by Shane McDonald | Jul 14, 2016 | Film and TV, General, Reviews
All Female Cast in Ghostbusters ‘2016
When I first heard the Ghostbusters was to be remade with an all female cast I was dubious. I also thought it would be a flop as I didn’t like the idea of a remake. This for me was a franchise which I grew up with and I didn’t want a remake just for the sake of it. … Having seen it – I was wrong. It is excellent!
The film is rated 12A and from the start, it’s obvious that the ghosts are a bit more malevolent than the 1980s Ghostbusters films. It has a real retro feel and the song remains unchanged which I was delighted with.
The all female cast works well and there are some really funny scenes, especially with their hired secretary, Kevin. The secretary has all the phone skills of Fr. Dougal Maguire.
If you watch closely from the start, there are cameos from all the 1980s Ghostbusters cast members, including Egon, who stars via a bronze bust in the University. Slimer is also back… with a friend.
3D Ghostbusters or is 2D ok?
If you have the opportunity to see it in 3D then do. The 3D effects are excellent with the spectres 3D rendered outside the 2 black lines on top and bottom of the film reel so it looks like they are outside the film. (If you get my meaning)!
Overall Comments
My only problem with the film is that it is as if New York never had the 1980 Ghostbusters team – I went presuming that it was a follow on but it is a total remake/reinvention of the franchise.
There is also no explanation for a hair colour change on 2 cast members near the end of the film?
Overall a wonderful way to spend an evening and I really enjoyed this new reboot of Ghostbusters.
Remember to stay during the credits and also stay until they are over. There is a bit of a reveal in the post-credits scene.
Ghostbusters Official Trailer
![Imperial Gardens, Chinese Restaurant, Cork Road, Waterford – Restaurant Review]()
by Shane McDonald | Mar 1, 2012 | Ireland, Restaurant Review
The Imperial Gardens Chinese Restaurant Waterford
An authentic Chinese Restaurant, with a very well decorated interior, great service and a very varied and tasty menu.
The Imperial Gardens Waterford is a restaurant I regularly visit as it offers an unrivalled selection of Chinese food prepared in what is claimed is “the biggest Chinese food kitchen in Waterford”, … and I’d believe it.
Early bird special offers are excellent value, which is 4 courses for only €18.50. Some of the specialities include traditional Chinese dumplings or Crispy Wan Tan for starters and dishes such as Roast Duck with Ginger and Spring Onion or the Special Seafood Selection with Noodles. These dishes are perfectly cooked and taste great. Also on Sundays, there is an all you can eat buffet which is excellent value for money.
Portions are very decent but not so large that if you eat everything you are not overly full. The staff are very friendly and give you plenty of time between courses to relax while still maintaining a good flow to the service. It’s also good to see that they stock some more unusual drinks including an Aloe Vera drink which is very refreshing and if you haven’t tried it, give it a go.
The traditional Chinese decor is very nice and they often play Chinese Pop Music which is always a plus in my book (I believe that if you visit a Chinese or Indian Restaurant, Traditional music really adds to the atmosphere)
The restaurant is not centrally located but parking is available nearby and is validated for you before you leave. (don’t forget to ask!)
Imperial Gardens Waterford – Contact Details:
Imperial Gardens Chinese Restaurant,
Unit 1, Manor Village, Cork Road, Waterford.
Phone: 051-583690
Imperial Gardens on Facebook
Web: http://www.imperialgarden.ie/
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A La Carte
95%
95%
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Sunday Buffet
99%
99%
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Service
100%
100%
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Would Return?
100%
100%
by Shane McDonald | Feb 28, 2012 | Featured, Hotel Reviews, Travel
Hotel Opera Cadet Hotel Review
Address : Opera Cadet Hotel, 24, rue Cadet, 75009 Paris, France
Hotels in Paris are usually small and basic but the Hotel Opera Cadet is one notch above that. The hotel is ideal for the traveller who is looking for a friendly hotel, with good breakfasts and nice clean rooms. The customer service was excellent and the staff do speak English (although we always try to speak French when in France). I booked this hotel because of the many positive hotel reviews I saw online.
Before I arrived at the hotel I actaully went on street view and was able to find the hotel easiliy – therefore on arrival from the Metro, I was able to see landmarks and I found the hotel very easily. The Opera District of Paris is very nice with many fancy and upmarket hotels, that’s not to say that the Hotel Opera Cadet is not upmarket – but we are talking 5 Star hotels which are out of my budget. The nice thing about this hotel is that it was good value for money in a district of Paris where you can be charged a lot for hotel rooms.
The Opera Cadet Hotel is located about 5 mins Metro ride from the Galleries Lafayette near the Opera district and the hotel is 1 minute from Cadet Metro stop down a quiet side street. Check-in is very efficient with the English speaking staff. The rooms are a good size (not huge, but adequate), with features such as TV, Air Conditioning (which can be very useful in July and August), a nice bathroom and some rooms have a small terrace which overlooks Rue Cadet. Rue Cadet is a small street with local traders, fruit shops and some very nice bistros at the end of the street which are enjoyable and cheap to eat in.
There is a delicious buffet breakfast service and breakfast is available from 7:30am to 10:30am with a wide variety of food to cater for all tastes. Friendly waiting staff are on hand to provide teas and coffees. A courtyard area at the back of the breakfast area allows for Al-fresco breakfasts – very Parisienne.
WiFi at the hotel is available but WiFi costs €5 per hour and reception is limited to the main areas of the hotel and was not available on the 2nd floor (This may have changed since my last stay at the hotel). This was the only issue for me. I always think Hotels should by default offer customers who are staying overnight, the benefit of Free Wifi. People who stay at hotels have already spent money in booking the room, but there is other revenue from areas of the hotel such as food, drinks and for hotels that offer activities such as golf, spa or leisure activities.
The Opera Cadet Hotel in Paris is one I will be returning to again, not only for the location, good breakfasts and nice staff, but also due to the fact that it is quiet, comfortable and great to come back to after a long day walking the streets of Paris.
Hotel Opera Cadet : Rated 3 star (continental rating)
Would Return: Yes
Would Recommend the Hotel : Yes
Hotel Opera Cadet Paris, Website : http://www.operacadet.com/
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Service
94%
94%
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Breakfast
85%
85%
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Room
89%
89%
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Would Return?
90%
90%
by Shane McDonald | Nov 15, 2010 | Travel
Going to New Zealand? This rough and brief travel guide will show you What to Do, Where to Go, Where to Eat and What to See traveling between Wellington and Lake Taupo in New Zealand. Continuing on from Wellington on our way to Lake Taupo we were traveling along the N1 on the North Island of New Zealand visiting small towns such as Foxton, Bulls, Taihape on the way to Lake Taupo where we had already booked accommodation.
The first town we reached was Foxton. This is off the main road, but the guide book said it was a lovely town so we decided to take a look. Foxton is like a step back in time, not in a bad way or behind the times, rather Foxton has manged to keep the old town look and feel in a nice way.
Windmill and Tram in Foxton, New Zealand
The main feature is the Windmill which was brought over from Holland, bit by bit and build by people who had never built a windmill before – by reviewing the plans for the structure. There are horse drawn tram rides, an electric trolleybus, old style streets – I was told there are plans to make Foxton a hub of activity with kayaking, walks and other things to do. We enjoyed about 2 hours here before getting back on the road, taking a nice coffee and snack in the cafe near the Windmill.
From here we traveled back on the N1 again and on passing through a town called Bulls we just had to stop and take some photos. The shops are all BULL Oriented, e.g. the local realtor / estate agent has “live-a-bull” as his tag line, the town hall centre has “soci-a-bull”, and so on to Taihape where we had decided to take lunch.
Fun signs in the town of Bulls, New Zealand
Taihape is another very nice town, almost like small town America, worth taking an hour or so to enjoy, plenty of nice cafes to take a snack in.
The town of Taihape, New Zealand
On the last leg to Lake Taupo, back onto the N1 we go via the desert road, part of which is a military area, with an amazing landscape.
As soon as you see Lake Taupo for the first time you will have a few opportunities to stop into the left and enjoy many of the viewing areas, with incredible vistas of the lake. I’m sure there have been an accident or two with drivers looking at the nice view and not the road. Its still another good hours drive to Lake Taupo – so far its been about 6 hours since leaving Wellington.
Lake Taupo, Viewing Point with Snow-Storm moving in
After about 45 minutes we enter into Taupo and arrive at the Millennium Hotel which sits on the waterfront with amazing views of the lake. The Millennium Hotel also has a really nice outdoor heated pool, no problems using it in winter as it is quite warm. The restaurant there is very nice and we enjoyed a buffet there on arrival – only $39NZ per person which was very reasonable.
Lake Taupo with the Mountains covered in Snow.
We later found out that the desert road was blocked by snow and we made it to Lake Taupo with 4 or 5 hours to spare before the snow trapped people on the desert road.
Lake Taupo – To Be Continued … ( Lake Trip to Maori Carvings & Craters of the Moon… )
by Shane McDonald | Oct 19, 2010 | Travel
Sydney, Australia City Guide
Going to Sydney, Australia? This rough and brief Sydney travel guide will show you What to Do in Sydney, Where to Go in Sydney, Where to Eat in Sydney and What to See in Sydney Australia. Sydney is a place to be savoured – enjoy Sydney when you are there as you will miss it when you leave!
Sydney is a place which is like a second home to me. I spent a year working here in 2003, working in both Sydney and Melbourne … but this is by far a nicer city (no offence to Melbourne but there is much more to do in Sydney and winter in Melbourne is fffreezzzing). In Sydney, there is plenty to do, the weather is always decent enough that you can get out and about.
Kingsford Smith Airport at Sunrise
Arriving in the city, you will be about 30 minutes drive from the city from Kingsford Smith Airport. Cabs and Airport transfers are easily accessible. A Taxi will cost between $30-$50 depending on where in the city you are going and what time of day it is. Transfers would be a bit less at between $13 and $20 depending on the company. We stayed in Sydney for 2 whole days, arriving late on a Monday evening in the middle of a monsoon and leaving on the first flight Thursday morning as the sun was just coming up.
The Harbour as seen from the AMP Tower
One of the key things about Sydney is the sheer number of areas you can enjoy a walk, from Circular Quays, the Rocks and Botanical Gardens to Darling Harbour and Hyde Park. The Rocks is a really quaint area full of olde world charm and some olde worlde cafes. You can continue through to Circular Quays, perhaps catch one of the many ferries which service Balmain, Darling Harbour, North Shore, and as far a field as Manly. If you are looking for food, check out City Extra – their fish and chips are really good as is the chicken pie which is served with a hot baked roll. From Circular Quays, you can walk into the Botanical Gardens which hugs the waterline looking out over the bay, with excellent views of Sydney Opera House and the Sydney Harbour Bridge. The walkway extends around to Woolloomooloo Wharf … if you still haven’t eaten go straight to Harrys Pies (Harrys Cafe de Wheels), a small cart based pie shop with the best pies and best mashed potato in NSW. If you haven’t taken the route to Woolloomooloo you can continue through the Botanical Gardens to the Domain and on to Hyde Park. This walk is easily followed but worth taking 3-4 hours over as the views are spectacular.
People Walking over the iconic Harbour Bridge
In the city, you can enjoy the views from the Sydney Tower, formerly called the AMP Tower. The AMP logo is still displayed on the tower but it seems to have been rebranded. When we were there we almost missed the entrance as the whole area is being renovated. From the tower, you can get views as far as the airport and beyond … some days you can see as far as the Blue Mountains. If you are really adventurous you can climb Sydney Harbour Bridge (not on your own please, don’t start scaling the bridge and telling them it was my idea – it is a paid guided excursion with safety equipment). The only disadvantages are that you can’t bring a camera, you can’t decide to take a bathroom break and once you start out it’s about a 2 hour round trip – also not great for those with vertigo. We didn’t do this, instead took a helicopter trip with Cloud9 Helicopters from Bankstown Airport (phone 02 9771-3654) – well worth the money.
The main shopping areas extend from Pitt Street down around Town Hall also don’t miss Paddys Market in Chinatown which has excellent deals and is great for getting some fresh fruit, great deals on t-shirts and holiday clothes. While you are in Chinatown, you could get a really nice Chinese meal. If you are looking for a nice restaurant, go all the way as far as the Chinese arch in Chinatown and look for the Golden Harbour – Maria and the staff at the Golden Harbour will look after you and the food is always really nice. Yum Cha is also served early in the day.
Fruit Bats sleeping in the Botanical Gardens
Later in the evening, there is plenty to do in the city. You can enjoy dinner in the AMP / Sydney Tower overlooking the city by night, the food is very nice, usually a buffet – however, we found that The Summit Restaurant (http://www.summitrestaurant.com.au/) had nicer views (being that bit closer to the harbour) and also the menus were a bit nicer also. If you are looking for real class, try the Bennelong Restaurant at the Sydney Opera House. Not as expensive as you would think – and the service is 5 star (bordering on 6) with the food being similarly as good. The experience of dining at the Bennelong will live long in my mind – not only for the food and service but for the views and thrill of dining at one of the most iconic landmarks in the world.
The iconic Opera House – the Classic Shot from any trip to the city
Sydney is a place to be savoured, so if you are coming here for a holiday, spend as long as you can here – its one of the few cities in the world, where I can say I would be happy to live. Looking forward to going back already!
Recommended Links for Sydney, NSW
Bennelong Restaurant, Sydney Opera House: http://www.bennelong.com.au/
Sydney Tower: http://sydneytower.myfun.com.au/
Harrys Cafe de Wheels: http://www.harryscafedewheels.com.au/
City Extra, Circular Quays: http://www.cityextra.com.au/
Harbour Bridge Climb:http://www.bridgeclimb.com/
There is much more than this – but I wanted to keep this blog post short … If you have any questions about tips on where to go, eat or stay in this great NSW city please drop me a comment.
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