Monday, May 27, 2013

Horrors of YouTube: The Mangler

Sometimes YouTube provides when Netflix cannot. I found some slimy horror movies that aren't available on Netflix in either streaming or disc form, one of which is Tobe Hooper's 1995 pancake of shit The Mangler, starring scare icons Robert Englund and Ted Levine. It also stars Vanessa Pike, who plays a girl approaching her sixteenth birthday but looks forty.

 
She'll be fine.


The Mangler is based on the Stephen King short story of the same name, which appeared in his awesome 1978 Night Shift collection. This movie is not awesome. This movie is full of half-assed special effects; leaden dialogue that doesn't resemble any human conversation I've had or heard to date (if that sounds intriguing to you, save your energy; it's the result of horrible construction rather than weirdness); women who are useless at everything except dying, crying, and screaming; and embarrassing "old man" facial prosthetics.


Handguns work on possessed laundry machines made of solid iron. It's science. 

The plot unravels before our blank stares and leaves us with a bunch of unanswered questions and the urge to sever our internet connections.  Ted Levine is John Hunton, a surly detective who hates his job and is haunted by his reponsibility for the car wreck that killed his wife. Hunton investigates some nasty occurrences at the Blue Ribbon laundry, which involve the titular "character": a hulking, toothy folding machine that works fine on hospital bedsheets but not so well on shrill employee Mrs. Frawley, who makes the brilliant decision to stick her fingers into the mouth of the machine to retrieve an antacid tablet.  She ends up looking like the melted and blood-drenched Chucky doll from the end of Child's Play 2, and things roll downhill from there as Hunton and his occult-studying brother-in-law Mark beat up a murderous refigerator, ask a woman if she's a virgin with no explanation as to why this is relevant (the Mangler enjoys a good virgin sacrifice), and throw a crucifix and holy water at the demonic Mangler while yelling the Lord's Prayer.  The movie is as deadly as the Mangler in its desire to be taken seriously but is dull and insulting to the intelligence instead of uninentionally funny, which makes the whole mess a total waste. Robert Englund's Bill Gartley, the nasty laundry owner who serves as part of a conspiratorial deal with the Devil, doesn't even get any flinch-inducing wisecracks. Unless you want to feel what could have been a perfectly good hour and forty-six minutes mangled to death, avoid this movie.

Friday, May 17, 2013

Cocktails and Dinosaurs: News and Libations for the Weekend of May 17, 2013

Semi-regular posts made to remind you this blog still exists.  I'm serious.  We're still here.


(via EV Grieve via Bobby Williams)
  • The entire new season of Arrested Development finally premieres on Netflix May 26th.  Want to know the moment it's added to Netflix?  Just text ANN to 619-EGG-VEAL.  I'm not kidding.

    In ANNticpation of the new season, the Bluth Banana Stand has been making the rounds to Big Britain, New York, and pretty soon LA.  Check out some pictures from the Nevernude meet up at the Big Yellow Joint yesterday in Times Square (Buzzfeed).

    Throwing a Arrested Development Season 4 viewing party?  Need food ideas?  There are literally dozens of websites talking about this.  Pinterest!  HuffPo.  Food Republic.  BluthFamilyReunion.

    Oh yeah!  Watch the Trailer for Season 4 while you're waiting!
  • Speaking of great shows coming back, according to Entertainment Weekly, the IT Crowd is coming back for a 40-minute finale special!!!!!  AAAAAAAAAAAAaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhh!

    Between The IT Crowd, Arrested Development, and Veronica Mars all coming back, I'm in constant state of jubilation and tears (of joy, of course).
  • Marshmallow, Marshmallow.


    New York cops, firefighters, &c refer to hipsters as marshmallows because they're soft and white.  Sure, there are other forms of hate speech we should be addressing, but it's a funny video.  I am now official obsessed with John Roberts (aka Linda Belcher from Bob's Burgers) YouTube channel.
  • Here's a great article on why we should care more about slut-shaming.  Read it!! (Jezebel)
  • The X-Men Made Me A Feminist.  Hell yeah!!!!
  • Stay tuned to our tumblr page because we will be posting awesome vegan food and beverage photos all weekend!!!!!!!

Cocktail of the Week:  Aviation

















The Aviation is made with gin, lemon juice, maraschino liqueur, and creme de violette served straight up with a cherry.  These are so delicious, I wish every bar made them.


Email that crap out of us @ monicatara[at]gmail.com.  Or just comment here!  We love you and we want feedback and cocktail ideas!

Friday, March 15, 2013

MTV Blows

Music Television, which needs to change its name to TeenDumpNet before I smack the sandwich out of its hands, used to show Beavis and Butthead, Daria, Bjork videos, and things like this:




Now its schedule is comprised almost solely of things like this - "reality" shows that find just the right balance of depressing and boring:



I realize that we're living in a different era now, where most of MTV's target demographic is too busy scrolling angrily through the twelve flirtatious comments on their exes'  Facebook selfies to pay attention to smart, off-kilter characters and writing. Case in point, Beavis and Butthead came back with a vengeance (still funny!) but receded into the ether at some point, leaving me confused and scared. Warren the Ape debuted to an undeserved collective yawn and died a fiery death after one season.  This year, other than announcing a third season of Awkward, there are zero attempts on MTV's part to retain any shred of dignity it once had.

And it pisses me off for being so phony.  It often has no patience for "talking head" scenes, like Bravo does (but Bravo is for slow, rickety oldsters who like their episodes of Real Housewives of Beverly Hills punctuated by ads for Lipitor and Activia), so they toss kids bland scripts and make them do stiff voice-overs.  Things along the lines of:

"I never thought that having a child would be so difficult."

*crickets*

"It really has made me think about what's important in life.  But I really don't know if I want to give up my dreams of being a famous model."

*sound of me falling onto glass coffee table*

I also noticed that a lot of MTV's "fights" now involve one angry (and by "angry" I mean "pretty annoyed" - you have to take the dregs of the passion department in this neighborhood) kid whining to another kid, who is staring slack-jawed into the middle distance as they "process" the angry kid's points. The rebuttal is usually something like, "Okay, well, like, that's the way things are gonna have to be."  With friends like these, who needs Lunesta?



Last night I watched an episode of True Life, which I don't believe MTV hires actors for but which I'm certain coaches and stages the shit out of the proceedings until you feel like you're watching really bad TeenNick (The Real World is in this camp, and even has shameless product placement; Sun Drop pullover hoodie, anyone?).  This particular episode enraged me on a personal level: In I Have Orthorexia, Andrew makes a "conscious effort not to poison [his] body" by going vegan. Granted, he cares nothing about animals and is vegan strictly for health reasons, but motivations aside, his absolute ignorance about his chosen lifestyle is inexcusable. In this age of Google-a-bob and Searchy McHotJeeves and such, this jackass's veganism apparently amounts to steamed vegetables, plain white rice, and water. His body becomes frail and his complexion becomes volatile. He and the people around him (including MTV's producers) send this clear message: Veganism is the product of an obsessive disorder; it leaves you feeling imprisoned by your limitations; it damages your physical health and appearance; if people just woke up and ate organic grass-fed meat that came from "humane slaughterhouses, where they're really nice to the animals" (WHAT, ANDREW?) they'd be robust and jubilant instead of a total buzzkill.

UNACCEPTABLE.
 
Andrew eventually eats a local, "natural" hamburger at his friend's house, and the moment is filmed as if he's getting a long-awaited "remission" stamp at Sloan-Kettering. Note that he gets the ground beef from a farmer who explains that the stress level of a cow affects the taste of the meat. That's a  shame, since getting your trachea ripped out while you're still alive usually causes a small to moderate amount of stress.
 
 
 


I should compose a sternly worded letter to MTV and demand that it rerun Jimmy the Cab Driver segments and the alternative/electronica/Return of the Rock morning video bursts I watched while sipping coffee through my teens and early twenties. Until I get an answer, I guess I'll move on to True Life: I'm a Bridesmaid. 
There's always Netflix....

Cocktails and Dinosaurs: News and Libations for the Weekend of March 15, 2013

Semi weekly posts you waited nearly half a year to come back.  Maybe this time you'll leave comments!

Tom Hardy Huddling with His Puppy
(via hollywood.com)

According to ecorazzi, Tom Hardy is in New York City shooting, Animal Rescue.  Can this movie please just be 120 minutes of Tom Hardy snuggling a pit bull puppy?  Actually, the perfect movie would be him snuggling a pit bull puppy, then drunk Nick Nolte, then back to the pit bull puppy.

  • While we're on the topic of dog actors, Lizzy, an adorable Corgi pouch, got fired from The Audience, a play she was starring in with Dame Helen Mirren*.  Lizzy apparently refused to "obey" Dame Mirren's commands.  Sources say Mirren took issue with Lizzy improvising during scripted scene. (via The Telegraph)
    *Helen Mirren, best known for her portrayal as Mrs. Tingle in Teaching Mrs. Tingle.  

Obligatory Corgi Video
(Special Thanks to Jezebel)

  • Veronica Mars... wait for it... THE MOVIE!!!!  Holy Shit!  I never thought this day would come.  They have a Kickstarter and a video that makes me want to watch the entire series right now (which I am watching while blogging).  Oh yeah and they're going to start filming this summer.  I heard a rumor** that if they can collect $4 mil, Ken Marino is a definite!  Can you live in a Veronica Mars world without Ken Marino?  Neither can I!!!
    **When I say rumor, that means I made that up, but the internet can pressure Ken Marino if he's not already involved!  We can make this happen!!
  • Are there visions of Armageddon 2:  Apocalyptic Boogaloo break dancing in my head or is that just Steve Tyler talking about writing a song with Taylor Swift? (via jezebel)
  • Have you ever wondered why Die Hard with a Vengeance broke the Christmas theme in Die Hard?  It almost doesn't feel like a Die Hard movie at all to be honest except for the brother of Hans Gruber seeking revenge on McClane part.  Is it possible that the rumors about Die Hard 3 starting out as Lethal Weapon 4 are true?  Close... but if you want to know the truth read on.  (via comicbookresource.com)
  • Do you know about JASH yet?  I mean you should know about JASH by now, it's the future of the internet, it's the new internet, it's going to make everyone whose reality is partially based in online life a lot better quality-wise.  Let's all send thank you letters to Sarah Silverman, Michael Cera, Tim & Eric, and Reggie Watt.  When I say thank you letters, I mean snail mail on personalize stationary with cute stickers on the envelope because these people care about us.  The Youtube we knew is gone, embrace JASH! (via The Daily What)
  • Remember the Mark McGrath and Friends Cruise!  Essentially every band that didn't survive the 90's... right? There might be a couple more.  So that got cancelled and right now I am laughing hysterically at Mark McGrath's tweet about "that poop cruise" doing them no favors. (via BrooklynVegan)
  • Justin Timberlake sung and danced his way into the hearts of every vegan with one skit on Saturday Night Live:

Cocktail of the Week:  Hot Toddy




















There are too many recipes for a hot toddy on the interwebs.  The essentials are whiskey, hot water, honey (aka agave nectar or bee-free honee), and lemon.  Wild cards include tea, cloves, cinnamon sticks, etc.  When it comes to cocktails, just add what you like.  If you enjoy it, that's all that matters.  My recipe above included agave nectar, lemon juice, whiskey, a lemon slice with whole cloves, and hot water.

Email that crap out of us @ monicatara[at]gmail.com.  Or just comment here!  We love you and we want feedback and cocktail ideas!

Monday, October 22, 2012

Tempeh and Mushroom Strogonoff - Looks So Odd. TASTES SO GOOD.


Autumn. Giver of gourds. The ideal season to slide back into the routine of wrestling with your can opener in a hot kitchen while accidental dustings of pumpkin pie spices and smears of canola oil surround you.  The drudgery looks quite worthwhile when you're finally stuffing your face with the hearty and scrumptious fruits of your labor. (To defend against this statement getting used out of context, I must reiterate that I do not advocate or tolerate the consumption of babies.)

I was looking for a simple new strogonoff recipe when I came across this great one from Whole Foods. Of course, pay no attention to the suggestion to use a vegan OR non-vegan ingredient (Tofutti Sour Supreme or death!!).


Getting started....look at those attractive choppings. I always engage in the risky activity of buying supermarket produce, and this time wasn't disappointed. Shop Rite usually sells perfectly decent portobello mushrooms and white onions. The sometimes-exquisite-sometimes-practically-decomposed apples may leave you breathless with rage, however.


Luscious frangrance as the garlic, onion, and mushrooms brown in the pan.


The finished yumm-o dish. As I mixed the brown gravy and sour cream, I couldn't help getting suspicious that this would taste like vomit (and not the superb Bad Taste kind). One bite was all it took to remind myself that I am an ignorant troll.

Notes: Instead of the suggested packet of gravy mix, I used about three quarters of a 10.5 ounce can of Shop Rite brand mushroom gravy. Also, I substituted instant whole wheat couscous for brown rice. Since rice is now being reported as a festering cancer bomb along with apple and grape juice (the cause, of course, is humans' slap-happy use of pesticides), I often use couscous, lentils, or quinoa in place of rice.

If you're looking for a dinner entree that warms your soul as well as any Quaker product, give this recipe a try and let me know what you think!


Friday, October 12, 2012

Cocktails and Dinosaurs: VeganMoFo Edition Week 2

Semi-weekly posts dedicated to the discovery of week old news on the internet.



This was my meal tonight for watching the US Vice Presidential Debate.  Soba Noodle Soup from Wild Ginger and Pumpkin Ale.  Oh yeah, and tons of Sriracha.

  • Speaking of Pumpkin Ale, I found a bunch of pumpkin ale taste tests on the internet, like on bon appetit, drinkcraftbeer.com, and The Daily Meal.  The Smuttynose Pumpkin Ale seems to be fan favorite.  I can't vouch for them yet, but give me a week.
  • Pinnacle Vodka has a new flavor out just in time for the holidays.  But what kind of cocktail can you make with a Pumpkin Pie flavor vodka?  I got it!  Vegan White Russian with Pumpkin Pie Vodka.  That might be terrible, let me know.
  • While we're in pumpkin season, why not make vegan pumpkin whipped cream or pumpkin hummus OR a pumpkin keg.  Pumpkin Keg!  Okay, it's more of a pumpkin beer trough, but PUMPKIN KEG sounds so much cooler.
  • David Lynch has released his own signature limited edition Dom Perignon, The Power of Creation.  For the low low price of $150 US you can become the proud owner of your very own Lynchian Champagne filled with non-linear flavor structures and bubbles that defy logic with their own dark mystical behavior.
    Dom Perignon is vegan!  So the real question is, do I really need a new winter coat or should I buy a bottle of champagne I probably won't understand until I've drank it three or four times?
  • Hey Al Gore!  I think James Cameron just called you a fraud.
    "'You can’t be an environmentalist, you can’t be an ocean steward, without truly walking the walk,' said Cameron, 58. 'And you can’t walk the walk in the world of the future, the world ahead of us, the world of our children, not eating a plant-based diet.'" (via The Examiner)



  • The Cinnamon Snail's Adam Sobel shares vegan cooking tips on Ecorazzi.  Get advice about everything from "how to prepare a bad ass tofu" to vegan frosting.

Korean Sausage and Potato Special from the Cinnamon Snail


Cocktail of the Week:  Aviation

I had this cocktail at Gallow Green located on the roof of the McKittrick Hotel, home of the "long-running interactive theater hit Sleep No More". (via New York Mag)  The Aviation cocktail is made with gin, creme de violette, lemon juice and a maraschino cherry and has made me change my opposition on gin.

Send any news tidbits and cocktails ideas to: monicatara[at]gmail.com

Friday, October 5, 2012

Cocktails and Dinosaurs: VeganMoFo Edition Week 1

Semi-weekly posts with an assortment of news I found on the internet and then regurgitate for you here with links and stuff.



The month of October is the Vegan Month of Food, better known as VeganMoFo.  So if you're confused about what our blog is doing, you can read about it here.  While your at it, discover some great blogs, find amazing recipes, and look at hours of vegan food porn.

  • Speaking of vegan food porn, we've been flooding our twitter account with tasty photos from our delicious food adventures.  Follow us @blog_scuse_me!
  • Could Coachella switch to 100% Vegetarian Event if Morrissey and Johnny Marr will just put their differences aside and perform as the Smiths? According to Morrissey, yes.  What if after they played Coachella they went on a world tour?  Would the whole world go vegetarian?  There is only one way to find out.  Smiths Reunion Tour!!  (via Stereogum)
  • If you read the Stereogum article above, then you know Eric Bana is Morrissey's favorite Australian animal.  Can we just take a moment to appreciate that?

  • Do you like Sci Fi?  Are you a vegan?  Did you know Michael Dorn is a vegan?  Do you know who Michael Dorn is?  Well, if you've answered yes to most of those questions, then there a site for you!!  It's called VeganSciFi.com.

 


  • Vegan hair care products tested on film stars?  I guess I can live with that.  Rosario Dawson, Natalie Imbruglia, and hair care expert Tara Smith team up to build a better coif. (via Veg News)
  • On Grub Street this week, an article titled, "Eight Surprisingly Awesome New Vegan Dishes."  Is "surprisingly" necessary?  Anyway, "surprisingly" I've only been to one place this list so far.  Beyond Sushi is amazing and has had a table at the NYC Vegetarian Food Festival the past two years.  I can't wait to try these other spots.  

Cocktail of the Week:  Kentucky Ginger


This is a cocktail I got at The Campbell Apartment in Grand Central Station.  If my memory serves me correct, this cocktail contained Maker's Mark, Domaine de Canton (ginger-flavored liqueur), and some sort of muddling with rosemary.  Essentially, a pricier version of a bourbon and ginger ale (psst... that's my favorite drink).  It was tasty, but the slight flirtation of rosemary made me wish there was more.


 These are some pictures inside The Campbell Apartment which creates a really cool, old new york-esque atmosphere (i.e. makes me feel important as I eat olives and sip cocktails).

















Send any news tidbits and cocktails ideas to: monicatara[at]gmail.com