If there’s a venue that’s film festival heaven, the ArcLight must be it. As a Sundance veteran, having covered Hollywood’s January pilgrimage for five years, I’m used to sitting in makeshift theatres all day long for back-to-back screenings—my record is six in one 18-hour period. There you’re dashing across Park City via festival shuttles and city buses, in the snow no less, to catch shows in the main street theatre, local multiplex, high-school and library auditoriums and hotel conference rooms.

But here in L.A., it still feels like summer even in November, and all the screenings are in five auditoriums on the top floor of the best cinema complex in town. Got a break between films? Have a drink at the Cinema Lounge in the temporary tent city erected on the roof of the parking structure, or grab a bite at the café on site.

The only quirk I’ve observed so far venue-wise has been the programming of Confessions of a Superhero in one of the theatre’s smaller houses. A victim of its own buzz, the doc about the comic-book characters who troll outside the Chinese Theatre on Hollywood Blvd., taking snapshots with tourists for tips, was filled to capacity.

Within walking distance of his place of work, Superman, in costume, chatted with festivalgoers as they waited eagerly for the fast-disappearing seats. Eventually, he gave up his own so that somebody else could see the film. I owe the Man of Steel a debt of gratitude—I think I was the last person they let in.