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.
Dustin Hoffman hits all the right notes in his directorial debut about an English home for retired musicians. It comes somewhere in between the English melancholy glimpse into the abyss of old age offered by The Last Bus and the randy vulgar denial of it too often presented by Hollywood.
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Steven Spielberg again reminds us that one purpose of great drama is to inspire as well as delight. His film does both.
Read MoreToday’s post honors my brother-in law, Dr. George Ihrke, who turns 84 years young today. Veterinarian extraordinaire, dog and horse whisperer, and nominee for the National Field Trial Hall of Fame, he is a true Renaissance man. Today’s feature shows his nerves of steel as we arrive at the Prairie Chicken Grounds with their four horses and six dogs just as a Midwest storm darkens the sky…
Read MoreI met her walking in Austin’s Stacy Park, this thin octogenarian who always had a walking stick with her. We soon became good friends and began to time our walks so we could amble along together.
Right now the world seems an insecure and frightening place to us, doesn’t it? What better time to watch this terrific film about someone who never let the world or his inborn limitations get him down. Meet Neil Baldwin, Britain’s own version of Forest Gump, but without the Hollywood sentimentality.
Read MoreThis isn’t just a slap in the face to the glamorized intrigue of the spy world; it’s a punch in the gut, a leveling one that bends you over and leaves you groaning. An unflinching portrait of moral compromise that slowly eats away at a man’s soul, whether he is on the right side or not.
Read MoreSuch a glorious film! The searing beauty and fierceness of the land, its peoples, and beasts are but a backdrop for this saga of two independent spirits whose love for the land and their own independence is only surpassed by their love for each other.
Read MoreArguably Hitchcock’s popular and critical masterpiece, this film has it all. Cary Grant is magnificent as the wrongly accused man on the run, handling his dire straights with dry humor and nonchalance. The action set pieces are riveting and so superior to the CGI we typically get today. While the romantic banter has a verbal wit we seem to have forgotten on screen.
Read MoreRemember when going to the movies was a welcome escape from times of turbulence and trouble instead of a nosedive into them? Well, Steven Spielberg did when he made this sunny film that is laugh out loud at times. It’s the perfect medicine, and Leonardo DiCaprio administers it with professional expertise.
Read MoreYou can’t help but fall in love with this 2020 British adaptation of James Herriot’s first unsteady steps as a young veterinarian in the Yorkshire Dales (hills for us Yanks). It’s Midsomer without the murders, and an enchanting assortment of loveable and eccentric characters, humans and animals alike.
Read MoreTime to revisit this delightfully outrageous tale of a small town waitress who copes with her soap opera life by creating pies that mirror her daily traumas. And the cast of assorted eccentrics is as unpredictable and whimsically delicious as the ingredients that overflow from the pastry.
Read MoreWith Hollywood still sputtering, now is the time to review some old favorites and see them in a new light. Such is the case with the Godfather Trilogy, one of the best films series ever made.
Read MoreThey do this one right, paring down the characters to an essential few and exploring their emotional depth. Avengers: Endgame takes risks and surprises us, mostly with its return to high quality acting and writing.
Read MoreThe only 21st century sword and sandal film that deserves a place next to those other classics, Spartacus and Ben Hur. Winner of five Oscars, most notably Best Picture and Best Actor (a magnificent Russell Crowe) as well as 7 other nominations, this is a classic for all time and well worth watching again.
Read MoreThere’s something rotten in this small Ohio town in 1979. It’s scaring off the local dogs and sucking up car engines, power lines, and a small assortment of human beings. Sure, the military personnel that swoop down to clean up after a spectacular train crash are tight-lipped, but everything about them screams X Files.
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This one appears to be an accident, but what about the “Over 3 Dozen Bodies Found in or around Lady Bird Lake since 2022.
Read more here https://www.differentdrummer.cc/main/body-of-paddle-boarder-found-in-ladybird-lake-june-3-2025
For a more complete summary of events read more here: https://www.differentdrummer.cc/main/rainey-street-drownings-the-smiley-face-killer-connection?rq=Petition%20Demands
"Very scary, especially given that I live in this neighborhood," said Neda, who lives near the lake.
The woman's body was found Sunday, Dec. 1, in the water near Brazos and East Cesar Chavez Streets.
"A 911 call was received from a kayaker who was paddling upstream and observed some type of object in the water," said Officer Leah Ratliff with the Austin Police Department.
Police say it appears the woman was homeless, in her 60s, and may have been trying to keep warm, when she somehow ended up in the water. Detectives do not suspect foul play.
"There's nothing that appears to be suspicious. There's no type of connection that they believe," said Ratliff.
o Another body was found in Lady Bird Lake on Dec. 2
o The death was one of at least six near the lake so far this year
o Another death in the lake sparks renewed concerns
AUSTIN, Texas - There are renewed concerns after the body of a woman was found in Lady Bird Lake over the weekend. This is one of at least six deaths in or near the lake so far this year.
"Very scary, especially given that I live in this neighborhood," said Neda, who lives near the lake.
The woman's body was found Sunday, Dec. 1, in the water near Brazos and East Cesar Chavez Streets.
"A 911 call was received from a kayaker who was paddling upstream and observed some type of object in the water," said Officer Leah Ratliff with the Austin Police Department.
Police say it appears the woman was homeless, in her 60s, and may have been trying to keep warm, when she somehow ended up in the water. Detectives do not suspect foul play.
"There's nothing that appears to be suspicious. There's no type of connection that they believe," said Ratliff.
A petition calls out the Austin Police and City officials for what it terms “a miscarriage of Justice,” hinting that there is something “darker at play” here, and accuses officials of treating the victims’ families “callously and without empathy.”
Victim’s family pleads against plea bargain for this Austin Serial Killer.
https://www.differentdrummer.cc/main/i-survived-the-rainey-street-ripper
“I survived the Rainey Street ripper': Drugged man who plummeted 25ft off bridge believes 'serial killer' stalking Austin tried to drown him.” Daily Mail
Twelve bodies have been found in Lady Bird Lake and Colorado River since 2022
Police insist there is no serial killer but the mounting bodies sees rumor persist
Jeff Jones survived falling off bridge near river, thinks he may have been pushed
Read more here
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.
o Another body was found in Lady Bird Lake on Dec. 2
o The death was one of at least six near the lake so far this year
o Another death in the lake sparks renewed concerns
AUSTIN, Texas - There are renewed concerns after the body of a woman was found in Lady Bird Lake over the weekend. This is one of at least six deaths in or near the lake so far this year.
"Very scary, especially given that I live in this neighborhood," said Neda, who lives near the lake.
The woman's body was found Sunday, Dec. 1, in the water near Brazos and East Cesar Chavez Streets.
"A 911 call was received from a kayaker who was paddling upstream and observed some type of object in the water," said Officer Leah Ratliff with the Austin Police Department.
Police say it appears the woman was homeless, in her 60s, and may have been trying to keep warm, when she somehow ended up in the water. Detectives do not suspect foul play.
"There's nothing that appears to be suspicious. There's no type of connection that they believe," said Ratliff.
o Another body was found in Lady Bird Lake on Dec. 2
o The death was one of at least six near the lake so far this year
o Another death in the lake sparks renewed concerns
AUSTIN, Texas - There are renewed concerns after the body of a woman was found in Lady Bird Lake over the weekend. This is one of at least six deaths in or near the lake so far this year.
"Very scary, especially given that I live in this neighborhood," said Neda, who lives near the lake.
The woman's body was found Sunday, Dec. 1, in the water near Brazos and East Cesar Chavez Streets.
"A 911 call was received from a kayaker who was paddling upstream and observed some type of object in the water," said Officer Leah Ratliff with the Austin Police Department.
Police say it appears the woman was homeless, in her 60s, and may have been trying to keep warm, when she somehow ended up in the water. Detectives do not suspect foul play.
"There's nothing that appears to be suspicious. There's no type of connection that they believe," said Ratliff.
https://www.differentdrummer.cc/main/body-of-paddle-boarder-found-in-ladybird-lake-june-3-2025
