21

On Wednesday night, G and I went to a pizza place that we go to about once a week, and the manager, who recognized us, offered us a free pass to go see a screening of 21. I had seen a trailer of the movie and it is actually something I was interested in going to see. It's a movie about an MIT student who has always dreamed of going to Harvard Medical School, but he doesn't have the $300,000+ it will cost to go there. The kid is brilliant, but since he doesn't "dazzle" on his application for a certain scholarship, his chances of affording Harvard seem slim. But then he is approached by one of his math professors, played by Kevin Spacey, who asks him to join a team of incredibly smart Vegas-trotting card-counters.

The movie has all the basic elements of a good film. Good vs. Evil. Morality vs. Sin. The Inner Struggle. Suspense. Sex. I don't want to give away anything more than the trailers do, so I won't tell you how it turns out, but I thought it was actually a good film. Of course, i am very easy to please when it comes to movies. Anything that can make me forget the rest of my life for a couple hours is good enough for me, as long as it isn't too offensive. And hey, I like Rob Zombie films, so it takes a lot to offend me, obviously. I thought it was super sweet for the manager to give us the free tickets. It was fun to be amongst the first people to see the movie, and there is a certain excitement to being in a theater that's completely packed. Well, as long as everyone is quiet and paying attention to the movie, which they were last night. Of course, I had to make two extra trips to the car last night before they would let me in. One, to take my cell phone back, and two, to take my camera back (which I didn't realize I had until they searched my bags). It appears they are more serious about making sure that no one films the sneak preview than they are about making sure no one carries a bomb onto a 747. Anyway, 21 was a good movie, and I highly recommend it, in case you're going to see a movie this weekend.