Category Archives: Reviews

02.08.16
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2016 Victoria Film Festival Opening Weekend Recap & What’s Coming

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The 2016 Victoria Film Festival (VFF) started off with a great bang with the Friday night screening of My Internship in Canada, a very funny political satire by Philippe Falardeau (Congorama). This movie explores how democracy should really work instead of who can sway prevailing opinion.

CTV Arts Reporter Adam Sawatsky introduced this film and Exantus, one of the two leads. He was present for this screening. Kathy Kay, festival chief, welcomed film enthusiasts who came down for this movie and party. On a blustery evening packed with many events around town (including a broader movie festival at Cineplex theatres and a Jim Brynes concert up in Sidney), competition is getting tough. The VFF is a fixture for cinema buffs to enjoy and I was here instead of anywhere else!

The night continued strong with a Gala party at the historic Promis building, located off Government street. Filmmakers, performers and attendees of the festival mingled.

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02.06.16
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[VFF ’16] The Sandwich Nazi, A Documentary Review

viff2015sandwichnaziLa Charcuterie
19080-96th Avenue Unit 8
Surrey BC V4N 3R3
(604) 882-0881

Saturday, Feb 6th 6pm
The Vic Theatre
808 Douglas St,
Victoria, BC

A trip to the industrial neighbourhood of Port Kells in Surrey, BC is needed to experience Salam Kahil’s capricious if not salacious behaviour in The Sandwich Nazi. Yes, the allusions to Seinfeld are there, and if the two had to be compared, Kahil is funnier. The size of the sandwiches he makes must be noted. They look huge and to finish it in one sitting must be a feat!

Kahil, an immigrant from Lebanon, is the focus in director-producer Lewis Bennett’s documentary. He was once a male escort and while the first act spends too much time on his escapades, thankfully all that changes halfway when viewers learn there’s more to him than meets the eye.

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02.04.16
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[VFF ’16] Going Behind the Counter with The Sandwich Nazi, An Interview with Lewis Bennett

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The Sandwich Nazi
Saturday, Feb 6th 6pm
The Vic Theatre
808 Douglas St,
Victoria, BC

Although a car is needed to get to Surrey, BC to visit La Charcuterie Delicatessen, a deli and Scandinavian grocery store in an industrial neighbourhood known as Port Kells, thankfully to get taste of what goes on there can be seen around the world. The Sandwich Nazi is an aptly titled documentary that looks at the scandalous life Salam Kahil, the owner and operator of this establishment. At Two Hungry Blokes, we’re eying the size of those sandwiches that’s made than the owner’s ballsy attitude. Until we can get there, Ed had the opportunity to communicate with Lewis Bennett, who decided to turn the life of this deli operator into a hilarious film!

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02.03.16
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Buffing Up at Szechuan City Restaurant

IMG_20150530_200442390Szechuan City Buffet
110 Burnside Road East
Saanich, BC
(250) 386-2288

J: I’m always raving about May Gold Village at every opportunity, their food ranks from average to above average and the service is great. But when it comes to my own personal experiences with buffets, there are others more experienced than I. Hope Key is another one I like for their friendly atmosphere (and their loft I can escape to when I want some privacy) but neither of them can compare to Szechuan City on a Saturday night.

Ed and I hit this place at night one hour before their closing all because of a co-worker’s obsession with chicken balls. This man I am sure is on a never-ending quest for buffets with decent helpings of the chicken kind. He’s snubbed May Gold for lacking what other buffets provide but he loves Szechuan City because they serve really good chicken balls. I swear my co-worker’s knowledge on the subject must rival Forest Gump‘s Bubba Blue’s knowledge of shrimp.

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01.30.16
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Local Tsukino-Con Reveals Kensho Ono as Japanese Voice Guest

Originally published by Otaku no Culture.

KenshoOnoVictoria’s local anime and cosplay convention has managed to obtain a Japanese idol for their guest list. Last night Tsukino-Con announced on their official Facebook page that voice actor-singer Kensho Ono will be attending their event.

Ono has already racked up an impressive number of credits to his resume. Muggles will know Ono as the Japanese voice over for the lead character of the Harry Potter films but anime fans will know Ono as Tetsuya Kuroko from the series Kuroko no Basket. In the more recent animated series Ono has voiced Souji Okita on Bakumatsu Rock (where he also sang the series opener), Slaine Troyard of Aldnoah.Zero, and Mikaela Hyakuya in Owari no Seraph.

Ono has also appeared in a number of Japanese films and television programs including Hôtai Club (2007), Dive!! (2008), Kujira no Ita Natsu (2014), and Fuji TV’s Senjou no Yuubinhaitatsu (2006).

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01.27.16
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Meat and Bread’s Simplicity Spreads!

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Meat and Bread
721 Yates St.
Victoria, BC

This small franchise operation has one great thing going for it. They source their ingredients locally. Whether the operation is running in Seattle, Vancouver or Victoria, just who they look to begins with finding that right bread to put their roasted meats into. The Victoria-based operation gets theirs from Crust Bakery on Fort which is a few blocks away. I should’ve checked what kind of bread that was because I’m craving more of this to toast up at home!

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