And I’m Full

I know I haven’t really written in a while but that wasn’t because I didn’t want to, it was because of disappointment and boredom.

Sure I could have written about comicon – I didn’t originally plan on going but I did cuz I had nothing else to do – and I could have taken lots of pics while I was there but why? I wasn’t impressed with the whole thing. I guess it was really my mistake. First I went on the Saturday which for me is the worst day to go to any of these conventions. Sure it is the day most people show up in costume, access to the most stuff, and lots of guests are there but it is also the most crowded, haphazard, and frustrating of days. Second I didn’t prepare a list. I learned early on that when going to comic book conventions it is best to have a list of exactly what you are looking for because it is very easy to be overwhelmed or whelmed enough that you just forget what you are looking for. And that is kind of what happened to me as I wondered around wide-eyed trying to take in everything. Third I went alone. As I said before I wasn’t planning on going so this was extremely last minute so I couldn’t get anyone to go with me. It is always best to go with someone cuz you are going to be complaining, or you need that extra pair of eyes to spot that thing you were looking for, plus it is just fun to have someone with you. Forth I wasn’t impressed by what was presented at the show. I know it is a smaller precursor to FanExpo in August so there isn’t supposed to be as much stuff with an emphasis on comic books but still there seemed to be stuff just missing. To me at least, there was less comics than expected, it was mostly merch, plus the artist area was just rammed and it was hard to even look at anything. I just thought it was a big let down. Sure other people had fun but for me I was disappointed.

St. Patty’s day went by, it is a day when everyone is an honorary Irish. I don’t usually join in but I was invited out so I donned my green polo and hung out at a bar with friends. We noshed on sweet potato fries and chicken fingers and had a drink or two…or three…or ten. It was a good night until I had to go home. I know it was about 3 am and the vomit rocket (aka the Bloor Blue Line) isn’t always the most fun but I thought I had prepared myself for the journey. I was sober by the time I crushed onto the bus with a ridiculous amount of people who weren’t. I could put up with the very tight quarters, the smell of booze and the rowdy loudness, cuz the distance for me to walk home that night was way too far the and the bus ride should have only taken about 15-20 mins. Lucky for me a couple of the drunks decided to get into a fight, I got elbowed in the back of the head, had to help separate and calm them down, then promptly got off the bus at the next stop. Sure I was stepping off into what looked like the start of a horror movie – empty streets, heavy fog, chilled air, the echo of my foot steps on the pavement – but I just couldn’t deal with it anymore. It was a brisk walk that took less than 10 minute and was definitely worth it.

This weekend I tried a new restaurant. It is called JOEY and that’s located on the north side of the Eaton Centre on Dundas. I had passed this place about a hundred times since it opened and even though the place looked lovely it just never seemed like a place I wanted to be in. But as I stood around with my mother trying to figure out what to eat and where, there it was. The place was simply grand; high ceilings, long bars, spacious booths, massive lighting. Even with all that grandeur the place managed to have a relaxed atmosphere. There was lots of wood and glass, the seats in the booth were covered in a soft grey cottony fabric. It was like some kind of new era chalet.

We ordered the soup of the day to start which was split pea served with bacon and a drizzle of sour cream. We were both very disappointed. It was served warm not hot and that could have been ignored if it had flavour. The soup was bland and tasteless with a strange half-blended consistency. The salt of the bacon and the tanginess of the sour cream did little to help the taste. We both sat there, shaking salt into our soups so they could be ingested, waiting for the arrival of our entrees and most likely collective disappointment.

The waitress came over with two steaming plates. That was a plus but not anything to get our hopes up; just cuz it looks good doesn’t always mean it tastes good. I ordered the Bombay Butter Chicken. Sitting on the plate was a bowl filled with the saucy meat dish, on the plate was a serving of rice covered in thin slices of roasted almonds and a warm piece of fresh doughy naan. I dipped a piece of bread into the gravy and was utterly surprised. The food was tasty and flavourful. The chicken was well seasoned and tender in bit-sized chunks. The bread was fluffy, light, and delicious. It was basmati rice, soft, sweet with its lavender aroma. It put a smile on my face. My mother ordered the Panang Prawn Curry Bowl. Served in a large bowl with a tower of rice in the middle covered with the spicy curry gravy, large shrimp, and vegetables. It was simply delightful. I was very happy that the meal wasn’t a total bust. I would pass on the soup but the food is a definite must.

After eating we headed out to the movies! I haven’t been in so long, I was giddy. So what was that movie that came out this weekend? You know the one with that girl and stuff happens. Yeah, that is the one that I saw.

The film is set in the future where a boy and a girl between the ages of 12 and 18 are picked from 12 districts to fight to the death on live television. This was originally started as a way to punish the districts for previous rebellions and civil wars but has become a massive televised spectacle where these children are paraded in front of the rich and judged before sent to their deaths. Katness Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) volunteers for her district when her younger sister is chosen to enter into the games.

When I first heard of The Hunger Games I was intrigued. I thought it was an interesting concept and would make for an interesting film. Even though the hype machine was in full gear with the excessive promotion of the movie I wasn’t particularly impressed with what I saw. The trailers did little to really entice me and the posters were simply awful. Also in all the promotion of the film Jennifer Lawrence had, what I am calling, “dead-eyes” syndrome. I found her painful to look at. She often had the expression of disconnect, like she was being tortured, and taking pictures of her or her being on camera was harming her in some way.

This wasn’t her first big role as she played Mystique in last years X-Men: First Class where I found her performance to be bland. I was worried that with the whole film resting on her shoulders that it may crumble. It wasn’t my choice to see the film but as I knew little of the overall story line and the fact that I just wanted to see a movie, I thought I would give it a chance.

I will sum up my experience with one word: impressed.

It may seem strange but the first thing I commented on when I left the theatre was their use of sound. Many movie makers seem to have forgotten how to really apply sound and effects to truly enhance the viewers experience. For the most part the sound is overwhelming, too loud and excessive, but in some cases, usually independents and artsy films, much too quiet and lacking. This had the proper balance reflecting how things are in real life making it a better overall experience. There are rarely any actual silent moments in real life there is always background noise in some capacity. They managed to capture this effectively and utilize it in the more subtle emotional moments of the film. And even with fights and explosion there were grunts and booms and heavy breathing but in a more realistic manner. Nothing was outlandish just…right.

Visually the film is beautiful. It manages to capture the subtleties of the quiet reflective moments (catching the light as it reflects off the dew in the early morning light), the epic-ness of the bigger sequences (the cubist-like abstractness of the cornucopia against the lushness of a forest), and the brutality of killing (distorted faces, the glint off sharp edges, the spray of blood disrupting the order).

The costume design clearly showed the absurdity of the rich lifestyle; clothes and hair were big and voluminous; colours were rampant and excessive in the look at me culture; makeup was almost clownish as it was colours set upon pale canvases. It was simply garish, baroque, but it worked beautifully and clearly showed the separation between the haves and have nots.

The acting was appropriate. Except for Elizabeth Banks and Stanley Tucci whose characters required a bit of outlandish behaviour, the characters were very down to earth. Their actions and responses were understandable, creating plausible situations and occurrences against this surreal backdrop. Jennifer Lawrence really stepped up and played Katness as a young woman who is vulnerable but manages to stay strong in the face of all that she has deal with. Josh Hutcherson is great as Peeta Mellark; he presents himself as confident but around those that he trusts she shows his worry and weakness. Woody Harrelson is believeable as Haymitch, their mentor and one time winner of the Hunger Games. He clearly still struggles with what he had to do drowning himself in alcohol but manages to somewhat bring himself out of it to do what needs to be done. Lenny Kravitz is understated as Cinna. He is a quiet, creative man providing words of wisdom and comfort when needed. Elizabeth Banks is almost unrecognizable as Effie. Her outragious attire and makeup couples with her excessive perkiness almost masks the fact that she is not happy doing what she does. Stanley Tucci’s Caesar Flickerman is a perfect television host, just over the top without being ridiculous. Some of the other players in the Hunger Games pull off blood thirsty teen incredibly well. They are malicious, lacking remorse.

The Hunger Games creates a whole world, filled with characters, histories, and lives. It has been well thought out and presented. I didn’t read the book before seeing the film but didn’t matter, it isn’t choppy or disjointed assuming that viewers have read the book, it is complete.

Well that is all for now. Game of Thrones is starting soon, if I get access to the episodes I may do a review. I am taking a quick trip to NYC, I will have to see what antics I get up to when I get there. That is all that I know of in the near future, but you never know what else can happen.

Tra

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Tra

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