Day 2

Best. Sandwich. Ever.

Several of you have asked. So here it is.  I am on Day 2 of my trip to Europe and North Africa.

Day 1 can be summed up as a great day of SLEEP!!

What I love:

The architecture in Madrid is absolutely breathtaking. The weather this time of year is pretty awesome (high 70s/low 80s). SN: someone actually said it was hot today and I had to work really hard not to give her a side eye. I really wanted to tell her to try life in Florida, but I just smiled and posted on social media.

What I am working on loving (notice I didn't say what I hate):

The food. My trip to Greece last year spoiled me. I mean EVERYTHING in Greece is good, EVERYTHING. I realize I can be a tad bit picky when it comes to food, but so far, the menu choices I've seen at 95% of the restaurants are pork and pork. Did I mention pork?? So, the chicken sandwich with fries that I had to today was absolutely the best chicken sandwich I've ever had. Ever.

Seriously though, for an extroverted introvert traveling solo with a bunch of people I don't know, I am truly having a good time.

P.S. If you really want to learn Spanish, Spain is a good country to start. Watching tv alone will increase your vocabulary, as I've yet to find any English speaking stations - don't even ask about
closed captioning. And yes, the American TV shows are in Spanish as well 😉

Interstellar - Out of This World!!

Forget everything you saw in Gravity, 2010, and all the space movies in between.  You need your mind to be totally open for this one.

So, I'm going to tell you all you read and saw in the trailers. Matthew McConaughey is the star (you did know that, right?), and he is given a very important mission.  If none of this sounds familiar, go back and see the trailer and read the synopsis on Wikipedia (no scratch that), go to IMDB.

What I will also tell you is it was GREAT for so many reasons.

1.  Matthew is alright alright alright (sorry, he had to be mentioned again)

2.  The scenery was out.of.this.world! #seriously

3.  I was on the edge of my seat for 90% of the movie. And that was a long time for a 2 hour, 40 minute movie.

4.  It was so unlike the "typical space movie." To say more would ruin it.

I hope you get to see it.  I don't think you'll be disappointed.

Rating 4.5/5 stars (I don't see too many perfect movies😃)

P.S. Go see this in IMAX (not 3D, just IMAX). You'll be glad you did.

The Hundred-Foot Journey

 

 

The Hundred-Foot Journey is a movie about family, food, and traditions. 

 

The Kadam family opens an Indian restaurant in a French village directly across the street from a well known French restaurant.  The owner of this French restaurant (Helen Mirren), believes in French cuisine and traditions only and doesn't take too well to the Kadam family.  Despite the differences between the families, they learn that they do indeed have one similarity; their love of food.

 

Rating:  4/5 stars

 

I absolutely loved this movie!  Going in, I knew it would be great, and I was not disappointed.  This movie put me in the mindset of Julie and Julia, and made me hungry - but not just for any old food, I wanted food that had fresh ingredients that melt in your mouth.  It also made me want to take a trip to France. :-)  So there it is.  In the words of my father, "The Hundred-Foot Journey is a feel good movie about food."  Well said, Dad!

Non-Stop

Liam Neeson has graced us once again with another action-packed thriller.  This time, Liam plays a U.S. Air Marshal that receives threats from an unknown source who threatens to eliminate a passenger every 30 minutes unless his demands are met. 

Rating:  3/5 stars

Well, I absolutely loved that I could NOT for the life of me, figure out who the heck the "bad guy" was.  That part was cool, because every time I thought I had it all put together, something happened that made me start all over with the clues. 

So, on to the parts that I didn't 'love' but, were minor enough to overlook.  It's kind of slow in the beginning.  Yeah, yeah, I know you have to build the story and give background information, but, I just wanted to get to the action :-)  I think Liam is an AWESOME actor, I really do.  I'm just ready for him to do something else besides "one man saves the world" type movies though.  Its like the movie industry keeps trying to capitalize on the success of 'Taken,' (which I loved too, by the way), again and again and again.

So anyway, if you're looking for a decent action/thriller movie, this would be a good one to check out!

Robocop

Robocop is a futuristic movie about a police detective who is part human, part robot designed to protect and serve the people of Detroit.  I know you can pretty much guess that from the picture above and the title, however, to tell you more would truly give away the entire plot (that you may already know, since this is yet another remake).

Rating:  2.5-3/5 stars

I was not overly excited to see this.  Mostly because I saw the original and I liked it, and lately, Hollywood hasn't been doing all that great w/ the remixes of the original (for example:  Total Recall, Footloose).  So yeah, I really wasn't expecting much. 

What I liked:
1.  Kept the original background music (really was surprised I recognized it, but, that was cool).
2.  The special effects and technology upgrades were hot! Definitely MUCH better than the original.

What I didn't like:
1.  Not enough action.  Very.slow.moving.  Definite disappointment here :-(

So, would I recommend it?  If you are really into science and technology, sure (I still think I would only pay for a matinee or the dollar theater; almost forgot about that option).  If you're looking for a lot of action, look elsewhere.   

About Last Night

 

 

About Last Night is a remake - didn't know that huh?  Yeah, it was originally done in the '80s and starred Rob Lowe, Demi Moore, and others.  Anyway, it is a remake about 2 couples, and love, their relationships, and all that goes with it. 

 

The movie has been given the genre of "romantic comedy."  I don't think the original was, but, it was so long ago, I honestly can't remember.  What I do remember though, is in this version, none of the characters, couples, and/or actors were as hilarious as the characters played by Kevin Hart and Regina Hall.  Kevin Hart is CA-RA-ZY, and together, they truly carry this movie with their lines, actions, and antics.  On the flip side, Michael Ealy does a good job, and is never ever ever (did I say never?) hard on the eyes!

 

Rating:  3/5 stars

 

 



Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit

Jack Ryan is back on screen.  The main character in many of Tom Clancy's novels (The Hunt For Red October, Patriot Games, Sum Of All Fears, Clear and Present Danger, etc), has returned for another action packed thrill ride.  This time, we learn more about Ryan's past as he once again defends the US against foreign threats, showcasing his brilliance in the field and his inability to simultaneously balance his personal life.

Rating:  4.5/5 stars

I am a fan of all the Jack Ryan movies.  This one, blows them all away.  This was a "nonstop, action packed, adrenaline rush, roller coaster of a ride," and my heart was in my throat for 75% of the movie.  Great, great, GREAT action scenes, terrific acting (you can never go wrong w/ Chris Pine and Kevin Costner), you name it.  So, I guess you can say I liked it! :-)

Oh yeah, and if you get to see it in IMAX, go for it!!

Ride Along

Ben (Kevin Hart), an aspiring police officer, is in love w/ and wants to marry Angela, the sister of James (Ice Cube).  James is a hardcore Atlanta police detective who thinks no one is good enough for his sister, especially Ben.  To win James over and to receive his blessing to marry Angela, Ben agrees to spend the day w/ James on a ride along, to experience a day in the life of a police officer.

Rating:  3/5 stars

I saw a bunch of previews for this movie so I wasn't really expecting that much.  I figured I already saw all the funny parts and it would be really predictable.  I'm glad I was wrong.  It was still predictable, but, the laughs helped out in that department.  Kevin Hart is a nut.  Funny, but, not "over the top slapstick funny," (which was great, by the way), and Ice Cube and Kevin Hart make a good team.  The cameo spots (Gary Owen and Laurence Fishburne) were good too.

American Hustle

So, I'm sure you've seen all the buzz lately for this movie from the previews, the Golden Globe Awards, and now, the Oscar buzz.

American Hustle is about some small-time hustlers (Christian Bale, Amy Adams), who are caught in the act by FBI Agent (Bradley Cooper), and are used to catch some corrupt politicians.  Its supposed to be somewhat amusing, and I guess I would say intriguing.  Key words (in case you missed it), supposed to be.

Rating:  3/5 stars.  I'm being generous on this one.  The acting was good, the movie, not so much.  I mean, don't get me wrong, it had its moments, and Jennifer Lawrence was the most amusing to me, out of all of the stars, however, I really don't get what all the "hoopla" is about.  Spend your money if you want to, but, don't say I didn't warn you.

Frozen

 

 

Disney's Frozen was adorable.  Seriously. 

Princess Elsa was born w/ a special "gift," however, due to its nature, it was treated as a curse, and as a result, Elsa grew up in seclusion, w/o any contact w/ her sister Anna and limited contact w/ her parents and everyone else.  Through a series of events, Elsa learns about herself, that all things aren't as bad as they look and/or seem, and even the coldest hearts have the ability to love.

Rating:  4.5/5 stars

This is the 1st cartoon movie (since like forever) where the (seemingly almost constant) singing wasn't annoying.  (And yes, I know that it was a kid's movie.  Don't judge me :-)  Anyway, the singing was rather appropriate.  The characters were cute, the snowman Olaf, was hilarious, and it was nice to see Disney bring back a "true princess story."  Even the adventure in the movie was great.  I went with a two year old that surprisingly made it through the whole movie without talking and/or getting up, even with the teeny tiny slightly scary part. 

Overall, I loved it!! :-)