Category Archives: Film

12.14.16
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Qu’est Ce Que C’est Favoris? Gotta Taste Them All!

simg_1027Les Chocolats Favoris
1010 Government St
Victoria, BC
(778) 265-7050

JS: Move over Beacon Drive-In, there is a new ice cream shop in town and they speak Québécois French. Can a bit of olde England (Victoria) stand up to the noveau French invasion? Personally, I will say Beacon has little to worry about. But careful, do not drop your guard. Do not take Favoris lightly. Sure Beacon has their own lightly creamed sweet ice cream but when the urges take over, now and again, I want a hearty ice cream that is less on cream but more filling. For these urges, I shall run to Les Chocolats Favoris.

ES: I like the fact that the president of this company, Dominique Brown, decided to open up shop here in Victoria instead of Vancouver. They are based out of Quebec and to have an operation here is a gamble. Over the summer, during the busy tourist season where a cruise ship stops by every few weeks, this place was busy! Of course, James and I were late in learning about it and we still wobbled our way over to try ice cream off-season.

The draw has to be with the size of the portions offered. When I was walking to the Inner Harbour later, some tourists gawked at what I had left and I pointed them to where they could buy one.

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12.11.16
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Vic Film Fest Brings Tidings of Joy and a Look at What to Expect for 2017

vff2017logoChristmas comes early to film lovers in the form of the Victoria Film Festival. The annual event, established in 1994, has released a snippet of what entries are being offered in the new year long after the presents have been unwrapped and the bottle of Sheri has been thoroughly emptied.

The Victoria Film Festival will take place February 3-12, 2017 in the seaside city of Victoria, British Columbia (BC). The capital of BC is known for many things including the annual Chalk Festival, International Busker Festival, and the Fringe Festival. To learn more about VFF 2017, visit their official website at http://www.victoriafilmfestival.com/ Continue reading →

08.10.16
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Identifying “Sour Grapes” is Not Easy; Documentary Premiere @ VanCity Aug 12

Sour-Grapes-Rudy
August 12
Vancity Theatre
1181 Seymour St.
Vancouver, BC

  • Spoiler Alert

Not to be confused with the 1998 comedy, there’s a new Sour Grapes. This documentary is touring the festivals and art house theatres and it had its world premiere at Hot Docs. It is now making its way to Vancouver for its official Western Canadian Premiere, opening August 12 at Vancity Theatre in Vancouver. The City of Victoria had a prestigious showing during Feast, Food and Film with local winemakers de Vine offering tastes of both this sparkly film and local cheeses.

This feature by Jerry Rothwell and Reuben Atlas slowly but surely examines the personality behind one of the world’s greatest wine frauds. Rudy Kurniawan was not caught until March of 2012 where he was indicted for allegedly selling fake wines at auction. Many bottles made in the Burgundy region of France were relabelled and sold as expensive wines, like Domaine de la Romanée-Conti and Clos St. Denis.

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06.01.16
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2016 Feast: Food & Film Begins June 17, 2016!

June 17 & 18, and June 24 & 25.

Feast-2016-Facebook_PULPFICTION_event2-03.jpgLocations:
Vic Theatre
808 Douglas St
Victoria, BC

Victoria Distillers
9891 Seaport Pl
Sidney, BC

Phillips Backyard
2010 Government St
Victoria, BC

The Victoria Film Festival’s Foodie Food Festival is now known as FEAST: Food & Film and it’s back for a fourth year, offering a new course in its evolution. Much like a restaurant and dining experience, you can’t have the same meals over and over again. The visit has to be different over time. Once held at the Oak Bay Beach Hotel, the venue will also change too. This event will be running for over two weekends in June, beginning mid-month. I’m unsure of which films I want to truly hit (my budget is being saved for an upcoming Summer convention and unfortunately I have to be scaling back), but it’s a safe bet Pulp Fiction will be first and foremost!

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05.14.16
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Bug Appetite! Bugs on the Menu Victoria Debut and Where to Eat Them!

Bugs_on_the_Menu_-_The_Vic_Poster_for_Web_2_250f94b0a36d369d5b4497e974f0aed8

The Vic Theatre
808 Douglas Street.
Victoria, BC

May 15, 2016, 7pm

Bugs on the Menu is a very eye-opening documentary about entomophagy, the art of eating insects. While not everyone like the-the idea of snacking on, for example, crickets, other countries around the world are already preparing it in culinary ways. In a grander sense, not every culture has the infrastructure required to raise farm animals like chickens, pigs and cattle (the big three) for feeding a civilization. When compared to the smaller environmental and ecological footprint required to cultivate these smaller creatures, the evidence of which is easier to grow is very clear.

This film began with a discussion of water conservation, and the massive droughts that some parts of the world face. Before I knew it, the discussion about how insects can be made as a new food source was in full force. It also makes a very compelling argument for changing over to a different organism to sustain a growing population, and in what I liked, just where people can go to try these insects is peppered throughout the film. When prepared right, they can add spice to any dish, including rice!

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02.11.16
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[VFF ’16] How to Achieve Perfection with Chef Sergio Herman, A Documentary Review

poster3Victoria Film Festival
Sat, Feb 13th, 8:45pm
The Vic Theatre
808 Douglas St.
Victoria, BC

Sergio Herman’s high standards of cooking, gastronomy and culinary presentation is very prominent in the documentary of his life, Sergio Herman: F***ing Perfect. As former head chef and owner of Oud Sluis, a 3-star Michelin rated restaurant in Sluis, Netherlands, he pushed his staff to excel at what they do. He was not harsh or cruel like Chef Ramsay. Like him, they are both superstars in this culinary world. While Gordon Ramsay went on to achieve celebrity status in television, Herman never had the time to put his face on any other screen.

In the documentary, the last years of his time at the Oud are looked at. He talks about his struggles with trying to maintain a family (he has four children) and keeping up with two restaurants at the time. He admits to being a workaholic. It’s a virtue engrained in him when he apprenticed at the Oud when his father was head chef. He inherited the operation and to put closure on this chapter on his life was difficult. The film nicely highlights the issues he faced and spices up the story with teases of delectable meals he makes. From traditional dishes like langoustines à la nage to experimental like having a sea urchin shell filled with cream of rutabaga, the seafood lover will be salivating!

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