Iron Man

Quick review of the movie and of the moviegoing experience:

Movie: I liked it a lot. Not ga-ga over it--it seemed to drag towards the end, and the final battle just didn't make sense to me as far as what happened. But it was the acting and the script that really made this film and not the special effects, and ultimately that should be true of every film, even the special effects extravaganzas. Robert Downey Jr. was perfect as Tony Stark, Gwynneth was fine (on multiple levels, he said knowingly, nudge nudge), and there were some great secondary roles (particularly the creepy S.H.I.E.L.D. representative whose name escapes me but you've seen him in a bunch of films).

Moviegoing experience: Whoa, totally sucked. Firstly, the picture quality was quite bad. Movie theaters are going to have to get with the program and realize that people's screens at home are giving way better results. The quality made me want to see it again, but this time at home via Blu-Ray or even a HD download.

Secondly, here we are at an 8PM showing of Iron Man. There are at least 4 or 5 kids in the theater, and I'm talking 3- to 5-year-old kids. Throughout the movie, one of them is talking very loudly. It made Maria mad enough that she basically swore off going to see movies like Iron Man in the theaters, and I can't blame her for that. It wasn't so much the noise as the mentality of some parents, or lack thereof.