It's been a while, but I'M BACK, and with a new Korean drama to obsess with!
The new drama in question is 미남이시네요, otherwise known as You're Beautiful. The drama stars Park Shin Hye, Jang Geun Suk, and is another one of those girl-dresses-as-a-guy-but-falls-in-love-with-guy-that-another-girl-also-likes-so-love-triangle-and-drama-oh-my! And since I LOVED Coffee Prince, You're Beautiful seemed worth a watch.
The series focuses on the life of a Kpop group: Go Mi Nyu and Go Mi Nam are twins raised in an orphanage. She and her brother have parted ways (he aspires to be a pop star and she is on track to become a nun), until one day, Mi Nam's manager comes to Min Nyu and asks that she fills in for her brother - Mi Nam had just signed on to become a member of the Korean pop idol group, AN.JELL (yeah yeah, I don't understand Koreans and their obsession with weird acronyms -_-), but due to an unexplained injury, is unable to make his debut - hence, the reason why Mi Nyu has to cross-dress as her twin. Hwang Tae Kyung, the leader of AN.JELL finds out early on that the Mi Nam he is presented with is really Mi Nyu, but agrees to follow along with her act (until Mi Nyu's brother recovers from his injury). But love happens (cheesy, I know), a love triangle-rectangle forms, and Mi Nyu digs herself deeper into the lie. (There's also a side story about Hwang Tae Kyung's birth secret, as well as the twins' .. oh my!)
Sure, it sounds like another messy, complicated Korean drama .. but You're Beautiful works. Or rather, at least it works for me :P
Sunday, November 8, 2009
Korean Drama Review: You're Beautiful
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Movie Review: The Hangover
This past weekend, I ended up watching two movies- Up and The Hangover. I loved Up- Pixar has a special place in my heart, and the first 20 minutes of the movie was the cutest and most heartwarming thing ever. But I have to say, my favorite movie of this year so far has to be the surprise that was The Hangover. I wasn't expecting much from it because I didn't really know what to expect going into it. So I was really surprised when we got to the theater and it was PACKED. And though I thought I was going to go cross-eyed from sitting in the last available seat in the very first row, omg, was it worth it.
The Hangover is about 4 grown men who head to Vegas for a bachelor party for one of their own. The fun really kicks in when 3 of the men wake up in the morning completely hung over and unable to remember what happened the night before. The 4th, the guy who the bachelor party was for, has disappeared, and the rest of the film is about the three friends trying to figure out what the heck happened the night before, and track down their missing friend. The movie doesn't have big time stars, but it does have genuinely funny actors who all bring their A-game, and who I think will become big stars in their own right pretty soon: Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms (aka Andy Bernard on the Office), Zack Galifianakis (this film's breakout star). They all have really great chemistry together and play on each other well, and part of what makes the film so funny is the interaction they have with one another, in particular with Zack's character.
I just have to say: Heather Graham, Mike Tyson, a wild tiger, the cutest baby ever. Have I piqued your interest yet? So hilarious, it's really silly mindless fun. GO WATCH IT.
Friday, April 10, 2009
TV Review: Parks & Recreation
This is going to be a really short review on the new NBC series, Parks and Recreation, which debuted last night sandwiched between 2 new episodes of The Office. NBC has been promoting the hell out of this thing, frankly because they kinda need a few (or a lot of) hits to save their sinking ship, and have built an entire campaign of this show on this line: "From the creators that brought you The Office..." And that is my exact problem with Parks and Recreation.
It stars SNL alum Amy Poehler as Leslie Knope, the eternally optimistic and sorta pathetic head of the Parks and Recreation department of a fictional town in Indiana. The first episode sets the plot for the next season (or two or three), with Leslie's attempt to turn a giant construction pit into a park for the town. As with The Office, she has her share of interesting coworkers (the funniest being Aziz Ansari) and it seems like as much as it is about life in the office and office politics, some of the upcoming plot will also be grounded on her budding friendship with Ann (played by Rashida Jones), who gets her committed to turning the pit into a park in the first place. I don't like Rashida, but I liked this aspect of the show. Yay for fun female friendships!
But, I really didn't love the pilot. And I wanted to! I think Greg Daniels and Michael Schur (creator/writer and head writer of The Office, respectively) are geniuses and will pretty much watch anything they are involved with. I loooove Amy Poehler. But I didn't love this. Why? Though it is not a spinoff of The Office or related to it in any way, it felt exactly like an episode of The Office. The mockumentary style, the quiet buildup of humor, the similarity of Leslie Knope's character to Michael Scott, EVERYTHING. It's not that I don't enjoy any of the above, but I don't know, maybe it was because it aired between The Office that I really just felt like I watched 3 episodes of the same show last night. In all fairness, The Office had a really slow start too. And I already have Parks and Recreation set for series recording on my DVR, so I'm going to continue watching. But, my initial impression is that I just wasn't that impressed. Yet.
Let's bring this back to something that is near and dear to my heart. What I did love was The Office's new opening last night. I heart the framed picture of John Krasinski. Pam, you lucky lucky girl.
Monday, March 16, 2009
Review: Britney Spears: The Circus Tour
The Prudential Center, Newark NJ.
3.14.09
Opening Act: The Pussycat Dolls
Ok so this past Saturday was the event I have been waiting for for so long, the comeback tour of Ms. B. Spears. My friends and I had purchased tickets the morning they went on sale, I had a countdown going, so I was beyond words excited when the day finally came. After spending $40 on parking, being sad about the General Admissions "seating"/being split up, and just being confuzzled by all the girls who showed up LOOKING like Britney (girls, you're here to see her, not be like her), the show began.
The Pussycat Dolls are opening for Britney on this tour, and I can't think of a better combination. Both are extremely hot, extremely pop, and extremely Top 40. I was thoroughly impressed by the PCD, who sang and danced their way around the stage singing all of their hits - Beep, I Hate This Part, Buttons, Dont Cha, etc. They were uber entertaining, they were pretty good live, and really HOT. Oh, and they also sang their newest single, their version of the Oscar winning song from Slumdog Millionaire, Jai Ho. Here is the music video. And girls, it's called 'Jai Ho,' NOT 'Jay-Ho,' ok? Thanks. But as great as the PCD were, they knew they were filler for the REAL show. They kept saying, 'Are you guys excited for Britney??' UM A HELLLS YEAH?!?
So after their 40 minute set, a 15 minute break, and a 10 minute Circus warmup act, the event started. OMG. OMG. She came reigning down from the sky and sang Circus, and I was gone from there. Set list here. The freakin concert, and I'm not just saying this as a HUGE fan, is pretty amazing. It's music you know and love (come on, Britney has a discography any pop artist can envy), it's a show stopping eye-fest of costume changes (my favorite is the one on the left- naughty!), hard hitting dancing, pyrotechnics and fire, and one ringleader named Britney. She looks fantastic, she sounds fantastic (cause she lip syncs the WHOLE thing, ha!), she is back. Could she have danced a bit harder? Certainly. Could she have actually pretended to sing some parts live? Surely. But IT'S BRITNEY, BITCH!! The reigning princess of pop puts on an unbelievable show, and reaffirms that she is a talented performer. She deserves that much.So all you haters to the left. Britney is back, and I CANNOT wait for this next chapter in her career to unfold. I'm counting down for the next tour.
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Better Than the Original
So last Thursday, I went to see Wicked at the Gerswhin Theatre.
Yes, I read the book. And no, I did not particularly find the book to be enjoyable. Mainly because I felt that it was too hyped up, and my expectations for it surpassed what I normally expected for a book. With that said, I wouldn't say that I was looking forward to seeing the stage adaptation of it, despite all of the raving reviews it got.
However, the show was surprisingly pretty good. Well, mainly because it's not really like the book. Touché, Broadway; you've broken my belief that "the book is always better."
Going along with that, a recent photo shoot has been traveling across the Internetz, once more proving to me that the original is not always the best:
Um, Paul Rudd? YES! Jason Segel?? Fo sho! Seth Rogen? Why not! Jonah Hill? Um .. meh, I guess if the rest of Judd Apatow's gang is here ..
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
I <3 Lily Allen
I normally don't like my celebrities to be opinionated and speak a lot. I tend to like people for their work or their looks, and I usually like keeping it that way, without needing to know what they're thinking. But, I'm kinda fascinated by the things that come out of British pop star Lily Allen's mouth sometimes. She's crass, she's rude, she's vulnerable, she's honest. And I love that. However, I wouldn't be loving Lily if she was talentless and useless. That, she is not. I fell in love with her debut album, Alright, Still when it was first released in 2006. Playful, pop-y beats mixed with her sweet voice, mixed with her cutting lyrics- GOLD.
Earlier this month, Lily released her long awaited sophomore album, titled It's Not Me, It's You. If you liked her first album, the second is more of the sound that put her on the map. I think she's one of the most ingenius lyricists out there. Like I mentioned above, it's so jarring to hear this sweet voiced girl singing something like... "F**k you very much/Cause we hate/What you do/And we hate/Your whole crew" all set to a melody you'd be humming to your babies. Oh, btw. The song is not about some ex-lover of hers, it's about George Bush. So yeah, dysfunctional men, politics, religion, take your pick. Lily Allen has something to say about all of the above.
My FAVORITE song off the album is the sweet I Could Say which I play on repeat a lot. This song was leaked on her MySpace page months ago, to give fans a preview of the new album.
I Could Say - Lily Allen
Her current single off the album, The Fear, is a radio friendly song, much more so than the songs off her last album. It's about the craziness of her newfound fame and fortune, and it's kinda fun to hear about her self-reflection of living in the public eye.
The Fear - Lily Allen
And for some old school Lily, her most famous song- Smile.
Smile - Lily Allen
And.. follow Lily on Twitter, or on MySpace.
Monday, January 19, 2009
Movie Review Roundup
At the end of last year, I had like a crapload of time off from work. And instead of utilizing those days and being productive, I did nothing on my to-do list, didn't travel anywhere, didn't go once into the city to do non-work things... But what I did do was watch like a billion and one movies. Some good, some not. But thanks to the massive amount of new releases at the movies, and my trusty netflix, I got through the days of doing nothing. Here is a rundown and mini reviews of each. Hopefully I will inspire you to either park yourself in front of your couch, or run out to the theaters.
1) Into the Wild - Based on a true story of Christopher McCandless, who gave up everything he had to go live in the wilderness of Alaska. Along the way he meets different people (including Vince Vaughn and a pre-Twilight Kristin Stewart), and though we all know how the story ends, the film is breathtaking. It's so beautifully shot, it made me almost want to give up all my materialistic possessions and go trek through the wilderness. For a second. Emile Hirsch is AMAZING in this role, and he is one of my favorite actors. I actually made like a million people move this movie up on their netflix queues. I think it's a really important film.
2) Wanted - Um, Angelina Jolie, you are hot. James McAvoy, you are HOT. Common, you are hot. Morgan Freeman, you are..awesome. Wanted, you are a terrible movie. Oh my goodness, so much unnecessary, mindless violence. I mean I should've known, the film is about assassins, after all. James McAvoy saved the movie for me, cause I can watch him allll day, but honestly, don't waste your time. Unless you like stupid plots, endless violence, and Angelina Jolie looking all hot but way too skinny, don't waste your time.
3) American Teen - This little gem of a documentary has been an obsession of mine since it cause big buzz at Sundance last year. I wrote about it when it first came out, and I had it on my list of movies to see. Well, it goes to show you that sometimes, big buzz doesn't equal success, as it did not do so well at the box office, and I never did end up going to see it in theaters either. The movie also got buried in my too-long netflix queue, but I pulled it up cause I had the sudden urge to see it. Um, high school students are endlessly fascinating! Yes, the stereotyped "The Heartthrob," "The Rebel, "The Jock,"etc all play to their stereotypical roles in the film. And yes, it's nothing groundbreaking, as the camera follows the chosen group of students around for a year, because if you've lived through high school, then you know the trials and tribulations of these characters. But this is not about being groundbreaking, it's about connecting, it's about nostalgia. And as long as you don't watch it with a high expectation to be blown away, I think you'll really like it.
4) Slumdog Millionaire - My favorite movie of last year, behind Twilight (haha ok I'm kidding.). What an amazing movie. It's a story of people from the most abject, poverty-stricken slums, yet has so much hope and optimisim and life that you don't walk away from it depressed. What you do walk away with, however, is one of the best storytelling movies you will have ever watched, shot beautifully. It doesn't glamorize anything and there are no pretenses about it, what you see is what you get, but there is still a sense of magic grounded in the gritty reality of it all. You just have to watch it. I'm rooting for a Best Picture win at the Oscars.
5) The Curious Case of Benjamin Button - If Slumdog doesn't win, it will probably be because of this one. What a film. So long, but so worth it. Ladies, Brad looks HOT in the middle of the film. Like, I was having hot flashes (the non-menapausal kind) because he was looking so good. Oh I guess I should mention that he acts the hell out in this one. It's a magical tale about a man who ages backwards, and you can imagine the stories that can stem from that premise. It doesn't disappoint.
Monday, December 8, 2008
Vampire Weekend Concert Review
After an exhausting week-long trip to Seattle, the last thing I wanted to do was go to a show on a rainy night in the city (seriously, rain in Seattle really did it for me). Because fellow LiB writer Jen and I had purchased tickets about 3 months in advance, it was one of those things that sounded awesome at the time .. but as the date drew near, I was regretting such an early commitment.
My ears hurt that night .. from the AWESOMENESS that was Vampire Weekend.
Sure, the waiting was a bit long (VW got on stage at 9:10PM), and the opening act was very .. unique (anyone hear of Telepathe?), but nonetheless, VW was amazing in concert. Their energy on stage was viral, and the crowd was really feeling it.
The highlight of the show was when they brought out a string quartet to accompany them on songs from their debut album. Favorites of the night included "I Stand Corrected," "M79," "A-Punk," and of course, "Oxford Comma." And though I've yet to see Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist, hearing VW's song from the soundtrack ("Ottoman") was awesome in its own.
I definitely recommend people to see them live. Sure, their sound is a bit funky, but after dragging along a friend who a) had never heard of them before, b) has questionable taste in music, and c)is not really a fan of indie music .. he LOVED them. He bought the album the very next day, and has been obsessing over "M79."
And if you still haven't tried listening to Vampire Weekend, I definitely recommend them.
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
Music: Britney Spears - Circus
Album: Circus
Artist: Britney Spears
Release Date: December 2nd, 2008
Genre: Pop
Welcome to Circus, Britney's very aptly titled record that was released this Tuesday. So this album has been streaming on imeem.com for weeks now, but I didn't want to listen to it until I had the full album in my hands, because I'm a huge dork like that. Anyways. I've heard very mixed reviews about this, her sixth studio album, but I am liking it more and more after each listen. I will say, it is no Blackout, which was pure pop/dance delight, and probably her best album yet, but this is a pretty good effort. Combined with some heavy promoting which she is actually doing for this album, a newly announced tour (crossing fingers on getting tickets), hot new bod (admit it, she is looking mighty FINE), and chart topping singles Womanizer and Circus, Britney is back, bitch. And no, I am never going to stop using that phrase.
If you're gonna get the album (and it is my unbiased opinion that you do), spend like $5 more and get the Deluxe Version, which comes with 3 bonus tracks and a DVD with a making-of featurette and the Womanizer video. By now, you've heard Womanizer like a million times already- proof that you too can write a hit with a max of 6 words in the entire song, as long as it is stay-in-your-head-all-day catchy. While I enjoyed Womanizer very much, it's not my favorite of hers, and certainly not the best song on the album. Her second single, Circus (the video was leaked, it is SO awesome as I predicted) is so much better. You'd think the title Circus meant like, the state of what her life has become, but it's actually kind of an empowering, 'duh i'm hot, so let me entertain you with my awesome dancing on the dancefloor' kind of song. Yes, it's repetitive. But when the song goes from the slowed down pre-chorus and launches into the amped up chorus...ILOVEIT!
I also love If You Seek Amy, which is easily the other best song on the album. Um, in the context of the song, the way she sings the title, it turns into Eff-You-Cee-Kay-Me (I'm trying not to spell it out for real, for the more conservative readers of the blog). I LOVE WORDPLAY! Is that wordplay..? Soundplay? Whatever. And I've said before that I'm not a fan of her singing ballads, because that's really not the best use of her vocals. Perhaps what made Blackout so great was that there were none on the entire album. There are 3 on Circus. While two are predictably just whatever, man oh man is Unusual You a GREAT song. It's a bit faster than a straight up ballad, but did I mention it's a GREAT song? It is.
Recommended Tracks: Circus, Kill the Lights, If You Seek Amy, Unusual You
Grade: B+
Monday, November 24, 2008
What a [Twilight] weekend!
"Twilight takes a big bite out of the box office"
"Twilight has bite at the box office"
"Moviegoers enter "Twilight" zone at the box office"
"Twilight: early box office is bloody good"
"Twilight sucks in Fangirls for $70.6 Mil Debut"
Am I the only one disappointed with the slew of headlines regarding the success of Twilight at the box office? I would've imagined, with its vampire theme, you would've seen a lot more of the following:
"Twilight drains the life out of its competitors"
"Twilight makes a killing this weekend"
"Twilight sinks teeth into the box office"
As for my review... Well, I definitely don't recommend the movie to you if you haven't read the book. There are some things the movie does better than the book (cutting out unnecessary and repetitive scenes, pacing the action/suspense throughout, UM the casting of Robert Pattinson), but I think to truly understand the intense relationship of the 2 main characters, as well as to appreciate the cheesiness of the dialogue, reading the book first is best. And as with any book-to-movie adaptations, there are certain things that can never live up to what you imagined it would be like (in Twilight's case, 2 words: sparkling skin). So, I give Twilight a B-. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed it very much. I'm just being objective here.
And as proud as I am that a female director made the film, being not a fan of her work in general (I kinda hated Thirteen), I hope that the next one is made by someone other than Catherine Hardwicke. Maybe then we can move away from emo teen angst (though, I guess it is fair to say that Twilight is a bit emo teen angst) and more action, Blockbuster, big budget film making. Oh, and duh, MORE R.PATTINSON!! One more thing, check this NYMag slideshow out, probably my favorite thing written on this subject.
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Death Cab for Cutie @ Radio City Concert Review
Death Cab for Cutie @ Radio City Music Hall, NY, NY. Monday, October 6, 2008, 8PM.
Last night, I had the most awesome and not so awesome concert experience of my life. The awesome- my favorite band Death Cab for Cutie's show at the spectacular venue that is Radio City. The not so awesome- having my concert buddy back out on me at the last minute (though he had a good reason), leaving me to attend the concert by myself. Ok, so I've always kinda wanted to go to a movie by myself. A concert at a major venue with thousands of people? Not so much. But surprisingly, it wasn't a bad experience. And that has a lot to do with the show that Death Cab put on.
I've never seen them in person, and with the seats I had, I can't really say that I know what they look like. =P But, once I got over the fact that I had an empty seat next to me, I got really into it. If you know Death Cab only through their albums, I think you'd be surprised at the amount of energy they bring to the stage. I would say that most of their songs are quiet. On stage, however, the songs are played louder and with more intensity than their catalog lets on. The lead singer Ben Gibbard exudes restless energy, jumping from his guitar to keyboard and back and forth. The songs are louder, more intense, and rock-ier than the recorded versions on the albums. I mean, this might have to do with the fact that Radio City is a HUGE venue, the biggest they've played in NY, and they needed to exude that sort of energy to reach people like me, all the way in the third mezzanine.
I was pleasantly surprised that they played a lot of old stuff. Some of my favorites, in fact. The New Year, Summer Skin, I Will Follow You into the Dark (solo performance by Ben, and with the whole 1000+ audience singing along to it, so amazing), Transatlanticism, The Sound of Settling, and my FAVORITE, Marching Bands of Manhattan. They of course also played songs from their new album Narrow Stairs, which included I Will Possess Your Heart (the crowd really went wild for this one), Bixby Canyon Bridge, Cath, Long Division. The ONLY thing I was sad about was that they didn't play Pity & Fear, which is my favorite song from the new album.
Also, I don't think many artists come out for an encore and play a 5-song set. I was sad when it ended, but didn't realize they'd be playing for another 20 minutes during the encore. It was like a second concert! Would I do it again, if I had to go to another one by myself? For Death Cab, absolutely. I hope you guys check out their stuff, especially their Plans album, which consistently gets played on my iPod. Maybe next time I'll have more people to go see them with?? :)
Friday, July 25, 2008
Movie: The Dark Knight
Movie Release Date: July 18, 2008
Genre: Action, Drama
Oldman, Morgan Freeman
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Movie: Hellboy II: The Golden Army
Movie Release Date: July 11, 2008
Genre: Action, Adventure
Running Time: 120 Minutes
Director: Guillermo del Toro
Cast: Ron Perlman, Selma Blair, Doug Jones, Jeffrey Tambor
Yuri, a friend (Jonathan), and I decided to catch the 9:45PM showing of Hellboy II: The Golden Army last night. I must state that I've never had any interest in seeing the film, and have never seen the first film, let alone even care about the comic series (I'm sure that some fanboys are ready to harpoon my heart right now). But what the hell, I figured that since my boyfriend wanted to see it and that it got decent reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, it couldn't be too bad, right?
Wrong.
Lesson 1: NEVER decide to go to the movies when you have food coma: it impairs your cinematic judgment. After stuffing our faces at Cheesecake Factory, the three of us found ourselves mighty full and thinking that it was too early to call it a night at 9:30PM. Yup, we're rebels. So Jonathan suggested that we go catch a movie, and said he wanted to watch Hellboy II. At this point, Yuri and I both rolled our eyes - Jonathan has had a history of liking really bad movies (sorry, Jon!), and it looked like Hellboy II was going to be another to add to that list of shame. I blame the food coma, but I thought "What the heck? Let's just go see it; it's gotten decent reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, and according to some online test I took a year ago, Rotten Tomato and I seem to have a pretty solid rating system for movies!" And I last time I checked, Rotten Tomatoes gave Hellboy II an 87%, and Sex and the City a 51% (which I loved).
Lesson 2: Don't have too much faith in Rotten Tomatoes. I probably passed out three times throughout the film, and each time I woke up, the movie was still going on. I can't even say I know where the halfway point of the film was. It seemed like an endless movie. Really, Rotten Tomatoes? Sex and the City was at least funny (this coming from someone who wasn't really a hardcore fan of the show and pretty much anti-girly), whereas Hellboy II attempted to be funny, but fell flat and made me cringe. And I usually heart cringe-worthy comedy (a la The Office). Definitely not worth the high 87%.
All in all, I guess if you are a fanboy and LOVE Hellboy, go see the movie. But if you're going to see it, don't drag your reluctant friends. After the credits started rolling, I noticed at least one person within the groups of people at the showing, profusively apologizing to their friends for bringing them to see such a crappy movie. 'Cause yes, your friends will be pissed. And yes, they will think less of you and you taste in films. I mean, I love Guillermo del Toro, and yes, some of the monsters definitely were Pan's Labryinth-esque, but even that didn't save the film.
Or maybe it was 'cause we saw The Dark Knight the night before .. but even so, man .. I even read the spoilers for The Dark Knight even before seeing it, and I was still amazed. Yeah, I said it. It was that good [for me].
Luckily, even Jonathan admitted the movie was horrible. And so, I'm happy to say that we're still friends.
Grade: D-
Friday, July 11, 2008
City Review: Los Angeles
Los Angeles is actually short for El Pueblo De Nuestra Senora la Reina de los Angeles de Porcincula. Isn't that just precious? I was only in LA for about a week so I can only say so much about it.
The West Coast is lucky enough to have In N Out Burgers, but In N Out is ultimately improved fast food. What LA excells at is cheap, good Korean and Mexican food. My first night in LA I had all you can eat Korean BBQ for $16. I ate more galbi and samgyeopsal than any man should ever eat. Mexican food in Los Angeles is significantly better than in the East Coast. One day, my friend Koo and I stumbled upon Sharky's Mexican Grill. Sharky's is Mexican fast food but it puts Taco Bell to shame. The burritos are bigger, meatier, and saucier. They also have a salsa bar in the middle of the store with a variety of salsas free of charge. Finally, LA also offered the best bubble tea I've ever had courtesy of Boba World. I'll be dreaming of their strawberry+pineapple smoothie everyday this summer. 
Los Angeles has awesome beaches (although I've recently heard that the Jersey shore actually ranks higher) but if you're expecting a lot of the city itself you'll be sadly disappointed. The Hollywood Walk of Fame is nothing more than a couple of blocks of 5 point stars etched on concrete. Trying to find your favorite entertainer is a waste of time. Los Angeles is also huge! 469 square miles, over 150 square miles larger than New York City. Like New York it is broken into many neighberhoods, each with their unique style. However, the socioeconomic status of each neighberhood is more pronounced in Los Angeles.Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Movie: Lars and the Real Girl
Movie Release Date: October 12, 2007
DVD Release Date: April 15, 2008
Genre: Dramedy
Running Time: 107 Minutes
Director: Craig Gillespie
Cast: Ryan Gosling, Emily Mortimer, Patricia Clarkson
Lars and the Real Girl is an Oscar nominated quirky indie comedy about a painfully shy man named Lars, who brings home a girlfriend one day much to the surprise of his family. The girlfriend, named Bianca, turns out to be a life-sized doll made out of silicon, and the movie is about his family's and their small town's reaction to this interesting development in his life. Instead of being outcast as the weirdo creep with a sex doll, the town begins to embrace Bianca, treating her as a real person, as Lars does. Whoever said love has to be 2-sided?
This is a really sweet comedy that is interesting because of it's fantasy-meets-real-life element. What I mean by that is, it's a complete fantasy to have a whole town embrace an essentially socially awkward young man, and play along with his delusion that his internet-order doll is real. I hardly think this would happen in real life; Lars would be carried away to a mental institution in the first 15 minutes of the film (which almost happens, if left up to his bewildered brother Gus). So in that sense, the movie is almost like a fairy tale, except it's set in a wintry, small Northern town and no one is made up or overly pretty (or at all, actually) or dressed in fancy frocks.
What makes the movie work is that it's really well written, really original, and really well acted. It's all about these characters, most specifically the development of Lars's character and his journey of overcoming his anti-socialness through his relationship with Bianca. There's funny dialogue, but the humor comes from the interactions all of the characters have as they try to accept Lars and Bianca. I was most touched by the fact that his family (especially his lovely sister-in-law) and the town wholeheartedly rallies around Lars, because he is one of their own, no matter how different he may be. It's really a story about love, communication, and hope.
Grade: A-
Friday, May 16, 2008
Review: Palisades Park Bakery
Restaurant Bakery Name: Palisades Park Bakery
Cuisine: Desserts, baked goods
Location: Palisades Park, NJ
Price Range: $0.25 - $25
Info:
325 Broad Ave
Palisades Park, NJ 07650
(201) 944-3192
Living in Palisades Park, a town highly populated by Koreans and Korean businesses, I kind of forgot the concept of a small-town bakery. It wasn't until I went to the long-standing Palisades Park Bakery that I saw how much I had really been missing.
While Korean bakeries are fine, they have two major differences compared to American bakeries -- they are generally expensive ($3 for a small pastry) and their pastry style is a Korean/European hybrid.
The Palisades Park Bakery is the exact opposite. They offer cheap, Italian/American style baked goods that are delicious....
The first thing that stood out to me about Palisades Park Bakery was their amazing cakes. Their chocolate cake is the epitome of classic chocolate cake. It consists of 4 layers of yellow cake with chocolate pudding frosting between, all wrapped up in a chocolate outside. It is seriously one of the best chocolate cakes I've ever had. And at $8 for a small cake, it's an unbelievably good deal.
Their cupcakes are good too. They tend to pile on their very sweet frosting -- which is too much for me -- but the cake part is sweet and decently moist. Oh, and at less than a dollar a cupcake, it's hard to not like it.
Along with these two bakery staples, the Palisades Park Bakery has a wide range of other desserts. Everything from cookies, cannoli, eclairs, and apple turnovers (Julia's favorite) can be had there. They even make a pretty decent flan for $9.50. It isn't as sweet and creamy as Latin flan, but it's better than many others I've tasted.
Palisades Park Bakery has been around for a very long time. And for good reason too -- they continuously make delicious desserts for delicious prices. I haven't tried everything they have to offer, but considering the experience I've had with them so far, you can bet I will.
Atmosphere: NA
Food: A
Service: B+
Overall Rating: A
Monday, April 21, 2008
[Feature] Board Games Are Anything But Boring
My friends and I, we play a lot of board games. Now this may sound sad, but really it's a great, affordable, way to meet up and hang out with friends.
A good party board game will get everyone involved and laughing. Nowadays, board games are not just for kids and rainy days.
Of course, not all games are created equal.
So to help you weave through the crap and find some really fun group board games, here's my list of worst and best party board games....
7. Dirty Minds
This game was seemingly perfect for our group of friends, because, well, we're all pretty crass.
The way it works is you are given three clues that are intentionally misleading and easily seen as perverted, but the clues lead to an answer that is positively tame. The point of the game is to answer the clues correctly and collect cards to win.
Why it's good:
The clues really are hilarious.
Here's a sample:
1. I throb when I'm excited
2. A massage brings me to life
3. Pumping is my business
Answer: a heart.
1. I'm a four letter word
2. I'm a name for a woman
3. I end in u-n-t."
Answer: aunt.
Very funny indeed.
Why it's bad:
The clues come in a booklet that you can easily peruse. This means that after a single game, everyone has pretty much heard or read through most of the clues. There is zero replayibility. It's fun once and only once
Verdict:
If someone unwittingly bought it (sorry Steve :x), play it, but never waste your hard earned money on it.
6. Loaded Questions
Why it's good:
Like I said, it's a fun ice breaker. You get to learn new, trivial things about your friends. What's more, it's fun to write ridiculous answers or inside-jokes. The fact that the game focuses on the players makes it unique.
Why it's bad:
Some of the questions are lame. Take for example this question: "On a scale of 1-10, how hard of a worker are you?" First of all, that's a pretty boring question. Second of all, it's hard for you to guess which of your friends wrote 6 and which wrote 7. The game is more fun if you just choose a good question (instead of reading the one the game tells you to).
Also, do not try to play with more than 5 people. With more people, it gets harder to guess and the game moves slower.
Verdict:
Fun once in a while, but not really worth the purchase.
5. Cranium
This is a classic party board game. Think real-life Mario Party. You make up to 4 teams, and you play different mini-games, varying from pictionary, to charades, to spelling backwards, to answering trivia questions in attempts to get to the end of the board.
Why it's good:
Cranium is great for big groups. Everyone in the team can participate in the different mini games. The fact that different skills are needed allows everyone to be good at something. And overall, the game is just plain fun.
Why it's bad:
I think the biggest problem with this game is it sometimes is too long. If you try play Cranium to the end, expect to go on for 1 or 2 hours.
Another problem with the game is its "Humdingers" game (humming a song). Unless you're 30+ and white, you're not going to know a lot of the music clues given.
Also, the clay that comes with the game can become pretty useless pretty quickly unless properly maintained.
Verdict:
A good game to have, even if you only break it out once a year.
4. Scattergories
Scattergories is much more of a thinking person's game. You are given a list with 12 categories ("Things you find in a medicine cabinet", "Authors", "Fictional Characters", etc.) and then you roll a die that has letters on it. Whatever letter is rolled, you have to try your best to think of something for each category with that letter. After your allotted time is up, you read your answers. If your answer makes sense you get a point. If someone writes the same answer down, however, neither of you get a point.
Why it's good:
Scattergories lets you use your brain and be creative, which is a nice change of pace since most games focus on chance. The fact that there are 16 different lists and 20 letters means that replayibilty is pretty high. Also, special rules such as using alliteration (for example, Roger Rabbit for fictional characters would give you 2 points) make the game more challenging.
Why it's bad:
The only real problem is that it isn't exactly a high-energy game because you stay quiet for a good portion of the game. It's fun, but it's not something you break out to keep everyone laughing and talking.
Verdict:
A great game overall. Not the most exciting party game, but a fun one none the less. Definitely worth the purchase.
3. Pop 5
Think of it as a quicker, simpler version of Cranium. Pop 5 is made by the same people, but the game focuses on pop culture. A player picks a card and has to choose 1 of 5 different ways to get their team to answer correctly. The twist is that each method is worth different amount of points; so the bigger the risk, the bigger the reward.
Why it's good:
Pop 5 seems to address a lot of problems that I had with Cranium. The game is a lot more fast paced -- no board, just the mini games, and since it focuses on pop culture, the clues are accessible to more people. All of this while keeping the varied gameplay and excitement of Cranium.
Why it's bad:
If you play too much and too often, you can get through the list of clues they give you pretty quickly. So unless you start making your own clues up, you can run into replayability issues in the future.
Verdict:
A fun, quick party game. Very fun and worth buying.
2. Apples to Apples
Apples to Apples epitomizes the idea of "simple party game." Basically, the game is a huge stack of green and red cards with different words on it (anything from "Michael Jordan", to "Dirt", or "The 60's" can be found on a card). A player picks up a green card, read it aloud, and everyone else scrambles to find a red card in their hand that best matches the green one. The first player reads each one and decides who the winner is. The green card player rotates and the point of the game is to get the most points.
Why it's good:
As I mentioned, it is very simple. There is nothing you really need to teach anyone. The sheer card selection and the variations of the game make it very replayable. The best part of the game is trying to convince the judge to choose your card over someone else's.
Why it's bad:
Since players are the judges, sometimes they don't make the best choices. It's part of the game, but if your perfect card gets snuffed, it can cause an uproar.
Verdict:
Simple and fun with big groups. Buy it.
1. Taboo
This is an old school party board game. You have to get your team to name common words written on a card. The catch is you can't say certain words. So if your word is "diamond", you have to figure out how to describe it without saying "baseball", "ring", "carats", "jewel" or "engagement". If you're good, you can go through 5 or more words before your time is up. If you're bad, you can end up with negative points.
Why it's good:
The game is fast-paced and requires a lot of quick thinking. It gets everyone involved because your team wants to guess as fast as possible, while the opposing team is listening carefully in hopes that you mess up. The combination of skill, luck, and teamwork make it, in my opinion, the best party game around.
Why it's bad:
There is a learning curve when it comes to Taboo -- it's not a game you just pick up and can play. Hopefully, everyone you play with has already played before or can pick it up quickly.
Also, since it relies on a word list, you inevitably repeat clues, making it not the most replayable game ever.
Verdict:
Despite its flaws, it's probably the best party game you can play. If you don't already own it, you should go pick it up now.
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Jason Mraz Concert Review
Jason Mraz - Music, Magic, Make Peace tour with Bushwalla, Justin Kredible, and the MakePeace Brothers. Sunday, April 13, 2008. 7PM at World Live Cafe, Philly PA.
If you are a music lover, and you like live performances, the one thing you must do in your lifetime is see Jason Mraz live. I'm not kidding when I say he is one of the best artists to see live, and his strength as an artist really lies in the shows he puts on. I've seen him about 3 times now, and I have to say, the April 2008 Music, Magic, Make Peace tour is my favorite show of his. Tickets are probably hard to come by at this point because he literally sells out every show within minutes of them going on sale, but if you do get a chance to catch it, you're in for an awesome time.
Opening Acts:
The MakePeace Brothers opened the show, and they are a folk quartet (though they were a trio this particular night) of real-life brothers who are all very cute. Their music was good, and they played 6 songs, including the inspiring "Hero," which you can check out on their website. The very entertaining freestyle acoustic rapper Bushwalla performed 7 songs, and having been on tour with Mraz before, much of the audience was very familiar with him and his songs.
In between all acts, the magician-comedian Justin Kredible performed little vignettes of magic/comedy. He was actually really good, and kept his routine interactive by using audience members in his acts. He is also very cute, and one of the highlights of the night was getting to meet him. This whole comic routine between sets was actually a really good idea, as it kept the flow of the show going, and the audience engaged in those lagging times.
Jason Mraz:
After what seemed like hours of waiting and people pushing us around (it was a standing room venue), Mraz finally took the stage with his trusty sidekick Toca. He opened with Plane, one of my faves from the Mr. A-Z album, and minus Geek in the Pink and a slew of other songs from the olden days, he mostly stuck to new material from his upcoming album We Sing, We Dance, We Steal Things (out 5/13). Even though he said he was congested, he sounded amazing, and of course, he is the king of improvisation, which he liberally exercised in his set. He was chatty and charming, and what I love about him is that he's still incredibly gracious and humbled by people coming to see him. He played about 14 songs in total, and when he launched into I'm Yours towards the end, we all went crazy. 
And after that long set (about an hour and a half), he came back to perform an encore with everybody from his tour, which was awesome in itself, but after that fun performance ended, he stuck around to perform You and I Both solo, which the entire audience sang along to. Mraz, his guitar, the audience's energy= AMAZING. My boy is back!!!
