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.

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

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.

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!

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.

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

I mentioned this in my movie post, but I went back to Little Europe last week and took Shawn along with me.  I always like taking people to restaurants I love, so I was excited for him to experience the food here.

I had a lovely Honey Chicken Pecan salad, and Shawn had the Roast Chicken Sandwich with the delicious homemade “frites”.  He also had a caesar and I just settled for water on the very hot day.  When the salad first came I thought “hmm, this looks kind of small”, but once I got into it I realized it was the perfect portion.  It was filled with mandarin oranges, pecans, and chicken and I ate every last bite and felt satisfied at the end.  Shawn’s sandwich also looked delicious, but I would say his plate was lacking a bit in colour.  Maybe some red pepper slices or something on the side would have brightened it up a bit.

We finished our meal with some gelato.  Shawn is a very fussy gelato eater based on his travels all over the world, but his pistacio dessert seemed to fit the bill (so much so that he didn’t even offer me a bite….imagine!).  I opted for a grapefruit frozen yogurt because the gelato maker was raving to other customers about it, and everyone who stopped in for gelato seemed to be enjoying it.  It definitely tasted like grapefruit!  It was very yummy and so refreshing on a hot, hot day!

Last but not least, I must comment on the service.  I wish I remembered his name, but I think it started with a “V” and he was wearing a Mickey Mouse shirt.  He was so friendly, and seemed as if he just loved his job despite what a beautiful and hot day it was outside.  He was very observant, and brought additional napkins when I had used the ones provided all up.

After our meal was served, the chef came over to make sure everything was fine with our meals and he was very friendly.  I’ve rarely seen this done before, and I joked to Shawn that he must have read my blog! haha  (I don’t really think anyone reads…)

And finally, our server passed us over to the gelato guy when it was time for dessert.  He sat down with us, went over every flavour, and made it seem as if gelato was his one and only passion in life.  His energy was contagious and I couldn’t help but think his gelato was the best in the city!

So if you’re reading this, and wondering whether or not you should try this place out, just do it!

Hurt Locker– Sunday August 16
Date : Shawn
Value : $20
Total so far: $399
Location:  Parklane

Halifax is currently undergoing a bit of a heat wave.  We complained of the crappy summer for the entire month of July, so I don’t really mind the heat.  On Sunday it hit me a bit hard though.  Shawn and I had a lunch date at Little Europe, where I started to get a bit dizzy and nauseous, but the food was so darn good I tried to just get enjoy every little bite (including the grapefruit frozen yogurt), but left feeling a little worse for wear.  We decided to hit up the cinema and see Hurt Locker, with the hopes that the air conditioning would provide me with some relief.  Unfortunately I ended up closing my eyes for the first 20 minutes of the movie, trying to fall asleep and feel better (which, by the way is impossible in this war-flick), and then I decided I had to go.  So the money count still went up, but unfortunately I didn’t get to watch the movie.

…that brings us to:

Movie #24

GI Joe – Thursday, August 19
Date : McNutt
Value : $20
Total so far: $419
Location: Parklane

While the heat wave still rolls on, I did spend the day in air conditioning next to a water cooler so I knew I’d be good for this one.  This movie was just fun – there’s no other way to describe it.  I’m not going to lie, the acting wasn’t brilliant, and the script was nothing that will be Oscar nominated, but it was a fun movie.  Ryan said as we left that if he were a 10 year old boy, that would have been one of the best movies he had ever seen.  It had some good action sequences, and it didn’t try to be anything other than a fluffy movie full of beautiful people with fancy weapons.

Sienna Miller was the only downfall of this movie.  The girl can’t act.  And it’s not even the bad acting that made the rest of the characters in the movie so enjoyable, it is the type of bad acting that is really inexcusable considering how “famous” this girl is.  Why are people still putting her in movies?  There are plenty other pretty girls out there that would have done a much better job.

But I had a good night despite her less than average skills, and I’d definitely recommend checking out this movie if you’re also interested in beating this heat wave.  It won’t be amazing, but you’ll for sure have fun!

Julie/Julia – Tuesday, August 11
Date : Kim
Value : $20
Total so far: $379
Location: Dartmouth Crossing

Another rainy day!  If this keeps up, I may set a record for number of movies I’ve seen in one week!  The movie Julie/Julia was just released this week, so I hadn’t planned on going for a little while, but after seeing the small amount of people in the theatre yesterday I figured they would let me in despite the fact that passes were not accepted – and they did!

Before going to this movie I decided to buy the book by Julie Powell for my summer reading. I started off enjoying it since I share her love of preparing food, but soon lost interest as the book seemed to jump around a bit and I couldn’t really see the real purpose of Julie doing this project.  I find the movie does this a bit better as it keeps the Julie side of things on track, and focuses only on a few of the pivotal moments that helped her realize how cooking through Mastering the Art of French Cooking allowed her to discover her talents and her own secrets to happiness.

The other part of the movie that I enjoyed better than the book was that the Julia Child character (played marvelously by Meryl Streep) took up a good 50% of the screen time.  The book features letters written between Julia and Paul Child and their relatives and friends, but doesn’t exactly get into who she actually was.  I used to watch The French Chef with my mother on Sundays on PBS, and always thought she was an interesting lady.  There were many facts that I didn’t know including how passionate her love life with her husband was, how old she was when she starting cooking, and her international spy work!

I’ve heard a few people comment saying that they enjoyed the Julia Child portions of the movie much more than the Julie parts, but I enjoyed both and thought they played alongside eachother very well.  Of course Meryl Streep is going to overwhelm poor Amy Adams, but only because she is playing a character that so many people recognize, and who is known for being larger than life.

I really enjoyed the movie and would encourage anyone who was a fan of Julia Child, or a fan of cooking to go and see it.  It has inspired me to take a few less shortcuts in the kitchen, and maybe even try to make my own Beef Bourguignon!

The Brothers Bloom – Monday, August 10
Date : Me!
Value : $10
Total so far: $359
Location: Park Lane

I am currently on vacation and it is my pleasure to announce that I had just about a full week of sunshine – golorious sunshine! I’ve had bbq’s, gone to the beach, played bocce, seen the buskers, and many other activities that started with the letter “B”.  So I figured why not take advantage of a rainy day and go see the Brothers Bloom.

I saw the preview for this last month, but didn’t hear anything about it since.  There doesn’t seem to be much buzz around it, but I was intrigued by the preview so I decided it would be a good one to go see.  It stars Mark Ruffalo and Adrien Brody as the Bloom brothers who are world-class conmen working on their last heist.

I became excited at the beginning of the movie because there was a narrator.  I think that because my mum read to me so much growing up, I love being told stories.  One of my favourite shows (recently cancelled) used to be Pushing Up Daisies for this very reason.  I feel like I’m a kid again and someone is taking me on this journey with them.  Unfortunately, the narrating ended after the first few minutes, and therefore that effect was lost throughout the rest of the movie.

The movie was at times very silly, but got very serious towards the end.  I couldn’t really tell what direction they wanted to take.  And there were several twists and turns – to which one theatre goer leaving the theatre said “I just didn’t care any more if they were telling the truth or not”. I would tend to agree, except that I liked the last twist in the movie and felt it at least ended on a good note.

My favourite character in the movie was definitely Bang Bang – a japanese woman who claimed not to speak English, but seems to understand it very well.  Her antics with Barbie dolls were …. interesting to say the least!  And the costumes for her were quite fabulous as well.

This was defnitely a movie I wouldn’t have seen if I didn’t have my free pass, but I’m glad I had the opportunity to see it.  I would suggest, however, that it is more of a rental.