Mashed Thoughts of dPotato http://dpotato.posterous.com My online journal of my amazingly boring life. Don't expect anything juicy. I write those in my real journal at home safe away from prying eyes. Except for maybe my sister. posterous.com Wed, 13 Jul 2011 12:00:00 -0700 Winnie the Pooh - Movie Review http://dpotato.posterous.com/winnie-the-pooh-movie-review http://dpotato.posterous.com/winnie-the-pooh-movie-review

Pooh
Disney brings us back to the Hundred Acre Wood by expertly weaving together three stories inspired by A. A. Milne to produce a wonderfully delightful movie that brought me back to my own childhood days. Winnie the Pooh (voiced by Jim Cummings) is still on his never ending quest of searching for hunny to sedate his rumbly tumbly. It brings him to Eeyore (Bud Luckey) house where he discovers that his friend has lost his tail! The search is on to help Eeyore find a new tail. Later on, after Owl (Craig Ferguson) misinterprets a note from Christopher Robin (Jack Boulter), the gang try to capture the elusive beast called the "Backson" that they thought have kidnapped their friend. Hilarity ensues as Pooh's hungry tummy distracts him from the task at hand and gets everyone else in a pinch. But the stuffed bear will pull through in the end and demonstrates that friendship is always more important than hunny...even though hunny is pretty important.

It was great to see the familiar faces of Pooh and the gang animate the screen again. I mean, who can resist Pooh Bear's charm and innocence?! Every Winnie the Pooh fan - young and old - will enjoy this movie though it is probably more suited to the younger audience. I loved how the movie plays out in a similar manner as the first movie; the characters interact with the narrator (John Cleese) and the words on the page.The movie soundtrack was great. Zooey Deschanel lent her voice for the soundtrack and it was very pleasant to hear her rendition of the familiar 'Winnie the Pooh' song in the beginning. There were many other songs just like in the first movie.

The only complaint I have is that the movie was so short, it is hard to justify seeing it in theatre; however, Winnie the Pooh is a delightful addition to the first movie and a welcoming one for those who grew up with Pooh Bear and his friends.

Winnie the Pooh comes out in theatres this Friday, July 15th.

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Tue, 12 Jul 2011 00:17:00 -0700 Harry Potter Picnic & Muggle Quidditch Match http://dpotato.posterous.com/harry-potter-picnic-muggle-quidditch-match http://dpotato.posterous.com/harry-potter-picnic-muggle-quidditch-match

Warner Brothers hosted this event at David Lam Park to celebrate the release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2. Many wizards and Muggles came down to be part of this epic event. There were a lot of awesome costumes and creative foods made by fans. And cake! Delicious cake! Advance screening passes, movie soundtracks, t-shirts, caps, magnets, key-chains and posters were given to the most enthusiastic fans. Muggle Quidditch was very interesting to watch. It was like a cross between tag and dodge ball. Looked fun and participants had a great time!

If you are craving more Harry Potter and don't have the coveted advance screening passes to Wednesday night's screening, you may want to check out the 'Harry Potter Relive The Magic' event at Chapters. They say it is all Chapter stores across Canada but you may want to call in to confirm.

It's hard to believe that the Harry Potter saga will be coming to an end soon. Don't miss the finale HP7: Part 2 in theatres this Friday July 15. I can't wait to see it!

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Mon, 11 Jul 2011 22:39:00 -0700 NKOTBSB at Metropolis Hot Seats at Rogers Arena http://dpotato.posterous.com/nkotbsb-at-metropolis-hot-seats-at-rogers-are http://dpotato.posterous.com/nkotbsb-at-metropolis-hot-seats-at-rogers-are

K won Metropolis Hot Seat tickets and she invited me Sunday night to watch the NKOTBSB concert from the Metropolis at Metrotown suite at Rogers Arena. The suite was on the 5th floor and it's the first time I've ever been so high up in that building. There were about ten people there including the Metrotown social media team. We were treated to yummy food as soon as we arrived. There was a cheese platter, veggie platter, fruit platter, popcorn, chips and drinks. We pigged out on snacks while watching Matthew Morrison sing and dance the opening act. He borrowed a lot from Glee. Even his intro had Sue Sylvester in it. Later the hot foods arrived - there was BBQ chicken wings, breaded prawns and mini-burgers. SO GOOD.

But enough about the delicious food. NKOTBSB were amazing!  Rogers Arena was packed with screaming fangirls (and fanboys). I recognized quite a few songs - more from the Backstreet Boys than from NKOTB. It certainly brings back a lot of memories. They had great audience interaction. At one point the singers pulled four lucky girls onto stage, gave them roses and sang to them! They also walked around crowd. Everyone wanted to touch them! One girl lunged at one of singers and had to be pushed back forcefully by security! Yikes! But other than that there were no other incidences. I loved the atmosphere, the energy and the excitement that permeated Rogers Arena on Sunday. It was an awesome concert and I had an amazing time. Thanks Metropolis at Metrotown!

For your chance to win tickets to the suite, visit the Customer Service booth at the mall and enter at the contest kiosk. Also follow @MetropolisMet on twitter and tweet with the hashtag #MetropolisHotSeats or like them on Facebook.

Here was the opening sequence on Sunday night:

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Mon, 11 Jul 2011 11:00:00 -0700 3rd Annual Mascot Race at Hastings Racecourse http://dpotato.posterous.com/3rd-annual-mascot-race-at-hastings-racecourse http://dpotato.posterous.com/3rd-annual-mascot-race-at-hastings-racecourse

The 3rd annual Mascot Racing was held yesterday at Hastings Racecourse. This event benefits Variety the Childrens Charity. There were a lot of mascots participating this year and several races were held between the furry characters. Every two horse race, a mascot race was held. There were three qualifying rounds and one final race to determine the winner. I didn't stay for entire thing as I had to go prepare for the NKOTBSB concert in the evening but I definitely want to stay until the end next year because it is so fun to watch! The race had two hurdles to hump over this year and many of the mascots are just not built for racing - the poor things. Many of them were fell. Poor Philbert from Purdy's Chocolate fell again and he was doing so well too. 

This was also the first time I went to the racecourse to watch the races. Betting on the horses is so confusing! But we decided to try our luck and placed a two dollar bet on horse #5 and he won! We had beginners luck. Hahah. We won 80 cents from that bet. We were screaming so loudly when our horse was in the lead racing toward the finish line. I bet everyone could tell we were first-timers! I love watching the horses race. It's so exhilerating. Horses are such beautiful creatures and there is something that I love about their raw power and speed. I will definititely go again. Perhaps next week, since there is Weiner Dog racing next!

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Sun, 10 Jul 2011 01:09:02 -0700 Summer Live at Stanley Park http://dpotato.posterous.com/summer-live-at-stanley-park http://dpotato.posterous.com/summer-live-at-stanley-park

It was a beautiful sunny day today! Perfect weather for the Summer Live event at Stanley Park. I skytrained downtown and had intended to take the bus or the free shuttle down to Stanley Park but the lineups for both of them were horrendously long! So I started walking instead. It took a while since it's quite far and I also took the scenic route. Lots of people seemed to have the same idea as well. If you are going tomorrow, you might want to walk or ride a bike there instead. 

When I finally got to Brockton Point, music was playing on several stages and field was full of people enjoying the sun. Sponsor and activities boothes were set up around the perimeter. There was a big kids zone where all the family activities were being held. Public Dreams had giant Jenga and Twister games going on and there were people teaching guests how to juggle and spin plates. Several booths were dedicated to kite making and other craft activities. In one of them invasive plant species were being used to create art. Most people were weaving them into wreaths.

Later I saw Bollywood dance performance and a giant robotic snake, which I thought was so cool! The BC Lions mascot and other costumed characters were walking around taking pictures with kids. If you get thirsty, no sweat! There were water fountains set up around the site and Dairyland was also there giving away small cartons of chocolate milk and Armstrong Cheese was offering cheese samples to people. The chocolate milk was very popular since it was so hot out. It was great to just kick back in the shade and enjoy the cool milk.

The Mint had there own booth and was hosting a giveaway of a prize pack which includes a Sasquatch coin. You are suppose to find the answers to a quiz which are located on Sasquatch coin signs around the kid zone. But in reality, you only need to fill out the form since they don't check the answers to the quiz.

All the food vendors were located in another area and there the Vancouver Aquarium was giving away coupons and also tickets to the aquarium but only if you manage to spin onto the WIN slot on the wheel. Two players from the BC Lions were at the next booth signing autographs.

After I walked around the entire site, the bus lines heading out of the park was long too so I walked back downtown. I passed by the Rose Garden and snapped a few photos. So pretty and they smelled nice too.

Now I'm pooped! I did so much walking my feet hurt. I had fun though and enjoyed the awesome weather.

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Fri, 08 Jul 2011 14:00:00 -0700 Learn How to Draw Winnie the Pooh Characters http://dpotato.posterous.com/learn-how-to-draw-winnie-the-pooh-characters http://dpotato.posterous.com/learn-how-to-draw-winnie-the-pooh-characters

Winniethepooh

With the movie coming out next week, Disney has uploaded three videos with the animators themselves teaching you how to draw the characters from Winnie the Pooh: Winnie, Tigger and Eeyore. You can see my attempt at Pooh Bear above. It's harder than it looks! Haha. Why don't you try drawing them yourselves? It's fun!

 

 

Winnie the Pooh opens in theatres next week June 15.

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Fri, 08 Jul 2011 09:00:00 -0700 Weekend Events http://dpotato.posterous.com/weekend-events-40750 http://dpotato.posterous.com/weekend-events-40750

Summer Live in Stanley Park

Summerlive-poster
Date
Friday July 8 - Sunday July 10, 2011

Time
12:00pm - 11:00pm

Location

Brockton Point in Stanley Park

A free three day festival to celebrate Vancouver's 125th anniversary starts today. There will be over 180 performances featuring Mother Mother, Daniel Wesley, The New Pornographers, Neko Case, Dan Mangan, Dr. L. Subramaniam, the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra conducted by Bramwell Tovey and Spirit of the Wes. All sorts of activities including Kite-making, boat-building, and juggling workshops, canoe races, giant board games and family sports. For those taking the transit, a free shuttle bus from Waterfront Station runs from 11am to 11pm each day, and a free, secure bicycle compound will be available for cyclists.

I might go check it out on Saturday. It sounds like quite a fun summer event!

 

Fish for the Future

Fishforfuture
Date
Saturday July 9th, 2011

Time
10:00am - 2:00pm

Location
No. 2 Road Pier, London's Landing, Steveston

Fish for Future promotes sportfishing and other outdoor activities to youth and families in BC. Participants will get to learn tasks such as fishing for local fish species, flycasting, fly tying, fish identification and much more. If you are under 16, then all the fishing activities are free. There will also be prize giveaways for kids. Free juvenile saltwater fishing licences will be available for participants under the age of 16. If you are older you will need to purchase a Tidal license which can be obtained at Nikka Fishing & Marine, 3551 Moncton Street Richmond or online: http://www.pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/fm-gp/rec/licence-permis/index-eng.htm

You can RVSP on Facebook but it is not necessary to participate in the event.

 

Mascot Racing

20110710-mascotracing-8
Date
Sunday July 10th, 2011

Time
12:30pm - ???

Location
Hastings Racecourse, Vancouver

The 3rd annual Mascot Race is being held again at Hastings Racecourse. It is a fundraising event benefiting the Variety the Children's Charity and family friendly. Company mascots gather to race including including BeBop from the Vancouver Aquarium and Philbert from Purdy's Chocolate. Cobs Bread’s mascot, Breadhead is the defending champion who won two years in a row! Will he be able to win it three years straight?

Here was video of last year's race. Poor Philbert tripped and fell when he mistimed a jump. I'll be rooting for him on Sunday! See you there!

 

Movies
There are always movies to watch. Out today is Horrible Bosses and Zookeeper. Both are comedies. And while I haven't seen Zookeeper but I'm pretty sure Horrible Bosses > Zookeeper.

 

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Mon, 04 Jul 2011 10:00:00 -0700 Horrible Bosses - Movie Review http://dpotato.posterous.com/horrible-bosses-movie-review-15279 http://dpotato.posterous.com/horrible-bosses-movie-review-15279

Horriblebosses
Nick (Jason Bateman), Kurt (Jason Sudeikis) and Dale (Charlie Day) are three guys stuck in their jobs where their bosses (Kevin Spacey, Colin Farrell, Jennifer Aniston) are making their lives miserable. One day while having drinks after work, Kurt proposes a question to the others: if somehow, hypothetically, they can eliminate their bosses and get away with it, would they? Everyone agrees that they would except Dale but the next day, after Dale's boss' sexual harassment behaviour drives him over the tipping point, he convinces the others to go through with their hypothetically plans. They decided to hire a hit-man only to get some dubious advice from a "murder consultant" (Jamie Foxx).  The friends concoct a seemingly foolproof plan to get rid of one another's bosses...permanently. However, murder may not be the friends' thing as their plans keep going awry and they keep digging themselves deeper into a hole of problems with their bosses...and the police. 

 After seeing the movie in an advance screening, I have only praise for Horrible Bosses! It was super hilarious, the audience were laughing their butts off the entire movie. In comparison with other comedies that were in theatres recently, it is on par with Bridemaids. Kevin Spacey, Colin Farrell and Jennifer Aniston play characters you love to hate and they were superb in their roles. Jennifer Aniston's character is so skanky! All the bosses' behaviour were outrageous and probably not realistic for real life but in the movie it works. You instantly feel for the main characters and root for them as they struggle to murder their bosses. I loved the dynamic between the three and bantering between them is very funny. They had me laughing the entire time.  

Horrible Bosses opens in theatres this Friday, July 8, 2011. Go see it - you'll leave the theatre laughing guaranteed. 

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Sat, 02 Jul 2011 16:48:00 -0700 Canada Day 2011 http://dpotato.posterous.com/canada-day-2011 http://dpotato.posterous.com/canada-day-2011

It is hard to believe but this is the first time that I've been downtown Canada Place during Canada Day and the first time I've stayed to watch the fireworks! It was very crowded and there were a lot of people dressed up in red and white and had their faces painted with maple leafs. Bands were playing music on the main stage and there were a lot of food stalls around. We spent the day walking around looking at the various booths then headed to toward the city centre in preparation for the parade. Apparently it was also Cannibis Day at the Vancouver Art Gallery and the weed smoke was stinking up the area. People seemed to be selling weed right in the open with the police just a few feet away! The nerve!    The parade was enjoyable. It was about an hour long and had many of different groups participate: multicultural groups, theatre, dancers, singers, cheerleaders, bands. There was even a Star Wars group of Stormtroopers! Translink had a bus in the parade but it said "Not in Service"! I laughed. They should have displayed a "Happy Canada Day!" instead of that. After the parade it was very hard to find a washroom that did not have a humongous line because everyone then headed over to the waterfront to wait for the fireworks! Thankfully, we had tickets to the View for a Change viewing area courtesy of a Canada Place contest so we weren't packed like sardines like at the new Convention Centre.  

We found a place against the rail next to a woman who's daughter's boyfriend was in charge of the fireworks! She let us know that they have been preparing since Tuesday for the show and all sorts of other interesting tidbits about his company. The fireworks were spectacular as expected. The colours were beautiful and the height of the explosions were amazing! It was definitely worth going down for and I plant to go again next year! Happy 144th birthday Canada!

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Thu, 30 Jun 2011 18:08:00 -0700 Canada Day Events in Vancouver http://dpotato.posterous.com/59179142 http://dpotato.posterous.com/59179142

Canada turns 144 years old tomorrow so it's time to dress up in your patriotic red and white colours and celebrate! There is no shortage of celebratory events happening around the Lower Mainland - it's hard to choose which ones to attend!

Here's some of the events happening around Vancouver:

  1. Canada Day at Canada Place

    Canada_place
    It's the largest Canada Day celebration in Western Canada and includes all sorts of free concerts, kid-friendly activities, a parade and fireworks. There is even a mobile app for people with smart phones to plan their experience and keep up to date with the schedule of events. The celebration starts at 10am and goes on until 6pm. After the festivities are over, the 3rd Annual Canada Day Parade will begin at 7pm starting at Georgia & Broughton Street. The Burrard Inlet Fireworks Show will follow at 10:30pm.

  2. Canada Day at Granville Island
    Starting at 8am and going on 'til midnight, there will be lots of food, free jazz performances, kid-friendly activities, and a parade. The 12th Annual Canada Day Parade is begins at  1:30pm starting at Ocean Construction and ending at Ron Basford Park.

  3. Canada Day at the Olympic Village
    Celebrate Sustainability on Canada Day with WE CANADA in a multi-city event. There will be food, music, dance, documentary films and sustainability workshops and much more.

  4. Stevenston Salmon Festival
    Starts at 6:30am with pancake breakfast, 10am Canada Day parade, then the famous salmon barbecue starts at 11am. 1200 lbs of wild salmon are going to be grilled over over fire pits in Stenston village in Richmond

  5. North Vancouver Canada Day Celebrations at Waterfront Park
    Lots of performances and kid-friendly activities

  6. North Shore Canada Day Parade
    Pancake breakfast starting at 8am-9:30am and a parade at 10am.

  7. Free Pancake Breakfast at Park Royal
    10am-11am free pancakes, music and balloon artists for the kids.

  8. Lonsdale Quay Market
    Music, face painting, balloons for kids.

 

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Mon, 27 Jun 2011 00:08:19 -0700 The Day I Almost Bought An Apartment http://dpotato.posterous.com/the-day-i-almost-bought-a-house http://dpotato.posterous.com/the-day-i-almost-bought-a-house

I keep forgetting to post this. Last Sunday, I went with my family to check out the new lowrise housing community down by the Fraser river on Kerr Street. New Water it is called. A lot of people were there and there was food, drinks, popcorn and even a scavenger hunt of the kids. Unfortunately it was RAINING! Virgin Radio was also on location and the flight crew was cooking hot dogs. I met Tara Jean finally! Hehehe she recognized me from the Facebook photo I had tagged Kiah in.

So New Water had me in the mood for looking at housing. We went to MacPherson Walk next and took a look at some suites. They were almost sold out of Phase 3 and where offering discounts on the remaining suites. It looked so nice and the sales person was so convincing I got sucked in to purchasing one of the last ground suites which has a small yard instead of a balcony. I was ready to sign some papers but we took another walk around to survey the area and it looked too close to the skytrain for our taste so I backed out of the offer. I still have second thoughts though...it looked so nice and owning my own home would be awesome. Someday...

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Sun, 26 Jun 2011 22:29:00 -0700 Flowers and Fish http://dpotato.posterous.com/flowers-and-fish http://dpotato.posterous.com/flowers-and-fish

Yay!!! My lilies are starting to bloom! The first one is an Asiatic variety called 'Lollipop'. Very pretty. I see a lot of blooms coming and I'm waiting in anticipation. I can't wait to take pictures of them! The purple clusters of flowers is actually an Allium. I wish I planted more of these. They'd look more dramatic in a cluster. I think the yellow flower is also a variety of allium. What sort of flowers are blooming in your garden?

Dsc05766
So today I spent most of the day cleaning up my aquarium and rescaping it. I had pulled out all the plants yesterday and today I put some back in. The way I have it now, the fish can actually swim around instead of being choked in the plants. The water is still cloudy from the substrate shifting. I also added a layer of Fluval Plant substrate over the old EcoComplete gravel. Now there is a visible slope from back to front. It'll take a while for the plants to grow back in. I've gotten rid of a LOT. Basically the whole 40 gallons was chock full of plants. I removed some of the rocks and wood so that the middle would be more open. I plan to go back to schooling fish - maybe a variety of tetras so that means the Kribs have to go! Kribensis are very interesting fish to watch and they breed like rabbits but it's a problem since I never know what to do with the young!

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Thu, 23 Jun 2011 10:03:00 -0700 Cars 2 - Movie Review http://dpotato.posterous.com/cars-2-movie-review http://dpotato.posterous.com/cars-2-movie-review

Cars2
Rev up your engines because the confident race car Lightning McQueen (voiced by Owen Wilson) and his best pal Tow Mater (Larry the Cable Guy) are back in an exciting, fast-paced sequel brought to you by Disney Pixar Animation Studios. McQueen returns to Radiator Springs after winning the Piston Cup only to be challenged to another race. With the support his friends, he accepts and heads overseas with Mater to participate in the first World Grand Prix that takes them to Japan, Italy and England to rub fenders with some of the world's first class cars. Clearly out of his element, Mater embarrasses McQueen. Mater gets split up from McQueen as he accidentally gets involved with international espionage due to mistaken identity. Mater joins British intelligence agents Finn McMissile (Michael Caine) and Holley Shiftwell (Emily Mortimer) as they investigate a mysterious and danger plot to take down the World Grand Prix participants. Mater will have to gather up the courage to become an all-star car to be able to save McQueen from the ultimate engine combustion.

Cars 2 is a very entertaining movie. It may be impossible for Pixar to make a bad film! Compared to other Pixar movies, it may be at the bottom of the scale but it still is a wonderful movie to watch especially if you are a Pixar fan. It was fast-paced and action packed, accompanied with an awesome soundtrack. The story was interesting but a little forced and this time clearly centred around the funny and direct Tow Mater. It doesn't have as much emotion as previous Pixar films but it still had its moments. The film was really funny and had jokes that both kids and adults would appreciate. Movie buffs will also spot a lot of Easter eggs hidden throughout the film. The animation was amazing and the 3D effects were fantastic especially when going really fast in the races and during explosions. Overall, Cars 2 is a very fun, entertaining summer movie that the whole family will enjoy.

Cars 2 races into in theatres this Friday, June 24, 2011!

Prior to the main movie, we were treated to a hilarious short: Hawaiian Vacation that brings back Toy Story gang. Ken and Barbie had planned a special trip to Hawaii to celebrate their relationship only to be left at home. Now it is up to the gang to help them experience trip of their dreams!

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Sun, 19 Jun 2011 09:00:00 -0700 Official Muppets Trailer Released! http://dpotato.posterous.com/official-muppets-trailer-released http://dpotato.posterous.com/official-muppets-trailer-released

Have you seen the official trailer for the Muppets movie?! After several teasers, it is finally released! The three previous teasers where in the form of spoofs; the most recent one being of the Green Lantern:

There was the Hangover spoof:

And the rom-com spoof:

I love the Muppets and am really glad that another movie is being made with them. The Muppets movie comes out in November! I can't wait!

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Fri, 17 Jun 2011 15:00:00 -0700 The Art of Getting By - Movie Review http://dpotato.posterous.com/the-art-of-getting-by-movie-review http://dpotato.posterous.com/the-art-of-getting-by-movie-review

Artofgettingby
Freddie Highmore stars as George, a lonely slacker in the last year of high school, in this coming-of-age romantic comedy. Though George has shown talent as an artist, he has mastered the art of getting by in school and life by doing only the minimalist amount of work while teachers and the Principal tries to persuade him to do otherwise. He just lives day to day, believing that life is dull and meaningless. It isn't until he meets, Sally (Emma Roberts) who introduces him to her world of friends and parties that he finally finds some meaning in life. On Career day, he meets Dustin (Michael Angarano), an artist who becomes George's unofficial mentor and encourages him to develop his artistic abilities. Between his relationship with Sally and Dustin, George begins to show more interest in life but when things seem to change too quickly for him including his feelings for Sally, he withdraws back into his old lonesome world, alienating his new friends. However, George can't resist change forever, as graduation approaches, he will need to stop being afraid of living and seize the moments to redeem himself in the eyes of his mom, his teachers and Sally.

The Art of Getting By is a nice, feel good movie to watch and also quite funny at times too. That being said, the story line is kind of predictable and bland, however it is the actors that really shine through and carry this movie. It was nice to see Freddie Highmore all grown up! The dynamic between his and Emma Robert's characters is believable and endearing. They have very good chemistry in the movie. They are the reason this movie is as good as it is. Most likely teens will be able to relate to what these characters are going through. Though, one thing I didn't like was that both characters smoke. Overall this movie is okay, not too exciting but teaches some good life lessons if you can sit through the entire movie.

The Art of Getting By opens in theatres today, Friday June 17, 2011.

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Thu, 16 Jun 2011 15:00:00 -0700 Green Lantern - Movie Review http://dpotato.posterous.com/green-lantern-movie-review http://dpotato.posterous.com/green-lantern-movie-review

Greenlantern

In brightest day, in blackest night,
No evil shall escape my sight
Let those who worship evil's might,
Beware my power... Green Lantern's light!

Hal Jordan (Ryan Reynolds) is known for being reckless behaviour but is talented test pilot for the United States Air Force. While struggling to deal with his feelings with a tragic accident in the past and the relationship with his co-pilot, his life is turned up when a dying alien shows up and bestows a ring and a green lantern upon him claiming that the ring chose him as his successor. After reciting the oath, Hal is transported to the ancient world of Oa, home of the Green Lantern Corps, a organization tasked with the duty of keeping peace and justice in the universe. Green Lanterns use the power of Will which is channeled through the ring each of them wear. The vigorous training and responsibility of being a Green Lantern overwhelms Hal and he quits. When a seemingly unstoppable evil called Parallax returns to use the power of Fear to devour to whole worlds and threatens Earth. Hal will have to step up and prove that he has what it takes to be a Green Lantern and to save the people he cares about.

Being that I've never read anything about Green Lantern in my life, I wasn't sure what to expect. I've heard from people who have read the comics that the movie follows relatively closely to the original story. The trailer looked promising and I wasn't disappointed. The movie tells the back-story of the Green Lantern Corps and how Hal Jordan was the first human to be inducted into the Corps. I liked the story and Ryan Reynolds brought his charm to the character. There were a few funny moments that had the audience chuckling. 

The screening was in 3D and though there were some good 3D effects, these were few and far between. A warning to those who are looking for an action movie: most of the film is spent telling the origins of the Green Lantern, the powers of the ring and setting up character relationships. Except for a few skirmishes, only at the end is there a big fight between Parallax and Hal Jordan. I would also liked to see the relationship between Sinestro (Mark Strong) and Hal developed more. Sinestro is suppose to be the mentor of Hal and I didn't realize that until I researched about the characters. Despite these points, I enjoyed the movie thoroughly! It's a good fun movie to watch in the summer.

Remember to stay for the credits! Looks like there will be another Green Lantern movie in the future! Hurray!

Green Lantern opens in theatres on Friday June 17, 2011 starting with midnight showings tonight!

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Tue, 14 Jun 2011 18:44:21 -0700 Green Lantern - Join the Corps Vancouver http://dpotato.posterous.com/green-lantern-join-the-corps-vancouver http://dpotato.posterous.com/green-lantern-join-the-corps-vancouver

A large Green Lantern symbol lit up the Sears Building on Granville and Robson after 9:30pm last night, calling to all with the desire to Join the Corps.

Right after the Canucks game I headed to the "secret" location to see what was up. It was only 8pm but there was a lot going on already. The Green Lantern street team were set up and parading up and down Granville street with their big Green Lantern posters taking photos with hopeful Canuck fans and handing out swag. A shaved ice machine was set up and there was a long line up to get the lime flavoured treat with a green glowing stir stick in it!

A huge crowd started to build as it got closer to 9pm. The street team did a great job of handling the crowd given how big it was. Rings, t-shirts, coasters, foldable water bottles, drawstring bags, temporary tattoos, glowsticks and Green Lantern toys were all given out. 17 lucky people also received a advanced screening pass to go see the movie tomorrow!

I usually don't see such events happening for movies held in Vancouver; they are usually reserved for bigger cities like Toronto, but Green Lantern is filmed in Vancouver and the star Ryan Reynolds was also born here! I hope last night's success will mean more events like these will be held in Vancouver!

Green Lantern is coming to theatres this Friday! I can't wait to watch it!

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Tue, 14 Jun 2011 14:02:00 -0700 EAT Vancouver 2011 http://dpotato.posterous.com/eat-vancouver-2011 http://dpotato.posterous.com/eat-vancouver-2011

Please update your bookmarks to http://www.mashedthoughts.com

 

 

On Sunday I went to EAT! Vancouver for the first time. EAT! Vancouver Food + Cooking Festival is an annual food convention where celebrity chefs, popular local restaurants, food and beverage manufacturers, wineries, retailers and many others from the culinary world gather for three days of food heaven! I went with an empty stomach and left at the end of the day stuffed full of delicious food and bag laden with samples. There were many displays and vendors giving away samples - Yoghurt, beef jerky, Clamato, McDonald's iced coffee, candied salmon, humus just to name a few.

Rob Feenie of Cactus Club Cafe was also there presenting on the main stage. I stayed to watch him for a little while but my hunger got the better of me and we purchased some tickets to trade in for food. There was so much to see and taste! EBO Restaurant and Milestones were there. I thought EBO's presentation of their food was the nicest! There was also a junior chef competition. USA won gold, Canada took silver and Chile placed third.

Just looking back at the pictures makes my mouth water! I can't wait go again next year!

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Sat, 11 Jun 2011 23:02:00 -0700 Dragon Boat Festival 2011 http://dpotato.posterous.com/dragon-boat-festival-2011 http://dpotato.posterous.com/dragon-boat-festival-2011

After the Green Lantern event at Metro I headed down to the annual Rio Tinto Alcan Dragon Boat Festival at False Creek. The weather was beautiful and water's edge was packed with people watching the races. The vendors are located at the Olympic Village this year due to construction on the other side of Science World. The races are exciting to watch but since I don't know anyone participating in them watching one was enough for me. Hahah. I was more interested in the cute dogs there as you can see by my photos.

The Dragon Boat Festival is still on tomorrow. Make sure you line up to get your picture taken on a boat; you can get a small Rio Tinto Alcan foldable water bottle afterwards. Sad to say that there is no cooking show or tin foil giveaways this year.

Phew what a long day! And tomorrow I'll be going to EAT Vancouver! There's always lots to do in Vancouver!

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Sat, 11 Jun 2011 21:41:00 -0700 Green Lantern Events in Vancouver http://dpotato.posterous.com/green-lantern-events-in-vancouver http://dpotato.posterous.com/green-lantern-events-in-vancouver

I popped in to take a look at the Join the Corps event at Metropolis Comics & Toys today. The store was hosting a Green Lantern party and had lots of contests going on. I didn't stay for the entire duration of the event but I met some enthusiastic Green Lantern fans and also met the people behind @WB_Vancouver on Twitter. Very cool! The Warner Brother reps will be Play On ( the Street Hockey event happening at Metrotown Kingsway parking lot) again tomorrow at 2:30pm. If you find them you can get some cool Green Lantern swag like rings, t-shirts and bags. 

Also on Monday, Vancouverites will have a chance to Join the Corps! There will be a "Green Lantern" symbol projected somewhere in the downtown core at 9pm. The specific location is unknown but each day, Warner Brothers is releasing a clue to lead you to that secret location! The first 17 people to find the location will receive advance screening passes to see the movie on Wednesday! Other prizes will be available as well. But if you are a Canucks fan and there is a Game 7 which one would you go to? Hmm Tough call. Remember that Monday night is also game day so there'll be a lot of people downtown! So make sure you are on your feet!

Here are the clues:

Pre clue #1: During the Olympics the streets near this building were closed for the celebrations of superheroes clad in red and white.

Pre clue #2: Everyday it overlooks the most artistic building in Vancouver.

CLUE #3:  One of its neighbors is a vault for priceless works of art.

CLUE #4:  If shopping is your superpower, you can utilize it at this building.

CLUE #5:  Masked with secrecy this building has no windows.

CLUE #6:  One of its neighbors has never lost to its archenemy: high clothing prices.

CLUE #7:  If villains needed money to fund their evil plans they would target its neighbour recognized by its green logo.

CLUE #8:  The son of Rob meets his Gran at this ville.


Green Lantern is in theatres next week, Friday, June 17th, 2011.

 

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