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Ham and Cheese Cake and the Illuminated Ruins

          Yay for finally going to a restaurant on my list! I went to Ava Gene's. It is on SE Division. I went around lunch time. It turns out they just serve brunch until 2. Then they close and open later for dinner. So I will have to go back for dinner. The service is friendly. The outside is fairly modern. Inside there is sort of a modern 20s Italian vibe. There are shelves up high along the walls with different jars and bottles. There are long hanging plants. The bar and other counters are marble. The tables are gold. It is small so when it is busy it is loud. The brunch menu is small. Some of the items are vague. You don't know quite what you are getting. What I got was described as: Brioche, Ham and Cheese, Spiedini, Salsa Verde, Maple. I thought maybe it was like a ham and cheese on brioche sandwich with a chicken skewer. When I googled Spiedini all that came up was recipes for chicken skewers. That is not what I got at all. It was like a cake with layers of brioche, ham and cheese. It was topped with salsa verde. There was powdered sugar around the rim of the plate. They give you a steak knife to cut it. It was really good. Although there was some leafy garnish in the salsa that I didn't like. I liked the restaurant. I'm interested to see what dinner would be like there. Also there is a small parking lot but street parking in one of the neighborhood streets is fairly easy too.

Monday: Journey to Italy (1954)
        A struggling couple are on a trip in Naples. Katherine was left a house in a will there. Her husband Alex is accompanying her. Alex only wants to stay a couple of days. Katherine wants to explore. They end up spending most of the trip apart. Their marriage has become too strained. They aren't sure that is is worth the effort. I liked this movie ok. Not a lot happens. Sometimes instead of background music you just hear what sounds like someone singing just off screen. But you never see who is singing. It's a little misleading. You always think they will pan to someone singing in the street or in the garden but they never.

Tuesday: My Favorite Year (1982)
      Benjy is a junior writer on a comedy sketch show. A famous actor known for his swashbuckling roles is set to appear in an episode. His name is Alan Swann. Alan's career has gone downhill, and as a result he has become an alcoholic. Benjy is tasked with watching Alan to make sure he doesn't get too drunk and shows up on time. Alan doesn't make it easy for Benjy. Also the show runner insults a mob boss and ends up on a hit list. This is a fun movie. It's not the best but enjoyable.

Wednesday: Black Narcissus (1947)
     A nun named Sister Clodagh is tasked with running a convent in the Himalayas. It is a culture shock for her and the nuns assigned to come with her. The local people are resistant to going to the convent. That is until the local general pays them to go. The covent has a clinic and school. Their local guide is man named Mr. Dean. He doesn't have much respect for them. Sister Clodagh struggles with one of her nuns who is considering leaving the order and is acting out. The high altitude starts to drive them all a little crazy. I thought this movie was interesting. It was interesting to see nuns try and set up a successful convent in such an exotic local. That being said it was a little eerie, even though there didn't seem much cause for it. Except the altitude I guess.

Friday: 1917 (2020)
    This is base on true events in WWI. Lance Corporal Blake is told to pick one soldier to bring with him for an assignment. He picks his friend Lance Corporal Schofield. They are told that it appears the Germans have retreated. A regiment of 1600 have been sent to fight at the new front line. Blake's brother is among them. The retreat is a trap. New images show a lot of Germans waiting behind the new line. The regiment will be slaughtered. So they want Blake and Schofield to to get to them before the next morning to tell them not to attack. Blake and Schofield set off. They face many obstacles and are in constant danger. This movie is so good. The cinematography is amazing. There is one part at night where they are going through some ruins. Flares are sent into the air to light the ruins so the enemy can find them. It is visually stunning. I could have just watched that for 30 minutes. This movie was filmed in one shot. Which basically means they never call cut. They don't stop and reposition the camera or anything like that. They just keep on going. They rehearsed for 6 months. The movie takes place in only a day, so they don't have to go too long. I'm not exactly sure how they did it all in one shot. In one behind the scenes video I saw they talked about having to stop and wait for the clouds to cover the sun. So clearly they did stop. And I'm sure they had to eat and all that. I expect this movie will win some oscars. Also one of the reasons I saw this film was because Benedict Cumberbatch was in it. So of course he is only in one short scene.

Saturday: The Aeronauts (2019)
      This movie is set in the 1860s.  James is a scientist working to study weather patterns. He wants to be able to predict the weather. It would help people in their everyday lives, and save lives. No one takes him seriously. To really study the weather he needs to go up in a hot air ballon. The only pilot who will take him is a woman named Amelia. Her husband taught her how to pilot a balloon before he died in an accident. She is a free spirit who wants to explore and see amazing views. James only cares about the science. They don't get a long at first. On their trip they become stranded when they get so high that everything freezes. They struggle to survive. I liked this movie. It is a unique take on a survival film. You wouldn't think of that happening in a hot air balloon.

Sunday: Uncut Gems (2019)
      Howard is a crooked jeweler with a gambling addiction. He owes money to everyone. He is always on to the next big thing and then bets all the money he makes. Howard often loses and becomes even more in debt. This movie was such a waste of time. I'm so glad I used a free ticket and didn't pay to see that movie. It was bad. It just kept going on and on. The main character has no redeeming qualities. He never learns. The movie is just a lot of loud arguing. There's no point. Sure it was interesting to see Adam Sandler in a more dramatic role. But that wasn't enough. There was oscar buzz around this movie. I have no idea why. There is a reason it's not playing many places.
   

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