Introducing… West of Greatness!

July 12th 2023 was the only time in the past year we’ve published a post that was actually written by us. It might actually be the only post we’ve written in the last two years. This blog, which we’ve had since 2012, is far from what it used to be. Traffic has decreased. Visitors have decreased. Sponsors have decreased. Why? We could blame the introduction of newer forms of video based social media. We could blame plenty of things. The truth is simple… we just haven’t put effort into it. We haven’t prioritized it. We’ve been busy. Maintaining a home in the harsh climate of New Orleans isn’t easy. Alana/Fit has a very demanding corporate career, as well as some hobbies she loves, including writing, book clubs, and playing rugby. As for Chris/Hungry/me… I’ve been working on something a little absurd.

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Jan282019

Our Most Anticipated Movies of 2019

2018 gave us movies like Black Panther, Solo: A Star Wars Movie, and Avengers: Infinity War. 2019 is no less epic and Hungry & Fit loves epic. In fact, at least for Fit, 2019 could be an even bigger year. We love movies. We are actually enrolled in AMC’s A-List program which allows three movies per week and only is around $20/month. Yeah, so if you see 1.5 movies a month, it’s worth it. And we aren’t sponsored by AMC–we just love the program. Anyhow, we love movies and we had a lot of fun creating our Top 5 Most-Anticipated Movies of 2019 list. Enjoy.

May252018

A Non-Spoiler Review of Solo: A Star Wars Story

As per usual, we saw the newest Star Wars movie on opening night. Solo: A Star Wars Story is one of the “off-shoot” movies (like Rogue One), as in it’s not part of the episodic saga like The Force Awakens or The Last Jedi. I felt a great deal of conflict about this movie. Han Solo is my favorite Star Wars character and only one actor can play him, the beloved Harrison Ford. Was this movie going to be good? Did it have a chance of me liking it? These were the thoughts leading up to the movie. Hungry and I have the joy of living walking distance to Disney’s El Capitan theater and we try to see new Disney movies there (and that does include Star Wars movies now) because they usually have cool shows or behind-the-scenes stuff. And we did so last night, walking our way over to the theater. It wasn’t as huge and high-energy as the Last Jedi release, but still plenty of Star Wars fans buzzing. There was a fun photo op with Chewbacca and some Stormtroopers and they had props from the movie downstairs. But you’re not here to hear this, you want to hear what I thought of the movie!

May082018

Avengers: Infinity War Review

Spoilers, spoilers, spoilers.

A lot of speculation manifested before the Avengers: Infinity War was released based on discussions and rumors about the contracts of some of the biggest stars in the MCU. The Marvel Cinematic Universe has dished out nearly 20 movies over the past decade or so and it is hard to see anyone other than Chris Evans as Captain America or Chris Hemsworth as Thor. For us, that remains extremely true for every character and recasting would greatly tarnish the legacy of the entire MCU.

Based on these rumors, I thought they were going to kill Captain America, especially since he survived Civil War, which he does not in the comics. Even though there are multiple timelines and realities in the comics, that one is key and I was shocked when he didn’t die in Civil War. Add the rumors of Evans’ desire to end his role as Captain, and I thought that he definitely wouldn’t make it through Infinity War.

Mar292018

Isle of Dogs Movie Review

Three word review of Isle of Dogs: quirky yet entertaining. Alternate: must love dogs.

It’s also quite charming, endearing even. I’m not a huge Wes Anderson fan. I couldn’t sit through Life Aquatic (though Fit loves it) or the Royal Tenenbaums, although I did enjoy The Grand Budapest Hotel. Fantastic Mr Fox looked intriguing, but not enough to see it, apparently. I’ve missed all of his other works, but after seeing Isle of Dogs, I might reconsider watching his older films.

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Mar272018

Pacific Rim Uprising Movie Review

There was a lot of excitement leading up to Pacific Rim. The 2013 release of the first Pacific Rim directed by Guillermo del Toro allowed the creative mastermind a huge budget which would be needed to create such a large-scale blockbuster. With a star-studded cast and a composer as the top of their game, what could possibly go wrong? Any nerd that loved transformers, Gundam, Godzilla or nearly anything in the realm of science fantasy fiction would surely love this, right?

Well, that was the problem. Expectations were far too high and nearly everyone that it aimed to please was, to some degree, disappointed. The result was a relatively poor domestic box office performance, although the overseas audience (especially in China) agreed with the fresh score on Rotten Tomatoes, enjoying the sheer entertainment value the film brought.

Fast forward to 2018 to the sequel, Pacific Rim Uprising, and expectations were far lower. Without legendary creator Guillermo del Toro, composer Ramin Djawadi and the first movie’s lead actor, we felt the film took a much different approach. Using a much smaller budget, they decided to use John Boyega’s skills to create a much more charming experience. The result was a film that made its budget back on opening weekend, dethroning Black Panther, despite its much lower score (~25%) on Rotten Tomatoes.

Mar222018

A Wrinkle in Time (Movie Review)

We interrupt your normal stream of food and fitness for our occasional wandering into movies or travel! There may be spoilers in this review.

There have been many highly anticipated films in 2018. Some performed well, critically and/or in the box office, while others didn’t meet expectations. If you read our review for Black Panther, you’d know that we absolutely loved the film. With some huge blockbusters slated for summer release, Disney wanted to try to take control of Winter/Spring, and their adaptation of A Wrinkle in Time would help do that, or so they hoped.

A Wrinkle in Time didn’t meet the studio’s expectations, as box office numbers were mediocre and it failed to capture the hearts of critics. Still, we were undeterred and wanted to see if they could recreate a story that we both grew up reading. A Wrinkle in Time wasn’t summer reading in my school, it was part of the curriculum. We read it in class (I believe in 5th grade, possibly 6th) and would discuss it every day, reflecting on it through homework assignments. I would often skip summer reading, but that couldn’t be done here. While I didn’t love the critical analysis in class, I was amazed by the images and adventure. That is exactly what I associate with this story.

Feb202018

Was the Black Panther Even THAT Good?

*WARNING: There are spoilers in this post. This post is intended for people who have already seen Black Panther. If you have yet to see it, we absolutely think this is a must-see as it is a marvel in filmmaking.

If you follow me on social media, you’d know that we saw the Black Panther later than intended due to a wedding in Mexico this past weekend. I couldn’t help but get even more excited seeing the Pantera Negra posters all over Mexico City, since this film is being hailed as a major opportunity to realize that the inequality in Hollywood should be addressed in a way where action is taken. By the time we walked into the famous Auditorium 7 at Hollywood’s Historic Chinese Theatre, the pot was about to boil.

Dec242017

The Best Holiday Movie of All Time

And here we are. It’s beautiful Christmas Eve and we arrive at the #1 of the Best Holiday Movies of All Time! The actual best holiday movie of all time. Can you feel the Christmas magic in the air? Can you hear Santa making his way? Have you been stuffing your face with delicious treats? Has holiday music been echoing in your household? Yep, I think you are ready for the ultimate, the best holiday movies of all time! This is for our Top 3 Holiday Movies countdown, so if you missed the first two, check #2 and #3 out here. We have such a special list today with heartfelt tributes and memories. We hope you enjoy.

Andrew – “The Polar Express”

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My theme for my #1 is “for children.” It was a classic when I was in elementary school and we would come into school in pajamas and read the book/listen to the audio book in the hallway as a school. Years later, the Tom Hanks iconic adaption would come out and satisfy a new generation.

Dec172017

The Second Best Holiday Movie of All Time

Wow, Christmas is just eight days away! Again, sometimes the best way to get in the Christmas spirit is to watch your favorite holiday movie. Grab some hot cocoa and a big bowl of popcorn and snuggle with your favorites. Whether it’s a comedy, romance, drama, or other, it’s all a part of the season. This is a Top 3 Holiday Movie countdown for us. If you missed #3, find it here. Now onto the show! Here are some of our hand-chosen holiday movies for your viewing pleasure.

Andrew – “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation”