tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-78484478559653850822024-03-14T02:35:42.344-04:00Eggs N BlogginFour Men, One Blog, No Relevant Work ExperienceDanno Bananohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15802747137264918493noreply@blogger.comBlogger65125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7848447855965385082.post-17154280062515536222008-05-27T00:22:00.001-04:002008-05-27T00:22:42.977-04:00RIP Sydney PollackCancer claims another victim. <a href="http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5g3IGUlRbuhYdVZ1vkPwH2OYUgD9gD90TNVDG0" target="_blank">Sydney Pollack died</a> Monday, which is pretty unfortunate. Though he hasn't directed a movie in a while, he was still giving memorable performances as an actor. Like in that 'Please silence your cell phones' commercial before movies (sponsored by AT&T), and as Patrick Dempsey's dad in Made of Honor.<br /><br />No, but seriously. This is sad. What's with all these celebrities dying this year? Heath Ledger, Charlton Heston, Sydney Pollack... if Woody Allen dies I'm just going to flip out. Knock on freaking wood.Jon Possiblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02435597324476110784noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7848447855965385082.post-46454246197224875582008-05-18T23:15:00.002-04:002008-05-19T14:32:11.939-04:00Two Quick ReviewsTwo movies I saw recently:<br /><br /><B>Made of Honor</b> was pretty bad. Charming main characters, but I couldn't help wondering why I had to watch them go through everything in the movie when they could have, and should have, been together three minutes after the opening credits. Some decent moments, but overall nothing special. Rating: 3/7<br /><br /><B>The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian</b>, on the other hand, was very enjoyable. A great sequel to the original film, Prince Caspian brings the series toward some darker themes. But there are still the standard deus ex machinas and characters that exist simply to help further plot and nothing else, so the movie is not flawless. But for what it is and how it brings the source material to the screen, I give it a rating of: 6/7Jon Possiblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02435597324476110784noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7848447855965385082.post-26827217850162959282008-05-15T14:57:00.003-04:002008-05-15T15:03:36.124-04:00In Theaters May 16A quick week here, yet again. It seems we're down to only a single wide release <B>in theaters May 16th</b>.<br /><br /><B>The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian</b> || <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0499448/" target="_blank">IMDb</a><br /><br />It seems the general consensus here is either love or hatred. Same as with the Lord of the Rings trilogy. But I enjoy movies in all genres, and the first Narnia movie was a good adaptation of the beloved series. We have the same director and writer as before, so I think this will be another good movie. Who am I kidding, though. You are already set on if you want to see this movie and nothing I say will sway your opinion.<br /><br /><B>Jon's Pick of the Week:</b> Narnia<br /><br /><B>DVD Release of the Week:</b> Oh God, do I really have to pick one? The Great Debaters, I guess.Jon Possiblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02435597324476110784noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7848447855965385082.post-33496688866090113642008-05-15T02:10:00.001-04:002008-05-15T02:10:45.815-04:00Top Chef -- Serve and ProtectI love the drama coming out on my TV show. Since Top Chef is getting further into the season I like seeing people talk shit.<br /><br />Reinventing the salad for the Quickfire Challenge is a pretty hot topic. I love a good salad, as do most people. But as Padma said, the salad is in a slump<br /><br />Lisa saying, "There are people here who don't deserve to be here," is ironic because I think she's the worst person still on the show. Seriously, STFU. That's why you were in the bottom three of the Quickfire [and later the Elimination Challenge].<br /><span class="fullpost"><br />I'm pretty psyched Spike won the Quickfire. Of course he finally wins it when there is no more immunity. Oh well, my boy is tearin' it up. And what a sweet advantage. He gets ten extra minutes to shop, as well as choosing an ingredient in each food group no one else can use. Sweet.<br /><br />So the Elimination Challenge is to make some unhealthy food into a healthy meal. Spike picks bread, tomatoes, chicken, and lettuce. Thank you Andrew for saying that, "Most of the people in the house are stupid. Wahh to them, they aren't creative enough to make something. Will they have to now." I like this guy more each episode.<br /><br />Whereas Antonia pisses me off more and more each episode. Sure, I'm mainly spiteful, but she bugs me even when she says things that are normal. Though I like her reading my mind and saying all Dale does is make Asian dishes. Seriously, Dale needs some variety.<br /><br />I don't know if I would want to judge this competition. I'd have to spend like 40 minutes microwaving all these dishes. And again, this episode we have Ted Allen to judge, and no Gail. And I love Padma's jacket. And Padma.<br /><br />It bugs me that Dale won the challenge. Yay, let's keep making Asian food until final three. Oh well, Stephanie was top two, so I can't complain.<br /><br />I feel sorry for Andrew, getting chewed out at judging. Sure he studied nutrition and made a dish, but he didn't follow all the rules. But the worst was he kept arguing. Maybe humility would be a better way to go?<br /><br />Spike handled the situation not well either. Chef Tom had to put him in his place, which also bugs me, but hey, Chef Tom was correct. His opinion <i>is</i> the one that matters. Not the ones of the officers.<br /><br />And Lisa is just a bitch. No one messed with your burner. I'm glad the judges don't care.<br /><br />I'm not surprised Andrew got sent home. He had a worse dish and didn't follow the rules. But God, this means Lisa is around for another week. Fucking shit.<br /><br />Ideal top 3, and my prediction: Stephanie, Richard, Spike.<br /><br />And because I didn't say it yet, I'm going to marry Padma.<br /></span>Jon Possiblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02435597324476110784noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7848447855965385082.post-71894488334647205072008-05-14T01:46:00.001-04:002008-05-14T01:46:50.664-04:00Box Office Trends -- No Love for Original DramasLately I've been wondering: When was the last time an original drama movie had huge box office success? It seems like everything these days are adaptations, remakes, sequels, or based on true events. When it's not those, it's often a comedy with big name stars. I think it's interesting how the stats pan out since the year 2000. Note: All numbers taken from Box Office Mojo.<br /><br />Movies not counted will include: Remakes, sequels, adaptations, and biopics. I'm not going to count Pixar movies either. Pixar makes exceptional movies, and I think they are in a league of their own. Let's just not count animated movies, either.<br /><br />We'll start with <b>2007</b> because 2008 is young.<br />-Highest Grossing Movie: Spider-man 3. Then we have the Shrek sequel, Transformers, some Pirates of the Caribbean, Harry Potter, etc etc. The highest original movie is Ratatouille, which placed 11th. 13-15 are Wild Hogs, Knocked Up, and Juno. Three comedies. It's not until we get to 31, The Bucket List (which some may still consider comedy), which grossed a mere $93 million. Not until rank 55 do we see Michael Clayton, which is the first movie on the list to be original, critically acclaimed, and not a comedy.<br /><span class="fullpost"><br /><B>2006</b><br />-The top movie here is Pirates of the Caribbean 2, which is no surprise. Though next we have Night at the Museum, which had the second highest gross. Yay for original content, but this is a comedy with big stars. If we consider Click a drama, that takes the prize at number 13. Inside Man wins for the original, critically acclaimed drama award, at number 22 with $83 million.<br /><br /><B>2005</b><br />-Star Wars Episode III, Narnia, and Harry Potter take the top three spots. Wedding Crashers comes in at number 6. Again, a comedy with Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn. Mr. and Mrs. Smith broke into the top 10, but we all know why. I thought the flick was awful, but America apparently didn't. Other notables is Hitch at 11.<br /><br /><B>2004</b><br />-Shrek (2), Spider-man (2), and Jesus (The Passion) are the top three. The Incredibles has a high ranking, but also we see The Day After Tomorrow at number 7, which as far as I can tell is an original screenplay. Potentially our best year yet.<br /><br /><B>2003</b><br />-Lord of the Rings, Finding Nemo (which I love), and Pirates of the Caribbean. Bruce Almighty and Elf rank highly, but it's not until The Last Samurai at number 20 where a drama comes into play. But then again, I'm not sure how original that story is. We'd have to go a long way down the list though to find anything else, so we'll stick with that.<br /><br /><B>2002</b><br />-Spider-man, Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, Harry Potter... do we see a trend here? My Big Fat Greek Wedding hits number five--a comedy I did not much appreciate. Signs comes in at number 6 though, which is a high score so far. I'm not too big into Shyamalan, but I still give him props for being sort of an auteur.<br /><br /><B>2001</b><br />-Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, Shrek, Pixar. Our highest original is Spy Kids, which I'm not enthusiastic about counting. But alas, it's number 17. The Others comes in at 21.<br /><br /><B>2000</b><br />-How refreshing! This seems to be the year before some trends came around. Number one is The Grinch, but number two is Cast Away. Sure it had Tom Hanks in it, but we have an original, dramatic film at the number two spot. Also, Gladiator at number 4. This will be a good stopping point.<br /><br />The top grossing movies of '97 and '98 were Titanic and Saving Private Ryan--both original screenplays, though Titanic was based on actual events.<br /><br />So what have we learned? It seems we're in a new age for the money-making movies. Adaptation has always been around the movie, but recently it's a large trend of remakes and sequels. They're safe bets and will always bring home the cash. But I'll tell you what. Spare The Bourne Ultimatum, I would take Before the Devil Knows You're Dead over any of the top 10 grossing movies of 2007.<br /><br />I guess original dramatic stories, at this moment, are plagued with a home in the independent film circle. Unless they luck out, but we all know how that always ends up. Or doesn't.<br /></span>Jon Possiblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02435597324476110784noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7848447855965385082.post-86987324304095179732008-05-08T15:34:00.003-04:002008-05-08T15:52:40.031-04:00In Theaters May 9Again, there's only two major movies <B>opening May 9th</b>. One looks to be super entertaining, yet potentially very awful. The other looks boring and certainly awful. Oh, where to start?<br /><br /><B>Speed Racer</b> || <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0811080/" target="_blank">IMDb</a><br /><br />When I was a kid I loved me some Speed Racer. The cardinal problem is: Can the Wachowski brothers conjure up enough material to fill a big screen time slot? They did give us 'The Matrix,' but also forced us to sit through two crappy sequels. The Coen brothers, they are not. Yet I'm sure this will be a joy to watch, regardless of the inevitably bland plot. Plus I like Emile Hirsch a lot more since Into the Wild, and I've had a thing for Christina Ricci since she was in Casper (and I was 10 so that's not as creepy as it sounds). What is it with this movie bringing back childhood memories? Nostalgia, here I come.<br /><br />Rating: Opening Weekend<br /><span class="fullpost"><br /><B>What Happens in Vegas</b> || <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1033643/" target="_blank">IMDb</a><br /><br />I like Ashton Kutcher a lot. To be honest he's never done any good movies, but I can't help liking the guy. Unfortunately my man-crush is canceled out by Cameron Diaz, who I think is quite possible the least attractive star on the Hollywood A-List. But besides that, I'm also spiteful against the movie for its excessive advertising well before it came out. I don't mind seeing trailers for The Dark Knight or WALL-E dozens of times, but I think trailers should be more to promote awareness than brainwash viewers with thousands of repetitive showings. I shall coin this term Movie Trailer Tact. Over-promoting a movie makes people sick of it, and this is just one example.<br /><br />But honestly, like every other movie of this nature, we can all safely assume a pile of unfunny material peppered with occasional joke that is genuinely funny.<br /><br />Rating: Download<br /><br /><B>Jon's Pick of the Week:</b> Speed Racer<br /><br /><B>DVD Release of the Week:</b> I'm Not There (haven't seen it, but it's a lesser evil)<br /></span>Jon Possiblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02435597324476110784noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7848447855965385082.post-42700387096093088952008-05-08T14:53:00.001-04:002008-05-08T14:53:42.086-04:00ethiopian dinnertime.ethiopia.eating.<br /><br /><br />Dinner is like this. You get together with a group of fellow eaters. You gather around a plate of wat. Wat just means stew. You might think that limits your options. You’d be right, it does…it severely limits your options for eating. But don’t worry, Ethiopia makes wat out of everything. Well, everything that has to do with eggs. And chicken. And sometimes beef, and chickpeas.<br /><br />You sit around the giant plate, with all the eaters. Your face and arms are caked with clay from a day hanging out the window of a land cruiser. A raccoon tan on your face from the African sun pounding away mercilessly on your sunglasses. A small woman walks from eater to eater, pouring water over your right hand. It doesn’t clean much. Also, unlike the locals, you tend to eat with two hands, so you slyly pass around the hand sanitizer. Thank you Purell corporation. I wish I bought stock in your organization, I wish I had a trashbag full of Purell that I could jump into, with only my eyes above glycerine-gel level. Just for a minute. Once a day.<br /><br />After the cleaning, the woman brings out the injera on a huge round platter. It’s usually laid flat, a few layers of sourdough flapjacks. Good injera is the color of my cheeks when I get seasick. Greyish, like badly trampled, low grade carpet. The lighter the color, the better quality tef used. Good tef is the key to great injera. Supposedly highlanders laugh at the inferior quality of lowlanders injera. I’m afraid that the world’s best injera would still taste like a spoilt crepe to me. A spoiled crepe that you kind of get used to after a while. You kind of even like it a little bit after a while. Limited options.<br /><br />The woman dumps some sort of wat all over the injera, it’s looking like your living room floor after a flash flood. I mean she douses it, pouring bright orange pungent doro wat coast to coast across the two foot wide frisbee of injera. Then she steps away, maybe brings you another bottle of harar beer or a cold ambo water.<br /><br />Then you eat.<br /><br />Right hand only. Try tearing a pancake into manageable pieces with only ole righty. It’s ridiculous. Not so pretty. You take the soggy injera and dab it into the wat. You wrap it around the pieces of meat. You smush the hard-boiled eggs into pieces and you cram it all into your mouth. You do not lick your fingers, culturally inappropriate. Your hand has a lot of food on it.<br />Now if you are someone’s honored guest, they will do something that will probably make you feel uncomfortable. They are probably going to take a piece of meat and finger-feed that straight into your mouth. They are gonna do it, you should get used to it. Try not to lick their fingers, that’s extremely awkward.<br /><br />When you’re done, you chat.<br />Dinnertime.<br /><span class="fullpost"><br /></span>Danno Bananohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15802747137264918493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7848447855965385082.post-66875759819791064212008-05-08T00:22:00.000-04:002008-05-08T00:23:06.268-04:00Top Chef -- Wedding WarsThis week the Quickfire Challenge was a relay race, which is pretty epic. I love when Dale was talking to the group, and people were complaining about making mayo. And he's like, "Why are you here?!" Brilliant, I was wondering the same thing about Nikki and Lisa.<br /><br />Pretty sweet though, seeing how much work it is to peel oranges, deal with artichoke, slay that monstrous dragon into filets, and make your own mayo. However, Dale going into a tantrum upon losing is not cool.<br /><span class="fullpost"><br />Andrew is growing on me. I like how honest and ridiculous he is. "I have a culinary boner right now." Brilliant. I'm also a big fan of Padma's jacket. Mainly because she's wearing it, but it is still pretty fabulous.<br /><br />The Elimination Challenge is a Wedding Wars theme, and I agree with Spike and his comments on Team Stephanie (I will call them that because I like her) picking the bride. Are you kidding me? The Bride Team would probably be harder, but hey, whatever.<br /><br />Antonia really bugs me. "I feel like I'm in the army... peeling potatoes." GTFO of my show.<br /><br />Dale <i>kind of</i> bugs me. He complains a lot, but honestly, most of the things he says are true. I don't like Nikki, and he's right -- she just wants to control things but not to take responsibility. Yet on the other hand, Dale needs to not bite off more than he can chew.<br /><br />It's pretty ridiculous how long they cook for for this challenge. All night, yes, but all morning, as well. They have until 11:00 AM to cook, and we can assume they got up, at the latest, about 10:00 the following morning. I think no matter who you are, that would be exhausting (obviously?). Plus they have to sit through the wedding and serve at reception. Ridiculous.<br /><br />Why is Ted Allen not on this episode. Seriously, this is getting old. And, WHAT is with Padma's red dress? I mean, I love me some tight clothes on beautiful women, but I think I'd rather see her in jeans and an airman jacket. The flower in her hair helps, though. Actually, we could put her in a wedding dress in preparation for our wedding. Wedding Wars for Season Five, I can see it now: Jonathan Beck and Padma Lakshmi.<br /><br />As for the teams vs. each other, from when the teams were randomly picked, it was clear Team Stephanie had an advantage. It looks like their dishes tasted better, but if one thing is for sure, Stephanie's cake looked freaking awesome. And actually like a wedding cake. Not like a battleship, as Chef Tom said.<br /><br />Why is Richard winning everything. Honestly, it bugs me. Give me some variety. I'm glad he gave it to Stephanie though. She's my girl. And I guess I like Richard a bit more for sharing his gift certificate.<br /><br />I think a piece of helpful criticism for the editors of Top Chef would be to, regardless of who is speaking, always have the camera on Padma.<br /><br />Man, Dale at the Judge's Table is kind of a bitch. Okay, I think I'm just hating cause he went at it with my boy Spike -- who actually stood up for himself, unlike the two girls on the Groom's Team. And the judges liked his dish the best, so.... yay.<br /><br />Yes, I'm so glad Nikki is gone. Sent home. That was kind of my prediction, since it seems the judge's value people who step up and look down upon people who don't want responsibility, who don't accept everything that comes with their dishes greatness or failure. Remember the episode where Spike stayed and Manuel went home? Prime example.<br /><br />Oh well, here's to next week!<br /></span>Jon Possiblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02435597324476110784noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7848447855965385082.post-29934726788000973982008-05-02T14:56:00.002-04:002008-05-02T15:15:49.692-04:00ethiopia: part one<span class="fullpost">i just returned this past tuesday from ethiopia, where i was working as a videographer with charity: water.</span><div><br /></div><div>charity: water basically does just what it's name entails, they provide clean drinking water for people who don't have it. </div><div><br /></div><div>in ethiopia, there are a lot of people who need clean water.</div><div><br /></div><div>we spent about 2.5 weeks traveling around northern ethiopia, we visited more than 35 villages without access to clean drinking water...all of which will get clean water because we were there.</div><div>pretty exciting.</div><div><br /></div><div>i shot video which will be edited for the website www.borninseptember.org, where people will give up their birthdays to raise money for clean water. 1.5 million dollars.</div><div><br /></div><div>that was a very poorly written brief overview...here's what you should know about ethiopia -</div><div><br /></div><div>1. they eat everything with injera; a sour pancake thing. its not that good...but not that bad, it's kind of weird.</div><div><br /></div><div>2. ambo - probably the only third world country with their own internal sparkling water brand, it's called ambo. its better than perrier or pellegrino, and it's all natural. they should export...if they decide to export, they should do it with this slogan...third world product - first world taste.</div><div><br /></div><div>to be continued...soon</div>Danno Bananohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15802747137264918493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7848447855965385082.post-88059742009185259092008-05-01T15:31:00.003-04:002008-05-01T23:47:55.438-04:00In Theaters May 2Not much comes out this week. So little, in fact, I probably won't need to use the expandable post feature. Anyway, here are some movies <b>in theaters May 2</b>.<br /><br /><B>Iron Man</b> || <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0371746/" target="_blank">IMDb</a><br /><br />When I saw the first trailer I was left with a good impression. I like Robert Downey Jr. a lot: He has this strange charisma, in a likable prick kinda way. But what's surprising is on Rottentomatoes, the movie has a 94% regular critics, and 88% top critics. Needless to say, that bumps the movie from 'should be entertaining' status to 'first good blockbuster of the summer' status.<br /><br />Rating: Opening Weekend<br /><br /><B>Made of Honor</b> || <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0866439/" target="_blank">IMDb</a><br /><br />It's tempting to rant about Grey's Anatomy here, but I shall not. Instead, I think we'll just all be safe in the assumption that there will be plenty of cliches and predictable plot points in this movie. At 101 minutes, I'm positive that is about 94 minutes longer than the movie should be.<br /><br />Rating: Download<br /><br /><I>And that's it</i> for wide releases this week. At least we have one winner.<br /><br /><B>Jon's Pick of the Week:</b> Iron Man<br /><br /><B>DVD Release of the Week:</b> The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (DVD Release of the Year so far)<br /></span>Jon Possiblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02435597324476110784noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7848447855965385082.post-86363008684481328402008-04-30T23:00:00.001-04:002008-04-30T23:00:55.748-04:00Top Chef -- Common ThreadsThis week there's some serious product placement for the 90 second Uncle Ben microwaveable rice. It's funny watching real cooks, seeing how they have to read the directions because they usually make their own pro, amazing rice. But I know that shiznit by heart and could school them in rice microwaving. I would've won the Quickfire and gotten immunity for sure.<br /><br />The fact that Antonia won the Quickfire bugs me. Reality TV is so bittersweet. When the people I like win, it's fantastic, and when people I hate win, I want to scream at my television. Well, here I am, screaming. Figuratively, of course.<br /><span class="fullpost"><br />Elimination challenge: A meal for four that costs no more than $10. Hello, Betty Crocker Complete Meals. You can get four of them for $10. And they're supposed to feed quite a few people. Done, a dozen people fed.<br /><br />Also, I would hate to work at the Whole Foods in Chicago. Watching the cooks slave at the register trying to get their food under $10 would be tedious. Then again, I would get to meet the contestants, so it would be a decent trade-off.<br /><br />I don't know how I feel about kids being in the kitchen with the chefs. I mean on the one hand, they help out, but they have to have things explained to them. And they probably got in the way, and I mean kids are annoying in general. Good thing Chef Tom was there to make sure the kids did stuff, or else I'm sure some people would be like me and just tell them to stay out of the way and watch.<br /><br />Yet again, a judge is missing this week. No Ted is annoying, but hey, Gail is here. Kind of frustrating.<br /><br />And here we are again. Antonia winning twice in one episode is like a nightmare. Would've been nice to see Andrew win. Sigh.<br /><br />I like how in the bottom three Mark called Gail out on saying his dish didn't have enough protein. Maybe it tastes bad, but vegetarian dishes should be valid every now and then. Well played, Mark. Maybe you're not the best cook, but you're a character.<br /><br />Stephanie is in the bottom again. This is ruining my theories, Bravo!<br /><br />I feel bad for Mark going home. Honestly, I think Stephanie did the worst. I think they give Stephanie a bit more credit because she won a few challenges. And Padma, even though you sent Mark home instead of Lisa (who I dislike), we should still get married. I won't hold a grudge.<br /></span>Jon Possiblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02435597324476110784noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7848447855965385082.post-22606084900612414102008-04-26T17:28:00.002-04:002008-04-26T17:43:31.359-04:00An Old Dog with Older Tricks<B>Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay</b> || <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0481536/" target="_blank">IMDb</a><br /><br />This Friday, Harold and Kumar have returned to the big screen. Unfortunately, where the first movie gave us original, comedic characters with an obsession with White Castle, this movie falls short. Instead of the characters being driven by themselves, by the craving, they are forced to be on the move. Plot controlling characters is always less interesting than the characters controlling themselves.<br /><br />This time around our heroes get thrown into the Cuban prison Guantanamo Bay after Kumar can't resist smoking on an airplane and his bong is confused for a bomb. After some minor plot (can it even be called that?) developments, they escape and are on the run to Texas, where a dude marrying Kumar's ex-girlfriend can get their records cleared. The movie falls short because all this setup is is an excuse to put the protagonists in a series of uncomfortable instances that were almost all done better in the first movie.<br /><span class="fullpost"><br />The movie has two jokes. The first is the racism joke. This time we're not limited to a few lines against our Korean and Indian characters, but a majority of the scenes have stereotypes being exploited, and not in a humorous way. For example, a racist investigator (or, whatever he is, played awfully by Rob Corddry) attempts to torture a black witness by pouring a can of grape pop on the ground. But this isn't failure enough -- we see the joke of the black neighborhood being intelligent people (an orthodontist, for example) before the movie even hints at it. Why? Because those jokes have been done long before. And to count these scenes would be futile as they take up a majority of the film.<br /><br />There are a few laughs, almost all of them coming from Neil Patrick Harris playing Neil Patrick Harris (NPH). He single-handedly steals the movie from Harold and Kumar. He's got more screen time than in the first movie, and it's all put to good use. So much that we are left thinking, <i>I wish we followed NPH for the 102 minutes, instead</i>.<br /><br />If you've seen the original, there will be no curve balls this time around. If you haven't, watch the original instead and don't bother with this miserable sequel.<br /><br />Rating: 3/7<br /></span>Jon Possiblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02435597324476110784noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7848447855965385082.post-71371918896755831702008-04-24T17:40:00.002-04:002008-04-24T17:58:12.194-04:00In Theaters April 25Is it summer yet? It sure feels like it -- though in Florida it starts to feel like summer mid-February. At least we're getting some big name movies <B>in theaters April 25th</b>.<br /><br /><B>Baby Mama</b> || <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0871426/" target="_blank">IMDb</a><br /><br />I wanted to see this until I realized it wasn't written by Tina Fey, it just stars her. Mean Girls and 30 Rock, great. SNL, not too bad these days. Baby Mama... pass.<br /><br />Rating: Rental<br /><br /><B>Harold and Kumar Escape From Guantanamo Bay</b> || <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0481536/" target="_blank">IMDb</a><br /><br />The first time I watched the original, I didn't like it. A month ago I bought the DVD. It grew on me (though some scenes still just make me cringe). Though this sequel is bound to be a bit inferior, same writers translates to a solid experience. That is, if you enjoyed the original.<br /><br />Rating: Opening Weekend<br /><span class="fullpost"><br /><B>Deception</b> || <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0800240/" target="_blank">IMDb</a><br /><br />Interesting trailer, but bound to flop. Just take my word for it. Sometimes you just know.<br /><br />Rating: Download<br /><br /><B>Jon's Pick of the Week:</b> Harold and Kumar<br /><br /><B>DVD Release of the Week:</b> The Savages<br /><br /><I>Side note:</i> One Missed Call has a 0% on Rottentomatoes after 65 reviews. Hilarious.<br /></span>Jon Possiblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02435597324476110784noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7848447855965385082.post-57427010170594366082008-04-23T22:18:00.005-04:002008-04-24T01:34:02.754-04:00Top Chef -- ImprovWhat's the best part of every Wednesday? Well, it was Big Brother until the smart people were evicted and the morons made it to the end. Now, it's Top Chef.<br /><br />The Quickfire Challenge this week was to make a dessert. How about that excessive product placement of the new Top Chef cookbook? Either way, all those desserts looked delicious. I'm sure even the 'bad' ones tasted good. I mean, no matter how you mix bananas, chocolate, and sugar, how could it taste bad? Richard wins immunity again -- yawn.<br /><span class="fullpost"><br />Thank God they didn't have the chefs go up on stage and do improv themselves at the comedy club. That is what the preview made it out to be. Improvising with food, that's okay. Chef doing improv comedy? Yikes. I really don't like Lisa for being like, "Well, even though they gave us Polish Sausage, I'm not doing it, we're doing something else." Grow up. You're in a competition with rules.<br /><br />About Yellow Vanilla Love, "I would lick my bowl if we weren't in front of camera." Oh, Padma. I think we need a 'greatest Padma hits' Youtube compilation. I can't be the only person who'd want that, am I? Someone more technology-savvy needs to get on that. That way I can watch the video to pass time until I marry the real thing.<br /><br />I do like all the weird techniques Dale has, from his homeland or wherever. I also like that he cusses a lot and is kind of a jerk. Go, reality TV.<br /><br />I'm kind of annoyed Dale and Richard won the elimination challenge -- granted their dish was good but they've both won before, so I wanted to see Spike win one. Also, since he made a soup, him winning with that and rubbing it in Antonia's face would've been amazing.<br /><br />Chef Tom is awesome, when Antonia said, "Well from now on..." and Tom says, "If there is a from now on." Putting contestants back in their place is fantastic.<br /><br />Also, I like how you can tell what will happen in reality TV by the editing. Mark and Nikki were barely in this episode, so I knew they would not be in the top or bottom, but the middle where they don't show up later.<br /><br />I almost had a heart attack when Stephanie was in the bottom two. Well, maybe that is a hyperbole, but she's my favorite to win and her going home this early would ruin my predictions! I'm glad Jen went, also because that means I don't have to keep hearing, "I'm doing this for Zoi" twenty times per episode.<br /><br />Well, we'll be back next week.<br /></span>Jon Possiblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02435597324476110784noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7848447855965385082.post-59419269744626198862008-04-17T15:24:00.002-04:002008-04-17T15:45:09.852-04:00In Theaters April 18We are in for a slightly better week at the movies this time around. There can only be so many bad movies made per year, right? One could only hope, but I don't think that's ever been proven true. Nonetheless, here is what is in theaters for April 18th.<br /><br /><B>The Forbidden Kingdom</b> || <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0865556/" target="_blank">IMDb</a><br /><br />I can't tell whether this is supposed to be a parody or the real thing. I'm guessing the latter. Not really too much to say here -- if you like martial arts movies you will enjoy this, if not, then you will not.<br /><br />Rating: Dollar Theater<br /><span class="fullpost"><br /><B>88 Minutes</b> || <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0411061/" target="_blank">IMDb</a><br /><br />Early reviews on Rottentomatoes show this one to be very bad, which confirms my assessment from the trailer that it will be very bad. Unfortunately not even Al Pacino can stop this train wreck. I think we need Keanu Reeves. See what I did there? I made a 'Speed' joke. Because Keanu was in 'Speed' and it was about stopping a vehicle. And that goes with my train wreck analogy.<br /><br />Rating: Download<br /><br /><B>Forgetting Sarah Marshall</b> || <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0800039/" target="_blank">IMDb</a><br /><br />I am really, really over the '40 Year-Old Virgin' and 'Knocked Up' hype. Any time I see those mentioned as a selling point in a preview I immediately go flaccid, which is saying a lot since this movie stars Kristen Bell and Mila Kunis. Let's be real -- it will be amusing, have some eye candy, but ultimately fall short of memorable. I think I'll just watch 'Knocked Up' again.<br /><br />Rating: Dollar Theater<br /><br /><B>Jon's Pick of the Week:</b> Forgetting Sarah Marshall (sadly)<br /><B>DVD Release of the Week:</b> Juno!<br /></span>Jon Possiblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02435597324476110784noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7848447855965385082.post-20829576265496532992008-04-16T23:25:00.001-04:002008-04-16T23:25:58.708-04:00Top Chef -- TailgatingTop Chef -- what a night. A Quickfire Challenge pairing food with beer? How could one go wrong? Kind of frustrating seeing Jennifer win, avenging the elimination of her girlfriend. When people succeed and get revenge it's so disappointing to me. I like to see failure. Spike said it best, though. "Yah, lesbians!"<br /><br />The tailgating at the Bears game was a fun concept. It was disappointing to see the drama dwindling down, though now we all know Spike is gay for Mark. I mean, seriously, what straight guys take bubble baths together? Also, very funny when Ryan admitted to being a pretty metro boy. It brings me joy when reality TV characters confirm my suspicions.<br /><span class="fullpost"><br />Of course, Ryan ended up going home. What a joke. Sure his dish wasn't traditionally tailgate food, but at least he didn't, A) lick his spoon then continue serving with it, or B) run out of a main ingredient. This annoys me greatly.<br /><br />Stephanie was in the top for both the Quickfire and Elimination challenge, again. She is still a favorite to win. However, I think the judges purposely try to divide up who wins, because people are consistently up top and the best, but lesser people win to discourage monotony. Sad.<br /><br />Also, what the HELL at the poll? "Who would you rather play touch football with?" Padma, Tom, or 'Myself.' I was predicting about 89% Padma, and 11% Myself (which is coincidentally how I imagine my kids with Padma turning out), but Tom got 50% of the votes. The only explanation is a majority of women viewers and him being the default choice.<br /><br />Padma in a jersey with gloves and a ponytail = lovable.<br /><br />And I haven't said this before, but, I like Gail. She's a good judge.<br /><br />Also unsaid previously, I'm going to marry Padma Lakshmi.<br /></span>Jon Possiblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02435597324476110784noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7848447855965385082.post-15222326312950059382008-04-14T15:15:00.002-04:002008-04-14T15:19:06.134-04:00Rock of Love 2 Wrap-Up, or: How to Pick Reality TV WinnersA long time ago I was watching The Bachelor finale with some friends, and despite what all of them thought, I went against their opinions and guessed correctly. You can get a full recap on my personal blog <a href="http://kidwaltz.blogspot.com/2006/11/im-not-one-for-reality-tv.html" target="_blank">here</a>.<br /><br />What I've realized is that if you watch just the finale episode, or even the last half hour, you get a much clearer view than someone who has become tainted by the whole season. Tonight I walked in on the last twenty minutes of Rock of Love 2, which my cousin and his girlfriend watch religiously.<br /><br />The last two contestants were Ambre and Daisy. Both my cousin and his 'gf' wanted Daisy to win and were sure of it. Of course anyone who watches the show knows Ambre won. Here was the easy way to tell:<br /><br />A) Editing is everything in reality TV. Before the commercial it showed Bret saying lots of negative things about Ambre. This is easy to see coming, since reality TV tries to be 'shocking' more than anything.<br />B) Bret talked a lot about the mistake he made last season. I didn't watch it, but one can assume he went for the typical rock 'n roll girl and it didn't work out. That's Daisy this season, whereas Ambre is more 'real.'<br />C) Ambre doesn't have all these ugly tattoos, and is more of a compliment to Bret than an addition.<br />D) Daisy was naturally 'hotter' (I mean she was a stripper), but Bret slept with her, so time to move on.<br /><br />And for those four reasons, the winner was fairly obvious to me. Reality TV isn't too hard to predict if favoritism is swept aside and you look at it objectively. Keep that in mind next time you have a pool going.Jon Possiblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02435597324476110784noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7848447855965385082.post-56382520833869275392008-04-10T17:12:00.003-04:002008-04-10T17:34:38.608-04:00In Theaters April 11It looks to be another deadpan week for the movies. When will it technically be 'summer' so we can get those huge blockbusters? Give me the next Batman already! Nonetheless, here is what is <B>in theaters April 11</b>.<br /><br /><B>Prom Night</b> || <a href="http://imdb.com/title/tt0926129/" target="_blank">IMDb</a><br /><br />Even the worst, worst horror movies, in the trailer, manage to have some jump-out-scary moments that catch the viewer off guard. Prom Night fails to do even that. At least give me some trick camera angles. Or zombies. I like zombies. The only reason I can understand seeing this is for Brittany Snow, who was hot when she guest starred in Nip/Tuck, and also in Hairspray. Plus, she was born in Tampa, Florida, so that's always a plus. But if you use that logic, I guess you could, you know, watch Nip/Tuck or Hairspray....<br /><br />Rating: Not If They Paid You<br /><span class="fullpost"><br /><B>Street Kings</b> || <a href="http://imdb.com/title/tt0421073/" target="_blank">IMDb</a><br /><br />I'm glad to see a movie with a fresh plot that has not been done a million times before. Oh, wait.... Novelist James Ellroy takes to doing screenplays. He wrote the novel 'L.A. Confidential,' which was turned into a great movie. But not by him. He should stay away from Hollywood. Instead, director David Ayer should stick to writing, where he at least has some notoriety (Harsh Times, Training Day). And Keanu Reeves should stick to Bill & Ted, <i>obviously</i>.<br /><br />Rating: Download<br /><br /><B>Smart People</b> || <a href="http://imdb.com/title/tt0858479/" target="_blank">IMDb</a><br /><br />Ellen Page will draw many viewers to this new movie because of her success in Juno. Sadly, people will see this movie for the wrong reason. Granted, there looks to be plenty of cliches and a happy ending, but I'm sure there will be witty moments. Thomas Haden Church is always memorable (his role in Sideways is one of my favorites in recent years), and Dennis Quaid is charming in most roles. Except Vantage Point. Did anyone even see that movie?<br /><br />Rating: Dollar Theater<br /><br /><B>Jon's Pick:</b> Smart People (it's in limited release, though)<br /><br /><B>DVD Release of the Week:</b> There Will Be Blood (rent, don't buy -- the special edition has shit features and the regular one doesn't even have a real case)<br /></span>Jon Possiblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02435597324476110784noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7848447855965385082.post-11074558570863886162008-04-10T13:23:00.008-04:002008-04-10T16:05:17.968-04:00Charity:Water "Ethiopia" reduxI will be away from the blog until april 30th due to a last minute trip to Ethiopia. I am going to be working with Charity:Water as a videographer, visiting 33 villages that have no clean drinking water. We will be taking home the information, pictures and video to be the cornerstone of a fundraiser whose goal is to raise 1.5 million dollars to provide clean drinking water for at least 150,000 people. <br />check out Charity:Water at<br />www.charityis.org<br /><br />peace<br /><br /><br />PS: This is now Jeremy adding to Danny's post...here is Charity:Water's public service announcement (yes that is Jennifer Connelly). Danny told me that he plans on writing some entries while he is over there, so keep reading!!!<br /><object height="355" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/-AqlLyLeJuQ&hl=en"><param name="wmode" value="transparent"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/-AqlLyLeJuQ&hl=en" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="355"></embed></object><br /><br /></span>Danno Bananohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15802747137264918493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7848447855965385082.post-79006312412313270742008-04-10T00:40:00.002-04:002008-04-10T00:52:26.209-04:00Top Chef -- The ElementsAnother great episode of Top Chef this week. These episodes are why I watch reality TV. First for the Quickfire Challenge the contestants had to taste ingredients blindfolded and say which is more expensive. It's crazy how some things were so different, i.e. $72 bottle of sake vs. $5.00. It'd be fun to try and see if I can beat some of them. Probably, I mean I could hit half of them and beat Stephanie. Maybe I should be a cook?<br /><br />Antonia winning the challenge was really lame because she probably would've gone home. Stupid immunity.<br /><span class="fullpost"><br />The Elimination Challenge was kind of lame. The different elements? How original.<br /><br />I think the Fire team did make the best dish, with the shrimp and spices and bacon. It annoys me though that Lisa was the winner, because all she did was make bacon. And yet again, Stephanie was on the winning team. She's going to win fo sho.<br /><br />The Air team, well, their dish looked good, but I think it's funny how, because of time, they didn't even see the judges' table.<br /><br />I liked the Earth team because my boy Spike is on it. Sure he's not the best cook but he's funny and seems like he'd be fun to hang out with. I'm glad Zoi went instead, because it was funny seeing Spike yell at Antonia since she took control even though she had immunity. Also, I like how the guest judge mentioned the soup idea (Spike's) was genius. Owned.<br /><br />I think team Water just failed miserably. Boring dish, scales in the salmon. Come on. They get an F.<br /><br />Great end of the episode. Lots of cussing and kicking of chairs and bitching and tears? LOVE IT. Plus, Padma looked gorgeous, so I'll let her marry me when the time comes.<br /></span>Jon Possiblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02435597324476110784noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7848447855965385082.post-19922702021592742862008-04-08T23:56:00.006-04:002008-04-10T20:42:05.920-04:00Thats The News?Another installment of the series whose name changes slightly each time...mostly because I don't have the tenaciousness to go look at the last installment to see the official name. But basically I try to make funny with the news headlines on CNN. mostly I fail....but sometimes I hit it, and thats what we in the business live for....we call em slammies and boy do they ever hitcha on the funny bone....SLAMMIES!<br /><br />1. <a href="http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/us/2008/04/08/vo.maine.turkey.fight.wcsh">Turkey Fight In The Road Filmed By State Trooper</a><br />Turkey fight...and we ain't talkin about an argument over whose picking up the booze tab between Jack Nicholson and Robert De Niro at the AARP Hollywood Bingo night. Am I Right? Anyone?<br /><br /><span class="fullpost"><br /><br />2. <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2008/SHOWBIZ/Movies/04/08/people.rosieperez.ap/index.html?iref=newssearch">Racy Sex Scene Awkward With Good Friend</a><br />Rosie Perez said it was awkward to film a steamy sex scene with John Leguizamo....her good friend. At this point it's probably awkward to film any movie scenes...the last time i saw her in a film she was telling Woody Harrelson to stop street balling with Wesley Snipes...and I was like 5 when that came out, and they had a steamy sex scene...also before I was born I remember when she had a steamy sex scene in that Spike Lee film. She should make a movie called Steamy Sex Scene. Well, If "The Take" doesn't do so well, look for "Steamy Sex Scene" straight to Blu-Ray.<br /><br />3. <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2008/SHOWBIZ/Music/04/08/moby/index.html">Moby Wants You On The Dance Floor!</a><br />Moby is apparently very demanding....the first line of the article goes like this:<br />"Moby just wants you to dance. Shake your booty. Get jiggy with it. Throw your hands in the air like you just....well, you get the idea."<br /><br />I don't have much to say about Moby, save that he is amusing looking to me.<br /><br />But i do have this to say, CNN; when you are done spending your time with these type of introductions...there is a man out there blogging online that you could nearly as good as that. Here's what I would have said, for example:<br />"Moby might be more than a man, he might be a machine....a dance machine..from the future...and he may have just reprogrammed your brain...to get on the damn floor. Well, shithead, who are you to disobey the MobyBot, huh?"<br /><br />CNN...you can contact me at 407.555.1234, just kidding, thats a movie phone number...but don't let that stop you, I am available...starting now.<br /><br />until next time...<br /><br /><br /><br /></span>Danno Bananohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15802747137264918493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7848447855965385082.post-6472405158910255522008-04-06T03:06:00.000-04:002008-04-06T03:07:16.462-04:00R.I.P. Charlton HestonTonight I spent the evening watching 'Blood Diamond.' Sadly, when I returned online, Yahoo!'s main story was that <a href="http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080406/ap_on_en_mo/obit_heston" target="_blank">Charlton Heston has died</a>. He was 84.<br /><br />It's always sad when a legendary screen actor dies, even if one isn't too familiar with their work. For me when I hear 'Charlton Heston' I immediately think of 'Planet of the Apes' and 'Ben-Hur,' two great movies. Of course, he's been in many, many other movies (numerous sites mention 'The Ten Commandments,' which I have not seen). I'm a bit too young, but I'm sure my parents are taking this hard. Either way, R.I.P. one more legend from the golden age of Hollywood. Yippee for morbid news.Jon Possiblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02435597324476110784noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7848447855965385082.post-79388627515103204722008-04-03T20:01:00.001-04:002008-04-03T20:03:19.987-04:00Make Me A Supermodel -- Pre-FinaleBefore today I'd only seen a couple episodes of Bravo's new series, Make Me A Supermodel. I didn't like it much because I do not like the concept of uninformed America choosing who wins. Granted, the judges choose a bottom 3 for America to pick from, but that's weak.<br /><br />Today I watched a marathon so I could be prepared for the finale tonight. I'm prepared for America to fail again, but hopefully they think smart and pick Holly as the winner. Let's get a preview.<br /><span class="fullpost"><br />Why does America fail so badly? How about when Shannon had one bad week and was in the bottom two against Ronnie. Both had one challenge win under their belt. However, this was the first time Shannon was in the bottom. It was Ronnie's fourth. Yes. Fourth. And because Ronnie is the funny gay guy, Shannon was voted off. What an awful decision.<br /><br />And now it is down to the final four. Let's run some stats.<br /><br />Holly: 4 Wins (including the 3 most recent), 1 Bottom Three<br />Perry: 1 Win, 1 Bottom Three<br />Ronnie: 1 Win, 4 Bottom Three<br />Ben: 1 Win, 4 Bottom Three<br /><br />I could deal with Perry winning. I think he's great. But Holly is by far the best, yet for some reason I can't stop anticipating Ben or Ronnie will pull an undeserved win. Well, we'll see in 2 hours.<br /></span>Jon Possiblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02435597324476110784noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7848447855965385082.post-5910321523512272762008-04-03T12:53:00.000-04:002008-04-03T13:53:12.370-04:00In Theaters April 4It's that time of the month again. No, wait. Week. That time of the week again. Yes, that is what I was aiming for. It looks like this week may be a gamble. Last week I gambled on '21' and lost miserably. Let's see if we can do better this week.<br /><br /><B>Leatherheads</b> || <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0379865/" target="_blank">IMDb</a><br /><br />I like George Clooney. Who doesn't, right? Plus I have a small man-crush on John Krasinski, and seeing him on Leno a few days ago solidified that, while this movie has some things going for it, we're looking at a bench warmer movie at best. Though it's only a few reviews, the movie has scored low on both Rottentomatoes and IMDb. 'Good Night and Good Luck.' was a great film, but here, well, let's wait for George's next round at directing.<br /><br />Rating: Download<br /><span class="fullpost"><br /><B>Nim's Island</b> || <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0410377/" target="_blank">IMDb</a><br /><br />A little better, though I think children's movies have a bit of an advantage. It seems like they get more leeway from critics because the subject matter doesn't have to be <i>as</i> mature. But then again, a good movie is a good movie. I think this one will safely be 'enjoyable but not memorable.'<br /><br />Rating: Dollar Theater<br /><br /><B>The Ruins</b> || <a href="http://imdb.com/title/tt0963794/" target="_blank">IMDb</a><br /><br />I'm kind of partial to this one, but only because I've been on a horror movie kick. But, A) the movie is rated R, so that's a start, and B) it looks to branch a bit beyond typical 'dead teenager movies.' Those two criteria put it immediately above most horror movies released recently, so there you go.<br /><br />Rating: Theater<br /><br /><B>Shine a Light</b> || <a href="http://imdb.com/title/tt0893382/" target="_blank">IMDb</a><br /><br />A documentary about the Rolling Stones. Basically, if you like the Rolling Stones, you'll like this. If not, then not.<br /><br />Rating: Dollar Theater<br /><br /><B>Jon's Pick of the Week:</b> The Ruins<br /><br /><B>DVD Release of the Week:</b> Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street<br /><br /></span>Jon Possiblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02435597324476110784noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7848447855965385082.post-492962465006366122008-04-03T00:01:00.000-04:002008-04-03T19:56:27.382-04:00Top Chef -- Film FoodHonestly, what better theme could there be, for me, than film food? Picking a movie and using it to inspire a dish? Pretty smooth. Though, granted, it's not as exciting as it sounds.<br /><br />But I'm jumping ahead. The Quickfire Challenge was entertaining, with the contestants required to make a dish of vegetables to show off skill sets. Yay for Top Chef sticking to challenges that actually measure skill!<br /><br />Dale's was the best and I'm pleased he won. Sure, like ______ said (okay, I can't remember which contestant said it), knife skills aren't everything in cooking. Well, maybe, but they mean a lot.<br /><span class="fullpost"><br />So the Elimination Challenge was in pairs (Dale got to pick who he went with), and each pair had to pick a movie to use as a dish inspiration. The reason? They were cooking for Richard Roeper (who I seldom agree with, but that's irrelevant).<br /><br />The best ones were the 'Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory' dish, which won, respectively. It's funny how the judges said that you wouldn't think any of the ingredients would go together, but they worked and tasted great. But then, the other contestants were talking shit, saying, "There's no way that tasted good." Well, this proves you can't judge a dish by its plating. And also why watching a cooking show on television stinks, but what can ya' do?<br /><br />The dish for 'Top Secret!' was good, and again, keeps in line with my theory of Stephanie winning the whole thing. I also thought the 'A Christmas Story' dish was inspired, and the judges seemed to like it a lot. I was surprised it had almost no recognition.<br /><br />Manuel and Spike's 'Good Morning, Vietnam' dish was indeed awful. And yes, they clearly thought of the movie <i>after</i> to fit their dish. Spike's one of my favorites, so I was really worried for about ten minutes. Thankfully the other guy went home.<br /><br />Overall, not a bad episode. And also, I'm now one week closer to my wedding to Padma. You're all invited. (If I say it enough, will it happen?)<br /></span>Jon Possiblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02435597324476110784noreply@blogger.com0