The Cole’s Notes version of the Reader’s Digest edition of Beowulf (aka the movie) that is. Just think of how cool it would have been on IMAX.
Oh, right, the IMAX theater shut down. Damn.
The movie itself is a condensed version of an epic tale, but enough to bump it up on my Things To Read List.
The CG is pretty cool using the same technique used for Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within. Movement is still a little artificial looking, but the detail is very good. Skin is still very hard to make look right in animation.
Grendel was pretty ugly, not entirely what I was expecting though. The dragon was very cool though. And ouch, the arm! The things a hero does to live up to his reputation. As to how faithful this movie adaptation is to the original epic, I don’t know, but I’ll find out soon.
If you’re going to see it, make sure to see the 3D version. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.
Up the road from me Fez opened up a little while ago in the space formerly occupied by Lulu’s Bistro. The food is billed as French-Moroccan, so the wife and I tried it out tonight.
It’s nicely decorated inside, although a tad on the dim side. We suggested to the staff that they consider using taller candles on the tables because we were quite literally eating in the dark at our table off in the corner. Next time I’m going to make sure to grab a table underneath one of the lights so I can see my food.
At least the food was tasty. I started with the Moroccan style mussels while the wife had the kefta (2 skewers of a spiced veal meatball type thing). A little small for the price ($7), but I thought it was pretty good. The mussels were excellent in a rich tomato-citrusy broth.
For the main course we each tried one of the tagine dishes. She had the braised short rib tagine, which was well prepared but was seasoned with something she didn’t care for too much. I had the lamb tagine, which was a definite winner. The lamb was tender and flavourful and nicely enhanced with figs and apricots adding some sweetness to the dish.
Dinner was rounded out with a sugar coma-inducing chocolate and sesame cream and creme brulee. The chocolate sesame cream was excellent – pudding like (much thicker though) layers of rich dark chocolate and light sesame with some really strongly cherry flavoured something at the bottom of a martini glass. The chocolate pretty much overwhelms any sesame flavour, but since I’ve never met a chocolate I didn’t like, I didn’t mind. The chocolate combined with a little bit of the cherry was really good. The creme brulee came out with a nice solid top of brulee and was well made but turned out to be infused with lavender, not a flavour the wife is fond of.
Fez is definitely a place to check out if you’re looking for new flavours to try. I’m looking forward to going back to try some of the French style dishes. It’s a little on the pricey side ($15+ for the entrees) and I didn’t end up with any leftovers. You do get some really good food though and a cozy, albeit dim, atmosphere to enjoy dinner in.
Got my copy of B5 – The Lost Tales earlier this week and finally got around to watching it yesterday. I’m not entirely sure how much I like it yet. I’ll have to watch it one or two more times I think. At 72 minutes long, it’s a little bit shorter than two regular episodes and is split up into two sub-plots. It’s not entirely what I was expecting, but thinking back to what I initially heard about what Lost Tales as supposed to be, it fits pretty well.
If I recall correctly from the initial news of the Lost Tales project, it was supposed to be a series of character focused short stories. As such, I think it does a good job of further developing and refining the traits of the two main characters that make an appearance: Lochley and Sheridan. People expecting something resembling a full on B5 movie are likely to be disappointed. I liked the two stories that were told, and the endings definitely fit the characters involved. In fact, I thought the Sheridan story was predictable and had a reasonably good idea what his solution was going to be about halfway in.
The effects are pretty much all CGI with very few actual sets based on what I’ve seen in the special features on the DVD. The title ‘The Lost Tales’ gives the impression that there will be more than just the two stories, but I think the original intent was that if this one was successful, other DVDs would likely follow. It would be interesting to see the concept applied to other characters.
Lots of the usual extra stuff on the DVD (interviews, behind the scenes stuff), including a couple of nice tributes to Andreas Katsulas (G’Kar) and Richard Biggs (Dr. Franklin), both of whom are ‘out exploring beyond the rim’.
Caught Spiderman 3 at the Charleston IMAX this afternoon after my volunteer shift at the Aquarium.
I love any movie on IMAX. I love the shear size of the picture. Blows any other theater away IMO. I would love to see all three of the Lord of the Rings movies on IMAX.
Spiderman 3 is a good movie if you like lots of frenetic action interspersed with pauses that are maybe a little too slow at times. I’m not sure what’s behind this trend of comic book/movie adaptations introducing more and more villains and characters with each sequel, but I wish the screenwriters would realize that more isn’t necessarily better.
It’s an action flick, and there’s plenty of it with the background drama of Peter Parker and Mary Jane Watson’s disintegrating relationship stuck into various segments almost like the editors decided there was too much action going on and needed to slow things down. The introduction of Gwen Stacey’s character, while prominent in the comic book, seemed to serve no purpose other than to introduce yet another character.
Cameo appearances by Stan Lee and Bruce Campbell were interesting and amusing distractions.
Despite the flaws, I still enjoyed the movie, although I think it would have been better had the screenwriters not tried to cram so much into it.
The commercial luau seems to be one of those quintessential Hawaiian tourist activities, but it’s basically a big outdoor restaurant with a show to watch while you’re eating dinner. There were some interesting dishes, some pretty tasty, others not so much.
The food I sampled at from the luau buffet
Some awesome banana bread was available along with a pretty tasty ahi (tuna) poke. There was purple poi there too, which was a lot more watery than I was expecting. I was expecting poi to be something more of a mashed potato kind of consistency, but this poi was more like a salad dressing consistency. Didn’t taste like much either and didn’t really add anything to the meal at all.
Just before dinner started, people gathered around the imu to watch the roasted pig being uncovered.
Uncovering the pig roasting in the imu
The roasted pig served at the luau (I don’t think it was the same one that was uncovered) tasted pretty good – tender, flavourful and not too dry. I thought it would have a little more smoky flavour than it did, but it was pretty mild. Since I was still recovering from whatever flu-like thing I had contracted, I didn’t eat a whole lot of food, although I did manage to pack away a few yummy desserts.
The dessert selection
The white squares were some kind of coconut square which I thought were very good, as were the macadamia nut tarts.
The dinner wrapped up with more dancing telling the history of Hawai’i
The luau hula dancers
Old Lahaina Luau is an attractive setting once you get inside, and there’s plenty of things to check out while you’re waiting for the buffet to open up. You can check out people making Hawai’ian totems and other crafts, or learn basic hula steps from one of the staff. Or just wander around with a fruity drink in hand and enjoy the scenery or the expansive ocean view.
It’s a little on the pricey side, but if you’ve got room in the budget and looking for your first luau experience, it’s worth a try.
