Meanlevee

Amy hungry. Amy want Taco Bell cinnamon twists. In 1995 Taco Bell introduced a Congo promotional tie-in burrito "piled high with seasoned beef, rice, beans, a blend of three cheeses, and fiery red sauce". At 99 cents the Volcano Burrito sounds like a steal, except it was made by Taco Bell, so it probably wasn't very good. But the commercial was cool. The commercial features a fabulous Tex-Mex dinner stripped down to its core components: meat, beans, rice, and heat. It's not fancy, and it's not strictly authentic Mexican, but it doesn't need to be. Authentic Mexican food has its place and the oft maligned "white family taco night" meal has its own very beloved place. With a little bit of skill, and fresh ingredients, you can do it better than Taco Bell, and even better than most real restaurants. It takes about 45 minutes. Here's what you do: rinse your veggies chop the stem off of your head of iceberg, and skillfully carve out the white and yello...

One of my favorite genres of movies is the kind where Jackie Chan plays a character with outrageous Kung Fu skills, for no discernable reason. Sometimes he plays a cop, or a martial artist with formal training, and it at least halfway makes sense, but other times he is a TV chef, or something. Imagine if Iron Chef Chen Kenichi managed to accidentally run afoul of some organized criminals and proceeded to beat the Hell out of everyone for 70 minutes worth of action set pieces. Bang a gong, we are on! Jackie Chan's Thunderbolt (1995) does fall under the Mr. Nice Guy category of regular joe protagonists who kick wholesale ass, but there is only two fight scenes in the movie (they're pretty long, though). This is because it's a racing movie, thriller, crime drama, and a love story. This movie does things I've never seen before. It starts out with a music video/montage showing Jackie's character Foh mastering his trade as an expert mechanic at the Mitsubishi plant in Jap...

  ...I've got another puzzle for you! I'm always watching movies. About a month ago I treated myself to a good ol' New Year's Eve romantic comedy classic: When Harry Met Sally. Near the end of the film, after the third-act breakup, there is a scene wherein Harry is trying not to think about blowing it with the love his life, so he is settling in for the night with the "best cookie in the world" according to him. And this got me really wondering--what is a Mallomar anyway? Billy Crystal with Mallomars. Well, it's a Nabisco marshmallow and graham cracker cookie coated in chocolate--so pretty close to a S'more. Okay then. These are always mentioned on TV and movies as a throwaway reference; I don't have any numbers, just trust me. It must be fairly popular because, after Oreos, and maybe Fig Newtons, I can't think of a store-bought cookie brand that gets namedropped more frequently, but I've never had one. I've never seen them in a store...

  Where do these dogs come from? They're not in the film. I had no idea Ginger Rogers was such a comedic talent. She is, after all, the Dancing Woman; She and Fred do ballroom/jazz style dancing, or at least that's what I've been given to understand. In this film, however, she's cracking wise in a delightful deadpan delivery, and dances for less than 30 seconds (somewhat awkwardly with an older gentleman). None of this today, thanks. Fifth Avenue is a famous thoroughfare in Manhattan, New York City's wealthiest borough, which had been greatly developed in the preceding decade. To be a Fifth Avenue girl is to be ritzy, urbane, and of the city. The titular character Mary Gray is a common woman between jobs and regularly thumbs her nose at Fifth Avenue types as she eats inexpensive sacked food at Central Park, which is adjacent. All this comes to bear. I'm alright, Jack, keep your hands off of my stack. I felt I had to look this up to be sure I understood the title...

Marry My Husband (Japan) I'm begging you to watch this madcap supernatural time-travel revenge drama about a woman's quest to trick her evil husband and best friend into marrying each other. I saw the Japanese version last November and it was a really good, manic high. I got about half way through the Korean/original version of the show before fatigue finally started to set in, but I plan to finish it, in time, because there are some differences that make it interesting. The title grabbed me, I guess. I was on Prime video perusing recommendations for twenty-something minutes and I saw this juicy title and this thumbnail for what looks like a Japanese romance drama--which it is, of course, just look at the immaculate makeup and clothing--and I was too curious to put it in watchlist purgatory.  This show shares some DNA with the daytime soap opera in its romantic intrigue, scheming men and women, and melodramatic flourish. I don't want to reveal much of the plot, but the set ...