This gritty noir deserves to be remembered with such classics as Sunset Boulevard, Double Indemnity, and The Postman Always Rings Twice, but I've found many people today have never heard of this Robert Mitchum, Kirk Douglas thriller. Hopefully with its recent DVD release and inclusion in the Film Noir Classic Collection, Vol. 1, that will change.

I've seen a lot of noir in my time and this is at the top of my list. First there is Mitchum: a smooth, laid back, rough, handsome and excitingly dangerous actor who plays the relative good guy of the picture (in sharp contrast to his evil preacher in Night of the Hunter). He can raise any film in my eyes and I will always tape anything he's in on TMC. But he doesn't have to rise above this film, with a smart-talking script based on the Geoffrey Homes novel Build My Gallows High, an intricate and complex plot, a wicked femme fatale and more double crossing than cigarette smoking.

The movie opens with Mitchum as a gas attendant in a small town trying to out run his past (I mentioned this film before as a great double feature with A History of Violence, and recommend the combo once again). His past comes back to haunt him in the form of Douglas and Jane Greer, the dame he was once hired to follow and who ended up double crossing him. When telling his current girl about what happened she says, “She can't be all bad. No one is.” Mitchum responds, “Well, she comes the closest.”

It's just that kind of dialogue that made this film stay with me even years after seeing it for the first time. If you are a fan of noir, make this your next watch and add it to the list of classics from the genre. You won't be disappointed.

It's difficult to find a piece of music as smooth and cool as this. An enduring jazz standard with its distinguishing tempo and catchy saxophone that gained mainstream popularity during a time when rock was king. From what I have read the song is very significant for its use of a 5/4 tempo – an experimental rhythm that many people told Brubeck could not be done.

The original recording (which was made in only two takes) can be found on the masterpiece album Time Out, but the piece has been recorded many, many times by several artists.

It takes some kind of charm to play seductive and evil like Mitchum usually did. No one does the combo better, which is why he was cast in Cape Fear and The Night of the Hunter and more recently in Jim Jarmusch's Dead Man. He is regarded as the posterboy of film noir and his arched eyebrow, cleft chin, menacing stature and broken nose look divine on stark black and white film.

But he had his softer side too, sometimes. Well, if not softer, than at least less noir–he was well known as a prankster throughout his life. He also had a very laid back attitude towards fame, as all his quotes will attest to, and an even more laid back style of acting. Maybe it was all that pot he was smoking.

I will not merely be cheering for Mirren this oscar night, but continuing my insane worship of her as well. She is one of the worlds best actresses, I swear. All you have to do is watch Prime Suspect 1 and you will see what I mean. Honestly–watch it now, or as soon you possibly can. I've told you all about it once before, you have no excuse, now rent it! Done? Ok.

Not only is she a complex, accomplished actress and woman, but she is witty, ballsy, and grows more attractive each year. In an industry that dares to sell Sienna Miller and Gretchen Mol (have they given up that dream yet) like bland packages we are supposed to love just for the mere fact that they are young, it is nice to have someone you can actually admire succeed in the industry by doing project far more interesting than Factory Girl and Rounders.

It translates to Happy Easter in Polish. Isn't this the cutest thing you ever saw? I was compelled to buy it instantly at the local grocery and would have purchased his sheep and lamb brothers if I was certain it was indeed made out of sugar and not a candle.

And sugar it is made of indeed: pure, pure sugar. This is the kind of Easter treat that used to get me in hot water as a kid. See, I had eaten all of my candy but my sister let hers sit for days with no obvious intention of eating a thing. So I was compelled by the sugar egg to take a bite (it would have sat there forever without so much as a nibble otherwise).

One thing leads to another and I end up agreeing under duress to giving bite impressions for my parents to compare to the one left at the scene of the crime. I was guilty and I would do it again. In fact, if this guy was in my sister's basket I would have done it over and over again because he is the cutest thing I have ever seen.

I never thought I'd say this, but if you haven't seen the movie Point Break, you just won't get it. This joyfully low budget production pays homage to the ludicrous and entertaining Keanu/Swayze surfing caper/action adventure movie with relish.

Each night the the production calls forward a member of the audience to play the Keanu character, Johnny Utah; the rest of the cast varies from annoying theater girl to pretty hilarious. The actors portraying Angelo Pappas and Roach stood out as the most excellent, but mainly, perhaps, due to those characters having some of the best lines.

It feels like a very creative jr. high school performance with blood, cap guns, water fights, and lots of boy wrestling. Oh, and that blood and water can make its way into the audience, so do pick up a survival kit for a dollar at the door. If only more plays could have this kind of energy and merrymaking.

This playground for the wealthy is not only worth going to during the summer. In fact, the town's huge Winter Festival is this coming week and it sounds like fun. There will be more than a hundred activities including seal watches and wine tastings.

When we've been in the past, it is quieter and less touristy during colder months, but be sure to bring warm clothes, that sea air can get pretty frigid. Several of the local mansions are open all year including The Breakers, Marble House and Rosecliff.

This may be a tough sell for anyone under fifty that has grown accustomed to sensational trial dramas like Law and Order: Criminal Intent, but if you like early eighties British television like Keeping Up Appearances, this is a smart and cozy comedy about the a gruff, sarcastic barrister named Horace Rumpole (played with gusto by Leo McKern) and his adventures in court.

Very good for lazy afternoon viewing. This classic show lasted over a decade and a half and was actually quite influential on television as one of the first legal dramas ever. The show is based on a series of books by old man John Mortimer, who introduces the episodes on the DVD.

I don't think any photo could convey the rich, earthy and delectable flavor of this Jamie Oliver recipe. I think the secret lies in the robust dried porcini mushrooms that are well worth the comparably high price (for mushrooms), don't be cheap and skimp them. On Fresh Direct, 2 ounces goes for 8 dollars, but you have plenty left over for other recipes.

This is the first dish I have tried from my new cook books and if it is any indication, I will be going through the entire book making everything Jamie tells me too. Honestly, this is an impressive dish, one of my new very favorites.