“I warned you not to go out tonight”

I’m not going to lie; I have kind of weird crush on Elijah Wood. I dig his creepy sensitive artist vibe, and I hear in real life he’s a pretty cool dude as well. Plus, he’s in Green Street Hooligans, and well if you haven’t seen that movie then promptly exit this page and go watch it. When I first heard that Maniac was in line for a possible reboot I scoffed so loud I’m pretty sure I made Joe Spinell turn in his grave. It’s pretty safe to say that poor Joe kept turning until I read that Elijah Wood was the prime pick for lead role of Frank and that he had a genuine love for the original. I sighed and good ‘ole Joe stopped spinning.

Maniac 2012 is a great adaptation of its 1980′s version. Franck Khalfoun, surprisingly, is able to capture some of the same core values as the original. His refusal to compromise, and his ability to take a detailed trip into the disturbing side of the psychological  playground is quite magical. This is what makes this remake more than your average reboot.

The way this film is shot is brilliant, yet I have a love/hate relationship with it. It’s rare to see a film shot in a first person point of view, and on top of that work as well as it does here.  The audience isn’t even introduced to Frank’s (Elijah Wood) face until close to 12 minutes into the movie, and only by a reflection. However, because of the point of view it is shot in and the amount of intensity this film delivers, you possibly will feel like it’s a touch to manic at times. I did, and I also feel like this caused some of the acting to seem forced in certain scenes. Don’t fret gore hounds, because as the original, the gore in this version is top-notch. On the other hand, be warned non gore hounds, the kills are not for the faint at heart…or stomach. With that said, I’m a firm believer that this film would not be what it is without Elijah Wood. He in my opinion, made this movie. This is a role that is so far from his norm, yet he possessed the part of mommy issue sociopath perfectly. His tone, and dead behind the eyes look will send shivers down your back, and make you want to peak out your window just in hopes that you don’t see those two beady brown eyes staring back at you. I used to think I could bench press Elijah Wood, now I think he’d wear my skin and scream “It puts the lotion in the basket”.

With out a doubt, watch this movie, but be prepared to feel like you’re going nuts as you do so. Although I think it had its hiccup moments, at the end of the day I will gladly stand behind a film that holds so much respect and care for its classic predecessor. Now let’s do what we do best and eat!

Cream Of Chopped Up Chick(en) and Rice Soup

Since the temperature started to plummet I’ve been in soup mode. If you looked at my current food triangle it would say “soup. I really can’t get enough of it. In this Maniac inspired soup I give you some cream of chopped up chick(en) and rice soup. It’s up to you if you chop up the chick or just go for the chicken though. Just please let me keep my scalp.

Ingredients:

-       6 QT Crockpot or a Large stock pan

-       5 Cups Chicken Stock

-       2 Cups Heavy Cream

-       ½ Cup White wine

-       2 Cup Water

-       1 Cup Yellow Onion, Diced

-       4 Garlic Cloves, Crushed and diced

-       ¾ Cup All-purpose Flour

-       3 Cups Rotisserie Chicken breast, Chopped

-       ¼ Cup Italian Parsley, chopped

-       1/3 Cup Celery, diced

-       1/3 Cup Carrots, diced

-       1 Bay Leaf

-       1 Cup Uncooked White Rice

-       2 Tablespoons Butter

-       ½ Teaspoon Oregano

-       ½ Teaspoon Thyme

-       1 Teaspoon Salt

-       1 Teaspoon Onion Powder

-       1 Teaspoon Black Pepper

-       1 Teaspoon Garlic Powder

Directions:

In a large pot, add all ingredients except flour, butter, and heavy cream. Bring to a boil, and then reduce to a low heat and all to simmer for 2 hours. If you prefer to cook in a crock-pot, make sure to first bring the mixture to a boil in a pot, and then transfer to the crock-pot for 2 hours of simmering.

Once the 2 hours is approaching, mix together the heavy cream and flour in a medium-sized bowl.  In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter, and then add the flour mixture. Stir constantly until the mixture becomes smooth and begins to thicken. Slowly add 1 Cup of the chicken broth from the soup to the cooking flour mixture, and mix to combine. Next, transfer the thickened flour into the crock-pot, mix to combine, and continue to cook for 20 minutes on low heat. If you feel like your soup is to thick, no worries, just add more water by the ½ Cup full until desired consistency.

Serves 6-8