Movie Screening: Thor - The Dark World

I honestly have not seen the first Thor movie that came out so when JAM and I were invited to see a press screening of "Thor: The Dark World", I was a little worried that I'd have a hard time following this new movie. The only background information I knew about Thor was from what I've seen in The Avengers movie and from whatever JAM told me about Thor. For all of you newbie's out there, here a synopsis of the second Thor movie in the series:

Marvel’s "Thor: The Dark World" continues the big-screen adventures of Thor, the Mighty Avenger, as he battles to save Earth and all the Nine Realms from a shadowy enemy that predates the universe itself.  In the aftermath of Marvel’s "Thor" and "Marvel’s The Avengers," Thor fights to restore order across the cosmos...but an ancient race led by the vengeful Malekith returns to plunge the universe back into darkness. To defeat an enemy that even Odin and Asgard cannot withstand, Thor sets upon his most dangerous and personal journey yet, forced into an alliance with the treacherous Loki to save not only his people and those he loves…but our universe itself.

"Marvel's Thor: The Dark World"..L to R: Loki (Tom Hiddleston) and Thor (Chris Hemsworth) ..Ph: Film Frame..© 2013 MVLFFLLC. TM & © 2013 Marvel. All Rights Reserved.

I was actually surprised at how much I enjoyed the movie. I'm not a major super hero buff, but having a 7 year old son, super heroes are kind of hard to avoid. Like I've said before, the only Marvel movie I've ever taken interest to was "Marvel's The Avengers". "Thor: The Dark World" was comical yet action-packed. There were so many twists and turns throughout the movie that it definitely kept you on your toes. This movie is shown in Digital 3D and RealD so JAM and I wore those neat theater glasses. The graphics of the movie were breathtaking, especially in scenes where they are visiting Thor's home of Asgard. I remember sitting in the theater wishing that I could be the gatekeeper of Asgard for a day just to witness the beautiful views. When it comes to Natalie Portman's movies, I feel like it's a hit or miss type of situation. However, in this movie, Natalie Portman's charater paired with Chris Hemsworth's wittiness as Thor, the movie was definitely a hit. I'm not familiar with much of Chris Hemsworth's work, but he did a stand out job playing Thor. I expected him to be this macho, "hoo-rah" type of guy, but he ended up being strong, caring, and quite funny throughout the movie. In the end,  Kat Denning's character, Darcy, ended up being my favorite character from the movie. Her gung ho personality paired with her hilarious sarcasm was totally relatable to me, and she kept the movie light-hearted when necessary in my opinion.
 

HOLLYWOOD, CA - NOVEMBER 04: Actress Kat Dennings attends Marvel's "Thor: The Dark World" Premiere at the El Capitan Theatre on November 4, 2013 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Rich Polk/WireImage)

All in all it was a great movie and a must-see this weekend. All the characters were excellent in the movie regardless if their part was major or minor. JAM had a blast and loved every moment of the movie. Go figure his favorite character aside from Thor was his brother Loki. JAM is always amazed by Loki's witchcraft and illusions. As usual, stay until after the credits role to get a great bonus scene in the end *wink wink*.

THOR: The Dark World opens nationwide on Friday, November 8, 2013

Are you planning on checking out "Thor: The Dark World" this weekend?

 

Movie Screening: Planes

If you haven't taken your kiddo to check out Disney's new animated film PLANES, you're definitely missing out! JAM and I got invited to a Press Screening for it in 3D and we absolutely LOVED it! I mean, honestly, who doesn't love a little bromance/underdog story?? Here's a little synopsis if you need a little background story:

“Disney’s Planes” is an action-packed 3D animated comedy adventure featuring Dusty (voice of Dane Cook), a plane with dreams of competing as a high-flying air racer. But Dusty’s not exactly built for racing—and he happens to be afraid of heights. So he turns to a seasoned naval aviator who helps Dusty qualify to take on the defending champ of the race circuit. Dusty’s courage is put to the ultimate test as he aims to reach heights he never dreamed possible, giving a spellbound world the inspiration to soar."

Just from the synopsis alone, I'm sure you can see a few similarities to Disney's CARS. However, you and the family won't be disappointed, trust me. This movie is definitely unique in it's own way. As usual, JAM was most excited to wear his cool 3D glasses once we arrived. Going in, JAM had already decided that Ripslinger was going to be his favorite character because he's the fastest, coolest, plane in the whole movie.

"PLANES" (Pictured) RIPSLINGER ©2013 Disney Enterprises, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

 

Right off the bat, PLANES had us laughing, and that definitely continued throughout the whole movie. Dusty the crop duster, has big dreams of being an awesome air racer, but every sign is telling him that he'll be nothing more than just a smelly farm plane. Thanks to second chances, Dusty gets the opportunity of a lifetime when he was allowed to compete in the "Wings Around the Globe" tournament with some of the best air racers in the world! You get to follow Dusty on his amazing trip around the world as he makes new friends, conquers his fears, and has you on the edge of your seat as Dusty proves that everyone is made for excellence. As much as JAM loved Dusty's character, by the end of the movie JAM changed his mind and decided that El Chupacabra was his favorite character. He couldn't resists El Chupa's comical wit.

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Who was you family favorite?

Cafe Zupas

A couple weeks ago JAM and I were invited to the Grand Opening of Cafe Zupas in Summerlin for a blogging event. Since I have family on the other side of town in Henderson, I've passed by their other location in Nevada plenty of times but never had the chance to stop by. I honestly didn't know what to expect but with the word "cafe" in their name I wasn't expecting extravagant dining. JAM and I arrived and they had the red carpet and velvet ropes laid out for us. The event was in full swing when we arrived and saw a few familiar blogger faces through the window. There were Cafe Zupas greeters when we approached the door providing us with their menu and answering any questions we had about it. I was told that the Chicken Enchilada Chili and Tomato Basil are their popular soups, Nuts About Berries is a popular salad, and their BBQ Pulled Pork is a popular sandwich.

Glancing at the menu, my first impression what the food options and meal deal set up was a little similar to Panera Bread. One thing I did love was that they offered a great kid's menu. Once inside, we waited in line and you kind of move down the line in a cafeteria fashion. I was wonderfully surprised with the overall layout of the restaurant. The menus were clean-cut, modern, well-lit and big on the wall. Looking down the line, the food is visible to see behind a glass wall. Everything looked VERY fresh and definitely tempted my taste buds. The whole staff was professional, friendly, and upbeat. Approaching the counter they offered a sample of any soups that you'd like try. All the toppings for the sandwiches and salads are laid out for you to choose, and the line finishes off with a case full of scrumptious desserts. Since it was a blogging event, all the food was complimentary to us, but all of the opinions I provide are my own.

I ordered a turkey bacon avocado sandwich and a half soup of the chicken enchilada chili as part of a meal deal (choose two of any of the following: a sandwich, half soup, half salad for $7.99). JAM ordered from the kids menu and chose a grilled cheese with a side of a fruit cup for $3.99. Both of our meals had a nice touch of a complimentary chocolate-covered strawberry placed on the side of our meal. JAM absolutely loved his meal. The fruit was real fresh and his grilled cheese was to his liking. I ate the turkey bacon avocado sandwich first, and in my opinion it was OK. I'm a meat lover so I love my sandwiches packed with meat, but I guess for a panini sandwich I should of expected it to be as flat as it was. The chicken enchilada chili, however, knocked it out the park! That's was the deal breaker right there for me. This soup was AH-MAZING! I forgot to mention that even though it was a half soup, it was half a big bowl of soup, NOT just a cup of soup as I expected. I shared it with JAM and he agreed on the awesomeness of the flavor.

To finish off, JAM and I both chose a creme brûlée for dessert. Being the chocolate lover that he is, JAM chose the Chocolate Hazelnut Creme Brûlée w/ Cinnamon Almonds and the Salted Caramel Creme Brûlée was calling my name. They had other amazing desserts in their case, and I can't wait to go back and try their Sinful 7 Chocolate Cake. These creme brûlées definitely hit the spot. Mind you, I have a super sweet tooth so the salted caramel creme brûlée was right up my alley, but for people like Mahal who isn't in to super sweet desserts, I think he might of gotten a tooth ache from this sweet goodness. I, personally, died and went to heaven when eating the dessert. Cafe Zupas definitely gets an A+ in my book. It was a family-friendly environment, with great tasting menu choices at affordable prices. Check it out and thank me later!

Which menu item has you drooling from Cafe Zupas?

Movie Screening: Despicable Me 2

Last week JAM and I attended an advanced Press Screening for Despicable Me 2! We loved the first movie so I was so excited to tell JAM that we get to attend the movie screening for the second one! Here's a little synopsis of the movie if you've never seen it before:

Copyright: © 2013 Universal Studios. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

 

Synopsis:

Universal Pictures and Illumination Entertainment’s worldwide blockbuster Despicable Me entertained audiences around the globe in 2010, grossing more than $540 million and becoming the 10^th-biggest animated motion picture in U.S. history.  In summer 2013, get ready for more Minion madness in Despicable Me 2.  

Chris Meledandri and his acclaimed filmmaking team create an all-new comedy adventure featuring the return of (former?) super-villain Gru (Steve Carell), his adorable girls, the unpredictably hilarious Minions...and a host of new and outrageously funny characters. 

Copyright: © 2013 Universal Studios. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

As you know, JAM absolutely loves 3D movies so you can imagine his excitement when he found out this screening was in 3D. We watched the screening at the Orleans Hotel in Las Vegas, NV; a nice switch from our usual locations at the Palms Hotel or Town Square. We grabbed our 3D glasses and got comfy in our Press section seats. Right from the opening credits we were both laughing. The minions always add a fun touch to the movie. There were moments where JAM was laughing so hard that he tapped me on the shoulder to tell me he was crying ha ha. I always get disappointed when I watch movie trailers and the clips from the trailers are the only funny parts of the movie. Not with Despicable Me 2. There were TONS of hilarious scenes to tickle your fancy. There was even a couple "adult humor" lines to keep us grown ups intrigued. Both JAM and I agreed that our favorites scenes were definitely any scene that featured the minions. Their gestures and interaction with each other are always super funny so we couldn't choose just one favorite scene. JAM said he definitely loved their disguises in the mall scene if he did have to choose specific scene. I'd give Despicable Me 2 an overall 8 out of 10 rating (with 10 being the highest of course). Absolutely family friendly and I might go ahead to say that I actually liked it more than the first one (*gasp*)!

DESPICABLE ME 2 opened nationwide on Wednesday, July 3, 2013.

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WHAT WAS YOUR FAVORITE PART FROM THE FIRST DESPICABLE ME?

Blogging Event: Johnny Rockets Las Vegas

What a fun way to kick off my 1 year blogiversary with an actual blogging event! I've been getting my feet wet with attending movie screenings as "Press" in the past, but I actually got the courage and opportunity to attend my 1st blogging event! I was invited to join Johnny Rockets in celebrating their 27th Anniversary at their Flamingo Hotel location. Many veteran bloggers and Johnny Rockets staff (Rocketeers) welcomed me with open arms and I had a blast.

Johnny Rockets is located in the Flamingo Hotel's food court and you could immediately find it because it's the only restaurant there with the diner feel. I was greeted with so many friendly faces and yummy food and drinks. As I checked in to the event, there was a lady there creating art out of ketchup! How cool is that?!

The restaurant is known for their all-American favorites like their juicy 1/3-pound hamburgers, crispy American fries, classic sandwiches, and rich, delicious hand-dipped shakes and malts. They had servers walking around with samples of each, and every thing I sampled was a little piece of heaven. There was a Rocketeer dressed in a cute shake costume handing out shake and samples. She was definitely the tray to look out for all night. Surprisingly I liked the chocolate shake more than the strawberry! You all know I'll eat almost anything if it involves strawberries, and I'll choose strawberries over any other flavor any day but the chocolate shake was so rich and creamy. Regardless, both were super yummy. I did see a cookies & cream shake floating around but every time she got back to me they'd be gone. I'd take that as another yummy shake to add to the list ha ha.

After quick blogger mingling and food sampling, the President and CEO of Johnny Rockets, John Fuller, and President of the International Division, Steve Devine introduced themselves and told us a little about the company. Aside from the Las Vegas Strip, I see Johnny Rockets at our local mall and JAM always wants to eat there because the dancing employees that always grasp his attention. BUT, Did you know that Johnny Rockets is an international company and they're even found on cruise ships?! How cool is that? Mr. Fuller said that a Johnny Rockets can be found in 30 states, 20 countries, and 11 Royal Caribbean cruise ships. We also got to meet the owner of this local Johnny Rockets franchise and he explained that in addition to the 2 mall and 3 casino locations they already have in Las Vegas, they plan to open up even more in the near future.

I also got the opportunity to step into their kitchen and get a 20-minute Grillology lesson. P.S. Thank God their burgers aren't flame-broiled because the half a can of hairspray holding up my sock bun wouldn't have been too happy hehe. Anyways, they had two managers show us how to properly grill their burger and achieve their perfectly toasted bun to pair it with. All of their burgers are made fresh to eat. You can order a burger with ground beef, ground turkey, chicken breast or even Boca Burger. They season it with their secret seasoning that contains 38 different seasons and spices. The key to a juicy burger is to only flip the burger ONCE (I need to tell Mahal that hehe). I was super close to the cooked burger so I was low-key drooling the whole time she was describing the process because of all the wonderful aromas. The other manager then explained that their burgers are paired with a potato bun from a local bakery and taught us how to properly toast their buns. All of this explaining of burgers made me want to go find the Rocketeer walking around with the tray and have another sample.

We topped off the event with a fun dance session. That is JAM's favorite thing about the restaurant so that was something I was looking forward to all night so that I could show JAM the cool new moves mommy learned. I personally ended up not dancing since they had enough participants, but it was fun to watch my blogger friends do a little disco and chicken dancing. Johnny Rockets sealed the night with letting us cut into that creative hamburger and fries cake they had displayed throughout the night. It was a pleasure celebrating 27 years with Johnny Rocket at the Flamingo Hotel, and I can't wait to take Mahal and JAM there so they can try all the yummy things I keep raving about!

Who said Bloggers don't know how to have fun?

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What's your favorite thing to eat and/or drink at Johnny Rockets?