Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Inception Dream

I finally saw the movie Inception last night. Bottom line: A+ in my book. I love sci-fi / psychological action thrillers and this movie hit every mark. How can someone make a better movie!? Impossible!!! I haven't felt this way about a movie since The Matrix. What a mind bender. It's great when movies actually make you think and use your brain. Some people hate it, others love it. I categorize myself as the latter.

Walking out of the movie theater, you sense the buzz. The 'wowness' factor ricocheted through everyone like electricity. Circles of people formed immediately in the theater darkness while the credits rolled. Questions outpoured to quell confusion and excitement statements flared like fireworks. These were genuine reactions, which were overwhelmingly positive.

Great job to the writer/director, Christopher Nolan, and cast of actors. Plus, I’m a big fan of Leonardo DiCaprio. He never disappoints.

Your Mind is the Scene of the Crime

Thursday, July 1, 2010

Allegria Hotel

The arrival of the Allegria Hotel is bittersweet for Long Beach. It's the only hotel in the area, but it's overpriced. $500+ minimum for a room, $15 for a beach umbrella (for guests) and $8 for a beer. It's a nice place, but God forbid if you order a martini at the bar...we're talking at least $14. I guess the owners are trying to repay their loan in record time. These prices are ridiculous, especially when it's accompanied by horrible service. The twist of the "up yours" dagger hurts for the everyday consumer/Long Beach resident. I'm not sure how much longer this hotel will last. I have a bunch of complaints, here's the tip of the iceberg.

My father and his girlfriend visited Long Beach for the weekend and stayed at the Allegria Hotel. They have a list of complaints that were never addressed by management during their stay. First off, management tried to put them in a room with broken air conditioning. Given, this weekend was one of the hottest and most humid to date. Then we met at the bar for a drink. Big mistake. I guess because there was a wedding going on, not one staff member cared that guests needed attention/service. We stood at the bar for about 20 minutes. Not one bartender looked our way. So I'm thinking, why they hell are the six of us waiting 20 minutes for an overpriced, watered-down drink that'll cost an arm and a leg? So we decided to leave, and walked to Sutton Place.

The next day (Saturday), we head to the beach. Chairs and towels are complimentary for guests, but umbrellas are not...they charge us $15. Bastards! Then we walk inside to watch some of the World Cup (USA vs Ghana). There's one tiny TV located at the service bar. Absurd! We walk to the hotel room to actually watch the game. Guess what, no ESPN in guest rooms. Are you serious? I buy a Heineken and Red Sangria = $18. F*** you! That was the first and last time that I'll recommend this place.

Here's a look at the room:


Here's a short video of Landon Donovan's goal vs. Ghana at the Allegria service bar: