This looks like a great movie. It’s being screened for free tonight for anyone who’s looking for something to do. Unfortunately I can’t make it because I’ll be at home packing for my move this weekend.

From SpaceTaker:

The Houston Peace Forum’s Summer Time Movie Series continues with this film. Based on Norman Solomon’s book, “War Made Easy: How Presidents and Pundits Keep Spinning Us to Death,” it exposes a 50-year pattern of deception that has dragged the U. S. into one war after another. Narrated by Sean Penn, “War Made Easy” is a powerful indictment of the current U.S. warfare state and a call to action.

Discussion follows. Refreshments served. 7:30 p.m. in Rm. 302,
First Unitarian Universalist Church, 5200 Fannin. For more
information, contact Pat Nichols, 713/681-6267, nicholspat@awesomenet.net.

I’m excited for the Hot Town, Cool City movie to premiere this weekend at MFAH (showtimes here).

On the surface Houston is about big oil, NASA, big medicine, big sports, big freeways, hot summers, and humidity. Behind that facade is a network of Cool– Houston is down to earth but still international, sophisticated, cutting edge, avant-garde and world class. The new documentary, Hot Town, Cool City, attempts to answer the question- Why Houston?

The Hot Town, Cool City site has a great interactive map feature for you to submit your fave Houston spots and comment on others. I’ve grown to really love this city and can’t wait to sit next to other Houstonians and watch the story of our city’s hidden gems and treasures.

So we want to ask you: WHY HOUSTON??

Make sense this time.
Make sins sublime
Fake fins on pine
Bait bins are prime

Bipedular interaction-dancing of the bellymost
This weekender at the Dan.

BEANS BARTON AND THE BIPEDS
Dan Electro’s Guitar Bar and Campgrounds
No shoking smow
Belly Dancering @ 9:15ish
Mayhem and Haw @ 10ish

Absolutely Alive performance art auctioned to benefit the Houston Food Bank

Real World junkies (you know you’re out there) get a local boy to root for this season with the Real World Denver. His name is Alex and, according to From MTV.com, he:

‘…is the product of a recipe that includes a heap of cockiness, a dash of street smarts, tad bit of sensitivity and a whole lots of sex appeal. However, this loud-mouth, over confident, Texan flirt does not lack passion.’

If you’re like me and only really care to watch the show long enough to see the cool house they get to live in, you can visit this Real World Houses site for info and pics. The Denver house has a bright yellow jeep in it and maybe some plastic deer? I’m not impressed, but maybe Alex’s ‘heap of cockiness’ will make up for it.

Thanks to Mike McGuff for the heads up

The Houston Ballet is performing Dracula, a dramatic ballet based on the well-known Transylvanian legend of blood, lust and pointy teeth.

I’m envisioning black and red satin en pointe, along with ghostly pale faces and glimmers of sharp incisors. The reviews have been great – let us know if you make one of the September 21 – October 1 shows!

Feel like watching something irreverantly funny, bitingly honest and uber-political? Get Your War On, the Rude Mechanicals’ adaptation of the online comic, is performing at DiverseWorks September 21-30 with a workshops scheduled for September 25 and 26.

Political theater is fun! Check out the Austin Metblogs’ review of this Austin-based group’s show and buy your tickets asap as they will most definitely be sold out and you will be left home crying into your pillow.

As promised a few months ago, I went to the Studio Movie Grill in Copperfield and am here to tell you all about it.

One afternoon, I met Leslie, a girl I work with, there to see The Devil Wears Prada (Stop laughing! Sometimes a girl just needs to watch a girly movie!). We were both able to purchase student tickets ($5.00), but even the regular $6.00 matinee price is perfectly reasonable. When we were given our tickets, we were also given a menu and a coaster light (similar to those vibrating squares you get a restaurant when you’re waiting for a table). The coaster light had a button on it to push to alert the staff when you needed assistance.

I had eaten lunch just a few hours before, so I decided to go with the old standby combination of soda and popcorn. The soda ($2.50) came in a big (non-disposable) cup and was refilled by the server as needed. The popcorn ($2.99) was served in a low, wide bowl (probably 8-10 inches across and 4 inches tall) along with a little bowl of melted butter. Leslie had water and the grilled chicken house salad ($9.99). While $10 for a salad is a bit steep (to me, at least) for a salad, once we saw the size of it, we decided it could easily be split between two or three people (and maybe it was meant to be). She ended up taking enough salad home to eat it for another meal or two. It was giant and she said it was delicious. Our server dropped the checks off about 30 minutes before the movie ended, but didn’t expect us to disturb our movie-watching to get our money out right away. There was no problem having our food put on separate checks.

I will definitely be back and next time, I’ll go on an empty stomach so I can branch out and try a few more menu items (chips & salsa! mmm!).

Total money spent (for ticket, soda & popcorn): $10.49
Compared to other local theaters, I’d say my money went further than normal.

Next up on my must-see movie list: Pulse (because I’m a huuuuge Veronica Mars fan), and probably Snakes on a Plane (because, how cool is this?!).

Studio Movie Grill is located in Copperfield at 8580 Highway 6 North & West Road.

The last movie I saw at a drive-in theater was Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey. I remember thinking that I preferred the first one and that their journey was kind of bogus (but not in the way they intended). The drive-in closed and I was forced to go back to watching movies indoors where my dog wasn’t welcome.

Until now.

There’s a drive-in out in Hockley (near Tomball, five minutes east of 290 on FM 2920) called The Showboat Drive-In Theater. Adults can watch a double feature for only $5 (tickets are $4 for kids 2-12, and free for kids under 2). Better still, the movie sound comes from your own car radio, instead of those rickety old speakers that I remember from my youth!

June 16 – June 22
Cars
X-Men: The Last Stand
(First movie starts at dusk.)

Coming soon: Grease!

Because of a previous post of mine about a new dining-during-movie theater in Copperfield, I now officially have two theaters to go inspect and report back on. Full reviews of both coming very soon, I promise.

You’ve got something new to do on your night out!

Introducing: Studio Movie Grill.

Similar to the beloved Alamo Drafthouse, Studio Movie Grill is a theater and restaurant rolled into one. The grand opening for SMG’s first Houston location is tomorrow (Friday, May 19).

The theater’s menu looks to be promising with burgers, pizza (including one of my favorites, garlic chicken pizza!), chicken tenders, the Lone Star State-required chips and queso, and the movie theater classic: popcorn!

Right now on their website: Sign up for their mailing list to receive a free movie ticket! While you’re there, check out the Summer Children’s Series featuring cheap tickets ($1 children, $2 adults), and a chance to see movies like Madagascar, Robots, and Shark Tale for less than it would cost you to rent it. No word yet on whether or not you actually have to bring a kid to get in for $2.

I will, of course, go check this place out myself and report back on how my evening goes (and how good the food really is).

The theater is locally owned and operated and located in Copperfield right off of 290 on Highway 6.

If you are trying to score the $32.2 million Lotto Texas jackpot tonight, you probably should’ve bought your ticket for the next go-around on Wednesday.

Why? Because tonight you’re odds of winning are 1 in 47.7 million, instead of next week’s 1 in 25.8 million. Still not really great odds granted, but it beats the hell out of 47.7.

This evening’s game is the last appearance for the apparently much-hated Bonus Ball. The mischevious little beastie was incorporated into the game 3 years ago to create uber-huge jackpots and up sales – at $32.2 million, I’d say that at least part of their plan worked.

Happy Lotto-ing!!