Theater Reviews: Harkins Southlake

                Hey everyone out there behind a computer screen!  Happy Monday from me, you’re (probably not) favorite reviewer, TheCinemaChick!  I've had a rough weekend, so I’m setting aside a few things for now.  Don’t worry, I’m still going to do my look at the summer movie season.  You see, yesterday was Mother’s Day and for me, it’s not an easy day because I lost MovieMomma in 2012.  I did go through grief counseling this year but if anyone else has ever lost a parent, you know how hard it is to have holidays like this.  Yes, I have OtherMother and TenMom (KitKat’s mother has accepted me as her daughter and they live in Tennessee) but it will never be MovieMomma.  Don’t get me wrong, I love all of the maternal figures in my life.  There’s just no one else like your mother.

                Enough about my sadness.  I've been mulling this over in my head a while and I've decided that I want to take a look at the theaters I frequent.  That’s right, I’m reviewing the theaters themselves.  I've thought about what I would base my criteria on and I think I've got it.  I’m going to base my opinions on the following five factors: Lobby/Hallway, Theater, Management/Staff, Snacks and Cleanliness.  I've been to a lot of cinemas in the area and everyone’s got an opinion on which one they prefer.  I can honestly say, I've been to some amazing places but there is one theater that I will never go to again.  You’ll understand when I write about that one.

                What’s my rating system?  Let’s make one up…I suppose a five star system would work.

                Also, keep in mind I am not affiliated with any of these businesses.  I’m not employed at any of them.  At most, I’m a patron.  If they like what they read, fantastic.  If they don’t, I’m sorry but I’m entitled to my opinions.

                The first theater I want to visit, metaphorically, is Harkins Theater.  It is in Southlake, Texas which isn’t too terribly far from me.  It’s a bit of a drive, whether I take a highway or the back roads.  But that’s not their fault.  I’m more than willing to make the drive out there to see a movie.  So, let’s look at each of my criteria, one at a time.

1.       Lobby/Hallway

The building itself is fairly small.  There’s just one long hallway and a medium sized lobby.  Even when it’s full of people, it never feels like it’s small because there’s plenty of room to maneuver through the crowds.  Granted, there are always those people who stop in the middle of the area to chat but that’s not anyone’s fault but their own.  And remember, it’s hard for me to get around because I do require a cane to walk.  I've never felt like I was going to be shoved aside or knocked over.  And they are well lit, so navigation isn't an issue.  Overall, I give it my highest rating, five stars.

2.       Theater

The theater itself is bright both before and after the show.  A lot of people leave as soon as the credits start, which is ok but if you’re like me, or it’s a Marvel movie, you wait.  However, I've been to some theaters where you can’t see anything until well after the credits end.  It’s like the want you to be in the dark, pun intended.  A lot of the time, I am terrified to move around in a theater because it’s dark and having a cane, I need to see where I am stepping.  I’m also visually impaired, so I can’t see outlines in dark places.  I love that Harkins actually makes sure people can see where they are going.  I personally feel safer going up and down the steps, knowing I can clearly see what I am doing.

Rating: Five Stars

3.       Management/Staff

You know how some places have employees that just look like they’d rather be doing anything else at that moment?  Or how it reflects in their attitude?  I never see that with the workers at Harkins.  I’ll admit, sometimes they do seem tired but they work hard and I cannot fault them for showing signs of exhaustion.  They are genuinely friendly, gladly help out if you have a question and are incredibly helpful.  I've had issues with an employee…never actually.  And the management?  Bravo Harkins management!  You guys are the best.  I went to a midnight showing and asked a manager about possibly going in like, 2 minutes earlier so I could get a seat.  When he asked why, I explained how most people rush in at once, run past me, etc and that I had been knocked over before during a marathon.  I was just asking because of my personal safety.  Since that night, I've noticed there has been a “no running, no pushing” rule enacted.  They’ve even said if you get caught doing that, it’s the end of the line for you. 

I am incredibly impressed that they took a concern from a customer (I’m sure it wasn't me, other people have probably said things in a similar manner before) and made it a rule so everyone can be safe.  And yes, I do feel safer at Harkins.  I feel I am less likely to trip, be knocked over, fall…I just think they raised the bar here.

Rating: Six Stars (Because they are that good.  I’m not kidding, they are amazing.)

4.       Snacks

Honestly, just about every theater I go to has a subpar snack bar.  I’m normally unimpressed but everything.  However, they have a great selection.  I've never had stale popcorn either and believe me, some places I've been have no shame in serving leftover stuff.  Don’t like the amount of butter you got?  They have small stations to the side where you can add more.  They also have the plastic jars with seasoning in them if you want a different flavor.  Did you know other theaters charge for it?  I've seen it sold for about a dollar other places but here, they give it away.  And if you haven’t tried ranch popcorn, you’re missing out.  They have a huge variety of candy as well, if that’s what you want.  They even offer pizza and small burgers if you’re really hungry.  I’m not a fan but that’s because I've never understood getting a full meal at a movie.  If you’re at a movie tavern, I understand but a normal movie?  Don’t get me wrong, I've eaten probably everything they offer because I've attended marathons there and if you’re there all day, you don’t just want popcorn.  Personally, I go for the pizza but to each their own.

Rating: Four Stars (sometimes the lines get really backed up and you end up waiting a long time to get to the counter, and I don’t mean during marathon events.  Even then, it’s worth the wait)

5.       Cleanliness

Not going to lie, I've never seen this theater dirty.  Yes, after a movie, people leave their trash all over but that’s it.  The bathrooms are always spotless, even during marathon events when they are in high use.  How is it possible that they keep it so clean?  The lobby and halls may have the occasional piece of popcorn or ticket stub but that’s it.  It’s just…clean.  Once again, it’s good for me because I feel safe, knowing I can’t slip on someone’s spilled popcorn.  They take care of things in a very timely manner.  Oh and during marathons, if you’re too tired or too stiff to make it to the trashcans in the hallway, they come around with a bag so you can dispose of your garbage.  Is there anything they won’t do?  Well, I mean, yeah they can’t do everything for you but still, they’re pretty impressive by my standards.

Rating: Four and a Half Stars.  They’re not perfect and there are some people who just leave the trash all over and it’s possible that sometimes, something might be overlooked.  However, by far, Harkins is the cleanest theater I go to.

                There you have it, folks!  My first theater review!  What do you guys think?  Do you want me to write about more places I go?  Would you want to know what I think about some of the local theaters?  And by local, I mean the places in the Hurst, Euless, Bedford, Grapevine, Southlake, Colleyville, Arlington area.  I live in the Dallas/Fort Worth suburbs so I tend to stick with what’s closest to me.  Sorry, I don’t see the need to drive to downtown Dallas for 3 hours.

                Also, as I've said before, I am not affiliated with any of these places.  They are simply theaters I go to and like going to.  If they like what I say, great, if they don’t, I’m sorry.

                Until next time, I’m TheCinemaChick and I think I’ll make a sandwich for dinner.

Avengers: Age of Ultron

                Hello everyone, I’m the nerd you might love and enjoy hearing from, TheCinemaChick!  I’ve been busy as usual but I come bearing good news for a change.  Today is the first of May which means “Avengers: Age of Ultron” is now out in theaters.  Fortunately, I got to see it last night in a double feature so I can review it for you now.  I will try to remain as spoiler free as possible because I know everyone wants to see it this weekend.  And I don’t blame you.  Right now, Marvel is a hot company.  They’ve got a dozen movies lined up so this is all leading up to the highly anticipated “Infinity War”.

                I will say this, if you haven’t seen ALL of the Marvel movies to date, don’t see this yet.  Go catch up and make sure you’ve seen them then go see this one.  There are a lot of references that come up that you might miss. I’d start with the first Avengers, then all of Phase 2 up until this point.  Technically you don’t need to see “Guardians of the Galaxy” because it isn’t really mentioned except for a brief reference during a tiny montage.  However, you should see it anyway because it’s a good movie.  Plus, it’s Marvel and we all know they rarely ever have a misstep.  Let’s not go into my intense dislike of “Iron Man 3” or why I can’t stand to sit through “Captain America: The First Avenger”.  They’re both good in their own right but they are my least favorites.

                There is a lot going on in this film, not going to lie.  There are a lot of new characters, some huge plot twists added in and this is the movie that will lead us into Phase 3.  What’s going to happen in Phase 3 you may ask?  To which I will respond, “Where have you been?”  Everyone know what’s coming in the next wave of films!  To be fair, we will probably never see another Hulk film.  I’m not sure why to be honest but I would love to see another.  If you’ve see “Age of Ultron” already, then you might agree with me when I say that I would love to have a film showing what happens next for him.  That ending…I won’t spoil it for you.  You just have to see it and if you haven’t seen it yet, why not?  I mean, come on this movie just set a record!  It is now the second best opening ever at roughly $187.7 million. 

                Wondering what the biggest opening ever is?  “The Avengers” with $207.4 million.

                I will admit, all of the new characters can make the movie a bit hard to follow.  We have Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch added into the fold.  I have to admit, I loved their portrayal.  However, I didn’t care for Elizabeth Olsen’s portrayal.  Overall, I really liked her but she sounded terrible with her accent.  Aaron Taylor-Johnson was spot on and as much as I love Evan Peters…I’m sorry, Taylor-Johnson wins this one.  He was exactly what you want.  Peters brought more of a comedic edge to the character but traditionally, Pietro Maximoff isn’t humorous.  He’s hot headed, impatient and extremely volatile.  Yes, he does have some wonderful moments that made me laugh but I’m used to a more angry Quicksilver.  As for Olsen and Wanda Maximoff, again, for the most part, I enjoyed her.  She brought this mysterious yet slightly kooky vibe to her, which I liked.  I just wish she’d done a little more work on that accent.

                One really great thing about this movie is how things from all the previous films are starting to come together.  Little elements from “Thor” and “The Winter Soldier” are starting to come into play here.  There are things you notice from those films in this one.  The obvious thing is the yellow stone that showed up in one of the previews.  Comic fans will know what this is: The Mind Stone.  Ladies and gentlemen, the Infinity Stones are coming.  Remember in the first “Thor” movie, when they’re down in the vault and you see all those relics?  While the movie focused on the Casket of Winter, there is something else I hope you noticed.  Remember that glove you saw for a brief moment?  That is the Power Glove, the thing that houses the Infinity Stones.  Once someone has all the Stones in that Glove, they become damn near invincible.

                Thanos is coming.

                I have to admit, despite my dislike of Elizabeth Olsen’s lack of accent, the way she interacted with the other actors, in character was brilliant.  She was essentially what I had hoped for.  The Scarlet Witch comes off as slightly out of her mind, which she is.  I liked how her powers effected the Avengers so much that they had to leave and sort themselves out before going back to it.  It’s like the film is trying to get the point across that super heroes are vulnerable too.  Even they can lose their nerve.  But the best part of Wanda’s powers were the little dreams she brought out.  The audience gets to see little glimpses into the minds of each character.  Finally, we get to see some of Black Widow’s background, which made her more of a sympathetic person to me.  I’m not a huge fan of her but after seeing her story, I like her more.  Thor’s dream, however, is more relevant to the future of the Marvel movie universe, so I’d rather not spoil that.

                I would like to point this out though.  Earlier in the year, I had read an interview with Idris Elba where he confirmed that both he and Tom Hiddleston would appear in “Age of Ultron”.  Heimdall does show up, I won’t say where or how.  However, Loki is noticeably absent in the movie.  I’ve since read another interview, this one with Joss Whedon and he says that yes, Hiddleston did shoot some scenes but they were ultimately cut.  I understand his reasoning since there is so much going on that maybe having Loki in it as well would have made the movie feel cluttered.  As is, the film felt stuffed full of things I’ll need to remember into Phase 3.  I agree with the decision to keep Loki out of this movie but that has just made me curious.  What would his role have been?  Remember, they think he’s dead because in “The Dark World”, Thor believes he sees Loki killed but at the very end, we see the trickster sitting on the throne of Asgard with a cocky grin on his face.

                Anyone else wondering where Odin is?

                I’ll admit, I had hoped that Ultron, Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch would play a larger part but I felt like they were underutilized.  I know, I know, this movie is about the Avengers and how they save the world.  In my eyes, the twins are some of the most interesting and possibly tragic characters in this movie but they aren’t in it as much as I’d like.  There could have been more added so we got to know them more but they were just pushed aside.  I wasn’t even a huge fan of Ultron.  Maybe it’s because I’m not familiar with him in the comic book universe, but to me, he was the least threatening villain ever.  Maybe it was because he was always so calm and philosophical but I never once found him to be a threat.  A nuisance maybe but never truly menacing.  I wanted him to be a little more sinister and they almost turned him into a comic relief.  I get that he’s new to the world and he intends to save it in his own way but having him apologize for hurting someone?

                I admit, that bothered me.  In the original “Avengers” movie, I had the sense of danger and urgency while they were looking for the tesseract and Loki.  In “Age of Ultron”, I never really got that feeling.  There were a few brief moments of “I wonder what will happen next” and a few times, I did say “Well, didn’t see that coming” but overall, it played out just as I had thought.  There weren’t any major huge twists or surprises.  I mean, we see the Hulk Buster armor in the trailer, so that wasn’t a surprise.  Hell, they even teased the reveal of The Vision.  Had they left that a secret, I would have been even more excited.  Trailers these days just give away too much. 

                I will say this, the trailer, while it did give away too much for me, also did a good job of teasing me to the point where I had to find answers.  Like, you see Captain America’s shield broken and you need to know why it’s broken.  Or, you’ll see Thor in that pool of water and question what that has to do with the film overall.  I can honestly say that even though it’s brief, it’s extremely important.  Thor’s dream is something you should pay attention to and listen to everything he says.  Again, this is all leading into Phase 3, The Infinity War.

                Spoiler alert!!  Kevin Feige has gone on record stating that the Gauntlet we see in “Thor” might not be the only one.  I can’t say more because I don’t know more but I need to know.

                I thoroughly enjoyed “Avengers: Age of Ultron” but it did have its faults.  There was too much going on and far too many characters were involved.  While the film does center on the main group, there are nearly a dozen additional minor characters as well.  I won’t say who because that would spoil the ending, which was brilliant as well.  The problem being, in my opinion, is that it took away from the overall feel.  Yes, I understand that they’re important and they serve a purpose in later films but did we need them?  Okay, they were needed at the end but all throughout?  The plot is straightforward but then there are so many side stories that I got bored several times.  I understand why its needed but maybe, just maybe, we could cut some of it out?  I am glad to see that Jeremy Renner gets far more screen time.  He also gets some of the best lines in the movie too.

                There is some dialogue that was absolutely perfect, both in the comedic sense and in terms of foreshadowing.  Joss Whedon is really careful with his words and I think that shows in the final product.  Quicksilver is always snarky while Scarlet Witch is always a little vague.  I would like to see it again because I know there will be things that I missed in the first showing.  Plus, we finally get to meet The Vision, who was amazing.  I like Paul Bettany and seeing him “come to life” so to speak in the movie…the way they did it was great.  I hope to see more of him in later films because he does possess an Infinity Stone.

                And before you jump on my case, no that’s not a spoiler.  It’s in the trailer!

                I would say “Age of Ultron” is another Marvel masterpiece, but like all of its other films, it is flawed.  It suffers from what my creative writing professor in college called “population control”.  There are too many characters, too many side stories and some of it just didn’t even feel necessary.  I think they over emphasized the idea that the Avengers needed to come together because they spend so much time on it. 

                I do recommend it, not just because I’m obsessed with the Marvel world.  It’s genuinely entertaining, it does make you think about things like artificial intelligence and it did get me excited for the next round of films.  I do hope there’s another Hulk movie in the future but we’ll have to wait and see.  We’ve got “Captain America: Civil War” to look forward to, along with “Ant Man”, “Doctor Strange” and the one I’m most excited about “Thor: Ragnarok”. 

                What can I say, I love mythology.

                Guys, once again, I just want to say thank you for sticking with me.  I know I’m not posting as often as I used to and I’ve been combining reviews but to know you’re still reading, it means a lot to me.  Cinema is a huge passion of mine, on a technical and artistic level.  I love writing this blog and I love being able to share my opinions with you guys.

                So, from the bottom of my nerdy heart, thank you.

                I would also like to say that the summer movie season is upon us, so be looking for my list of movies I’m geeking out about soon.  I can tell you that I will see “Mad Max”.  Who knows what else I’ll see?  Time will tell.

                I’m TheCinemaChick and what a lovely day.