Fight film and fiery feast make date night fun
This weekend get ready for a film that critics are hailing as one of the best of the year. Warrior, rated PG-13, starring Nick Nolte and newcomers Joel Edgerton and Tom Hardy, is a film that pits two brothers against one another in a mixed martial arts (MMA) tournament with a $5 million payout.
Dont be fooled by the MMA storyline, however, for the movie isnt just about holds, uppercuts and roundhouses, or the gritty underworld of fighting. This movie is a heart-wrenching drama about an estranged family, their struggle to forgive and the power of redemption.
So powerful is this movie that you may want to start your evening with a more lighthearted drama, with some talented individuals wholl show off their killer moves whilst wielding dangerous instruments like knives and fire.
Start by having dinner at Hokkaido Japanese Sushi and Teppan off of Red Bug Lake Road in Winter Springs. Find a spot at the teppanyaki tables and get ready for a riveting drama, as well as a dinner that you wont soon forget.
Youll watch in awe as your chefs, ever the showmen, perform daring tricks with your food. A river of fire will appear before you as the hot cooking surface is prepared with oil. See eggs launch into the air before delicately landing on the chefs spatula, leaving only the shell, its contents sizzling on the grill below.
A few quick flicks with a sharp knife and a bit of oil will transform onion slices into a fiery volcano. Then, while continuing to wield the dangerous weapon, your chef will slice other vegetables, meat and fish with lightning speed, cooked to perfection, before being tossing them expertly onto your waiting dinner plate.
You never really know what to expect from these talented chefs, so each visit can bring a new experience.
Different hibachi chefs do things in different ways, said Amy Lin, hostess of Hokkaido Japanese Sushi and Teppan.
The restaurant is currently offering a special on its hibachi dinners, which Lin said makes it a popular choice for customers. The meal, which includes your choice of meat – steak, chicken or shrimp – rice or noodles, and soup and salad, is $15.
Its a good deal, and youll have fun at the hibachi tables. Its very fresh, and its cooked in front of you, Lin said.
The restaurant also offers a number of other selections, if a trip to the teppanyaki tables isnt for you. There are teriyaki and tempura dinners, as well as an impressive selection of sushi and sashimi.
After your show at the teppanyaki tables, you can settle in for the movie that critics are comparing favorably to The Fighter, calling it one of the sleeper hits of the year.
In this drama, Joel Edgerton plays Brendan Conlon, a married father of three and a high school physics teacher. His wife Tess is played by Jennifer Morrison. Brendan is a loveable man whos down on his luck: the family is three months from foreclosure on their home. Brendan decides to draw upon a skill from his past – fighting – and ends up winning $500 from an MMA match. When the principal of his school finds out, however, Brendan is suspended without pay, which leaves him more desperate than ever.
While Brendan is dealing with his financial woes, his younger brother Tommy, played by Tom Hardy, comes home from Iraq. A brooding Marine home for the first time in 14 years, he has his sights set on winning Sparta, an MMA tournament that can win him $5 million.
To help him win the tournament, Tommy turns to his estranged father Paddy, played by Nick Nolte. A recovering alcoholic and former boxer, Paddy has been sober for three years. As the movie progresses, we learn that the animosity toward Paddy from both brothers stems from abuse in the family from his bouts with alcohol. Tommy cares nothing about repairing their relationship, coming to see his father for one purpose: to receive training for the fight.
As Tommy makes an impressive journey toward the championship, his brother Brendan, an underdog, makes it to the Sparta championship, as well. The two brothers must face one another to take home the prize.
This drama will leave you torn inside, both by the familys painful past and by the final fight at the end, which pits one brother against the other. This is a movie not so much about the physical aspect of fighting as it is fighting against inner demons, which are numerous in this flick between the brothers and their father.
Its a movie not to be missed. This weekend, plan for high drama both during dinner and during your movie. Pair Warrior with the chefs of Hokkaido Japanese Sushi and Teppan for an entertaining night