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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Theater Review: The Avengers

Not only was I able to get out and see a brand, spanking new movie, but I was able to see it on opening weekend. And, I am actually going to post something on it the very same day I watched it.

I know, alert the newspapers.

Now, this is one of the films this summer that everyone and their brother is going to see. So I will not bore you with a running plot, and I really hate doing that for new movies anyway.

The Avengers has been a film that has been in the eyes of the movie studios since they even thought up Iron Man a few years back. This is where they wanted to end up, and thanks to the films leading up to it (the Iron Man series, Thor and Captain America) and their success, it has gained a huge following.

People were going to come out and see it. That was pretty much a given, and judging by the near record breaking numbers at the time of this post, the people did come out. But, would the film itself actually pan out?

The issues that have plagued many comic book film adaptations in the past is that once they get rolling, they feel they can do no wrong - so they introduce more and more characters, in most of these films those characters are usually the villains. The original Spiderman trilogy (and maybe to a lesser extent the first Batman) slammed us with far too many villains in one film - and it suffered because of it.

So, with all of these heroes coming together for one gigantic film, would it work? Or, would there just be too much going on that the story suffered?

In this instance, and I know that due to its success (and hell even the film itself) that there will be at least a sequel and possibly more, but for this film it worked tremendously.

Captain America: When we last left Steve Rogers (Chris Evens) at the conclusion of Captain America he had just fond out that he had been woken up from a freeze and it was no longer World War II. Since then it sounds as if he has not really adjusted to the new world he is forced to live in, is not sleeping and is spending most of his time in the gym. Rogers is the military man of the group, and does most everything by the book. So his pairing in this group is difficult at first, but when given the opportunity to lead his instincts take over and the rest of the group falls in line.

Iron Man: At the conclusion of Iron Man 2, Tony Stark (Robert Downey, Jr.) has been reestablished as the CEO of Stark Industries after Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow) relinquished it back to him. Since then it appears that Stark and Potts have continued their romantic interlude, and Stark is surprised when Agent Coulson (Clark Gregg) pops up to bring him back into the Avenger Initiative, since Stark was thought to be too narcissistic to be able to join. Of course, Stark believes he is the leader of the group and clashes with most of his fellow members, especially Rogers. But, when the time comes for battle Stark may just prove that he can put other people before himself.

Thor: Thor (Chris Hemsworth) is still struggling with the fact that his brother Loki (Tom Hiddleston) is attacking the world that he loves and protects in Earth. It appears that Loki is not just looking for a kingdom to rule, but revenge on his brother for growing up in his shadow and taking over Asgard, even though he thought it rightfully belonged to him. Thor struggles with the fact that he is part of a group that may eventually kill his brother, even though he believes it should be him to take him back to Asgard.

Hulk: Not really sure which Hulk this one comes from, but I am guessing it was Edward Norton's version. Here, Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo) has 'quarantined' himself off in Cambodia. He is tracked down to help with the initiative, and to find a way to locate the Tesseract, which Loki has stolen. Banner is a genius, but we all know that behind him The Hulk is always lurking to come out. So, the others must be careful not to get a reaction out of him and accidentally unleash the beast.

S.H.I.E.L.D.: We have slowly been introduced to a number of the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents throughout the other films. Agent Coulson, for one, has been in most of the films leading up to this one. He has even sort of become a friend to some of the heroes, especially Stark and Potts. Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) is the head of the program and despite the Avengers Initiative being terminated, brings it back when Loki lands on Earth. Agent Natasha Romanoff (Scarlett Johannson), aka Black Widow, was introduced in Iron Man 2 so we get a bit of what she is capable of. Clint Barton (Jeremy Renner), aka Hawkeye, has a tiny role in Thor but he was a bit of a mystery and quite possibly the person we knew the least about. Finally, Maria Hill (Cobie Smulders) is introduced in this film and appears to be third in control behind Fury and Coulson.

That is a lot of characters, and thankfully they were weaved together expertly. Each one was able to have his own moments in the film, but no one character truly overshadowed the other. One would think that with the success of Iron Man and the clout of Downey, Jr. that this could have become another Iron Man film, but that didn't happen which is why it worked so well.

It also looked amazing. Plus, we all expect the great action scenes and there were a ton of great ones. The film was not lacking in action. But, what was unexpected was the amount of comedy that was sprinkled throughout the movie. There were many times in my theater where people were literally laughing out loud.

I have to say, I have loved Iron Man, Captain America and Thor, and I still do. But, I really enjoyed Hawkeye in this film - and I FINALLY loved The Hulk.

In the previous installments, The Hulk was just way too large, in my opinion. Here, we understand that he is big, strong and mean, but he was only a few feet taller than the other characters, which was perfect. In the others, he was about the size of a house. Far too big. And, in this film, he was given some great things to do - which gives me hope that with the proper person The Hulk may just have a good solo movie in him. One can only hope.

Finally, being able to bring the amount of characters from different movies that were written and directed by different people and have it all come together like this was just masterfully crafted. Each character has so much behind them and each film has so much going on in it, and all of that is on full display here. It was just a great meshing, which honestly really surprised me.

It was all I could hope and more. I was already looking forward to seeing it again when I walked out. And for that to happen means it was an outstanding film. Do yourself a favor and go check it out. But, who am I kidding? I am sure you already have.

Grade:

12/50x2: Sherlock Holmes

I have to admit that my knowledge of Sherlock Holmes only truly comes from heresy and the Disney film The Great Mouse Detective (even though that is technically not Holmes).

So, my vision for Holmes was not truly what Robert Downey, Jr.'s portrayal in Sherlock Holmes. 


So, Holmes and his partner Watson (Jude Law) are on the hunt for a murderer, Lord Blackwood (Mark Strong). They capture Blackwood before he kills a woman during what appears to be a ritualistic killing.

Months later, Watson is on the verge of taking off from Baker Street and getting married. Holmes is also visited by Irene Adler (Rachel McAdams), a thief from Holmes' past. She asks him to find a missing man named Luke Reardon.

Around the same time, Blackwood's tomb explodes from the inside. A gravedigger claims that he has seen Blackwood himself, and when Holmes and Watson check the coffin, Adler's missing man, Reardon is in his place.

I'm obviously doing this review a bit too late, because I actually had to get a jolt to remember what the premise of the film was all about. I don't know if that is a good thing or not.

I do remember somewhat enjoying the film. I also remember that for the entire film I thought Blackwood was Andy Garcia - imagine my surprise.

The main reason I added this to my list is because its sequel came out in December and I figured I should see the first before the next one is on DVD.

That being said, I do hope the sequel is a little bit better then the first. I enjoyed the actors, but the story must not have been that great - especially if I had trouble remembering the plot just a few months later.

Grade:

Iron Man 2

OK, this is pretty weird that I am debuting an entirely new website design and name to the site - "Kano's Lay-Z-Boy Theater". The name of this site derives my inability to get to the theater anymore.

But, for my first post on this newly revamped site I, ironically, will be posting a review of a movie I saw in the actual theater - Iron Man 2.

Iron Man sort of came out of nowhere a few years ago, and was a huge surprise hit in the same summer that brought us The Dark Knight. Iron Man I was not able to see in the theater, but was able to check out on its arrival on DVD and I found it very entertaining - sort of the anti-Dark Knight as it wasn't dark at all and most of its appeal came from its humor and leading man - Robert Downey, Jr.

Well, Tony Stark (Downey, Jr.) returns as a huge phenomenon to the adoring public, however, he continues to battle the same health issues from the first movie - and his suit only appears to be causing his health more damage.

This time around the characters are aplenty as we are introduced to Justin Hammer (Sam Rockwell), a competitor of Stark Industries; Ivan Vanko (Mickey Rourke), the main villain of the film; and Natalie Rushman (Scarlett Johansson), who we know as Black Widow. Also around are Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow), Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) and James Rhodes (Don Cheadle) - who took over for Terrence Howard.

I have to admit that in the past (older Batman films, Spiderman 3) I have always been against the inclusion of so many characters, but in this film it really didn't hurt too much. There was a lot going on in the film, but for the most part it worked.

My main complaint would be in the finale. There was such a major buildup for the final fight that was sort of let down by how brief the ending became.

Another huge part of this movie was the continued recruitment of Stark to possibly join Fury's Avengers team. I am pretty interested in seeing that film as long as it is done correctly - again the more characters in a film sometimes takes away from the actual story telling.

On a side note: I remember during the showing of this film thinking to myself that I could take a hit in the man department because, honestly, I found Paltrow to be much better looking that Johansson. I am not sure what it was, but she really stood out to me - much more than she did in the first film.

Finally - I am sure most of you have heard about this already, but make sure to stick around until after the credits for a little extra does of fun.

Grade:

Iron Man/Forgetting Sarah Marshall

I did something this past weekend that I am normally not accustomed to doing. And I can now sort of see why I never do it, although I must admit it was worth it.

I have gotten pretty accurate in returning my Netflix DVDs in order for them to return on a Monday. When this happens, I almost always get a movie that is coming out brand spanking new on Tuesday - I usually get them on Wednesday. Anyway, if you miss out on getting them right away - it could be months before you luck out and get one.

Last Tuesday, two movies I have been longing to see since they were released in the theater dropped on DVD - Forgetting Sarah Marshall and Iron Man. I told myself not to send back the Netflix DVDs until a certain time so that I could get both of these on Wednesday. But, without thinking, I tossed my returning DVDs into the mail and they got to Netflix way before they are allowed to ship me the brand spanking new movies. So, I screwed up.

Anyway, with movies like these two I would never had received them from Netflix until possibly Christmas - so I blew the dust off of my Blockbuster card and traveled over to rent these two movies. In the end, it cost me nearly 12 dollars. I have certainly learned my lesson.

But was it worth it?

(Possible Spoilers hidden in the article)

I will start with Iron Man as I have heard so many great things about the movie this summer. From what I could tell it was the best movie of the summer not named The Dark Knight.

Anyway, after watching the film I think I have to agree with all of the buzz. Robert Downey Jr. was simply amazing as Tony Stark/Iron Man, and I can see why is stock has risen to astronomical preportions.

I had done my best to sort of hide under a rock and not get the total idea of the movie, so it was pretty surprising to me when I saw a bald Jeff Bridges as Tony's right hand man, and eventual villain.

I had read a few opinions on the choice for Gwyneth Paltrow as Pepper Potts, Stark's secretary/obvious love interest. I must admit, I have never really seen Paltrow as an A-list actress, but her performance in this film I felt was very strong.

Hidden throughout the entire film were hints as to a sequel, which after the enormous box-office draw the film has seen, was already green-lit. It was fun to pick up on some of the lines and scenes of things that might become.

Anyway, to wrap up I was very much impressed with the entire story-line of Iron Man. It did what other successful comicbook adapdations were able to do. It told the story of Tony Stark, how he became Iron Man and his reasons behind his transformation, while also providing a serperate storyline that helped Iron Man become a true superhero. All the while keeping the audience entertained.

Grade:

The other film I was able to catch was Forgetting Sarah Marshall.

The movie was penned by Jason Segel of How I Met Your Mother fame. It is loosely based on a relationship that Segel himself had with, according to sources, Linda Cardellini of ER.

Segel is Peter Bretter, a musician who has been doing the music in the hit television show Crime Scene. His girlfriend, Sarah Marshall (Kristen Bell), just so happens to be the star of the television series.

Marshall, however, breaks Bretter's heart when she leaves him for another man. Bretter has a difficult time getting over her and his half-brother/friend Brian Bretter (Bill Hader) tells him to go on vacation and try and forget about her.

Bretter takes the advice and heads off to Hawaii, and checks into a hotel where Marshall also happens to be staying at with her new boyfriend, Aldous Snow (Russell Brand), a pop singer.

This throws Bretter into yet another crying-fest, until he befriends a hotel worker Rachel Jansen (Mila Kunis).

I'll leave the plot at that, because everything else that happens is pretty important to the ending. I will say that the full-frontal scenes of Segel were definitely turn-away worthy. Although perhaps the ladies will enjoy it - I don't know, the wife didn't give me a thumbs up or anything. Brand was pretty decent in the film, I did find him a little over-the-top, but some of his lines were pretty funny. Jonah Hill makes another appearance in an Apatow-movie, as a host at the hotel's restaurant - but his role was a little flat for me. Paul Rudd makes a small cameo in the film, his role was a little better than Hill's but not by much.

I enjoyed the film a lot, but I guess I actually came away a little disappointed due to the amount of hype I put into seeing it. I think I'll have to see it again to truly appreciate it, but I do know I had a handful of laugh out loud moments, which always makes a movie watchable for me.

Grade: