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.
The Granddaddy of all rom-coms is still a delight, even if it is 90 years old! And it was the first film to sweep the Oscars, bringing home Academy Awards for Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Director, and Best Picture, and Best Writing [Only others are One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975), and Silence of the Lambs 1991)]
Read MoreThis 1975 thriller has aged well. The classic paranoia and suspicion of government agencies seem particularly appropriate today. And while it still keeps you riveted to your seat, this thriller actually takes time for character development and great dialogue, unlike the frenetic features Hollywood currently puts out.
Read MoreSam Sade living out his golden years in the South of France. Who would have thunk it? And it’s surprisingly, good, too.
Read MoreIn 1891 Sir Arthur Conan Doyle created Sherlock Holmes, the enigmatic detective, and he has been fascinating and frustrating readers ever since. This is especially true with many recent reincarnations on screen that emphasize his eccentricities and personal foibles.
Read MoreLight and bubbly like dry vintage champagne, Amazon’s McDonalds and Dodds is one of the best mysteries to hit the screen. The opening says it all: A score as crisp and delightful as the vintage wine with the medieval city of Bath represented like a modern D.C. Escher graphic print. This mystery lover, classically trained violinist, and one time medieval scholar finds it irresistible.
Read MoreWho cares if you’ve never rowed in your life. It’s the middle of the Great Depression and you’re living in a rusted-out jalopy eating a can of beans. Making the Washington State rowing team may be the only way to get a roof over your head and a steady paycheck.
Read MoreLaugh out loud with this minor classic that stirs up a cocktail of Goonies, Stand by Me, Breaking Away, and The Christmas Story, with a little Cujo as our cherry on the top.
Read MoreIndiana’s version of Dazed and Confused. But it is also very Greek, too, since it asks the question, “Who Am I?” Except we are not talking about kings and queens, but four Bloomington, Indiana, townies trying to find their way in life the year after high school.
Read MoreThis film is what Different Drummer is all about – finding a superb little sleeper that is as extraordinary as it is little known. And this 1983 gem starring such greats as Gregory Peck, John Gielgud, and Christopher Plummer is that in spades.
Read MoreSuddenly remakes of Agatha Christie are all the rage. Most of them are tres ordinaire, as my father would say, but a few are quite good. This film fits that category.
Read MoreOur modern day Cinderella is a middle aged war widow, but she’s a bit of a fairy godmother as well. Potential Prince Charmings sometimes disappoint, but others are hidden in plain sight.
Read MoreDiddly Squat Farm continues to battle the British bureaucracy, the whims of weather, the travails of falling in love with piglets and baby goats, and the brainstorms of Jeremy himself, not to mention a contest between him and his new “farm manager” Kaleb, who treats his boss as an equal now.
Read MoreThis is a road trip, but don’t expect Easy Rider, Smokey and the Bandit, The Blues Brothers, Little Miss Sunshine, or Thelma and Louise.
Read MoreGo back in time three quarters of a century for what may be the most romantic movie ever – and the most heartbreaking.
Read MoreCaptain America for the senior set – British version. Not the clichéd variety, where aging action heroes or even Masterpiece Theater legends kick butt right up there with the rest of them. This film is about forgiving your enemy not conquering him.
Read MoreRattlesnakes, arrows dipped in manure, cattle rustlers, drunken rapists, tornadoes, and a group of hard-headed humans at each other’s throats. Sit back and enjoy the mayhem as you count your blessings.
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Every city has at least one food that can’t be duplicated anywhere else. In Chicago, it’s the Italian beef sandwich. I’ve never run across it anywhere else. Of course, no trip back home is complete without one.
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Appetite for Murder: A Mystery Lover’s Cookbook
Also available here
by Kathy Borich
A tantalizing slant on cooking and crime. Relive your favorite classic detective stories and then whip up the food that caught the culprit.
"Look, you don't have to go to law school to figure out there's something very, very wrong at Lady Bird Lake," Nancy Grace says in the episode's opening of her “Austin Serial Killer Fears” episode. She even derides the police who refer to the events as “unfortunate incidents.” Yes, she is a bit over the top, and some of her guests are so called experts not really familiar with the Austin area or the specific cases, but she does have a point.
Move along everyone. There’s nothing to see here. That seems to be the escalating nonchalance citizens are getting from the Austin Police Department regarding the 12 bodies that have been found in or very near Ladybird Lake in Austin Texas in the past 22 months. The last three - one February 6th , another April 9th, and a third on April 13th have not even been identified.
Different Drummer herself has noticed the weak city response in terms of safety measures as she and her husband ride past the Rainey Area near Lady Bird Lake. A chain is only as strong as its weakest link. What good are some pallid lights and a split rail fence if there are big gaps with only a sign to warn those of danger? Certainly, someone drunk, as may or may not be the case, probably would or could not read it.
Update: They are beginning to install electricty along the path for better lightning as of April 2024
February 6, 2024
“A body was found Monday, Feb. 6, 2024, in a Texas lake, the same site where other deceased individuals have been discovered in recent months, authorities said.
“At least five people have been found dead at the lake, which is a portion of the Colorado River running through downtown Austin, since last year.” –Louis Casiano, Fox News
The body is that of a woman, which differs from the previous drownings, all of which were men around age 30. As usual, the police are mum and saying there are no signs of foul play, but what else is new? –DD
Different Drummer will keep you informed as further details emerge. Below is the area where the recent body was found.
In 2023 alone, five bodies have been found in in Lady Bird Lake, and according to local reports, as many as eight in the past 10 months.
Different Drummer and her husband Gary have been biking this trail around the lake for decades. They live in the thick of it, on a quaint tree-lined street across the river from the glittering Austin Skyline.
Follow our two Cycling Sleuths chronicle where their path crosses those who did not return home to their loved ones.
Smiley Face Connection: February 2024 Update: Another Body Found
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.
