I wonder if it works the other way round?

Rodentz (2001): Also known as Altered Species, but either Ken Russell threatened to sue or the producer thought the "z" added badly-needed street cred. Mopey lab assistant Walter (Allen Lee Haff) works in a supremely sketchy arrangement where Dr. Irwin, stripped of university funding because his research wasn't "PC," experiments with some kind of growth serum on rats in a private facility--on the wrong side of the tracks. It's apparently the weekend, and Walter's charismatically annoying "friends" are tooling around in a van that might have belonged to Michael Kelso on That 70s Show. Alicia, Walter's girlfriend (Leah Rowan), rides with them, struggling to avoid the slimy advances of Gary (with one of the funniest rejection lines I've ever heard) and getting directions wrong after swigging from what looks like a gasoline can filled with tequila. Any question that raises recedes into the background, as they pull into the lab ("it's kind of sexy") and find that all isn't well. Walter's being cartoonishly wishy-washy and both Dr. Irwin and janitor Douglas (whose accent gives the impression that the "Douglases of Virginia" have served proudly as janitors since Jamestown) have been eaten by hungry little rats (as has their very inappropriately named cat). On top of all that, they have to face down a giant rat only marginally more convincing than the one in the 1977 Doctor Who classic "The Talons of Weng-Chiang." I started laughing about ten minutes in and didn't quite stop for the rest of the movie. When I think that our recent movie night featured Carl Theodor Dreyer's 1932 snoozefest Vampyr instead of this... it's good, clean, dumb fun, with irritating characters whose obnoxiousness actually works for the movie instead of against it. My favorite was probably Alicia, both for her cool retro-90s wardrobe and constant "what-ever" facial expression, but others may think differently. If you ever run across it, treat yourself. It's a hoot.

Vampire Weekend: I heard their eponymous CD over the weekend and, once I found that they had an early show in Ann Arbor at the Blind Pig starting at eight, decided I might as well give them a whirl. For those who don't know, these fellas are the latest New York area blogger/music-magazine swoon (with, among other things, a recent writeup in Spin). This probably means they'll follow the same meteoric year-long rise and subsequent disappearance  previously plowed by the Strokes and Franz Ferdinand. It's a pity, as the CD is rather good (of course, I thought the same thing about the Strokes and Franz Ferdinand), with some good beats and melodies helped along by a healthy Afrocentric fusion sound (although one song toward the end--I think it was the one before "Walcott"--sounded a lot like either the Arcade Fire or the disappointing British Sea Power). The fact that it was an early show decided it for me, and so I wound up waiting for an hour in the snow (rendering it impractical to read from the collection of M.R. James short stories I'd brought with me), in the midst of a student-clogged line before learning that they'd sold out. I don't consider it time wasted. I found myself behind one annoying conversation ("Oh, I speak French! Where were you in France?" "[Oh, we summered in] Nimes"--it would have been too funny had the bracketed version been the one I heard, but there was also a debate over sartorial politics featuring Nicolas Sarkozy and Gavin Newsom, and the girls' boots were both attractive and sensible; you don't see that too much anymore) and then turned behind me to find an absolutely hilarious one (for which I thanked those responsible more than once), careening wildly from ruminations on the origin of Kiwanis to plans to smoke up in the Eight-Ball bathroom to thoughts on a friend's upcoming birthday party--"if he wants his birthday party to turn into an orgy, I think that's unrealistic." We also got to watch a sideswipe between two cars at the entrance to the parking lot opposite, and the consequent (and disproportionate, if you ask me) police presence. All that fun and I saved $10. An excellent Tuesday evening, I'd say.

Sweet Potato and Peanut Stew

1/4 peanut oil, 1 chopped onion, 1 red or green bell pepper, 1 fresh jalapeno or serrano pepper, seeded and minced

Heat in pot and cook until vegetables tender (7-10 mins.)

4 cloves minced garlic, 1 packed TB minced fresh ginger

Add and cook for 2-3 mins.

1 TB chili powder, 1 tsp cumin, 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

Add and cook for 1 min.

2 sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into small cubes, 1/3 tomato paste

Add water to cover, and add potatoes and tomato paste. Bring to boil, lower heat, cover, and simmer 45 mins., stirring occasionally.

2 small trimmed and sliced zucchini

Add and cook 15 mins.

1/2 cup peanut butter

Place in small bowl and add 1 cup of stewing liquid. Mix and add to pot. Cook another 15 mins. Serve with grain of choice (rec. rice or couscous).

This was a pleasant surprise. I made this with chocolate-banana tea loaves and a roasted red pepper tart for our movie night (they're only half an excuse for me to cook, really), and I was a little worried about making a peanut stew, but it's delicious--sweet and tangy and with a real heat at the end of the bite. The rice takes some of the sting away. I'll have to remember this one.