SyFy's reimagining of Alice in Wonderland makes me wonder if SciFy's writing team couldn't use a bit more therapy to work out their family issues. Like the Oz reimagining they did with Zoey Daschenel, Alice revolves around a young girl who is the key to saving a magical land and the key to her power lies in resolving a deep family rift. In Alice, she must overcome her distrust of men caused by the disappearence of her father.
This is a mild criticism. I prefer my sci-fi to be more social commentary than the modern mopy dysfunctional family stuff. I'm probably also older than the target audience who digs Twilight and sensitive emo-pires who lust after their own angst.
Alice does have some strengths. The story is well paced if a bit predictable. The CGI set work is lush. The acting is good. There are some gags that elicited a titter.
For what it is, a long SyFy movie, it is good. Unlike the attrocious Prisoner redo on AMC, it delivered what it promised: a few hours of escape.
Saturday, December 12, 2009
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Five Guys Burgers and Fries
On our way home from RI Sunday H and I stopped at the new Five Guys Burgers & Fries place in Norwood. The chain is well known as a premium burger joint with good prices and fast service.
They score well on both counts. The burgers are tastey and huge. The small is a "normal" size burger. My large was a double decker. The large Cajun fries were enough for a family of four.
The gamut of burger toppings are available. I got jalapenos, cheese, and BBQ sauce.
The burgers were better than average but not great. I personally like the burgers at Wild Willy's in Watertown better. The Cajun fries were also above average. One nice thing is that all of the ingredients are fresh. The fries are cut each day and the meat is never frozen.
Our meal came in at around $20 with two drinks. While not cheap, the price is good for the quality of the food.
The only part of the experience I found lacking was the atmosphere. Most McDonalds have more charm than Five Guys. The food comes in a brown bag perfect for take out. Unless you enjoy eating at formica tables in uncomfortable chairs, I'd take the hint. Eat the burgers at home or in the comfort of your car.
They score well on both counts. The burgers are tastey and huge. The small is a "normal" size burger. My large was a double decker. The large Cajun fries were enough for a family of four.
The gamut of burger toppings are available. I got jalapenos, cheese, and BBQ sauce.
The burgers were better than average but not great. I personally like the burgers at Wild Willy's in Watertown better. The Cajun fries were also above average. One nice thing is that all of the ingredients are fresh. The fries are cut each day and the meat is never frozen.
Our meal came in at around $20 with two drinks. While not cheap, the price is good for the quality of the food.
The only part of the experience I found lacking was the atmosphere. Most McDonalds have more charm than Five Guys. The food comes in a brown bag perfect for take out. Unless you enjoy eating at formica tables in uncomfortable chairs, I'd take the hint. Eat the burgers at home or in the comfort of your car.
Monday, December 7, 2009
Tower House B&B
This past weekend H and I traveled down to Narragansett for a birthday party. Since it was a night time event and the possibility of drinking, we thought it would be nice to stay nearby. Always thinking about an hour-plus drive home takes some of the fun out of a party.
H found the Tower House B&B online. This is their first season, but you wouldn't have known it. They family running it do an excellent job.
We stayed in the Caldwell suite. It is a large bed room, a sitting room, and a large bath. The bedroom was well apointed. The queen size bed was a little soft for me, but I'm comfortable sleeping on packed dirt. The bathroom was large. There was a full tub with a shower head. The water pressure was good and the multi-setting shower head worked wonders.
In the evening they have a beer and wine happy hour in the common area. The only beer served is Narragansett. The new Narragansett is a step up from the Narragansett I enjoyed in college, but it is still a basement beer.
Breakfast consisted of a french toast casserole, eggs Benedict, bacon, sausage, and fruit. I enjoyed the meats and the casserole. H loved the eggs.
From what we saw of them under the snow, the grounds looked nice. The Inn is set back off of the street and has a good sized back yard.
The location is perfect for people to enjoy the ocean. It is one block from the Narragansett town pier. The town beach is a reasonable walk if you are not hauling too much stuff.
H found the Tower House B&B online. This is their first season, but you wouldn't have known it. They family running it do an excellent job.
We stayed in the Caldwell suite. It is a large bed room, a sitting room, and a large bath. The bedroom was well apointed. The queen size bed was a little soft for me, but I'm comfortable sleeping on packed dirt. The bathroom was large. There was a full tub with a shower head. The water pressure was good and the multi-setting shower head worked wonders.
In the evening they have a beer and wine happy hour in the common area. The only beer served is Narragansett. The new Narragansett is a step up from the Narragansett I enjoyed in college, but it is still a basement beer.
Breakfast consisted of a french toast casserole, eggs Benedict, bacon, sausage, and fruit. I enjoyed the meats and the casserole. H loved the eggs.
From what we saw of them under the snow, the grounds looked nice. The Inn is set back off of the street and has a good sized back yard.
The location is perfect for people to enjoy the ocean. It is one block from the Narragansett town pier. The town beach is a reasonable walk if you are not hauling too much stuff.
Monday, November 30, 2009
The Prisoner
I just finished watching AMC's reimagined The Prisoner. It was self-important pants.
It was well acted and looked lovely. I love most things the Ian McKellen does and his 2 was no exception. He slipped from touching moments with his son, to cool evil, to manic with ease. Jamie Campbell Bower's 11-12 is touching in his self-involved teen angst. Ruth Wilson's 313's predicament as pawn and heroine, need for stability and desire for life, tool of 2 and friend of 6 is poignant.
The supporting cast, the scenery, the costumes, and the cinematography are also superlative.
Sadly it is not enough to make the piss poor script worth the six hours of my life I wasted watching the show. The dialog, although mostly well delivered, is little more than self-help tripe strung into menace. "Only by becoming one can we defeat two." Seriously?
The central conflict between 6 and 2, between prisoner and jailor is convoluted. It would be one thing if it was a simple struggle for freedom. Instead it is clear that 2 wants something from 6. It is not as simple as 6 merely being trouble because you learn early on that 2 is not above simply eliminating trouble. The reason why 6 is a prisoner and why 2 plays with 6 are never made clear until the end. This allows for a number of interesting points to be brought up about terrorism, authoritarianism, free will, our surveillance state, human nature.
When the final resolution came I was left wanting. The truth of the village is disappointing in it unoriginality. The resolution of 6's struggle is unbelievable. It does not flow from the character and makes the moral ambiguity of the ending disappointing.
There was a lot of wasted potential in The Prisoner. A straight remake would have been excellent. The reimagined story could also have worked with better writers. The conflict between 2 and 6, jailed and jailor, needed more tension and more purpose. The Lost style puzzle for the sake of it/flashback story telling technique does not work here. 2's descent needs more time to be believable.
It was well acted and looked lovely. I love most things the Ian McKellen does and his 2 was no exception. He slipped from touching moments with his son, to cool evil, to manic with ease. Jamie Campbell Bower's 11-12 is touching in his self-involved teen angst. Ruth Wilson's 313's predicament as pawn and heroine, need for stability and desire for life, tool of 2 and friend of 6 is poignant.
The supporting cast, the scenery, the costumes, and the cinematography are also superlative.
Sadly it is not enough to make the piss poor script worth the six hours of my life I wasted watching the show. The dialog, although mostly well delivered, is little more than self-help tripe strung into menace. "Only by becoming one can we defeat two." Seriously?
The central conflict between 6 and 2, between prisoner and jailor is convoluted. It would be one thing if it was a simple struggle for freedom. Instead it is clear that 2 wants something from 6. It is not as simple as 6 merely being trouble because you learn early on that 2 is not above simply eliminating trouble. The reason why 6 is a prisoner and why 2 plays with 6 are never made clear until the end. This allows for a number of interesting points to be brought up about terrorism, authoritarianism, free will, our surveillance state, human nature.
When the final resolution came I was left wanting. The truth of the village is disappointing in it unoriginality. The resolution of 6's struggle is unbelievable. It does not flow from the character and makes the moral ambiguity of the ending disappointing.
There was a lot of wasted potential in The Prisoner. A straight remake would have been excellent. The reimagined story could also have worked with better writers. The conflict between 2 and 6, jailed and jailor, needed more tension and more purpose. The Lost style puzzle for the sake of it/flashback story telling technique does not work here. 2's descent needs more time to be believable.
Friday, November 27, 2009
The Informant
H and I have been kicking around the idea of seeing the Informant for months, but we were always scared off by the tepid reviews. Tonight we finally gave in and decided to see it at the local cheap theater.
I'm glad we went and I'm glad we went to the cheap theater. Matt Damon was excellent and overall the movie was funny. However, it was definitely a B-movie. There were several things both of us found to be off putting:
The overall look of the film was wrong. The date said the action took place in the early to mid 90's, but the everything from the clothes to the sets screamed 70's. It was jarring and not in a way that helped moved the story along.
The FBI agents were way to strident. Did they seriously not think the informant had something to hide? Did they not bother to do a background check and figure out that he was not adopted?
The wife was not well played. Was she complicit or just vacant? If she was just vacant the actress did a great job. However, I never really cared much about her either way.
It went on just a little too long. By the time he fires the good lawyers, I was ready for it to end. The ridiculousness had gone a little too far and I was tired of watching the character's twists and turns.
Overall, it was worth six bucks for a night out.
I'm glad we went and I'm glad we went to the cheap theater. Matt Damon was excellent and overall the movie was funny. However, it was definitely a B-movie. There were several things both of us found to be off putting:
The overall look of the film was wrong. The date said the action took place in the early to mid 90's, but the everything from the clothes to the sets screamed 70's. It was jarring and not in a way that helped moved the story along.
The FBI agents were way to strident. Did they seriously not think the informant had something to hide? Did they not bother to do a background check and figure out that he was not adopted?
The wife was not well played. Was she complicit or just vacant? If she was just vacant the actress did a great job. However, I never really cared much about her either way.
It went on just a little too long. By the time he fires the good lawyers, I was ready for it to end. The ridiculousness had gone a little too far and I was tired of watching the character's twists and turns.
Overall, it was worth six bucks for a night out.
Friday, November 20, 2009
Epoch
Tonight we ate at a little place in Exeter, NH called Epoch. For a change of pace we tried the tasting menu: six small courses.
The first course was oysters with caviar. I'm not a big fan of shell dish, but the dish was pleasant. I wouldn't get it again, but I didn't dislike it.
The second course was a beet salad with a hazelnut dressing. It was sweet and earthy.
The third course was a lightly seared tuna. This was my favorite course. The tuna was perfectly cooked.
The fourth course was duck two ways over a butternut squash purée. The. seared duck breast was pleasent. The fois gras was fine for fois gras. The purée was excellent.
The fifth course was a lovely cheese and cracker course. The accompanying wine was a white port. The wine was a subtle desert wine.
We finished the night with a squash cake and Ginger ice cream. It was a perfect end to the meal.
The price was not too bad at $65 per person for the food and $35 per person for the wine.
The waitstaff was attentive without being over bearing. They did an excellent job pairing the wines with the course and describing each course.
The night was fun. We felt like Top Chef judges.
The first course was oysters with caviar. I'm not a big fan of shell dish, but the dish was pleasant. I wouldn't get it again, but I didn't dislike it.
The second course was a beet salad with a hazelnut dressing. It was sweet and earthy.
The third course was a lightly seared tuna. This was my favorite course. The tuna was perfectly cooked.
The fourth course was duck two ways over a butternut squash purée. The. seared duck breast was pleasent. The fois gras was fine for fois gras. The purée was excellent.
The fifth course was a lovely cheese and cracker course. The accompanying wine was a white port. The wine was a subtle desert wine.
We finished the night with a squash cake and Ginger ice cream. It was a perfect end to the meal.
The price was not too bad at $65 per person for the food and $35 per person for the wine.
The waitstaff was attentive without being over bearing. They did an excellent job pairing the wines with the course and describing each course.
The night was fun. We felt like Top Chef judges.
Saturday, October 17, 2009
Inglorius Basterds
Irreverent, funny, gory: Classic Terantino. Brad Pit is superb as Aldo the Apache.
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