Zodiac
Date: 24 June 2007
Directed by David Fincher, based on real-life events and set (mainly) in 1970s San Francisco, the film tells the story of a newspaperman who develops an interest in the Zodiac serial killer, who sent coded messages to various newspapers in the San Francisco area.
The story is interesting, the direction, acting (Jake Gyllenhaal, Robert Downey Jr, Anthony Edwards, Chloë Sevigny and others) and set direction excellent. The scenes involving the Zodiac killer are truly scary, but are balanced by a few genuinely funny moments.
5 stars.Mum’s Yorkshire Pudding/Toad in the Hole
October 31, 2004
Ingredients
- Plain flour
- 1.25 Pint Milk (cold from fridge)
- 1 or 2 Eggs (well-beaten)
- (Real or veggie sausages, for Toad in the Hole.)
Method
Pre-heat oven to 250°C.
Beat the egg well, then put flour and milk in a bit at a time, beating as you go. Add the ingredients until the mixture reaches the consistency of medium runny yoghurt. Beat it a lot. Cover and put in fridge, and leave it there for at least 30 minutes.
When ready to cook, add 2-teaspoonfuls of cold water to the mix, and beat it again. Get a suitable baking tin or oven-safe dish (note that the mixture will rise!), and put some oil or fat in. If you do not care about making a vegetarian meal, then you can use lard. If you are going for a vegetarian dish, use an oil that can get very hot without smoking or bursting into flames—an oil that is recommended for wok cooking is suitable (e.g. peanut or sesame oil). Add enough to reasonably coat the bottom and sides of the tin or dish you are using. Put the tin or dish in the oven (minus the mixture) until the fat or oil is very hot. (Resolve now not to burn down the kitchen.)
When the fat or oil is ready, add a little of the mixture—if the oil is hot enough, the mixture should sizzle when you add it to the tin or dish. If the mixture sizzles, add the rest. If not, heat the fat or oil more.
Put the tin or dish on the middle shelf of the oven. Leave it in the oven for at least 30 minutes, and DO NOT open the door during this time. This part is crucial. Use the window on your oven door if you need to look in!
After 30 minutes, and without opening the door if at all possible, check to see if the mixture has risen and has formed a golden crust. If so, the Yorkshire pudding is ready, and you may now open the door to remove it.
If you are making Toad in the Hole (with either real or veggie sausages), put the sausages in the dish before adding the mixture. Apart from that, the recipe is the same.
Wonder Boys
May 28, 2006
I saw most of this on a flight to Kuala Lumpur and in retrospect was too tired to enjoy it. On second viewing I actually rather enjoyed it.