Connect with us

Food Network and Cooking Channel highlights for November.

Published

on

NOVEMBER 2014 HIGHLIGHTS- November 1-15

 

Kitchen Inferno (FOOD NETWORK)

 

  • Premiering Wednesday, November 5th at 10pm SERIES PREMIERE!

 

Host Curtis Stone ratchets up the heat in Kitchen Inferno where the game is simple – out cook each chef to advance to the next level and win more money, but the stakes are red hot.  With each victory the contestants face a pivotal choice: take the money and run, or risk it all and compete against a tougher competitor. If they lose, they will watch their winnings go up in smoke and leave with nothing, but for those singular chefs truly on fire who can cook their way through the blazing competition, there is a chance to win the $25,000 prize.

 

Holiday Baking ChampionshipPremiering Sunday, November 9th at 9pm (FOOD NETWORK)

The search to find the greatest holiday baker begins as eight amateur bakers enter the Holiday Kitchen where they show off their family traditions and superb baking skills. In order to survive the challenges week-to-week and win the $50,000 grand prize, they must prove their abilities in front of tough-love judges: Nancy Fuller, Duff Goldman and Lorraine Pascale.  Hosted by Bobby Deen, this baking championship is the sweetest way to celebrate this holiday season.

 

  • Premiering Sunday, November 9th at 9pm – “Holiday Cooking Madness” – SERIES PREMIERE!

 

The eight bakers have to put their best cookie forward in the first two challenges of this competition, hosted by Bobby Deen. First, they will have to make their best holiday cookie using an assigned baking tool and in the second challenge, they must use holiday ingredients to impress the judges with three different kinds of cookies.

Judges: Nancy Fuller, Duff Goldman, Lorraine Pascale

 

 

A Hero’s Welcome (FOOD NETWORK)

  • Premiering Tuesday, November 11th at 9pm SPECIAL!

 

A Hero’s Welcome aims to honor one of our nation’s most deserving heroes in the biggest, most emotional, most memorable way imaginable. After serving his country for over 25 years and recovering from life-threatening injuries, Staff Sergeant Tony Woods is preparing to retire from the military. He will return home to discover, with the help of Food Network’s Robert Irvine, HGTV’s Genevieve Gorder andGary Sinise, award-winning actor, humanitarian, and founder of the Gary Sinise Foundation, a completely renovated house for Tony and his family to retire comfortably. Airing on Veteran’s Day across Food Network, HGTV, Cooking Channel, DIY, Travel Channel and GAC, witness all of the surprises and emotions, as the team races around the clock to make sure they are ready to say “Welcome Home!”

 

Outrageous Thanksgiving (FOOD NETWORK)

 

  • Premiering Saturday, November 15th at 9pm THANKSGIVING SPECIAL!

 

The holiday known for indulgence just got more outrageous!  In this one-hour feast for the ages, Thanksgiving is explored like never before. From an extremely spicy Thanksgiving meal complete with a buffalo style turkey, wasabi mashed potatoes and habanero cornbread to an all-fried Cajun cookout with deep fried turkeys, mashed potato balls, stuffing, and even deep fried cranberry sauce – this holiday will be more decadent than ever.  We will explore cranberry bogs on an epic scale, giant apple pies, and a massive sweet potato casserole with marshmallows as far as the eye can see!  Put on your stretchy pants and get ready to tuck into an extremely Outrageous Thanksgiving

 

 

NOVEMBER 2014 HIGHLIGHTS- November 16-30

 

 

Holiday Baking Championship (FOOD NETWORK)

 

  • Premiering Sunday, November 16th at 9pm – “Classic Holiday Flavors”

 

Bobby Deen hosts as the seven remaining bakers take classic holiday flavors into tasty new territory. In the first challenge, they create a swirled treat using eggnog and have to play nice with varieties of sugar and spice for their second dessert.

Judges: Nancy Fuller, Duff Goldman, Lorraine Pascale

 

  • Premiering Sunday, November 23nd at 9pmIt’s Not The Holidays Without Pie”

 

In this episode hosted by Bobby Deen, the six remaining bakers take on the crusty, sweet goodness of pie. In the first challenge, they have just 30 minutes to make their best dessert using store-bought pie crust. In the second challenge, the bakers create three different pies with three different crusts.

Judges: Nancy Fuller, Duff Goldman, Lorraine Pascale

 

  • Premiering Sunday, November 30th at 9pm ET/PT – “The Great Holiday Cake-Over”

 

The five bakers left in the Holiday Baking Championship hosted by Bobby Deen, take the polarizing fruitcake someplace new and reinvent the biggest holiday cake of all, the yule log.

Judges: Nancy Fuller, Duff Goldman, Lorraine Pascale

 

Thanksgiving at Bobby’s (FOOD NETWORK)

 

  • Premiering Saturday, November 22nd at 12pm THANKSGIVING SPECIAL!

 

Bobby Flay is hosting an all-star Thanksgiving with co-host Katie Lee and a feast of special friends including Alex Guarnaschelli, Michael Symon and Sunny Anderson. From appetizers to drinks, turkey to dessert, and everything in between, everyone is cooking up the classic Thanksgiving dishes that are the most personal and special to them. Helpful how-to’s and personal stories are shared, as all the holiday courses are prepared leading up to the most delicious Thanksgiving feast with friends.

Continue Reading

Movie

Review of “Good Bad Ugly”

Published

on

Director: Adhik Ravichandran 

Starring: Ajith Kumar, Arjun Das, Trisha, Simran

Genre: Action / Crime Drama

Rating: 4.5/5


“Good Bad Ugly” centers on Red Dragon (Ajith Kumar), a notorious gangster who chooses to surrender himself in the hopes of turning over a new leaf and reuniting with his estranged son. However, when unforeseen threats emerge, Red Dragon is forced to step back into the dangerous underworld to protect the only family he has left.

“Good Bad Ugly” plays to the strengths of Ajith Kumar, delivering a fan-pleasing portrayal of both his vintage villainy and his matured emotional depth. Ajith’s powerful screen presence, coupled with his iconic voice, shines against Arjun Das’s brooding and intense new-age antagonist, creating an electric old-school versus new-school dynamic. The nostalgic return of Simran is a clever nod to longtime fans, bringing heart and familiarity. Trisha brings a strong, grounded performance as the moral compass in Red Dragon’s life, helping move the emotional threads of the story. The film smartly balances action, comedy, and sentimental fan-service moments.

While the film delivers on fan expectations, its narrative could have benefited from tighter pacing and deeper character development for its supporting cast. Some plot conveniences and an overreliance on nostalgia may limit broader audience appeal beyond the fanbase. Certain dramatic beats felt rushed, leaving little time for emotional resonance to fully land.

The ambition to blend high-octane action with heavy emotional stakes sometimes leads to tonal inconsistencies. At moments, the shift from gritty underworld drama to lighter fan moments feels abrupt. Additionally, though Ajith Kumar’s effort to showcase his dancing skills is commendable and welcomed by fans, it slightly disrupts the otherwise darker tone the film establishes.

“Good Bad Ugly” is a tribute to Ajith Kumar’s enduring legacy, offering vintage thrills while teasing new dimensions to his craft. It’s a solid entertainer that successfully taps into fan nostalgia while hinting at an exciting evolution for AK. While not without its flaws, the film’s heart, energy, and performances make it a must-watch for fans and a compelling action-drama for broader audiences.

Continue Reading

Streaming

Presence: A Horror Movie For People That Don’t Like Horror Movies

Published

on

In these uncertain times, you can’t beat a good old-fashioned horror movie. Unfortunately, Presence is not an old-fashioned horror movie. Yet, as I discovered, this is a good thing!

When I heard about the premise of this movie, I was intrigued. The stylishly subtle trailer was, appropriately, haunting.  And was that Lucy Liu? A haunted house movie from the perspective of the ghost? As a seasoned horror movie buff, I was all in!

Like the majority of people I missed the films brief theatrical release. Luckily I was able to catch it on streaming. Visually the film is easy to enjoy from your own home, as it’s rather cosy looking. I never thought I’d be describing a horror movie as ‘cosy’ looking but it’s true! This is not a James Wan type creepy, dusty, decrepit house harbouring a haunting. No, this is a 100 year old jewel toned, oak finished colonial style home. 

Despite this the story follows the beats we are all familiar with: troubled family of four move into a new house. The big deviation from the trope is we, the audience, are seeing events unfold from the POV of the ghost or presence. 

Director Steven Soderbergh (Ocean’s Eleven) chose to film the entire piece using a small (14mm) hand-held digital camera. Soderbergh himself acted as the ‘presence’ following the actors around. From the audiences perspective it is like watching the family through a barrier or pane of glass. Cleverly, windows and mirrors are hugely prominent and integral throughout.

The presence mainly follows and tries to interact with the daughter of the family, Chloe (Callina Liang), who has recently suffered the trauma of her best friend dying suddenly. Through Soderbergh’s experimental filming, we feel the dysphoria and frustration the ‘ghost’ is feeling at trying to affect the world around it, particularly during the anxiety-inducing final scene!

However, in what could be yet another mismarketing of a film, the trailer promised to be the ‘scariest movie you will see this year’ and ‘terrifying’; instead, they delivered this subversive, character-driven, family drama. If you are expecting jump scares and dramatic music stings, this is not your movie. I could understand if someone was disappointed that the only seemingly scary thing is the mother’s and son’s relationship, right up until the gut-punch of the final scene. 

Presence is definitely a slow burn, tension building until the final scene, and the unveiling of the ‘presence’ giving us a new understanding of the whole story. The ending is disturbing and stays with you as you re-analyse earlier scenes. 

My one complaint is that the character Ryan (West Mulholland) with his Chesney Hawkes hair, perhaps needed more subtlety. The rest of the cast was completely solid and believable as a family with so many unspoken issues. 

I wouldn’t recommend this film for everybody but maybe be as so bold to say it’s a horror movie for people that don’t like horror movies. It’s well-lit and cerebral with realistically flawed characters.

Presence is available to stream.

Three and a half stars.

Continue Reading

Streaming

Anime Review: Fog Hill of the Five Elements (Wu Shan Wu Xing)

Published

on

Genre: Action, Fantasy, Martial Arts, Historical
Runtime: Each episode runs approximately 20-30 minutes
Director: Lin Hun (also the Creator)
Studio: Samsara Animation Studio
Main Voice Actors (Chinese Cast):Liu Zhi Shi as Wen Ren Yu Xuan Zhou Qi as Shen Nong Fang Yuan as Xuan


Overview

Fog Hill of the Five Elements is a breathtaking Chinese anime (donghua) that merges traditional Chinese ink-painting aesthetics with high-intensity martial arts action. Created and directed by Lin Hun, this series delivers a spellbinding visual experience that rivals, and in many ways surpasses, mainstream Japanese anime. Produced by Samsara Animation Studio, the anime is a labor of love, known for its hand-drawn animation and meticulous detail.

Set in a mythological world where elemental beasts roam free, the series follows the Five Elemental Envoys tasked with protecting humanity. The story focuses on Wen Ren Yu Xuan, the Fire Envoy, whose actions set off a chain of events threatening the delicate balance between humans and beasts. The tale is steeped in Chinese folklore and myth, weaving a complex narrative of duty, power, and sacrifice.

Without question, Fog Hill of the Five Elements is one of the most visually stunning animated series in recent memory. The blend of traditional Chinese ink wash painting with modern dynamic action scenes is masterful. Every frame looks like a moving scroll painting, with fluid character movements and kinetic fight choreography that puts many mainstream series to shame.

The characters are deeply tied to traditional archetypes found in Chinese legends but are fleshed out with emotional depth and conflict. Voice acting by Liu Zhi Shi, Zhou Qi, and Fang Yuan brings authenticity and gravitas to their respective roles. The dialogue is steeped in poetic language, enhancing the mythic feel of the story.

The soundtrack complements the epic visuals with traditional Chinese instrumentation mixed with modern elements. The sound design heightens the impact of every battle and emotional moment.


Rating: 9/10

Fog Hill of the Five Elements earns a 9 out of 10 for its groundbreaking animation style, deep mythological storytelling, and heart-pounding action. The only downside is its limited number of episodes and slow release schedule, which leaves fans craving more.


Pros

  • Unparalleled hand-drawn animation
  • Unique art direction inspired by traditional Chinese painting
  • Rich mythological lore
  • Epic fight choreography

Cons

  • Sparse episode release
  • Story pacing can be uneven at times

Final Verdict 9/10

If you’re an anime enthusiast or a fan of animation artistry, Fog Hill of the Five Elements is a must-watch. Its fusion of stunning visuals, martial arts action, and mythological storytelling makes it one of the standout titles in modern animation. Whether you’re into Japanese anime or Chinese donghua, this series deserves a spot on your watchlist.

Continue Reading

Trending

Copyright © 2012 - 2025 That's My Entertainment All Rights Reserved May not be used without permission