Vancouver Pride Parade - July 31

Who doesn't love parades? The annual Pride Parade is happening at noon on Sunday, July 31st starting from the corner of Robson and Bute Street. While I have never attended the Pride Parade in the past, I have heard that it's quite spectacular and definitely worth checking out. It can last several hours long so bring a chair! There will be road closures early in the morning along the parade route but streets will reopen at around 3pm.

Celebration of Lights (Jul 30 - Aug 6)

The 21st Celebration of Lights is back, starting July 30th until August 6th. There will be 3 nights of spectacular fireworks. China will start off on July 30th, with Spain going next on August 3rd and finally Canada on August 6th. There are bleacher seats you can buy tickets for at English Bay. For more information on the Celebration of Lights, check out the website here.

Cowboys & Alien - Movie Review

Who doesn't like a good old Western film, with cowboys, indians and...aliens? What?! Cowboys & Aliens is just that, the newest film directed by Jon Favreau starring Daniel Craig, Harrison Ford and Olivia Wilde. It's the 1980's and Jake Lonergan (Daniel Craig) wakes up in the desert with no memories of his past or who he is. All he has is a strange shackle around his wrist and a photo of a woman. He goes to the town of Absolution that is run by cattle owner Colonel Dolarhyde (Harrison Ford) where he soon finds out he is a wanted criminal. A mysterious woman, Ella (Olivia Wilde), seems to know who he is and what he went through but she won't say a thing. When alien spacecrafts fly into town and abducts many of the townsfolk, including the colonel's son, Jake discovers the object clamped onto his wrist is the only successful weapon that will take down the aliens. Jake, Colonel Dolarhyde and the townspeople join forces with bandits and Indians to bring down the aliens and rescue their friends and family.

Cowboys and Aliens? Come on! There was no real plot at all and you never really fully know what is going on. There's always such a thin line between who is the good guy and who is the bad guy. Wait until you find out who Olivia Wilde's character actually is - how can they accept it so calmly? Things are never fully explained. There are the makings of a good western movie - the stranger in town, hold ups, Indians, but when you add in the aliens...The aliens have really great detail, though they looked pretty silly to me. There's some good acting with Ford and Craig but there isn't that much else to this movie. I must say though, Daniel Craig does make a good cowboy (better than a James Bond)! Some explosions, lots of shooting, go see this movie for the visual effects but don't expect much of a storyline - you'll be leaving the theatre with lots of questions.

Cowboys & Aliens comes out in theatres today, July 29th.

Nintendo 3DS $199.99 @ Best Buy

Best Buy is having a sale on the Nintendo 3DS for only $199.99 until the end of July. Retailing at $249.99, you would be saving a whopping $50. The 3DS comes in two colours, cosmo black and aqua blue. Personally, I'd buy a regular older generation Nintendo DS and save my money for the games! You can find the DS Lite for only $99 at some places when it's on sale!

Crazy, Stupid, Love - Movie Review

Crazy, Stupid, Love is Warner Bros. newest comedy that starts off with Cal Weaver (Steve Carell) getting the shock of his life when his wife (Julianna Moore) announces she wants a divorce and that she also slept with a coworker (Kevin Bacon). Cal mopes at a bar, where he meets a handsome player, Jacob Palmer (Ryan Gosling) who picks up women effortlessly. Jacob decides to take Cal under his wing and reinvents him - new clothes, new haircut, new life. Meanwhile, Cal's thirteen year old son (Jonah Bobo) is in love with the baby sitter (Analeigh Tipton), who is in turn in love with Cal. Jacob meets Hannah (Emma Stone), the only woman who was ever resisted his charm and is unsure of what to do when he finds himself falling for her. Despite Cal's makeover, he discovers, with a little help from his son, that soul mates do exist and he doesn't want to be with anyone else besides his wife.

Crazy, Stupid, Love is an extremely well cast movie and everyone shines in their role. The different stories are cleverly interwoven together and there are surprises at the end. It was really enjoyable to watch and wasn't like a typical romantic comedy. There are scenes that really make you believe that there is a soul mate out there for you and you should hang on when you find him/her! I definitely recommend this as a cute summer movie to go see. Watch for Josh Groban making his film debut.

Crazy, Stupid, Love comes out in theatres this Friday, July 29th.

Captain America: The First Avenger - Movie Review

The newest superhero move in the Marvel Comics line came out this Friday. Captain America: The First Avenger follows Steve Rogers (Chris Evans), a scrawny and weak man with many sicknesses who is determined to join the army and serve his country. After being rejected five times, he is finally given a chance when German scientist Dr. Abraham Erskine (Stanley Tucci) recruits Rogers to the army in a New York camp, where one of which will be chosen for the first super-soldier experiment. Dr. Erskine chooses Rogers because of his courage and transforms him into Captain America. Meanwhile, Johann Schmidt (Hugo Weaving), the leader of Hitler's science division, Hyrda, is bent on taking over the world and has found a way to harness the power of the Gods. It is up to Rogers to stop Schmidt and save the world.

Filled with special effects, this rather long movie is yet another straightforward superhero story. The film does a great job of introducing the audience to Steve Rogers and how he came to be Captain America but there isn't enough connection with viewers. A lot of the movie is straightforward action. He does show a lot of patriotism though. Hugo Weaving is so perfect for any villain role, it was kind of disappointing to have his face CGI'ed into Red Skull. Definitely go watch it if you are a Captain America fan, and even if you're not, it would be good to all caught up when the next movie based on Marvel Comics come out. Save your money and watch it in regular theatres; it's not worth paying extra to see it in 3D. Be sure to stay through the credits as there is an extra scene at the very end, as well as the trailer for the upcoming movie, The Avengers, which combines all the superheros from the last few Marvel Comics movies - Iron Man, Thor, and Captain America, among others.

Captain America: The First Avenger is out in theatres now.

Free MukMuk Plush (July 23-24) - Lower Mainland Only

This weekend's freebie is the a 9.5 inch Mukmuk plushie wearing the iconic red mittens. The offer is limited to one per person, while supplies last.

Another great deal this week is the Nintendo DS game The Legendary Starfy for only $11.99! This game retails for $29.99 everywhere else, so it's major savings. From what I see on their website, there are other Nintendo DS games available. It may be worth checking out this weekend!

The Vancouver location has closed down for the season, so this offer is only good at the Burnaby location at 6741 Cariboo Rd in Burnaby.

For more information on the warehouse location and hours, check out their website.

Friends With Benefits - Movie Review

In what seems to be latest trend in movies, Friends with Benefits is yet another movie about...well, friends with benefits. Friends with Benefits finds Dylan (Justin Timberlake), an art director, being recruited by head hunter Jamie (Mila Kunis) to join GQ. They are both tired of all the complications that comes with relationships so they agree to be sex buddies. Things are great in the beginning but of course, a romantic comedy wouldn't be a romantic comedy without a few complications. Jamie decides she wants to date again so they end their arrangement, and when Jamie goes out with a doctor who she really likes, Dylan realizes he loves Jamie and arranges a big stunt to get her back.

Friends with Benefits is very similar to No Strings Attached, and now that I think about it, Love and Other Drugs as well. Friends is hilarious though and Kunis plays Jamie with spunk and is well suited for the role. Justin Timberlake, of course, is great in any comedic role and pulls it off again. There are some great cameos in the movie, including Andy Samberg (Timberlake's Dick In A Box costar), Emma Stone and Patricia Clarkson (both from Easy A). Clarkson plays the crazy mom again in this movie, just like in Easy A, which I thought was really funny. The movie is a great light rom-com and I definitely recommend it if you want a laugh (I would even say it's the best of the three movies I've mentioned)!

Transformers: Dark of the Moon - Movie Review

Transformers: Dark of the Moon is the latest installment of the Transformer series, based on the popular Hasbro toys. In 1961, the Ark, a spacecraft carrying something that was capable of ending the war between the Autobots and Decepticons crashes onto the dark side of the moon. President John F. Kennedy and NASA sends the first man to the moon as a cover for investigating the crash. The Autobots discover the humans have been hiding all knowledge of this secret mission when the US military is investigating Chernobyl for alien technology and Optimus Prime finds a fuel cell from the Ark. The Autobots travel to the moon to find the Ark, and discover Sentinel Prime, the former leader of the Autobots, along with The Pillars, technology that has the ability to create a space bridge and teleport matter from anywhere. When Sam (Shia LaBeouf) discovers the Decepticons have already been to the Ark and had gathered all the other pieces of The Pillars, and were planning to bring everyone back on Cybertron to Earth and use it to rebuild their planet, Sam must call on old friends to help save the world (again).

Transformers: Dark of the Moon is packed with action sequences, explosions, special effects and CGI, but not much else. The story is a stretch and you can't help but feel skeptical that this stuff could happen. There is a lot of killing going on, but it's "okay" because they are machines. If it were humans, you can be sure there would be a lot of people raising a lot of stink about it. Megan Fox's replacement, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley is hardly more than eye candy (she does a lot of standing around), and it's really hard to believe that a guy like LaBeouf would end up with a model girlfriend (no offense to LaBeouf). The movie is extremely long at 154 minutes and you'll be squirming in your seat by the end, wishing it had ended long ago. Sorry, Michael Bay, it's another flop.

Transformers: Dark of the Moon is out in theatres now.

Elise Estrada Concert - July 16 (Lower Mainland Only)

Times Telecom is holding another concert with Elise Estrada this Saturday at the Plaza of Nations (750 Pacific Blvd.) from 12 to 5pm. There will be food and drinks, an autograph session, games and prizes. The Blackberry Playbook Tour will also be making a stop here. Times Telecom hosted the first concert with Elise Estrada at Metropolis at Metrotown and there were a lot of people! Go early!

Wiener Dog Racing @ Hastings Racecourse (July 16-17)

Hastings Racecourse is once again hosting Wiener Dog Racing! This event is sponsored by Schnieders and wiener dog owners can bring their dogs to race. This is bound to be a really cute and funny and going to the track is a great way to spend the afternoon! I love watching the horse races! See you there this weekend!

Free Quatchi Plush (July 16-17) - Lower Mainland Only

This weekend's freebie is my favorite Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic mascot - Quatchi! It will be a 13.5 inch (medium sized) Quatchi with the iconic red mittens. The offer is limited to one per person, while supplies last. Get your own Quatchi to love and hug!

The Vancouver location has closed down for the season, so this offer is only good at the Burnaby location at 6741 Cariboo Rd in Burnaby.

For more information on the warehouse location and hours, check out their website.

Winnie the Pooh - Movie Review

Disney has relaunched their Winnie the Pooh franchise by putting out a new Winnie the Pooh film, with classic 2D animation. The movie is based on the stories of A. A. Milne, and starts of with Pooh on a quest to find honey. Of course, the movie can't be complete with gloomy Eyore losing his tail yet again. Christopher Robin and his friends Pooh, Piglet, Tigger, Owl, Rabit, Eyore, Kanga and Roo hold a contest to find Eyore a new tail. The rest of the movie follows Pooh and his friends trying to save Christopher Robin from an imaginary monster.

The movie is really cute and a great throwback to the older Winnie the Pooh movies that some older audiences may remember. The landscape is beautifully drawn and the animation is superb. I have always preferred the old school hand drawn animation style! The film is told as a story being read and Pooh and his friends always get tangled up in the words. It's very cute and funny! Thankfully the movie is only about an hour long because I was getting a bit restless by the end. Stay until the end of the credits though, because there is a cute scene at the very end, as well as some animation during the credits.

Winnie the Pooh is a great film to take young children to because it will be delightful for them, especially if they are Pooh fans! I don't expect older audiences to be too interested to see it in theatres. Winnie the Pooh comes out everywhere next Friday, July 15th.

NKOTBSB Concert

I was one of the lucky winners of a pair of Metropolis at Metrotown's Hot Seat tickets to the executive suites for the NKOTBSB concert on Sunday night at Rogers Arena. There were 10 people in the suite plus the 2 promotions staff from Metrotown. There were snacks awaiting us when we arrived, which included a cheese and cracker platter, fruit and veggie platters, chips, popcorn, pop and juice. Matthew Morrison (Mr. Schuester from Glee) opened up and sang a few songs. The hot foods arrived afterwards, with mini burgers, chicken wings and panko covered shrimp. Delicious!

Cold foods to start. Yummy!

Hot foods

Video opening for Matt Morrison.

Mr. Schuester has hit the stage!

NKOTBSB were pretty great. There was a lot of energy in the arena, and it was packed with screaming fan girls. I wasn't too familiar with NKOTB songs, but I did recognize and know some of the BSB ones! At one point, they pulled four lucky girls onto stage, gave them roses and sang to them. The boys also went out into the crowds, and some ladies tried to rush up to them. It was a pretty great experience to be so high up in the private suites, so thanks Metropolis!

NKOTB

NKOTB

BSB

What is Nick Carter doing?!

View of the stage

I also took a few clips and have uploaded them (there are 7 in total). Here's a video of the opening sequence. Check out my Youtube channel for the rest of the clips.

Free Curly Fries @ Arby's - July 13

July 13th is National French Fry Day and to celebrate, Arby's is giving away free curly fries! Just print out the coupon below or here and bring it to any participating Arby's! I haven't had their fries in a long time but I remember their curly fries are delicious!

An Afternoon at the Track

I made it out to Mascot Racing yesterday at the Hastings Race Course! It was a beautiful day so it was a perfect day to spend at the track.


There were a lot of mascots walking around, taking pictures with people before the race. I got a few:

Red from Red Robin

Vancouver Giants

No clue who this mascot is!

Breadhead from Cobs Bread

Philbert from Purdy's Chocolate! I <3 him!

There were three heats of the race and a final, but I was only able to stay for two. The mascot I was rooting for was Philbert, because he tripped last year and he's so cute. He was in the first race and he did fine on the first obstacle...but fell again just before he got to the second one! Poor Philbert!!

The mascots in the second race.

I also watched a few of the horse races and put my first bet down! I chose number 5, the green one!

Goooo 5!

He won!

I had a lot of fun and will be returning again next year for Mascot Racing. I hope the Variety's Children Charity was able to raise a lot of money!

HP TouchPad Lanch - July 12 (Lower Mainland Only)

The newest tablet out on the market is officially launching tomorrow in Vancouver for the HP TouchPad. The launch event is happening at the HP Store at 1162 Alberni St (at Bute) in Vancouver from 5-9pm. Get a chance to play with the TouchPad and also meet Vancouver Canuck, Alex Burrows! Bring something along to be autographed and take some pictures with him!

Bonus Redemption Weekend @ Shoppers Drug Mart (July 9-10)

It's here again, another bonus redemption at Shoppers Drug Mart! Once again, receive $100 off when you redeem 50,000 Optimum Points (extra $15 than normal) and $200 off when you spend 95,000 Optimum Points ($30 extra)! I always look forward to these events because $200 means a lot of free groceries or video games! Check out this week's flyer here for sale items.

Free Cake @ Osaka Supermarket

If your birthday is in July, Osaka Supermarket at Park Royal is helping you celebrate by offering you a free 6 inch mixed fruit cake! All you have to do is make a purchase at Osaka Supermarket at the Park Royal location anytime in July, then go register at customer service with your receipt and a piece of photo ID that shows your date of birth and address. When your birthday rolls around, bring your photo ID back to customer service and collect your cake! It takes a minimum of 2 days after registering before you can go get your free cake. Sounds like a good deal to me if you are celebrating your birthday in July and shop at this supermarket anyways!

Free Slurpee's @ 7-Eleven (July 11)

In celebration of 7-Eleven's birthday next Monday, July 11th, all 7-Eleven's are giving away 1000 free 7.11 oz Slurpee's at each store! Yes, get your favorite frozen slushie drink for free! They are also debuting their newest Slurpee flavor, the Crush Golden Fruit Smash Slurpee, so make sure to check it out!