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Movie Review: Jack the Giant Slayer

The latest in Hollywood's trend of "re-vamping" classic fairy tales, Jack the Giant Slayer was probably the most ambiguous in terms of both reception and plot line. According to IMDB, the 200 million dollar film made just in the vicinity of 30 million dollars in its opening weekend, a low gross by any standard. From my perspective, the storyline also fell somewhat flat. The typical fairy tale ingredients were all there: the reluctant hero, the captured princess, the scheming adviser, all that good stuff, but they weren't always utilized very effectively. Overall, I'd say about about 40-50% of the movie followed the typical fairy tale (for lack of a better term) cliche.

On the other hand, there were several elements of the film that were not only original (as far as they have never been used in any version of the story I know of), but they added a degree of sophistication and subtlety to the plot line that was completely unexpected. During the introductory portion of the film, for example, the legend of the giants and their conflict with the human realm was recounted (simultaneously via alternating shots and dialogue) to farm boy Jack and Princess Isabelle in remarkably poetic verse. Accompanied by 3-D graphics and a well-crafted back story,  this eloquent prose gave the opening sequence a degree of class and intrigue not usually seen in fairy-tale stories, especially ones intended for younger audiences.

Moving onto the beanstalk itself (in some ways the real star of the show), the initial climb by Jack and the King's men to rescue the princess, and the travails they encountered while doing so, could easily be compared to climbing Mt. Everest: the physical exhaustion, violent weather and constant danger of falling to your death (the last of which happened to several unfortunates) were all laid out with a gritty realism that made the journey seem all the more epic.

 

With regard to the human characters, both Jack and Princess Isabelle displayed some unique traits. Aside from both of them being very clever and resourceful (sometimes in completely unexpected and bizarre ways), Jack was portrayed more realistically than I had ever seen before. Although enthralled with fantasy and adventure stories, he was certainly not ignorant of the world around him. For example, when Princess Isabelle ran away from home and happened to show up on Jack's doorstep on a stormy night, he was in no way fooled by her disguise and had a bit of fun at her expense before revealing that fact. Princess Isabelle, as well, displayed traits atypical of the usual fairy-tale princess. Aside from an independent and "call-no-man-master" personality (not exactly new in this day and age but still refreshing to see, nonetheless), she was no pushover when it came to combat, either. Although not directly involved in the melee, she donned armor, was entrusted with a critical task at the height of the battle and, with Jack's help, managed to take down a giant without even drawing a weapon.

All of this aside, the most intriguing aspect of the film for me was something I could never have imagined. One of the centerpieces of the film was an ancient crown that could give whoever wore it complete control over the giants. After Jack used it to defeat them in battle (and eventually became king himself), the crown was altered over successive generations. There was a whole sequence towards the end of the film where the crown was shown being polished, re-sized and expanded upon with jewels, fine cloth, precious metals and other additions over a period of hundreds of years, eventually becoming the centerpiece if the modern British Crown Jewels (fitting, since this story originated in the British Isles). This was accompanied by a multitude of voices, each one reciting a different segment of the "Jack and the Beanstalk/Jack the Giant Killer" story, some of which would be  immediately recognizable to any child today. This sequence reminded me of an important fact about myths and folk-tales. Historically speaking, most prominent and enduring stories (including Greek myths, tales of King Arthur and even Robin Hood) rarely spring from a single source. Regardless their origins, they tend grow and evolve over hundreds and sometimes thousands of years, acquiring new characters and plot lines depending on the time and place in which they are told, as well as who is telling the story. The sequence with the crown at the end of Jack the Giant Slayer was an absolutely perfect metaphor to demonstrate this concept; I doubt even Joseph Campbell could have done it better.

Although several elements of this film did adhere (sometimes irritatingly so) to the typical cliches of fairy-tale stories, the multiple attempts to bring in fresh takes and understandings to a beloved story definitely paid off in the end, and made desirous to the see the film again (unfortunately, that never happened, so I wait with patience for the DVD- available two days after my birthday!)

NYCC 3-day Passes on Sale May 15th.

3- day passes for NY Comic Con taking between Oct. 10-13th, will go sale online on Wednesday, May 15th at noon. They are priced at $65 each, if purchased before the show.

Don't put off buying passes this year. Passes may still be available at retailers this summer. But they will be very limited. VIP passes sold out in just a few hours back in March. 4-day passes also sold out online, in little over a month. Single day passes will go on sale sometime over the summer.

Some guests have already been announced. Such as comic creator Marc Silvestri and comic writer Scott Snyder. Actresses Eve Myles and Felicia Day are also scheduled to attend.

https://www.newyorkcomiccon.com/Buy-Tickets/

Paul Bearer Rest In Peace

Paul Bearer was in the WWE since 1990 or 1991. He was a strange and intresting manager in professional history. He was in the corner of The Undertaker along with Mick Foley as Mankind along with Vader and Kane. Well I am sure all of the WWE Universe will miss him. So rest in peace.

Hurricane Sandy Relief Concert

 Hurricane Sandy Relief concert took place on triple 12 aka December 12, 2012. A lot of celebrities answered the phones. Billy Crystal who is from Long Beach, NY hosted the show. Their were a lot of performers that played music. Roger Waters did songs from the wall. Even celebrities talked about the hurricane. All I can tell you all of New York and all of New Jersey are now coming together as one as a big unit to stand strong. You can watch clips from youtube.com or viemo.com and you can download the songs from itunes.com.

written and typed by 

Justin Stenzler

Restaurant Review: Amla

Indian food has always been problematic in my family. My father and sister have a higher tolerance for spiciness than I do, my mother's tolerance is much lower than any of us, and that's before we even get into the problems with specific foodstuffs. As such, it tends to be very difficult to find an Indian restaurant that has enough dishes for everyone to get something that they can eat. However, there is a bright spot on the horizon. Earlier this year a new Indian restaurant opened up right in my neighborhood that offers perhaps a wider array of delicious delicacies than any other eatery we've ever come across.

Built in the same space as a previous Indian restaurant, Amla is different from many similar establishments. When I stopped to look at the menu, I noticed that there were a greater number of vegetarian dishes than the two other major restaurants in the area ("Indian Cafe" and "Indus Valley"). Upon further examination, I decided that this establishment dealt with, at least to a degree, more with foods from the south of India, which has a strong vegetarian tradition. Meats and seafood are on offer as well, along with multiple breads and various rice dishes.

The decor and atmosphere in the restaurant is equally innovative. Warm colors of gold, orange and brown surround the diners; the metal wall sconces are shaped like twisting stems with cut-glass flowers as shades for the light bulbs; Indian music plays softly from multiple speakers; and best of all, the service is impeccable. The only major flaw of the place is their desserts; I wasn't entirely sure what to expect, but nearly all of the desserts were dairy-based/made with condensed milk, usually with some other minor element that served as flavoring.


All things considered, Amla is most certainly a worthy addition to the restaurant scene in my neighborhood, and my family and I certainly plan on returning in the future. Based on our experience, the cost was roughly $25 per person, so if you're willing to go for it, I would highly recommend you plan your next date or gathering at this remarkable Indian eatery.

AMLA | NEW YORK'S FINEST INDIAN CUISINE 

Movie Review: Cloud Atlas

If this movie could be summed up in one simple phrase, I would go with "Babel on steroids". Like the 2005 film, Cloud Atlas consisted of a series of interconnecting plot lines that come together to create a single story. Those plot lines were sometimes set hundreds of years apart (from the 19th all the way to at least the 22nd century) and featured locations from around the globe.

Unlike Babel, however, structuring the film in such a way worked significantly to Atlas' disadvantage. Not only were the plot lines larger in number, but the the themes and material being dealt with had immense philosophical, sociopolitical and sometimes metaphysical undertones, so it was quite a lot to take and difficult to follow. This difficulty was further compounded by the fact that each actor (the cast was superb) played at least half a dozen parts throughout the various plot lines. This was not a bad idea in-and-of-itself, but here I think they took it a little too far. Another issue was that some of the characters spoke in such heavy/unusual accents (and sometimes not even in proper English) that a good part of the dialogue was hard to understand.

 
On a more positive note, the photography and visual effects of the film were excellent. The audience is treated to sweeping vistas of the Pacific islands, high-speed car chases on the streets of futuristic Seoul and beautiful views of pre-War Britain. The costuming and make-up were also superb. In many cases they were so good that I didn't know which actors were playing which parts until they were revealed in the closing credits (some actors played characters of both sexes).

As far as the overarching storyline goes, I detected subtle hints of Buddhist philosophy: all life- whether past, present or future- is connected and that there is always a desire to obtain truth and inner peace, no matter how high the cost.

Steve Wilkos Attending NY Comic Con

Television talk show host, Steve Wilkos has just been added to New York Comic Con list of special entertainment guests. He will be signing autographs on Sunday, at the Stamford Media Center booth #1068, from 12pm to 1pm.

Source: New York Comic Con

NYCC Live Streaming from IGN Theater

New York Comic Con is completely sold out. But if you can’t be there, NYCC will live streaming  their biggest panels from IGN Theater, on their website via Twitch TV.  Panels so far confirmed to be live streamed are as follows:

Friday

Comic Book Men 2:45pm - 3:45pm,
Silent Hill Revolution 3D 4pm - 5pm
Robot Chicken  6:30pm-7:30pm

Saturday

Haven 10:30am - 12pm
The Dark Knight Returns, Part 2! 12:15-1:15pm
The Conjuring 1:30pm - 2:00pm
The Bay 2:15pm - 2:45pm
Beautiful Creatures 3pm - 3:30pm
Carrie 3:45pm -4:15pm
Evil Dead 4:15pm - 4:45pm
Walking Dead 5pm - 6pm
Firefly: 10th Anniversary Special Event 6:15pm - 7:15pm

Sunday

Arrow 11am-12pm

It’s not clear though, that any exclusive footage shown at these panels, will see shown on the live stream. These panels will also streamed live on big screen in queue hall for the IGN theater. So if you are at NYCC and get stuck line waiting outside,  you should still be able to watch, most of the panel.

Guillermo Del Toro Attending New York Comic Con

Prolific television and movie director and producer, Guillermo Del Toro will be a New York Comic Con this week, at Jacob Javits Center. He will be signing at the Legendary Entertainment booth from 2pm to 3pm on Friday, Oct, 12. Then he will appear on the Legendary Comics Panel, from 5:15pm to 6:15pm in room 1E07, to discuss upcoming projects, with special surprise guests. Del Toro, will also be signing at Dark Horse Comics booth for“The Strain” from 2pm to 3pm.

Guillermo last appeared at New York Comic Con in 2008, to present “Hellboy”. Since the than he has directed Hellboy 2: Golden Army and Pan's Labyrinth. He also been involved in production of many other films, including Splice, Afraid of the Dark, and  His next directorial debut will be the big-budget sci-fi action film Pacific Rim, coming out next summer. No word yet if Guillermo will discuss or present any footage from Pacific Rim. He also just recently secured a deal with FX network, to produce new tv series based on his critically acclaimed novel “The Strain”.

Stay tuned for more New York Comic Con news and information, later today.

Sources:  Legendary Entertainment, Dark Horse Comics

Sesame Street Celebrates 43 Years

                                                                   

Sesame Street has been on for 43 years. It is the longest running kids show. That have added

cartoons and even added more celebraties. I have been watching that show ever since I was born. It was my second most favorite kids show. My favorite character on the show was Big Bird.

written by

Justin Stenzler

Reading Rainbow Gets an app for i pad

            Levar Burton who was the host and executive producer of Reading Rainbow has been able to get an app for the i pad. It shows videos from all the episodes from the past adventures. It will also show all the adventures for you to choose from. I have been watching Reading Rainbow for 10 years.
It is also has stories for you to choose from.







written by
Justin Stenzler

Cooking Tips 104

Tender Meat
A good way to ensure that your meat stays tender is to marinate it in something acidic. Depending on the flavors of the recipe you're using, this could include worcestershire sauce, balsamic vinegar, or even orange juice. A little olive oil never goes amiss either. Just be creative!

Sanitary Surfaces
When preparing vegetables and meat for the same meal, an important thing to keep in mind is the order of that preparation. Any surface (counter top, cutting board, plate, container ect...) or utensil (knives and other implements) used for raw meat should not be used for raw vegetables or other produce immediately afterwards without properly washing said surfaces and utensils. This will prevent the spread of harmful bacteria. The easiest approach is to prepare all the vegetables first (as long as the recipe allows it) and then move onto the meat, so everything only has to be washed once.

Movie Review/Book Comparison: The Hunger Games

Well, after much deliberation, I took the proverbial plunge and treated myself to what is probably the hottest media franchise so far this year. The much-lauded adaptation of the first novel in Suzanne Collins' trilogy, although less impressive than it would be on the big/IMAX screen (do I regret not seeing it in theaters?), certainly delivered not only an accurate adaption of the original material but more than a healthy dose of action, drama and true human emotion.

As far as accuracy goes, I would give The Hunger Games a solid 85% for staying faithful to the book. All the major players were on the stage and delivered their lines beautifully. The most notable, or rather the most consistent, change was what I would call "trimming". In the book, there are significant stretches where the plot line becomes stilted/monotonous and action is at a minimum. Strictly speaking, however, this is probably a true reflection of how the characters actually felt during the competition; alone in the silent wilderness for hours or days at a time, sleeping with one eye open (cliche, I know, but very apt) while physically and emotionally exhausted, constantly on the watch in every direction with minimal food and water; its enough to make anyone anxious. In the movie, much of that slow-moving narrative, as well as sizable portions of general description and Katniss Everdeen's personal musings (the whole book was told in first person), were eliminated. While not seriously affecting the powerful emotional edge of the story, it did remove a good deal of the back story surrounding various characters, especially the more minor competitors. In this sense, if I had not read the book beforehand, I would have had a much more difficult time following the plot.

Another area of alteration that jumped out at me involved the aesthetics of the film (particularly the food, clothing/physical appearances and various physical settings, which Collins describes in precise detail), but this aspect was a bit more ambiguous than the alterations to the actual storyline. Although various aesthetic elements were altered from the book descriptions, the impact of those elements was still just as impressive (my personal favorite was the parade of the tributes, when Katniss and Peeta came blazing in wearing black leather with blue and orange flames streaming from their backs).

The accompanying music was either dramatic or intimate (sometimes both) when the situation required it, and lent a powerful feeling to the already stunning visuals and emotional plot line.

All in all, I believe that The Hunger Games certainly lives up to its monumental pop culture reputation, but I would recommend reading the original book first, if for no other reason than to fully appreciate Collins' skillful mastery of the hero's journey narrative.

SEE MY REVIEW OF THE ORIGINAL BOOK

Oz: The Great and Powerful Trailer

NY Comic Con Selling All Tickets

San Diego Comic Con the mecca of comic cons, starts up this week. But three months from New York Comic Con will be here. While still not quite as huge as SDDC, NYCC sees over 100,000 people.

Single- day tickets for the 2012 show have gone on sale on their website this week. Comic and anime shops also selling single-day, 3-day and 4-day passes. Also professional registration and VIP tickets will go sale, sometime this month.

Professional registration is for people who want to do business at NYCC, like artists, buyers, creators and publishers. VIP passes give attendees perks through the show, at a higher price. Details on these perks, should posted in next week or two.

These are prices for tickets purchased on the website or at retailers:

Friday: $35
Saturday: $50
Sunday: $ 35
3-Day: $65 (Fri,Sat,Sun)
4-Day: $ 85 (Thurs thru Sun)

Prices for tickets will be higher, if bought onsite. But they will probably sell out before then. I strongly advise, that you buy your tickets by early September. As, in past years, NYCC has started selling out online, just about 2-4 weeks, before it begins. Also, NYCC will mail passes to you if you purchase online, by September 7, 2012 (except outside of the US). If you wait longer, you will have to wait on longer lines to pick up your pass at the show.

NYCC has already announced a comic and entertainment guests coming to show. Which runs between October 11-14. Including, Geoff Johns and Jim Lee, from DC comics. Mike Mangolia creater of Hellboy. John Quesada from Marvel, and Sean Astin from the Lord of the Rings and Goonies.  They will be more announcements over the coming months leading up to the show. The programming schedule should be released sometime in September as well.

Katy Perry Part Of Me 3D

This movie is based on the life of one of my favorite performers Katy Perry. She is a great dancer and great singer and her costumes are great. I saw the movie with my mom as a part of my birthday week.
Can't wait to have it on dvd real soon.






by Justin Stenzler

Tribute to Robin Gibb

                                                                          Robin Gibb
                                                                         1949 - 2012
Robin Gibb was a member of the Bee Gess. The Bee Gees was a disco group that I thought was untouchable. I was very talented.  The Bee Gees put in four songs in a movie that John Travolta famous in movie Saturday Night Fever which introduced the style of disco.









by Justin Stenzler                                                                

Tribute to Donna Summer

                                                                     Donna Summer
                                                                        1948 - 2012
 Donna Summer to me was the queen of disco. I have been listening to her since I was 12 years old.
I loved her music. Two or Three years ago she released her new album The Queen Is Back. Her real name was Ladonna Adrian Gaines.









by Justin Stenzler

Restaurant Review: Aquagrill

They say that "fish is brain food". If that's the case, then one of the best universities in the city is undoubtedly Aquagrill, located at 210 Spring Street on 6th avenue. If fish and seafood are your cup of tea (the restaurant has, in addition to the main menu, over 20 varieties of oysters + a full raw bar) and you're willing to spend that extra dollar, then hop the fastest form of transportation you can and get to this place for a culinary experience you'll never forget.

When judging quality of food and quality of service (the two most important qualities of a restaurant experience), Aquagrill was pretty much split 50-50. We had a reservation and showed up on schedule, but weren't seated until ten minutes after our reservation time. The service was, in my Dad's words, "slow and disorganized". Granted, the restaurant was very crowded, but there were plenty of servers and my Dad also said that they shouldn't seat more guests than the kitchen could handle.

Balancing out the somewhat lousy service, however, was some of the best food I've had in a long time. The menu was mostly seafood, but really had something for everyone (steak, chicken, salad ect...). The quality of the meal was simply extraordinary, and my family and I all took tastes of each other's dishes (the apple tart dessert, seen left, was my favorite). All in all, the experience was a positive one, and I would go back to this restaurant in a heartbeat.

Just one piece of advice; if you decide to try this restaurant (which I strongly encourage), remember to make your reservation at a time when the crowds are likely to be smaller (we went on Saturday night- not such a good idea), then just sit back and let the good times roll.

Aquagrill Restaurant, New York City