Movie Review: Mad Love

Most people have heard of Katherine of Aragon, the first wife of England's infamous King Henry VIII. Fewer people, perhaps, have heard the story of Juana, Katherine's older sister and wife of Duke Philip of Burgundy. The third daughter of King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain, Juana's erratic behavior and bouts of hysteria earned her the moniker Juana la Loca ("Joan the Mad"). Spain's official entry for the 2002 Academy Awards, Mad Love captures Juana's story in a powerful and dramatic rendition.

I know very little about Juana's life (although I recently purchased a dual biography of her and Katherine that I plan on reading when able [link]), so cannot fully vouch for the historical accuracy of the film. One thing I can vouch for, however, is the power of performance. Juana (played by Pilar López de Ayala), despite her husband's many infidelities and his attempts to usurp her political power, remains fiercely devoted to him and refuses to let anything stand in her way maintaining both her marriage and her rule. Even at her most erratic moments, de Ayala brings nothing less than pure passion to her portrayal of this vastly misunderstood and powerful woman.

In addition to great performances, the film is superbly costumed, photographed and scored. The only drawback is the narration- every time the narrator describes a scene or plot point, it usually is set several years later along the time line of the film than his previous one, which makes the various sections of the film feel slightly disconnected from each other. Nonetheless, the storyline and powerful performances make the film a must-see for anyone interested in Spanish history

Cooking Tips 103

Cooking rice
One important thing to remember when making rice is to stir it as little as possible. Once or twice to break it up a little is fine, but excess stirring will make it mushy and stick together.

Potato patties
If you have leftover mashed potatoes lying around, make them into croquettes! Just form the potatoes into patties, heat up a frying pan with a little oil (see 101 for an oil tip), crisp them up on both sides, and you've got a tasty treat!

Sweet Sauces
If you plan on using sauces, marinades or other flavorings in your recipes that contain significant amounts of natural or refined sugars (such as fruit preserves, chutneys, certain kinds of teriyaki and BBQ sauces ect...), just be aware that those flavorings can caramelize and burn very easily when exposed to direct heat. Just be conscious that the outside of whatever you're cooking doesn't get too crispy for your liking.

Cooler Weather This Week

The unusually warm weather, we have been enjoying the last few weeks, will come to end this week. A strong cold front will be will be dropping from the north today  Temperatures will falling 40s early tomorrow afternoon into 30s, tomorrow evening. To the left is the NAM weather forecast model. It has temperatures dropping into upper 20s across the area on Monday night. Normally, these temps would not be big deal, at this time year. But after last few weeks, with temperatures in 70s, this might come to shock to you.

It will not be this cold, all week, however. Temperatures will slowly rise back to 45-50, Tuesday afternoon. A warm front will move through the area on Wednesday. High temps back into upper 50s and low 60s, with party sunny skies.