Pure Music

There is a moment at the end of 1951’s film noir The Big Night when a bartender closes up the bar, shuts the blinds, and walks off carrying a birthday cake. It is in silence, and the cinematography and atmosphere negate everything viewers see up to that point. It is poignant, speaks volumes, and is the best scene in the film. 

Everyone has a few skeletons tucked away here and there, and when director Joseph Losey (1909-1984) would inventory his closet, there was The Big Night (1951). John Drew Barrymore was 19 years old when he was cast to star as George LaMain (using the name John Barrymore Jr.) in this hokey maybe-there-was-a-murder thriller. He

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Tags: Big Night, Night

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Bootleg: Murder, Moonshine, and the Lawless Years of Prohibition. Karen Blumenthal. 2011. Roaring Brook Press. 155 pages.

Sometime after 10 A.M. on this shivery cold and windy Chicago morning, seven men gathered in a nondescript garage warehouse on Clark Street.

I’ll never be able to do this book justice. I don’t think I can adequately convey just how fascinating and engaging and completely interesting this nonfiction book is! Would you believe me when I say that the narrative is just that good that you lose yourself?

I knew this book was for me from the start.

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Tags: Lawless Years, Years

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For the second year, Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana has landed on The Daily Meal’s annual “101 Best Restaurants In America” list.

Though its ranking dropped significantly in 2012 – from tied for 21st to 49th – it’s still the only Connecticut restaurant on the roundup, which includes some of the country’s most famous (and expensive) dining institutions.

“If you want to discuss the loaded topic of America’s best pizza with any authority, you have to make a pilgrimage to this legendary New Haven spot,” the editors wrote. “What should you order at this checklist destination? Two words: clam pie.”

The choices were compiled by a panel of judges, including food writers and editors, travel experts and bloggers.

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Tags: List, Restaurants List

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I’ve made it no secret how much of a fan of HBO’s original programming and similar shows I am…to the point of it being difficult for me personally to even watch regular network/cable TV shows not named The Walking Dead anymore. Two of my favorite current shows are on HBO, one being Boardwalk Empire and the other being, big surprise and SPOILER ALERT: Game of Thrones.

And while it’s silly of me to give away my feelings on the first season of the series so early in my review, allow me to tell you why I’m so googly-eyed over this wonderful, wonderful world.

Game of Thrones is based on the hit book series from author George R.R. Martin

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