All that glitters is good.....

All that glitters is good.....

Tuesday, August 27, 2013

The (Non) Spectacular Now

Last Friday night I went to see "The Spectacular Now." This movie is based on a book, which I was warned was rather depressing. It’s adapted by the writers of “(500) Days of Summer,” which I thought was a brilliant movie. However, IMDB lists the movie as a comedy/drama/romance. After seeing the film, I'm really wondering how they decided to classify it partially as a comedy. There were a couple fast but fleeting "cute" moments that made you smile but overall it was pretty depressing (although according to people who've read the book, not as depressing as the novel). The premise of the movie surrounds teen alcoholism and poor parental role models. So yeah, pretty cheery stuff.


I liked the casting of this movie. Most of the ensemble is fairly unknown. Ray Liotta makes a cameo as a drunken, absentee father. My favorite was the lead actress, Shailene Woodley, who’s been rising to fame via indie movies and complex roles ever since “The Descendants.” Miles Teller plays the male lead and is very convincing in the role. I’m glad that they chose an average looking kid, although apparently he makes Sutter a more likable character than in the book.


I’d say wait until rental for this one unless you are a fan of depressing stories and teen angst. My other recommendation, don’t go see this on a blind date. Watching an awkward teen sex scene next to some guy you barely know if almost as painful as watching “Eyes Wide Shut” with your father (thank you high school Stanley Kubrick film project for that unforgettable moment).


Speaking of uncomfortable movies, I rented “The Paperboy” last night. I was half paying attention at first until I realized the movie is perturbing. I’m not going into detail but let’s just say there’s grisly murder, racial crimes, a “sex/masturbation” scene at a prison and a brutal gay rape. I think this movie was Zac Efron trying to prove he’s edgy and not just “High School Musical” and Nicole Kidman trying to be sexy. Matthew McConaughey’s performance is sub par as usual (with the exception of “Mud”) and somehow they roped John Cusak into this as well, which makes me supremely disappointed. Did you know Macy Gray can act? No? That's because she can't. I do not recommend this movie at all, even knowing there’s no way this is airing on cable. 


Thursday, August 22, 2013

Sneak Peek Leaked!

Last night I had the opportunity to go see the sneak peak of "The Fifth Estate," the movie all about the rise and fall of WikiLeaks and it's charismatic leader Julian Assange. The movie is slated to come out in November 2013, so the cut I saw wasn't final. However, based on what I saw I would say they don't have much more to do. I thought the movie was fascinating and objective. The controversy going on with Assange and Manning right now is a polarizing topic. The movie does it's best to present the situation, showing the idealism of Assange but also the ego. It's up to the viewer to decide whether they buy into the message or fell he's a hypocrite. The current end frame is Assange saying just this. 


Benedict Cumberbatch does an amazing job starring as Assange. His career has been heating up in the last couple years with roles in Atonement, Star Trek: Into the Darkness, War Horse and The Hobbit. He is already a well established actor on the British television. I wouldn't be surprised is he starts getting Hollywood recognition and award nominations for his portrayal of Assange. On top of looking like him, he embodies his mannerisms, is likable at times, haunted in others and an egomaniac in most. I also really enjoyed the performance of Daniel Bruhl, who played Assange's early idealistic, loyal cohort, Daniel Domscheit-Berg. Laura Linney was her ever fabulous self as U.S. government's Sarah Shaw, although I have issues with her character. While the film showed Assangein a way that showed all facets of him, the film seemed more biased to side with Shaw. After working in government and getting as high up as she did, I'm sure her hands were not completely clean either. And if this movie couldn't get any better, Stanley Tucci is in it! Everything is always made better with a little Tucci in it.


Outside of the amazing acting and mostly unbiased views, the movie was visually stunning. Assange had a lot of allies in Iceland, lending itself for visually beautiful backdrops that fit with the mood. The scenes of WikiLeak's "office" were also really well done. Director Bill Condon ("Dreamgirls," "Kinsey") gets back on track after doing "Twilight: Breaking Dawn." Overall, I hope they don't change too much of the movie before it makes it to wide release. 

Friday, August 16, 2013

Tuesday, August 13, 2013

Foggy Summers in SF Mean More Movies

Last Sunday was another dreary, foggy day (of course, because it’s summer in San Francisco) so the perfect day to go see a movie. We wanted to go see the new Woody Allen movie, “Blue Jasmine,” but it’s only limited release right now and all showings were sold out. As a second option we ended up seeing “Fruitvale Station,” which I’m glad I ended up checking out. It’s a portrayal of the 2008 shooting of 22-year-old black man at a BART station in Oakland that sparked a lot of riots in the Bay Area. While I was worried the movie would be a little slow, it was such an interesting look into someone else’s’ life that it didn’t drag at all for me. I felt that the filmmakers did a good job not making Oscar Grant (the man who got shot) out to be some kind of perfect person. It showed all of his flaws and the time he spent in prison, but also showed that he was a good person, amicable, friendly and trying to be a good father. The release of this movie could not be more perfectly timed, because while different it had a lot of similar parallels to what’s going on with Trayvon Martin and the rally movement the verdict sparked. The lead actor who plays Oscar, Michael B. Jordan, is starting to get a lot of buzz for his work on this and may be a contender next award season.


The weekend before we went to “The Wolverine,” not to be confused with 2009’s “X-Men Originals: Wolverine.” The 2009 movie was just awful. But I was with a friend and we both love all the other X-Men movies in a completely nerdy way so we decided to go check it out.  While this one was not as good as the overall X-Men movies, it was much better than the 2009 version.  This one got a little deeper into Wolverine’s psyche and provided more background into what would have otherwise been a lot of random, violent, action sequences. However, the plot did continually hop around and try to throw numerous bad guys Wolverine’s way without a clear nemesis for the film. Hugh Jackman did a good job as always. For an actor who can sing and dance, he shows he’s truly versatile by being able to become the rugged Wolverine in a believable way. No need to rush out to the theater for this one though, and if you’re not an X-Men fan I wouldn’t even worry about the rental. This one has cable rerun written all over it.


Last night I was feeling under the weather so I went to see “Elysium” with a friend. I’m normally not into sci-fi/alien/space movies but its Matt Damon and the same writer/director who did “District 9” (Neill Blomkamp). “District 9” pleasantly surprised me with its heartfelt story of loner turned alien and underlying political commentary on slums, so I was hoping this one would have the same kind of layers. The movie is set in the year 2154, where the quality of life on Earth has deteriorated. The wealthy 1% has fled earth to live on a space habitat named Elysium. On Elysium they have the technology to heal the ill and stay young, so the sick and injured on Earth keep trying to illegally flee to Elysium. As with most sci-fi movies, there’s that underlying yet never too subtle political theme of not only the elite 1% and the difference in quality of life, but also of the reaction and treatment of illegal aliens. But the actual plot was kind of all over the place and outside of Matt Damon’s character, there wasn't any character development. Jodie Foster played a domineering defense secretary that we never learned anything about. There was also a very pathological hitman working for her that could have been interesting to learn more about as well. They threw in a lot of gory, turn-your-head moments for show. In general I liked it more than I thought I would but I don’t really like sci-fi. And I didn't think it was as good as “District 9.”



Not too many rentals of note. I had heard a lot of hype about “The Place beyond the Pines,” and was sorely disappointed.  Ryan Gosling’s performance was magnetic but he was a part of the plot for much less time than expected. Overall, the movie was 2.5 hours long and dragged on and was depressing. The only rental of note was a nice surprise. I had never heard of this movie but ended up watching it with the parents while visiting Minnesota. The film is called “I Give It A Year,” and is a witty look at modern relationships. So many people rush into marriage but don’t end up staying married. This was a humorous look at one couple who really tried to make it work. Plus it took place in London and the British have that lovely cheeky humor that was infused into the movie.  There were three recognizable actresses, Rose Bryne, Minnie Driver (where has she been??) and Anna Faris. The only male lead I recognized by name was Simon Baker from “The Mentalist,” but a lot of the English men look familiar. Anyway, I recommend checking this one out when you’re in the mood for something light and silly. Definitely a good pick for any fans of “Bridget Jones’s Diary.” 


Tuesday, August 6, 2013

There's Something in the Presidio Besides Trees and Raccoons.

And yes, there is the Walt Disney Museum as well, which is a small but enjoyable place to wander on a casual afternoon. I recommend checking it out on a Sunday, when Off the Grid is happening on the lawn outside. But what I'm really referring to is the Presidio Social Club. Located in the east part of the Presidio, this under-the-radar establishment is nestled and nearly blends into the Presidio-style white military housing. This one level restaurant doesn't look like much when you’re walking up, but the moment you’re inside there’s a warm, homey but still classy ambiance. If you have to wait for a table, saddle up to the long bar and grab one of their classic cocktails. We stuck with the wine last time, which isn't the longest list of options but has some good West Coast choices.


After being seated, we started with a variety of the small plates. One of their best offerings is the deviled eggs, topped with caviar. Nothing makes one feel more decadent than a little caviar! We also got a half order of the oysters, which vary by week. The island style tuna poke doesn't seem to fit with the rest of the menu, but is pretty good. Unfortunately it’s took many chips and not enough poke. Outside of the eggs, my top recommendation would be the grilled cheese, made with gruyere and buttered. It comes with a little soup cup of warm tomato fondue to dip. While this sounds simple, it’s hard to hate a classic comfort dish prepared by professional chefs. Before the meal we also tried the chopped kale salad (we’re in California, it’s not a meal without some kale). With carrots, radish, golden beets, toasted sunflower seeds and topped with sherry vinaigrette, it was far more flavorful than it sounds.


For dinner, I split the oven-roasted bone-in ribeye, which specifically says it’s for two people on the menu. Now, being from the Midwest I can take down my fair share of meat. However, I feel I can safely recommend that this dish be easily split by 3 people. They come present the ribeye to the table before taking it back to the kitchen. Bone-in, it looks like something they toss the T-Rex over the fence in “Jurassic Park.” Sliced up and served with roasted potatoes and glazed sweet onions, it fills up a large serving platter.  The quality of the ribeye is superb and the seasoning rub on it protects that quality while adding flavor. I highly recommend this for any meat lovers. I actually found it to be much better than the meat I had at the famed House of Prime Rib. We ordered some sides for the meal, as we clearly did not already have more than enough food. The French fries are good but nothing to write home about. The mac and cheese, topped with bread crumbs is a much better option. As far as vegetables go (have to be a little healthy), the whole carrots done in sherry and honey are sweet but not overly so. Because when it comes to sweet, you have to save room for a bit of dessert. We finished up with the blackout sundae, which feels like a deconstructed s’more platter with ice cream and homemade marshmallows.



For diners on the lookout for a more affordable meal, they offer weeknight supper specials, which is 3 courses for $29 but you have to go with the entrĂ©e of the evening. Right now I recommend Tuesday, as it is simply described as “small fried things.”