629 Beaufort St
Mt Lawley Western Australia 6050
(08) 9328 8761
http://www.iga.net.au/igafresh/index.cfm?page_id=2339
Hours:
Mon-Sun 7:00 - 21:00
This was one of the first supermarkets I visited when I moved to Perth, when still was a SupaValue, and I am somewhat attached to it.
I love the location, its wide open entrance, and the many hours it is open, and that it is open even on Sunday.
The place has an halo de decay in the good sense, a sort of vintage air that attracts lots of people, from the stay-at-home mum, to the old European cranky retiree, to the coolest dude around, which is kinda cool. It is not too big or too small, the right size to move around quickly and find a good selection of staples in ten minutes.
The prices and shopping polices have changed since this SupaValue mutated into an IGA, and, despite their brochures and whatever you've been told and believe, wake up!, their prices aren't that cheap if you compare them to the prices for the same products in the nearby Coles and Woolies. Still, you will find that bread and milk have kept steady prices and are much cheaper than in most places around, and their veggies section is decently priced, too. Their specials are very good, so keep tuned and shop for them. Beware, if you go outside the basic staples and there is no offer, you could be paying much more for items that are cheaper elsewhere.
Their meat section is truly disgusting, and they use that artificial lighting that makes meat look fresh and healthy, but once you take it to your place has that pearly patina that tells you that this meat has been there since the Prehistory and could make you sick. I would say that only the organic packed chicken is worth buying there.
The veggies section is decent, but, having the Asian veggies shop around the corner, I always prefer the latter.
The frozen area, drinks, cleaning, beauty, bathroom, and health aisles are just OK, they have a bunch of basic staples, but not much variety. This wouldn't matter if, if, if, IF the sweets and chocolate section wasn't, in comparison, humongous. It doesn't make any sense to me, but, hey, it might to you!
Their hot prepared food is small but good, and good-priced. I sometimes munch on it, especially their potato bake and roasted pork/beef, full of calories, fat and yumminess!
Most of the cashiers are nice, but some of them have been consistently unwelcoming and rude in the past. Reason? Pure stupidity, because I used to go after my gym sessions wearing baggy sweaty gym clothing and a big leather tote. Each time I visited, I was asked to open my bag, just in case I was shoplifting, while people normally dressed wouldn't be asked at all. If you have a policy implement it with everybody, or should I dress like Posh Beckham to visit an average supermarket? It also piss me off that sometimes they don't apologise for charging you more for a reduced product that hasn't indeed been reduced. Being nice doesn't cost a thing.
Having said this, the people working in the aisles pricing and shelving are always nice and very helpful. And the same can be said of the people attending the hot-food section.
I like this IGA, but they need to improve their meat section, and reduce the space of sweets and chocolates in favour of more necessary things that you expect to find in a suburban supermarket. I would work on their friendly skills, too.
Smileeeeeee, I am reviewing you, with my posh handbag closed!
This is one of the most thought-provoking short films I have seen lately, and compulsory viewing if you are interested in ethical dilemmas. It poses many interesting questions to the viewer in a fun way, and it makes its point so strongly that is difficult to argue it. Some of the questions that came to my mind after viewing the film are: Why do we eat meat if we have other sources of protein in the vegetable world? If the answer is yes, which one do we choose, especially having almost every animal at our disposal? Does cuteness and ugliness play a role in the food we eat or the food you eat? Would you rather eat a cute edible exotic animal or an ugly non-exotic one? Is our relationship with our pets a denial of our own animal instincts? Why don't we eat our pets? If we rear an animal as pet and you were starving, would you eat it? Why people get crossed about Koreans eating an edible of dogs and not us eating lambs or sucking piglets?
The film is very funny and well made, and will delight and repulse you, both at once.
Available for viewing at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ybop2CgBSfc
Stranger than fiction is a modern fable about predestination and free will, about life as our personal creation, and a reflection on the process of artistic creation. It is a retake a la reverse on Pirandello's "Six characters in search of an author", but using just one character. The film is directed by Swiss golden boy Marc Foster and written by the screenwriter and film director Zach Helm.
The movie has a terrific script and dialogues, characters very well drawn, and great acting. Will Ferrell will surprise you as Harold; we are used to his crazy over-the-top performances, but here he offers a very controlled and sensitive performance and completely transforms himself into Harold. The always believable Maggie Gyllenhaal is perfect as the lawyer turned into anarchist baker Ana Pascal. Emma Thompson is great as the neurotic insecure and perfectionist writer Karen Eiffel. Dustin Hoffman is also terrific as Professor of Literature Jules Hilber, who intrigued by Harold turns into a Literary detective and Harold's counsellor. Queen Latifah is correct as Eiffel's PA Penny Escher; I found her character a bit unnecessary, but she does plays well what she is asked for.
The movie is not only entertaining, but it is embedded with multiple ethical dilemmas and philosophical questions, that turn the mystery and the romance into something else. Some of the questions that came to my mind were: If your life was written like in a novel, and therefore you knew that you were predestined, would you still try to fight this? And if you did, would that make your life better and more meaningful? If it was in your hand, what would you prefer, dying young but having a memorable death or dying old but nobody knowing that you ever existed? Would knowing that your death is poetic, give more meaning to it? Would you rather know when you are going die or how?
The look of the movie, is very clean, minimalist and stylish. The superimposing graphics and vectorial images help to make clear to the viewer what is happening in Harold's head and the sort of analytical and mathematical mind and approach to reality he has. They are terrific, very stylish, explicative and not invasive at all, just at the service of the story.
Don't be fooled, this is not the sort of gag comedy you watch to have a big laugh. Is a witty comedy, not a LOL one.
A terrific film, entertaining and thought-provoking.
A spellbinding animated adventure film with a simplistic script and predictable characters.
The creativity and imagination of the film is undeniable, and the fantastic world of Pandora is creative, beautiful and artistically created and coloured regarding Nature and Creatures, myths and mood.
I must say that I found the animation, especially at first a little awkward, a sort of advanced video-game with improved facial and body movements. However, once you get into the story, and as the animated part gains prominence in the film, you stop seeing animation, and you see real characters and a real fantastic world. That is a credit to the director and creative team.
I also loved the idea of a harmonious natural world where everything is interconnected, where the energy is shared. A little primal and indigenous Eden that is going to be violated and abused by human beings who believe to be superior despite their greediness and lack of respect to the environment. It is a metaphor of the inconsistencies of the modern world that ignores the environment and other humans beings to spread a system that is self-destructive. The whole philosophy and spirituality of the natives is very zen, really wonderful, and very well explained and developed.
My biggest criticism of the film is the incongruity, so American, of defending the right to a peaceful and harmonious world through war. The fighting and war scenes are great, but, obviously, very violent, so that all the film's Peace message is betrayed very soon. The movie becomes a thriller, with good and bad characters, military leaders, defenders and attackers. My second criticism is that the story line and characters are predictable, which tones down the whole movie and makes it less interesting for the viewer who wants a little bit of depth and is not easily contented with just wonderful visuals.
I really enjoyed the film, because it is, mostly, an action movie, with fantastic enthralling action and war scenes, and super-duper visuals. However, it has a mix of meditation, romance, adventure, sci-fi, and zen premises that will captivate men and women, children and adults.
A true blockbuster, and a landmark for movies to come regarding visuals and special effects.
The Good
The movie reminds me of Miyazaki magic worlds and stories, and of his precious 2-D animation.
The recreation of the world of dreams is really amazing, so realistically oniric in narrative and visuals. I especially liked the repeating scene of the cop in the corridor, which is true onirism brought to life. However, all the scenes even the craziest ones, are incredible as they bring to life the feelings, sensations and awkwardness of the oniric world. That's so difficult to do!
The colours of the movie are eye candy, especially the ones in the dreams. In fact, there is a contrast between the glee and bright colours of the dream world, and the grey and subdued tones of the real world. However, when reality and dream start to merge we get a mix of both. I find this extremely interesting, because most movies would colour reality and dreams inversely, and that is very mainstream.
The plot is crazy, sometimes confusing, not enough grounded, but, hey, this is a movie about dreams, and you have to put yourself in your dreaming mood, and, like in a dream, you don't need the whole story to make sense, as dreams rarely do that. Said this, I found the story related to Detective Konakawa really intriguing and very well narrated, and his character very interesting. Also believable the character of the overweight childish scientist Dr. Tokita.
The So-so
The main female character, Dr Atsuko, is a very intriguing character, but, sometimes, the viewer doesn't fully understand why she is so cold in real life, and why, her alter ego is so warm and cheery. Moreover, we don't know why Paprika is the key to solve all the dream problems. Why is she not manipulated before the other scientists are being as involved as she is in the project?
I found shocking that semi-nude erotic scenes were easily shown, and then, you see the giant humans at the end as they do not even have a hint of genitalia! How awkward! My dreams show humans with all their bits!
The Bad
The most important down, to me, is the dubbing of the characters, both in English and in Japanese - Very dull in the first, just dull in the second. The actors seem to be reciting a text they were reading to themselves in a boring rainy afternoon...acting is a very different thing. That affects the tone and energy of the movie. If you have an action/thriller scene and the actors speak as if they were talking to their old grandma, there is a problem. Also, the lack o inflection in the talking of some characters makes those characters plain, especially in the case of Dr Atsuko. I also got annoyed at the voice of Paprika being so silly and childish, especially in Japanese.
The second down is that the scientific details of the "DC mini" are explained in a very complicated way, while a simpler approach would have made those bits less boring. They are realistic, as scientists speak like that, but this is not a documentary but an animation movie in which you don't need real mumbo-jumbo to make sense.
The Interesting
The references to some well known Hollywood and Japanese movies, both in posters and the "sweding" or recreation of some scenes in the dreams. However, the most intriguing reference to me is the mention of the short animation film of the 1940s "Dream Kids". I don't know if Paprika (the original novel on which the script is based) has a connection of any sort with that movie or not.
Truly trippy and enjoyable. Unforgettable oniric scenes.
270 William St
Northbridge Western Australia 6003
(08) 9226 2434
http://www.jpsancho.com.au/
Hours:
Mon-Fri 7:00 - 17:00
The coffee is good, but I found it not as good as the one in the other café. Perhaps because take-away coffees are always more diluted or milky. I don't know..
The service has always been terrific regarding speed and friendliness of the staff. Perfect for take-away.
I've never tried their food or sweets.
Their terrace seating area is very comfortable and nice. However, the seating area indoors is very small and narrow, but also very intimate. Not my cup of tea, but very charming if you want a quiet charming place.
878 Hay St
Perth Western Australia 6000
(08) 9226 2434
http://www.jpsancho.com.au
Hours:
Mon-Fri 7:00 - 18:00
Sat 8:00 - 17:00
Sun 9:00 - 17:00
I had heard so many things about this cafe that my expectations were very high regarding everything. I mean, this is an awarded cafe that has been mentioned in the media and is in everybody's mouth.
The coffee was very good, although the cup a bit small.
The service was terrific, regarding friendliness, speed, and attention to the client.
The cake I tried, supposedly the lightest of the cakes on display (as I requested), was too sugary, too rich and thick for my spoon go through it without the need of a knife or my fingers. The taste was OK.
I found the place average regarding atmosphere and layout, and it hit me hard that the place was full of ladies wearing their Sunday "froofroos" on a Saturday, seating and acting as if they were at a posh French bistro. Sorry to wake you up ladies, but this is an average every-day sort of French cafe, not the one that French ladies would dress to go to.
I cannot understand the hype about the place, really, really, really.
