Often been surprised by a movie after what a film critic said about it? Ever felt cheated out of big bucks on the recommendations of a punk 24-year-old? Or really loved the ones they panned? Well, you no longer need to feel out of step with the current movie review band. Different Drummer is for you. Read more about our take on the film world. And get ready to relive your favorite movies with the recipes that follow each review. You can find many other great recipes in Different Drummer’s own Appetite for Murder: a Mystery Lover’s Cookbook, too.
Steven Spielberg reimagines war –its tragic irony, chaos and confusion –through the eyes of a young English boy in Shanghai who lives through the Japanese invasion (and occupation) of that British colony.
Read MoreLike the best of science fiction this fine series causes us to reflect on our own reality. And The Man in the High Castle is even more relevant than when it first aired in 2015 through 2019.
Read MoreIt’s time to revisit this classic. Remember when Hollywood valued humor, playfulness, and witty banter? Instead of action, action, action, with a few dollops of self-righteous preaching thrown in for good measure.
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Forget all those British documentaries where some bloke with a plumy accent (i.e. Sir David Attenborough) takes you on a tour of stunning wildlife or dinosaur bones. Exciting, informative, and visually stunning – yes, but pretty serious. Now find its antithesis in Clarkson’s Farm, where a former Top Gear host reinvents himself as a farmer.
Read MoreAn abandoned vehicle with no gas and doors askew like some wounded white Ibis failing to take flight. One and then two young men missing. Secret loves and liaisons, crimes buried and unearthed. The Australian Outback comes alive in all its glory, violence, and pain.
Read MoreLaugh out loud with this minor classic that stirs up a cocktail of Goonies, Stand by Me, Breaking Away, and The Christmas Story, with a little Cujo as our cherry on the top.
Read MoreMaggie Smith still owns it, even if we are now into a kinder, gentler Downton Abbey. Her zingers are still there, but milder now that old feuds have been quelled, and alliances have replaced vicious rivalries.
Read MoreYou are there right with them. The two cave divers that are the focus, but also Thai forces and more than 10,000 volunteers attempting a harrowing rescue of the twelve boys and their coach trapped in a cave in Thailand.
Read MoreIndiana’s version of Dazed and Confused. But it is also very Greek, too, since it asks the question, “Who Am I?” Except we are not talking about kings and queens, but four Bloomington, Indiana, townies trying to finding their way in life the year after high school.
Read MoreLight and bubbly like dry vintage champagne, Amazon’s McDonalds and Dodds is one of the best mysteries to hit the screen this year. The opening says it all: A score as crisp and delightful as the vintage wine with the medieval city of Bath represented like a modern D.C. Escher graphic print. This mystery lover, classically trained violinist, and one time medieval scholar finds it irresistible.
Read MoreVenture into Victorian London’s foggy night air for a waiting carriage as the snap of the whip and echoing hoof beats pierce the darkness. No, you are not on an adventure with Sherlock Holmes, or even his newly invented younger sister Enola. You are going with Miss Scarlet, another private detective set to prove herself in a man’s world.
Read MoreA voluptuous femme fatale beckons us into a legal labyrinth of sharp turns and blind alleys. And Harrison’s Ford’s assistant DA is as much in the dark as the audience.
Read MoreStart with an scoop of The Christmas Story, sprinkle in a few bits from Unbroken, and top with dollops of The Quiet Man and Iron Will. Add a little magic and you have the delightfully irreverent sleeper, Uncle Ralph.
Read MoreThis seems a compelling and sweet film about risking everything for someone you believe in. It even has streaks of genius, most of which is due to Matt Damon’s brilliant performance.
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Forget the dark adventures that dance across our current screens and return to a place of light, air, and happiness. Beautiful Italy, three tug-at-your-heart romances, and a classic Oscar winning song sung by none other than an uncredited Frank Sinatra. You could not hope for breezier way to usher in soon to be summer.
Read MoreIt aspires to be a combo of James Bond and Mission Impossible, but the Russo Brothers seem more intent on creating a money making franchi$e with multiple spin-offs rather than paying homage to classic spy thrillers.
Read MoreWow!. This is a new Uhtred. Uthred the peacemaker with no woman by his side. His hair is graying, and he and his men now spend their time like old soldiers, recounting their battles and washing it down with plenty of ale.
Read MoreThey don’t get any better than this! Dead Poets Society’s innocence and nobility shine even brighter now than when the film was released in 1989. Especially when compared with the dearth of those qualities in our current lives or cinema.
Read MoreSuddenly remakes of Agatha Christie are all the rage. Most of them are tres ordinaire, as my father would say, but a few are quite good. This film fits that category.
Read MoreThis 1964 epic is 31year-old Michael Caine’s breakout performance. He’s blond and semi-gorgeous, but also prissy, entitled, a “sleepy-eyed…arse,” who nevertheless ultimately shows both “guts and sensitivity.” (Roderick Heath)
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Appetite for Murder: A Mystery Lover’s Cookbook
Also available here
by Kathy Borich
A tantalizing slant on cooking and crime. Relive your favorite classic detective stories and then whip up the food that caught the culprit.
"Look, you don't have to go to law school to figure out there's something very, very wrong at Lady Bird Lake," Nancy Grace says in the episode's opening of her “Austin Serial Killer Fears” episode. She even derides the police who refer to the events as “unfortunate incidents.” Yes, she is a bit over the top, and some of her guests are so called experts not really familiar with the Austin area or the specific cases, but she does have a point.
Move along everyone. There’s nothing to see here. That seems to be the escalating nonchalance citizens are getting from the Austin Police Department regarding the 12 bodies that have been found in or very near Ladybird Lake in Austin Texas in the past 22 months. The last three - one February 6th , another April 9th, and a third on April 13th have not even been identified.
Different Drummer herself has noticed the weak city response in terms of safety measures as she and her husband ride past the Rainey Area near Lady Bird Lake. A chain is only as strong as its weakest link. What good are some pallid lights and a split rail fence if there are big gaps with only a sign to warn those of danger? Certainly, someone drunk, as may or may not be the case, probably would or could not read it.
Update: They are beginning to install electricty along the path for better lightning as of April 2024
February 6, 2024
“A body was found Monday, Feb. 6, 2024, in a Texas lake, the same site where other deceased individuals have been discovered in recent months, authorities said.
“At least five people have been found dead at the lake, which is a portion of the Colorado River running through downtown Austin, since last year.” –Louis Casiano, Fox News
The body is that of a woman, which differs from the previous drownings, all of which were men around age 30. As usual, the police are mum and saying there are no signs of foul play, but what else is new? –DD
Different Drummer will keep you informed as further details emerge. Below is the area where the recent body was found.
In 2023 alone, five bodies have been found in in Lady Bird Lake, and according to local reports, as many as eight in the past 10 months.
Different Drummer and her husband Gary have been biking this trail around the lake for decades. They live in the thick of it, on a quaint tree-lined street across the river from the glittering Austin Skyline.
Follow our two Cycling Sleuths chronicle where their path crosses those who did not return home to their loved ones.
Smiley Face Connection: February 2024 Update: Another Body Found
The Serpent’s Tooth: A Texas Mystery
Austin is now the trendy number one city, but back in the eighties it was more laid back – not so many skyscrapers and urban hipsters. Just outside of town, you'd be likely to run into old cowboys, ranch hands, and a diamondback or two. And just maybe – an accidental death not as accidental as it seems…
Complete with Texas Recipes for the Oktoberfest Dinner where all is revealed.
An Illustrated Introduction to Classical Horsemanship: Concepts and Skills from A to Z
by Gary Borich
A comprehensive resource in a succinct alphabetical format that brings the beginning rider through every aspect of learning to train and ride for show and trail.
