Alamo Draft House and "Exodus"

I have to confess I've never been to an Alamo Draft House.  I will also confess there wasn't one close on the South Plains of Texas, unless you consider the Dallas/Ft. Worth area close (about five hours away).  The chain finally built one here in Lubbock, so my blog may be less revealing to those who have access to and consequently have attended an event or events there.  It will still have a beer person's perspective though.

Several of us from church (those Lutherans, you know how we like our beer) gathered last night under the guise of a "men's ministry event" to watch the movie "Exodus:  Gods and Generals."

The Draft House is a beer lover's paradise. Combining fine craft brews, good menu, and movies was so simple yet genius you wonder why it took this far in moving pictures' history to create this concept.  I enjoyed the entire experience, from sitting in the bar prior to being seated, to being seated in advance with seats being assigned by ticket purchased, to the wait staff and order process, as well as the selection of beers and food items on the menu.

To the beer enthusiast, the selection is better than adequate, and to the family members who believe that beer removes the family aspect of the movies, think again.  The environment is well-monitored and focuses mainly on the experience rather than drinking.  I enjoyed two different kinds of beers during the movies, an IPA to attempt to learn what people see in IPA's and a pilsner (brand doesn't matter at this point).  I also enjoyed a bacon cheeseburger with fries and some of my neighbor's bottomless popcorn - at his invite.

As for the movie, I had legitimate concerns from the start.  The name, Exodus: Gods and Generals, harkens back to the book, "Gods and Generals" by Jeff Shaara.  Unfortunately, that was a bood that was a historical fictional piece about the Civil War and the drama that unfolded during that time.  I would have considered the name Exodus: God and King since it was about the Almighty and Pharoah and the release of the nation of Israel held captive as slaves in Egypt.  Ridley Scott, who has directed some great movies, seemed bored with this project as he projected Moses to be a conflicted man.  To the believer, Moses will appear to not get his cues from God as in the book of Exodus or from Cecille B. DeMille's landmark "Ten Commandments," but rather Moses has visions seen only by him and the audience.  Others see him talking to rocks or to himself.  This conflicted man approach leads to less conflict between Moses and God, or Moses and Pharoah, and really doesn't get drawn out adequately between Moses and himself.

I would even go so far to say that the abilities now to create special effects was slightly disappointing and DeMille's efforts in the 1950s (or earlier in the 1920s silent film) may have been far more of an accomplishment and heralded the greatness of God much better than in this film.  Perhaps they were understated in this film because Scott seemed content to provide the "alternate explanation of what could have plausibly happened" scenario.  At the end, I left thinking that the North Koreans should have hacked and kept this movie on the shelf and not "The Interview," but that was about their god, Kim John Un.

So, the experience was a 10 and the movie was a 2.  To the beer enthusiast, the Draft House concept is an excellent one, and the variety is clearly appealing to the enthusiast.  To the movie goer, it is a great experience as well.  As for Exodus - wait for the DVD.

Next up:  Winter ales