MOVIE REVIEW – Iron Man 2 (PG-13)

Ryan's Rating:  6/10

Director:  Jon Favreau

Writer:  Justin Theroux

Starring:  Robert Downey Jr., Don Cheadle, Gwyneth Paltrow, Scarlett Johansson, Sam Rockwell, Mickey Rourke, Samuel L. Jackson

Genre:  Action, Adventure, SciFi, Comics

Iron Man 2 is the aptly named sequel to Iron Man.  In this continuation, Tony Stark with his Iron Man suit is a world-wide celebrity, but the US Congress wants the suit turned over for the military.  Tony protects his company with the help of Pepper Potts even though the Iron Man suit is slowly killing him and to top it all off a new enemy has emerged creating his own super-suit.

Iron Man 2 was surprisingly boring after the fun and exciting original.  The movie falls short because the film does not have a well-developed antagonist.  Essentially, the villan is a guy who has a suit just like Iron Man but without a real cohesive motivation to take down Tony Stark and Iron Man.  There are too many things going on in this movie but none of them are very interesting.  Sam Rockwell does an excellent job channelling  Dana Carvey for the character of Justin Hammer.  The acting in well done and the action is ok, but the story is completely lacking.  Just like so many comic book movies, the story goes in too many directions with too many characters and falls short of being a cohesive, interesting film.

Stay after the credits to catch every moment of the film, but if you didn't stay, you're not missing much.

MOVIE REVIEW – City Island (PG-13)

Ryan's Rating:  9/10

Director:  Raymond De Felitta

Writer:  Raymond De Felitta

Starring:  Andy Garcia, Juliana Marguiles

Genre:  Drama, Comedy, Dramedy

The Rizzo family lives on City Island, a small fishing island that's part of the Bronx, where everyone has secrets, from smoking to passions.  This film explores the idea of secrets and the consequences of keeping secrets from your family and your spouse.  In addition, this movie examines passion and opening yourself up to your family to be comfortable with who you are.

This is essentially the film equivalent of a situation comedy.  The audience watches the gaffes and misunderstandings between all the characters that becomes more complicated and more involved as the movie goes on.  The acting is excellent with Andy Garcia playing with an excellent City Island accent.  The film moves quickly and has as many touching moments as it does comedic moments.  The film provides a lot of humorous moments that are laugh-out-loud funny, while at the same time having some serious moments.  It's a nice balance between an outright comedy and a very serious drama.

I loved this movie from the beginning to the end and I thought it was one of the best movies of the year.  The characters were interesting and complicated but completely believable.  The acting was excellent and I felt so connected to the characters I forgot there was acting involved.  I liked that the plot was well developed and therefore the elements of the plot easily and logically flowed together into a very cohesive story about secrets and honesty.  I thought the characters were all likable even though they were all flawed in different ways.  The characters felt real and honest, despite the secrets they're keeping.  It feels so honest because universally everyone has secrets and so it's easy to relate to the story and the characters.  I think this is filmmaking at it's best and I recommend it to everyone.

BOOK REVIEW - Book of Souls

Book of Souls by Glenn Cooper
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

A continuation from the novel “Secrets of the Seventh Son”, a mysterious book with a list of names and dates appears at a British auction house and former FBI Agent Will is hired to find out it's equally mysterious origins. I wasn't aware that this was a sequel. Then I thought it was just another novel with the same main character however there are many references to the first novel that are confusing at time. This novel is akin to the DaVinci Code in it's implications and ideas. The author jumps between present day and several different time periods to explain the origin of the Book of Souls. The plot is somewhat interesting enough to keep me reading the whole novel.I finished the novel because I wanted to know what happened I tried to get through it as quickly as possible. There isn't much suspense as the characters easily solve clues and connect important historical figures together as if it's the most logical idea in the world. Not much is left to the imagination and the rest is stretched out too long to be enjoyable. In addition, the characters are not very well developed. The characters are two-dimensional and only serve as puppets to progress the extremely far-fetched and strange storyline. The main character is not appealing at all. I did not like him from the beginning. It's not that he's different or tough but he's downright unlikeable. One of the first rules of a novel is to make the main guy likeable. This was a quick, light read, but not one I'd like to revisit. If I'm going to read a book of this nature I want a story that is somewhat suspenseful and I want a character that I can cheer for. View all my reviews >>

MOVIE REVIEW – Adam (PG-13)

Ryan's Rating:  6/10

Director:  Max Mayer

Writer:  Max Mayer

Starring:  Hugh Dancy, Rose Byrne, Peter Gallagher 

Genre:  Drama, Romance

After the death of his father, Adam begins a romance with his neighbor while struggling to live on his own with Asperger's syndrome.  I wanted to see this independent film after seeing previews.  I like that this movie portrays an adult male on the Autism spectrum in a realistic fashion.  To this end, the movie was not disappointing.   Hugh Dancy brilliantly played a young man who is living with Asperger's syndrome.  He portrayed a man with many challenges and issues that would not be considered by the average person.  The other actors do a good job as well, including Peter Gallagher and his amazing eyebrows.  

Despite the acting, the movie seems to fall a little flat.  The film does not pull the audience in with strong emotion like other dramas.  Instead, the audience sits back and watches a logical story-line that leaves little to the imagination.  The film is easy to follow and is light-hearted.  The DVD contains an alternate ending.  I'm not sure which ending I prefer.  I would recommend this movie to anyone who is looking for a movie that's easy to watch and is life-affirming.  Pass on this movie if you're looking for a complicated, highly emotional film.

MOVIE REVIEW - Moon (R)

MOVIE REVIEW – Moon (R)

Ryan's Rating:  6/10

Director:  Duncan Jones

Writer:  Duncan Jones, Nathan Parker

Starring:  Sam Rockwell, Kevin Spacey

Genre:  SciFi, Drama

In the future, most of Earth's energy is produced by cold fusion made possible by a substance that can only be mined on the dark side of the moon.  Sam is excited to return home to his wife and child at the end of his three year contract after running the mining station alone except for a robot named Gertie.  This is a typical SciFi movie that has obvious roots in the science fiction of the 70s and 80s including “2001: A Space Odyssey”.  The film explores themes of isolation, the real idea of a long distance relationship, and man versus himself.

I thought the movie was excellent but slow at times.  This isn't a movie that's full of action like other movies in the SciFi family.  This is a drama where the plot unfolds slowly but that lends to the feeling of isolation and separation from Earth.  There is an interesting plot and it purposefully confusing midway through, but if you stick it out you will get a brilliant performance by Sam Rockwell.  This movie is not for everyone but it is a good film that is well made and is visually interesting. 

MOVIE REVIEW - Inception (PG-13)

Ryan's Rating:  7/10

Director:  Christopher Nolan

Writer:  Christopher Nolan

Starring:  Leonardo DiCaprio, Joseph Gordon-Leavitt, Ellen Page, Tom Hardy, Cillian Murphy, Ken Watanabe, Michael Caine

Genre:  Action, SciFi, Suspense

The ability to enter another persons dreams is now a reality and can be used to extract information and possibly place a new idea in the subconscious of the dreamer.  The basic premise of the film Inception is that Cobb (DiCaprio) and assembled team of various talents must put an idea in the head of a CEO and as payment Cobb is allowed to return to the United States and his children.

The movie jumps right in with the understanding that one can enter another's dreams.  The story moves very quickly and only pauses briefly at times to explain what happens in the dreams.  Interestingly, the film never explains how the dream-entering technology works exactly.  It just assumes it does.  This allows the plot to progress quickly and get right down to the action of the story.  The plot is complex and multi-layered which requires a lot of concentration from the audience.  However, the story is explained fairly well, so it's not too difficult to follow.  When not trying to figure out the plot the audience is shown spectacular fight scenes that are as unique and inventive as those seen in the Matrix or the Transporter movies.  As you might assume, the dream state enables fight scenes to progress much differently than in reality.  This ensures that the audience will be captivated by amazing visual affects and many action sequences.

I went to this movie without knowing anything about it, except that it was the newest DiCaprio film.  I was surprised by the large cast of excellent actors.  DiCaprio is still one of the premier actors in the world.  Joseph Gordon-Leavitt is an excellent actor as well, and here he lands his talents to an almost completely serious role, with only a few hints at his perfect comedic timing.  The rest of their actors hold their own, except for Ellen Page.  While acting with the largely male cast, Page seems to get lost on the screen.  The writing at time is a little clunky, but you don't go to this type of film for meaningful dialogue.  One watches a film like this for all the amazing action on the big screen.  Inception delivers an interesting, unique plot and plenty of action so the almost 3 hour runtime flies by.  But pay attention so when the lights come up you're not like the older man behind me who asked, “what just happened?”

RESTAURANT REVIEW – Xochimilco

Xochimilco

Cuisine: Mexican 

Rating: 5/5 Stars

3409 Bagley Street, Detroit, MI 48216-1633

(313) 843-0179

This place is either love it or hate it.  While I respect that people don't like this place, it's not trying to be something it's not.  It seems that just because Xochimilco is in Mexican town and staffed with Mexicans, people expect it to be exactingly authentic Mexican food. If you want the most authentic mexican food on the planet, then this isn't your place.  However, if you like the traditional American take on Mexican food, then this place is excellent.  Personally, I like the American version of Mexican cuisine and I think that Xochimilco is good at providing that.

First, Xochi's is pretty easy to get to.  It's really just a quick drive down the freeway from almost anywhere and it's just off the freeway like all of Mexicantown.  Second, the staff is always friendly and they remember my friends and I from previous evening.  Third, the food is good, it's served really hot, and it's served very quickly.  Fourth, the chips and salsa are really good.  Fifth, the prices are really good.  You can get a huge meal for $6.  

The restaurant and bar are open late and I believe they serve food until at least 2am on the weekends, if not all week long.  They serve Mexican beers, margaritas and sangria.  You can get margarita by the glass, liter, or half-liter.

If I wan't a cheap filling quick meal, then I never have a problem driving down to Xochimilco.

BOOK REVIEW - At Least In the City Someone Would Hear Me Scream by Wade Rouse

At Least in the City Someone Would Hear Me Scream: Misadventures in Search of the Simple Life by Wade Rouse
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The author chronicles the first months after having moved with his partner from St. Louis to a cottage in rural Michigan just outside the gay-friendly resort town of Saugatuck. The pages are filled with witty prose in short segments that extoll how a gay couple uproot their lives and transition from an urbane life to a more rural, and hopefully, improved existence. I sought this book based on a recommendation from a friend. It appealed to me because of the humor in hearing of a gay couple moving to the middle of nowhere. In addition, being from Michigan myself, I wanted to hear another person's perspective on the Great Lake State.The memoir is both touching and humorous. The author recounts many humorous experiences with local neighbors, wildlife and the wide-ranging weather of Michigan. The reader really cheers for the author who is trying to find his “Walden” and improve himself, his relationship and his world around him. He is a sympathetic character who you really want to morph into a new being and yet he is his own enemy. The author spends endless pages explaining his former life of designer labels, non-fat lattés, tanning and teeth-whitening. He appears to be another stereotypical, vapid homosexual who is so self-absorbed it's surprising that he doesn't walk around with a hand mirror all day à la Vanity Smurf. The author describes this vain lifestyle so much, that one believes he may using this hyperbole simply to contrast with the rural, agrarian Michigan to get more laughs. Despite the excessive descriptions of what shoes he is wearing at every possible moment, the author has filled with book with heart and emotional depth which is the real pearl inside this oyster of a memoir. By the end of the book, the reader is closely connected to what the author has experienced and feels the changes he has gone through.My biggest problem with the book is that I have a hard time believing that the author who grew up in the Ozarks and moved from St. Louis would have such a difficult time in rural Michigan. I would expect such culture shock from one who grew up in New York City and had lived their his or her entire life. However, I don't think of St. Louis as the culture capital of mid-America and I have a hard time believing the transition was so great. For that reason, I feel the descriptions the author gives and the reactions to be exaggerated. Perhaps, none is exaggerated and there is a larger cultural gap between urban and rural living than I expected. I laughed openly several times throughout this book. Many of the scenes and incidents are very funny. In my opinion the book really shined at the more serious parts even making my eyes water. The growth of the author and the interaction with his partner are touching and a welcome contrast to the comedic interaction with the outside world. By the end of the book, I found the memoir inspirational and heartwarming and the desire to seek out my own Walden. View all my reviews >>

BOOK REVIEW - Are You There Vodka? It's Me Chelsea

Are You There Vodka? It's Me, Chelsea by Chelsea Handler
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I admit that I wanted to read this book based on the title alone. I have watched Chelsea Handler's talk show several times and thought it was funny, but I normally prefer to watch something else. However, Chelsea's collection of personal essays are hilarious and left me laughing out loud several times. I find her writing to be much more funny than her television program.In this collection of essays, Chelsea Handler, comedienne, recounts several tales about family, friends, potential romances and failed relationships. All of the stories are written in her own voice so you can almost hear Ms. Handler narrating as you go along. Ms. Handler is unapologetic as she exposes the reader to her world, especially her love of midgets and alcohol. The content is definitely adult oriented with widespread drinking, drug use, profane language and sexual references. The reader is not uncomfortable because Ms. Handler describes situations and conversations in such a straightforward fashion that one accepts the situation as completely normal. Personally, I really enjoyed this collection of stories greatly. All of them were so outrageous that I couldn't help but laugh out loud. The writing is succinct and concise but well written. The stories flow quickly and smoothly from the page. This is a fast and easy, yet thoroughly enjoyable read. If you're looking for something humorous and outrageous, then check out this collection. View all my reviews >>

RESTAURANT REVIEW - Mae's

MAE'S

Cuisine:  American, Breakfast
Rating: 4/5 Stars
24060 Woodward Avenue, Pleasant Ridge, MI  48069

Yelp Review of the Day - July 17, 2010

I joked earlier about a restaurant named Maze where you have to eat in a giant labyrinth.  Then, Jeff joked about a restaurant named Maize where the food is all corn based.  Instead, today, I shared Fancy Breakfast Thursday with fellow Yelpers Toni C. and Jeffrey B. at Mae's which is not a labyrinth and does not only serve corn dishes. We decided to try Mae's since it was a new breakfast joint and it was close to all of us.  It's always exciting to try a new place, especially a new breakfast place.


Mae's is located on the east side of Woodward Avenue in Pleasant Place next to Susan's Special Needs.  If you're driving northward on Woodward it's easy to miss since it's on the leeward side of the building.  It's a bright cheery place with lots of big windows.  It reminds me of a 50s diner out of a Norman Rockwell painting.  It's cute, charming and accented with turquoise.  Parfait.


The menu consists of breakfast fare, served all day, and then a lunch selection of sandwiches, soups, salads, etc.  The breakfast food was all pretty standard stuff for the most part.  There are omelettes and bennies, rumbles and SBH (sausage, bacon, ham).  The more interesting options include ableskievers, latkas and crepes.  I don't know about the "authenticity" of the more ethnic foods, but they seemed to be good.  There was a nice option of a place with both pancakes and french toast that I thought was nice.


I tried the "Kurtsy", an omelette with goat cheese, red pepper, spinach and bacon.  It was delicious and the eggs were cooked well.  It was served with hashbrowns that weren't very crispy but were cooked, and choice of toast.  The toast is from the local Avalon bakery.  When I got my meal the toast was pretty cold and wasn't very toasted.  The bread was tasty though.


Overall, I thought the meal was good, but it didn't blow my mind.  The mix-ins for the omelettes are all pretty standard: onions, peppers, mushrooms, SBH, etc.  The cheese options included american, cheddar, swiss, mozzarella, pepper jack and goat cheese.  Actually the toppings were less interesting than a typical coney breakfast.  I expected more and I hope that Mae's can ramp up their game in time.


In general, I appreciate the concept of Mae's greatly.  It's a small local owned place that serves local products: Better Made chips, Vernors, Faygo, Avalon breads and more.  You can feel good about being a locavore at this place.  The service was very attentive and friendly.  The environment was clean and bright.  The price is respectable.  I would like to go back and try some of the other items.


In conclusion, this is a decent breakfast but not the best I've ever had.  I'd like there to be more interesting dishes and options and perhaps they are forthcoming.  I like the atmosphere and the local items.  If you're in the area and you want a new joint, you definitely should check this out.

BOOK REVIEW - The Hunger Games

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Out of the ashes of the former United States arises a new nation consisting of twelve districts under the strict, harsh control of the Capitol. As punishment for a rebellion, the name of one boy and one girl from every district is drawn in a lottery and these children are placed in an arena to fight to the death. These are the Hunger Games.The author jumps immediately into the suspenseful plot that weaves it's way through an alternate future reality of a dystopian America. The main character is Katniss, a resourceful young woman who is instantly likable. The prose is well written and flows smoothly as the reader is sucked into this experience of the Hunger Games. The author subtly reveals information keeping the reader interested the entire time. The story is full of suspense and thrills which makes it difficult to put the book down.I thought that the Hunger Games was an excellent novel and I would recommend it to anyone. I was recommended this book by many friends. I was interested but the dark theme of the book made me leery of experiencing such harsh circumstances in a book for young adults. However, the material is handled deftly. The author evokes emotions ranging from sadness to rage to joy without excessive detail and an abundance to gore. This novel is written to be suitable for most tweens and teens, but can easily be enjoyed by adults of all ages. View all my reviews >>

MOVIE REVIEW - Sorcerer's Apprentice (PG)

Ryan's Rating:  6/10

Director:  Jerry Bruckheimer

Starring:  Nicolas Cage, Jay Baruchel, Alfred Molina

Genre:  Fantasy, Action, Youth

The close proximity of “Sorcerer's Apprentice” and “Disney” usually invokes iconic images of Mickey Mouse in a star-spangled hat conducting mops and buckets set to a classical score.  The 2010 movie “Sorcerer's Apprentice” is very loosely based on the segment that originally appeared in Disney's “Fantasia”.  In the recent film, an apprentice of the legendary Merlin searches for the scion of his master to defeat the evil sorceress Morgana while battling a fellow apprentice turned traitor.

The film begins with an interesting backstory in the 8th Century, stops briefly in the year 2000 and then continues to present day.  The over arching mythos of the film is interesting but is not explained in a way that is interesting or intriguing.  In the present day, the plot proceeds as one would expect just by hearing the name “Sorcerer's Apprentice”.  Jay Baruschel plays a self-depricating, yet charming, college student who, of course, can't believe he's a sorcerer at first.  He plays the role well, but his voice at such a high volume made me cringe as if nails were raked across a chalkboard.  His master, played by Nicolas Cage, seems to be interesting as an eccentric, but overall is the same character that Nicolas Cage always plays but with slightly longer hair.

The film has plenty of action.  The computer-generated effects are terrific and seamlessly assist the progression of the story.  The story itself is weak and the main conflict is not fully realized so the film falls somewhat flat.  However, the amazing visuals propel the story well enough to keep the audience interested.  The film moves quickly and is sure to be enjoyed by children especially young boys who hope to grow up to be wizards.  For adults, the film will lack a certain depth, much suspense and significant character development.  However, if you relax and take this in as a action packed summer flick, you will not be disappointed.  If you don't want to miss one bit of the film, stay for a 5 second clip after the credits.

BOOK REVIEW - Dead Until Dark

Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

“Dead Until Dark” is the first in a series of books by Charlaine Harris that are currently all the rage thanks to the success of the TV Series based on the novels, “True Blood”. I have seen the first season of “True Blood” on HBO and I thought it was excellent. I decided to read the first book to see if I would like the entire series of novels. The main premise of the series is that synthetic blood has been created and since it's advent vampires around the globe have come “out of the closet” so to speak. The main character is Sookie Stackhouse who falls in love with one such vampire. The first season of “True Blood” closely followed the novel. A string of murders have occurred in Bon Temps, Louisiana and the intrigue surrounding who may have committed these murders propels much of the plot. Unlike the television series, the novel does not have as rich a cast of characters and the book does not follow the lives of the other supporting characters as closely. The plot in the novel is very linear where the series is rich with stories and action surrounding the lives of different characters such as Jason Stackhouse, Tara (absent completely from the novel) and Lafayette. If you've seen the first season of “True Blood” you know how the book will end. You could practically skip this book and go right to the next without missing anything. I thought the book was difficult to read. The writing is too colloquial and too fractured to be a smooth read. However, the book is only about 300 pages long and the story is easy to follow because it is so linear. I didn't find the novel very suspenseful but I attribute part of that to knowing the ending. I also did not enjoy the more graphic parts describing sex acts. They distract from the flow of the story and in my opinion belong only in romance novels. But in reality these passages are the only parts that keep this book from being just another “tween” vampire novel. By the end of the book though, I found this to be just another vampire romance novel. If you find the love between a woman and a vampire alluring then this may be the book for you. If you're looking for more of a thriller, or a horror story, or a fantasy series or all three, I suggest you go elsewhere. Otherwise “Dead Until Dark” is sure to disappoint. View all my reviews >>

BOOK REVIEW - The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

After hearing about the huge European sales of the book, the blockbuster movie, recommendations from friends and the untimely death of the author, I decided to dive into “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo”. In summary, the plot concerns a journalist with nothing to lose who is hired by a rich old guy to investigate the mysterious disappearance of his niece 40 years earlier. Fortunately, I was told that the first one hundred pages are slow but then the plot really picks up. I can safely say that based on the plot summary I wrote above you can start reading half way through the book and still understand what's going on. In fact, my paperback book had 644 pages and the main protagonist didn't even meet the title character until page 322, exactly halfway through. I don't think it was until almost page 400 that the sleuths find the first clue regarding the niece. Seriously, the first half of the book is really boring and has a lot of uninteresting information. The pace quickens around the half-way point but the main intrigue stops about 100 pages short of the end. The reason is that the author has to tie up all the boring stuff he talked about in the beginning. For me this could have been written in 250 pages and I would already be done with the sequel. Another disappointing aspect of the book is that the characters are somewhat interesting, but not sympathetic. I walked away not liking any of the characters. Even though I have many problems with the book, I thought it was well written and I read the book fairly quickly. I didn't mind the Swedish names as much as I thought. I thought the suspenseful part of the plot was interesting and highly compelling. I am interested in seeing the movie, just to see how well this translates to film. However, I'm not in a hurry to jump into the sequel and the threequel to this thriller. I am leery of spending so much time again on a book where only one third was suspenseful. View all my reviews >>