WALLE

2 words: freakin' genius.

Don't Mess With the Zohan

Don't mess with the Zohan. Translation: don't go see this movie. Dumb, dumb, dumb. It was choppy, relied on crude humor instead of wittiness, and was generally annoying. Sorry Adam, but if I can prevent anyone from seeing this movie I actually think I will be helping you in the long run, as well as them. Watch Mr. Deeds or The Wedding Singer or anything besides Zohan if you need some more Sandler in your life.
P.S. Aaron, 50 First Dates is not a real Adam Sandler movie. I love you though.

Miss Pettigrew

I know I haven't done a review in a while. That's partly because I'm lazy, and partly because I usually don't see movies or go to new exciting restaurants. Although, I do read books but I usually get them from the library and they've been out for ten years, so no one wants to read a review about such books.
Anyway, I saw "Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day" on Wednesday. I went with a friend of mine because I don't like to risk Aaron hating a movie when movie tickets cost so much. So we tend to catch the ones we're unsure of (on his part) at the Picture Show at the Main Place mall ($1.50 a ticket and $1.00 on Tuesdays! Yeah!). It's a classy joint.
Okay, back to "Miss Pettigrew". I liked it a lot. The plot wasn't extraordinarily creative, and the ending tied up a little too neatly for me, but it was a fun movie. The sets and costumes were great. There were lots of great one-liners sprinkled throughout the script, and they were well-delivered by the cast. Amy Adams was hilarious as fake socialite Delysia LaFosse. I've liked that lady in every movie I've seen her in, and she was even funny in her small guest role in "The Office". So, I may have a new favorite actress. Frances McDormand was easy to root for as the title character, and showed some comedic talent of her own.
I don't feel like writing much more than that. If you think you could get into a slapstick comedy set in pre-WWII London, then go see it. Otherwise, stay at home, or catch it with us when Aaron and I see it at Main Place in a few months.

Ichi Sushi

If you're in or around Orange and looking for some good sushi for a good price, then go to Ichi. Just trust me. You can stuff your face for less than $10. They also have non-sushi choices, like the chicken teriyaki bowl, which is delish.
450 N. Tustin St., Orange, CA 92867

Juno

Aaron and I decided to trek out to the Block and see "Juno", along with a theater-full of people about our age. Did you know that people still go to the Block? They really do. Bella Terra didn't steal them all away.
If you're a fan of Michael Cera, then go see this movie solely for his performance. He's hilarious, natural, and absolutely perfect as a confused, hormonal, naive, good-hearted adolescent. (So he reprises his role as A.D.'s George-Michael. What can I say, he does it so well.)
Ellen Page, as the title character, was pretty funny, but her dialogue seemed too scripted at times. No one spits out that many knee-slappin' one-liners in real life. Still, she was so likable that I wanted to step into the movie and hang out with her.
Rainn Wilson (a.k.a. Dwight of The Office) made a too-short cameo, which the trailer showed almost in entirety, probably to help reel in the aforementioned people our age.
Great performances by Allison Janney and J.K. Simmons as Juno's parents. There is a scene with Janney and an ultrasound technician that is pretty classic. Jason Bateman utilized his comedic timing to make his role as a non-committal adoptive father a bit more palatable. Jennifer Garner was cute and emotional as the adoptive mother, but I found it difficult to empathize with her character, which I think had to do more with weaknesses in the the story than her performance.
Anyway, it's a fun movie, although "not as good as Little Miss Sunshine" (Aaron's words).

Stop, in the name of love

This blog is dedicated to my favorite things that, like the Old South, have gone with the wind.

1) Coffee / Heath Bar cheesecake at the Cheesecake Factory: This was, in my opinion, the best cheesecake at the Factory. I went with Aaron a few months ago and was so looking forward to the end of the meal, but, Ta-Da! It disappeared! According to our waiter, it wasn't a very popular selection. Whatevs.

2) Chicken Giardino at Olive Garden: Again, "not a very popular selection". That's not an easy excuse to hear. It definitely makes me feel outside of the "We're cool and we order the popular stuff on the menu" clique.

3) Chat Noir: Aaron and I love this restaurant. It is kinda Frenchy and sorta cheesy and they have live jazz on Friday and Saturday nights. We went a couple of weeks ago and, when I tried to order my favorite thing, the waitress told me that they don't have it on the menu anymore, because they're changing the menu, and the whole restaurant, even down to its cute name. And they're turning it into an "American" restaurant. Land sakes!

4) Tropical Dots: So chewy, so colorful, and so much better than the original flavors. Except, I can't find them anywhere. If you spot them around, I beg you, let me know. Or if you buy them for me, I will totally pay you back and include a hefty tip.

5) Candy Corn: No, don't worry, they still make it. But our Stater Bros. only had those pumpkins and caramel candy corn. We asked one of the grocery store guys to check for us, and then caught him wandering around the wrong part of the store like five minutes later.

But, the good news is, Chipotle is still going strong.

How has your heart been broken?

Harry's Place

Harry's Place is located on Knott Avenue, just north of Lincoln. You can't miss the orange sign. Both times that I've gone there, I've ordered the kids' meal grilled cheese. It's pretty legit, it comes with fries, and the whole meal costs less than four bucks. Also, they totally don't care that I'm not 12 or under. Aaron, on the other had, has not had the best time at Harry's place.
The first time we went, he ordered the bean and cheese burrito. Hard to screw up, yes? In this case, it indeed was hard to screw up and Aaron was fairly satisfied with it. Having relinquished some trust, Aaron decided to move forward in his relationship with Harry's and order the chicken burrito. After, of course, scrutinizing the menu for half an hour and peppering the cashier girl with questions. Cashier Girl claimed to really like the chicken burrito. If I recall correctly, she said that it was "one of her favorites."
Halfway through our meal, I noticed that Aaron wasn't wearing a happy face. In fact, his face looked more like that of a man consigned to spend his two-weeks paid vacation with his mother-in-law. "What's wrong?' I queried.
"This isn't very good", he responded.
"Why don't you tell them that and get something else?"
"Nah."
So he continued to pick at it. I felt pretty bad for him. He's so considerate of the cook's feelings.
When we got in the car, he looked over at me, his countenance both green and sly.
"You know what that burrito tasted like?", he rakishly posed. I anxiously awaited his description.

"Like someone took a tortilla and farted in it."