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Hunter Valley for Non-Drinkers!

August 18, 2010 in Food, Travel

The vineyards of Hunter Valley

About a month ago we went to the Hunter Valley (about 1.5 of hours north of Sydney CBD), the so-called “wine country” of New South Wales.  Now why would I, a non-drinker (for the most part), even consider going there?

Well, why the heck not?

So away we went for a couple of days, and I must admit it I had a terrific time.  It’s not the first time I’ve been there, but it was probably the first time I was there for more than a day, and the first time I was of legal drinking age.

I will do a series of posts on the nice place we stayed at and all the fabulous restaurants we visited in the region.  But this first post will focus on all the things non-drinkers can do at the Hunter Valley and still have a good time!

(click on ‘more…’ to read on)

Read the rest of this entry →

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“Boy” or “The Girl Who Played with Fire?”

August 17, 2010 in Entertainment

I’ve got a bit of a dilemma.

I’ve got two separate advanced screenings tonight.  The first, booked in weeks ago, is a screening to Boy, the highest grossing New Zealand film of all-time (but wait, the film it had beaten was…The World’s Fastest Indian…).  Critics are audiences are simply raving about this coming-of-age comedy-drama, written and directed by Taika Waititi (the guy who made the acclaimed short, Two Cars, One Night, which I thought was not bad).

The second, which just popped up last night, is a screening to The Girl Who Played with Fire, the highly anticipated sequel to the wonderful The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (you know, the movies based on those Stieg Larsson novels).  I had originally booked myself in for an early September screening, but the opportunity to see it two weeks earlier makes it a difficult choice.

A third choice, I suppose, given the amount of work that I have on, is to stay home and skip both.

I’ll end up seeing both films eventually anyway, so it’s just a matter of which one to see first.  What do you reckon?  Which one would you go to if you were in my shoes?

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Hollywood’s Girl With the Dragon Tattoo: Mara Rooney

August 17, 2010 in Entertainment

A day after reports stated that Scarlett Johansson was going to be a “shoo-in” as Lisbeth Salander, the titular character in the Hollywood remake of the Sweden book/film blockbuster The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, it has now been announced that the role will go to relative unknown Mara Rooney.

Yeah, I can kind of see it

I’ve seen Rooney in the A Nightmare on Elm Street remake, in which she was pretty decent.  She doesn’t necessarily have that dark intensity Noomi Rapace (the original Salander), though physically she does fit the role (skinny and not too tall).  I’m sure with the right make-up and outfit, she can make a decent Salander.

All I can say is that I’m glad Scarlett Johansson didn’t get the role.  Nothing against her personally but boy would that have been a horrible choice!  I know she’s lost some of her curves, but still.  Any of the other names mentioned before Rooney bagged the role — Emma Watson (a little too young-looking still), Ellen Page (too young and a little too small), Carey Mulligan (too classy?), Emily Browning (too young-looking?), Mia Wasikowska (could be good) and Natalie Portman (would be excellent) — would have been better than Johansson, who is just too clean/innocent/sweet to play the role.

Then again, this is a Hollywood remake, and as such, as expectations should be kept in check.  Is it going to be as dark as the original, or is it going to be sanitised for the US audience?  Will they remain true to the book, or will they make it more Hollywood?

Rooney is good in the sense that she is not a widely known name, so that will bring a sense of freshness to the film.  However, they have also chosen 007 Daniel Craig to play Mikael Blomkvist, so that defeats the purpose of trying to make it star-free.

In any case it’s still early stages — filming isn’t even set to begin until next month, with the release set for late 2011.

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Maybe I was wrong about e-books

August 15, 2010 in Blogging, Technology

Admittedly, I have not been the biggest e-book supporter out there.  I like the look, feel and smell of a real book, made out of paper, in my hands.  I’m not crazy about the idea of purchasing “intangible books” from the Internet because I feel like I should get getting stuff like that for free!

Having said that, I am starting to see a lot more people out there with Kindles and in particular i-Pads on the streets, reading e-books.  I tried it out a couple of times myself at some electronic stores.  And no, it’s not the same — but maybe someday I could get used to it.

A friend of mine recently alerted me to a couple of articles which indicate that e-books are on the rise.  First, this depressing article from Crikey about how two of Australia’s biggest book retailers, Borders and Angus & Robertson, are struggling to stay afloat.  Book orderings are now made very cautiously, and in very small quantities.  If you thought it was hard to get on shelves before, it’s now harder than ever.

Secondly, this article by Michael Wolf entitled “How e-Books Won the War”.  I wouldn’t exactly go that far myself (there’s still some life in the old hardcopy I reckon), but things are starting to look up for e-books and down for traditional books.  Stieg Larsson has become the first million e-book author, and Kindle prices are set to drop below $100, possibly as early as Christmas.  Barnes & Noble, the massive US book retailer, is in strife as well.

Have I been wrong about e-books?  Are they really going to take over the world, and at a quicker pace than any of us could have anticipated?

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Observations at the movies

August 15, 2010 in Entertainment, Movie Reviews, Technology

I went to see The Expendables yesterday (review below) at Hoyts, which has this new concept called Xtremescreen — I suppose created as a challenge to Event Cinemas’ (formerly Greater Union’s) VMax.  It’s all a bit of a scam really.  Supposedly bigger screens, more comfy seats and better sound — things that audiences should get for free anyway, but instead they have to fork out a premium for them.

The good thing for Xtremescreen, at least, is that using cheap-ass movie money, we didn’t have to pay an extra cent (though on the Hoyts website it says you need to pay a $1.50 surcharge).  The screen was no bigger than it used to be, but the sound was louder and the leather seats were not too bad (at least easier to clean).

Anyway, when we were about to get our tickets ripped, this couple went up to the teenage attendant and asked what movie, out of everything that was showing, he recommended.

I could have bet my house (if I owned one) that the kid would say Inception, but instead he said Step Up 3D!

Okay, fine, he likes dancing, but the couple were two morbidly obese, unkempt people dressed in stained grey sweaters and track pants.  Somehow I don’t think they were big dance fans.

I’ve always had a love-hate relationship with the coming attractions.  I want to know what’s coming out but I don’t want to find out too much or learn the entire plot in advance.  And you know they love to put in all the best bits in there.

Yesterday we got the trailer for Dinner for Schmucks (Paul Rudd and Steve Carrell), The Other Guys (Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg) and Piranha 3D.

I’m a big fan of Rudd, but Dinner for Schmucks looks pretty awful.  Very hit and miss, and judging from the trailer, more misses than hits.  The Other Guys looks more promising, with potentially more hits and misses.  Of course, it could be just the quality of the respective trailers.

As for Piranha 3D, I wouldn’t even know where to begin!  What an obvious rip-off of the classic film Frankenfish! (Just kidding, I’ve never seen Frankenfish but I always thought it was a cool name for a movie).  Anyway, it’s a Jaws homage with a bunch of really badly animated piranhas.  And to top things off, it’s in 3D, which I am totally over.  I’m sick of having to fork out the price of a small meal for a pair of really uncomfortable glasses and with a good chance that the 3D effects really suck and don’t add anything to the movie experience.  Bring back 2D, I say.

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