The Force Awakens review

The Force Awakens is a definite step up from the prequel trilogy (I liked Revenge of the Sith quite a bit and Attack of the Clones somewhat). The focus is back on the storytelling in the search to find Luke before the new form of the Galactic Empire, the First Order, led by Kylo Ren, General Hux and Leader Snoke do, and I like the characters of Kylo Ren and Hux as villains quite a bit.

We get some new characters here, and I do like them. I liked the older Han Solo the best, though; when I first saw this film in Kerrville, I thought it was a bit slow until he shows up. Then the characterization, action, and emotion build from there to a great climax at the First Order's Starkiller Base.

I also saw this in the D-Box seating gimmick at the Santikos Palladium AVX in northern San Antonio today, and, let's just say, it's like riding Star Tours at Disney World/Disneyland for two hours, but not too rough to make you lose your popcorn. That was a lot of fun, and I recommend you see this film, and in D-Box or IMAX if you can. Drive 5 hours if you have to.

Carrabba's review

I have been going to Carrabba's ever since I was little, and I've always loved it. I now have more reason to love it since I tried out one of their specialty classics for this go round. 

First things first. You always start with some of the best restaurant bread anywhere, and a lovely dose of herbed olive oil to go with it. That oil was wonderful and delicious.

So what I got for my entree was the brick chicken with sides of mashed potatoes and fettuccini alfredo, and, I have to admit, I didn't know what to expect. I thought part of the chicken was tough, but it was mostly very good and very well cooked. Mash and pasta were great as always. My co-worker let me have some of her filet, and it was tender and really good.

I also had one of their specialty coffee drinks for dessert, Caffe Carrabba, and I liked it. Cappuccino spiked with Frangelico, Bailey's, and Tuaca, with cinnamon. Good for a little after-dinner drink.

Carrabba's is a must see when one visits Houston. It's classic Italian at some of its finest.

Inside Out review rating.

I loved this movie. I have a ratings scale now. It's called the Walt Disney "Black Diamond" Classics scale. And this film hits the top of the scale..

It is a Walt Disney Black Diamond Signature Classic!!!

Congratulations, Pixar!!

AMC Studio 30 theater review.

AMC Studio 30

2949 Dunvale Rd, Houston, TX 77063

Not a bad place to see a movie. It is starting to show its age, but I came here quite a few times as an adolescent, and aside from the front concession stand, Quantum Bits, being changed into one of AMC's new cafeterias with those lovely Coca-Cola Freestyle machines with the other two concession stands, Wildebeest Feast and whatever the other one was, being shut down, plus the IMAX being added, not much has changed. The seats were nice when this place opened 18 years ago, but they do feel a bit hard now, though the stadium seating gave me a perfect view of the screen. My concern is the area is a bit shady, though this is one of the theaters in the Memorial Village vicinity, and they decided to drive a theater at PlazAmericas/Sharpstown Mall, which was taking some of the shady people, out of business. I do call them out on that for giving the community a little more danger than it needs to have, but this is still a good theater for West Houston. Saw The Good Dinosaur here, and saw it late at night, when there weren't that many people here.