Valentine's Day. For me, Valentine's Day has long been I day I usually do my best to overlook. It usually consisted of one or more bottles of beer and a quiet evening at home watching a kung fu movie or spaghetti western, and sometimes a bit of a pity party. This year was the first year in nine that I had a reason to celebrate (i.e., a girlfriend). It was a wonderful experience. For her presents, I took her to dinner at Thai Orchid and to see the Three Broadway Divas with the NMSO on Saturday. Sunday we are driving down to Truth or Consequences (previously know as Hot Springs) for an evening stay at the Sierra Grande Lodge and Spa. A soak or two will occur. For yesterday, I got her the expected flowers and candy (chocolate dipped strawberries) and, thanks to master chef Bobby Flay's fantastic cook book Boy Meets Grill, fixed her the best meal I have ever created: Grilled steak salad with Poblano vinegrette.The steak is marinated in a horseradish and ketchup sauce and served on spinch with grilled onions, zucchini and tomatoes. I also fixed her a lovely Sopa de Limon which is a chicken, tomato and onion soup with a hearty dash of lime juice. It was a big hit. Oh, and did I mention there was wine? And guys, if you want to really get her attention, play Josh Turner's song Your Man during dinner. A great evening indeed.

Movies Update:
Oscar double feature: On Sunday, Susan had a ton of homework to do, so I got out of her hair and went to a double feature (yes, two movies for the bargain matinee price of one at Century 14 Downtown), of Good Night and Good Luck and Capote. A great set of historical biopics, but Capote was clearly the superior film. GNAGL was well shot, well-acted, well-directed, andhad a great musical score of old favorites sung by Diane Reeves, but we never got inside Edward R. Murrow's brain to understand just why he was going after Joe McCarthy so fervently. David Strathairn was great as Murrow, really capturing his look, voice and manner, but we really never rooted for him. This was because the movie was more of a history lesson than a look inside a man's conpulsion to get the truth out. Frankly, while I enjoyed it, I was left a little cold.
Capote, on the other hand, was superb from the first frame to the last. Philip Seymour Hoffman not only looked and acted like Truman Copote, he let us inside his mind and heart. His obession with the Kansas killers that would become the subjects of In Cold Blood was compelling and heart wrenching. The film also gave great insight into the mind of a writer. Catherine Keener gives another great performance, this time as Capote's friend Harper Lee, and should beat out Reese Witherspoon as best actress. Hoffman, in my mind is a shoe-in for best actor. In my ranking of best films of 2005, this is right up there with Crash.
As for the Adamey Awards, I'd be happy if either Capote or Crash wonbest picture, but I think we all now the gay cowboys are the big hit of the moment.

The World's Best Movie. After all my talk in the last post about what movies I enjoyed last year, I saw one yesterday that is going to be tough to beat for best movie of 2006. The World's Fastest Indian stars Anthony Hopkins as Burt Munro, a 68 year old New Zealander with a bad heart who dreams of breaking the world land speed record at Bonneville Salt Flats with his modified 1920 Indian motorcycle. What sounds like a "cheer for the underdog" cliched sports biopic is actually much more. It is a warm-hearted character study/road picture as he encounters various challenges and unusual people along the way to acheiving his dream. The core message is that you're never too old or too sick or too challenged to follow your bliss. But it is also a question of character. Burt is so good natured, good humored and accepting of all mankind, that everyone he meets ends up helping him acheive his goal. They all see his goodness and want to be a part of his dream. Anthony Hopkins gives the performance of a lifetime, and if he wasn't eligible for the current Oscar race, he should nominnated for next year's. This is a rare feel-good movie that avoids smaltz, manipulation, and cliche. Like Burt, it is the real deal. Hugely inspirational and motivaztional, It had me laughing crying and cheering throughout. Also, it's the first movie in years where the audience clapped at the end. Don't miss this one.