Category Archives: Critic

May 19 2013

Star Trek – Into the darkness – oh dear.


Star Trek – Into the darkness

I just saw the movie.

There are a few things that I have questions about.

Underwater ?
Can fly in an atmosphere?
‘short’ distance from Earth, well known planet and situation, (they have a debrief about it) and yet un-exploited (by characters like Mudd?)

Tribbles ?
Mudds Spacecraft still in dock and ready to go?

He cries?

The all new Dreadnought class can go faster than Warp?

And can transport people through shields? – “What are you doing there?” and apparently despite shields being up,  you can enquire if the “beam” can be blocked, and it’s only a lack of power that prevents you?

Quick phone call to a reclusive and looking a bit worse for wear ‘Old Spock‘ to ask how it ends?

No way of blocking communicator traffic, and they work from one end of space to the other – Can you hear me Scotty ?

Re-animation using a newly extracted “serum” from blood, takes 2 weeks in a human, hour or less in a troublesome tribble.

Carol Marcus – random character – like the mirror of the man in red in the landing party – gratuitous underwear shot, has managed to defeat many security checks and walks onto a spaceship – just like that, oh and how important?

Many and varied ‘alien’ species, already in contact and employed in Star Fleet.

And Earth has no missile defence system ?

and we finish with a  5 year mission to explore and discover new civilisations  ?

But it’s a  jolly good roller coaster of a ride. Khan is great, the new play on the old plot is fantastic and I’d watch it again. For those who remember the Star Trek series the first time around, this play well to the nostalgic and doesn’t stray too far away from comfortable. I do hope however that the next film doesn’t have a bald woman, whales, and a satellite that’s gone all Wal-E, but a Genesis project might go well, if only they could figure out how “old spock” didn’t do that bit.

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Apr 29 2013

Paleo Diet – The Flaws Of The ‘Caveman’ Diet


I read this and it makes more sense than the fad diet.

Living like cave men, or at least eating like them, is being hailed by some as an ideal lifestyle. The paleo diet, based on the idea that our bodies have not adapted sufficiently to eat foods that weren’t available 10,000 years ago, focuses on eating meat, fruits and vegetables and avoiding grains and dairy.

But evolutionary biologist Marlene Zuk says that idea is flawed.

Paleo Diet | The Flaws Of The ‘Caveman’ Diet | Stuff.co.nz.

Particulalry this bit :

Q. How much do we know about early human diets?

A. We don’t really know what they were eating. It’s turning out that they may have eaten more starch and carbohydrates than we had realised. They also ate different things in different parts of the world. …

I think we mostly agree that less “processed” food would be desirable, and more in season vegetables would be nice.  But better nutrition and health care have allowed us to live to 70, 80, 90 years old.

What the paleo types want is to have a fad diet that picks and chooses from a whole worlds worth of choices. You don’t want to go the winter months with no  Salad greens (assuming they had  salad greens) or fruits, and exist only on nuts and whatever you managed to dry and store.

As an aside I wonder what a paleo banana looks like? (nothing at all like the yellow bendy fruit we have today)

You want product A that was from North America, with Product B from Middle Europe, and a Fish that comes from the coast of Iceland. Or something like that, just like Paleo man did.

Oh and paleo man lived to be a ripe old age of about 30.

Go for it if you’ve really  thought it through, it’s a cake and eat it diet.

Nov 11 2012

Robbie Williams – ‘Take the Crown’ takes the cake


Tragically today for my exercise companion  I listened to the latest Robbie Williams CD –  Take the Crown.

Take the biscuit more like.

It’s a set of 3 -6 word “chants” with a background of “anthem” style 80′s pop synthesiser music, all with the aim of giving gravitas to lyrics from the secret diary of a pre-pubescent teen.

This really feels like this is music that you do to  fill in time in a contract that demands a new album ever year , or something. there is no heart soul or reason for this, it’s floundering nonsense.

Even the worst of albums has a redeeming lyric, or track, or melody that casts light on an otherwise gloomy thing. I failed to find it on this.

That said I’m not really the target audience. But that just adds weight to the idea that this is about the money, it isn’t about craft, or skill, it isn’t about life experience, or a journey through a linked story, it’s a series of 3 minute sound-bites that should appeal to the x-factor-got talent audience who appreciate a poor song to overly wrought backing track sung in the chanty pop style.

So awful I had to share it with you.

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Nov 3 2012

Restaurant Critic #3 – The Ponsonby Belgium Beer Cafe


The Ponsonby Belgium Beer Cafe was the venue for the big night out, MrsPdubyah and me, and another couple decided to have a bit of a thing, Not withstanding that we had some bar vouchers that would help us enjoy ourselves. Which meant as our start point anything over  $150 and we were paying our own money on the night.

The Ponsonby Belgium Beer Cafe is an awesome place, the staff are brilliant, the beer list is unmatched, and the atmosphere and ambience is second to none. It’s just a nice place to be, drink and to go to.

On the other side it’s on the expensive end of the drinking value scale.

The pub is such a nice place to be in, but where we were sat it was very cold, but I can gloss over that the dining room was set aside for a private function and that we were sat by the front door, so no marks down for that.

The bar is a wonder to behold, every beer in it’s own glass, and I’ve yet to order a beer that that’s not available. It really does have a high standard of customer satisfaction.

And the staff, well they are brilliant, attentive, courteous, polite, knowledgeable and they make you feel like you are the most important people in the bar.

But…. and there is always a but

It isn’t a cheap night out, and the food is good but not great, outstanding, demanding or different, it’s good pub grub indifferently delivered. Pulling my head in it does show as a Cafe not a restaurant, and the beer is the thing that is it’s thing.

Oh and it was busy, very busy, constantly busy, but not crowded. It is popular.

The big night out then, and we had from their menu for food as Entree:-

  • The Seafood Chowder $15 – possibly the star of the night, served in a loaf that had been scooped out, awesomeness, plenty of the seafood and an amazing thing of beauty
  • The bread and the dips $11.00 – it was bread and dips, I sulked at such a poor choice
  • The House Smoked Salmon $15.00 – the ladies shared this, and some of the bread and dips, it’s very rich and very filling – best value for money.

and as  main:-

  • Thai Beef Salad from the light menu $17.00 – also a best value for money selection, soft and tender beer and a hearty serving, looked good, ate great.
  • Shepherd’s Pie $ 23 – looked like it sounds, nothing to write home about, but was a bit good apparently
  • Belgium Sausage $19 – disappointing based on the expectation of something more textured than a spiced sausage, hardly a thing of joy or excitement if this is a Flemish staple
  • Fish and Chips $25.00 – it looked great and there wasn’t much left

So that was $41 + $81 = $122 of food

And for beer and wine (Boys night out of course… payback comes later…)

  • The Ned Sauvignon blanc – Standard glass of Wine – $10  x 4
  • Leffe Brun – 500ml $ 14.00 x 3
  • Leffe Blonde – 500ml $14 x 1
  • Popperings HommelBeir 330ml $15.00 – this was very yeasty to aroma, but aside from that not as spectacular a choice as some, it was new to me, but not a thing that I’d rush back to, but then there are about a bazillion beers to choose from and so that’s not going to be a problem.
  • Grottenbeir Brune 330ml $15.50

and that means the addition of  $126.50 in beer and wine

Not going to quibble the $251 bill from the bar.

It was a atop night out for the $100 dollars we really had to pay, but if it’d been $250 I’d have wondered why we had chosen that venue as a way to celebrate something.

I’d take you there for the experience, wince at the cost of doing so, but talk about it for many years with deep affection and love. If you ever get the change to go, and someone else is paying, or you’re showing off to a new girlfriend or boyfriend this might be for you.

As a celebration of taste opportunity of beer it’s a winner, as pub grub it’s great. As a premium priced beer venue attached to pub grub it falls into a strange place where you’ve had this fabulous drinking thing going on (if you’re a beer drinker an are prepared to experiment) and where your drink is in a different league to the food. They don’t match, there doesn’t appear to be a logical step from the huge beer selection to the food on offer.

The food on offer does not appear to have anything that would make you empathise or connect to Belgium as a place, there is no back story or reason that item “A” would be on the menu that I could discern.

I’m going back though there is about a bazillion beers less the 3 or 4 that I’ve had to get through, and I won’t rest until that happens :-)

Oct 22 2012

When Sci-Fi loses the plot – Revolution


Revolution - our entire way of life depends on electricity. So what would happen if it just stopped working…..  15 years later, life is back to what it once was long before the industrial revolution

I’ve only watched a couple of episodes and I have a couple of questions, and an observation.

1. No electricity means no “lots of things”, including combustion engines, and jet engines. So… back to horse and buggy then.

There have been a couple of scenes set around train tracks, so I get no diesel trains, but clearly “electricity also means that you can’t have “steam trains“, nor those amusing manual bogey cart things with the handle that goes up and down.

In town you can’t have steam driving anything, and forgive me for a being a  naive but aren’t bicycles pedal power? Yet to see one of those?

And there are scenes that have a clock in them, I probably need to include “clockwork” into “depends on electricity”

No windmills either. the ubiquitous electricity thing again.

No hang-gliders, dirigibles, kites either. It’s really harsh having no electricity

2. Unfeasibly pretty people , and the chubby guy from Google.  All the female parts appear to be tick the box stereo-type not unattractive people. The men, well in a rehash of so many  plot devices we have to have the pretty-yet-needy-in-some-way boy, the (still) overweight chap, the dark recluse and the bad-man.

3. Shaving, did I mention that, seems that you can still forge knives and swords, and have a shave. No electricity needed there, if only they could remember how to harness the power of the flames to make steam……

4. Everything is in ruins, cities have crumbled. Concrete will do that without regular electricity.

5. The “Government” and the “Rebels” – somehow you have to stretch that there is a ruling government Thiefdom in some way, and they’re all about crushing the “rebels”  by marching small groups of “militia” around taking taxes.

6. Guns. In 15 years guns are outlawed and illegal to own, says the militia, and everyone but everyone has a crossbow. Mostly. It’s like either all the gunpowder ran out, or that all the manual bullet press machines broke, or something. Makes no sense. Crossbows make no sense.  At one point the Militia turn up with Muiskets!

Finally though. Electricity. Switched off, somehow, over the everywhere. But not so that it has any effect on the electrical impulses of the brain and body.  Perhaps they mean “mechanical electricity”, the sort that keeps bridges from collapsing and buildings from crumbling and batteries. But not brain or body electricity, that’d be no story though, not even zombies

Finally finally… Which reminds me that they do have a fishing community but haven’t yet figured out paddle steamers. Clean clothes appear to be in endless supply, they’ve invented the “everpress” technology to make them look crisp and new in the 15 years since they’ve not been able to manufacture “the everything”

Sep 29 2012

The Fleece Machine – Spiritual medium to meet with Pike River families – wait there’s more !


“I only want to help: Psychic to sceptics“

Says the headline today.

A celebrity psychic who wants to get in touch with earthquake and Pike River coalmine victims from beyond the grave says she only wants to help families heal, despite criticism by sceptics.

Australian Sensing Murder psychic Deb Webber will hold a free “private reading” on Monday for families of those killed in the February 2011 quake and another for Pike River mine disaster families in Greymouth next month.

She will also hold a free public meditation session and a sold-out public show that seats 150 and costs $70 a head in Christchurch tomorrow.

Webber said those who considered her work a money-making venture should “look at my bank account”. “I’m actually skint,” she said.

The tour of fleecing the gullible is called “a “Hope and Heal” New Zealand tour,  and Deb Webber said she “can’t understand” the criticism.

Like she didn’t see it coming.

And then …………

Psychics’ killer lead hits a wall…

Friends of Deb, Sue Nicolson and Kelvin Cruickshank made some guesses on a TV program “Sensing Murder”, and they came up with…..

The psychics both concluded Mrs Calvert was murdered, but her husband was not responsible.

They gave a detailed description of the alleged culprit, who still lived in the Waikawau area, stating what he did for a living and the vehicle he drove.

Detective Senior Sergeant Grant Coward, of the New Plymouth CIB, said a significant amount of work had been done on the case over the past two to three years.

“A number of further inquiries were made but as a result of those there was nothing further gained that would add evidential weight to the inquiry,” Mr Coward said.

Or as we say in the real world…… nothing.

Why would a spirit lie? What advantage would a spirit gain from telling you something that was untrue?

The people that can talk to dead people will tell you that they don’t understand the messages and that there may be many interpretations of the messages they receive.

This “gift” they have is one they have to monetize, by fleecing the gullible. If they had a “gift” why  would they not monetize it in other ways, by discovering things, shrewd investments, invention of things, or perhaps by undertaking a JREF challenge to prove their ability and claiming the million dollars.

I’ve said before I’ve been to a psychic show, with Kelvin Cruickshank, it was entertaining and weird, I got nothing from it, clearly the spirits of my ancestors are all in the UK and NZ is a bit far to travel.

I’m prepared to be proven wrong, there is plenty of me on the interweb and you could pretend to know a lot about me, but there are things that you can’t know, and if you want to have a crack and make a guess I’d be delighted to hear from you. But you knew that didn’t you?

Related articles
Sep 3 2012

One massive mistake – two stories – natural health.


 

Two stories in the media today outlining the lead up to the death of a woman from an invasive brain tumor having been under the care of a quack, charlatan, confidence trickster.

Naturopath failed cancer patient – National – NZ Herald News.

Natural Health Treatment For 18 Months, Despite… | Stuff.co.nz.

One story lays bare the facts, including names:-

A naturopath who treated a woman for 18 months while an invasive cancer ate through her skull has been heavily criticised for not deferring to doctors.

Te Horo iridologist Ruth Nelson may face Human Rights Tribunal action over her treatment of Yvonne Maine, who sought treatment for what she believed was a cyst on her head in 2008.

Mrs Nelson carried out a variety of natural health treatments over the next 18 months, as the invasive carcinoma grew to 10cm by 11cm in size.

The other skirts the issue:-

A natural health practitioner treated a woman with a lesion on her head for 18 months, even though the practitioner recognised from the beginning that the lesion “looked cancerous”.

The provider did not retain any records of the care she provided and no other health practitioner treated the woman’s lesion during that time.

Despite being aware that the lesion was likely to be cancerous, the provider did not inform the woman of her opinions about the severity of the woman’s condition or that the lesion was worsening during the course of the treatment, the HDC said.

I’m pretty sure this is the same story, with different spins by the media. One does not appear to hold back and name names, the other plays the story in a “we’ve heard” kind of way.

As far as I know anyone can be an Iridolgist - it’s an alternative medicine technique whose proponents claim that patterns, colors, and other characteristics of the iris can be examined to determine information about a patient’s systemic health. Practitioners match their observations to iris charts, which divide the iris into zones that correspond to specific parts of the human body. Iridologists see the eyes as “windows” into the body’s state of health.

or  I might even  get into a bit of Naturopathy, or Naturopathic Medicine, is a type of alternative medicine based on a belief in vitalism, which posits that a special energy called vital energy or vital force guides bodily processes such as metabolism, reproduction, growth, and adaptation

How this isn’t at one end manslaughter or even assault I can’t figure out. If the “provider of care” couldn’t provide care, but was taking money, not keeping records, and avoiding sending someone to a proper doctor with proper qualifications I don’t know what it is you can be held responsible for. She may not have lived if she’d been a a qualified medical practitioner, but there would be records, and multiple opinions, not a quick glance in the eye, a fear of hospitals and some nonsense about “windows”

I’m convinced that there will be a lot of people who have faith and anecdotal evidence that looking in the eyes can cure you, that there is some “vital energy” that you can be tapped, the same people that think Reiki works, or that Acupuncture can clear your meridians, and that Ear Candles are effective in something or other. You all need to question why you have only “faith” and that you’ll rely on an old wives tale as appropriate medicine.

Shame to you.

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Aug 16 2012

The Fleece Machine – Spiritual medium to meet with Pike River families


This made me a bit angry today  – ” Spiritual medium to meet with Pike River families ” via Spiritual medium to meet with Pike River families – National – NZ Herald News.

So to be clear as to where I stand on this - There are no spirits, ghosts, afterlife, angels, sky-god, demons, it’s all made up bullshit nonsense to part you & your cash.

You can’t talk to dead people, they do not talk to you.

Prayer does not work, the Bible is not the true word of anyone other than then person who wrote it.

There is no plan for your existence, there is no reward in some imaginary afterlife, you will not be rewarded in this life by some imaginary sky-being who watches over you, and there is no after-life.

If psychics were real then the stock market would use them, and lotto would be won at will - don’t be taken in with the claims that “it does not work that way” – tell me in what way does it work.

Why are all these spirits hanging about to tell you they are ok, and that you should be ok, and they watch over you. Which is all they do. Is that, in fact, all you do for ever and ever and ever, just hang about watching. Can these “spirits” only tell of the past, of things that you knowingly or unknowingly communicate with your “medium”

What happens when all your immediate family die, and you’re a spirit, joined by all your relatives, good and bad? Do you start watching over strange people just for the crack?

Do the dead outnumber the living ?

That’s an awfully big ratio.

Finally let me confess to tell you, I did once get a freebie to watch one Kelvin Cruickshank  at work in Takapuna, and was amazed at his skill and the way he dealt with the audience. I was impressed and confused as to how he did what he did, but let me state again – he wasn’t talking to dead people, spirits, ghosts, angels, demons or anything other than his own thoughts, and his interpretations of the feedback from the audience.

I’m prepared to be made to look a fool and have someone tell me something that they can’t know about me but that a “spirit” told them, both my Mother and Father are dead, and all my GrandParents, so you should be able to get something recent, unless they’ve disowned me.

Do it for free to prove you can do it, if you have a gift why do you need to monetize it?

Related articles some of them Comedic Value only and not an endorsement
Jun 24 2012

The Movie Critic in me.


Let the Right One In (2008 / Sweden) v Let Me In (2010 USA)

Both of these films have merit. Usually a remake is a chance to add amend or fix problems that may have existed in an original work. Often they are shoddy ill-thought out fiascos, losing any content that made them what they were or were about, moving a film set in one country to another might be a red flag.

However in this case, in my opinion, that’s not the case.

The American version uses plot devices that make it more a thriller. It also addresses a couple of the questions about the relationship between Eli/Abby and ‘the father’ It also replaces the irate neighbor with an irritating cop, and frankly neither the neighbor or the cop angle works out well.

I did watch them in the wrong order, the Swedish one today  (in Swedish and with Subtitles) , the American one last week, But I’m not sure that it would really change much about what I think.

Underlying the vampire story though is the fact that ‘the father’ and ‘Oskar/Owen’ are Serial Killers. Sure a 12 year old child might not actually be a Serial Killer but it’s clear that they are different children, and that like Eli/Abby they are different for a reason. One needs the other.

A couple of things that I couldn’t quite get though. If Eli/Abby is indeed old old, then the plot assumes that emotional growth and knowledge somehow stops when you become a Vampire. There was little or no wisdom in the character, no worldliness.

The other was that in the Swedish film Eli shows off some treasures and has money. It’s obvious about the money but not the treasures. The American version skips this bit.  It just left a hanging question

The american one also had a stronger emphasis on the bullying, but less on the relationship with his father.  That’s not to say that the Swedish version isn’t good, it is, but it falls a little short of “great” or “fantastic”.

Of course I have a pdubyah-o-meter that I can crack out that uses some arbitrary stars out of some arbitrary number.

For the Original version of this film I’d say 7 1/2 out of 10, the remake would be 8 1/2 out of 10.

Jun 5 2012

Restaurant Critic #2 – Deep Creek Brewing Co.


The Deep Creek Bewing Company, Browns Bay, Auckland. A birthday celebration with the family.

Well I had this : Potjies Kos , this iteration was Lamb Shank in a rich spicy gravy. It was the business. Came with a side of Roasted Potatoes and some vegetables (read Cauliflower and Broccoli). Chef was keen to chat about it , I think it was a new idea he’d had, I’d say he was on to a winner. A Potjies is a small cast-iron pot, like in the picture,they come in all sizes though, mine was the boutique restaurant for show version.

I had me this delight with some of their newly award winning (bronze) Leprechaun’s Belle. An Irish Red Ale.  I wasn’t enamored of this particular beer, pleasing enough but not different enough to make it special. It is however one of the beers they have that I would go to again, being nearer my taste, and not one that disappointed.

I also had me a Little Armoured one. It’s more an Amber Ale, and sits well with me. A bit stronger then that Leprechaun’s Belle.  Well it’s the thing to do.

This is the sort of boutique brewery that you have to work your way through the beers on. Some are quite tart and hoppy some are one the thin end of there taste.  I’m not so sure on the Leprechauns‘s Belle, which although pleasant enough didn’t have the depth of taste that you’d be expecting in an Irish Red Beer.

On the food front others in the family had, by way of food,

Do we like the pub, yes we do, it’s always noisy enough, and has a fair smattering of locals. And it’s close enough for us to be called out local Boutique Brewery.

Do we like the food? Well there were no empty plates at the end of the day.

It’s solid pub food, in a pub setting. It’s good enough but not great, you wouldn’t go there just for the food. Are the beers good, some are some aren’t. I note that you can buy these commercially in supermarkets now, so they’ve gone the whole 9 yards on the business venture.

A good night out, great bar staff, a nice atmosphere, can get busy, does get busy, has an all you can eat rib night on Wednesday, that, it seems, is very popular with the locals.

I’ll be there again sometime in the next couple of weeks.