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Summer is the time for the blockbuster movies to be released. The logic behind this was not lost on me when recently the temperatures soared into the hundreds and I was desperate for some high-powered air conditioning.
Unfortunately the pickings were slim at the local multiplex. I opted for the new Indiana Jones and it was all that I expected, which is to say, predictable, formulaic, and very much the cookie cutter Spielberg film. In fact at one point the heroes were on a boat heading down a river and I leaned over to whisper in my girlfriend Sharon’s ear “And now there will be a waterfall.” And there was.
The thing that gets under my skin about Spielberg films is that he telegraphs everything. By which I mean that if you are paying attention you will see clues as to what is going to happen next. In the opening sequence the military convoy passes a closed and somewhat dilapidated burger stand with a sign reading “Atomic Café”. This is obviously a reference to the 1982 movie of the same name.
Atomic café is a movie composed of a collection of propaganda films that the US government distributed to convince the country that the atomic bomb was in fact their friend. One of the most memorable parts of the movie is the duck and cover sequence where the viewers are told that in the event of an atomic bomb detonating near them that they should duck under the nearest shelter and cover themselves with whatever they had on hand. The Atomic Cafe shows scenes of children walking down the street when a nuclear bomb explodes. The children duck down and cover themselves with their jackets. In reality a jacket is not very effective protection from radiation or flying debris.
What was Spielberg trying to imply when he referred to the movie The Atomic Café at the start of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull? It could have been that he just wanted to let those who are more observant know that there would soon be an atomic blast. It could also be that Spielberg was trying to associate his movie with a study of government misinformation. The latter could have been his aim because throughout the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull the question of who to trust came up often.
As I watched Kingdom of the Crystal Skull I looked for the thread of propaganda. There were references to McCarthyism, governmental cover-ups, denial of the existence of space-aliens (I’m not saying that there are space aliens or that area 51* was the site of an alien autopsy, but if you were going to have a movie about government cover-ups that is one reference you have to have), and the mandatory cold war paranoia of Russian infiltration.
What I ended up wondering was what Spielberg was trying to say about the state of America now, in 2008, as compared with the cold war mentality of the 1950’s. Is he saying that we are being fed government propaganda, misinformation and being manipulated by fear mongers? All I know is that if given the chance I would rather be living in 50’s when rock and roll was dangerous and cigarettes were good for you. When beatniks listening to jazz and writing poetry were considered a major threat to the sanctity of American life. When a burger and malt was considered a good square meal.
Speaking of burgers one of my favorite burgers is the Atomic Café Burger, a meal that I like to make when I feel that my capsaicin and cholesterol levels are dangerously low.
The Atomic Café Burger
¾ pound of ground chuck
¾ pound of ground pork
¾ pound of ground lamb
1 onion
1 tablespoon of heavy cream
Fresh ground pepper
Salt
2 medium jalapeno peppers seeded and with the ribs removed, finely diced
1 jalapeno sliced thinly
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 tablespoon ketchup
½ teaspoon of relish
½ teaspoon of sugar
½ teaspoon of rice wine vinegar
Place all the meat into a large bowl.
Using a box grater, grate the onion into the bowl. Please remember to peel the onion first.
Add the heavy cream, salt and pepper, and most of the diced jalapeno pepper reserving ½ teaspoon of the diced jalapeno.
Using your hands mix the meat well until all ingredients are well combined.
Form the meat into 8-ounce patties.
Place the patties into your refrigerator, covered, for one hour.
While the patties chill, mix together the mayonnaise, ketchup, relish, sugar, vinegar, and the remaining diced jalapeno pepper.
Either pan fry the burger patties 4 minutes per side or grill them. Grilling is better.
Serve the hamburgers with a good dose of the dressing.
For a truly atomic experience top the burger with the sliced jalapeno peppers.
You will want a beer.
*Another tell-tail that Spielberg put into this movie was the fact that the first big fight scene was conducted in hanger 51, an obvious reference to area 51.
