With @damiano’s blessing, a reset to the 1000-plus-post thread for the new year.
So, what have you been watching lately?
Linking the old one:
Watched a bunch of movies over the holidays with family visiting.
Die Hard, that Christmas classic, bittersweet for Bruce Willis’ health situation now.
Some of the Mission Impossibles (only “some” because opinionated teens ranked them and declared the first couple “unwatchable!!!”)
I really want to do all the Bourne movies again myself.
Also watching some excellent Indian television content in both English and Hindi (that doesn’t make it abroad even when dubbed or subtitled or in English starting out if it’s not on Netflix or Prime).
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I watched Die Hard again as well! That remains a near perfect action flick - once you start watching, you just have to continue.
I had less of that feeling when rewatching Pulp Fiction. Yes, some actors are great, with again Bruce Willis a standout as well as Samuel L Jackson, but as a whole the movie had less impact on me now compared to say 10 years ago when I had last watched it. It felt like a collection of cartoon sketches - still entertaining, just not a movie I could rewatch each year and still get sucked into it.
Around Christmas I allow myself to watch some (more than usual lol) romantic light movies. I actually rewatched The Longest Ride as a result, the one with Clint Eastwood’s son riding bulls and falling in love, and it was again quite a pleasant watch. I did watch one or two Hallmarks as well but nothing I could remember now.
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So funny, I was thinking the same thing recently when my nephews “discovered” it. It has so much influence on other things, but this rings true for me as well:
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Ah so funny. I mean, there is nothing negative about my observation nor feeling, as I believe Tarantino made the movie exactly as he intended. The movie still has some of the most iconic scenes in Hollywood history, same as Kill Bill for example. The thing is that popular culture just blew up the whole Tarantino thing, with ditto expectations.
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I watched Maestro starring Bradley Cooper and Carey Mulligan on Netflix last night. I couldn’t really get into it.
Enjoyed Maggie Smith, Kathy Bates and Laura Linney in The Miracle Club, also on Netflix, the night before last. https://youtu.be/Gp3ZFdklPCk
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Ah, different strokes. Never cared for Die Hard … but then 99% of action movies tend to bore me to death.
Our xmas tradition consists of watching a few select South Park xmas episodes (the musical one and Red Sleigh Down are fantastic), Rare Exports (one of the best xmas movies ever made), and Bad Santa, arguably one of the most offensive xmas movie ever made.
But Pulp Fiction is a movie I’ve easily watched 20+ times. So quotable, and so of its time, whereas some of the later Tarantino output just seems like a caricature of his older stuff. It’s one of those movies I almost have to watch to the end, even if I catch them halfway in the middle of the night. Same goes for Big Lewbowski, Fargo, and Raising Arizona.
Currently at the tail end of the fantastic new season of Fargo, and gearing up to watch Murder at the End of the World next. Also started the hilarious Australian Colin in Accounts.
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Business Insider Food: So Expensive on youtube. Last year introduced me to Kampot pepper and Ceylon cinnamon, both of which are now staples in the spice cupboard. This year started off with Pollachi nutmeg and mace, and anchovy oil which I am now in the process of sourcing. Really, really informative channel.
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Too late to edit. I meant to write 'almost always have to watch to the end."
I think this will prove expensive for me (or more likely my sib, who’s big on sourcing, when I tell him about it 
).
I have to ask —. can you tell the difference between Sri Lankan cinnamon and other (fresh) cinnamon?
I ask because my SIL went to Kerala and brought back green cardamom from the spice markets, and aside from it being lovely and fresh, I would not have been able to tell the difference. Ditto Telicherry-branded pepper vs other (proximal) reliable sources.
I don’t know if you’ve come across Diaspora yet, but she’s working specifically on direct sourcing (and increasing share of proceeds to farmers) as a differentiator.
(We have tried several of their products and they are indeed lovely and fresh, but again, I would be hard pressed to differentiate between them and the same spices from the spice shop my mom orders from. I do understand that that’s not an option for you , but the equivalent might be a reliable indian store with good turnover.)
I’ve been using Ceylon Cinnamon instead of cassia when I can find it. There’s also a Saigon cinnamon with a distinctive fragrance. The Spice Trader on Queen W in Toronto carries all 3. My distant cousin who is French is allergic to cassia, and that is what is used in most North American bakery products, so she had to avoid a lot of apple pies and other goods when she was living in the States. It sounds like Ceylon cinnamon is more common in France, and cassia is usually labeled cassia, not cinnamon in France.
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The dried Ceylon cinnamon has a more subtle fragrance than cassia or Saigon cinnamon in my experience, when a new tin is opened.
I haven’t had any access to really fresh cinnamon other than when I visited Grenada and toured a spice factory.
Just finished the third season of Lupin which was good and the 3rd season of Slow Horses which was GREAT! Watching the second season of Julia about Julia Childs (food related). Finally watched Barbie which was fabulous. Going to check out Drops of Gold on Apple TV and Shetland on BritBox.
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THIS is what I’ve been trying to remember that I have to watch! Thank you
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neither could i. loved both performances; the production design and cinematography were gorgeous. but the whole never exceeded the sume of its parts.
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slice of life documentary set in rural Australia. one of the better docs i’ve seen in the last year.
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This was really interesting, agreed.
Absolutely. The cassia varieties are predominantly sharp and sweet. Their upfront spicy heat is what we think of in most hard candy.
Ceylon cinnamon is much more floral and smells sweeter. The flavour profile is also wider and sweeter while it is less sharp or hot.
I buy cinnamon in whole quills and grind as needed to keep that wonderful flavour/smell profile as fresh as possible. I have bought preground cinnamon by mistake and it smelled fusty and more like old sawdust than anything else. Of course, it could have just been that brand (Laksoil).
The Kampot pepper we are now thoroughly addicted to. It is much fresher, floral and spicy smelling than the Tellicherry that was usually in the pepper mill. As far as other spices go, I’m lucky to have several Indian and Sri Lankan sources to choose from.
Yup, but it’s still cheaper than airfare. At least, that’s what I keep telling myself.
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Watching Shetland Season 8, episodes 5 and 6, tonight!
