Thumbs Up or Down?
In addition to being a fine story writer and poet, Edgar Allan Poe was an important literary critic who could do much to make or break a writer's reputation. He reviewed many of the important writers of his time, like Nathaniel Hawthorne and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Poe wrote of Hawthorne, "High imagination gleams from every page. Mr. Hawthorne is a man of the truest genius." Poe skewered Longfellow, arguably the most popular American poet of all time, whom he accused of plagiarism.The scholarly Poe, nowadays too often confused by readers and some teachers with the drug-depressed, psychologically unstable, characters in his horror tales, would often write philosophical mini treatises on the nature of art, the short story, the epic tale, and yes . . . even his own poetry.
Poe wrote an essay, "The Philosophy of Composition," (click to link) which gives his step-by-step approach in the important decisions in writing "The Raven." The essay reads like a "How To . . . Essay." It's organized, well supported, a trifle arrogant, and well . . . maybe a huge lie. But that's another story.
However, even most scholars today would agree that "The Raven" is, if not an artistic masterpiece, then at least a lyrical "tour de force," a French phrase meaning "a particularly adroit maneuver or technique in handling a difficult situation." The difficult situation was of Poe's own making, the feat of weaving meter, rhyme, and sound to create a hypnotizing, melancholy, effect on the readers of "The Raven."
Your journal assignment is to be a critic of some type. Visit a restaurant, read a book, watch a movie, listen to a CD, or go to an art gallery. Then summarize what you've taken in. Tell me (or us) what you think, feeling free to add what you might have done better had you been the cook, the novelist, the director, the singer, or the artist. You may comment on someone else's reveiw as long as you maintain a friendly tone. Heck, if YOU want to be SOPOE, why not tell me (us) how you created your own artistic masterpiece, as Poe did in "The Philosophy of Composition"?
posted by JTF @ 8:54 PM
48 comments
48 Comments:
Here is a copy of a review of the Szechuan Restaurant that was published in the Wilmington News Journal:
Just inside the door at Szechuan, two walls greet diners. One is covered with 30 years worth of dining reviews, all good. The other is filled with photos of children whose families have been treasured customers for many of those 30 years.
Those walls prove there are two things you can count on at Szechuan – pride, and love.
While my rapidly advancing age and my obligation to respect diners’ appetites precludes having my picture posted with the kids, I’d be honored to have my review hung on Szechuan’s Great Wall of Honor one day.
In it, I’d surely say all kinds of glowing things about this venerable Chinese fixture, I’d feel obliged to offer them some friendly advice, but I’d also try to avoid the tone of some high-minded and pompous restaurant critic, and speak with the more heartfelt sentiment of a longtime customer – because that is what I am.
Szechuan draws me back as a lover of honest food – food with integrity and wholesome character. In the days of homogenized chains and cookie-cutter Chinese restaurants, Szechuan has the verve and the dependability to stand as one of the state’s best bets for Far Eastern bliss.
True, Szechuan lags well behind the culinary innovations that have elevated East Asian cuisine in Delaware. Its buffet, while ridiculously affordable and generally solid, can be disappointing in comparison to the main menu’s dishes. The dated and careworn décor seems about 20 years past its prime.
But Szechuan makes up for much with its honorable, generous nature. Give them respect for using fresh seasonal vegetables in their ever-evolving specials. Give them credit for refusing to take the easy path toward bland and safe middle-of-the-road tastes.
Most of that credit is due to longtime chef Tse-Yun Young and owner Victor Wu, who speaks with pride of his insistence on using better ingredients than his competitors – instead of the gristly beef found in most Chinese restaurants, you’ll find nothing but tender cuts.
Instead of dry and tasteless chicken, you get moist, marinated morsels. Instead of dishes whose tastes are practically interchangeable, you’ll find surprises, along with a fair dose of sassiness that most others are too timid to try.
While the menu is predictably filled with Chinese-American standards, diners can count on them to be prepared with far more care and taste (along with less grease) than in most Chinese restaurants here. The chef’s specials are always a treat, from the gently pleasing House Special Pan Fried Noodles ($12.95) to the retro-rocket heat of C.J. Special, an irresistibly devilish concoction that may be the hottest plate in the state.
Recently, Wu and Co. also have begun offering a neat way for diners to tailor dishes to their tastes with a mix-and-match mini-menu of various vegetables, sauces and meats. Here’s one winner: Prawns with spicy garlic sauce, snow peas, onions and celery ($12.95).
Or, if less creative urges prevail, try one of Young’s noodle soups ($5.95-$8.95), guaranteed to chase fall’s chills. Follow with a true Szechuan classic, shredded beef with “Hot Spice Sauce,” a deft balancing act between a fiery and tender personality. I have found no other restaurant in Delaware with such a potent, invigorating touch with black bean sauce (I favor it with shrimp, $12.95); and Young’s version of Gen. Tso’s Chicken ($10.95) has yet to be matched.
Still, when I’m feeling the need for something fiery after a dull day at work, I never can find the will to resist Szechuan’s Sesame Beef ($10.95). The sliced meat is fried softly, seasoned delicately, then given the spark of long hot peppers, fried to a crackly crunch.
Of course, I slice up the incendiary little devils and add them back to the dish, a procedure not for the fainthearted. Try it yourself, and through the pleasant pain you too may see how much a place like Szechuan can bring – and how far its rivals lag behind.
Just today, Dec. 30, I went to see the movie "Black Christmas." The movie was about a man, William "Billy" Lenz, who was not wanted by his mother because he reminded her of his father. His parents did not get along. His mother had an affair and when Billy's father found out his mother and her new boyfriend murdered Billy's father brutally. Billy had climbed through the walls and witnessed all of this. His mother saw him through a hole in the wall and then locked him in the attic. Later on, Billy's mother had a baby girl, Agnes. Agnes was Billy's new sister and daughter (if you know what I mean). Billy murdered his mother and new stepfather, but only hurt Agnes. Billy was put into an insane asylum and had tried to escape every Christmas. When he finally did, he found Agnes and they went back to their old house so the can be a family again. The only problem was that their house was now a sorority house. Billy didn’t want anyone else in the world to have a family because he never had one. So Billy and Agnes went on a killing spree of the sorority sisters. I thought this movie was extremely predictable and wasn’t scary at all. It had a few parts that made you jump but not enough to completely scare you. The commercials made it seem as if it was going to make you pee your pants or something. But it really didn’t. If I were the director of this movie, I would have made it more suspenseful and less predictable. I would also make it so that the killers, Billy and Agnes, had more conversations with the people they were going to murder. Billy had a few phone calls with the sorority sisters, but not many. I would have made the ending different also. I would have made it so that Billy didn't die. They girls had burned the house down with him in it and he still didnt die. But then, in the last scene one of the sorority sisters pushes him off over a ledge and he dies by landing on top of a Christmas tree with the star and the top of the tree through his heart (gross). The movie looked good on the commercials but turned out to be terribly bad. I give "Black Christmas" a thumbs down!
One of my favorite places to eat is a little place called Five Guys. It is located in Lantana Shopping Center, right where McDonald's used to be. It is pretty small inside, but the amount of tables inside will surprize you. It is very nice and almost all of the walls are covered with awards from magazines and articles, to competitions showing how good the food is. The foods they have are hamburgers, hot dogs and frys, and they are some of the best I have ever had. They have every type of topping you could thing of that you could put on one of the famous two patty burgers, or one of the "little burgers" that are not so little. Then the hot dogs, which are very good and also can come with many toppings. I give Five Guys two thumbs up.
A few days ago, while I was in Lake Placid NY, I saw the movie pursuit of happyness. The inn that I stayed at was on Main Street of Lake Placid, just a short walk from a charming old movie theatre. We were tired from skiing all day so we decided to go see a movie.
This movie is about a man named Chris Gardner, who is played by Will Smith. He is having a rough time wit his job, which is selling a type of x ray machines to doctors and hospitals. His wife is getting fed up with him because they do not have much money and are barely able to pay the rent of their apartment. The young couple has a son named Christopher. The reason the title is spelled "happyness" and not the correct version is because of Christopher’s preschool. There is a door near the school with the word happyness on it and whenever Chris walks by the door, he tells the owner to spell it right. Back to the plot, one day Chris sees a man with a nice car and he asks him, "What do you do, and how do you do it?" The man tells him that he is a stock broker. Chris goes in the building and sees is he too can get a job there. He tells his wife that he is trying to get a job there but she is fed up with him. She goes away for the night and takes Christopher with her. Chris was very upset and says that he never wants his son separated from him again. Soon after this his wife leaves him and their son and goes to live in New York City. Chris tries very hard to get the job and he does everything that he can. He ends up getting the chance to be an intern. While he is an intern, he is homeless because he was evicted from his apartment. Since he does not have a home, he lives in a homeless shelter. Out of the twenty interns, only one person gets to actually work at the company. Out of those twenty people, Chris gets picked. At the end of the movie there are words across the screen saying that Chris is now a multi-millionaire.
I think that the plot of this movie is very good. It was two hours which is pretty long for a movie. I think that they could have shortened the middle of the movie where he is working as an intern. By shortening this part, they could have added more on how his life has changed from being homeless to a multi-millionaire. Two actors that did a good job in this movie were Will Smith, and his son Jaden Christopher Syre Smith. It was interesting that they are not only father and son in the movie, but also in real life. I would give this movie two thumbs up.
I recently bought the new Christina Aguilera CD, Back to Basics. In this CD her goal was to do what the title suggests, to take music or her own at least back to where it originated. She did this very well in my mind. A majority of the songs on the CD have a real old "jazzy" feel to them, ex. "Ain't No Other Man". In recent media interviews, she makes it known that she believes vocal music, in general, has lost strong vocals. That, now-a-day the beat is making the song, and artists no longer always have true vocal talent. While the beats and rythms in her songs are still good, the listener is made to focus on the lyrics and her voice or at certain instances, individual instruments that are really being played well.
In the past, songs also had meaning. They were more than something made, just to make people want to party. Her songs, her CD, has a message. The second song on the CD is about paying tribute to the music icons of the past who are responsible for creating R&B. One song is about taking relationships slow, another song is to inspire the listener to stay strong throughout many tough situations. She also has a song expressing the need of prayer. Some topics are more serious than others; nonetheless, they're are still present within the music.
The last thing she did to bring this CD "back to the basics" was to keep everything "real" with the listener. The best musicians are normally the ones whom the listener can relate to best. The topics she sings about allow us to get to know her, and some of the situations she went through in her life. She doesn't put herself on a pedistle. It is evident that from her last CD, Dirrty, she has matured a great deal. IT is let known in this CD, but she still makes a point to let us know that she's still the same person. When it comes down to it, Christina Aguilera really brought music back to it's basics, and has hopefully challenged other artists to do so aswell. Since I touched on 3 main parts of taking her music back to the way it all started, I feel inclined to give her 3 out of 3 stars.
I recently rented and watched the movie Invinceable. This movie is the life story of Vince Papale who was a Philadelphia Eagle in the 70's. The movie starts out with Vince being unemployed except for a few substitute teaching jobs and working a few hours at his friends bar. He only plays football with his friend and he is defineatly the best out of all of them. When he goes home after playing with his friends he finds his house empty except for a note that his with left him that says that he will not go anywhere or do anything with his life. Vince is also a big Eagles fan and he goes to most home games with his friends. After many dissappointing seasons they bring in a new coach from UCLA, Dick Vermeil. Dick announces that there will be open tryouts and anyone who wanted to could go. After much encouragement from his friends Vince goes down to the tryouts not expecting to come close to making the team. It ends up that he is the only player that the coach invites to training camp. on the first day at training camp he works really hard and the veteran player tell him to stop trying and let the players that are going to make the team look good. He continues through training camp making it past all the cuts. The team needs to cut one last player and all the other coaches think they should cut Vince because none of the other players like him and the other player that they are looking at cutting is a player that had been on the team before. Vince does make the team because Dick wants him on the team. The team lost all of the pre season games and the opener against Dallas which makes the fans feel like they are looking at another dissappointing season. In Vinces debut he does not perform well at all and Dick Vermeil starts to feel the heat for letting Vince on the team. The next game against the Giants Vince recovers a fumble he caused and scores the winning touchdown as time runs out. Vince only ended up playing three seasons with the Eagles, and is still a big Eagles fan living in New Jersey. I think that this was a good movie and I suggest that any Eagles or football fan should see this movie if they have not.
Just this weekend, I watched the movie "Lake House." This movie is about a lonely doctor,Kate(Sandra Bullock),who once lived in an unuasual lakeside home. She started exchanging letters, which soon became love letters, to the former resident of the lake house,Alex(Keanu Reeves),who is an architect. They start sending each other letters through the mailbox about the house and then they realize they are living in two different time zones. Alex is living in the year 2004, while Kate is living in the year of 2006. They started falling in love through the letters, but realized they would never be able to meet one another.
Kate thought of a time in the past where she left her book, "Persuasion", at the train station. So she asks Alex to go the train station at that precise moment so they can see eachother. Things get very complicated and they are unable to meet. Kate tells Alex to move on because she doesn't think she will ever find happiness and they will never meet. Two years later, Kate has a boyfriend and they visit an architecture firm and meet Alex's brother. Kate asks where Alex is but his brother lets her know that Alex died 2 years ago in a bus accident. Kate rushes to the lake house mailbox and tells Alex not to meet her anywhere and not to cross the street. She didn't recieve a letter back instantly and thought Alex didn't get her letter. She turned around crying, but Alex appears standing there. So they finally met and obviously fell in love!
This movie confused me alot the first time I watched it because I didn't understand how they were communicating in two different time zones. I watched it a second time and it was still confusing but I understood it alittle more. I think this movie was amazing. I would deffinitely recommend this movie, maybe not to guys because it is more of a "chick-flick", but deffinitely to the girls.
When I went to see Eragon in theatres, I was elated, bouncing around in my seat while waiting for the movie to begin. When I left the theater, I was nearly in tears. Compared to the book, the movie was horrendous, hardly deserving(I think) the two stars that the News Journal gave it.
The movie(and book) is about a young farm boy living with his uncle and cousin who finds a dragon egg in the mountains. Forced to flee from his home with only his bow, the dragon Saphira and the storyteller(and ex-Dragon Rider) Brom, Eragon must face the evil King Galbatorix to free Alagaesia from his tyrannical rule.
Unfortunately, this is about how close to the book the movie came. The movie followed the plot of the book too loosely for it to have been based on the book. The entire thing was too rushed and needed to be about an hour and a half to two hours longer than it was. Three important events was completly left out, only to have small snippets shoved together into fifteen minuets that actually occured over a period of two months. Some events were twisted around, and some were not even in the book. Four important characters were left out and two important characters did not have the screen time they needed. Many of the chracters were out of character and it was obvious that many of the actors were new to the field. There was no difference between humans, Elves and Dwarves who all looked the same.
I went into the theater with high expectations only to be horribly let down. I give Eragon one half out of four stars, only because Saphira looked cool. If they decide to make Eldest into a movie, I only hope that more time and thought is put into the next movie.
Over the summer i attended a Teddy Geiger concert at the Theater of the Living Arts on South Street in Philly. Two weeks before the concert, all i listened to was him. I knew all the words to everyone of his songs. My friends and I were so pumped. The night of the concert we waited in a short line outside of the theater for only about twenty minutes. As we entered, we were greeted by Dirtie Blonde, the opening act, which was a really cool experience. It showed just how much they cared about the fans. The Theater of the Living Arts is a really small vicinity. It has no seats except for upstairs on the balcony. It's a really cool place to see a concert because your so close to the band and can actually see his face unlike at other big concerts. As the theater filled up with fans, everybody's adrenaline was flowing.
After what seemed like forever, the opening act, Dirtie Blonde, came onstage. I had never heard them before and actually loved their music. They had such a unique sound, unlike any other bands i have ever heard. The raspy voice of the female lead singer clashed well with the sound of the guitar, drums, and keyboard. Dirtie Blonde played for a well deserved time of about an hour.
Then, the lights dimmed down low. The crowd cheered. And the guy all the teenage girls had been waiting for stepped out onto the stage. Since there were only about 200 people there, pretty much everybody was really close to him. He started off playing "Night Air". It was amazing. He played the piano and the guitar beautifully. Not too mention his electric guitarist had an awesome guitar solo in the middle of "Try Too Hard". After about an hour and a half of playing, the concert was over. Still, my friends and I had the same energy we had in the concert the whole way home.
I have been to a few concerts before and the artists always seem to sound better on the radio or CD. This time it was different. Teddy Geiger was the first person who actually sounded better in concert. After this concert, he definately became my favorite singer. I can not wait until he comes back to Philly so that I can see him again.
On of the best and most interesting movies I have ever seen was called SLC Punk!. The title stands for Salt Lake City Punk. The movie is about 2 guys who are true "punks". They share an apartment together in Salt Lake City after Graduating College. The main character is named Steve-O and his roommate/best friend is named Bob, or Heroin Bob. The irony in Bob's nickname, Heroin Bob, is that he doesn't use any kind of drug, is against them, and most of all, afraid of needles. The 2 boys have a mission to create Anarchy in the U.S.A. Part of the movie is spent explaining Anarchy and how there are a lot of "fake" anarchists. He describes these people as the one who say "Anarchy in the U.K." and dress a certain way, but he believe these people are not true to what a real Anarchist is. The movie shows them at 3 parties, a concert, and various places around the town. Steve-O, who narrates the whole movie, also explains how different labeled groups hate each other. He, at one point, shows you a line of groups, and it’s a chain on who fights with whom. The movies also take part with Bob in a mental hospital after punching a mirror and hurting his hand, with doing that the hand gets infected and needs a shot. Since Bob is afraid of needles, he goes crazy when they try to give him the shot, and then gets put in a mental hospital. The movies ends on a sad note with Bob dying. Bob, who did not like drugs, was given some pills and O.D. on them. The narriation of the movies is being told in a flashback, and he is talking about life before bob's funeral.
I thought the movie was great. Generally I enjoy funny movies that don't make you think much. This movie was told by a young person, but still made you think about politics, society, and most of all life. The best parts of the movie were the beginning and the ending. Throughout the movie you saw both Steve-O and Bob grow up in very big ways. Steve-O starts to realize that he needs to get his life in some order. Bob wants to marry his girlfriend in the movie named Trish. The very ending of the movie, at Bob's funeral you sees Steve-O sitting in the church. He had shaved off his blue hair and changed his views on most everything. The transformations of the characters in the movie are brilliant to watch. I saw a different side to people and made me think about my own life a lot. One of the key elements to the movie was it seemed like you were in the room with the characters when they were at places. They had the setting perfect that it seemed like you watching footage from an actual party. The only thing I would have changed in the movie was I would have had more of a story line for Bob. Even though he was only a secondary character, he was a very big part of the story. I would highly recommend the movie for someone who like to think, but can take criticism on life, because in most cases, you know he is right.
Every once in a while a great television show appears, these past two years that show has been "LOST". Co-creator, producer, and writer Damon Lindelof is the captain at the helm of this amazing show and has dazzled audiences with his genius writing skills. The plot of "LOST" is simple: castaways from an Oceanic Airlines flight try to survive on what appears to be a deserted island somewhere in the Pacific Ocean. However simple the main concept may sound the intricate details continue to confuse, in a good way, fans and inspire new "LOST cults" every week. One only has to look on the internet to discover just how much of a fan base this show has. The "mysterious numbers" have prompted several mathematical graduates to post their own theories of what the numbers amount to, including some people's ideas of where exactly in the ocean this island is. Another excelent point is that this show can be taken at so many different levels. Whether you are looking for a puzzling yet thought provoking, conspiracy theory-inspiring television progaram or just an entertaining late-night TV show you will be satisfied. It can even be looked upon as a religion-oriented and highly symbolic prophetic series. However I would not recomend this as something to start watching mid-season as it will confuse you all to much, so do a little research before diving in. Nevertheless, this show is an example of great TV and I highly recomend it; it will leave you thinking days after seeing it. No matter if you use it as a way to inspire a different kind of thinking or if you just take it at face value you will enjoy it. If I could borrow the over-used cliche, "two thumbs way up!"
A few months ago I had purchased "Glory Road" on Itunes. As you may know this a is the true story of the 1962 Texas Western Basekeball team who beat the odds and won a national championship. The story begins with Don Haskins, played by John Lucas, gets his first chance to coach divison 1A baseketball. Haskins soon runs into a problem when he begins to recruit new players. None of the top name player wanted to join a team that had a losing record for the past few years, So Haskins does the unthinkable. He recruit seven new players all of which are African American. This started a big up roar in the baskeball community because most people felt that the African American players were not not smart enough to play in the college level.
As the movie goes on it portrays the hardship and troubled times that Don Haskins and his team had to go through. In one porticular sceen, the team had stopped off at a diner to eat breakfast. One member of the team had went to the rest room alone, and as he walked in two white men beat him until he could no longer stand. The team later made a vow that they would not stand for that anymore.
Don Haskins and the Texas Western baskeball team started to gain national attenion, but still other coaches in the country still felt that their success was a fluke. The Minors decieded that the wanted to change all that. they did this by making their way through the NCAA tournement. Then in the final game agaisnt Kentucky, the heavy favorites, Don Haskins did something that would change the game of baseketball forvever, he only played the black players. The went on to win the National Championship and change the game forever.
I enjoied this movie a lot. As a person of African descent myself I found it interesting to see how things were not always as easy as today as they were back then, even in so simple like baseketball. This movie shows a great deal of adversity, it shows a team that no one wanted to could of guess would win it all and in the end the whole country cheers for them. I aso thought the acting of John Lucas was amazing in playing don Haskins.
The only thing I think i would have changed if i was director is i would have detailed individuals of teams stories. To me it felt like the moive only focused on Don Haskins and a little bit of the star player, but i know if you would have asked the other members of the team they could proably tell many stories of their experience.
All in all i would say that this is a must watsh movie not just for the sports fan, but for people across america.
Mr. Fio the Anonymous one is Julian Jone i forgot to do the name sorry!!
One of my favorite bands is Incubus. On November 28, 2006 they released a new album, Light Grenades. After what would seem like their peak with A Crow Left of the Murder, Brandon Boyd and the rest of the musicians managed to put together some decent tunes. At first I wasn’t sure how to take this album. I’m very much a devoted fan, however; this album was somewhat opposite from the rest. To start off, the album’s first singles, “Anna Molly” and “Dig” are vastly catchy and really bring the album to life. I think most people would agree that these songs can definitely be played over and over and never get old. The album’s title track, "Light Grenades", sounds like something off of S.C.I.E.N.C.E., a previous Incubus album that is undeniably the harshest. This song doesn’t really appeal to me. The lyrics are written well but not presented too pleasingly. It sounds very painful and chaotic, like the guitarist is ready to tear his guitar to pieces. I think it’s a fine addition to the album though. It puts a spark back in the fire that “Earth to Bella” and “Love Hurts” has put out. After listening to songs such as “Paper Shoes”, and “Pendulous Threads”, it seems pretty obvious that they ran out of ideas. From start to finish, these songs are annoying and repetitive. They offer nothing to the album but filler. The biggest flaw of the songs is that they lack a strong, memorable melody, something that Incubus has never really failed to deliver before. Oh well, no album can be perfect. The funny thing is, the best song by a long shot is “Look Alive”, however; this song was only released on the Japanese version of the album. The lyrics are perfect and really show what Incubus is capable of. It’s probably one of my favorite songs of all time. All in all, I give this album 4 out of 5 stars. If “Look Alive” was on, it I’d prob give it 6.
I would have to say that one of my favorite movies would have to be "Stepmom." It is the story of divorced parents with two children. Jackie (Susan Sarandon) and Luke (Ed Harris) share custody of their daughter and son. Anna (Jena Malone) and Ben (Liam Aiken) hate the fact that their parents are divorced and to make matters worse, Luke has a new girlfriend and soon to be fiancé. The kids don't like Isabel (Julia Roberts) very much and neither does their mother. Some small mishaps occur when the kids are in the care of Isabel, which only adds to Jackie's dislike of her. Some ways into the movie, Jackie is hit with the news that she has cancer. She goes and gets treatment without anyone finding out. When the treatment at home doesn't work, she gets plane tickets to go out of the country to get more advanced medical treatment. Isabel finds the tickets one day and accuses Jackie of trying to take the kids and leave without any warning. This feud between them then forces Jackie to tell Isabel the truth. Eventually, Jackie tells her ex-husband and the kids. Now, there is nothing more her doctor can do and Jackie decides to just go home and spend the time she has left with her children for the holidays. Christmas is coming and Jackie asks for Isabel's help with a special project she is working on for her kids. Isabel agrees to help and they soon reconcile for the sake of Anna and Ben. Christmas comes and Jackie's projects are given to the kids (I would tell you what they are, but I don't want to give it all away). After gifts are exchanged and opened, a picture is taken of the family with mom and stepmom side by side.
I watched this movie for the first time with my mom and my aunt. Once it got toward the end of the movie, the three of us were all crying.
This is an amazing movie that I think all women should see. Guys can too, but it's more of a "chick-flick" than anything. I would definitely give this movie two thumbs up.
In a small restaurant called Trattoria de Napoli you can get all the Italian culture and food you want. The restaurant is beautifully decorated with Italian pictures and other things. The walls are beautifuly painted as a Italian building. You really get a feeling that you're in a little restaurant in Italy.
The food here is amazing. Their menu has an amazing variety and has almost anything you could want. Also the prices here are about as cheap as you can get for an authentic Italian restaurant. When they come out and serve the food the quantity is enormous and it's almost like you need two people to eat just one meal. The food is very good and tasty. I would recommend the chicken parmigan and the crab bisques soup. Two very good choices, but there are also many other delicious items on the menu.
The service at Trattoria de Napoli is outstanding. As soon as you order your food it's almost like you get it right away. They prepare the food extremely quick. Also the servers are very nice here and most are Italian. A lot of them know you and it's like everyone in the restaurant becomes friends. This Italian restaurant just gives me a very authentic Italian experience. I give Trattoria de Napoli 5 stars.
Food is something I love to judge. My favorite restaurant is Bugaboo Creek Steakhouse. The steakhouse is designed on the outside to look somewhat like a log cabin. The inside continues that theme with moving bears, beavers,woodpeckers, foxes, fish and a talking moose.
The waiters and waiteresses give fantastic serves. They come right up to your table if not soon after or a little after. The longest wait my family and I have ever had was I'd about 5 minutes.
When your drink order is ready they bring out hot, chewy, and delicious slices of bread with butter. The bread is very good, addicting and you can get as many slices as you want.
Your order comes out hot and ready and is served to your ordering. My favorite meal is getting a Garden salad as an appetizer and then my meal is the Lodge Fillet a 7oz steak served with my choice of side. My side is always fries.
When you are done the waiter/waitress will ask if you would liek dessert. They have chocolate cake, huge chocolate chip cookies that melt in your mouth, and cheescake are the top. Drinks include beer, wine, and coffee.
By the time you pay your bill you are ready to loosing up your belt. Bugaboo Creek fills you right up. Their service, their food, and their setting give you that fill out a great restaurant and a place to come anytime. Bugaboo Steak house I give "two Thumbs Up"
I recently bought the CD Joe Strummer and the Mescaleros-Streetcore. It blew my mind with its awesomeness. I've always been a huge fan of Joe Strummer since he was rhythm guitarist and lead singer of The Clash, who are one of my favorite bands. I've heard some of his work with the Mescaleros here and there and thought it was good but blasphemous and couldn't compare to the Clash. When Joe Strummer died in 2002 before the release of this album I always wanted him to be remembered being from The Clash and not the Mescaleros. This album totally changed my mind. It was used and only 7 bucks so I decided I should try it out. After listening through a couple of times and it was so nice to hear Joe Strummers voice in more recent recordings it sounded like a breakthrough album. Some of his best work is on this album. It's a totally breakthrough sound thats very trippy and psychadelic with heavy punk rock, reggae, and folk influences. This album had it all the good points an album should have with an excellent Bob Marley cover of "redemption song." He wrote a song called "long shadow" which is about Johnny Cash who was in bad health when the Mescaleros recorded it and it was such an amazing tribute. The ironic part is that Joe Strummer ended up dying before Johnny Cash.
It was a great album that different generations would like and I'm glad Joe Strummer went down fighting with this album.
I recently saw a fairly decent movie called American History X. The movie tells the story of how a neo-nazi named Derrick Vinyard (Edward Norton) tries to change his lifestyle and keep his younger brother Danny (Edward Furlong) from following in his footsteps. The younger brother is forced forced to start having a special history class with his principle (Avery Brooks) at Venice Beach high school. They call this class ‘american history X” and Danny's first assignment is to write about Derrick and how Danny is following in Derricks footsteps. The thing is Derrick was in jail for three years before all of this and is released the same day this assignment is being handed down. Derrick does not want his younger brother to follow in his footsteps of gang banging and random acts of race-fueled violence. When Derrick was in prison he had a revelation of his life thanks the principle of the high school who was Derrick’s teacher when he was in school. Derrick tries to hang with the other Nazis in prison but he cant keep up and ends up spending time alone or with his fellow work mate who is secretly keeping the black community off of his back. This movie was actually very good and some people may disagree with very profane language and images of hate but it helps get across a good message. That message is not about being non-racist and loving everyone but it is a message about the life you live. The message is “are you happy with your life?” and this is what Derrick stumbles upon while in prison and realizes he needs to change his ways and his life of being angry all the time was not worth it.
A couple of months ago i saw a movie with my friends. Will Farrel starred in "Talladega Nights-The Ballad of Ricky Bobby." I thought it was hilarious. I have a pretty cool talent i guess you would call it of being able to remember lines from a movie after only one time of seeing it, and all i did for a while was quote that movie. Recently i was at a wrestling tournament and one of my friends got it for Christmas and said he watched it a lot. And so all of us all weekend just quoted the movie. The movie is about a race car driver who devotes his whole life to winning and then gets in this terrible crash that changes him. So he has to get over his trauma and learn to win again to get his life back. There were so many good, funny lines in the movie throughout. The lines, jokes, events, actions, and just the overall theme of the movie is original, clever, unpredictable, and just down right outrageously funny. Two thumbs up no doubt.
I am going to be the critic for a movie. I guess I will just do it on the movie Ice Age The Meltdown, which is the second Ice Age. I saw this movie a couple nights ago. It was a Christmas present from my aunt and uncle.
Ok. This movie was really funny, but I think the first one was a little funnier.
My favorite character is Sid, the Sloth. He is so funny, and he is the one that keeps the tribe together. This tribe is not like every other tribe. It has a sloth, a sabertooth tiger, and a wooly mammoth. The wooly mammoth is the voice of Raymond form "Everybody Loves Raymond". Who doesn't love Raymond. Anyway. The voices fit the characters perfectly.
The best part of the entire movie is when Sid is kidnaped by little sloths while he is sleeping. They call him the fire god and mimic whatever he does. The sounds they make are hilarious.
The worst part about the movie was that the squirrel in this movie was not as funny as in the last one. The squirrel was one of the best parts in the first one, and I don't think they spent enough time on it for the second movie. They should have worked on it longer, and given it less show time, but funnier material.
Overall, I give this movie four stars. It's always good to see a really funny movie that is still age appropriate for everyone.
Hey Mr. Fio, there are a lot of good movies out there and then there are really horrible movies that should of never been made. Then there are the movies that are almost perfect in every aspect and are just the greatest movies ever made. One of these movies is a comedy by Adam Sandler. Its called "Going Overboard"; and its Adam Sandlers first movie ever so its not well known. But if you want to take a look at a quick scene from the movie you just have to go to http://movies.aol.com/movie/going-overboard/23437/trailer and click on "Adam Sandler: How they began". Now as I told you the movie is called Going Overboard; and Adam Sandler plays a guy by the Name of Shecky Moskowitz (funny name, huh). Now Shecky is a cocktail waiter on this pleasure cruise loaded with stunningly gorgeous beauty queens. Since the ships comedian, Dickie Diamond gets all the girls by being Mr. Funny man, Shecky decides that he wants to be the new ship comedian. But Dickie doesn't want the competation so he doesn't let Shecky open up for him. So ironically Dickie gets himself locked in his bathroom on the cruise ship. So in need of a comic act, Shecky gets his big break at performing standup. Now suddenly all the girls are interested in the new funny Shecky. But the real question is will he sink or will he swim?
Now this movie is definatly my favorite, but its one of those movies you either really like or you think is stupid.
I have been listening to a song called "Hurt" by Christina Aguilera.
LYRICS::
"Seems like it was yesterday when I saw your face
You told me how proud you were, but I walked away
If only I knew what I know today
Ooh, ooh
I would hold you in my arms
I would take the pain away
Thank you for all you've done
Forgive all your mistakes
There's nothing I wouldn't do
To hear your voice again
Sometimes I wanna call you
But I know you won't be there
Ohh I'm sorry for blaming you
For everything I just couldn't do
And I've hurt myself by hurting you
Some days I feel broke inside but I won't admit
Sometimes I just wanna hide 'cause it's you I miss
And it's so hard to say goodbye
When it comes to this, oooh
Would you tell me I was wrong?
Would you help me understand?
Are you looking down upon me?
Are you proud of who I am?
There's nothing I wouldn't do
To have just one more chance
To look into your eyes
And see you looking back
Ohh I'm sorry for blaming you
For everything I just couldn't do
And I've hurt myself, ohh
If I had just one more day
I would tell you how much that I've missed you
Since you've been away
Ooh, it's dangerous
It's so out of line
To try and turn back time
I'm sorry for blaming you
For everything I just couldn't do
And I've hurt myself by hurting you"
This song is all about her father. He had died, and she never got to say goodbye or say that she was sorry for everything. I think that this song is one of the deepest and intense songs I have ever heard. It pours her emotions of her father and how much she loved him. She wants him back so much and it hurts her. The song shows her true feelings and how she delivers the song is amazing. You can really feel her anger and sadness in her words that she sings. This is a normal reaction to a death, through a singer, it's so much more, and in here you can tell. Christina makes me feel as if you should never take for granted what you have because one day it could be gone forever and this is how you will feel. I don't ever want to feel this "hurt" inside. The feeling would be to much for me to handle, but everyone dies eventually, which makes the wold seem so cruel and unfair. Christina had deffinately put her point across and her feelings are strongly heard and felt in others. That's the gift of an artist, you can make anyone feel what you want to in the power of your lonely words.
In my opinion, she has done an absolutely fantastic job with her song "Hurt".
About 2 weeks ago I attended a movie with some of my friends called “Night at the Museum.” The movie is very new and stars some very good actors such as Ben Stiller, Owen Wilson, and Robin Williams. The movie was about Ben Stiller, who played the main character, getting a job at the local museum as a night guard/security officer. Stiller gets the job, which was the previous job of three old men. Stiller takes the job not knowing at night everything in the museum turns to life because of an ancient Egyptian artifact. The old men tell Ben Stiller not to let anything in or out before they give him the job. They give him a list of things to do when everything comes to life such as throw the bone to the dinosaur and lock the lions up before they eat you. Ben Stiller doesn’t read the list, and the first night at the museum he finds out what he has gotten himself in to. As the weeks go by he begins to get a grasp on the job and follows his list. The movie goes on about the nights he spends at the museum and relationships he makes with the people and creatures. The movie is about how important history actually can be and in the movie they say, “ History comes alive.” I won’t tell the ending and ruin it for any of you who have not seen the movie, but I definitely recommend this movie to people of all ages and gender. The movie had a very good theme and was very humorous. The actors were very good which made the movie better because anytime you put Ben Stiller, Owen Wilson and Robin Williams in a movie it’s destined to be funny and entertaining. The idea for the movie was very good and the overall movie was on a scale of 1-10, an 8. The criticism I have of the movie is that it was too short, and didn’t really have a complicated or involved plot. It was mostly about the people and things coming alive at night. I think it could have been better in some scenes and the beginning was very slow, but began to get better quickly. I do suggest you see this movie it was well worth the ten dollars, which movie tickets cost today. By the way don’t bring a date you will be broke after buying tickets and food.
((for some reason it would not allow me to post without having a google account..my sister has one, so I just used her's))
About 2 weeks ago I attended a movie with some of my friends called “Night at the Museum.” The movie is very new and stars some very good actors such as Ben Stiller, Owen Wilson, and Robin Williams. The movie was about Ben Stiller, who played the main character, getting a job at the local museum as a night guard/security officer. Stiller gets the job, which was the previous job of three old men. Stiller takes the job not knowing at night everything in the museum turns to life because of an ancient Egyptian artifact. The old men tell Ben Stiller not to let anything in or out before they give him the job. They give him a list of things to do when everything comes to life such as throw the bone to the dinosaur and lock the lions up before they eat you. Ben Stiller doesn’t read the list, and the first night at the museum he finds out what he has gotten himself in to. As the weeks go by he begins to get a grasp on the job and follows his list. The movie goes on about the nights he spends at the museum and relationships he makes with the people and creatures. The movie is about how important history actually can be and in the movie they say, “ History comes alive.” I won’t tell the ending and ruin it for any of you who have not seen the movie, but I definitely recommend this movie to people of all ages and gender. The movie had a very good theme and was very humorous. The actors were very good which made the movie better because anytime you put Ben Stiller, Owen Wilson and Robin Williams in a movie it’s destined to be funny and entertaining. The idea for the movie was very good and the overall movie was on a scale of 1-10, an 8. The criticism I have of the movie is that it was too short, and didn’t really have a complicated or involved plot. It was mostly about the people and things coming alive at night. I think it could have been better in some scenes and the beginning was very slow, but began to get better quickly. I do suggest you see this movie it was well worth the ten dollars, which movie tickets cost today. By the way don’t bring a date you will be broke after buying tickets and food.
((for some reason it would not allow me to post without having a google account..my sister has one, so I just used her's -- Ryan McCallin))
Over this past Christmas break my friend and I saw a movie called The Holiday. The movie was very good. Although it is perceived as being a chick-flick, The Holiday is much more. The plot is amazing and is very deep. And, the actors/actresses who were in the movie did a fantastic job.
The movie is about two women who have given up on love after coming out of long and bad relationships. To cope with their depression, the two women decide to go on a vacation over Christmas break. Both of them visit a site on the Internet where people who have never met each other swap houses for a period of time. The two women decide to swap houses over the Christmas break of two weeks. The two women are played by Cameron Diaz and Kate Winslet. Kate Winslet lives in England and Cameron Diaz lives in Los Angeles. Each has amazing homes and jobs. After the two swap homes, they each start different adventures. They both find love- an essential to the chick-flick claim. Diaz’s character meets Winselt’s character’s brother, who happens to be lovely Jude Law. By fate, the two meet and fall in love instantly. On the other hand, Winslet’s character befriends an elderly retired Hollywood movie script writer, who is the neighbor of Diaz’s character. Winslet also meets Diaz’s character’s co-worker who happens to be the ever hilarious Jack Black. Diaz’s character and Law’s character help each other find the missing part in their lives, and are presented with a conflict near the end of Diaz’s character’s vacation. Likewise, the new men in Winslet’s character’s life help her in a not-so obvious way. I won’t spoil any surprises but the story does have a fairytale ending, and it all takes place during the two week holiday.
I thought that the movie had a great plot. It seemed realistic. This movie also was very unlike other chick-flicks I’ve seen, like Runaway Bride, The Wedding Planner, and Legally Blonde. The Holiday’s characters seemed like an ordinary person, unlike most Hollywood movies where the characters are very superficial and unrealistic. I loved how it represented women, too. It represented them in a working environment and standing up for what they want. Another great thing about the movie was how it flowed. Every time the scene would change you would go from one woman’s life to the other and then back again. Due to this, the movie never got boring and there was constantly something new to look at and listen too instead of the same thing over and over again.
I loved the actors/actresses in The Holiday too. Kate Winselt is one of my all-time favorite actresses, because she seems like an ordinary everyday woman. I have to admit I was afraid of how Diaz would act in the movie; I thought she would be way too girly girl (like in most chick-flicks). On the contrary, I wouldn’t have played Diaz’s part any differently than she did. Having Jude Law in the movie was an extra bonus for any female, but he really is also a fantastic actor. And, as always Jack Black is the comic relief character.
This movie, The Holiday, was a big success for me, what with the talented actors/actresses, amazing scenery, and interesting plot. Because the movie had such an affect on me, naturally I came home and told everyone I knew about how great the movie was. A couple days later my older sister saw it with her boyfriend. I was very surprised to hear that they both liked it. I would never have thought that her boyfriend would have enjoyed the movie; but then again it is a couple’s movie. A couple days after my sister saw it, we forced our Dad to take our Mom to see it. They both loved it. I heard my Dad even cried! It wasn’t sad in any way, but I guess it was touching to him in ways which he won’t discuss. This just shows that this movie reaches out to both sexes and to all ages (however, I wouldn’t bring a child, because they might get bored- it is a lot of talking). It also wouldn’t be an uncomfortable movie to sit through with your parents of any age. The movie is great and I would definitely recommend it to anyone.
After much thought I decided to review a restaurant that has become a favorite of mine. I am a huge fan of Mexican food; I seem to have inherited my father’s love (and tolerance) for anything spicy. My dad is the one who found it and ended up dragging me there one night for dinner because I apparently “had to eat here”. Later that night, we pulled up to this little, not quite but almost, hole-in-the-wall Mexican restaurant called El Tapatio. I was skeptical at first because the restaurant itself is somewhat tacky with a bunch of Mexican type paintings on the wall and poorly kept booths. The waiters were very nice though and were at our table as soon as we sat down (it’s seat yourself). They have a small selection of “normal” sodas but they do have a lot of Mexican bottled sodas, which I have not tried, but I’m planning to do so soon. They have a very wide array of food, very good food at that, including tacos (both soft and hard shell), burritos, enchiladas, nachos, different kinds of combos and platters, salads, and a couple of soups. My favorite entrée is the two plain beef burritos with their special red sauce. Sometimes I don’t finish them because they’re so big. They are unbelievably good and I have trouble ordering anything else. My dad always gets the enchiladas and smothers them in the hottest hot sauce he can find. All the food there is excellent and very authentic, well, at least in my opinion. One thing that makes it so great is that I don’t get to go there very often so when I do its still a little new. I give El Tapatio 4 stars out of 5 because the restaurant is a little shabby but the food is absolutely amazing!
Over Christmas break, I saw the movie "Night in the Museum". It starred Ben Stiller as an unsuccesful inventor who couldn't hold a job to save his life. But then he finds one that really comes to life for him, literally.
I enjoy a lot of Ben Stiller movies, and this is one of my favorites. He is very funny and works very well with other actors. One of my favorite characters is Teddy Roosevelt, played by Robin Williams. He is the one that gives Ben's character, Larry, advice throughout the film about how to get the museum people back in their places. It takes Larry many nights, but eventually, he gets the hang of it. He then finds out the reason for the creatures coming to life. But when some of the other watchguards steal that item, it is up to Larry and the creatures to get it back. He learns that if everyone works together, you can achieve anything. I especially liked the animation in this movie. I give this movie a 2 thumbs up.
I could not think of anything to critique, so I decided to write about the movie, Harriet the Spy. This movie stars Michelle Trachtenberg and Rosie O’Donnell.
Michelle’s character, Harriet, is an 11 year old girl who spies on people. She dreams of being a writer, so she writes down everything she sees. Rosie, a character named Golly, is Harriet’s nanny. Harriet and Golly are best friends and always have a lot of fun together. Harriet has two best friends, Janie and Sport. They all go to school together and have a good time. Harriet always has most prized possession, a notebook, with her at all times. Everything is going well until Golly leaves Harriet. Harriet is not happy and more things seem to go wrong. Harriet’s notebook was discovered by her classmates. They do not seem to like what Harriet writes about them. Whatever Harriet sees, she writes down. The nicest things about people are not always what you see. People have many personalities. Someone may seem like one thing, but if you get to know them better, they seem completely different. Harriet judges people by how they act, not by how well she no’s them. She does not write mean things about people because she didn’t like them. This movie teaches you to not judge a book by its cover. You should get to know someone before you write or say something about them that is not nice. It also teaches you not to write something you do not want others to see. It teaches many valuable lessons in life. In the end, Harriet gains the trust and friendship of her friends back. She has learned many lessons. The happiest part of all, Golly came back.
Harriet the spy is a wonderful movie and I love every part of it. This movie has pretty much everything a PG movie should. The movie was really good. It is a movie for all-ages, and by far one of my favorite movies from 1997, when it came out, to now, ten years later. There are some rather funny parts. If I had to change anything in the movie, I would change some of the characters. Although it was kind of funny, some of the character names were rather weird and stereotypic. The girl name “Janey” was really “brainy.” The rich girl had a name like Mary-Anne Hawthorne. Just like Nathaniel Hawthorne, the last name Hawthorne. Maybe they were related, but just kidding. That was a coincidence. This is a movie that I never get tired of watching. I could see it once a week and still, I never get tired of it. This movie might be somewhat old, but this movie is THE BEST!!!
Summer of 2006,I attended the Japanese restaurant Hibachi. And i have to say the service was outstanding. The way our dining room was set up was just so beautiful and inviting. It really gave the customers a feel for the japanese atmosphere. There was a whole slew of beautiful art work directly in front and behind our table. Just gazing around the room took our breath away. I haven't even begun to describe the food presentation.
Every person in our party was seated at this eight foot lond table where our food was to be cooked and served right before our eyes. The chef introduced himself and immedietly began cooking as if he was performing on stage.It was just unbelievable how fast and beautiful the food turned out. The chef even made a volcano out of vegetables and lit the whole stove on fire! It was spectacular.
Once I recieved my order (which was shrimp and chicken,) It was just as delicious as it looked.
I definitly wouldn't mind eating there again. I give Hibachi five stars *****.
Summer of 2006,I attended the Japanese restaurant Hibachi. And i have to say the service was outstanding. The way our dining room was set up was just so beautiful and inviting. It really gave the customers a feel for the japanese atmosphere. There was a whole slew of beautiful art work directly in front and behind our table. Just gazing around the room took our breath away. I haven't even begun to describe the food presentation.
Every person in our party was seated at this eight foot lond table where our food was to be cooked and served right before our eyes. The chef introduced himself and immedietly began cooking as if he was performing on stage.It was just unbelievable how fast and beautiful the food turned out. The chef even made a volcano out of vegetables and lit the whole stove on fire! It was spectacular.
Once I recieved my order (which was shrimp and chicken,) It was just as delicious as it looked.
I definitly wouldn't mind eating there again. I give Hibachi five stars *****.
As you will read in my, "Gift of the Magi," journal I recently went out to dinner in Philadelphia. The restaurant that my family attended was named The Plough and the Stars, it was named after a play. I must say that this was an excellent portrayal of Irish culture and excellent cuisine. Right as we entered the lobby of the restaurant we heard musicians playing Irish tunes, and it almost felt as if we were in Ireland. First thumbs up that I would give are to the scene that they set. It was an amazing combination of the 20 foot tinsel coated Christmas tree, along with the smell of fresh potatoes. The only downfall of The Plough was when we were seated; there was a light out right above our table. Although we struggled to read the dishes it didn't matter because the food would be delectable. I personally can only review what I ordered as my entree. I ordered lobster tail with tilapia and mashed potatoes. Let me tell you that was the best meal I've had in a while, succulent lobster and excellent fish and potatoes. Not only was the food spectacular, the waitress was really a sweetie. Mr. Fiorelli, you personally know what one has to go through to deal with when it comes to my brothers and I, and she was relentlessly resilient. The waitress had a sense of humor, and basically could write the manual on drink orders. She was fast, reliable and wonderful in every sense of the word. My whole family and I would definitely recommend The Plough if you’re looking for succulent food and smiling faces. I am going to give it a solid 4.5 out of 5 stars.
MCD GREEn
After long thought, I decided to critique ZTBlue's blog. I do think Five Guys makes a fine burger but to label it the best is blasphemous. If you want to experience a super rad burger joint then you must get yourself to Jake's Hamburgers.
Now I'm horrible when it comes to directions so I am unable to tell you where any Jake's are located but I can tell you why it's better than Five Guys. For starters, Five Guys does have many delicious food items but it lacks the all important milkshake. Jake's has a variety of flavors from chocolate to stawberry and they also have a new shake everything month. This milkshake complements the burger perfectly. Jake's also has the best damn cheese fries that I've ever tasted. When you get the fries, a milkshake, and a burger to your preference your a happy camper. Now on to the heart of every burger joint, the cheeseburger. Jake's, like Five Guys, has a wide variety of condoments. My favorite is the bacon, and having tried both bacon burgers personally if think Jake's takes the cake. It's just when you bite into your Jake's cheeseburger an explosion of flavor goes off in your mouth, (well not really but you get the point). The fact is you cant go wrong when you have a Jake's burger in hand.
I am review the Melting Pot
The melting pot is deffiently a thumbs up. That place has everything that you could want for a fun night out. They have ths coolest inside of a resturant. It is kind of like an asian theme. They have really secluded dinning areas so you don't feel like your sitting on someone elses lap. They first start you off with an appetizar of your choice. Most people pick one of the chesses that they can dip there food in. Next you pick the type of meat you would like to cook by urself and then comes the desert and what kind of chocolate fondue you would like to eat. The cool thing is you cook all the food and get to dip your food yourself in the pots of stuff that you made. It really is a fun time to spend with your family.
I recently saw the movie The Night at the Museum.I enjoyed the movie a lot. It was a good movie for just about any audience.
The movie took place in a museum where all of the items in it came to life at night. The thing that brought them to life was an amulet of the pharoughs. There were some comical characters, some serious characters , and some scary ones. They all fit in to the story line very well.
The movie was very fictional but was at the same time educational. It gave many interesting facts about the items in the museum. I would not have produced the movie any different. I give it a thumbs up.
A couple of months ago i went to go see the movie "The Covenant". "The Covenant" is about three brothers who think they are the only ones left of their families ancient history of magic. One of the brothers falls in love with a new girl in school and she ends up being the basis of the plot. The brothers soon find out that there is another "magical" being in their college whose ancestors were the enemies of the 3 brother's family cult. The story is about love, life, and death.
If I were the director I think I would add more characters to the story because even though the characters were thrilling and astonishing they got too predictable. If there were more character's involved I think it would have made the movie even more exciting because it would bring new events and actions to the movie. In my opinion "The Covenant" is a must-see movie. And I would definetly give this movie a TWO THUMBS UP!!!
Just recently, I visited a restaurant to celebrate a success with some of my family's friends.
The restaurant was called P.F. Chang's, and it was one of the best restaurants I have been to in a long time.
The restaurants had an amazing atmosphere. As you enter, the lights are dimmed, the decor is elaborate, and everybody has a smile on their face.
The reason everyone has a smile on their face is because of the food and service. After you are seated, your waiter comes up to you, and instead of the normal, "How can I help you?" he strikes up a conversation with the whole table. After talking to you, he hands you a menu, and you can't decide what to get because everything looks so good. They also tell you that the food is served in a way in which they set the plates in the middle of the table and everyone takes a little bit of everyone's, which is really nice if you don't know what to get! Also, you must get an appetizer. You actually don't have to, but everyone gets one because they are just so good! I had their chicken on a bed of lettuce, which was really good.
As you are waiting for your food, the waiter makes his own dip for you with three ingredients placed on the table. He talks to you for a little bit longer, and then your appetizers come out, and no one talks because everything is so good.
Dinner was just as good. With everyone there, you not only share your food, but you share your thoughts as well. During our whole dinner, we had a very nice conversation. It was an enjoyable experience for all!
My only negative criticism for this restaurant is that the food takes a long time to arrive. But, they make up for it in taste!
The piece of art that I choose to critique is the movie 'The Phantom of the Opera' by Andrew Lloyd Webber. The movie is about the secret love that the ‘opera ghost’ (phantom of the opera) has for a dance student at the opera house. The phantom has been secretly and anonymously been giving the student singing lessons upon her time living in the opera house. Over time, he had fallen in love with her. As Christine (the student) aged, the phantom persuaded the opera house managers to cast her in leading roles by threatening and terrorizing them, as well as the remainder of the cast. Just as the managers cast Christine in the lead role, her childhood sweetheart, Raoul, shows up with the new managers. Their love is rekindled, and the phantom becomes jealous. In the end, the phantom puts Christine between a rock and a hard place by forcing her to choose her freedom, but Raoul would then die; or, choose for Raoul to live, but then she would spend the rest of her life with the phantom. She chose for Raoul to live, and to spend the rest of her days with the phantom. Seeing the love Christine truly had for Raoul, the phantom decided to let them both go.
The movie was absolutely amazing! I had to buy it as soon as it came out as well as the soundtrack. The main part that I would have to negatively criticize would be the flashes to the present day, when most of the story takes place in the past. It is never clear who the two characters in the present day flashes are. They are also in black and white. Common opinion or thought would lead one to believe that the past would be in black and white as opposed to the opposite. Also, even after all of the controversy and drama over who Christine will end up marrying, they never tell you who she ends up with. Her gravestone is shown, but only with her original last name, so whether she married Raoul, the phantom, or not at all, remains a mystery. Another thing to criticize would be the fact that in the movie, the actual plays that were rehearsed in the opera house are never fully shown.
To make this movie more to my satisfaction, I would alter a few things. In the flashes in the present, I would put a caption briefly explaining who each person was and where they were and why they were there. I would do this to give the audience a better frame of reference. Depending on the image I wanted to create, I might leave the present in black and white and the past in color. In the end of the movie, I would show Christine marrying Raoul and a picture of the two of them on their wedding day before the closing of the movie. I think that doing so will give a more defined ending to the story.
All in all, the movie is fantastic. (even with the things that I would criticize.)
The following review, I think, may be considered by some to be controversial. Therefore, in order to spare being accused of slander, I want all who read this to know that what I have written is purely observation-based and subjective, having no factual evidence to back it up.
I criticize neither book, nor restaurant. What I plan to review is not a song or an album of any kind. It is a choice; a choice to subliminally introduce a concept into the minds of young adults in an enviroment of learning. So where is this taking place, you wonder? Right here, at Saint Mark's High. My friends, everyday you walk the halls of your beloved school, something unnoticeable is going into your brain; something that contadicts our entire way of life. This hidden beast within the walls of our school is ever-present, thanks to the clever tactics of the Decision-Makers (the title I have given to the anonymous figures, possibly within our faculty, who choose to continue the communist going on here at Saint Mark's). The madness: Communism.
How many times a day do you hear the name of your school? How many times a day do you hear your teachers and friends mention the name "Saint Mark's"? Enough, I know, for the words to become embedded into your mind. Saint Mark's; Saint Mark's; Saint Mark's; Saint Mark's. That, at least is what you think you're saying. Let's play a little word game. Try to think of a name that sounds exactly like "Saint Mark's". There is only one: Marx. Now think what you're saying in your everyday conversation. Saint Marx; Saint Marx; Saint Marx; Saint Marx. It seems we're almost praising this "Marx". So who is he? He is Karl Marx, the man who developed the philosphy of communism. His ideas would inspire leaders in Russia to create the first communist state, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (more commonly know as the Soviet Union), which imposed terror upon its own people, as well as people throughout the entire world, during its years of existence from 1922 to 1991. Does a man who caused this seem like the kind of man one should call a Saint?
Next time you are walking down the 260s corridor, take a good look at the painting hanging outside the guidance department. We're told it's of Saint Mark the evalgenist. There's something odd about this fellow though. The shape of his face, the pointed goatee, does it not all look familiar? Now open up your history book and flip to the section on the Russian Revolution. You'll most likely find a picture of Vladimir Lenin, leader of the Bolsheviks, whom brought a communist regime to the then democratically-run Russia. Lenin became the first Premier of the Soviet Union, setting many precedents for future leaders of this Evil Empire. I personally find it sickening that the Decision-Makers of our school would try to make us believe this to be the image to be a kind, comforting figure, when in reality it is the image of an oppressor of human free will.
This choice by the Decision-Makers to subliminally impose their communist beliefs upon the students of Saint Mark's is what I have decided to review. I find this choice to be:
1) Un-American
2) Un-Catholic
3) Dishonest
4) Unrespectable
5) Disgraceful
Although I strongly disagree with the choice the Decision-Makers, I must commend the brilliance of the whole plot.
For those of you who do not share in my beliefs expressed in this critical review, I respect you. It may seem that I am conducting a witch hunt, that I am a modern day Senator McCarthey. This is fine. I am merely trying to warn you of what is going on, before you too become a victim.
Over Christmas break just about three days before New Year’s Eve, my family and I took a trip to New York City for two nights. We stayed at the Bryant Park Hotel, which was a beautiful hotel that was located right across the street from the Bryant Park Skating Rink. While we were there, we got to stay in the penthouse on the 24th floor, which was pretty cool, so we had an absolute perfect view of the city, especially the empire state building which seemed amazingly close to our hotel. Now even though these little details of the trip were pretty memorable, the hotel is not what I am writing my critique on. One of the best parts of the trip was eating at the restaurant which was located in the lobby of the hotel. The restaurant was called Koi, a sushi bar and steak restaurant. When I first walked into the restaurant, I was amazed by my surroundings. The restaurant was very contemporary with red walls and a lot of black leather furniture. Everyone there looked like they were having a marvelous time, lounging around with drinks in their hands without a care in the world. The music was also an interesting part of the restaurant. It sort of set the mood. It was amazing how the sound could suddenly changed from the quiet lobby, to the sound of night club music. After we walked up a few stairs to the next part of the restaurant, we were seated in a round black booth. After we were seated we took a look at the menu. I have to admit that I had no idea what some of the stuff was on the menu, but I just acted like I did. For an appetizer, we ordered California Roll, and for our meal, we ordered seafood, tempura, and also some sort of steak and chicken. The serving amounts at the restaurant were “family style” as are a lot of places in New York City. This means that they serve orders that are placed in the middle of the table so that everyone can take what they want. The food was delicious. The California Roll was definitely the best I have ever had. The seafood tempora, however, was the best part of the meal. The seafood tempura came with scallops, shrimp, lobster, and fish, which was breaded and fried to a golden brown. Everything I ate for dinner was very satisfying, but the tempura was my favorite. For desert, I had molten white chocolate caked with vanilla ice-cream. This desert was very good, but I think I had a better time eating my sister’s desert which she didnt finsih. She had ordered crème brulee which was mixed with a coconut rice pudding. I don’t usually like coconut, but this was one of the most delightful deserts I have ever tasted. We ended dinner with full stomachs as we left the restaurant. I would have to say that Koi is one of the greatest restaurants I have ever visited. If I were food critic, I would instantly give Koi 4 stars.
Over the christmas break my sister and I had ended up with alot of new dvds, so a couple of nights ago we watched "My Super-Ex Girlfriend" starring Luke Wilson, Uma Therman and directed by Ivan Reitman. The movie was good, but kind of predictable. Throughout the whole movie i could figure out what was gonna happen next. That got sort of annoying. The plot is about lonley guy who ends up dating a super hero. Things were going good between them until they brokeup. The Movie chronicles Matt Saunders as he deals with the harrassment of his "super ex-girlfriend". Although predictable the plot was original. The movie was also funny at some points. This movie isn't deep or worthy of an oscar, but it's a good movie to watch if your flipping channels and happen to see it on. If i were to rate "My Super Ex-Girlfriend" I would rate it a 3 out of 5 stars.
My favorite restaurant in Delaware is the Melting Pot in Independence Mall on Route 202. The food is excellent, the waiters and waitresses are friendly and dipping your extras in the fondue is an excellent conversation starter. I first went to the Melting Pot for my sister’s graduation four years ago and I have been back many times since then.
The first time I ate at the Melting Pot my family ordered the whole four-course meal. This included salads for everyone, cheese fondue, meat and potatoes and then the best part the chocolate fondue. One of my favorite aspects of the restaurant is you get to prepare your own meal. After you eat your pre-made salad the waiter brings over a pan with water in it and prepares the cheese fondue while having a nice conversation with you. As he goes along he informed us what he was mixing in. Then it’s your turn! Time to dig into the cheese fondue with diced white bread, brown bread, green apples, and an assortment of vegetables. After you clean the pan dry the waiter comes back to make the main course. You can cook potatoes, shrimp, lobster, chicken, beef and many other types of meat in the spiced water. This part of the meal is very good, but also very expensive, and it fills you up before you get to dessert. I’ve skipped this course the last two times I’ve eaten at the Melting Pot. You have many choices for dessert. Some of your choices include turtle chocolate, smores chocolate, peanut butter chocolate and milk chocolate. Your dippers include marshmallows, gram crackers, pound cake and my personal favorite strawberries.
At the end of the meal I felt very full, and I felt like I eaten enough chocolate to last me until the next special occasion. Overall the food was excellent, and the service and cleanliness was five star. However, you are not as lucky with the price. With a four-course meal and wine your bill will be very expensive, but that is why you should only go there for special occasions.
American History X is a crazy movie. It involves gang warfare, racism, and fighting between races. The movie was very emotional and full of suspense; it’s just a wild movie. The movie is about two brothers and their family. The Dad was killed in a fire, he was a firefighter doing his job when an African American “crack-head” had lit the place on fire and ended up killing him. From that point the two boys were extremely racist and hated anyone that wasn’t a Caucasian man or woman. The older brother ends up getting in a few fights with local black gangs, and eventually the whole issue is “dealt” with. One night a member of the gang tries to break into the oldest sons’ car. He comes outside and kills him. He was charged with 1st degree manslaughter and if his little brother, who saw the whole thing, testified against him, he would go away for life. Of course the younger brother didn’t, so he was out in 4 years or so. When the older brother got out, he was completely cleaned up. He had an open mind towards other races, but his new objective was to convince his brainwashed younger brother that violence is stupid and everyone should just get along. Once he gets his brother to agree, they both completely get rid of all memorabilia that promoted racism. The next day in school, the younger brother got shot by one of the gang members.
What this movie taught me is that life isn’t about trying to be so hard or trying to be the toughest out there and hate everyone around you. I learned that payback can be as serious as death and the thing that really made me realize how inspirational this movie is, is that it really happened. I really was interested in the movie, although I disagree with the violence in the film; I think the end thoughts make the whole movie serve a good purpose. To end this journal I want to quote a line from the movie, “…Life is too short to be pissed off all the time, instead of figuring out who’s gang is tougher, why don’t we just get along.” That was the last line in the film, which was by the younger brother, who also narrated the film.
There's nothing quite like a good sequel, a movie that can successfully pick up where the original left off and continue the grand and epic storyline behind it. Then there's something like "Troll 2", a movie that by all physical laws of the universe, should simply not exist. Constantly I keep exposing myself to the worst movies I can find (it's a bad habit of mine), and after awhile you think that you've found the very worst. I basically thought this theory held true after I watching "Hobgoblins". But luckily I was find a copy of this movie. If you don't believe me then I'll give you one reason why this movie is what it is: 1. There wasn't a single Troll in the entire movie. That's right a movie called "Troll 2" doesn't even have the word Troll mentioned once in the movie . Instead I was treated to a movie about the worlds dumbest family who trades houses with a bunch of evil farm yokels who then get chased by goblins for a while until the director runs out of film and everyone has to go back to work at their real jobs at Dairy Queen.
The movie begins with a fat old man named "Grandpa Seth" narrating a pointless story to his grandson Joshua. According to "legend", some guy with a silly hat (his name was never mentioned) ran through the woods once, attempting to escape the clutches of some evil goblins who were undoubtedly attempting to catch and hit him with their fake plastic masks. The guy in the funny hat eventually is caught by the Goblins, and is mysteriously eaten. I'm begin dead serious too when I say mysteriously eaten, because for some reason the prop guy in this movie couldn't make the holes in their masks bigger than tic-tacs. The story is then interupted and Granpa Seth disappears and we find out that he's actually been dead for half year. The mother then goes on to talk about how excited she is about their trip to the little town of Nilbog (that's right, they actually named the town NILBOG, how creative).
From here on out, the movie just gets worse and worse, and since the movie seems to lose track of anything once resemling a plot, I'll just list some random events that happen in the movie in no sequential order. Joshua realizes the truth behind the name Nilbog (have you figured it out yourself, yet) by looking in a mirror. Grandpa Seth is somehow able to give Joshua a Molotov cocktail to fight the goblins (seriously, what were the writers thinking?). Jousua needs to pee on food to save his own family from being eaten by goblins, and eat a bolongna sandwich to save himself. And to top it all off, the family needs to harness the power of the Stonehenge Magic Stone (I'm really not making that name up) to defeat the Goblins once and for all.
The worst part is that everything I just typed actually happens in that movie. So if you were able to read all of this without throwing up in disgust every five minutes, then you may be able to bear Troll 2.
For my journal I chose to write a review of an album. I love country music and one of my favorite bands is Rascal Flatts. They have a total of three albums out now. The first is self-titled, Rascal Flatts, the second is called Melt, and the third is called Me and My Gang. Me and My Gang, the most recent album, came out in the beginning of 2006 and is my favorite album so far. The album is new and very different from most of their other stuff. All of the songs on the album vary from each other.
The songs all have a story within and the lyrics are amazingly written. They are down-to-earth, like you could imagine saying them yourself. The three man group is very talented in making you feel like your experiencing all of what their going through.
This September my sister and I went to see them in concert in Bethesda, Maryland with some friends of ours and it was the best concert I’ve ever been to. The opening act was Gary Allen, and he was great too. He really got us pumped for Rascal Flatts to take the stage. When they came entered it was like nothing you could ever imagine. The crowd went wild, including my sister and I. They sang for about three and a half hours and we sang along to every word. At the end of the concert we were all exhausted and my friends Ashley, Carlyn, and myself all fell asleep in the backseat on the way home. We had such an amazing time though and I would definitely give them two thumbs up!
I was watching this movie "Invincible" the other day and i have a few choice words to say about it. I felt that the movie was a tad unrealistic to be honest. The whole thing was about a guy named Vince Papale (true story) who is a ex-schoolteacher/bartender who goes to try out for the Philadelphia Eagles along with other natives to the city. It was one of those deals where one guy gets chosen for training camp out of of thousands of "average joes."
Naturally, the main character is chosen over all the rest - rather like the Willy Wonka movie if you ask me. So at this point, Vince is now the hometown hero back his friends bar in South Philly. When the Eagles training camp starts, things start to get really unrealistic.
The uncouth, 30-something Vince Papale steps onto the field with young guys straight out of college football careers and makes them seem inferior. Furthermore, he wears quarterback pads the whole time which are much thinner for added flexibility. This makes the impact much greater when his arthritic bones get hit by a 400-pound lineman. Yet, Vince survives each blow as if it were a punch on the arm. Unrealistic? I think so.
All in all, I thought the movie was pretty average. It was nothing to write home about if u ask me. So if you're into unrealistic movies, I suggest renting "Invincible" from your local Blockbuster.
I'm going to review one of my favorite CDs, "The Winter Album" by the brilliant green (yes, it is supposed to be in all lower case). You would expect, judging fom the title, that it's a Christmas CD. However, it realy only has two Christmas songs on it. The intro, and "Holidays!" are the only songs that have anything to do with the holiday season. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, though. The rest of the album has many catchy songs on it, and was really only named "The Winter Album" because it was released in winter. It is the fourth, and most recent album from the band, who is currently on hiatus. I would have to say it's their best album, because it contains most of the songs that the band is known for. Two of the most well known songs on the album are "Rainy Days Never Stays" and "I'm Jus' Lovin' You". Both have a sound very unique to this band. The rest of the songs are very well put together, and easily get stuck in your head. I find this quality to be very important when rating a song, because if a song does't stick, it's too generic. Almost every song on this album can easily get stuck, and I never get bord listening to this album. All in all, if you want to try this band out, I would recommend starting with this album. If you like thios album, it's pretty likely you'll like their other stuff.
A movie that I have been watching for many years and really enjoy it everytime is a movie called A Bronx Tale. This movie tells alot about the time period shown back when mobsters ran neighborhoods and gets better everytime I watch it.
A Bronx Tale is about a 9-year old child named Callogero Anello living in the Bronx - notorious for gangster bars, racist people and aggressive nature. Callogero witnesses a shooting in the street involving a local gangster, Sonny and for some reason he refuses to give him up to the police. Sonny then likes Callogero and starts to teach him how things are dealt with on streets. Callogrino's father (Robert DeNiro) is a bus driver, and wants his child to grow up and make his money the way that he does, and does not want him to mix with Sonny. No matter what his dad says, he still continues to hang out with Sonny down at the bar and get a street education. Despite being a gangster, Sonny loves Callegrino and teaches him that being a gangster is too risky and dangerous. However Callegrino doesn't understand Sonny's message, and hangs out with some bad, often racist kids. The story gets better when he suddenly falls in love with a black girl which was not accepted in the time period this movie portrays. As a child grows up with two eductions, one from school and one from the street, the child grows closer to a gangster, he begins to grow away from his family.
This movie lets you get into Callogero's mind with the commentary throughout the movie and i think that this adds another dimension to the story. It's his way of telling what went on between him and Sonny and brings you further into the storyline.
Post a Comment
<< Home