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Shoyu Ramen and the Baron

        Friday I went to a place called Hapa Ramen.  It's on SE Gladstone. It actually has it's own parking lot. That being said there is only 5 or 6 spots. It's a small place. You order and then you find your table. I sat at the ramen bar. The decor is dark. Most of the walls and part of the bar is covered in dark wood panels. There are also shelves with lots of plants and Japanese decorations. It is also a whiskey bar. They even have pairings with the different menu items. I didn't get any. I ordered the Shoyu Ramen which has pork and a marinated egg. It was really good. But I forgot to ask for no onions, which ruined it a little for me. To be fair the menu didn't say it came with onions but I guess that's a common ingredient in ramen. The service was good.  I would go back for sure. I know it's a place my sister would like. Especially because she told me about it.

Monday: Going Hollywood (1933)

         Sylvia is a young teacher at an all girls school. She's not very devoted to teaching. After hearing her favorite singer on the radio, Bill, she decides to get on his train back to California. She finds him and tells him she loves him. He brushes her off. Bill is dating a french actress. They are going back to Hollywood to star in a movie. Sylvia follows them. She gets hired to be a dancer. Then ends up replacing the french actress as the female lead. I thought this movie was alright. Bing Crosby was Bill. It's interesting to see him so young. He is permanently in my mind how he looks in White Christmas.

Tuesday: Over the Brooklyn Bridge (1984)

        Alby is a Jewish man who owns his own deli in Brooklyn. He is dating a Catholic woman named Elizabeth. Alby has a dream to own a restaurant in Manhattan. He finds the perfect place for sale. But he needs a loan. He asks is uncle for the money. The uncle says he will give Alby the loan if he breaks up with Elizabeth and gets serious about a Jewish woman. Alby doesn't know what to do. He loves Elizabeth but this is his dream. It gets complicated quickly. This movie is alright.

Wednesday: Top Gun: Maverick (2022)

      After getting in trouble again Maverick is given one last chance. He must prepare the best pilots of top gun to fly a dangerous mission. This includes the son of his friend Goose. Maverick's past is haunting him and causing him to second guess himself. He has to pull it together to pull off the mission. I thought this movie was ok. I wasn't originally going to see it. I don't like Tom Cruise. I've seen the first one because it's a classic. But didn't really want to see this one. Then it got nominated for Best Picture (not sure why). So I decided to see it finally.

Friday: The Adventures of Baron Munchausen (1988)

      A theater troupe is performing in a war torn city. They are putting on the Adventures of Baron Munchausen. The lead actor is claiming to be the Baron. The real Baron shows up. He says he is the cause of the war. He tells stories of his great adventures with his band of misfits. The Baron says a bet gone wrong started the war. Then he must travel to find his friend after all this time to prove to the people of the town he is telling the truth. His journey takes him to some strange places. From the moon to the inside of a whale and beyond. I thought this movie was good. Pretty weird but entertaining.

Saturday: Avatar: The Way of Water (2022)

       After the events of the first movie Jake and Neytiri have 3 of their own children and adopt another. One day the sky people return and wage war on Pandora. Quaritch is brought back as an avatar. He wants revenge on Jake. So he hunts him down. Most of the forest is destroyed.  When Jake finds out he is the target, he takes his family and flees the forest. He doesn't want anyone to die because of him. His family seeks refuge with a tribe on an island. They are sea people, very different from Jake's forest family. They are allowed to stay. The family struggles at first to fit in. But soon they get the hang of it. Quaritch continues to hunt them down. This movie is alright. Like if Terrence Malik made a sci fi film. I wasn't that crazy about the first one. With all the advertising for this movie I almost felt brainwashed into seeing it. I resisted for a while.

Sunday: All Quiet on the Western Front (2022)

       This is a German movie. Paul and other new German recruits are sent to the front line in Paris. They are completely unprepared for the horrors of war. Especially WWI. They have to do their best to survive. Paul soon becomes hardened because of the war. Germany is close to surrendering and agreeing to a cease fire. It's not soon enough. I thought this movie was good. Very well done. It is a remake. I've thought I had seen the first one, but know I'm not sure. If I did it was before I started this blog. I have now seen all but two of the best picture nominees. Although really only one, because there is one I will not see. That is Triangle of Sadness. A good chunk of the movie is people throwing up. If it's the main focus of the movie trailer you know there will be a lot. I do not like seeing people throw up.

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