Let's All Go to the Lobby!

As a warning, I want you to know that I saw two movies yesterday. That's right, two. The first film was "Redbelt," written and directed by David Mamet. The film centers around a mixed-martial arts instructor and several events that unfold to create chaos in his life. The story is filled with more potholes than Hanley Road over highway 40, but has an intensity I haven't seen in a film since "The Karate Kid." One bright spot of the film is Chiwetel Ejiofor's performance as the lead, Mike Terry. I've only seen him in a small number of things but he's always fun to watch. I admired the honor and commitment his character adhered to and the film really made me want to study jiu-jitsu or at least take a standard karate class.
The double-bill was filled with "Iron Man." There was a big crowd for the preview screening and everyone seemed to enjoy it. People were laughing at things that were meant to be laughed at and the pace of the film kept people thoroughly egaged. I was joined by David, Rich, and Dax. Dave and I worked crowd control/reserved seating and that went smoothly. Matt Kindt did sketches for folks waiting to see the movie and he was turning people away as the movie was getting ready to begin. He did supply them with email addresses to contact him so as to recieve a sketch sometime in the future. As for the film itself, it was relatively fast paced, finely detailed, and featured great action sequences. Robert Downey Jr. was terrific and perfectly cast. I don't have too much complaint about the film, aside from the pace at which the story unfolded, Stark's relative ease at constructing such a suit of armor, and the development of the main villian, portrayed by Jeff Bridges. I hope it does really well at the box office, though, especially since this is the first big franchise for Marvel that does not feature Spider-Man or the X-Men.