Funnel Cake Sticks

First off, let me say that I am honored to be a guest writer on a blog of this magnitude. Until now I have just been an amateur mom-blogger, bragging about my kids every chance I get. I feel like I have finally made it in the blogging world now that I am associated with the Jones Movie Corner and Restaurant Review. That said, let me begin my first review:

Today, while strolling though the mall with my stir-crazy kindergartner, I remembered that Jones had mentioned the new Funnel Cake Sticks at Hot Dog on a Stick. So this is not a review of a new restaurant, but of a new product at an existing "restaurant", if you can call it that. Now, let me say that while funnel cakes are definitely delicious, the thought crossed my mind that maybe a big part of their appeal comes from the fact that a person is usually at Disneyland or another fun place when they eat them. This would most definitely put funnel cakes to the test, since I was just at the mall.

When I got my order of Funnel Cake Sticks, my first thought was that they were kind of small. There were probably 8 of them in the little tray like their hot dogs come in. They were golden brown and covered in powdered sugar. I shared an order with my mother-in-law, but I definitely could have eaten every last one of those little morsels. They were delicious - and there wasn't even a hint of hot dog flavor to them like I was expecting :)

I can't remember the exact price but I think they were between $2 and $3. A great little snack! If you close your eyes while you eat them you can pretend you are at Disneyland, so in reality you will be saving yourself $1,500 to $2,000 by purchasing Funnel Cake Sticks from Hot Dog on a Stick.

Fast & Furious

Starring:
Vin Diesel
Paul Walker
Jordana Brewster
Michelle Rodriguez

Directed by:
Justin Lin

Written by:
Chris Morgan

I have to start off my review by stating that it may be slightly bias just because I am a huge fan of this series of movies regardless of how good the story is or how good the acting is. I LOVE CARS!

Bringing back the cast members from the original film to me was the best thing that they could have done. Vin Diesel offers up a powerful performance as a man with nothing to lose. Paul Walker and Jordana Brewster still have that awesome on screen chemistry.

The time frame in which this movie takes place is before Tokyo Drift because we see Han Lue assisting Dom with one of his jobs. Due to an event towards the beginning of the movie that was a huge surprise to me I won't go too far into the story so I don't spoil any part of the movie.
Brian O'Conner is now an FBI agent who is on a task force to take down a drug lord who is using street racers to bring drugs across the Mexico border.

Kudos to the writer, definately the best written story of the series. The story really got me into the movie which made the cars a nice added bonus. The race sequences were intense and I really enjoyed how they brought more muscle cars into the picture. It was a nice blend. I really enjoyed the emotion that the movie portrayed, it wasn't just one action sequence after another.

The movie carries a PG-13 rating for drug references, some violent fight scenes, and language.

Again I will mention my bias about this movie as I give is a 8 out of 10 just because it is one of those movies that I could watch over and over and never get sick of it.

Bohemian Brewery and Grill

Bohemian Brewery and Grill located at 94 E 7200 So. in Midvale Utah is a place you have probably driven by numerous times and not even noticed it. I know I had.

When you first walk into the restaurant you are greeted by the warmth of a large fireplace and a cabin feel. The decor is similar to that of a hunting lodge.

The menu is surprisingly large with a wide variety of dishes from salads to schnitzel. They offer four beers brewed at their facility, the Czech Pilsener is a pale ale, the Viennese Lager is an amber brew, the Bavarian Weiss is their own Heffeweissen, and finally the Cherny Bock is their dark beer. They also offer an extensive wine list.

My dish was the Philly Brat Sandwich served with battered garlic fries. The sandwich was absolutely delicious a grilled bratwurst topped with carmelized onions, apples and swiss cheese.

My wife had the Halibut Filet which is a horseradish and parmesan crusted filet served with mashed potatoes and veggies. The horseradish was almost non existent in the taste, but the fish was flaky and the crust added a nice texture. The potatoes were prepared slightly lumpy with good flavor and the veggies were not over cooked.

My mom had the Pear Salad, mixed greens topped with poached pears, roasted hazelnuts, brie cheese wedges, and blue cheese dressing. This salad was amazing, the brie was some of the best brie I have ever tasted and its pairing with the pears was absolutley perfect.

I had the Cherny Bock, and was surprised at how mild it was for being a dark beer. So don't be afraid to try it even if you are not a fan of dark beers.

They brought out a coloring book and kids menu for my daughter which was unexpected, but a nice gesture.

A couple dining at the Bohemian Brewery and Grill can expect to pay anywhere from $25 - $50 for the meal and $4.50 - $6.00 more if beer or wine is ordered.

They also have a website http://www.bohemianbrewery.com/Home.html

New additions to the blog..

I have decided to add another genre for review to the blog. When most people head out for a movie, they usually hit a restaurant before or after so why not review them on my site along with movies people may want to see.

I recently posted on FaceBook about a delicious dinner I had at the Bohemian Brewery and Grill and a few people replied about it and my cousin Natalie mentioned that I should create a blog to review Restaurants and that she would contribute.. so I am going to hold her to her offer and have added her as a contributor to this blog.

So please check back often for not only reviews on movies we have seen, but now restaurants we have visited!

Gran Torino

Starring:
Clint Eastwood
Christopher Carley

Directed by:
Clint Eastwood

Written by:
Nick Schenk
Dave Johannson


This movie restored my faith in the movie industry. It has been so long since I have been able to say "that was one of the best movies I have ever seen." Actor / Director Clint Eastwood (Walt Kowalski) gives one of his best performances not only as an actor, but as a director as well. Movie new comers Bee Vang (Thao Vang Lor) and Ahney Her (Sue Lor) provide an excellent contrast to the rough and ragged Eastwood. I had never seen Christopher Carley(Father Janovich) star in anything else, but I really enjoyed his character and how well his character fit in the movie.

Walt Kowalski is a retired Korean War Veteran who has just lost his wife and it doesn't take long before you find out that he is an EXTREMELY onry individual would prefer everyone, even his own two boys and their families, leave him alone. He lives in the middle of a very ethnic neighborhood, surrounded by Mong(H'Mong) people, which are a specific group of Vietnamese individuals. You can tell right away there is going to be conflict when you hear Walt discuss his time in the Korean war and uses every slang term there is for Koreans from "slant-eye" to "gooks". When a fight breaks out next door and it crosses onto his lawn he breaks it up and unknown to him saves a boy (Thao) from a gang looking to recruit him. This starts a chain reaction of kindness from his neighbors toward him even though he doesn't want it. Sue Lor, Thaos brother, finally gets him to come over for a family BBQ and from there on out he has a new respect for the H'Mong people, even though he doesn't openly show it, still referring to them as gooks and other slang terms. He openly admits that he has more in common with them than with his own kids, and a new family circle is born between him and his neighbors.

Everything about this movie just worked for me. The story kept me guessing and entertained throughout. I've read some reviews that say the movie had to many "cringe" moments because of the racist dialogue, but to me it was authentic and real. I have heard numerous war veteran refer to their foes in slang / racist terms to this day, that is just how it was. So I didn't feel the cringe at all.

This movie carries an R rating for language and violence. There was no nudity to speak of.

I am giving this movie a 9.5 out of 10 as it will remain in my top 10 movies of all time list for long while I am sure.

Four Christmases

Starring:
Vince Vaughn
Reese Witherspoon
Robert Duvall
Sissy Spacek

Directed by:
Seth Gordon

Written by:
Matt Allen
Caleb Wilson

Let me start out by saying that this isn't the first movie that I have seen since Death Race, but since starting my family blog I haven't been able to find the time to write as many reviews as I would like. That being said, I'll get right to it. Vince Vaughn (Brad) and Reese Witherspoon (Kate) had decent on screen chemistry, Reese was able to keep up with Vince's quick wit and did an excellent job overall. Robert Duvall (Howard) plays Vince's father in the movie and fit quite well into the role. Sissy Spacek (Paula) plays Vince's "out of this world" mother. Jon Voight makes a cameo appearance as Reese's father. Tim McGraw also makes a cameo as Vince's brother.

The best way I can describe the overall feel of this movie is in one word, UNCOMFORTABLE! Brad and Kate have always came up with an extravagant story to avoid Christmas with their families. This year they get fogged in at the airport and are spotted on the news by their relatives and forced to spend Christmas Day at each of their parents house. Problem is both of their parents are divorced meaning four stops. Each stop provides a more uncomfortable situation than the last and it also provides a look into their past and they discover things about the other that they never knew.

While the laughs are abundant throughout the whole movie, so are the awkward situations that make some kringe, myself included. There is enough romance in the movie for it to be considered a romantic comedy.

The movie carries a PG-13 rating, I am guessing for language although I really don't recall the language being all that bad.

All in all for me the movies uncomfortable situations made it less enjoyable to watch than the laughs made up for so I give this movie a 5.5 out of 10

Burn After Reading

Starring:
George Clooney
Frances McDormand
Brad Pitt
John Malkovich
Tilda Swinton

Directors:
Ethan Coen
Joel Coen

Written by:
Joel Coen
Ethan Coen

Burn After Reading is the next movie created by the bizarre minds of the Coen brothers since their multiple Oscar winning film No Country for Old Men. And when I say bizarre, they seem to have carried on the tradition with this movie. I couldn't help but send out a tweet after I saw this movie proclaiming it "The #1 WTF movie of the year". Because literally, that three word phrase passed through my head multiple times while I was viewing this film.

This movie features an all star cast, most of which have earned academy awards, including the directors themselves. Although this time around I don't think they are shooting for oscar gold, however, I could be wrong as a variety of different films lately have garnered those honors. The movie plays out as John Malkovich's character, Osbource Cox, has quit the CIA after being forced into a demotion. A couple of gym employees get a hold of some information that belongs to him, and they believe this to be highly classified information. They hope to get a "reward" out of Osbourne for it and instead find themselves threatening extortion. And in the mix is George Clooney who plays is a nervous sex crazed maniac who is having an affair with Osbourne's wife played by Tilda Swinton and also gets greatly intertwined with all the chaos.

In this movie you find some of the most bizarre circumstances taking place. You wonder how in the world could something like this happen and I couldn't help but agree with one of John Malkovich's lines where proclaims that everyone around him are morons. But the movie does bring a few unsuspecting moments that really change the pace of the movie (and also made me say WTF). It also had some pretty good inconspicuois humor and was even more hilarious when the CIA agents come on screen and make their professional analysis of all the chaos.

I would give this movie a 7 out of 10.