Nein

I would like to start off by saying I'm a big fan of musicals. I especially love Chicago, which I saw many times and loved it. I even saw it on Broadway (thanks again to a very special person who did that). So, naturally I was expecting to like Nine quite a bit. Did that happen? ... well ... let me explain...

The script is pretty good.  Daniel Day Lewis is in top shape, and, unlike Richard Gere or Pierce Brosnan, he can actually sing. The main attraction of the movie, which should be Penelope Cruz in case you are a little confused and don't know why you are going to see the movie, also delivers a very good and memorable performance. And so do the rest of the cast... or almost.

So what goes wrong? Well ... I'd probably have to say it's the music, which didn't really do it for me. And Kate Hudson ... who absolutely didn't do it for me. The movie itself is pretty good but in the end it often fails as a musical. I really feel sorry because they could have made something really good, but instead ended up with something not bad.

So is this is another Mamma Mia or Chicago? ... sadly ... nein.

AAuuuuu

Yes, that's because that's just how the wolfman sounds... with precisely five "u"s ... and double "A"s. Now, about the movie ... it wasn't too bad ... it has some gore in it, which I usually don't appreciate ... and I didn't quite appreciate it this time either ... The story is interesting, with a few twists that you kinda see coming and a final showdown with a bite. Benicio is great and so is Anthony, no surprises there.

Oh, did you know the gypsy people speak Romanian? ... it's their mother tongue that they use when having a casual conversation between themselves ... no discrimination there ... it's just a bunch of Romanian gypsies having a friendly chat about their black magic charms.

What I didn't quite appreciate either  were the BOO moments ... like .... suspense ... quiet ... suspense ... WOLF BUAAAAAA!!!

All in all it's a watchable movie, but you could consider leaving the kids at home ...

... suspense ... 

.... quiet ....

3.0

Yes, today is a big day. It is my birthday, and not just any birthday, it is my 30th birthday. From now on I won't be able to tell people I'm twenty something ... but I'm fine with that. I thought about it and I will leave the midlife crisis for my 40th birthday, when I will have such a need to feel young that I will simply have to buy myself a Nissan GTR. Sounds like an amazing plan to me!
Coming back to today, I am however thinking about my life, its ups and downs, wondering if I've learned anything so far ... and the answer is surprisingly YES.
But enough blabbering... I've decided to gather up a few pictures ... so here they are:

the Kitty Kat

our 11th trip to Paris ... just kidding... I think this was our first trip together @ Disneyland

talking about Paris(different trip, of course) ... my first sushi ... yummy

the trip to the States ... I keep thinking about that

escape ...

... to Paradise

Karate in Japan

just look at that color ...

There are of course so many more moments like our adventure in Morocco (of which I don't have any pics with me) ... but I can't and I don't want to  put it all in pictures in a small  post ...

Later edit: Andreea has some pics from Morocco on facebook so here goes one of them:

And did I mention my previous blog? I think I did, but anyway here it is again.

It's been quite interesting so far ... who knows what will happen next? Adventure! Suspense! Stay tuned!

The Best Restaurant in Bucharest

This is my 200th post (yay) so it should be something interesting. So, why not share what I think is the best restaurant in Bucharest? I was thinking of writing something about sushi (addict over here), but I'll do that another time.

So, that's a pretty big statement right there, the BEST restaurant in Bucharest. Let me explain first what I am looking for in a restaurant. It's ... QUALITY first, quantity second. I don't care too much about quantity, and this is a problem in the local restaurants, where you usually get a full platter of something that's not really THAT great. Without further ado, the place which I consider to be the BEST restaurant in Bucharest is:

CHOCOLAT

That's an ugly pic, I know, but I was too busy EATING to take pictures. They have:  the best onion soup I've ever had, the beeest "chicken salad" and the most delicious tartines. The way you can feel every flavor, the fact you can tell the vegetables were fresh and tasty, it all comes together like nothing I've sampled before ... at least in Bucharest. So, yes, the food is very delicious, but what will really knock your socks off is THE DESERT. I've tried three different deserts and I'm still thinking about them. Oh, and do grab a cappuccino while you're at it. Do check out their website (it's where I got the ugly pic from) for more details like location etc...

So here it is. Darn it ... I just drooled all over my keyboard.

It's not that Complicated after all

It's not that often that I get to see a movie that exceeds my expectations, but that's precisely what happened last night when I saw "It's Complicated".Let me explain how what I was expecting to be a very light comedy turned out to be a very good light comedy:
1. You get a couple of very good actors. Meryl Streep, Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin were in top shape;
2. You get a good writer to write a decent script. Nancy Meyers also did The Holiday (which was maybe a little too light for me) and Something's Gotta Give (which was pretty darn good also).

... and SHAZAM!!!

looks like it's not that complicated after all...

The Movie of Eli

See that guy? His name is Eli, and he will chop your hand off if you stink and touch him. If you stink like really REALLY bad then and only then he will take out his big bad shotgun from his backpack and blow you into smithereens. Oh, did I mention there's a movie out about this guy? And not a bad one may I add ... It's called "The Book of Eli". I have absolutely no idea why it's called the book since it's a movie ... ah whatever ...

Not only is this a(nother) good movie with Denzel, but I think this is probably the first good Fallout movie, like the smart people on the internetz notices right away.

I don't mind that.

What I did mind a little was the catwalk appearance of the awwww sooo beautiful next Angelina Jolie appearance who almost managed to blow the movie away but thank God Denzel was there to stop her from doing it of this girl called Mila Kunis or something like that. Just take a look:

Is Angelina out into Fallout land looking to adopt some more babies? Something's definitely not right in that picture. I mean common ... it's Fallout land ... bombs ... chaos ... horror ... bah.

Anyway ... The story is pretty smart and the movie is pretty well made, but the movie is not really that pretty... get it?

Very Very Hot Stuff

It's been WAAAAAY to long since I've posted some HOT STUFF .... and what a comeback will this be!

This is definitely the best action scene ever made. Thanx to Costin for giving me the opportunity to witness this finest creation of human kind!

Le Grand-Duché de Luxembourg

Aaaand I'm back. I was away for a couple of weeks because I was on a business trip to Luxembourg. Or should I say ... Le Grand-Duché de Luxembourg. Yea ... that sounds better.

I was actually taken by surprise by the beauty of the city... the windy roads, the castles, the valleys, the peace and quiet ... ohh ... it's so peaceful ... so quiet ... maybe too much peace and quiet for some, but not for me.

The city can offer excitement as well. There are enough bars and restaurants to keep you entertained, and for the night-life you have the clubbing area which looks pretty good. There is also a very good cinema, and I will have to tell you how long story short I spent about 90 EUR (yea) to see Avatar for the second time in an upcoming post. A quick stop and a warm apple juice with cinnamon are just what the doctor ordered when it's a little cold outside...

Where Luxembourg does best though is location location location. You have sooo many places you can go to at your disposal, it's quite amazing. Germany, France or Belgium flip a coin and drive there in one or two hours. For example, one one Saturday I went skiing in France. I hadn't skied in about 7 years so it was a great experience with amazing snow and almost perfect weather. Good and quite cheap ... 35 EUR ski pass + equipment for the day.

Andreea joined me for the last weekend of the trip. Here she is enjoying the scenery:

Oh, and here is me enjoying the scenery ... it was a littttle coollldd:

On Monday we celebrated Andreea's 29th birthday. Happy Birthday again, my lovey lovey kisses and hearts :).

Andreea didn't miss the opportunity to take some great photos ... as for me and my business trip ... that's for another post ... stay tuned.

Sherlock Holmes and 2 Smoking Barrels

See that guy up there? That's Sherlock Holmes! ... What? You think that's plain old LAME? OK, then how about this guy ...

OK, OK, it looks like we are getting ... somewhere ... but that's still not a movie that an average young fellow would admire these days ... in comes Guy Ritchie ... who analysed the situation and finally thought that by all means if he would need to survive in the jungle of today's cinema, Sherlock must definitely look ... well ... like this:

See the resemblance? Well... don't bee TOO hard on yourselves, neither do I, but the point is that there's a movie in theaters called "Sherlock Holmes" which BLOWS S#IT UP! Does it have anything to do with the Sherlock Holmes from the first picture? Considering this guy knows more Karate than Mr. Miyagi the answer is pretty obvious.

One mystery remains ... Is the movie any good? ... I'd say yes, but it took me a couple of pipes and intensive use of my magnifying glass to find an answer ...

get it?

300 Million Dollars

First post for 2010, so... Happy New Year! I FINALLY got to see Avatar in IMAX, after hunting for tickets for a couple of weeks, and, well, it was all that I expected.

The lack of originality in the script of the movie is often overwhelming, but not as overwhelming as the special effects, which are sometimes simply amazing. Sure, it sometimes feels like you're watching an animation movie, but there are also moments, like the picture above, when the blue aliens look sooo real, it's freaky. The 3D is the best I've seen so far, no doubt about it.

Getting back to the script, it's not quite as bad as I was expecting it to be. Sure, you can always see the general direction where the action is heading, but I admire the lack of plot holes, and the depth they gave to the story, unlike for example Star Trek ... now that's a shallow script.

The highlight of the movie is, of course, Pandora. The world really comes alive on screen, with all the plants and trees and all the animals and everything. They really took their time with designing the place, and it shows.

So, the big question is, does it feel like 300 million dollars worth of movie? I think it does ...

Oh, and one more thing. All you (lame) downloaders out there, this movie is not for you. You need to experience this on the big screen with the 3D goggles on.

Happy New Year!