Watch Now on Netflix: Nightcrawler

One of 2014's underrated gems was Nightcrawler, a dark and gritty neo-noir film starring Jake Gyllenhaal as a young hustler who gets sucked into the sordid but lucrative business of trolling the streets of Los Angeles to film fires, car crashes - and murder. It's not precisely horror, but its wickedly dark tone certainly caught my attention - and it is now available on Netflix streaming!

Here is the official synopsis:

Los Angeles denizen Louis Bloom (Jake Gyllenhaal) survives by scavenging and petty theft. He stumbles into a new career as a cameraman and -- armed with a camcorder and police scanner -- begins nocturnal forays across the city in search of shocking and grisly crimes. When he catches the eye of a shopworn news director (Rene Russo) who welcomes the chance to raise her station's ratings, Louis goes to increasingly greater lengths to catch the "money shot."

The film was thrilling, especially set against the reflection of neon and flashing red and blue lights in LA's blood-soaked streets, Crime photography has always fascinated me, and the dark side of it the movie presented really drew me in. I also really dug the weird-o character Gyllenhaal played (he did such a phenomenal job in this role), who I actually started to sympathize with as the film went on, despite how he far he spiraled. And the quirky bits of dark humor his character injected into the film really made me like him even more! The social commentary aspect of the movie was also timely, especially when most people have access to film/photograph almost anything 24/7, not to mention our culture having an intense fascination with disasters and accidents that may lead to death.

I highly recommend you check out Nightcrawler, streaming on Netflix now, but also available on other places as well as on Amazon!

Food Review: Bit Baking Company Cookies

Bit Baking Company Cookies!

Is there anything better than a perfect vegan cookie? I think not! So when Bit Baking Company contacted me to review their vegan and gluten-free cookies, I couldn't say no! A delightful package arrived a few days later full to the brim with four different flavors from this Michigan-based company. Each of the cookies were wrapped individually and a good size, about the size of my palm.

Bit Baking Company Cookies I received - Cocoa Chocolate Chunk,

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chunk, Chocolate Chip, and Oatmeal Raisin!

The four flavors I received were Chocolate Chip, Cocoa Chocolate Chunk, and Peanut Butter Chocolate Chunk, and Oatmeal Raisin. Since their website didn't have a full ingredient list at the time of this post, I took photos of the ingredients of the cookies I received (note: these ingredients may change, so always check with Bit Baking Company directly if you have any questions about their ingredients).

Dandies Pumpkin Marshmallows Coming this Fall

Dandies Pumpkin Marshmallows - coming fall 2015!

Photo courtesy of Chicago Vegan Foods' Instagram.

It's never too early to keep an eye out for pumpkin-flavored fall food items, and the rad Chicago Vegan Foods (makers of Dandies vegan marshmallows, Teese vegan cheese, and other fine vegan products) recently announced that they are unveiling new PUMPKIN Dandies marshmallows this upcoming autumn!

Via Chicago Vegan Foods' Instagram:

"Did you know we have pumpkin Dandies hitting the shelves this fall? We're so excited! Tell your favorite store about them."

Um, can't freaking wait for these!!! I was so, so stoked when I saw this post on their Instagram that it just about made my whole week! I can't wait to get my hands on these and makes some delicious, pumpkin Rice Crispie treats, preferably with the Pumpkin O's seasonal cereal from Trader Joe's! Or I could make some epic pumpkin hot chocolate with these! Yum!

What are you most looking forward to making with these pumpkin marshmallows?

UPDATE: Dandies Pumpkin Marshmallows are now available to purchase!! Get the sweet scoop HERE!

Watch Now on Netflix: Animal (2014)

There are some pretty mediocre and downright awful films on Netflix, and to be honest Animal (2014) looked like it would fall somewhere in between those categories. However, I was pleasantly surprised by how entertaining this horror flick turned out to be, despite its generic sounding name/synopsis.

Here is the set-up for this creature feature:

"When plans for a weekend vacation hit a dead end, a group of close-knit friends find themselves stranded in unfamiliar territory, pursued by a menacing, blood thirsty predator."

This film won't win any awards for originality, but it was a surprisingly fun way to kill 80 minutes. While the characters start out as typical horror movie stereotypes, I liked that they tried to develop them so they stood out from one another and how they were mostly all likable (well, with one notable exception). The creature design was also really well-done and looked realistic, as did the gore and bloody special FX. For a low-budget horror flick that was produced by the Chiller Network, it also looked pretty sleek, with some great direction/production. It is set almost entirely at nighttime in a forest, so I appreciated that the lighting was spot-on so that all the action happening was crystal-clear. The storyline also had a few twists and turns that kept me engaged the whole running time of the movie.

If you are looking for some fun, mindless entertainment, Animal is a nifty little creature feature that pairs delightfully with some beers and pizza. You can find it streaming on Netflix now!

It's also available for purchase on Amazon!

What I Ate - April/May 2015

I've been a little stressed at work lately, so I haven't had a chance to post much. I wanted to remedy that, but since my life has pretty much been work, eat, sleep, repeat, I haven't had much to write about. However, inspired by Vegan Crunk's "Stuff I Ate" posts, I figured I could at least share some of the better things I've eaten in the past couple weeks. I love drooling over everyone's vegan food posts, so I thought this would be a fun, quick, and visual way to showcase some finger-lickin' vegan food I've eaten recently! Note: Most of these have been posted previously on my Instagram, in case you already follow me there and are thinking these look a tad familiar!

 My version of Frito pie! I made this with Trader Joe's Corn Dippers (though Fritos are "accidentally" vegan), black and refried beans, Follow Your Heart's Cheddar Vegan Gourmet Shreds (my new fave vegan cheese shreds!), crispy cabbage, red salsa and hot sauce. 

Recipe: Castagnaccio or Tuscan Chestnut Flour Cake

Tuscan Castagnaccio or Chestnut Flour Cake

Next in my series of veganizing traditional Tuscan food, I want to share with you a recipe for a rustic peasant cake called castagnaccio (otherwise known as migliaccio in some regions of Italy). This is a slightly sweet, slightly savory flat chestnut flour cake. It uses only simple, seasonal ingredients to create a distinct, unique dish!

My Babbo (Italian for daddy) showed me how to make castagnaccio, and got me hooked on this treat! He remembers eating it growing up in Fiesole, Italy, though outside of Tuscany he doesn't think it is very well-known. It's such a traditional taste of Tuscany that I wanted to share it with you! Below you'll find the recipe my dad handed down to me, which was handed down to him from his mother, my Italian Nonna.

A Day at Death Salon Getty Villa: From Ancient Necropolis to LA's Metropolis

This past Sunday, April 26th, I had the absolute pleasure of attending the Death Salon held at The Getty Villa in Malibu, California, whose broad focus was "From Ancient Necropolis to LA's Metropolis". The Death Salon is curated in part by The Order of the Good Death, who helps put on these events in different locations around the world. This time they partnered with J. Paul Getty Museum and The Getty Villa to bring Los Angeles a view of death that the ancient Etruscans, Romans, and Greeks held, plus touching on some local LA death-centric topics. But wait, you might be asking yourself...just what is a Death Salon? The Death Salon website explains, "In the spirit of the eighteenth-century salon – informal gatherings of intellectuals – Death Salon encourages conversations on mortality and mourning and their resonating effects on our culture and history."

Halfway to Halloween + Walpurgisnacht

[image source]

It's April 30, ghouls and boils, which means it is officially HALFWAY TO HALLOWEEN!!

Only 6 months to go!

Please excuse me while I squeal...SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEE!

Witch by Ida Rentoul Outhwaite

Tonight also marks Walpurgis Night, or Walpurgisnacht, aka Witches' Night!

From Wikipedia:

"Walpurgis Night is the English translation of Walpurgisnacht, one of the German names for the night of 30 April, so called because it is the eve of the feast day of Saint Walpurga, an 8th-century abbess in Germany. In German folklore Walpurgisnacht, also called Hexennacht (literally "Witches' Night"), is believed to be the night of a witches' meeting on the Brocken, the highest peak in the Harz Mountains, a range of wooded hills in central Germany between the rivers Weser and Elbe."

Stay spooky and better start getting your Halloween plans in order!

Watch Now on Netflix: A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night

I have been DYING to see A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night, billed as the "first Iranian vampire Western ever made", and it was one of my most-anticipated horror films of 2015, so I was basically counting the days until it showed up on Netflix streaming! And it finally premiered a few days ago so I rushed home from work to see it...

Here is the synopsis:

In the Iranian ghost-town Bad City, a place that reeks of death and loneliness, the townspeople are unaware they are being stalked by a lonesome vampire.

This black and white film is the feature debut from writer/director Ana Lily Amirpour, and I am always stoked to see a female-helmed film, especially one as unique as this one! The film isn't your typical horror movie, in fact I'm not sure I would even call it horror. It's not for everyone, but I found it stylish and engaging, blending elements from pulp cinema, Westerns, film noir, romance, and horror. It has a languid, moody tone, some killer music, gorgeous visuals, and a misfit love (?) story.

I recommend A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night if you are in the mood for a one-of-a-kind film. You can watch it streaming now on Netflix, and you can also purchase it on Amazon!

My Sweet 666th Post: Death Artwork, Death Zines and the Upcoming Death Salon

This is my six-hundred sixty-sixth post, which I wanted to recognize it by, what else, talking about death! I've got some cool things to share, like rad death-inspired artwork, an awesome cemetery zine, and the epic Death Salon coming up! Check 'em all out below!

"Bad Vibes" pin set and "Hang in There" print by

Matt Darling

If you don't know the name Matt Darling, you should! He is one of my favorite new artists and I've been drooling over his work over on Instagram. Who can resist anxiety ghosts, scaredy cats, and old hags? Not me! I finally made my first purchases of his work - I bought his delightfully downbeat "Bad Vibes" pin set (spooks, black cats, skeletons skulk around gravestones etched with phrases like "Naw Man", "Can't Win, Don't Try", "Here Lies Who Cares", and my personal favorite "Whatevs 4-evs") as well as a "Hang in There" print. So pleased with everything! You can check out his artwork for sale on badvibes4lyfe.bigcartel.com!