Last weekend Brig and I were figuring out what to do and decided to use the LivingSocial deal we bought for a bowling alley one town over. Just check out this website... fun and classy. The place turned out to be huge with 40+ lanes, an arcade, a grill (w/ alcohol!) and even a night club next door. Our deal allowed us 1 hour of bowling, shoe rentals, arcade tokens and a large cheese pizza. We had a great time!
We played almost 4 full games (I scored my best ever... 163!) and then hit up the arcade for some skee ball (hadn't done enough bowling, apparently) and air hockey. We came away with enough tickets for 2 Airheads and a Tootsie Roll. Then we ordered a pizza which took longer than you would think but was pretty good even though the cheese would all slide off if you held it a certain way. Still, we came away with a fun, new place to drink and play!
Tuesday, June 18, 2013
Friday, June 14, 2013
Kanye West "Yeezus" [ADVANCE]
Speaking about the album's minimal promotion, West stated: "With this
album, we ain't drop no single to radio. We ain't got no NBA campaign, nothing like that. Shit, we ain't even got no cover. We just made some real music." He spoke of radio play and said "But honestly, at this point, when I listen to radio, that ain't what I wanna be no more."
I was looking for a quote like that [source: Wiki] which would really sum up the feeling of just how quiet it's been on the Kanye front... even though he was on SNL, is always seen with Kim and has a new album dropping. He's doing things differently this time around and it's never more evident then when you're listening to it.
If you watched Kanye perform on SNL and heard the two new songs he did you might think this is a racially charged album. I certainly went in thinking it would be dark, angry and make a statement. It did that (and more) but race was only one conversation; religion had a place and even some present and past romances formed the crux of this album.
Musically, it's all over the place. Per the wiki quote, you can tell Kanye isn't trying for radio hits. There are a lot of uncommon song structures -- verse, hook, bridge, hook, verse -- and with that comes a myriad of musical changes sometimes happening multiple times per song. The beginning doesn't sound like the middle doesn't sound like the end. At times, it's hard to keep the melody and follow the flow and as a listener it can be disorientating.
You'll also hear any number of influences. One song goes all 808's & Heartbreak with its use of Auto-Tune. A couple songs feature Justin Vernon, who was all over My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. The first half of the record brings to mind Nine Inch Nails and Marilyn Manson. There's even some repeated use of screams throughout.
If I had to make a recommendation, the songs that stuck out to me are Hold My Liquor and Blood on the Leaves. Just know there were at least 6 songs I was considering here.
I was looking for a quote like that [source: Wiki] which would really sum up the feeling of just how quiet it's been on the Kanye front... even though he was on SNL, is always seen with Kim and has a new album dropping. He's doing things differently this time around and it's never more evident then when you're listening to it.
If you watched Kanye perform on SNL and heard the two new songs he did you might think this is a racially charged album. I certainly went in thinking it would be dark, angry and make a statement. It did that (and more) but race was only one conversation; religion had a place and even some present and past romances formed the crux of this album.
Musically, it's all over the place. Per the wiki quote, you can tell Kanye isn't trying for radio hits. There are a lot of uncommon song structures -- verse, hook, bridge, hook, verse -- and with that comes a myriad of musical changes sometimes happening multiple times per song. The beginning doesn't sound like the middle doesn't sound like the end. At times, it's hard to keep the melody and follow the flow and as a listener it can be disorientating.
You'll also hear any number of influences. One song goes all 808's & Heartbreak with its use of Auto-Tune. A couple songs feature Justin Vernon, who was all over My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. The first half of the record brings to mind Nine Inch Nails and Marilyn Manson. There's even some repeated use of screams throughout.
If I had to make a recommendation, the songs that stuck out to me are Hold My Liquor and Blood on the Leaves. Just know there were at least 6 songs I was considering here.
Monday, May 20, 2013
Good Eats: Cafe Burrito
There was a LivingSocial deal earlier this year advertising a pretty cool night out: a half price discount on 2 movie tickets at Studio Cinema in Belmont as well as 2 burritos and 2 drinks at it's adjoining restaurant, Cafe Burrito. The idea is that you get your food next door and then go eat it in the theater (like Chunky's).
We drove out to Belmont yesterday to see The Great Gatsby. It was a 2pm showing so we planned on getting our food after the movie. The guy at the front desk (who I'm pretty sure was also the owner) said that's not how it's supposed to work but LivingSocial didn't make that clear so he let us go in sans food. Anyway, it's a one screen theater and doesn't look like much from the outside. The auditorium reminded me of one I visited for a high school play my friend was in. The only difference was that they had removed some of the seats and replaced them with tables so you could more comfortably eat in the theater.
Fast forward 2+ hours and it's burrito time. We head next door to Cafe Burrito and order our 2 burritos as well as a side of chips and queso because Brig has needs. The burritos were very good and the queso was pretty comparable to Qdoba. It, too, was a small spot and there wasn't much seating except for bar stools at the window. It did get maybe a dozen customers while we were there but who knows how many were LivingSocial buyers like ourselves and getting their food before the 5pm showing of Gatsby.
If you're in Belmont then there's really no reason not to try it. We both said it's somewhere we'd go back to but really no rush there.
We drove out to Belmont yesterday to see The Great Gatsby. It was a 2pm showing so we planned on getting our food after the movie. The guy at the front desk (who I'm pretty sure was also the owner) said that's not how it's supposed to work but LivingSocial didn't make that clear so he let us go in sans food. Anyway, it's a one screen theater and doesn't look like much from the outside. The auditorium reminded me of one I visited for a high school play my friend was in. The only difference was that they had removed some of the seats and replaced them with tables so you could more comfortably eat in the theater.
Fast forward 2+ hours and it's burrito time. We head next door to Cafe Burrito and order our 2 burritos as well as a side of chips and queso because Brig has needs. The burritos were very good and the queso was pretty comparable to Qdoba. It, too, was a small spot and there wasn't much seating except for bar stools at the window. It did get maybe a dozen customers while we were there but who knows how many were LivingSocial buyers like ourselves and getting their food before the 5pm showing of Gatsby.
If you're in Belmont then there's really no reason not to try it. We both said it's somewhere we'd go back to but really no rush there.
Movie Review: The Great Gatsby
I thought the previews for this movie looked good, albeit extremely Baz Luhrmann-y. My only experience with him was Moulin Rouge (and this) and I couldn't get through more than 30 minutes of that movie. But Leonardo DiCaprio cures all and the REAL Spider-Man (take that, Eduardo Saverin) was in fine form.
I really liked 'Gatsby'. It was visually arresting and felt both contemporary and roaring at the same time. I was kind of sick of the phrase "old sport" by the end but I must confess I didn't read the book -- maybe that's why my tolerance was low. Brig thought it stayed surprisingly true to the book and since it is still being taught in English classes 85+ years later, that's probably a good move.
I think I came away most impressed by Joel Edgerton. I didn't know him from anything (apparently he was in Star Wars Episodes II & III but I don't remember him) but he seemed to perfectly embody his character. And while this wasn't exactly a star-making role for Carey Mulligan, I still love her from An Education and recommend that highly. I don't want to end this review by recommending a different movie so go see this too!
I really liked 'Gatsby'. It was visually arresting and felt both contemporary and roaring at the same time. I was kind of sick of the phrase "old sport" by the end but I must confess I didn't read the book -- maybe that's why my tolerance was low. Brig thought it stayed surprisingly true to the book and since it is still being taught in English classes 85+ years later, that's probably a good move.
I think I came away most impressed by Joel Edgerton. I didn't know him from anything (apparently he was in Star Wars Episodes II & III but I don't remember him) but he seemed to perfectly embody his character. And while this wasn't exactly a star-making role for Carey Mulligan, I still love her from An Education and recommend that highly. I don't want to end this review by recommending a different movie so go see this too!
Thursday, May 9, 2013
Movie Review: Iron Man 3
On Sunday, Brig and I went to see the spring spectacle known as Iron Man 3. This was a big deal because it was opening weekend and we never have the urge to rush out and see something right away (e.g. The Dark Knight Rises four weeks after its premiere.) But Robert Downey, Jr. has that kind of a hold over us and he most certainly did not disappoint.
Iron Man 3 is the first of the series not to be directed by Jon Favreau. This time, Shane Black was at the helm and, if you were like me, you read a lot about him in the weeks leading up to the film's release. So when the movie opened with Tony Stark narrating, I wasn't surprised but I didn't like it. "This isn't how you make an Iron Man movie! There is no narration!" That resided quickly though as it was just for the introduction and didn't come back until the last scene.
I'd say Black did a great job. Obviously, there was a lot of pressure being the first solo film released after last summer's game changer (another we were late to theparty theater for) but as we've already seen by all the huge numbers, it's a great success. Downey was on top of his game (as always) and the dialogue was exceptionally funny. The only thing I wish there had been more of was Don Cheadle, who was fantastic.
Iron Man 4? The Avengers 2? Downey isn't under contract after this film and you could almost sense it all ending as the movie closed. We stayed until the post-credits scene and then Marvel pulled a 007 move and put up "Tony Stark will return." But will he return as Downey??? The Avengers 2 already has a Spring 2015 release date and negotiations will be fierce. Here's hoping RDJ gives us one more adventure.
Iron Man 3 is the first of the series not to be directed by Jon Favreau. This time, Shane Black was at the helm and, if you were like me, you read a lot about him in the weeks leading up to the film's release. So when the movie opened with Tony Stark narrating, I wasn't surprised but I didn't like it. "This isn't how you make an Iron Man movie! There is no narration!" That resided quickly though as it was just for the introduction and didn't come back until the last scene.
I'd say Black did a great job. Obviously, there was a lot of pressure being the first solo film released after last summer's game changer (another we were late to the
Iron Man 4? The Avengers 2? Downey isn't under contract after this film and you could almost sense it all ending as the movie closed. We stayed until the post-credits scene and then Marvel pulled a 007 move and put up "Tony Stark will return." But will he return as Downey??? The Avengers 2 already has a Spring 2015 release date and negotiations will be fierce. Here's hoping RDJ gives us one more adventure.
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