The Movie Buff was started in 2011 as a way to review all movies, both box office releases and old DVD rentals. We review all types of films, from current blockbusters, to independent, to foreign, to classic icons. We have 5 critics currently, all with uniquely different review styles. Our motto: Tough on movies, not on films! We say it like it is, and aren’t afraid to give bad reviews to movies that don’t measure up, but also don’t shy away from saying a great movie is great. We typically post 1-2 movie reviews per week.

We’re always looking for new movie websites to work with, and love meeting new people. Visit us at www.themoviebuff.net and check us out for a fresh take on old movies and all the new ones you know and love.

Hobbies are great but once in a while you need to get away and experience another culture or region to fully appreciate cultural differences and be exposed to new things. And where better to go than Italy, a country which for centuries ruled much of Europe and which still inspires by its culture, arts & foods. Have you ever experienced the delights of staying in an Italian Villa?

To fully experience the Italian lifestyle we would suggest staying away from the tourist trail and it’s large, usually disappointing hotels. Rather, renting an Italian Villa would not only be a more memorable experience, but it would also allow you to fully experience ‘la bella vida’, it is also a surprisingly cost effective and affordable alternative. We’ve selected four of the best regions which they believe would be most suited for an Italian Holiday Getaway, don’t forget to check their website for more information.

Villa in Tuscany

Home to Italy’s best wine, Tuscany continues to be one of the most popular tourist destinations and it’s easy to understand why! With its glorious scenery, hilltop towns and seamlessly never ending vineyards, Tuscany is a fantastic backdrop to your holiday memories.

Villas in Sicily

The largest island in the Mediterranean. Sicily’s rich history and beautiful landscape has inspired countless artists throughout the world. It’s rich volcanic soil creates a stunning landscape of hills and reliefs. If you’re looking for the delights of the sea set in a hilly backdrop then Sicily might be the right place for you.

Villas in Puglia

Perhaps Italy’s most unique regions! Apuglia (or Puglia) is located on the south east of the peninsula. It’s rich history has made it a unique place to visit with influence from it’s Greek, Roman, Byzantine, Arab, Goth and Norman rule. It’s long coastline is dotted with many cliff top fortresses, quaint fishing villages and trading ports, many of which can be seen from our range of villas in Italy’s Puglia region.

Villas in Amalfi Coast

Home to Pompei and Naples, Campania is a stunning destination for lovers of arts, culture and Pizza! Not only that but the Amalfi Coast  is one of the most stunning sights of Italy and was declared UNESCO World Heritage Site  Centered around the coastal town of Amalfi, the whole coast is dotted with hillside villages, nestled between steep hillside and the Tyrrhenian Sea. Read more here: villas amalfi coast

Arguably the birthplace of Western Culture, Italy today is still  home to the greatest number of UNESCO World Heritage Sites and is home to around 50% of all the world’s greatest art treasures. And with it’s local trattorias, and regional food Italy is without a doubt one of the best places in the world for eating! We can only recommend that you stay there this summer!

There are literally thousands of food blogs on the internet ranging from collections of recipes to world class chefs attempting to educate the masses on food.  Recently, we came across the food blog of a young lady out of Australia that was a pleasant surprise compared to many we have seen in the past.  Today we take a brief look at the blog known as Go Bake Yourself.

Fresh Perspective on Food

When one first heads over to gobakeyourself.wordpress.com, one may expect that the writer of the blog is an overly pretentious foodie who is out to “educate” us about food.  The reality is that the blog owner is well rounded 17-year old high school senior who happens to be a great baker and lover of great desserts and sweets.

The perspective given in this blog isn’t from someone how has spent years in culinary school, decades in a kitchen, or someone who has nothing better to do with their life than to cook.  Instead it is one of a young lady who is just getting started on life, who has a passion for food, and is clearly an up and coming talent. The result is a fresh perspective that is fun, entertaining, and one that keeps people coming back.

Extensive Recipe Index

Have you ever went to a food blog, saw a recipe you liked, and then went back months later to try and find it again?  What happened?  That’s right, you had to sift through months and months of posts to find your dish.  You won’t have that problem at Go Bake Yourself because Choc Chip Uru has created an extensive recipe index that saves you from having to hunt for your favorite dessert.

Her index is broken down into sections for drinks, breakfast dishes, desserts, brownies, and much more.  This list is a fantastic index of the dishes she has made in the past and one that you definitely should put in your favorites list.

Great Healthy Alternatives

Food blogs are excellent ways of learning about how to create new dishes, but many either fail to give you solid healthy alternatives or they give you alternatives that lack sufficient flavor for anyone to enjoy but strict health nuts.

Choc Chip Uru has put together a fantastic list of dishes on her site and among them are great alternatives for people looking to not only cut back calories, but also those looking to live an all-around healthy lifestyle without sacrificing taste.

One post that caught my eye was her article about the wonders of Coconut Oil in seven simple ways,  from your favorite desert that helps in burning fat, up to an easy-to-make home remedy. Healthy options are no good if one cannot stand the taste of them and Choc Chip Uru clearly gets that with her blog. Bon appétit!

“The Cook Who Knew Nothing is a food blog born out of a food photographer’s desire to learn to cook for herself, and cook really well. Tanya Zouev is a professional food and people photographer from Sydney Australia who has over 20 years experience and is a self-declared obsessive of all things culinary. The blog contains wheat-free recipes mostly written by Tanya which have been tested thoroughly to ensure success in the kitchen and her mission is to encourage those who can’t cook to do so and to have fun doing it.

The site explores unusual flavours as well as traditional ones with beautiful food photography to accompany the recipes and articles. The emphasis in the food photography is on sustainability and recycling and the greater majority of the props used are secondhand and found objects, often pulled out of the trash. Her aim is to create beauty out of waste and bring environmental issues to the reader’s attention.

New stories and recipes are posted every week, usually tying in with special events and holidays such as Valentine’s Day and Christmas. Written in an entertaining and engaging manner, Tanya endeavours to engage the reader’s senses to whet their appetite and create a passion and enthusiasm for food and drink. Be sure to check in weekly at www.thecookwhoknewnothing.com.

Las Vegas is known for having a wide variety and diversity when it comes to fine dining. Many of the more renown restaurants in the city are all located in the Vegas strip casinos. One exception to that rule is a fantatic Indian restaurant known as Origin India.

Origin India prides itself for being Las Vegas’ only refined and modern Indian restaurant and bar. While much of the menu embraces the rich tradition expected from Indian cuisine, Chef Vinod Ahuja creates dishes that reflect the sophisticated surrounding of the restaurant and in addition he makes large strides in brining Indian cuisine into the 21st century.

Origin India has a great mix of both traditional and vegetarian dinners and appetizers that will satisfy any pallet. One great option on the appetizer menu is Fish Begum Baha. It is basically Swai that has been dipped in lemon flavored rice and batter and served with tamarind and mint chutney. For those not familiar with Swai, it is a Vietnamese catfish which is also known as striped pangasius.

One thing that sets Origin India apart from many of the finer restaurants in the area is their diversity of offerings. In addition to a traditional restaurant experience, patrons can take advantage of the establishment’s catering service and even carry out. They are also fully capable of throwing or hosting your corporate party.

Origin India has been recognized by numerous publications in the Las Vegas area with the Las Vegas Weekly stating that “The food is arguably the most creative, most colorful Indian food that Vegas has yet seen.” The establishment was also featured on Rachael Ray’s Food Network Show “Rachael’s Vacation” as well as her magazine Every Day with Rachael Ray.

If you are looking for the best in Indian cuisine or just looking for a new culinary experience, then you should check out Origin India.

A capital full of things to do and places to see. Here we list just one of the many suggestions of what to see and do in one of the world’s most exciting capital cities.

EL PASEO DEL ARTE

Madrid’s rich cultural heritage continues to evolve rapidly. The city’s modern-day cultural life is fundamental to this change.

It’s no surprise that Madrid, which combines artistic tradition with an open-minded spirit, is at the forefront of Europe in terms of music, theatre, dance, cinema, art, architecture and design. With more than 70 museums, 30 theatres and 50 music and concert halls there is a huge variety to choose from.

One of Madrid’s best artistic itineraries, known as the Paseo del Arte (the artistic stroll) is bounded by three world-renowned museums: the Museo del Prado, the Thyssen-Bornemisza museum and the National Art Centre of Reina Sofía.

Physically all very close together, these museums are located in one of the most beautiful zones of Madrid and are very near to several distinctive landmarks: Atocha train station, the Botanic Gardens, the Paseo del Prado and the Plaza de Neptuno. They are also located very close are the Plaza de la Cibeles and the Puerta de Alcalá, arguably two of Madrid’s most emblematic monuments.

El Prado Museum:

This is one of the world’s best and most famous art museums. It was commissioned to be built be Charles III and was designed by the architect Juan de Villanueva in 1785, who projected it as a handsome neoclassical building. Its current collection is one of the largest collections of Spanish art ranking from the 16th to the 18th centuries.

Paintings by Velázquez, El Greco and Goya are all worth a visit to the museum for themselves. There are also exhibitions of the Flamencan, Italian, German, French and English schools.

The museum has commissioned a new building that has been designed by Rafael Moneo (Pritzker Prize for Architecture of 1996; one of most prestigious architectural awards) and will occupy an area of around 17,000 m2. Its construction will cost in the region of 42.6 million euros. The main objective of the new building is to be able to display the art collections that, at the moment, can’t be displayed because of lack of space.

The Thyssen-Bornemisa Museum:

This museum contains over 800 works of art, ranging from the early Italians to those who were the vanguard of the twentieth century, covering the German Renaissance, Dutch art of the 17th century and North American art from the 19th century. It’s worth mentioning some of the unique works of artists such as Giovanna Tornabuoni, de Ghirlandio, Santa Catalina de Alejandría, de Caravaggio o de Hopper.

The collection, transferred to the Palace of Villahermosa in 1992, was acquired a year later by the Spanish State; this after arriving at an agreement with the Thyssen family. The Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum hopes to complete its expansion, which will create space for the private collection of the Baroness Thyssen, Carmen Cervera. The collection, with works dating from the 17th to the 20th centuries and includes works of Spanish and Universal art, will occupy 16 new halls to be located in the contiguous Palace of Villahermosa.

The project is the work of the Spanish architects Manuel Baquero and Francesc Plá.

The Reina Sofía National Art Centre:

Located in an old hospital and constructed by Sabatini in 1776, this important museum of contemporaneous art includes works of the most significant art movements of the 20th century such as cubism, surrealism, vanguard of the 40s and 50s, pop art etc.

The Centre holds important collections of Spanish art and sculpture by important authors such as Dalí, Picasso, Juan Gris, Chillida and Tàpies.

This is perhaps the most ambitious remodelling project. With a budget of 68.4 million euros, and the significant changes that will be made to the surrounding areas of Madrid including the Charles V roundabout, the work was completed in Spring of 2004 and comprises three modern constructions joined to the historic building of Sabatini. This increases the area for exhibitions by more than 50%.

Madrid recuperates historic views:

The process of change is completed by the remodelling of the roads delineated by the Prado-Recoletos.

In the 18th century, the so-called ‘salón del Prado’ was a meeting place for the people of Madrid who went there to see and to be seen. The axis Recoletas-Prado today is highly congested with traffic but will change its image dramatically thanks to the project by the Portuguese architect Álvaro Siza (winner of the prestigious Pritzker Prize) and the Spanish architect Miguel Harnández León (Director of the Madrid School of Architecture).

The largest urban remodelling project of the Spanish capital tries – according to the project authors – to recuperate and improve the cultural, scenic and environmental values of one of the places that can be considered as the cultural golden triangle.

Source: http://www.iberiax.com/en/explore/central-spain/madrid/madrid-capital-city

Tampa Bay Krewe beginning to put together fall schedule

The Tampa Bay Area Krewe Rugby Football Club is working with the Florida Rugby Union to put together the schedule of games for the 2012 Fall Season.  Right now, it is still early in the planning stages, but there have been a few dates set for matches through the month of October.

Krewe versus USF Scrimmage

The Tampa Bay Krewe will conduct a scrimmage with the University of South Florida Bulls Rugby Football Club as the first match.  This meeting of the squads is tentatively scheduled for the middle of September.  As the details are finalized, the additional information will be passed along to the readers.

Krewe hosts Charleston (SC) Outlaws

After the Krewe traveled up to Charleston last October to compete against the Charleston, South Carolina Outlaws Rugby Football Club, Tampa Bay will host the Outlaws at Skyview Park.  This game is expected to be played in early October, so the Krewe has a week to rest before All-Florida Day.

All Florida Weekend

The Tampa Bay Krewe will be one of dozens of teams taking part in the All Florida Weekend Rugby Tournament, scheduled for 20-21 October in Tavares, Florida.  This is an annual event that brings teams from across the State of Florida together for different levels of competition.  There is an open division and a collegiate division.  The winner of each division wins the “cup”, while the runner up receives a placard.  For more information on All Florida Weekend, visit the Facebook event page.  For more details on the Tampa Bay Krewe, visit its website.

All Florida Weekend Facebook event page:

http://www.facebook.com/events/398427496883630/

Tampa Bay Krewe website:  http://krewerugby.com/

One of the best rental car companies in Greece is City Rent a Car.  Established in 1976, City Rent a Car offers tourists and locals some of the best rates around on rental cars as well as a professional service staff.

It doesn’t matter what type of car you need, City Rent a Car can provide you with a vehicle for your next trip to or around Greece.  The company has experienced customer service agents available to take your order as well as on site mechanics and insurance advisors that help the company keep their fleet of cars in top condition.

Also, if by chance you do have a mechanical problem with your vehicle, City Rent a Car offers full 24 hour road side assistance service on every vehicle they rent.  In addition, the company offers full comprehensive insurance on their vehicles.  This means that if you have an accident, you do not have to come up with any money out of pocket to cover damages.  Also, personal medical coverage is available for all passengers to cover medical costs incurred should you become involved in an accident.

What this means for you as a customer is that when you rent a car, you will get the best possible experience available with City Rent a Car.  If the above reasons provided are not incentive enough to consider the company, also consider that City Rent a Car will not only deliver your vehicle to you wherever you are at on the island, but when you are ready to return home you can park your vehicle at the airport without incurring fees from the airport.

With over 35 years of experience in the car rental industry and nationwide coverage, City Rent a Car is your #1 choice for rental cars when you are in Greece.  Check out their website for more information on vehicles or to make a reservation.

Being able to play poker is a gents skill that needs to be mastered. There are many occasions that you can be asked for a game of poker and the words hmmm I don’t know how to play are not an option. The game has seen such significance in recent years that the popular casino game of James Bond was baccarat but is now poker, due to its huge online exposure.

If you are an aspiring online poker player, then you need to always be learning.  There are numerous online training resources, but sometimes the overload of information makes it hard to determine which ones you should try.  Below are three recommended options for poker training software.

Poker Zion

Poker Zion has one benefit over other online poker coaching programs.  It offers you a structured approach to becoming a better poker players.  Whether you’re a rank beginner or have some experience, this site will improve your game.

Training programs are split up by micro-stakes and small to mid-stake.  Players received emails each week in their inbox with that week’s material which is essentially a set of videos.  Videos cover a variety of topics ranging from the basics, to advanced gameplay, and even how health and nutrition help you become a better player.

Poker Leak Buster

Poker Leak Buster is more of a specialized training program that analyzes and fixes poker leaks.  How it works is that the program analyzes your Hold’em Manager or Poker Tracker 3 database and looks for leaks and potential leaks.  Once leaks are found, you are given videos to watch that will help you identify and correct the leak in your game.

This software is a great value for those that have a relatively solid game but want to find ways to either increase their profits, take their game to the next level, or determine whether their downswing is variance or a fixable issue.

Ace Poker Drills

Ace Poker Drills is a three component program that is great for learning the concepts of odds and outs, pre-flop play, and hand equity.  The odds and outs drill will train you how to quickly spot and count your outs and figure out odds.  The pre-flop trainer works similar, but actually gives you actual game play situations where you must choose whether or not to play the hand.  The last section, the equity trainer, will teach you how to figure out your equity in hands based on various situations.

This software is one that is best geared towards beginning and inexperienced players.  With constant drilling, figuring out odds and equity can become second nature.  However, one must work in order to master these concepts.  This is one of the better poker training software tools to help you improve your skills in these areas.