The Art of the Mix Drink: The After Dinner Cocktail

The After Dinner Cocktail
1 oz. Old Mr. Boston Apricot Flavored Brandy
1 oz. Curacao
Juice of 1 Lime
Stir well with cracked ice and strain into 3 oz. cocktail glass. Leave lime in glass

This was the first real home run I hit in the book. The sweet of the Curacao and the sower of the lime blend great and the Apricot slant to the brandy truly gives it an after dinner feel. I feel I should make note that when these recipe's call for Old Mr. Boston, I'm usually finding an equivalent as Mr. Boston doesn't get around as much as he used to. As for the lime. I do fresh when I can and even picked up a small hand juicer for limes and lemons. The After Dinner will definitely make the final list.

The Art of the Mix Drink: The Affinity Cocktail

The Affinity Cocktail

.75 oz. Dry Vermouth

.75 oz. Sweet Vermouth

.75 oz. Old Mr. Boston Scotch Whisky

2 Dashes Orange Bitters

Stir well with cracked ice and strain into 3 oz. cocktail glass.

This one seemed interesting with the sweet/dry Vermouth mix which I've only seen in a perfect Manhattan. However I like my Manhattans imperfect (no dry vermouth) and with Bourbon so this one really wasn't for me. Again, it was a bit strong so I would recommend keeping the ice in the drink. See previous posts for the acquisition of orange bitters.

The Art of the Mix Drink: The Addonis Cocktail

The Addonis Cocktail

1 Dash Orange Bitters

.75 oz. Sweet Vermouth

1.5 oz. Dry Sherry Wine

Shake well with cracked ice and strain into 3 oz. cocktail glass.

After already acquiring the Orange Bitters for The Abbey Cocktail, the only struggle here was the Sherry wine which comes in a variety of flavors. I went with a Sandeman Medium Dry Amontillado Sherry which seemed like a good 'middle of the road' choice. The results was a solid after dinner drink but still along the strong side. Like the Abbey, I suggest keeping the ice in the drink or adding another element to cut it.

Next up, the Affinity Cocktail!

The evolution of Animation

Although I do not consider myself an expert in animation, I'm certainly an enthusiast dating back to my formative years where there was no such thing as a Pixar. The 1980's were filled with toy lines masquerading as cartoons but the one that stood out from all of them was The Transformers. I loved the look and feel of the angular, japanese robots as they battled over the Northwest terrain. However there were certain episodes that just didn't feel right. It turns out these episodes were done by the AKOM animation team, rather that Toei Animation, who's responsible for many a famous cartoon. Then I saw the Movie in 1985 and saw what Toei could really do, given time and a budget. The subsequent season left little to know impression on me, primarily because the characters and direction of the cartoon had changes. But I think it also had to do with Toei only doing a handfull of episodes.

Similarly, in the early days of Batman: the Animated Series, there was an A and B animation team that were night and day. The A team would produce striking and dynamic poses with the dark knight, using light and shadow to turn him into the myth we all know and love. The B team suffered from perspective issues, often made gotham too bright, and at times framed the scene too close so characters were sometimes crouching

I think you can figure out which team is which. Interestingly enough these are from different parts of the two part episode "Feat of Clay". I assume the producers sacrificed the first episode, knowing they'd want their A team to animate the shape shifting Clayface.

The Simpson's started out the afore mentioned AKOM team who's early efforts were often quite crass and the characters ended up off model. Remember the unidentified purple goop the family used to scarf down at the dinner table? The writer's explain in the commentary that this baffling substance was not by their request. The style quickly improved but there was a particular moment around season 5 where a distinct, fluid style appears which reflects the more surreal subject matter. As the Simpsons humor grows beyond the dysfunctional family and becomes more scatological, the animation seems to be falling in step. Notice how Lyle Langely gingerly floats up to the main stage in the classic Monorail song:

There are also several episodes where the Simpsons pupils have increased dramatically, giving them a dilated effect. When a character was in extreme emotion, the animators would have their pupils dartto the side awayt from one another giving them a real feel of lunacy.

The producers go on record in the DVD commentary that this was not to their liking, but I think it's perfect given the nature of the humor and it automatically lets you know that this is one of the good ones.

Eventually, the animation moves to the digital realm and seasons 10-20 become impossible to identify. Coincidentally, the humor becomes more independent of the characters and ceases to have any real consequence. Batman: The Animated Series also refines it's style in it's later years and it looks professional and slick. There's no doubt this is the most sensible approach and is the ultimate desire of the creator. But for me, I enjoyed the gambit of finding out in the opening minutes whether you were in for a real visual treat, or just another average experience.

(If you really want to delve into the intricacies of animation, I suggest you visit John Kricfalusi's excellent blog on all forms of cartooning

DVD Review: Batman: Under the Red Hood

I'm gonna say good, but not great here are my issues:

1. Voice acting - At this point, there's no reason to cast anyone other than Kevin Conroy and Mark Hammil as the Joker. This would have given it an even closer tie to BTAS. I thought DiMaggio had an interesting interpretation, but his voice is just too well known to me at this point. I just kept thinking of Bender on Futurama. Equally as distracting was Neil Patrick Harris as Nightwing. Too jokey, not enough heft. Plus, he's the Music Meister on Batman B&tB. And whomever was the Black Mask didn't just chew the scenery, he swallowed it whole.

2. Tone - I wasn't a big fan of the aggro tone of the piece which clashed heavily with the retro flashback's to Todd as Robin. Batman's in full a-hole mode and you never feel any remorse for the what Jason Todd has become. He was shocked when he learned Red Hood's identity (which BTW, the world's greatest detective should have caught onto a lot earlier) but trauma like this should have cracked his grim visage. Maybe have him open up to Nightwing and express his pride in his first partner/adopted son. Instead he shoos him away like a pesky fly. Which brings up a bad piece of plotting: Nightwing rolls his ankle and is never seen again in the film? He should have appeared somewhere in the final act.

3. Animation - For the most part it was good, but the CGI was uneccesary and really poor.

So certainly not as off as Superman Doomsday, but nowhere as good as Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths. Next up on the DC direct to DVD slate is an adaptation of Superman/Batman vol. 2 Supergirl which I didn't care for much the 1st time around. After that is supposedly All Star Superman, which is probably the greatest Superman story since Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow? I'm a bit worried...

The Art of the Mix Drink: Abbey Cocktail

Welcome to a new series of blogs inspired by a gift I received from my Mom a few months prior. While going through some old items in our basement, mom discovered a very nice bar tending set along with a 51st edition of the Old Mr. Boston DeLuxe Official's Bartender Guide. Mom and Dad did not want it so I gladly accepted it, as I've always wanted to expand my knowledge of the classic cocktails (yes Mad Men is partly to blame). I'm gonna go alphabetically and try to do 1-2 a week. So without further ado...

The Abbey Cocktail
1.5 oz. Old Mr. Boston Dry Gin
Juice of .25 Orange
1 Dash Orange Bitter
Shake well with cracked ice and strain into 3 oz. cocktail glass. Add a Maraschino cherry.

I was unable to locate the Mr. Boston Dry Gin so I went with Beefeater London Dry Gin. Close enough, right? The OJ came directly from the fruit so that only left us with the orange bitters which was nowhere to be found locally and was ordered through Amazon. I followed the instructions and the result was rather strong (the thing is mostly gin). I threw some ice in it which made it a bit smoother. So I'd recommend either putting this on the rocks, sugaring the rim of the glass, or increasing the amount of OJ in the recipe at least to match the amount of gin.

The next three involve Absinthe which I'm
1. Not a big fan of
2. Only comes in large volumes and is pricey
3. No longer contains the key ingredient, wormwood, if bought in the good 'ol US of A
So I'm gonna skip these and return to them later. Next up: The Adonis Cocktail

At the Movies: THX 1138

After getting together for a Watchmen Directors Cut viewing, me and my buddies Adam and John decided this experience should be a weekly occurrence and the movies should be new to at least one of us. This week, Adam selected THX 1138: George Lucas' 1971 1st feature film based off his short college film. The film maintains many of the tropes of a college film, favoring visual imagery over a well defined narrative. It also feels right at home in the 70's sci fi genre, sharing elements from The Prisoner, Logan's Run, Solaris, and the grandaddy, 2001: A Space Oddity. At times I found myself a bit bored with the film, but that could be chalked up to the time period (and my attention span). Initially, I wondered how a meditative movie like this could have come from Ol' Georgie. But as it progressed, I realized there is indeed a spiritual connection between this and his grand Star Wars opus.

While both the characters of Luke Skywalker and THX1138 face an oppressive regime they struggle to rise above, THX finds himself in a much more stifling situation. While Skywalker is merely bored and craves adventure and excitement, THX find himself in a society which has eliminated all individuality or artistic expression. Even sexual desire is forbidden, as it is for Anakin Skywalker and all Jedi in the Star Wars Prequels (which speaks a lot to Lucas' hangups, but I digress). Medication is provided to quell the need for human expression which is certainly still relevant in our prozac nation. There is a religious aspect to this society, although it appears to be merely a facade. Characters are seen in a futuristic confessional booth conversing with an automated voice and a static image of Jesus christ. THX and his roommate, ZUH, are seen in a kneeling position as if praying toward Mecca briefly, but no further explanation is given. THX is eventually led out of this induced haze by ZUH and the two express their love for one another and are persecuted for it. THX is beaten and sequestered, but eventually escapes alone to a unknown surface which appears to be a free haven. The threat of this type of society coming to fruition is not significant, but the feelings of oppression and isolation are all to real , especially in the teenage years. There's also the theme of overwhelming technology which may be even more relevant now than it was back then. The bottom line is Lucas is dealing with some pretty heavy stuff and doing it with style and refinement. Which begs the question: WTF happened to George Lucas?

Visually and audibly, the film shares even a more closer connection to the original Star Wars trilogy. There are many an electronic beep and hum which will bring back fond memories of your youth. The writing credits for the film are shared between Lucas and Walter Murch who primarily works as a sound designer. Visually, there's the stark black on white of Vader and the stormtroopers, there are droids with limited capabilities, and there's a lot of big computers like the ones used to operate the death star. There's holograms, a car chase which might have well been speeder bikes and it ends on a giant sun setting in the West (allright, there should have been two suns). Unfortunately, many visual elements that have been tinkered with by Lucas which brought me nothing but dismay. This debate has been going on for what seems like forever and obviously I'm not going to end it. But I really would have preferred to see this film in its original format to appreciate what was accomplished in 1971.

THX 1138 was a challenging movie for its time, but at this point serves more as a ancillary tale on Lucas' path towards a cultural phenomenon.

*Final thought* After the opening accident at the plant where THX 1138 works, he brings home a multi-sided red object which he seems fascinated with. The red of the object pops amongst the grayscale frame it sits in. He drops it down the waste disposal when his roommate enters the room. It is clearly a sign that his conscious is fighting the medication, but I expected it to appear later in the film which it does not.