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Having originally seen this movie when I was about 12, it was a very different experience watching it again this week. At the time, I’d appreciated the humour and juxtaposition of a man in a shirt and tie shooting up fast food restaurant. This time, however, what stuck me was how well Ebbe Roe Smith, Joel Schumacher and Michael Douglas have captured William’s nothing-to-lose desperation and subtle shift to becoming the “bad guy” in his own story. At once, his behaviour can seem so outlandish and extreme; whilst at the same time can seem completely justified and understandable.
As a disclaimer, this is not a review of Michel’s Patisserie in their capacity as a provider of cakes and pastries, rather their ability to furnish me with a light, café-style breakfast, as their sign suggests they can. If you can provide fancy tarts, flans, and friands; fruit toast should be easy. I can’t say I’ve ever made a gateau, but I’ve baked raisin toast. That’s why, when I ordered my breakfast, I was very disappointed to pay $3 for two slices of Tip Top Cafe Bread Raisin Loaf, a whole loaf of which costs under $4.50 at the supermarket.
The fanboy culture is so ingrained in the concept of ‘Star Trek’ that it mush have been very hard for J.J. Abrams to put together an incarnation as accessible as this. But accessible, it is; and a very entertaining sci-fi action adventure at that. Zachary Quinto seems perfect as a new generation of Spock, with his years as the pseudo-human Sylar in ‘Heroes’ standing him in good stead. There’s also impressive work by relative newcomer Chris Pine. And Daniel Mindel’s space cinematography (including the infamous lens flares) has an organic feel, somewhat reminiscent of Whedon’s CGI handi-cam approach in ‘Firefly’.
I recently bought a sample pack of blades to try out in my safety razor. The first set of blades to be sampled were the Dorco Platinum ST300s. Honestly, the only reason I’m glad I started here is that everything will fell good in comparison. The blades suffer from an uneven sharpness that leaves you feeling a pull even when it’s sharp. They’re too rough on first shave, and though they do smoothen out, they quickly become too dull. You do get one half-decent shave per blade, but unfortunately, it’s not the first one. I won’t be using these again.
Movies are usually told from one angle, but did you ever want to hear the other side of the story? Maybe it’s just a big misunderstanding? That’s the premise of ‘Tucker and Dale Versus Evil’, an independent film by Eli Craig, just waiting to be picked up by a studio. Alan Tudyk and Tyler Labine are two country boys who accidentally scare some city campers, but get a surprise themselves when the campers start dying. Who’s out to get whom, and who’s just there to help; provides the backbone for what looks like it could be a very funny movie.
Taking lots of digital photos, and backing up an extensive CD and DVD collection can quickly burn through the gigabytes, so when you’re looking for a simple way to add digital storage to your computer, it’s hard to beat the simplicity of a Western Digital Elements USB2 External Hard Drive. It’s the simplest form of plug-and-play, and at a little over 10c per gigabyte it’s very cheap. The trade off comes between speed and simplicity, but for the majority of applications USB2 speeds are enough. If you’re not currently backing-up, this is a very easy way to start.
The sci-fi genre has become saturated with fast paced action recently, so it’s good to see Alex Rivera take a slow paced approach to tell a beautiful story. The advanced technology, despite playing a major role in the film’s plot, takes a back seat to character development and social commentary as we see Memo and Luz’s relationship develop and understand the implications of living in the shadow of a nation doing everything it can to restrict outside usage of its natural resources. If this is the quality of the new generation of Mexican filmmakers, then I look forward to more.
Food and entertainment often go hand in hand, but rarely as they do at Fuji Teppanyaki. A personal chef juggling knives and forks is a great way to whet the appetite, as is simply being able to see the plates of fresh meat and vegetables just waiting to be cooked. It was a great introduction for someone like me who hasn’t eaten teppanyaki before, with our friendly chef cooking exactly to our likings and recommending appropriate condiments throughout. It is a little on the expensive side, but then again, it’s not every meal that someone throws fried egg at you!
Demitri Martin is a smart bloke – his stand up comedy speaks for that. It’s also good to see someone trying a new format of TV show. Unfortunately, that’s where the positives end with ‘Important Things’. The format is repetitive, and the content is bland. The theme of each episode of the show is built around one ‘important thing’ (eg, power, coolness, or chairs), and jokes, sketches pranks are shoehorned into that theme. The only highlights come through Martin’s talent for wordplay, which is featured through one segment using an oversized notepad, and another using magnetic poetry style word cutouts.
In the last week, I’ve eaten from Patee Thai twice, both for take-away and dine-in. And I’ll let you know that it has surpassed Sala Thai as my favourite Thai place in Fitzroy (and the full house at an early Sunday dinner sitting would seem to indicate that a fair few people agree). The décor and staff seem very authentic, and the food is wonderful. Sweet creamy curries (my favourite being the red duck variety) feature tender meat and still crisp vegetables, and the stir-fries are nicely varied and not too heavy on sauce, as can often be the case.
