Middle Eastern Movie? 2

The other movie we watched during Middle Eastern  day was The Fifth Element. The best adjective to use for this movie is, fun. When the film came out in 1997, it was given mixed reviews but made a considerable amount at the box office. For me in my 20’s now, the film is  a great ride and totally awesome! The Fifth Element is a delightful, low investment futuristic action adventure.


Korben Dallas (Bruce Willis) is a cab driver that lives in futuristic America, that looks like a vibrant collision of the Blade Runner and Idiocracy sets. Soon he meets Leeloo (Milla Jovovich), a woman created to be the perfect human by scientists. Together they must find four magic stones that will defend Earth from a destructive attack. A priest (Ian Holm) will help them figure out the location of the stones. Leeloo and Korben will have to go undercover at opera singer Plava Laguna’s concert. However, evil space genius Zorg (Gary Oldman) also wants the stones for himself to create havoc on Earth.

The Fifth Element has only a vague tie to the Middle East, in that this awesome chase scene plays a Middle Eastern song as the futuristic police chase Korben’s taxi. It’s really cool!

This film does connect with Aladdin. Both were made in ‘90’s and both resurfaced if you started college around 2005 to 2008, because we became nostalgic for Disney movies and action films. I have spoken with many of my friends, who went to college in our home state, the Midwest and the East Coast, and each one had experienced resurgence of three film trends: Disney, Boondock Saints (check out my next entry), and The Fifth Element. The last two have attained cult status.

I’m aware that other films have experienced popularity long after they have left theaters and after years have passed. But I want to know the reason that The Fifth Element was chosen. What attributes appeal  to us now  about this ‘90s movie? Of course, we are affected by choosing the ‘90’s as our glory days but there must be more than that.

My guess would be the advancement of special effects. Upon checking out IMDB for 1997 films, there were a lot of cool special effects being introduced in the film industry. Oscar winning movie Titanic used special cameras to capture real footage of the sunken ship. In The Lost World Jurassic Park, sets were constructed around 9 ton model T Rex’s. Movies always have been given quite a lot of money, but these were new and much more epic demands that were possible during the affluent 1990’s decade.

We were already impressed by new technology with the cell phone and Internet up and running, but in the late ‘90’s it began to really enhance  our entertainment experience. The Fifth Element was another way to show off emerging special effects and art direction, especially when they had a colossal budget to work with.

Many of the representations of the future in The Fifth Element are quite silly, such as the hyper sexual clothing for women, the timeless McDonalds, and a simple plot line to save the Earth. As college students, we often did not want to think of the future and could indulge in a hyperbolic representations. Our  concentration was the past and present, because no one wants to become an adult.

Middle Eastern? Movie 1

To  continue the theme of the feast,  we watched “Aladdin” made in 1992. In my opinion, this movie is probably one of the last good Disney films, even though I’m not quite sure which culture or country they are trying to portray (possibly general middle east?). So while watching the film, my friend (an east Asian studies major) and I tried to decipher this enigma.

There are two things that I would like to address about "Aladdin." One,  the film was an advancement because of the exposure to new cultures and promoted new ideas about the definition of a Disney princess or identities for girls to form at an early age. Two, the oversight was that the films were not made to establish a real culture.

If we want to be really serious about animated films,"Aladdin" was an advancement for culture and gender diversity. People have complained quite often about Disney's lack of race representation, even though I feel we really do not need to read too much into animation choices.  If we want to look deeper, why did Disney choose to do Aladdin in 1992? America was embroiled in the Persian Gulf War and the exposure to the Middle East probably started an interest.
Or had they just come to an end of classic story lines from the West? The  latter seems more likely to me, since Jasmine was followed by  Pocahontas, Mulan and finally Tiana. Slowly, the predominantly Asian and other diverse princesses were introduced as we neared the millennium. America was gaining a more diverse population and Disney needed to account for their various audiences and fresh story material.


Jasmine's role as the first diverse princess and an empowered modern women is a very noticeable trait. She stresses that she is not "a prize to be won" because she wants to fall in love and make choices concerning her own life. During the '90s, girl power was at its height  (yes with help of the Spice girls) because we were now allowed to have it all like Murphy Brown or choose between work and the home if so inclined. I grew up with
a stepfather that worked for Nike, and their "Take Your Daughter To Work Day" definitely instilled a very powerful example of treasuring female power and creating your own destiny. Jasmine creates her own destiny by deciding to explore and acquire knowledge about her kingdom. Culturally speaking, Jasmine's strong character
promoted empowerment for groups that realistically did and may not today have a voice; nevertheless, she is portraying positive ways to embrace her freedom.

Jasmine might have shown us "a whole new world" (I know that pun was painful!) with her actions that gave women more freedom; however, the question remains about the cultural identity she is fostering. I honestly find it quite silly when people get offended by Disney movies, because there seem to be bigger issues to dispute with more controversial movies. The double edged sword is, we can relax and enjoy a kids movie while taking it with a grain of salt, but truthfully, children do take on the roles of the characters they see in films. When I re watch animated films, I recall how many things went over my head as a child. Even when I catch the jokes or reflect on the undertones that the film is portraying, I remind myself that it is a form of entertainment and unrealistic. For example, Tiana is living in an extremely tolerant South in The Princess and the Frog and Jasmine is very forceful for a woman living in the South or Middle East. So should we base a film on a pretty real place  to teach children about culture and the people that inhabit that culture? Confusion could occur, especially if as adults we are trying to figure out the accuracy of a story's setting.

While we drank mango mimosas, my friend and I observed the culture  that Aladdin was trying to portray. My most recent viewing of Aladdin was in 2008, after I returned from my India trip. There is much evidence indicating that Aladdin may in fact be set in India. They live in Agraba, a definite reference to Agra because Jasmine’s palace looks like the Taj Mahal. The palace has similarities to Mughal architecture since it is made of marble, has an expansive balcony, big fountains and scalloped arcs. Jasmine also keeps birds in an elegant cage, a very common pet during the Mughal era (think Pakeezah). The treatment of animals is similar to Indian culture as well, because Raja and Abu are not restrained or  truly tamed; they interact with the people in various environments. The characters in Aladdin are caste conscious, because Jasmine must only marry a prince. Furthermore, when the genie must banish Aladdin upon Jafar’s wishes, he is exiled to stormy, snowy mountains, much like Kashmir, a true area of political conflict.

Though there is lots of evidence pointing to India as the setting, there are still some points to the contrary. Allah is mentioned quite often and Hinduism does not seem present (and religion is very hard to miss in India). The style of dress is the main factor that leads me to believe that this movie takes places somewhere else. Jasmine wears midriff showing tops with harem pants; but at the same time has to cover her head when leaving the palace walls. The other distant women characters are either covered in drab colors in the marketplace or peeking out of the harem balconies showing off their finery. The sultan’s attire is the most enigmatic of them all: it screams middle eastern, yet my friend mentioned that it seemed inspired by Ottoman Empire architecture, with all the blues and golds.

We did not end up at a reasonable conclusion and deemed it “The Muslim part of India.” Perhaps taking the film and characters too seriously  might only result in ambiguity. Nevertheless, this film is a very entertaining film and contributes to the culture during this time.

Either  way, this Disney movie is one of my favorites (I did wear the Jasmine jewelry set as a kid). Robin Williams is hilariously epic as the genie, and this was before he was obnoxious or doing serious dramas. The songs are fun and well written, "A Whole New World" was nominated for an Oscar

after all. Disney definitely was thriving by using stories from other cultures ("Pocahontas" and "Mulan").  They also started off the decade right with the classic "Beauty and the Beast." The millenium movies just don't live up to my expectations.

Anglo Indian Food Interlude

My friend really wanted to try East India Company on SW 11th and Taylor ish for a meal, because we had eaten there for happy hour before and were not filled up enough by the good food. My boyfriend and I met him down there on a really rainy early afternoon for lunch.

East India Company has three options: the colonel’s lunch ($8.95), the Viceroy’s lunch ($12.95) and the East India Co. lunch ($15.95). The prices go up because it adds on another early meat course, and you get dessert with the two more expensive lunches.

The decor, furniture and architecture makes you feel like you are living  in British colonial India. There are white walls with pictures of the desert and troops, lined with mahogany colored wood (with chairs and booths of the same style). The room is right out of a Rudyard Kipling book or Lagaan (or if you've been to Delhi, the Picadelhi restaurant). There is a soundtrack playing mellow, yet slightly haunting Indian tribal music. 

We were in a lazy way and wanted a drink with lunch. This restaurant is known for the Rangpur chill, which is a very spicy martini with cucumber and green chilies. My boyfriend loves that drink but decided to try something new so he went for the Masala Mojito. The Mojito has the standard ingredients of muddled lime and mint, but also had a delicate, sweeter masala to make it as the restaurant claims, spritzy.
My friend ordered the Sharabi Lassi, which is quite striking because they use saffron vodka. I was afraid of the thickness and sweetness, but it was a very thin and much icier lassi. I decided to order something different from them, called the Tamarind Ginger Tantra. This drink was the most robust of all the drinks with house infused ginger vodka, tamarind and date puree, plus sprite and peach schnapps. The puree definitely masked and interacted favorably with the liquor. Drinks start around  $8.

We all ordered the Viceroy lunch. The first course was a samosa chaat. The samosas were lightly flaky and no bigger than my fist. There was a spoonful of chana to accompany the small samosa.

Next was the soup course. Again, something I assumed would be thick, really was not.  The soup was a thin, creamy, yellow broth with tiny puffs of gram and a hint of curried chicken. When eating a spoonful, the tastes were subtle and cooling. But during and after swallowing, a burn lingered in the back of the throat.

The kebab course followed the soup course. My friend received tandoori chicken kebabs that were superbly marinated: the meat was light and fell off the bone. The spices were also not overpowering as sometimes can befall tandoori chicken. My boyfriend and I picked the minced lamb kabobs. They were hot like spicy sausage and had a parsley, pickly flavor going on.

We each picked a different entree (you can choose one of three, I hear their selections can vary). I got the tangy, tomato Goan fish curry. A dash of coconut was also subtly present. My boyfriend had the velvety chicken curry. Our friend had the herby and tangy palak paneer. Each dish came with a subtle tomato base vegetable curry with peas and onions in a light and cool sauce. They also provided naan and basmati rice.

Finally, they brought us gulab jamun. For those unaware, it is like a soggy donut hole that uses a light cheese tasting batter. I usually am not a fan of this dessert, but the gulab jamun pastry had a hint of cheesiness and was soaked in the best cardamom syrup. Pistachios were modestly grated on top.

The food was amazing and well worth the prize. I often do not want to pay very much for food I can make at home or is more inexpensive elsewhere. But East India Company is much better than the other expensive Indian place in the area, Bombay Cricket Club. The Cricket Club’s food seems to only be spiced with one ingredient and they are overpriced for what you receive.

The East India Company kept us in a delightful, mellow mood. Even though we had so many courses,  we did not feel gorged, but pleasantly full.  My only complaint about East India Co. is that they were hesitant with us asking for more naan, and could have served the curries with a larger amount of rice. The website is posted below if you would like more info:
http://www.eastindiacopdx.com/

Middle Eastern Food Day

My boyfriend’s favorite food is Middle Eastern cuisine. And after all the Indian food days my friend and I had put him through, it was time to try something new.  So here was our menu:



Stuffed vegetables and pita by Claudia Roden

Bastille by Ghillie Basan

Baba Ghanouj by Alton brown
Falafel mix
Jallab, a berry drink you mix with water and rosewater and top with walnuts

The stuffed vegetables were very delicious. My friend stuffed peppers, an apple, tomato and an eggplant with rice, soaked raisins and ground beef, with a sticky, succulent rice mixture. The apple was my favorite, because when baked it conformed to the savory stuffing. Unfortunately, I could not take gorgeous pictures because we were so hungry that we demolished them right after they finished baking. From the same cookbook that the above recipe is from, my boyfriend made his famous pita with whole wheat flour instead of all purpose, which made it more robust and a little too thick. It would have been better if we had planned the other menu items to be lighter.

My boyfriend also made baba ghanoush from an Alton Brown recipe. However, the eggplant happened to be female which has more seeds than a male one. And a bit too much tahini was added. But it was okay that it was hearty. I made a bastille because I like making things that I have eaten at other restaurants before. Every Morrocan dish I have made is similar to the dishes that Marrakesh serves on NW 21st and Lovejoy. The most tasty dish is the bastille, shredded chicken with spices like paprika and cinnamon covered in phyllo. And topped with powdered sugar and cinnamon. The recipe by Ghille Basan called for too many onions, and it impacted the flavor. Still quite tasty for trying it homemade. But next time I would like to add scrambled eggs like the NW portland restaurant does.

The falafel mix we tried (the one I can't remember the name of) was not very good. It tasted a lot like sesame seeds and the texture was not very crumbly. The leftovers were very soggy too. Though the taste was not amazing, we were able to learn the process to making falafel. Next time we will make it homemade or get the two kinds I like from Trader Joe's or Costco. We also polished off a 1.5 liter of Cooks champagne with mango nectar, which was very delicious and addictive. Altogether, we accomplished the succulent and sweetness of the Middle East.

After the afrodisiac, comes "Love and Other Drugs"

I was visiting a friend of mine in Idaho when I saw this movie. We had just finished a late lunch at a pizza parlor sort of place, went back to her house, glanced at the films that were playing and saw this one was playing at 4:25 pm. The clock said 4pm, so we jumped back in her car, knowing we would make it in no time at all: everything in Idaho is about 5-20 minutes away because it is such a small state.

I found the epitomie of the 90's in the first and second scene in the film, where Jamie (Jake Gyllenhaal) is the best and wittiest sales person at an electronics store. He loses his job only because he can sell himself too well to the ladies. 

In the next scene, he is having dinner with his family. His parents are doctors and his nerdy, uncouth brother has struck it rich in the software business. They tease him about losing his job, even though he clearly has no problem in the sales industry as shown in the first scene. Everyone is employed in powerful jobs and everyone is optimistic: success and comfort are at its best.

At that point in time, I had to relinquish that those golden days were over, and now we are looking back on them in period pieces, such as this film. It is sad!

Jamie's brother Josh is an important character in this film, because I feel his journey is more complex than the main character. Josh is younger, very unattractive, kind but also gross. Though he is wealthy, his wife cheats on him and leaves him. So Josh moves in with Jamie, showing that despite the riches he has attained, he still values true love and family. Jamie on the other hand, is very apathetic, as he seduces women and tries to maintain a career. He can talk you into buying anything, but he does not believe in anything either. These brothers also are tied together: they both come to a realization after a sensuous escapade that causes them to change. Josh has  given meaning to everything in his life, but now can try being more adventurous. Jamie learns that he needs one girl to help him find himself.

Enter Maggie Murdoch (Anne Hathaway). She's your typical guarded-Bohemian-esque (she has an apartment that looks like Monica's from Friends)- won't take any crap- kind of girl. She's the one for Jamie, and has been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease at 26. Not only will Jamie have to compete with her ex/ the top prozac salesman (Gabriel Macht), he has to accept that her disease is going to progress and sell enough antidepressants to be promoted to the sales job in Chicago.

Maggie and Jamie work well together, even if it just starts physically. They also discuss some integral issues that lead to positive individual and couples growth. I also liked that her disease was not portrayed as a Hollywood tragedy, even though it was really sad. In other films, you see the tragic diagnosis, some scenes of the heroine being weak, and then dying beautifully.  Maggie's character was genuine to real life in that the film educated the audience on Parkinson's disease: the condition, the symptoms, the daily struggles and the family involved.

The disease is a burden for Jamie and does take its' toll when he becomes bent on fixing her. This also represents the drug culture Jamie has been working for, which has taught him that every symptom has a drug to fix you, but also propagates side effects. Unfortunately, the side effects for their relationship is that Maggie needs Jamie to accept that she will need his help more and more.....

Jamie and Maggie having a spontaneous lunch  in her "Friends" style apartment

The theme for improvement from new health advancements is similar to the technological advancements of this time. Computer technology was emerging at a fast paced rate. I remember being told I would need to write in cursive by high school and college, but then was rigorously trained in computers and typing. Then I had yet to see the side effects of technology, but see them on a daily basis. Now personal interactions are shorter and more impersonal especially when things are done by a computer (Please Bank of America, can I speak to a human not an auto tone?).

I try to not get too wrapped up or distracted by shiny technology, but's its really hard when you are allowed to use your cool new cell phone at work.

Decadence

Last Sunday, I started the day off with William Sonoma complimentary cooking  class at Washington Square Mall. They hand you a nice 10% coupon as you walk in, along with a handout about the dish we will be focusing on. The delightful dish was pasta, which anyone can get cravings for in cold weather because you need something hearty, filling and usually meaty and cheesy. They passed around rustic cookbooks, defined pasta kinds (we were sad that macaroni was not important enough to get a definition), envied their pasta kitchen aid attachment and watched the food being made from the mirror above the stove. I was quite intrigued by the pasta that was folded into a coin shape and had writing on it.

We were allowed to try a standard bolognese with corkscrew pasta, which they had spiced using a rolling herb mincer. We also had a smoky spaghetti.
Check out the herb mincer


Thus, I embarked upon the new store for my fantasy kitchen. I bought a nine inch cake pan and my friend bought a shovel like thing for his wok. My boyfriend searched for a knife sharpener, but they were very expensive.

So that was my brunch. Then around noon I took the MAX for another adventure.  My older sister and I went to the Portland Annual Chocolate Fest at the Convention Center around 1pm. As we entered they gave us bags for our purchases and with some coupons. What I didn’t realize, is that they give you a myriad of free samples, of chocolate that is. Wine was also plentiful along with sake and a nice chocolate martini from Leonidas with vodka and Baileys. The martini was free, but wine tastes were usually a dollar or two.
Some unique tastes that I either purchased or wished I could purchase:

-Pinot Noir dessert sauce from Euphoria chocolates= Tart like berries from the wine plus smooth and light chocolatey taste. They also make chocolate caramel clusters.
-Ladybug Chocolates= After tasting many caramels, this one knocked my socks off. The caramel is fresh and almost drippingly soft and buttery, covered with a robust milk chocolate that has just the right amount of fleur de sel. I believe she said something about it being apple smoked too.......
I also bought a chocolate covered twinkie for my mum’s birthday, and it has small pink and purple hearts on it.
-Coco tutti= Very unusual concoctions, including a cappucino truffle and a green spearmint marbled truffle that looks almost like that chocolate rock candy. My favorite of theirs was their ginger dark chocolate, after  you take a bite, the ginger taste quickly strengthens in your mouth.
-Theo= Very mainstream and usually very expensive. But oh so good. I tried the highest percent of cocoa chocolate there which was around 80%. But I fell hard for one of their fantasy bars with fig, fennel and almonds. For only $3!
-Cocoa Velvet= lots of great flavor concoctions here. I bought some earl grey lavender treats. They also had one with pear cognac flavor and another with smokey whiskey flavor.
-Brownies from Heaven= Tried a taste of their blue cheese brownie which is a step up from the cream cheese brownie. It also possible to buy a bite of a brownie for $1, which was larger than my fist. I would’ve but by that time I was getting chocolated out.
-Tea Time Toffee= Don’t call them almond roca! I was told when having a taste. The nuts on top of the chocolate layer have a roasted flavor.

As for the wines, I retreated to my old favorite and bought a bottle of Hip Chicks’ Drop Dead Red
Most of them were decent but didn’t really blow me away. I did like HV Cellars’ plum fruit wine, which was nicely aerated and captured the slight earthiness of the plum. My sister tried the blackberry one too, which tasted like the pie!

“The Queen” of England’s Unforgettable ‘90’s Week

I have had Portlandia’s “Dream of the 90’s” song stuck in my head for some time now, which I always seem to call “Feel of the ‘90’s for some reason. It’s getting annoying. I’ve discussed this show with my two groups of friends, even though I was the only one who has seen it. I related the sketches to them and we came to the conclusion that the TV show does not quite identify Portland’s quirks.
I also tried to pinpoint the film that brought upon my reflection of the ‘90’s as a period piece and decided it was The Queen with Helen Mirren and directed by Steven Frears.

The most definable feature of The Queen was the picture quality element. I’m not sure if this was intentional or just a viewing of a DVD on a blu ray player. Yes, like a late 80’s child I refuse to get caught up on new technology. The picture quality of this film is reminiscent of watching a VHS tape and this effect is recreated in this film in many ways including objects in the film, colors and use of news footage from this historic week.
When watching films made in the ‘90’s, I often notice how the picture quality makes objects  have crisper outer edges and a fuzzier interior. This observation is subtle of course, not like a coloring book at all. The Queen herself also stands out with a conservation primary color in her choice of clothing or accessories, surrounded by other actors in lighter colors or wearing earth tone clothing with a dark necklace.
As bold as the ‘90’s were with the bright colors in clothing or the highlights in music videos, we also started to tone down our colors with mustard yellow, casual blacks, different from the crazy ‘80’s hair-do’s and shoulder padded office clothes. The Queen gave a portrait of this change which also connects to the way the era dressed.
Color is also used to display the theme of isolation that the Queen is experiencing from Tony Blair and the public. There are several shots of the Queen alone and donning an outfit conspicuous from her surroundings, especially as she ponders the solution to the public outcry about Princess Diana’s death.

Tony Blair (Actor) also stands out with darker colors every time he visits the queen in her beige-pastel palace, showing the conflicting relationship between the royalty and the government that has to work together to ease the grieving of the public.

The Queen believes that the death is a private matter while Blair feels that Diana had such a public presence, that the royal family must comment on their former relation. I also noticed that on the Queen’s drive before Diana’s funeral, she wears a beige outfit that matches her outdoor surroundings, showing that she might have to conform to the duties her kingdom demands.

Stephen Frears’ use  of actual news footage from the ‘90’s helped identify these key events and characters. For example, the character of Princess Diana was portrayed only from real interviews and newscasts. I felt he chose well, because could not think of an actress that could portray her. The footage from the public also demonstrated the large scale of mourning and shock from the princesses death. Living in Europe at the time, I remember seeing the princess often on TV and could not believe the damage done to the car she died in. I also remember the TY beanie baby coming out that was super expensive, a commemorative purple bear named Princess.

According to IMDB.com, Queen Elizabeth refuses to watch this movie because she does not want to relive that week. I felt this was an interesting bit of trivia because of the increasing speed that movies from 20 years ago are getting remade, I love the millenium on VH1 comes out when 2010 was not even reached and biographical films are being made when the main character is still alive. I wonder if we can really, truly remember the way we were, if we don’t have enough distance? Or in this case do we want to remember? Was the first version of Fame worse than the old so we have to stay fresh to last in popularity? Is  Footloose such a pivotal film that we need to upgrade it? And Americans are not the only ones who do this: My last few favorite Bollywood movies were remakes, but at least those were coming from 40-70 years ago.....

Moralistically, if a biographical movie is done on you, do you have a say in who portrays you in certain  positive or negative ways? Or can you agree to embellishments? Please think about this.