“A Haunting in Venice” is set in eerie, post-World War II Venice on All Hallows’ Eve and is a terrifying mystery featuring the return of the celebrated sleuth, Hercule Poirot. Now retired and living in self-imposed exile in the world’s most glamorous city, Poirot reluctantly attends a séance at a decaying, haunted palazzo. When one of the guests is murdered, the detective is thrust into a sinister world of shadows and secrets.
Q-tips say: Was ok – was a tod slow at times but enjoy Kenneth Branagh’s Hercule Poirot adaptation. Secret ingredient has been none other than adapting Agatha Christie through the lens of gothic horror; a subtle twist that instantly turns ‘Mystery in Venice’ into a stimulating and enjoyable movie.
Posted inMovies 2023|Comments Off on The Haunting in Venice
My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3 Peacock, rent on Apple TV, or buy on Apple TV, Amazon Prime Video, Vudu.
Join the Portokalos family as they travel to a family reunion in Greece for a heartwarming and hilarious trip full of love, twists and turns. Opa!
Q-tips say: Yes, watch it.
Mrs. Q says: If you enjoyed the other My Big Fat Wedding movies, you might enjoy #3 – especially it takes place in Greece. The Matriarch had either Dementia or Alzheimer’s, so that was sad. The scenery was beautiful. Oh and that rattletrap of a vehicle that they rode around in was RIDICULOUS!
Posted inMovies 2023|Comments Off on My Big Fat Greek Wedding #3
Q-tips say: Wanted to try their food but they don’t serve liquor/wine/or beer. BYOB & was told there is not corkage fee. Decided to order out & have our own Happy Hour at home with Falafel/Kebab food.
Q-tips say: Q’s were NOT impressed with Falafel Kebab.
Had our usual libations at home – Old Fashion & Perfect Manhattan.
Mrs. Q had: Beef Shawarma Plate – Thinly sliced beef & lamb, cooked on a slow rotisserie. Served with rice, salad, Hummus & pita bread.
Mr. Q had: Gyro Plate – Shaved roast lamb & beef served with onions tomatoes, rice, salad, Hummus & pita bread.
Netflix series – Evolution, competition and mass extinction; three fundamental rules drive the rise and fall of life on Earth for over four billion years. Series # 1 – Evolution, competition and mass extinction; three fundamental rules drive the rise and fall of life on Earth for over four billion years.
Q-tips say: Yes, we did enjoy the first series.
Mrs. Q really enjoys this type of series. Is it accurate? The team worked hard to make sure the whole story was historically accurate. Tom Fletcher, an actual paleontologist who worked on the series, said that the research was surprisingly accurate. Might be a decent series for kids to watch (probably ages 7+). Parents, get ready to answer some questions.
In LIFE ON OUR PLANET, planet Earth is formed and goes through stages of struggle. Land masses are created out of spewing lava, the air clouds and clears, and water settles to form oceans. Billions of years ago, out of the oceans came the first signs of life, and since then, life has been vying for global dominance. Dynasties of “bloodlines” have risen and fallen. Which will succeed in surviving the longest? Where do humans fit into the global picture?
Posted inMovies 2023|Comments Off on Life on our Planet
10/31/23 -Interwoven stories demonstrate that some traditions are best not forgotten as the residents (Anna Paquin, Brian Cox, Dylan Baker) of a small town face real ghosts and goblins on Halloween. Tales of terror reveal the consequences of extinguishing a Jack-o-Lantern before midnight and a grumpy hermit’s encounter with a sinister trick-or-treater.
Q-tips say: Yes, enjoyed it on Halloween Night. Trick ‘r Treat lives up to its reputation taking the traditions of the holiday and wielding them into a horrific tale of lore, murder, and revenge.
Well if you missed it yesterday, Halloween Night, keep it in mind for next Halloween.
‘BlackBerry’ tells the story of Mike Lazaridis and Jim Balsillie, the two men that charted the course of the spectacular rise and catastrophic demise of the world’s first smartphone.
Q-tips say: Yes, watch it. We enjoyed this movie.
Mrs. Q says: If you know a Mr. or Ms. Gadget, this is probably a good movie for them to watch. They might even say after seeing this movie, “I think I still have my Blackberry somewhere here.”
An entertaining film features standout work from Baruchel, especially when he begins to crack with the realization that Apple is getting ready to kill his company with their upcoming iPhone, a product with the highest consumer interest in history. Work from Baruchel and a ferociously good Howerton as the unscrupulous Balsillie, BlackBerry is a cautionary tale of tech-world hubris told with dark humour and a satirical edge
Q-tips say: We were really looking forward to go to Brasserie because it is a relatively new rest. in Edgewater, Chicago.
Well, it was nothing special – a tad disappointing. Loud music & no one else in the rest.
Mrs. Q went on Open Table to make a reservation, she saw that they require you to put your charge card info & charge you $3.00 per person to make your reservation. Never had that before with any other restaurant. Did not make a reservation. We just walked in without a reservation. Their Brasserie Fall Tasting Menu is $80 per person – pre paid.
On one of their internet menus they offer Filet Carpaccio – which is what we went there for but we were told they don’t have it due to change of season menu. Mrs. Q politely suggested that perhaps they should correct their internet menu.
Our dinner choices: Bread and Butter $10.00 – House made sourdough of the day with butter – was decent. Each Q had: French Onion Soup $12.00 – Imported Gruyere, house made sourdough crouton, double stock & Duck, Duck, Goose Spring Roll $26.00 – Duck confit, Bella Farms Foie Gras, cabbage, pickled vegetables, plum sauce. Our server/hostess told us that we get 3 Spring Rolls each but each Q got only 2 Duck Goose Spring rolls each.
Had our usual drinks: Old Fashion & Perfect Manhattan – they were ok. When the manager asked if we wanted wine, Mr. Q asked if they have a white wine for Happy Hour. They only have their special wines & their special drinks for their Happy Hour & 1/2 off a Red Wine only on Sunday. Passed on the wine.
There was no one else in the rest. until later another couple sat at the bar & after talking for a while then began to argue with each other. We were finished eating & asked for our check & don’t think we will go back again.
Single mother Julie (César Calamy) works a grueling job as a head chambermaid in a five-star Parisian hotel. Julie’s daily balance of commuting from her remote suburb into Paris, tenuous childcare and search for a new job to get her out of debt, becomes unmanageable during a paralyzing transport strike in Paris. Literally running from dawn to sunset to get to her job and back home in time to fetch her children, Julie is constantly on the verge of a breakdown.
Q-tips say: Was good but a tad slow at time. Each night, Julie dreams that she’s drowning. Water fills her ears and presses down on her chest. But when she wakes – jolted out of a bone-tired slumber by her alarm – the reality is not so different. A single mum of two children, with debts mounting and her ex-husband missing along with his alimony, she is barely keeping afloat. Her childcare options are running out; her job, as the head chambermaid at a five-star hotel, is stressful; her commute, from a Paris suburb to the centre of the city, is precision-timed. And just when she thinks there’s a chance of a new opportunity – an interview for a much better job – a strike paralyses the entire transport network. Some might relay that sometimes it’s difficult to be on time when we need to rely on public transportation to arrive at our destination. The movie tells a story that many viewers might able to relate to on an intensely personal level.
You might enjoy it. Some reviews show that the audience & movie critics did enjoy this movie.
10/22/23 – A new musical about the Life & Loves of Louis Armstrong at the Cadillac Palace Theatre – 151 W Randolph St, Chicago.
Q-tips say: Was good but wish it was more about Louis Armstrong’s life than the Women in his life.
Mrs. Q says: Yes, Louis A. was a womanizer. The scenes with Louis were good but not enough of those kinds of scene. The entire cast was extremely talented but too much of the story was about the women in his life instead of Louis & also too many dance scenes.
The other weird thing is that we don’t see much of Armstrong with other musicians, which is how many remember him, playing with a great big band like Joe “King” Oliver’s Creole Jazz Band, who whooped it up in Chicago in the 1920s at the famed Lincoln Gardens on E. 31st St. Given who this show has as its lead I kept waiting for the big scene where Armstrong would be performing, joshing with the band, singing far more of the hundreds of songs he recorded, mixing it up with the audience. A delight, surely. But it never came, or not at least in a full-blown way. Instead, we got scene after scene involving letters, receipts and domestic altercations. Not what you want in Act 2 of a Louis Armstrong show.
35 W Wacker Dr Chicago – (312) 346-3500 – catch35.com
Q-tips say: Yes, go & enjoy. Great drinks, food, ambiance & Happy Hour during the week – Every Monday thru Friday from 3-6pm (In Bar & Outdoor Patio Only). Happy Hour Special not available for takeout or delivery.
Mrs. Q had her usual libations: Maker’s Mark Old Fashion up w/dirty ice on the side.
Mr. Q had:Maker’s Mark Perfect Manhattan w/ dirty ice on the side.
We shared the bread – Mrs. Q ate most of it.
Mrs. Q had:GrilledSalmon – cucumbers – shallots – lemon dill -with a side of asparagus.
Mr. Q had: Blackened Salmon Blackened – sweet chili garlic sauce with a side of fries.
Yes, we shared our sides. Everything was DELICIOUS!
Inside & also outside seating.
Grilled SalmonBlackened Salmon – sweet chili garlic sauce.
:quality(70)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/tronc/OZZM4JOSX5BXJAPJI6LXBZ46EY.JPG)
