"Two manky hookers and a racist midget..."

So we left the hotel for our connecting flight, picking up some Dunkin Donuts on the way. I only mention this because for my money, Dunkin Donuts SLAYS Krispy Kreme. At least, the Dunkin Donuts in Korea does. I had a pink sweet potato ring (pink because of the pigmentation of sweet potatoes, not because it was covered in some horrible sugary icing), and it was the tastiest thing I'd ever put in my mouth.

It was about the same diameter as a normal donut, but the tube was much thinner (i.e. bigger hole), and the dough was much denser. It was extremely chewy (I wouldn't be surprised if there was some rice flour in the mix). 10 out of 10 great donut would buy from them again A++++!!!

Now, I had completely denied myself sleep while in the layover hotel because I thought the jet lag would be less crippling if I slept on the plane to LA instead. However, that was not to be, because for the LA leg, we had those fancy video on demand personal entertainment systems in our seats, and for some inexplicable reason, almost all the movies (30+) they had on offer were really good. So I went on an arse numbing movie marathon. Here's a recap.

Redbelt
I am completely unfamilar with the works of David Mamet in film or other media, but this was very good. Mike Terry is a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu instructor who runs a struggling martial arts school. He is well respected in the martial arts community, with many holding the view that he would make a great MMA fighter, but he refuses to compete, as his view on martial arts is that they should be used for no other purpose than to put someone on their arse if they threaten the safety of you or your loved ones.

Anyway, the idea of an MMA tournament with the possibility of handicaps is the flimsiest and most nonsensical plot device I've come across in quite some time, but the main character was very well fleshed out, the dude that played him delivers a great performance (I can't be bothered wiki-ing the spelling of his name but I want to call him Chewie Ejewjew), and the martial arts scenes were actually very realistic and well choreographed (except maybe for the wall flip transitioned into an RNC, which seems more suited to a Jackie Chan movie than a jits/MMA flick). Probably the main appeal for me was that Chewie Ejewjew plays the kind of martial arts master that every student of the fighting arts wishes they had. He is charismatic, virtuous to the point that it is frequently detrimental to his own success, and conducts himself with an almost out-dated sense of honour. Shades of the Ghost Dog there, except he's not a socially retarded pigeon fucker.

Iron Man
Nothing to say that hasn't already been said. It's just fucking good, and Tom Morello laying down guitar tracks over the score gets it bonus points.

In Bruges
Probably the most politically incorrect film I've seen in years. Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleeson and Ralph Fiennes are all extremely good in this. I am really annoyed that I stopped using homophobic slurs years ago, because after seeing this film I have an overwhelming urge to go to a belgian beer cafe and say to the bartender "One gay beer, please."

The Visitor
Probably the best of the bunch. A stuck-in-a-rut, starched-collar college professor who has allowed himself to become socially withdrawn after the death of his wife walks into his rarely used NYC apartment to find Tarek, a Syrian illegal mmigrant and his Senegalese girlfriend squatting there. A rewarding friendship forms between him and Tarek, who teaches him how to play the African drums, but Tarek is detained by immigration and threatened with deportation. Shenanigans criticising post 9/11 immigration policy follow.

I defy you not to have a shit-eating grin on your face during the scenes depicting the growing friendship between the two men, and while the second half fails to really nail you in the emotional solar plexus as is obviously intended, the first half is so good that the rest of the film could just be footage from Glitter and it would still warrant a million billion stars. Also the woman who plays Tarek's mother is extremely beautiful.

Be Kind, Rewind
Ok, by this point I hadn't slept in some 32 hours and I was starting to smell like a homeless person's crotch, so I absorbed about 5% of this film. Erm...GHOSTBUSTERS!!!