Best Picture Baking Project: The Best Years of Our Lives

OK, I took an unexpectedly long awards season hiatus this year (honeymoon travel thrown in the mix certainly didn’t help), but…it was very cold and gray here this past Saturday, so… a 3 hour movie about men returning home from WWII it was!

Had I seen this one before?

No. I really thought I have, in high school maybe? But there were too many plot points and characters that were completely new to me, so I guess I had just read a lot about it and seen some clips.

Top 3 observations on this viewing?

1. This is full of pitch-perfect performances, Dana Andrews, Friedrich March, and Harold Russell (maybe the best non-actor acting performance ever?), are all turns heart-wrenching and heart warming in the three leads. But the various supporting players around them, particularly Myrna Loy in all her wry glory, all inhabit their characters so fully that even the ones you dislike feel real.

2. My only gripe is that it is a little too long, not on the scale of Best Pictures on the whole, but a few of the episodes hit the same beats. A minor quibble really though, I just think that the best scenes in this are so good that I wish they weren’t diluted by some of the filler.

3. For a 77 year old movie this remains so quotable! Loved Russel’s Homer messing with the Nazi apologist about his prosthetics:

Personal favorite line (from a very different scene – so many different tones handled so well in this movie!): “You see, we have a rather unusual relationship in our family. It may seem corny and mid-Victorian.”

What did it beat? Did it deserve to win?

Henry V – The Laurence Olivier version which I have never seen. But, as longtime readers know, the Henry plays are tough for me

It’s A Wonderful Life – One of the best movies ever made, I watch it on a big screen once a year and it never gets old

The Razor’s Edge – Never seen it, don’t have a ton of patience for Somerset Maugham

The Yearling – Love a weepy about a kid and an animal

This is tough, I completely get why the Academy went with Years and its a beautiful film, but I don’t think my heart will let me pick anything by It’s A Wonderful Life

Bechdel test pass?

Nope, but I want to stress again that the women, Loy and Theresa Wright especially, are all really wonderful. Their conversation about men are not empty exposition but genuine attempts to grapple with the gaps between the pre and post war realities. So, like, a technical fail, but not a spiritual one in my book.

Just two women in a family telling each other things!

OK, cake time! I made a Soldier’s Cake, which is a cake you can make with WWII rations, but because of that it is very dry, so I served with a heaping portion of whipped cream (I think it would be good with tea too!)

Soldier’s Cake

Ingredients

• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 cup water
• 1 cup raisins
• 2 tablespoons oil
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon grand cloves
• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Directions

1. In a heavy bottomed saucepan (I used my Dutch oven) mix the brown sugar, water, raisins, oil, cinnamon and cloves
2. Cook on high heat until boiling
3. Turn heat down to medium-low and stir for 5 minutes
4. Removed from heat to let cool to room temperature
5. Preheat oven to 350F
6. Grease a 8×4 baking or bread pan
7. Whisk together flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda
8. Add dry ingredients to cooled sugar mixture, stir until the flour is no longer visible
9. Spread evenly into the prepared pan
10. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until a tester comes out clean
11. Let sit for 10 minutes before serving

Best Picture Baking Project: The Artist

Oops, because of some travel, I skipped October. I was originally going to try to get 2 in this month, but it’s somehow almost Thanksgiving already, and I don’t know … but, fingers crossed I guess.

Because of this I forced myself to watch The Artist this Saturday evening when I was already pretty sleepy (a Friday night Taylor Swift dance party, plus marathon antique-mall-ing will knock this 33-year-old out). So, maybe not the fairest assessment I’ve ever written, but that’s ok, since…

Had I seen this one before?

Yes! But not since it was in theaters. I mostly remembered the dog and Michael Hazanavicius’s “Billy Wilder, Billy Wilder, Billy Wilder” speech.

Uggie is a very cute dog

Top 3 observations on this viewing?

1. Obviously, we all talked about how this was the first silent movie to win Best Picture since the first Oscars, in 1929, but I had forgotten how much it functions as a musical. The score is obviously central, but also the choreography of even the non-tap sequences all flows really seamlessly.
2. This is such a charm offensive, if Jean Dujardin or Berenice Bejo are actually jerks, not one tell me.

3. The dream sequences with sound is a lovely little short film within a film:

What did it beat? Did it deserve to win?

Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close – Never saw it, because the book made me sob so hard (This was the last awards season before I had a blog, and committed to forcing myself to watch things that made me sad if they were nominated for Best Picture)

Hugo – A delight. Also, a love letter to cinema, funny that they came out the same year. Always loved that Scorsese made this so his youngest daughter could watch a single one of his movies

Midnight in Paris – Look, fuck Woody Allen, but this movie worked for me. I saw it a bunch of times. I’m a sucker for literary references and winking time travel narratives. (Won’t be re-watching until Allen dies though!)

Moneyball – Saw it in theaters, remember very little. Love to pretend I understand everything about baseball based on watching it once.

The Descendants – I love George Clooney, and at the time was a little bit obsessed with Shailene Woodley. Remember liking this a lot based on the strength of their performances.

The Help – Saw it. Read the book. Fully understand now that it is cringey, but the performances elevate it slightly past continuous eye roll. (In my memory at least.)

The Tree of Life – Would love to see this on a big screen, because I only watched it on my laptop, but even so some of the images are seared into my brain

War Horse – An old school weepy, that I wept at a lot.

What a weird year! I feel like artistically it probably should have gone to The Tree of Life, but the Oscars are going to Osar and the love letter to movies is always going to beat the ethereal meditation on mortality. Maybe would say I liked Hugo more of the two love letters, but The Artist is in its own way a creative swing, and I like that.

Bechdel test pass?

No. And the whole plot is basically “A Star Is Born” but if she was manic-pixie-dream-girl enough to save him in the end.

I made black and white cupcakes, because the movie is black & white, and I am extremely creative – they were good!

Black & White Cupcakes

Ingredients

• 8oz cream cheese
• 1 egg
• 1 1/3 cups sugar
• 2/3 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup mini semisweet chocolate chips
• 1 1/2 cups of flour
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 cup water
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon cider vinegar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

1. Preheat oven 350F
2. Grease or line 1 12 cup muffin tin
3. Beat cream cheese, egg, 1/3 cup sugar, 1/8 teaspoon salt together in a bowl until light and fluffy
4. Stir in chocolate chips and set aside
5. In another bowl mix together flour, 1 cup sugar, cocoa, baking soda, and 1/2 teaspoon salt
6. Make a well in the center of dry ingredients and add water, oil, vinegar, and vanilla
7. Stir together until will blended
8. Fill the prepared muffin tins about 1/3 full with chocolate batter
9. Top each one with a dollop of cream cheese mixture
10. Bake for 25-min or until tester comes out clean

Bonus image of Jean Dujardin looking as sleepy as I was watching this (again – not really the movie’s fault!)

Best Picture Baking Project: Terms of Endearment

So, I did take July off – I was busy (getting married! Moving to St. Louis!) so, I think it’s OK. But, we are getting close to settled in our new apartment (or at least settled enough for baking and a movie) so – back to the Best Picture list!

I made sweet & salty brownies, I think because I found it on a list of Southern recipes, and one of the things I knew about the movie going in was Shirley Maclaine’s character was salty – but honestly the reasoning behind this decision is kind of lost to time. But they were tasty, so it’s fine.

Had I seen this one before?

Nope. Obviously, it’s references everywhere, and I knew it was a tear jerker, but that was it.

Top 3 observations on this viewing?

1. I know that this movie is a classis, and the whole team behind it is illustrious, but… I really don’t understand many, if not all, of the creative decisions made here. The pacing made no sense to me, the people all behave like aliens. I felt constantly like there was a scene missing before the one I was watching that would make the current one make sense. I’m OK with a series-of-vignettes structure, I don’t need a story to fill in all the blanks for me, but this didn’t feel like it was reaching for lyricism of poetic cinema. It felt like I was just, missing something at every turn.
2. The acting Oscars/nominations for this are also weird to me. I know that Shirley was more than overdue, so I understand her winning over Debra Winger. But why did Nicholson win for this? Because he played drunk well? He’s not my favorite actor, but I can think of like 3 performances he didn’t get awards for that are better than the smirk-fest of this performance. (Maybe his charm is just lost on me, because I’ve always sort of associated him with the Joker?) Honestly, it felt like he was in a different movie than the rest of the cast.

Even more confoundingly, why was John Lithgow nominated for this, but not Jeff Daniels? Don’t get me wrong, I love John Lithgow, and I would have nominated him for Love Is Strange a few years ago if it was in my power. But he is barely in this movie – though he does his best with incredibly cringey dialogue. But Daniels, as the feckless husband who may not have been so feckless if people didn’t turn to him every second and say, “you are bad at being a husband and father,” has, I think, the most naturalistic performance in this whole piece.

3. OK, want to end on a positive note, since I think it’s probably clear that this did not win me over. I did really love the almost surreal section where Emma (Winger) visits her friend Patsy in New York City and her yuppie friends treat Emma like a zoo animal because she’s a stay at home mom with cancer. Truly unhinged, but compelling.

What did it beat? Did it deserve to win?

Tender Mercies – Never seen this, do love this moment of Dolly Parton and Sylvester Stallone presenting Best Actor to Robert Duvall

The Big Chill – I love this weird, relic of a movie

The Dresser – Don’t know it

The Right Stuff – I’m not sure if I’ve ever seen the whole thing, but the parts on TV growing up were good! Love that it made Sam Shephard an Oscar nominee.

I know I’m in the minority not loving Terms, but my vote is for Meg Tilley rolling her eyes at the boomer men around her while doing aerobics stretches on the floor in The Big Chill

Bechdel test pass?

Yes! This whole movie basically consists of two women talking to each other. It’s a women’s story through and through with the men in their lives at the margins, which is refreshing in a Best Picture. Maybe the clearest pass since All About Eve.

Given the topic of this conversation – maybe they talk too much

Didn’t love the movie, but I did quite like this potato chip brownie recipe! (Somehow not even the weirdest thing I’ve put in brownies for this project…)

Salty ‘n’ Sweet Brownies

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 60% cacao chocolate bars (divided)
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup flour
• 3/4 Ruffles, crushed
• 1/2 cup salted pretzels, slightly crushed

Directions

1. Preheat oven tom 350F
2. Line a 8×8 baking pan with parchment paper
3. Grease the paper, set pan aside
4. In a medium saucepan heat butter and 1.5 bars of chocolate over low heat until melted
5. Removed from heat
6. Stir sugar into chocolate mixture in pan
7. Add eggs, one at a time, stirring each in completely
8. Stir in vanilla
9. Stir in flour until just combined
10. Spread into prepared pan
11. Top with potato chips and pretzels
12. Chop the remaining 1/2 cholate bar into chunks and spread on top of chip/pretzel mixture
13. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a tester comes back clean
14. Let cool before serving

Best Picture Baking Project: Slumdog Millionaire

Hey I got this done before the last day of the month! (It was the last weekend of the month still, but whatever…progress – that I will probably instantly undo by missing July, because…I have some stuff going on.)

Anyway, much like my attempt at making kulfi for Gandhi the dessert for this pairing, didn’t go great, but I now have a tub of ghee in my fridge, for whatever that’s worth.

Had I seen this one before?

I thought I had, and I definitely remember the ending, but there was a lot going on here that I had no memory of, and particularly the stuff with the kids that the beginning feels like I would have, so…maybe not? (This was the one of the last Oscar years before I began to make a real effort to see all the major nominees, mostly because I was a freshman/sophomore in college.)

Just feel like I would remember these faces…

Top 3 observations on this viewing?

1. I’m sure that I’m not the first to say this, but the Dickensian tone and plot of this (orphaned boy beset by a seemingly endless set of obstacles wanders into wealth and reunites with ideal girl from his past) of this was fascinating to watch in light of Dev Patel playing the classic original in David Copperfield a few years ago. I’ve heard some people say this movie is cliché and problematic for the way it depicts poverty in India, and I don’t know enough about the context of its creation to fully speak to that, but I think it’s almost ludicrous to read it that literally. Oliver wasn’t a document of the actual lives of Victorian English orphans, and Slumdog doesn’t seem to be aspiring to realism to my eyes. Director Danny Boyle has done gritty stories throughout his career, but he’s also done sentimental fables, and I think this uses the tools of the first (hello extended scene of torture and blinding of a child) to tell a story that’s really the second.
2. This won not only best picture, but also cinematography, and, I don’t know if it’s just something that didn’t age well, but…it mostly felt like it was being shot through a Mac Camera Booth filter.

Many shots are this yellow…and then some are blue?

3. I don’t know if it’s just because it was a time I lived through as an (almost) adult, but something about this movie feels aggressively of it’s exact time. I mean even the central premise of “Who Wants to be a Millionaire?” as a framing device. Would a Gen-Z kid even know the rules? (I know they are simple, but like it was such a universal thing that required no explanation at the time. Do they know what “phone a friend” is referencing?) And this needle drop, took me straight back in time:

Excellent edit at the end to switch actors by the way

What did it beat? Did it deserve to win?

Frost/Nixon – Saw this when it came out with my parents. I mainly remember the scene where Frank Langella says Presidents can break the law, which is obviously distressingly relevant.

Milk – Definitely the nominee from this year that I’ve seen the most. I’m not how much it “holds up” given our current culture of not wanting straight actors to play gay roles, but I genuinely love it.

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button – Haven’t seen it. I assume it’s good, but something about the premise/David Fincher’s involvement made me feel like it was going to unsettle more than delight me.

The Reader – I love Kate Winslet more than a healthy amount, but I think we can all agree the fact that she got her Oscar for this is an eye roll. It’s fine, as far as Holocaust Oscar bait goes, but like, that’s not very far at this point.

Wow, not a particularly impressive year! It sort of feels like all of these movies have fallen out of our cultural memory. I guess I’d go with Milk, but Slumdog isn’t bad by any means.

Bechdel test pass?

No. There is one woman in the whole world according to Jamal (Patel) and therefore there is one woman (plus one dead mom) in the whole story that amounts to anything other than set dressing. The story stays very close to Jamal’s perspective throughout so it’s not the end of the world, but it is definitely one of the most Dickensian feeling things about the story that Latika remains an object of worship and sullied purity rather than a full human in her own right. Frieda Pinto does her best though.

I have trouble finding some of the ingredients needed for some of the more appealing (to my limited pallet) Indian desserts, so I always just go with what sounds easiest. This was incredibly easy, but unfortunately we ended up throwing most of it out.

Sooji Halwa

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup water
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1/3 cup ghee
• 1/2 cup semolina
• 10 whole cashew nuts
• 1/4 teaspoon cardamom powder

Directions

1. Chop up cashews into small pieces
2. In a pan, mix together sugar, water and milk
3. Heat on medium until right before boiling
4. Meanwhile in another pan on medium heat, melt the ghee
5. Add semolina to ghee and stir
6. Add cashews and lower heat to medium-low, stirring constantly
7. Add cardamom powder and continue to stir
8. Cook for around 8 min
9. Add the heated milk mixture into the pan slowly (it will bubble up)
10. Keep stirring for approx. 2 minutes then remove from heat and serve

Best Picture Baking Project: Shakespeare in Love

I know that this win was/is controversial, because it’s the Oscar year when Miramax really started the era of the active Oscar campaign (which obviously has darker connotations now that we know the extent of Harvey’s misdeeds) but I honestly was glad to have this one on the list, because it didn’t feel like I had to emotionally prepare myself to view it. Dessert wise, I think I googled “Shakespeare dessert” and found rum cake. It turned out well I think!

Had I seen this one before?

Yep. My guess was approximately 19 times. As a theater obsessed high schooler into the Oscars, this was pretty aggressively for me. It had been a while though.

Top 3 observations on this viewing?

1. I love how this is basically just fanfiction about Shakespeare, or an exercise where Tom Stoppard tried to see how many tropes he could fit into one plot. I realize this sounds snarky, but I am being 100% sincere, I genuinely love this.
2. Obviously, the fact that Judi Dench got an Oscar for 12 minutes of screen time is much discussed, and she’s great! But, the whole ensemble, a murder’s row of “Hey That Guys” of British film, is delightful when given their moments, and allowed to shine by the script. I am particularly consistently charmed by how good Ben Affleck is in this as the arrogant leading player, he has to juggle comic relief with occasional gravitas and he totally pulls it off.

I feel like this picture captures the delightful goofiness of this whole project very well.

3. The production and costume design is all so great. It’s period, but stylized rather than aggressively accurate. It feels theatrical without veering fully into camp. Full of fun little details – I’m currently obsessed with Colin Firth’s villainous pearl drop earring:

What did it beat? Did it deserve to win?

Elizabeth – I remember even as a 9 year old thinking that it was funny that Elizabeth I was in multiple Best Picture nominees in a year. I don’t think I’ve ever seen this, love Cate Blanchett though

Life Is Beautiful – Never saw it. Cringe at the premise the way it sometimes described, but kind of love that the image of Roberto Benigni climbing over the chairs will be in every Oscars history montage ever

Saving Private Ryan – A great film. Hard to watch. Spielberg in the mode that had worked so well for him before. I saw it once for a paper I wrote in high school about movies about WWII made at the turn of the millennium (look, I’ve always been this person OK?), but I don’t think I could myself through the opening sequence again.

The Thin Red Line – Watched this for the same paper, but kind of want to revisit it now that I have a greater appreciation for Terrance Malik’s whole deal.

Look, I know I’m supposed to say that Private Ryan was robbed, and maybe it was. I’m definitely swayed by a nostalgic attachment to Shakespeare and Shakespeare, and rewatchability and comfort should not be the metric that ultimately determines a Best Picture winner, but there really isn’t another movie like Shakespeare in Love on this list that I’ve encountered so far. And they gave Spielberg his second Best Director statue that night, and rightfully so in my opinion. So, fuck Harvey Weinstein, but I love this movie, and I love the fact that it won.

Bechdel test pass?

Yep, because of discussions of the power of poetry and the theatre.

Have I mentioned yet, that I love this stupid movie. Because, it is kind of a stupid movie, in the way that Shakespeare’s plays (I promise I’ll get to that project one day too) are really stupid if you think about the plots for even 5 minutes, but they are eternal for a reason, and I don’t think art has to be about death and destruction to matter, and maybe I am just trying to justify liking a frivolous thing more than the agreed upon Serious Classic, but I genuinely think a well crafted frivolous thing can have as much value and this one does.

OK, off my pop culture soap box and back to baking, this Orange Rum cake is probably not period appropriate for Elizabethan England, because it requires three pieces of fresh citrus, but it is wonderfully fluffy (and a bit boozy!)

Orange Rum Cake

Ingredients

• 1 cup butter
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 oranges
• 1 lemon
• 2 eggs
• 2 1/2 cups flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 2 tablespoons rum

Directions

1. Grate the oranges and lemon peels
2. Juice the oranges and lemon (It’s fine to combine the juices you will use them both at the same time)
3. Preheat oven to 350F
4. Line a bread pan with parchment paper, greased
5. Cream butter until light and fluffy
6. Gradually add 1 cup of the sugar
7. Continue beating until light and fluffy
8. Add the orange and lemon zest
9. Add each egg, one at a time, beating well after each
10. In another bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt
11. Add 1/3 of flour mixture to butter mixture, and 1/3 of the buttermilk
12. Mix until smooth, then repeat until no more flour or buttermilk remain
13. Pour into prepared pan
14. Bake for 1 hour, or until tester comes out clean
15. While it’s baking strain the citrus juice into a saucepan
16. Add remaining 1 cup of sugar
17. Add the rum
18. Bring mixture to a boil and then remove from heat
19. When cake is done, transfer it to a platter or deep dish
20. Pour rum mixture over the cake
21. Let sit for a bit (Note: original recipe said to let it sit for a day, but I missed that, and just waited like 10 minutes and it was delicious)

Best Picture Baking Project: Schindler’s List

Yes, I’m back to watching this month’s movie on the last possible day, but it’s hard to motivate to watch maybe the saddest Best Picture winner ever, especially when it is 3.25 hours long. But, I sacrificed a sunny Saturday to Schindler’s List and apple strudel, because this definitely falls into the “just make something generic from the region” category of trying to pair a dessert.

Has I seen this one before?

Yes, in high school, I assume in connection with a class? But, there was a lot that I had forgotten.

Top 3 observations on this viewing?

1. I feel like people always reference the opening sequence of Saving Private Ryan as a test of endurance, but I think we need to be including the “Liquidation of the Ghetto” sequence in that conversation, because holy shit, it is unrelenting. I admire the way the Spielberg refused to pull punches or soften what Nazi brutality actually entailed, but damn, there is a lot of imagery in this that is really nightmarish.
2. It honestly feels like sacrilege to have critiques of this movie, but, it’s a little too long. Like, I remember it being long, but the entire first hour is basically back story – Ralph Fiennes doesn’t show up until 50min in! Could have maybe done without the third montage of Nazi party members drinking, and definitely didn’t need the multiple shots of women waking up topless in their lovers’ beds for seemingly no narrative purpose.

3. Editing isn’t the film craft that I tend to particularly notice, but the juxtapositions in this are truly arresting and elegant. The whole movie feels thoughtfully stylized without smoothing out the jaggedness of its subject matter.

Honestly, this sequence is a masterclass, and also one of the most truly terrifying things I’ve ever seen.

What did it beat? Did it deserve to win?

In the Name of the Father – Great Daniel Day-Lewis performance, always love to see Emma Thompson, tough watch

The Fugitive – Have only seen spurts on TNT

The Piano – Oomph. The origin story of why I’m hesitant to put myself through Jane Campion films.

The Remains of the Day – I love this book, but it makes me so sad that I haven’t been able to make myself watch the movie (despite even more Emma Thompson!)

The was also the year as Philadelphia, just in case you weren’t depressed yet reading this list. Schindler is the obvious, and I think correct, winner. But damn, what a bleak year to be an awards fan. Thank God, Harrison Ford got framed for murdering his wife or there wouldn’t have been anything fun.

Bechdel test pass?

Yes. Possibly gratuitous boob shots aside, the women’s stories are told as fully and sympathetically as the men’s.

Ok, I admit that when I made my plan for this dessert, I had forgotten that the movie takes place in Poland and Czechoslovakia, and just googled generic German desserts, and then the easiest version of the one that came up. So, the link here may be tenuous, but seriously, you try to think of an appropriate feeling themed snack for this…

So, cut me some slack. These pastries were really easy, and taste simple but good. I reheated them for breakfast this morning, and the apples were even better after sitting in the fridge overnight.

Puff Pastry Apple Strudel

Ingredients

• 1 package frozen puff pastry cups, thawed to room temperature
• 2-3 baking apples
• 4 tablespoons white sugar, divided
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 3 tablespoons light brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon water

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 375F
2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, set aside
3. Peel, core, and chop apples into 1/2 inch cubes (should yield about 3 cups of apples)
4. In a large mixing bowl, combine apples, 2 tablespoons of white sugar, flour, and cinnamon
5. Toss until apples are coated and set aside for 15 minutes
6. In a small bowl mix brown sugar, breadcrumbs, and remaining white sugar
7. Beat egg and water together to form egg wash
8. On a lightly floured surface, roll out pastry cup
9. When thin and even place a spoonfull of sugar mixture in center
10. Top with a spoonful of apple filling
11. Use egg wash around edges and fold across filling to form cup
12. Place on prepared baking sheet
13. Repeat with remaining cup dough
14. Place in oven and bake for 20-30 minutes (Until puffed and golden brown

Best Picture Baking Project: Rebecca

Clearly, I need to stop claiming I’m going to double up on these per month to “catch up” and just try to stay on schedule going forward. We hade a blizzard here in Connecticut this weekend, which made it feel particularly cozy to serve tea and scones (complete with clotted cream!) for this very English tale.

Had I seen this one before?

Nope. I read the book years ago and loved it, but until now the only adaptation I had consumed was this excellent song by Taylor Swift:

(Ok, I know it’s not actually an adaptation…but she has said this song was inspired by the second Mrs. De Winter, and I can hear it.)

Top 3 observations on this viewing?

1. Has there ever been anyone as well cast as Judith Anderson as Mrs. Danvers? So creepy, so cold and menacing yet upright. Perfect.

Joan Fontaine is also well cast, but is so committed to the shakiness of her performances that, at times, it was distracting. Laurence Olivier is Olivier – charming, but distant. Seemed a little young for this role to me.

2. The pacing of this is so strange to me, the emotional core of this story is obviously Manderley, so why does it take half an hour to get there? And more grievously, why is there so much time spent at the coroner’s inquest? No one is watching this as a procedural! Stick to the emotional horror!

3. I’d only ever seen much later Hitchcock before this and it was fun to see the roots of what would become his trademarks, particularly the use of the score and the contrast of light and dark.

What did it beat? Did it deserve to win?

All This, and Heaven Too – Never heard of it

Foreign Correspondent – ibid

Kitty Foyle – Love that Ginger Rogers has an Oscar. I’ve never seen this.

Our Town – My favorite play. Not my favorite adaptation.

The Grapes of Wrath – Oh. So good. Just, so heart wrenchingly good.

The Great Dictator – I’ve only ever seen the last speech scene, but seems to be a worthy nom.

The Letter – I love Bette, but…nah

The Long Voyage Home – I have no idea what this is

The Philadelphia Story – OOOOooooooo, so fun!

Wow, 1940 was quite a year! My personal Oscar would be between Grapes and Philadelphia Story, but Rebecca has a lot going for it. I think in hindsight the split Best Director to John Huston/Bust Picture to Rebecca makes sense, but the Academy probably should have given the top prize to Grapes.

Bechdel Test pass?

Yes! Most of the conversations are about the titular Rebecca, even the conversations that are about a man are actually about a woman.

Just a woman having a totally normal conversation with her new boss about her old boss, nothing weird going on here

I had originally planned to make a traditional Cornwall dessert, but changed course to serve a lovely tea and scones, because this couple is definitely more fancy English before they are specific to any region.

Apple Scones

Ingredients

• 2 cups flour
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/4 cup cold butter
• 2 medium apples
• 1/2 cup milk
• Clotted cream (or other spread for topping)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425F
2. Grease a baking sheet
3. Shred apples with hand grater
4. Combine all dry ingredients in a bowl
5. Cut in butter
6. Add one cup of shredded apple
7. Add milk and mix with wooden spoon until a soft dough forms
8. Knead dough until it is barely sticky
9. Divide into 2-3 balls of dough
10. Place on baking sheet and flatten slightly into disks
11. Score top with a fork
12. Bake for 15-20 minutes
13. Remove from oven and cool

Best Picture Baking Project: Rain Man

So, I didn’t quite get this under the wire for November, but, I wanted to make pancakes…so I needed a weekend morning, and the holidays….blah, blah, blah…hopefully I’ll squeeze one more in before the new year.

Had I seen this one before?

Yes, once. I think it was in college. I remembered the broad premise and that pancakes came up in the plot and not a lot else.

Top 3 observations on this viewing?

1. While I’m sure autistic people have a lot to say about the depiction of their condition in this movie, and course the casting of a neurotypical actor (reasonable points to raise of course!), I was pleasantly surprised at how this holds up. Although Tom Cruise’s character clearly would describe himself as Raymond (Dustin Hoffman)’s savior, I don’t think this movie makes that argument. It’s not great that the disabled protagonist is shown as an opportunity for growth for his abled counterparts, but on the scale of shitty disability movies, this at least allows Raymond to be a person, though one with his agency taken away from him (which I don’t think we can blame on this movie since that’s a cultural problem we are still grappling with – not well – to this day.)

2. Hans Zimmer’s score is so insanely 80s, but still somehow the chillest Hans Zimmer score I’ve ever heard.

Did I mention this movie was made in the 80s?

3. I stole this observation from Tim, but the shots in this are more complex than I expected from such a straight ahead awards movie. Particularly, the way architecture and bridges are shot as if from Raymond’s perspective, overwhelmingly, but still somehow mathematically ordered.

What did it beat? Did it deserve to win?

Dangerous Liaisons – I also saw this in college, fantastic performances all around – maybe the first time we failed to give Glenn Close her Oscar?

Mississippi Burning – Haven’t seen it

The Accidental Tourist – Never seen it, have seen Geena Davis’s acceptance speech for it, many times

Working Girl – It is so fun that this got a nomination

This was the Oscars the year I was born and based on the acting winners alone, it was a wild one (also a great speech – this one by my beloved Kevin Kline. Please note how overjoyed for him River Phoenix was!) Some good stuff in this group, but I would have given it to Rain Man too.

Bechdel test pass?

No. There are 3 named women, because the waitress (Bonnie Hunt!) has a name tag, but I want to take this space to praise Valeria Golino for her portrayal of Cruise’s girlfriend Susanna. She could have been a throw away “girlfriend role,” but Golino imbues her with a lovely warmth and I’m sad that I’ve never seen her in anything else!

Just a woman, sitting here, begging her partner to express a single emotion

We did a morning screening of this so that we could join Raymond for pancakes. I’d never made thme before, and I burnt them a bit, but, oh well.

Cinnamon Roll Pancakes with Icing

Ingredients for pancakes

• 1.5 cups flour
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup milk
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Ingredients for icing

• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons milk

Directions

1. Beat together icing ingredients, set aside
2. Melt butter, set aside
3. Combine flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, and cinnamon in a bowl
4. Whisk together until fully combined, but light and airy
5. In a second bowl, whisk eggs, milk, maple syrup, and vanilla extract
6. Add dry ingredients into wet
7. Whisk until just combined
8. Butter a griddle and turn on medium-low heat
9. Scoop 1/4 cup of batter onto griddle, cooking 2-3 minutes on each side
10. Serve with icing, butter, and more syrup

Best Picture Baking Project: Platoon

Back to my “schedule” of getting a month’s movie in right under the wire… I don’t watch traditional horror movies, but I guess a gory examination of what it meant to be an American soldier in Vietnam is horrific enough to qualify as “Halloween appropriate.”

As with any of the more disturbing Best Pictures, it was tricky to choose a dessert that wouldn’t feel too flippant, but I followed my All Quiet On The Western Front rule and just chose a dessert from the country where it is set. (Big thanks to the author of this blog post for inspiration!) I made avocado milkshakes – sounds weird, was delicious and so easy to make.

But first, the (definitely not easy) movie…

Had I seen this one before?

No. I don’t tend to like this kind of thing.

Top 3 observations on this viewing:

1. I know this isn’t original to point out, but this cast is a wild combination of people who would go on to be successful. It’s a collection of “oh my God is that, that guy?” guys. And they are all good enough in this that it isn’t a surprise that they are recognizable now.

Case in point – this is Mark Moses, who plays the ineffectual, trying too hard to be one of the guys LT, who will decades later go on to play the heartbreakingly ineffectual and trying to hard to be one of the men Duck on “Mad Men”

I particularly loved Forest Whitaker in his small but nuanced part and, of course, Willem Dafoe whose tragic arc and truly arresting face will stick with me for a while. (Tom Berenger is also great, but I’m trying not to think about his character going forward.)

2. I knew it was going to be a rough watch, and it is. I don’t like violence, my mind wanders during extended fire fight sequences, and casual brutality makes me so physically uncomfortable that my fiancé had to fast forward through the scene in the village. This is probably ultimately a compliment tom how well Oliver Stone accomplished his goal, but it’s not an experiences I would seek out again.

3. But there are moment of arresting beauty here too, really wonderfully lit shots of moments of reflection, and even, somehow, something close to joy. Overall, I could take or leave the voice over, but a few sections of it reminded me of Tim O’Brien’s brilliant The Things They Carried, and so did this scene:

What did it beat? Did it deserve to win?

A Room With A View – Oh, I love a Merchant-Ivory and this is a great one

Children of a Lesser God – Marlee’s Best Actress win was the right award for this one

Hannah and Her Sisters – I haven’t seen this, and I would love to, but my current stance is I can watch Woody Allen movies again when he is dead

The Mission – I’ve never seen it, but Tim says its loss is anti-Catholic

OK, hard for my make the call here, obviously. I love when a costume drama wins, but Platoon is definitely an achievement, so I’m not mad it won.

Bechdel test pass?

Ha! No.

There is one scene with women and it is truly horrifying. A very male story, by necessity.

Avocado dessert! Seriously, try it!

VIETNAMESE AVOCADO SHAKE (SINH TỐ BƠ)

Ingredients

• 2 cups ice cubes
• 2 ripe avocados
• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup sweetened condensed milk

Directions

1. Halve and de-pit the avocados
2. Add ice and milk to blender
3. Slice avocados into chunks and add to blender
4. Add sweetened condensed milk
5. Cover and blend on high until smooth
6. If mixture is too think add a splash of milk
7. Stir and pour into small glasses

(We just drank it like this, but when I make it the future I’m definitely going to add chocolate, but I think you could add any flavor you like, it’s just a really nice texture smoothie base.)

Best Picture Baking Project: Patton

OK, so I have not been doing great at my stated goal of trying to catch up on Best Pictures, but this one was so long it was hard to schedule a time! If I had kept up with this things on the schedule I was on before this summer, I would have been making this cake in July, which would have felt appropriate, but…oh well…it turned out delicious and though I may not ever decorate it like a flag again, I’m very glad to have discovered this brownie cake recipe.

But first, a war epic!

Had I seen this one before?

No. All I knew about it going in was the opening visual of George C. Scott in front of the flag, and the fact that my dad counts this as one of his favorite movies.

(Also, I knew the Oscar trivia story that Scott told the Academy he didn’t believe in competition between artists and he wouldn’t accept it, and then they gave it to him anyway, the film’s producer accepted it for him, and then returned it the next day, because he really meant it, and I think that’s kinda cool.)

Top 3 Observations on this viewing?

1. This movie, even more than most biopics, completely relies on George C. Scott’s central performances, which manages without being showy to hold your attention for most of the movie’s nearly 3 hour runtime, mostly because he leans into to Patton’s strangeness. I had no idea he believed himself to be reincarnated! Was it the reincarnation of Napoleon specifically? Is that why he hated Russians? This is was kind of unclear to me…but I really appreciated the way he talked about military history so personally and made all the other soldiers not know how to react.

I mean, he was also an insufferable bully, but, a deeply strange one!

2. Overall, the movie was funnier than I was expecting. Maybe I just thought it was going to be endless battle scenes (and honestly, I would have shortened those if I were in charge of this…I don’t need that many shots of background actors doing their best to flail as if shot and then fall into a ditch) but the back and forth between Patton’s camp and the German’s trying to track his decisions were filled with delightful dramatic irony and though I am on the record as not having a ton of patience for the “men talking about glory and tactics” genre, the humor carried me through that really well.

(Bonus side observation: I really appreciate that they had the Germans speak German with subtitles instead of just having everyone speak accented English, more movies should do this.)

3. I had no idea Karl Malden was in this movie until it started, but I really loved his portrayal of General Omar Bradley, he provides a grounded presence that serves as a needed counterweight to Patton, and I joked towards the end that I would have loved to watch the movie that follows him as he walks out of rooms shaking his head at Patton’s craziness.

A wonderful portrait of exasperation

What did it beat? Did it deserve to win?

Airport – I’ve never seen it, and I genuinely forget that it is a different movie than its parody, Airplane

Five Easy Pieces – Please don’t take my film nerd card away, but I thought this was a Clint Eastwood Western, but it seems to be a Jack Nicholson vehicle about an oil rig worker? Oops…

Love Story – Melodramatic schmaltz, and I love it

MASH – I have never seen this, but I have listened to at least 3 film podcasts about it, and it seems like its misogynist trash and I’ll stick with the sitcom thanks

Obviously, not a year I can be a great judge of, but I’m OK with Patton’s win, it’s an impressive production, that avoids a lot of clichés it would have been easy to fall into. Love that Love Story got a nomination though.

Bechdel test pass?

Ha! No. There are very few women in this, which given its subject matter makes some sense.

This is the only scene with women who speak. The woman in purple introduces this man’s speech. There’s some great comedy with the dog though.

Since my boyfriend prefers chocolate cake to white sponge, I swapped out the recipe I was originally planning to use for this, and found Gaby Dalkin’s brownie based version on People, and it’s so, so good, and pretty easy!

Chocolate Brownie Flag Cake

Ingredients for Cake

• 2 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 1 1/2 cups unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 1/4 cups butter, at room temperature
• 1 tablespoon vanilla
• 4 eggs
• 1 cup flour
• 1 cup dark chocolate chips

Ingredients for Decoration

• 8 oz package of cream cheese, at room temperature
• 3 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 5 cups fresh raspberries
• 1/2 cup fresh blueberries

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350F
2. Line a 13x9in baking pan with aluminum foil, leaving a 2 in overhang on the sides
3. Grease the foil
4. Combine sugar, cocoa, salt, and butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat
5. Cook, stirring often until butter is melted (about 6 minutes)
6. Removed from heat
7. Stir in vanilla
8. Add eggs one at a time, stirring completely between each one
9. Add flour and still until smooth
10. Fold in chocolate chips
11. Spoon batter into prepared pan
12. Bake 35 minutes, or until a tester comes out clean (It took 40 minutes in my oven)
13. Let cool for an hour
14. Using overhanging foil, lift brownies out of pan and transfer to serving plate
15. Discard the foil
16. Using a mixer beat together cream cheese, and butter until creamy
17. Gradually add 2 cups of the powdered sugar, a half cup at a time
18. Beat until smooth
19. Add vanilla
20. Using a spatula, spread frosting over the top of cooled brownie layer
21. Toss half the raspberries and a few blueberries in the remaining powered sugar
22. Arrange blueberries in a square in upper left of the cake, adding the sugar covered ones as “stars”
23. Arrange raspberries in rows, alternating uncoated and sugar coated berries in horizontal lines to create “stripes”