Often been surprised by a movie after what a film critic said about it? Ever felt cheated out of big bucks on the recommendations of a punk 24-year-old? Or really loved the ones they panned? Well, you no longer need to feel out of step with the current movie review band. Different Drummer is for you. Read more about our take on the film world. And get ready to relive your favorite movies with the recipes that follow each review. You can find many other great recipes in Different Drummer’s own Appetite for Murder: a Mystery Lover’s Cookbook, too.
This 1964 epic is 31year-old Michael Caine’s breakout performance. He’s blond and semi-gorgeous, but also prissy, entitled, a “sleepy-eyed…arse,” who nevertheless ultimately shows both “guts and sensitivity.” (Roderick Heath)
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Don’t miss Jim Caviezel’s compelling thriller, which displays the courage and conviction of the actor as well as the Christian blogger he portrays on film. Written, directed, and produced by Iranian-American filmmaker Cyrus Nowrasteh, it is based on real life Robert Levinson and a composite of several other innocents who died in the Middle East.
Read MoreIf you let the cranky critics scare you away from this fairly pleasant diversion, stream it now. Expect to be awed by the beauty of Rome – the gilded inner courts of the Vatican, the magnificent fountains, the centuries old marble statues still guarding this ancient city -- all of which stand up considerably better than the over-stretched plot.
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Released more than three-quarters of a century ago, this epic film still resonates. O-Lan (Luise Rainer), the Oscar-winning female lead, is fearless and resolute in ways today’s feminists only dare dream of. And her goodness shines forth like rays of sunshine warming her beloved earth.
Read MoreYou can never go wrong with these delightful Deep Fried Biscuits, no matter what day of the week or time of the year. This recipe is from Different Drummer’s Own The Serpent’s Tooth, which ends with a glorious outdoor feast. Today’s recipe is from another character in The Serpent’s Tooth.
Read MoreMy new novel, The Serpent’s Tooth: A Texas Mystery is now out in paperback. Get your new year off to a great start with this terrific Warm Red-Skinned Potato Salad Recipe, one of 10 delicious ones in the book.
Read MoreA breakdown on a desert road. A menacing pickup with an even more menacing driver. A local diner simmering with hostility. And, oh yes, a beautiful wife who has vanished without a trace. And did I mention Kurt Russell?
Read MoreMeet Britain’s Vera. Bedraggled, frumpy, both brusque and vulnerable, she has an eye for detail that can almost compete with Sherlock Holmes, as well as a cache of little grey cells to rival Hercule Piroit. And yes, a frumpy trench coat that reminds us of Columbo.
Read MoreUp soured into the sky and box office heaven in 2009, showing once again that animated features are proving more relevant to today’s audiences than fleshed out mega-productions. And like the best of poetry, they “teach and delight.”
Read MoreIf you loved Wind River, you might like this other frigid thriller from Netflix. Or maybe not.
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If you’d like to time warp to wintry Victorian London this weekend, see this gem of film about the early adventures of Holmes and Watson. Long before Harry Potter and his assorted school chums treated us to mystery and mayhem, Young Sherlock Holmes was up to his eyeballs in adventure at his boarding school as well. Only it’s not magic that the precocious teenager has up his sleeve -- just the mandates of cold, hard logic.
Read MoreMs. Fisher’s Modern Mysteries is almost as much fun as its prequel. Peregrine is every bit as prying, unrelenting, and audacious as her Aunt Phryne. And as dazzling in her fashionable 60s attire, aquamarine eye shadow, mini skirts, and bold geometric prints that take Different Drummer back to her own youth at Oak Park River Forest High.
Read MoreDownton Abbey Down Under. Meet Miss Phryne Fisher – titled heiress, gorgeous fashion plate, fearless detective, and liberated woman extraordinaire.
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The title says it all. Don’t miss this fabulous Cecil B. DeMille spectacle brought to you by 1400 actual circus performers along with a little behind the scenes Hollywood love, intrigue, and action brought to you by the inimitable Charlton Heston, Jimmy Stewart, Betty Hutton, and Cornel Wilde.
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"Very scary, especially given that I live in this neighborhood," said Neda, who lives near the lake.
The woman's body was found Sunday, Dec. 1, in the water near Brazos and East Cesar Chavez Streets.
"A 911 call was received from a kayaker who was paddling upstream and observed some type of object in the water," said Officer Leah Ratliff with the Austin Police Department.
Police say it appears the woman was homeless, in her 60s, and may have been trying to keep warm, when she somehow ended up in the water. Detectives do not suspect foul play.
"There's nothing that appears to be suspicious. There's no type of connection that they believe," said Ratliff.
o Another body was found in Lady Bird Lake on Dec. 2
o The death was one of at least six near the lake so far this year
o Another death in the lake sparks renewed concerns
AUSTIN, Texas - There are renewed concerns after the body of a woman was found in Lady Bird Lake over the weekend. This is one of at least six deaths in or near the lake so far this year.
"Very scary, especially given that I live in this neighborhood," said Neda, who lives near the lake.
The woman's body was found Sunday, Dec. 1, in the water near Brazos and East Cesar Chavez Streets.
"A 911 call was received from a kayaker who was paddling upstream and observed some type of object in the water," said Officer Leah Ratliff with the Austin Police Department.
Police say it appears the woman was homeless, in her 60s, and may have been trying to keep warm, when she somehow ended up in the water. Detectives do not suspect foul play.
"There's nothing that appears to be suspicious. There's no type of connection that they believe," said Ratliff.
A petition calls out the Austin Police and City officials for what it terms “a miscarriage of Justice,” hinting that there is something “darker at play” here, and accuses officials of treating the victims’ families “callously and without empathy.”
Victim’s family pleads against plea bargain for this Austin Serial Killer.
https://www.differentdrummer.cc/main/i-survived-the-rainey-street-ripper
“I survived the Rainey Street ripper': Drugged man who plummeted 25ft off bridge believes 'serial killer' stalking Austin tried to drown him.” Daily Mail
Twelve bodies have been found in Lady Bird Lake and Colorado River since 2022
Police insist there is no serial killer but the mounting bodies sees rumor persist
Jeff Jones survived falling off bridge near river, thinks he may have been pushed
Read more here
The Serpent’s Tooth: A Texas Mystery
Austin is now the trendy number one city, but back in the eighties it was more laid back – not so many skyscrapers and urban hipsters. Just outside of town, you'd be likely to run into old cowboys, ranch hands, and a diamondback or two. And just maybe – an accidental death not as accidental as it seems…
Complete with Texas Recipes for the Oktoberfest Dinner where all is revealed.
An Illustrated Introduction to Classical Horsemanship: Concepts and Skills from A to Z
by Gary Borich
A comprehensive resource in a succinct alphabetical format that brings the beginning rider through every aspect of learning to train and ride for show and trail.
o Another body was found in Lady Bird Lake on Dec. 2
o The death was one of at least six near the lake so far this year
o Another death in the lake sparks renewed concerns
AUSTIN, Texas - There are renewed concerns after the body of a woman was found in Lady Bird Lake over the weekend. This is one of at least six deaths in or near the lake so far this year.
"Very scary, especially given that I live in this neighborhood," said Neda, who lives near the lake.
The woman's body was found Sunday, Dec. 1, in the water near Brazos and East Cesar Chavez Streets.
"A 911 call was received from a kayaker who was paddling upstream and observed some type of object in the water," said Officer Leah Ratliff with the Austin Police Department.
Police say it appears the woman was homeless, in her 60s, and may have been trying to keep warm, when she somehow ended up in the water. Detectives do not suspect foul play.
"There's nothing that appears to be suspicious. There's no type of connection that they believe," said Ratliff.
o Another body was found in Lady Bird Lake on Dec. 2
o The death was one of at least six near the lake so far this year
o Another death in the lake sparks renewed concerns
AUSTIN, Texas - There are renewed concerns after the body of a woman was found in Lady Bird Lake over the weekend. This is one of at least six deaths in or near the lake so far this year.
"Very scary, especially given that I live in this neighborhood," said Neda, who lives near the lake.
The woman's body was found Sunday, Dec. 1, in the water near Brazos and East Cesar Chavez Streets.
"A 911 call was received from a kayaker who was paddling upstream and observed some type of object in the water," said Officer Leah Ratliff with the Austin Police Department.
Police say it appears the woman was homeless, in her 60s, and may have been trying to keep warm, when she somehow ended up in the water. Detectives do not suspect foul play.
"There's nothing that appears to be suspicious. There's no type of connection that they believe," said Ratliff.
