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	<title>All Things Andy Gavin</title>
	
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		<title>Avengers</title>
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		<comments>http://all-things-andy-gavin.com/2012/05/29/avengers/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 29 May 2012 14:34:18 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>agavin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Movies]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Avenger]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Avengers]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Black Widow]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Captain America]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Comics]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Hulk]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Joss Whedon]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Marvel]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Nick Fury]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Robert Downey]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://all-things-andy-gavin.com/?p=6944</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Normally I take Marvel super hero movies with a grain of salt, but considering the buzz around Avengers and the fact that it was written and directed by Joss Whedon, I was fairly excited...]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://all-things-andy-gavin.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/Marvels-The-Avengers.jpg"><img class="alignright size-medium wp-image-6945" title="Marvels-The-Avengers" src="http://all-things-andy-gavin.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/Marvels-The-Avengers-204x300.jpg" alt="" width="204" height="300" /></a>Title: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001KVZ6HK/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=all-things-prod-1-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=B001KVZ6HK">Avengers</a></p>
<p>Cast: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/s?ie=UTF8&amp;field-keywords=Robert%20Downey%20Jr.&amp;ref=dp_dvd_bl_act&amp;search-alias=dvd">Robert Downey Jr.</a> (Actor), <a href="http://www.amazon.com/s?ie=UTF8&amp;field-keywords=Chris%20Evans&amp;ref=dp_dvd_bl_act&amp;search-alias=dvd">Chris Evans</a> (Actor), <a href="http://www.amazon.com/s?ie=UTF8&amp;field-keywords=Joss%20Whedon&amp;ref=dp_dvd_bl_dir&amp;search-alias=dvd">Joss Whedon</a> (Director)</p>
<p>Genre: Comic Book Action</p>
<p>Watched:  May 22, 2012</p>
<p>Summary: Very good, but not perfect</p>
<div style="height: 1.4em; visibility: hidden;">_</div>
<p>Normally I take Marvel super hero movies with a grain of salt, but considering the buzz around Avengers and the fact that it was written and directed by Joss Whedon (creator of my favorite show of all time, <a title="TV Review: Buffy the Vampire Slayer – part 1" href="http://all-things-andy-gavin.com/2010/11/03/tv-review-buffy-the-vampire-slayer/">Buffy</a>) I was fairly excited.</p>
<span style="text-align:center; display: block;"><a href="http://all-things-andy-gavin.com/2012/05/29/avengers/"><img src="http://img.youtube.com/vi/E9cuGZJ9DP0/2.jpg" alt="" /></a></span>
<p>The setup is band of superhero misfits vs alien invasion (more on that later). Marvel has spent no small effort establishing the players: 2 Ironman movies, <a title="Movie Review: Thor" href="http://all-things-andy-gavin.com/2011/05/15/movie-review-thor/">Thor</a>, The Hulk, Captain America, etc. That&#8217;s all well and good, and I&#8217;m reminded slightly of the 80s &#8220;Secret Wars&#8221; stunt in the actual comics. To this vast array of characters we add Black Widow, Hawkeye, and Nick Fury (all of whom seem to have super strength and speed without any particular specified reason). Then we throw in some really weird aliens invading from another dimension/planet.</p>
<p>The attack is lead by heavy of heavies, Loki, reprising his role from the way stranger Thor. <a title="Movie Review: Thor" href="http://all-things-andy-gavin.com/2011/05/15/movie-review-thor/">I wrote extensively about this movie before</a>, and the <em>Avengers</em> villains descend from this bizarre mythology of Norse gods as aliens. This includes, but is not limited too, all sorts of undefined powers, immortality, lightning calling hammers of infinite weight, mind control staffs, cubes of limitless energy, beams of plasma used to drill worm holes in the universe, and much much more. And that doesn&#8217;t cover the earth based oddities. Super strength serums, invincible flying robot suits, and a flying aircraft carrier!</p>
<p>The strength of Jos&#8217; writing transcends this recipe for disaster and makes an ultimately very watchable film. It&#8217;s often even very funny, full of action, and exciting. It&#8217;s not, however, a masterpiece. Given the crazy cast, the film tries its best to give each a bit of time a and story. This is ultimately most successful with Ironman, the Hulk, and Black Widow. Still, there just isn&#8217;t that much time, particularly given the rapacious demand for long and involved action scenes.</p>
<p>The villains are a bit weak. Loki is kind of fun, but he spends a lot of time preening and just waiting around. The mysterious skeletal-bio-mechanical hordes are just that, hordes. They exist to maraud and then to die.</p>
<p>The last third of the film is one long monster battle for New York with aliens drooling through a hole in the sky and the entire team of Avengers fending them off. For a while, this is pretty cool, but it does go on far too long. I don&#8217;t know whose fault this trend is — Transformers perhaps? — but it&#8217;s become standard for big action movies to have these monster (haha) final battles. In <a title="Book and Movie Review: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" href="http://all-things-andy-gavin.com/2010/11/21/book-and-movie-review-harry-potter-deathly-hallows/">Harry Potter 7.5</a>, it&#8217;s almost two hours long! Unfortunately, they have the side effect of stealing way too much screen time away from character development.</p>
<p>Effects wise, this movie is loaded with CGI. Probably almost every shot. It&#8217;s often quite good, but there is no focus on realism. This is comic book to the hilt, in every way, with all the look and feel, firing on all cylinders, expertly executed. It delivers, but there is no real jeopardy or pathos, and no totally unique feel (say in the vein of <em>Sin City</em> or <em>Hell Boy</em>). It feels like <em>Thor</em> or <em>Ironman</em>. In fact it&#8217;s about exactly on par with Ironman (the first film, the second sucked) quality wise.</p>
<p>On one hand, I&#8217;m relieved to have seen a comic book film with actual story and characters. On the other, I feel Jos could do better creating his own world. Maybe the success of this film will give him more leeway to try.</p>
<p><a title="Index of Fiction Reviews" href="http://all-things-andy-gavin.com/fiction-index/#movies">For more Film reviews, click here.</a></p>
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		<title>Game of Thrones – Episode 19</title>
		<link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/AllThingsAndyGavin/~3/1FsOoVvvocQ/</link>
		<comments>http://all-things-andy-gavin.com/2012/05/28/game-of-thrones-episode-19/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 28 May 2012 08:17:37 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>agavin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Television]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[a clash of kings]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[A Dance with Dragons]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[a game of thrones]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Blackwater]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Characters in A Song of Ice and Fire]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Episode 19]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Episode Review]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Game of Thrones]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[George R. R. Martin]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[HBO]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Historical fantasy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Major houses in A Song of Ice and Fire]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[World of A Song of Ice and Fire]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://all-things-andy-gavin.com/?p=6956</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[With Episode 19, Blackwater, the normally highly fractured narrative of the show lasers in and focuses on a single place and night: The attack on King's Landing by Stannis and its defense...]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://all-things-andy-gavin.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/game-of-thrones-Season-2-Poster1.jpg"><img class="alignright size-medium wp-image-6501" title="game-of-thrones-Season-2-Poster1" src="http://all-things-andy-gavin.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/game-of-thrones-Season-2-Poster1-241x300.jpg" alt="" width="241" height="300" /></a>Title: <a href="http://www.hbo.com/game-of-thrones/index.html">Game of Thrones</a></p>
<p>Genre: Historical Fantasy</p>
<p>Watched: Episode 18 &#8211; May 27, 2012</p>
<p>Title: <strong>Blackwater</strong></p>
<p>Summary: Tight and intense</p>
<div style="height: 1.4em; visibility: hidden;">ANY CHARACTER HERE</div>
<p>With Episode 19, Blackwater, the normally highly fractured narrative of the show lasers in and focuses on a single place and night: The attack on King&#8217;s Landing by Stannis and its defense. Hallelujah, they finally show us a real battle! And not just a little one, but a multi-staged &#8220;Helm&#8217;s Deep&#8221; style battle. Sure, it&#8217;s not like Helm&#8217;s deep level visuals, but it&#8217;s pretty damn great.</p>
<span style="text-align:center; display: block;"><a href="http://all-things-andy-gavin.com/2012/05/28/game-of-thrones-episode-19/"><img src="http://img.youtube.com/vi/iVJpNRWWEX8/2.jpg" alt="" /></a></span>
<p>This is certainly the most climatic scene from <em>A Clash of Kings</em>, although with so many threads it is but one of many. By choosing to focus, we are allowed to see the play out of emotions in King&#8217;s Landing with considerable more depth than the usual 2-3 scenes per thread allows.</p>
<p>We open at sea with Davos and his navy. I like the puke barrel the soldiers heave into. Then we cut to Tyrion in bed with Shae in a nice intimate pre-battle moment of intimacy. Cersei, in contrast, receives cold comfort in the form of poison from her silly and ancient Maester. Bronn parties with his men and a bevy of the usual whores (we keep seeing the same ones). The Hound enters and the two killers lock antlers only to be interrupted by the bells signaling the invasion.</p>
<p>Varys and Ty banter as usual, much to our pleasure. The master of spiders passes crucial information to Ty, and in a subtle nod to later, Ty admits that he trusts his squire Pod. In the books Pod is an actual character, here in the show, he&#8217;s just a role. Still, at least he has one.</p>
<p>The bells on the wall are met by drums from the ships. Ty and Bronn find Joff and the Hound in the throne room. Joff continues his obnoxious streak in saying goodbye to Sansa, and she cleverly appeals to his ego to try and egg him into the most dangerous part of the battle.</p>
<p>Everyone sallies forth to watch from the walls. In a very effective sequence we cut from the battlements to the ships and show the sailor&#8217;s surprise at finding only one Lannister ship, unmanned and leaking green fluid at that. Bronn sets the whole thing alight with a single flaming arrow and Stannis&#8217; fleet is obliterated in a cloud of green fire. I do have to say, the green fire looked badass (for TV).</p>
<div id="attachment_6961" class='wp-caption aligncenter' style='width:614px;'><a href="http://all-things-andy-gavin.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/BlackwaterPromo.jpg"><img class=" wp-image-6961" title="BlackwaterPromo" src="http://all-things-andy-gavin.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/BlackwaterPromo-1024x657.jpg" alt="" width="614" height="394" /></a><p class='wp-caption-text'>One shot is the charm</p></div>
<p style="text-align: left;">But undaunted, Stannis leads his surviving men aboard his medieval PT boats and rows for shore.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, we have been cutting back to inside the keep where Cersei has sequestered herself with all her ladies. This is all the more painful for Sansa when the queen singles her out for more attention. The queen&#8217;s dress is very interesting: Mostly medieval ladies gown, it does have a bit of Amazonian breast plate action going.</p>
<p>When Stannis mounts his landing Ty sends the Hound to command a defensive party outside the walls. Men storm toward the walls under fire and do their best with ladders. Lancel takes a flesh wound and heads inside where Cersei orders him to drag the king to safety. Cersei continues to talk Sansa and takes notice of Shae, something doesn&#8217;t add up for her.</p>
<p>The Hound goes to town butchering the invaders until the fire grows too close and he starts to freak out. This is certainly understandable considering his fiery encounters with his older brother. Stannis is a leader of the old school, and you can&#8217;t say he&#8217;s a coward because he storms the walls himself and lays waste to the King&#8217;s men.</p>
<div id="attachment_6960" class='wp-caption aligncenter' style='width:625px;'><a href="http://all-things-andy-gavin.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/tumblr_m4cr20tUgr1qis07wo1_1280.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-6960" title="tumblr_m4cr20tUgr1qis07wo1_1280" src="http://all-things-andy-gavin.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/tumblr_m4cr20tUgr1qis07wo1_1280.jpg" alt="" width="625" height="417" /></a><p class='wp-caption-text'>Does anyone have the armor polish?</p></div>
<p>When the hold returns inside getting too close to the heat he is ordered back out again. He swears off the King entirely and leaves. The invaders batter at the games with a huge battering ram. Joff runs off with his cousin and Ty finds the courage to lead the men in a rousing speech and drag them out himself.</p>
<p>Lancel returns to Cersei again empty handed, and she runs off. Sansa finds her own strength to rally the women and Shae urges Sansa back to her rooms. But guess who&#8217;s there? The Hound, fed up with fighting for Joff the Toff and ready to take her back to Winterfell. But Sansa has been conditioned and she is too nervous to jump ship.</p>
<div id="attachment_6959" class='wp-caption aligncenter' style='width:550px;'><a href="http://all-things-andy-gavin.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/game-of-thrones-battle-of-blackwater-hbo.png"><img class="size-full wp-image-6959" title="game-of-thrones-battle-of-blackwater-hbo" src="http://all-things-andy-gavin.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/game-of-thrones-battle-of-blackwater-hbo.png" alt="" width="550" height="350" /></a><p class='wp-caption-text'>Can you toss me that rope on the dock over there?</p></div>
<p>Ty leads men through the sewers (setup with Varys and the map), comes out behind the invaders, and lays waste to them. He goes to town with his axe. This time around, the producers don&#8217;t shy from battle. Finally. Ty is fighting away only to be betrayed and attacked by one of the King&#8217;s Guard. He falls badly injured, although not seemingly as badly injured as in the book. More  troops invade and just as soon as all looks lost, a Lannister army arrives to save the day.</p>
<p>Cersei sits with her younger son Tommen on the throne and is about to take poison but Tywin rides in to save the day. So this is where he rode off too last episode!</p>
<p>Overall, this episode burned a lot of money. While it still feels like TV, it&#8217;s epic TV and the mix of wide shots and extra pounding action served well to convey the sense of a fairly large battle. I like the scope and intensity allowed by ignoring all the other threads, but I suspect that the final episode will be one rapid-fire whiplash!</p>
<p><a title="A Dance With Dragons" href="http://all-things-andy-gavin.com/2011/07/24/a-dance-with-dragons/">See my review of <em>A Dance With Dragons</em>.</a></p>
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<p><a title="The Darkening Dream" href="http://all-things-andy-gavin.com/dream">Check out my fantasy novel, <em>The Darkening Dream</em></a></p>
<p>or <a href="http://all-things-andy-gavin.com/tag/game-of-thrones/">all my <em>Game of Thrones</em> posts</a> or</p>
<p>Season 1 reviews: [<a title="Game of Thrones – Episode 1" href="http://all-things-andy-gavin.com/2011/04/02/game-of-thrones-episode-1/">1</a>, <a title="Game of Thrones – Episode 2" href="http://all-things-andy-gavin.com/2011/04/25/game-of-thrones-episode-2/">2</a>, <a title="Game of Thrones – Episode 3" href="http://all-things-andy-gavin.com/2011/05/02/game-of-thrones-episode-3/">3</a>, <a title="Game of Thrones – Episode 4" href="http://all-things-andy-gavin.com/2011/05/09/game-of-thrones-episode-4/">4</a>, <a title="Game of Thrones – Episode 5" href="http://all-things-andy-gavin.com/2011/05/16/game-of-thrones-episode-5/">5</a>, <a title="Game of Thrones – Episode 6" href="http://all-things-andy-gavin.com/2011/05/22/game-of-thrones-episode-6/">6</a>, <a title="Game of Thrones – Episode 7" href="http://all-things-andy-gavin.com/2011/05/22/game-of-thrones-episode-7/">7</a>, <a title="Game of Thrones – Episode 8" href="http://all-things-andy-gavin.com/2011/07/02/game-of-thrones-episode-8/">8</a>, <a title="Game of Thrones – Episode 9" href="http://all-things-andy-gavin.com/2011/07/04/game-of-thrones-episode-9/">9</a>, <a title="Game of Thrones – Episode 10" href="http://all-things-andy-gavin.com/2011/07/06/game-of-thrones-episode-10/">10</a>]</p>
<p>Season 2 reviews: [<a title="Game of Thrones – Episode 11" href="http://all-things-andy-gavin.com/2012/04/01/game-of-thrones-episode-11/">11</a>, <a title="Game of Thrones – Episode 12" href="http://all-things-andy-gavin.com/2012/04/08/game-of-thrones-episode-12/">12</a>, <a title="Game of Thrones – Episode 13" href="http://all-things-andy-gavin.com/2012/04/15/game-of-thrones-episode-13/">13</a>, <a title="Game of Thrones – Episode 14" href="http://all-things-andy-gavin.com/2012/04/22/game-of-thrones-episode-14/">14</a>, <a title="Game of Thrones – Episode 15" href="http://all-things-andy-gavin.com/2012/04/29/game-of-thrones-episode-15/">15</a>, <a title="Game of Thrones – Episode 16" href="http://all-things-andy-gavin.com/2012/05/06/game-of-thrones-episode-16/">16</a>, <a title="Game of Thrones – Episode 17" href="http://all-things-andy-gavin.com/2012/05/13/game-of-thrones-episode-17/">17</a>, <a title="Game of Thrones – Episode 18" href="http://all-things-andy-gavin.com/2012/05/20/game-of-thrones-episode-18/">18</a>, <a title="Game of Thrones – Episode 19" href="http://all-things-andy-gavin.com/2012/05/28/game-of-thrones-episode-19/">19</a>]</td>
<td><a title="The Darkening Dream" href="http://all-things-andy-gavin.com/the-darkening-dream"><img class="wp-image-3645 plainimage" style="margin: 5px 0px 5px 20px;" src="http://all-things-andy-gavin.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/Front-Cover-TDD-3.32-small-700x1024.jpg" alt="" width="119" height="154" /></a></td>
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</table>
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<div id="attachment_6958" class='wp-caption aligncenter' style='width:614px;'><a href="http://all-things-andy-gavin.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/1330809748_b.jpg"><img class=" wp-image-6958" title="1330809748_b" src="http://all-things-andy-gavin.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/1330809748_b-1024x721.jpg" alt="" width="614" height="433" /></a><p class='wp-caption-text'>Things that say boom!</p></div>
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		<title>Tar &amp; Roses</title>
		<link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/AllThingsAndyGavin/~3/cIT5yp49oM4/</link>
		<comments>http://all-things-andy-gavin.com/2012/05/26/tar-roses/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 26 May 2012 14:22:54 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>agavin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Food]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Cherry tomato]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Restaurant]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Rustic Canyon]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Santa Monica Blvd]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Santa Monica California]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Tar and Roses]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://all-things-andy-gavin.com/?p=6964</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Tar &#038; Roses is a new American tapas-style place in Santa Monica, loosely in the vein of Rustic Canyon or Gjelina. Despite the relative crowding of this market, it's a welcome addition in my book...]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Restaurant: <a href="http://tarandroses.com/">Tar &amp; Roses</a></p>
<p>Location: 602 Santa Monica Blvd. Santa Monica, CA 90401. (310) 587-0700</p>
<p>Date: April 27, 2012</p>
<p>Cuisine: American Tapas</p>
<p>Rating: Tasty and good value</p>
<div style="height: 1.4em; visibility: hidden;">_</div>
<p style="text-align: left;">Tar &amp; Roses is a new American tapas-style place in Santa Monica, loosely in the vein of <a title="Rustic Canyon Redux" href="http://all-things-andy-gavin.com/2010/12/23/rustic-canyon-redux/">Rustic Canyon</a> or <a title="The New American – Gjelina" href="http://all-things-andy-gavin.com/2010/12/17/the-new-american-gjelina/">Gjelina</a>. Despite the relative crowding of this market, it&#8217;s a welcome addition in my book because it breaks up the Italian Domination (a crazy large percentage of westside restaurants are from the boot).</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">The Chef &amp; Owner is Andrew Kirschner, a Santa Monica-native who grew up in a family with a strong appreciation for travel, food and wine, Chef Andrew Kirschner initiated his cooking education at the age of fifteen with a summer job in the kitchen of a local restaurant. Like many great chefs, his culinary journey started as a job, but quickly turned into a passion. After Kirschner became the sous chef for Chadwick in Beverly Hills, and then a chef/partner at the popular neighborhood spot Table 8 in West Hollywood, where he met and bonded with his Tar &amp; Roses sous chef, Jacob Wildman.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.smugmug.com/gallery/22970385_fPPLpt#!i=1846443030&amp;k=nZbW38x&amp;lb=1&amp;s=A"><img class="aligncenter" src="http://www.smugmug.com/photos/i-nZbW38x/0/M/i-nZbW38x-M.jpg" alt="" width="600" height="450" /></a><br />
The space is airy and pleasant.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.smugmug.com/gallery/22970385_fPPLpt#!i=1846443351&amp;k=FXmkkM4&amp;lb=1&amp;s=A"><img class="aligncenter" src="http://www.smugmug.com/photos/i-FXmkkM4/0/M/i-FXmkkM4-M.jpg" alt="" width="600" height="450" /></a><br />
Albiet a little loud.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.smugmug.com/gallery/22970385_fPPLpt#!i=1846442077&amp;k=LGdFPLC&amp;lb=1&amp;s=A"><img class="aligncenter" src="http://www.smugmug.com/photos/i-LGdFPLC/0/M/i-LGdFPLC-M.jpg" alt="" width="338" height="450" /></a> <a href="http://www.smugmug.com/gallery/22970385_fPPLpt#!i=1846442619&amp;k=Cvkf6PG&amp;lb=1&amp;s=A"><img class="aligncenter" src="http://www.smugmug.com/photos/i-Cvkf6PG/0/M/i-Cvkf6PG-M.jpg" alt="" width="338" height="450" /></a><br />
The menu.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.smugmug.com/gallery/22970385_fPPLpt#!i=1846444454&amp;k=Mvzm8Vb&amp;lb=1&amp;s=A"><img class="aligncenter" src="http://www.smugmug.com/photos/i-Mvzm8Vb/0/M/i-Mvzm8Vb-M.jpg" alt="" width="338" height="450" /></a><br />
Lubricant. Nebbiolo d&#8217;alba.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.smugmug.com/gallery/22970385_fPPLpt#!i=1846444878&amp;k=v3mPDBh&amp;lb=1&amp;s=A"><img class="aligncenter" src="http://www.smugmug.com/photos/i-v3mPDBh/0/M/i-v3mPDBh-M.jpg" alt="" width="600" height="450" /></a><br />
Trio of bruschetta, left to right: &#8220;roasted cherry tomato, burrata, basil&#8221; then &#8220;braised leek, marinated white anchovy&#8221; and &#8220;wood roasted eggplant, feta, pickled tomato, mint.&#8221;</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.smugmug.com/gallery/22970385_fPPLpt#!i=1846445415&amp;k=2CZHksV&amp;lb=1&amp;s=A"><img class="aligncenter" src="http://www.smugmug.com/photos/i-2CZHksV/0/M/i-2CZHksV-M.jpg" alt="" width="600" height="450" /></a><br />
&#8220;roasted beets / feta  /  tarragon  / horseradish.&#8221;</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.smugmug.com/gallery/22970385_fPPLpt#!i=1846445730&amp;k=9v32gdQ&amp;lb=1&amp;s=A"><img class="aligncenter" src="http://www.smugmug.com/photos/i-9v32gdQ/0/M/i-9v32gdQ-M.jpg" alt="" width="600" height="450" /></a><br />
&#8220;italian egg drop soup/ prosciutto / croutons / grana  / paprika.&#8221; The flavor of this was mild, like a minestrone, definitely in the Italian palate.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.smugmug.com/gallery/22970385_fPPLpt#!i=1846446071&amp;k=G6gcHzD&amp;lb=1&amp;s=A"><img class="aligncenter" src="http://www.smugmug.com/photos/i-G6gcHzD/0/M/i-G6gcHzD-M.jpg" alt="" width="600" height="450" /></a><br />
&#8220;ricotta gnocchi / asparagus / ramps / breadcrumbs.&#8221; These were yummy, with a strong cream component.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.smugmug.com/gallery/22970385_fPPLpt#!i=1846446700&amp;k=cZcxdt2&amp;lb=1&amp;s=A"><img class="aligncenter" src="http://www.smugmug.com/photos/i-cZcxdt2/0/M/i-cZcxdt2-M.jpg" alt="" width="600" height="450" /></a><br />
&#8220;balsamic glazed ribs / chili /  fried basil.&#8221; My favorite dish of the night.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.smugmug.com/gallery/22970385_fPPLpt#!i=1846447374&amp;k=P9c8gbx&amp;lb=1&amp;s=A"><img class="aligncenter" src="http://www.smugmug.com/photos/i-P9c8gbx/0/M/i-P9c8gbx-M.jpg" alt="" width="600" height="450" /></a><br />
&#8220;baby broccoli / parmesan pudding / breadcrumbs.&#8221; A tasty implementation of the vegetable.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.smugmug.com/gallery/22970385_fPPLpt#!i=1846447939&amp;k=pzXTBkk&amp;lb=1&amp;s=A"><img class="aligncenter" src="http://www.smugmug.com/photos/i-pzXTBkk/0/M/i-pzXTBkk-M.jpg" alt="" width="600" height="450" /></a><br />
&#8220;braised lamb belly / minted apple chutney.&#8221;</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.smugmug.com/gallery/22970385_fPPLpt#!i=1846448822&amp;k=5XGFwwD&amp;lb=1&amp;s=A"><img class="aligncenter" src="http://www.smugmug.com/photos/i-5XGFwwD/0/M/i-5XGFwwD-M.jpg" alt="" width="600" height="450" /></a><br />
Cute check package.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">Overall, Tar &amp; Roses was quite good and I plan to try it again. It was very similar in style to <a title="Rustic Canyon 4" href="http://all-things-andy-gavin.com/2011/05/22/rustic-canyon-4/">Rustic Canyon</a>, but the portions were larger and the prices cheaper. I wasn&#8217;t totally blown away by all the dishes, but they were solid and the restaurant is new. If they tune things up a little I think it could be great.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><a title="Index of Food Reviews" href="http://all-things-andy-gavin.com/food-index/">For more LA dining reviews click here.</a></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.smugmug.com/gallery/22970385_fPPLpt#!i=1846444101&amp;k=3TFzwrP&amp;lb=1&amp;s=A"><img class="aligncenter" src="http://www.smugmug.com/photos/i-3TFzwrP/0/M/i-3TFzwrP-M.jpg" alt="" width="600" height="450" /></a></p>
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		<title>Award Time!</title>
		<link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/AllThingsAndyGavin/~3/gCdt5FtRr64/</link>
		<comments>http://all-things-andy-gavin.com/2012/05/24/award-time/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 24 May 2012 14:07:55 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>agavin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Darkening Dream]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Andy Gavin]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Cliff Nielsen]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Cover art]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Cover Design]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Fantasy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[International Book Awards]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Literature]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Science Fiction]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[The Darkening Dream]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://all-things-andy-gavin.com/?p=6935</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[I'm excited to announce that The Darkening Dream recently won some International Book Awards!]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>I&#8217;m excited to announce that <em><a href="http://the-darkening-dream.com">The Darkening Dream</a></em> recently won some <a href="http://www.internationalbookawards.com/">International Book Awards</a>, including:</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong>Winner: Best Cover Design- Fiction</strong></p>
<p style="text-align: center;">and</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong>Finalist: Fiction- Fantasy</strong></p>
<p>I want to offer a shout out to my collaborators who helped with this: The cover artist Cliff Nielsen and cover designer Pete Garceau as well as my brilliant and hard working <a title="On Writing: Line Editing" href="http://all-things-andy-gavin.com/2010/12/12/on-writing-line-editing/">editors</a>.</p>
<p><a title="Making of a Cover" href="http://all-things-andy-gavin.com/2011/12/19/making-of-a-cover/">Find out more about the cover</a> or <a href="http://the-darkening-dream.com">the book.</a></p>
<h3><a title="Buy The Darkening Dream" href="http://all-things-andy-gavin.com/the-darkening-dream/buy" class="eModal eModal-2" target="_blank">And you should buy it if you haven't!</a></h3>
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		<title>Dark Shadows – Why?</title>
		<link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/AllThingsAndyGavin/~3/8L2Xim4HgI4/</link>
		<comments>http://all-things-andy-gavin.com/2012/05/22/dark-shadows-why/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 22 May 2012 14:29:28 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>agavin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Movies]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Angelique]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Barnabas Collins]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Dark Shadows]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[EvaGreen]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Johnny Depp]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Max Schreck]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Michelle Pfeiffer]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Movie]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[reviews]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Tim Burton]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Vampire]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[vampires]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://all-things-andy-gavin.com/?p=6914</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[One wonders if Tim Burton ever works with anyone other than Johnny Depp. But the issue here isn't really Depp's deadpan Deppist performance, which is certainly one of the better things about the film. It's basically in the meta creative choices and the writing...]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005LAIHKY/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=all-things-prod-1-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=B005LAIHKY"><img class="alignright  wp-image-6915" title="DarkShadows" src="http://all-things-andy-gavin.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/DarkShadows.jpg" alt="" width="237" height="350" /></a>Title: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005LAIHKY/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=all-things-prod-1-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=B005LAIHKY">Dark Shadows (2012)</a></p>
<p>Cast: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/s?ie=UTF8&amp;field-keywords=Johnny%20Depp&amp;ref=dp_dvd_bl_act&amp;search-alias=dvd">Johnny Depp</a> (Actor), <a href="http://www.amazon.com/s?ie=UTF8&amp;field-keywords=Michelle%20Pfeiffer&amp;ref=dp_dvd_bl_act&amp;search-alias=dvd">Michelle Pfeiffer</a> (Actor), <a href="http://www.amazon.com/s?ie=UTF8&amp;field-keywords=Tim%20Burton&amp;ref=dp_dvd_bl_dir&amp;search-alias=dvd">Tim Burton</a> (Director)</p>
<p>Genre: Vampire Comedy</p>
<p>Watched:  May 19, 2012</p>
<p>Summary: Why? Just why?</p>
<div style="height: 1.4em; visibility: hidden;">_</div>
<p>My dedication to all things vampire made me see it. I swear.</p>
<p>One wonders if Tim Burton <em>ever</em> works with anyone other than Johnny Depp. But the issue here isn&#8217;t really Depp&#8217;s deadpan Deppist performance, which is certainly one of the better things about the film. It&#8217;s basically in the meta creative choices and the writing. The source material is long, dramatic, or rather melodramatic, and convoluted. It involves stories being woven out over <a title="Dark Shadows – The Revival" href="http://all-things-andy-gavin.com/2012/05/10/dark-shadows-the-revival/">many episodes (1991)</a> or years (2800 episodes of the original!). Any comedy was inadvertent.</p>
<p>Not so much here. There is no backstory. Instead, what happened between Barnabus in the 18th century (involving his affair with the witch Angelique and the subsequent death of his lover and conversion into vampire) is spelled out in a quick prelude. This is the best part of the film and the least comic. But its presence also leaves no room for any sense of mystery.</p>
<span style="text-align:center; display: block;"><a href="http://all-things-andy-gavin.com/2012/05/22/dark-shadows-why/"><img src="http://img.youtube.com/vi/wpWvkFlyl4M/2.jpg" alt="" /></a></span>
<p>Then cut to 1972 and the awakening of our entombed hero. For a few moments the fish out of water comedy is funny, even if it&#8217;s all in the trailer. But that&#8217;s about it. There is pretty much zero character development here. The creators shove in a large number of characters from the original, even if in mutated form, but there is so much time spent with Depp that everyone else (with the possible exception of Angelique) is anemic at best. There isn&#8217;t even an attempt at a character arc for anyone. The conflict is minimal and simplistic. In fact, the movie devolves into a kind of &#8220;we have to save the family business&#8221; rivalry type film, even including one of my least favorite Hollywood devices: &#8220;everything can be fixed with a good party.&#8221; Which includes a 1972 Alice Cooper who looks exactly like 2012 Alice Cooper. But even the lame business conflict line is underwritten. The second half was just boring.</p>
<p>There are a few good moments of visual or deadpan humor, mostly involving slightly esoteric riffs to vampire fans. Willy&#8217;s character is good. Chloe Moretz is cute but stuck with perpetual curled lip. Eva Green is confused but sexy. Depp seems to have blended Jack Sparrow, Hunter S Thompson, and Max Schreck. I like what he does with his pointy fingered hands. He pivots up unnaturally out of his coffin. Many younger viewers will know this best from Coppola&#8217;s <em>Dracula</em>, but he too borrowed it from the 1922 <em>Nosferatu</em>. I liked the image of the vampire sleeping in the linen closet. These are small things, and definitely not enough to save the film.</p>
<p><a title="Dark Shadows – The Revival" href="http://all-things-andy-gavin.com/2012/05/10/dark-shadows-the-revival/">My thoughts on the 1991 revival.</a></p>
<p><a title="Index of Fiction Reviews" href="http://all-things-andy-gavin.com/fiction-index/#movies">For more Film reviews, click here.</a></p>
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		<title>Game of Thrones – Episode 18</title>
		<link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/AllThingsAndyGavin/~3/hlWtgrfUGv8/</link>
		<comments>http://all-things-andy-gavin.com/2012/05/20/game-of-thrones-episode-18/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 21 May 2012 03:27:06 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>agavin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Television]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[A Dance with Dragons]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Characters in A Song of Ice and Fire]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Episode 18]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Game of Thrones]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[George R. Martin]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[George R. R. Martin]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[HBO]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Historical fantasy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Major houses in A Song of Ice and Fire]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[The Prince of Winterfell]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[World of A Song of Ice and Fire]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://all-things-andy-gavin.com/?p=6900</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Here on the eve of battle, things are moving fast. Ten hours can hardly retell 1040 pages, so this episode packs in a lot of story in a very rapid way.]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://all-things-andy-gavin.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/game-of-thrones-Season-2-Poster1.jpg"><img class="alignright size-medium wp-image-6501" title="game-of-thrones-Season-2-Poster1" src="http://all-things-andy-gavin.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/game-of-thrones-Season-2-Poster1-241x300.jpg" alt="" width="241" height="300" /></a>Title: <a href="http://www.hbo.com/game-of-thrones/index.html">Game of Thrones</a></p>
<p>Genre: Historical Fantasy</p>
<p>Watched: Episode 18 &#8211; May 20, 2012</p>
<p>Title: <strong>The Prince of Winterfell</strong></p>
<p>Summary: A little rushed</p>
<div style="height: 1.4em; visibility: hidden;">ANY CHARACTER HERE</div>
<p>Last week&#8217;s episode ended with Brienne drawing her blade, but this begins at Winterfell with the titular Price of Winterfell, Theon, killing all the ravens to stop word of his treachery. His sister arrives and presses him to return home so as not to die. Somehow this scene felt stilted, her rapid shift from haughty to concerned a bit forced.</p>
<p>Then in the far north, Ygritte and her men deliver Jon to the Lord of Bones (wearing a plastic skull helmet). Qhorin is there too, captive as well, Jon&#8217;s fault. Bones wants to gut the bastard, but Ygritte repays her debt by convincing him not.</p>
<span style="text-align:center; display: block;"><a href="http://all-things-andy-gavin.com/2012/05/20/game-of-thrones-episode-18/"><img src="http://img.youtube.com/vi/FF6k6ILaHNs/2.jpg" alt="" /></a></span>
<p>Robb strolls through pretty Irish countryside while talking to his girlfriend the nurse. I still don&#8217;t love their chemistry, even though they talk about Ned. Then Robb learns of the Kingslayer&#8217;s escape. New viewers will undoubtedly be confused, because he escaped and was recaptured last week.</p>
<div id="attachment_6905" class='wp-caption aligncenter' style='width:496px;'><a href="http://all-things-andy-gavin.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/Watch-Game-of-Thrones-Season-2-Episode-8-Online-Free.jpg"><img class=" wp-image-6905" title="Watch Game of Thrones Season 2 Episode 8 Online Free" src="http://all-things-andy-gavin.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/Watch-Game-of-Thrones-Season-2-Episode-8-Online-Free.jpg" alt="" width="496" height="310" /></a><p class='wp-caption-text'>Jon Snow or baby seal?</p></div>
<p style="text-align: left;">Some minor clarity (for those who haven&#8217;t read the books) is offered when Robb returns and confronts Cat. She tries to explain. Karstark is furious, but I wasn&#8217;t really feeling his acting. Robb arrests his own mother, which is vaguely Oedipal.</p>
<p>Really, Cat sent Brienne off to haul Jaime back to Cersei and trade for the girls. And we see this now, but the show&#8217;s need for brevity has trimmed it to the bone. Still, Jaime is great fun teasing Brienne and it&#8217;s fun to watch him muscled around by this enormous girl.</p>
<p>Arya is doing table duty again when she learns that Tywin is about to ride and she is to be left behind with the Mountain (uh oh). She runs off past some grisly hung men and finds Hot Pie and Gendry, but she&#8217;s really looking for her pet assassin. Presumably she has finally decided to use her third death to rid the land of Tywin. In the book, this has a real feeling of urgency. The show&#8217;s efforts to make Tywin more human have diluted that, but everything has trade offs.</p>
<p>Back to Jon. Qhorin hints that Jon should try to infiltrate the wildlings and starts to taunt him. This is extremely brief, and also likely to be lost on new veiwers, but it&#8217;s an important bit of info.</p>
<p>Tyrion and Bronn have an amusing chat and Vary&#8217;s shows up again. Oh, how I missed him. They discuss the difficult task of defending the city. All three of these actors are in fine form.</p>
<div id="attachment_6906" class='wp-caption aligncenter' style='width:614px;'><a href="http://all-things-andy-gavin.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/the-prince-of-winterfell-1920.jpg"><img class=" wp-image-6906" title="the-prince-of-winterfell-1920" src="http://all-things-andy-gavin.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/the-prince-of-winterfell-1920-1024x576.jpg" alt="" width="614" height="346" /></a><p class='wp-caption-text'>Sly minds think alike</p></div>
<p style="text-align: left;">Sam and the Crows, still on the Fist of the First Men, are digging latrines and find an ancient cache of obsidian blades. What could those mean? Something obviously as it got two minutes of precious screen time.</p>
<p>Arya finds Jaquen too late. But, always too clever for her own good, she forces him to help her escape by naming his own name. In order to avoid killing himself, he reluctantly agrees to help her.</p>
<p>Tyrion and Cersei are eating lamprey pie (again a nod to the books). Last week&#8217;s moment of fraternal love is long gone, for Cersei announces that she holds Shae and is holding her as ransom against Joff&#8217;s security. Ty plays it cool, even when she&#8217;s brought in and revealed to be Ros (good riddance). Afterward Ty is not so reserved with Shae. He even extracts from her what is akin (in a hooker kind of way) to vows.</p>
<p>Robb talks to Bolton to put pressure on the Bastard retaking Winterfell. Then Talesia (sic?) comes in. He&#8217;s stressed, and as usual doesn&#8217;t really play much of the king with her. Contrast him with the insufferable Joff! This time around their chemistry is much better as she tells a story of her brother&#8217;s near death. There seems to be a sibling theme going on in this episode because we have this story, Theon&#8217;s sister&#8217;s about him as a baby, and the rivalry between Ty and Cersei. Robb throws his Frey engagement to the wind and plays some serious doctor with the nurse. Do any of the actresses in this show not have nudity clauses in their contract?</p>
<div id="attachment_6902" class='wp-caption alignright' style='width:300px;'><a href="http://all-things-andy-gavin.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/got-theon.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-6902" title="got-theon" src="http://all-things-andy-gavin.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/got-theon-300x167.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="167" /></a><p class='wp-caption-text'>Why, why don&#39;t I get any respect?</p></div>
<p>Arya, Hot Pie, and Gendry sneak through the gate Jaquen has prepared. All the guards have been viciously murdered and propped up. Jaq&#8217;s quite the killer.</p>
<p>Stannis and Davos sail toward King&#8217;s Landing. They talk of Davos&#8217; rescue of Storm&#8217;s End. His whole Onion Knight story is being spooled out in tiny doses. I wonder if the non-readers will get it, but it&#8217;s nice to hear.</p>
<p>Joff is playing at being a proper soldier. One just loves to hate him, from his manner to his ridiculous girly man posturing. I can&#8217;t wait for&#8230; Anyway, Tyrion and Vary&#8217;s have another great talk. I do love V. Ty unveils his desire to stay hand (and alive) while V lets slip the threat of Dany and her dragons.</p>
<p>Speaking of, a brief scene where Jorah and Dany discuss what to do. He councils safety, she won&#8217;t leave her dragons. Although she has only this one moment in the episode, it&#8217;s a good one.</p>
<p>In Winterfell, Maester Luwin sees Asha and tracks her down into the crypt to put our minds at ease. Given the gratuitous hint dropping, I doubt most viewers really thought they were dead. In the books, it was pretty worrisome, as GRRM has killed before!</p>
<p>Overall, this episode had some great scenes but felt rushed and disjointed. So much is going on here that the writers trimmed aggressively to set everything up before next week&#8217;s Battle of Blackwater. They&#8217;ve done the best they can, but I wonder if noobs (non-readers) will make perfect sense of it.</p>
<p><a title="A Dance With Dragons" href="http://all-things-andy-gavin.com/2011/07/24/a-dance-with-dragons/">See my review of <em>A Dance With Dragons</em>.</a></p>
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<p><a title="The Darkening Dream" href="http://all-things-andy-gavin.com/dream">Check out my fantasy novel, <em>The Darkening Dream</em></a></p>
<p>or <a href="http://all-things-andy-gavin.com/tag/game-of-thrones/">all my <em>Game of Thrones</em> posts</a> or</p>
<p>Season 1 reviews: [<a title="Game of Thrones – Episode 1" href="http://all-things-andy-gavin.com/2011/04/02/game-of-thrones-episode-1/">1</a>, <a title="Game of Thrones – Episode 2" href="http://all-things-andy-gavin.com/2011/04/25/game-of-thrones-episode-2/">2</a>, <a title="Game of Thrones – Episode 3" href="http://all-things-andy-gavin.com/2011/05/02/game-of-thrones-episode-3/">3</a>, <a title="Game of Thrones – Episode 4" href="http://all-things-andy-gavin.com/2011/05/09/game-of-thrones-episode-4/">4</a>, <a title="Game of Thrones – Episode 5" href="http://all-things-andy-gavin.com/2011/05/16/game-of-thrones-episode-5/">5</a>, <a title="Game of Thrones – Episode 6" href="http://all-things-andy-gavin.com/2011/05/22/game-of-thrones-episode-6/">6</a>, <a title="Game of Thrones – Episode 7" href="http://all-things-andy-gavin.com/2011/05/22/game-of-thrones-episode-7/">7</a>, <a title="Game of Thrones – Episode 8" href="http://all-things-andy-gavin.com/2011/07/02/game-of-thrones-episode-8/">8</a>, <a title="Game of Thrones – Episode 9" href="http://all-things-andy-gavin.com/2011/07/04/game-of-thrones-episode-9/">9</a>, <a title="Game of Thrones – Episode 10" href="http://all-things-andy-gavin.com/2011/07/06/game-of-thrones-episode-10/">10</a>]</p>
<p>Season 2 reviews: [<a title="Game of Thrones – Episode 11" href="http://all-things-andy-gavin.com/2012/04/01/game-of-thrones-episode-11/">11</a>, <a title="Game of Thrones – Episode 12" href="http://all-things-andy-gavin.com/2012/04/08/game-of-thrones-episode-12/">12</a>, <a title="Game of Thrones – Episode 13" href="http://all-things-andy-gavin.com/2012/04/15/game-of-thrones-episode-13/">13</a>, <a title="Game of Thrones – Episode 14" href="http://all-things-andy-gavin.com/2012/04/22/game-of-thrones-episode-14/">14</a>, <a title="Game of Thrones – Episode 15" href="http://all-things-andy-gavin.com/2012/04/29/game-of-thrones-episode-15/">15</a>, <a title="Game of Thrones – Episode 16" href="http://all-things-andy-gavin.com/2012/05/06/game-of-thrones-episode-16/">16</a>, <a title="Game of Thrones – Episode 17" href="http://all-things-andy-gavin.com/2012/05/13/game-of-thrones-episode-17/">17</a>, <a title="Game of Thrones – Episode 18" href="http://all-things-andy-gavin.com/2012/05/20/game-of-thrones-episode-18/">18</a>, <a title="Game of Thrones – Episode 19" href="http://all-things-andy-gavin.com/2012/05/28/game-of-thrones-episode-19/">19</a>]</td>
<td><a title="The Darkening Dream" href="http://all-things-andy-gavin.com/the-darkening-dream"><img class="wp-image-3645 plainimage" style="margin: 5px 0px 5px 20px;" src="http://all-things-andy-gavin.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/Front-Cover-TDD-3.32-small-700x1024.jpg" alt="" width="119" height="154" /></a></td>
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<p><a href="http://all-things-andy-gavin.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/tumblr_m2b65qaYKQ1r5fyi4o1_400.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-6903" title="tumblr_m2b65qaYKQ1r5fyi4o1_400" src="http://all-things-andy-gavin.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/tumblr_m2b65qaYKQ1r5fyi4o1_400.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="300" /></a></p>
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		<item>
		<title>Primer – Thinking Time Travel</title>
		<link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/AllThingsAndyGavin/~3/0M6NlwaHR28/</link>
		<comments>http://all-things-andy-gavin.com/2012/05/19/primer-thinking-time-travel/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 19 May 2012 14:04:07 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>agavin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Movies]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Movie]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Physics]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[primer]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Relativity]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Shane Carruth]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Technobabble]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Time travel]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://all-things-andy-gavin.com/?p=6825</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[This is very much a thinking man's thriller. It's a slightly Momento-esque time travel film supposedly filmed for a mere $7,000!]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://all-things-andy-gavin.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/240454.1020.A.jpg"><img class="alignright size-medium wp-image-6827" title="240454.1020.A" src="http://all-things-andy-gavin.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/240454.1020.A-202x300.jpg" alt="" width="202" height="300" /></a>Title: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0007PBWFA/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=all-things-prod-1-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=B0007PBWFA">Primer</a></p>
<p>Director/Stars: <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1503403/">Shane Carruth</a> (Director)</p>
<p>Genre: Time Travel</p>
<p>Watched:  May 7, 2012</p>
<p>Summary: Brilliant and confusing</p>
<div style="height: 1.4em; visibility: hidden;">_</div>
<p>This is very much a thinking man&#8217;s thriller. It&#8217;s a slightly <em>Momento</em>-esque time travel film supposedly filmed for a mere $7,000! I&#8217;m skeptical that it was actually <em>that</em> cheap, but it certainly was cheap. Even so, it rarely suffers for it.</p>
<p>The film is very short at 77 minutes and the first half elapses before we see any actual time travel. We follow a group of engineers speaking a nearly incomprehensible technobabble. Even as an ultimate techie (M.I.T. grad degree in EECS) I could not follow most of it — the writers did not intend us to — but it&#8217;s actually fairly reasonable. I had more problem with all the engineers wearing shirt and tie even during leisure hours. In any case, they accidentally invent a peculiar kind of time machine. It allows very limited (and fairly awkward) backward travel.</p>
<p><a href="http://qntm.org/primer">If you want to try and understand it, which isn&#8217;t easy, read this page.</a></p>
<p>The second half is a dizzying series of overlapping events as the two main protagonists loop and reloop across a few sleepless days. Understanding the exact sequence would undoubtedly require numerous viewings. The creator spares little effort to make such complex matters easily digestible.</p>
<p>As someone who has recently (last year) created his own time travel scheme, for <a href="http://untimed-novel.com">my novel <em>Untimed</em></a>, I appreciate this complete, well thought out, and fully coherent scheme. This is old school hard sci-fi of sorts, and it&#8217;s refreshing in this era of marketing driven watered down drivel to have to puzzle something out.</p>
<p><a title="Index of Fiction Reviews" href="http://all-things-andy-gavin.com/fiction-index/#movies">For more Film reviews, click here.</a></p>
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		<title>Ink – At the Cutting Edge</title>
		<link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/AllThingsAndyGavin/~3/Cd7sbNwi1-8/</link>
		<comments>http://all-things-andy-gavin.com/2012/05/17/ink-at-the-cutting-edge/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 17 May 2012 14:18:55 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>agavin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Food]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Brunello di Montalcino]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[California]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Cocktails]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Dessert]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Fish sauce]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Foodie Club]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Ink]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Los Angeles]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Michael Voltaggio]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://all-things-andy-gavin.com/?p=6797</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[I've wanted to go to chef Michael Voltaggio's Ink since I first heard of it last fall. One glance at a few photos of the food told me it was the kind of place I like. The interplay of textures and flavors — not to mention the "dust and ball" style plating — is highly innovative.]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Restaurant: <a href="http://mvink.com/">Ink</a></p>
<p>Location: 8360 Melrose Ave. Ste 107. Los Angeles, CA 90069. (323) 651-5866</p>
<p>Date: May 5, 2012</p>
<p>Cuisine: ?Modern?</p>
<p>Rating: Very tasty, hard to pigeonhole</p>
<div style="height: 1.4em; visibility: hidden;">_</div>
<p style="text-align: left;">I&#8217;ve wanted to go to chef Michael Voltaggio&#8217;s Ink since I first heard of it last fall. One glance at a few photos of the food told me it was the kind of place I like. But the midtown location and the difficulty of getting reviews — not to mention my busy dining schedule and <a title="The Big Break" href="http://all-things-andy-gavin.com/2012/04/12/the-big-break/">broken arm</a> — delayed maters considerably. But then <a title="Foodie Club" href="http://all-things-andy-gavin.com/foodie-club/">Foodie Club</a> member Ryan&#8217;s birthday rolled around&#8230;</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.smugmug.com/gallery/22792679_KKbLnJ#!i=1828563378&amp;k=54dvNK6&amp;lb=1&amp;s=A"><img class="aligncenter" src="http://www.smugmug.com/photos/i-54dvNK6/0/M/i-54dvNK6-M.jpg" alt="" width="600" height="400" /></a><br />
The location is that of the former Hamusaku east (a decent high end sushi place I used to eat at all the time in Westwood). Even planning a week ahead, we had to take a 9:45pm reservation (on a Thursday) and wait nearly half an hour to sit.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.smugmug.com/gallery/22792679_KKbLnJ#!i=1828563056&amp;k=CCxmsc4&amp;lb=1&amp;s=A"><img class="aligncenter" src="http://www.smugmug.com/photos/i-CCxmsc4/0/M/i-CCxmsc4-M.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="450" /></a><br />
The bar.<br />
<a href="http://www.smugmug.com/gallery/22792679_KKbLnJ#!i=1828566983&amp;k=rsC67RW&amp;lb=1&amp;s=A"><img class="aligncenter" src="http://www.smugmug.com/photos/i-rsC67RW/0/M/i-rsC67RW-M.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="450" /></a><br />
The cocktail menu. Like most modern LA joints Ink employs some serious mixology. Being a wine nut and pseudo-pro sommelier (I recently got my Italian specialization, working on Burgundy) I&#8217;m  not really that knowledgeable about cocktails.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.smugmug.com/gallery/22792679_KKbLnJ#!i=1828568221&amp;k=JhJjfPS&amp;lb=1&amp;s=A"><img class="aligncenter" src="http://www.smugmug.com/photos/i-JhJjfPS/0/M/i-JhJjfPS-M.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="450" /></a><br />
Still, I tried this: &#8220;Tequila. jalapeno, passion fruit, agave, lime.&#8221; It was good, spicy, and somewhat of an attack on the palette.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.smugmug.com/gallery/22792679_KKbLnJ#!i=1828569005&amp;k=jX3msS4&amp;lb=1&amp;s=A"><img class="aligncenter" src="http://www.smugmug.com/photos/i-jX3msS4/0/M/i-jX3msS4-M.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="450" /></a><br />
And this &#8220;Scotch. toasted coconut, ginger, lime, cardamon.&#8221;</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.smugmug.com/gallery/22792679_KKbLnJ#!i=1828567873&amp;k=3WZtTwz&amp;lb=1&amp;s=A"><img class="aligncenter" src="http://www.smugmug.com/photos/i-3WZtTwz/0/M/i-3WZtTwz-M.jpg" alt="" width="600" height="400" /></a><br />
The space is sleek, cold, and very loud. It even still has a sushi bar.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.smugmug.com/gallery/22792679_KKbLnJ#!i=1828570630&amp;k=763BLnt&amp;lb=1&amp;s=A"><img class="aligncenter" src="http://www.smugmug.com/photos/i-763BLnt/0/M/i-763BLnt-M.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="450" /></a><br />
They had both a tasting and ala carte menu. We ordered from both, supplementing the tasting meal with&#8230; well pretty much a whole extra meal.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.smugmug.com/gallery/22792679_KKbLnJ#!i=1828571851&amp;k=QbtLgNN&amp;lb=1&amp;s=A"><img class="aligncenter" src="http://www.smugmug.com/photos/i-QbtLgNN/0/M/i-QbtLgNN-M.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="450" /></a><br />
I brought this Brunello to from my cellar to start. &#8220;The 2004 Brunello di Montalcino is a fresh, vibrant offering bursting with dark cherries, violets, underbrush, minerals and sweet toasted oak on a medium-bodied frame. The wine reveals terrific balance in an energetic, focused style, with firm yet ripe tannins. The finish is long, clean and refreshing. This is a gorgeous effort from Loacker. Anticipated maturity: 2011-2019.&#8221;</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.smugmug.com/gallery/22792679_KKbLnJ#!i=1828572217&amp;k=vF99spg&amp;lb=1&amp;s=A"><img class="aligncenter" src="http://www.smugmug.com/photos/i-vF99spg/0/M/i-vF99spg-M.jpg" alt="" width="600" height="400" /></a><br />
&#8220;<strong>crab, </strong>charred avocado, whipped fish sauce, mushroom chicharron.&#8221; While these dishes were hard to split four ways, they sure did taste good. Like <a title="Red Medicine – Elfin Feast" href="http://all-things-andy-gavin.com/2012/02/11/red-medicine-elfin-feast/">Red Medicine</a> (which has a similar presentation), it&#8217;s a little hard to get all the flavors in the mouth at once. I liked the sweetness of the crab with the avocado and the fish sauce. The chicharron made me think a little too much of pork rinds.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.smugmug.com/gallery/22792679_KKbLnJ#!i=1828572488&amp;k=CTgTpSX&amp;lb=1&amp;s=A"><img class="aligncenter" src="http://www.smugmug.com/photos/i-CTgTpSX/0/M/i-CTgTpSX-M.jpg" alt="" width="600" height="400" /></a><br />
&#8220;<strong>carrots,</strong> coconut ice, cardamom soil, pea tendril mojo.&#8221; This was a surprising and amazing dish. The vegies are what they are, but that white dusty stuff is basically nitro-frozen Tom Yum Goong! It melted in the mouth and really made all the produce spectacular.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.smugmug.com/gallery/22792679_KKbLnJ#!i=1828572683&amp;k=tQTp2cd&amp;lb=1&amp;s=A"><img class="aligncenter" src="http://www.smugmug.com/photos/i-tQTp2cd/0/M/i-tQTp2cd-M.jpg" alt="" width="600" height="400" /></a><br />
&#8220;<strong>spaghetti, </strong>giant squid, squash, hazelnut pesto.&#8221; The noodles under there are actually made from squid. This was tasty too, with a bit of an uni type vibe without any uni. The pesto itself made the dish.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.smugmug.com/gallery/22792679_KKbLnJ#!i=1828573106&amp;k=XtZrrTh&amp;lb=1&amp;s=A"><img class="aligncenter" src="http://www.smugmug.com/photos/i-XtZrrTh/0/M/i-XtZrrTh-M.jpg" alt="" width="600" height="400" /></a><br />
&#8220;<strong>beef tartare, </strong>hearts of palm,<strong> </strong>sea bean chimichurri, horseradish, rye.&#8221; I was a little disappointed in this dish. It sounded great, and there was nothing off, but the beef itself didn&#8217;t really pop the way it does with <a title="Eating Castellina – Albergaccio di Castellina" href="http://all-things-andy-gavin.com/2011/06/29/eating-castellina-albergaccio-di-castellina/">truly great steak tartare</a>.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.smugmug.com/gallery/22792679_KKbLnJ#!i=1828573333&amp;k=WqjmzFK&amp;lb=1&amp;s=A"><img class="aligncenter" src="http://www.smugmug.com/photos/i-WqjmzFK/0/M/i-WqjmzFK-M.jpg" alt="" width="600" height="400" /></a><br />
&#8220;<strong>foie gras, </strong>waffle, smoked maple, hot sauce.&#8221; But this was wonderful. I love foie in this kind of mouse-like texture profile. It went amazingly with the smoked maple.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.smugmug.com/gallery/22792679_KKbLnJ#!i=1828569856&amp;k=Dmbccn9&amp;lb=1&amp;s=A"><img class="aligncenter" src="http://www.smugmug.com/photos/i-Dmbccn9/0/M/i-Dmbccn9-M.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="450" /></a><br />
Here is the tasting menu for tonight. This had to be done for the whole table and the portions, while individually smaller, resulted in considerably more per dish per person.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.smugmug.com/gallery/22792679_KKbLnJ#!i=1828575462&amp;k=4x9Dq8C&amp;lb=1&amp;s=A"><img class="aligncenter" src="http://www.smugmug.com/photos/i-4x9Dq8C/0/M/i-4x9Dq8C-M.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="450" /></a><br />
Boca is one of my new favorite wines, a total insider&#8217;s wine from Northern Piedmonte. 70% Nebbiolo, 20% Vespolina and 10% Uva Rara. It shimmers on the palate with layers of fruit, mineral, and herbs.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.smugmug.com/gallery/22792679_KKbLnJ#!i=1828573874&amp;k=FrchWXg&amp;lb=1&amp;s=A"><img class="aligncenter" src="http://www.smugmug.com/photos/i-FrchWXg/0/M/i-FrchWXg-M.jpg" alt="" width="600" height="400" /></a><br />
&#8220;<strong>east coast halibut, </strong>caesar tempura, melon, espelette.&#8221; The individual components of this dish were great, but the whole thing didn&#8217;t mesh fully. The tempura is actually balls of caesar dressing, and they were great. The melon was fantastic and good with the fish, but it overwhelmed and him the subtle halibut.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.smugmug.com/gallery/22792679_KKbLnJ#!i=1828575655&amp;k=s8DnBrL&amp;lb=1&amp;s=A"><img class="aligncenter" src="http://www.smugmug.com/photos/i-s8DnBrL/0/M/i-s8DnBrL-M.jpg" alt="" width="600" height="400" /></a><br />
&#8220;<strong>morels, </strong>egg yolk gnocchi, mushroom hay, sorrel.&#8221; This was a great mushroom dish and paired perfectly with the Boca&#8217;s earthy tones. The gnocchi had an interesting texture, like <a href="http://www.candy.com/Circus-Peanuts-20-LBS_p_15701.html?gdftrk=gdfV21557_a_7c1164_a_7c8965_a_7c15701&amp;gclid=CKHvw_7b768CFYqb7QodYQupXg">circus peanuts</a>.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.smugmug.com/gallery/22792679_KKbLnJ#!i=1828576040&amp;k=58xBsNb&amp;lb=1&amp;s=A"><img class="aligncenter" src="http://www.smugmug.com/photos/i-58xBsNb/0/M/i-58xBsNb-M.jpg" alt="" width="600" height="400" /></a><br />
&#8220;<em><strong>black bass</strong></em><strong>, </strong>fava bean guacamole, puffed corn tortilla.&#8221; Mostly, this was just fish. Good fish, but not as exciting as some of the other dishes.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.smugmug.com/gallery/22792679_KKbLnJ#!i=1828577033&amp;k=FrRd2Hd&amp;lb=1&amp;s=A"><img class="aligncenter" src="http://www.smugmug.com/photos/i-FrRd2Hd/0/M/i-FrRd2Hd-M.jpg" alt="" width="600" height="400" /></a><br />
Glee star Matthew Morrison across the way.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.smugmug.com/gallery/22792679_KKbLnJ#!i=1828577346&amp;k=jCShVV7&amp;lb=1&amp;s=A"><img class="aligncenter" src="http://www.smugmug.com/photos/i-jCShVV7/0/M/i-jCShVV7-M.jpg" alt="" width="600" height="400" /></a><br />
<strong>&#8220;milk-fed veal,</strong> asparagus, curds and whey of buttermilk.&#8221; Pretty tasty.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.smugmug.com/gallery/22792679_KKbLnJ#!i=1828577636&amp;k=qjnXRCP&amp;lb=1&amp;s=A"><img class="aligncenter" src="http://www.smugmug.com/photos/i-qjnXRCP/0/M/i-qjnXRCP-M.jpg" alt="" width="600" height="400" /></a><br />
&#8220;<strong>poutine</strong>, chickpea fries, yogurt curds, lamb neck gravy.&#8221; This was amazing, but ridiculously rich. Again with the circus peanut texture, but I was digging it.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.smugmug.com/gallery/22792679_KKbLnJ#!i=1828578027&amp;k=qp47PRb&amp;lb=1&amp;s=A"><img class="aligncenter" src="http://www.smugmug.com/photos/i-qp47PRb/0/M/i-qp47PRb-M.jpg" alt="" width="600" height="400" /></a><br />
&#8220;<strong>lamb shoulder,</strong> lamb’s quarters, tongue, vadouvan, yogurt.&#8221; Also very good, and very rich. We probably over ordered, but we still managed to kill it. The fact that the vegetables are tempura fried perhaps threw us over the edge.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.smugmug.com/gallery/22792679_KKbLnJ#!i=1828578313&amp;k=B87RKbr&amp;lb=1&amp;s=A"><img class="aligncenter" src="http://www.smugmug.com/photos/i-B87RKbr/0/M/i-B87RKbr-M.jpg" alt="" width="600" height="400" /></a><br />
&#8220;<strong>yuzu curd.</strong> rhubarb, matcha, jasmine, chamomile.&#8221; This was the weakest dessert, but it was still wonderful.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.smugmug.com/gallery/22792679_KKbLnJ#!i=1828578736&amp;k=HWKqZHV&amp;lb=1&amp;s=A"><img class="aligncenter" src="http://www.smugmug.com/photos/i-HWKqZHV/0/M/i-HWKqZHV-M.jpg" alt="" width="600" height="400" /></a><br />
&#8220;<strong>apple, </strong>caramel,<strong> </strong>burnt wood ice cream.&#8221; This one was amazing. Unexpected interplay of textures and flavors.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.smugmug.com/gallery/22792679_KKbLnJ#!i=1828579275&amp;k=M3rhVMt&amp;lb=1&amp;s=A"><img class="aligncenter" src="http://www.smugmug.com/photos/i-M3rhVMt/0/M/i-M3rhVMt-M.jpg" alt="" width="600" height="400" /></a><br />
&#8220;<strong>chocolate,</strong> ice cream, spiced tofu, sesame cake.&#8221; Also excellent. Notice the similarity</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.smugmug.com/gallery/22792679_KKbLnJ#!i=1828579594&amp;k=8JLnrRN&amp;lb=1&amp;s=A"><img class="aligncenter" src="http://www.smugmug.com/photos/i-8JLnrRN/0/M/i-8JLnrRN-M.jpg" alt="" width="600" height="400" /></a><br />
&#8220;<strong>greek yogurt,</strong> strawberry, japanese peach, coconut.&#8221; This also was great. Like strawberries and cream with a wonderful granite. Or maybe like a perfected Hawaiian shave ice?</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.smugmug.com/gallery/22792679_KKbLnJ#!i=1828580820&amp;k=zBKp2vZ&amp;lb=1&amp;s=A"><img class="aligncenter" src="http://www.smugmug.com/photos/i-zBKp2vZ/0/M/i-zBKp2vZ-M.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="450" /></a><br />
Coffee made table-side.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">Overall, Ink was pretty spectacular. Not every dish worked, but it&#8217;s very modern and experimental in a good way. The interplay of textures and flavors — not to mention the &#8220;dust and ball&#8221; style plating — reminds me of <a title="Red Medicine is the Cure" href="http://all-things-andy-gavin.com/2010/12/25/red-medicine-is-the-cure/">Red Medicine when it first opened</a> (before the <a title="Red Medicine – Elfin Feast" href="http://all-things-andy-gavin.com/2012/02/11/red-medicine-elfin-feast/">even more experimental Elfin period</a>). Despite the very similar look, the flavors at Ink remain much more grounded in American modern and a sort of gastro-pub sensibility. Still, the textural experimentation alone puts it at a very high level. <a title="Food as Art – CR8: Purotekuta" href="http://all-things-andy-gavin.com/2012/04/28/food-as-art-cr8-purotekuta/">Roberto Cortez</a> has a similar kind of modern too, although his preps are more sophisticated and his palette more subtle and balanced &#8211; but that&#8217;s beyond restaurant food.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">With this kind of uniqueness, it&#8217;s no wonder Ink is doing well. It also seems Voltaggio mixes up the menu frequently, so I&#8217;ll be back soon — provided I can score a convenient reservation.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><a title="Index of Food Reviews" href="http://all-things-andy-gavin.com/food-index/">For more LA dining reviews click here.</a></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><a title="Foodie Club" href="http://all-things-andy-gavin.com/foodie-club/">See more Foodie Club meals here.</a></p>
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		<title>New Last of Us Trailer</title>
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		<comments>http://all-things-andy-gavin.com/2012/05/16/new-last-of-us-trailer/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 16 May 2012 16:36:01 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>agavin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Games]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Dystopia]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Naughty Dog]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[The Last of Us]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[zombie]]></category>

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		<description><![CDATA[The Last of Us, Naughty Dog's new game in development, has a cool new trailer. Check it out!]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><em>The Last of Us</em>, Naughty Dog&#8217;s new game in development, has a cool new trailer. Check it out!</p>
<span style="text-align:center; display: block;"><a href="http://all-things-andy-gavin.com/2012/05/16/new-last-of-us-trailer/"><img src="http://img.youtube.com/vi/ShP5xn9Tz90/2.jpg" alt="" /></a></span>
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		<item>
		<title>From Sketch to Final</title>
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		<comments>http://all-things-andy-gavin.com/2012/05/15/from-sketch-to-final/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 15 May 2012 14:21:08 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>agavin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Untimed]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Andy Gavin]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Arts and Entertainment]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Ben Franklin]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Dave Phillips]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Design]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Fiction]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Illustration]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[SmugMug]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Tick-Tock]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Time travel]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://all-things-andy-gavin.com/?p=6848</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Dave Phillips, the awesome artist I commissioned to illustrate my time travel novel, Untimed, has been quietly cranking away. A couple of weeks ago he finished the rough versions of all twenty-one images. I thought I'd use this post as an opportunity not only to show off his brilliant work, but to shed some light on the process.]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://blog.humbleego.com/">Dave Phillips</a>, the <a title="Untimed – Meet the Tocks" href="http://all-things-andy-gavin.com/2012/03/13/untimed-meet-the-tocks/">awesome artist I commissioned to illustrate</a> my time travel novel, <em><a href="http://untimed-novel.com">Untimed</a></em>, has been quietly cranking away. A couple of weeks ago he finished the rough versions of all twenty-one images. I thought I&#8217;d use this post as an opportunity not only to show off his brilliant work, but to shed some light on the process. The images on the left are the roughs, and on the right the finals.</p>
<p><a title="End Game: Tick-Tock TLC" href="http://www.smugmug.com/gallery/22871270_h9rvnx#!i=1836440108&amp;k=LSq2Mcm&amp;lb=1&amp;s=A"><img title="End Game: Tick-Tock TLC" src="http://www.smugmug.com/photos/i-LSq2Mcm/0/M/i-LSq2Mcm-M.jpg" alt="End Game: Tick-Tock TLC" width="280" height="360" /></a><a title="End Game: Tick-Tock TLC" href="http://www.smugmug.com/gallery/22871270_h9rvnx#!i=1836438207&amp;k=trwwFxv&amp;lb=1&amp;s=A"><img title="End Game: Tick-Tock TLC" src="http://www.smugmug.com/photos/i-trwwFxv/0/M/i-trwwFxv-M.jpg" alt="End Game: Tick-Tock TLC" width="280" height="360" /></a></p>
<p>We use the roughs to establish composition and for me to check that all the details are consistent with the novel. I give him feedback and he then spends the time to polish the image up. Neither of these images required any major changes, but it&#8217;s fun to see both how well the rough makes an impression, and how much more detailed the final is.</p>
<p>To get a close up look at this, click one of the images and it will bring up a Smugmug lightbox. You can then use the arrow keys to flip back and forth between the images, including between the rough and the final to see the differences.</p>
<p>This particular image, <a title="Untimed – Out on Submission!" href="http://all-things-andy-gavin.com/2012/04/13/untimed-out-on-submission/">released previously</a>, shows the mysterious Tick-Tock gloating over a dying Ben Franklin — oops!</p>
<p><a title="Looped: Meeting Mr. and Mrs. Fake" href="http://www.smugmug.com/gallery/22871270_h9rvnx#!i=1836440207&amp;k=NqfkKRb&amp;lb=1&amp;s=A"><img title="Looped: Meeting Mr. and Mrs. Fake" src="http://www.smugmug.com/photos/i-NqfkKRb/0/M/i-NqfkKRb-M.jpg" alt="Looped: Meeting Mr. and Mrs. Fake" width="280" height="360" /></a><a title="Looped: Meeting Mr. and Mrs. Fake" href="http://www.smugmug.com/gallery/22871270_h9rvnx#!i=1836438378&amp;k=XMBG5Gd&amp;lb=1&amp;s=A"><img title="Looped: Meeting Mr. and Mrs. Fake" src="http://www.smugmug.com/photos/i-XMBG5Gd/0/M/i-XMBG5Gd-M.jpg" alt="Looped: Meeting Mr. and Mrs. Fake" width="280" height="360" /></a></p>
<p>And this new one occurs 80 years later across the English channel. Ever wonder if you&#8217;d like yourself? Time travelers can find out first hand. Or, perhaps, meeting yourself will destroy the very fabric of the spacetime continuum!</p>
<p><a href="http://untimed-novel.com">Find out more about <em>Untimed</em> here.</a></p>
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