sites have gotten pranked in the same way only to find that, like we all thought, there is no such announcement. This, naturally, means that we'll probably never be interviewing another member of those Bigfoot organizations, though you can listen to one on our Show Archive page. Spike TV is doing something to pique my interest in the subject, as it turns out, however.

The big question here is: how far would you go to prove Bigfoot's existence? If you look over to Animal Planet, they're currently airing season 3 of Finding Bigfoot, which offers more of the same ambiguous, sometimes laughable evidence brought up for the creature. Spike's bringing things to a whole new level with its new series 10 Million Dollar Bigfoot Bounty, which will air as 10 hourlong episodes intending to attract "the best scientists, zoologists, trackers, and Bigfoot hunters in the world in an attempt to prove or disprove its existence." Believe it or not, Spike TV just did something more logical than the Animal Planet.

The show is scheduled to launch next fall, and to bring even more common sense to a fairly nonsensical topic, Spike executives told the Huffington Post that their hope is that the show doesn't last more than its 10 episode first season. If your jaw didn't drop there, you must be an embarrassed BFRO member. Tim Duffy, Senior Vice President of Original Series for Spike even went further to emphasize an interest in bringing legitimate arguments to the table rather than prolonging what has already been disputed for years to come: "Nobody wants to watch another series of 10 or 13 episodes of television where nothing happens."

Take that, Animal Planet. Of course, should Bigfoot get proven real and humans go on to domesticate him, I'll totally sit down for an hour of My Bigfoot from Hell where Jackson Galaxy saves the day. Until then, we have Spike TV giving away the largest cash prize in television. This either means someone really believes in Bigfoot or really doesn't. Either way, hopefully this means there'll be no more false positives and this whole subject can get some much needed clarity.

As to whether there will ever be clarity, I really think this will provide some interesting and legitimate perspectives. Stunts like this would put the driving force behind Guilty Pleasures Radio out of business, but at least they'll be sufficiently informative. I think that's worth it in the end, don't you? I don't know if I'll sit down to watch every episode, but this can't be any worse than every other Bigfoot special, right? Will you be watching?

Halloween Movie Countdown #1: The Shining

Here it is: The Grand Daddy of Horror. The Shining may just be the best horror film ever made. That's being said with full appreciation for the divisive nature of the film. Most people fall into three camps when they watch The Shining: the first camp falls completely in love with it, the second camp is pissed off because writer/director Stanley Kubrick changed too much from Stephen King's novel, and the third camp looks at it and says, "This is boring." Well, there's a reason for all of those, but I clearly fall into the first camp. That's why I'm writing this, obviously.

Though a plethora of viewers saw the movie with the hopes that it would be just like the Stephen King novel came out disappointed, the entire setup still remains from the book. Both are about Jack Torrance, a man hired to be the caretaker of the Overlook Hotel during the winter months while the hotel is closed. He takes the job so he'll have more time to focus on writing. Along with Jack is his wife Winifred and his son Danny. Over the months of isolation, Jack begins to slip into madness - but is that simply cabin fever or something far more sinister?

The Shining is a slow burn, there's no mistaking that. The scares don't start until a significant way into the film, but right away Kubrick works his movie magic to create a very strong sense of tone. The eerie tone is created through music and symmetrical shots that, under a less seasoned filmmaker, would have come off cheesy. Here, they do the job wonderfully. You're almost on edge for a whole hour just because you know something is going to happen, but things can't go too quickly. This is not The Evil Dead. The isolation is not met immediately with evil killing forces. No, this is much smarter than that, and much, much better.

If you're looking for iconic horror imagery, you really need look no further than The Shining, a film far more influential to the landscape of cinema that most are willing to admit. Stanley Kubrick's attempt to make a mainstream film may not have completely churned out one, but it did continue to inspire techniques that would be utilized by films of all genres to this day. Of course, the easiest to point out is the use of steadicam for many of the tracking shots, most notably following young Danny Torrance on his tricycle through the hotel. This film is arguably the most influential horror movie of the past forty years. So many attempt to emulate the subtleties of this film to no avail.

In true Stanley Kubrick fashion, The Shining is a terrifying, disturbing experience, but that's not at all to say it isn't entertaining. If anyone could turn the story of a man turning dangerously insane into an entertaining 150 minute ride, it's Stanley Kubrick. The performances across the board are both realistic and stylized in a way that works far better than it should have. Jack Nicholson in particular turns in a performance that's terrifying yet has odd bursts of humor throughout the most intense scenes. This is truly a mad man you're watching.

This is a film that will not leave you for a long time. If you want proof of that, look no further than the hundreds of insanely detailed interpretations longtime fans of The Shining have come up with. Ask some - it's an allegory for the faked moon landing. Ask others - it's about the plight of the Native Americans. No, no, it's about the Holocaust. It's obviously about the cold war. Let me just ask - could it not simply be about the recurrence of evil in human nature? Whatever you think the film is "actually" about, it's going to get you thinking. That's really all that matters. If you want to look further into the very detailed interpretations of The Shining, there's a documentary coming out about it next year entitled Room 237 that seems worth a watch if you're into over-analysis of films. Who am I to say it's not really about secret knowledge Kubrick had about the faked moon landing?

Even knowing the outcome of the film, as most do, The Shining continues to be extremely effective for just about any viewing. I'm incredibly envious of those who got to see it in glorious 70mm this past summer in California. That'd be a dream come true, for as great as the film is on DVD, this is a film meant to be experienced fully in the cinema. That's true of every Kubrick film - they're intense, cerebral, immensely entertaining, and all of them are celebrations of the magic of movies. The Shining continues to disturb and entertain new viewers all the time, and if you're in a position where you can fit either category, you better go for it this Halloween. Trust me, these are words of wisdom.

Halloween Movie Countdown #2: Halloween

 Fear can take many forms. In fact, fear is such an interesting topic because it can be very different for each person. In one of the most terrifying films of all time, fear takes the form of a masked killer. A relentless, chilling killer, one that knows no limits. Michael Myers will get you, it is that simple.

John Carpenter's 1978 film Halloween captures fear perfectly. The plot is simple; a masked man is attempting to kill you. I think it is safe to say that would bring fear to just about everyone. Laurie Strode, played by a young Jamie Lee Curtis, is living her life as normal, when, on Halloween, she continues to see a strange masked man. This masked man appears in several locations, including Strode's own backyard, where he is standing staring up into her window. Strode is concerned, but continues on with her plans, which include babysitting the neighbor's child for Halloween night. The masked man, revealed to be Michael Myers, continues to haunt Strode throughout the night, killing off her friends one at a time, before coming for her.

While the storyline is chilling enough as it is, Carpenter's product must be viewed in order to be fully appreciated. The film instills fear in the viewer, making them feel as if they are in the place of Strode. Jamie Lee Curtis does a phenomenal job in her first feature film portraying Strode. We are presented with a good, clean teenager, as opposed to her friends who can be seen engaging in appropriate behavior. We find ourselves "rooting for" Strode, to the point that we almost become her in the film. When Michael Myers comes after Strode, we really feel he is coming after us.

The fear of Michael Myers comes from two main things, both of which John Carpenter can be credited for. Halloween set the stage for the common horror film, both through it's general storyline and through it's scene style. Carpenter uses camera angles and atmosphere to portray horror and gore, rather than flat out showing it, as one might fin in a horror film of a more recent decade. Carpenter was able to create the right atmosphere in each scene, telling the audience what was happening without actually having to show it. This style of storytelling creates an even stronger sense of fear for the audience. By keeping Myers unexplained and undeveloped, Carpenter is able to create a figure that can be feared by all. Myers' appearance and characteristics create a horrifying figure, one that the viewer wants to stay away from, both physically and emotionally.

While the image of Michael Myers is terrifying enough, the music associated with him brings about it's own sense of fear. The score, composed and performed by Carpenter himself, is relatively simple, perhaps explaining why it is so perfect. The simple piano melody added to the image of Michael Myers slowly moving towards his victim will send chills down your spine.



Halloween captures the feeling of complete horror so perfectly. The audience is afraid of what will come next, where Michael Myers will be, what he will do. John Carpenter places the audience in the shoes of Myers' victims, and the audience, whether they realize it or not, fears for their own lives. Not only do they want Laurie Strode to get away, they don't want Michael Myers to get them. The film ends, the horror is over, yet the viewer is left with an utter sense of fear. Michael Myers is coming for you.