Andy Gavin's Blog, page 166
October 10, 2012
Sundae School at Toppings
Restaurant: Toppings
Location:872 Via De La Paz.Los Angeles,CA90272.(310) 454-8228
Date: September 14, 2012
Cuisine:FrozenYogurt
Rating: Diabetics beware!
ANY CHARACTER HERE
A while back I review the newfrozen yogurt place in the heart of the Pacific Palisades Village, now apparently it was so popular that someone decided to build a second one just a block away! Thenewcomer, Toppings, appears to be part of a two joint chain and its claim to fame is more toppings. A lot more toppings!
The yogurt part...
October 8, 2012
Horror for Halloween
In honor of the coming invasion of demons, witches, and the like, I andThe Darkening Dreamare participating in Fiction Frolic for All Hallow’s Read, an event supporting Neil Gaiman’s All Hallow’s Read.
For this week’s contribution, I’ve written up a list of my favorite creepy/scary books:
In honor of that special night when the barriers between this world and the next grows thin, I made a list of some favorite creepy/scary books.No horror list would be complete without the master: Stephen King....
October 5, 2012
Cabin in the Woods – Post Modern Fun
Title: The Cabin in the Woods
Cast:Richard Jenkins(Actor),Jesse Williams(Actor),Drew Goddard(Director)
Genre: Horror Spoof
Watched:September 20, 2012
Summary: Gory self-referentialglory! (8/10)
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Joss Whedon loves his post-modern! The Cabin in the Woods is both aclever and moderately scary classic teen horror film and at the same time a self-referentialreinvention of the genre. In short, we have the classic startup: Five college kids head to a cabin in the woods for a weekend of fun and are beset b...
October 3, 2012
A Fiction Frolic for All Hallow’s Read
In honor of the coming invasion of demons, witches, and the like, I andThe Darkening Dreamare participating in Fiction Frolic for All Hallow’s Read, an event supporting Neil Gaiman’s All Hallow’s Read.
Each of the participants is doing three different themed posts. Myfirst one is about reading in school:
Reading doesn’tseparatethe men from the boys, itseparatesthe educated from the ignorant. Seriously. There is no other conduit for absorbing information and broadening oneself that is so accessi...
October 1, 2012
Hedonists at La Paella
Restaurant: La Paella
Location:476 South San Vicente Boulevard.Los Angeles, CA 90048.(323) 951-0745
Date: September 27, 2012
Cuisine: Spanish
Rating: Really tasty traditional Spanish
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Since spending a month in Spain in 2010, I’ve beenaddictedto Spanish cooking, so when the hedonists decided to head on over to this Hollywood staple I jumped on board for another evening packed with great wine and great food.
This “bonus wine” (thrown in by Lana at the last minute) was drinkingbeautifully. “The Grande...
September 28, 2012
N/Naka Birthday
Restaurant: N/Naka[1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
Location:3455 S. Overland Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90034. 310.836.6252
Date: September 14, 2012
Rating: Awesome
ANY CHARACTER HERE
I first went to the amazing Omakase only N/Naka last summer. After a bit of a hiatus theFoodie Club returns. Now bear in mind that this lovelyrestauranthas only a set menu (they offer it in two sizes, plus vegetarian) but the talented young chef Ms.Niki Nakayama has whipped up an entirely different meal (with simi...
September 26, 2012
The Dark Knight Rises
Title: The Dark Knight Rises
Cast:Christian Bale(Actor),Christopher Nolan(Director)
Genre: Comic Book
Watched: September22, 2012
Summary: Unrelenting dark
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According to Box Office Mojo, the latest Batman film cost $250 million dollars to make. Some of these effects are understated, but this is certainly one of the largest scale movies in a long long time. Not only are there a bewildering array of main characters (many played by top actors), but the notable secondary roles are legion. Plus, the ent...
September 24, 2012
Sotto – Sicilian & Sardinian Scents
Location: 9575 W Pico Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90035 310.277.0210
Date: September 13 26, 2012
Cuisine: Sicilian andSardinianItalian
Rating: Bold flavors, off to a great start!
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While LA is packed with Italianrestaurants, Sotto is fairly unique in embracing a rustic southern Italian style. This isn’t your old school Sicilian orNeapolitan Americaneither, but the hearty traditional fare of Italy’s Spanish and Moorish influenced regions. I’ve been here a number of times before,...
May 22, 2012
Dark Shadows – Why?
Title: Dark Shadows (2012)
Cast: Johnny Depp (Actor), Michelle Pfeiffer (Actor), Tim Burton (Director)
Genre: Vampire Comedy
Watched: May 19, 2012
Summary: Why? Just why?
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My dedication to all things vampire made me see it. I swear.
One wonders if Tim Burton ever works with anyone other than Johnny Depp. But the issue here isn’t really Depp’s deadpan Deppist performance, which is certainly one of the better things about the film. It’s basically in the meta creative choices and the writing. The source material is long, dramatic, or rather melodramatic, and convoluted. It involves stories being woven out over many episodes (1991) or years (2800 episodes of the original!). Any comedy was inadvertent.
Not so much here. There is no backstory. Instead, what happened between Barnabus in the 18th century (involving his affair with the witch Angelique and the subsequent death of his lover and conversion into vampire) is spelled out in a quick prelude. This is the best part of the film and the least comic. But its presence also leaves no room for any sense of mystery.
Then cut to 1972 and the awakening of our entombed hero. For a few moments the fish out of water comedy is funny, even if it’s all in the trailer. But that’s about it. There is pretty much zero character development here. The creators shove in a large number of characters from the original, even if in mutated form, but there is so much time spent with Depp that everyone else (with the possible exception of Angelique) is anemic at best. There isn’t even an attempt at a character arc for anyone. The conflict is minimal and simplistic. In fact, the movie devolves into a kind of “we have to save the family business” rivalry type film, even including one of my least favorite Hollywood devices: “everything can be fixed with a good party.” Which includes a 1972 Alice Cooper who looks exactly like 2012 Alice Cooper. But even the lame business conflict line is underwritten. The second half was just boring.
There are a few good moments of visual or deadpan humor, mostly involving slightly esoteric riffs to vampire fans. Willy’s character is good. Chloe Moretz is cute but stuck with perpetual curled lip. Eva Green is confused but sexy. Depp seems to have blended Jack Sparrow, Hunter S Thompson, and Max Schreck. I like what he does with his pointy fingered hands. He pivots up unnaturally out of his coffin. Many younger viewers will know this best from Coppola’s Dracula, but he too borrowed it from the 1922 Nosferatu. I liked the image of the vampire sleeping in the linen closet. These are small things, and definitely not enough to save the film.
My thoughts on the 1991 revival.
May 20, 2012
Game of Thrones – Episode 18
Title: Game of Thrones
Genre: Historical Fantasy
Watched: Episode 18 – May 20, 2012
Title: The Prince of Winterfell
Summary: A little rushed
ANY CHARACTER HERE
Last week’s episode ended with Brienne drawing her blade, but this begins at Winterfell with the titular Price of Winterfell, Theon, killing all the ravens to stop word of his treachery. His sister arrives and presses him to return home so as not to die. Somehow this scene felt stilted, her rapid shift from haughty to concerned a bit forced.
Then in the far north Ygritte and her men deliver Jon to the Lord of Bones and his plastic skull helmet. Qorin is there too, captive as well, Jon’s fault. Bones wants to gut him, but Ygritte repays her debt by convincing him not.
Robb walks across some pretty Irish countryside talking to his girlfriend the nurse. I still don’t love their chemistry, even though they talk about Ned. Then Robb learns of the Kingslayer’s escape. New viewers will undoubtedly be confused, because he escaped and was recaptured last week.
Some minor clarity (for those who haven’t read the books) is offered when Robb returns and confronts Cat. She tries to explain. Karstark is furious, but I wasn’t really feeling his acting. Robb arrests her.
Really, Cat sent Brienne off to haul Jaime back to Cersei and trade for the girls. And we see this now, but the show’s need for brevity has trimmed it to the bone. Still, Jaime is great fun teasing Brienne and it’s fun to watch him muscled around by this enormous girl.
Arya is doing table duty again when she learns that Tywin is about to ride and she is to be left behind with the Mountain. She runs off past some grisly hung men and finds Hot Pie and Gendry, but she’s looking for her pet assassin. Presumably she has finally decided to use her third death to rid the land of Tywin. In the book, this has a real feeling of urgency. Their efforts here to make Tywin more human dilute that.
Back to Jon. Qorin hints that Jon should try to infiltrate the wildlings and starts to taunt him. This extremely brief, and also likely to be lost on new veiwers, but it’s an important bit of info.
Tyrion and Bronn have an amusing chat and Vary’s shows up again. Oh, how I missed him. They discuss the difficult task of defending the city.
Sam and the Crows, still on the Fist of the First Men, are digging latrines and find an ancient cache of obsidian blades. What could those mean?
Arya finds Jaquen too late. But, always too clever for her own good, she forces him to help her escape by naming his own name. He reluctantly agrees.
Tyrion and Cersei are eating lamprey pie (again a nod to the books). Last weeks moment of fraternal love is long gone, for Cersei announces that she holds Shae and is holding her as ransom against Joff’s security. Ty plays it cool, even when she’s brought in and revealed to be Ros (good riddance).
Robb talks to Bolton to put pressure on the Bastard retaking Winterfell. Then his girl comes in. He’s stressed, and as usual doesn’t really play much of the king with her. Contrast him with the insufferable Joff! This time around their chemistry is much better as she tells a story of her brother’s near death. There seems to be a sibling theme going on in this episode because we have this story, Theon’s sister’s about him as a baby, and the rivalry between Ty and Cersei. Robb throws his Frey engagement to the wind and plays some serious doctor with the nurse.
Arya, Hot Pie, and Gendry sneak through the gate Jaquen has prepared. All the guards have been viciously murdered and propped up. Jaq has quite a talent.
Stannis and Davos sale toward King’s Landing. They talk of Davos’ rescue of Storm’s End. His whole Onion Knight story is being spooled out in tiny doses. I wonder if the non-readers will get it.
Joff is playing at being a proper soldier. One just loves to hate him, from his manner to his ridiculous girly man posturing. I can’t wait for… Anyway, Tyrion and Vary’s have another great talk. I do love V. Ty unveils his desire to stay hand (and alive) while V lets slip the threat of Dany and her dragons.
Speaking of, a brief scene where Jorah and Dany discuss what to do. He councils safety, she won’t leave her dragons.
In Winterfell, Maester Luwin sees Asha and tracks her down into the crypt to put our minds at ease.
Overall, this episode had some great scenes but felt a bit rushed and disjointed. So much is going on here that the writers had to trim aggressively to get it all in before next week’s Battle of Blackwater. They’ve done the best they can, but I wonder if noobs (non-readers) will really make perfect sense of it.
See my review of A Dance With Dragons.
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Season 1 reviews: [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10]
Season 2 reviews: [11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18]
