April 2009
30 posts
2 tags
Movie Review - Ghost Town (2008) - 4 Stars
As far as playing thoroughly unpleasant characters on TV and in film, the Brits have it down pat. There Hugh Laurie’s ‘Dr. House’. There’s Ricky Gervais’ ‘David Brent’. There’s even Gordon Ramsay. And ‘Dr. Bertrand Pincus D.D.S.’ is no exception here. - he’s truly repulsive in his hilarity. And this is a very funny movie. Téa Leoni and Greg Kinnear are great supports, only slightly let...
2 tags
Restaurant Review – Dench (Fitzroy North VIC) – 4...
I first heard about ‘Dench’ as having the best Hot Cross Buns in Melbourne. What I didn’t realise is that they’ve got a very respectable café/restaurant in there, in addition to the bakery. There’s a limited menu, but a great range of ever changing specials. The food tasted local and fresh, and even on a Monday morning, the staff were fresh-faced and eager to help. I was pleasantly...
2 tags
Movie Review – Superbad (2007) – 3.5 Stars
It’s really quite a simple job to review ‘Superbad’. Basically, it’s just a really funny movie. The story goes that Seth Rogan and Evan Goldberg wrote the movie when they were friends in high school. And I could certainly believe that. This is a great example of a movie that knows where it fits, and does everything to fit there perfectly. Anyone that’s ever chased a girl knows the feeling...
2 tags
Webcomic Review – Dinosaur Comics – 2 Stars
In some situations, absurdity can be a great feature in a comic strip – just look at BizarroBlog. But when it comes to Dinosaur Comics, it’s hard to feel that Ryan North hasn’t pushed it a little too far. I do like the idea of creativity-through-limitations, but even that’s got its limits. I tried very hard to like Dinosaur Comics, and I have huge respect for the readership levels that...
2 tags
Movie Review - Sweeney Todd (2008) – 4 Stars
I’m somewhat surprised there’s such a market for the recent resurgence in musical movies. But the success of films like ‘Chicago’, ‘Rent’, and now ‘Sweeney Todd’ is a great thing. With musical theatre you know the storytelling’s going to be fantastic, the characters are going to be larger than life, and if you don’t already know the songs, you soon will. This film is no exception. Depp...
2 tags
Restaurant Review – Rococo (Hawthorn VIC) – 3...
A Monday night with nothing in the fridge led us down to Rococo for dinner. I’d known ‘Rococo’ in its previous iterations as ‘Isa Brown’, ‘La Giarra’, and a couple more beforehand; but I’d never been particularly impressed. The first thing that struck me here was how extensive the menu was, and how reasonable the prices were. $20 gets you a good serving of gnocchi, and from what I’ve heard,...
2 tags
Video Review – Henson’s 11 (2009) – 4 Stars
When Kat Reilly decided to edit the Muppets to the trailer for the 2001 version of ‘Ocean’s 11’, I doubt even she realised how great it’d be. Kermit the Frog as George Cloony as Danny Ocean? How about Rowlf as Brad Pitt as Rusty Ryan? Or maybe Gonzo as Matt Damon as Linus Caldwell is more for you? You know this idea has potential. Now we just need to find someone with enough time on their...
2 tags
TV Review – SlamBall (OneHD) – 4 Stars
There are a few “near-future” movies out there about made-for-TV sports. Think: ‘The Running Man’, ‘Rollerball’ and ‘Death Race’. And if these are going to become a reality, then SlamBall is a great first step. SlamBall is a basketball/NFL hybrid, played on a walled basketball court with four in-ground trampolines surrounding the goal at each end. Positions have names like “handler” and...
2 tags
Movie Review – Iron Man (2008) – 3.5 Stars
Tony Stark is the best hero alter-ego. He’s not an alien like Clark Kent, he wasn’t exposed to gamma rays like Bruce Banner, he wasn’t even bitten by a radioactive bug like Peter Parker. Nope, he’s just a businessman - but unlike Bruce Wayne, he’s an alcoholic womaniser, so his “cool” credentials are much higher. My main concern here was that the plot shifts from set-up to climax a bit too...
2 tags
List Review - 100 Unintentionally Hilarious Spam...
Spam. We all get it, but for most it’s simply an annoyance. But what if you collected screenshots of subject lines, to get an idea of just how spammers are attempting to dodge your filter? The results are fantastic. With subjects ranging from “kitten archbishop” to “Penis Polishing and Detailing Newsletter”, this list had me desperately stifling giggles in my office chair. As I’m sure you...
2 tags
Movie Review – Hellboy II: The Golden Army (2008)...
I had mixed feelings about this film. On one hand it successfully endeared me to the characters, making me wish that I’d read the comic books and knew a bit more about the Hellboy universe. On the other hand, I was never really endeared to the film itself. Sure there are some great scenes – especially the fight between Red and Wink. But on the whole, I preferred the way the first film...
2 tags
Zine Review – Flurb (Issue 2) – 3 Stars
While not quite up to the standard of issue one, either in terms of quantity or quality of submissions, issue two of FLURB still makes great reading. I particularly liked Charlie Anders’ take on the mechanics of sexual orientation, and how you’d feel if it could be switched like a lightbulb; and John Shirley’s tale of a boy who could see “space demons”, a group of mythical figures luring the...
2 tags
Movie Trailer Review – The Hurt Locker (2008) –...
Kathryn Bigelow has been relatively quite since directing ‘Point Break’ back in 1991. And being a big fan of that, I was excited to see the trailer for her latest film, ‘The Hurt Locker’, released today. The trailer shows an incredibly suspenseful story about a bomb diffuser (Renner) in Iraq – something I’d imagine being an incredibly suspenseful job. The trailer has the perfect blend of...
2 tags
Restaurant Review – Ba Ba Lu (Lorne VIC) – 4.5...
When the worst thing about a restaurant is how popular it is, you know you must be onto a good thing! Owner, Sacha Meier makes everyone feel like an invited guest, and the waiters are incredibly friendly and provide great recommendations when queried. We were having too much fun enjoying the atmosphere of the place to pay a lot of attention to the menu, but “the bottom six” off the tapas list...
2 tags
Movie Review – In Bruges (2008) – 4 Stars
There’s a lot to like about Martin McDonagh’s ‘In Bruges’. Collin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson could certainly be the newbie and mentor in just about any job, but the fact that they’re hit-men just makes it more amusing. I’d just have like to see more of Fiennes. The visuals are stunning, the writing’s fantastic, and this is certainly enough to make this darkly comic film a ‘must see’. ...
2 tags
Restaurant Review – Marks (Lorne VIC) – 3 Stars
Sleek, dark wooden tables, thick cotton napkins and a daily updated menu give ‘Marks’ the appearance of a very classy restaurant. This is emphasised at the table, with meals featuring a great range of fresh and local ingredients. There were some issues with an overly potent balsamic jus on crispy skin duck, but asparagus and haloumi risotto cakes and a nice rare kangaroo sirloin made up for...
2 tags
Movie Review – No Country For Old Men – 2 Stars
Here’s another example of a film that was hyped so much that I was quite let down by the actual thing. I’ve loved most of the Coen brothers’ stuff, so was more than a little disappointed by this. The story was acceptable, but Brolin seems to just be passing the time in his role. And while Bardem seems to be sufficiently un-emotive for the sociopath hitman, he just never scared me enough. I...
2 tags
TV Review – Lawrence Leung’s Choose Your Own...
This was the first time that I’ve watched, so this episode could have been the weakest of the batch; but unfortunately, you only get one chance. This episode had Lawrence learning to fight so he could get revenge on a school-yard bully who pushed him into a hedge 20 years ago. He plays himself as the lovable chump anti-hero, but by the end I was in complete agreement with the bully. From the...
2 tags
Movie Review – Jumper (2008) – 1 Star
There’s a very simple way to describe how I felt about this movie – when the credits began, I laughed. This wasn’t because I thought the movie itself was funny; but rather, I was amused that this was the production team though they could pass off as a movie. There was really no legitimate story, and what plot was there was holeyer than Swiss-cheese. The characters were more underdeveloped...
2 tags
Theatre Review – The Year of Magical Thinking...
Joan Didion’s “year of magical thinking” refers to the delusions her mind created to deal with the death of her husband and only child within the space of a year and a half. Robyn Nevin plays Didion’s character, under the direction of Cate Blanchett (Nevin’s successor as Artistic Director or the Sydney Theatre Company) – an interesting professional relationship, I’d imagine. The subject...
2 tags
Movie Review – Eastern Promises (2007) – 4 Stars
There’s a lot to be said for this tale of the Russian mafia in London. The story tells the tale of a London nurse (Watts) caught up with the Russian mafia after finding the diary of a Russian teenager who died during childbirth. Through the story you meet Semyon (Mueller-Stahl), the Ringleader, and Kirril (Cassel) the prodigal son. The tribal nature of these two are brilliantly matched in...
2 tags
Restaurant Review – Fiesta Mexican (South Yarra...
Owner Shaheen Bilwani really pushes the “famous people eat here” angle at Fiesta Mexican. There are photos of Lleyton Hewitt, Andree Agassi and Eddie Van Halen dotted around the walls. Maybe big stars are a theme here, as “big” seems to be at the core of everything at Fiesta. They advertise “the biggest margaritas on the planet” and the size of the portions seems to take precedent over the...
2 tags
Movie Review – I Am Legend (2007) – 2 Stars
It’s amazing how such a small change to the ending of this movie could change the theme of this film so extensively. This is the third time that Richard Matheson’s book has been made into a film, and it takes the greatest deviation from the story. An ending, similar to that in the book, was made for the film initially, but in a supreme act of pandering to test audiences that only want happy...
2 tags
Restaurant Review – Sala Thai (Fitzroy VIC) – 3.5...
There’s something to be said for a Thai restaurant with the option to sit on cushions on the floor to enjoy your meal. Sure, it may not be as comfortable as a chair and table, but it certainly adds to the experience. Rice crackers and satay sauce were a great way to start the night, as were the cupcakes of minced pork, turnips and peanuts. And while the stir fries are nothing to shout about,...
2 tags
Movie Review – Wanted (2008) – 3 Stars
I tend to like movies where someone is told it’s his genetic destiny to become a hero. It helps me to feel that maybe I have some amazing secret talents, unknown to everyone, including myself. It’d also be nice if Angelina Jolie was the one to tell me about them! I was a bit sceptical about the skills of the brotherhood of assassins in ‘Wanted’, but Timur Bekmambetov has done well to adapt...
2 tags
Restaurant Review – Lulo (Hawthorn VIC) – 4 Stars
What really attracted me to Lulo as we walked passed by was the buzzing atmosphere and Spanish wine and beer bottles all over the walls. We chose a bottle of fantastic Chilean wine with the help of the friendly bar staff, and ordered a great selection of Tapas and share plates. Highlights for me were a spiced waygu tartare and quail with guava paste and pomegranate dressing. This was...
2 tags
Software Review – Xobni (Email Management) – 4...
Here’s a question for anyone that uses Microsoft Outlook 2003; how annoyed are you by the lack of a legitimate search tool? That’s where Xobni (it’s ‘inbox’ backwards) can help. It sits in a sidebar, and once it’s done its initial scan, you’ve got practically instant search functionality by keyword, name, date, or even attachment. It also gives you the threaded conversation layout that Gmail...
2 tags
Movie Review – Road Trip (2000) – 4 Stars
If there’s one stupid movie that I can watch over and over again, and enjoy it just as much each time; it’s this one. Breckin Meyer is fantastic, and Sean William Scott pulls off his one character just as well as always. Then you’ve got the “boinking” D.J. Qualls and Tom Green to really pull the laughs together. The story is irrelevant, but the jokes successfully range from sexuality to race...
2 tags
Hotel Review – Medina Grand (Sydney NSW) – 3.5...
It’s always nice when your hotel room is bigger than your entire apartment at home. Though that’s not entirely fair in this case, as I do live in a studio, and was staying in a serviced apartment. This isn’t a hotel of plush opulence, but it’s a nice place to stay when you need a place to call home. The large footprint helps the apartment to not feel like a hotel room, as does the kitchen...
March 2009
32 posts
2 tags
Movie Review – Must Love Dogs (2005) – 5 Stars
I have tasted true cinematic genius, and its name is Gary David Goldberg. This film is quite simply 98 minutes of the greatest writing, cinematography and acting I’ve ever experienced. Cusack’s take on ‘Jake’ brought tears to my eyes, and I couldn’t help but feel that my life was tied in to the simple struggle for happiness that Diane Lane’s ‘Sarah’ experiences. I know that this film was...