Ayala Malls Solenad Cinemas Opens (Nuvali Sta Rosa Laguna)

Th e new Ayala Malls Solenad opened it's doors last November 18, 2015 to offer a whole new movie experience for those in the South.

The event was graced by Ayala Land team and Santa Rosa Mayor Arlene Arcillas and family.

Located at the 3rd level of Ayala Solenad 3 are 4 state of the art cinema houses: (1) Recliner Seats (1) Dolby Atmos (2) Dolby Digital Theaters.

With my friend Pepi De Leon of KampeonngPag-Ibig.Com

I was one of the many (there was a long line) who were the first to watch Star Wars: The Force Awakens (see y review here) in the superior 100-seater cinema with recliner seats.

Me being comfy with my popcorn

The full leather recliner seats offered great comfort.   There's even a USB charger in every seat.

To make the experience wholesome, also drop by the Movie Snackbar and get yourself some drinks, nachos, popcorn, mozzarella sticks or even a sandwich.

Because it is an Ayala Mall Cinemas, a quick access to www.sureseats.com is all it takes to check out the movie schedules at Ayala Malls Solenad Cinemas.  Soon, it will also allow reservations and online purchase using any major credit card or the Ayala Mall's Cinemas' MPass Card.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens (My Spoiler-Free Review)

I've heard nothing but good raves on Star Wars: The Force Awakens.  And, way way before the screening date, this has been on a hype.

I'll keep this spoiler-free so I'll just sum up my likes and dislikes:

Likes
1. It's Star Wars...
         I grew up watching the Star Wars movies over and over again and of course, that's not enough and I want more!

2. Old characters reappear with the same charm and humor we loved.
       Upon entry of familiar characters, the crowd cheered in the cinema house.

3. The new characters were all likeable.
       The acting by Daisy Ridley as Rey, John Boyega as Finn and Adam Driver as Kylo Ren  was decent.  And, although non of them stood out, they didn't disappoint either.

4. The new stuffs are just as cool and interesting.
         The droid is so cool, funny and interesting.  The droid is one of the interesting factors in the movie.  For sure, the toy version will rake some money. 
         The storm trooper redesign is awesome too. 

4. The plot fits and easy to follow.
         This sequel is a rightful addition to the other movies.  I have my hopes up for the upcoming movies (currently rumored to be 4 more).  It revealed enough for what has occurred for the past 30 years and leaves enough mystery for the movies to come.  It connects the nostalgic old with the refreshing new.
         Although the pacing was fast, the plot is easy to follow that even the kids can enjoy it.  I can sense that they made some of the jokes easy to understand...
           The only thing I couldn't make a sense of, is why they only sent a squad for searching.

5. There's sufficient emotional anchor between the characters.
            My emotions were stirred as the movie went on.  They brought back the humor which was lost during the prequel trilogies. 

6. Great cinematics.
            The space battles and lightsaber combat were interesting because of the great cinematics.  Of course, we've expected that given the current updates on cinematics.

Dislikes
1. There were a lot of similar scenario's in the former movies.
            I can't help but notice the similar scenario's as compared to the former movies that made it become a bit predictable.  But then again perhaps, it wouldn't be Star Wars without the searching, droid-locked secrets and planet-killing weapon?

2. The dark side appeared weak.
           I'm not sure if it was difficult to live-up to the character of Darth Vader.  But, the dark side appeared weak.  But, I'm looking forward to the next movies concerning the character build up of Kylo Ren.
          On the other hand, the other side has brilliant fighters in all forms pilot, lightsaber duel etc.

3. Some of the humors didn't work.
          Classic humors of our fave characters worked.  But, I think I missed the punch lines on some jokes from the new characters. 

 Watch Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Overall, Star Wars: The Force Awakens is a must watch!  It has some room for improvements which could be seen on the next movies.  But, compared to the prequel, this is way way better.  Compared to the original trilogy?  Individually, this is good.   How much better it can become is what I'm looking forward to see.