We caught Munich tonight. What a powerful movie. Sure, it was produced in 2005, but hopefully it is a sign of the quality of movies coming out this year. It opened this week, yet there was only one theater in Memphis that I could find showing it. I don’t know if it has to do with the area or if it is supposed to open this *coming* Friday. Whatever the case, I’m glad to have seen it. A word to those that do go to watch this, it would be a good idea to read up a little on the history first. If you have never heard of what happened at the 1972 Olympic Games, you need to know what happened beforehand. That’s not to say that the movie is hard to follow, but knowing what is going on beforehand will allow one to pay better attention to the details.

It seems movies thrive on controversy. I guess film makers try to generate a buzz any way they can, but controversy is a common method. Lately I’ve heard quite a bit about the controversy this film is causing to Spielberg from Jewish groups. I spent three-quarters of the film wondering where the controversy was. Then we came to the end of the film and I understood. Honestly, I quite like what Spielberg did. I may not agree with the point of view that the main character comes to believe, but I do understand it. And I quite understand why that point of view is controversial. Regardless, I like it. I like movies that provoke thought or debate. It is even better in that this is a historically based debate with current implications.

Overall (if you can’t guess already), I liked the film. To me, the screen play was well done. The directing was well done. The special effects were well done. The cinematography was well done. The casting was very well done. The acting was well done. I just don’t find anything truly wrong with it. I surely hope this is the sign of a great year for movies.

I just finished watching King Kong. I guess I once again disagree with the critics. I’m not going to call it a great movie, not even a good movie. It’s an okay movie. I spent the first 30 minutes thinking that it sucked, so everything after the first 30 minutes sort of made up for that. The computer generated graphics (CGI) was of very high quality, but considering the budget of the movie, it had to be. The reworked story wasn’t really that great. In fact, I think Peter Jackson sort of saved the film with his directorship, but even if it were perfect in that regard, I wouldn’t call this a great movie. In summation, it’s Hollywood hype and typical of the 2005 dribble that they produced. I hope 2006′s movies are better. If the RIAA blames movie pirates for their loss in revenue they are outright lying. Movie revenues were down because of the crap they put out for the last year.

Welcome to Memphis, my soon to be adopted home. It kind of gets me thinking when on the evening news they announced that Memphis now has 4 murders in the first 5 days of 2006. This last case being a man mugged and shot to death in front of his apartment. My understanding is that the rest of Tennessee jokes about the crime rate in Memphis, but this is ridiculous. I’m used to Stillwater, where we can go a year or more without a murder. One thing is for sure. After I officially get moved out here, I’m getting a carry license as soon as I can. The precedent has been well documented in court that the police can not be held responsible for our safety, so I sure as hell will be responsible for my own.

First off, my condolences to the families and friends of the 12 WV miners.

Now, until the Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s second stroke, this was going to be the biggest story of the day. I happened to be watching the news during this entire saga from before the “announcement” that the 12 were found alive, to press conference correction where it was announced only 1 had survived. Who’s to blame for the accident? Time will tell. The investigation is already under way. Who’s to blame for the “miscommunication” of the fate of the 11 presumed dead then alive then dead miners? It’s the media. The media was too eager to have be the first to announce *something* that they didn’t care whether or not it was right. Journalism 101 is to confirm reports before reporting them. If you hear a rumor that the miners are alive, get the company to confirm it before running with the story. The mining company had been doing press conferences every 3 hours to keep the media updated. Worst case is that they would have had to wait 3 hours. It could have saved those families a lot of grief. It’s just a shame that sensationalism so trumped the meaning that the news had to the people it affected. And as if to throw salt in the wound, all the reporters did during that corrective press conference was pass the buck and imply it was the company’s fault that the family was suffering from the media’s incorrect reporting. I wonder if they even realize how stupid they are.

For our anniversary we decided to go to Sekisui Midtown in Memphis for dinner. I can summarize the whole experience with two words: it sucked. We came for an early dinner, so when we arrived there was no wait for us to be seated. We were put in a booth in the back. That was no problem as we were happy to be in a quiet place. The light was low, but not so dark as to be a problem. The table was well used. It was quite worn, covered with stains and scratches. The veneer was getting thin. That doesn’t exactly make for an attractive environment for what one would think of as upscale, but it’s livable. The service had something to be desired. The waiters and waitresses seemed to spend quite a bit more time at the other tables refilling drinks and whatnot than ours. It was almost to the point that it seemed they were intentionally avoiding us. Maybe I’m imagining things, but at the minimum, we were left hanging on several occasions. The menu was quite large with many selections. It took us quite some time to get through them all and make a decision on what to order, but in the end we both decided to get the Sekisui dinner. The description from the menu is as follows:

Shrimp Tempura Roll, & individual pieces of Tuna, Salmon, Yellowtail, Shrimp, Eel, & a Sashimi Assortment

Sounds delicious, right? The menu indicated that it also came with a soup and salad. It came as you see here.

It looks quite good, but it was quite truthfully some of the worst food I’ve ever eaten. The salad probably would have been fine without whatever it was that they put on it. The miso just wasn’t miso. I don’t know how to describe it, but it wasn’t miso. It sucked. The “salad dressing” tasted exactly the same. I couldn’t eat more than a few bites of the salad and sips of the soup before pushing them away. That’s saying something considering how broad my idea of what “edible” is. Next, the waitress brought out the main course as you see here.

Presentation is quite an important part of the restaurant business. It is especially important for sushi. It’s part of the essence of sushi. At first glance, that wood tray was quite enticing. It was beautiful at first glance. Look a little more closely at the tray itself. You’ll notice stains, spots where the finish was worn to the bear wood, large knife cuts, and scratches. In fact, I actually got a little concerned as to the sanitation factor considering that they served raw fish. Well, we ate anyway. Let’s start with the wasabi. The wasabi was a little bland. It wasn’t as pungent as I would expect and I actually used up all of my allotment. Now to the food itself. The amount of food was huge. I actually didn’t finish it all, but I did at least try everything. The sushi and sashimi were quite good. The tuna was much more fresh than I’m used to (which is a good thing). I usually don’t like tuna sashimi very much, but I enjoyed this. Everything else was quite good as well. I especially enjoyed the eel (as I usually do). Overall the value was good. Considering the amount and variety of the fish, it is well worth the price.

For dessert, we had the red bean ice cream. Sadly (but no surprisingly), we dove into it before I remembered to take a picture. It didn’t last long. It was okay. I prefer green tea ice cream more, but it was sufficient.

We watched Memoirs of a Geisha last night. I can review it in two words: it sucked. First of all, what’s the point of adding in all the accents? Obviously, the characters aren’t speaking English through most of the movie, but the actors quite deliberately add the thickest “Asian” accents they can. If they want to do Japanese, they should have spoken in Japanese and added subtitles. If they are going to do it in English, they might as well do it in clear English. Also, the movie drones on a little. Several scenes could be done with the same effectiveness without being so drawn out. Also, without trying to add to the controversy, the whole Japanese geisha being played by an all Chinese cast is pretty distracting. Gong Li, Ziyi Zhang, and Michelle Yeoh all did fine jobs, but really, were there no ethnically Japanese actresses available? I realize it’s Hollywood. Back in the day they used Italians to portray Native Americans, but it’s obvious they spent the big bucks on this one and a large detail that should have been done right. In terms of the story, I’m sure they took their liberties in modifying the novel, but it was “okay” by my standards. The cinematography was astounding. In the most simple sense, shot composition was just beautiful. From the obviously beautiful garden and wide angle city shots, to the grimy back alleys, everything was shot to convey the feeling of the environment. That was very well done. The soundtrack was basically forgettable. Nothing stands out about it to me except to say that it also had some overdone points in trying to sound Japanese. If done well it would sound Japanese, not sound like it was just trying to be Japanese. My overall opinion is if you haven’t seen it, wait for it to come on cable.

I’ve created my restaurant critique section. At this time I don’t have any reviews completed, but I have listed some restaurant names that I will complete my reviews for in the near future. I just need to sit down, type everything up and organize pictures that I have in along with them. Stay tuned.

Happy New Year! It’s 2006. I still have trouble with the 200x on dates I write, so I think I officially have a problem. Maybe I’ll get it right before 2010. Best of luck to everyone in the new year.