Rating: B-
This movie’s been out a while, and I’ve been meaning to write put my critique out
there. But due to extenuating circumstances, I’ve had to wait until now. Based on the book series of the same name, The Hunger Games had the potential of being something as visually powerful and mentally jarring as Lord of the Flies. Instead, they decided to dilute it for
the Dora The Explorer demographic. Only problem is, it’s still too troubling for the kiddies, and far too gentle for anyone over the age of 10.
While I disagree with many that this book / film is an English version of the Japanese book / film, Battle Royale; I do wish that they would have taken a page from the Japanese version. Make it daring, or poetic, or shocking. Instead, in order to placate soccer moms and interest groups, The Hunger Games languishes in mediocrity; Just good enough to be worth watching, but not nearly good enough for it to be memorable.
Jennifer Lawrence gave an admirable performance, and Stanley Tucci is one of my favourite supporting casts. But that's about it. And I suppose I should give credit to the direction of Gary Ross for moving the movie along fluidly because let's not forget, the actual "games" don't start until about the middle of the 140+ min movie.
On top of that, the side stories just felt entirely too contrived and there were just too many holes in the movie. I mean, aside from the wolves that appeared out of no where for no particular reason, there really was never any real danger to Ms. Lawrence's character.
But judging from the reception of this movie, it looks like the film adaptations for the next two books of this trilogy is just going to be more of the same.
~Cheers.
Showing posts with label Japanese. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Japanese. Show all posts
Tuesday, 24 April 2012
Wednesday, 22 June 2011
Commercial: Glico - Ice no Mi (2011)
Rating: A+
Are you freaking kidding me?! Some of you might already know about the secret behind this commercial, but for those of you who haven't, I CHALLENGE you to figure out what that secret is.
One of the girls in the commercial isn't real. Watch it again. See who it is THIS time? Her name is Aimi Eguchi, and she is, in actuality, the best features of all the other girls. Love it or hate it, it's got people talking about Glico. It's got people talking about their product Ice Nomi. And it's got people talking about the 61 (now 62) member group AKB48.
Still don't believe me? Here's the making of clip:
Great publicity, Great concept, Great gimmick! I wonder if they'll keep Aimi as a permanent 62nd member.
~Cheers.
Are you freaking kidding me?! Some of you might already know about the secret behind this commercial, but for those of you who haven't, I CHALLENGE you to figure out what that secret is.
One of the girls in the commercial isn't real. Watch it again. See who it is THIS time? Her name is Aimi Eguchi, and she is, in actuality, the best features of all the other girls. Love it or hate it, it's got people talking about Glico. It's got people talking about their product Ice Nomi. And it's got people talking about the 61 (now 62) member group AKB48.
Still don't believe me? Here's the making of clip:
Great publicity, Great concept, Great gimmick! I wonder if they'll keep Aimi as a permanent 62nd member.
~Cheers.
Friday, 6 May 2011
Restaurant: Koyoi
Let's face it. Toronto isn't close to any ocean, so it's going to be rare to find a sushi restaurant that REALLY stands out without breaking the bank. But that shouldn't stop us from enjoying yummy, scrumptious Japanese eats! My recent joys? Finding little Izakayas (居酒屋), which generally serves Japanese style tapas.
Ambiance: 2.5 / 5
Cleanliness: 2.5 / 5
Service: 4 / 5
Taste: 4 / 5
Presentation: 3.5 / 5
Price: $
Overall: 3.5 / 5
You really can't go wrong with a quaint little restaurant that can fill up your belly with yummy tapas for under $20. For a long time now, I've a big fan of おでん (oden) and in particular, 大根 (daikon - radish).
It's only $1.50 a piece and very light in flavour. I could totally eat this all day long. If I remember correctly, the above photo is scene with some fish cake.
Of course, you're not going to JUST eat おでん for dinner. Another item worth noting, is the Koyoi Salad, with some tofu and lettuce, there's also some chips for a bit of crunch too. Nice and light in flavour, I highly recommend this.
The next thing that came was Koyoi's version of お好み焼き (Okonomiyaki), again, one of my favourite dishes. Unfortunately, most places I've tried, can't make this right. Luckily, Koyoi's rendition is quite good. I found them a little heavy on the bonito flakes, but otherwise, still very good.
I was introduced to this little Izakaya a little while ago, and have been back a few ti mes, wanting to try as many of their little tapas as possible, I've been back a few times. The picture above isn't very clear, but at the bottom, it says that only 25 portions of this Tonkotsu Ramen is made starting on Wednesdays. But every single time I go, it's already sold out. Last time, the waitress told me that if I come any later than Thursday, it's likely to be sold out. So I just HAD to know, what is so special about this Ramen? Not only does it cost $13.99 (one of the most expensive things on the menu), but they only have 25 available a week?!
Finally went this past Wednesday so that I could FINALLY try this elusive ramen. Went with a few friends, we each put an order in. And waited while we enjoyed some of their other dishes, and waited while we sipped our tea, and waited while we conversed about how to save the world, and waited, and waited and waited. It took OVER 45 minutes for them to bring out ramen. Seriously?! It only takes about 4minutes to cook a pack of Nissin. I mean, granted, this isn't Nissin, but over 45 minutes?!
OK....45 minutes, this thing better be WORTH the wait, better be WORTH the $13.99.When the ramen finally came, there was one. yes, count it....ONE piece of Tonkotsu. Are you kidding me?! On top of that, there were 5 of us. Each piece of Tonkotsu that was served got progressively SMALLER. Mine was the 2nd bowl!
In their defense, all the money is in their soup. I'm fairly certain that they make one huge pot of soup base each week, chock full of ingredients. Although a bit too oily for my tastes, the soup was very rich and very delicious. But seriously, how much does a single slice of pork cost? I'd rather the ramen cost $14.99 but have 3+ pieces. This just feels like a big rip off.
Koyoi is definitely worth visiting, just stay away from the Tonkotsu ramen. It's not worth $13.99 and definitely not worth waiting over 45 minutes. And to finish, just a couple of other items I've tried.
Koyoi
2 Irwin Ave.
Toronto, Ontario
(647) 351-5128
~Cheers.
Ambiance: 2.5 / 5
Cleanliness: 2.5 / 5
Service: 4 / 5
Taste: 4 / 5
Presentation: 3.5 / 5
Price: $
Overall: 3.5 / 5
You really can't go wrong with a quaint little restaurant that can fill up your belly with yummy tapas for under $20. For a long time now, I've a big fan of おでん (oden) and in particular, 大根 (daikon - radish).
It's only $1.50 a piece and very light in flavour. I could totally eat this all day long. If I remember correctly, the above photo is scene with some fish cake.
Of course, you're not going to JUST eat おでん for dinner. Another item worth noting, is the Koyoi Salad, with some tofu and lettuce, there's also some chips for a bit of crunch too. Nice and light in flavour, I highly recommend this.
The next thing that came was Koyoi's version of お好み焼き (Okonomiyaki), again, one of my favourite dishes. Unfortunately, most places I've tried, can't make this right. Luckily, Koyoi's rendition is quite good. I found them a little heavy on the bonito flakes, but otherwise, still very good.
I was introduced to this little Izakaya a little while ago, and have been back a few ti mes, wanting to try as many of their little tapas as possible, I've been back a few times. The picture above isn't very clear, but at the bottom, it says that only 25 portions of this Tonkotsu Ramen is made starting on Wednesdays. But every single time I go, it's already sold out. Last time, the waitress told me that if I come any later than Thursday, it's likely to be sold out. So I just HAD to know, what is so special about this Ramen? Not only does it cost $13.99 (one of the most expensive things on the menu), but they only have 25 available a week?!
Finally went this past Wednesday so that I could FINALLY try this elusive ramen. Went with a few friends, we each put an order in. And waited while we enjoyed some of their other dishes, and waited while we sipped our tea, and waited while we conversed about how to save the world, and waited, and waited and waited. It took OVER 45 minutes for them to bring out ramen. Seriously?! It only takes about 4minutes to cook a pack of Nissin. I mean, granted, this isn't Nissin, but over 45 minutes?!
OK....45 minutes, this thing better be WORTH the wait, better be WORTH the $13.99.When the ramen finally came, there was one. yes, count it....ONE piece of Tonkotsu. Are you kidding me?! On top of that, there were 5 of us. Each piece of Tonkotsu that was served got progressively SMALLER. Mine was the 2nd bowl!
In their defense, all the money is in their soup. I'm fairly certain that they make one huge pot of soup base each week, chock full of ingredients. Although a bit too oily for my tastes, the soup was very rich and very delicious. But seriously, how much does a single slice of pork cost? I'd rather the ramen cost $14.99 but have 3+ pieces. This just feels like a big rip off.
Koyoi is definitely worth visiting, just stay away from the Tonkotsu ramen. It's not worth $13.99 and definitely not worth waiting over 45 minutes. And to finish, just a couple of other items I've tried.
 |
| Ankimo (アンキモ) |
 |
| Tsukune (つくね) |
 |
| Black Sesame Ice Cream |
2 Irwin Ave.
Toronto, Ontario
(647) 351-5128
~Cheers.
Tuesday, 21 December 2010
Restaurant: Okoze Sushi....
Ambiance: 3.5 / 5
Cleanliness: 4 / 5
Service: 1.5 / 5
Taste: 4 / 5
Presentation: 4 / 5
Price: $$$
Overall: 2.5 / 5
The first time I had Japanese food, I fell in love with it. But it wasn't until late in my college years did I realise how potentially amazing sushi can be. Ever since then, I've been a bit of a sushi snob. I mean, I still eat the ones at the mall kiosks and the all-you-can-eat buffet stuff, but my mouth literally waters and drools whenever I get the chance to have the good stuff.
I live in Toronto, which means, as great as some of the sushi / sashimi is here, we're really short on FRESH fish here. So you can imagine my excitement when I realised that my cousin had gotten reservations at Okoze Sushi in San Francisco.
We walk in, and the place is quite nice. Pretty spacious, with simple decor and ambient lighting. We were quickly seated and given our menus. I was pretty impressed with their sake list. They didn't have my favourite - Wakatake Onikoroshi (Demon Slayer) Junmai Daiginjo - so they gave me a sampling of a couple of other sakes that they had. Unfortunately, I can't remember the name of the one I selected, but it was very good at $18 a glass. Yes, they served it to me in a wine glass.
The first dish I ordered came. Yes, it tasted as good as it looks! A Butterfish Carpaccio that was very, very well done. It was light and very fresh. But it wasn't this dish that I was waiting for. Ankimo Sunomono. I started salivating at the sight of the words on the menu.
What is it? It's monk fish liver - fois gras of the sea - topped with ponzu sauce. I thought the ankimo sunomono I had in Toronto was good? This was unbelieveable. So clean, so fresh, so creamy, so rich and flavourful. Absolutely delicious. However, not everything was AS good.
Remember how I mentioned those all-you-can-eat sushi restaurants? They make a better shrimp tempura. Isn't tempura batter supposed to be light? This one was heavy heavy heavy! It really boggled my mind how the same restaurant that had such delectable ankimo and butterfish could screw shrimp tempura up. Fortunately, the next dish that came up somewhat redeemed my faith in the restaurant. Momentarily.
Sushi made with Geoduck. It's amazing what freshness does. Fresh ingredients hides a lot. Fresh sashimi is divine. But unfortunately, it doesn't hide poor service.
If anyone has had Toro (Bluefin tuna belly) will attest, its melt-in-your-mouth deliciousness is out of this world. That being said, unless they decided to go fishing after I placed my order, there is no way that putting a couple of pieces fish onto a ball of rice takes close to an hour to prepare! Really... There is no way. They forgot the order. After we had finished everything else, we sat around waiting, and waiting, and waiting. After they FINALLY decided to serve this last dish, they promptly informed us that they were sorry, but they had to bring us the bill because another party had a reservation. Okoze, must be the Japanese word for poor service and can't cook. That being said, the uncooked food was certainly delicious.
Here's a few more photos of some yummy food that they served at this poorly serviced sushi house. All photos in this entry courtesy of "my life as garbo".
~Cheers.
Cleanliness: 4 / 5
Service: 1.5 / 5
Taste: 4 / 5
Presentation: 4 / 5
Price: $$$
Overall: 2.5 / 5
The first time I had Japanese food, I fell in love with it. But it wasn't until late in my college years did I realise how potentially amazing sushi can be. Ever since then, I've been a bit of a sushi snob. I mean, I still eat the ones at the mall kiosks and the all-you-can-eat buffet stuff, but my mouth literally waters and drools whenever I get the chance to have the good stuff.
I live in Toronto, which means, as great as some of the sushi / sashimi is here, we're really short on FRESH fish here. So you can imagine my excitement when I realised that my cousin had gotten reservations at Okoze Sushi in San Francisco.
We walk in, and the place is quite nice. Pretty spacious, with simple decor and ambient lighting. We were quickly seated and given our menus. I was pretty impressed with their sake list. They didn't have my favourite - Wakatake Onikoroshi (Demon Slayer) Junmai Daiginjo - so they gave me a sampling of a couple of other sakes that they had. Unfortunately, I can't remember the name of the one I selected, but it was very good at $18 a glass. Yes, they served it to me in a wine glass.
The first dish I ordered came. Yes, it tasted as good as it looks! A Butterfish Carpaccio that was very, very well done. It was light and very fresh. But it wasn't this dish that I was waiting for. Ankimo Sunomono. I started salivating at the sight of the words on the menu.
What is it? It's monk fish liver - fois gras of the sea - topped with ponzu sauce. I thought the ankimo sunomono I had in Toronto was good? This was unbelieveable. So clean, so fresh, so creamy, so rich and flavourful. Absolutely delicious. However, not everything was AS good.
Remember how I mentioned those all-you-can-eat sushi restaurants? They make a better shrimp tempura. Isn't tempura batter supposed to be light? This one was heavy heavy heavy! It really boggled my mind how the same restaurant that had such delectable ankimo and butterfish could screw shrimp tempura up. Fortunately, the next dish that came up somewhat redeemed my faith in the restaurant. Momentarily.
Sushi made with Geoduck. It's amazing what freshness does. Fresh ingredients hides a lot. Fresh sashimi is divine. But unfortunately, it doesn't hide poor service.
If anyone has had Toro (Bluefin tuna belly) will attest, its melt-in-your-mouth deliciousness is out of this world. That being said, unless they decided to go fishing after I placed my order, there is no way that putting a couple of pieces fish onto a ball of rice takes close to an hour to prepare! Really... There is no way. They forgot the order. After we had finished everything else, we sat around waiting, and waiting, and waiting. After they FINALLY decided to serve this last dish, they promptly informed us that they were sorry, but they had to bring us the bill because another party had a reservation. Okoze, must be the Japanese word for poor service and can't cook. That being said, the uncooked food was certainly delicious.
Here's a few more photos of some yummy food that they served at this poorly serviced sushi house. All photos in this entry courtesy of "my life as garbo".
~Cheers.
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