Over the weekend, Mr Bite and I were updating and looking over our Google Doc spreadsheet of the films we've seen.
(Yes, we have a spreadsheet of the films we've seen. With ratings by each of us.)
(Bear with me.)
It dawned on me that this spreadsheeted information might be worth sharing. As a counterbalance to my
books, you see, but on a one-off basis only. I see fewer movies than I read books, and care about them less, so I think a one-off post will do just fine.
Our spreadsheet says that I saw 20 films in 2011, of which 3 were at the cinema (the rest were mostly recorded from TV). 2010 was somewhat more productive in a viewing sense, with 31 films seen overall and 4 at the cinema.
Our spreadsheet only goes back to mid-2009, but since then I have given 2 films 9.5 / 10 ratings:
- Black Swan, seen at the movies in January 2011. This film captivated me with its psychology, ballet, filming effects, and plot twists. I thought Natalie Portman was outstanding.
- Love Actually, seen most recently in July 2009, but watched many, many times previously. This is one of my favourite movies ever. It is one of a handful of DVDs I own. With 2.5 years gone since I last saw it, I suspect it's time for another re-run.
In addition to the above, 6 films received 9 / 10 ratings:
- V for Vendetta, recorded from TV and watched in March 2011. Scary and clever and captivating.
- Moon, watched at an outdoor cinema screening in Perth in February 2010. I ate sushi for dinner, lay back on the grass, and was completely caught up in the science fiction plot.
- Wall-E, watched on a DVD from the library in February 2010. If you haven't seen this animated movie - find it. And watch it. It is great!
- The Dark Knight, recorded from TV and watched in December 2009. I found this disturbing, but good. Perhaps even disturbingly good.
- Changeling, watched on a DVD from the library in October 2009. Oddly, Mr Bite and I both gave this 9/10 but on looking over our ratings struggled to remember the film. We recalled it after looking it up, but I think perhaps I over-rated it at the time.
- Star Trek (the latest one), seen at the movies in June 2009. This rating may reflect the fact that it was the first formal date for Mr Bite and I. I was too anxious to take in much of the movie, so I can only assume my rating reflects him rather than movie content!
Honourable mentions can also go to Amelie, Iron Man, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, and Avatar, which I gave 8.5 ratings to, and Sherlock Holmes 2: A Game of Shadows, which we just saw last weekend (at the movies no less). I gave that a rating of 8.25, in part, I suspect, due to Robert Downey Jr. and Stephen Fry both being in it.
And there we have a snapshot of my movie-related entertainment from the last 2 years.
Moving on to topics that may be more entertaining to the rest of the world, I revisited the above
papaya and cashew balls on the weekend. The original papaya version was super easy, delightfully pink, and extremely delicious. The batch I made as a Christmas gift was well received by my Mum, and I've been contemplating possible variations ever since.
This contemplation resulted in pineapple cashew balls:
I have always linked dried papaya with dried pineapple, I think because I often got both in my Christmas stocking as a child. They still seem far more exciting and 'special' to me than other dried fruits.
These pineapple and cashew balls are made to the exact same recipe as the
papaya ones, but with a direct swap of pineapple for papaya:
1 cup dried pineapple, 1/2 cup cashews, 1/4 cup dessicated coconut, and 1tsp vanilla processed in a food processor, rolled into balls, coated in extra dessicated coconut (or in my case, coconut flakes, because the dessicated coconut ran out), and
refrigerated until set.
Still easy.
Still quite nice looking.
And still quite delicious.
I will confess to liking the papaya ones slightly better, as the flavour and colour of those were more intense than the pineapple variant. The pineapple provides a more subtle sweetness, which was still enjoyable, but didn't quite have the 'punch' of the papaya.
I think making both together would be the perfect solution.
What about you - do you have favourite movies? What about uses for dried pineapple?
