Date: July 28
Location: AMC Sunset Place

Amy’s plug for Talk to Me went unheeded not because we don’t value her opinion but because it wasn’t playing anywhere near South Miami. Hairspray was a great time, with excellent songs and a teriffic cast. Travolta was particularly effective as Edna Turnblatt. Like most musicals, it probably won’t stick with me long after the first viewing, but I sure did enjoy myself in the theater. And I have to admit a salacious interest in Amanda Bynes’ character.

Date: July 15
Location: AMC Sunset Place

We used the free Harry Potter passes to see the latest John McClane adventure. It was as fun and as absurd as the rest of the Die Hard sequels. Willis’ advancing age gave this installment a charming quality, especially as they played up the old vs. new fighting styles and his technological cluelessness. The early gunfights and car chases were the most effective; McClane leaping onto the wing of a jet fighter… less so. I really enjoyed Justin Long as the sidekick. Most of all, it made me want to rewatch the classic first film.

Date: June 11
Location: AMC Aventura

For the second year in a row, we joined Madison Gallup and her parents for dinner at Johnny Rockets followed by the new Potter film across the hall at AMC. A lovely tradition I hope to repeat for the next two films. I do hope the A/C works next time — we were forced to watch Phoenix in rain forest conditions. We did get free passes out of the deal after more complaining than should have been necessary. The film was quite good, though as such a fan of the books, I always find myself trying to fill in what was left out and wondering how they’ll dramatize certain plot points. I’ll never be able to experience these films as films first; they’ll always be dramatizations of a familiar text (and somehow, this is even more the case with the Potter films than with other literary adaptations).