In Praise of Great Films - Misunderstood Masterpieces

Ninth in a series by Mark DuMond

We recently posted about films that were "Flawed Masterpieces." That got me to thinking about movies which I can certainly proclaim masterpieces, but don't completely understand them.

That's a paradox. How can you say something is a masterpiece when you don't entirely get it?

I'd respond by pointing out certain examples in the worlds of creative art and music. I've been to a lot of art museums in the world and seen some art that I would consider masterpieces. But did I totally get it? Not unless someone came up to me and explained it. I've been a fan of the music of Pink Floyd for 40 years, and I've listened to some music they produced that I considered to be masterpieces, and without really understanding what they were about. ( I think it's possible even Pink Floyd didn't really know what they were about.)

So, is it therefore possible to call a film a "masterpiece" when you don't really get it? Here are a couple of examples of what I'm talking about:

2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
This film was groundbreaking in so many ways. It had special effects that no one had ever attempted before (at least at that level). The movie went places no movie of its kind had ever gone. I first saw it when I was 17 years old, and was so transfixed that I sat there and watched it a second time. I've seen it so many times since that it's almost certainly the one film I've seen the most times in my life.

Yet ... I still don't completely understand it. But that doesn't detract from the fact that this is one of the best movies ever made. And it was made by the masterful Stanley Kubrick. His body of work is amazing. Not all his films were loved by everyone, and they weren't all commercial successes. But he never made one that wasn't interesting.

I've read many synopses, reviews, explanations and opinions of 2001, and no two are exactly alike. Simply put, this movie can mean different things to different people. And it obviously isn't for everbody. (If you like your movies tidily wrapped up and easily comprehended, go rent something else.)

But if you haven't seen this one from beginning to end, give it a try. Then maybe you can explain it to me.

Mulholland Dr. (2001)
Big fan of David Lynch since the days of Blue Velvet and then the Twin Peaks series. Come to think of it, I don't think I completely understand anything he's ever done, with the possible exception of The Elephant Man (and of course The Straight Story, which is 180 degrees out of whack for a David Lynch film, given his bizarre oeuvre).

Indeed, not every one of Lynch's films are in the "good" category to me. He lost me totally with movies like Wild at Heart and Lost Highway. However, Mulholland Dr. is riveting and maddening and interesting and wildly entertaining. At the very end, as the woman in the balcony utters the word "Silencio" (don't worry, that doesn't give anything away), you realize you've just seen a masterpiece. Lynch was nominated for an Oscar for Best Director for this movie, although that was the only Academy Award recognition the film received.

If someone asked me to explain Mulholland Dr. to them, I couldn't do it. If I watched it again, I still couldn't do it. For a pretty brief and cogent explanation, go to the Movie Pooper site.

But not before watching the movie!

Recipe #53 - Crab-Stuffed Baked Potatoes

Baked potatoes are great in and of themselves. But they're even better when dressed up with additional ingredients. For an example, check out our Recipe #32 (Veggie Bakers).

This recipe ups the ante by adding a little decadence: crab meat. We first tried this recipe several years ago, having lifted it from an ad by the Washington State Potato Foundation. It was originally created by Kathy Casey, one of Seattle's better-known cooking legends. We altered it a bit to make it "our" recipe, but it was certainly inspired by the one we found in the magazine ad.

The freshness and quality of the crab you use in this dish is critical. Very fresh crab meat is sweet and delicate, but crab that's been sitting around too long can turn this recipe into an unpleasant affair.

Makes four servings.

4 large baking potatoes, scrubbed and punctured with a fork

8 scallions, trimmed, cleaned and thinly sliced
2 tsp. olive oil

1/4 cup lowfat milk
1/4 lb. neufchatel (reduced fat) cream cheese
2 Tbsp. mayonnaise
1 Tbsp. canned diced jalapeno peppers
4 cloves garlic, peeled and finely minced
1 cup shredded asiago cheese
3/4 lb. very fresh high-quality crab meat
1 8-oz. package frozen artichoke hearts

Extra asiago or other cheese for topping the spuds.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Put the potatoes in the oven and bake until very tender and cooked through. Start checking on them after 45 minutes by pulling a spud out and sinking the tip of a sharp knife into the center. If the potato offers any resistance, put it back in the oven and keep checking every five minutes or so. After you're sure the potatoes are well baked all the way through, remove them from the oven and allow to cool for 10 or 15 minutes.

While the spuds are in the oven, heat the olive oil in a small skillet, add the green onions, and saute for a couple of minutes just until they're cooked but not browned.

Meanwhile, add the frozen artichoke hearts to boiling water and cook for a few minutes. Drain and run under cold water to cool quickly. Chop them into bite size pieces.

Mix together in a large bowl the milk, cream cheese, mayo, jalapenos, garlic and cooked scallions.

After the baked potatoes have cooled a bit so you can handle them, cut the tops off lengthwise and scoop out as much potato flesh as you can, leaving a thin shell that can stand on its own. Add the potato pulp to the mixing bowl and mix well. Stir in the crab meat, chopped artichokes and asiago cheese.

Using a large spoon, put the potato mixture back into each baked potato shell. Sprinkle additional cheese on top of each spud. Put the potatoes back in the oven and bake for about 20 minutes, until the tops are golden and the spuds are cooked through.

Other than a simple green salad, you don't really need anything more than this to make a first class meal.

Recipe # 52 - Spring Vegetable Frittata

A frittata is also known as an Italian omelet. Instead of putting fillings into a folded-over version of an omelet (classically known as a French omelette), the ingredients are mixed into the eggs and the whole thing is cooked very slow and then finished in the oven.

This is one of many dishes we make that are very adaptable to whatever you happen to have on hand.

Makes four servings.

2 Tbsp. unsalted butter
8 scallions, cleaned, trimmed and chopped on the bias
1 shallot, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely minced
1 small red potato, diced
8 stalks asparagus, sliced thin
1 small bunch broccoli, cut into bite size pieces
1 large poblano pepper, stem, seeds and pith removed, finely diced
1/2 lb. fresh baby spinach, stemmed and shredded

6 eggs
2 Tbsp. lowfat milk

1/2 cup shredded asiago cheese
1 cup shredded medium cheddar cheese

Heat the butter in a large skillet with an oven-ready handle. Add the scallions, shallots and garlic. Stir fry for a couple minutes. Add the potatoes, asparagus, broccoli and pepper. Stir fry for about five minutes until the vegetables soften. Add the spinach and cook until it wilts.

Preheat the broiler.

Beat the eggs and milk until well-mixed and frothy. Lower the heat on the veggies and add the eggs. Allow to cook on the low heat for a few minutes. Lift the cooked eggs on the bottom with a spatula and bring to the top. Cook for a few minutes more, continuing to fold the cooked frittata over to get the whole thing cooking evenly through.

Sprinkle the top with the grated cheeses. Put the frittata into the oven under the broiler on the top rack. Check after a minute, and then every 30 seconds. Remove the frittata from the oven when the cheese on top is bubbly and starting to brown.

Cut into wedges and serve immediately.

A frittata is great as a brunch dish, but with a green salad and a hunk of warm sourdough bread, it's also a wonderful dinner item.

Recipe #51 - Truffled Lobster Mac & Cheese

Mac and cheese is the ultimate comfort food. This recipe is comfort food taken to a new level. The richness of the truffle oil adds an element of decadence, and the minced lobster is devine. Try this with some steamed asparagus and green salad, along with a nice pinot gris or unoaked chardonnay.

3/4 lb. cavatappi (or pasta of your choice)
1 Tbsp. olive oil

1 medium lobster tail, meat removed and chopped
1 Tbsp. unsalted butter

3 Tbsp. unsalted butter
2 Tbsp. unbleached flour
2 cups lowfat milk
2 cups grated extra sharp cheddar cheese
1 Tbsp. truffle oil
Salt & pepper

1 cup medium cheddar cheese

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Add the cavatappi pasta to boiling salted water and cook to package instructions until al dente. Drain in a colander. Add olive oil and shake to coat so the pasta doesn't stick together.

Meanwhile, melt butter in a small skillet and add the chopped lobster meat. Saute for a few minutes until the lobster is cooked through and opaque. Seat aside.

In a large saucepan, melt the butter and add the flour. Whisk it to create a roux. Add the milk and whisk over medium heat until it begins to thicken. Add the cheese and stir the sauce until the cheese melts. Add the truffle oil and stir. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Add the cooked pasta and lobster to the pot and stir gently to combine. Pour the whole mixture into a baking dish which has been treated with non-stick spray.

Top with additional grated cheese and bake in the oven for 20 minutes, until hot and bubbly and the cheese on top is beginning to brown. Allow to sit for a few minutes and serve.

Recipe #50 - Asian Dumplings with Curried Coconut Sauce

Up to fifty recipes published here already. Give us another year and we may be ready to put out an actual cookbook...

We rarely make Asian dumplings. Why? For the same reason we almost never make ravioli or tortellini from scratch at home. It's a lot of time and work.

However, if you're up to the challenge and have the time, here's a recipe for some veggie-tofu dumplings that are pretty good. If you prefer meat instead of tofu, you can substitute lean ground pork or chicken.

Perhaps one way to make the process easier would be to invite several friends over for dinner and let 'em labor in the kitchen, doing the busy work of assembling the dumplings or shui mai.

Makes four to six servings depending on whether it's an appetizer or main course.

8 large dried shiitake mushrooms
1/2 lb. fresh spinach leaves
1/2 cup carrots, chopped
1/2 lb. firm tofu, drained and pressed dry with a towel
1 Tbsp. freshly grated ginger
1 Tbsp. dry sherry
1 Tbsp. prepared oyster sauce
1 tsp. sambal oelek (spicy red chile sauce)
1 tsp. dark sesame oil

Combine all these ingredients in a food processor. Pulse it a few times until you have a coarse mixture. (You don't want to run it too much or your filling will become to liquidy.) Chill the filling mixtured for a couple hours in the fridge. Meanwhile, make your sauce:

1/4 cup rich vegetable stock
1/3 cup canned coconut milk
2 scallions, finely minced
2 Tbsp. dry white wine
1 Tbsp. prepared oyster sauce
1 tsp. honey
2 tsp. curry powder
1/2 tsp. powdered galangal or powdered ginger

Whisk together all the sauce ingredients in a bowl and keep in the fridge until it's time to make the dumplings.

36 wonton wrappers
6 Tbsp. cornstarch

Scatter the corn starch across a large cookie sheet. Put a scant teaspoon of filling on each wonton wrapper. Fold the wrapper over filling to turn a square into a triangle. Press out as much air as possible. Using a fork, fold the edges over and crimp tightly and completely. (You don't want filling leaking out during the cooking process.) Store the dumplings on the cookie sheet while making the rest of them.

3 Tbsp. peanut oil

Heat the oil in a wide, flat non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, add the dumplings to the pan and fry for two or three minutes, until they're golden brown on the bottoms.

Pour in all the sauce, cover the pan, and steam the dumplings for a couple minutes more over medium heat, until they're firmed up. Remove the pan lid, put the heat back on high, and shake the pan around to keep the dumplings from sticking and to glaze them with the reducing sauce. Serve immediately.

Recipe #49 - Avgolemono Pasta with Asparagus and Artichoke Hearts

We've been tweaking this recipe for several years. Avgolemono soup, a Greek-inspired staple through the centuries, is thickened by egg yolks. This pasta dish has the same theme in mind, with a rich and lemony sauce.

Makes four servings.

3 egg yolks (use the whites for a low-cholesterol omelet)
1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/3 cup heavy whipping cream
Salt and pepper

8 oz. frozen artichoke hearts
3/4 lb. fresh asparagus, trimmed and sliced in one-inch pieces
3/4 lb. fresh pasta (orecchiette, fettuccine, fusilli, piccolini, whatever floats your boat)
1 cup freshly grated asiago cheese
2 Tbsp. finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Whisk the egg yolks in a bowl until smooth. Whisk in the lemon juice, followed by the whipping cream.

Put the artichoke hearts into a saucepan of boiling salted water. Cook until heated through, a few minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon to a wok or large skillet. Add the asparagus to the boiling water and cook until done, about three minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and add to the skillet. Bring the water back to a full boil and add the pasta. Cook until al dente.

Reserve two cups of the pasta cooking water, then drain the pasta and add it to the wok with the veggies. Slowly add a cup of the cooking water to the egg/lemon/cream mixture, whisking the whole time. Then add this mixture to the pasta and veggies, along with most of the asiago cheese and parsley. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground pepper.

Toss with a large spatula or spoon over medium heat. The sauce will thicken in a few minutes. Add small amounts of the cooking liquid to make it more creamy.

Serve with the rest of the grated asiago on the side. This goes great with a small piece of grilled salmon and a green salad.

A good wine match would be an unoaked chardonnay or a South African sauvignon blanc.

In Praise of Great Films - The Flawed Masterpiece

Eighth in a series.

Film history is replete with movies that get much-deserved acclaim despite what, in this author's opinion, are fairly obvious shortcomings. One can certainly enjoy a film, even elevate it to "classic" stature, while being able to point out its flaws. This is doubtlessly a highly arguable tenet, so let the debating begin.

Here are some movies which in my estimation are very enjoyable yet contain imperfections which I can't help but point out:

Love Actually (2003) - This movie is thoroughly enjoyable from beginning to end, with scenes that reverberate with humor, true emotion, wit and style. (Who could forget Emma Thompson's silent meltdown when faced with her husband's infidelity on Christmas Eve, or Colin Firth attempting to propose to his foreign lover in terribly broken Portuguese, or Bill Nighy's character expressing his love for his longtime agent/manager?)

But ... this film is guilty of a sin many movies commit: Too many unnecessary storylines. The two plot points which Love Actually should have jettisoned are obvious. The first involves a couple who are apparently placed in the uncomfortable "position" of being stand-ins for an adult movie. They meet cute and end up together, which is all well and good, but the scenes they are in push the movie into R-rated territory, which is unfortunate in that it limits the film's audience with a limited payoff. This entire plot point could have been eliminated with zero damage to the overall movie.

The other piece of the movie which could have been hacked out was the ongoing bit involving the young Brit who dreams of going to Milwaukee in America because of a gnawing desire to drink American beer and meet American babes. First of all, why a Brit would want to desire American beer is a complete mystery. And the whole storyline plays out like a sitcom, which is totally out of place for a British film that seems to pride itself on emotional honesty.

Take these two plot lines out of Love Actually, and you have a shorter, better picture. With apologies to writer/director Richard Curtis, it's just my humble opinion.

No Country For Old Men (2007) - I'm guessing most folks who saw this movie ended up with a final "Huh?" at the very end of the film. I don't have a problem with movies which end abruptly or without assumed resolution, but the way this one ended was indeed problematic.

In a film that follows the lives of three very different characters through a harrowing journey, you can't necessarily expect the storylines to be neatly wrapped up with a tidy ending. But this movie cuts to black at a point where you're just beginning to wonder how things are going to play out. It's a filmmaker's prerogative to steer his movie to whatever finale they choose, but it feels cheap and incomplete to the audience when a film just "stops" as opposed to reaching its conclusion.

Crash (2004) - Big fan of this movie, which won Best Picture at the Oscars. However ... there are a couple of flaws which we must point out:

There's a scene where Terrence Howard's character is involved in a pursuit by the LAPD, and ends up pulling over and waving a loaded gun around, only to be "talked down" by a police officer and sent on his way. Sorry, but nobody's buying that. An African-American is chased by LAPD, then gets cornered in a cul-de-sac, gets out of his vehicle with a handgun. And the cops chat him up and then let him go? Sorry, but in real life his ass would be riddled with bullets with the whole thing being captured by news channel helicopters.

Another troubling aspect of this picture is Matt Dillon's cop character. He did a great job playing the character and there's much to like about the portrayal. But this cop was a blatant racist, spewing vicious invective, who also committed sexual assault against an innocent black woman early in the movie. In uniform. Yet we're supposed to feel sympathy for him because his father is sick and later in the film he saves the life of the very woman he assaulted earlier. No sale. This guy or anyone like him should be kicked off the force and put in jail.

Australia (2008) - There's much to like about this movie. The scene involving the herding of cattle before they go off a giant cliff is worth the price of admission alone. But Australia is guilty of a serious blunder.

It's way too long, and it should have ended long before it did. There's a point about an hour-and-a-half in where the two leads (played by Hugh Jackman and Nicole Kidman) reach a town with their cattle, they finally reveal their love for each other, they embrace and kiss, blessed rain falls to end a long drought, the music swells and ... hey, this would have been a grand place to fade to black and roll the credits.

But here's the thing: The film then goes on for ANOTHER HOUR. Years go by, the couple breaks up, a world war takes place, a boat full of children is put in peril, villains are in nearly every scene (with everything but Snidely Whiplash mustaches to paint them with cartoonish evil). It's like a whole second movie is tacked on to the film.

Australia could have been a very nice little 90-minute film, but instead became a bloated, overblown, soapy misadventure.

However ... the aboriginal kid was pretty cool.

Slumdog Millionaire (2008) - Yeah, we know this is a worldwide phenomenon and critical fave, and in fact we loved it too. But there are some storyline flaws which can't be ignored.

First, there's the issue of the main character's brother. The rapidity by which he goes from innocent good kid to total criminal is unrealistic. It literally takes place overnight. Or same day actually. Try getting your dry-cleaning done that quickly.

Then, toward the end of the movie (spoiler ahead), the brother transcends back from bad to good even faster! Over the course of MINUTES he has an apparent epiphany, gives the keys to the crime boss's car to the girl his brother loves, immerses himself in a bathtub full of cash, and commits suicide by gangsta. All this in a screenplay that won an Oscar!

The other flaw in the story is the basic premise of the main character being arrested and tortured because of his success on a game show. Really ... we're supposed to believe that someone answers a few questions correctly on Who Wants To Be a Millionaire and they immediately get abducted by the authorities and submitted to horrendous beatings and torture throughout the night because of ... what? Because they have too much knowledge in their brains? Because they might have had advance advice on the questions on the show? This is a crime worthy of severe beatings and torture in India? If I was from India, I'd be offended by the very notion of this film.

So ... Slumdog Millionaire is a very enjoyable film, although if you removed the story flaws we've pointed out here, the movie would not work. Think about it: the beatings and torture create the necessary tension and dread, and the criminal brother aspect adds the rescue-the-girl-from-the-bad-guy part of the story. What would you have if you took those two elements out of the movie?

Answer: A guy winning a million bucks on a game show after growing up poor in Mumbai.