“Chasing Ice” – Movie Review

 

This week in my movie class, we saw the new documentary “Chasing Ice”. 

 

Synopsis

An experienced nature photographer spends years photographing various icebergs around the northern hemisphere in order to illustrate the impact of global warming on the planet. 

Story

Photographer James Balog certainly never started out life wanting to be considered an environmentalist – but that seems to have been the life path that he wound up taking, as accidental as it may have been.  With a background in geology and a passion for photography, he wound up combining two of his greatest interests by forging a long, successful career as a professional photographer of many outdoor scenes.  But it was one particular shoot from a few years ago that eventually sent him off on a new obsession – one fraught with great controversy.   

During a photographic expedition to the arctic region in order to capture climate changes, he gradually became a true believer regarding the issue, despite having a great many doubts previously.  This experience inspired Balog to the most ambitious project of his or any other photographer’s career:  to obtain visual verification that the earth’s temperature is increasing by showing the melting of massive icebergs around the world. 

Balog then set out on his mission with a team to help him set up photographic equipment in Iceland, Greenland, northern Montana and elsewhere.  This equipment included new and as yet untested technology for time lapse photography techniques in an environment that was as unfriendly to the technology as it was to humans.  Despite frequent challenges and occasional failures, Balog was able to successfully obtain evidence that the increased use of carbon emissions over the centuries has had a direct impact on icebergs receding and glaciers rapidly melting. 

 

Review

Perhaps the most impressive thing about “Chasing Ice” is the number of stunning visual images that were captured both on video and in still pictures.  Among these include an event referred to as “calving”, which is where huge chunks break off from icebergs and then become glaciers, which then aimlessly float throughout the ocean, eventually melting if they wind up managing to travel far enough to the south.  Additionally, evidence which proves over a period of time – usually years, but in some cases months – that ice caps are shrinking in size at an alarming rate. 

There are parts of the film that are quite dry, specifically when much of the technical and statistical details are delivered – so from that standpoint, viewers can certainly be somewhat grateful that the documentary is under an hour and a half.  However, the filmmakers do make an effort to humanize the subject matter by showing the effects of Balog’s extensive travel and adventurous behavior on his family as well as how health problems occasionally limited his active participation in his own project. 

Following the screening, our instructor interviewed both Balog and the documentary’s director, Jeff Orlowsky, who was also a member of Balog’s team.  Orlowsky explained that originally, the plan was not to shoot a documentary to be released in theaters, but instead, to act as the project’s videographer in order to record the actions taken on this expedition.  It was only after a certain amount of footage was recorded did he go to Balog and tell him that it appeared as though they had the makings of an actual film on their hands.  Balog talked at great length about the technological advances that have occurred during his long and illustrious career as a photographer and how that has changed how he works;

 

The Glenlivet Gathering

 

Single malt scotch, classic jazz and tasty hors d’oeuvres.   Well, if all of that sounds like the makings of a great evening, you’d be absolutely right.  That’s exactly what I enjoyed during a recent tasting of The Glenlivet at Union Square Wines & Spirits.  We were treated to a total of six Glenlivet expressions, plus one cocktail made with the scotch.  Guiding us throughout the event was Glenlivet Brand Ambassador for the Northeast, Craig Bridger, who was able to greatly enhance the tasting by explaining to the group the background of each item on the menu. 

Upon entering, we were immediately greeted with a cocktail – the classic Rob Roy, made with Glenlivet 12 Year.  As you may know, the Rob Roy is a cousin of another classic cocktail called The Manhattan – except it is made with scotch instead of rye or bourbon; it also includes sweet vermouth and a dash or two of Angostura bitters.  Typically, it is garnished with a cherry, however, this time, an orange peel was used instead; this was done to enhance the citrus notes in the scotch, which are easy to detect on taste, but not quite so much by its scent.  Craig told us that he decided to use this particular single malt because it’s got a slight smokiness to it, which tends to offset what would otherwise be sweet. 

After that, we tried the single malt on its own.  An 80 proof scotch that comes in the iconic green glass bottle, this is the #1 selling single malt in the entire United States and as such, is regarded as the company’s flagship product.  Produced legally since 1824 (and illegally well before that), it is always worth revisiting even if you’ve tried this one in the past.  While most of its aging is the American bourbon barrel that is standard for scotch, it is finished in Spanish sherry casks.  This imparts it with fruit notes that include apples, pears and peach; on its finish, you will find a bit of honey and possibly some heather as well. 

Next up was Glenlivet’s French Oak Reserve, aged 15 years in former brandy and cognac barrels.  Both spicy and creamy on the palate, this has, without a doubt, a considerably more complex taste.  If you are a big fan of bourbon, you’ll probably love this. 

We then moved on to the 18 year old; at 86 proof, this has a slightly higher alcohol content than the first two.  With a silky feel on the tongue, one person even described it as “sexy”.  It is characterized by a rosy color due to being kept in Spanish sherry casks; the wood of these casks is not charred, but lightly toasted.  It tastes of dried fruit and dark chocolate, with a long, lingering finish on the tongue.  If the tasting had ended right here, I would’ve picked this as the best of the evening.  But then came a surprise.

At 108.6 proof, the 16 year old Nadurra was easily the best scotch of the evening; this is the one I recommend (and yes, I even bought a bottle at the conclusion).  It gets its name from the Gaelic word for “natural”.  Craig described this one as “the 12 year old on steroids”.  Made in small batches, it bears a label that not only displays its alcohol content, but also, the date of bottling and which batch number it was from.  The alcohol content can range from 54% to 59%; because of that, it is highly recommended that you do not drink it neat – in fact, our samples were served with a little water delivered via an eyedropper.  Nadurra is aged in first-fill bourbon barrels, which means no scotch was ever aged in the barrel previously.  Its taste has hints of fruit with what Craig informed us was ginger root on its finish. 

  

 

 

“Cloud Atlas” – Movie Review

 

This week, my movie class began with a screening of “Cloud Atlas” by The Wachowski Siblings (formerly The Wachowski Brothers), starring Tom Hanks, Halle Berry, Hugo Weaving and Hugh Grant.

Synopsis

Over the course of the vast history of the world – including visions into the future – a group of mysteriously related people are followed throughout the centuries showing how their actions are ultimately interconnected and influenced by their ancestors. 

Story

“The Cloud Atlas Sextet” is a piece of music that was composed during the 1800’s and somehow manages to resonate throughout six centuries.  In each century, we are told a story of the individuals who most influenced the particular event for their given period of time in the history of the world:  the composer of the piece, a lawyer on an ocean voyage, an investigative journalist in the 1970’s, a book publisher and, in the future, a restaurant worker and a tribe of survivors following a devastating event that leaves behind a barbarian civilization. 

While the story of each individual continuously bounces around and ostensibly seems somewhat disjointed, we are periodically reminded of a most unusual hereditary trait that maintains a thread which provides an unexpected – and inexplicable – continuity that ultimately ties everything together, although the characters may not know or understand this while in the midst of the tumultuous events that not only define their present existence, but also, shapes the future of the world and how it is defined by their descendants. 

Ultimately, events lead the future of mankind to decide whether or not its proletariat has the will to not only survive, but to survive without the encumbrances of either enslavement by the powerful or oppression of the mighty.  Will the future generation either comprehend or heed the advice and information supplied to them by their predecessors or will they merely act as so many sheep to follow whatever they are told to believe? 

Review

munge

(/muhnj/)  A derogatory term meaning to imperfectly transform information.

Throughout the course of writing this blog – and the portion that contains the movie reviews in particular – I am occasionally stumped at how to describe something.  This is especially evinced in the story details of certain motion pictures I see in my class.  Never has writing a film’s story explanation been so challenging for me as it has with my viewing of “Cloud Atlas”.  Literally, I don’t know what to say.  Take that for what you will, which may not be a very clear or well-written review.  Nevertheless, it is quite sincere. 

The Wachowski Siblings (formerly The Wachowski Brothers, until one of them decided to have a sex change operation) are perhaps most famous for giving us The Matrix Trilogy in all its cinematic grandeur and flaws (I only found the first installment of this trilogy to be particularly worthwhile).  Nevertheless, they have decided to embark on an even more ambitious project (and I use the word “ambitious” as a rather severe understatement) by giving us “Cloud Atlas”, which is based on a book which many considered impossible to make into a movie. 

In our class discussion following the screening, it would seem that the movie may have made a greater impact on those who have already read the novel on which it is based.  For the rest of us, we are either left completely puzzled or totally stupefied, as if we had all been collectively intellectually tasered.  People who will appreciate “Cloud Atlas” are likely those who enjoy stories of fantasy, science fiction or philosophy.  Just know that going into it, you will not see a traditional film designed for a mainstream audience.  No movie has ever been made like this before and probably no movie will ever be made like this ever again.  The problem is that I can’t decide whether or not that is a good thing or a bad thing.  

 

“The Sessions”–Movie Review

 

This weekend in my movie class, we saw the comedy-drama “The Sessions” starring Helen Hunt, John Hawkes and William H. Macy.

Synopsis

When a man in an iron lung decides to hire a sex surrogate in order to lose his virginity, he begins to fall in love with her – but will her professional ethics keep her from reciprocating?

 

Story

At the age of 38, Mark (Hawkes) has had a challenging life – diagnosed with Polio when he was only six years of age, he has spent most of his life in an Iron Lung to assist his breathing.  With his muscles completely atrophied, he can only be transported when a hired attendant pushes him in a gurney.  Deeply religious – after a fashion, anyway – he is taken to the local Catholic church periodically to meet with Father Brendan (Macy), the parish priest who hears his confession and eventually becomes a confidante.  Knowing his time on earth will be severely limited due to his condition, Mark reveals to Father Brendan that he has hired a professional sex surrogate named Cheryl (Hunt) in order to help him lose his virginity before it’s too late. 

Upon receiving Father Brendan’s blessing, Mark begins to see Cheryl, who informs him that they are strictly limited to six sessions together.  While it is common for many men in Mark’s situation to have difficulty achieving and maintaining an erection, this proves to be no obstacle for him – his problem, however, is that he instead suffers from premature ejaculation, causing his first session with Cheryl to finish abruptly.  Subsequently, however, she teaches him to relax, to calm down and to re-focus his attention elsewhere so that he can both enjoy and prolong the moment.  Eventually, a mutual trust develops between the two, culminating in Mark confessing to Cheryl that despite knowing that she is married, he has fallen in love with her and wishes to develop a real relationship with her outside of his therapy sessions. 

Normally, Cheryl would know how to handle situations like this because she’s an experienced, well – trained professional.  In the case with Mark, however, this turns out to be more of a challenge than she had suspected because his revelation has caused her to acknowledge that she has also developed feelings for him, as well.  As a result, she violates her own rules by allowing Mark to see her outside the context of their professional relationship, as well as to contact her at home.  When Cheryl’s husband Josh (Adam Arkin) discovers this, a huge argument ensues, but Cheryl is determined not to let Josh’s jealousy interfere with her treatments with Mark.  But will Cheryl allow Mark to come between her and Josh or will she be able to maintain her professionalism all throughout their remaining sessions together?

 

Review

Based on a true story, “The Sessions” takes place in  the year 1988, by way of explaining how a 38 year old man could be debilitated by the disease Polio, which was long-ago wiped out.  Although the above poster clearly states that this movie is based on a true story, the film itself does not admit to this until the end; this winds up having an impact on how you experience the story, as our class wound up discussing after the screening.  For one thing, it was mentioned, since you don’t learn this at the outset, you may find yourself questioning the likelihood of certain events in the movie.  However, if the audience is informed up front that the film is based on a true story, then you are in a sense viewing this film through a prism of reality, thus lending it greater credibility. 

This is where the disconnect I had with “The Sessions” begins because I found it difficult to believe that a man in an iron lung could get women to fall in love with him – especially when the woman in this case is a professional sex surrogate, whom you would expect to be fully equipped to deal with a client’s matter of what is known in the world of psychology as “Transference”.  Yet it was apparently all completely true.  If you can somehow manage to get yourself past such admitted skepticism, then you will likely enjoy “The Sessions” as the bittersweet love story that it sets itself up to be. 

There are good performances in this movie, by Hunt and Macy especially.  Even if the film does not manage to be commercially successful, some members of its cast may wind up getting noticed come awards time.  That said, given what we now know about a number of Catholic priests, it seemed to me to be a little creepy that Macy’s character is enjoying a vicarious sex life through one of his parishioners; and yet, the irony is not lost on us that just as Cheryl is Mark’s sex surrogate, Mark is – in a sense – Father Brendan’s sex surrogate, too.  I expect that Mr. Skin will have a field day with this one given that Helen Hunt has quite a few full-frontal-nudity scenes. 

 

Bourbon & BBQ

 

Since 1787, The Buffalo Trace Distillery has been hard at work producing one of the nation’s best bourbons out of their facility in Frankfort, Kentucky.  The distillery recently sponsored a tasting of the whiskey manufactured by The Sazerac Company at New York City’s Union Square Wines & Spirits, also providing attendees with some rather scrumptious Kentucky barbeque for dinner to accompany the tasting while we were treated to the musical talents of a jazz trio that played throughout the night.  With a variety of bourbons and ryes available for the asking, we were given the all-too-rare opportunity to try each of their American made whiskey products to enjoy and contrast their various distinctions. 

Beginning the evening with Rock Hill Farms Single Barrel Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey, I was surprised at how unlike a typical bourbon it tasted.  Upon my initial sampling, I actually thought it was a rye due to its strong spicy flavor.  While it technically has to be called a bourbon because it contains 51% corn, I learned that its spiciness is attributable to the fact that its recipe is made up of an unusually high concentration of rye, which accounts for the considerable burn on its finish.  At 100 proof, it is aged for a total of eight years in charred new American Oak barrels. 

 

My dinner for the evening consisted of pork ribs with bean stew and a side of corn bread (the requisite wet wipes were of course provided alongside the food). 

Next up was Colonel E.H. Taylor Single Barrel Straight Kentucky Bourbon Whiskey.  Aged for five years, this 100 proof bourbon is between 60 – 65% corn, as compared to the much sweeter Buffalo Trace, which is around 70 – 75% corn.  While Buffalo Trace might be considered something of an everyday bourbon that could also be used in cocktails, Taylor is more special, designed to sip on its own.  Personally, I found that the couple of drops of water I added to it from the dropper that the company representative had handily available definitely opened it up both in its scent and in its taste, making it considerably more accessible.  This is the preferred method of tasting the bourbon due to its high alcohol content. 

 

Last – and the one I recommend – was Blanton’s Single Barrel Kentucky Straight Bourbon.  Aged for eight years, it is very sweet on the nose and contains a hint of vanilla on the palate with a nice, soft finish.  Another distinguishing feature is its exquisitely crafted bottle, which is somewhat reminiscent of the look of Chambord.  Blanton’s has been compared to some of the finest VSOP Cognacs and Single Malt Scotches – and once you’ve tried this one, you’ll completely understand why the comparison is so deserved.  This company has been producing its bourbons aged in a single barrel for nearly a century.    

The reason why the single barrel aging is important is because it distinguishes the spirit from other whiskies that are blended from different barrels; Blanton instead bottles each of its bourbons at the peak of its maturation after it has extracted the maximum amount of flavor possible from the lone barrel in which it has lived.  I enjoyed this one so much, I purchased a bottle at the conclusion of the evening’s tasting.

“The Oranges” – Movie Review

 

This weekend, my movie class had its second bonus screening with the comedy–drama, “The Oranges” featuring an ensemble cast which includes Hugh Laurie, Catherine Keener, Oliver Platt, Allison Janney, Alia Shawkat and Leighton Meester.

 

Synopsis

When New Jersey neighbors have their friendship threatened after the daughter of one couple breaks up the marriage of the other, will they forever remain enemies or can they somehow manage to find a way to forgive and forget?

 

Story

David & Paige Walling (Laurie & Keener) refuse to allow their moribund marriage to interfere with their long – time friendship with West Orange, New Jersey neighbors Terry & Carol Ostroff (Platt & Janney).  Living right across the street from each other, they spend holidays together and celebrate birthdays and anniversaries as if they were family.  In fact, The Ostroffs’ grown – up daughter Nina (Meester) was once close friends with The Wallings’ daughter, Vanessa (Shawkat) until the adventurous Nina decided to travel the world, where she eventually met Ethan, whom she announces she intends to marry and skip returning home for the holidays – both proclamations causing much consternation with her parents. 

Shortly before Thanksgiving, however, Nina surprises everyone by showing up at home suddenly and confesses that she has broken off her engagement with Ethan because she caught him cheating on her.  Settling in, she is dismayed to learn that Carol wants to set her up with The Wallings’ responsible adult son in the hope that she will finally settle down and start taking life a bit more seriously.  But when Nina discovers that David is estranged from Paige, she sets out to flirt with him relentlessly until he eventually succumbs to her charms. 

Ultimately, Carol discovers their secret affair, which not only breaks up The Walling family, but also, causes an unavoidable schism between the neighboring families.   Wallowing in remorse, David informs Nina that their affair must end, but she convinces him otherwise and they wind up a couple, further infuriating an already embarrassed Vanessa, who now sees Nina as her mortal enemy.  But when Ethan shocks everyone by unexpectedly showing up at their home around Christmastime, will he be able to win back Nina or will she stay with David?   

 

Review

This ensemble cast is a sheer pleasure to watch – with two of my favorite actresses (Keener & Janney) leading the pack.  While I characterized “The Oranges” as a comedy – drama, I found that while certain scenes were most definitely played for laughs, it felt more like a drama than a comedy – in fact, more like a tragedy than a mere drama.  Another reason why I say this is because despite the fact that this cast includes many actors quite adept – if not known for – their comedy skills, some of the jokes fell a bit flat, especially against the backdrop of this rather unpleasant story. 

Prior to the screening, our instructor described this film as something of an anti-holiday movie – instead of one of those traditionally warm and fuzzy feel-good family flicks, “The Oranges” tended to focus on the dark side of holiday get-togethers with button-pushing family members and friends.  While that’s definitely true, and there might be something of a black comedy element to the motion picture, I would have preferred to have seen it played as a straight drama.  That said, however, I would quickly add that the filmmakers did an excellent job of playing all characters even-handedly – that is to say, not making any one of them out to be either a total villain or a goody-two-shoes. 

Following the screening, our instructor interviewed the film’s producer, Anthony Bregman.  While the title of producer may often be rather amorphous – if not entirely ambiguous at times – Bregman said that he had a rather clear and specific idea of what his role was on almost any given production.  Bregman said that he considered himself responsible for overseeing the entire process, whether it was acquiring the financing, assembling the cast, making budget decisions or supervising the post – production.  Bregman’s interview was excellent in that it not merely focused on producing, but also a wide-ranging discussion on the filmmaking process in general.    

 

“Butter” – Movie Review

 

This weekend, the bonus screenings in my movie class resumed with “Butter”, a comedy with a large cast of well-known names, including Jennifer Garner, Ty Burrell, Olivia Wilde, Rob Corddry, Alicia Silverstone and Hugh Jackman. 

Synopsis

When a well-known woman in a small town decides to enter a butter carving contest, an obscure little girl with superior skills challenges her for the state title – but can the woman somehow find a way to win by cheating?

Story

In Iowa City, Iowa, Laura & Bob Pickler (Garner & Burrell) are considered royalty.  Bob is a champion butter carver who has gained increasing notoriety over the years having won contest after contest.  Laura has been a supportive wife and has managed to leverage her husband’s success into a small degree of fame for herself.  But when Bob agrees to retire from the competition at the behest of the judging committee, Laura is infuriated – without the gleam of the spotlight shining upon her, she fears loss of her self – esteem. 

Berating Bob for backing down, Laura drives him from their home where he hooks up with Brooke (Wilde), a dancer at a strip club.  But once she feels cheated out of money owed for services rendered, Brooke stalks The Picklers in the hope that she will eventually get paid.  Amidst all of this, Laura decides that the best way to keep positive attention on her is to enter the butter carving contest herself, even though she has no experience either carving butter or being in competitions such as this. 

Meanwhile, a 10 year old girl named Destiny (Yara Shahidi), who has been shuttled from one set of foster parents to another for most of her life, suddenly finds that she may have an artistic talent of her own when she is sent to live with Ethan & Julie (Corddry & Silverstone).  Realizing that she might be able to win the butter carving championship herself, she enters the competition, pitting herself directly against Laura.  But when Laura convinces her old high school flame (Jackman) to help her in defeating Destiny, will her evil plan succeed or will Destiny be able to beat the odds and win the butter carving contest? 

 

Review

Prior to the screening, our instructor discussed that the movie we were about to see was a satire.  To me, a satire is something that picks a big subject, then pokes a huge hole in it to deflate it for the purpose of targeting something that takes itself very seriously and trivializing it by making it look completely foolish.  Perhaps an excellent example of this to illustrate my point would be Chaplin’s film, “The Great Dictator”, which rather effectively lampooned Adolph Hitler. 

That is where I think the motion picture “Butter” seems to fail.  For me, it starts out being a bit on the mean spirited side by sending up a group of people who aren’t all that worthy of being made fun of – Midwesterners who lead a simple, uncomplicated lifestyle either by choice or by chance.  Many times over the years, we have heard political accusations by the right wing accusing a blatantly biased liberal media -- which does not represent their perspective or values -- of skewing the information they disseminate in order to serve their own hidden agenda.  Regardless of whether or not that accusation has any merit, the film does manage to unintentionally make villains of the intellectual liberals of Hollywood by making them look superior to less sophisticated people who work hard, who may or may not have limited opportunities and who can’t relate to the value system that pseudo-intellectuals of the media seem to hold quite dear. 

There are, however, a number of bright spots to “Butter” – with such a terrific cast, there are a great many fine performances, not the least of which being the little girl who challenges Garner’s character throughout the film.  Also, there are some good jokes that pop up occasionally – but not frequently enough for me.  Last but not least, there is Olivia Wilde as a stripper.  What more do I need to say?  Oh, yeah – she has a lesbian scene. 

 

“Adeline” – Movie Review

 

“Adeline” from Riva Nova Films is a short film that was recently selected to play at The 9th Annual Big Apple Film Festival in New York City screening at the Tribeca Cinemas in late 2012; the film was brought to my attention by its director Joseph Arnone , who collaborated on the piece with its actress, Daniella Alma , who portrays the title character.  The eight minute film may either be viewed below or on Vimeo, where you may also leave comments.  The filmmaker describes his effort as follows: 

The story opens up to reveal a poet’s life or death circumstances. Played by Daniella Alma, the character Adeline decides to literally dig up her past with shovel in hand, reaching deep into the ground to reconnect with a book of her most personal writings. Over the course of this short film we experience the inner battle that Adeline encounters with her darker self.

According to its post on Vimeo, the film “Adeline” is supposed to resonate the following quote from the British writer Virginia Woolf:

'It is far harder to kill a phantom than a reality...Had I not killed her she would have killed me.'

Review:

The choice of music for this piece was excellent; the film was scored well as it defines an appropriate mood to set up the story we were about to be told – very dark, very foreboding.  Additionally, the filmmaker’s decision to use establishing shots showed some rather solid technique.  Generally, the film was well-shot and maintained a quite professional and elegant look to it all throughout in terms of technical attributes of composition and shot selection.  “Adeline” showed a wise use of its modest resources, as far as its production values are concerned. 

All of that said, however, I must add that stylistically, I found “Adeline” to be Bergmanesque to a fault.  Add Death playing a game of chess with the film’s title character, and it would be complete.  Also, I felt that its attempts at symbolism and allegory were artistically heavy-handed, especially in a short film, where less would have been more.  One note about this film that was otherwise shot rather well is the fact that the lighting was a little too dim at times; while I believe this was to keep with the overall dark mood of the story, it made things a bit challenging to watch at times. 

While I haven’t yet seen any other works by this aspiring director, I would say that based solely on my viewing of “Adeline”, he has a good career as a cinematographer lying ahead.  As a director, however, I found this film to be somewhat lacking in its clarity, narrative and overall story-telling ability.  Alternating between color and black and white was rather confusing; were the black and white scenes supposed to be dream sequences or flashbacks?  Difficult to tell from what I saw. 

What do you think?  Feel free to leave a comment here or on Vimeo (from the link above). 

 

Mystery Whiskies

 

As summer ends and the air gets a bit of a chill, I am suddenly reminded that the spirit of choice for the new season will once again be whisk(e)y.  For me, summer is a time to give whiskies a bit of a vacation so I can allow my tongue a few months to cool off.  But with the autumnal equinox upon us, it’s time to get back on that sturdy brown pony for yet another ride.  And what better way to re-train your palate than with a tasting of various whiskies that are new to me – if not new to the market altogether?  That’s why I recently attended a tasting called “The Best Whiskies You’ve Never Had” at The Astor Center of New York City. 

A mixture of bourbons and scotches, the tasting featured some familiar brands offering new expressions as well as a few brands previously unknown to me. 

By far the best bourbon I had the entire day was 1792 Ridgemont Reserve.  Although I had heard of 1792 before, this was the first time I can recall ever having a taste.  For those of you who are similarly unfamiliar with the brand, 1792 is based in Kentucky – in fact, their home is where their name comes from.  Kentucky was made the 15th state of the United States in the year 1792 – so, as a proud reminder of that landmark, they decided to name the company after the year Kentucky earned its statehood. 

Its 93 proof Ridgemont Reserve is just about as smooth as a bourbon can get; with 51% corn, its smoothness comes from a high concentration of rye in its recipe (the manufacturer keeps its recipe something of a secret, but it is believed that some degree of hops and barley are also included among its ingredients).  During its eight year aging process, the company keeps its spirit in the same barrel all throughout, but interestingly, moves the barrel to different locations in its warehouse during that period of time.  The reason for this is due to the fact that they discovered as much as a 20 degree difference in temperature variations in various parts of the warehouse, which has an impact on the bourbon.  In warmer temperatures, the wood from the barrel tends to absorb more of the spirit, imparting greater flavor; in cooler temperatures, the barrel tends to deflect the bourbon, allowing it to instead just sit untouched in the barrel.  They found that moving the barrel throughout its aging impacts the taste of the bourbon in a way that somewhat evens it out prior to bottling. 

As far as Scotches are concerned, my recommendation from this tasting is the Dun Bheagan Laphroaig 10 year Sherry Cask.  At this point some of you might be scared off by the mention of Laphroaig, given its notoriously smoky taste (“Feels like I’m drinking an ashtray”, as I heard one man describe the sensation).  But do make sure to give this one a chance because it’s quite different from the 10 year old Laphroaig most of us are used to. 

The reason for the difference is due to the fact that it is finished in sherry casks for the last six to eight months of its aging process; this slight change winds up having an enormous impact on its flavor.  Just a relatively short time in the sherry casks imparts a degree of sweetness to the scotch, making the smokiness from the peat considerably less harsh to the taste – but make no mistake about it, you can most definitely still taste that peat!   

 

“Arbitrage”–Movie Review

 

This weekend, the bonus screenings for the Fall Semester of  my movie class began with the drama “Arbitrage”, starring Richard Gere, Susan Sarandon and Tim Roth.

Synopsis

When the billionaire owner of a major investment firm involves himself in cover-ups in both his personal and professional life, will he lose his family and his business as a result?

 

Story

At the age of 60, Robert Miller (Gere) is proud of both his family and the wildly successful investment company he spent a lifetime building.  But despite this achievement – or perhaps because of it –  he is a man with many dark secrets, both professionally and personally.  In his private life, he has a mistress – Julie (Laetitia Casta), a beautiful young French woman who aspires to become a renowned art gallery owner.  Miller is maintaining ultimate discretion so that his wife Ellen (Sarandon) and daughter Brooke (Brit Marling) remain in the dark.  Professionally, he is hiding his company’s loss of hundreds of millions of dollars so as not to ruin the potential sale of his business – and since Brooke is his Chief Investment Officer, he must keep this a secret from her, too. 

The lies increase by many orders of magnitude when Miller crashes his car while taking Julie out of town for a brief getaway.  As a result of the accident, Julie perishes and he is seriously injured.  Realizing he can’t be connected to this, Miller decides to find a pay phone where he can call for help rather than use his cell phone, which would be traceable.  Making his way down the road, the wrecked car explodes, causing Julie’s body to be burned beyond recognition.  Finding a gas station, Miller calls Jimmy (Nate Parker), the son of a deceased business colleague.  Jimmy drives out to pick up Miller, who hasn’t reported the incident to the police. 

It is at this point that police Detective Michael Bryer (Roth) becomes involved.  Investigating what appears to be a manslaughter case, he interviews Miller and becomes suspicious; despite frequent attempts to talk with Ellen as well, she rebuffs him at every turn.  Convinced that he has enough evidence to tie Jimmy to the case, Bryer has him brought before a grand jury, where Jimmy might perjure himself.  All the while, Miller’s business deal looks like it’s going to fall through even though his company has somehow managed to pass an independent audit.  Will Miller be able to untangle himself from possible criminal charges while simultaneously close the deal on selling his business? 

 

Review

The term “arbitrage” refers to the purchase of securities in one market in order to sell them in another market where a profit may be made due to a more favorable price.  I mention this not to insult your intelligence, but rather because I honestly didn’t know what it was and I had to look it up since I’m no financial wizard.  Which brings me to my first point about the movie “Arbitrage” – as an outsider to this world, I feel as though it would’ve been helpful to explain to viewers who were ignorant about such matters what exactly the term “arbitrage” refers to so they could better understand the business dealings here – and also make the title much more meaningful. 

My other gripe with this film has to do with its ending, which I will call a bit abrupt, to say the least.  The story is progressing at a rather good clip and it feels as though the filmmaker suddenly slammed on the brakes because he didn’t quite know how to end the movie.  This was rather frustrating; once the end titles start to appear on screen, I found myself reacting, “Huh?  What?  You mean it’s over?  Really?”.  So after all of that, I was left feeling deeply unsatisfied by the ending of “Arbitrage” because I didn’t get a sense as though the story had been completely wrapped up.  Too bad, since this was an otherwise interesting and suspenseful story.  Tim Roth’s performance alone makes it worth seeing.

Following the screening, our class had a brief discussion of the movie.  While the majority of the class seemed to like “Arbitrage”, our instructor also pointed out the weakness of the ending and expressed a similar disappointment that there were way too many loose threads left dangling.  He mentioned that this was the first directorial effort of Nicholas Jarecki, who also wrote the screenplay.  The instructor pointed out many excellent technical devices Jarecki used in directing the movie, including and especially the use of music to highlight a sense of impending danger, particularly leading up to the car crash.