Deja View: The Three Caballeros

Deja View: The Three Caballeros: Wouldn't that be nice. I loved The Three Caballeros.



It needs a Blu-ray release soon, just so Disney can say all the canon films are on Blu-ray.

Star Trek Beyond/Barco Escape/Santikos Silverado review.

This is a three stage review. In this one, I'm reviewing the movie Star Trek Beyond, I'm reviewing the screening format that I saw the film in at this theater, Barco Escape 3 screen projection, and I'm reviewing the theater itself for Tripadvisor, in this order..

So my thoughts on Star Trek Beyond are as follows:

It is one of the better and most epic movies I've seen in 2016.

One of the things I loved about this film was the visual effects. The entire composition of Yorktown, the Swarm, and the planet were absolute top notch. It is a spectacle to watch.

For the characters, we have the crew, who are all on point with their interactions with each other and have great chemistry, and we got the villain, who is very nasty and very effective.

It is a great movie.

My thoughts on the Barco Escape projectors are as follows:

This is basically what I'm terming Cinerama 2.0, Cinerama Light or Diet Cinerama. The basic idea for Barco Escape is, like the classic Cinerama you'd want to see 2001: A Space Odyssey in, it uses three projectors. For the theater I saw Star Trek in, the main Barco projector for it and normal screened movies was in the booth behind the auditorium as normal, but Barco Escape, instead of a curved screen, uses three movie screens, with the outer two angled and conjoined with the middle; it's got a corner rather than a circle. The other two projectors are in little surveillance camera sockets on the ceiling up front and aimed at the other two screens.

What did I think of this format?

It was really cool and unique. I was lucky to have the screening room all to myself and shift to various parts of the room to see what the experience was. You really do need to pay attention to everything going on in the room to get the full experience. My advice: pick a seat up-front in the stadium section, but maybe take a front seat in the little "arc" of the screens if you wish.

Now for the theater.

I've gotten to like the Santikos movie theaters, and this one is very nice. This western-themed locale isn't as nice as the Palladium by virtue of it being older and a bit smaller, but it was still comfortable, the staff were still very nice, and I still liked the popcorn. I'm a bit disappointed by there being no Freestyle soda machines, but it's still good to have self-serve soda fountains. The rooms are a little darker, so keep that in mind.

So I recommend all three parts of this review: the movie Star Trek Beyond, the Barco Escape format, and the Santikos Silverado if the Palladium is booked out or too crowded, or both.

Zootopia

You know what, I think Zootopia has proven to be successful enough to be included in the new Walt Disney Signature Collection series. Who agrees?

Motown the Musical quickie review.

If anybody here has heard of Motown: The Musical, I have this to say about it:

It's BARELY a musical; it's really more of a stage slideshow of various snippets of Motown songs. I saw that last Tuesday at the Majestic, and the entire show passed through me, like air. The story about how Motown and Berry Gordy came to be is nonexistent, and any racial concerns about how they were treated is so far in the background I couldn't see it.

I actually told my father to have us leave at Intermission. It was that bad.

Bohanan's review.

I have never been disappointed by Bohanan's even once, and this visit last night was no exception. Let's go over my dinner here.

No. 1: The Bar,
This was the very first trip I took to Bohanan's where I had one of their famous cocktails. In this case, I ordered the "French 75" with vodka, champagne, sugar, lemon juice, and a lemon peel in a champagne flute (I don't have a photo, sadly, but search for it on Google and you'll know what I'm talking about.) I have to admit, I was impressed. It tasted great, and the vodka, while it did make me woozy, wasn't overpowering in taste due to mixing with champagne and non-alcoholic ingredients. And the glass sure was pretty. This is one drink you sip, slowly. There is no rush. 

I have always liked Bohanan's Bar. It's one of the most charming places you will find, worthy of taking someone on a date or big business excursion.

No. 2: The main dining room's food.
I liked my steak quite a lot. It was very juicy, and very flavorful (though it could use a little less pepper. I also really liked their mash potatoes. One thing I might mention; this place's bread may have just managed to beat the original Carabba's in Houston on the bread game. It is REALLY good. I also really liked Mark's Famous Tortilla Soup. Not overpowering in the spice. I was OK with the amaretto cheesecake, but I think I like the Myer's Rum cheesecake with butterscotch in the bar better. My sister's wine had a good, nice spice to it that complimented the entire meal. I liked that.

No. 3 The atmosphere.
It's no secret that I love the downstairs bar. It has so much charm and character, I feel like it's one of the best places to discuss business or find a date in. The. World. I also like the main restaurant quite a bit as well, but I think the bar's decor leaves more of an impression on me. Wood paneling, leather booths, nice chairs, and a jazz band, this is the place for any aspiring bartender. Watching them make drinks and do other things beats watching Cocktail every day of the week.
As for the main dining room, it's still nice, with a good view over the street.

So what more can be said? Bohanan's is and always has been a must-see in San Antonio.

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.