I've seen a few movies lately, thanks to Netflix and the Parkway Cinema in Natchitoches. It was a little predictable and yet nostalgia-inducing to find that in the 20-something years (I'm estimating) since Parkway Cinema opened, they haven't changed anything about the original four theaters. They have added two theaters with stadium seating, but the original four still contain thirteen rows of fourteen seats each. If you sit in the seventh row, seventh seat, you're pretty much in the center of the room. Prime position. Seven-seven is the key to the theater. The Greeks knew it. The Carthaginians knew it. Now, you know it.
Anyway, not a theater viewing but a Netflix rental, Iron Man was rather good. It's held back a little due to one of the iron laws of pro wrestling: the good guy is only as good as the bad guy is bad. The villains are unimpressive, so Robert Downey, Jr.'s victory in the end isn't thrilling or dramatic in any way. However, it does do a good job of going through the origin of the character and his relationships, which is really the purpose of the film. I'd heard from several sources when it was out that it was surprisingly good, and I guess I'll agree with that. I really like Gwyneth Paltrow, even though she's in a decidedly subordinate role. I hope she sticks around for later movies.
As in all the recent Marvel movies, Stan Lee makes an appearance, this time playing Hugh Hefner surrounded by beautiful women (technically, he's referred to as playing himself and Toy Stark mistakes him for Hefner). I sort of like the way they just drop him in in different roles from film to film. Starting with X-Men in 2000, he's been in about ten cameo roles.
All in all, it's a good movie that sets things up for sequels, and I get the feeling that the sequels will actually be better.
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