Bakery: Shortbread-Gingerbread Stars

A very quick recipe for the rushed. Shortbread stars with gingerbread spice, that can easily be replaced with cinnamon and tastes equally well. I'm sure it's a type of cookies you can make with any resources and almost any ingredients (the base must remain untouched though), not really being very skilled at baking. And it's fun decorating! Mine are decorated with milk chocolate, but the choice is only limited by imagination. Same with patterns. Last minute Christmas baking - that's for sure!
The recipe in Polish -  here, and in English either here or there.

"Seven Psychopaths"

Martin McDonagh, one of the most important Irish writers and directors (born in London to Irish parents), after extremely successful projects that include both theatrical plays, screenplays and film direction comes back with "Seven Psychopaths," his new movie.
It is then a good opportunity to mention his name in terms of his previous work, such as the so-called "Leenane Trilogy:" "The Beauty Queen of Leenane," "A Skull in Connemara" and "The Lonesome West," and "the Aran Islands Trilogy," including "The Cripple of Inishmaan," "The Lieutenant of Inishmore" and "The Banshees of Inisheer," not published yet.
"The Cripple of Inishmaan" is now in the process of production for theatre in London (premiere June 2013), starring Daniel Radcliffe, more here.
When McDonagh is not writing plays, he sucessfully directs. His short "Six Shooter" won him an Oscar in 2005. "In Bruges" from 2008 starring Colin Farrell, Ralph Fiennes and Brendan Gleeson was nominated for best script, but most importantly, made Bruges "the must-see" city for years.
2012 brought us his latest piece, "Seven Psychopaths," about a screenwriter, who is not able to produce anything new. Again, Colin Farrell is in there, but also Sam Rockwell (my favourite president of the Galaxy - Beeblebrox from "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy"), Christopher Walken and Tom Waits.
The movie itself is a good one. Perhaps not as witty and brilliant as "In Bruges" was, but nevertheless an intriguing one. I enjoyed it to the last minute. It is well played, well written and just very McDonaghan, if you know what I mean.
My review from filmnews in Polish here or just scroll down for the full text.

 

"The Casual Vacancy" by J.K. Rowling

J.K. Rowling is back. For the last several months the literary world seldom talked about anything else, maybe except for Mo Yan's Nobel Prize, but even then - Yan was in the spotlight rather briefly. The legendary author of the best selling bestseller in the history of printed books (or, in the Top 3) - the Harry Potter saga, has ended her period of silence and finally wrote something for adults. And, it is a successful transformation.
"The Casual Vacancy" is a tragicomedy, but for me it's actually more of a drama of youngsters in Britain. Many times I've visited the British Isles, no matter if it was London or Liverpool, Manchester or Dublin, Edinburgh or Cardiff, teenagers smoking and drinking on the streets wearing weird clothes or no clothes at all, was an everyday view. Meanhwile, the parents and guardians were so much into helping the others and gossiping about the new drama in David and Victoria Beckham's life. Britain, this specific country of brilliant minds and wasted youth. Posh corners and drug abuse. High street fashion, food to go, school uniforms and violence everywhere. The new book by Rowling touches upon all this. There are lots of swears and curses that couldn't have possibly be used by Ron, Hermione or Harry, but here were exactly right. Rowling has a gift for observation and good writing style. Nobody can say she is not talented. And with this piece, her way to adult literature is open and waiting for more.

Bakery: Gingerbread Brownie

Really really chocolatey, this brownie is just perfect for the Christmas time, due to the secret ingredient, which is a mix of gingerbread spices: ginger and pumpkin-pie spice. Originally the recipe comes from Martha Stewart. One of the best brownies, also because the amount of ingredients is suitable to fit a small baking pan, 20cm x 20 cm. Obviously, as it usually is with brownies, it is express to make, you just need to melt butter and chocolate, and later add it to the rest of the ingredients already in the mixing bowl. Remember one thing though - it is supposed to be gooey, hard to mix and it cannot be dry after baking. Just like in the pictures below. The recipe in Polish is to be found here and Martha Stewart's original here.

Golden Globes 2013 Nominees

On December 13th 2012, exactly a month before the award ceremony, the nominees for the 2013 Golden Globes have been announced. The dates are important here, because the final ceremony will take place just two days before the nominees for Academy Awards are revealed.
Who has biggest chances of winning this year?
It seems that over the years the "who-got-the-most-nominations-must-be-likely-to-get-the-most-awards" predictor has lost its impact and importance. Nevertheless, Hollywood loves Steven Spielberg, and Daniel Day-Lewis as well, and when they both tell the story of one of the most beloved yet controversial politicians and presidents in the history of the United States - Abraham Lincoln, these 7 nominations seem like a good score. "Argo" and "Django Unchained" are close behind, with 5 nominations each, but it seems, that "Zero Dark Thirty" with 4 nominations (along "Les Miserables" and "Silver Linings Playbook") might end up as a dark horse of the race.
More from The New York Times, Los Angeles Times and on the official website.

BEST PICTURE: DRAMA 
"Argo" 
"Django Unchained" 
"Life of Pi" 
"Lincoln" 
"Zero Dark Thirty"

50 Best Movies of 2012 according to Total Film

Since the award-giving period is in full bloom and the end of the year is coming rather rapidly, the season of wrapping up 2012 has begun. Usually, it takes place in the form of top 10s, 50s, 100s and is a curious game of every respectable and less respectable newspaper, magazine of TV programme. Since Total Film is one of my favorite movie magazines, I decided to follow their Top 50, choosing the films we like both as much. Without giving the exact place, on which a movie is located. For the whole ranking made by Total Film go here, you won't be disappointed!

7 PSYCHOPATHS
Martin McDonagh at his best, with star cast and a lovely plot.

Shooting Stars: Europe's Best Young Actors 2013

Shooting Stars is a yearly event that promotes young actors from Europe. This is a big deal, for the last 16 years, European Film Promotion that chooses who the Shooting Sta is, has picked Alicia Vikander, Carey Mulligan, Moritz Bleibtreu, Elena Anaya, Melanie Laurent, Domhnall Gleeson and many many more. The main aim is to "support and champion young European actors and provide them with professional contacts to help take them to the next big step in their international careers."
The 2013 Shooting Stars were chosen by the international jury: Italian actress and former SHOOTING STAR Alba Rohrwacher (Dormant Beauty), Bosnian director Jasmila Žbanić (Grbavica), German producer Bettina Brokemper (Nymphomaniac), UK casting director Jina Jay (Anna Karenina) and French film journalist Thierry Chèze (Studio Ciné Live).
The stars will have their three days of interviews and contact-making period during the 2013 Berlinale Festival. More information here.

This year the Shooting Stars are:
DENMARK: Mikkel Boe Folsgaard
Selected Film: "A Royal Affair"

Bakery: Poppy-and-Cream Christmas Cake

It is a perfect cake for birthdays, but with the main ingredient being poppy seed, it is often called a Christmas cake. One things is for sure though - it's a unique, one of a kind, delicious cake that everyone likes. The addition of whipped cream makes it delicate and soft. Between the layers there is also cherry jam for the poppy seed layers to stay fresh and moist. For the recipe in Polish go here: Tort makowy.
The recipe is for the poppy layers only. Whipped cream is made with 30% or 36% sweet cream with the addition of three spoons of powdered sugar, blended or mixed together until it is not liquid anymore.
For the recipe in English go here, but take notice only of the ingredients for the poppy seed layers. This particular cake I made for the wedding anniversay of my parents, hence the heart in the middle, but here it marks the 100th post on the blog!

"Rocky" - magnificent comeback of the great story now on stage

"Rocky: the Musical" has opened in the end of November in TUI Operettenhaus in Hamburg and now is rumored to be staged soon also on Broadway. No wonder though, the script has been wonderfully adapted to stage, with praises from the writer and main actor, Sylvester Stallone, acting here as a producer, along with the super-duo of boxer brothers, Vitaly and Vladimir Klitschko, who are known to be able businessmen as well.
The musical opened to "raptuous critical reception" and hasn't seen an empty seat from the premiere.
And it has been a nearly impossible task to make the story successful on stage. Have you ever thought that Rocky can sing? Well, it was almost unbelievable from the start, but I and the rest of the audience, were amazed by how it all actually works  together. The lyrics and tunes are catchy, the acting great.
The artworks and the usage of the media create an astonishing effect. Set design makes impossible come true, as Rocky runs through the streets of Philadephia like in the movie and for this one moment runs up the famous stairs to the tunes of "Eye of the Tiger." A truly wonderful performance that shows that Hamburg is in the top three cities to claim the right to call itself best in musical performances (along with London's West End and New York's Broadway). Now, I'm impatiently waiting for the upcoming premiere of "War Horse," planned for 2014. In London it was breath-taking. I cannot be different in Hamburg.
"Rocky: the Musical" - a magnificent performance, and in German! Yo Rocky, you sing!
The New York Times writes about it, as well as The Guardian. The brilliant trailer of the musical was published by Die Welt.
The official page is here.

"Killing Them Softly" - Brad Pitt and the wise guys

Andrew Dominik directed Brad Pitt before in an anti-western with the longest possible title, "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford." And that was a successful movie altogether, a bit too long too though. This time the story is about a few members of the underground America. In "killing them softly" there are drugs, there is gambling, and there is money. All this in the background of up-to-date American politics, where the stakes are big, risk high, and the flow of money and power influences everything. It is a successful take on the juxtaposition of reality and the magical world of those governing us. Brad Pitt plays here a sort of a janitor, who cleans up the mess caused by the actions of others. He is not a mentor, but nevertheless still a tool. He listens to noone, but proceeds according to his own rules. I hear the reactions on the film are really very different. Some find it rather boring, but I think once you sink into the convention and see behind the typical mafia drama, you might approach new senses. At least I did so.
For my review on Filmnews jump  here.

National Board of Review Awards

The Board is one the most prominent New York societies that have a say in the movie business. It was established as early as in 1909. The ballots for the awards are distributed among 110 members of the society, and the members are selected from film enthusiasts, academics, filmmakers and students. Of course, it's not the same as the Academy, but surely it mirrors the actual worth of a film more than the Oscars. 

Based on the results, it seems that Kathryn Bigelow is sure to get a few Oscars nominations for her film and a couple more awards on the way. This would be absolutely unprecedented. Never in the history was a female-director so successful. Way to go! Other nods include Ben Affleck - really, serious repertoire does good by him, and "Silver Linings Playbook," so far the biggest mystery, as it only premiered in the US.

More on the Awards here.

This year's winners are:

Best Film: "ZERO DARK THIRTY"

Best Director: Kathryn BIGELOW for "ZERO DARK THIRTY"

"Anna Karenina" in the mood for a classic

Joe Wright became a specialist in film adaptations of classic novels, as he previously filmed Jane Austen's "Pride and Prejudice" with Keira Knightley and Matthew Macfadyen and Ian McEwan's "Atonement" with Knightley and James McAvoy. He usually works with the same actors, and so he gets to know them really well. With Leo Tolstoy's "Anna Karenina" the situation he got himself into was also as difficult. 

People reading the classics already have images in mind, particularly if there already were countless film adaptations, like the Greta Garbo 1930s version, or the one with Vivien Leigh, both titans of acting. But Wright had Tom Stoppard in his team, and they both did really well there. I love Jude Law as Karenin, but can't help but wonder how would he play Wronski. Some say that at the age of 40, he's just too old. Oh well. I just don't think that Aaron Taylor-Johnson has enough stomach and charisma to fit in the boots. When acting is concerned, I really like Matthew Macfadyen, lovely Alicia Vikander as Kitty, and Domhnall Gleeson as Lewin. 

There are some breath-taking scenes in the film, the costumes and set design are marvellous. Simply for these reasons it's really worth seeing.
For my review in Polish go to Filmnews. (or scroll down)

Time's Top 10 Worst Movies of 2012

Time Magazine has sacrificed itself and apparently watched at least 10 really bad movies this year. All of them had their premieres in our part of Europe, but almost all are doomed to be rather DVD or P-P-V hits. What is kind of interesting, is that those movies star some of really good actors who have lost their way at some point, or just have bad advisors. It's hard for me to judge, since I haven't seen most of these features, and now I probably never will. Nevertheless, if a friend wants you go go to the movies, consult the list beforehand, for your own good. Full list here.

10. "One for the Money"
Who's in there: Katherine Heigl, Jason O'Mara.
Why? Well it seems that the producers in all their wisdom thought that if a book is pretty successful, there can also be a decent film made out of it. One mistake: Janet Evanovich's book wasn't that good either.

Bakery: Vanilla Cheesecake

This delicious cheesecake is also one of the easiest ones. Most of the ingredients only require mechanical activities, like blending or mixing. You don't need to separate egg whites from yolk, or beat the whites to make the cheese puffy. The cheese layer is rather liquid, due to the addition of double cream. But even if it is really liquid, after the baking process, it is as solid as any other cheesecake. One more remark, in the original recipe from Moje Wypieki there is just 450 g of curd cheese. That is far too little for my taste, and so I doubled the amount of all ingredients (remembering to double the baking time as well, it was about 1 hour 20 minutes). Also, because I don't have the required vanilla extract, I used sugar with real vanilla in it instead. It was perfect. English version of the recipe here by Jennie Shapter, who took it from Gordon Ramsay apparently - yay! Gordon's here!

"Warsaw under Construction" Exhibition

"Warsaw under Construction: City for Sale" is an exhibition entirely devoted to advertising in Warsaw. Outdoor advertising, to be precise. People from other countries might not be aware of that, but outdoor advertising is actually a huge problem in the city. It deprives us from nice views, it disfigures and deforms the buildings, is responsible for utter lack of atmosphere to the otherwise beautiful capital city. Personally, I can understand movie or theatre posters around, but huge billboards with clothes, cars, banks make me really nervous, to say the least. Several movements have acted against it, and the exhibition is a part of the social response to the politics of aesthetics of the city. An important voice of the urban-dwellers. Too bad "Warsaw under Construction" ends on December 9th 2012 already...
SAY NO TO OUTDOOR!!!
Official link.

"Easy Money" by Jens Lapidus

Jens Lapidus, the author of "Easy Money" ("Snabba Cash") is a Swedish criminal defense lawyer. By this sole fact he already caught my attention. Then there came the Swedish blockbuster movie "Snabba Cash" with Joel Kinnaman as JW, directed by Daniel Espinosa in 2010. By this time I knew the book may be an interesting one. And I wasn't wrong.
"Easy Money" is basically about the Stockholm underworld. Drug trade, prostitution, pimps, guns, mobsters and the "big world" of business, golden boys and girls, fancy clubs. The language of the novel is usually rather literal, a lot of cursing and swearing, but it only makes the story more realistic. I couldn't help but wonder whether Lapidus himself wasn't involved in any way with some of the plots he writes about. His JW comes from poorer parts of the Swedish society, but with his wits, entrepreneurship skills, looks and charm, he manages to trick everyone into believing he is someone better. Well written first novel. Fast, gripping, a good thriller. No wonder it has been translated into the movie language and a successful film. Just wait and see the Americans show up, make their own version. Oh wait, no - actually, Warner Bros. already holds rights to the story and is set to film soon, starring Zac Efron as JW, I presume. What a waste.

Jens Lapidus

Bakery: Bounty Cake

This was a very special birthday cake for a dear friend. It was supposed to be just like in the recipe, but I thought it might be too sweet for the occassion, so I modified it a little. The recipe in Polish you have here and the same, in English, here (it's Nigella's!). The modification is this: I just used whipped cream. Simply, to me, the cream proposed in the recipe was a little too difficult to make, it required raw egg whites which I didn't necessarily find particularly tasty. I guess I was right there. But, without the pineapple-coconut cream on top it isn't really a "bounty" cake. Of the pineapple-coconut cream proposed I only made like 1/3, and put it on top of the first layer so that the whole cake wasn't too dry. The result was nevertheless gorgeous.

New York Film Critics Circle Award

New York Film Critics Circle Award is one of the most prominent awards given by one of the most prominent professional society there is. The Circle was established in 1936 and started giving out its Awards, which is just 7 years after the first Oscars were awarded. That is one of the reasons why is it of such importance to have a look at this year's winners. Obviously, since the Oscars is a commercial party for masses, the Circle Award should celebrate the art of making films, and so it does. In my opinion, most of the motion pictures recognised by the NYCC might not stand a chance of winning an Oscar, which, according to  the popular belief is still (and unjustly) the crown jewel of all awards.
Even for that purpose it is important to list the winners.

New York Film Critics Circle Award 2012:

Best Picture: ZERO DARK THIRTY
"For a decade, an elite team of intelligence and military operatives, working in secret across the globe, devoted themselves to a single goal: to find and eliminate Osama bin Laden. Director-producer Kathryn Bigelow and writer-producer Mark Boal unite for the story of history's greatest manhunt for the world's most dangerous man." (distributor's material)
Director: Kathryn Bigelow
Starring: Chris Pratt, Jessica Chastain, Mark Strong, James Gandolfini, Mark Duplass
Review.

European Film Awards 2012

Although Michael Haneke's "Love" has caused relative stir among audiences around the world, noone would have guessed, that it might get so many awards in Europe this year during European Film Awards 2012. Especially not when so many other wonderful movies have stood against it for the main prizes. To me, a fanatic of Mads Mikkelsen and Thomas Vinterberg dream duo ("Jagten") or Michael Fassbender - Steve McQueen's "Shame" it came as a surprise that none of these films actually got the most important nods. Hopefully this march for awards does not end here for them, it might only be a beginning of a wonderful journey for recognition. If you wish to have a look at the whole list of nominees, it's already in the blog here. Variety writes about it as well, The Hollywood Reporter and The Guardian follow.

European Film 2012: "AMOUR" dir. Michael Haneke
Director: Michael HANEKE for "AMOUR"
Actress: Emmanuelle RIVA for "AMOUR"
Actor: Jean-Louis TRINTIGNANT for "AMOUR"