Movie weekend

I took the extended holiday weekend (V-day to Presidents Day) to see every Rom-Com currently in theaters. Here's a quick review of each, as well as local theaters.

Definitely, Maybe - cute, almost drew tears once or twice, but the predictable and corny ending sort of lost me. My boyfriend loved that it centered around Will Hayes' campaign work for Bill Clinton, and I developed a girl-crush on Rachel Weisz. I do recommend it - it is what it is, and for a romantic comedy, it serves it well.

Fool's Gold - this is just eye candy. A silly, unbelievable plot, but the pretty Kate Hudson and rugged, shirtless Matthew McConaughey give it visual weight. It reminded me of The Big Bounce, which is stupid, but puts me in vacation mode with its gorgeous surf shots and a shirtless Owen Wilson. Entertaining enough, so long as you're not expecting anything great. Also, seeing Donald Sutherland just made me long for Dirty Sexy Money to return.

27 Dresses - This has long been on my list and definitely my favorite of the three. Sure, it has its typical romantic comedy ending, but was by far the funniest. The Benny and the Jets scene was pure fun, and Katherine Heigl is a quality actress. Very enjoyable, but not one to drag the boyfriend/husband to.

As for the theaters themselves, I'm increasingly disappointed in Regal. I remember when it first opened (as Hoyts) with the the area's first stadium seating. It was a big deal then, but somewhere along the line, someone stopped caring.

While they still have good movies at typical prices, pop and popcorn is significantly more expensive (a small Cherry Coke and small popcorn cost me $10, while at Cinema Center in Camp Hill, they run a special with a large pop and popcorn for that same price), and they're severely understaffed. I have no idea what takes so long to serve these simple items, but I'm more frustrated by the haggardly looking employees who roam around aimlessly as an entire second counter sits vacant and a growing line of people wait to purchase snacks.

Cinema Center, on the other hand, is a breath of fresh air. It's clean, it's bright. Employees are abundant and friendly. Prices are slightly cheaper. The seats recline. And, it's closer to my house. They also tend to get the semi-indie flicks when they come out like Juno, The Kite Runner and The Waitress.

I've yet to check out the Great Escape Theaters at the Harrisburg Mall, but I've heard good things.

Comments

[floor9]

I love Cinema Center. Marv Troutman, who owns all the Cinema Centers, is a very energetic, interesting guy who takes a great deal of pride in his theaters. He's well past retirement age but still obsesses over all the little things like making sure his audio systems are top-shelf. IMHO, the sound and picture quality at CC is far superior to Regal, AMC, and most other places I've been.

Also, "soda". :)