Tag: Mushrooms

Pizza, Salad, and a Movie: Get Out

Last weekend’s Pizza Toppings at Corner Pizza:

  • Tomatoes
  • Jalapeños
  • Mushrooms

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It was a beautiful evening, so we sat outside on the patio. I had the V-8 salad (tomatoes + other fresh ingredients but no lettuce).

Movie:

Get Out

If you know anything about this film, you know it’s basically Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner meets horror film. I’m not a big fan of the latter, but the former is one of my all time favorite movies. I thought that film’s story was wonderful, and the acting was super.

Not so much with this movie. My husband liked it better than I did (and he is more okay with horror movies), and though I admit it was cleverly done, I don’t think it’s destined to be a classic. There was one scene in particular that truly horrified me, and – spoiler – it had to do with brain surgery. If you’ve read my third book, ALL THE ABOVE: MY SON’S BATTLE WITH BRAIN CANCER (or even if you haven’t yet) you’ll know why.

So, I came out of the theatre a bit shaken. But I guess that was the idea.

 

 

 

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Pizza and a Movie: Star Wars, Episode VII – the Force Awakens, in FRANCE!

Our Pizza Toppings at La Piazza Papa in Montpellier, France!

  • Black Olives
  • Ham
  • Mushrooms
  • Red Onions

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Movie:

Star Wars: Le Reveil de la Force

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Our final “Pizza and a Movie” for 2015 occurred during our vacation in the south of France for the Christmas holidays. Our first (and last) stop in France was in Montpellier, and on a rainy Sunday afternoon (and evening), we decided to go see Star Wars (in English, but with French subtitles, or the “Version Originale ST”). There were long queues for the Version Française (French dubbed version), but not for the Originale, so we were able to get tickets just before showtime.

What a great movie! I absolutely loved it, and if you saw the first and second movies (episodes IV and V) when they came out in theaters like I did in the 1970s, I believe you will, too. If not, I still think you’ll enjoy it. They seemed to take everything that worked really well in those two movies and do them again in this film.

Le résultat? My favorite movie of 2015.

In my French conversation class, we often talk about movies, and also about how an American film title is sometimes completely changed instead of just translated. This time, I like the translation better than the English title. “Le Reveil de la Force” does mean “The Force Awakens,” but, more literally, it means “The Awakening of the Force.”

That may seem like a small thing, but it’s significant to me, as an author who often agonizes over the exact wording of titles.

Another note: one scene in particular reminded me of the famous line in Episode IV: “These aren’t the droids you’re looking for,” which has become a family saying chez nous. When you see this movie, you’ll know which scene I’m talking about.

The Pizza:

We had a drink first at a café on Place de la Comédie, then walked over to La Piazza Papa and asked to share (partager) this pizza. When the serveur brought it, the pizza had already been divided in two. It seemed fitting for a country that values l’égalité!

Vive la France! et Bonne Année 2016!

 

 

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Pizza and a Movie: Man from Uncle

This weekend’s Pizza Toppings at Corner Pizza:

  • Anchovies
  • Mushrooms
  • Shallots

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Movie:

Man from Uncle

Because the weather this week in Atlanta was unbelievably beautiful (for August), my husband and I had our pizza on the patio.

Maybe you don’t like anchovies. We do. It’s an acquired taste, and we don’t choose them on our pizza very often; trust me, they taste better than they look. And you don’t need to add any salt to the pizza.

Now for the film. I watched Man from Uncle on television in the 1960s and loved it. This movie was well done, funny, and entertaining. The car chases were great, and one scene, while the characters were clothes shopping, was particularly good. If you never saw the TV series, I still think you’ll like this movie.

Especially if you were alive when there was an Iron Curtain.

The casting was great, too. The Russian was played by the same actor who played the twins in The Social Network, and the woman was in one of my favorite films, A Royal Affair. Both nailed their roles in this film, as did the other male lead.

Just like with anchovies on a pizza: Try it, you’ll like it.

 

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Pizza and a Movie: The Gift

This weekend’s Pizza Toppings at Corner Pizza:

  • Italian Sausage
  • Pepperoni
  • Mushrooms
  • Bacon
  • Green Peppers
  • Onions
  • Garlic

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Movie:

The Gift

Yes, that’s 7 toppings, not just 3; we went off the page (or, to the bottom of it) this time, and ordered a Specialty Pizza called “The Upper Crust.” It was very good – and colorful.

Then we went to see the film, a suspense that, at times, seemed to borrow from Hitchcock. I was on the edge of my seat (literally) during most of it, and was thankful I had someone’s arm to grab (my husband’s). It was so scary that once or twice I even had to remind myself, This is a movie! It’s not real!

Maybe I liked it because I write thrillers. Or maybe because it was super suspenseful, and was well done. Perhaps both. In any case, if you like that kind of thing, I think you’ll like this film. The bad guy was very bad, and in my opinion, he got what he deserved.

One thing that intrigued me was the title. There were several gifts in The Gift – I didn’t count them up, but like our pizza toppings that night, there were more than 3. Let me put it this way: every time someone opens up one of them, brace yourself.

And make sure you have somebody’s arm to grab.

 

 

 

 

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Pizza and a Movie: Ricki and the Flash

This weekend’s Pizza Toppings at Corner Pizza:

  • Feta Cheese
  • Green Peppers
  • Mushrooms

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Movie:

Ricki and the Flash

No matter what the film, I’ve always loved Meryl Streep.

The first one I remember seeing her in was Kramer vs. Kramer, and I saw it in France (with French subtitles) when I spent a year there in college. In that and every other movie I’ve seen her in, I was awed by her performance. In Ricki and the Flash, she’s wonderful, as usual. I loved the music in this film, too, and hearing her sing.

I won’t say this is the best movie I’ve ever seen – or ever seen her in – but it was good. There was one scene at a round table in a restaurant (near the beginning) that was very funny, and there were many other great moments. Near the end, as people danced at a wedding reception, I found myself wishing that my own had been as memorable, and as much fun.

Which brings me to the pizza pictured above. No, my husband and I didn’t have pizza at our wedding, but we did share this one. And no, we didn’t eat all of it – we saved a few slices and took them home.

I picked all the toppings this time. He agreed, with the caveat that one had to be Green Peppers, because (since he’s been keeping track of our toppings) it was the only one we hadn’t chosen yet. We both like them, so we didn’t know why we hadn’t had them yet; for some reason, we had forgotten to.

If you’re a fan of Meryl Streep, don’t forget to go see her in Ricki – especially if you like stories about the choices we make in life.

 

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Pizza and a Movie: Jurassic World

This weekend’s Pizza Toppings at Corner Pizza:

  • Ground Beef (hamburger)
  • Mushrooms
  • Sliced Tomatoes

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Movie:

Jurassic World 

Okay – it was a hamburger pizza, complete with toppings you might put on one, and I guess it was in honor of Father’s Day this weekend. But it was tasty, and lighter than burgers would have been. And then we went to see Jurassic World.

We had gone to see Jurassic Park, I think (or maybe, with four young kids at home then, we rented it), and I had read that book by Michael Crichton. I had read and heard a little about this film (“it was the same story, basically”), and like Jurassic Park, it was suspenseful and scary. But I enjoyed the earlier film a lot more.

Although – don’t get me wrong. I’m as glued to the screen when I see (fake) dinosaurs gobble up people as the next person is. The story line was clever enough, and the little bit of dialogue was okay. But the thing that got me thinking the most was, how did that woman run so far, so long, and so fast in high heels?

A lot has been written recently about the same issue, and before I saw the film, I read the New York Times article Science Weighs in on High-Heels. But until I watched the heroine in action, I forgot about what I’d read. Then, I saw the actress wearing them early in the movie. And I kept waiting for her to take them off, especially after another character pointed them out to her.

But she didn’t – at least, I saw her still wearing them, at the end. If a movie (or book) calls for it, I’m happy to engage in the willing suspension of disbelief for the sake of the story, but I must say that in this instance, I had a hard time with it.

Who runs in high heels, anyway? If I were her and a dinosaur were chasing me, kicking off those heels would have been the first thing I’d have done. I do wear heels (and flats), and the last time I wore heels and regretted not taking them off was a couple of years ago, when I danced for too long at a wedding. My feet and ankles ached for days afterward, and I learned my lesson. I don’t really know why I kept them on that night, but I suspect it was the combination of vanity (I had just bought those shoes) and champagne.

In any case, back to the movie, and to the pizza. My husband seemed to enjoy both, and I don’t think he noticed the high heels marathon – he didn’t remark about it. He rarely takes note of what size heels I wear (even though he’s only a few inches taller than me), but once, he did marvel that I had packed four pairs of beige (nude) shoes of various heel height on weeklong trip to Texas and California. I smiled then and took it as a compliment.

Today, I’m off to a book signing at The Book Worm Bookstore in Powder Springs, Georgia, along with two other authors. I wasn’t sure whether to wear heels or flats, so I compromised. I’m wearing the heels and taking the flats along in case I need them.

But I won’t be running!

 

 

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