Popcorn Cicadas

NBC Nightly News reminded me tonight that periodic cicadas will soon be on the loose and swarming across much of the country, and in West Virginia in particular.

Time to stock up on olive oil!

It was during the last cicada invasion that Mrs. Film Geek and I began a serious relationship and moved in together. The cicadas were thick in our region. She was horrified, I thought they were sorta cool.

Especially when I read that they can be cooked (in a variety of ways) and eaten.

One Saturday, while the future-Mrs.-Film-Geek was out of the house, I became bored and curious. So, I gathered up a couple dozen cicadas from the trees in front of our apartment and prepared them for deep frying. I pulled off the wings, dipped them in an egg batter, rolled them in seasoned flour and plunked them into a large vat of hot oil.


I was finishing off the last handful when she walked in the front door. I'll never forget the look on her face: it was a combination of horror and disgust, and a look I've seen only once or twice since.

And she married me anyway. Go figure.

While I liked the taste of the cicadas okay, my recipe was pretty basic and kinda bland. Here's one that's a bit more interesting, and probably much tastier.

If you try it, you gotta come back and tell me what you thought!

Cincinnati Cicada Stir Fry

2-4 tablespoons peanut oil
1/2 cup onion, minced
1/2 cup cilantro, finely chopped
1/2 cup fresh ginger root, finely chopped
1 cup sliced carrots
1 cup chopped cauliflower and/or broccoli
1/4 cup water chestnuts, sliced
1/2 cup bean sprouts
1/2 cup snow peas
1 cup blanched cicadas
naturally fermented soy sauce

Heat oil (or lard) in a wok or deep-sided frying pan. Add ingredients in the order listed above. When the most recent addition is partially cooked, add the next group of ingredients. Add soy sauce to taste. Serve over the rice of your choice.

Flashback! Bad Movies That Haunt Me: Showgirls

I really liked much of writer Joe Eszterhas' earlier work, particularly Jagged Edge and Basic Instinct. I thought both films blended drama and sensuality really well, and were smart, interesting films.

I read the reviews for Showgirls, and realized "smart" and "interesting" were most likely out. The critics panned the flick hard from the start, and it was obvious this movie was going the way of Heaven's Gate and Ishtar.


With only "sensuality" remaining as a hopeful possibility, I plopped down a couple of dollars just to see the chick from Saved By The Bell sans clothes. This was Elizabeth Berkley's big movie break, and she took a huge gamble that this film would pay off.



She crapped out.


In what was meant to be one of the most sexually charged scenes in the movie, Berkley's character seduced a man in a swimming pool. The acting during the sex scene is so absurd that I couldn't help but laugh.

The movie was a career buster for Berkley, at least in regard to films. She had a small role in The First Wives Club, but almost all of her other work has been in television. And Eszterhas hit a career snag too, with very little of his work being produced since.

Showgirls...[shudder]

I'm still haunted by it.

My Top 5: Movies With Comic Book Origins

After catching Spider-Man 3 over the Memorial Day weekend, I can't stop organizing a mental list of movies based on comic books. So, I'm putting it down here in order to purge the obsession.

Here are My Top 5 Movies With Comic Book Origins:

Spider-Man 2: Terrific action, and lots of emerging adulthood-phase angst. The Spidey sequel captured perfectly the comic book feel.

X-Men: This 2000 movie did visually what comic book geeks have always wanted in a movie. I walked out of the theater after seeing X-Men completely satisfied.

Batman Begins: This Batman flick made the Tim Burton movies feel like Saturday morning animation. People who like their Batman without the yellow moon on the bat suit appreciated this movie for it's grit, accuracy and detail.

V For Vendetta: Based on comics from the 1980s, V for Vendetta seemed to hold a mirror up to modern day America, at least to me.

Sin City: When I read this series years ago, it caused my stomach to flop. So did the flick. Pound for pound, my pick for best movie adaptation of a comic, ever.

Charles Nelson Reilly

From 1971 through 1973, Saturday mornings for me were all about Lidsville. Butch Patrick was cool as Mark, and Billie Hayes was so funny as Weenie the Genie. But the main reason I loved the show was the character Horatio J. HooDoo, played by Charles Nelson Reilly.


Charles Nelson Reilly died Friday at age 76, from complications of pneumonia.

He did a lot of things other than play HooDoo on Lidsville, but that character was my favorite of his roles.


His signature laugh was infectious.

UPDATE: For fans of his work on Match Game, here's a link to a brief video of him as a panalist on that show.

Spider-Man 3

Sometime in Spring or Summer, circa 1976 or '77, I discovered how to access the attic of my parent's home. My Dad was remodeling and adding to the house, and there were new nooks and crannies to explore.

The attic wasn't finished or functional, so access wasn't really that simple. And once I got up there, it wasn't as if I had lots of places to go; there was a piece of plywood covering a 6'X8' area immediately off the makeshift entrance, and a light bulb connected to a power cord.

It became my refuge.

At least once a week I'd roll up the half-dozen comics I'd picked up at the local five and dime and stick them in my back pocket. After making sure I wasn't seen, I'd hit the homemade ladder fast, heading straight to the plywood. Typically, I'd read quickly through The Avengers, Justice League, Daredevil and Batman.

But I'd save Spider-Man for last.

It was the best, in my opinion, and Peter Parker was a character with whom I identified. He struggled with the same life problems as me: girls, finding his personal path, girls, handling responsibility and girls.

Except for the cool web-slinging, spider sense, super strength and increased agility, my life was a Spider-Man comic. I was awkward, and knew it. The magazines were cheap therapy.

While watching Spider-Man 3, I noticed I felt as if I was hiding out in that attic, reading a giant-sized issue. I didn't want it to end.

Spider-Man 3 has the perfect mix of Spidey-action and Peter Parker angst. The movie is busy--it juggles at least four major plot points--but it gives each the time they deserve. The effects are remarkable, and the action is fast-paced.



But more than anything else, Spider-Man 3 gets across the angst that is pervasive in the life of Peter Parker. The distress, self-doubt and confusion that he struggled though each issue.

And that the pre-teen me struggled with each day.

Rocky Balboa

Not as good as the original, but arguably better than all the rest.

Rocky Balboa can't be made, of course, without the set-up of the original. And This-Older-Rocky's perspective on life can only be appreciated within the context set up by the films that came before it. Despite that, Rocky Balboa stands apart from most of the other sequels for it's emotional depth and use of supporting characters. And Sly can still put together a terrific fight scene.

Here's how I know:

I watched the flick in the same room as Mrs. Film Geek, but she was working. Sitting far away from me and working hard doing what she does, she wasn't paying much attention to me or the movie. During the final third of the movie--the big fight scene--Rocky takes a first round beating before coming back in the second round. During that scene, as Rocky is mounting a dramatic comeback, I hear this from the periphery:

"Knock that motherfucker out!!"

Yep, Rocky Balboa is a terrific flick.

This Is Only A Test

"Testing, testing...Is this thing on? Testing...The Film Geek Is Dead."

Look, I said it's only a test.

Way too often, just when I start really enjoing a particular blogger, he or she stops writing. Sometimes for long periods of time--several weeks, or even months--the blogger will post nothing. I'm sure it's because they have more important things going on in their lives. But the fact is, I don't.

So, I keep going back to their site, day after day, hoping to be entertained.

I'm always curious what's going on in the life of the absent blogger. Has he or she taken a vacation? Lost the muse? Maybe he's ill, and in the hospital.

Or worse: Maybe the absent blogger has died.

That's why I've tutored Mrs. Film Geek in how to access the dialogue box for this blog so she can report to anyone (who cares) about my demise, should I die unexpectedly. My instructions? Simply log in, click on "New Post" and type:

"There will now be a brief intermission: The Film Geek has died."

I turned another year older this week. And people who know me well know that means I'm full of angst. So, I'm making plans.

Sure, it's macabre. But, at least you'll know.

Make Me Fries (Pearl Jam Video Spoof)

I'm a serious fan of Pearl Jam. In my opinion, they became the best band of the last 15 years by doing it the right way, by not selling out.

Ever.

I think Eddie Vedder's lyrics are emotional, and thought provoking. But they are also often unintelligible to the listener. (Although that isn't a serious problem; listen once to Animal and you'll realize it's the raw emotion of the song itself that's important, not the specific lyrics.)

But, I digress...

I just found this spoof of one of Pearl Jam's best songs, Yellow Ledbetter, by way of Pop Candy. The real song is simply brilliant, but the lyrics are hard to understand. This well-done parody pokes some fun at that.

Watch it once for laughs, then listen to it a second time just for the song. It's that good.

We Are Marshall DVD Pre-Orders

Huntington's Herald-Dispatch has information necessary to pre-order the DVD of We Are Marshall.

I'm not sure how big a market there will be for the flick, but not a day goes by that folks from across the country find their way to my blog by searching for this specific DVD release date.

So, there you are. If you worry you won't be able to get a copy of We Are Marshall at Blockbuster when it's released on September 18, 2007, plunk down a few bucks at Amazon.com ($17.99 for wide screen and full screen format, $27.95 for hi-def) to secure your personal copy. And according to the article, some local retailers are taking reservations for $5 bucks.

You gotta provide your own popcorn.

Looks Like Someone Needs A Hug

I tell ya, I got no love for Oprah.

She hasn't done anything to me personally, of course, it's just that I am highly suspicious of (and increasingly annoyed with) people who advertise themselves as having The Answers. Paraphrasing experts who are guests on her show and writing a monthly magazine column titled "What I Know For Sure" might make Winfrey a guru to some, but that sort of soundbite style over substance gets no slack from me. Still, even Oprah doesn't deserve to be used for gain by someone writing a tell-all book about her life. And according to USA Today, that's exactly what's happening.

By her father, no less.

What I know for sure? That kinda betrayal freakin' hurts.

According to the article, Winfrey didn't know her dad was working on the book which, as reported, will be titled Things Unspoken.

So, I feel a little bad for Oprah today. It'll pass, I'm sure, soon after the legal unit at Harpo Productions squashes Vernon Winfrey like a bug. But for today, Oprah gets a polite thought sent her way.

And I'm guessing Vernon Winfrey's upcoming Father's Day gift will be the skimpiest in years...