Jen and I spent New Year’s Eve watching movies. Slumdog Millionaire and Burn After Reading.

One we sat riveted through for the entire 2 hours, the other we struggled through the first half and eventually turned off before hitting the sack at 11.

Brad Pitt, John Malkovich and George Clooney vs. a story. And that’s basically the difference.

Hollywood has become so Hollywood that I couldnt get lost in the script. The Bollywood faces of Slumdog may be famous to some, but they were new to me. Thwy let me get lost in a compelling and thrilling story. I was lost in the script, not thinking about how young Brad Pitt looked with the frosted hair, or how goofy George Clooney looked with a beard. I was eagerly wanting Jamal and Latika to be together.

Slumdog is getting all the pre-Oscar hype. Nominated for awards at every turn and it got me thinking if Hollywood had looked beyond the realm of its own neighborhood to truly recognize great filmmaking. Then I found the director of Slumdog is Danny Boyle (Trainspotting) and the name is littered with english names.

Slumdog is based on an Indian novel, set in India, with Indian actors, but it is a British film, made by Brits, directed by Brits, financed by Brits - those more likely to have Hollywood connections.

No matter, Slumdog is a great film. A wonderful ride, a fabulous tale of two brothers taking different paths out from the same humble beginnings. It actually reminded me a lot of one of the story angles from Babel - the thread about the two Moroccan boys whose errant gun play set the story in motion.

The acting is real, the visuals are breathtaking and the story is genuine. When people talk of Slumdog Millionaire as being an Oscar contender, they’re speaking of the natural and real skill it takes to make a beautiful film, they’re not talking about how great the makeup artistry was to make you forget you were watching Brad Pitt age in reverse in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.

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Up until now, every single application on my iPhone is a free app. That changed when I saw LED Football in the iTunes App Store.

I’ll let the video tell the story, but I couldn’t wait to spend 99 cents on, simply, the greatest video game ever.

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Jen’s new territory includes all the liquor stores in Vancouver, along with restaurants on Main St and Commercial Dr. It’s been a while since we had a “date night,” so we took this past Friday to hit up a couple of her clients on The Drive to see how things rock on a Friday night.

First up was DiVino Wine Bar. It used to be 1 big gelato shop, until the owner decided to put a wall up the middle and turn the corner piece into a wine bar. Brilliant move. It’s got a charcuterie styled menu, like Salt, with meats and cheeses, plus a nice full kitchen menu of Commercial Dr cuisine.

It was stinking hot inside, so we grabbed a piece of the patio and just chilled and chatted.

Okay, my Lake Breeze Zephyr Brut was okay, but Jen’s Sergio Mionetto Rose was not what the night needed at all. That said, the cheese was awesome. The battery died on the Flip or I would have done a piece with it, we had a cheese called Red Dawn from Hillary’s Cheese Company in Cowichan Bay. It’s a cow’s milk cheese with Merridale Cider. Wow!

After our bubble and snacks at DiVino, we wandered down to Lime.

It looks so groovy and cool from the outside. Very Yaletown in its colour, menu style, sign and entry way. BUT … walk inside and its a mish mash of styles with a hodge podge of bamboo in baskets tossed around the room. No warmth. No atmosphere. No style, nothing of the zen you would expect from the outside. From the street you’d expect something along the lines of what the Glowbal Group has defined for restaurant style in the city, on the inside you find something begging for a Restaurant Makeover.

The sushi rolls were creative; I had a lobster roll wrapped in cucumber, Jen enjoyed her beef sashimi roll. We each had a glass of white, Jen a Kettle Valley Chardonnay, me a Pentage Pinot Gris. They came not quite cold enough for such a muggy night and the entire experience was forgettable.

We walked back up the Drive to the other side of DiVino for a little bit of Dolce Amore gelato and called it a night.

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Image from Kellyoyo on Flickr

I dont have a problem writing about products for my blog. I think companies that reach out to the blogosphere for feedback should be applauded, and those who offer honest reviews on their blog should be thanked - not accused of being sell outs.

I mean, would you rather have honest word of mouth advertising from people you know and trust, or would you rather be fed spin from the marketing machine? I’ll take the blog reviews anyday.

Schick approached me about writing a piece on a new razor they’ve got on the market and I agreed to do an entry on the Schick Quattro Titanium Trimmer.

Disclosure: I got a free razor for this piece, that’s it.
Value: $11.49 at London Drugs.

Here’s the video (warning I get naked and shave in the shower.. it’s not an NSFW warning, just more of a topless fat guy in a shower warning):

So the summary:

PRO
it’s a close shave
the trimmer is a nice touch if you have something to trim

CON
it doesnt fit in my razor rack in the shower
it doesnt have a vibrating blade

VERDICT
It’s not right for me, but it might be right for you.

BONUS POINTS:
Because we all know women steal men’s razors, I let Jenner try it too. While she thought the Schick Quattro Titanium did a good job on her pits and legs, she found it a little too bulky to maneuver around her curvy corners.

So, guys, if you get this one it won’t get dulled by your partner

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