HAPPY WINTER SOLSTICE AND HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO SOPHIE AND JOSH NEWMAN! You'll see who I'm talking about. It seems like its been way too long since I've last posted! About a whole month! Welcome back!
Title: The Sorceress
Author: Michael Scott
Genre: Fantasy, Mythology
Summary (Straight from the Publisher): Nicholas Flamel's heart almost broke as he watched his beloved Paris crumble before him. The city was destroyed by Dee and Machiavelli, but Flamel played his own role in the destruction. Sophie and Josh Newman show every sign of being the twins of prophecy, and Flamel had to protect them and the pages from the Dark Elders. But Nicholas grows weaker with each passing day. Perenelle is still trapped in Alcatraz, and now that Scatty has gone missing, the group is without protection. Except for Clarent—the sister sword to Excalibur. But Clarent’s power is unthinkable, its evil making it nearly impossible to use without its darkness seeping into the soul of whoever wields it. If he hopes to defeat Dee, Nicholas must find an Elder who can teach Josh and Sophie the third elemental magic—Water Magic. The problem? The only Elder who can do that is Gilgamesh, and he is quite, quite insane.
Review: I have semi-mixed feelings about The Sorceress. There were some things I absolutly loved about it and other things that could've been better. Let's start with the bad news. If you've read the first two books in this series (which I highly recommend) you may find this quite similar with the second event wise. Sophie and Josh find other immortal humans with Nicholas, sub-plots develop throughout, elemental magic learned, more sub-plot, confrontation with enemy / climax battle, very short yet shocking falling actions BOOM end of book leaving you waiting for so much more. In a nutshell, the downfalls were the repetion of plot, too many rising actions, and lack of falling actions. Okay now, out with the bad in with the good! The main thing that drew me to the series which keeps me reading is how the author takes components of mythologies of Celtic, Egyptian, and Roman descent and combines them with the real world much as the Percy Jackson series (great series for tweens) did. I also like the constant change of setting and fast pace of the series. In the first book they were in San Fracisco, the second Paris, and now London and Stonehenge. Another thing I enjoyed was the ending of one subplot which was half a book too long and the beginning of a new and very scary one. Unfortunately, we only got a taste of this new one. The very best thing about this book was the last paragraph which will leave you breathless. I know it did to me!
Grade: B+
Monday, December 21, 2009
Sunday, November 22, 2009
The Twilight Saga: New Moon
Hello ladies and germs! Today I saw the highly anticipated sequal to Twilight which is New Moon.
Title: New Moon
Genre: Romance/Action
MPAA Rating: PG-13
Summary: New Moon is the highly anticipated sequal to the film Twilight. If you are a girl who is 12 or over you probably know all about this film. However, if you don't know about this franchise I'll tell you about it. Basically, a girl named Bella falls in love with a sparkly vampire named Edward. In New Moon Edward tells Bella he can't be with her anymore because he is too dangerous. Bella then falls into a deep depression and eventually starts to like a mostly shirtless Native American boy named Jacob. Then all of a sudden Edward thinks Bella is dead so he goes to Italy to see the Voltouri who have kill him. He is a werewolf. Next, Bella goes to Italy to save Edward and Jacob feels betrayed thus starting the Team Edward Team Jacob rivalry.
Review: I have two things to warn you about. The first being, if you read the book, you will not like this movie. It was pretty much the same but not as detailed in some parts where it would've been better to see instead of some other stuff they put in the movie. Second, If you hate cut-off shorts you will not like this movie (I'll get back to this later). Anyway, one thing I did like about this movie was that you don't particularly have to think to much to watch it. Another good thing about this sequal is that everything seems a little bit better on a few levels because of the larger budget. All of the wolf scenes were beautifully done and all of the wolves had there own peronality. Another good effect scene was the explanation of the Volturi scene in the painting at the cullens. Another big budget feature of the film were the set designs and the costume designs. Another thing about this film is that you cannot take this movie seriously. If I did I would've given it a D or even an F but because I didn't take it seriously I liked it alot more. Okay so about the cut-off shorts, that is all the werevolves wore. Cut-off shorts. What a tradgedy! It was so annoying! Also all of the werewolves were shirtless the entire time. No matter what weather. I am a guy and this was very awkward for me (If you are a guy reading this you will know what I mean). But also for the guys, there was alot more action in this film as opposed to the first. I think guys will appreciate this alot more. Another thing guys will like is ALICE CULLEN!! She is in it more than the other vampires (besides Edward that is) and Alice is my favorite so this worked out :) . Overall, this was a movie for the Twi-hards and those who know going into it knowing not to take it so seriously. You will have much more fun if you don't take it seriously.
Grade: B- (not so serious critic like myself) D (serious critic) OMG JACOB (team Jacob critic)
TEAM ALICE!!!
Title: New Moon
Genre: Romance/Action
MPAA Rating: PG-13
Summary: New Moon is the highly anticipated sequal to the film Twilight. If you are a girl who is 12 or over you probably know all about this film. However, if you don't know about this franchise I'll tell you about it. Basically, a girl named Bella falls in love with a sparkly vampire named Edward. In New Moon Edward tells Bella he can't be with her anymore because he is too dangerous. Bella then falls into a deep depression and eventually starts to like a mostly shirtless Native American boy named Jacob. Then all of a sudden Edward thinks Bella is dead so he goes to Italy to see the Voltouri who have kill him. He is a werewolf. Next, Bella goes to Italy to save Edward and Jacob feels betrayed thus starting the Team Edward Team Jacob rivalry.
Review: I have two things to warn you about. The first being, if you read the book, you will not like this movie. It was pretty much the same but not as detailed in some parts where it would've been better to see instead of some other stuff they put in the movie. Second, If you hate cut-off shorts you will not like this movie (I'll get back to this later). Anyway, one thing I did like about this movie was that you don't particularly have to think to much to watch it. Another good thing about this sequal is that everything seems a little bit better on a few levels because of the larger budget. All of the wolf scenes were beautifully done and all of the wolves had there own peronality. Another good effect scene was the explanation of the Volturi scene in the painting at the cullens. Another big budget feature of the film were the set designs and the costume designs. Another thing about this film is that you cannot take this movie seriously. If I did I would've given it a D or even an F but because I didn't take it seriously I liked it alot more. Okay so about the cut-off shorts, that is all the werevolves wore. Cut-off shorts. What a tradgedy! It was so annoying! Also all of the werewolves were shirtless the entire time. No matter what weather. I am a guy and this was very awkward for me (If you are a guy reading this you will know what I mean). But also for the guys, there was alot more action in this film as opposed to the first. I think guys will appreciate this alot more. Another thing guys will like is ALICE CULLEN!! She is in it more than the other vampires (besides Edward that is) and Alice is my favorite so this worked out :) . Overall, this was a movie for the Twi-hards and those who know going into it knowing not to take it so seriously. You will have much more fun if you don't take it seriously.
Grade: B- (not so serious critic like myself) D (serious critic) OMG JACOB (team Jacob critic)
TEAM ALICE!!!
Friday, November 6, 2009
Michael Jackson's This Is It
I need to say something of extreme importance before I get to this review.
There are two rules everyone needs to follow when going to the movies.
Rule #1. When the reminder to shut off your phone goes on the screen TURN OFF YOUR PHONE!!!
Rule #2. If you bring a child, evaluate them before bringing them to the movies. Ask yourself questions like "Is this kid mature enough to sit in one spot for two hours? Is this child too hyper to sit in one spot for two hours?" And finally "Does my child understand that talking during a movie is very disrupting to other people?"
You can infer why I bring this up. In a theater of approx. 12 people including myself, 4 people broke these rules. Two used their cell phones AND they went off during the movie and someone had a maniac kid who was running around and screaming in spanish.
I wanted to put an ambien (or at least a ritalin) in his popcorn.
Anyway now that I have vented, here is my review:
Title: Michael Jackson's This Is It
Genre: Documentry (and musical too I guess)
MPAA Rating: PG
Summary: This Is It is a collection of behind the scenes footage and rehearsals of Michael Jackson's suddenly cancelled This Is It concert series.
Review: If you wanted tickets to ome of the concerts this is probably as close to the real thing as you can get. I especially liked this film for two reasons. Reason number one: there was no negativity involved what so ever. There was not one meantion of the words dead, death, or die. This was a celebration of the King of Pop's origanality and greatness. Reason number two: kids my age can appreciate this too. Everyone my age didn't grow up with M.J.'s music like our parents did. After watching this documentry I respected Michael Jackson for how devoted to his work and how talented he was. I personally feel there could've been more people being interviewed and talking about Michael and maybe one or two less songs (there were 24 in all).
It was a pretty good film and kids my age can appreciate it as well. MAKE SURE YOU SEE IT BEFORE THANNKSGIVING OTHERWISE IT'LL BE GONE!!!
Grade: A-
There are two rules everyone needs to follow when going to the movies.
Rule #1. When the reminder to shut off your phone goes on the screen TURN OFF YOUR PHONE!!!
Rule #2. If you bring a child, evaluate them before bringing them to the movies. Ask yourself questions like "Is this kid mature enough to sit in one spot for two hours? Is this child too hyper to sit in one spot for two hours?" And finally "Does my child understand that talking during a movie is very disrupting to other people?"
You can infer why I bring this up. In a theater of approx. 12 people including myself, 4 people broke these rules. Two used their cell phones AND they went off during the movie and someone had a maniac kid who was running around and screaming in spanish.
I wanted to put an ambien (or at least a ritalin) in his popcorn.
Anyway now that I have vented, here is my review:
Title: Michael Jackson's This Is It
Genre: Documentry (and musical too I guess)
MPAA Rating: PG
Summary: This Is It is a collection of behind the scenes footage and rehearsals of Michael Jackson's suddenly cancelled This Is It concert series.
Review: If you wanted tickets to ome of the concerts this is probably as close to the real thing as you can get. I especially liked this film for two reasons. Reason number one: there was no negativity involved what so ever. There was not one meantion of the words dead, death, or die. This was a celebration of the King of Pop's origanality and greatness. Reason number two: kids my age can appreciate this too. Everyone my age didn't grow up with M.J.'s music like our parents did. After watching this documentry I respected Michael Jackson for how devoted to his work and how talented he was. I personally feel there could've been more people being interviewed and talking about Michael and maybe one or two less songs (there were 24 in all).
It was a pretty good film and kids my age can appreciate it as well. MAKE SURE YOU SEE IT BEFORE THANNKSGIVING OTHERWISE IT'LL BE GONE!!!
Grade: A-
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
New Moon
Waddup?
Today I finished the second novel in the Twilight Saga called New Moon. Just in time for the movie which I will also be reviewing. Here's what I thought of the book:
Title: New Moon
Author: Stephanie Meyer
Genre: Action, Romance
Summary: Bella Swan's ultra-beautiful and ultra-sparkly vampire boyfriend, Edward Cullen, leaves her thinking he is too dangerous for her to be around. She then reconnects with her childhood friend Jacob Black who just so happens to fall in love with Bella. By the way, he is a werewolf. Werewolves are vampires mortal enemies. When Bella does something stupid and nearly kills herself, Edward thinks she is dead and goes to Italy to see the all powerful Volturi, a clan of vampires, that can kill him too. What happens next? Read the book to find out.
Review: I have to say, I am not a huge fan of the Twilight series and I'm definitly not a "twi-hard". Some of my friends even hate Twilight. This has influenced me to hold a bias against the series so I will do my best to be fair in this review.
The main character and narrator, Bella Swan, is a dumbass. When Edward tells her he is leaving she goes into a zombie-like depression for nearly half a year. Get over it already. This is so overly exagurated that it makes me want to rip out the pages. Also, I feel that Stephanie Meyer's writing ability dropped a whole bunch since Twilight.
The two main things I actually did like about the book was the development of Jacob's character. However, once he started to put his thoughts toward Bella into actions, he became such a LOSER!! I also liked the explanation of the history of the Volturi. It was cool learning about how foriegn vampires live. I think Stephanie should have made Italy a larger part of the books storyline. The time in Italy lasts only one or two 20 pg chapters out a 570 pg book.
Then again, I have heard New Moon is the worst book in the series and I hope this is true because I DO plan on reading the second half of the saga.
Grade: C-
Today I finished the second novel in the Twilight Saga called New Moon. Just in time for the movie which I will also be reviewing. Here's what I thought of the book:
Title: New Moon
Author: Stephanie Meyer
Genre: Action, Romance
Summary: Bella Swan's ultra-beautiful and ultra-sparkly vampire boyfriend, Edward Cullen, leaves her thinking he is too dangerous for her to be around. She then reconnects with her childhood friend Jacob Black who just so happens to fall in love with Bella. By the way, he is a werewolf. Werewolves are vampires mortal enemies. When Bella does something stupid and nearly kills herself, Edward thinks she is dead and goes to Italy to see the all powerful Volturi, a clan of vampires, that can kill him too. What happens next? Read the book to find out.
Review: I have to say, I am not a huge fan of the Twilight series and I'm definitly not a "twi-hard". Some of my friends even hate Twilight. This has influenced me to hold a bias against the series so I will do my best to be fair in this review.
The main character and narrator, Bella Swan, is a dumbass. When Edward tells her he is leaving she goes into a zombie-like depression for nearly half a year. Get over it already. This is so overly exagurated that it makes me want to rip out the pages. Also, I feel that Stephanie Meyer's writing ability dropped a whole bunch since Twilight.
The two main things I actually did like about the book was the development of Jacob's character. However, once he started to put his thoughts toward Bella into actions, he became such a LOSER!! I also liked the explanation of the history of the Volturi. It was cool learning about how foriegn vampires live. I think Stephanie should have made Italy a larger part of the books storyline. The time in Italy lasts only one or two 20 pg chapters out a 570 pg book.
Then again, I have heard New Moon is the worst book in the series and I hope this is true because I DO plan on reading the second half of the saga.
Grade: C-
Sunday, November 1, 2009
It's Been A While! Lots to review!
HI PEOPLE!!
I havent posted since school has started and I have three things I need to rewiew. But first, I need to say my new guidelines. I will only be reviewing new things. This includes movies I see withing two weeks of its release, and books that are still available in hardcover only. However if I read or see something that has to do with current events I will post about that too. Also, I will be limiting the info I give before I review. By the way todays reviews will be ultra short and get my point across.
MINI REVIEW #1
Title: Where the Wild Things Are
Genre: Fantasy
MPAA Rating: PG
Summary: 9-year old Max gets mad at his mom and sets off into the wilderness and finds a bunch of wild things whom he becomes friends with.
Review: A kids movie with great themes. However, this movie was designed more for adults than kids. Great artistic and moral value in this film. Very mysterious as well. All in all, it was great! Very thought provoking.
Grade: A
MINI REVIEW #2
Title: Are You There, Vodka? It's Me, Chelsea
Author: Chelsea Handler
Genre: Memoir
Summary: Comedian Chelsea Handler recolects on some funny events in her life.
Review: Chelsea is funny as ever in her second book and it's great to listen to her own experiences in her own words. I really hear her presence and it's almost as funny as hearing her on TV.
Grade: B+
MINI REVIEW #3
Title: Leviathan
Author: Scott Westerfeld
Illustrator: Keith Thompson
Series: Leviathan
Genre: Steampunk, Alternate History
Summary: Son of the recently murdered Arch Duke Ferdinand, Aleksander tries to go into hiding. Scottish 15-year old Deryn Sharp is a girl posing as a boy to serve in the British Navy. Somehow their lives will cross paths and the world may never be the same in this alternate history of WWI. They are on opposite sides of the war. Alek is a clanker, the side that uses heavy machinery to fight. Deryn is a Darwinist, the side that uses fabricated animals to fight.
Review: It's by Scott Westerfeld. Therefore, it is great. The 50 illustrations in this book made it much more enjoyable. It is great to see the beginning of another trilogy by Scott Westerfeld. The characters were very developed and as always, this alternate world is very advanced. A great read for young adults and keeps you anticipated for the second and third to come.
Grade: B+
I havent posted since school has started and I have three things I need to rewiew. But first, I need to say my new guidelines. I will only be reviewing new things. This includes movies I see withing two weeks of its release, and books that are still available in hardcover only. However if I read or see something that has to do with current events I will post about that too. Also, I will be limiting the info I give before I review. By the way todays reviews will be ultra short and get my point across.
MINI REVIEW #1
Title: Where the Wild Things Are
Genre: Fantasy
MPAA Rating: PG
Summary: 9-year old Max gets mad at his mom and sets off into the wilderness and finds a bunch of wild things whom he becomes friends with.
Review: A kids movie with great themes. However, this movie was designed more for adults than kids. Great artistic and moral value in this film. Very mysterious as well. All in all, it was great! Very thought provoking.
Grade: A
MINI REVIEW #2
Title: Are You There, Vodka? It's Me, Chelsea
Author: Chelsea Handler
Genre: Memoir
Summary: Comedian Chelsea Handler recolects on some funny events in her life.
Review: Chelsea is funny as ever in her second book and it's great to listen to her own experiences in her own words. I really hear her presence and it's almost as funny as hearing her on TV.
Grade: B+
MINI REVIEW #3
Title: Leviathan
Author: Scott Westerfeld
Illustrator: Keith Thompson
Series: Leviathan
Genre: Steampunk, Alternate History
Summary: Son of the recently murdered Arch Duke Ferdinand, Aleksander tries to go into hiding. Scottish 15-year old Deryn Sharp is a girl posing as a boy to serve in the British Navy. Somehow their lives will cross paths and the world may never be the same in this alternate history of WWI. They are on opposite sides of the war. Alek is a clanker, the side that uses heavy machinery to fight. Deryn is a Darwinist, the side that uses fabricated animals to fight.
Review: It's by Scott Westerfeld. Therefore, it is great. The 50 illustrations in this book made it much more enjoyable. It is great to see the beginning of another trilogy by Scott Westerfeld. The characters were very developed and as always, this alternate world is very advanced. A great read for young adults and keeps you anticipated for the second and third to come.
Grade: B+
Saturday, September 12, 2009
Papermoon Diner
Welcome Back! I'm posting this a little later then I wanted too, unfortunatley. School for me has started and it has been crazy getting new supplies and starting to do homework. Anyway, here is one of the posts I've been wanting to put up for a while now. It is my review of the Papermoon Diner, a great place for breakfast in the Baltimore area. It's also right near a very popular tourist destination called Charm City Cakes. The Papermoon Diner is sooo good infact, that it was rated one of the 59 Best Breakfasts in America by my beloved Esquire magazine.
Name of Resturaunt: Papermoon Diner
Type of Food: Diner/American
Price: $ S (1 1/2 on a scale of 4)
Dress Code: Casual
Location: Northern part of greater Baltimore area
Official Website: http://www.papermoondiner24.com/
Service Review: The staff (like almost everone in Baltimore) was very kind. The servers also got our orders right and quickly which are the main things I care about. The only complaint I have is that noone informed us to pay at the register and not to wait for somebody to take the check away from you. My mother and I were very confused and got frustrated while we "waited: for 15 minutes for someone to take the check. But thats okay, the food made up for it!
Service Rating: 4 1/2 stars
Food Review: Going into the Papermoon Diner I knew exactly what I wanted. I got the Esquire reccommended bacon, avocado, and havardi omlette with a side of home-fries and a shake (I got vanilla). First off, the milkshake was the thickest, sweetest, and most delicious milkshake I EVER had in my life. It was so thick that it was nearly impossible to sip throught the straw! I bet the chocolate or strawberry shakes were amazing as well. The omlette was GIGANTIC! My estimate was that there were about 3 or 4 eggs, probably a whole avocado, two or three slices of bacon, and a huge fistful of havarti cheese. Can you say "artery clogging"? Anyways, it was phenominal. It would've been even better if the serving wasn't so big and I wasn't so stuffed when I finished eating it. Otherwise, the seemingly odd combo of bacon and avocado and cheese came together extremley and suprisingly well. The homefries were equally delicious. They were so crispy and perfectly seasoned. I am sure everything else at the Papermoon Diner is equally delicious but if you are visiting and not sure what to get you CAN NOT GO WRONG getting what I got.
Final Note: The Papermoon Diner is a great place to come and enjoy breakfast. With a zany atmosphere and delicious food there's no going wrong getting a cheap and phenominal meal here.
Do I Reccommennd It: I think this is obvious and you can figure it out on your own.
Rating: 5 Stars for the best diner EVER!
Name of Resturaunt: Papermoon Diner
Type of Food: Diner/American
Price: $ S (1 1/2 on a scale of 4)
Dress Code: Casual
Location: Northern part of greater Baltimore area
Official Website: http://www.papermoondiner24.com/
Service Review: The staff (like almost everone in Baltimore) was very kind. The servers also got our orders right and quickly which are the main things I care about. The only complaint I have is that noone informed us to pay at the register and not to wait for somebody to take the check away from you. My mother and I were very confused and got frustrated while we "waited: for 15 minutes for someone to take the check. But thats okay, the food made up for it!
Service Rating: 4 1/2 stars
Food Review: Going into the Papermoon Diner I knew exactly what I wanted. I got the Esquire reccommended bacon, avocado, and havardi omlette with a side of home-fries and a shake (I got vanilla). First off, the milkshake was the thickest, sweetest, and most delicious milkshake I EVER had in my life. It was so thick that it was nearly impossible to sip throught the straw! I bet the chocolate or strawberry shakes were amazing as well. The omlette was GIGANTIC! My estimate was that there were about 3 or 4 eggs, probably a whole avocado, two or three slices of bacon, and a huge fistful of havarti cheese. Can you say "artery clogging"? Anyways, it was phenominal. It would've been even better if the serving wasn't so big and I wasn't so stuffed when I finished eating it. Otherwise, the seemingly odd combo of bacon and avocado and cheese came together extremley and suprisingly well. The homefries were equally delicious. They were so crispy and perfectly seasoned. I am sure everything else at the Papermoon Diner is equally delicious but if you are visiting and not sure what to get you CAN NOT GO WRONG getting what I got.
Final Note: The Papermoon Diner is a great place to come and enjoy breakfast. With a zany atmosphere and delicious food there's no going wrong getting a cheap and phenominal meal here.
Do I Reccommennd It: I think this is obvious and you can figure it out on your own.
Rating: 5 Stars for the best diner EVER!
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Baltimore.
Wow. It's benn a while since I've posted! The past week or so has been plenty of fun. Since then I've gone to Baltimore for 3 days! I had a wonderful time and I would like everybody to know about Phillip's.
Name: Phillips Seafood
Type of Food: Seafood
Price: $$$
Dress Code: Casual
Location: Inner Harbor Baltimore, MD (there's numerous locations but this is the one I'm reviewing)
Official Wabsite: http://www.phillipsseafood.com/index.cfm?page=menus&id=8
Service Review: I don't know why, but everyone in Baltimore is very friendly. Especially the staff of Phillips Seafood. The waiter we had was very friendly, nice, and polite. He also took our orders correctly and reccommended to us what was good on the menu. The food was also out in perfect timing. Not too long and not too quickly.
Service Rating: 5 stars!
Food Review: When I visited Baltimore it was just my mom and I and we like to share appitizers and we shared the fried calamari that came with a delicious and spicy pineapple sauce. The calamari was cooked perfectly and we couldn't get enough of the pineapple sauce. For dinner I had two Chesapeake Bay Crab Cakes with a side of coleslaw. THEY WERE OUTSTANDING! They had a nice amount of filler but you could stll taste the crab. The Phillips Seafood seasoning they serve on the side went great with the crabcake as well as the tartar sauce they serve with them. If you go to Baltimore get crab cakes because everyone knows they are the best. My mom got Tuna Two Ways which was obviously, tuna two ways. She got a piece of tuna steak which was okay, not the best. I perfer seared tuna over cooked. Although hers was cooked rare I didn't enjoy it too much. The second way was in a traditional spicy tuna roll. This wasn't yourr average sushi. IT WAS PHENOMINAL!! It also had the perfect amount of spice and I could taste the tuna and all of the components in the roll. DELICIOUS!
Final Note: Phillips was a seafood resturaunt where the food is quite delicious and the staff is very helpful.
Do I Reccommend It: Absolutley
Rating: 4 stars!
P.S. my review of Papermoon Diner will be up this week. Another great place in Baltimore!
Name: Phillips Seafood
Type of Food: Seafood
Price: $$$
Dress Code: Casual
Location: Inner Harbor Baltimore, MD (there's numerous locations but this is the one I'm reviewing)
Official Wabsite: http://www.phillipsseafood.com/index.cfm?page=menus&id=8
Service Review: I don't know why, but everyone in Baltimore is very friendly. Especially the staff of Phillips Seafood. The waiter we had was very friendly, nice, and polite. He also took our orders correctly and reccommended to us what was good on the menu. The food was also out in perfect timing. Not too long and not too quickly.
Service Rating: 5 stars!
Food Review: When I visited Baltimore it was just my mom and I and we like to share appitizers and we shared the fried calamari that came with a delicious and spicy pineapple sauce. The calamari was cooked perfectly and we couldn't get enough of the pineapple sauce. For dinner I had two Chesapeake Bay Crab Cakes with a side of coleslaw. THEY WERE OUTSTANDING! They had a nice amount of filler but you could stll taste the crab. The Phillips Seafood seasoning they serve on the side went great with the crabcake as well as the tartar sauce they serve with them. If you go to Baltimore get crab cakes because everyone knows they are the best. My mom got Tuna Two Ways which was obviously, tuna two ways. She got a piece of tuna steak which was okay, not the best. I perfer seared tuna over cooked. Although hers was cooked rare I didn't enjoy it too much. The second way was in a traditional spicy tuna roll. This wasn't yourr average sushi. IT WAS PHENOMINAL!! It also had the perfect amount of spice and I could taste the tuna and all of the components in the roll. DELICIOUS!
Final Note: Phillips was a seafood resturaunt where the food is quite delicious and the staff is very helpful.
Do I Reccommend It: Absolutley
Rating: 4 stars!
P.S. my review of Papermoon Diner will be up this week. Another great place in Baltimore!
Sunday, August 30, 2009
District 9
Hello everybody! I just got home from seeing the action-packed and alien-filled District 9 produced by Peter Jackson, director of The Lord of the Rings trilogy and King Kong. Knowing this, I had very high expectations but did District 9 live up to them? Keep reading to find out.
Title: District 9
Director: Neill Blomkamp
Starring: Sharlto Copley
Genre: Action, Drama
Length: 112 min
MPAA Rating: R
IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1136608/
Summary: In 1990, a massive star ship bearing a bedraggled alien population, nicknamed "The Prawns" (to be used as a politically incorrect term), appeared over Johannesburg, South Africa. Twenty years later, the initial welcome by the human population has faded. The refugee camp where the aliens were located has deteriorated into a militarized ghetto called District 9, where they are confined and exploited in squalor. In 2010, the munitions corporation, Multi-National United, is contracted to forcibly evict the population with operative Wikus van der Merwe in charge. In this operation, Wikus is exposed to a strange alien chemical and must rely on the help of his only two new non-human friends.
My Review: District 9 fell below my expectations. It is quite saddening because I was really enjoying the Documentry-style shooting of the film but as the movie transitioned from documentry style to Hollywood blockbuster I found the film less and less interesting with all of the violent massacares of humans and aliens alike.
The first half of the film was very interesting, showing the backstory behind District 9 and showing how badly the aliens live. This is what mainly got my attention. It was amazing how realistic the movie was and if you replaced the aliens with people the story would still make sense. It was very saddening watching how horribly mistreated the aliens were and how believable the living conditions and predjudice was.
About 40 minutes in is where the plot changes when Wikus accidently sprays himself with an alien substance. After that, he slowly changes into one of the non-humans. I didn't really enjoy Wikus' character too much. Throughout the film he was very self-centered and the only thing he cared about was how to make himself live up to his recent promotion and how to change himself back into a human and how to stay with his wife.
Another thing I did not enjoy was the frequent use of the f-word and nonsensical violence. But I especially didn't like the room for a sequal probably entitled District 10. They made it very obvious a sequal is probably in the works and is going to be much worse then District 9.
Some of the few things I did enjoy was the message the movie gave. I already told you about how much I enjoyed the documentry style filming but when they showed the fake news feeds I felt like I was in the setting of South Africa watching the news surrounding the mysteries of District 9.
Final Note: District 9 was a film that did not live up to my expectations. Although very epic with great themes the story line was great but could've been represented in a different way.
Do I Reccommend It?: Don't spend $15 going to the theater to see it. Rent it from Netflix or whoever but make sure you have surround sound.
Grade: C+
Title: District 9
Director: Neill Blomkamp
Starring: Sharlto Copley
Genre: Action, Drama
Length: 112 min
MPAA Rating: R
IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1136608/
Summary: In 1990, a massive star ship bearing a bedraggled alien population, nicknamed "The Prawns" (to be used as a politically incorrect term), appeared over Johannesburg, South Africa. Twenty years later, the initial welcome by the human population has faded. The refugee camp where the aliens were located has deteriorated into a militarized ghetto called District 9, where they are confined and exploited in squalor. In 2010, the munitions corporation, Multi-National United, is contracted to forcibly evict the population with operative Wikus van der Merwe in charge. In this operation, Wikus is exposed to a strange alien chemical and must rely on the help of his only two new non-human friends.
My Review: District 9 fell below my expectations. It is quite saddening because I was really enjoying the Documentry-style shooting of the film but as the movie transitioned from documentry style to Hollywood blockbuster I found the film less and less interesting with all of the violent massacares of humans and aliens alike.
The first half of the film was very interesting, showing the backstory behind District 9 and showing how badly the aliens live. This is what mainly got my attention. It was amazing how realistic the movie was and if you replaced the aliens with people the story would still make sense. It was very saddening watching how horribly mistreated the aliens were and how believable the living conditions and predjudice was.
About 40 minutes in is where the plot changes when Wikus accidently sprays himself with an alien substance. After that, he slowly changes into one of the non-humans. I didn't really enjoy Wikus' character too much. Throughout the film he was very self-centered and the only thing he cared about was how to make himself live up to his recent promotion and how to change himself back into a human and how to stay with his wife.
Another thing I did not enjoy was the frequent use of the f-word and nonsensical violence. But I especially didn't like the room for a sequal probably entitled District 10. They made it very obvious a sequal is probably in the works and is going to be much worse then District 9.
Some of the few things I did enjoy was the message the movie gave. I already told you about how much I enjoyed the documentry style filming but when they showed the fake news feeds I felt like I was in the setting of South Africa watching the news surrounding the mysteries of District 9.
Final Note: District 9 was a film that did not live up to my expectations. Although very epic with great themes the story line was great but could've been represented in a different way.
Do I Reccommend It?: Don't spend $15 going to the theater to see it. Rent it from Netflix or whoever but make sure you have surround sound.
Grade: C+
Bart Got A Room
Hi Guys! It's currently 12:40AM and my mother and I just watched the hilarious and cute and independent film, Bart Got A Room. Please please please read this review.
Title: Bart Got A Room
Director: Brian Hecker
Starring: Steven Kaplan
Genre: Independent, Comedy
Length: 80 min
MPAA Rating: PG-13
IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0472050/
Summary: The film chronicles nerdy high school senior Danny Stein and his unsuccessful attempts to secure a prom date while his divorced mother (Cheryl Hines) and father (William H. Macy) are on their own quests to find love. The film's name comes from the fact that the schools biggest dweeb, Bart Beeber not only secured a date for the prom, but got a hotel room after as well. This is a source of tremendous anxiety for both Danny and his family.
My Review: This is one of the funniest independent films I have seen since Juno. It was so many wonderful things and such a great feel good movie even though you feel bad for the main character throughout the film. The movie had many many awkward and sexual jokes but they were just to hilarious to try to not laugh unlike I Love You, Man which is a movie I hope no one ever sees because it is so raunchy and unfunny where as Bart Got A Room doesn't overdo the sex jokes one bit.
Throughout the couse of the film Danny tries to get a date with every girl from his sophmore carpool to anyone his best friend sets him up with. This is one thing I did not like about the film. Danny tries to get every girl he possibly can when all along his best friend for 8 years has already asked him. It helped the plot and ultimatley lead to the climax of the film but the main character was just too incredibly foolish.
Overall, this was a great for an independent comedy but not quite Oscar material. I think most people will enjoy the movie because of its great themes and awkwardly funny and heartwarming comedy.
Final Note: It was a cute movie with raunchy jokes that werent over the top but still fun to watch. Great because of the happy ending and qwirkiness of this independent comedy.
Do I Reccommend It: Sure, it was a great rainy day movie
Grade: B+
Title: Bart Got A Room
Director: Brian Hecker
Starring: Steven Kaplan
Genre: Independent, Comedy
Length: 80 min
MPAA Rating: PG-13
IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0472050/
Summary: The film chronicles nerdy high school senior Danny Stein and his unsuccessful attempts to secure a prom date while his divorced mother (Cheryl Hines) and father (William H. Macy) are on their own quests to find love. The film's name comes from the fact that the schools biggest dweeb, Bart Beeber not only secured a date for the prom, but got a hotel room after as well. This is a source of tremendous anxiety for both Danny and his family.
My Review: This is one of the funniest independent films I have seen since Juno. It was so many wonderful things and such a great feel good movie even though you feel bad for the main character throughout the film. The movie had many many awkward and sexual jokes but they were just to hilarious to try to not laugh unlike I Love You, Man which is a movie I hope no one ever sees because it is so raunchy and unfunny where as Bart Got A Room doesn't overdo the sex jokes one bit.
Throughout the couse of the film Danny tries to get a date with every girl from his sophmore carpool to anyone his best friend sets him up with. This is one thing I did not like about the film. Danny tries to get every girl he possibly can when all along his best friend for 8 years has already asked him. It helped the plot and ultimatley lead to the climax of the film but the main character was just too incredibly foolish.
Overall, this was a great for an independent comedy but not quite Oscar material. I think most people will enjoy the movie because of its great themes and awkwardly funny and heartwarming comedy.
Final Note: It was a cute movie with raunchy jokes that werent over the top but still fun to watch. Great because of the happy ending and qwirkiness of this independent comedy.
Do I Reccommend It: Sure, it was a great rainy day movie
Grade: B+
Saturday, August 29, 2009
Sunshine Cleaning
Hello people of the interweb! Today in the mail I got a Netflix film entitled "Sunshine Cleaning". My mother and I have been wanting to see this movie for a while so we watched it! Here's what I thought:
Title: Sunshine Cleaning
Director: Christine Jeffs
Starring: Amy Adams, Emily Blunt
Genre: Dramedy
Length: 91 min
MPAA Rating: R
IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0862846/
Summary: Financially on shaky ground yet determined to send her son to a top private school, Rose Lorkowski (Amy Adams) teams up with her unreliable sister, Norah (Emily Blunt), to start a new company that specializes in biohazard removal and crime scene cleanup. Tired of doing all of the work for other people, whether in her job cleaning homes or in her failed relationships, Rose is finally ready to use her entrepreneurial spirit to tidy up her own life.
My Review: This movie was a very good film. It was alot darker than expected from previews and other things yet it exceded my expectations in the comedy and drama department. I thought this film was Amy Adams second best peice of work I've seen her in (next to the Academy Award nominated "Doubt" which I highly reccommend). I also found that Emily Blunt's acting also exeeded my expectations. She did a wonderful job in the film "The Devil Wears Prada" (which I also reccommend) but I really saw her true potential "shine" in this film. She did a wonderful job being the hilarious and yet terribly troubled little sister Nora. It was a very enjoyable experience seeing her play such a different and darker and more troubled character then her character in "The Devil Wears Prada". It was quite a suprise and I really felt bad for her during the conclusion to the mysterious and hopeful sub-plot of the film where she tries to connect with a woman who had gone through what Nora thinks is nearly the same horrible experience she went through as a child.
I would also like to add that Alan Arkin did a great job in the supporting role as Rose and Nora's father. And the little boy (Jason Spevack) did an outstanding job as Rose's son, Oscar.
This film was very charcter driven and had a climax that was shocking. After the climax (which I cannot tell you about because I like to keep things spoiler free) Rose and Nora are broken apart after so much bonding through the cleaning service which serves as an emotional therapy for both of them and the near end scene brings them back together in a very special way.
There are no downsides to this dark comedy and it was a very great piece of art.
Final Note: Sunshine Cleaning was a terrific film showing great morals and themes alike.
Do I Reccommend It?: You should definitley get Sunshine Cleaning from Blockbuster or Netflix or even buy the DVD because it was great.
Grade: A
Title: Sunshine Cleaning
Director: Christine Jeffs
Starring: Amy Adams, Emily Blunt
Genre: Dramedy
Length: 91 min
MPAA Rating: R
IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0862846/
Summary: Financially on shaky ground yet determined to send her son to a top private school, Rose Lorkowski (Amy Adams) teams up with her unreliable sister, Norah (Emily Blunt), to start a new company that specializes in biohazard removal and crime scene cleanup. Tired of doing all of the work for other people, whether in her job cleaning homes or in her failed relationships, Rose is finally ready to use her entrepreneurial spirit to tidy up her own life.
My Review: This movie was a very good film. It was alot darker than expected from previews and other things yet it exceded my expectations in the comedy and drama department. I thought this film was Amy Adams second best peice of work I've seen her in (next to the Academy Award nominated "Doubt" which I highly reccommend). I also found that Emily Blunt's acting also exeeded my expectations. She did a wonderful job in the film "The Devil Wears Prada" (which I also reccommend) but I really saw her true potential "shine" in this film. She did a wonderful job being the hilarious and yet terribly troubled little sister Nora. It was a very enjoyable experience seeing her play such a different and darker and more troubled character then her character in "The Devil Wears Prada". It was quite a suprise and I really felt bad for her during the conclusion to the mysterious and hopeful sub-plot of the film where she tries to connect with a woman who had gone through what Nora thinks is nearly the same horrible experience she went through as a child.
I would also like to add that Alan Arkin did a great job in the supporting role as Rose and Nora's father. And the little boy (Jason Spevack) did an outstanding job as Rose's son, Oscar.
This film was very charcter driven and had a climax that was shocking. After the climax (which I cannot tell you about because I like to keep things spoiler free) Rose and Nora are broken apart after so much bonding through the cleaning service which serves as an emotional therapy for both of them and the near end scene brings them back together in a very special way.
There are no downsides to this dark comedy and it was a very great piece of art.
Final Note: Sunshine Cleaning was a terrific film showing great morals and themes alike.
Do I Reccommend It?: You should definitley get Sunshine Cleaning from Blockbuster or Netflix or even buy the DVD because it was great.
Grade: A
Friday, August 28, 2009
OMG MY FIRST POST!
Hello blogosphere! This is my very first post on my new blog! As you can tell from the title, it is about books and other things. Whenever I post an entry I feel like people are going to read this and love it or hate it. But the main reason for this blog is to be a Kicker. For those of you who dont know what a Kicker is, it is a person who kicks stories about stuff and tries to get people interested in whatever he/she/it posts about. Mine centers around kicking books. For those of you who are reading this and have deja vu of the term kicker, you have probably seen it in the book "Extras" by Scott Westerfeld www.scottwesterfeld.com/blog As a matter of fact in this post I will be reviewing "Extras" by Scott Westerfeld. What a coinkidink! (Great segway huh?)
Title: Extras
Author: Scott Westerfeld
Series: Uglies
Genre: Sci-Fi (but this book was a little more mysterious than the others in the series)
Page Count: 417 (hardcover edition)
Price: $16.99 hardcover, $9.99 paperback
Barnes and Noble Link: http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Extras/Scott-Westerfeld/e/9781416971214/?itm=1
Blurb On The Back (Or Dust Jacket): Fame. It's a few years after rebel Tally Youngblood took down the uglies/pretties/specials regime. Without those strict roles and rules, the world is a complete cultural renaissance. "Tech-heads" flaunt their latest gadgets, "kickers" spread gossip and trends, and "surge-monkeys" are hooked on extreme plastic surgery. And it's all monitored on a bazillion different cameras. The world is like a gigantic game of American Idol. Whoever is getting the most buzz gets the most votes. Popularity rules.
As if being fifteen doesn't suck enough, Aya Fuse's rank of 451, 369 is so low, she's a total nobody. An extra. Her only chance to escape extra-land is to find a big story to kick - something wild and unexpected.
Then Aya meets a clique of girls who pull crazy tricks, yet are deeply secritive about it. But the Sly Girls are hiding something bigger - an explosive discovery that may change the face of the brave new world forever. If Aya kicks this story, she'll be propelled into the world of fame, celebrity... and extreme danger. A world she's not prepared for.
My Review: This book was PHENOMINAL! Probably my favorite in the four part trilogy (yea you heard me). The reason I say four part trilogy is because the first three books (Uglies, Pretties, and Specials) were supposed to be a trilogy in itself but mastermind author Scott Westerfeld wrote Extras as an unexpected fourth part due to popular demand of the series.
I think that one reason I liked the book so much is the way the author used the same universe as in his previous books but changed it around so much by adding new cliques and characters and so many twists and turns. Some of these are bringing old characters back as well and changing the whole idea around in a story that you would've never imagined to be true until it all the puzzle peices come together.
This book also had some very good themes including some very good ones about friendship and trust and honesty as do all of the other books in the series have. Trust and understanding definity come together with this story very well indeed and the author just makes his views so simple and honest in the book.
One thing that kind of bothered me was a left open sub-plot that had really nothing to do with the story but was still very interesting in itself (but i guess that just leaves more room for a FIFTH book!). But that barley changes the reading experience.
Something that I liked yet disliked at the same time was how easily you could just pick this book up without reading the other three (but dont mix up the order when reading the other three trust me you will get confused!). I know what you're thinking "How is this a bad thing? It seems good to me!" Well I just think that you won't like and appreciate the book's twists and turns as much as i did if you haven't read the other 3.
Final Note: READ THE DAMN BOOK! IT'S AMAZING! TRUST ME.
Do I Reccomend This Book: Hellz yea.
Grade: A-
Title: Extras
Author: Scott Westerfeld
Series: Uglies
Genre: Sci-Fi (but this book was a little more mysterious than the others in the series)
Page Count: 417 (hardcover edition)
Price: $16.99 hardcover, $9.99 paperback
Barnes and Noble Link: http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Extras/Scott-Westerfeld/e/9781416971214/?itm=1
Blurb On The Back (Or Dust Jacket): Fame. It's a few years after rebel Tally Youngblood took down the uglies/pretties/specials regime. Without those strict roles and rules, the world is a complete cultural renaissance. "Tech-heads" flaunt their latest gadgets, "kickers" spread gossip and trends, and "surge-monkeys" are hooked on extreme plastic surgery. And it's all monitored on a bazillion different cameras. The world is like a gigantic game of American Idol. Whoever is getting the most buzz gets the most votes. Popularity rules.
As if being fifteen doesn't suck enough, Aya Fuse's rank of 451, 369 is so low, she's a total nobody. An extra. Her only chance to escape extra-land is to find a big story to kick - something wild and unexpected.
Then Aya meets a clique of girls who pull crazy tricks, yet are deeply secritive about it. But the Sly Girls are hiding something bigger - an explosive discovery that may change the face of the brave new world forever. If Aya kicks this story, she'll be propelled into the world of fame, celebrity... and extreme danger. A world she's not prepared for.
My Review: This book was PHENOMINAL! Probably my favorite in the four part trilogy (yea you heard me). The reason I say four part trilogy is because the first three books (Uglies, Pretties, and Specials) were supposed to be a trilogy in itself but mastermind author Scott Westerfeld wrote Extras as an unexpected fourth part due to popular demand of the series.
I think that one reason I liked the book so much is the way the author used the same universe as in his previous books but changed it around so much by adding new cliques and characters and so many twists and turns. Some of these are bringing old characters back as well and changing the whole idea around in a story that you would've never imagined to be true until it all the puzzle peices come together.
This book also had some very good themes including some very good ones about friendship and trust and honesty as do all of the other books in the series have. Trust and understanding definity come together with this story very well indeed and the author just makes his views so simple and honest in the book.
One thing that kind of bothered me was a left open sub-plot that had really nothing to do with the story but was still very interesting in itself (but i guess that just leaves more room for a FIFTH book!). But that barley changes the reading experience.
Something that I liked yet disliked at the same time was how easily you could just pick this book up without reading the other three (but dont mix up the order when reading the other three trust me you will get confused!). I know what you're thinking "How is this a bad thing? It seems good to me!" Well I just think that you won't like and appreciate the book's twists and turns as much as i did if you haven't read the other 3.
Final Note: READ THE DAMN BOOK! IT'S AMAZING! TRUST ME.
Do I Reccomend This Book: Hellz yea.
Grade: A-
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