Brave

Brave is a nice coming-of-age story about a child that does not get along with a parent and is not growing up to be the ideal person that the parent had hoped the child would be. The child just isn't turning out to be the viking his father wants him to be . . . oh wait, wrong coming-of-age story with a strained parent-child relationship. No dragons in this movie, only bears. And it's not the father-son relationship this time, it's the mother-daughter one. So all of you ladies out there who felt robbed after How to Train Your Dragon, Pixar has finally come through for you.

Of course it's not exactly the same, but it really is. A boy who does not fit the stereotypical male role, not the tough, masculine, viking-type, but the scrawny, intellectual and curious type. A girl who isn't exactly lady-like and doesn't want to be, but would rather be out shooting arrows and living the life of a clansman. A father who does not understand his son. A mother who does not understand her daughter. A problem that can only be solved in the child's way so that the parent has to finally give notice to who he/she has been all along and what he/she has been trying to say all along. In the end (spoiler alert - oh wait, you probably already saw How to Train Your Dragon so it may not be quite the spoiler) the family is reunited with a new understanding and appreciation for each other.

And after seeing it, I'm not sure why it was called 'Brave.' Oh sure, I could make something up and draw a connection between the plot and the concept of bravery, but I feel that any such connection has to be read into the movie so much that it loses legitimacy as a title. The daughter didn't seem to have to learn to be brave, she was quite brave from the start of the movie and was definitely not a characteristic that she was lacking in. (She was probably the only one brave enough to go head to head with her mother the queen, for starters.) The mother did not seem to be lacking in bravery either (no problems taking on entire room of clansmen) and the moments when one might argue that she acted with the most bravery, I would probably respond that it wasn't from a discovery of bravery, but was an instinctive and motherly response. No other character seemed to have to learn bravery, nor would it matter, because the rest were so minor that it would not make sense to derive a title from their story. Maybe 'How to Train Your Bear' would have been more fitting . . .

I am curious if my opinions/perceptions would be different had this come out before How to Train Your Dragon, or if I were a girl. Naturally I can connect more with and understand better the character of Hiccup than the character of Merida. I would love to hear how the ladies out there respond to the show.

Of course all that being said, it's not a bad show. Predictable - yes. Done before - yes. But still cute. And the Celtic music is really nice and something different from other Disney or Pixar films. Worth seeing - probably, but not necessarily one I would go see in theaters again.

The short at the beginning (La Luna), however, is wonderful. It is simple and very endearing and heart-harming. (Probably not very masculine words for a guy to be using when describing a movie, maybe I need to go find my own dragon to train.) I must say, though, it is easily one of my favorite Pixar shorts, if not my new favorite. You just can't help but smile and feel good inside after watching it. A must-see!

Ruby River Steakhouse

It has been a while since I ate there, but an even that my taste buds will not soon forget. Since I moved to Provo, I have been trying to avoid chain restaurants and eat more at the little places that can only be found in Provo. However, I think I have only eaten at Ruby River once in my life before recently, if that. I must start out by giving a shout out to my Aunt Lola and Uncle Robert who treated me, along with my cousin Cathy to this delicious meal. So I think I will go through each item I enjoyed off of the menu. I almost want to say that I am going to go through it from least to greatest, but I hate to call anything I ate there the 'least.'

Steamed vegetables were wonderful. Of course I like steamed vegetables and the fact that they are vegetables is probably why they earn the position of 'least.' It's an item that doesn't seem too difficult to get right and when done right, there's not much to distinguish it from some other place that does them right. Anyway, these were done right. Not to mushy, but not so crisp that you might as well be eating raw vegetables. They really were just right.

Bread was really good. I remember liking it and wanting to eat more and more of it, but I can't quite remember why. It was obviously fresh and good. That's all.

Baked potato with the works (minus chives - no need for those). This was amazing. It was also perfectly cooked. Not overly cooked to where it is leather and not raw and under cooked. Just right. The kind of potato you would use a s model to teach culinary arts students how a potato should feel when you stick it after baking. The ingredients were quality all the way around, which is appreciated, and at Ruby River they dip your baked potato in a batter and fry it, which adds quite a delicious flavor to the whole experience.


The steak was excellent. I think at some point someone requested A1 sauce, which I love and usually enjoy on my steak, but I don't remember if it was ever brought to the table. Also cooked perfect to my liking, the meat was tender and nice. Not chewy or tough by any means. And the reason that no sauce was required was because it was so well seasoned and flavored that it did not need anything else. One of the best steaks I have had in a really long time.

Finally, and this may seem strange coming in as the best part of the meal, especially considering how wonderful the steak was (and I'm not joking or exaggerating on that part), but the must try for everyone going to Ruby River Steakhouse is their home brewed Cream Soda. I must confess, I have never had hand crafted cream soda before, so I don't have much to compare it to, but it was manna in beverage form. Absolutely the best soda I have ever had. A definite 'do not miss' the next time you are in Ruby River Steakhouse.

The Hunger Games

I know that it has been forever since I saw it, but I always intended to blog about the experience, I'll just have to try and recall everything I thought. I saw it when it had just come out and was in a pretty vacant theater, to which we were the first to arrive and had the seating of our choice. Why an almost vacant theater when there were lines to the door on all the other showings? They decided to throw in an extra showing since they had so many people showing up, and since the extra showing was not advertised, only those of us who happened to be at the theater at that time actually found out about it. This is a very convenient way to see a box office hit for the first time. (I did end up seeing The Hunger Games twice in theater and did not have nearly as good of a seat the second time.)

Just to get my major complaint out from the get go, I should have taken a Dramamine before going to see it. The cinematography made me sick. It took some time to adjust to it and I think I might have had to take a few minutes to get my 'land legs' back after the show was over. I have heard multiple explanations as to why the movie was filmed like it was and whether they are right or not, I certainly hope that future installments are done differently.

Now, before going any further in this critique, I have to establish that I really don't buy into comparing movies to their book counterparts. Most books aren't written as movie scripts and don't translate perfectly into movies (we have to learn to accept that); the simple length factor gets in the way of that. Movies are also money makers in different ways than books and usually attempt to appeal to a broader audience. Also, when we sit down to a book, we are making a long-term commitment, a different mentality than when we sit down to a movie. Anyway, I'm sure I could go off on this more, but I will leave it at that for now.

Having now diverged I think that my description of The Hunger Games would be that it is the one movie that I have seen that has best captured the feel of a page-turner. I was quite literally on the edge of my seat the entire time, often catching myself holding my breath. The funny thing is, I knew what was going to happen. I had read the book. Yet, I still felt this intensity that was well captured by the film. It was also one of those movies where you did not feel the time go by and you really did walk out of the theater surprised that so much time had passed.

That's about all I have for you on this one. I really need to work on writing more regularly so that I preserve all of my thoughts.

Best Cupcakes in Utah County

It just so happens that there is this amazing cupcake place in Provo. I know what you are thinking--It's a cupcake, how great could it be. Aren't basically all cupcakes created equally? I thought the same thing until I discovered (thanks to the recommendation of a law school friend) The Cocoa Bean. It really is an amazing place, so much that I have gone there with the girls that my roommate and I home teach, with dates, with my family, with my friends from out of town--yeah, I seem to find a lot of excuses to go there. But the goodness of this Cupcake Cafe does not end with the cupcakes. Their gourmet hot chocolate is absolutely divine and I believe it is made from roasted cocoa beans. I have yet to try their Italian Sodas (and I usually love Italian Sodas) but I am sure that will happen when the weather warms up. As for now, I have been taking advantage of the hot-chocolate-weather to enjoy these wonderful flavors. It is a bit more expensive than you are probably accustomed to paying for when buying a cupcake and hot chocolate, but that is the price of quality and here you really are getting the best. My favorite so far: Mexican Artisan Hot Chocolate with a Madagascar Vanilla Vanilla Cupcake (yes, two vanillas), but you really can't go wrong with anything they have to offer. Check out their blog and their cupcake schedule, since they rotate the flavors of cupcakes each day and be sure to stop in for some of their delicious yumminess. (I can't believe I just used the non-word 'yumminess,' but then I am critiquing cupcakes, so there you have it.)

http://thecocoabeancupcakecafe.blogspot.com/

Moneyball

A movie about baseball and about mathematical modeling and predictions, I am definitely in! If only it had been about my Dodgers . . . So finally, after months of attempts, my roommates and I got to go see Moneyball. We really have been trying to catch a showing since it came out and have been very unsuccessful. Finally it worked out, and even better--it was in the dollar theater (or should I say $1.75 theater). Overall, I must say that I enjoyed the movie and was glad that we had not given up in our efforts to see it and in the end it even had some great take-home messages and morals. there was a good mix of sports, drama, humor, and some suspense. They really held you on the edge of your seats for some of those baseball games. As you would expect with this cast, there was excellent acting. If I had to say that there was one thing that was not as appealing, I would have to say this: It was obvious that they were trying to also incorporate an artistic element to the film and only did a decent job, if not quite that. Some of the artistic moments were a little too drawn out for a baseball movie and sometimes it seems like they missed the mark. It was a good effort, and I applaud the attempt in this kind of movie, but it needed some small adjustments to really pull it off. The good thing is, the small short coming in the artistic department did not take away from the film as an overall. Definitely one I will add to my DVD collection!

Chris Botti in Boston

I know that the CD was released forever ago and I have probably owned it for almost a year now, but I do not promote this CD enough. It is amazing! It's funny because I have liked Chris Botti for a while now, but I did not realize this new CD had come out until someone was counseling with me over potential gifts for a mutual friend. I told her that i hadn't heard the CD yet and did not know what my recommendation would be. Boy would I take that back now. My recommendation is high, sky-high, no, it's space-high. Let's just say, I LOVE THIS CD! (As a side note, I have contemplated the use of some rating system and everything seemed cliche, so I am going with . . nothing. Maybe people will just have to actually read the posts.) Anyway, as I was saying, I LOVE THIS CD! Chris Botti is a jazz trumpet player. If you are into jazz or trumpet music, you are probably aware of him already because he is one of the best selling jazz/trumpet players of our day. If you are not into jazz or trumpet music, this is the conversion album and gentlemen, this is the music a girl expects to hear playing when she walks into that candlelight dinner. Granted, it's not going to fill your appetites for hard rock, but surely everyone needs a calming, soothing, and relaxing break. This is the CD for that. Nothing is better at helping me unwind. Also it has a great mix, some strictly jazz-like pieces, some songs with only Botti, and a phenomenal list of guest stars, including Sting, Josh Groban, Steven Tyler, Yo-Yo Ma, Katherine McPhee, and John Mayer. Such a list of guest stars really helps to make this a conversion album. So, if you are looking for a fantastic backdrop to that peaceful, relaxing evening, my I recommend looking no farther than Chris Botti's album, Chris Botti in Boston.

To help get you hooked:

Everybody's Critic

This will come as no surprise to those who know me, but I'm a critic.(Insert sarcastic gasp and exclamation, "No, not you!" from the audience.) I have an opinion about everything and I like to express it, which really is the problem. There have been far too many times that I should have kept my opinions to myself and lacked the self-discipline to do so. The solution: this blog. It's the new outlet for all of my critiques. So, be it a book I've read, a movie I've seen, or even my most recent meal at a restaurant, nothing escapes my critical eye. Of course I'm not a professional critic, (not that I would turn down money if someone offered it to me for my opinions-but then maybe that's why I am going to law school) but I do seem to have an opinion about everything that I generally find justified. Of course, you are welcome to disagree and share your thought in the comments. I most likely will not engage in warfare over the subject since we all have different tastes and preferences, but I will warn you I'm usually right. I know that may seem arrogant, but if it weren't so historically accurate, I probably wouldn't believe it as much as I do.