Many times in the past when I have reviewed films they have either had a small amount of plot development (see Man of Steel), a medium amount of plot development and character interactions (see Iron Man 3) or a sense of interaction between the main characters and their relevance to the plot that shapes the film as a whole (see Philomena). What is refreshingly pleasing sometimes however is when a film comes along that proves that a film does not always have to possess s huge amount of inner context in order to be gripping and proves in turn to be not only gripping but also as enjoyable as a hot shepherds pie with a glass of mulled wine served to you on a starlit winter evening by Jennifer Connelly. As you might have guessed from my slightly pretentious opening there, Gravity is a good film, a really good film.
Now as you might have gleaned, this jewel in an increasingly formulaic film industry has a simple, almost non-existent plot. Weird right? It surely isn't that often that we get films such as this where it grips us with virtually no context. To give a synopsis (although you could recount the whole expanse of the plot broadly and it would still seem like a synopsis), Sandra Bullock plays the hard-working, strangely relateable and space-sick doctor Ryan Stone working on a NASA space shuttle as the chief medical officer of a mission led by the enigmatic and veteran astronaut commander Matt Kowalski (played in a humorous but compelling manner by George Cloony). However, despite their routine schedule, the NASA team soon falls foul of a cloud of debris caused by a Russian satellite crashing into a series of other satellites that then causes a chain reaction which in turn produces a huge cloud of debris to crash into the NASA shuttle utterly destroying it and leaving only Kowalski and Stone alive. The rest of the film then sees the two astronauts, with much of the action centred on Stone, cross from station to station through the use of improvised propulsion systems in the increasingly desperate, higher-stakes and nail-biting race to find a working space pod before the shrapnel storm turns them into space-frozen hamburger mince.
While the simplicity of the plot in a film can usually spell the death-knell of a film from the start as the title first appears on the screen, this film doesn't have that problem. For starters, the action is as amazing as the idea of M Night Shyamalan ever making another good film after The Sixth Sense (1999) and Unbreakable (2000). As the name would suggest, the driving force behind the action of the film's plot revolves around the tremendous force of gravity or a zero-gravity situation in space thereof and the dangers that can be found working in the great black sea above. Therefore, when we see Bullock's character hurtling through the deep of space, we can see that it is merely timing and a little bit of ingenuity that is either going to get here to the next space station or turn her into a human comet. Therefore, the action really makes you grip your seat and realise that there's a rim of seat on your seat when you stand up, as you and the main characters can clearly see that the smallest of errors in judgement of mathematics and timing could mean the difference between heroes being made, or the film ending early. This is all propelled along, literally and figuratively, by the ever present threat of the shrapnel storm created by the destroyed satellites and other stations as Dr Stone desperately tries to make her way along the desperate path to safety. The action might have some holes in it in terms of realism but regardless, the tension that it exhumes is very palpable and will compel you to have a whole bottle of spirits let alone a small glass in order to steady your nerves after the credits roll.
One other factor that drives the tensions to bone-chilling and back-sweating heights is the acting skills put on show by Sandra Bullock herself...wait...really? How is this possible? I thought Sandra Bullock's last several films were terrible and here acting skills in them were dreadful! (for examples see Speed 2: Cruise Control (1997), The Proposal (2009) or The Blind Side (2009, man that was just not her year)). Yet despite all the examples of Sandra Bullock putting on a lacklustre acting performance devoid of any real drive and believable emotion in many of her previous films (excluding the first Speed (1994)), her performance in this film is just about one of the most compelling, realistic and relateable showcases of human emotion and the limits thereof and of human psychological durability. It's really surprising that Bullock's acting therefore, is one of the centrepiece factors that made this film so gripping and made it so much so that I really felt like I was in the space suit of the main character, living out their experience with my own eyes.
On top of this there are other people that must be congratulated on their work besides Bullock on her own astronomically brilliant performance (pun-abso-fucking-leoutley intended). Firstly, Clooney himself makes the part of astronaut commander Kowalski really come to life and leap out of the screen by giving him a more enigmatic yet still believable performance as the film's joker and main centrepiece of can-do attitude when the aforementioned shrapnel storm strikes our main characters. On top of this, I feel it is only necessary to heap well-deserved praise onto director Alfonso Cuaron as his direction of the plot and action, actors and special effects is truly an exemplary performance in of itself and as an example of directing a film with little plot and still managing to make it still gripping and compelling and emotionally riveting as your first viewing of The Lion King (1994). Subsequently, an equal amount of praise must also be heaped upon the special effects department in this production as they too have absolutely done a beyond-brilliant job of making the deepness of space and the movement of the characters through the black void thereof seem more realistic than much CGI which has appeared in other such films over the last 20 years.
In conclusion, Gravity is one hell of a ride both visually, audibly and even psychologically. Not only is the acting, action and directing great, but the special effects really put you in the film and let you feel immersed in the experience. On top of this, Gravity is one of the few films that I will remember in time where it was necessary to be seen in cinemas in 3D. No really! It really works well when viewed in 3D and allows you an even more increased experience of feeling like you too are living out the events of the film alongside Bullock's intense bouts of panic as her character tries to survive, Clooney's odd search for vodka in space all culminating in what has to be the best thriller of the entire year. Let's hope then that Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues can also step up to the mark as one of this young decade's greatest films.
Plot: 8.5/10
Action/set pieces: 9/10
Directing/special effects/camera work: 8/10
Acting/characters: 9/10
Overall: 34.5/40
Thursday, 5 December 2013
Tuesday, 3 December 2013
Restaurant review #3: Efes turkish restaurant in Great Titchfield Street in London
Ah food reviews, haven't done one of these in a while. Kind of odd really seeing as how I like to eat out and I am notably obsessed with food but there have been so many films coming out since the last review I did of a restaurant or a cafe and then there was the big period when I did nothing on the blog that I guess I shouldn't feel surprised really that I' finally doing a restaurant review again. Like I said though, if there is one thing that holds a warmer enclave in my heart in terms of critiquing things more than films, it has to be food. every day I think what needs to be bought, how to cook it, how to season it and what it should be served with. Naturally, seeing as how a restaurant is providing you with a service, they will most likely take care of that for you (that is if you aren't eating at a chain like Zizzis' or Nando's or are eating from a fast-food chain like Wasabi, McDonalds or Pizza Express).
Today I'll be reviewing a restaurant chain known here in the UK for its expertise on good, tasty and simple Turkish food and its close association to the brewery company which makes the beer that shares the same name as this chain of restaurants, Efes. I'll admit actually, I'd never heard of the restaurant or even the chain itself before I went there recently for a friend's 23rd birthday party with a group that included me, the birthday girl and 14 other people. First off, you might think that the large number of our group would create problems for the restaurant staff to serve us in terms of speed and punctuation in terms of them serving our food on time, and HOLY SHIT, I could not be more right. Not only was the food slow but it was made all the more slow by the fact that while there were allot of us, the restaurant had this odd system of serving whereby they said that they would serve everyone in the party altogether. Now I know this type of service is practised in many restaurants, BUT IT DOES NOT WORK WITH LARGE GROUPS. I mean COME THE FUCK ON PEOPLE! Is it really the standards of some of the restaurants of one of the trading centres of the world that its restaurants serve the main course at least an hour and a half after ordering, AND COLD NO LESS?!?!? I mean this wasn't too bad of a problem because I was just pleased to see the food after waiting so long and it was tasty as hell, but when a few people in our party who arrived late finally got the the restaurant, the waiter told us that we had to wait longer so that they could be served alongside us as well.
Needless to say, this made us pretty pissed and angry, not to mention hungry as a horse, figuratively of course. On top of this, the waiter had the nerve to contradict us on several things, and not politely either! Firstly, after the first hour or so of waiting for the main course to arrive I asked the waiter who was serving us how long the main courses would be, upon asking he told me bluntly and with no tact that the order had only been taken in about twenty minutes ago and that the main course would be there soon. Needless to say, I was positive as I looked at my clock on my phone that it had been way more than around 20 minutes and due to the fact that we waited another 30 minutes or so for our food did not help my blood pressure any good at all either. Secondly, when the main course AT LAST came to our table, not only was it merely warm and not hot or at least between the two, but I'm pretty sure that some of the meals that were served particularly to people sitting next to me were different to those that they had originally ordered. This was made starkly clear to me as the guests sitting near me stated that they didn't care so much whether their order was wrong but were simply glad to finally eat. This too proves as another example of the restaurant's slow service.
What had to be one of the strangest criticisms I have to make of this particular branch of Efes however, was the fact that the etiquette of the waiter towards the birthday girl and another birthday girl when the restaurant put on music for them to dance to was really odd and embarrassing. As I looked at the birthday girl on my table and the other girl in the other birthday party, I saw that neither really looked like they felt inclined to or comfortable to dance to loud music in front of a filled-out restaurant mostly filled with people they don't know. This was made all the more uncomfortable by the fact that the waiter kept asking the two girls to dance which struck me as pretty odd behaviour from a waiter and, with all due respect to the Efes chain, not to mention, quite rude.
Now before you go away from the possibility of visiting one of the branches of this chain of restaurants I have to mention that the food was probably in part late thanks to the large size of our party, therefore it probably wasn't all the restaurant's fault. Admittedly the serving system was odd but I can see the reasoning behind it and besides, serving a table of 12-14 then 16 people by yourself is not easy task. So I really do have to give credit to the waiter who served my table for at least trying to get all of our food to us with efficiency and alacrity and making sure we were happy (although the dancing thing was weird as shit and kind of out of place and order unless the Girl's in question had agreed prior that they wanted to dance).
On top of this, as I mentioned earlier, the food was dee-freaking-licious. While I was hungry as an alleyway dog by the time the main arrived and that the starter was relatively small (although that may have been my fault considering I ordered a dish that was described as very simple), the food was well-seasoned and even more well-cooked. For starters I had garlic-butter-sautéed mushrooms in this broth-like sauce that was neither to mellow or extravagant in its use of seasoning (particularly the butter and garlic), and really infused the mushrooms with a little extra buttery flavour that went along nicely with how well-cooked the mushrooms themselves were. Secondly, for main course I ordered the grill combo of grilled kofte, lamb and chicken which came with a side of rice and simple salad of lettuce, tomato and cucumber. What was pleasing about the main course aside from its refreshing simplicity was the fact that it was all well cooked (naturally excluding the salad) as the meat was all perfectly tender and enabled me to really enjoy the harmonious contrasts between the texture and flavour of the meats and the rice as well as the surprisingly pleasing freshness of the simple salad.
Lastly, because it was a birthday party, the restaurant baked us an indulgently satisfying and guilty-pleasure style of chocolate cake that was light and pleasantly fluffy while also having layers of thankfully not too overpoweringly-sweet chocolate cream between the layers of cake topped off with chocolate sprinkles and a sparkler candle. All this food might have been simple as simple gets but its simplicity combined with the refreshing crash of the Efes beer on my taste buds made for a very tasty meal indeed
Furthermore to heap on more dollops of praise, while we did wait a long time for our food, the staff were quick in serving drinks and they kept our table well served with complementary olives and pita-bread served with tzatziki and devilishly hot chilli sauce. This managed, to an extent, to keep us tided over until our courses began to arrive which was good as it allowed me to have a more satisfying conversation with the other guests around me without having to concentrate on my grumbling gut too much. On top of this, it also allowed me to more greatly appreciate the decoration and layout of the restaurant which struck me as representing a good and balanced mash-up of Turkish traditional domestic architecture and decoration with a cross with modern British pubs and bars that made me feel immersed in the culture of the place but not at all uncomfortable or alienated. Well maybe except for the odd acts of our otherwise hard-working and commendable waiter.
In conclusion, the Efes branch in Great Titchfield Street near both the London Heart Hospital and the Oxford Circus train station is warranting of a mixed bag of both notable compliments as well as criticisms. While there are many criticisms to be made of this branch, I did enjoy the food, enjoyed the majority of the atmosphere and decoration while I was there, appreciated the alacrity with which the staff kept us going with drinks and pita-bread and dips and the simplicity of the food itself which was refreshing in a city where some (not all mind you however) have levels of either garish or disappointing seasoning and sauces that take away from the simplicity of food that sometimes must be acknowledged as shown by how well-cooked the food was from here. That and also the place does takeaways so I guess that's a double plus for anyone living near one of Efes' branches. Regardless of these compliments however, the criticisms that I made of this place have to be considered. The service was filled with slow speed and a notable sense of indifference from the staff and when the food arrived it tended to mostly only be warm or room-temperature which I felt was not really acceptable for a chain restaurant or really any restaurant for that matter. Call me unfair if you so wish and I know that some restaurants are swept off their feet from being so busy, but the slowness of the service at this restaurant and their inefficient serving system was just pure awfulness.
Decoration: 7.5/10
Atmosphere: 7/10
Service: 2/10
Price 4/10
Quality of food and drink: 8.5/10
Overall: 29/50
Today I'll be reviewing a restaurant chain known here in the UK for its expertise on good, tasty and simple Turkish food and its close association to the brewery company which makes the beer that shares the same name as this chain of restaurants, Efes. I'll admit actually, I'd never heard of the restaurant or even the chain itself before I went there recently for a friend's 23rd birthday party with a group that included me, the birthday girl and 14 other people. First off, you might think that the large number of our group would create problems for the restaurant staff to serve us in terms of speed and punctuation in terms of them serving our food on time, and HOLY SHIT, I could not be more right. Not only was the food slow but it was made all the more slow by the fact that while there were allot of us, the restaurant had this odd system of serving whereby they said that they would serve everyone in the party altogether. Now I know this type of service is practised in many restaurants, BUT IT DOES NOT WORK WITH LARGE GROUPS. I mean COME THE FUCK ON PEOPLE! Is it really the standards of some of the restaurants of one of the trading centres of the world that its restaurants serve the main course at least an hour and a half after ordering, AND COLD NO LESS?!?!? I mean this wasn't too bad of a problem because I was just pleased to see the food after waiting so long and it was tasty as hell, but when a few people in our party who arrived late finally got the the restaurant, the waiter told us that we had to wait longer so that they could be served alongside us as well.
Needless to say, this made us pretty pissed and angry, not to mention hungry as a horse, figuratively of course. On top of this, the waiter had the nerve to contradict us on several things, and not politely either! Firstly, after the first hour or so of waiting for the main course to arrive I asked the waiter who was serving us how long the main courses would be, upon asking he told me bluntly and with no tact that the order had only been taken in about twenty minutes ago and that the main course would be there soon. Needless to say, I was positive as I looked at my clock on my phone that it had been way more than around 20 minutes and due to the fact that we waited another 30 minutes or so for our food did not help my blood pressure any good at all either. Secondly, when the main course AT LAST came to our table, not only was it merely warm and not hot or at least between the two, but I'm pretty sure that some of the meals that were served particularly to people sitting next to me were different to those that they had originally ordered. This was made starkly clear to me as the guests sitting near me stated that they didn't care so much whether their order was wrong but were simply glad to finally eat. This too proves as another example of the restaurant's slow service.
What had to be one of the strangest criticisms I have to make of this particular branch of Efes however, was the fact that the etiquette of the waiter towards the birthday girl and another birthday girl when the restaurant put on music for them to dance to was really odd and embarrassing. As I looked at the birthday girl on my table and the other girl in the other birthday party, I saw that neither really looked like they felt inclined to or comfortable to dance to loud music in front of a filled-out restaurant mostly filled with people they don't know. This was made all the more uncomfortable by the fact that the waiter kept asking the two girls to dance which struck me as pretty odd behaviour from a waiter and, with all due respect to the Efes chain, not to mention, quite rude.
Now before you go away from the possibility of visiting one of the branches of this chain of restaurants I have to mention that the food was probably in part late thanks to the large size of our party, therefore it probably wasn't all the restaurant's fault. Admittedly the serving system was odd but I can see the reasoning behind it and besides, serving a table of 12-14 then 16 people by yourself is not easy task. So I really do have to give credit to the waiter who served my table for at least trying to get all of our food to us with efficiency and alacrity and making sure we were happy (although the dancing thing was weird as shit and kind of out of place and order unless the Girl's in question had agreed prior that they wanted to dance).
On top of this, as I mentioned earlier, the food was dee-freaking-licious. While I was hungry as an alleyway dog by the time the main arrived and that the starter was relatively small (although that may have been my fault considering I ordered a dish that was described as very simple), the food was well-seasoned and even more well-cooked. For starters I had garlic-butter-sautéed mushrooms in this broth-like sauce that was neither to mellow or extravagant in its use of seasoning (particularly the butter and garlic), and really infused the mushrooms with a little extra buttery flavour that went along nicely with how well-cooked the mushrooms themselves were. Secondly, for main course I ordered the grill combo of grilled kofte, lamb and chicken which came with a side of rice and simple salad of lettuce, tomato and cucumber. What was pleasing about the main course aside from its refreshing simplicity was the fact that it was all well cooked (naturally excluding the salad) as the meat was all perfectly tender and enabled me to really enjoy the harmonious contrasts between the texture and flavour of the meats and the rice as well as the surprisingly pleasing freshness of the simple salad.
Lastly, because it was a birthday party, the restaurant baked us an indulgently satisfying and guilty-pleasure style of chocolate cake that was light and pleasantly fluffy while also having layers of thankfully not too overpoweringly-sweet chocolate cream between the layers of cake topped off with chocolate sprinkles and a sparkler candle. All this food might have been simple as simple gets but its simplicity combined with the refreshing crash of the Efes beer on my taste buds made for a very tasty meal indeed
Furthermore to heap on more dollops of praise, while we did wait a long time for our food, the staff were quick in serving drinks and they kept our table well served with complementary olives and pita-bread served with tzatziki and devilishly hot chilli sauce. This managed, to an extent, to keep us tided over until our courses began to arrive which was good as it allowed me to have a more satisfying conversation with the other guests around me without having to concentrate on my grumbling gut too much. On top of this, it also allowed me to more greatly appreciate the decoration and layout of the restaurant which struck me as representing a good and balanced mash-up of Turkish traditional domestic architecture and decoration with a cross with modern British pubs and bars that made me feel immersed in the culture of the place but not at all uncomfortable or alienated. Well maybe except for the odd acts of our otherwise hard-working and commendable waiter.
In conclusion, the Efes branch in Great Titchfield Street near both the London Heart Hospital and the Oxford Circus train station is warranting of a mixed bag of both notable compliments as well as criticisms. While there are many criticisms to be made of this branch, I did enjoy the food, enjoyed the majority of the atmosphere and decoration while I was there, appreciated the alacrity with which the staff kept us going with drinks and pita-bread and dips and the simplicity of the food itself which was refreshing in a city where some (not all mind you however) have levels of either garish or disappointing seasoning and sauces that take away from the simplicity of food that sometimes must be acknowledged as shown by how well-cooked the food was from here. That and also the place does takeaways so I guess that's a double plus for anyone living near one of Efes' branches. Regardless of these compliments however, the criticisms that I made of this place have to be considered. The service was filled with slow speed and a notable sense of indifference from the staff and when the food arrived it tended to mostly only be warm or room-temperature which I felt was not really acceptable for a chain restaurant or really any restaurant for that matter. Call me unfair if you so wish and I know that some restaurants are swept off their feet from being so busy, but the slowness of the service at this restaurant and their inefficient serving system was just pure awfulness.
Decoration: 7.5/10
Atmosphere: 7/10
Service: 2/10
Price 4/10
Quality of food and drink: 8.5/10
Overall: 29/50
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