I knew I wasn't the only one who loved the first Harold and Kumar! But this one, which in one weekend already has grossed more than the first film made during its entire theatrical run, runs a bit of a different route from the first. For starters, there were less hamburgers and more weed. And more (insert: cringe) bottomless parties (as opposed to "topless," which the French love).
GUANTANAMO starts off nastier than its predecessor, with opening shots devoted to toilet time and penis play (like the anal alliteration?) that appropriately set the tone for this raunchy sequel. To be frank, I wasn't prepared. But I tried to jump on board their liberal, mother ship of irreverence, and since the finger-pointing nets they cast tended to scoop up all parties--from yonky Southerners to uppity government officials (see "yonky Southerners") to racist clans (again, see "yonky Southerners")--I more or less enjoyed the ride. I did have to cover my eyes from time to time--and a shocker mid-film involving Neal Patrick Harris that I won't give away almost left me too sad to finish the flick--but in general, the ride, though bumpy, wild and at times plain gross, was fun.
plot: Like Michael Moore...on weed.
thought: See before Dubya bans it.
in five: 3/5
the film: http://www.haroldandkumar.com/
lundi 28 avril 2008
FORGETTING SARAH MARSHALL
Ahhhh, Judd Apatow. You slay me.
I'll say it: I rate KNOCKED UP higher. But officially sliding into third of the Apatow-helmers is the comedy Jason Segel penned and starred in.* (And to keep score, the breakdown is this: (1)Anchorman, which Judd Apatow produced; (2)Knocked Up, (3)FSM, (4)40 Year Old Virgin, (5)Super Bad...though I have yet to see Talladega Nights, Walk Hard or Drillbit Taylor (may never).)
FORGETTING SARAH MARSHALL has the seriousness of a true break-up, much like 2006's THE BREAK-UP starring Vince Vaughn and Jennifer Aniston, mixed with the comedy of a sensitive man trying to deal. Sure, Jason Segel's character PETER is, at times, far too sensitive to be taken seriously, but he's balanced quite well by Russell Brand (whence came THIS wonderful man?) who plays the over-sexualised ALDOUS SNOW, the British rocker who steals Peter's girlfriend's heart. This film balances between admonishing and praising these two extremes of manhood and waters down the social critique with just the right amount of laughter so that we barely notice how honest the film's subject matter really is: a woman dating a depressed musician tries to save her relationship, fails, cheats, confesses and then regrets her decision when she finally fully observes the sub-par options of other men in the room. This is romantic life, and Jason Segel's writing captures it well. Special kudos to Paul Rudd, playing the "If this were an Adam Sandler movie, there'd be a Rob Schneider buddy role" buddy role, here as a loveable pot-smoking surf instructor.
plot: Vacationing with the ex-The One.
thought: PINEAPPLE EXPRESS is gonna ROCK!
in five: 4/5
the film: http://www.forgettingsarahmarshall.com/
*ack, a hanging preposition!
I'll say it: I rate KNOCKED UP higher. But officially sliding into third of the Apatow-helmers is the comedy Jason Segel penned and starred in.* (And to keep score, the breakdown is this: (1)Anchorman, which Judd Apatow produced; (2)Knocked Up, (3)FSM, (4)40 Year Old Virgin, (5)Super Bad...though I have yet to see Talladega Nights, Walk Hard or Drillbit Taylor (may never).)
FORGETTING SARAH MARSHALL has the seriousness of a true break-up, much like 2006's THE BREAK-UP starring Vince Vaughn and Jennifer Aniston, mixed with the comedy of a sensitive man trying to deal. Sure, Jason Segel's character PETER is, at times, far too sensitive to be taken seriously, but he's balanced quite well by Russell Brand (whence came THIS wonderful man?) who plays the over-sexualised ALDOUS SNOW, the British rocker who steals Peter's girlfriend's heart. This film balances between admonishing and praising these two extremes of manhood and waters down the social critique with just the right amount of laughter so that we barely notice how honest the film's subject matter really is: a woman dating a depressed musician tries to save her relationship, fails, cheats, confesses and then regrets her decision when she finally fully observes the sub-par options of other men in the room. This is romantic life, and Jason Segel's writing captures it well. Special kudos to Paul Rudd, playing the "If this were an Adam Sandler movie, there'd be a Rob Schneider buddy role" buddy role, here as a loveable pot-smoking surf instructor.
plot: Vacationing with the ex-The One.
thought: PINEAPPLE EXPRESS is gonna ROCK!
in five: 4/5
the film: http://www.forgettingsarahmarshall.com/
*ack, a hanging preposition!
dimanche 27 avril 2008
look at me, i discovered the hyperlink: the week in words
Hyperlink.
That's hot.
Sunday, I was at Disney's California Adventure theme park. Rode the best roller coaster (he's cute, no?), ate the best churro.
Monday, I was at the movies.
Tuesday the 20th was Earth Day. There was no traffic driving to work in the morning! Who knew this city cared?
Tuesday night went to Sky Bar at the Mondrian (off Sunset) for an overrated "networking" (read: singles) mixer. I loved the venue, though. But be prepared: hotel valet was $15--but there's a spot around the corner that only charges ten! Alas, we didn't realise until it was too late.
Thursday announced the return of Grey's Anatomy (and Ugly Betty). I'd been nervous that I wouldn't like Grey's anymore since it had been so long, but hark! The episode did not disappoint. I don't watch "Betty," but next week, defs gonna, because Christian Siriano (the winner from the most recent season of "Project Runway") is due to geust star. FIERCE.
Friday, had dinner at an old favorite: Crazyfish Sushi at Olympic and Doheny. And I tell you: go there, ask for the waiter named Edgar and order the $25 Olympic Roll. Otherwise known as the Ridiculous Roll, 'cause man that isht is bananas.
Friday night celebrated two friends' birthdays at The Arsenal off West Pico (past the Trader Joe's). Pretty good DJ, cheap drinks and the eats looked good, but I'd had my fill from sushi, so I didn't partake.
So go out. Be merry. And I'll update this blog concerning my thoughts on FORGETTING SARAH MARSHALL and HAROLD AND KUMAR ESCAPE FROM GUANTANAMO BAY some other time. Short bites: both worth biting.
Wow, hyperlinks are so exhausting. We'll see if I ever do that again.
That's hot.
Sunday, I was at Disney's California Adventure theme park. Rode the best roller coaster (he's cute, no?), ate the best churro.
Monday, I was at the movies.
Tuesday the 20th was Earth Day. There was no traffic driving to work in the morning! Who knew this city cared?
Tuesday night went to Sky Bar at the Mondrian (off Sunset) for an overrated "networking" (read: singles) mixer. I loved the venue, though. But be prepared: hotel valet was $15--but there's a spot around the corner that only charges ten! Alas, we didn't realise until it was too late.
Thursday announced the return of Grey's Anatomy (and Ugly Betty). I'd been nervous that I wouldn't like Grey's anymore since it had been so long, but hark! The episode did not disappoint. I don't watch "Betty," but next week, defs gonna, because Christian Siriano (the winner from the most recent season of "Project Runway") is due to geust star. FIERCE.
Friday, had dinner at an old favorite: Crazyfish Sushi at Olympic and Doheny. And I tell you: go there, ask for the waiter named Edgar and order the $25 Olympic Roll. Otherwise known as the Ridiculous Roll, 'cause man that isht is bananas.
Friday night celebrated two friends' birthdays at The Arsenal off West Pico (past the Trader Joe's). Pretty good DJ, cheap drinks and the eats looked good, but I'd had my fill from sushi, so I didn't partake.
So go out. Be merry. And I'll update this blog concerning my thoughts on FORGETTING SARAH MARSHALL and HAROLD AND KUMAR ESCAPE FROM GUANTANAMO BAY some other time. Short bites: both worth biting.
Wow, hyperlinks are so exhausting. We'll see if I ever do that again.
THE VISITOR
I'll be honest. Haaz Sleiman kinda turns me on. You may have seen him in one episode of "Veronica Mars." Or in a handful from Jack Bauer-dominated "24." He's got an infectious smile, and when I watched him playing the drums during the Thomas McCarthy-directed indy feature THE VISITOR, I liked pretending he was smiling right at me, perhaps even propositioning me for a pants-free music lesson. But not even his rhythmic prowess was enough to make me weep for his plight in this movie.
I saw it last Monday at the westside Landmark, who unfortunately has chosen to raise its fee for the chance to sit in its obviously luxury car-inspired leather seats. So perhaps I went into the picture a mite surly at having parted with twelve bucks when I was expecting to drop ten. But everyone else in my group got over this slight annoyance and was sobbing into Kleenex (my, they came prepared) about halfway into the film. Me: dry-eyed. Me: not feeling it. Me: soulless bitch? Not usually.
See, the story in short is this: illegal drum-playing immigrant who is otherwise harmless is interned and threatened with deportation. Girlfriend can't save him, as she is also illegal. So old professor man tries to save him. Mother tries to save him. Much drum-playing ensues. Without trying to spoil the film for you if you haven't and want to see it, I must say that (SPOILER ALERT!) Sleiman's character Tarek, and even his mother and girlfriend, make this big hoopla about how he's done "nothing wrong," about how he's an innocent cog of the system that definitely shouldn't be deported, because he's not a criminal. And in general, I agree, but...not really. You see, the trouble with the government is that if they say, tomorrow, that wearing white before Labor Day is not only in bad taste but also illegal, but you decide to don the blanche, and they arrest you...who's wrong? You've officially broken the law. And I don't want to dwell much on my opinions about immigration laws, but (SPOILER ALERT!) I think there's more than the US government to blame.
This movie pitted Bad-Guy Government against Good-Guy Immigrant without making a case beyond Tarek's good drum-playing to convince us (or me, rather) that he was a "good guy." He was a struggling musician. He wasn't supporting anyone's life but his own. He forgot to help his girlfriend with her work. In short, he wasn't a hero. Give me a hero, and I'll cry. I promise. I cried during TARZAN.
plot: An immigrant deserves rights, too!
thought: Too righteous to be appreciated.
in five: 2/5
saving grace: The last shot in the entire film is a beautiful ender. You'll have to sit through almost two hours to get to it though!
the film: http://www.thevisitorfilm.com/
I saw it last Monday at the westside Landmark, who unfortunately has chosen to raise its fee for the chance to sit in its obviously luxury car-inspired leather seats. So perhaps I went into the picture a mite surly at having parted with twelve bucks when I was expecting to drop ten. But everyone else in my group got over this slight annoyance and was sobbing into Kleenex (my, they came prepared) about halfway into the film. Me: dry-eyed. Me: not feeling it. Me: soulless bitch? Not usually.
See, the story in short is this: illegal drum-playing immigrant who is otherwise harmless is interned and threatened with deportation. Girlfriend can't save him, as she is also illegal. So old professor man tries to save him. Mother tries to save him. Much drum-playing ensues. Without trying to spoil the film for you if you haven't and want to see it, I must say that (SPOILER ALERT!) Sleiman's character Tarek, and even his mother and girlfriend, make this big hoopla about how he's done "nothing wrong," about how he's an innocent cog of the system that definitely shouldn't be deported, because he's not a criminal. And in general, I agree, but...not really. You see, the trouble with the government is that if they say, tomorrow, that wearing white before Labor Day is not only in bad taste but also illegal, but you decide to don the blanche, and they arrest you...who's wrong? You've officially broken the law. And I don't want to dwell much on my opinions about immigration laws, but (SPOILER ALERT!) I think there's more than the US government to blame.
This movie pitted Bad-Guy Government against Good-Guy Immigrant without making a case beyond Tarek's good drum-playing to convince us (or me, rather) that he was a "good guy." He was a struggling musician. He wasn't supporting anyone's life but his own. He forgot to help his girlfriend with her work. In short, he wasn't a hero. Give me a hero, and I'll cry. I promise. I cried during TARZAN.
plot: An immigrant deserves rights, too!
thought: Too righteous to be appreciated.
in five: 2/5
saving grace: The last shot in the entire film is a beautiful ender. You'll have to sit through almost two hours to get to it though!
the film: http://www.thevisitorfilm.com/
samedi 19 avril 2008
COLCOA Film Festival
COLCOA stands for "City of Lights, City of Angels," and it's my favorite film festival of the year in Fire City--officially, I just decided--because it's the French Film Festival. Offering a fanfare of world, US, California and Los Angeles premieres, COLCOA graced me this year with two films "tres attendus" (that means "very awaited"): Cedric Klapisch's PARIS and Claude Lelouch's ROMAN DE GARE, the latter of which I'd missed seeing while living in Paris. I also caught Jan Kounen's latest mean feature, 99 FRANCS, and saw the slightly bland but harmless comedy, LA VIE D'ARTISTE. In order, from love to "bof" (that means "whatever"), I rate them....
1. J'adore ROMAN DE GARE. It's the film that introduced me to the genius of Claude Lelouch, the French director who has been making films for 50 years--who has made 41 films to date--and sadly whose films, for some reason, I hadn't previously seen. It beautifully combines four major film genres (psychological thriller, romantic comedy, drama and mystery...and AWESOME!) and keeps you guessing right up to it's suddenly cliche but somehow still delightful conclusion.
PLOT: Nothing is what you expect. (Vague, but that's the plot.)
THOUGHT: Start thinking and enjoy it.
IN FIVE: 4.5/5
2. Je veux achete 99 FRANCS. This film is dark, twisty and wonderful, right from its greasy opening shots: move from fabulous overblown street advert, to man attempting suicide (and succeeding), to washed up ad exec recovering from a bad drug trip--and the journey has just begun. It hates the ad industry it extols from start to finish, and it isn't scared to stab itself in the eye. And I don't even know what that means, but that's the truth. Oh, and the soundtrack was off the hook.
PLOT: Everything is definitely for sale.
THOUGHT: Might as well buy it.
IN FIVE: 4.5/5
3. Comme la ville soi-meme, PARIS m'a vraiment boulverse. Maybe that's because I'd wanted to see it for so long. I first caught the trailer from the L'AUBERGE ESPAGNOLE director about two months ago online, and I'll admit, it made me cry. I longed to go back to that city the minute she appeared on scene. And naturally, the film lived up to the fantasm (is that a word?) of images I'd conjured in my head based on the romantic trailer alone. Like a bittersweetly un-violent version of CRASH, Oscar winner of '06, PARIS pans a city and its regulars with an unflinching eye, catching them at their best, their worst, their most alive. And yes, it made me cry. Again, great music.
PLOT: There is nowhere like here.
THOUGHT: So can I get there?
IN FIVE: 4.5/5 (notice a trend? perfection is hard to attain)
4. Je ne veux pas etre coincee dans LA VIE D'ARTISTE. No thank you. The one "bof" of the weekend, the Fitoussi film chronicled the sadly depressing lives of a number of struggling artists fumbling towards failed ecstasy in the City of Lights. That's not why I wasn't that intrigued--I can deal with a depressing movie, don't worry--it's simply this film...had no salt, no spark. It was a little typical, a little too French. It was a cornucopia with no fruit. And again, I don't know exactly what that means, but it's the truth.
PLOT: Being famous is mostly luck.
THOUGHT: The rest is probably fruit.
IN FIVE: 2.5/5
THE FESTIVAL: http://www.colcoa.org/2008/home/index.asp
THE FILMS (in the order i saw them):
99 francs - http://www.99francs-lefilm.com/
roman de gare - http://www.lesfilms13.com/romandegare/
paris - http://www.lefilm-paris.com/
la vie d'artiste - http://www.hautetcourt.com/fiche.php?pkfilms=129
1. J'adore ROMAN DE GARE. It's the film that introduced me to the genius of Claude Lelouch, the French director who has been making films for 50 years--who has made 41 films to date--and sadly whose films, for some reason, I hadn't previously seen. It beautifully combines four major film genres (psychological thriller, romantic comedy, drama and mystery...and AWESOME!) and keeps you guessing right up to it's suddenly cliche but somehow still delightful conclusion.
PLOT: Nothing is what you expect. (Vague, but that's the plot.)
THOUGHT: Start thinking and enjoy it.
IN FIVE: 4.5/5
2. Je veux achete 99 FRANCS. This film is dark, twisty and wonderful, right from its greasy opening shots: move from fabulous overblown street advert, to man attempting suicide (and succeeding), to washed up ad exec recovering from a bad drug trip--and the journey has just begun. It hates the ad industry it extols from start to finish, and it isn't scared to stab itself in the eye. And I don't even know what that means, but that's the truth. Oh, and the soundtrack was off the hook.
PLOT: Everything is definitely for sale.
THOUGHT: Might as well buy it.
IN FIVE: 4.5/5
3. Comme la ville soi-meme, PARIS m'a vraiment boulverse. Maybe that's because I'd wanted to see it for so long. I first caught the trailer from the L'AUBERGE ESPAGNOLE director about two months ago online, and I'll admit, it made me cry. I longed to go back to that city the minute she appeared on scene. And naturally, the film lived up to the fantasm (is that a word?) of images I'd conjured in my head based on the romantic trailer alone. Like a bittersweetly un-violent version of CRASH, Oscar winner of '06, PARIS pans a city and its regulars with an unflinching eye, catching them at their best, their worst, their most alive. And yes, it made me cry. Again, great music.
PLOT: There is nowhere like here.
THOUGHT: So can I get there?
IN FIVE: 4.5/5 (notice a trend? perfection is hard to attain)
4. Je ne veux pas etre coincee dans LA VIE D'ARTISTE. No thank you. The one "bof" of the weekend, the Fitoussi film chronicled the sadly depressing lives of a number of struggling artists fumbling towards failed ecstasy in the City of Lights. That's not why I wasn't that intrigued--I can deal with a depressing movie, don't worry--it's simply this film...had no salt, no spark. It was a little typical, a little too French. It was a cornucopia with no fruit. And again, I don't know exactly what that means, but it's the truth.
PLOT: Being famous is mostly luck.
THOUGHT: The rest is probably fruit.
IN FIVE: 2.5/5
THE FESTIVAL: http://www.colcoa.org/2008/home/index.asp
THE FILMS (in the order i saw them):
99 francs - http://www.99francs-lefilm.com/
roman de gare - http://www.lesfilms13.com/romandegare/
paris - http://www.lefilm-paris.com/
la vie d'artiste - http://www.hautetcourt.com/fiche.php?pkfilms=129
RUN, FAT BOY, RUN
Caught this one after an afternoon of hesitation last Sunday. Go out to a movie? Rent a movie? Go out to a movie? Rent a movie? Go out to a movie...?
With the promise of strawberry shortcake near the cinema post-picture show, I had no choice but to go out. We drove to Monster Mall, we walked into the theatre and then we sat and watched a movie all about running to win the woman you love.
RUN, FATBOY, RUN, though starring Simon Pegg of SHAUN OF THE DEAD and HOT FUZZ fame, did not have quite the carriage these films did. Perchance that's because, this time around, Pegg shared his pen with Michael Ian Black--who I love, like hearts on stars, LOVE--but who is better, I'd say, at improvisational humor (a la the VHS "I Love the '90s" series) than written wit. I unfortunately blame him for the jokes that veered towards physical and/or slapstick humor. They felt American and out of context in Pegg's usually wonderfully off-color universe. I mean, hey, I love an irreverent blague like the next girl...but I really didn't need to see puss from a blister squirt all over a man's face. Really didn't. And maybe that was Pegg's doing. But maybe it wasn't? (For all I know it was all David Schwimmer's idea. 'Cause yeah, he directed it.) But my mind tells me it might have been Michael.
In short, I didn't audibly chortle nearly as often during FATBOY as I did this time (was it this time?) last year during HOT FUZZ, but I enjoyed the almost Hollywood kiss ending for its smile-worthy, somewhat realistic probability. That's how I think every romantic comedy should end. Somewhat realistically. And/or with puss.
plot: Run marathon, win the girl.
thought: Mmmm, strawberry shortcake, so yummy.
in 5: 3/5
THE MOVIE: http://www.runfatboyrunmovie.com/
With the promise of strawberry shortcake near the cinema post-picture show, I had no choice but to go out. We drove to Monster Mall, we walked into the theatre and then we sat and watched a movie all about running to win the woman you love.
RUN, FATBOY, RUN, though starring Simon Pegg of SHAUN OF THE DEAD and HOT FUZZ fame, did not have quite the carriage these films did. Perchance that's because, this time around, Pegg shared his pen with Michael Ian Black--who I love, like hearts on stars, LOVE--but who is better, I'd say, at improvisational humor (a la the VHS "I Love the '90s" series) than written wit. I unfortunately blame him for the jokes that veered towards physical and/or slapstick humor. They felt American and out of context in Pegg's usually wonderfully off-color universe. I mean, hey, I love an irreverent blague like the next girl...but I really didn't need to see puss from a blister squirt all over a man's face. Really didn't. And maybe that was Pegg's doing. But maybe it wasn't? (For all I know it was all David Schwimmer's idea. 'Cause yeah, he directed it.) But my mind tells me it might have been Michael.
In short, I didn't audibly chortle nearly as often during FATBOY as I did this time (was it this time?) last year during HOT FUZZ, but I enjoyed the almost Hollywood kiss ending for its smile-worthy, somewhat realistic probability. That's how I think every romantic comedy should end. Somewhat realistically. And/or with puss.
plot: Run marathon, win the girl.
thought: Mmmm, strawberry shortcake, so yummy.
in 5: 3/5
THE MOVIE: http://www.runfatboyrunmovie.com/
mercredi 16 avril 2008
them's be fightin' words...and widgets
Do I think that Toyota Corolla widget I just downloaded is a mite beefy?
Though I live for its apparent concept (the good life at a small price), I fear it takes up far too much space. So new question: how does one un-wedge a widget?
I re-read my post below about Dolce....It's too obvious when I'm not in the mood to write. It all sounds wooden, stiff and a little like a newscaster from southern Maine trying to sound like she's from New York. Wow. I want to sound like I'm from me first. Me first and Fire City second. The NYC can wait.
Coming updates include...
...dinner at El Cholo (one word: authentic!)
...RUN, FATBOY, RUN! (two words: so funny!)
...dinner at Hugo's! (three words: organic and yummy!)
...dinner at some random taco place I want to forget (four words: don't waste your money!)
And five words to end: I'll fight the widget later.
Though I live for its apparent concept (the good life at a small price), I fear it takes up far too much space. So new question: how does one un-wedge a widget?
I re-read my post below about Dolce....It's too obvious when I'm not in the mood to write. It all sounds wooden, stiff and a little like a newscaster from southern Maine trying to sound like she's from New York. Wow. I want to sound like I'm from me first. Me first and Fire City second. The NYC can wait.
Coming updates include...
...dinner at El Cholo (one word: authentic!)
...RUN, FATBOY, RUN! (two words: so funny!)
...dinner at Hugo's! (three words: organic and yummy!)
...dinner at some random taco place I want to forget (four words: don't waste your money!)
And five words to end: I'll fight the widget later.
dimanche 13 avril 2008
Do I please easy?: Friday night's dinner at DOLCE
When it comes to restaurants, you grade them essentially how Johnny Drama grades talent agencies on the HBO series "Entourage." Pick a few categories and rate them all according to a bar of standard excellence. My categories are:
1. decor
2. wait staff
3. food
4. drinks (yes, I separate food and drinks)
5. ambiance
Well, Friday night, out with Connecticut and a group of her friends from back home, Dolce set the bar high. This "enoteca e ristorante" gets just about a "FIVE" (as in an A+) in all categories! Crazy?
The restaurant, backed, like Geisha House, by the previously punk'ing, presently restaurant-mogul'ing Ashton Kutcher, outshines Geisha by ten. Where Geisha is trendy-meets-kitsch with its predominantly red day-glo-esque lighting and phony, wandering geishas, DOLCE is purposefully upscale. It is dark and lovely inside, with cool textured tables and all-mirrored bathrooms (yes, you have to watch yourself pee). The wait-staff, however, does not have a lick of the upturned nose that annoyed me at Geisha. Except for the women at the door who seem to be skeptical of anyone claiming to have a reservation, the staff overall was friendly, brighter than the lighting and worthy of a generous tip. Our waitress, a British girl who whispered the prices of everything to one of the frugal lawyers in our group, even laughed when we cracked an Ashton "Did I just get punk'd?" joke--even though she must get them ALL the TIME.
The drinks were especially of note: the bartender at the firelit bar (no, really, there's a fire behind him) had a dashing smile and was talkative about his favorite cocktails. One friend got the signature Dolce cocktail, and its fruity flavor inspired her to sip on a second soon after. I had a Veev ginger something-or-other that was giggly good, and later the forty-page wine selection did not disappoint. But a round of cocktails and two bottles of some Italian red later (sorry, I don't remember which wine), our conversation still contained favorable commentary on the great food.
I started with the tuna tartare, which was IMMACULATE (the crispy wantons were a delicious touch), and I entree'd on the mushroom risotto. The risotto was large enough that I took half of it home, and trust me, even Saturday morning cold from the fridge, it was ridiculously good. Our waitress, at our behest, dusted all the food with fresh ground pepper and grated Parmesan there at the table. Nice touch.
So once again:
1. decor - 4.5 (it is just a touch too dark in there)
2. wait staff - 5
3. food - 5
4. drinks - 5
5. ambiance - 5
Final note on this gushing, long-winded tale: Go for the creme brulee for dessert. Oh so right.
THE RESTAURANT: http://dolcegroup.com/dolce/
1. decor
2. wait staff
3. food
4. drinks (yes, I separate food and drinks)
5. ambiance
Well, Friday night, out with Connecticut and a group of her friends from back home, Dolce set the bar high. This "enoteca e ristorante" gets just about a "FIVE" (as in an A+) in all categories! Crazy?
The restaurant, backed, like Geisha House, by the previously punk'ing, presently restaurant-mogul'ing Ashton Kutcher, outshines Geisha by ten. Where Geisha is trendy-meets-kitsch with its predominantly red day-glo-esque lighting and phony, wandering geishas, DOLCE is purposefully upscale. It is dark and lovely inside, with cool textured tables and all-mirrored bathrooms (yes, you have to watch yourself pee). The wait-staff, however, does not have a lick of the upturned nose that annoyed me at Geisha. Except for the women at the door who seem to be skeptical of anyone claiming to have a reservation, the staff overall was friendly, brighter than the lighting and worthy of a generous tip. Our waitress, a British girl who whispered the prices of everything to one of the frugal lawyers in our group, even laughed when we cracked an Ashton "Did I just get punk'd?" joke--even though she must get them ALL the TIME.
The drinks were especially of note: the bartender at the firelit bar (no, really, there's a fire behind him) had a dashing smile and was talkative about his favorite cocktails. One friend got the signature Dolce cocktail, and its fruity flavor inspired her to sip on a second soon after. I had a Veev ginger something-or-other that was giggly good, and later the forty-page wine selection did not disappoint. But a round of cocktails and two bottles of some Italian red later (sorry, I don't remember which wine), our conversation still contained favorable commentary on the great food.
I started with the tuna tartare, which was IMMACULATE (the crispy wantons were a delicious touch), and I entree'd on the mushroom risotto. The risotto was large enough that I took half of it home, and trust me, even Saturday morning cold from the fridge, it was ridiculously good. Our waitress, at our behest, dusted all the food with fresh ground pepper and grated Parmesan there at the table. Nice touch.
So once again:
1. decor - 4.5 (it is just a touch too dark in there)
2. wait staff - 5
3. food - 5
4. drinks - 5
5. ambiance - 5
Final note on this gushing, long-winded tale: Go for the creme brulee for dessert. Oh so right.
THE RESTAURANT: http://dolcegroup.com/dolce/
jeudi 10 avril 2008
LITTLE CHILDREN (rental)
viewed: weds, 09 april 08
It's a drama. Dark and twisty. Stars the effervescent Kate Winslet and my "wow, you've got a good body" pick of the month, Patrick Wilson (you may remember him from ANGELS IN AMERICA--and if you don't, you most definitely SHOULD). Also stars a guy who delivers a very effective voice-over. Score by Thomas Newman.
plot: Suburbia is twisted, love difficult.
thought: Be suspicious of your neighbors.
in five: 4/5
the film: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_Children_(film)
(Like how I just used wikipedia instead of imdb to site a movie?)
It's a drama. Dark and twisty. Stars the effervescent Kate Winslet and my "wow, you've got a good body" pick of the month, Patrick Wilson (you may remember him from ANGELS IN AMERICA--and if you don't, you most definitely SHOULD). Also stars a guy who delivers a very effective voice-over. Score by Thomas Newman.
plot: Suburbia is twisted, love difficult.
thought: Be suspicious of your neighbors.
in five: 4/5
the film: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_Children_(film)
(Like how I just used wikipedia instead of imdb to site a movie?)
STREET KINGS
Don't do it, Keanu. Don't look so confused and stare at the camera and act like you didn't know "this whole thing was a set-up."
Aaaaargh, too late!
Caught the new Keanu Reeves feature via free screening at Poor Mall (I don't remember the official name I may have given this shopping centre in an earlier post, but bottom line is that this pretty outdoor mall has gotten ghetto).
The screening perks were nice--free popcorn and a bottle of water to cleanse the liquid butter-coated palate--but the visual fare to be shared left me less than whelmed. Though the "loose cannon cop tries to unlock the system just to discover the system has him on lock down" plot is pretty tired, it was quite an event watching all the over-bloody violence the producers shoved into the movie to urge us not to notice their failed attempt at novelty. But what really gave them away was the cast. There were just enough names to roster a fifth season of "Dancing with the Stars: A and Almost A-list Edition" From Hugh Laurie to Common to Chris Evans to Forest Whitaker to The Game to Cedric "The Entertainer" Kyles...it was all very suspicious. In outrage, I almost threw my free snacks at the screen.
PLOT: Cop fights the system, loses.
THOUGHT: Keanu fights the critics, loses.
IN FIVE: 2/5...hmmm...1/5
THE MOVIE: http://www.foxsearchlight.com/streetkings/
Aaaaargh, too late!
Caught the new Keanu Reeves feature via free screening at Poor Mall (I don't remember the official name I may have given this shopping centre in an earlier post, but bottom line is that this pretty outdoor mall has gotten ghetto).
The screening perks were nice--free popcorn and a bottle of water to cleanse the liquid butter-coated palate--but the visual fare to be shared left me less than whelmed. Though the "loose cannon cop tries to unlock the system just to discover the system has him on lock down" plot is pretty tired, it was quite an event watching all the over-bloody violence the producers shoved into the movie to urge us not to notice their failed attempt at novelty. But what really gave them away was the cast. There were just enough names to roster a fifth season of "Dancing with the Stars: A and Almost A-list Edition" From Hugh Laurie to Common to Chris Evans to Forest Whitaker to The Game to Cedric "The Entertainer" Kyles...it was all very suspicious. In outrage, I almost threw my free snacks at the screen.
PLOT: Cop fights the system, loses.
THOUGHT: Keanu fights the critics, loses.
IN FIVE: 2/5...hmmm...1/5
THE MOVIE: http://www.foxsearchlight.com/streetkings/
mercredi 9 avril 2008
Disney-size me: dinner at Geisha, fun at the Mouse House
Went to Disneyland the Sunday of the weekend of the epic weekend visit from my epic friend, Curly Beast. We woke up at 6am in order to be good to go by 6.45. This wouldn't have been much of a crazy caper had we donned our nightcaps at, say, 8pm the night before. But silly us, we thought sleep was for kids.
In the spirit of food-lovers, we ate out the night before at the too-trendy-to-actually-classify-as-classy GEISHA HOUSE in Hollywood. Sushi and sake flowed like butter on a hot skillet skating towards the rim of the pan. And the sushi quality wasn't half bad. But I'll tell you what, after the fruity and flavorful "Geisha's Kiss" cocktail I enjoyed while awaiting our table, everything tasted good.
I'll admit, I was annoyed by the wait, especially considering that I pulled a connection to get an enviably good dinner time reservation for a party as large as ours, but once seated with a big bowl of edamame at my fingertips, I forgave and forgot. The restaurant was packed and our table location was bad--both of these factors perhaps contributing to why our service continued to be leisurely slow throughout the night--but our stay was peppered with D-list celebrity sightings to make up for the annoyance. But not like "Kathy Griffin" D-list, no sir. We saw "the girl who freaked out on Season something of America's Next Top Model when they cut her hair," as well as "that guy who's been an extra on a couple of episodes of LOST." Okay, yeah, it was more like E-list.
FIVE REASONS WHY GEISHA HOUSE DESERVES YOUR VISIT (ONCE)
1. It's in Hollywood and close to a number of local night-spotty attractions, from Opera to Crimson to Vice to...Cinespace.
2. The gigantic plate on which they will serve your sushi is an eye to behold.
3. The cocktails. All wonderful, delicious, lip-smacking good.
4. The noise. Go on an awkward date and you've got every reason to stop talking to that sucker.
5. D-listers! One guy at the table next to us wore sunglasses in the dimly lit dinner room all night and kept standing up and gyrating his hips. I wish I'd had a camera to document his complete unimportance for a lifetime.
After Geisha, we hopped over to OPERA but were denied entry (or, rather, we REFUSED entry, given the wait) and slid down the street to CINESPACE to pretend we liked it there. It was fun, but when Curly Beast and I finally ambled home at about 1am and realised we had to wake up in five hours...we kind of wish we'd stopped at sushi.
But Disney was a grand experience. While I'd been to the World, it was my first visit to the Land, but with my friend Disney (I told you she'd come back) as our guide, we raked through that park like...well, like a rake through some grass. Fourteen rides and ten hours later, we were primely positioned to watch both night fireworks shows. Our eyes were teary as we wished upon the stars and munched on treats from the Downtown Disney Confectionery and ached for the love of it. Or maybe it was from over-eating? Two weeks after the trip, I've learned that the most epic Disney ride of all, It's a Small World After All, was closed for our visit and has been closed for quite some time due to technical changes to accommodate the growing girth of Disney visitors...proving once again that obesity is an epidemic in America, blah blah blah, ho hum drama, same old same old. Anyway, is anyone up for some sushi buffet this weekend? Mmmmm.
FIVE REASONS WHY I FORGIVE DISNEYLAND FOR LOVING OBESE PEOPLE
1. The breakfast croissant sandwich I bought for six dollars!
2. The three Patina group restaurants on site--we ate at Naples and the caprese pizza was terrific. (And the "individual" size definitely fed 2.5 people. Maybe could have fed three, but we actually ate the second half of the third person.)
3. Everything inside the Blue Ribbon Bakery
4. Uuuuhhhh...more food?
5. Meeting Mickey, Minnie, Mary Poppins and Merlin...and running into Jason Schwartmann of DARJEELING LIMITED (which I have yet to see) and the band Phantom Planet like five times! D-list sightings be damned, we're up to A...minus!
THE RESTAURANT: http://www.dolcegroup.com/
THE THEMEPARK: http://disneyland.disney.go.com
In the spirit of food-lovers, we ate out the night before at the too-trendy-to-actually-classify-as-classy GEISHA HOUSE in Hollywood. Sushi and sake flowed like butter on a hot skillet skating towards the rim of the pan. And the sushi quality wasn't half bad. But I'll tell you what, after the fruity and flavorful "Geisha's Kiss" cocktail I enjoyed while awaiting our table, everything tasted good.
I'll admit, I was annoyed by the wait, especially considering that I pulled a connection to get an enviably good dinner time reservation for a party as large as ours, but once seated with a big bowl of edamame at my fingertips, I forgave and forgot. The restaurant was packed and our table location was bad--both of these factors perhaps contributing to why our service continued to be leisurely slow throughout the night--but our stay was peppered with D-list celebrity sightings to make up for the annoyance. But not like "Kathy Griffin" D-list, no sir. We saw "the girl who freaked out on Season something of America's Next Top Model when they cut her hair," as well as "that guy who's been an extra on a couple of episodes of LOST." Okay, yeah, it was more like E-list.
FIVE REASONS WHY GEISHA HOUSE DESERVES YOUR VISIT (ONCE)
1. It's in Hollywood and close to a number of local night-spotty attractions, from Opera to Crimson to Vice to...Cinespace.
2. The gigantic plate on which they will serve your sushi is an eye to behold.
3. The cocktails. All wonderful, delicious, lip-smacking good.
4. The noise. Go on an awkward date and you've got every reason to stop talking to that sucker.
5. D-listers! One guy at the table next to us wore sunglasses in the dimly lit dinner room all night and kept standing up and gyrating his hips. I wish I'd had a camera to document his complete unimportance for a lifetime.
After Geisha, we hopped over to OPERA but were denied entry (or, rather, we REFUSED entry, given the wait) and slid down the street to CINESPACE to pretend we liked it there. It was fun, but when Curly Beast and I finally ambled home at about 1am and realised we had to wake up in five hours...we kind of wish we'd stopped at sushi.
But Disney was a grand experience. While I'd been to the World, it was my first visit to the Land, but with my friend Disney (I told you she'd come back) as our guide, we raked through that park like...well, like a rake through some grass. Fourteen rides and ten hours later, we were primely positioned to watch both night fireworks shows. Our eyes were teary as we wished upon the stars and munched on treats from the Downtown Disney Confectionery and ached for the love of it. Or maybe it was from over-eating? Two weeks after the trip, I've learned that the most epic Disney ride of all, It's a Small World After All, was closed for our visit and has been closed for quite some time due to technical changes to accommodate the growing girth of Disney visitors...proving once again that obesity is an epidemic in America, blah blah blah, ho hum drama, same old same old. Anyway, is anyone up for some sushi buffet this weekend? Mmmmm.
FIVE REASONS WHY I FORGIVE DISNEYLAND FOR LOVING OBESE PEOPLE
1. The breakfast croissant sandwich I bought for six dollars!
2. The three Patina group restaurants on site--we ate at Naples and the caprese pizza was terrific. (And the "individual" size definitely fed 2.5 people. Maybe could have fed three, but we actually ate the second half of the third person.)
3. Everything inside the Blue Ribbon Bakery
4. Uuuuhhhh...more food?
5. Meeting Mickey, Minnie, Mary Poppins and Merlin...and running into Jason Schwartmann of DARJEELING LIMITED (which I have yet to see) and the band Phantom Planet like five times! D-list sightings be damned, we're up to A...minus!
THE RESTAURANT: http://www.dolcegroup.com/
THE THEMEPARK: http://disneyland.disney.go.com
mercredi 2 avril 2008
I do well on sofas: brunch at TOAST
Last weekend, I had the joy of hosting a great friend here in Fire City; we'll call her Curly Beast. Curly Beast was scheduled to fly in at 10pm on a Friday, out at 9am on the Monday following, and since Sunday was already relegated to a full-day journey to our youth at Disneyland, we really just had about 24hrs to see the sights. Believe you me, we hit the ground running.
Friday night straight from the aeroport, we met up with my boyz and partied til early morning, and though the Tanqueray in our veins (er, livers) told us to stay on the down-low, we woke up that hazy Saturday needing good eats. No time like post-booze time to try the mid-town brunchy hotspot, TOAST.
Despite Toast's mid-high ratings online (where its reviews OFTEN involved LOTS of caps, evidently to communicate only the highest order of TRUE LOVE), I was still a notch skeptical. There were rumors of celebrity sightings, long lines and longer waits that smacked of nightclubs I tend to avoid. But the eyebrows of everyone to whom I tentatively revealed our tentative plans earlier in the week went skyward in appreciation once I uttered the name of the restau. And then their eyes would widen, their mouths would drop open and they would speak in all caps: "Oh, I LOVE Toast. You'll LOVE Toast. You should DEFINITELY eat AT TOAST."
It was like hypnosis. And so we ate at Toast.
TOP FIVE REASONS WHY TOAST IS WORTH ALL THE HYPE
1. Exterior decor - outside, there are uncovered tables, tables under canopies, tables almost dumping into the street--but not in a bad way. And yeah, there is a long line but it clumps so happily between all these tables, it's less akin to a bouncer's nightmare than to a bunch of kids trying to see into a candy shop. Cute.
2. Interior decor - the chair situation inside varies from barstools and long-legged round tables to your standard connect-four to comfy, earthy-colored couches with low coffee tables buckled against them. It feels like your living room, if your living room were a cafe.
3. Wait staff - Friendly, jovial, helpful and knowledgeable about all the food--and not in a "please tip me" way, but as if they're your friends. Or my friends. They're not your friends. They're mine.
4. The egg scrambles.
3. The omelettes.
4. The never-ending hot coffee.
5. The generous fruit salad.
'Cause shouldn't eating be about the food?
the restaurant: http://www.toastbakerycafe.net/
(But early warning: arrive before 11am, or you might get so hungry waiting, you end up eating your arm before you get a table)
Friday night straight from the aeroport, we met up with my boyz and partied til early morning, and though the Tanqueray in our veins (er, livers) told us to stay on the down-low, we woke up that hazy Saturday needing good eats. No time like post-booze time to try the mid-town brunchy hotspot, TOAST.
Despite Toast's mid-high ratings online (where its reviews OFTEN involved LOTS of caps, evidently to communicate only the highest order of TRUE LOVE), I was still a notch skeptical. There were rumors of celebrity sightings, long lines and longer waits that smacked of nightclubs I tend to avoid. But the eyebrows of everyone to whom I tentatively revealed our tentative plans earlier in the week went skyward in appreciation once I uttered the name of the restau. And then their eyes would widen, their mouths would drop open and they would speak in all caps: "Oh, I LOVE Toast. You'll LOVE Toast. You should DEFINITELY eat AT TOAST."
It was like hypnosis. And so we ate at Toast.
TOP FIVE REASONS WHY TOAST IS WORTH ALL THE HYPE
1. Exterior decor - outside, there are uncovered tables, tables under canopies, tables almost dumping into the street--but not in a bad way. And yeah, there is a long line but it clumps so happily between all these tables, it's less akin to a bouncer's nightmare than to a bunch of kids trying to see into a candy shop. Cute.
2. Interior decor - the chair situation inside varies from barstools and long-legged round tables to your standard connect-four to comfy, earthy-colored couches with low coffee tables buckled against them. It feels like your living room, if your living room were a cafe.
3. Wait staff - Friendly, jovial, helpful and knowledgeable about all the food--and not in a "please tip me" way, but as if they're your friends. Or my friends. They're not your friends. They're mine.
4. The egg scrambles.
3. The omelettes.
4. The never-ending hot coffee.
5. The generous fruit salad.
'Cause shouldn't eating be about the food?
the restaurant: http://www.toastbakerycafe.net/
(But early warning: arrive before 11am, or you might get so hungry waiting, you end up eating your arm before you get a table)
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