by Christina Waters | Dec 16, 2007 | Home, Movies |
The exact youthful energy, yearning innocence and reckless abandon that Baby Boomers brought to the world-altering ’60s is packed into Across the Universe, Julie (Frida, The Lion King) Taymor’s deceptively complex romp through the dawning of the age of counter-cultural awakening.
Ambitiously rife with imagination and spunk, the film takes Boomers on a magical mystery tour through the soundtrack of their coming of age.
That would be the Beatles, whose songs are re-awakened by the young cast who sing their way through a slender tale of boys and girls, hippies and wannabes, worlds colliding and tripping into the psychedelic fantastic. For any viewer old enough to remember all the lyrics, this film will more than reward its overly-long (and sometimes hokey) feast of sights and sounds.
Joe Alexander is brilliant as Max (above left), whose sister Lucy (in the sky with …played by Evan Rachel Wood) falls in love with a young Liverpudlian Jude (Jim Sturgess, above right). (more…)
by Christina Waters | Dec 15, 2007 | Home |
by Christina Waters | Dec 12, 2007 | Holidays |
Just when you thought it was safe to invite a few close friends over for a holiday gift exchange, some individuals simply go gonzo. Normally polite women, like the attractive, usually restrained Elaine (to protect her clients I am omitting her full name), can — given the prospect of a free present — lose all control. She wasn’t alone the other night at the tastefully-decorated home of Susan “knits in her sleep” Beach. There were others, women who know better but just plain lost it at the prospect of opening presents BEFORE CHRISTMAS!
Desperate Housewives. It started quietly enough. Elaine roamed through the
gleaming expanse of the recently remodelled Beach kitchen, picking at appetizer plates, rolling her eyes, making little moaning sounds. Then more cheese platters arrived. More moaning. Before we knew it, the place was crackling with pent-up female energy ready to explode.
Out of Control and Well-Accessorized. Here’s an example: pasta (from my friend Joan Levine’s Camouflage) shaped, well, like a certain part of human anatomy. Well this was certainly not my grandmother’s gift exchange, I can tell you. And by the time Elaine grabbed (yes, grabbed) for the large present in the center of 
the table, she went, well, ballistic.
The rest isn’t appropriate for a public venue, but you can use your imagination. Holiday gift exchange — think about it.
by Christina Waters | Dec 11, 2007 | Holidays |
To get you into the mood, here’s a shot of one eentsy slice of dioramic enchantment available at the gift shop in The Garden Company.
by Christina Waters | Dec 11, 2007 | Home |
Hot and spicy — perfect for chilly winter afternoons — are the pungently-scented tea creations from Malabar Trading Company. The Santa Cruz-based company specializes in exotic tea blends and kits, such as the handsomely packaged “Traditional Malabar Chai.” Armed with step by step instructions from Malabar’s founding culinary guide, Annaliese Keller (who gave us many delicious dining experiences at her Café Emmanuelle in days gone by), I simmered the blend of black pepper, cardomom, cloves and ginger (probably others too) in milk, and then added teaspoons of Assam black tea. Simmered a bit longer and then enjoyed the sort of sensory experience that the goddess Kali probably savors before taking on the souls of those with questionable karma.
Annaliese tells me that her chais, as well as other teas and tisanes, are available at the Aptos Farmers Market at Cabrillo College on Saturdays. “I also do a brisk internet business,” she says, pointing to the downloadable catalog on the website.
Special for the holidays, Malabar Trading Company has packaged a unique blend of mulling spices and vanilla bean — sounds like a very old-fashioned idea to add to wine or apple cider. Can you say “wassail? The chai sets run around $8 and make 32 servings. Aromatic stocking stuffer from a homegrown culinary artisan.
