Movie Review: The Hunger Games

March 22, 2012

Glorietta 4

MTRCB Rating: PG-13

Genre: Science fiction/Action/Drama

Starring:

Jennifer Lawrence

Josh Hutcherson

Woody Harrelson

Eizabeth Banks

Lenny Kravitz

Stanley Tucci

Donald Sutherland

A few months ago, I saw The Hunger Games teaser while waiting for the featured film in a cinema. I was curious about the film because it's a sci-fi film, which I really love, and it's all about game of death with teens as the contestants. Then I heard it is based on a novel. I decided to read it first before it hits the cinema. And the novel is awesome.

I saw the film in its first day.  The cinemas were jampacked with movie-goers.  It was hard to find a seat and  I happened to get a seat right in the first row near the screen.

Panem, once known as North America, was divided into 12 districts. Each year, the Hunger Games was held.  2 tributes from each district, 1 boy and 1 girl, were picked to participate in this televised  fight-to-the-death game.  In District 12, 12 year old Prim was picked.  Her sister Katniss volunteered to take her place.  The other tribute was Peeta.  Even before the game started, Katniss and Peeta captured the hearts of the spectators.  They were the early favorites in the game.  They were loved more when Peeta confessed his feelings for Katniss.

In the main game, alliances were formed and the 24 tributes were greatly reduced by almost half.  Katniss allied with Rue, a 12 year old girl from District 11.  But Rue was also killed.  In the end, Katniss and Peeta outsmarted the others.  But the rule was only 1 should remain so they had to kill each other.  They defied this rule and threatened to kill themselves by eating poisonous berries.  Because the audience loved them so much, they were stopped before the berries touched their mouths.

Positive:  I love everything about this movie.  There couldn't be more perfect to play Katniss than Jennifer Lawrence.  It was just like the softie but toughie character of Katniss was tailor-made for Jennifer. The story was stuck in my mind for a very long time.  One may complain about the teen violence but that was an integral part of the story. The movie tried its best to be faithful to its book counterpart.  And faithful it was.

Negative:  I have just one complain about this movie.  The shaky camera works.  In its opening credits, scenes from the districts were shown.  I was seated in the very front of the screen and the documentary-like shots made me dizzy.

Overall:  This is a must see film.  It is the best dark film since Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 and way better than any Twilight film.  It lived up to its hype and disappointment would be far from anyone's mind.

Rating:

 

Restaurant Review: Sambokojin Yakinuku Smokeless Grill

Gluttons' paradise.

That's how I describe Sambokojin Restaurant, a fusion of Japanese and Korean cuisines.

My friends Lat and Kat (sounds alike, huh?) and I have been hearing Sambokojin as a new buffet Yakimix-style resto. We were intrigued by the good reviews so we decided to give it a try. And yes, we did try... twice. The first one was on January 14 and the next on March 17, 2012.

It is advisable to make a reservation by phone. We did it the day before. Our call time... 11:00 AM. You will be given a 15-minute grace period in case you failed to show up on time. After that, your reservation will be forfeited.

After verifying your reservation, you will be ushered to the 2nd floor of the building. As you walk through the door, you will be greeted by every staff and crew of the resto by a deafening "Irasshaimase!" Then they'll lead you to your table with your name on it. By the way, "irasshaimase" means "welcome to the store/shop" in Japanese.

A waiter will be assigned to you to attend to your needs. Appetizers will be given to you before you attack the buffet area. I recognized the kimchi and the spicy dilis. The others, I dont know. Then he will explain the sauces, what sauce goes with beef, seafood or chicken. Then he will turn your grill on.

There are so many choices. Imagine the food choices in Yakimix. It's all that and more. The sushi bar has the largest selection of sushi and sashimi . The raw meat section has beef in variety of marinades and bacon wraps (asparagus, bean sprouts, crab meat, salmon, etc. wrapped with bacon). There's so many of them that it is impossible to try them all. Then, there's fried breaded meat section (tempura, tonkatsu, and I-don't-know-the-name-of-the-others). There's also buffalo wings although it is named differently. Vegies are available too like toge (bean sprouts), bell peppers, corn slices, and mushrooms (shitake mushrooms, one of my favorites). Desserts area is heaven. There are lots of bite size cakes (yes, even blueberry cheesecake), fondue (chocolate dip), brownies, and fresh fruits. Well, fruits are limited mostly watermelons and pineapples. And my favorite of all... the ice cream which comes in 4 flavors: strawberry, mocha, chocolate and vanilla. And yeah, the fast refilling of foods is worth commending, too.

Rice is not available in the buffet area so you have to inform the waiter and the Kamameshi rice will be served in your table steaming hot. Don't worry it's included in the price.

The waiters are all attentive. More often than not, they keep on refilling your water and often replacing your plates with new ones. Once my chopsticks got splattered with sauce and as I wiped it clean with tissue, a waiter handed me a new pair of chopsticks. Talk about initiative. They are all cheerful and wearing smiles all the time.

The interior is simple but elegant, no fancy paintings and well lit. There's a good distance between each set of tables so there's no need to worry about budging other customers in their seats. The chairs are made of classy white leather and the table from black granite. The ambiance is awesome. It's like you're inside a hotel. The comfort room is clean and nice smelling.

The price? It's not cheap I tell you. But with the food flooding your table, I say it's worth it.

















Here are some info which might help you:

Price: Weekdays lunch - 495 Php
Weekdays dinner - 595 Php
Weekends (lunch and dinner) - 595 Php
Children - 295 Php
All prices don't include drinks and absolutely no leftovers. With leftovers add 100 Php.

Hours of Opertion: Mon-Thu (11:00 AM - 2:00 PM / 6:00 PM - 10:00 PM)
Fri-Sun (11:00 AM - 2:00 PM / 5:30 PM - 10:00 PM)

Address: 207 EDSA Greenhills, Mandaluyong City
(between Connecticut and Rochester Sts. along EDSA)

Telephone nos.: 726-4466; 726-4520

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