My birthday adventure with Captain America at the Alamo Drafthouse

Last Friday happened to be my birthday and part of the fun of the day was having a girl's night out(with my sister and a mutual friend of ours) to see Captain America:The Winter Soldier at an Alamo Drafthouse theater that opened up in our area several months ago.

This was the first time any of us had gone to an ADH movie theater and my expectations were high,due to the reputation this chain has for catering to film fans. This particular location has replaced a multiplex(called Movie Land, I kid you not) that was around for just about forever in my mind and while the bones of the former theater are still present, the changes brought about by the ADH are most welcome indeed.

The color scheme is a down to earth blend of earth tones,with old school film reels as light fixtures and framed poster art in the lobby, that makes the screening rooms warm and inviting. One of the best improvements made here is the pre-show which had a minimum of trailers and a lively mix of appropriately themed content. The awaiting audience was treated to a variety of Captain America fare that included b&w Republic serial clips,TV ads for action figure versions of the character and 1960s cartoons that showcased the Avengers,plus that classic theme song where he "throws his mighty shield"-such a great way to get into the right frame of mind for superhero fare:

There were only three movie trailers shown and naturally, two of them were Marvel movies with X-Men: Days of Future Past appearing to be the best of the bunch(Amazing Spider Man 2 doesn't look bad either and while Godzilla seems cool, I'm kinda of neutral about it).

For fans of the X Men series, this storyline is a major one in the comic book canon and from what I've been seeing, they have made all the right moves in terms of setting up the realities that the characters have to deal as well as the logistics of what needs to be done in order to make this film compelling on an emotional level as well as entertainment. True, looks can be deceiving but I think that Marvel has another winner on their hands here:

 As to Captain America:The Winter Soldier itself, plenty has been said about the movie already,so my two cents will be brief. The plotting was nicely done and it's a credit to the writing that even those not familiar with the previous Captain America or Avengers film(or even the TV series Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D) such as my sis and our friend could follow along and get right into the storyline.

Chris Evans truly has a knack for making a comic book hero believable and just without any over the top emoting or posturing. Samuel L. Jackson is incredible as always and the only true Nick Fury on film,in my not so humble opinion(and yes, Redford was fine here as well).  Anthony Mackie's Falcon is a very welcome addition and looking forward to seeing more of his character(which was revived from the comic book archives) and how is it that Black Widow doesn't have her own movie yet?

She is incredibly awesome here and it's safe to say that Scarlett Johansson pretty much owns this character. Don't get me wrong, I think the powers that be have done well with her(unlike DC, who has yet to produce a viable Wonder Woman) but Black Widow deserves to be more than a connecting character for other Marvelverse folk to tag along behind-give the lady her own franchise already!:

My overall first  impression of the Alamo Drafthouse experience was an extremely positive one and I hope to attend another screening there sometime in the future.

 The atmosphere that both the surroundings and the staff offered made this outing a pleasantly memorable one,with comfortable seating, attentive service and popcorn brought to you in a silver bowl that tastes just like the kind you used to make at home with a oil based popper,adding a extra flavor of nostalgia with the melted butter topping.

The only slight critique I can give is that they do repeat the rules of behavior for the theater(no talking or texting during the film and no late entrances once the movie has started) a lot but on the other hand, there was a pack of kids sitting a couple of rows ahead of my party and they behaved better than most young people I've ever sat through a movie with. Yes, I know how old that makes me sound but that aspect was greatly appreciated by all, so maybe the repetition was a good thing after all.

I am no stranger to high end movie theaters, having gone to the Ziegfield in Manhattan and the Angelika in Greenwich Village but the ADH is the best of both worlds with it's blend of arthouse standards and mainstream friendliness that invites you into a warmly enchanting movie going experience that made this particular birthday one of the best that I've ever had.

 If you have a chance to go to an Alamo Drafthouse, take that opportunity as soon as maybe and enjoy yourself to the fullest, as that is the true purpose of this pop culture paradise: