MOVIE TIP

Rita Moreno: A Girl Who Just Decided To Go For It

I realize I’m biased: I spoke with Rita Moreno for a 2019 article, and she is one of the most engaging, interesting and just plain fun stars I’ve interviewed. This PBS documentary by Mariem Pérez Riera showcases Moreno, now 89, in all her glory: smart, feisty, and able to reflect on her past with great insight. It tracks her life through Hollywood, where she was so often consigned to playing what she describes as “dusky maidens.” After winning the Oscar for “West Side Story,” she went seven years without starring in another film because she refused to take demeaning roles. She recalls her #MeToo moments with grossly inappropriate Hollywood execs and her own agent, who raped her. She talks, with brutal honesty, about her relationships with Marlon Brando and her husband, cardiologist Leonard Gordon. The EGOT winner also recounts how much she loved certain acting jobs. What comes across most is the great joy Moreno has in life.

— Kristina Dorsey 

SONG TIP

Dig a Pony

Wilco

It is possible to get "Beatles to death"? As much as I love the band, it's also true that I'm not one of those fans who believes every piece of their music is sacrosanct — that a song that would be yawn-inducing or even stinky by anyone else is nonetheless elevated because the Beatles did it. "Dig a Pony" is a tune, for example, that seems like it's composed entirely of stamps because that's how much composer John Lennon mailed it in. I believe Lennon himself later snubbed the tune, though I could be wrong about that. In any case, I'm sure there are PhD students out there writing entire textbooks on how wonderful the tune is because of its adamantly raw and determinedly amateurish composition and performance — and, oh yeah, the Beatles did it. Maybe that's why Wilco — who have earned the right to be contrarians themselves — decided to record a version of "Dig a Pony" for Amazon Music's [RE] DISCOVER campaign. Fair enough, and it's worth pointing out Wilco also did a fine arrangement of the excellent "Don't Let Me Down" for the series. But I certainly hope the next time I see Wilco, they don't remove "Impossible Germany" from the set list just so they can do "Dig a Pony."

— Rick Koster 

Food tip

Huarache

La Llorona, 13 Hope St., Niantic

I had no idea what to expect when I ordered this, except that it was a flat bread dish. Well, with the first few bites, I decided it was one of my new favorites at La Llorona. The bread has a nice crispness around the edges, and artfully arranged on top is a delicious mélange of ingredients: refried beans, epazote pesto, Oaxaca cheese, shredded lettuce, and crema fresca, along with small bowls you can use (or not) or salsa verde and roja. I added carne asada — steak — on top (which increased the $15 price tag by $4), but you can also opt in for chorizo, shrimp, carne al pastor or chicken. The portions are generous, and I was very happy to be able to look forward to lots of leftovers.

— Kristina Dorsey