IRON MAN 2
The novelty of “Iron Man” hasn’t worn off on me. While it would never be the same as witnessing the first scene of Iron Man soaring into space and the joy of the trial and error, Iron Man is still the only one of its kind that is as grounded in future reality as it could be.
Tony Stark is one of the rare exceptions of being a publicly known superhero. Possess the traits of a superhero, he does not. Robert Downey Jr. doesn’t disappoint in the sequel wherein the world knows him not only as the billionaire weapon manufacturer extraordinaire, but more pivotally as The Man in armored suit.
RDJ is the brain, heart and soul of Iron Man. It makes me wonder whether the script was written to be specifically tailored to him. Bold and brash, he’s got that smug and swagger that commands the world over. Naturally narcissistic and sarcastic, over-sized just doesn’t cover it as far as his ego goes. Never known for subtleties, his flashy style and fast-paced lifestyle suits him just fine – even in his quest to discover the new energy source since the arc-core machine that keeps his heart beating is also slowly poisoning his blood.
RDJ’s personality carries every single scene that he’s in. Numerous outrageously riotous one-liners bring on continuous giggles and laugh out-louds. Be it frivolous or witty or sarcastic, Stark goes toe-to-toe with the newly minted CEO of Stark Industries aka love-interest Pepper Potts, newly appointed eye-candy secretary with an ulterior motive aka Black Widow, Hammer the competitor with an ambitiously ambiguous agenda, or Nick Fury from yes, the upcoming Avengers team. Everyone seems to have so much fun and it shows.
If there’s a “flaw” in all these, Don Cheadle as war machine is too flawless to be believable. Not anyone clad in the suit is “Iron Man.”
One might argue that this “Iron Man” lacks heart, but I tend to think that it’s just as it’s supposed to be. “Iron Man” doesn’t take itself seriously; it’s a nonstop joyride starring a wisecracked eccentric atypical superhero, and it deftly delivers.
The special features in the 2-disc edition are AWESOME.
-Wired: The Visual Effects of Iron Man
-Robert Downey Jr. Screen Test
-The Actor’s Process (scene rehearsal with cast)
-The Onion “Wildly Popular Iron Man Trailer to be Adapted into Full Length Film”
-Image Galleries
AND SO MUCH MORE. BUY IT. *****/5.
GET HIM TO THE GREEK
Opening up with the shooting of Aldous Snow’s latest music video, and then showing his downward spiral that leads to present day was the hilarious, perfect beginning for this innovative comedic spin-off. If you saw ‘Forgetting Sarah Marshall’ then this is exactly what you would expect a movie about Aldous Snow to be like. It has a heart that I did not expect to see; it’s buried under lewd, vulgar and brilliant wit, but it’s in there.
Russell Brand just opens his mouth and his words are comedic gold. Jonah Hill takes a step out of his comfort zone, a bit, and plays a “no confidence good guy”. (Usually he’s the overconfident prick, for all you naysayers). Diddy delivers a surprisingly strong performance that I’m sure shocked anyone who sees him. He’s actually hilarious! His repartee with everyone he comes into contact with is spot-on.
Brand as Snow is the spectacle, the wild spark that animates the whole film. Snow vacillates wildly from petulant artistic preciousness to aggressive junkie posturing to anarchic drug logic and back. Story-wise, tt’s a dangerous thing to chance, as the rock-excess thing has been parodied to near-death. Brand, though, limns the edges of his chaos with occasional moments of human frailty. The film notes late in the going that Snow’s self-appointed rock messiah is intelligent, and it’s a small ignorable moment that speaks to the subtle bits of originality in the film’s script and in Brand’s performance: he’s a pompous idiotic waster in true rock fashion, but there’s a cruel, manipulative intelligence underneath it all that helps the whole film feel fresh and funny, even if it’s going over well-trod Spinal Tap ground.
The discovery of the film, though, is Jonah Hill as Aaron Green, the spectacular punching bag at the heart of a film that mercilessly visits every kind of humiliation and degradation on him. He stands square in the furnace blast of Snow’s rock-superstar excess and the shrivelling, repeated “mind f__ks” of his conniving, unbalanced boss: he pukes, he’s sexually assaulted by more than one person, he’s threatened, cursed, party to a stabbing. But what makes Hill’s performance truly funny is that while he is in essence a nebbish, a victim, a barf-coated ill-looking cannonball of a man he nonetheless retains a really kind of compelling dignity and oddly endearing self-confidence. There’s a depth to Hill’s performance in this film (and in Forgetting Sarah Marshall as well) that’s actually… special. He’s not an oversize wild-man, he’s not a tiny Michael Cera-esquire mumbler. He’s doing something new, and it suits him.
The DVD comes with three behind-the-scenes documentaries, two giving an earnest look at the production of the movie, the third a mockumentary about the filming of Aldous Snow’s despised “African Child” music video. The latter is funny, the former informative. Other special features include music videos and concert performances (including a short segment where Jason Segel and Jack Black sing the Dracula opera from Forgetting Sarah Marshall), two gag reels and a feature commentary. ****/5 BUY IT.
SUPERMAN/BATMAN: APOCALYPSE
The Superman/Batman comic stories’ main attraction has always been the character interplay. How the two famous superheroes, different in every aspect like oil and water, lend their perspective on similar situations and in the end, pull together for the greater good. In that respect, “Superman/Batman: Apocalypse” does not disappoint as Superman, Batman and even Wonder Woman bring their unique personalities to the table when they face their latest little “problem”.
Superman/Batman: Apocalypse adapts the “Supergirl” story arc of the Superman/Batman comic series by Jeph Loeb and the late Michael Turner. It is a rather faithful adaptation barring a few changes here and there and as such shares both the good points and the shortcomings of its source material. For one thing, the story proceeds at a rather fast pace, which is good since it keeps things from getting boring. However that means the time frame of the tale is difficult to follow.
Rather than its truncated story, it is the snappy character interplay, well written dialog and a top notch cast of actors that carry this show. Tim Daley, Kevin Conroy and Susan Eisenberg return comfortably to their roles of Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman. Everyone else is perfectly cast, especially Summer Glau, lending much emotional weight and realism to the characters. The only role that did not seem to fit as well was Andre Braugher’s unmistakably African American sounding DarkSied. The tone of voice was right but a more neutral accent would have fit better.
There are no special features, which was disappointing for a DC movie, but all in all it’s a decent watch. If you’re into the geeky comic book scene like I am, RENT IT. If not, I’d say just skip it and wait for Christopher Nolan’s 3rd Batman flick. ***/5
