No one's got time to read in-depth reviews of everything. '100 Word Reviews' is here so you can know just enough about everything to make an informed decision.
You'll find that all the reviews at '100 Word Reviews' are 100% accurate - on word count, that is - actual opinions may vary.
If you've got anything to say, or something you want me to review, just drop me a line at 100wordreviews.net@gmail.com
Some days, after work, all you want is a pint of good beer and some hearty pub food. If you’re in the Melbourne CBD, it’s hard to go past James Squire Brewhouse for just that. The beer range is fantastic, featuring the full tap range from one of Australia’s best breweries. They also have a classic pub menu to satisfy any hungry businessperson. There’s the chicken parma (like the suits, they’re available in both single and double breasted varieties), as well as burgers, steaks and a variety of pastas and salads. The best part is, it’s good quality food, too.
When heterosexual friends Ben and Andrew make a drunken pledge to film the two of them “bonin’” for an art festival, each wants to out-do the other’s open-mindedness by not backing down from the task. The three stellar lead performances are what makes this film – largely improvised from Lynn Shelton’s extensive notes; giving this film a wonderful and realistic fly-on-the-wall feel. The terrific dialogue makes for palpable awkwardness as the dare is explained to Ben’s wife, and the logistics of the task are openly discussed. How do you show your friends how much you care about them?
While having breakfast at Trotters we discussed the validity of restaurant reviews based solely on the quality of a hash-brown. That should give you some idea of just how good Trotters’ breakfast accompaniments are. The rest of the breakfast matches, too – with creamy scrambled eggs, and thick cut bacon that hasn’t been cooked to a crisp as sometimes happens. They have an extensive lunch menu, as well; ranging from the ubiquitous chicken burger to home-made gnocchi with pumpkin, pine nuts and sage butter. Situated at the north end of bustling Lygon St, it’s a perfect stop for a weekend brunch.
There’s nothing about this movie that isn’t in bad taste; whether it’s the exploitation of the Kazakhstani culture or Sacha Baron Cohen’s ability to make anyone seem ignorant and foolish (though, that probably wasn’t that hard in some cases, here). I don’t, however, mean that as a bad thing. This movie is hilarious. It’s more than just “laugh-out-loud-funny”; it’s “laugh-so-hard-you-start-making-snorting-noises-funny”. And it’s all the real people that make it. There really is nothing better than the shadenfreude of seeing uncomfortable people trying to accept what they see as “foreign”.
Being the Harry Potter geek that I am, I like the fact that this film seemed to open the characters’ motives to the audience more than any other in the series. The casting and acting are again strong, with Tom Fleton showing perfect desperation with the downfall of Draco Malfoy, and Alan Rickman once again proving that he really *is* Professor Snape. But while it was a positive that the film captured both the humour and the dark emotion of the story, there seemed to be no segue between these in the script, leading to some jarring shifts in tone.
Replete’s got all its bases covered as far as food. Breakfasts are outstanding with bacon or smoked salmon on corn fritters, or ricotta hotcakes with lemon curd and strawberries (voted Cheap Eats breakfast of the year); lunches are satisfied with a full range of sandwiches, rolls and pastas; and if you want to take something home, they have gourmet pasta sauces and curries to feed a family, as well as cakes, slices and tarts. Service is always friendly, and your food arrives quickly, even when they’re busy. The coffees are great, and it’s just a very nice place to eat.
