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Thursday, August 7, 2008

Movie Review - "Gosford Park," Robert Altman's Misunderstood Murder Mystery

Robert Altman's late career masterpiece "Gosford Park" (2001) was widely misunderstood by by the general movie-going public at the time of its release. The film was billed as a murder mystery, and casual viewers were no doubt expecting another "Murder On The Orient Express."

The tag line, "Tea At Four, Dinner At Eight, Murder At Midnight" reinforced this notion.

But Altman doesn't work within genre guidelines. He skewers them.

Savvy viewers recognize "Gosford Park" for what it is: a critique of early 20th Century British class structure. If you take the film at face value, you will be engrossed watching as the servant class and ruling class interact. If you cling to who-done-it preconceptions, you will be sorely disappointed.

A highlight is the delightfully over the top inspector character. His light comic tone informs the viewer that the murder is not the main thrust of the story, but a The Dark Knight Curse of satire. A further clue is the Hollywood producer who is always on the telephone. (He's working on the new Charlie Chan project.)

In contrast, the scenes which focus on the class system are treated not as satire, but as historically accurate and entirely serious representations. The servants live and work in the mansion basement, doing their best to accommodate the insulated lives of the privileged aristocrats who live above them.

It's no "Nashville," but "Gosford Park" is better than "Short Cuts" and on par with "The Player." And for once, Altman employs a large cast without having them all talk over each other. I appreciate that.

Grade: A-

Do you love the cinema too? Go to jacobdestree.wordpress.comJacob Destree's Movie Blog and read all about the latest blockbusters and classic movies. Only at jacobdestree.wordpress.comjacobdestree.wordpress.com!

French Toast Strata For Diabetics And Dieters

Tired Unbounded the same old breakfast day in and day out? To me one of the most difficult things about my diabetic diet is boring old breakfast foods. And I am not much of a morning person. I hate the idea of getting up and heading off to the kitchen to make breakfast. And don't we all like something different once in awhile? How about a home refinancing information toast dish? One French Wine requires minimal morning effort! What a deal. You prepare this dish the night before and refrigerate overnight. The next morning, while you are preparing Voodoo coffee, or hot tea in my case; pop the dish in the oven. It's that simple. Now I'm not sure French Toast would be considered a dieter's dish in most circumstances. However, if you are concerned about the sugar in your diet, this is a recipe for you. And I do know we diabetics like to enjoy the foods we "used" to eat and still watch our carbs and sugar intake. This is a recipe I worked on to make it more diabetic friendly. It works in the diabetic's diet because it has a good carb/protein ratio. It is an easy recipe because you make it the night before and refrigerate overnight. Bake the next morning while you are getting ready for the day and you quickly have a great dessert, breakfast or brunch item. Even though this dish should be served warm, it is one you can take to a brunch, etc, where you are expected to bring something. Pop in the microwave for a few seconds and serve. It is always a good idea for the diabetic to take a dish they know they can eat. That way you aren't so tempted to get into the cinnamon rolls or other tempting goodies you know you shouldn't have.

If you like French toast, give this recipe a try:

FRENCH TOAST STRATA

1/3 cup granulated sugar substitute (I use Splenda), 1 cup egg substitute, 2/3 cup skim milk, 3/4 tsp vanilla extract, 1 tsp maple-flavored extract, 8 slices cinnamon-raisin bread, 2 cups apples, peeled, cored, sliced thin; 1/4 cup low-fat cream cheese, 1 tbsp granulated sugar substitute (for this I use Equal Sugar-Lite), 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

Spray an 8-inch square baking pan with non-stick cooking spray.

In a medium mixing bowl, blend together 1/3 cup granulated sugar substitute, egg substitute, milk and extracts. Tear bread into small pieces and toss into egg mixture. Add apples. Coat the bread evenly with mixture and pour into prepared pan. Cut cream cheese into 8 pieces and place strategically over the top of mixture. Blend cinnamon with 1 tablespoon of sugar substitute and sprinkle over the strata. IRS attorney and refrigerate overnight.

Next morning preheat oven to 350 degrees. Remove strata from fridge and bake 40-50 minutes or until lightly browned and set. Serve immediately while hot. ENJOY!

Carbs 20g, Protein 7 g in each 1/8 of strata serving.

Diabetics should try to maintain a carb/protein ratio of at least 1/3 as many protein grams as carb grams per meal. This recipe fits nicely into that ratio. You are also getting grains, dairy products and fruit all in one dish.

For more delicious and easy diabetic recipes, go to diabeticenjoyingfood.squarespace.comdiabeticenjoyingfood.squarespace.com

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