The Best [and Most] of Everything

You know those "best of" lists that appear in magazines and local weekly entertainment newspapers? 

You know the ones.  Those best lists with quirky categories such as "Best Place to Splurge on your Pet," "Best Place to Score a Lunch with a Celebrity," or "Best Place to Buy Chocolate Covered Ants."

Who puts those lists together and where do they get those strange categories?

I figure I am as good a person as any to come up with my own categories and put together such a list, so that's what I am going to do
(I know, but sometimes retirement gets boring, and I have too much time on my hands).

So, my Peeps, here is my list of

The Best [and Most] of Everything.

Feel free to weigh in because I am sure you also have your favorites and some of my picks might prove to be controversial.



Most Handsome Actor
(not married to Angelina Jolie).

Since Brad has won People Magazine's "Sexiest Man Alive" Award more than once, I thought I would take him out of the running.  And I know you think I am going to say Tom Cruise or Ralph Fiennes or Kevin Costner here, because I have waxed poetic over them in my blog before, but no, you may have noticed my affections have been lowered - by age - to

*Chris Hemsworth*

This guy is perfection.  See for yourself in "Thor" or "Rush."

*Channing Tatum*

Sigh.

I likem' young.




Most Beautiful Actress
(not married to Brad Pitt):

Angelina Jolie is indeed beautiful, but even she doesn't compare to

*Elizabeth Taylor*

In her heyday, she was considered the most beautiful woman in the world. She was even beautiful when she was fat.  And her raucous sense of humor and free lifestyle just made her more attractive.

See her at her most beautiful in "A Place in the Sun."

Honorable Mention:

*Hedy Lamarr*

If you don't know who she is, treat yourself to a glimpse into the Golden Age of Hollywood by watching "Algiers (1938)." 

( The famous line "Come with me to the Casbah" came from the trailer for this film, but never actually was uttered in the film itself).

or Comrade X (1940) with Clark Gable. 

She was also a smarty pants who invented some early technology that eventually morphed into the cell phone.






Funniest Musical Film
(that wasn't supposed to be funny)

 

*Moulin Rouge*

C'mon, tell me Ewan McGregor did NOT look like a muppet when he sang.

Best Movie Featuring a Dragon


*Dragonworld*

I just love this movie and can't wait to watch it with my grandsons.  It's only available on VHS and could be hard to find, but it's worth it.  Who can resist a Dragon named Yowler?  And you movie buffs - a young Alastair MacKenzie of "Monarch of the Glen" fame is credited as Sam MacKenzie.

Best Film of all Time

*Citizen Kane*

No argument as far as I am concerned, though I am sure you have your favorites.  But this film was a milestone in cinematography, music and narrative structure, and the montage showing the disintegration of a marriage in less than three minutes is brilliant.






Honorable Mention:


*Paul Blart, Mall Cop*

Just kidding, but it's a surprisingly fun film.





Best Soap Opera

*Eastenders*

I am not one to watch soap operas these days and it doesn't seem like anyone else does either since most of the daytime soaps have gone off the air.  I mean, who gets to stay home and watch TV these days?  Well, some of us do, but that's beside the point.

"Eastenders" is a British soap that started in 1985.  It first aired here on PBS, believe it or not, and was eventually picked up by BBCAmerica.  After BBCAmerica unceremoniously abandoned it and us fans, we have had to find alternatives, one of which these days is You Tube, so check it out.  It is nothing like American soap operas with botoxed leading ladies and lots 'o sex.  This soap follows regular folks living on a Square in London's East End.  I mean, one of the leading ladies is in her 80's!  Fancy that.





Best Athlete Who Didn't Use Steroids or Run Around on His Spouse (though He Did Run Around)


*California Chrome*

He has won The Kentucky Derby and The Preakness.  Can he win the Triple Crown at The Belmont?  See what happens this Saturday.





Best Restaurant When Someone Else is Paying

*Any restaurant where a steak costs over $50*

Here in Seattle, Canlis is arguably the gold standard, not just for its food, but for the service, which is impeccable.  If I am going to pay big prices, I don't just want extraordinary food.  I want an extraordinary experience.  You get it at Canlis

(Speaking of restaurants, see my blog this coming Friday for my restaurant pet peeves).



Best Food to Eat While Watching Lifetime Movies

*Anything that can be eaten while reclining*

Nothing is more relaxing than watching Lifetime Movies

Read all about them in my post "Lifetime Movies:  A Baby Boomer's Appreciation."




Best New Year's Eve Resolution

*Not To Make Any New Year's Resolutions*




Best Day Trip

*Wine Tasting*




Best Day Trip That Doesn't Involve Wine

Mmmmm?






Best Vacation for People Who Like Each Other

*Rent a narrowboat in England*

 

 

Read all about it in my post "My Favorite Summer Vacation: A Narrow Boat Cruising Adventure in England."





Best Way To Get Exercise

*Stair Walking*
(or exploring your town through urban walking)

Read all about it in my post "The Joys of Stair walks."




Best Dog Breed

*Poodles*

No shedding, they are smart and they really want to be with you, unlike some people

And they let you dress them up in cute outfits.

Honorable Mention:

*Collies*

There actually are some good collies out there, unlike some I won't mention.

I grew up with a collie, Echo, who ran all over the neighborhood doing good deeds.

(Dogs could run free in those days and no one ever seemed to pick up dog poop.  Strange to contemplate).

I tried to recreate the good old days of Echo with Mildred.  Oy.  Let's just say, "You can't go home again."

 

Best Name for the Cutest, Most Darlingest Poodle on Earth.

*Tarquin*

I had gotten the name from the name of Sir Laurence Olivier's son, but turns out Tarquin was a popular name in England in the 1950's and that name fits him perfectly, don't you think?


Best Way to Spend a Rainy Day

*Reading a book*

Remember those?

Honorable Mention

*Cook Something that can be eaten While Reclining and Watching Lifetime Movies*

Because the only thing more relaxing while reclining and watching Lifetime Movies is eating while reclining and watching Lifetime Movies (unless it's eating, reclining and watching the Housewives).




Best Book from Childhood Memory

*The "twins" series by Lucy Fitch Perkins*

She wrote "The Dutch Twins," "The Italian Twins," "The Colonial Twins of Virginia..."  It was always a boy and a girl set of twins.  I loved those books and remember my anticipation as I headed to the library to check out yet another in the series.  I read every single one and my young friend Chuckie (not to be confused with Hubby of the same name) and I would act them out.  Early acting bug, I guess.


Best Blog

*Ahem*

The Best of the Best and

the Most of the Most

*My Hubby*

 

 

And

 

 

*My Family*

 

 

 *And the newest member*

 

 

What do you think? 

 

What are your "Bests" and "Mosts"?

 

 
See you Friday for

"My Restaurant Pet Peeves"

 

Thanks for reading!

If you enjoyed this post, feel free to click on the share buttons to share it on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and LinkedIn, 
email it to your friends and
LIKE me on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/rosythereviewer.

Check your local library for DVDs and books mentioned.

Note:  Next time you are wondering whether or not to watch a particular film, check out my reviews on IMDB (The International Movie Database).

If I reviewed a movie, you can now find my reviews there too.

Find the page for the movie, click on "Explore More" on the right side panel and then scroll down to "External Reviews."  Click on that and you will find me alphabetically under "Rosy the Reviewer."

 

The Perfect Hotel Room And the Week in Reviews

 

[I review the new movie "Neighbors" and DVDs "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty," and "How I Live Now" and recommend the book "Heat," a great book for foodies with a Seattle connection]

But first

The Perfect Hotel Room

It's that time of year.  I bet you are planning some fabulous trip to Europe or some exotic location.  Even if it's just a week-end getaway, take my word for it.  If you get a crappy hotel room, it can ruin your trip.

 

Here are some things I have learned over the years about hotel rooms.


Here is what you don't want:

• You don't want a room near the elevator unless you enjoy the sound of it going up and down and drunk people going in and out, usually late at night
• You don't want a room near the ice or vending machines unless you enjoy the sound of water dripping, ice clunking down into an ice bucket or the sound of the machine running day and night
• You don't want a room near the maid's closet unless you like to awaken early to the sounds of women talking and laughing outside your door
• You don't want a room over the garbage dumpsters.  Invariably, the day you are there will be garbage pick up day.
• You don't want a room with a highway view because that will also come with highway noise
• You also don't want a room where you can stand in the center, stretch out your arms and touch the walls.

(Venice)

Here is what you do want:

• Fluffy down pillows or their equivalent, ones you can sink your head into.  Not those foam rubber things that bounce your head all around every time you move.

• A refrigerator in your room so you can store your wine, I mean "supplies." You don't want your "supplies" cluttering up the bathroom sink, do you?  But here is an important tip:  Turn the refrigerator OFF at night unless you enjoy the sound of a running refrigerator when you are trying to sleep. And some of them are LOUD!!!! Turning it off will not hurt a thing.  Just turn it back on in the morning. No one is the wiser.

• A king size bed on the soft side. 

       I remember the years when the trend in hotel rooms was to have
       really firm mattresses (everyone must have had bad backs in those days). 
       Some of them were so hard you felt like you were on the torture device
       known as "the rack."  No, you want a nice soft, bed you can sink into after
       a long day of sightseeing, minus lumps, hopefully.  And if you sleep in a big
       bed at home, you need a big bed away from home.  Trust me.

• A view preferably not of the wall and fire escape of the building next door like our last room in Paris.

• A robe.  We certainly don't have the space in our carry-on for a robe, do we?  So it's nice to have one in the room, since most of the time the towels provided don't usually fit all the way around one's ever expanding waistline from all of the great meals you are having while on vacation.  Also having a robe provided gives you something to lounge around in since you didn't pack sweats.  You didn't pack sweats, did you?

• More than two large towels.  Don't hotels realize that when we women wash our hair, we need a towel for our head and a towel for drying off our bodies?  If I use the two that are provided, then Hubby has to use a wet one.  Sorry, Hubby.

• Conditioner.  What is with the combination shampoo and conditioner bottle that is usually provided? I don't detect the conditioner part.  When I use that, my hair looks like I stuck my finger in an electrical socket.

• Workout room, just in case you are not getting enough exercise sight-seeing.  It also makes you feel virtuous after sampling all of the local restaurants.

• Top floor.  It's bad enough having people banging around next door.  You don't want them tromping around over your head as well.  And, trust me, if you have someone over you, it will inevitably be a little kid playing kickball or sumo wrestlers in training above you.  It happens every time.

• A nice hotel bar, so if you are inclined to want to sample the local wines and get a bit tiddly, it's only a matter of staggering, er walking up the stairs or taking the elevator to your room.  

       The hotel bar is also a great place to meet other travelers and flirt
       with the cute barman. 

 

 

• And a comfy place to crash (other than your room) after a long day of sightseeing, doesn't hurt either (which with our luck was most likely in the rain).

 

 

(Bruges)

Now getting all of these requirements might seem like an impossibility, but according to Jacob Tomsky's book Heads in Beds: A Reckless Memoir of Hotels, Hustles, and So-Called Hospitality,

slipping the person checking you in a tip will result in getting a better room. 

He says those desk clerks like tips, too, and they hold the key to the best rooms, no pun intended.  I get that but haven't yet figured out how to pull that off with finesse. 

Do I hold out a twenty and say, "This is for you if you hook me up with a great room?" 

No, that sounds cheesy. 

Do I say, "I am a light sleeper and would really love a quiet room away from the elevator" all the while inching a twenty dollar bill ever closer to the clerk as I smile and wink? 

No, that won't work. 

"Here's a little something for you if you give me your best room?"

See, it just doesn't work.  I read somewhere that one person just walks up to the desk and says, "Give me your third best room," meaning she didn't want to have to see two crummy rooms before finally getting the best one.

I haven't tried that yet.

So far, I have just tried to be really friendly, smile and Hubby might say, "Do you have a nice room for us?" and I will chime in "Away from the elevator, maid's closet and vending machines?"  Smile, smile, smile.

I know, not so great, but so far we have done OK without having to slip the desk clerk a twenty. 

But lest I seem like a really fussy traveler, all of this goes out the window in Europe. 

I don't have the same expectations, because #1, I can't afford the best rooms over there and #2, I am just so happy to be there, I don't care as much, because I know I won't spend that much time in the room anyway. 



In Europe, I am more likely to be adventurous and less finicky like when we stayed in this houseboat in Amsterdam: 
 
 

 
 


 
 
Or the canal boat in England.

 

 

 

 
 In other countries, I certainly don't want to be perceived as an "ugly American."

 

But there was this time in Florence where the room had no windows and no air con, and it was the middle of summer.

 

    And in Venice once, we were right on the Grand Canal.  At first that seemed

    like such a cool thing, not realizing the Grand Canal is the super highway of

    Venice and all of the action starts at about 5am.  And while showering, there

    was no place to put the soap except to hold it in my hand.

•  

 

  

In those cases, we made other arrangements. 

 

 

What is your idea of the perfect hotel room? 

What do you do to get it?

Now on to The Week In Reviews

***In Theatres Now***

 

Neighbors

 

 

Every homeowner's nightmare:  A frat house moves in next door.

Not to be confused with the 1981 movie "Neighbors" starring John Belushi and Dan Ackroyd (though the story is very similar), this one stars Rose Byrne as Kelly Radner and Seth Rogan as Mac Radner, a thirty-something couple with a new baby who have just moved into their first home. However, they still miss their "old life," of raves and pot and being cool.

Enter Teddy (Zac Efron), the President of the fraternity and his Vice President, Pete (Dave Franco - James' brother - I didn't know he was in it but as soon as he smiled I knew he was a Franco).  The noise emanating from the frat house late at night bothers the Radners, but not wanting to seem "uncool," they go over to the frat house and try to bribe the brothers with pot and friendship.  The scene where Seth and Zac argue over who was the better Batman - Christian Bale or Michael Keaton - is hilarious and the two bond over that.  However, things at the frat house soon get out of hand and the Radners are forced to call the police.  Oh, no, you didn't.

Now it's war.

There is a lot of offensive humor - penises, farts, sex, vomiting, boobs, drugs - but, hey, it's a Seth Rogan movie, so you know that already, right?

Byrne and Rogan are a charming couple who finally learn that responsible adulthood can also be cool. But who can't identify with that time in your life when you were still fighting the term "responsible adult?"  Efron and Franco are also charming and worthy opponents who also learn their lessons.

Rosy the Reviewer says...it's "Animal House" and the 1981 "Neighbors," but sweeter.  And it passed "The Rosy Test."  I laughed.

***DVDS***

You Might Have Missed

And Some You Should Be Glad You Did

(I see the bad ones so you don't have to)

 

The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (2013)

 

 

Walter (Ben Stiller) is a day-dreaming nebbish working at Time-Life keeping track of the negatives used in the magazine.

The term "Walter Mitty" has entered the English language lexicon to describe any unadventurous person who seeks escape through fantasy and comes from a
James Thurber short story of the same name. 

This film does not bear much resemblance to the story on which it is loosely based other than the day dreaming that Walter does, and the film takes it a step further by sending our hero out on actual adventures, something that did not take place in the short story.

Life Magazine in under new management and heading to an Internet identity.  For the last issue, the bigwigs want to use the last photograph taken by acclaimed photographer Sean O'Connell (Sean Penn), but the negative has gone missing.  If Mitty doesn't find it, he will lose his job. So he moves from his mental fantasies to some real life adventures.

One of the charming aspects of the film is Walter's attempt at online dating and the relationship he strikes up with the representative from EHarmony played by Patton Oswalt, who is very funny.

On the other hand, I have a really hard time taking Kristen Wiig seriously as a romantic interest or leading lady.  She still has too many twitches and mannerisms, reminding me of her characters on SNL, and it is distracting to me to see her try to ease out of that.

Many critics were not kind to this film, but I found it rather charming and fun.  Stiller is the king of the deadpan face and just makes me laugh, period. He would be funny in repose.  But he can also be effecting and poignant.

Rosy the Reviewer says...an enjoyable adventure for all of us Walter Mittys.

 

 

 

How I Live Now (2013)

 

It looks like WW III has broken out in England and Daisy (Saoirse Ronan), an American girl sent to stay with her cousins on a farm in the English countryside finds herself in the midst of the chaos.

You may remember Ronan as the young girl who caused all of the trouble in "Atonement."  Now she has grown up and into an exciting young actress.

Based on Meg Rosoff's 2004 young adult novel of the same name, Daisy arrives in England with a chip on her shoulder, voices in her head and a penchant for hand-washing,  but when she finds romance with cousin Eddie (handsome George MacKay), she softens a bit.  Too bad WW III breaks out to wreck everything.  Everyone is rounded up, separated, and sent to work camps.  Daisy and her little cousin Piper (Harley Bird) escape and make their way through the post-apocalyptic world to try to get back to the idyllic farm and reunite with the rest of the family.

 

Rosy the Reviewer says...Worth a look for the wonderful performance by Saoirse Ronan, someone you will be seeing more of.  Catch her now in theatres in "The Grand Budapest Hotel," one of the best films so far this year.

 

***Book of the Week***

 

 

Heat:An Amateur's Adventures as Kitchen Slave, Line Cook, Pasta-Maker, and Apprentice to a Dante-Quoting Butcher in Tuscany by Bill Buford (2007)

 

 

Buford fancied himself a good cook, but he always wondered how he would fare in a professional kitchen.  In 2002 he was given the opportunity to work in Mario Batali's restaurant, Babbo, a three star restaurant in New York City.

 

This story is as much about Mario Batali's rise to fame as it is Buford's experience in his kitchen and subsequent journey to the hill town in Chianti where Batali apprenticed.

 

It's a fast-paced narrative foodies will love.

 

Those of us in Seattle have a special connection with Batali since his father founded Salumi, a wildly popular Seattle restaurant, currently run by the Batali family.

 

Rosy the Reviewer says...if you like Tony Bourdain's books, you will like this one.

 

 

 

 

 

That's it for this week.

 

See you Tuesday for

"My Best [And Most] of Everything"

 

Thanks for reading!

If you enjoyed this post, feel free to click on the share buttons below to share it on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and LinkedIn, 
email it to your friends and
LIKE me on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/rosythereviewer.

Check your local library for DVDs and book mentioned.

Note:  Next time you are wondering whether or not to watch a particular film, check out my reviews on IMDB (The International Movie Database).

If I reviewed a movie, you can now find my reviews there too.

Find the page for the movie, click on "Explore More" on the right side panel and then scroll down to "External Reviews."  Click on that and you will find me alphabetically under "Rosy the Reviewer."