A dish best served cold

Lee Marvin, Angie Dickinson, Carroll O'Connor and a cigar.
MGM Studios
Lee Marvin, Angie Dickinson, Carroll O'Connor and a cigar.
I was feeling surly recently, so I dialed up “revenge movies” on the streaming gizmo.
There are a lot of revenge movies.
I skipped obvious titles that I’ve seen multiple times, like the “Death Wish” flicks starring Charles Bronson.
But I didn’t skip John Boorman’s oddball entry from 1967, “Point Blank,” in which Walker (Lee Marvin, wearing a very sturdy pair of wingtips) wreaks all kinds of havoc in order to recover the $93,000 that was his share of a previous caper.
This was the 1960s, so the film’s story is “non-linear,” meaning the viewer wonders what the heck is going on.
But who cares when you’ve got Angie Dickinson wearing as little as the producers thought they could get away with, and bad guys like Carroll O’Connor and John Vernon.
William Lustig’s 1982 “Vigilante” is a coherent film that stars Robert Forster as Eddie, a regular guy pushed to extremes by indifferent policing and general societal breakdown.
Here we get into what is critical in a revenge movie: The hero has to pretty much kill everybody and break everything.
This one gets bonus points for giant land yachts and overall greasiness.
Brian Helgeland’s 1999 “Payback,”, based on a novel by Donald Westlake (as is “Point Blank”), has Mel Gibson rampaging around the nameless city that just happens to look a lot like New York in order to get back at the creep who double-crossed him on a heist and left him for dead.
This one has kinky sex, always a plus when you’re in a bad mood, and like “Point Blank,” the hero has a similar obsession with recovering the exact amount of money — no more, no less.
He also kills everybody and blows up what he doesn’t break.
Moving into a contemporary mode, there are three more or less current franchise films that explore the revenge angle.
The “Taken” series, starring Liam Neeson as retired CIA guy Bryan Mills, starts with Mills’ daughter getting kidnapped in Paris by Albanian sex-trafficking thugs. Mills hops on a plane and kills everybody in creative ways and breaks everything. Oh, and gets his daughter back.
But one of the Albanian thugs has a grieving father who’s got the same general idea as Mills when it comes to killing everybody, etc.
This forms the basis for the imaginatively titled “Taken 2.”
In the third installment, Mills is framed for the death of his ex. There’s some unnecessary plot involved, but Mills gets to waterboard his deceased ex’s smarmy second husband and eventually wipes out the sinister Russian mobster.
What’s fun about these flicks is Mills’ ability to MacGyver, or to find simple solutions to knotty problems.
MacGyver used a Swiss Army knife a lot. Mills, when trying to prevent the private plane from taking off, simply crashes the stolen Porsche into the plane’s landing gear.
Would an ordinary Toyota or Subaru have done the trick? Sure, but viewers can crash their own regular cars. How often do you get the chance to destroy a Porsche?
John Wick is wet again.
Lions Gate Entertainment
The soaking wet Keanu Reeves stars in the four “John Wick” movies, which are darn near interchangeable. John Wick is a retired assassin but this idiot son of a Russian gangster steals his restored Mustang and kills his puppy, which is good for about 12 hours total of mayhem and destruction in several parts of the world.
These locations have one thing in common — it is almost always night, and it has just rained.
And if there is any chance for John Wick to get drenched, he does.
The momentum lags by the time you get to the fourth flick, which spends at least 40 minutes in kung fu exercises in neon-lit rooms featuring lots of easily broken glass stuff.
Denzel Washington is the star of the “Equalizer” series, as another one of these retired CIA hitmen, Robert McCall.
He works in hardware stores and as a rideshare driver, but darn it all, he keeps running into injustice, which requires killing everybody and breaking everything.
This knight-errantry requires a more subtle touch from director Antoine Fuqua, who spends more time showing McCall drinking tea than seems absolutely necessary.
There are three of these movies, and darned if I didn’t feel just about revenged out by the time the credits rolled on the third.
The revenge movie exercise took about two weeks, and there were numerous flicks that did not make the cut. As a general rule, I avoided anything that has been mocked by the guys at Rifftrax, and I did not go back to the black and white era, when you couldn’t throw a brick without hitting someone en route to a showing of a revenge movie.
The Rev. AJ Stack, center right, blessing a chicken at the pet blessing event at St. Thomas Episcopal Church in Amenia on Saturday, Oct. 4.
AMENIA — After serving more than five years as Priest-in-Charge of St. Thomas Episcopal Church in Amenia, the Rev. AJ Stack announced Tuesday, Oct. 7, that he will resign from the church and Food of Life/Comida de Vida pantry. His last day at his current post will be Sunday, Nov. 2, the conclusion of the Feast of All Saints.
The news was shared in two emails from Stack — one to Food of Life pantry subscribers and volunteers, and another to parish members.
“I write tonight with difficult news, and I wanted you to hear it from me as soon as the Vestry and I had a chance to meet,” he wrote. “After much prayer and careful discernment, I have submitted my resignation to the Vestry as Priest-in-Charge of St. Thomas, and therefore as Executive Director of Food of Life/Comida de Vida.”
Stack provided few details about his departure. At time of publication, he had not announced his next steps but said the decision was “not sudden,” and followed careful consideration over a period of months. He will not be leaving the area or the diocese.
An announcement about his path forward and the transition process is expected soon. In the meantime, Stack said he remains “fully present” at the church, and the food pantry services will continue without interruption.
Stack expressed gratitude for the community and the growth of St. Thomas’ mission during his tenure. “Together we have welcomed new neighbors and strengthened our outreach in meaningful ways,” he said. “I trust that good work will continue.”
He joined St. Thomas in March 2020 and guided the church and community through the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. In a recent interview with The News about the food pantry, Stack estimated that it serves 653 individuals from 156 households each week, highlighting a significant contribution to the community.
The announcement was met with messages of reassurance from pantry volunteers. Jolly Stewart, a Vestry member and volunteer, wrote to the community with words of reassurance following the announcement. “I have complete faith in the strength of the parish of St. Thomas,” she wrote. “Our history shows how we have done this time and again, each time becoming more than what we were before. We can, without a doubt, do this now.”
MILLERTON — Ten candidates for office in the Nov. 4 election will answer questions from Dutchess County voters at a candidate forum on Friday, Oct. 24, at the Annex at the NorthEast-Millerton Library located at 28 Century Blvd.
The forum, which is sponsored by the library, will be held from 6 to 7:30 p.m.
Candidates for local and county offices will answer questions from residents in attendance or from residents who have submitted questions in advance.
“We’re excited to keep the tradition of the candidate forum going,” said Rhiannon Leo-Jameson, director of the library. “Some years we can’t always get candidates together.”
This year’s forum will include:
Rachele Grieco Cole, a Democrat, and Chris Mayville, a Republican, who both are running uncontested for the North East Town Council;
Casey McCabe, a Democrat, also running uncontested for North East Justice.
Among Dutchess County races:
Tracy MacKenzie, who is endorsed by Republicans and Democrats, is running uncontested for Dutchess County Family Court Judge;
Kara Gerry, a Democrat, and Ned McLoughlin, a Republican, are in a contest for a Dutchess County Court judgeship currently held by McLoughlin.
Chris Drago, D-19, and Tonya Pulver, a Republican, are competing to represent Dutchess County’s19th District seat currently held by Drago.
Democratic incumbent Dan Aymar-Blair and Will Truitt, the Republican chair of the county legislature, are competing for the Dutchess County Comptroller position currently held by Aymar-Blair.
Leo-Jameson is encouraging questions for the candidates to be submitted in advance, which will not be revealed to candidates beforehand. Dutchess County residents may pose questions during the forum. To submit a question on the library’s website, go to the calendar at nemillertonlibrary.org and find the link in the Oct. 24calendar entries.
The format calls for opening statements from the candidates, followed by questions from residents, and candidates will be able to stay after the forum to answer questions personally.
The “Elusive Ki Shusui” koi were temporarily relocated into a tub before being returned to their home pond at Maxine Pietro’s annual koi harvest at Broccoli Hall Farm in Amenia on Friday, Oct. 10. Speaking of their yellowish beauty, Pietro is pictured pointing out that the fish are scaleless but for scales that grow along the “zipper” on each fish’s dorsal ridge. The koi in the photo are estimated to be 6 or 7 years old.
The North East Community Center's Early Learning Program uses the research-based Creative Curriculum, which features a flexible, play-based approach with lots of time outdoors.
MILLERTON — In its third year, the North East Community Center’s Early Learning Program has become a vibrant, nurturing space for children and an invaluable resource for families in Dutchess County, an area identified as a child care desert by the New York State Office of Children and Family Services. There are openings in both the toddler and preschool rooms for children ages 18 months to five years.
The ELP follows what’s known as the Creative Curriculum, a research-based early childhood program that builds confidence, creativity and critical thinking through hands-on, project-based learning.
“Kids are natural explorers,” said Emily Redmond, Early Childhood Programs Director. “Oftentimes, they tell us what they need to learn, so we leave plenty of room to follow the child.”
Before joining NECC, Redmond spent 13 years at Washington Montessori School in Connecticut, working in both classroom and administrative roles.
She explained that the Creative Curriculum allows teachers to stay flexible and build on children’s natural curiosity. For instance, worms appearing on the playground after a rainstorm can spark endless questions, leading to unexpected learning opportunities in math, science and beyond.
Redmond noted that children in the ELP practice pre-writing skills, work with small manipulatives to build fine motor skills, immerse themselves in nature and hone social-emotional skills. All the while, NECC’s team of educators understand that play is central to early childhood development.
One thing that sets the ELP apart from other child care programs, Redmond said, is “the mythical Chef Lenny.” Lenny Sutton, NECC’s longtime food service coordinator, prepares multiple meals and snacks for the kids each day in the on-site commercial kitchen, often using locally sourced ingredients. Known for his colorful aprons and bubbly personality, he has even been spotted in the classroom playing a few songs on the guitar.
So beloved is Chef Lenny that some students incorporate his role into their own play at home, pretending to cook and serve just like him. “Not many child care programs have an on-site chef to prepare daily meals,” laughed Redmond.
The only thing more colorful or bubbly than Chef Lenny is the new classroom fish tank, a favorite feature that provides both a calming presence and learning opportunities. A lively mix of fish adds to the ambiance, including several types of goldfish, a student-favorite pictus catfish, one powder blue gourami, a halfmoon blue betta, two dalmatian mollies and more.
The ELP is fully licensed by New York State, allowing NECC to accept state subsidies and help families access financial assistance.
“We truly value all forms of diversity, including socioeconomic diversity, and as a hallmark of NECC’s mission we strive to eliminate barriers to accessing quality education,” said Redmond, noting that the organization’s Family Programs department can provide support throughout the application process, including bilingual assistance.
NECC’s Early Learning Program is a New York Office of Children and Family Services-licensed day care center located at 11 Park Street in Millerton. Contact emily@neccmillerton.org for more information.