Hollywood Stars' Early Roles in Horror Films

     Since it's Halloween, I thought I'd do a more topical post.  Therefore, today I'd like to discuss some roles in horror movies that famous actors and actresses played.  Especially for respected, Academy Award winning people, who were in cheesy, disrespectable horror flicks early in their careers.  So here we go.  Enjoy the macabre holiday, while still being safe!

1) Marisa Tomei:  Long before she was the Academy's Best Supporting Actress for her role in "My Cousin Vinny" (1990), and even longer before she made for an uncomfortably attractive Aunt May in the Marvel Universe "Avengers" and "Spiderman" movies, Marisa Tomei was an extra in a, shall we say, rather graphic and embarrassing movie, 1984's "The Toxic Avenger."  This movie, for those who haven't had the pleasure of viewing it yet, is about a bullied janitor, Melvin, whose accidental toxic waste bath changes him into a hideous, but good-hearted superhero.  It was made by the folks at Troma, the New York-based studio that specializes in low budget/bad taste movies.  Tomei has a tiny scene, as an uncredited health club girl, but in the DVD commentary director Lloyd Kaufman said more footage was shot, but not used.

2) Mira Sorvino:   Sorvino has had an up and down career, highlighted by her Best Supporting Actress Oscar for playing a squeaky-voiced hooker in 1995's "Mighty Aphrodite."  However, her second movie role ever was in 1985's "The Stuff" as an uncredited lab/factory worker.  That was the movie about a yogurt-like dessert which turns consumers into gross monsters, manufactured by a mysterious, evil cabal.  In case anyone's wondering, "The Stuff" is tragically bereft of Academy Awards, given that three other 1985 releases were also about killer desserts.  (Citation needed.)

3) Angelina Jolie:  These days Jolie is a respected actress, aspiring diplomat, and evidently bent on adapting every child in the world.  However, her 3rd role, and her first starring role, was in the sci-fi classic "Cyborg 2: Glass Shadow" (1993).  The first film, "Cyborg" (1989), was a Jean Claude Van Damme vehicle.  He didn't return for the sequel.  Meaning Jolie was in a movie that "The Muscles From Brussels" thought was beneath his talent.

4) Leonardo DiCaprio:  Dicaprio has gone from being regarded as a light weight pretty boy to being regarded as....a lightweight pretty boy with some acting chops, as he's had acclaimed roles in films like "The Gangs of New York" (2002), "The Departed" (2006), "Inception" (2010), "The Wolf of Wall Street" (2013), and "Once Upon a Time....in Hollywood (2019).  He even got his long awaited Academy Award for Best Actor for "The Revenant" (2015).  However, very early in his career he appeared in "Critters 3" (1991).  No, not the rip off of "Gremlins" (1984).  And not even the first sequel to the rip off of "Gremlins."  So probably one credit that he omits from his resume.

5) Clint Eastwood:  Eastwood, of course, has had a long, eventful career in Hollywood, both as an actor and as a director.  He's done tons of Westerns, action movies, dramas, and some comedies, and even a musical.  He's won the Best Director Oscar twice, for "Unforgiven" (1992), and "Million Dollar Baby" (2004), and has been nominated as both an actor and director for others.  But his first role was even more embarrassing that those two movies in which his best friend was an orangutan.  He played Jennings, a lab technician in the sequel to "The Creature from the Black Lagoon" (1954), titled, "Revenge of the Creature" (1955).  And he's not a square jawed, heroic type either--he's the cheesy comic relief.

6) Patricia Arquette: Arquette has had a very solid and lengthy acting career as well, with roles in "True Romance" (1993), "Ed Wood" (1994), and 2014's "Boyhood," for which she won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress.  Her first role, though, was in 1987's "A Nightmare on Elm Street 3:  Dream Warriors."  Which is a surprisingly good slasher movie sequel, but is clearly not as respectable to a Academy member.  The movie, effective as it is, features Arquette being nearly eaten by a giant, phallic-looking Freddy Krueger snake creature, and also features a hot young nurse turning into Freddy, and scores of post kill quips, of varying competency.  

7) Dana Carvey:  Carvey's career has stagnated in the past 15-20 years, but for a while he was a big time comic actor, known for his roles on "Saturday Night Live" (1986-93) and the "Wayne's World" movies (1992 and 1993).  His first real role was also in a slasher movie sequel--"Halloween 2" (1981).  He has a blink and you'll miss it role as a television assistant.  So not exactly a funny character.  Alas, he doesn't get any interaction with this Michael Myers, unlike the Mike Myers who was the title character in "Wayne's World."

8) Andy Kaufman:  Kaufman was clearly known for his surreal, combative, performance art approach to comedy.  As such, aside from his role in the television show "Taxi" (1978-83) and a few others, he didn't act much.  However, his first role was in the underrated sci/horror movie "God Told Me To" (1976, and see my blog post on it on June 15, 2019).  Kaufman plays a police officer who murders folks during the St. Patrick's Day parade in New York City.  Oddly, Homer Simpson's quote in one of the Halloween Simpsons episodes is (mostly) appropriate for the movie--"Aliens, bio-duplication, nude conspiracies--Oh my God, Lyndon LaRouche was right!"

9) Rachel Weisz:  Weisz is yet another Oscar winner here, for 2005's "The Constant Gardener".  She's had a very respectable career as well, appearing in "The Mummy" (1999), "About a Boy" (2002), and "The Favourite" (2018) among others.  Early on, though, she was in "Death Machine" (1994).  According to the description, it's about a shady weapons manufacturing corporation, and cybernetically-enhanced supersoldiers, set in the way off future date of 2003.  Although, I guess you can say that unlike many of the others on this list, at least the humiliatingly cheesy horror flick Weisz was in wasn't a sequel to another humiliatingly embarrassing horror movie.

10) Henry Cavill:  Cavill these days is synonymous with playing Superman, sometimes with a bizarre looking upper lip.  But, one of his first major roles was back in 2005's "Hellraiser: Hellworld."  This title lacks a number, but this is the 8th film in the "Hellraiser" franchise.  Or a full four films AFTER the one that showed Pinhead and the other cenobites in space.  (Shockingly, I kind of enjoyed this one.  It was certainly much better than the 5th, 6th, and 7th entries in the series.  A low bar, for sure, but still.) 

Exotic/Disgusting Foods and Beverages Forum--Various Mediterranean Dishes

     This week's post will be a little different.  For the first time in ages, I won't be talking about some edible or drinkable bought from my local Shop Rite supermarket.  Instead, I'll be discussing various items I got from a single restaurant, Family Mediterranean Cuisine, located in Pitman, NJ.  I tried a sampling of their fare.  Some of these, admittedly, are now pretty common in the U.S., but I think that most of these dishes are still a bit exotic to most folks, except those with a Mediterranean or Middle Eastern heritage, obviously.  Also, most of these dishes are mezes, or appetizers, eaten before the main meal.

     Let's start with the most common one, hummus.  As is the case with pretty much all of the foods I'll be covering today, hummus has many alternate spellings.  Hummus is a dip or spread made from ground chick peas, tahini (which is made from sesame seeds), lemon juice, and garlic.  It's unknown exactly when and where it was invented, but the earliest definite reference to it can be found in a 13th century Egyptian cookbook.

    Babagannush is made from baked and mashed eggplant, sesame seeds, lemon, garlic, olive oil, and various seasonings.  It's a staple in the Levantine area, which is comprised of Syria, Israel, Lebanon, Jordan, and Palestine.  (Neighboring countries have also clearly adapted some of their foods.) Its specific area of origin is believed to be Lebanon.

     Lebni is also enjoyed in the Levantine area, as well as other parts of the Middle East, Eastern Mediterranean, and Central and South Asia.  Lebni is strained yogurt, which has had its whey removed.  This results in a thicker texture, but retains the sour flavor.  It's sometimes called "Greek yogurt" in the U.S., and is also similar to Icelandic skyr (See December 7th, 2016 post).  Lebni is usually a dip, or sometimes a spread put on sandwiches.

     Tabule is yet another Levantine treat, which is a vegetable salad.  The ingredients are usually parsley, tomato, mint, onions, wheat, olive oil, lemon juice, salt, and sweet pepper.  Its exact birthplace is thought to be Syria and Lebanon.

     Cacik is often known as tzatziki, and is another dip or spread.  This one is made throughout the Middle East and Southeast Europe.  It's strained yogurt mixed with cucumbers, salt, olive oil, vinegar, lemon juice, garlic, thyme, parsley, dill and mint.  Its origin is believed to be within the Ottoman Empire.  A Turkish variant adds radishes, red pepper, and carrots, sometimes in lieu of the cucumber.

     Stuffed grape leaves are also fairly well known by now, and are typically grape vine leaves wrapped around spiced rice, and sometimes meat, as well as olive oil.  Some folks add fruit, such as raisins, black currants, and figs.  These can be either an appetizer or a main course.  Alternate names include dolma and sarma.

     Acili ezme is a combination of various minced vegetables and spices.  Tomato, onion, walnuts, and green herbs are typical.  The spiciness is fairly acute.

     Arnavut cigeri has a somewhat misleading title.  It literally means "Albanian liver" in modern Turkish.  However, its area of origin is actually what is now Turkey, in the 15th century.  This is because Albanian immigrants to this country developed the meal.  It is fried liver cubes seasoned with hot peppers, onions, and parsley.

     And here's what I thought:

Babagannush:  This was a greenish-brown mush, and I tried it plain, and as a dip for the bread.  It was basically like an eggplant salad, an odd taste.  I didn't like it much at first, but it kind of grew on me.  Solid, but not great.

Lebni:  This was a whitish mush, which I also tried plain, and then with the bread.  It was slightly spicy, and tasted like a savory yogurt.  Really good, liked it a lot.

Tabule:  Green chopped veggies, mostly eggplant.  A bit slimy.  But okay.  Not spicy.

Cacik:  A white sauce with visible cucumber pieces.  Loved this--really vinegary and savory.  A bit of a spice bite.

Stuffed grape leaves:  Green leaves wrapped around rice, soaked in olive oil.  Excellent, really tasty.  nice vinegar tinge.

Hummus:  A thick yellowish paste with red spices on top.  Rich and tasty.  Like pretty much all hummus, I guess.

Acili ezme:  This looked like a reddish, lumpy dip.  Good, but very spicy.  I had trouble finishing it by itself.  Therefore, I tried putting this on bread combined with lebni sauce, and this was a great combination--still spicy, but not overpoweringly so.

Arnavut cigeri:  Breaded brownish chunks of meat.  The type of liver was beef.  A bit plain.  I had some ketchup on hand, and that made a nice addition, even if it wasn't traditional.  But since I really like liver in general, this was pretty good overall.  Also better when I mixed in the lettuce, onion, and tomato pieces with every bite.  

     All in all, then, I was impressed with this culinary experience.  Some dishes were better than others, but none were unpleasant or anything.  And the better ones were quite tasty.  Perhaps a tad pricey, but not ridiculous.  I would certainly recommend Family Mediterranean Cuisine in particular, and the cuisine itself in general.  For anyone in the South Jersey area, the restaurant's website is:  www.familyturkishcuisine.net   

"The Other Side" is Available!

      I'm very happy to announce that another anthology featuring one of my stories is out, as of today.   This one comes from Devil's Rock Publishing, and was edited by Daniel Willcocks.  You can find it on the publisher's website, and on Amazon, Kobo, Barnes & Nobel, Apple, and Google.  Below is the book's cover, the blurb, a list of the contributors, and their story's titles.  Also, if you'd like to read the author bios, you can do so on the official website (www.devilsrockpublishing.com).  Enjoy!  Finally, if you do buy this book, please consider leaving a review on Goodreads, Amazon, etc.   It can be difficult for small press offerings to compete in this modern marketplace, so reviews can really help us out.  Thanks!

Death is only the beginning…

There was only so long that the crypt could hide the secrets. Only so long the living could wait to pry open the coffin’s lid and discover the truth. For millennia, humans have pondered the endless abyss, made their own determinations, sobbed at the tombstones of lovers and prayed for a restful thereafter.

Now, for the first time, “The Other Side” is revealed in all its decrepit glory.

In this dark fiction and horror anthology, eleven horror authors explore the infinite possibilities that lay beyond the living. Featuring ghosts, graves, celestial voyages, forgetful realms, and forests of the dead, “The Other Side” will have you questioning all that you think you know about what lies beyond the curtain.

This bone-chilling collection features:

• “Dirt” by Tom Garback
• “Marvin’s Tavern” by Heinrich von Wolfcastle
• “Corpse Forest” by Julie Hiner
• “Wheels within Wheels” by Daniel R. Robichaud
• “Piece by Piece” by Daniel Willcocks
• “Secret Places” by Harvey Click
• “Sheol” by Paul Stansfield
• “The Cold Dark Forever” by C.W. Blackwell
• “The Fork in the Road” by J. Thorn
• “The Bus” by M.B. Vujačić
• “Click for Ascension” by Thomas Kodnar

This collection has been edited by international bestselling author of dark fiction, Daniel Willcocks, and published by Devil’s Rock Publishing. For more information, visit www.devilsrockpublishing.com

Exotic/Disgusting Foods and Beverages Forum--Parrano Cheese. Plus Brief Blog Announcement

      Periodically I check out the offerings in the specialty cheese section at my local Shop Rite supermarket.  Most are fairly common specimens, or obscure ones that I've already tried and posted about.  But every so often a new one appears.  Initially I thought it was an Italian cheese, since the name, parrano, sounded vaguely Italian.  However, it's actually from The Netherlands.

     As it turns out, my confusion about where the cheese comes from is intentional.  Parrano was developed by a cheese master in the 1970's, after he was inspired by the cheeses he tried on a trip to Italy.  In that vein, the originators (the Uniekaas cheese company) named the cheese after a municipality in the Terni province, within the Umbria region of Italy.  They then marketed their new cheese with taglines such as "Sort of Italian," and "The Dutch cheese that thinks it's Italian."  Technically, parrano is a type of Gouda cheese.  But, that's kind of misleading, too, as "Gouda" is sort of used as a catch all term for anything that's similar to that cheese, or even a Dutch-style cheese.  People often claim that parrano's taste is a combination of Gouda and (Italian) parmesan cheese.  Parrano is made from cow's milk, and contains only the milk, salt, and a rennet made from animal sources.  Parrano originale is aged for five months, and parrano robusto is aged 9 months.  Another variant, parrano olifesta, is also aged for 5 months, but has Italian herbs, oil, and sun-dried tomatoes added to it, to really up the Italian theme, evidently.  This cheese is admirably versatile, as it is easy to shred, slice, or melt, meaning it can readily be a table cheese, used in salads, or cooked into dishes.  (Not shockingly, it's often used in Italian-style dishes.)

     The manufacturing of parrano is dominated by two companies.  Since it was a cheese master from Uniekaas that invented the cheese, it appears that this company is the only one that can call it by that name.  However, the Vandersterre Groep makes a version called Prima Donna.  My sample was from the former firm.  Alas, due to a comparative lack of online information, even from the official company website,  I can't go into a lot of detail about the Uniekaas Group.  The official website basically contained a product list, recipes, a where-to-buy section, a short Frequently Asked Questions section, and a video commercial.  I did learn that their cheeses contain no preservatives, artificial colors, or gluten.  Although, if you're an observant vegan, the only product you can eat is the goat's milk cheese, as all the others use rennet derived from animal sources.  Another website said that the Uniekaas owners used to be Willem Jan Rote and Paul Wilde.  I use the past tense because in July of 2017 Uniekaas was bought up by a German company, DOC Dairy Partners B. V.  Finally, if you're living in Central or South America, Africa, or Australia, you'll have trouble picking up Uniekaas products, as they don't export to these areas.  I guess online shopping is your only possible option.

Parrano originale cheese:  Had a pale yellow color, and a rind.  Texture was semi-hard.  Good flavor--both nicely salty, and tangy.  Very tasty.  Pleasant flavor, not too bland.  Had it plain, but I have no reason to think it wouldn't be good on crackers, in a salad, cooked in a meal, etc.

     So no surprises here.  My sort-of-quest to find a cheese that's irredeemably bad continues.  Also, I'd like to see an Italian-made cheese that's done in the Dutch style.  Or a Dutch cheese made in the Djiboutian style.  Or....you get the idea.  More cheeses, from more countries and styles all around the globe.  More varieties of the best food on Earth!

     Normally I post articles on Saturdays.  However, the next post will be two Mondays from now, on October 19, with information about the anthology "The Other Side," which will feature one of my stories.  October 19th is also the book's release date.

Exotic/Disgusting Foods and Beverages Forum--Energy Drinks

      I realized I've been a little remiss about one common beverage--energy drinks.  I've reported on few, but they were usually specialty drinks, or more obscure foreign ones, such as my post on hemp energy drinks on May 18, 2019, or the one on a Malaysian energy drink on May 12, 2018.  Plus I did a post on energy chews on July 13, 2019.  But aside from posts like these, I haven't really done this topic more completely.  So today I'll try to rectify that by discussing some of the most popular energy drinks--Red Bull, Monster, Rockstar, and a less popular one, Reign.

     Most people categorize energy drinks as ones that "provide mental and physical stimulation aside from food energy."  Usually, common drinks like coffee and tea are excluded, since their energy-producing caffeine is naturally occurring, and not artificially inserted.  Also typically excluded are caffeinated soft drinks, since they're not considered healthy (and usually they're not).  This wasn't always the case, as both Pepsi and Coca-Cola were billed as energy drinks back in their early days, in the late 1800's and early 1900's.  (And Coke's early inclusion of cocaine would certainly give consumers energy, along with a few obvious downsides, obviously!)  Other early versions include the U.K.'s Lucozade (invented in 1929), the American Dr. Enuf (developed in 1949), and Japan's Lipovitan (first made in the early 1960's).

     Almost all energy drinks have caffeine in them.  Other common energizing ingredients include taurine, guarana, yerba mate (see November 29, 2014 post), acai, ginkgo biloba, and ginseng.  As it turns out, most of energy drink's claims to increase athletic performance, muscle strength, and endurance are, not surprisingly, unsupported by scientific evidence.  Caffeine in safe doses (less than 400 mg. per day for most people) does give consumers added alertness and focus, but the other laudatory claims are apparently made up.  And there is evidence that some stimulants in energy drinks can be dangerous, especially in large doses.  Too much caffeine, once again, can lead to irritability, insomnia, heart palpitations, and even death.  So, to sum up, if you're an average healthy adult you can probably safely quaff an energy drink (or have a cup or two of coffee or tea), but don't fool yourself into thinking that it's some healthy beverage that will improve your well being and turn you into a champion athlete or anything.  Furthermore, having energy drinks mixed with alcohol can be potentially dangerous, too, as it prevents people from realizing how drunk they are, since they're artificially wide awake and alert, and feel more sober than they actually are.  Meaning they sometimes drink way too much, and suffer alcohol poisoning and occasionally even death.

     I went into this in more detail in the previous energy drink/food posts, so I'll keep it brief.  I've never been into energy consumables in general, and caffeine specifically.  I abhor coffee in any form, and tea in heated form, so they're mostly out.  And caffeine doesn't have much of an effect on me.  I get my energy from a decent amount of sleep, and regular food and drink.  Which helps to explain why I never had some of these very popular drinks until very recently.  I did try the notorious caffeinated alcoholic drink Four Loko a few times, but that was more of a dare, to feel like a sort of badass.  I was also smart enough not to go overboard with it, so I didn't end up in the hospital or anything.

     I'll cut my usual company rundowns a bit shorter this time. Red Bull was developed by Austrian Dietrich Mateschitz in 1987, and currently is the best selling energy drink.  The #2 company, Monster Beverage Corporation, started way back in 1935, in the U.S., as Hansen's, and first made fruit juices.  Monster itself was invented in 2002.  For some information about absurd religious conspiracies, Christine Weick maintains that Monster Beverage is associated with Satan.  Rockstar was started in 2001, also in the U.S., by Russ Weiner.  Who in turn is the son of controversial talk show host Michael Savage.  Some more liberal groups boycott Rockstar because of this connection.  Finally, Reign is actually a Monster Beverage product.

1) Reign Total Body Fuel, Razzle Berry flavor:  Came in a 16 ounce/473 mL can.  Was carbonated, and had a clear color.  Decent taste--berry-ish.  A little bland, but still alright.  Although I'm not sure what a "razzle berry" is.  Is that related to the "snozzberries" from "Willy Wonka"?

2) Monster Energy, regular flavor (?) (No flavor mentioned, "M" was green): Also came in a 473 mL/16 ounce can.  Was a brown color.  Flavor was kind of like vanilla-cola.  Not terrible, but not especially good, either.  Highly carbonated.  So kind of "meh."  Not as good as Reign.  Didn't finish.

3) Rockstar, Super Sour Green Apple flavor:  Also in a 16 ounce/473 mL can.  Clear color.  Weak taste.  Not great, not atrocious.  "Meh" again.  Lightly carbonated.  Sour apple isn't one of my favorite flavors in general.  Better than Monster, but definitely behind Reign.

4) Red Bull Energy Drink:  Can is 355 mL/12 ounces.  Brownish-yellow color, and lightly carbonated.  Looks somewhat like apple juice, or beer.  Has an odd vanilla-cola like flavor.  Remarkably similar to  the Monster one.  Meaning it wasn't great, and is tied with Monster as being the weakest of the bunch.  Over 10 years ago I had a "Jagerbomb," which is Jagermeister mixed with Red Bull.  I think I liked that better, which makes sense because I like Jagermeister.  

     Anyway, since I don't need, or especially like energy drinks, this was probably a one time experiment.  But if I see more energy drinks available, and I'm in the mood, I might try some more.  If I do, I'll of course update this post.