Dinner and a Movie
By Steve Herte
By Steve Herte
Note: Being safely ensconced in my Ivory Tower (the
36th floor of the Millennium Hilton U.N. Plaza) with a sweeping north view of
Manhattan (enjoying a Stay-cation), I've checked on the movie capability of my
TV. Though limited, there are a few choices and it's working! My Dinner and a
Movie resulted in two pleasant surprises. I hope you enjoy them as well.
Total Recall (2012)
Having
not seen the original version of this screen adaptation of Philip K. Dick’s “We
Can Remember It For You Wholesale,” I knew neither the story nor what to
expect. So many science fiction stories suffer when they get to the big screen
and this one had an established fame with Arnold Schwarzenegger. However, the
trailers were intriguing, so I took the chance.
It
literally blew me away.
The
movie opens with a view of Earth from space with a narrator telling us that
living space is at a premium considering the population growth and that there
are only two territories left, the UFB and The Colony (which look remarkably
like the United Kingdom and Australia. There is only one mode of
transportation between the two called The Fall, a monstrously large, multi-story
contraption that free falls through the Earth past the core and decelerates out
the other side. The story is of a man who thinks he’s Douglas Quaid, (Colin
Farrell) happily married to his wife, Lori (Kate Beckinsale), works at an
assembly line making robo-cop clones and wishes there were more to life. He
hears about Recall, a company that can implant memories of any exciting or
adventurous episode directly into your mind so that you believe you actually
experienced it.
When
he goes to Recall, he chooses the one memory he shouldn’t: a secret agent/spy
memory. The operators at Recall advise him not to choose a memory of something
he already was, but he doesn’t know that he was a highly-trained top secret
agent named Hauser and that his current life was programmed into him to keep
him from being a danger to the ruling organization led by Cohaagen (Bryan
Cranston), who is currently planning an invasion and racial cleansing of The
Colony to make more space for his people. The hook-up at Recall stirs up memories
of his real identity and he finds himself reacting to danger fast and furious.
It scares him at first but as time goes by (and his loving wife tries to kill
him when she suspects that he knows who he really is) he regains more and more
of his previous identity. He learns that he must find a man named Matthias
(Bill Nighy), the leader of the resistance to Cohaagen. He links up with Melina
(Jessica Biel) in a fabulous hover-car chase that ends when he re-adjusts the
car’s mechanism so that he can leave the highway and plummet to the street
surface, only to re-engage the floating mechanism at the last second.
You
have to keep on top of things in Total
Recall because things are not always what they seem, but that in itself
retains your interest. The stage sets and models are excellent, complex and
exactly what one would expect in a future where space is desperately needed. In
fact, these stage sets were what I expected in The Dark Knight Rises but weren’t. Total Recall is the very definition of an action film with only a few
breathers and several white-knuckle moments. It’s exciting, visually
stimulating and (surprise, surprise) well-acted. I believed every character
portrayal, even when they changed personality. My only problem was with the
final fight scene between Hauser and Cohaagen. How many times can you hit a guy
in the head before he goes down for the count? And Cohaagen is an older man who
fights as if he were much, much younger. Oh well, it didn’t hurt the plot, but
it did add a little unnecessary length to a one-hour and 58-minute movie.
Nevertheless, I got a “Wow” out of Total Recall and am interested to see the
1990 version.
Super Linda
109 West Broadway (Reade Street), New York City
When
this Latin Grill opened in October 2011, I had my doubts about it. First of
all, it was occupying the space previously graced by Delphi, my benchmark Greek
restaurant. Delphi was in that space before 1973, when I started working in
downtown Manhattan (yes, I’ve been working for the same organization for more
than 38 years) and I had dined there pleasurably several times. Secondly, I
have a suspicion about anything using the adjective “super.” I believe you are
either a “star” or you’re not. There is no such thing as a “superstar.” But
that’s just me. Thirdly, a co-worker described Super Linda as a diner. This did
not add any attraction for me. So, I didn’t know what to expect.
Entering
from Reade Street, I was greeted by a young man who appeared at what was
probably a coat-check room, but reminded me of a Punch and Judy show booth. A
young lady led me to a table in the enclosed sidewalk café area right next to
the waiters’ station (Red Flag, I’m in Siberia!) but I was not ignored. Quite
the opposite. My waitress was a perky, friendly person who was genuinely glad to
see me and was always alert to my possible needs. She brought me one of their
original cocktails, the Savage Detective – a Mezcal Old-Fashioned with Sherry,
Maple Syrup and Charred Pineapple – and I enjoyed it while reading the menu.
The
menu is divided into Ceviches Y Mariscos (Seafood), Shared Plates, Entrees,
From Our Grill, and Sides. I asked if I should choose one each from the first
three, would it be too much and she said no, only if a chose the Ensalada
Picada, which was large. Great! So I started with the Roasted Corn Soup with
Huitlacoche cream and salsa. It was a wonderful yellow puree with the dark
fungus cream swirled throughout giving it a musky overtone and the salsa
sprinkled in the center added a nice spicy bite.
Next
was the Crab and Uni Tostadas – two two-inch rounds of crispy tortilla topped
with finely ground crab meat flavored with habanero and lime and crowned with a
piece of Sea Urchin. Even though this dish should have come first – being a
cold appetizer – I enjoyed every bite of it along with my main course (which
arrived at the same time). The main course was a good-sized piece of Mahi-Mahi
(Dolphin) crusted with plantains and served on a bed of green rice with baby
peas and an onion salsa. The meat was flaky and perfectly cooked, and the spice
added by the salsa was befriended by the rice so that it never became
oppressive. A 2009 bottle of Argentine Malbec brought the whole meal together.
Through the window to the street I watched people come and go while I had these
wonderful Latin flavors and good wine.
Of course I had dessert,
a lovely little cheesecake swirled with raspberry syrup and a guava sorbet, the
perfect ending to a Latino meal. The Cappucino was no ordinary coffee, being
spiked with Kahlua and Brandy. I left Super Linda with a new respect for the
restaurant and a new place to enjoy a dinner.
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