Tag: pineapple

Pizza and a Movie: The Nice Guys

This weekend’s Pizza Toppings at Corner Pizza:

  • Artichoke Hearts
  • Capers
  • Pineapple

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Movie:

The Nice Guys

I was all prepared to really like this Shane Black film, but I found it kind of disjointed and a bit of a mess, plot-wise. But because I prefer to talk about what I liked rather than criticize, here’s a (short) list of what I liked best:

  1. Ryan Gosling
  2. The actress who played his daughter (Angourie Rice)

I’m a fan of Russell Crowe, but I didn’t find him or his character very appealing. I did like Kim Basinger in it. I was okay with the movie being set in the late 1970s, too, and a kind of Lethal Weapon-ish redux (and Lethal Weapon is one of my all time favorite films), but this one just didn’t work for me.

Other films I’ve seen recently (sans the pizza) are Zootopia and The Money Monster. I thought the first was very entertaining, but I didn’t feel the same way about the second.

As for the pizza, I wanted only vegetables (and fruit), and he selected the artichoke hearts. You may have noticed we aren’t going every Friday anymore; sometimes we’ve been out of town, and other times, it didn’t fit into our weekend plans. For the next few months (at least), for the same reasons, we will probably only go once or twice a month.

And hopefully, the movies will get better!

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Pizza and a Movie: Eye in the Sky

This weekend’s Pizza Toppings at Corner Pizza:

  • Pineapple
  • Portobellos
  • Red Onions

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Movie:

Eye in the Sky

I wanted a vegetarian pizza, and so this is what we chose. It was très bon.

As for the film…well, he picked it. I wanted to see Everybody Wants Some!! but he convinced me that it would be out for at least a few weeks, so we can see it next time, whereas as Eye in the Sky may be getting close to the end of its run.

(He later mentioned wanting to see The Jungle Book sometime too, which totally surprised me.)

Anyway, take Helen Mirren (wonderful), add a war movie of sorts (think: drone strike), add a little girl who just wants to sell bread (unfortunately, near the target), and…well, you get the idea. Oh, and throw in the British and Americans arguing about it.

I can’t say I loved it, but I did enjoy watching it, for the most part. A bonus for me was that Aaron Paul (who played Jesse in Breaking Bad) was in this movie. Jesse was my favorite character in BB, and in this, he almost seemed like he was still Jesse (in a good way). Two other notables: Alan Rickman, and Jeremy North. The latter was in a movie I LOVE called The Winslow Boy (think: England in the early 20th century – he was great in it).

I’m looking forward to something a little less serious and intense when we go see Everybody Wants Some!! ….The title alone has hooked me (!!)

 

 

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Pizza and a Movie: 10 Cloverfield Lane

This weekend’s Pizza Toppings at Corner Pizza:

  • Banana Peppers
  • Pineapple
  • Red Onion

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Movie:

10 Cloverfield Lane

I asked my husband to choose the toppings, because I had a phone call coming in when we arrived that I had been waiting to receive. I walked over to a booth while he ordered the pizza and our drinks at the counter.

He did okay (I like banana peppers, and red onion), and thoughtfully selected pineapple (one of my favorites). But it didn’t quite work for me. However, it was because of the combination; it wasn’t the restaurant’s fault.

I had chosen the movie, after glancing at the reviews online. I wish I had paid more attention to the story description, though. I was ready for suspense, but this film was more than that; it was too disturbing, and more like a horror movie, a genre I rarely like. I can’t count the number of times that I either shuddered or (partially) hid my eyes while watching it.

Think: Last year’s film Room, plus a little of the TV show Breaking Bad, plus The Cabin in the Woods, plus a bit of Halloween and even Fargo. (I liked all of those, though.) Throw in a conspiracy theorist/doomsday prepper and some science fiction (neither of which I like), and an ending that begs for a sequel.

Which, if there is one, I won’t want to see.

Ugh. It just didn’t work for me, and I came home being afraid I was going to have nightmares, and had to calm down before I went to sleep.

But even with two “misses,” I still enjoyed the evening out with my husband. It was a date night, and we had a chance to share some time together to talk, laugh, and enjoy each other. We even giggled as we walked out of the theater–not because the film was funny (it wasn’t), but because we just had to laugh at our mistakes.

 

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Pizza and a Movie: Lady in the Van

This weekend’s Pizza Toppings at Corner Pizza:

  • Black Olives
  • Pineapple
  • 1/2 Italian Sausage, 1/2 Jalapeños

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Movie:

Lady in the Van

Just one thing to mention about the pizza: I wanted pineapple, he wanted jalapeños, and this is what we came up with. Some people love jalapeños on a pizza. I don’t.

Now, for the movie. I found this film disturbing, and not very entertaining.

I love Maggie Smith in (almost) anything, and I adore her in Downton Abbey. The best part of this movie was her performance. But the story (billed as “mostly true”) didn’t do it for me. Because of that, and because her character is so different (mentally, and in other ways) in Downton Abbey, it was difficult for me to watch Maggie Smith in this role.

I wondered, afterward, what parts of the story weren’t true, and what parts were left out. If you see it, I think you’ll know what I’m talking about.  The treatment of the (real and fictional) lady in the van’s mental illness was terribly unsatisfying for me. Watching the film was like trying to solve a puzzle without all the pieces. And I don’t like that kind of puzzle, anyway.

I’ll be watching the Oscars this weekend, and I don’t believe Lady in the Van has been nominated for anything. Some people, I’ve heard, loved this film, and the performances.

To each his own.

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Pizza and a Movie: No Escape

This weekend’s Pizza Toppings at Corner Pizza:

  • Green Peppers
  • Pepperoni
  • Pineapple

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Movie:

No Escape

Owen Wilson, who stars in this film, is one of my favorite actors.

It’s partly because of the way he talks, and partly because of his imperfect nose. He’s not a pretty boy. And whether the movie is decent, good, or great, I usually like his acting. This was the first one I’ve seen him in that wasn’t a comedy, and the first one where he played a dad. I was drawn into the story, and I liked the movie well enough; for most of it, I was on the edge of my seat. I didn’t even mind the slow motion parts, though I’d heard that some people did.

There was one dialogue scene between Owen Wilson’s character and the one played by Pierce Brosnan that I thought was unnecessary, or at least, badly done. At best, it was distracting, and it didn’t explain that much to me. If you see the film, you’ll know what I’m talking about, so let me know if you agree.

Now for the pizza. As Bill (of Corner Pizza) guessed, we I had decided on the toppings before we arrived. I was in the mood for pepperoni, and the other toppings are two of my favorites. My husband agreed, and everything melanged together nicely.

It was the perfect prelude to a fun weekend * – some of which I already wish I could replay, in slow motion.

* I appeared on the Thriller panel at the 10th annual Decatur Book Festival (my first time there as an author), and I moderated the Urban Fantasy panel, just after. I also signed books at the Atlanta Writers Club Booth, attended two presentations at the Romance Pavilion, and attended an interview with YA (Young Adult) author Sarah Dessen. I had hoped to meet her and talk about writing, books, UNC, and many other things, but before I got an opportunity, she had gone back home to Chapel Hill, NC. 

 

 

 

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Pizza and a Movie: Aloha

This weekend’s Pizza Toppings at Corner Pizza:

  • Ham
  • Pineapple
  • Portobellos

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Movie:

Aloha

I’m not fond of cold pineapple (unless I’m eating it in Hawaii), but there’s something about warm pineapple…

This week, my husband selected all the toppings, one of them possibly inspired by the movie we had chosen to go see. My first choice was Mad Max: Fury Road, but the start time of Aloha was preferable to both of us, and we like the film’s actors.

Bad decision.

Because, even though we agreed we were more in the mood for something light (and I’ve always been more of a Mad Max -er than my husband), well, we didn’t really like Aloha.

The story was scattered, haphazard, and even somewhat boring. If you’re looking for a beach resort in it, you won’t find it. There was a great dancing scene (too short) and my favorite scene in the film was towards the end: a pantomime between Bradley Cooper and John Krasinski (sort of like the movie The Artist, but very funny – and I love John Krasinski!). I laughed out loud during that scene, and so did most of the other people in the theater.

But it didn’t make up for the rest of the film.

Oh, well. Good friends of ours are currently vacationing in Hawaii, so it just seemed to fit. I suspect they aren’t eating pizza, but I hope they’re enjoying the sweet, juicy pineapple!

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