Movie Review: Looper

Published October 6, 2012 by mrsrag

Starring: Joseph Gordon -Levitt, Bruce Willis, Emily Blunt, Paul Dano, Noah Segun, Pierce Gagnon, Jeff Daniels, Qing Xu.

Rated R. Action/Science Fiction. Running time: 1 hour 58 minutes.

Joseph. Gordon. Levitt. Seriously! I don’t know if you’ve seen any previews, but honestly I did not recognize him. I don’t mean to toot my own horn, but I am usually right on with putting names to faces in the film industry. Of course, there’s always that one pesky actor that shows up after major plastic surgery or being on hiatus for several years, but Gordon-Levitt’s face is one that I easily recognize. I’ve seen it countless times in the past few years in Inception and the lesser known 500 Days of Summer. But he looks so different in this role. Ross and I were both speechless at his epic Bruce Willis impersonation. He must have studied Willis’ work incessantly. He had his mannerisms, facial features, his coy looks and wry smile down to a science. In the first twenty minutes Ross turned to me and said, “This kid should win the freaking Oscar for this performance!”

Honestly, Maria wanted to go see this movie much more than I did. The little I knew about Looper from the trailers, Bruce Willis time traveling and running into another version of himself; made me think, Twelve Monkeys. Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE Twelve Monkeys, this movie just felt like it might be “been there, done that.” No way. Maria told you about JGL’s performance, it was sick! We’re sitting there trying to figure out what he’s done to himself to look so different. Is he just getting older and changing? Is he working out? Then it hits me, he has Bruce Willis’ exact nose. I don’t know if it was prosthetic or CG, but beyond the nose, the kid is supposed to be a younger version of Bruce Willis. He turned into Bruce Willis! It really is unbelievable. I was a huge “3rd Rock from the Sun” fan, but I never thought Gordon-Levitt would go anywhere. Wrong again. I’m batting a thousand here so far. Anyway, the movie. JGL is a looper. Time travel is invented in the future, but only gangsters have control of it. When they want someone dead they transport them back in time 30 years where loopers exterminate them upon arrival. When the gangsters want to “close the loop”, they send the looper’s older self back for him to kill himself. (Are you keeping up? I know some others that weren’t. We’ll get to that in a bit.) The body is strapped with gold and the looper has his severance pay and thirty years to enjoy it. I don’t think I’m spoiling too much here telling you that Bruce gets away from Joseph and the game is most certainly on.

Needless to say, it was a total mind fuck. One of those you take with you from the theatre and end up discussing hours later in bed or at a bar. This innovative science fiction film had my head spinning for hours, which I enjoy occasionally. I like a film that makes my mind work a little harder. Looper is the best grown up film I’ve seen in the theatre for years. The plot was original, engaging and brave. I thoroughly enjoyed the whole film, and although the ending didn’t sit well at first – it has slowly grown on me. Of course, you’ll have to go see the film for yourself to see what happens. Hopefully, if you go to view it, the people in the theatre will have some common courtesy and not babble throughout the first hour. These two old broads a few rows back from us would not shut up. I realize the plot was a little difficult to understand, but these women were so rude. I almost applauded when they finally got up and left in the middle of the movie.

I’m guessing they thought Looper was the latest Woody Allen movie, or a Meryl Streep vehicle. They were totally bewildered, their “months away from the nursing home” brains jangling wildly in their skulls. They were screaming at each other like 8 year olds. “But Mildred this movie got such good reviews.” “I don’t know what the hell is going on.” Yelling, I’m sure because neither of them could hear a fucking thing. I was seconds from screaming myself, “would you just shut the fuck up!”, when mercifully they left. Fortunately they were the only bad part of our Looper experience. Beyond the aforementioned brilliant performance of JGL and Bruce Willis’ usual professional turn, my favorite character in the movie was the little boy Cid played by Pierce Gagnon. I don’t know how old he is in real life, his bio says he can play 5-8 year olds, but this kid is pure genius. I don’t know where they’re finding these kids these days. A couple of months ago we saw and reviewed The Odd Life of Timothy Green, and that boy CJ Adams was also very impressive. Pierce Gagnon steals every scene he’s in, and I’m curious to see if we see more of him in the future. If you like Sci-Fi, by all means go see Looper, but bring your thinking cap with you. If you’re old and can’t hear, I think they’re having a Mel Torme tribute at the Kravis Center next month. Wait for that.

I’m laughing to myself right now because Ross went on a similar rant as soon as we left the theatre, but he was right – these women were dreadful. I understand that it was a hard plot to grasp, but at least give everyone else a chance to view it in peace. Watching Bruce Willis sit across from a guy doing a perfect impersonation of him was worth the price of admission. Looper is the type of movie made for theatre viewing, I just hope that if you do go to see it everyone’s quiet and courteous.

Ross’ Rating: 4 Gummy Bears out of 5.

Maria’s Rating: 4.5 Gummies.

Dual Review: Cypress Creek Natural Area and Riverbend Park

Published October 5, 2012 by mrsrag

Natural Areas. Cypress Creek is located at the Northwest corner of Jupiter Farms Rd. and Indiantown Rd. Riverbend Park is less than a mile from there to the east at 9060 Indiantown Rd., Jupiter, FL 33478. Also at Riverbend, to rent canoes phone (561) 746-7053.

Maria and I LOVE to go on long walks. We walk the beach in Jupiter. We walk through our neighborhood. And as luck would have it, we have two lovely natural areas within a few minutes drive from the house that we take advantage of from time to time. We first discovered Cypress Creek Natural Area. The parking area is nestled off of Indiantown Road just a whisker west of the light at Jupiter Farms Road, and it’s very easy to miss if you’re not looking for it. Once you park, there are two trails to choose from at this time (more are coming I believe, it appears they are in development), one heads west, the other to the east. The western trail is hard packed sand, and it meanders through the woods with wildlife in abundance and several observation platforms, shade shelters, bike racks and horse hitches. Yes, bikers and horseback riders are welcome. The western trail goes for approximately two miles, which would be a four mile round trip, we usually go halfway or a little more before turning back. There is very little shade on this trail and it gets HOT out there. The eastern trail is shorter, a little over two miles for a round trip, and it offers plenty of shade, as well as more of a grassy surface for walking on. We really have enjoyed our walks through Cypress Creek, but the other day we decided to try Riverbend Park for the first time and I think we’ve found a new favorite.

I like investigating things. I guess its been a hobby of mine to be quite nosy ever since studying journalism at URI, in fact its a trait the discipline thrives on. Ross and I travel up and down Indiantown Road almost every single day; going to the grocery store, picking up Ethan, journeying to the beach etc. etc. etc. Sometime ago, I was gazing out the window and spotted a trail weaving right alongside the road. I was instantly intrigued and thought we should give Cypress Creek a try. Unfortunately, we often don’t make it there until early afternoon, when the sun is blazing down. I’ve been wanting to give it a go at dawn, but honestly my motivation wanes when it comes to early morning exercise. Recently, I happened to notice Riverbend Park and that became my new investigation. When you drive into the park it’s hard to believe its nearly a third of the size of Cypress. Riverbend is a mere 680 acres, as opposed to the preserve’s daunting 2,083 acres. Ross informed me of that fact when we began researching the parks. I was surprised, since Riverbend seemed so extensive, but the new spot may be more accesssible to the public at this time. My advice for trekking around Riverbend is to refer to the detailed maps and the helpful signs that mark the trails. We almost got lost and in peak Florida heat that could be a serious mistake. Truthfully, it would be wise to bring some cold water on either of these trails.

Yes cold water is a must. Riverbend’s trails are well marked, but they go all over the place. We studied the map pretty good after our walk the other day and have our next sojourn already planned. As noted above, they also rent canoes at the park, something we are definitely going to do soon with Ethan. With 5 miles of waterway within the park, we should have quite a paddle. Like Cypress Creek, horses and bikers are welcome, but at Riverbend there are also plenty of picnic areas with grills and even picnic pavillions that seat 30 or more. These areas are available on a first come first serve basis. Fishing is also allowed. With the river prevalent almost everywhere you roam, aesthetically, Riverbend is a bit nicer stroll than Cypress Creek. In the future Maria and I will review more parks and nature preserves. We intend to white water raft, hike, zipline and whatever else we can think of. We will also be updating many of our reviews with photos, so be sure to visit us at mrsrag.com as often as you can.

Another one of my hobbies is photography. I absolutely love taking pictures, especially of wildlife and landscapes. But my camera needs some serious work. Regretfully, the last time we travelled down the sandy path at Cypress Creek we were rendered speechless by the sight of the tiniest fawn I’ve ever seen. And that’s saying something coming from a girl that lived in the Hudson Valley – upstate New York’s most bountiful deer territory. This fawn must have been newly born because it was the size of a throw pillow. Ross and I sat there staring back at the startled little guy for about 2 or 3 minutes and then it scampered away into the brush. We both looked at each other and almost simultaneously said, “Picture!…why didn’t we try and take a picture!” We had Ross’ iPhone and although it wouldn’t have done the fawn justice, it would have been better than nothing. Once I get a new camera or repair this useless box of light I have now, I promise we’ll get some photos up here. In the meantime, go check the parks out firsthand – that’s the best way to see them anyway!

Ross’ Ratings: Cypress Creek Natural Area- 3.5 Walking Sticks out of 5. Riverbend Park- 4 Walking Sticks.

Maria’s Rating: Cypress Creek – 3.5 Walking Sticks. Riverbend Park – 4.5 Walking Sticks.

Movie Review: Hotel Transylvania

Published October 2, 2012 by mrsrag

Starring the voices of: Adam Sandler, Andy Samberg, Selena Gomez, Kevin James, Steve Buscemi, Fran Drescher, Molly Shannon, David Spade, CeeLo Green.

Rtaed PG. Animated. Running Time: 1 hour 31 minutes.

Today was my son Ethan’s birthday, he’s 9, and even though he saw it already he was nice enough to agree to go again with Maria and I because we really wanted to see it. He’s an awesome boy my Ethan. He told us ahead of time it was a great movie, and he was spot on. Hotel Transylvania was a joy from start to finish. Count Dracula (Sandler) opens a hotel for monsters only, no humans allowed. Humans in his view, only want to kill monsters, and he desperately wants to keep his daughter Mavis (Gomez) safe. Dracula is a stereotypical protective single father, and he has kept Mavis smotheringly safe for over a century. On her 118th birthday he throws her a huge party, and everyone shows up. Frankenstein, The Invisible Man, assorted zombies, The Blob, The Werewolf, Bigfoot etc. Everything is going according to control freak Dracula’s plan, until the clueless, kind-hearted, surfer dude, human Jonathan (Samberg) stumbles into Hotel Transylvania. Then everything gets turned upside down and the movie gets even better.

Jonathan literally breathes some life into the hotel of the undead, which could use some breath. Sandler and his crew of boogeymen have become so accustomed to residing in the shadows that they’ve lost some lust for action along the way, but it doesn’t take long before they loosen up and start enjoying themselves. Initially everyone takes a liking to the new guest, except for the Count. Eventually, he can no longer resist Jonathan’s charms, especially when he sees how happy his daughter is around the human boy. The film had a wonderful plot and many parenting tips on letting children experience life for themselves and learn from their own mistakes. Hotel Transylvania took a fresh look at a theme we’ve seen displayed in many films, but at a relevant time. Vampires have seen a huge upswing in popularity following the success of Twilight, True Blood and Vampire Diaries – just to name a few. It’s refreshing to see a playful and humorous take of the undead in a kids movie and I love hearing a guy like Buscemi as Wayne The Werewolf dad, who I see every Sunday playing Nucky Thompson (Boardwalk Empire), in this type of role.

Couldn’t agree with you more honey, some truly wonderful messages for the kids in this movie, and they’re not rammed down their throats. The voice actors are all fantastic and the story, though not anything near unpredictable, is heart-warming and appropriate for kids of all ages (which is a cool feat with all the monsters about). The scariest moment in the movie for me, was when Ethan asked if he could go to the bathroom by himself. Obviously, I know he could make it there and back alone, but like the over protective Dracula, I just couldn’t do it. We compromised and I walked to the end of the hall and watched him go the rest of the way. Good thing too, because he ran right by the bathroom heading toward the movies on the opposite side. I sceamed “Ethan”, he turned back and looked at me while circling to run into the Ladie’s room. Another scream from me, and I eventually had to go all the way down to guide him anyway. He still needs his Pop, that’s not such a bad thing. We made our way back to our seats, Maria and our popcorn, and enjoyed the end of the entertaining and sweet Hotel Transylvania.

I was hoping Ross would let Ethan go by himself, but after hearing about his oblivious ventures down the hall, I was glad he had his dad following. Life imitating art. Sure the plot of Hotel Transylvania is predictable, but done with such clever flair. Something about this movie made a lasting impression and had me cracking up for hours later. It’s one of the few that I’ll be looking forward to viewing again, and I’m sure my companions feel the same way.

Ross’ Rating: 4 Gummy Bears out of 5.

Maria’s Rating: 4 Gummies.

Theme Park Review: Universal Orlando Resort

Published September 20, 2012 by mrsrag

Located at 6000 Universal Boulevard, Orlando, FL 32819. www.universalorlando.com. Phone: (407) 363-8000.

Three words. Harry. Potter. World. It’s unbelievable that up until a few months ago I hadn’t even seen one of the movies. Needless to say I loved them all and I capped off a week of perfect birthday celebration in early June by going to experience ‘The Wizarding World of Harry Potter’ at Universal. It was breathtaking. By far the highlight of this extensive amusement park. The entire resort encompasses two theme parks (Universal Studios & Islands of Adventure), Universal CityWalk and several hotels. Personally, I don’t mind staying off site on this type of vacation, but I do see the benefits of staying at the resort. Of course, when Ross and I go to a theme park we’re not interested in spending our time in the hotel. We’re focusing on seeing as many of the attractions as possible and experiencing a multitude of the rides. We spent half of the first day walking around Universal Studios. Unfortunately, we hadn’t had sufficient warm up time for the daunting ‘Hollywood Rip Ride Rock-it’, a 65 mph adrenaline pumping roller coaster that greets you as you enter the park. We decided to start off on some easy entertainment, such as ‘Twister’, ‘Disaster’ and finally something with a little heart-stopping, stomach-dropping fun, ‘The Simpson’s Ride’. Ross informed me that this used to be the infamous ‘Back to the Future Ride’, but the park is always revamping and reinventing itself. This was apparent while we were there, as more than a third of it was under construction. One of the more disappointing aspects was that the ‘Despicable Me 3D Ride’ wasn’t scheduled for completion until a couple months after our June visit.

It was a wonderful cap to our first time together during Maria’s birthday. I hadn’t been to Universal in years and Maria had only been once, so living only a little over two hours away, it made sense. Truth be told, I ‘m a Disney World lover, Maria and I even met there (another review, another story, for another day), but back to Universal. Being used to Disney where Park Hopper tickets are a must, we purchased the Universal version, it turned out to be a small mistake in my opinion. As Maria told you we started at Universal Studios and while we didn’t make it on their only true roller coaster, along with not quite enough warm up time or beer for some courage, there was plenty of lightning in the area that day and it was closed several times. Even if we had ridden it, it wouldn’t have saved that part of our day for me. Don’t get me wrong, I would have a fantastic time cleaning sewers if Maria was with me, but Universal Studios needs a makeover. The Simpsons ride is decent, not as good as it’s predecessor Back to the Future, but the rest of the park feels tired. Seriously, the park looks depressed. Like you’re looking at it through a veil. There was a ton of construction going on, the Despicable Me ride looks promising (we LOVE that movie btw), so maybe they can revitalize and reinvigorate the place because they need to. Islands Of Adventure however is a completely different story. It is the opposite of drab and tired, and we spent our entire second day there.

Islands of Adventure is where we discovered Harry Potter World. That’s where we spent a majority of our time, as it is the newest addition to the park. Just as we finished eating a Potteresque lunch at the tavern, ‘Three Broomsticks’, it started to pour. Both of us huddled under an archway with several others. Then we made a run for it and luckily found our way to ‘Harry Potter and the Forbidden Challenge’, an indoor ride. This was my favorite ride! Hands down. Just waiting on the line was entertaining. You weave in and out of corridors, stopping by Dumbledor’s office and the dark arts classroom. They have done such a magnificent job creating a place that so closely resembled Hogwart’s castle that I felt like Professor Snape was going to bust us. This ride was like nothing I had ever been on. It mixed real life computerized objects with an incredible simulator that takes you soaring on a broomstick high above the castle and into a thrilling game of Quidditch. After several rides, we started to feel a bit woosy, so make sure to give yourself ample time to step back into reality. By now, we had finally built up enough courage to give the ‘Dragon Challenge’ a try. It’s actually two separate, yet intertwining high speed roller coasters and they are completely different. They were very short and sweet, but the best part was running back onto the nonexistent line. We were like two little kids. We easily rode these coasters several times in twenty minutes. It helped that some of the crowd had vanished due to the earlier downpour. After viewing a few more Potter attractions we headed to ‘Jurassic Park’, rode a fairly entertaining water ride called ‘River Adventure’. Ross LOVES a flume, but ‘River Adventure’ was put to shame by the steep plummet on ‘Dudley Do-Right’s Ripsaw Falls’.

Man oh manischewitz, do I ever love a flume! Splash Mountain’s final drop! (I know it always comes back to Disney wuth me.) That being said, Ripsaw Falls is no wallflower. A rollicking good time, with a corker of a finish, I could have ridden it all day. The reason I didn’t was absolutely the existence of Harry Potter World as Maria calls it. I just recently made her watch all the Potter movies over the course of a couple of weeks. She loved them and I loved watching them all over again with her. Universal has done an amazing job recreating the Hogsmeade Village, and nearly every passerby stops for a photo opp, us included. The twin coasters are wicked thrillers, but Maria hit it on the head about ‘Harry Potter and the Forbidden Challenge’. A tremendously unique combination of real action riding and incredible virtual effects that leaves your mind blown and your head spinning. The only damper on our day was the aforementioned downpour. We were indeed huddled under an archway on one occasion and in an airless cave with a bunch of folks another time. That place smelled of wet people and wetter farts and the rain never seemed like it would stop. We needed to get out of there, so I lept into action. Two cheap rain ponchos left unattended, I borrowed them for us, and we skedaddled. Okay, not one of my shining moments as a human being, but we HAD to get out of there. Alright, I’m a thief! You don’t have to be so mean!

Haha. Definitely not one of OUR shining moments. I can’t lie – I took that poncho happily and threw it over my head to avoid the pouring rain. I wasn’t an innocent bystander. I do want to mention that Ross and I can be pansies when it comes to certain things. Occasionally, we spend so much time debating if we’re up to riding something that by the time we’re amped up, the wait time has climbed to 2 hours. Two rides we missed out on because of exorbitant wait times: ‘The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man’ and ‘The Incredible Hulk Coaster’. We definitely should have given Hulk a go, but we just couldn’t man up. Next time we visit Universal, I’m going to make sure we have enough time left to check out the awesome looking mini golf course at the CityWalk. And just maybe by then I’ll have the chops to ride Hulk.

Ross’ Rating: 3.5 Roller Coasters out of 5. Broken down, 4.5 Coasters for Islands of Adventure and a Coaster off for the current lame version of Universal Studios.

Maria’s Rating: 4 Coasters.

Restaurant Review: Tiki Waterfront Sea Grill

Published September 9, 2012 by mrsrag

Location: 200 East 13th St., Riviera Beach, FL 33404. Phone: 561 845-5532. tikiwaterfrontseagrill.webs.com

If you follow MRSRAG, you know that Maria and I love a water view when we eat or have a drink. Our best dinner ever was at The Chart House in San Diego, yards from the Pacific Ocean. We’ve reviewed in this space, Season’s 52, The River House and The Rum Bar, all on the Intracoastal Waterway. Up next is the Tiki Waterfront Sea Grill in Riviera Beach. We love The Rum Bar for a drink, but when we want a better selection of food without losing that beachy feel, we go to the Tiki. Perched above the Riviera Beach marina and with a nice view of Peanut Island, the atmosphere is laid back, the drinks are good, the menu has a nice variety and the live music is usually rockin’. We have several favorites, but the thing that always has me speeding to get there is, believe it or not, the Wakame aka Seaweed Salad. If you’ve never tried it, give it a shot, I bet you won’t be disappointed.

When Ross first told me that the Tiki had his favorite seaweed salad – I was skeptical to say the least. The only place I was ordering seaweed salad on a regular basis was Japanese Sushi houses. I didn’t expect to find Wakame at a Florida Beach bar, but sure enough it was listed under side dishes. And it was damn good too. The perfect accompaniment to any of the items on their extensive menu. It’s a nice, refreshing change from getting greasy french fries as a side. It has only been upstaged by my new favorite item, the blackened chicken and brie sandwich, which I suggest you get in a wrap. Although, I would not dream of discounting the rosemary foccacia it usually comes on. It’s just that the bread always seems like empty calories and it takes up the allocated space I have reserved for alcohol during my visit. It’s always Corona’s with lemons at the Tiki for us. Yes, lemons. When Ross first met me I was a lime girl, but I finally gave in and gave his lemon a try. Needless to say, it tickled my fancy. He has never steered me wrong…at least not yet.

That chicken wrap is very good, I never miss a bite or two, as Maria is always very generous. There are some decent starters on the menu too. Two good choices are the Tuna Ponzu, their variation on seared ahi tuna, and the Tortugas, bacon-wrapped scallops served with an apricot-horseradish dipping sauce. Our favorite though is the calamari, served with a marinara sauce. They are always tender with an ample supply of the tentacle variety. Nothing against the standard loops but we love tentacles, really. Finally, hailing from New England originally, I know a good lobster roll when I see/taste it. And while the Tiki version is probably not going to win any competitions, it’s about the best you’re ever going to get this far removed from ‘Glahsta’ (think Perfect Storm). Served as it must be on a toasted and buttered hot dog bun, it is loaded with Maine lobster and not overpowered with celery or mayonnaise. It also comes with my beloved Wakame, and for a mere $3.75 more, don’t hesitate to double up on the luscious side. So, the next time you’re in the Singer Island area and the skies are clear, just drive a little south of Blue Heron Blvd on US-1 and take a left at the light at E. 13th St. You’ll enjoy a nice, relaxing beverage and some really good food, while watching the boats come and go in the incomparable Florida sunshine. Sounds rough, doesn’t it?

Maria’s Rating: 3.5 Wine Glasses out 5.

Ross’ Rating: 3.5 Wine Glasses.

Movie Review: ParaNorman

Published September 1, 2012 by mrsrag

Starring the voices of: Kodi Smit-McPhee, Tucker Albrizzi, Anna Kendrick, Casey Affleck, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Leslie Mann, Jeff Garlin, Elaine Stritch, Bernard Hill, Jodelle Ferland, Tempestt Bledsoe, Alex Borstein, John Goodman.

Rated PG. Animated. Running Time: 1 hour 32 minutes.

What a pleasant surprise ParaNorman turned out to be. Although, I wasn’t expecting much to begin with. I definitely wasn’t tripping over my feet to get to the theatre for this one, but it was probably the best film I’ve seen in a few weeks. We go to the movies A LOT. Not just for the sake of writing relevant reviews, but because we love going. Once again, the movie was 3-D, which is starting to literally drive me crazy. I don’t even remember a great deal of the 3-D effects, so how good could they really be? I do remember the story, which was unique and, quite frankly, a little scary. However, it balanced its chilling undertones with clever humor and an intriguing gang of characters. The plot and theme explored some similar topics we’ve seen in a lot of children’s films lately; bullying, tolerance and the importance of friendship. Sounds familiar, I know, but I’m glad they are broaching these important subjects. Especially the bullying, which has become a prevelant issue across the country. It seems bullying has been on the rise with the influx of technology into our children’s lives or maybe we’re just becoming more aware of it. One thing I’m certain of is that there are MORE ways to bully now. A bully is not just confined to confronting their victims at school, they have outlets such as cell phones and computers. They can harass by text, e-mail, Facebook, Twitter etc. etc. etc.

It is good to see Hollywood adressing bullying, a serious problem in this country. ParaNorman does a good job of that and much, much more. The same people that brought us Coraline, the animation company LAIKA along with Focus Features, have created another entertaining but dark tale. Norman (Smit-McPhee) is a loner who constantly sees the dead (they all seem to really like him too), much to the chagrin of his father (Garlin) who just wants a normal kid. Their relationship totally reminded me of the father/son dynamic from the film Chicken Little, his dad just wanted CL to stop with “The sky is falling” routine. At any rate, as Maria pointed out there are meaningful themes in ParaNorman and they are delivered very well. The only downside is that some of the visuals are quite frightening. Readers of our blog know that we see lots of kids movies with my son Ethan who is 8. He was pretty brave thoughout, but I would certainly think twice taking anyone younger than him. The zombie chases, a scene with Norman’s crazy uncle and a couple of scenes with the “witch” were great cinema, but intimidating in the stop-motion 3-D animation.

Ethan was very brave, but I think you’re right Ross, 8 and up is a pretty good policy for this one. It was a fairly difficult story to bring to the screen for its intended audience. They really had to be cogniscent of how dark and scary it got. This seems to be a recurring theme in Hollywood. I loved the Harry Potter series, which Ross turned me onto, and that took some very dark turns for its intended age group as well. We’ve really started to become quite lax when it comes to entertainment ratings for kids. This seems most apparent in The Hunger Games trilogy that recently took to the big screen. That first installment just seemed too mature for children under 16, in my opinion. ParaNorman isn’t nearly as daring with pushing the boundaries as the aforementioned films are, but it still flirts with that very thin line of acceptability. I enjoyed seeing the use of the less popular stop-motion animation in this movie, which reminds me of claymation in some ways. In fact, I thought it was claymation until Ross informed me otherwise.

This was a tough movie to review for me. I did enjoy ParaNorman, it had a lot of heart. I liked Norman, he’s a good kid. My favorite part of the movie was the friendship that he and Neil (Albrizzi) formed. Neil is an overweight boy who gets picked on and doesn’t have any friends, but he hasn’t let that ruin his zest for life, and he is a fantastic friend. I guess the “problem” I’m having is, that when we see an animated movie we really love, we generally can’t wait until it comes out on video so we can rent it or buy it. Sometimes we will even go see it again in the theater. I don’t have that feeling with ParaNorman, but I’m still going to recommend you see it. I think because it’s so different. No madcap romp through (Madagascar), or race around (Cars), Europe here. Just a good story with good lessons.

ParaNorman isn’t rocketing to the top of my favorite animated movies list, but it’s worth a watch. If your kid really wants to go see it, bring them – you won’t be disappointed.

Maria’s Rating: 2.75 Gummy Bears out of 5.

Ross’ Rating: 3 Gummies.

Restaurant Review: The River House

Published August 30, 2012 by mrsrag

Location: 2373 PGA Blvd., Palm Beach Gardens, FL. Phone: 561 694-1188. http://www.riverhouserestaurant.com

First I must say that this review is LONG overdue. We haven’t been to River House in a while, but the night is still vivid in our memories. Also, as with many of the places we have been and will go to, this was Maria’s first time but not mine. I’ve been in South Florida a long time and I certainly want to experience new things, but there are many great places that I just must take her to. The River House was a MUST. Located on the northwest corner of PGA Blvd and The Intracoastal Waterway, much like another one of our favorites Season’s 52 (which is directly across the waterway), the ambiance is sublime. They don’t take reservations and there usually is a wait, but the night we went we sat right down. This was very good, but we did miss out on a pre-dinner drink at their cool waterfront bar. I highly recommend this course of action if you do run into the inevitable wait. And by the way, River House is well worth any reasonable wait.

What a wonderful date! I loved that night so much. Ross always has the greatest suggestions of places to introduce me to and River House was one of the best. I remember I hadn’t moved down yet and was just visiting for a long weekend. Ross said we were going somewhere kind of swanky, so I got decked out in a nice dress and some heels, which I save for special occassions. Somewhere in our preliminary discussions involving food we had found that we shared a favorite fish, Chilean Sea Bass. I’ve had some good striped bass and black bass, but the Chilean breed is fantastic. Blows every other fish out of the water, pun intended. Ross told me the best sea bass he had ever eaten was at River House. Naturally he was excited to take me, he also raved about their stacked salad bar. We thought it’d be a good idea to start there. On our first trip up, Ross filed in behind me. I loaded up my plate, because I am NOT one of those girls who doesn’t eat on a date. I love to eat. All my faves, chick peas, the standard veggies and a nice helping of beets. “Beets!?…I’m the only person who ever gets beets,” Ross exclaimed in my ear.

She likes beets, just like me! When that happens you just know it’s love. After all, beets are universally know as the “Love Barometer” vegetable. Seriously though, The River House has a killer salad bar. Everything you want and bread and cheese too. The service is beyond compare as well. Every table gets at least two waiters and they are at your beck and call. The wine list is extensive, the food is fabulous and predominantly steak and fish. For crab lovers I strongly suggest the crab cocktail appetizer. Jumbo lump blue crabmeat served with a delicious mustard sauce, a fantastic way to begin your meal. Maria and I almost always get two different dishes at dinner (as I’m guessing many couples do), and we contemplated a filet mignon and Chilean Sea Bass, but ultimately decided we both wanted the bass, bad. I’ve had the filet there before and it is to die for, however the CSB takes one to a higher plane. I’m certain Maria will agree with me, there was a tiny hiccup though.

Well, I learned a very valuable lesson. And something extremely helpful about Ross. When we were ordering our fish, the waitress asked, “Grilled or Blackened?” I pondered for a moment, remembered that I had thoroughly enjoyed it grilled and stated it clearly for the server. Ross let out a strange sound that I have become rather familiar with. It’s a slight inhale through his teeth coupled with a slanted left eye. Now I know this sound to be a distinct warning against a certain course of action. After she took the order he asked, “Really? Grilled huh?” The dishes arrived, my sea bass grilled and his blackened. I took a few bites of my fish and then offered him a taste, and he followed suit. His sea bass kicked my sea bass’ ass. I wish I had known at the time what Ross’ warning sound was! They serve the blackened bass with a remarkable mango salsa that complements the dish so well. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. Next time I will be ordering the sea bass blackened, so I don’t experience the same food jealousy I felt that night.

Truth be told, the grilled sea bass is still awesome. The thing is, the blackened version is one of the best dishes on this planet. I tried, gently, to steer her in the appropriate direction, even though she didn’t take my advice it all worked out. We had a wonderful evening. The River House is fine dining at it’s best. The prices aren’t cheap, but you get tremendous value for your dollar. The food, service and setting are about as good as it gets. My wish for you is that your companion for dinner, whoever he or she might be, is as fucking kick-ass, knockout beautiful, intelligent and sweet as mine was. Bon appetit.

Maria’s Rating: 4 out of 5 Wine Glasses.

Ross’ Rating: 4.5 Wine Glasses.

Movie Review: The Campaign

Published August 26, 2012 by mrsrag

Starring: Will Ferrell, Zach Galifianakis, Jason Sudeikis, Dylan McDermott, John Lithgow, Dan Aykroyd, Brian Cox.

Rated R. Comedy. Running Time: 1 hour 25 minutes.

We watched an interview of Will Ferrell and Zach Galifianakis on the Charlie Rose Show shortly before we saw the movie, and they really had some chemistry going on. They were feeding off each other, making the usually serious Charlie Rose lose his shit laughing, and they were effusively extolling their awesome experiences on the set of The Campaign. I just knew this movie had to be fantastic. I love Will Ferrell. Old School, Stranger Than Fiction, Step Brothers, Saturday Night Live. C’mon. Galifianakis. Quirky ass dude from The Hangover movies. Can’t miss. Cannot miss. Guess what? Missed.

I love Will Ferrell. Ross likes him…I. love. him. Step Brothers is one of my all time favorite movies. It’s like Adam McKay (1 of 5 producers of The Campaign), Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly went into my head and created the story. I’ve wasted numerous hours watching and re-watching Old School, Anchorman and, the lesser known, Blades of Glory. I’m no stranger to Galifianakis either. I’ve been a fan of his for years. I first came upon Zach while he was doing stand-up and even got a chance to see him for peanuts at Edwards auditorium, whilst attending the University of Rhode Island. Chatted and hung out with the dude for a bit. My college friends and I even had him prank phone call a good friend of ours, Jon, who couldn’t make it to the show because he was studying for finals. The show was great and he was very gracious afterward. Sadly, I was mildly disappointed with this film. Mildly – because I half expected it. Just seemed too good to be true from the start. I believe it must have been a hoot to film, but on screen it just appeared over-the-top.

I had forgotten Maria told me about meeting Gakifiankis in college. But I know she loves Ferrell. She quotes the guy so often, sometimes I’m not sure she’s talking TO me or using Ferrell wisdom ON me. I’m like, “Wait, are you asking me a serious question, or is that a Will Ferrell quote?” I’m batting .500. Okay so the movie, they’re opposing candidates in a North Carolina congressional race. Ferrell is the incumbent, who ususally runs unopposed. His character is a caricature of every horny, corrupt, useless politician; and the reason the movie lost me very quickly. Even a spoof comedy has to have a base in somewhat believable reality. This guy couldn’t possibly get elected to any position anywhere. He’s so morally bankrupt, he couldn’t be elected shotgun on a garbage truck. Galifianakis’ character isn’t much better. A quasi-gay, married man, who is clueless about anything in real life. His father (Cox), is a grizzled, old timer, obviously disappointed with such a fop for a son. He jumps at the opportunity presented to him by the Motch brothers (Aykroyd and Lithgow), to have his son run against the ridiculous Cam Brady (Ferrell). They’re super rich and want to bring a Chinese sweatshop to North Carolina to make even more money. Buy the election with the naive doofus, get what you want. Maybe I’m losing my je ne c’est quoi, but I need a little more for my comedic entertainment.

I didn’t completely hate it – the film had its moments. I guess we just come to expect a certain degree of hilarity from these two stars, especially when they’re together. I found the WMHT interview with Charlie Rose, the one Ross mentioned earlier, more amusing than the movie. Galifianakis is so noticeably stoned in the interview and he takes some classic stabs at Chick-Fil-A and Sarah Palin. At one point in the interview he tells Rose to let him know when he’s thinking of retiring because he would love to take over. Then he plugs his bit on Ferrell’s website ‘Funny or Die’. The bit is called ‘Between Two Ferns’ and its similar in premise to Rose’s show, except that Zach is a complete asshole to his guests. I would seriously recommend you give the bit a look. Some of my favorite interviews he conducts are Jon Stewart, Richard Branson and Jon Hamm. Sadly, The Campaign just didn’t float my boat, which doesn’t jive with their track record. It seemed like a great idea that just didn’t translate to the big screen.

Never a giant fan of horribly uncomfortable humor either, I’m not as wild about “Between Two Ferns” as Maria is. If you do like that, Meet The Parents-type, cringe worthy stuff, you will love it. Galifianakis has no conscience with his “guests” and anything goes (the Michael Cera interview is unbelievable). I do agree that the Charlie Rose piece and BTF are both better than The Campaign. Of course it had a couple of laughs, and there are a few incidents that are incredibly over the top. Without giving anything away, a couple of the ads they each endorse are absurd, as well as the hunting trip incident which you may have seen in the previews. Let me sum up my feelings. If this movie was presented as an Airplane!, or Naked Gun-type total spoof, I probably could have bought it more, but it isn’t. They are parodying Washington and these characters are just not believable at all. I actually found the end to be the best part of The Campaign and that surely isn’t saying much. My advice would be, at best, wait for the video. At least then if you hate it, you’ll only be out two bucks. I’m sure Ferrell and Galifianakis have much better in store for us in the future, they have to, because they couldn’t do much worse.

Maria’s Rating: 2.5 Gummy Bears out of 5.

Ross’ Rating: 1 Gummy Bear.

Restaurant Review: Spoto’s Oyster Bar

Published August 24, 2012 by mrsrag

Location: 4560 PGA Blvd., Palm Beach Gardens, FL 33418. Phone: 561 776-9448. http://spotosoysterbar.com

Oysters are supposedly an aphrodisiac. I can’t support or deny that claim. However, I can tell you that the oysters at Spoto’s are the best I’ve ever had. Clean and smooth with all my favorite enhancements. The shooters come dressed with cocktail sauce, tabasco sauce and a dab of horseradish. If you don’t care for the spice just get them to subtract the horseradish or tabasco, but the heat really completes these little shots of heaven. Everytime I bring these up to someone they say, “Ooh, those sound good…you get them with the vodka right?” I absolutely do not. Adding vodka to the Spoto oyster perfection known as the shooter is sacrilegious in my opinion. If it’s not broken don’t fix it. The original booze-free formula is essential. Plus, I gave up shots after the first and last fraternity party I ever attended. I walked across some sacred frat mosaic bearing their name, so 8 little minions (aka pledges) picked me up and tried to truck me to the showers. I guess they knew I meant it when I said if I got one drop of water on me I would come back later and tear each and every last one’s testicles off with my mouth. Anyhow, I digress. Shooters are a must. I know Ross will agree because he is the person who turned me onto them. Spoto’s was one of the first places we went together. He raved about these shooters for days and as soon as I had one I understood why.

Trust me, she would’ve messed those frat boys up! My honey is one tough hombre. Just saying. Anyway, I’ve been going to Spoto’s for years, starting with the old place that used to be in downtown West Palm Beach. The food is great, but I have always been a big advocate of sticking with the theme of the restaurant you’re going to. You don’t order a burger at a chinese joint, or a pizza at a mexican place etc etc. Everything at Spoto’s is good, we’ve had filet mignon and several fish dishes, all better than average. But at Spoto’s Oyster Bar, if you want to have an ultimate experience, one almost otherworldly, you have to get the oysters. And I cannot recommend more vociferously that you should get them in shooter form. Preferably bluepoints. I couldn’t wait to bring Maria there when she first came to visit me, and we’ve been back many times since. We even met my daughter Rachel there on our second visit, and that was the first time that Maria and I (as a couple) and Rachel all sat down together and hung out. There is a subplot that we haven’t explained to you all just yet, but that’s for another day. Suffice it to say, you really couldn’t find a more comfortable place to sit and talk. We each had a nice glass of wine and shared some truly fantastic oysters, and the evening couldn’t have gone better.

In familiar Gallo fashion, Rachel struck up some small talk with a blonde woman seated near us at the bar. She was flying solo, so we told her to slide on down and join our little party. Rachel spoke to her for several minutes, immediately launching into hilarious stories about her personal life, which is also a Gallo trait. We all laughed as she told tales of her boyfriend playing video games all night and she concluded with a, “Well, what do you do!?” Clearly, judging by her voice inflection she was commenting on her own situation she had just described, but the woman answered, “I work at Publix.” WOW. We all had to stop a second and make sure that A.) She was serious & B.) That we didn’t laugh in her face. Everytime we visit Spoto’s Ross and I recount this comical event and the wonderful evening we spent laughing with Rachel.

The Publix lady! I’m not sure to this day if she wasn’t listening or is just not firing on all cylinders, either way that shit was FUNNY. I think Charlie was our bartender that night. You can’t go wrong with Charlie, Pete or Linda at lunchtime, as you can see we spend most of our time at the bar. Occasionally we sit at a table, but the bar is so aesthetically pleasing, all the wine bottles perfectly placed and the aforementioned wonderful bartenders, make it our “go to” comfort zone. I know we’ve lauded the oysters ad nauseum, but I would recommend Spoto’s to anyone who likes good food, great service, clean and comfortable surroundings, a nice wine selection and prices that are in the middle range of fine dining. If you love oysters, obviously you MUST go. And if you do find yourself at Spoto’s and enjoying yourself, I would also recommend joining their 45 Sixty Club which is free. For every $250 you spend you get $25 off your bill. That’s a decent deal.

Everytime we’re there I see a good deal of people feasting on this giant bowl of linguine and clams. I always say I’m going to try it, but I never have the appetite. It’s definitely on my to do list for one of our future visits. I’ve heard people rave about that dish as well as the Jambalaya. Ross already told you about their great loyalty program, which we recently cashed in on with our frequency as customers, but there’s also this deal called “Washington Wednesdays”. It has made Wednesday my favorite day to go to Spoto’s! And you don’t have to be a member to benefit. All day Wednesday they offer oyster shooters and/or shrimp cocktail for a dollar a piece. The shooters are usually $2.50 a piece, so the deal is more than 50% off. Ross and I joined Linda during lunchtime on a Wednesday. We had a few beers and a glass of wine along with 6 shrimp and 12 shooters. The bill came to $46.00 and we ate like kings. Then I gave her my loyalty card and after scanning it she found that I had $25.00 to redeem. We ended up with a bill totaling $34.00 bucks – with tip! I felt like we found money on the ground.

We like found money. And we love Spoto’s.

Maria’s Rating: 4.5 Wine Glasses out 5.

Ross’ Rating: 4.5 Wine Glasses.

Movie Review: The Odd Life of Timothy Green

Published August 18, 2012 by mrsrag

Starring: Jennifer Garner, Joel Edgerton, CJ Adams, Odeya Rush, David Morse, Dianne Wiest, Ron Livingston, M. Emmet Walsh.

Rated PG. Drama/Comedy/Fantasy. Running Time: 2 hours.

I know this movie isn’t on our “coming soon” page, but we just got back from our long trip and Ethan really wanted to see it. Truth be told, Maria was pretty stoked too. The movie introduces us to a nice couple, Cindy and Jim Green (Garner and Edgerton), who both work for the Crudstaff family (the controlling family of their small town, think Mr. Potter in It’s a Wonderful Life), that own the pencil making factory and pencil museum that employs most of the town. Cindy and Jim want to have a baby desparately but for some reason, biological we would assume, they find out they cannot. Devastated and crying, they eventually sit down and start writing the wonderful traits they believe a child of theirs would have been blessed with. They put the pieces of paper in a wooden box and bury it in their garden. I don’t think I’ll give too much away here by telling you that Timothy magically “grows” out of that garden and that their lives are never the same. The Odd Life of Timothy Green flows beautifully, but predictably, from this unique beginning.

I really enjoyed this film, but I thought some of the themes were a bit heavy for children. There were a few occasions during the film, in which we had to explain some of the circumstances to Ethan. I found myself tearing up several times throughout as the plot examined every aspect of life: birth, death and all the challenges in between. Timothy (Adams) is a charming child that you instantly love from the moment he graces the screen. Not only because of the joy he brings the Green’s by giving them the child they’ve always dreamed of, but also because of the joy he brings every character in the story. One of the most touching moments is the bonding between the boy and his “Uncle” Bub (Walsh), as they laugh while the elderly man is in the hospital. They share the same sense of humor, as the Green’s had expressed in their wishes from the wooden box. There are many scenes such as this where the good natured little boy endears all who surround him, including the audience.

The Odd Life of Timothy Green was wonderfully cast and the actors were all spot on. The supporting cast was great, with Livingston and Wiest perfect in their roles as the domineering Crudstaffs. David Morse as Jim’s disappointing father and Walsh as the endearing Uncle Bub. But to me the true surprises were from the newcomers, Edgerton, Adams and Rush. I’m very good at recognizing actors from their previous roles, but I have to admit I’ve never seen these three before. I do have a good feeling we’ll be seeing more of all of them. Jennifer Garner has her usual, likeable persona on display, and she has an extremely believable maternal way about her (guessing that’s drawn from her real life experiences). This role had a quite similar feel to her turn in Juno, though much larger of course. The interaction between Cindy, Jim and Timothy is riveting from start to finish. Timothy’s quasi romance with the equally quirky Joni (Rush) is another highlight. As I mentioned, I found the plot mostly predictable, and the ending isn’t exactly right up my alley, but I was engaged and moved from start to finish. I agree with Maria that some of the themes are probably beyond kids younger than 12 or 13, and Ethan (8) had some very valid questions on our way to the car (unfortunately I can’t share them with you without spoiling major plot points.) Timothy Green is not movie perfection, but Peter Hedges screenplay of an Ahmet Zappa (son of the iconic singer Frank Zappa) story is certainly worth your two hours. It’s an original idea, beautifully performed and has a heart as big as the Grinch’s when it “grew three sizes that day.”

This wonderfully magical story made me cry, laugh, smile and finally, reflect. I can’t guarantee that you’ll love it, but I can guarantee that it will make you feel something. The story has so many valuable lessons to convey to people of all ages. Messages about loving each other, being kind to one another and accepting people who we may otherwise think of as odd. I think acceptance and tolerance is the most relevant message for the younger crowd, as we’ve seen countless incidents of bullying over the past few years. Bullying has always been a problem, but it seems that over the past decade it has become more severe in its cruelty. Timothy Green reminds us that sometimes people we perceive as wierd or odd, may just be different. And just because something is different and we don’t understand it, doesn’t mean we should automatically fear it. Lastly, one attribute they wished for Timothy was to “never give up”. This was my favorite attribute and one I wish every child could have, because they all should feel that anything is possible.

Ross’ Rating: 3.5 Gummy Bears out of 5.

Maria’s Rating: 4 Gummies.