From the Inside Out

It was a night out with the girls this evening. One of our friends was celebrating his birthday with a “guys only” night that included some MMA fight watching, so the gals got together for dinner and a movie.

We started out at Houlihan’s, an upscale American restaurant in Dallas. The food was great; the decor was modern. Conversation was lively and entertaining. It’s been a long time since I had a girls night out, and I have to say that I had fun spending time with some old and new friends.

Afterwards, we headed to the theater to catch Mama Mia!, the new movie based on the popular Broadway musical. It’s definitely a chick flick, and it’s safe to say that it’s not going to be winning any awards this year, but I enjoyed it. Most of the critics bashed the movie, but normal viewers rated it as 72% fresh on Rottentomatoes.com.

Yes, it’s campy. Yes, it’s a little over-the-top. But that was part of the fun. I especially liked the song and dance scenes that played during the credits. Don’t leave until it’s over…it’s worth it.

The long awaited sequel to Batman Begins opened this weekend with sold-out showings across the country. According to Media By Numbers, a tracking firm, the Dark Knight set a box office record for a midnight debut, bringing in $18.5 million Friday from its midnight screening in 3,040 theaters. And that number doesn’t even take into account the 3 am and 6 am showings. With such a strong Friday start, the studio is projecting that the movie will take in over 100 million this weekend in the US and Canada alone. That would more than double the average for the previous five openings of a Batman movie.

While the stats are impressive, you may be wondering if the movie lives up to the hype. Well, I guess it depends on how much of the hype you believe. I walked into the theater expecting it to be a good batman movie, and it delivered. This is a strong follow-up to Batman Begins – definitely as good, maybe better. Heath Ledger steals the show as the Joker. It’s a shame his life was cut short and he won’t be around to reprise his role as this dark villain.

Speaking of dark…make no mistake, this is film is more intense, violent and bleak than any of the previous Batman movies. It’s not your typical kid-friendly superhero movie. Rottentomatoes.com describes it as dark, complex and unforgettable. The Denver Post states, “Watching The Dark Knight is like gazing into a mirror on a waning moon night: chilling and mesmerizing.” I think those are fitting summaries.

There are a few humorous lines mixed into the middle of the despair and darkness. One of my favorites was when the Joker told Batman “you complete me.” That cracked me up.

I would give this movie a solid 5-star (or A) rating. If you’re looking for a good movie to watch this weekend and you are a fan of the franchise, check it out. It stands up well against the hype.

Derrick hooked us up with tickets to an advance screening of Hancock Tuesday night at the Legacy Cinemark in Plano. I wasn’t feeling great, but since I’m a big fan of Will Smith I wasn’t going to turn it down. I’ve been looking forward to this movie for a while, and it didn’t disappoint.

Douglas Young on Imdb.com describes Hancock as “an unhappy and reluctant superhero who is living in his own world. For some unknown reason, Hancock is depressed and has started drinking very heavily. He has saved many lives in Los Angles over the years, but in doing so, he has no regards for damaging buildings, trains, roads, cars, or anything that gets in his way to get the job done. The last time he captured several criminals, it cost the city $9 million to fix the damages. The public has had enough of Hancock, and they want him to stop or go to another city. Then one day, Hancock saves the life of Ray Embrey (Jason Bateman) from being run over by a train. Ray is a Public Relations executive who now can go home to his wife and child, because Hancock was there. Ray owes Hancock his life, and he makes it his mission to change his superhero’s image and have the public cheering him.”

The movie has garnered lukewarm to negative reviews from the critics. However, I’m not a critic; I liked the movie. It was a fun summer flick filled with humor, adventure, and action. Hancock is not a complex movie, but it did have more of a plot than I had originally expected. The movie isn’t deep, but I don’t think anyone seriously expects it to be that way. C’mon, it’s a summer blockbuster after all.

Yay, it’s Friday.  I’m really glad it’s the weekend.  Since it’s been a long week, we decided to go out tonight. 

So, it was off to Ricardo’s, our favorite local Mexican food restaurant.  Unfortunately, I guess it’s everyone else’s favorite place too because there was a long wait for a table.  With so many restaurants nearby, I don’t have the patience for waiting, so we trekked to another local joint (which was also too crowded) and then ended up at Mexi-go.  There was no wait, and the food was great.

Afterwards, we went to see Fools Gold.  I love Kate Hudson and Matthew McConaughey, but this wasn’t one of their best movies.  Don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t terrible, but it would be better as a rental.  The plot was pretty weak, the characters didn’t have much depth, and the humor was a little forced.  It’s an okay date movie, but don’t expect it to be as good as  “How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days”. 

That was my Friday Night Line-up.  What was yours?