Thursday, November 29, 2007

Movie review and around town events

We went to the movies last night – don’t do it very often, guess we are getting old and it’s just fine sitting at home. And the cost – movies in Vegas are now up to $10.00, 10.25 on Friday and Saturday. We just got one medium popcorn and coke and that was $10.50. Kids are less, but not much, so I can see how a night out at the movies has been decreasing. But a hint, at least here; Costco sells tickets for one of the bigger movie chains at $6.95 per ticket, good any time. They aren’t actually tickets, but coupons that you just exchange at the box office, no expiration date. I always keep a half dozen or so in my wallet just in case we do wander over.

Almost all of our theaters are located at casinos, we go to the ones at the Orleans or Texas Station, but recently have been hitting the Red Rock cinemas – sixteen screens, all stadium seating, and a nice food court off the casino for that ‘fine dining experience’, yea, we usually do Rubio’s fish tacos before the film and save some money on the popcorn. But you can’t see a movie without popcorn, with that nice buttery tasting oil and lots of salt.

We saw the new Disney film Enchanted. I really liked it and would recommend it. Any of you with princess aged girls, yes, take them, but also take along hubby as there were enough outside jokes for the adults. The story starts out with a typical Disney cartoon, with a young girl in a house in the woods with all of her animal helpers, looking for the Prince that will be her one true love. Of course, the prince hears her singing and finds her, but then the evil stepmother throws her down a wishing well and she pops out of a manhole cover in real life New York City, with the prince following some time later to rescue her. The prince and princess actors fit the roles very well – she looks and sounds like a Disney cartoon princess, and Susan Sarandon as the evil stepmother looks pretty good in that black witchy outfit. The stepmother’s henchman is the guy that played Peter Pettigrew in the Harry Potter movies; he does a great job with the poison apples (of course) and chipmunks.

Around town: the National Rodeo Finals are due next week. Most of the events are sold out far in advance, but the city will be filled with hats and boots. There is a big show; Cowboy Christmas Gift Show over at the convention center, and we hold the competing Country Christmas, with the lower hall filled with little booths selling all kinds of junk (sorry, of course I meant Fine Holiday Items). For music fans, there are a lot of country type acts in town, including the Charlie Daniels Band, Trace Adkins, Lee Greenwood, Big & Rich, Terri Clark, Ronnie Milsap, Brooks & Dun, Clay Walker and Bill Engval and Larry the Cable Guy. For the non-country crowd Bjork will be here at the Palms, and Van Halen (with David Lee Roth) at the MGM, Marie Osmond with her Holiday show and even Johnny Mathis. Those of you coming out next summer, Donnie and Marie just announced some show dates then, together again (still). The big Santa run is this Saturday, with over 4,000 Santa’s expected, followed by the Las Vegas Marathon on Sunday, with the running Elvi again, last year over 100 couples were married in the run-in chapel with similar numbers expected this year. Something for everyone.

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