Tuesday, May 28, 2013

Tuesday's With Movies: 5/28/13

Dark Skies: The only thing I know about this movie is Keri Russell staring out the window and the bird flying directly into it. But, it looks to be the horror film of the week - so enjoy you horror buffs. I however will continue to stay away.

The Numbers Station: I saw this on a preview of some DVD I watched awhile back and was intrigued - but then saw nothing about it again. Then, not long ago, I watched another DVD and saw that it was coming out. Not sure if this ever landed in a theater anywhere, or if it was a direct to DVD launch, but at some point I think I may check it out.

Generation Um...: Wow, this looks extremely bad. Has Keanu Reeves fallen this low? I seriously hope he was doing the filmmaker a favor by working on this. The name alone, although it did intrigue me, is not a great name for a film. Staying away.

Wednesday, May 22, 2013

Theater Review: Iron Man 3

I have to say it was pretty smart of Marvel to drop an Iron Man film as the first to follow last year's Avengers.

Iron Man was a surprise hit in 2008 and Robert Downey, Jr. became both Tony Stark and Iron Man - his quote at the conclusion of the first film was perfect, "I am Iron Man!".

But, as much as the original film was a surprise hit, it feels like Iron Man 2 was a bit of a let down to many movie goers. Sure, it was definitely a step backwards - especially since the villain was actually much better, but Whiplash was never really the villain he should have and could have been.

Plus, the main reason for Iron Man 2 was to pretty much setup The Avengers film - with the introduction of Black Widow and Nick Fury inviting Tony to join the Avengers Initiative.

So, now we have Iron Man 3.

I would probably put it somewhere between the original and its sequel. I feel it was better than the last one, but still can't live up to the first.

Since the events that happened in New York in the Avengers, Tony has had trouble sleeping - and has spent that time creating new and different Iron Man suits. His relationship with Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow) continues to grow, but Tony's issues that he gained after almost dying in the alien invasion have strained it somewhat.

In a flashback, we learn that Tony spent a night with Maya Hansen (Rebecca Hall) and also blew off Aldrich Killian (Guy Pearce), who wanted to speak to him about an experiment he is working on.

Killian, now with a new backer, returns to Stark Industries - this time speaking to the new person in charge, Potts. But, like Tony before her, she turns him down because of the ability to possibly weaponize is product.

Over seas, a terrorist much like Osama bin Laden, is threatening the United States and he goes by the Mandarin (Ben Kinglsey). After Happy Hogan (Jon Favreau) is injured during an apparent attack by the Mandarin, Tony tells him to come after him at his home - and he does.

With Stark's home destroyed - and feared dead - he is flown to Tennessee by his suit, until it loses all of its power. Tony teams up with Harley Keener (Ty Simpkins) to track down information on some of the attacks that have been happening, and to also recharge the Iron Man suit.

After the Mandarin steals Iron Patriot - formerly War Machine - from James Rhodes (Don Cheadle) so that he can kidnap the president (after already kidnapping Pepper) - Rhodes and Tony team up 80s-cop style to rescue them both and put a stop to the Mandarin once and for all.

Pretty tough to recap this without giving things away - but I think I did. Some great surprises happen, which I honestly did not see coming.

Best parts of the film, hands down, are the interactions between Stark and the kid. It was pretty darn funny and the kid held his own pretty well with Downey, Jr. Second has to be the final battle scene.

I am not giving anything away here because it is shown in the trailer - but Stark has really not been sleeping much and he has created a ton of new suits - some of which do many different things.

The culmination has all of them coming together to take down the Mandarin and help Rhodes and Stark rescue Potts and the president (William Sadler).

If this is the final Iron Man film, it went out pretty well. The story was wrapped up in a nice bow - but it felt like there was also more to tell if it continued.

Downey, Jr. is in the renegotiating phase with Marvel for his salary to continue as Tony Stark - which no doubt will be for Avengers 2 and Avengers 3. As more and more standalone features are announced, Iron Man has not been one of them. And, I don't have a problem with that - I am fine with him continuing to just be part of Avengers and maybe cameo in other films along the way.

But, this film made a butt-load of money and I doubt Marvel (and Disney) will just stop altogether leaving this much money on the table. It's obvious people still love their Iron Man - and if they can get Downey, Jr. under contract - I really expect another film in the future.

Grade:
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Tuesday, May 21, 2013

Tuesday's With Movies: 5/21/13

Side Effects: The takeover of Channing Tatum continues, here with a Steven Soderbergh film. He joins fores with the Dragon Tattoo-girl herself, Rooney Mara. Looks like it might be a decent film, will probably give it a shot.

Beautiful Creatures: A film about witches - a girl must choose between the light and the dark side (the force?), and appears to be a top choice for the dark side. But, a normal boy appears to be getting in the way of her destiny.

Parker: I tend to enjoy Jason Statham movies every now and then - they aren't something I rush out to see, but occasionally I will toss one in or watch it on television. The involvement of Jennifer Lopez has me thrown off a bit - I can't really remember a movie I liked that she was in. But, perhaps down the road I will check it out.

The Last Stand: Yes, I will definitely be checking this one out. Despite his involvement with the Expendable films, this is Shcwarzenegger's first real film since leaving the governor's office. Looking forward to seeing it.

Stand Up Guys: Pacino, Arkin and Walken team up for one last hurrah as stickup men. Has me somewhat intrigued, but not running out to see it right away. If I catch it on tv I may check it out.

Struck by Lightning: Kurt from Glee has written a movie that he is now starring in. Though Kurt is not one of my favorite characters on the show, I will give him some love and check this out at some point.

Monday, May 20, 2013

Theater Review: Jurassic Park 3D

There isn't a whole lot that I can say about this movie that you already do not know. If you haven't seen it yet, you either don't enjoy these types of movies, or you may be living under a rock.

Either way, a couple year's back my local theater played Jurassic Park as part of its Throwback Thursdays (that I am not sure if they still do). And, I kicked myself for not going to see it.

Luckily, the film was re-released for its 20th anniversary and given the 3D treatment. Now, I don't think it needed to be in 3D, but everyone else is obviously doing it now - so I guess it had to as well.

Jurassic Park was originally released in 1993 when I was 12 years old. But, I did not get to check it out in the theater. My first taste of T-Rex and company came on VHS, and I really fell in love.

So, having the chance to see a loved film in the theater - after missing it a year or two earlier - I had to go and see it. And, it was just as great as I thought it would be.

Steven Spielberg truly brought dinosaurs to life in this tale - and though at the time I was really unfamiliar with almost all of the cast - I knew that all of them put in magnificent performances. In fact, the lone actor I may have recognized at the time was Wayne Knight - from his time on Seinfeld, which was actually just getting started on television.

Again, this is me trying to remember my 12-year-old self, so some of this may not be entirely accurate. That being said - I really enjoyed Jeff Goldblum as Ian Malcolm. And, as Family Guy said, Samuel L. Jackson is in almost every movie. And although his role is small, he is another stand out here.

But, the true stars of the film are of course the dinosaurs. We had never really seen something as truly realistic - at least not in the form of dinosaurs - as we do here. Not only that, but as a dinosaur lover, I was introduced to even more dinosaurs. Especially the velociraptor, which became such a big star and so well liked - the NBA expansion team from Toronto was named the Raptors.

Still, the big star was T-Rex. It's the one we all loved as a kid (truly I was a triceratops fan) and he didn't disappoint here. He was truly the King of the Jungle.

Of course, Jurassic Park spawned sequels - one of which was already written by the original writer Michael Crichton, The Lost World while another was penned just for a film feature. But, the original is definitely the crown jewel.

But, going back and checking them all out again recently definitely has me excited for more dinosaur adventures - and the success of the re-release has those involved excited as well, which has made Jurassic Park IV move along much quicker than it has in the past.

And, I look forward to it.

But, for the original - it was definitely great to go back to my 12th year of life and enjoy my favorite dinosaurs on the big screen - for the first time.

Grade:

Tuesday, May 14, 2013

Tuesday's With Movies: 5/14/13

Texas Chainsaw 3D: Is this a prequel? A sequel? A remake? Truth is, I don't care.

Cloud Atlas: This will be the final film of my Hanks-O-Thon, which has been going on for quite a long time. It's been fun, and I am looking forward to finishing it. Heard both good and bad things about this film, so I look forward to seeing which side I fall on.

A Glimpse Inside the Mind of Charles Swan III: Wow, a lot people are in this movie. Too bad I have no idea what the heck this is about. Looks extremely strange - almost Wes Anderson-esque.

Frankie Go Boom: Hadn't heard of this before, but it stars Chris O'Dowd and Charlie Hunnam, and looks like it might be somewhat interesting. Might be something I check out down the road.

Tomorrow You're Gone: I am guessing this is a direct to DVD film because I can hardly find anything on it. But, it stars Willem Dafoe, Michelle Monaghan and Stephen Dorff.