How was everyone’s weekend? There was tons to do in Edmonton this weekend, lots of places I wish I could have been, but you can’t be everywhere at once. My weekend was great! Like I mentioned on Friday, I had a full schedule of things to do and nothing disappointed. Here’s a recap of what I did:
Friday
Went to see The Hunger Games (do not read this blurb on the movie if you have not seen it yet and do not want spoilers!!!). LOVED it. I am so happy they kept the movie true to the book. The book was better, but that is always the case.
Hunger Games is a tough book to adapt into a movie because a lot of the book goes on in Katniss’ head. You can’t have the same sort of emotional connection and inner struggle that you get from a book (in my opinion at least). Jennifer Lawrence played Katniss perfectly. It is so refreshing to see a strong female lead in a book/movie. I’m so over, wimpy, helpless women (ahem, Twilight) who need a man in their lives to keep them strong. I like Katniss, and the fact that people rely on her to take care of them. Master of Ceremonies, Caesar Flickerman, brilliantly portrayed by Stanley Tucci, was one of my favourite characters in the movie, a much needed comic relief.
In a perfect world this movie would have been filmed to an “R” rating, I mean, the plot revolves around a group of kids trying to kill each other in an arena for the amusement of the masses. However, since its primary demographic is pre-teen and teenage girls (as evidenced by the squeals of delight coming from them during the movie) they obviously had to keep the rating to PG-13. For many parts of the film they used shaky-cam captures, which effectively keeps the exposure to violence to a PG-13 level while simultaneously allows for the killing and violent mood. At times the shaky-cam makes me a bit dizzy, but I do see the point of using it in this film. Overall, I think they did they book good. Having read the book I had a deeper understanding of the film and the characters (especially the Peeta-Katniss love story which I would have had a hard time buying into had I not read the books) but reading the book is not imperative to enjoying the movie. I’m pretty sure I’ll be going to see it again soon; I can’t believe we have to wait a year and a half for the next one.
Saturday
Went out to dinner at The Bothy. This is my second time there and I was not disappointed. The Bothy is a wine and whisky bar located on the south side of Edmonton (although they’ll be opening up a 124th St location as well soon). I tried a new red wine, Laya from
Spain, it was quite nice. To eat we had the Cajun Shrimp and Scallop appetizer which had a nice kick to it. For my entrée I had the Turkey Club, which had a fried egg on it. It was fantastic. I honestly think that everything tastes better with some egg yolk on it, it’s just a fact of life.
After dinner we went to Alberta Ballet’s production of Swan Lake. I love classical ballets; I’m not really into modern dance or the like, so this production was right up my alley. The female lead, the Swan Queen/Black Swan was wonderful. Her pirouette sequence was fantastic and spot on. The sets were also incredible. My only qualm with the ballet was that it was too long. Personally, two intermissions is one too many and while I am a huge fan of dance, a three hour ballet is just too much for me. Overall, a brilliant production. The leads were poignant, striking and technically prepared. The story beautifully told. Another success for Alberta Ballet and Kirk Peterson.
Sunday
Sunday was the two hour season five premier of Mad Men. As you all know, I was very excited for this, a year and a half wait, come on! I thought the episode was great (especially the fashion). You can tell that the times are changing. The civil rights movements are picking up, the era of free spirits is in full swing. It’s a changing generation, one that it seems is a bit unsettling to Don, as his new wife is fully immersed in it. The party scene was my favourite, riddled with awkwardness and misjudgement. Sterling was just as entertaining as ever, spoiling the surprise, envying Don’s life and hating his wife. Megan, Don’s new wife is sure to become one of my new favourite characters. That sultry French love song that ends with a discreet version of a lap dance, her hair, her dress. Love, love and love. I can’t wait to see more of her in the upcoming episodes. No Betty and her pretty, sourpuss face this week, but I’m sure she’ll be back in full force soon enough. Definitely looking forward to the rest of this season!
Glitter and Grapes 