Movie #31 – The Men Who Stare At Goats

The Men Who Stare At Goats – Tuesday, November 24
Date : Shawn
Value : $20
Total so far: $559
Location: Bayers Lake

What a weird movie.

I came out not quite sure what to think. I had heard mixed reviews, so I wasn’t expecting anything stellar…but I still can’t figure out if I liked this movie or not. It wasn’t bad; I mean I wasn’t bored during the hour and a half, but I think if it was any longer I would have been. It was funny at times, and at other times just outright bizarre.

I think that’s all I have to say…
Not much of a review I realize, but I don’t know really what more to say. It was pretty “meh”.

Restaurant Review – The Good Food Emporium

I’m off on a work trip this week, so I’ve tried to avoid getting any groceries that might be less than fresh when I get home. For that reason I invited some of my coworkers to join me for lunch at the Good Food Emporium, which is only a few minutes away from where I work.

I think I’ve only gone here once before, but it is definitely something I think I should do more often. The first impression of the Good Food Emporium is that you’re going to get some home-cooked food, but don’t expect anything fancy because the decor certainly isn’t. You order your meal at the counter (we had to tell the cashier how much each thing cost as he must have been new to the job), and then find a seat and wait for your meal. If you just want a glass of water, you’re going to have to pour that yourself from a small cooler. Hey – I’m not paying for it, so I don’t mind having to put in a bit of work for some water.

I ordered the chicken pesto melt, and my coworkers each had a sandwich melt with cheese, avocado and tomato. I’ve got to admit, I was kinda jealous of their sandwich…. All of their sandwiches are done on a delicious homemade bread, but mine only had one piece of that delicious bread. It was still good mind you, but I think it could have been that much better with a second piece of bread. It was still flavourful, and the pesto was delish.

Their sandwiches looked SO good though! I think I was also tomato I was jealous of. I think if my sandwich had even a tiny slice of tomato it would have added a nice bit of flavour.

All and all, the Good Food Emporium stood up to its name! The prices are definitely reasonable, and even though we stood out like a sore thumb in the hipster setting (we were in our business attire), we all enjoyed our experience and will go again!

Restaurant Review – Bluenose II

Wowzers – talk about service!

My staff and I had an early morning event yesterday, and decided to go out for a greasy bite to eat afterwards. We were close to the waterfront, and the Bluenose II restaurant was suggested.

We were lucky to get there when we did! A group of 6 isn’t always easy to seat, but they had a place for us within a couple minutes. After we were seated the line up really began and some people had about a 10 minute wait.

We all ordered pretty basic things – eggs, toast, sausages, etc. One of my coworkers ordered off of the “Breakfast Specials” menu where it indicates that all of the breakfast specials come with a side of toast. However, when he ordered the eggs benedict he was told if he wanted toast it would be extra. They considered the english muffin to be the “toast”.

I have to disagree. Eggs Benedict isn’t eggs benedict without the english muffin. If you promise a side of toast with each of the specials, shouldn’t toast come with the eggs benedict? Our waitress agreed it was false advertising, but told my coworker he would have to pay for any extra toast. Seriously Bluenose??! Your prices are already higher than the average greasy breakfast location (especially the most delicious ones on Quinpool), can you not afford to give this man two pieces of toast? That was extremely frustrating!

When our meal came it was pretty average. My scrambled eggs were definitely not the best I’ve had, and there was WAY too much butter on my toast. The 3 sausages I had were delish, and my chocolate milk came in a large glass!

I don’t think I’ll go back to the Bluenose II Restaurant for a greasy breakfast. There are too many better options in Halifax that I’d rather spend my money in.

Movie #30 – Pirate Radio

Pirate Radio – Sunday, November 15
Date : Shawn
Value : $20
Total so far: $539
Location: Bayers Lake

Eek – my time is running up for free movies. It is really sad actually. Big thanks to Empire Theatres for supplying me with a year free of movies. I think I took advantage of it, although I wish I could have gone more. Not having a car makes it difficult sometimes, but luckily I have great friends and family who have been able to share this experience with me (and drive me in their vehicles!).

I still have a month and a half, and I will try and make the most of it!

I’m happy to say that I finally saw a movie that I really enjoyed! Shawn and I were going to see the Men Who Stare at Goats, but I changed my mind after hearing a few reviews and decided to go see Pirate Radio instead. It looked like a fun movie, and it was based on a true story, so I thought that would be a good combination.

In 1966 rock ‘n roll was banned from being broadcast from British soil. It happened during a time when the music was really at its best : The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, and many more! To get around this, radio stations were based on ships in open waters. The story of Pirate Radio is about a group of DJ’s living on one of these ships, and the hoity toity goverment types trying to bring them down.

The characters were great! I wasn’t expecting it to be so funny, but I laughed a lot! Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Murray from Flight of the Conchords, and the lanky lad from Nottinghill (Rhys Ifans) were just a few of the great actors in this movie. I also especially enjoyed “Big Dave” and “Thick Kevin”. Every person on the boat had a distinctive personality, and the combination of all of them together was fantastic!

Apparently this movie was late opening in Canada. It opened in the UK in April. In fact, my brother saw it on the plane from London – Halifax about a month ago! I’m glad it is finally here though, and I’d recommend checking it out!

Movie #29 – Where the Wild Things Are

Where the Wild Things Are – Saturday, November 7
Date : Holly
Value : $20
Total so far: $519
Location: Bayers Lake

When I first heard all of the excitement for Where the Wild Things Are, I became very curious. How come I never read this book when I was little? Why is everyone so anxious for it to come out? I loved the song that played on the preview (Arcade Fire – Wake Up), and I figured I had to go see this movie.

…I think I should have read the book first.

I did not expect it to be so deep. I mean it was quite emotional for a children’s movie.

Let me start off first by saying that I have a strong dislike for bratty kids – in books, on tv and in the movies. Especially in movies that are made for children. I never had any thought on this before, but now that I am a proud aunt of a 2 year old who is always saying “I don’t like you”, a phrase he learned from Caillou, my opinion has changed greatly. I am not a fan of Caillou and his whiny ways, and the fact that he is teaching the young kids that watch his show that it is ok to be a whiny brat – your mum will be there with a hug no matter what.

So when the movie opened with a bratty little kid who destroys his sister’s room, and is mean to his mother, I was immediately turned off. I know that the purpose of the story was to show how Max learns that it isn’t ok to treat people like that, but it took a long time for him to learn that lesson and very little was shown on how his actions changed (once again, the bratty kid got rewarded – this time with cake from mum!)

I must say that I was enchanted by this other world, and loved it until they all stopped getting along. The Wild Things were fun characters (for the most part) and there was a fair bit of good humour. I’m sure I would have enjoyed it a lot better if I had read the book when I was little and knew a bit more about what I was about to see, but I must admit this movie was a bit of a dud for me. I wished I had enjoyed it more, but the bratty kid ruined it.

Pet peeve – email etiquette

To whom it may concern:

If you are responding to an email I have sent you, in which I have signed my name at the bottom and the email address contains my name, please note the spelling. Actually, please just note the name. Especially if you have never met me, and this is a business interaction.

My name is not Laura. My name is Robin – with an “i”, and a capitol “R”. If you can take the time to press the shift key to spell your name with a capitol when you’re signing off, I’m sure you can take the time to press the shift key when spelling my name.

Sincerely,

Robin Lorway

Restaurant Review – Jungle Jims

Shawn celebrated his birthday this week, and it just so happened that his brother, sister-in-law and young niece and nephew were in town last weekend, so we went out to dinner to celebrate. With two young kids, we had to choose a family friendly place.

First stop was East Side Mario’s where we were told there would be a 30-40 minute wait. Second and third stop (Montanas and Jack Astors) we were told the same thing. Finally, we wandered into Jungle Jims where we were greeted with only a 10 minute wait – that was do-able!

Well turns out that the wait to actually get a table wasn’t so bad, but if you wanted to actually eat something you better be patient! We ordered right away because we were all famished. The kids were going to have chicken nuggets and asked for a plate of veggies and dip (that was supposed to be on the side) to come as an appetizer. I ordered a chicken quesadilla on a whole wheat tortilla, Shawn had an alfredo pasta, his brother ordered Surf and Turf with bbq’d shrimp, and his sister-in-law had another quesadilla. She also ordered an appetizer of crocodile tails (or potato skins…).

Well, 40 minutes later and the raw veggies still weren’t on the table, and either were our appetizers. When the waitress finally came with the veggies she said our food was “on the line”. 10 minutes later our food arrived : no appetizers, a white tortilla for me, and garlic shrimp for Shawn’s brother. Seriously?

I’m not expecting world class foods in one of these chain restaurants. I know I’m usually going to get a lot of food, and it’s going to be alright, but nothing to write home about. But the fact that she messed up almost all of our orders was incredible. It’s not as if she didn’t have time to double check things, as the whole dining experience took over 2 hours.

I was offered a whole wheat quesadilla to take home, so that was a nice gesture. And Shawn’s sister-in-law was given a free dessert because of the appetizers, but the whole experience was still disastrous. The kids were anxious to get out of there (and who could blame them), and even the adults were pretty fed up.

I did write a comment to them on their website about our issues with service, but have yet to hear back from them. Needless to say, I will never, ever go there again.

Movie #28 – Couples Retreat

Couples Retreat – Wednesday, October 21
Date : Chris
Value : $20
Total so far: $499
Location: Parklane

My brother just finished his around the world journey and landed in Halifax yesterday. It was a cold, rainy afternoon so we decided to go to the movies! I have a feeling he’s holding out to see Where the Wild Things Are, so instead we went to see Couples Retreat. I thought the cast for this movie was pretty good : Vince Vaughn, Jason Bateman, Charlotte from Sex and The City… but I should learn by now that a good cast does not necessarily mean a good movie.

One thing I will say is that the scenery was amazing!! It was filmed at the same resort that Kathy Griffin went to on My Life on the Dlist, in Bora Bora I think. The water was a most beautiful shade of blue, and the resort looked like a little piece of heaven.

The rest of the movie was pretty “meh”. There is a yoga scene that goes on for way too long, and really isn’t very funny at all. The funniest part of the entire movie is probably before the four couples take off to this retreat when one of the couples is shopping in a home renovations store and their young son mistakes a model toilet for the real thing.

It wasn’t the worst movie I’ve seen this year (or this month even), but once again, I was glad I had my free pass!

Movie #23, 24, 25, 26 and 27 (at least I think…)

Extract– September __?
Date : Shawn
Value : $20
Total so far: $419
Location: Bayers Lake

I started a post about this just after I had seen it. Truth is, it wasn’t the best movie. It was made by the same people who did Office Space, so I had certain expectations but it didn’t exactly live up to that. I do enjoy Jason Bateman, but this is far from his best work.

All About Steve– September __?
Date : Me!
Value : $10
Total so far: $429

Another dud. You would think that with Sandra Bullock, whose most recent release The Proposal was actually quite good, and Bradley Cooper starring in the movie it would be kinda good, right? Nope. I actually found it insulting to anyone who is a little bit off the normal. It was not funny, and I almost left part way through.

The Informant! – September 30
Date : Shawn
Value : $20
Total so far: $449
Location: Bayers Lake

I really wanted to see this movie. The previews looked great and I thought it would be funny and because it was based on a true story I thought it would be kind of interesting. I don’t know where this movie went wrong. Matt Damon was great as the lead character, the story was a good one, but it just didn’t all come together. I found the same jokes were repeated over and over again, and by the end I was thinking “Really? He’s lying again?”. I should also comment on the music, which I enjoyed quite a bit but I don’t know how it fit with the movie. Often times it seemed as if it was mocking the movie itself. It didn’t quite fit, even if it was quite good.

It is a neat story, but the movie does a poor job of telling it. I think it could have been a lot more interesting.

The Invention of Lying – Friday, October 3
Date : Me
Value : $10
Total so far: $459
Location: Parklane

Must have been a good week for liars! So Ricky Gervais is a brilliant man on TV, but I feel as if he’s just not translating well to the big screen. The story is about a time/place where everyone tells the truth. That is, of course, until Ricky’s character learns how to lie. He’s the only one in town that can do this, which leads to a series of events where he becomes a local hero, with plenty of money, but he’s unable to capture the heart of the woman he loves. The Beatles were right I guess! (Can’t buy me love).

The problem with people who can’t lie, is apparently they can’t shut up either. Everything they think, they say. Except sometimes they don’t – when it doesn’t work in the movie. Maybe I shouldn’t have put too much thought into this, but this small point annoyed me to no end.

There was also the whole “I can’t marry you because I don’t want fat kids” part to the movie. Sorry, but I don’t think everyone in the world is really that shallow. I’m sure a man looking like Ricky Gervais could find a suitable partner. There were some funny moments, but overall I didn’t really enjoy this movie.

A string of bad movies in a row – it’s a good thing I have this free pass!

Whip It– Tuesday, October 13
Date : Auntie Eve
Value : $20
Total so far: $479
Location: Bayer’s Lake

Finally! A movie I enjoyed. As my Aunt said leaving the theater “Well I don’t think anyone will win an Oscar for that one, but it was really fun!”

Starring local celeb Ellen Page, and directed by Drew Barrymore, this movie about Roller Derby girls was fun to watch and actually quite unpredictable. All those things that usually happen at the end of a movie, didn’t! I thought it was a great story and somewhat inspiring and empowering. Ellen Page played a young girl who stumbled upon a roller derby and discovered it was something that she wanted to do, even if it meant sneaking around for a bit to do it. She followed her ambitions, and turned out to be a star in the ring.

Of course this wasn’t something her parents wanted her to do, but in the end they rally their support and cheer her on in the final match. Ellen’s character is strong and I like the way she handled situations – especially a cheating boyfriend! It is a somewhat realistic story – on wheels.

Drew Barrymore was quite annoying in the movie though. I guess it is hard to direct yourself and see how annoying your character is (Smashley Simpson should have just done a silent jig). I love Kristen Wiig though!

There are lots of great movies in theatres now, so I will try and see as many as I can. Ones I hope to see include : Where the Wild Things Are, Couples Retreat, and The Men Who Stare at Goats.

WorldSkills TV

Here’s a look at what I’ve been doing in Calgary this past week. I’m here until Sept.8 volunteering for WorldSkills International.

WorldSkills TV