Monday, February 23, 2009
The Office on NBC
You know that feeling you get when you tell that special person you love them for the first time and they respond with an awkward ‘thank you’? Or when you go to greet someone by putting your hand out to shake while they are going in for a hug? Or think about this scenario: you give a lecture to your office colleagues to inform them of the correct procedures to follow in case of a fire, but you get the feeling they aren’t listening. So you decide to create a small, contained fire in the office, and disconnect the phones, lock and heat up some of the handles of doors and shout instructions of what to do in this situation. After your scared office colleagues have successfully ripped apart the office trying to find an exit, you inform them that it was just a drill and they look at you in disbelief. Can you say uuuuncomfortable!
And I know what your thinking. “I DO know that feeling.”
Well, if you enjoy watching other people put in very similar situations, then The Office is the show for you! Although not a fan of these scenes, I can see why so many people enjoy it. The shear humility, as well as the absurdity of it all, draws in viewers because they get to see people put in awkward situations. I think that this type of entertainment is an easy way for people to escape reality, if only for a short period.
It is not this uncomfortable feeling does not draw me to The Office. In fact, this type of humor makes me squirm with discomfort. And although much of the show is based on this humor, perhaps the best aspects of the show are all the subtle nuances sprinkled in.
What I enjoy most are the underlying jokes because it is very close to my own personal humor. My favorite nuances are the sharp sarcastic looks from Jim (John Krasinski), and the practical jokes Jim and Pam (Jenna Fischer) play on Dwight (Rainn Wilson), which are classic (the one where they put everything on Dwight’s desk into the vending machine killed me). These subtle things don’t play a large role but really make the show.
The show, which first aired midseason of 2005 to replace the series Committed, a romantic comedy that was cancelled midway through its first season, has taken off since and become one of the highest rated shows on television (9.1 out of 10), along side Heroes (9.1), Lost (9.1), and Grey’s Anatomy (8.9). It has won numerous awards including a Golden Globe in 2006 and Emmy awards in 2006/2007.
The character that ties the whole show together is Michael Scott (Steve Carrell), the boss. He is ego-eccentric and portrays himself as a lovable goofball, but usually rubs people the wrong way(In the episode Stress Relief, it is found that he is the source of the office’s high stress levels). His main goal is for everyone in the office to like him, however, almost everyone in the office seems to dislike but feel sorry for Michael (always referred to as Michael, not his last name) because of his social ineptness. Only Dwight, who plays the brown-nosing boss’s pet, respects Michael and follows his word as law. Michael has a great ability at saying the wrong thing at the wrong time and has been known to be racist, sexist and homophobic.
My favorite character is Creed Bratton (Creed Bratton), a salesman at the office. I think the writer’s included Creed in the show just for fun, as Creed really has no bearing on the show. He is completely unabashed: he is a kleptomaniac (he steals poker chips in Casino Night to win the grand prize), marijuana smoker (he sometimes introduces himself to people in the office who have worked there for years), and is fighting homelessness (he sleeps at the office a few nights a week). Also, he always seems to ‘know a guy’ (one time he tells a colleague he can get him the “amazing coffee that you snort”).
Overall, The Office is one of the few quality shows on television. It has its pitfalls, but you have to hand the writer’s credit, as they are able to turn a normally boring office setting into an interesting, awkward, and fun thirty-minute sitcom. (YES, I called the office setting boring. I myself work in an office and it is QUITE dull.)
You can catch The Office on NBC Thursday nights at 9/8c.
8.5/10 Coffee Mugs
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Written and directed by Woody Allen, Vicky Cristina Barcelona is witty, charming and sexy, but lacks that really deep, defining moment. This movie portrays two friends’ trip to Barcelona for the summer, and the tales of the love they encounter. Vicky and Christina (played by the beautiful Rebecca Hall and the voluptuous Scarlett Johansson) have two very different ideas about love. Vicky is engaged and ready to settle down with a man she knows is reliable and routine. Cristina on the other hand, is more adventurous and risky with her love, accepting heartbreak as part of the game.
While in Barcelona, Vicky and Cristina are approached by a handsome eccentric painter, named Juan Antonio (Javier Bardem; this part is a dramatic role change for him, who was last seen in the Oscar-winning No Country for Old Men as a psychotic serial killer), who asks them to join him in Oviedo for the weekend, where he wants to study a sculpture that inspires him, show the women the sites, and sleep with them. Although this type of rash activity is not Vicky’s idea of a good time, Cristina jumps at the opportunity. During their stay however, Cristina falls ill, and is required to rest. Meanwhile, Juan Antonio takes Vicky to a Latin guitarist, whose music greatly moves Vicky. What follows is a night of passion between the two, which greatly confuses Vicky for the remainder of the movie.
When the three return to Barcelona, Juan Antonio and Cristina begin dating and move in together. Vicky’s fiancé, who is portrayed as a businessman and an extreme tool, arrives shortly after and purposes they marry in Barcelona, as it would be a great story to tell their kids one day. He greatly differs from Juan Antonio’s character, which is spontaneous and unstructured. Vicky, whose whole world was turned around by the one night in Oviedo, reluctantly agrees.
Meanwhile, Christina is settling in with Juan Antonio, and thinking she has finally found the relationship she has been looking for. However, Juan Antonio’s ex-wife, Maria Elena (Penelope Cruz) re-enters his life after a suicide attempt. Juan Antonio insists that she stay with them while she is recovering. Although Maria Elena is moody and a tad bit crazy, the three began a relationship, a ménage à trios of sorts. Although the movie lacks nudity, it makes up for it with a short scene where Cristina and Maria Elena proceed to make out.
Soon though, Cristina tires of her relationship and leaves Juan Antonio and Maria Elena, who, consequently break up shortly after. Vicky and Cristina return to America, seemingly in the same place they started: Vicky in a stable relationship and Cristina looking for love.
I felt this movie was for pure entertainment value only. Although the plot had some twists and turns, I really couldn’t find any meaning within the story. I feel this movie is meant to be watched once. Watching the movie for a second time (to refresh my memory to write this review), I found myself bored and impatient. I knew what was going to happen (obviously), but I knew none of it mattered because in the end, because everyone ends back in the same place. The subtle suspense that kept the movie exciting to watch the first time, was gone on the second viewing and although the actresses were beautiful and fun to watch, but I felt they didn’t add much substance to the movie. Overall, I think this movie was entertaining but lacked meaning.
Directions: Watch once. Take it for what it is. Do not repeat.
3 Stars out of 5
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
The Q Review
A few weeks ago on a crisp Friday evening around 7:30pm, Ellora and I were walking down Clement Street looking for a place to eat. This is where we stumbled across the restaurant Q. It almost looked like a nightclub from the outside: there was music playing, people waiting outside sipping drinks, and a curtain blocking your entrance. The wait was about an hour and we decided to head elsewhere. Last Sunday, around 8:30, we decided to try again. This time, Q was much less chaotic, proving that the weekend really does end after Saturday night. We passed through the curtain, revealing that Q wasn’t like a nightclub at all, but rather a very eclectic diner with a very lively atmosphere, upbeat workers and fascinating wall decorations.
The walls of Q are unlike anything I have ever seen before in a restaurant. For starters, there is a giant half moon on the ceiling, adding some mood lighting to the restaurant. Below the moon and on all the walls, is new age art hanging on the walls. There are some very abstract pieces and sculptures hanging as well as drawn art. In the back of the restaurant is a table for a bigger party that has a tree growing through the middle of it. Christmas lights and bicycle chains hang from the tree. Somehow the tree table fits right in and does not seem at all out of place because after your mind has taken in the unique artwork, you’re ready for anything (A ninja could come to your table and prepare sushi for you with his ninja blades of death and you would accept it as the norm.). My favorite oddity was the magnetic letters next to each table with which you make words with while you wait for the food.
The wait staff is very friendly, and our server Alex was very upbeat. I even caught him flirting with the female bartender and waitress and singing along to some of the indie songs playing over the speakers. When we sat down, he started us with almost shot glass-sized cups of water. Knowing I wouldn’t be ordering a soft drink or alcoholic beverage (still no fake I.D), I asked if I could upgrade my shot of water. Alex returned with pint sized beer glasses.
The menu of has a little of everything. Alex described their diverse menu as “American funky comfort food” with a touch of the Southwest. They also had a very extensive wine list which, sadly, all I could do was admire.
I decided to be adventurous and try something I had never eaten before- the “Slammin’ Loch Duart Salmon Burger on Potato Eocaccia with chili-lime aioli and garlic Kennebec fries,” priced at $9.75. The chili-lime sauce put a spin on the salmon that was new and different, however I felt that it left something to be desired; it was missing that one sauce or ingredient that would really put everything together perfectly. On the other hand, the garlic fries were out of this world and rivaled the infamous garlic fries sold at the San Francisco Giants baseball games.
Ellora ordered the “Macaroni & Cheezy with tater tots, valued at $9.50. She said that she had had this dish before here when she was down and it helped lift her mood. This made me worry a bit when she ordered it again, but our lively activity of making dirty words on the walls pushed my worries aside. The macaroni dish wasn’t the usual bland macaroni and cheese that you would expect. It includes herbs and spices that add an extra kick you are not ready for on the first bite. The dish works perfectly with the tater tots making it, as Ellora so elegantly put it, the “comfort food for all comfort food.”
Following suit with the comfort food theme, the desert menu offers ice cream, apple pie, and milk and cookies. Unfortunately we were too full to try to desert, but it sounded delicious from the descriptions on the menu. For example, “Pipers pipn hot chocolate cookies, ($5.00), comes with a glass of milk or two scoops of Double Rainbow vanilla bean ice cream. (Add $2.00)
Because the kitchen is in the same room as all the diners, it both adds and detracts from Q’s overall appeal. The sizzling sounds from what’s cooking while you wait for your food make you anxious and excited for what is to come; however, the clanking of the dirty dishes and the dishwasher can get a it loud.
Overall, it was an exciting experience, which provided artwork to make you wonder, and comfort food for the soul.
4 Stars out of 5
Q
225 Clement Street
San Francisco, CA 94118
415-752-2298
Credit Cards: All major
Hours- M-F- 11:00am-3pm, 5-11pm
Saturday- 10am-11pm
Sunday 10am-10pm
Entrees: $9.50-17
Drinks: Soda: $2.25
Atmosphere: Good music but can get a bit loud.
Service: Very Friendly
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)