Joseph Mallozzi's Blog, page 53

April 23, 2024: The Crime Binge continues!

Aranyelet/Golden Life (2015 – 2018 ) Season

A corrupt businessman and family man attempts to navigate his way through increasing domestic, legal, and financial problems.

My thoughts: The Hungarian thriller does a terrific job of exploring themes similar to those touched on by shows like Breaking Bad as an average family is drawn into a world of crime and chaos.  Season 2 builds beautifully on all of the narrative elements established in the first season.

4.5/5

C.B. Strike (2017 – )

War veteran turned private detective Cormoran Strike solves brutal murders with the help of his trusted partner Robin Ellacott.

My thoughts: A pretty good mystery series.  I like the way our two leads play off each other, but the endings feel rushed and dramatically unsatisfying.

3.5/5

Blood Coast / Pax Massilia (2023 – )

A group of police officers with particular methods who track down a dangerous criminal in order to prevent Marseille from plunging into a bloodbath.

My thoughts : When I saw that Olivier Marchal, the creator of the fantastic series Braquo was involved, I put this one at the top of my watch-list.  What a disappointment.  Incoherent story and uninteresting characters in a paint-by-numbers thriller.

2.5/5

Escale Fatale/Taken Down (2018)

Showcases the violent death of a young Nigerian migrant. The investigation brings us into a twilight world of the new Ireland, where slum landlords and criminals prey on the vulnerable.

My thoughts: From the creators of one of my favorite crime shows, Love/Hate comes a haunting and depressing mystery with pacing issues and an ultimately unsatisfying ending.

3/5

Detective Forst/Forst (2024 – )

Tatra Mountains will become an arena of brutal murder. The investigation is carried out by a cynical but effective policeman, Wiktor Forst.

My thoughts: At time convoluted, at other times cliche.  The ending is nonsensical.

2.5/5

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April 22, 2024: E. coli? Yes/No

We were at the farmer’s market on Saturday morning where I spotted a rare sight: grass-fed beef ribs!  I snatched up the last rack (much to the disappointment of the woman shopping after me) and headed home, formulating my culinary game plan.  That night, I salted the meat, let it sit for an hour, then seared it off in a heavy skillet to get that nice mahogany crust.  Then, after letting it rest for half an hour, I seasoned generously with more salt, pepper, garlic powder, smoked paprika, thyme, and oregano.  I elected to go slow cooker over oven-roasted so, when the time came, I set the the rack in my crock pot and covered it with a bottle of cooked-off red wine, olive oil, honey, apple cider vinegar,  and one can of DOP San Marzano tomatoes.  Everything was set up.  All I had to do was press START before I went to bed and the ribs would be fall-off-the-bone done in the morning, slow simmering until lunch.

The next morning, Akemi woke up first and headed into the kitchen where I heard her utter a “Oh no.”.  I assumed it had snowed.  It was only while I was brushing my teeth, thinking about those delicious ribs, that I realized the “Oh no” had not been a reaction to the weather.  It had been a response to the discovery I had forgotten to press START!

The beef ribs had sat out all night in the marinade, roughly 12 hours.  What was I to do?  On the one hand, the FDA advises people NOT to consume raw meat that has been left unrefrigerated for more than two hours.  On the other hand, I was REALLY looking forward to those beef ribs.

A quick internet search yielded conflicting advice.  There was the very real danger that the meat was, by now, covered in dangerous pathogens that would make us very, very ill.  And yet, I was somewhat comforted by seemingly knowledgeable experts posting in foodie forums who pointed out the FDA was just covering their asses with those guidelines and, besides, people in countries without refrigeration leave their meat out for days.  So, who was I to believe?  In the end, my twitter followers…

Yes, I put it to a vote.  And received a lot of interesting opinions.  I left my fate (and lunch plans) in the hands of roughly 1,100 mostly strangers.  The results…

And so, 4+ hours later after cooking on high, I deemed the beef ribs “done” and put them under the broiler for 2 minutes each side (in the hopes that would kill off any toxins), then brushed them with a glaze comprised of amaro (reasoning the alcohol would also sterilize the ribs), honey, a mango-based hot sauce, and olive oil and seared them off one last time.

I mean, they looked pretty tasty.

Despite the confidence of two-thirds of the random twitter users who voted, I remained cautious and only had a single rib.  Akemi, for her part, only hazarded a bite.  Delicious!  Sweet and savory, slightly spicy, with nary hint of bacterial infection.  To be on the safe side, I chased it down with a shot of amaro figuring the booze would kill any potential bacteria and, after all, who ever heard of anyone getting sick after drinking alcohol?

Most food poisoning takes effect within an hour or two after consumption, so I anxiously awaited the results.  Three hours later, I posted an update:

Feeling no ill effects, I had another rib for dinner.  Akemi, for her part, went all in, consuming three (!).  We slept on it/them.  And the following morning…

I guess that’s it.  Unless it turns out to be one of those rare cases where food poisoning kicks in days, sometimes weeks later, I think we’re all good.

In the end, not only did I enjoy some delicious ribs, but I was provided much-needed material for this blog!  All the same, next time around, I’ll definitely be hitting “ENTER” on that slow-cooker.

 

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April 21, 2024: Sharky Sunday!

Out and about for mom’s birthday…

Bubbie’s back for a visit…

Fight!

A confident climber…

Attention-seeker…

Sharky doing some banking…

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April 20, 2024: The Saturday Report!

To be honest, the only thing more frustrating than spinning your wheels trying to get a show off the ground is seeing the utter garbage that DOES get green lit.  I have a good half dozen shows in various stages making the rounds, but three times as many sitting on virtual shelves, gathering digital dust.  They are stories I would love to tell.

So, I’m thinking of taking a page out of the Dark Matter playbook and going the comic book route.  Step 1, find an artist…

Looking for an experienced sequential comic book artist to collaborate on one of three comic book projects: horror, contemporary sci-fi, and far-future space opera. Humor will be a key component of all three.
If you're interested, leave a link to your portfolio in the replies.… pic.twitter.com/UXhNTD5Brg

— Joseph Mallozzi (@BaronDestructo) April 20, 2024

I’ll be reviewing portfolios this weekend.

This step is turning out more challenging than I expected.

Akemi is assembling a list of the Pros and Cons of living in Canada over Japan. So far, in the Pros column, she has: "Not so many earthquakes".

— Joseph Mallozzi (@BaronDestructo) April 20, 2024

Thinking it may be time for a return trip to Tokyo.

Akemi brought this one to my attention…

In 2022, a Japanese woman was scammed by a guy who claimed he was working on the international space station and needed 30k to get back to Earth (docking fees). https://t.co/ikdpUsrwQD

— Joseph Mallozzi (@BaronDestructo) April 20, 2024

Reminiscent of that guy who traveled to China to meet his online girlfriend only to have her not show up to meet him – resulting in him refusing to leave the airport for weeks.

Lesson: Long distance relationships never work.

 

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April 19, 2024: The Crime Binge sails on!

Ololade (2023)

The story of two friends: Shina, an unhappy high school teacher, and Lateef, a loud and dishonest car mechanic.

My thoughts: Amateurish and clunky.  Student film quality production.

1/5

Elite (2018 – 2024) Season 2

In the wake of a classmate’s death, a student vanishes, allegiances shift, new friends join the drama, and dark secrets become too difficult to contain.

My thoughts: Most of the gang return to for another year of sex, drugs, betrayals, and mystery with an even stronger season.

4.5/5

 Elite (2018 – 2024) Season 3

When another classmate is killed, a new investigation ensues. The students look toward their future, while the consequences of the past haunt them.

My thoughts: Sure, it can be a little much.  Okay, a lot much.  But it’s still a hell of a lot of fun.

4/5

The Sopranos (1999 – 2007) Season 1

Meet Tony Soprano: your average, middle-aged businessman. Tony’s got a dutiful wife. A not-so-dutiful daughter. A son named Anthony Jr. A pill of a mother. A hot-headed uncle. A not-too-secret mistress. And a shrink to whom he tells all his secrets, except the one she already knows: Tony’s a mob boss. In Season One, feeling his handle on his family and his business slipping away, Tony (James Gandolfini) suffers a series of anxiety attacks that land him in the office of a psychiatrist (Lorraine Bracco). Opening up to his shrink, Tony relates the details of his life as a ‘waste-management consultant,’ and tries to come to terms with the professional and private strains that have brought him to the brink of a breakdown.

My thoughts: The greatest crime show in television history kicks off its inaugural season.  Doesn’t get any better than this.

5/5

Queens of Mystery (2019 – ) Season 1

Three crime-writing sisters and their 28-year old niece use their extensive knowledge of crime to solve whodunit style murders in the picturesque English village of Wildemarsh.

My thoughts: This quirky cozy mystery certainly has its moments, but our heroine’s infatuations with an outright imbecile makes it very hard to watch.

3.5/5

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April 18, 2024: Akemi’s Birthday Festivities!

First, thanks to everyone who sent me birthday well-wishes.

Second, my birthday is October 16th, roughly six months away.

Third, today is Akemi’s birthday!

We celebrated by taking a family trip to Le Beau Croissanterie where we had a brunch of

A butter croissant, a pistachio croissant, an apple chausson, and a kougn-amman along with a cappuccino with soy milk (for Akemi of course) and a  white chocolate mocha (for me, natch).

Then, we took the bus down to the Distillery district where Sharky got in some steps.

After which we made the walk to St. Lawrence Market where I picked up some muscat grapes and blueberries (mostly for Akemi) and a smoked meat sandwich for your truly.

Followed by a quick stop at the nearby liquor store where I picked up a new amaro for my growing collection.  This one Akemi found a little more sweetness forward while I found it a little more medicinal in flavor than the others I’ve tried.  Still, great.

After a short break, we were out once again, this time to Trinity Bellwoods Park where Akemi checked out the cherry blossoms.

By the time we got home, Sharky and I were exhausted – but Akemi was still rarin’ to go.

So we’re off to the gym!

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April 17, 2024: Amazing Covers!

A few that caught my eye this week…

Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #26 – cover art by Carlo Pagulayan, Jason Paz

Batman: Off-World #5 – cover art by Jamie Mendoza, Dough Mahnke

Catwoman #63 – cover art by Inhyuk Lee

Green Lantern: War Journal #8 – cover art by Rahzzah

Nightwing #113 – cover art by Bruno Redondo

Wonder Woman #8 – cover art by Daniel Sampere, Belen Ortega

Wonder Woman #8 – cover art by Joshua “Sway” Swaby

Wonder Woman #8 – cover art by Julian Totino Tedesco

U & I #3 – cover art by Michael Choi

And which were YOUR favorites?

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April 16, 2024: Topics for discussion!

Any amaro fans out there?  I have arrived late to the game but am enjoying educating myself on the varied products available.  For those of you who don’t know, amaro is an Italian herbal liqueur possessed of a bittersweet flavor and is usually sipped as an after-meal digestif.  The full list of ingredients vary but range from flower to citrus to bark and, in the case of one bottle, artichoke.  To date, of the ones I’ve tried, this one is my favorite…

Amara is made from Sicilian blood oranges – and is pretty damn delicious.  Highly recommended.

Speaking of which – any amaro aficionados out there?  Any you’d recommend?

What are some comedies everyone else found hilarious that you…uh…did not?
Austin Powers (all of them)
Shaun of the Dead
Team America: World Police
Zoolander

— Joseph Mallozzi (@BaronDestructo) April 16, 2024

Interesting article here…

The Life and Death of Hollywood

“The supposed sure shot of IP is currently misfiring: in 2023, Disney’s The Marvels fell more than $64 million short of breaking even, and its Indiana Jones sequel drastically underperformed. The Flash, for Warner Bros. Discovery, lost millions, and the company’s Shazam! Fury of the Gods flopped.”

Another reason for the growing apathy to new programming is the obsessions with green lighting shows NOT based on quality or potential popularity but the prospect of what type of BUZZ or critical acclaim it will generate.  For a while now, it’s all about those LOUD shows, the ones that receive a lot of press but are watched by a minuscule number of viewers.

So, what do you all think?  What are your theories for why Hollywood is going the way of the dodo.

Top 6 Stephen King movies?
6. The Dead Zone
5. Stand By Me
4. The Shawshank Redemption
3. Carrie
2. The Shining
1. Misery https://t.co/qUW2zyOXOC

— Joseph Mallozzi (@BaronDestructo) April 12, 2024

Misery stands alone in my books.  And you?

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April 15, 2024: Stargate outtakes/bloopers you may have missed!

Good times.  Good times.

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April 14, 2024: Sharky Sunday!

Thrilled to find mom…

Eclipse-ready…

Mom asks Sharky to do something funny…

Slurping…

Baked potato…

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