What I Thought of It

• Fun with Dick and Jane

  Bars / Pubs, Movies / TV, Products, Recreation No Comments

  Dick Harper (Jim Carrey) is a big shot at Globodyne Corporation. He has become Vice-President of Communications, but then things go wrong and Globodyne goes under. Of course, Dick is optimistic and assures his wife Jane (Téa Leoni) that things will be all right and that he will find another job. Unfortunately for him, Globodyne Corporation was such a big employer that everyone from there is looking for a job and Dick can’t find one.

  Dick and Jane’s luck worsens when they start to run out of money. Soon all their belongings have been sold and they can no longer afford their home. The couple embark on an extreme scheme to secure money: by stealing it wherever they can.

  As you might suspect, Fun with Dick and Jane is a great vehicle for Jim Carrey to indulge his comical self. With plenty of jokes and crazy misadventures, this movie will keep you on the edge of your seat till the very end.

  Last thoughts: Fun with Dick and Jane is a movie that aims to and will bring you many laughs. It’s not my favorite kind of movie, but if you’re ready for 90 minutes of no-brainer hilarity, then Fun with Dick and Jane easily delivers.

  Genre: Comedy (2005)
  Length: 90 min
  Rating: PG-13
  Story +++
  Cast ++++
  Humor ++++

  Tags: Jim Carrey, Tea Leoni



• As Good As It Gets

  Movies / TV, Recreation No Comments

  Melvin Udall (Jack Nicholson) is an obsessive-compulsive novelist with an awful temper. In As Good As It Gets, you see how badly he treats his neighbor Simon (Greg Kinnear) and Simon’s little dog.

  Then Simon ends up in the hospital and Melvin’s world is shaken up. Still, being obsessive-compulsive, he can’t go without his daily meal, always served by the same waitress (Helen Hunt).

  Watching Melvin try to adapt and surmount his problems makes for a funny and endearing movie.

  Last thoughts: As Good As It Gets gets to be a very good story, brought to life by a pitch-perfect cast. Make time to see As Good As It Gets, and you’ll see why it got so many Oscar nominations.

  Genre: Romantic Comedy (1997)
  Length: 139 min
  Rating: PG-13
  Story +++++
  Cast ++++
  Humor +++

  Tags: Greg Kinnear, Helen Hunt, Jack Nicholson



• Elf

  Attractions, Movies / TV, Products, Recreation No Comments

  Christmas is that time of year when everyone does their best to be nice to the world. Even the movie folks do their best by releasing feel-good movies with heartwarming messages.

  That was the case with a movie called Elf.

  Elf introduces us to Buddy (Will Ferrell), who is an elf - or so he thinks. Buddy is in fact a human who climbed into Santa’s bag when he was still a baby orphan. Santa let him stay at the North Pole, where he grew up to be a human-sized being trying his best to be an elf.

  One day Buddy finds out the truth. He also learns that though his mother passed away a long time ago, his father is alive and unaware that Buddy was ever born. Buddy’s dad works in the Empire State Building in New York City. Before long Buddy sets off for The Big Apple to meet his dad.

  Buddy begins a long journey on foot from the North Pole to his destination. When he finally arrives at his father’s workplace, Buddy is kicked out of the building because the man won’t believe Buddy is his son.

  Poor Buddy ends up in a department store, where the manager of the Christmas section mistakes him for an employee in elf costume. So Buddy goes to work and becomes infatuated with the beautiful department store elf Jovie (Zooey Deschanel).

  From there more zany events unfold, just as you’d expect with Will Ferrell in the lead.

  Like every good Christmas movie, Elf gets a happy ending.

  Last thoughts: Elf is a delightful movie that’s fun to watch any time of year. Both Will Ferrell and Zooey Deschanel are perfectly charming, and boy, Zooey Deschanel can really sing! Get this movie ready for viewing this Christmas, because Elf is a must-see holiday film!

  Genre: Comedy (2003)
  Length: 97 min
  Rating: PG
  Story ++++
  Cast ++++
  Humor +++

  Tags: Christmas movie, Will Ferrell, Zooey Deschanel



• A&W, Chinook Centre

  Eating Out, Fast Food, Movies / TV, Retail No Comments

  A&W, Chinook Centre
  6455 MacLeod Trail SW
  Calgary AB
  Phone: 403 640 4127

  While shopping at the Chinook Centre Mall in Calgary, we were overcome by hunger and we made a beeline for the A&W in the food court.

  A&W is one of the first food places in the food court. At 5:30 pm on a Thursday it was not busy. We asked for two Mama burgers, one with fries and Coke, and one with onion rings and the famous A&W Root Beer.

  Our food was ready in a pinch, and we settled into a nice table next to the escalator, with a great view of people going up and down.

  The Mama burgers were good, as per usual at A&W Restaurants. The fries were also good and crispy. Unfortunately, the root beer was warm. Even A&W root beer tastes awful when not properly chilled.

  On first sight the onion rings looked pale, and on first bite they looked even paler and tasted uncooked. I took them back. The server insisted that white onions are supposed to look pale, but eventually he offered me a new bag of onion rings. This new batch of onion rings - supposedly cooked for the same length of time - was brown and crispy, as they should have been.

  Last thoughts: Food-court food is never my favorite. Even the fast-food chains seem to slack off at food courts. I give a thumbs-down to this A&W. They replaced my onion rings, but not without an argument and making me feel like I was wrong to complain.

  Food +++
  Service ++
  Ambiance ++++

  Tags: A&W, Chinook Centre



• Away We Go

  Movies / TV, Recreation No Comments

  Away We Go is a movie about Burt (John Krasinski) and Verona (Maya Rudolph). Burt and Verona are a bit different from most of us, and now they are expecting a child.

  Verona is hoping to get help from Burt’s parents - who live nearby - when the baby is born. However, as it turns out, Burt’s parents will finally fulfill their lifelong dream - moving to Belgium - just a couple of months before her due date.

  So Burt and Verona go on a trip in search of a place to raise their future baby. They want to be close to people they know, so they visit old friends and co-workers, who unknowingly demonstrate a series of lessons about life, love, and raising children.

  This movie brings a fresh, unusual perspective in a smart and funny package. You will laugh and smile from beginning to end.

  Last thoughts: Away We Go is a movie that far surpasses the trailer. It’s smart, funny, and touching, all in the right amounts and in the right places. Go see it today, because you’ll have to at some point, when everyone is talking about it.

  Check out the Away We Go movie trailer. I know you’ll want to see it!

  Genre: Comedy, Drama (2009)
  Length: 98 min
  Rating: R
  Story ++++
  Cast ++++
  Humor ++++

  Tags: John Krasinski, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Maya Rudolph



• Bewitched

  Movies / TV, Recreation No Comments

  The story of Bewitched centers on Isabel (Nicole Kidman) and Jack Wyatt (Will Ferrell).

  Isabel is a witch who is trying to have a normal life. Jack is an actor who has made terrible movie choices in the past and is now trying to get back in the game.

  Jack is planning a remake of the television show Bewitched. Of course he needs the perfect co-star, but he doesn’t want a famous person to steal the show away from him. Then he accidentally runs into Isabel.

  Isabel is casted for the TV series and the “fun” begins.

  Last thoughts: It’s disappointing to find out that Bewitched was written by Nora Ephron (who wrote You Got Mail). The premise is nice, but her screenplay failed to make the story funny or interesting. The result was not worth my time. Granted, there are some funny parts and the cast is good, so if you’d like you can watch Bewitched and let us know what you thought.

  Genre: Romantic comedy (2005)
  Length: 102 min
  Rating: PG-13
  Story ++
  Cast ++++
  Humor +++
  

  Tags: Nicole Kidman, romantic comedy, Will Ferrell



• 21

  Movies / TV, Recreation No Comments

  21 is a movie in which Kevin Spacey plays an MIT professor who leads a secret life that involves bright students and big-time gambling.

  Ben Campbell (Jim Sturgess) is a very bright MIT student who also got accepted into Harvard, but somehow he has to scrape together enough money to pay for everything. He could win a prestigious scholarship, but the chances of that are slim, so he toils away at a clothing store until his logical brain catches the attention of his Statistics professor (Kevin Spacey). The professor invites Ben into a room with college students who are, inexplicably, counting cards.

  That’s where I’ll leave you to discover the rest of this intriguing story.

  21 will keep you glued to the screen and in suspense till the very end.

  Last thoughts: 21 was great viewing from beginning to end. I would not hesitate to watch it a second time. The cast is very strong, and Spacey deftly keeps the story going. Get yourself the 21 DVD and enjoy it!

  Genre: Drama
  Story ++++
  Cast +++++

  Tags: drama, Jim Sturgess, Kevin Spacey



• Bee Movie

  Movies / TV, Recreation No Comments

  Bee Movie is an animated movie about bees and their humanized lives.

  Bee Movie has a great cast, with the voices of Jerry Seinfeld and Renee Zellweger, among others.

  Bee Movie starts when Barry B. Benson (Jerry Seinfeld) graduates and needs to find the job he wants to perform the rest of his bee life. Of course, Barry doesn’t feel like making that choice right away, so he decides to go out for a day with the high-flying Pollen Jocks when they go in search of nectar.

  This decision gets Barry B. Benson into all kinds of trouble and he ends up breaking major bee laws, which state that bees can’t speak to humans. But Barry likes his new human friend and she likes him, so they spend a lot of time together. Eventually Barry finds out about how humans get their honey.

  After this revelation, everything changes, and it almost ends with no food for humans, but for more about that you’ll have to watch Bee Movie.

  Last thoughts: Bee Movie is fun but not up to the quality we expect from animated movies these days. It has a lot of semi-funny bee jokes, but someone like Jerry Seinfeld surely could have done better. The movie is not worth buying, but consider renting it or borrowing it from your library.

  Genre: Animation
  Story +++
  Cast ++++
  Humor +++

  Tags: animation, Jerry Seinfeld, Renee Zellweger



• No Reservations

  Movies / TV, Recreation No Comments

  If you’re planning a relaxed evening on the couch, then No Reservations could be the perfect companion.

  This movie is about Kate (Catherine Zeta-Jones), who is a top chef and not much else. Her job at the New York City restaurant 22 Bleecker is her whole life, but something happens to change this.

  It all starts when Kate unexpectedly becomes the guardian of her niece Zoe (Abigail Breslin). While Kate is adjusting to having the care of a little girl, the restaurant owner hires a new sous-chef, Nick (Aaron Eckhart), to help out in the high-pressure kitchen.

  When Kate the perfectionist goes back to work, she is incensed about having lost control of “her” kitchen and feels threatened by Nick’s popularity with “her” staff and boss.

  The rest of the movie follows Kate and Nick’s tug-of-war relationship as they clash but become roped into each other’s lives.

  Last thoughts: No Reservations is a surprisingly good rom-com with some freshness to the plot. It starts out slow, but the script is good enough to keep you focused until the end. The actor trio of Zeta-Jones, Eckhart, and Breslin (both adorable and credible in her role) really breathe life into the story. At the very least, the food-centric plot will have you yearning for some fine dining.

  Genre: Romantic comedy (2007)
  Length: 104 min
  Rating: PG
  Story ++++
  Cast ++++
  Humor +++

  Tags: Aaron Eckhart, Abigail Breslin, Catherine Zeta-Jones, romantic comedy



• One Week

  Movies / TV, Recreation No Comments

  One Week is the story of Ben Tyler (Joshua Jackson), a guy in his mid-twenties who is diagnosed with terminal cancer in the film’s opening scene.

  Ben is a schoolteacher and set to marry his fiancee in 3 months. However, after his diagnosis, Ben is seized by the urge to get away from it all for a couple of days. Leaving Toronto behind, he hits the road on a vintage motorcycle heading west.

  Ben’s journey takes him through the beautiful and varied Canadian landscape. Along the way he stops and poses alongside several “world’s biggest” monuments (goose, nickel, Muskoka chair, paper clip, dinosaur, …), which are small-town Canada’s claims to fame. Inevitably the trip stretches longer than a couple of days. The closer Ben gets to the Canadian west coast, the more he learns about life.

  One Week sends a powerful message about how most of us have become stuck in a certain pattern of living, and how a single event can make us question this pattern.

  Last thoughts: One Week is one of those movies that will stay with you for a long time. It combines a deeply human story with deeply moving scenery. After seeing this movie you’ll want to jump in your car or on your motorbike and take to the road, just to experience a different side of life.

  Go to the TRAILER for a sneak peek before you hit the theatre, and find out more about One Week on the official movie website.

  Genre: Drama (March 2009)
  Length: 94 min
  Rating: PG
  Story +++++
  Cast +++++
  Humor ++++

  Tags: Canada, drama, Joshua Jackson, road trip, terminal illness

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