From the Inside Out

For Dallas locals, here’s another reason to watch the latest Hollywood flick at Studio Movie Grill. The theater chain is the first in the Dallas area to introduce reserved seating. Moviegoers at the Dallas, Arlington, Plano, Lewisville and Addison locations can now select their seats online before leaving home.

No more waiting in long lines to grab a good seat. No more early arrival times. You pick your seat, arrive when you want, and avoid the hassles of open seating. I love the idea! Why didn’t they start doing this sooner? It will greatly improve the moviegoing experience, especially on opening weekends. If I didn’t love Studio Movie Grill (SMG) before, I certainly do now. This is brilliant!

Does it sound too good to be true? Are you wondering if there’s a catch? Not really, but there is one thing I need to mention. You must purchase a $12 gift certificate online if you want to reserve your seat in advance. Considering the fact that you are probably going to spend more than $12 on food and beverages during the movie anyway, this shouldn’t be an issue for most people. After all, one of the reasons you go to SMG is to eat while watching the show. You just buy the gift certificate online as part of your ticket package and then use it to cover your dining expenses for the evening.

Studio Movie Grill has been testing the new system during the past month, and so far it’s been wildly successful. I haven’t tried it yet, but I can’t wait to do it.

Here’s to no more fighting for the best seats in the theater…whahoo!

Studio Movie Grill, I love you.

How many times have you heard the phrase, “sex sells?” People often state that sex can help companies sell more of their products. It doesn’t matter what the product is. It can be anything — ranging from clothing to food to movies. It’s a commonly known fact, but is it true?

Results from recent research seem to debunk this “fact,” making it possibly one of the most widely-believed myths. At least for movies, that is. According to a study conducted recently by “Sex Doesn’t Sell — nor Impress! Content, Box Office, Critics, and Awards in Mainstream Cinema,” nudity and explicit sex scenes don’t translate to major success for films. Researchers examined more than 900 movies released between 2001 and 2005, and the results were more than surprising. Sex failed to positively affect a film’s popularity among viewers and critics. Furthermore, it didn’t guarantee box office success.

The results held true both for domestic and international films. Even in R movies, the research showed that less sex and nudity fared better. None of the top-grossing films during the four-year study contained graphic sex. Rather, most included only minor scenes of sexual situations and/or nudity.

I’m not a fan of selling “sex,” so these findings are refreshing to me. It’s nice to know I’m not the only one who doesn’t want to watch graphic sexual scenes or nudity. It’s simply not necessary in order to make a good movie. Family-friendly films are much more appealing. Apparently, others agree, and the box office numbers prove it.

Hollywood, are you listening?

How many times have you been in a theater watching a movie and sipping on a Big Gulp-sized drink when all of a sudden it hits you? You know what I’m talking about. You suddenly have an urge to go to the bathroom. It’s always a dilemma. You wonder if you should hold it and be uncomfortable or leave and risk missing something important?

Well, wonder no more! There’s now a website that tells you when it’s safe to go to the bathroom. RunPee.com gives you a “wiki-pee-dia” that provides the best times to leave the movie without missing a major plot point. It also tells you how long you can be gone and gives a summary of what’s happening while you’re in the bathroom, but it doesn’t “spoil” you. You choose whether or not you want to view the summary.

RunPee.com lists movies that are currently in theaters. It also offers another nice feature that I like. It tells you if there are any scenes after the credits that you should stay around to watch.

And for those of you who forget to check the RunPee times before you go to the movies, there’s a nifty iPhone application that will countdown to the next PeeTime. The iPhone will vibrate to let you know when it’s time to go. Pretty cool, huh?

Check it out

Mondays tend to be ugly days. A Monday is a cold, hard slap of reality after a fun-filled weekend. I’m not a “Monday” person. I’m a “Friday” — or better yet, “Saturday” — kind of gal.

I can think of nothing better to do on a Monday night than a Friday night activity. It’s like tricking yourself into thinking the weekend isn’t quite over yet. So, I met up with one of my dearest friends for a mini girls night out at Studio Movie Grill. We watched “The Ugly Truth” directed by Legally Blonde’s Robert Luketic and starring Katherine Heigl with Gerard Butler.

I was a bit leery of this film because it opened with harsh reviews. However, since romantic comedies aren’t known for their literary (or creative) genius, I decided to be open-minded and hope for the best. After all, the trailors were cute, I like the actors playing the main characters, and I had been looking forward to watching it before I read the reviews.

The movie is a classic “battle of the sexes” story. IMDB.com provides the following summary, “Katherine Heigl stars as a lovelorn television producer who’s made to run a gauntlet of romantic exploits by a pig-headed morning-show host (played by Gerard Butler) as a way to prove whose romantic methods are more accurate.” It’s not a great description, but it’s pretty accurate. This new morning-show host shows up and shakes up Abby’s (Katherine Heigl’s) life — much to her dismay. He’s crude, rude, and a complete jerk, but some of his remarks about male/female relationships have a hint of truth to them, even if it does happen to be the “ugly truth.” Eventually, the two characters embark on an experiment to see whose methods work best. That’s when things start to get funny.

This movie was entertaining from start-to-finish, and it had some genuine “laugh out loud” moments. Once again, I’m glad I didn’t listen to the critics. Yes, some of the humor is crude and maybe a bit shocking at times (rated R for sexual content and language), but I never found it offensive. It’s not a movie for kids, but if you can overlook some of the language and a few crude jokes, you will enjoy it. If not, don’t go.

As for me, I enjoyed it, and I’m not alone.  Viewers on Rotten Tomatoes also disagreed with the critics and gave it a 63% fresh rating.  I’m giving it a solid B+.

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to wake up one day and be seventeen again? Would you be happy to live your life over, or would you freak out over being back in high school? It’s an interesting thing to ponder.

It’s also the premise of a movie named “17 Again.” The film focuses on a guy whose life didn’t quite turn out how he wanted. He wishes he could go back to high school and change it. Soon after, it happens. He’s seventeen again and gets the chance to rewrite his life.

The movie was entertaining and funny — much better than I expected it to be. It also got me thinking about whether I would want to go back and do it all over again. I enjoyed my teenage years. They were filled with fun, friends, and freedom — a far cry from the heavy responsibilities that now lay on my shoulders.

Being young and irresponsible again would be a fun escape, but I’d only want to do it for a short time — like a brief vacation from reality. I’m quite pleased with the way my life has turned out so I wouldn’t want to go back and make any major changes.

God has given me so many great blessings for which I am eternally thankful — fantastic husband, amazing friends and family, a good career, and a thriving church — what more can a girl ask for?

What about you? Would you do it? If so, what would you change?