The Sundance Film Festival is coming to a close, and tonight is your last chance to catch a show. Two films will be shown tonight at Ogden’s Best of Fest. Best of Fest tickets were handed out earlier this month, but some seats should be available to those who are in line at the box office an hour prior to each screening. Peery’s Egyptian Theatre is located at 2514 Washington Blvd., Ogden. Tickets are FREE!

Five Minutes of Heaven

Tuesday, January 27, 2009, 6:30 PM

The idea of reconciliation between two men from opposite sides of a life-and-death struggle is perhaps impossible or even incredibly naïve. Five Minutes of Heaven, a film that tracks the lives of two men from the same town but different sides of the Irish political divide, is unlike any other on this subject. One man, Alistair, is a killer; the other, Joe, is the brother of the man he killed. One feels he dare not ask for forgiveness; the other feels incapable of giving it. And so the scene is set in this masterfully conceived drama, written by Guy Hibbert (Omagh) and perfectly directed by German filmmaker Oliver Hirschbiegel. The leads are Liam Neeson and James Nesbitt, and they are both superb. But the film’s careful construction is what transforms this from predictable to transcendent. This isn’t a work of expiation or guilt; neither does it seek a simplistically dramatic finale. It is, like its subject, the portrait of a process; and the hatred and trauma that are its foundation are such that their genesis took years. Five Minutes of Heaven is replete with an almost-exquisite sensitivity and quest for understanding. It is perhaps impossible to erase the past, but we are better off for encountering it with the kind of passion and insight emanating from a true work of art.

Recipient of the World Cinema Directing Award: Dramatic and the World Cinema Screenwriting Award.

Sin Nombre

Tuesday, January 27, 2009, 9:30 PM

It’s almost impossible to believe that Sin Nombre is Cary Joji Fukunaga’s feature debut; its storytelling is so accomplished, its visual style so crisp, and its heightened naturalism and performances so textured. A social-political thriller in the tradition of American film noir, Sin Nombre is set on the border, where Mexico becomes the crucible and the fearsome gangs of today’s Mexican countryside, the gauntlet, to freedom. The stories of Sayra, a teenager living in Honduras and hungering for a brighter future, and teen gang members Smiley and Casper, for whom the Mara Salvatrucha is nearly their entire universe, become interlaced on the train to the border, a journey that will determine the future of their lives. Young Casper is already a wary veteran of the “Mara,” and his new recruit is the 12-year-old Smiley, full of bravado and looking for status. The two run afoul of the everyday violence that penetrates their world and find themselves fellow passengers with Sayra on a States-bound freight, hugging the rooftop as their precarious journey unfolds. At once a love story and a chase film, a thrill ride and a vision of an apocalyptic hell, Sin Nombre demonstrates Fukunaga’s skill; he envelops us in a nightmare that is all too real for its inhabitants. Sin Nombre is a portrait of hope and desperation and announces the launching of a shining new filmmaking career.

Recipient of the Directing Award: U.S. Dramatic, and the Excellence in Cinematography Award: U.S. Dramatic.

Each year the Sundance Film Festival selects 200 films for exhibition from more than 9,000 submissions. More than 50,000 people attend screenings in twelve theatres in Park City, Salt Lake City, Ogden, and Sundance, Utah. In addition to discovering filmmaking’s newest talent through the Festival’s program of documentary, dramatic, and short film, Festivalgoers experience live music shows, panel discussions with leading filmmakers and industry figures, parties celebrating the Festival community, and more.

If you attended films in Ogden, you may have already seen a 2009 Sundance Film Festival award winner. Louise-Michel won a jury prize for originality in world cinema. An Education won the cinematography award for dramatic world cinema, and an audience award in the same category. If you didn’t make it to see a film this year, plan on being a part of Sundance 2010.

FREE APPETIZERS at Sonora Grill

to all family and friends. If you haven’t been to the restaurant yet,

this is the perfect opportunity to come see what

Steve’s been up to. Drop in and say hello, or stay for dinner!

No purchase necessary. The big day is on

Tuesday, February 3, 2009

and Steve will be at Sonora Grill to see you from 

2:00 PM to 10:00 PM.

2310 S. Kiesel Avenue, Ogden, UT

801-393-1999

info@thesonoragrill.com

We received some fiery hot habaneros from Carlo’s Produce, and Chef Chris says he just made

THE HOTTEST SALSA IN NORTHERN UTAH

So, if you’re into eating blistering, feverish, burning food, come to Sonora Grill.

The mere thought makes me salivate. . .

More into learning about food than letting it scald your mouth? Let me give you the lowdown on habaneros and their heat. The word habanero means from Havana, where the peppers are believed to have originated from. They were later moved to the Yucatan Peninsula, where some 1,500 tons are harvested annually. Habaneros start out green in color and ripen to orange, red, white, or brown, depending on the variety. They grow to an average size of 1 to 2 1/2 inches long and 1 to 2 inches in diameter. 

Due to a high concentration of capsaicin, habanero peppers are some of the hottest chiles around and rate around 200,000 to 500,000 Scoville units. Capsaicin is produced and found in the placental partition (white crosswall and veins) of the pod. The seeds become pungent through contact with the placenta. The Red Savina Habanero used to hold a spot in the Guinness Book of World Records as the hottest pepper, but the title now belongs to the Bhut Jolokia from India with its intestine-burning rating of 1,001,304 Scoville units.

Scoville units, named after Wilbur L. Scoville, are the measurement used to rate the heat of peppers. Scoville worked as a pharmacologist and was trying to measure the heat of peppers clear back in 1912. His original method of testing included a panel of tasters who would systematically taste a solution of chile extract and slightly sweetened water for detectable heat. They tried to determine how much the chile extract needed to be diluted before it no heat sensation remained.

A typical jalapeño pepper is about 4,500 Scoville units. This means that 4,500 parts of sugar water are required to dilute one part jalapeño extract until its heat can no longer be felt. If you dilute it any further, you wouldn’t be able to taste any hotness.

As you can imagine, this testing method was highly subjective and is no longer used. However, chile heat is still given in Scoville units. Today, high-pressure liquid chromatography machines measure a pepper’s heat. Although this method takes out the guesswork, it only rates the heat of the sample pepper being tested, and not the the potential heat of every chile in that variety. Climate, soil, weather, geography and harvest time all affect how hot a pepper can be. And something made these habanero peppers from Carlo’s HOT! 

And in case you were wondering (Sam), the word, habanero, is sometimes seen spelled incorrectly with a tilde over the letter n, probably because of association with jalapeño, which is correctly spelled with the tilde.

Have you noticed the recent influx of People in Black in Ogden? It’s Sundance season and high time to plan your week of entertainment. You might not catch glimpses of all the celebs walking the streets in Park City, but Ogden is the place to enjoy a good film…without the craziness of the crowds. So don’t miss your chance to be a part of Sundance 2009. And don’t delay- you only have until January 24 to view these movie screenings at Peery’s Egyptian Theatre at 2415 Washington Boulevard.

Tickets will be available at the Peery’s Box Office from noon to 5:30 p.m. through Jan. 24. Tickets are $15. For more information, the box office can be reached at 395-3314. For screenings that sell out, wait-list numbers will be distributed to people waiting in line at the box office an hour prior to the screening. Typically, those who get wait-list numbers for Ogden screenings do end up getting into the film. For information on other festival venues and tickets in Park City, Salt Lake City or the Sundance Resort, visit festival.sundance.org/2009.

The Greatest
Monday, January 19, 2009, 6:30 PM – 8:30 PM
The death of their teenage son, Bennett, in a car crash is almost too much for the Brewer family to bear, not just because his was a life of such promise but also because the impact of his death unleashes the turmoil that was just beneath the surface of their lives. His mother becomes obsessed and can’t let go; his father, in turn, can’t face it at all; and his brother’s secondary status is magnified and entrenched. And when Bennett’s girlfriend appears, the family must come to grips with circumstances that complicate their loss even further.

Lulu and Jimi
Tuesday, January 20, 2009, 6:30 PM – 8:30 PM
In 1950s Germany on a sunny afternoon in an amusement park, Lulu, a prized beauty from a well-heeled, white German family, meets Jimi, the impossibly handsome son of a damaged African American World War II veteran, and falls head over heels in love. Lulu’s scheming mother, Gertrud, together with her secret lover, the chauffeur, and a wicked old shrink do all in their power to tear the lovers apart, but the trio are only the first of many obstacles that will stand in the way of the couple’s passion.

Endgame
Wednesday, January 21, 2009, 6:30 PM – 8:30 PM
South Africa…the late 1980s. The African National Congress (ANC) wages an armed struggle against apartheid; President P.W. Botha clings to the last threads of power; the country is on the brink of bloody insurrection. In a gripping thriller based on real-life events, Endgame drops us into this brutal conflict’s control centers: Nelson Mandela’s prison, Botha’s chambers, ANC headquarters, and, to our surprise, the rented car of a British bureaucrat. It turns out that Consolidated Gold, a British mining concern, convinced that peaceful resolution in South Africa serves their interests, has initiated covert, unofficial talks between opposing sides.

Pomegranates and Myrrh
Thursday, January 22, 2009, 6:30 PM – 8:30 PM
Dancer Kamar’s joyful wedding to Zaid is followed almost immediately by Zaid’s imprisonment in an Israeli jail for refusing to give up his land. Free spirited Kamar wants to support her husband and be a dutiful wife but struggles with the idea of giving up dance and her own dreams. Matters are complicated when a new dance instructor, Kais, returns to the studio after many years in Lebanon and takes a special interest in Kamar. She struggles to deal with the weight of Kais’s attention, which brings to the surface her attempts to balance her own desires with her duties as the wife of a prisoner.

An Education
Friday, January 23, 2009, 6:30 PM – 8:30 PM
The 1960s were a time of change. So is life when you are 16. That combination propels An Education, set in London in 1961, and makes it an unforgettable coming-of-age story. Attractive, bright, 16-year-old Jenny is stifled by the tedium of adolescent routine; she can’t wait for adult life to begin. One rainy day her suburban existence is upended by the arrival of a much older suitor, David. Urbane and witty, David instantly charms Jenny and introduces her to a glittering new world of classical concerts, art auctions, smoky bars, and late-night suppers with his attractive friends. He replaces Jenny’s traditional education with his own more-dangerous version. Just as the family’s long-held dream of getting their brilliant daughter into Oxford has seemed within reach, Jenny is tempted by another kind of life. Will David be the making of Jenny, or her undoing?

500 Days of Summer
Friday, January 23, 2009, 9:30 PM – 11:30 PM
The freshness of Marc Webb’s love-me/love-me not story is epitomized by its perfectly framed tag lines…Boy meets Girl—Boy falls in love—Girl doesn’t. What else can you say about a postmodern love story? Not only is this delightfully surprising dissection of a romance structured so that it catches us continually off guard, but the classic tale of love unrequited is turned as topsy-turvy as a Shakespearian farce. 500 Days of Summer never descends into ordinary romance. The typical premise of the love story—that we want what we can’t have—is fueled by a role reversal (it’s the woman who doesn’t want to commit) and energized by dance numbers, split screens, and two dynamic performances from Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Zooey Deschanel.

The Messenger
Saturday, January 24, 2009, 3:00 PM – 5:00 PM
With three months left in the service, Will has spent a good deal of time in army hospitals, healing scars from his time in Iraq. To make things worse, the girl he left behind has moved on with her life. Ironically, his chance at a fresh start lies in working shoulder to shoulder with Tony, a senior officer who teaches him the ropes of his new post with the Casualty Notification Office. Will, who narrowly escaped death, must now break the news about those who didn’t. Between assignments, these two soldiers form a unique bond that helps them in their struggle to get back to “normal” life, fully knowing nothing will ever really be normal again.

The Anarchist’s Wife
Saturday, January 24, 2009, 6:30 PM – 8:30 PM
In a story spanning several decades, The Anarchist’s Wife depicts the way the marriage between an idealistic young activist and his glamorous wife is dominated by shifting political powers during the Spanish Civil War and World War II. Justo’s political activism separates the couple for years as he goes into hiding and is ultimately deported to a concentration camp, but Manuela clings to as much of their old lives as possible in rapidly deteriorating circumstances, raising their children and facing multiple tragedies on her own. After the war, Manuela uproots her life to rush to Justo’s side, only to find that she must again share him with a cause.

Arlen Faber
Saturday, January 24, 2009, 9:30 PM – 11:30 PM
Arlen Faber is the reclusive author of Me and God, a book that has redefined spirituality for an entire generation. On the eve of the twentieth anniversary of his still-wildly-popular book, Arlen continues to be sought after as the man with all the answers. Then his life collides with those of Elizabeth, a single mom raising her seven-year-old son, and Kris, a young man fresh out of rehab who is searching for meaning. Both Elizabeth and Kris are hopeful that Arlen has answers for them, but the truth is that he hasn’t got a clue.

Let Sonora Grill help you accomplish your Top 3 New Year Resolutions

1. Lose Weight and Get in Better Shape: Going out to eat on a diet can be hard, but Sonora Grill makes it easy. We offer many healthy entrees made from fresh ingredients, like our Achiote Salmon that is steamed in a banana leaf and served with a black bean puree and sautéed plantains.  Our beans and rice contain no animal fat or chicken stock, cutting out unnessary fats and preservatives. And you really must try the Turkey Tostada Salad. You won’t be disappointed. 

2. Spend More Time with Family and Friends: This one is easy. Everyone loves going to Sonora Grill, and you might find yourself with more friends than you ever imagined. Sonora Grill has an amazing private dining room that is perfect for 8-10 people. It’s tucked away in the back of the restaurant, so you can keep things as loud or as quiet as you’d like. 

3. Use a Budget: Do you know about our Early Bird Special? At Sonora Grill you can get two entrees and two drinks for just $20 from 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. everyday. And be sure to join the Sonora Club so you can enjoy a FREE entree on your birthday and a FREE dessert on your anniversary.