On this 4th of July...

... everyone here at Shades of Gray is joining all our American friends in celebrating Independence Day!

Ann Blyth is cos-playing as Lady Liberty and being very dignified ...

... Anita Page is being unsafe with fireworks ...

... and Colleen Moore is skipping all the preliminaries and going straight for the Big Bada-Boom!

Bones' Strawberry Cheesecake Chocolate Edition

In this week's coffee review, we return to the flavor-filled world of Bones Coffee!

BONES COFFEE COMPANY: 

STRAWBERRY CHEESECAKE CHOCOLATE EDITION

I think I am closing in on having tried and reviewed 50 different offerings from the Bones Coffee Company. I've loved most of them, and I can only remember finding one of them completely vile: the Strawberry Cheesecake blend. (If you haven't read that review, maybe you should. I refer to it quite a bit in this one.)

But a few weeks ago, I noticed that Bones was taking a second run at the blend, reformulating it and adding a "Strawberry Cheesecake Chocolate Edition" blend to their line-up. While I am not going to subject myself to the basic Strawberry Cheesecake blend again, I love chocolate enough that I am willing to give them a chance with this variant. Plus, more often than not, Bones has delivered coffees that delighted me.

Sophia Loren feels dubious about this coffee-tasting adventure.

When I opened the bag of Strawberry Cheesecake Chocolate Edition, I immediately became nervous, because the smell of strawberries that wafted up from it was every bit as powerful as it had been with the original Strawberry Cheesecake blend. When it brewed, though, the aroma wasn't quite as pervasive and overwhelming as what had permeated through my entire home when I made a pot of the original blend. What hadn't changed was that the smell was something akin to candied strawberries. This was looking more and more like a bad idea.

It turned out not to be. The Strawberry Cheesecake Chocolate Edition does not rank among my favorite blends, but it wasn't as horrifyingly terrible as the original. 

First, while it's a fruity, sweet taste is what defines this blend, it did not overwhelm the taste of coffee. When I drank it black, this was a mixed blessing, because the coffee taste was a bit more on the bitter side than I'm used to from a Bones Coffee medium roast. It wasn't terrible, but, for someone who likes their coffee mild, it was a bit much for me. On the plus side, while the sweetness wasn't quite a strawberry flavor, but it was closer than the original.

There was still a bit of a tendency for the flavor to grow stronger as you drain the cup or mug, but not to the degree that the original blend did. Although I couldn't detect much in the way of cheesecake flavor when I drank the blend hot (as it had been with the original variety), an undercurrent of chocolate was very much detectable in this reformulated variety, and a flavor of strawberries grew stronger in my mouth the more I drank. Perhaps the chocolate is what kept the horrible, cloying sweetness that made the original blend so vile in check?

When mixed with the Unsweetened Almond Milk, the bitter coffee edge of this blend seemed to become more strongly accented while the Strawberry sweetness and the chocolate faded. Maybe what I perceived as a coffee flavor was something else? Regardless, this blend didn't fare well with the almond milk, whether it was hot or room temperature.

When I tried it with the sugar-free Italian Sweet Cream creamer, the effect was pretty much reversed. The bitterness faded and the sweet strawberry flavor returned strongly, mixing with the chocolate and the creamer. It was almost like I was drinking a chocolate covered strawberry. I still did not pick up on any cheesecake, but it was very enjoyable. As this mix cooled to room temperature, I think I some cheesecake flavor finally crept in. Hot or lukewarm, this was good.

Unfortunately, the Strawberry Cheesecake Chocolate Edition blend has something of the same problem that the original version did: A strong salty flavor emerges when it is chilled and iced. It doesn't become undrinkable the way the original one did, but it tastes more like coffee with salt and sugar added than any flavors described on the bag. Adding Unsweetened Almond Milk does not alleviate the problem, but the sugar-free Italian Sweet Cream creamer brings out the chocolate a bit, and the resulting flavor is a bit like a salted caramel coffee with a fruity accent. It's an interesting flavor, but not what it should be, based on the bag. On a positive note, the chocolatey flavor does get stronger as you drain your cup while the saltiness remains constant.

But what I liked best of all about Strawberry Cheesecake Chocolate Edition? This blend didn't contaminate my coffee maker the way the original Strawberry Cheesecake blend did. Despite the aroma from the ground coffee being just as strong as the original blend, it did not leave a residue that had to be cleaned off by brewing some non-flavored coffee though it (as I discussed in the article linked at the top).

Anne Hathaway can't lap up Strawberry Cheesecake Chocolate Edition fast enough!

Given how awful the original Strawberry Cheesecake blend was, the Strawberry Cheesecake Chocolate Edition is surprisingly good. Bones Coffee has stated that it's only available for a limited time, which is  shame. This should be the standard blend, and the original should be relegated to the graveyard of failed coffee flavors. It's not perfect, but it is a vast improvement.

Happy birthday, Liv Tyler!

Today--July 1, 2022--Liv Tyler turns 45 years old.

Liv Tyler began her show business career at the age of 14, starting out as a model but turning to acting by the mid-1990s. She was catapulted to international and permanent fame in fantasy circles as Arwyn in the "Lord of the Rings" films in the early 2000s. Although she has had many prominent roles both in films and television series in the two decades since that is still the role for which is best known. Most recently, she has been starring on the police drama "911: Lone Star".

Here are some photos of her in celebration of the Big Day... and her first steps into Middle Age!

The answer to 'What came first--Koko or the egg?'

Ko-Ko Gets Egg-Cited (aka "Koko's Barnyard") (1926)
Starring: Max Fleischer
Director: Dave Fleischer
Rating: Eight of Ten Stars

Ko-Ko tries to start an chicken farm that bridges the animated and physical world.

"Ko-Ko Gets Egg-Cited" is one of the most fascinating "Out of the Inkwell" installments, and it turns what passes for reality in this world where the cartoon characters cross back and forth easily between their two-dimension existence and our three-dimensional one completely on its head: Usually, it's the Animator (played by Max Fleischer) who brings Ko-Ko and his environment into existence, but here it's Ko-Ko who uses the ink pen to create the Animator (as well as the incubator which become the center of some stop-motion animation sequences in the film's second half).

The antics of Ko-Ko and his pet dog in the animated world are funny, but fairly standard for the series, but the scene where Ko-Ko woos a chicken to get her to lay eggs, and what eventually comes out of those eggs, is equal parts hilarious and horrifying. It's one of the many touches that makes this a must-see, as well as one of the most creative and wildest entries in the entire series. (I didn't think they'd be able to top destroying the world, but they did so with this one!)

Take a few minutes of your day to watch reality break down completely in this masterfully executed short film that mixes traditional animation with stop-motion animation and live-action footage.

Where have the dancers gone?

On International Dance Day 2022, the ballerinas ran off into the wild. We're trying to keep track of them, and we'll try to bring you updates on the last Wednesday of each month until International Dance Day 2023.

In recent developments, Katie got kicked out of the Louvre for dancing around the Roman statues.

Marlena freaked out the citizens of Hamelin who thought the Pied Piper was back when they saw her dancing down the side streets.

And Hannah has found a part-time gig, replacing a monument that was removed from a park after it was deemed offensive.

In Denmark, Bailey thinks she may have found something fishy.

And we think Astrid may have completely lost it.

Musical Monday with Tom Waits

Downtown Train (1985)
Starring: Tom Waits and Jake LaMotta
Director: Jean-Baptiste Mondino
Rating: Seven of Ten Stars

When the moon is full, a weirdo (Waits) spends the night singing, bringing entertainment or exasperation to the residents of an inner-city neighborhood during the 1950s. (And he's lucky he doesn't live in the same neighborhood as this guy!)

 The teaser summary above is the set-up and story (such as it is) of the very creative video for "Downtown Train". The song was a single from Tom Waits' 1984 album "Rain Dogs". I can take or leave the song, but I love the video--including the odd tag at the end with Waits on the waterfront.

Fun Fact: There are no trains, downtown-bound or otherwise, in this video.

Catholic Coffee's Our Lady of Guadalupe Mexican Mocha

Today, I bring you a review of coffee from a roaster who's new to me!

CATHOLIC COFFEE: OUR LADY OF GUADALUPE MEXICAN MOCHA
Inspired (or perhaps even moved) by a Facebook ad, I decided to try one of the offerings from Catholic Coffee. And I can't tell if these people are earnest or not.

Catholic Coffee is a roastery that's been in operation for about a year (in fact, as I type these words, they are running a one-year anniversary sale on their products). It's a brand of North Carolina-based Trinity Road, LLC, which, I presume is itself a wholly owned subsidiary of Almighty & Sons. Their marketing hook is that each of their blends are associated with/inspired by a Saint (about which you can read a little bit on the side of bags). The marketing text invokes some degree of spirituality with each plug or catchphrase, implying that drinking coffee can literally be a religious experience. 

I found the tidbits about the Saints interesting (the blurbs from all the coffee bags, mini-bios of each coffee saint and the days upon which each is celebrated, and opportunities to purchase additional saint-specific merchandise can be found on Catholic Coffee's website), but the mindset it all put me in was feeling that it was either there to have fun with faith... or tacky. But, since I am not a Catholic and just a non-believing coffee lover, I am not really the target market, and there are probably some cultural things that have gone over my head. (But I am thinking if I should go to one of those firms that offer their coffee for third-party packaging and start selling Love Coffee...)

Bessie Love, the Shades of Gray Patron Saint

But, all that aside, what matters is if the coffee is any good. And I'm finally getting around to talk about what you all came here for.

When choosing what to order from Catholic Coffee, I went with a flavor that I'd tried from other roasters that I thought I would like: Our Lady of Guadalupe Mexican Mocha. (The packaging and saintly marketing tie-in of this blend is a bit off, I think. Strictly speaking, Our Lady of Guadalupe is not a saint. She is the manifestation of the Virgin Mary that showed herself to the humble peasant Juan Diego in 1531, caused a miracle that brought about mass-conversions, and ultimately led him to be elevated to Saint Juan Diego. Also, the Virgin Mary did not appear to him looking like the cloak-draped figure we're used to from nativity scenes but rather like an Aztec princess. This causes me to wonder why Our Lady of Guadalupe portrait on the package looks like Nativity Scene Mary? But I am getting off the topic of the coffee again...)

The Our Lady of Guadalupe blend is a medium roast that should have a slightly peppery, chocolate flavor, since it purports to taste like a Mexican mocha. The beans are sourced exclusively from Mexico, which is fitting with everything else that's going on with this blend. Although it's not specified anywhere, I think it's a safe assumption that the coffee here is made from Arabica beans, since that's what is almost exclusively grown in Mexico.

When I opened the bag, the strong aroma of chocolate that rose from the pre-ground beans made me hopeful that the promise of the name would be kept. That hope grew stronger as the coffee brewed and the smell of chocolate drifted through the kitchen, as well as rose from the mug as I poured it.

The promise that had wafted through the air was kept in spades. Consumed hot and black, this blend has a full-bodied flavor with a strong presence of chocolate and peppery spices. I think anyone who likes chocolate and takes their coffee black will enjoy this.

When I added Unsweetened Almond Milk to my mug, this flavored coffee leapt halfway to tasting like a full-fledged Mexican mocha... and when I tried a mug of this blend with some sugar-free Italian Sweet Cream creamer the chocolate popped, the spiciness intensified, and the coffee flavor blended with the creaminess into a near-perfect imitation of mocha-ness! Again, I recommend this highly.

At room temperature, the blend comes across as very spicy when black, but if mixed either with Unsweetened Almond Milk or the sugar-free Italian Sweet Cream creamer the chocolate flavor came back strong. Chilled and iced, the blend was okay black, but it was absolutely spectacular when mixed either with the almond milk or the creamer. In fact, I am having a hard time imagining it being better than it was iced and with the creamer... and I think anyone who likes iced Mexican mochas will really enjoy this.

My first experience with Catholic Coffee was an absolute delight. I will have to try a few more of their blends... so look for reviews of their St. Nicholas Christmas blend (in December), their St. Valentine's blend (in January or February of next year), and their St. Patrick Irish Cream blend (in early March of next year).

Firearms Friday and the 2,222nd Post

This is the 2,222 post here at Shades of Gray. It also happens to be a Friday, so we're making it a Very Special Firearms Friday with two pictures of two different women using two pistols at the same time.

a

'Edge of Doom' is a fascinating look at the psychological effects of poverty

Edge of Doom (1950)
Starring: Farley Granger, Dana Andrews, Paul Stewart, Robert Keith, Joan Evans, Mala Powers, Howard Vermilyea, Houseley Stevenson, and Adele Jergens

Director: Mark Robson

Rating: Six of Ten Stars

When his devoutly religious, beloved mother dies, Martin (Granger) snaps under the pressure of living life in poverty and murders an elderly priest (Vermilyea) he blames for much of his misery. As he spirals deeper into despair and madness, Martin becomes obsessed with getting enough money to provide his mother with the elaborate funeral he feels she deserves.

"Edge of Doom" had the potential to be one of the bleakest, most depressing, and emotionally impactful films ever made. It takes place almost entirely at night, which is an embodiment of the everpresent gloom in the impoverished inner-city neighborhood in which the story unfolds. The central character is one of the working poor who, despite living an honest life and working hard can't get ahead. There is no way to not feel empathy for him, because circumstances have literally been against him his whole life. The film gets even darker, because those in his life who could possibly stop his downward spiral are either self-interested criminals, trying to keep their own heads above water, or so distracted and/or burned out by the unending cycle misery and social and economic struggles of the neighborhood that they are blind to Martin's meltdown and that they have the ability to stop it.

The villains in this picture aren't any of the characters (although Paul Stewart, in an excellently performed supporting role, comes close to filling that slot)... no, the villains here are Fate, Luck, and perhaps Society. It's rare that a film that a film successfully manages to have ephemeral concepts as the primarily antagonists in a story, but "Edge of Doom" pulls it off. Mostly. Some terrible decisions are made, which I get into below.

The set design, camerawork, and lighting are excellent and all work together to emphasize the unescapable gloom that permeates the neighborhood and infects everybody. Most of the performances are likewise fitting for the characters and situations, with the way the characters are written and how the actors portray them . Even the main police detectives who initially seem to be one-dimensional, dimwitted bully-boys that populated many films of the 1930s and 1940s, end up being portrayed with some nuance, both due to the story and to actors portraying them. 

Although Farley Granger does not get top billing, he is the undisputed star of the film. His character is central to almost everything that happens in the picture, and he has more screen time than any other actor. He also delivers a star-caliber performance, even if he goes a little over the top on a couple of occasions. He's not as good here as he is in "Strangers on a Train" (which he would star in the following year), but it's close.

With all the praise I'm heaping on "Edge of Doom", why is it only getting a Six-Star rating? Well, because someone, somewhere, made the absolutely awful decision to tell the story in flashback, bookending the main story with a sequence featuring Dana Andrews trying to convince a young priest to not quit the parish, because, despite the harsh nature of life there, he has a chance to make a difference if he just sticks with it. This sappy framing sequence not only undermines the dark tone of the story, but it removes any tension that surrounds Andrews' character as the main story unfolds, since we already know how his part in it ends. 

The cheesy narration that the flashback structure provides an excuse for, further undermines the tone of the film and brings to the fore what might otherwise have been a preachy under-current. The message that poverty breaks those trapped in in and those who try to get them out of it is delivered clearly enough through the story without the narrator beating us over the head with it. It also undermines Andrews character, since he does seem like a devout, humble and empathetic priest and not a holier-than-thou, preachy one--which is what the voice-over narration borders on. And this is a real shame, because Andrews does a good job with the character otherwise.My dislike of the framing sequence and related narration can't be overstated, and it caused me to knock at least a Star off my rating.

Despite the terrible decision to tell the dark and tragic story of "Edge of Doom" in a flashback sandwiched by a hokey priestly pep talk, I think this is a film that's well worth watching. Farley Granger and Dana Andrews are both very good, and their performances are enhanced by equally remarkable performances from the supporting cast. As mentioned above, Paul Stewart is particularly impressive as Martin's sleazy neighbor. Adele Jergens, as Stewart's wife play a much smaller part, but she is equally remarkable. Both these characters are obviously bad people, but they are portrayed with deftness and nuance by the actors to the point where the viewers can actually find them somewhat sympathetic.

If you are an Amazon Prime subscriber, "Edge of Doom" is, as of this writing, one of the films you can watch for free. Click here to check it out.

In memory of Tim Sale

Seattle-based comic book artist Tim Sale passed away on June 16, 2022. Here are some of the great drawings he created.