Exploring Food and Movies

 Tuesday: A Man Called Adam (1966)         Adam is a struggling black cornetist. He is talented jazz musician. His short temper, alcoholism, and venue pickiness lead to him not getting many gigs. He meets a civil rights activist named Claudia who's grandfather is a famous jazz musician. Despite their personality differences they fall in love. He starts to become better and his career takes off. But after a encounter with racist cops Adam goes on a downwards spiral. His career and relationships go down hill. Claudia tries to help despite him rejecting her. I thought this movie was ok. It was nice to see Sammy Davis Jr. in a lead role. I've mostly seen him in ensemble movies with the rat pack. Thursday: The Five Pennies (1959)        A man named Loring "Red" Nichols moves to New York to become a famous jazz musician. He gets hired to play with a band who plays in a hotel. One night he meets a chorus girl named Willa. At first she thinks he is a...

 Monday: Cabin in the Sky (1943)          Little Joe is a gambler and a fan of jazz. His wife Petunia tries to get him to change his ways. She wants him to stop gambling and come to church. Ignoring her advice he gets shot after a night of gambling. On his death bed  Lucifer Jr. comes to take him. But his wife's prayers call down an angel. The angel offers Little Joe a deal. If he can change his ways he can get into heaven. He agrees and is given some more time to live. Little Joe does his best to be good. He treats his wife better and stops gambling. Lucifer Jr. can see that he is losing. So he cheats and makes it so Little Joe wins a cash prize. After a misunderstanding with his wife, the money is the last straw to send him to the edge. It might be too late to get into heaven. I thought this movie was alright. It has a lot of jazz legends in it like Duke Ellington and Louis Armstrong. Although it has an all black cast, which is a rarity in the 40s, i...

 Monday: The Wild One (1953)          Johnny is a leader of a motorcycle gang. His gang arrives in a small town. They don't plan to stay for long but then one of their own gets injured. Johnny meets a pretty woman named Kathie. He convinces his gang they need to stay for their injured friend. Really it's an excuse to spend more time with Kathie. Another rival gang arrives. After a fight Johnny lands in jail. The gangs continue to terrorize the town until he is released. Kathie is unsure how she feels about everything. Johnny wants to be better. This movie was alright. Not the best but enjoyable. Wednesday: Design for Scandal (1941)           Jeff is a reporter who's actions constantly get him in trouble with his boss. Recently his boss got a divorce. The judge, Cornelia, ruled in favor of the wife. The boss has to pay alimony. He is not happy about it. Jeff comes up with a plan to help his boss and keep his job. He will cause a big ...

           Saturday I went to Compana for dinner with my parents. It is a small Italian place on NE Oneonta. It is on the bottom of a modern looking apartment building. There are vines growing on the side of the building. They were only seating outside. Which had a nice atmosphere with hanging lights. I did get a peek inside. It had a Cuban contemporary vintage feel to it. The walls were dark. One wall by the kitchen had a vintage wallpaper with flamingos on it. There were modern hanging lights as well as a small chandelier. There is lots of parking on the streets in the surrounding neighborhood. The service was ok. I mean she brought us what we wanted and was timely. She just wasn't the nicest. I got a caesar salad appetizer. It was actually pretty big so I shared it with my dad. It was the kind with whole pieces of romaine. It was good. It had a unique flavor. For my main dish I had the Cavatelli. It came with pork ragu and whipped ricotta. There was a li...