21 Jump Street - Movie Review

21 Jump Street – US Release March 16, 2012

Screened on February 15, 2012 at Regal Parkway Plaza

CHANNING TATUM. I think I start my movie reviews with my thoughts (or feelings) for the lead man. I think women everywhere will agree with me when I say he is a gorgeous man. He WILL draw crowds to the movie even if its crap…just for the 2 hours of eye candy.

Luckily, that’s not the case for this movie. Based on the late 1980’s television show that starred none other than Mr. Johnny Depp himself, 21 Jump Street is a very witty, clever, and action packed film. It’s penned by Jonah Hill and Michael Bacall (who co-wrote the screenplay of one of my faves, ‘Scott Pilgrim vs. The World’ with Edgar Wright).

The story revolves around 2 newly graduated police officers, Jenko and Schmidt, played by Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill. One being a nerd and the other a jock, they forge a bond that started at the police academy to help each other with their strengths; Jenko’s being physicality and Schmidt’s being academics. After a snafu during their first arrest, they are sent to work on a revamped program from the ‘80’s and are to report to 21 Jump Street. Led by Captain Dickson, played by Ice Cube, they are assigned to go undercover at a local high school to infiltrate and bust a drug ring.

21 Jump Street is filled with hilarious moments and pretty packed with action. It also includes a few surprising cameos. Overall, it’s a great movie. And it stars Channing Tatum. That may just be enough of a reason.

Lemon Cake with Speculoos (Biscoff) Frosting

As of late (due to my addiction to Pinterest), I’ve been finding recipes and having the immediate urge to try them. This was the one that caught my fancy on this particular day.

lemon speculoos layer cake

I L-O-V-E lemon and anything that has lemon in it, so I do enjoy experimenting with different lemon recipes. When I saw that this recipe paired up lemon cake with speculoos…actually I had to look up what speculoos were before I was intrigued by it, haha.

Speculoos wiki - Oh! They’re Biscoff cookie spread basically! I love Biscoff cookies and I’m a noob Biscoff spread fan too. So NOW I knew I had to try it.

The recipe is simple enough. I did however use All-Purpose flour instead of the whole-wheat pastry flour that was included in the recipe. Besides the switch of the flour, I pretty much stayed true to all the other ingredients. I added a bit more than 2Tbsp of lemon juice because I squeezed the whole lemon and I’ll be honest, I like when lemon cake actually tastes tart like lemon. The cake had a good consistency of moistness but still holding it shape.

The frosting recipe was also pretty simple. I used Biscoff spread that I bought from World Market since Trader Joe’s was out of their version of cookie butter. I only made half of what the recipe called for since I was using it to frost cupcakes rather than the 3-layer cake that it was originally made for. This is a good frosting to top on any kind of cake. I think Biscoff spread is like Nutella in that it complements everything it’s paired with.

Since I didn’t really plan on posting this as a blog, all the pictures were taken with my iphone. Enjoy!


-Ris

This Means War - Movie Review

This Means War – US Release February 14, 2012

Screened on January 26, 2012 at Regal Parkway Plaza

Reese Witherspoon. Tom Hardy. Chris Pine. Those 3 names alone should have you wanting to watch this movie. Reese is a great actress in (almost) everything she does. If you liked him in ‘Inception’ or ‘The Warrior’, then this will just add to your collection of Tom Hardy movies. I know a lot of people are just gaga over Chris Pine and his sparkling blue eyes or think he’s awesome because he was the young Captain Kirk, but personally, I just think he’s aiiight. I’m a Tom Hardy lady myself…those lips and that accent….sigh. But I digress…back to the movie review.

Tuck, played by Tom Hardy, and FDR, played by Chris Pine, are CIA operative partners and best friends. Tuck is a divorced father and FDR is a single playboy. One day Tuck decides he wants to get back into the dating world to find love. Along comes Reese Witherspoon who has managed to turn the heads of the best friends. In order to win her love, Tuck and FDR pull out all the stops (using the CIA resources).

I really enjoyed this movie. Not only did it have an ample dose of eye candy (for me, in the awesome form of Tom Hardy) but it was filled with a good amount of laughs. It also had enough action to keep that boyfriend you dragged to see a Tom Hardy Reese Witherspoon movie entertained =D

The Vow - Movie Review

The Vow – US Release Date February 10, 2012
Screened on January 25, 2012 at UA Horton Plaza

I love the 2 main actors in this movie. Rachel McAdams and Channing Tatum are one of the cutest paired couples I’ve seen in a really long time. Channing is just plain HOT and Rachel has been one of my faves since ‘The Notebook.'

Channing plays Leo a husband who desperately tries to help his wife deal with her memory loss after a severe head trauma due to a car accident they were both in. Rachel is his new bride that struggles to remember him and their life together.

Without giving too much away, this is a love story. It’s a story of love found, then lost, and found again. This movie will make you at least tear up, if not bawl your eyes out. Granted, it’s not a Nicholas Sparks movie so you are spared. (If you’re a Nicholas Sparks movie fan, you’ll know what I mean =p). Funny, how both Rachel and Channing are alums of Nicholas Sparks movies.

This movie was based on true events, which makes it pull at the heartstrings even more. If you’re a sucker for sappy movies that make you cry or want to drool at a 20ft tall Channing Tatum then SEE THIS MOVIE!

Real Steel

Real Steel – Screening, Mira Mesa Edwards Cinema 9/16/2011

Release Date: Friday October 7, 2011

I must start off by saying I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this movie. The premise of fighting robots (not even on their own) is a bit silly, yes, but it does give you 2 hours of heartwarming entertainment. It’s a great movie to bring your kids to or if you just want to stare at Hugh Jackman’s gorgeous face on the big screen.

Hugh Jackman is Charlie Kenton who is a former boxer that is a regular in the underground fighting robot world. He is a hotheaded, quick-tempered man and it shows in his fights with his robots. He learns early on in the movie that his former girlfriend had passed away, leaving behind their son Max to Charlie because he is his next of kin. Charlie’s been absent from Max’s life since birth so it makes for the tried and true, father/son broken relationship storyline.

They share a love for the fighting robots and you can see how their relationship develops. But it’s not just a story about father and son. The movie features awesome robots that FIGHT! It’s nerds that are at the controls of the robots in the World Robot Boxing league, which are big events. They are televised on ESPN and sponsored by such bigwigs such as XBox 720!

Overall, it’s a fun movie. It’s the Rock ‘em Sock ‘em version of Rocky! Go see Hugh Jackman it!!!

"remove to improve"

i love this mantra from one of my favorite blogs, Small Notebook. "remove to improve" can apply to makeovers of any size and any kind, from homes to your makeup bag. one project at home on my to-do list is to go through my shoe stash and purge. i try to do this with my clothes at least once a year, and i always feel good when i do...especially when i can pass them on to loved ones or donate them.

D23: The Walt Disney Studios Panel – Saturday 8/20/2011

D23 Expo: August 19-21, 2011

Anaheim Convention Center, Anaheim, CA

Being the Disney lover that I am, I FINALLY joined D23 this year (as mentioned in my 8/12/2011 post). I am full-fledged card carrying Disney Fan Club member. Yes, I’m a geek like that. I think besides the Expo, which occurs bi-annually, that’s pretty much all the bragging rights one member can do. They do have special sales in the Disney Store for collectibles and Screenings for Disney movies at the El Capitan in Hollywood but those don’t compare to the Disney Expo. The one HUGE perk of being a D23 member at the Expo was that they allowed members (and the guests they bought tickets for) to enter the Convention center 1 hr early. This was a big deal because the Walt Disney Studios Panel, scheduled to start at 10:30AM in the D23 Arena, was the highlight of the Expo because this 2.5hr panel was where they were announcing and unveiling all upcoming movies from Disney Studios, Pixar, AND Marvel for the next 2 years! I love all their movies so I was SUPER excited about this, especially after the no-show for The Avengers at Comic Con.

Since this was a 2.5 hr panel, I’ll just a list and a short description of each movie. Also, there was HEAVY security for only this panel and the Treasures of the Walt Disney Archives; no cameras, phones, or recording devices were allowed in, thus no pictures from the presentation to accompany my synopsis. I guess if you have the money and power to hire security, that’ll ensure no leaked or pirated stuff on you tube.

Disney Studios:

John Carter – Based on the Edgar Rice Burroughs novel, it’s the story of a former military captain named John Carter who magically gets transported to Mars and becomes part of the drama of its natural inhabitants. It stars Taylor Kitsch (Wolverine), Lynn Collins (True Blood, Wolverine), and Willem Dafoe (Finding Nemo, Boondock Saints, Spider-Man). I’m not too familiar with the John Carter stories but the scenery and effects look like it’d be enough to draw me in. Release date is March 9, 2012.

Planes: This movie basically has the same premise as Cars. It’s the same world as cars but from the planes point of view. John Cryer is the voice of Dusty who is a crop-dusting plane who tries to make it in the world of fighter planes. Not that big a fan of the whole Cars world but I think it’d be interesting to watch how they transform the world to accommodate planes.

Wreck-It Ralph – This is a story of Ralph, the antagonist of the 8-bit arcade video game “Fix-It Felix,” who dreams of one day being more than a video game bad guy. John C. Reilly is the voice of Wreck It Ralph so I already think this is going to be a hilarious movie. Set for release in 2012.

The Odd Life of Timothy Green: A married couple find out that they aren’t going to be able to have children of their own so in order to come to terms with it, they write down characteristics and unique qualities that they envision their child to have then bury those notes in a wooden box in their backyard. The next day, they find a young boy covered in dirt and the rest of the teaser trailer shows flashing events with the 3 of them. Jennifer Garner was on stage to give her short description of the movie and gush about her adorable co-star. Not sure how I feel about this movie quite yet.

The Muppets: From what I could gather from the trailers and clips shown, Amy Adams and Jason Segel help muppet bff, Walter, to bring back the Muppets and save the Muppet Theater. The script is written by and it’s starring Jason Segel so I have no doubt that the movie will be funny.

Chimpanzee: Chimpanzee is a Disneynature film that follows baby Chimp Oscar living in the Ivory Coast and Ugandan rain forests. After being abandoned by his family, another adult chimp takes him and raises him as his own. There is just something about baby animals and Disney that spells winner. I am definitely looking forward to this documentary. It’ll be released on Earth Day 2012.

Frankenweenie: This black and white stop-motion Tim Burton film showcases what he does best. It’s the story of young Victor Frankenstein who, after losing his pet Sparky, decides to bring him back from the dead. I think this remake (original live film directed by Burton, 1984) will be much closer to Burton’s imaginings. Release date October 5, 2012

Oz: The Great and Powerful: Still in the early days of production and shooting, this movie stars James Franco, Mila Kunis, Rachel Weisz, and Michelle Williams and tells the story about the rise of the Great and Powerful Oz. It’s directed by Sam Raimi (Spider-Man, Evil Dead) and boasts the beautiful same art direction of Alice in Wonderland. I’m really looking forward to Disney’s take on the whole world of Oz. Scheduled release date is March 8, 2013

Pixar:

Monsters University: Mike Wazowski and James Sullivan are back together in another Monsters movie! But this time, it’s a pre-quel! The story takes a look at how Mike and Sully become friends at Monsters University. Billy Crystal and John Goodman are back as their veteran voices but the characters themselves will have a different, younger look to them. I’m a little disappointed we won’t get to know what happened to Boo or the monsters relationship with her but I’m sure our Pixar pals will give us a great deeper story into this world of monsters. But who knows, they could be telling Boo the story of how they met and became friends, which bookends the movie. Set for release June 21, 2013.

Brave: This is Pixar’s next big release, which just so happens to be their first movie to feature a female lead/heroine. It centers on the daughter of a Scottish King, Merida. She is an expert archer that does not want to choose between the 3 abysmal sons of other clan leaders for marriage. By her defiant actions, chaos ensues in the kingdom and she has to a Witch for help. This movie looks interesting in that it’s something totally different form what Pixar has done before. From the trailer, the scenery art and details look amazing. It’s scheduled for release on June 22, 2012.

The Untitled Pixar Movie About Dinosaurs: Very little was said about this besides that the story will be centered around earth had it not have an asteroid come to earth and cause the extinction of the dinosaurs.

The Untitled Pixar Movie That Takes You Inside The Mind: This movie, along with the one about dinosaurs, is still very early in planning stages. So much so that they don’t even have titles yet! I pretty much love everything Pixar makes so I think I’ll like these too =)

Marvel:

The Avengers: Now THIS is the movie I came to this panel for. I am in no way a Marvel expert but I am graced with a brother who is up to date on all things comics/comic books. I have watched almost every superhero movie that has been released in the past 5 years, some even multiple times at the theater (I think Green Lantern takes the cake with 3 at the theater…tied with Scot Pilgrim vs. The World – in the past yr anyway). I love Robert Downey, Jr. as Iron Man. He’s witty and charming but he can pull off being a superhero. Chris Hemsworth was awesome as Thor. Chris Evans was a great choice for Captain America. He’s that everyman’s man. It might just push Iron Man from my top Marvel movie. There are just too many stars to go through in the Avengers movie but I am very excited to see Jeremy Renner as Hawkeye. He is an amazing actor, as proved in his roles in The Hurt Locker and The Town.

The movie continues where Captain America leaves off. Nick Fury is assembling heroes to form a mega-group of heroes. The nemesis in this movie is Loki, who is trying to dominate Earth. The Avengers consist of Iron Man (RDJ), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), Captain America (Chris Evans), Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson), Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner), Black Widow (Scarlett Johanson), with Maria Hill (Cobie Smulders) as deputy Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. Since the Ant-Man movie is still in early development, this storyline will not include Ant-Man as part of the Avengers. I hope Edgar Wright can get the ball rolling. I love his work! The Avengers is slated for release on May 4, 2012.

This post ran a little long so I’ll continue with other postings of some pictures and other D23 musings.