A sneak peak at the newer, more comfortable, Inwood Theater

By PHILIP WUNTCH
Film Critic Emeritus
The official grand opening of the Inwood Theater's renovated downstairs auditorium will coincide with next Thursday's debut of "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull." But I got a sneak peak -- and it looks great.

Being the theater of my youth, the Inwood has a special place in my movie lover's heart. Between the ages of 10 and 18, I probably saw more movies there than at any other theater. The nude mermaids on the lobby ceiling were topics of conversation on schoolyard playgrounds although they weren't suggestive enough to throw over-zealous parents into a panic mode.

Nostalgists need not worry. The mermaids are still are on view. But almost everything else in the main auditorium has changed. As an Inwood loyalist, I never felt that the auditorium lived up to the picturesque lobby's promise. But now the auditorium has never looked better or felt more comfortable. It has all the comforts of home, assuming that you're accustomed to an affluent lifestyle.

The lobby's nautical sirens were not the only Inwood touch that made schoolboys smirk. The 61-year-old showplace was the first Dallas theater to feature loveseats, situated on alternate rows of aisle seats. The renovated auditorium has loveseats that would even make the Incredible Hulk feel cuddly. They create a mood that's conducive to "making out," as we cool kids used to say.

The furnishings truly make the theater, and they're the creations of Lovesac, an alternative furniture company that has shops in the Dallas Galleria and in Stonebriar Mall in Frisco. The different types of seats have varying degrees of cushiness. So try to arrive early and discover -- yes, readers, I'll go ahead and say it -- discover which cush suits your tush. Among the selections are bean bags, bean bag chairs and sectional sofas, enhanced by tables, removable cupholders, throw pillows, back cushions and blankets, complete with "leggos" for your feet. The auditorium also provides different seating arrangements.

The Inwood's onetime balcony long ago became two small theaters. About three years ago, they were renovated into the city's most comfortable small screening rooms. The renovated main auditorium extends the smaller theaters' sense of luxury. It makes for a great moviegoing experience.

LOST "VEGAS": Those who visit the comedy wannabe "What Happens in Vegas" will come up losers.

Cameron Diaz and Ashton Kutcher play opposites who meet on a wild Las Vegas weekend and marry in haste. They may "repent in leisure," but there's nothing leisurely about this tame farce. Every plot twist is predictable, and the losing enterprise is mercilessly over-directed by novice Tom Vaughan.

As an overly organized careerist, Diaz still has a strong, likable presence. But Kutcher, playing a rich, pampered slacker, tries too hard to trade on his presumed "cuteness." At 30, he's getting a little old for juvenile jocularity. The filmmakers apparently think that merely casting Queen Latifah as a marriage counselor who says things like "I've had enough of your bullshit!" will bring down the house. Like everything else in the movie, it doesn't work out that way.