William David Lee, ESQ.

Like most of the planet's population, I saw The Dark Knight last night. A projected $155 million opening weekend? Not too shabby. But, first...

More Watchmen goodness. If you have iTunes, you can check out the first episode of the Watchmen motion comic. Basically, a limited animation version of the debut issue. Kinda cool, but the voice acting sucks. They got cheap and just got one guy to do all the voices, even the female ones.

Now, for the Batman...



Oops, wrong Batman.



Ah, there we go.

I give to you, the Citizen Kane of comic book movies. It's hard to even categorize the film as just a straight superhero movie. The tone and atmosphere is more in line with crime epics like Heat, The Departed, or The Untouchables. The opening bank robbery feels like a sequence taken directly from a Michael Mann movie. And with a runtime of over 2 and a half hours, The Dark Knight is the Bat-epic we've been waiting for. Christopher Nolan wastes no time in getting things started. We hit the ground running and Dark Knight grabs a firm hold of our short hairs and never lets up its grip.

While this may be a Batman movie, the true stealer of the show is The Joker. The greatest supervillain of all time is played to perfection by the late-Heath Ledger. To compare him to Alex DeLarge from A Clockwork Orange or Hannibal Lecter would be a gross understatement of the character. To compare him to Jack Nicholson would also be a disservice. Jack Nicholson's Joker was fun and instantly quotable. Yet, he was always just Jack Nicholson in white make-up doing Jack Nicholson shtick. Heath disappears into the role and not just because of costuming or make-up. His mannerisms and inflections ARE those of the Joker. Believe me, I was calling Oscar buzz long before anybody else. As soon as I heard that first Joker line in the original teaser last year, I knew Heath was going to do something special. I hope he gets some recognition during awards season and not just in a morbid posthumous way. If Johnny Depp can get an Oscar nomination for his fey Keith Richards act, Heath can get one for his Clown Prince of Crime.

"...some men just want to watch the world burn."

Kudos as well to the the writing team for crafting one of the most unique antagonists in cinematic history. Comic fans will see the influence from Alan Moore's The Killing Joke and Grant Morrison's Arkham Asylum. We don't get a repeat of Batman Begins. This is not The Joker Begins. There is no protracted origin sequence. No flashbacks, no exposition, no explanation of 'Why?' in regards to the Joker. He just IS. The Joker is not someone we can ever hope to understand. He's no mere mobster in search of money and power. He's no megalomaniac bent on world conquest. This Joker is a simple man who only wants to call the world on all its bullshit. He may not meticulously organize his evil plans, but he does come up with some incredibly twisted and innovative schemes. It is so fascinating to watch a villain who is several steps ahead of the heroes and has them completely outmatched.



Weaved into the tapestry is the rise and fall of Harvey Dent, the golden boy savior of Gotham City. Anybody with some familiarity with the Bat-Universe knows Dent's ultimate fate. At first, he is everything Batman cannot be only to become everything that Batman shouldn't be. Whereas the Joker is Batman's complete opposite in terms of order vs. chaos. Dent becomes Batman's opposite in the other extreme, corrupting his ideals about justice and meting out punishment with the flip of a coin. Both suffer tremendous tragedy, but Batman is driven by his tragedy while Dent succumbs to it. Eckhart gives a fine performance and his shared scenes with the Joker are some of the best in the film.

The best thing that Nolan has brought to his reinvigorated Bat-Franchise is the A-list cast. Many of them have returned for the sequel. Michael Caine and Morgan Freeman are their usual dependable selves, bringing gravitas and a touch of humor to their scenes. Gary Oldman is that rare breed of actor that is a total chameleon. Like Heath, Oldman melts right into the role of Jim Gordon. Maggie Gyllenhaal is a definite upgrade from Katie Holmes. Of course, how can you ignore Christian Bale. He's the best Batman ever, even if his character doesn't get a chance to grow much in the sequel. Bale also does a great job with his foppish Bruce Wayne routine.

This being a blockbuster summer flick, I can't forget about the action sequences. The Hong Kong sequence is gorgeous and the finale is pure awesomeness. The car chase through the streets is another excellent set piece. The Bat-Pod is cool and used just right without ever coming off as a blatant excuse for a toy. My only beef would be some of the fight scenes as I'm not a fan of Nolan's quick cut editing. If a fight breaks out, I want to be able to see the fight and not just a series of close-ups of people's fists and feet.

Final Thoughts: Nolan and the entire Bat-Crew have topped themselves. This is the best comic book movie adaptation ever and a serious contender for best film of the year. Sorry, Iron Man, you'll just have to settle for the silver. I give The Dark Knight 4 and a half Jokers out of a possible 5.

Rating:

( Continue here for spoiler-laden thoughts )

I’m back, boys and girls. Mom is doing a lot better and should be discharged from the hospital in 2 days, 3 tops. Now, for a couple of quick movie reviews to whet your appetites. I’ll have more detailed thoughts (including reviews for WALL-E and In Bruges) as I put together my list for Best Films of 2008…so far.



I’ve written up a review for Wanted over at DVD Town with an opposing view from my fellow DVD Towner, John J. Puccio. It’s one of my favorite reviews I’ve written. As for the film, it’s a definite guilty pleasure. If you’re a fan of Shoot ‘Em Up and Equilibrium and all you want is Gun-Fu, Wanted is for you. I gave it a '7' on the DVD Town scale. On the Will scale, I give it 3 Angelina Jolies out of a possible 5.

Wanted Rating:

Hancock (Dir. Peter Berg) - Once upon a time there was a script called Tonight, He Comes and it was hailed as one of the best screenplays ever written that had yet to be produced. The script was a serious drama about a lonely superhero that falls for an ordinary housewife. What the Hell happened to it? The story passed through the hands of several directors including Michael Mann, Tony Scott, and Jonathan Mostow. It must have passed through even more hands for us to receive this diluted, hodgepodge of missed opportunities and wasted potential. This poor attempt at a post-modern superhero film could have been the perfect antidote for the summer glut of comic book movies.

The movie makes an honest attempt to show the real world consequences of outrageous superheroic acts. Hancock abruptly stops a train and causes a massive accident. However, ten minutes later, he hurls a child high into the air, catches him, and the child walks off with some mental scarring, but no physical effects. As if, he wouldn't have broken nearly every bone in his body. The acting is fair. Will Smith is his usual affable self and it’s hard to hate the former Fresh Prince of Bel Air even when he’s trying hard to be an asshole. The same goes for Jason Bateman who plays basically the same character he did in Arrested Development, Juno, and Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium. Charlize Theron is wasted in her tiny role as Bateman's wife.

Final Thoughts: The film switches from lowbrow comedy (Smith has some funny one-liners) to a darker drama, but the two halves never mesh properly. The problem lies in shoving the genre conventions of the superhero movie into a picture that isn't supposed to be a superhero movie. The ending is anti-climatic, the big reveals are contrived, bogged down by an origin story that is unnecessary and completely nonsensical. I give Hancock 1 and a half DJ Jazzy Jeffs out of a possible 5.

Rating:

The Incredible Hulk (Dir. Louis Leterrier) - Make it 2-0 for Marvel. The Incredible Hulk doesn’t hit it right out of the park as Iron Man did, but it’s a respectable triple. Whereas Ang Lee’s Hulk was more talky, less smashy, this new Hulk is more smashy, less talky. Ed Norton pulls double-duty for this latest adaptation of the Green Goliath. He’s pitch-perfect as Bruce Banner and, though he got hosed on a writing credit, his rewrite of Zak Penn's script is an excellent melding of action and drama, which utilizes elements from the classic TV series, Bruce Jones’ seminal run of the comic and the Jeph Loeb/Tim Sale miniseries, Hulk: Gray.

It’s a shame so much of the meat was plucked off the story's bones. It feels as if Marvel was a little too trigger happy in the editing room due to the backlash of the previous Hulk. Much has been made of the row between Norton and Marvel Studios over the final cut of the film (which you can read about here and here). About twenty minutes of footage was trimmed from the movie in order to maintain a faster paced and more commercial cut at less than two hours. Scenes from the trailers such as Bruce’s one-on-one with Doc Samson and his trek to the Arctic (where we were supposedly to catch a glimpse of Captain America) are gone. You can definitely feel that there was something missing in the film, especially considering how thinly written characters like Blonsky and Betty Ross were written. Samson is relegated to little more than a cameo. With the upcoming DVD scheduled to feature nearly 70 minutes of deleted footage, most of these excised scenes should come to light.

The Incredible Hulk certainly lacks the visual punch that Ang Lee brought to the previous film. The Hulk’s encounter with the army on campus doesn’t match up to the widescreen action of the Lee Hulk’s battle in the desert. The final fight between Hulk and Abomination isn’t too bad considering we're just watching two CGI cartoon characters punching each other. Leterrier does overdo it with the slow motion. There’s also a cheesy King Kong-esque scene between Betty and Hulk in a rain-soaked cave.



I should stop picking apart the film as this was a damn, good time. As I said, Norton is fantastic in the lead role. He might not look as good in the part as Sam Elliot, but William Hurt equates himself well as Thunderbolt Ross, Marvel’s answer to Captain Ahab. Tim Roth is another great actor, but he doesn’t have much to do as Blonsky. There’s also just the right amount of humor sprinkled into the film. Liv Tyler isn’t the most nuanced actress around, but she’s best during those lighter moments, especially her scenes in New York City. Tim Blake Nelson probably puts in the most fun performance of anyone in the cast as Dr. Samuel Sterns. As any comic book fan worth his salt knows, he’ll return to plague the Hulk’s life as the cranially-enhanced supervillain, The Leader.

And that’s another element diehard fans will get a kick out of. The film packs in numerous Easter eggs and cameos (including a certain man of iron) for the geeks to squeal over. I spotted about 5 of them just in the opening credits. Stan Lee makes his obligatory appearance, but one that actually plays an integral part in the story. Lou Ferrigno is there and they even found a way to work the late-Bill Bixby into the movie.

Final Thoughts: If we could have just gotten Ang Lee to direct THIS version of the Hulk, that would have been a kickass comic book film. The Incredible Hulk doesn't have the innovative visual style of its predecessor, but it is a more faithful adaptation. Hulk isn't just a worthy follow-up to Iron Man, but it also continues to build the foundation for a shared Marvel universe to be brought to life on the big screen. It acknowledges the past while giving us a taste of the future where we'll find a star-spangled super-soldier and the phrase, "Avengers assemble!" becomes a distinct possibility. Let's just hope the behind-the-scenes tiffs aren't enough to drive Ed Norton away. I can't imagine a Hulk sequel or an Avengers pic without him as Bruce Banner.

I give this a three and a half Hulks out of a possible five.

Rating:

The Foot Fist Way (Dir. Jody Hill) – Every year, the movers and shakers in Hollywood scour Sundance and other film festivals in search of the next Little Miss Sunshine. Will Ferrell and Anchorman director, Adam McKay, championed this ultra low-budget picture (shot in a grainy, documentary style) about Fred Simmons, a small-town Tae Kwan Do instructor. This is right up Ferrell’s alley as the lead is the same type of character that Ferrell specializes in, the wacky & abrasive guy who flies off the handle at any moment. The tagline of the film should read, Will Ferrell as a martial arts instructor dropped into the world of Napoleon Dynamite. Except, it’s not funny. Not one single bit.

Final Thoughts: Someone is going to have to explain to me why everyone seems to love this movie so much. The Foot Fist Way generates a few chuckles, but the scant jokes it possesses wear thing very quickly. Danny McBride inhabits his character well, but he’s so thoroughly unsympathetic and scummy, that you don’t care a lick about him. The one shining spot in the film is the minor character of Julio, a roly-poly kid and wannabe apprentice to McBride’s Simmons. Maybe they should have made the movie about him. And Best of the Best remains the best Tae Kwan Do movie ever. The Foot Fist Way gets only one and a half fists out of a possible five.

Rating:

The Happening (Dir. M. Night Shyamalan) - Once upon a time there was a golden boy in Hollywood named M. Night Shyamalan who steadily pissed away his career due to ego and hack writing. The Happening lacks the twist revelation that became a trademark of Shyamalan's films. Yet, as ridiculous and infuriating as the ending to The Village was, at least there was some sort of ending. I'm not one to demand that every movie has to wrap things up in a neat, little bow, but The Happening is all build with no payoff. Awkward exposition dropped in at all-too convenient moments and silly performances make this another miss for a man fast becoming a one-hit wonder.

Final Thoughts: M. Night Shyamalan appears to have Uwe Boll-like powers in convincing gullible folks to fund his crappy movies. After the disaster of The Village, Buena Vista told him to screw off, forcing Shyamalan to make his masturbatory ego trip, Lady in the Water, with Warner Brothers. That film netted Shyamalan two Razzies for Worst Supporting Actor and Worst Director. Somehow he found a way to snow Fox into footing the bill for The Happening. What makes it all so infuriating is that Shyamalan is one Hell of a director. He's got an impeccable visual style and knows how to build suspense.

There's some great sequences in The Happening, but it builds to absolutely nothing, except an overly blunt message of environmentalism. That keen direction and a few dashes of humor are enough to lift this above his last couple of bombs, but not enough to recommend. The Happening gets two Marky Marks out of a possible five. And, yes, I did try for the goofiest possible picture I could find...

Rating:

Kung Fu Panda (Dirs. Mark Osborne & John Stevenson) – Yet another computer animated film about funny, talking animals. But, Kung Fu Panda brings the awesome and there is no surcharge for the awesome. The story is one we’ve seen a million times before and follows the basic hero’s journey while providing enough charm and humor to keep audiences satisfied. The film doesn’t rely on easy jokes based around lazy pop culture references. It also doesn’t get in-your-face with all the celebrity voices. They actually act rather than constantly remind you of who is behind the curtain. Dustin Hoffman lends a heavy sense of gravitas to his role of the kung fu master while Ian McShane is great in another role as the moustache twirling villain.

Final Thoughts: It’s got Kung Fu. It’s got panda. And it just about washes the terrible taste of The Forbidden Kingdom out of my mouth. The fight scenes are terrifically animated and the vivid, stunning opening sequence is almost worth the price of admission. This will definitely do, at least, until Wall-E comes out. Kung Fu Panda gets three pandas out of five.

Rating:

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (Dir. Steven Spielberg) - If you weren’t aware, I am a HYOOGE Indy mark. I’d put Raiders of the Lost Ark in my top 10 list of best movies ever made. At one point, I considered majoring in archeology, but changed my mind when I discovered they offered no classes in Bullwhip Cracking 101 or putting up with annoying Asian stereotype sidekicks. They’ve been talking about a fourth Indiana Jones flick for over a decade. I remember one of the first things I did when I originally got internet was embark on my own quest for the mythical script to Indiana Jones 4. Years and years of waiting and it finally came but, fanboys are already registering their complaints.

For me, I had no wild expectations. I had no allusions that the fourth film would blow away all of its predecessors. I just hoped for a fun time at the movies and that’s what I got.



Previous installments of Indiana Jones saw the eponymous hero in adventures inspired by the Republic serials that his creators, George Lucas and Steven Spielberg, enjoyed in their youth. The latest feature film acknowledges the passage of time by dropping Indy into the middle of a 1950’s B-movie. Nuclear weapons, space aliens, and Communism were the hot-button topics of the day and infiltrated nearly every facet of entertainment. Nazis were passé, supplanted by fears of Russian spies, little green saucer men, and radioactive fallout. This was never more evident than the film’s money shot of Harrison Ford coming face to face with a mushroom cloud.



Kingdom of the Crystal Skull takes the same, familiar formula that worked for the last three movies and doesn’t attempt to try anything new or innovative. Perhaps, its best not to fix what isn’t broken. Once again, we watch Indy and company globetrotting across the world, dodging bad guys and booby traps. New characters are brought in to replace those that have died or simply weren’t brought back. Jim Broadbent steps into the Marcus Brody role that was held by the late Denholm Elliot. John Hurt in the Sean Connery spot, which was later rewritten for the presumed dead Abner Ravenwood. Ray Winstone is the new Sallah and Mutt Williams is the new sidekick. Let’s just say he’s no Short Round and leave it at that. I'm not a LeBeouf hater, but I never did buy into him being a 50's greaser.

What has changed is the technology. CGI backgrounds where matte paintings once were. Special effects have always been a big part of the Indiana Jones series. Some of it is hokey looking, but the infamous face melting from Raiders doesn’t look that impressive compared to what can be done today. The car chase through the Amazon jungle wasn’t as spectacular as the chases in Raiders or Last Crusade, but it’s still pretty sweet even if the background is totally fakey. And I loved the Mutt-Spalko fencing duel. What I didn’t love are all the CGI animals. God forbid we have a George Lucas movie without one cute, computer animated critter. I knew exactly what kind of film we were getting when one of the first shots we get is a CGI groundhog. We also get CGI fire ants and Mutt Williams, king of the monkeys. Neither of which I was big on.



Of all the new characters, the strongest was most definitely Col. Spalko with Cate Blanchett turning in another brilliant performance. For me, she came off as the strongest of all the Indy villains, one who could match Dr. Jones, both physically and mentally. It’s a shame that the Russians never come off as more than just a minor annoyance for Indy. They pop up to act as a minor obstacle then disappear for long chunks of the picture, before popping up to provide another momentary roadblock.

Final Thoughts: Crystal Skull starts off with a rousing opening sequence in the warehouse from Raiders, but quickly descends into one long, CGI-fueled carnival ride that's full of missed potential. As the climax comes and our heroes arrive at the Kingdom, there is simply a lack of the sense of wonder so prevalant in the other films. When you have trouble keeping up with friggin' National Treasure, you know you have problems. The Crystal Skulls may be the focal point of the film, but the true mystery has to be what the Hell Janusz Kaminski was doing with the lighting.

I don't want to sound at all like I'm completely down on the movie. It's a pleasure to see Harrison Ford don the fedora and bullwhip once more as the "Raiders' March" by John Williams booms through the theater. I'll give Kingdom of the Crystal Skull three Indys out of five.

Rating:

And if I had to rank the films from best to worst, it'd be: Raiders, Last Crusade, Temple of Doom, and Crystal Skull.

Prince Caspian (Dir. Andrew Adamson) - I know I read Prince Caspian when I was a kid. I remember reading at least the first four books in the Narnia series, but I can’t, for the life of me, recall one single memory of the novel. Unlike The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, I went into the feature film adaptation of Prince Caspian with no preconceptions or complaints about how, “It wasn’t like that in the book.” However, if the source material was as tedious as the film, I’m glad to have forgotten all about it. Prince Caspian eschews any sort of character development for epic battle scene after battle scene, all of which we’ve seen done better in Lord of the Rings.

Final Thoughts: The Pevensie children are a year older. They lived as adults and returned to their youthful incarnations. They return to Narnia and find everyone of their friends have long since died. There's so much room for pathos and growth, but all we get are swords and arrows and special effects. Eddie Izzard is one of the few highlights of the film, providing the voice for the mouse warrior, Reepicheep. The strongest scenes belong to Tilda Swinton and Liam Neeson who reprise their roles as Jadis and Azlan, respectively, in what amounts to a pair of glorified cameos.

This is Andrew Adamson's last stint as director as Michael Apted takes over, helming the next installment, Voyage of the Dawn Treader. I hope Narnia mirrors the Harry Potter series. The first two Potters I didn't care for, but once they got rid of Chris Columbus and started bringing in directors like Alfonso Cuaron and Mike Newell, the movies got infinitely better. The Narnia films look to be doing the same. With better directors and more mature tones, I hope they have better luck with the sequels. I give Prince Caspian two Azlans out of a possible five.

Rating:

Two flicks I haven't yet written up and one I recently saw.

The Forbidden Kingdom (Dir. Rob Minkoff) - The wet dreams of many kung fu movie fans was finally going to be fulfilled. Jackie Chan and Jet Li together for the very first time...and they made this turd. On the plus side, Jackie at least made a film where he's not being made fun of the whole time. However, that doesn't excuse the idiocy of this pandering and slightly racist mish-mash of martial arts cliches. Master choreographer Yuen Woo-Ping stages several cool fight sequences that are never fully realized thanks to the pedestrian direction of Minkoff. Because when I think kung fu movies, I think of the guy who directed The Lion King and Stuart Little.

Final Thoughts: I love Jackie and Jet, but it was painful to sit through two hours of them mumbling through their English dialogue. What really pisses me off about this film, is that underneath that hackneyed script lies a movie with massive potential. Cut out the time traveler/chosen one subplot, shoot it in Cantonese, hire a director whose halfway competent when it comes to action and you got yourself a decent wuxia film. Yes, I know it's all about Hollywood reaching out to the widest audience possible, but you know something? Fuck the widest possible audience. There's a reason they're all called the unwashed masses. The Forbidden Kingdom gets 1 and a half Drunken Jackies out of a possible 5.

Rating:

BTW, can somebody please tell Dragon Dynasty to get off their damn asses and release those 2-disc editions of Tai Chi Master and Fist of Legend.

Forgetting Sarah Marshall (Dir. Nicholas Stoller) - The Apatow crew stumbled with Drillbit Taylor, but it took them only one film to come firing back on all cylinders. Not only does Jason Segel play the lead, but he's also the writer as well. He peppers his first screenplay with bawdy and hilarious one-lines ("I wonder if her carpet matches her pubes."). Yes, Kristen Bell looks great in a bikini, but it's Mila Kunis who really shines in the picture. She's both gorgeous and charming as the romantic interest. Russell Brand also steals the show as an obnoxious rock singer, while the always entertaining Paul Rudd fails to disappoint in his tiny role as a stoned surf instructor.

Final Thoughts: If you're brave enough to get past Jason Segel's weiner, then you'll be rewarded with puppets and a funny, smartly written film that's lightyears ahead of the crappy, cookie cutter romantic comedies that usually stink up the local multiplexes. I give Forgetting Sarah Marshall 3 Mila Kunisesesusesuses...er...Mila Kuni (?) out of a possible 5.

Rating:

Speed Racer (Dirs. The Wachowski Brothers) - The Wachowskis have created a colorful, unique and dynamic world. Speed Racer really is anime come to life, but it's also tantamount to having someone fling Hot Wheels at your face for two hours. Their live-action version of Speed Racer is a faithful adaptation and a cinematic neon sugar rush. It's like playing Mario Kart while shooting up on a concoction of acid, pixie sticks, and Jolt Cola. Remember how annoying Spritle and Chim-Chim were in the original cartoon? Well, they've taken that annoyance to all-new levels. We're talking Jar-Jar annoying. Monkeys are funny. It takes a lot for me to hate a monkey. I hated this damn monkey.

Final Thoughts: I'll admit that I bit into the sweet sweetness of the Speed Racer eye candy. I think they could have found a better Racer X than Matthew Fox, but Christina Ricci and John Goodman were perfect in their roles and I liked the score by Michael Giacchino. There's some really cool visuals and set pieces, even if most of the green screen work looks either hokey or nonsensical. The movie gets too complex and bogged down in the middle section. It's also far too long (over 2 hours) for what is supposed to be a kids' film. I give Speed Racer 2 and a half Trixies out of a possible 5.

Rating:

That's it for now. The special rock 'n roll edition is still coming. I'll be back next weekend with some motherfuckin' Indiana Jones and possibly Prince Caspian. I might see Redbelt since Mamet is my god or I might just see Iron Man for the third time. They're also showing The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly at The Ken on my birthday. Ah, decisions, decisions.

Dare I say that Iron Man just might be the best comic book superhero movie ever? Rotten Tomatoes seems to think so as the site gives it a 94% Fresh rating, achieving a higher approval rating than Batman Begins, Spider-Man 2, Sin City, and the entire X-Franchise. At the moment, I’m still riding the high of a healthy dose of iron, but I don’t have any major quibbles with Iron Man the same way I did with the above mentioned films.

Iron Man is the first film produced under the Marvel Studios banner, allowing the comic book company to churn their live-action adaptations in house while giving them tighter creative control. If this spectacularly fun effort is any indication, Marvel made the right decision. The last few Marvel films were the hugely disappointing Spider-Man 3, the mess that was X-Men: The Last Stand, and the, to be blunt, completely retarded Ghost Rider and Fantastic Four (both of them). But, finally, finally, finally, Marvel zombies have a film they don’t have to be ashamed about.



It’s been a long, hard road to the big screen for Tony Stark. Noted comic book fan Nicolas Cage and noted kook Tom Cruise were both in serious running to play the character. Neither choice panned out nor did Nick Cassavetes who was attached to direct from a script by Smallville creators Alfred Gough and Miles Millar. This was definitely a fine example of, “Everything happens for a reason.” Jon Favreau hopped on board as director and fought for Robert Downey Jr. as his star, despite both men’s lack of experience in big-budget blockbusters. Shock of all shocks, Favreau made the decision to put characters and story first while remaining faithful to the original source material. I know, crazy idea, don’t know if it’ll catch on. The only real deviations from the comic are the updated locale change of Iron Man's origins from Vietnam to Afghanistan and the change of Stark's butler, Jarvis, into an advanced AI system voiced by an uncredited Paul Bettany.

In the most surprising move, Favreau cited Robert Altman as an influence in his process of filmmaking. Who would have thought I'd be saying Robert Altman and superhero movie in the same sentence? Five different screenwriters may have had a hand in the script, but much of the dialogue comes from improvisation from the A-list cast. Owing much to Favreau's experience on Swingers and Made. They don't treat the origin story as something that's forced upon. That they have to tell it before the real action starts. It isn't the overly long, slightly clunky preamble from Batman Begins.



Downey absolutely inhabits the character. He IS Tony Stark. Downey definitely taps into his past as a good-time boy to perform as the hard partying billionaire. His genius industrialist is more Richard Branson than Bill Gates. Unlike other superheroes, Tony Stark never wallows in a sea of forced angst. There's just the right mix of drama, conflict, and humor. Dude has a stripper pole built into his private plane, for Odin's sake. And whoever thought Tony should listen to Suicidal Tendencies? Kudos to you, sir. They've also done a splendid job in setting up Tony's eventual fall from grace as everybody involved have all but confirmed that the inevitable sequel would be based on Demon in a Bottle storyline.

Some purists might complain that Tony Stark was never this much of a smart aleck, but Tony Stark was never this interesting. Downey is just on and everybody else in the film is attempting to play catch up. I'm not that big a fan of Gwyneth Paltrow, but she's the liviest and hottest she's ever been with her Howard Hawks-esque interplay with Downey. Terrence Howard didn't have much to do, so we'll have to wait for the sequel for him to get a meatier role.

Jeff Bridges is just fuckin' on as Obadiah Stane. Who better to be a thorn in the Golden Avenger's side than an evil Big Lebowski? It's a credit to him and Downey when they can make a minor bit involving a pizza box one of the film's more enjoyable scenes. I kept waiting for the Iron Monger to run screaming into the night, "He peed on my rug!"

Favreau isn't quite the most stylish in the visual department. The final battle between the iron warriors was slightly disappointing. Still, the CGI is great (with only one or two iffy shots) and the practical armors designed by Stan Winston are incredible. Adding frosting tot the cake, the filmmakers throw a few bones for the fanboys such as the foreshadowing of Rhodey becoming War Machine ("Next time, baby"), the introduction of S.H.I.E.L.D., a Mandarin reference (The Ten Rings), Stan Lee's best cameo ever, and the theme from the 1960's Iron Man cartoon as Rhodey's ringtone. Hell, even the ending credits are awesome.

BTW, stick around until the credits finish rolling for a cameo by a certain badass motherfucker with an eyepatch...



AH! No, not that one.



Yeah, that's what I'm talkin' about.

If I have any tiny nits to pick, it is the rather generic score, which was passable if not unremarkable. Also, as great as Jeff Bridges was, I thought the villain was a bit weak. That may be a problem for the sequels as Iron Man has a decent rogues gallery, but none of them are particularly cinematic, save for archnemesis, The Mandarin.

FINAL THOUGHTS: I was expecting Iron Man to be a great flick, but I had no idea it would whoop this much ass and be one of the best comic films ever. Taken on the surface, Iron Man is pure, undiluted, unadulterated, popcorn entertainment. The script may not be the most innovative, but it's strong and elevated by great performances across the board. It's the rare action film that wins at both the critical and financial fronts. Lately, a lot of these big-budget spectacles have run 2 1/2-3 hours and most of the time, the films drag and feel arbitrarily stretched out. Iron Man runs just over 2 hours and I wouldn't have minded one bit if they tacked on an extra 15-20 minutes.

The summer blockbuster season kicks off on a high note and I truly hope this is the beginning of a brand-new, lucrative franchise. Bring on Iron Man 2 and you sure as Hell better bring on The Avengers. I'm using the classic red & gold armor in giving this one 4 Shellheads out of a possible 5.

RATING:

Well, this is one down and three more to go as the summer still has The Incredible Hulk, Wanted and The Dark Knight to go. Punisher: War Zone? Yeah, that doesn't count. I think Hulk might be pretty good, but I haven't gotten near as excited for it as I have Iron Man. And Wanted just takes a dump over what I was preaching earlier about faithfulness to the source material. Dark Knight is going to be insanely awesome. And Hellboy II should be cool. God, July is going to be great, Dark Knight followed by Comic-Con.

And before I go, if you dug the movie then check out Iron Man: Viva Las Vegas which comes out this upcoming Wednesday. It features a story written by Favreau with art by Adi Granov, who did conceptual art for the film.

I know, the weekend is over, but I had a little bout of the sick. Had some severe abdominal pain and wound up going to the hospital this morning. Turned out it was a whole lot of nothing a couple swigs of Pepto-Bismo couldn't have solved. Of course, I had to sit around with my thumb up my ass in a hospital waiting room for 5 1/2 hours just to finally speak with a doctor for about 10 minutes. Healh care reform? Pfft...who needs it. At least, they didn't pull a Lazarescu on me.

Anyways, my thoughts on some of the films I've seen in the last two months or so.

The Bank Job (dir. Roger Donaldson) - Damn, I love a great heist flick and this was a fuckin' good, heist flick. Rewind the wayback machine to a time when robbing a vault didn't require sabotaging supercomputers and state-of-the-art surveillance equipment or hiring a crew of A-list celebrities. All you needed was a jackhammer and a hairy set of balls. The Bank Job places us in the grimy, filthy London of the 70's. The London of Get Carter with a slick (yet forgivable) Hollywood sheen. Who would have guessed this was shot in HD Digital? Statham steps into the type of role a young Michael Caine would have owned. Donaldson's film avoids the cartoonish world of Guy Ritchie and gently dips its toes into the waters of a less existential Jean-Pierre Melville.

Final Thoughts: So far, The Bank Job is my favorite film of the year. I doubt it will last in the spot, but it's a fun caper film without a dull moment. It gets 3 and a half Princess Margarets out of 5.

Rating:

Doomsday (dir. Neil Marshall) - Should writer/director Neil Marshall be commended for this pastiche of post-apocalyptic action movies or be condemned as a ripoff artist? I vote for the former. Marshall follows up his cult hit Dog Soldiers and the overrated The Descent with this homage to Mad Max and Escape from New York. He even throws in a dash of Excalibur just for the Hell of it. The action scenes tend to be too hyper-edited and its climactic Road Warrior car chase is no match for Death Proof. But, there's a demented cheekiness to it that is never more prominent than during a bloody orgy of crazies dancing to "Good Thing" by The Fine Young Cannibals.

Final Thoughts: Marshall seems to crib whole shots from George Miller and John Carpenter, but that's all right. He could have picked worse. ::coughcoughRennyHarlincoughcough:: Malcolm McDowell is awesome in the Col. Kurtz role and Bob Hoskins manages to make any hackneyed line of dialogue into money. This one goes into the guilty pleasure drawer along with Last Man Standing, Reign of Fire and Universal Soldier. Doomsday gets 3 Malcolm McDowells out of 5.

Rating:

Be Kind Rewind (dir. Michel Gondry) - Gondry's last film, The Science of Sleep was a laborious exercise in pretentiousness. However, Be Kind Rewind stays above such nonsense and manages to find a genuine sense of warmth and whimsy in this story of what seems to be the last video store in New Jersey. Jack Black and his Jack Black schtick wears thin and feels like it belongs in a completely different film. Still, he shines in the bootlegged ("Sweded") versions of Hollywood blockbusters. I really wished there was more of that as Gondry invents several ingenious methods of low-budget filmmaking.

Final Thoughts: Wasn't the wacky comedy I thought it was going to be. Gondry injects some heart into his film which culminates in a third act that easily reminds you of Preston Sturges' Sullivan's Travels. I give Be Kind Rewind 3 Robo-Jack Blacks out of 5.

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In the Valley of Elah (dir. Paul Haggis) - Those no good Hollywood liberals sure laid it on thick last year with their politically charged pictures. Nobody listened. Redacted, Lions for Lambs and Rendition all met with empty seats and critical snubbing. I'd hesitate to put In the Valley of Elah in the same category. Elah suffers from a heavy handed case of didacticism and is further proof that Paul Haggis knows not the definition of subtlety. Yet, the film has one thing going for it that its compatriots did not, Tommy Lee Jones. This is his show. Tommy and a strong supporting cast (including the excellent Charlize Theron) elevate what is essentially subpar material.

Final Thoughts: Sure, Tommy Lee Jones is just doing another one of his grizzled, world weary old man roles (see The Three Burials of Melquiadas Estrada and No Country for Old Men), but if it ain't broke don't fix it. Bogart and John Wayne basically played the same characters throughout their careers too. In the Valley of Elah gets boosted an extra point thanks to Mister Jones and the always beautiful cinematography of Roger Deakins. And yet another great sleazebag role for Josh Brolin. I give it 3 Two-Faces out of 5.

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Leatherheads (dir. George Clooney) - Apparently, this script about the nascent days of pro football has sat on the shelves since 1993. Maybe it should stayed there, collecting dust. Clooney took the story and rewrote it as a screwball comedy with an old timey touch in the manner of the Coen Brothers. He also got into a row with the WGA over a credit dispute. While Clooney might be the closest we have to Cary Grant, Renee Zellweger is definitely no Rosalind Russell. John Krasinski rules it as Jim on The Office, but he comes off as an uncharismatic brick as college star/war hero Carter Rutherford.

Final Thoughts: Clooney does his best to imitate the voices of George Cukor, Howard Hawks and Preston Sturges. There's some snappy patter sprinkled throughout the movie, but his third film is an overall disappointment. It lacks the essential energy and on-screen chemistry that were integral to the classic screwball comedies. I don't even feel like giving it a cute, little rating. 2 stars out of 5.

Rating: **

Other less than stellar films...

Jumper (dir. Doug Liman) - It's Anakin Skywalker vs. Mace Windu: the rematch. And it sucks. It takes a lot to render the usually kickass Samuel L. Jackson into such an inert element, but this shitty film actually does so. The Badass Motherfucker is as bland as Mr. Gets Sand in His Vagina After Tusken Raiders Kill His Mommy. Just an excuse to string together a bunch of special effects and nonsensical action sequences. Michael Rooker and Diane Lane are absolutely wasted.

Rating: * 1/2 out of 5.

Drillbit Taylor (dir. Steven Brill) - Based on an idea from John Hughes, Drillbit Taylor is like Superbad for the PG crowd filtered through the sensibilities of the 1980's. It fails to capture the cheesy charm of those 80's clasics. More importantly, it isn't funny. The bully is too borderline Columbine for such light fare. The only highlight comes from a cameo by Adam Baldwin as he reprises his role from My Bodyguard. Do yourself a favor, rent that, skip this.

Rating: * 1/2 out of 5.

Some thoughts on films I've recently watched. Brief blurb form.

The Golden Compass (dir. Chris Weitz) - For a multi-million dollar, FX-laden fantasy-adventure with Sam f'n Elliot, James Bond, the hotness of Eva Green, and a polar bear voiced by Ian McKellan, this movie sure was a bore. Part of the fault could be laid at the feet of Chris Weitz and his pedestrian direction. The sequels are in the air as they wait on the international box office. If they do make more, I'd hope they find a better director. Look at Harry Potter. Alfonso Cuaron and Mike Newell were huge steps ahead of Chris Columbus.

Final Comments: By-the-numbers and uninspiring. On the talking bear scale, The Golden Compass only earns 2 bears out of a possible 5 bears.

Rating:

The Darjeeling Limited (dir. Wes Anderson) - I like Wes Anderson, but does he really have to make the same movie over and over again? Darjeeling Limited isn't so much a Wes Anderson film as it is a film made by someone trying way too hard at being Wes Anderson. His exact and impeccable visual flair is firmly on display here, but Anderson never brings anything new to the table. The same mix of tragedy, comedy and absurdism peppered with slow-motion shots, all set to a soundtrack of 60's and 70's rock. Mainly worth watching for the performances of Owen Wilson, Jason Schwartzman & Adrien Brody as the bickering brothers.

I thought the short prequel, Hotel Chevalier was more entertaining. And why the Hell didn't anybody tell me Natalie Portman gets nekkid in it? Butt shot only, no boobage, I'm afraid. Not too shabby, except somebody should tell Princess Amidala to get off the Karen Carpenter diet and eat a sandwich.

Final Comments: Wes Anderson boards the express towards the borders of self-parody. The Darjeeling Limited gets 2 Naked Natalie Portmans out of 5.

Rating:

Lars and the Real Girl (dir. Craig Gillespie) - Indie film category, number one: The quirky character study. Nancy Oliver's Oscar-nominated script handles the creepy premise of a man in love with his life-sized, replica sex doll. It sounds like a Farrelly Brothers comedy, but the filmmakers stay far away from cheap and easy low-brow humor. There's an almost Capra-esque feel to the film's depiction of Midwestern small town life and the way everything gets wrapped up with a poignant bowtie. Yes, the sentimentality feels trite at times and Ryan Gosling labors a little too much to make Lars eccentric. Still, it's a sweet and touching film

Final Comments: Who'd have thought you could get such a wonderful performance out of an inanimate object? I know, they've been trying for years with Keanu Reeves. Lars and the Real Girl gets 3 sex dolls out of 5.

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Margot at the Wedding (dir. Noah Baumbach) - Indie film category, number two: Dysfunctional families of emotionally damaged, narcisisstic intelligentsia. Baumbach takes inspiration from Eric Rohmer as Margot is the type of film Rohmer or Woody Allen would have made. Margot drops us intimately into the lives of people with some serious issues. There is a plot, but in the loosest sense. Baumbach is more interested in allowing us to observe as their neuroses unfold. The ebb and flow of familial bliss and deep-seeded animosity. Jack Black tends to overact at points and a subplot with white trash neighbors detracts from the main story.

Final Comments: Nicole Kidman is splendid as the passive-aggressive title character. Not as heartfelt or involving as The Savages. Margot at the Wedding receives two and a half Big Pink Hat Nicole Kidmans out of 5.

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