It's a Mohammed Monday!

 

THIS WEEK WITH JESUS & MO

We have a Very Special Mohammed Drawing today: Visions of the Prophet gazing upon us, created while the artist was in a trance (or just really, really drunk... but we like the idea of visions coming from the Prophet Himself)!

No coffee review today...

 ... in acknowledgement of the 2,960 innocent people who would never have the option to drink coffee again after 9/11/2001... because their lives were ended by 19 psychotic scumbags who used their Muslim beliefs to justify mass-murder.

The Shadows Know...

Chasing Shadows (2012)
Starring: Jose Rosete
Director: Armin Siljkovic
Rating: Eight of Ten Stars

A game of cat-and-mouse reaches its deadly conclusion in the shadow-filled back alleys of the Big City.

For a film that doesn't even run seven minutes, "Chasing Shadows" delivers a lot. Hell, it delivers more than many films that run seventy minutes!

First, if you are just looking for a taut mini-thriller where every second of run-time is put to good use, this is a film for you. Second, if you're a lover of the film noir esthetic and need a quite fix to satisfy a hunger, this is a film for you. Third, if are looking for a film that brilliantly presents all the fundamental elements of  film noir in a compact, high-quality package, then this is definitely a film for you.

Writer/director Armin Siljkovic has written that "Chasing Shadows" was made as an exercise in exploring all the elements of the film noir genre. As such, it is an unqualified success. It would have earned a Nine-star rating if not for a couple minor stumbles at the end (which, I have no doubt, were the result of both time and budgetary constraints)... and I might not even have noticed them if everything else here hadn't been so perfect.

Take some time out of your busy day to watch this excellent short film. Be sure to let me know in the comments section if you think there isn't an element of the film noir genre that isn't represented here.

It's About the Eye of the Beholder

Today's post features something which is more of a vignette rather than an actual film. I found it fascinating, but it's one those works that I feel need to be watched cold lest its impact be ruined.

With the that said, I encourage you to take 90 seconds out of your day to check out "Camera Obscura". I think you'll find it as interesting an effort as I did.

Camera Obscura (2008)
Starring: Tania Paleologou and Cristos Leriadis
Director: Eirini Steirou

Rating: Eight of Ten Stars

Picture Perfect Wednesday with Nathalie

Born on March 2, 1989, Nathalie Emmanuel is an English actress best known for her roles in the "A Game of Thrones" (2015-2019) and "Die Hart" (2022) television series, as well as the most recent "Fast & Furious" movies. She can currently be seen on the Big Screen in an interesting-looking horror film (that is somewhat spoiled by its previews, unless there are other twists within it) titled "The Invitation".

And now, you can also enjoy a gallery of photos of her here at Shades of Gray.

 

 

Musical Monday with Spoon

Austin-based rock band takes us on a walk in the wilderness of Texas in the video for the second single from their latest album, Lucifer on the Sofa. Or do they? See for yourself by watching this nicely done video while enjoying a catchy tune with interesting lyrics!

Wild (2022)

Starring: Britt Daniels

Directors: Brook Linder and Ben Chappell

Rating: Seven of Ten Stars

Christopher Bean's Amaretto

THE QUEST

Throughout my college years and my days as a freelance entertainment writer, 7-Eleven coffee with Amaretto creamer was my go-to caffeinated beverage. I recently became nostalgic for that drink--which I haven't had in many, many years--and I went to 7-Eleven for the first time since before the Covid shutdowns.

To my disappointment, I did not see those lovely little pink cuplettes filled with Amaretto goodness. So I drove up the hill to another 7-Eleven; they didn't have Amaretto creamers either. They had French Vanilla creamers (in the little blue containers) and they had Irish Cream creamers (in the little green containers) and they had Chocolate Caramel creamer (in the little brown containers) but no Amaretto. There wasn't even Amaretto in the syrup bottles. I went back down into the valley to a THIRD 7-Eleven (no Amaretto) and I stopped in at a Chevron station as I completed the loop to head back home... there was no Amaretto anywhere.

Why Amaretto creamer appears to have vanished from the self-serve coffee counters in convenience stores, I can't say. I still had a craving for Amaretto-flavored coffee, so I hopped on Amazon and ordered a couple different varieties of it for home-brewing. I'm reviewing the first of those today!

Will the coffee quest end with a cup of joy or tears?

 

CHRISTOPHER BEAN COFFEE: AMARETTO

Christopher Bean Coffee is a Florida-based (there seem to be a lot of those!) roaster that offers a wide selection of flavored and straight coffees. Like many other firms, they roast in small batches so as to offer customers the freshest possible bags of whole beans or pre-ground. This is my first encounter with them and their offerings. 

The wonderful amaretto smell rose strongly from the bag as I opened it. It was similarly strong as I brewed the coffee--not Bones Coffee strong where it filled the house and I could smell it all the way into my office, but enough where it filled the kitchen.

Curiously, once I poured myself a mugful, the amaretto aroma decreased... and when I drank some of it black, it was almost undetectable. It was there, very faintly, but not what I expected based on what had wafted from the coffee maker during the brewing process.

When I tried this coffee with Unsweetened Almond Milk, the result was unpleasant. The drink turned sour and bitter with all traces of amaretto flavor gone. Or maybe all that came out was the bitter side of the amaretto, with none of the good parts. I tried adding some Stevia, but that didn't help. I also checked to make sure it wasn't the almond milk that had somehow gone bad, and it wasn't; they are apparently just two liquids that don't mix well. 

When I tried the Christopher Bean Amaretto coffee with the Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk.  The sour flavor retreated a bit, and something that faintly resembled the flavor of amaretto emerged... or maybe it was just the vanilla tones that were strengthened by the vanilla in the almond milk. Whichever the case, the drink improved slightly, but it still left a lot to be desired.

Whether it was mixed with Unsweetened Almond Milk or Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk, the sour flavor did not improve as the blend cooled to room temperature. It mellowed a bit, but it was still the dominant taste. It was drinkable, but only barely, and it sure didn't taste like the amaretto-flavored coffee

When I tried this blend with sugar-free Italian Sweet Cream creamer, the result was much better. It was great, in fact. This blend lived up to its name, in spades! The amaretto flavor popped right to the front and was very delicious. Apparently, this blend requires something a little more creamy than most of the mixers I tend to use to bring out the flavors. As the coffee cooled to room temperature, the amaretto flavor grew stronger--and I was even put in mind of the old days when I would be dumping little cups of creamer into 7-Eleven coffee,

Christopher Bean's Amaretto is not a blend that works well iced. No matter what it's mixed with, a saltiness emerges in the blend when it's iced that is almost worse than the bitterness discussed above. I've noted this trend to turn salty with a number other flavored coffees, so there must be some common additive being used that brings this about.

So long as you're using a creamer (or just cream, or maybe even milk), I recommend this coffee. I think the Amaretto flavor is far too subdued when it is consumed black... although that could just be because I don't take my coffee black. For almond milk aficionados such as myself, I can't stress enough that you don't want to use it with this blend. 

(If you're a fan of Amaretto-flavored coffee, please let me know of other brands I should try... or if you have an answer to the mystery as why it's not at convenience stores anymore. Also, keep an eye out for the upcoming review of Coffee Beanery's Amaretto. Here's hoping it's not as persnickety in nature as the one from Christopher Bean!)

It's a Sala Saturday!

 
It's been a while since we've opened the archives and presented a bit of Richard Sala's unique pulp fiction- and horror-inspired weirdness. We hope you enjoy this little tale as much as we did! (Click on the panels for larger, more easily read versions.)

A Moon Girl at Work!

The Man in the Moon is just a figurehead. It's the Moon Girls who keep the waxings and wanings going. Here's more photographic evidence of that fact, captured through the telescope at the Shades of Gray Observatory!

'Run' is a nifty mini-thriller

Run (2000)
Starring: Sarah Kruger
Director: James Ivey Carter
Rating: Six of Ten Stars

A captive (Kruger) makes a run for freedom.

"Run" is another student film that we retrieved from the depths of YouTube. It's a suspenseful little effort, but what REALLY impressed us was the artificial aging the film was subjected to. So many of the films we come across that try to mimic worn-out films that are copies of copies are done with lazy digital templates that are obvious a few seconds in. Real effort was put into "aging" this picture, and it shows.

Also, no matter what some might say, this is NOT a documentary. While it stars Sarah Kruger, a one-time ballerina and current dance instructor, we DID NOT prevent any dancers from escaping into the wild on International Dance Day!