Restaurant: Pho Century
Location: 1244 W. Foothill, Upland
Like/Don't Like: Yeah, I liked it.
Restaurant Club went Vietnamese tonight and it was pretty tasty. It was just me and Katie so we didn't get to sample as much stuff as I would have liked - and there was a lot to sample from the looks of the menu - but what we had was tasty and the service was great.
K had a steak stir fry that was pretty ordinary except for the garlic butter sauce they fried it in, which was heavenly. And I had the coconut curry soup with chicken and rice noodles. The broth was killer and the noodles were great. I always forget that I don't really like meat in my soup because it is almost always over cooked. This was the case tonight but everything else was so good that I just ate around it. We also tried the cream cheese wontons and an avocado shake, both were great.
The gal who served us was super helpful and explained everything on the menu. And the place was hopping, which is a good sign.
Thursday, April 26, 2012
Wonderstruck
Book: Wonderstruck
Author: Brian Selznik
Like/Don't Like: Loved.
This is by the same author as The Invention of Hugo Cabert and it is done in the same style of prose and pictures. If you haven't read that one yet you must. Trust your friend. I think it's such a beautiful way to tell a story.
This story was simpler than Hugo's but it still captured my attention from the very beginning. It follows two children, Ben who is living in Minnesota in the 70s and Rose who lives in New York in the 20s and both end up spending a lot of time at the NY Natural History Museum. You know that their stories will connect somehow but it's still very nice getting to that point.
I love how simple the stories are. The pictures aren't anything magnificent but he has a gift of putting little details in each one that are delightful. And I think it's great that he uses real places and events to build a story around.
I made the mistake of starting this at around 11 at night, thinking that I would read a few pages and finish it the next day. By 1 (yes, it does move that quickly) I was done and enchanted.
Author: Brian Selznik
Like/Don't Like: Loved.
This is by the same author as The Invention of Hugo Cabert and it is done in the same style of prose and pictures. If you haven't read that one yet you must. Trust your friend. I think it's such a beautiful way to tell a story.
This story was simpler than Hugo's but it still captured my attention from the very beginning. It follows two children, Ben who is living in Minnesota in the 70s and Rose who lives in New York in the 20s and both end up spending a lot of time at the NY Natural History Museum. You know that their stories will connect somehow but it's still very nice getting to that point.
I love how simple the stories are. The pictures aren't anything magnificent but he has a gift of putting little details in each one that are delightful. And I think it's great that he uses real places and events to build a story around.
I made the mistake of starting this at around 11 at night, thinking that I would read a few pages and finish it the next day. By 1 (yes, it does move that quickly) I was done and enchanted.
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
The Hunger Games
Movie: The Hunger Games
Like/Don't Like: Liked, once my heart started again.
Here's a fact: I do not see movies that are intense or violent or give me a heart attack. I don't like to be in suspense, I don't like to be scared. I don't like watching people running from danger or people killing or being killed.
If I did not love the Hunger Games trilogy so much I would never have gone to see this movie. It would not have even been on my radar because I cover my eyes or change the channel when even commercials for these types of movies come on. And truthfully, it came to a point where I didn't even need to see this movie. The book was more than enough. I would get excited when I would watch the trailer, but that was mostly because it would remind me how much I loved the book. It is well documented here how much I loved it. I mean, you should have all been in my room in the hours that followed my finishing Mockingjay to witness the absolute mess I had become. Strike that, you would have needed a dinghy to float out, I was crying so much. I had a very real and emotional experience with those books.
So really, it was my curiosity that got me to watch the movie. I was hopeful that because Suzanne Collins was so closely involved in its making that it would have the same heart that the books did. And I am relieved to say that it came close-ish.
First off, as a stand alone movie it was pretty great. It is very faithful to the book but it managed to have it's own identity. I think anyone who hasn't read the book wouldn't feel like they've missed out on anything (although, let's be honest and a little judgy here, they're missing out on a lot.) I note this first because most problems I had with the movie had to do with what was missing, but I'll get to that later. On to the things that worked for me.
I LOVED the reaping scenes. Holy cats! Did you just feel like you had a ton of bricks on your chest through the whole thing. All those kids dressed in their shabby best, silently standing there, waiting. It was so quiet...all except for my weeping.
Speaking of sound, I thought that the music was perfection. Especially the lack of music. There were so many moments when any other musical director would have jammed them full of strings and horns. But the music was pretty sparse and when it was played it was dead on. And then I saw that T Bone Burnett was behind it and it all made sense.
One of my biggest apprehensions about seeing the movie was the violence. I have a pretty vivid imagination but when I read a book I can control the images that descriptions will conjure. I can also shut a book or skip a paragraph. But I can only close my eyes in a movie and sometimes that is not enough. I am, above all, a delicate flower. So yes, this was more violence than I care for but I was grateful that their desire to make money (thus getting it a PG-13 rating) overcame their desire to be sensational.
Now, for things I thought could be better. My biggest problem was that I really missed Katniss. The whole book is from her perspective. And there are pages and pages of just her thoughts about her family and Peeta and Gale and the games and being a pawn for the Capitol to play with. So much of the conflict is in her head and most of that is gone in the movie. I get that it's hard to translate that, but I still missed it.
I also would have loved to have seen the reaction of the citizen's of the Capitol throughout the game. I thought it was great that they showed the behind-the scenes stuff of the gamekeepers but it would have been effective to show just what the games mean to the people they make it for.
And on a personal note: when that mutt jumped out of the bushes at Peeta I actually screamed, which was a first for me. I have never screamed in a movie before. Mostly because I don't ever go to movies that would scare me. But I thought I was going to have a heart attack.
Sweet Land of Liberty, this is the longest review. So I'll just end with this. I liked it. I thought it was thrilling and I was so happy that it met whatever low expectations I had and then some. And finally, Stanley Tucci could spend the rest of his career doing nothing but staring into a camera and reciting the periodic table of elements and I would still pay full price to see him.
Like/Don't Like: Liked, once my heart started again.
Here's a fact: I do not see movies that are intense or violent or give me a heart attack. I don't like to be in suspense, I don't like to be scared. I don't like watching people running from danger or people killing or being killed.
If I did not love the Hunger Games trilogy so much I would never have gone to see this movie. It would not have even been on my radar because I cover my eyes or change the channel when even commercials for these types of movies come on. And truthfully, it came to a point where I didn't even need to see this movie. The book was more than enough. I would get excited when I would watch the trailer, but that was mostly because it would remind me how much I loved the book. It is well documented here how much I loved it. I mean, you should have all been in my room in the hours that followed my finishing Mockingjay to witness the absolute mess I had become. Strike that, you would have needed a dinghy to float out, I was crying so much. I had a very real and emotional experience with those books.
So really, it was my curiosity that got me to watch the movie. I was hopeful that because Suzanne Collins was so closely involved in its making that it would have the same heart that the books did. And I am relieved to say that it came close-ish.
First off, as a stand alone movie it was pretty great. It is very faithful to the book but it managed to have it's own identity. I think anyone who hasn't read the book wouldn't feel like they've missed out on anything (although, let's be honest and a little judgy here, they're missing out on a lot.) I note this first because most problems I had with the movie had to do with what was missing, but I'll get to that later. On to the things that worked for me.
I LOVED the reaping scenes. Holy cats! Did you just feel like you had a ton of bricks on your chest through the whole thing. All those kids dressed in their shabby best, silently standing there, waiting. It was so quiet...all except for my weeping.
Speaking of sound, I thought that the music was perfection. Especially the lack of music. There were so many moments when any other musical director would have jammed them full of strings and horns. But the music was pretty sparse and when it was played it was dead on. And then I saw that T Bone Burnett was behind it and it all made sense.
One of my biggest apprehensions about seeing the movie was the violence. I have a pretty vivid imagination but when I read a book I can control the images that descriptions will conjure. I can also shut a book or skip a paragraph. But I can only close my eyes in a movie and sometimes that is not enough. I am, above all, a delicate flower. So yes, this was more violence than I care for but I was grateful that their desire to make money (thus getting it a PG-13 rating) overcame their desire to be sensational.
Now, for things I thought could be better. My biggest problem was that I really missed Katniss. The whole book is from her perspective. And there are pages and pages of just her thoughts about her family and Peeta and Gale and the games and being a pawn for the Capitol to play with. So much of the conflict is in her head and most of that is gone in the movie. I get that it's hard to translate that, but I still missed it.
I also would have loved to have seen the reaction of the citizen's of the Capitol throughout the game. I thought it was great that they showed the behind-the scenes stuff of the gamekeepers but it would have been effective to show just what the games mean to the people they make it for.
And on a personal note: when that mutt jumped out of the bushes at Peeta I actually screamed, which was a first for me. I have never screamed in a movie before. Mostly because I don't ever go to movies that would scare me. But I thought I was going to have a heart attack.
Sweet Land of Liberty, this is the longest review. So I'll just end with this. I liked it. I thought it was thrilling and I was so happy that it met whatever low expectations I had and then some. And finally, Stanley Tucci could spend the rest of his career doing nothing but staring into a camera and reciting the periodic table of elements and I would still pay full price to see him.
Saturday, March 31, 2012
Mirror, Mirror
Movie: Mirror, Mirror
Like/Don't Like: It was cute.
Okay, so I saw a Julia Roberts movie before I saw the Hunger Games. Don't judge me people.
And I have to say, that as far as Julia Roberts is concerned, she should stick with being the bad guy. Because we already know that she thinks we're dumb. Right? She doesn't like us at all. So being a meanie totally works for her. And I actually kind of liked her in this, which is a first for me.
It's a spin on Snow White, complete with seven dwarfs and a handsome prince. It was cheesy and predictable, slow in some parts and had a really bizarre Bollywood dance sequence during the end credits. And yet, I was entertained.
Like/Don't Like: It was cute.
Okay, so I saw a Julia Roberts movie before I saw the Hunger Games. Don't judge me people.
And I have to say, that as far as Julia Roberts is concerned, she should stick with being the bad guy. Because we already know that she thinks we're dumb. Right? She doesn't like us at all. So being a meanie totally works for her. And I actually kind of liked her in this, which is a first for me.
It's a spin on Snow White, complete with seven dwarfs and a handsome prince. It was cheesy and predictable, slow in some parts and had a really bizarre Bollywood dance sequence during the end credits. And yet, I was entertained.
Thursday, March 29, 2012
Euro Cafe
Restaurant: Euro Cafe
Location: 546 E. Baseline, Claremont, CA 91711
Like/Don't Like: LOVED! So good.
I'm sure everyone in Claremont already knows about this place as Claremontians have the tendency to know everything about everything. So I'm not sure if I should be a little miffed that my Claremont friends have never mentioned it. Whatever, they can make it up to me by meeting me at Bert & Rocky's and buying me ice cream.
Anyway, this place is great. It's billed as Portuguese/Italian so there's a lot of pasta and panini and linguica. The Restaurant Club met up and order a bunch of different things and sampled each other's dishes and everything tasted amazing and very fresh. The cheese on the sandwiches tasted like it was made that day. All the meat was super tender and the pastries were excellent.
The best part was that when we walked in I happened to mention to someone that it was our first time and right as we were sitting down this little old Portuguese man came over and started chatting with us. He was the owner, Joey, and kept stopping by, first with a complimentary appetizer of house-made linguica (delicious) and garlic bread. And then he would stop over to see how the food was. He complimented Heather on her choice of Bife a Portuguesa and decided that she needed a glass of wine to go with it so brought one out to her. And then for me for finding the place. We didn't have the heart to tell him none of us drank. But you know it's a good place when they bring you free food and wine just for giving them a try. On his last stop Joey brought us business cards and showed us a CD he made of him sing Portuguese songs and told us that on the last Saturday of the month he puts on a show there. Dinner and a show? Best place ever.
Location: 546 E. Baseline, Claremont, CA 91711
Like/Don't Like: LOVED! So good.
I'm sure everyone in Claremont already knows about this place as Claremontians have the tendency to know everything about everything. So I'm not sure if I should be a little miffed that my Claremont friends have never mentioned it. Whatever, they can make it up to me by meeting me at Bert & Rocky's and buying me ice cream.
Anyway, this place is great. It's billed as Portuguese/Italian so there's a lot of pasta and panini and linguica. The Restaurant Club met up and order a bunch of different things and sampled each other's dishes and everything tasted amazing and very fresh. The cheese on the sandwiches tasted like it was made that day. All the meat was super tender and the pastries were excellent.
The best part was that when we walked in I happened to mention to someone that it was our first time and right as we were sitting down this little old Portuguese man came over and started chatting with us. He was the owner, Joey, and kept stopping by, first with a complimentary appetizer of house-made linguica (delicious) and garlic bread. And then he would stop over to see how the food was. He complimented Heather on her choice of Bife a Portuguesa and decided that she needed a glass of wine to go with it so brought one out to her. And then for me for finding the place. We didn't have the heart to tell him none of us drank. But you know it's a good place when they bring you free food and wine just for giving them a try. On his last stop Joey brought us business cards and showed us a CD he made of him sing Portuguese songs and told us that on the last Saturday of the month he puts on a show there. Dinner and a show? Best place ever.
Saturday, February 11, 2012
The Night Circus
Book: The Night Circus
Author: Erin Morgenstern (no relation to S. Morgenster, I think)
Like/Don't Like: I didn't dislike it. So yes. Like.
What I'm about to say may make it sound as if I didn't enjoy this book. It's just that I've been particularly sensitive to bad writing lately. I get annoyed with authors very early on and then give up on a book in a huff. I don't know what my issue is. It's not always the case, but I would say for the last 6 months or so I've have low tolerance for lazy writing. So, to say that this book didn't annoy me is high praise. In fact, I found it kind of diverting. It is certainly not highly entertaining or particularly magical (both things I think it would like to be) but on the whole it was an enjoyable enough read.
The story is centered around two magicians who have been brought up to out-magic each other in a competition. The arena for this competition is a circus that magically appears in cities around the world. They each create tents of wonder and illusion and try to one-up each other. But their competition affects more than just themselves and their teachers/magical mentors, it affects everyone who is involved with the circus.
Or, so I'm told. Because the book's biggest flaw is that it doesn't tell the why very well. Why the magic they were using affected everyone, or why the circus would fall apart if the two of them stopped. A lot of the whys could have been answered if the author has stopped worrying about describing the magical tents (so much so that she started to repeat herself) and focus more on the characters and plot.
But, in spite of that, the story was interesting enough and the world that was created was beautiful formed. And while I could have used more explanation and less adjectives describing the scent of mulled cider in the air I wasn't that bad.
Author: Erin Morgenstern (no relation to S. Morgenster, I think)
Like/Don't Like: I didn't dislike it. So yes. Like.
What I'm about to say may make it sound as if I didn't enjoy this book. It's just that I've been particularly sensitive to bad writing lately. I get annoyed with authors very early on and then give up on a book in a huff. I don't know what my issue is. It's not always the case, but I would say for the last 6 months or so I've have low tolerance for lazy writing. So, to say that this book didn't annoy me is high praise. In fact, I found it kind of diverting. It is certainly not highly entertaining or particularly magical (both things I think it would like to be) but on the whole it was an enjoyable enough read.
The story is centered around two magicians who have been brought up to out-magic each other in a competition. The arena for this competition is a circus that magically appears in cities around the world. They each create tents of wonder and illusion and try to one-up each other. But their competition affects more than just themselves and their teachers/magical mentors, it affects everyone who is involved with the circus.
Or, so I'm told. Because the book's biggest flaw is that it doesn't tell the why very well. Why the magic they were using affected everyone, or why the circus would fall apart if the two of them stopped. A lot of the whys could have been answered if the author has stopped worrying about describing the magical tents (so much so that she started to repeat herself) and focus more on the characters and plot.
But, in spite of that, the story was interesting enough and the world that was created was beautiful formed. And while I could have used more explanation and less adjectives describing the scent of mulled cider in the air I wasn't that bad.
Monday, January 9, 2012
Super 8
Movie: Super 8
Like/Don't Like: Like - despite all the times I had to a cover my eyes
How did I not know that this is a scary alien movie? I'm usually really up on these sorts of things, but I started watching this and was all, "Oh, early teen boys are so hilarious. Elle Fanning has princess hair," which then turned to, "EEEEEKKKKKK!!!!! Scary alien!!!!!!" You all know what a delicate flower I am when it comes to scary things like aliens and guns and explosions. I was tense through the last hour of the movie.
But it was still a really cool flick. And I give that all to the kids. Movie aliens have no problem eating adults. But kids are generally safe in a PG-13 film. I felt confident that none of them would have their guts sucked out. Plus, I meant it about teen boys. They're a riot. It was a nice story with funny characters and cool effects. It felt exactly like what a JJ Abrams and Steven Spielberg movie should be. Complete with too many lens flares (oh, JJ Abrams, enough! with those lens flares. I nearly had an epileptic fit during Star Trek.) And it had heart. I liked that the alien other reasons for being so destructive other than just wanting to destroy Earth. I suppose I'm grateful I didn't know it would freak me out so much because I never would have watched it.
Like/Don't Like: Like - despite all the times I had to a cover my eyes
How did I not know that this is a scary alien movie? I'm usually really up on these sorts of things, but I started watching this and was all, "Oh, early teen boys are so hilarious. Elle Fanning has princess hair," which then turned to, "EEEEEKKKKKK!!!!! Scary alien!!!!!!" You all know what a delicate flower I am when it comes to scary things like aliens and guns and explosions. I was tense through the last hour of the movie.
But it was still a really cool flick. And I give that all to the kids. Movie aliens have no problem eating adults. But kids are generally safe in a PG-13 film. I felt confident that none of them would have their guts sucked out. Plus, I meant it about teen boys. They're a riot. It was a nice story with funny characters and cool effects. It felt exactly like what a JJ Abrams and Steven Spielberg movie should be. Complete with too many lens flares (oh, JJ Abrams, enough! with those lens flares. I nearly had an epileptic fit during Star Trek.) And it had heart. I liked that the alien other reasons for being so destructive other than just wanting to destroy Earth. I suppose I'm grateful I didn't know it would freak me out so much because I never would have watched it.
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