Make the trip to Muvico

Thursday, I asked where I could find the best theater in the suburbs. Saturday, I found my answer.

The Muvico 18 in Rosemont is quite the facility. Aside from the plush seats, the perfect sound system and the Sony HD projectors that every single auditorium boasts, this veritable palace can guarantee you won't be bothered by screaming children -- for a price, of course.

For $15 apiece, my sister and I were able to sit in the 21-and-over Premier seating for the 3:40 show of "Iron Man," which meant we sat in a three-row balcony atop one of the facility's six biggest screening rooms where we had assigned seats with mucho leg room. Our $15 didn't just get us peace and quiet -- we also got a free bag of popcorn, and the opportunity to enjoy an ice cold beer while watching the flick. The adjacent restaurant also provided "table service," as we found out when a waitress delivered a hot fudge sundae to the couple next to us.

I'd be willing to shell out $15 ($17 after the matinees) for a bag of popcorn and a semi-private balcony seat every time I went to the movies; it seems a small price to pay to be away from teenagers chatting on their cell phones. Before our show even began, I went back into the Premier lobby to ask if I could already get my midnight tickets for "Indiana Jones." I'm ready to commit to this place for all the big movies this year.

As for "Iron Man," I can't say enough good things about it. It's so refreshing to see a superhero movie that has been made for adults, something one could reasonably assume just by taking a look at the cast. Though it's not the role that will ever be considered for such a thing, Robert Downey Jr.'s turn as Tony Stark should be mentioned at Oscar time; here is a great actor having a lot of fun and engaging the audience in a picture where he could easily be overwhelmed by the technology.

Director Jon Favreau is to be commended for putting his visual effects in service of the film, and not the other way around. (He is also to be commended for reminding us that Gwyneth Paltrow is capable of being one of our most beautiful and winning movie stars.)