Skip to main content

Pine Cone Soda and the Nuclear Weapons in the Bahamas

       I had the next place recommended to me by two different sources. My dad had been told about it by a friend and gave me the info about it. Then my mom sent me a list of top places to eat in Portland. It was on there too. The restaurant is called Kachka. It is on SE 11th. It is a Russian restaurant. When you walk in it immediately feels Russian. The decor really adds to that feeling. There are window shutters on the wall that look like they were from an old Russian house. There is wallpaper with photos and paintings of Russian landscape. There are kitchen utensils on a wall. The tables have different linoleum table clothes, and old 60s or 70s green leather chairs. It's a mix between a Russian grandma's house and a hipster place. The bar area is more modern. Also the outside is very modern. The floor is cement and there is iron railings leading to the second floor. The music also adds to the feeling. I got a Russian cola. It tasted like licorice and pine cones. It wasn't horrible but I could barely make it through the small glass and they give you a big bottle. I got Siberian Pelmeni dumplings. They are very small, maybe the size of a quarter. They are filled with beef, pork, veal and onions. There is a creamy sauce and a sour cream like sauce. It was good. Normally I wouldn't order veal, but this was the only thing I thought looked good. My sister just got cookies. She didn't like anything else. I don't blame her a lot of it didn't look good. I think I can add Russian to the list of types of food I don't like.

Monday: Ode to Billy Joe (1976)
       Bobbie is a teenager living on a farm in Mississippi. She falls for a 20 year old guy named Billy Joe. Her father won't let her date until she is 16. Bobbie grows impatient. Billy can hardly contain himself. They are both lusting after each other. After a drunken encounter that is a result of his frustration, Billy's life takes a downward spiral. He is depressed and takes his own life. The love story that barely started ended. I liked this movie. The writing is so good. It is a relatively simple story, but the dialogue is great. There is a song at the beginning that tells the story of Billy Joe and how he died. I thought it was just a credit song so I skipped through it. But then they played it again at the end. So his suicide was a surprise to me, but if you listen to the open song you know what is going to happen.

Wednesday: Thunderball (1965)
      At a spa James Bond encounters a dead body that is found in mysterious circumstances. Later when he returns to the head office he learns that the same man was seen in another location. Someone has stolen nuclear war heads and threatened to use them if a ransom is not paid. He must discover where they are. James tracks down an agent of S.P.E.C.T.R.E. to the Bahamas. The agent has a companion that James gets close to. She is also the sister of the dead man. James is working against the clock to find the war heads and stop anything from happening. I liked this movie. I thought I had seen all the Sean Connery Bond films but I discovered there were two more. This movie is clearly a large inspiration for at least one of the Austin Powers movies. The head of S.P.E.C.T.R.E is seen stroking a white cat. He is number one and calls is henchmen by number. Number 2 has an eye patch. There is a pool of sharks used for torture and killing. Of course they take inspiration from the other James Bond movies too. Parts of this movie are outdated. Although I guess all the older Bond movies were like that. There was no consent. He just kissed women and assumed they would want to sleep with him They didn't fight very hard. It would not work in today's world. There is a lot of witty lines that I liked. There were some funny underwater fight scenes where harpoons are the main weapons.

Friday: Hustlers (2019)
      Destiny is a stripper who only does it to make money to take care of her grandma. She isn't very good at it. At the club she works at there is another stripper named Ramona who is very good at her job. She agrees to give Destiny lessons to get better. They become friends. They have a lot of fun together. Destiny gets a boyfriend and becomes pregnant. She leaves the club. After the economic downfall of 2008 and her boyfriend leaving her she returns to work at the club. Everyone is going through a hard time after the downfall. Ramona has come up with a plan. They drug men and charge a lot of money on their credit cards at the club. The money then goes to them and the club. Ramona invites Destiny to join her and some other strippers in this plan. They make a lot of money. Eventually they do get caught. I liked this movie ok. I suppose it is interesting to see this way of life. But I didn't think this was that great of a movie. There was talk about oscar nominations but I don't really see that happening. I was reluctant to see this movie because Cardi B is in it and I do not like her. But I knew she only had a small part so I decided it would be ok. I do like how diverse it is, and that the lead is an Asian woman.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Tornado Wrangler and the Amish Safe House

 Wednesday: Just One of the Guys (1985)       Terry is a high school student with dreams of being a journalist. She loses a summer job at the Sun Tribune to two male classmates. Terry believes she lost because she's a girl. Frustrated and still determined to get the job she comes up with a plan. She dresses up as a boy and registers at the other high school in her town. She will then enter her article in the contest. Her article was rejected again. Terry realizes it really is the article that needs work. While finding a new topic she makes friends with another student, Rick. She helps him to get a date to the dance. The closer they get to the dance the more Terry realizes she has feelings for him. I thought this movie was alright. The actor who plays Rick is the brother-in-law of my neighbor. Friday: Witness (1985)        An Amish widow, Rachel, is taking her son to the city for the first time. While at a train station her son witnesses the murder...

Musical Connection and the Bakery

 Friday: Flora and Son (2023)     Flora is a young single mother. She struggles to get along with her 14 year old son Max. Her ex, who used to be in a band, is little help. Max is constantly getting in trouble. He has a case manager who is running out of options from keeping him out of jail. One day Flora finds a guitar. She gives it to Max thinking music will be a way to keep him occupied and off the streets. He rejects it. So Flora decides to take guitar lessons herself. She finds an American man, Jeff, who does lessons online. Flora starts to really get into her lessons. Then she learns that her son it making music on his computer. He is really good. They finally have a connection and their relationship gets better. I thought this movie was good. Saturday: Dumb Money (2023)       This is based on a true story. Keith is a financial analyst. He has a youtube channel where he talks about the stalk market and things like that. He notices the stock in the sto...

Black Cat and the Glam Rocker

 Tuesday: Woman of the Hour (2024)       This is based on a true story. Set in the 70s, Sheryl is an aspiring actress in Hollywood. She books a gig as a contestant on The Dating Game . She hope it will give her exposure. She ends up picking Rodney Alcala. He seems like a great guy. Little does she know he is a serial killer. I thought this movie was alright. I had heard about him before on a podcast I listen to. It was interesting to see it from her point of view.  Thursday: The Black Cat (1934)       The movie, as the credits say, is suggested by the Edgar Allan Poe story. Peter and Joan are newlyweds on their honeymoon in Hungary. They ends up sharing a train compartment with a doctor named Vitus. They gets off at the same stop and take the same taxi bus. There is an accident. Luckily they are near Vitus's destination. The home of famed architect Hjalmar Poelzig. He reluctantly lets them in. Joan was hurt in the crash. While she is recovering Pe...