Wokcano: Asian Restaurant and Lounge| #Wokcano @Wokcano

Posted on April 21, 2016 by Erin

Wokcano: Asian Restaurant and Lounge

By Erin

If you love sushi or an amazing happy hour (or both like I do), then you will want to make sure to get to this place ASAP! Wokcano is a contemporary Asian Restaurant and Lounge, featuring fresh sushi and creative maki rolls as well as modern riffs on traditional fare, Wokcano offers guests a broad and savory tasting tour of popular Asian cuisines. The design elements at all locations reflect a chic and relaxing atmosphere. Wether you are solo dinning at the sushi bar or have a large group at a communal table to happy hour drinks in the lounge, offering a host of Asian-inspired cocktail selections and an inclusive yet reasonably-priced wine and sake list, Wokcano makes for the perfect atmosphere. Locations include Huntington Beach (the one we went to), Long Beach, Santa Monica, West Hollywood, Downtown Los Angeles, Burbank, Valencia, Topanga Canyon and Santa Ana.

Wokcano has a very welcoming environment.

Of course we had to start with a couple of drinks that were recommended to us….

Followed by some goodies off of the happy hour menu, like these Crab Wontons ($4 during Happy Hour). These were very tasty. Crispy on the outside, and very warm and fresh on the inside.

One of my favorites! We also had to try the Honey Walnut Shrimp ($6 during Happy Hour), it was delicious! I easily could have filled up on these alone.

Another happy hour option is the Yellowtail Sashimi with Citrus Ponzu ($10 during Happy Hour). So fresh and tasty, the jalapenos were a nice touch to this one!

The Spicy Tuna on Crispy Rice was another happy hour hit ( $7 during happy hour).

The Jungle Book : Movie Review | #JungleBook

Posted on April 15, 2016 by Erin

The Jungle Book

By Erin

Visually stunning and adrenaline pumping, “The Jungle Book” is Disney’s newest live-action movie and it is amazing. You will leave the theater humming or singing some old favorite songs that have been redone for this new version of the film. In this re-told classic epic adventure, we follow Mowgli(newcomer Neel Sethi), a man-cub who’s been raised by a family of wolves, and now finds he is no longer welcome in the jungle. The Fearsome tiger Shere Khan(voice of Idris Elba), who bears the scars of Man, promises to eliminate what he sees as a threat. Man does not belong in the jungle, and Shere Khan wants to take his revenge out on Mowgli. Forced to abandon the only home he’s ever known, Mowgli embarks on a captivating journey of self-discovery, guided by his panther mentor Bagheera (voice of Ben Kingsley), and the free-spirited bear Baloo (voice of Bill Murray), who will have you laughing with his antics. On this thrilling journey, Mowgli meets jungle creatures who don’t exactly have his best interests at heart, like Kaa (voice of Scarlett Johansson), a python whose voice and gaze hypnotizes the man-cub. Then you have other creatures like King Louie (voice of Christopher Walken), who tries to talk Mowgli into sharing the deadly secret on how to create the red flower: fire, which only man knows how to do. “The Jungle Book” is based off of Rudyard Kipling’s timeless stories and inspired by Disney’s beloved classic animated film. “We embrace the mythic qualities of Kipling in the more intense tonal aspects of the film,” says director Jon Favreau, “but we left room for what we remember from the ’67 film, and sought to maintain those charming Disneyesque aspects.” Only the latest technology was used to tell the story in a fresh, contemporary and immersive way, combining live-action performances with stunning CG environments and extraordinary photo-real animal characters that artists stylized to elevate the storytelling.

THE JUNGLE BOOK - (Pictured) MOWGLI and BALOO. ©2015 Disney Enterprises, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

“‘The Jungle Book” is a universal coming-of-age story that everyone can relate to,” says producer Brigham Taylor. “Walt told the story through traditional cell animation and now we have the technology to actually bring these characters to life, make them photo-real and put a real kid into the environment in a seamless, believable way. The opportunity to be able to show that with today’s technology was irresistible.” According to Favreau, story is king. “I think films have to offer an emotional experience for the audience,” says the director. “The spectacle won’t mean anything if they’re not engaged emotionally with the characters. Every story needs humanity, emotion and 2 character development, as well as humor—presented in a way that doesn’t betray the stakes of the film. There are white-knuckle moments in the movie when you wonder, ‘what’s going to happen to this kid?'”

THE JUNGLE BOOK - (Pictured) MOWGLI and KING LOUIE ©2015 Disney Enterprises, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Full of the latest in CGI spectacle, “The Jungle Book” has a special charm and playful manner about it. The film can go to some dark places at times and can get a bit intense. Without giving anything away, there are some scenes with Shere Khan, Kaa, and King Louie that can get a little hairy, leaving Mowgli in some sticky situations and might be a little scary for some of the younger ones. Neel Sethi makes for the perfect Mowgli, and he truly makes the fantasy come alive and seem so real.

Meet the Cast of The Jungle Book: Roaring Into Theaters April 15th! #JungleBook @TheJungleBook

Posted on April 13, 2016 by Erin

Meet the Cast of The Jungle Book!

By Erin

*I was invited as a guest of Disney to the press junket for purposes of this post. All thoughts & Opinions remain my own*

“Many strange tales are told of this Jungle. But none so strange as the tale of the cub we called Mowgli …” ~ Bagheera

Can you believe that it has already been 100 years since the original book and 50 years from the first movie being produced? That’s how classic and lovable this movie is and soon you will be able to experience this hit story in a whole new way! A little more than a week ago, Disney held the press junket for Jungle Book, which is the latest soon-to-be-released live action movie. In attendance were the cast, director and producer who joined us to answer questions and to let us in on what it was like to be a part of Disney’s remake of the original animated movie. An entire world and all the animal characters were created entirely as CGI. None of the jungle or the animals you see in this film are real. No matter how hard that may be to believe, it’s true. So what did we learn at the junket? Here’s who was there:

· Jon Favreau (Director)

· Neel Sethi (“Mowgli”)

· Sir Ben Kingsley (voice of “Bagheera”)

· Lupita Nyong’o (voice of “Raksha”)

· Giancarlo Esposito (voice of “Akela”)

· Brigham Taylor (Producer)

As everyone stepped onto the stage, Lupita’s dress stole everyone’s attention. Look at the snake, those sparkles and the shoes to match! So unique and just perfect for the Jungle Book. Here are some of the fun facts that were discussed during this press conference.

*This was Lupita’s first voice over roll and she was attracted to it because Raksha is the eternal mother and she chooses to take care of this creature who is not one of her own, yet takes care of him as though we was.

*Giancarlo read the book as a child, which really made a difference to him. “It allowed me to dream and dream big. To have courage. To have connection. After seeing the movie, it allowed me to understand how we create relationships with each other. And how those relationships are things that we can hold onto. Not much that’s material that we can really hold onto.”

*Favreau shared about his enthusiasm to create this film as he was asked why this movie at this time. “I was compelled with the idea of what can be done with visual effects now, I was also very impressed with films like Planet of the Apes, Avatar, Life of Pi and specifically what was done in Gravity, where the principle photography was treated like an element of an effects piece. It became a big puzzle and after thinking about it, I had a take on it, and when we all discussed it, everyone thought it sounded really cool. 100 years ago was the book, 50 years ago was the animated film, and now it’s time to update this joy for a new generation.”