Skip to main content

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.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Travel Friends and the Logger's Life

 Friday: No Other Choice (2025)         This is a Korean film. Man-su was let go after working at a paper factory for many years. He struggles to find a new job. Without his income his family has to start making cuts. It really starts to wear down on Man-su. There is a position at another paper factory. There are only a few men qualified for the job. Man-su realizes if he eliminates the competition he will get the job. So he eliminates them, permanently. I thought this movie was alright. Weird and violent. The acting is good. Saturday: Merrily We Roll Along (2025)          This is actually a broadway musical that they filmed. It shows the friendship of a lyricist, Frank, a playwright, Charley, and a writer, Mary. The plays starts in the mid 70s. Frank is a big shot in Hollywood. Mary comes to visit him after the success of his most recent movie. Their relationship is strained. He doesn't even talk to Charley anymore. From there the story...

Surprise Chorizo and the Floating Castle

         Well after two months I was finally able to go to a restaurant on my list. I went to Tight Tacos, the SE Division location. There is neighborhood parking on the streets behind it, but you might have to drive around a little. It is a small restaurant next to other restaurants and shops. They were only open for take out but there were picnic tables you could sit at on the sidewalk. The tables were in the shade so it was nice on a warm day. From what I could see inside it was clean and modern. There is some color and hanging Christmas lights. The service was good. I got three tacos: chicken, carnitas, and asada. I think that I got chorizo instead of asada. It was actually the best one flavor wise. The carnitas meat was good but there wasn't a lot of flavor. I forgot to ask for no onions so I had to scrape them off. The tacos were good. I would go back. The one problem I had was they serve the food in takeout containers. And they have tables for you to sit ...

Wolf and the Fake Fiancee

 Friday: You. Me & Tuscany (2026)        Anna is a young woman who lost her passion for cooking after her mother passed. She's been housesitting, but it's not enough. One night she meets and Italian man, Matteo. They hit it off and he tells her about his empty villa in Italy that he never uses. Anna takes this as an invitation to use her pre-paid plane ticket and fly to Italy and stay at his empty villa. She gets caught by his family. They assume she is his fiancee and she goes along with it. Anna is introduced to the rest of the family, including Matteo's adopted brother Michael. Michael and Anna immediately hit it off, but can't do anything because she is engaged to his brother. When Matteo shows up things get even more complicated. I thought this movie was alright. It's cute and nice to have a new romantic comedy come out in theaters . It's just a little cheesy and over the top for me. Almost like a Hallmark movie or the like.  Saturday: The Bad Guys...