Theatrical Review: Solo- A Star Wars Story

Date: Sunday June 3 2018
Location: Cinemark Theater at Stroud Mall
Time: 11:35am
Party: 3 (my mom, sister and I)

Director: Ron Howard
Writers: Jonathan and Lawrence Kasdan
Composer: John Williams

Notable Cast:
Han Solo- Alden Ehrenreich
Kira (ok, it's spelled Qi'ra officially, but I don't care)- Emilia Clarke
Chewbacca- Joonas Suotomo
Tobias Beckett- Woody Harrelson
Lando Calrissian- Donald Glover
Dryden Vos- Paul Bettany
L3-37- Phoebe Waller-Bridge (she'd never forgive me if I left her out- you'll see why later)


Duration: 135 minutes (+ 7 trailers... that seems to be a common thing now, 7 trailers at this place..)

Opening Remarks:

Two weeks after this movie came out (and the day after we saw it), the local DJ rejoiced "Star Wars is dead!"... stating how poorly this movie did at the box office and drawing attention in particular to the sharp decline from the first to the second weekend... The first weekend it only made around 90 million and the following week, it was closer to 30.

I'll start in saying this movie wasn't THAT BAD. And box office numbers aren't everything. It's just that not as many people are going to the movies anymore, whether they'd rather just stream or wait for it come on cable or they're just sick of movies in general... unless of course they're from the Marvel universe or Deadpool :P

It was the second week and there weren't many people in the theater. Maybe a dozen... and we were there early enough to get good choice of seats.

Trailers:

:sigh: almost all of these were the same trailers at the Avengers movie... so that annoyed me from the get-go. It's hard to be excited about new movies if it's the same trailers all the time.

Venom, Jurassic World, The Incredibles 2 and Ant-Man I'd already commented so, so I won't add anything more to that.

Mile 22 was a Mark Wahlberg movie and I think it's about a deadly weapon that gets stolen and needs to be retrieved... I don't remember much about it, but it's not my type of movie anyway

Mowgli, I don't know if it connects to the Jungle Book live action movie. Although they do have Cate Blanchett voicing the snake again, so I think they are connected. And he's living with man, but is also trying to figure out his identity and place in the world. It looks kind of intense for something based on an animated Disney film, but it also looks impressive.

Then there's a Queen/Freddie Mercury biopic called (what else) "Bohemian Rhapsody"... now that looks impressive. I've already heard some good things about it in passing and how the guy playing Freddie Mercury really nailed it.
...it also makes me hope that they never do this with Prince... he already did a biopic, it's called "Purple Rain"... ok, it's semi-autobiographical and the people in it are only one side of the personalities of those people in real life. Even Prince is playing a version of himself, but not being completely himself. The story itself has some truth to it, but the actual events that happened in the movie didn't actually happen in real life... yeah it's complicated, just no biopics for Prince, please, he deserves better...

The Main Event:

As one could expect, this is a prequel and origin story of sorts.
We find out how Han Solo got his name (well, his last name anyway), we get early glimpses of himself inability to follow orders and so on. Pretty much everything we know and love about our favorite scruffy looking nerfherder.
There's also a love story arc, but it doesn't go quite the way we expect. Like with a lot of this movie, I don't want to go into full details because you should probably experience it for yourself.
We also find out how Han met Chewbecca... and it's not the way I personally pictured it. I think my mom said in the book series that talks about the characters that Han rescued Chewbecca when he was young. I'm not entirely sure about this, I'm sure she'll correct me once she reads this.

As a whole, the movie started out as very relaxing for me. Which is a weird thing to say about an adventure film. But the fact is that we know Han Solo would survive this no matter what happens had me just hanging back and enjoying everything at face value.
The highlight is Han Solo himself. I'm not as in love with Harrison Ford or the character like my mom is, but I do like the guy. And there was no mistaking this was the same character. It's hard to explain, but this guy just has a certain swagger and self-assuredness that was very easy to like... even when he goes against the flow no matter who he's working with. That guy is just such a natural leader that it's difficult for him to follow anyone's orders other than his own. Heck, he even says to Leia in the first movie "I only take orders from one person: me"

His childhood friend/love interest Kira is an interesting piece of work herself... you never really know what's going on with her. They're both on this planet at the start where runaways are forced into slavery and they're trying to get off the planet. He gets off and she doesn't and he's trying to get back to her. But in the midst of his newest gig, working with Tobias Beckett (Woody Harrelson pretty much being the typical Woody- but he instills early on how you can never trust anyone and if you expect everyone you know to betray you, you'll never be disappointed... and boy does that become true later on...), he finds her in the quarters of their employer, Dryden Vos (his voice sounded so familiar that it took me a while to figure out it was Jarvis from the Iron-Man movies... of course I also know he was in movies like A Knight's Tale and A Beautiful Mind).
So Kira did get off that planet, but she doesn't seem to be completely free either. And she also comes with Han and Beckett to complete a job. They need to find some valuable raw material and make the Kessel Run in fewer than 20 parsecs to get it somewhere to be refined so it doesn't explode. In order to do that, they need a fast ship and Lando is the one who has it.

Then there's the end of the movie where you don't know where anyone stands... everyone is betraying everyone and all of it seems to be self-motivated... there's also a cameo in the movie and Kira is talking to him via intercom...  this movie is supposed to take place 10 years before A New Hope and this guy died at the end of the Phantom Menace... so I'm a little confused about that... reading the trivia, it sounds like he survived the Phantom Menace.
Maybe this will come to fruition in some sequel in the future, but based on this movie's box office numbers, I'm not sure how much of a possibility that is now.

This movie also dwells into some social commentary... almost a little too much for my tastes...
there's a story arc with this droid L3-37 that works with Lando and she's very into droid rights... there's a scene where she's decrying droid fighting and it made me think about Battle Bots and what it'd be like if these robots actually had thoughts and feelings of their own. She also talks about Lando having feelings for her that she could never return, but also subtly hints that sex is possible between humans and droids... the Internet lost its mind when the people on the movie announced that Lando was pansexual. I'm not saying that I don't want different sexualities explored in movies, but I don't like it when they're doing it to fulfill an agenda.
I will say, though, that the scene where she frees all of the droids, that was pretty epic.

There's also a heavy theme about slavery. How runaways are enslaved on that planet Han and Kira are from. The thing with the droids. But Wookies as well. Chewbecca was a prisoner when Han met him and the two of them escape together and their lifelong friendship formed from that.

As for the Kessel Run... there was talk about it in passing in the first Star Wars movie where Han is asked if his ship is fast and he says "it's the ship that made the Kessel run in less than 12 parsecs"... it was kinda cool seeing how that claim came to light.
And also how the Millennium Falcon got to be called a piece of junk by everyone to lay eyes on it throughout the series :P there was actually a point where it looked gorgeous. Then Han got to drive it and he did kinda ding it up a bit.
And true to form as well, Han won the ship from Lando in a card game... but it isn't necessarily the first game the two of them play. Let's just say that Han learns a thing or two from the scoundrels he hangs out with.

Also- it took me until the credits to find that Kira was played by Daenerys from Game of Thrones... I just don't recognize her without that wig :P I'd also only seen Game of Thrones a handful of times... my whole family is really into it, even my dad who isn't really into this stuff... I think I've seen 3 episodes EVER...

Grade: B

Theatrical Review: Avengers- Age of Ultron

Date: Sunday, May 3, 2015
Time: 12:15pm
Location: Pocono Movieplex
Party: 3 (my mom and aunt)

Cast:
[Returning Cast from previous Marvel movies]
Tony Stark/Iron-Man- Robert Downey Jr.
Steve Rogers/Captain America- Chris Evans
Thor- Chris Hemsworth
Bruce Banner/The Hulk- Mark Ruffalo
Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow- Scarlet Johansson
Clint Barton/Hawkeye- Jeremy Renner
Maria Hill- Cobie Smulders
Nick Fury- Samuel L. Jackson
Dr. Eric Selvig- Stellan Skarsgard
Rhodey/War Machine- Don Cheadle
Falcon- Anthony Mackie
J.A.R.V.I.S.- Paul Bettany
Peggy Carter- Hayley Atwell

[Newbies]
Scarlet Witch/Wanda Maximoff- Elizabeth Olsen
Quicksilver/Pietro Maximoff- Aaron Taylor-Johnson
Ultron- James Spader
The Vision- Paul Bettany
Laura- Linda Cardellini
Dr. Helen Cho- Claudia Kim

Writer/Director: Joss Whedon

Duration: 150 minutes (+3 trailers)

Write-up:

Audience and Previews

The theater wasn't quite as packed as I hoped/feared. The youngest attendees couldn't have been older than five, but there was a good age range throughout. The audience also wasn't quite as active as the previous "Avengers" (which had the greatest audience participation I think I'd seen with any movie- with the "Twilight" midnight showing coming close).
But there were still plenty laughs had, which was nice. There were also certain moments where the movie wasn't just quiet, but the audience (except the youngest among us) was silent. A pin could have dropped and you'd hear it.

Not surprisingly, two of the three previews came from the comic book genre. Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice was a teaser where we had a glimpse of Ben Affleck staring at the suit and him and Superman suited up facing one another.
Then there was Ant-Man... I'm still on the fence because that's easily the stupidest name I'd ever heard for a superhero (Paul Rudd apparently agrees, according to the trailer). I'm also not a big fan of insects, so I was cringing at the scenes where we had close-ups of ants and other insects. But the special effects and the acting looked really good. I guess I'll wait until the hype before I decide. [Unlike with this movie, whether the reviews were good or bad, I'd still be going].

The other was your typical disaster movie: San Andreas... which I heard they were having second thoughts about releasing on the set date because of Nepal. It stars Dwayne Johnson (who apparently gets 5 movies a year... whereas I'm lucky to see any of my personal favorite actors ONCE a year) and I also recognized Alexandra Daddario (who I know as Annabeth from the Percy Jackson movies... however out of line they were with the books, I will miss them not adapt to my favorite book of the series).

Amidst the action...
Spoilers from here on out, btw
Whenever I look up articles on writing tips, I often find people suggesting to start a story in the middle of the action.
Kudos, btw, for Paul Feig and Marvel company picking this up immediately where "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." left off last week because it was the perfect segway. Phil Coulson's "Operation Theta Protocol" involved getting the Avengers to locate Loki's scepter.

Last night, we rewatched the first "Avengers" in preparation for this movie... I made sure to note what happened to the scepter. Forgive me for missing where it went considering EVERYTHING that went down in New York. We last saw Black Widow holding it when the Avengers had Loki surrounded and defeated.

Supposedly, the scepter has been taken to a HYDRA forest somewhere in Eastern Europe. So we get an amazing opening sequence with all the Avengers on call, taking on various HYDRA soldiers with their various skill sets. Within the fortress, we also get a glimpse of our two new characters: Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch. (For whatever reason, though, they are never called that... just like Black Widow is never called by that name). They were experimented upon with the scepter and it allowed them certain powers. Quicksilver has super inhuman speed and the Scarlet Witch has telekinesis and strong powers of hypnosis. We see him use his powers on the Avengers while she takes on Tony Stark when he gets inside to retrieve the scepter and various data files.

Surprisingly, she does not take him out as it could be expected... considering he's the only Avenger inside. Instead, she haunts him with visions of the other Avengers having fallen, and glimpses the abyss that caused his PTSD in the final Iron-Man film. She lets him take the scepter, apparently, because it will lead to the destruction of him and the Avengers.
...hmm... it's almost like she took a page out of Loki's book- he allowed himself to be captured in "Avengers" so he can work mind games while buying time for his comrades to track him down via the scepter.

Lots of great action throughout these first 15 minutes with a little character building (particularly Black Widow and The Hulk) and a tiny bit of forced laughter.
I realize that they're trying to produce something for the younger audiences, but the whole "watch your language" running joke... I'm sorry, it was kinda lame. [On the plus side, that's the only huge negative drew from the movie overall... aside from there being maybe too much action at times]

Ergo the plot...

Besides doing a once over about the two new characters, I knew this much: Ultron was an A.I. peacekeeper Tony Stark created in hopes it would grant the Avengers their eventual retirement. And that this experiment would be one that takes on a life of its own and a purpose counterintuitive to its original intention.
Translation: Ultron wouldn't preserve peace, it would destroy the world, believing that it's the only way to save it.
The mere idea of Ultron as a villain would be super genius if not for the whole "destroying the world" thing.

A Detraction for Tony Stark

Anyone who knows me knows I love me some RDJ as Tony Stark... but after the fact, part of me can't help but think that if Ultron killed him.. well, he might have deserved it. Nobody should experiment with artificial intelligence because it NEVER ends well. Certainly, not for the creator.
The fact he doesn't just do this once but twice in this movie... neither time without consulting the other Avengers besides Bruce Banner- his reluctant partner-in-crime... that's kinda hard to overlook.
This can only mean then that the next Captain America movie will be interesting... whether I'd be #TeamTony or #TeamCap.

I would say that Tony as a character hadn't been the same since what happened in New York. "Iron-Man 3" had its problems, but it had a lot of strong character points for him.
Maybe the whole energy is off for me personally because Tony Stark, while the root of this movie's source of villainy, didn't steal the spotlight as much as he had on previous occasions. He certainly didn't have the gift of ample one-liners he had in the previous "Avengers." There still are some good scenes. Like where he and Captain America are chopping firewood and Cap has the bigger pile because he doesn't need an axe. And the whole lifting Thor's hammer scene, but everyone had a great moment there.
Right now, I can only remember how he "woke up" out of the Scarlet Witch's spell in a cold sweat :P I didn't know Robert could sweat on cue like that.

Pluses and Minuses for Everyone Else

The other members of the cast are given more to do and get more development- a plus for some who don't have stand-alone movies yet.

To me, Thor has always been the type of guy who was all good looks with very little substance to back him up aside from wielding that hammer. But when the Scarlet Witch puts him in a trance, he actually witnesses something noteworthy and pursues it as a potential lead. Sure, it does give the people in charge the excuse to show Chris Hemsworth without a shirt... but him taking initiative and following it through... that's impressive. Going a little further than what Captain America did in "Avengers," investigating Phase 2.
And by further, I mean clueing us into what the next Avengers will be about: the Infinity Stones. [In addition to Loki's scepter, so far, we have the Tesseract, Aether and the stone from "Guardians of the Galaxy"]

Captain America has time to reflect on the past he didn't get to finish with Agent Carter and acknowledges he might not be able to afford to move back to Brooklyn... but for the most part, he isn't given as much to work with as he does in stand-alone movies. Not intellectually anyway. But his fight scenes were choreographed so well with the shield and such... those guys definitely upped their game.
See, Ultron, it's more than just a Frisbee!

Considering their back story, I always expected Black Widow and Hawkeye to get together. But that isn't meant to be... supposedly. She and Bruce Banner had shared moments before, but I didn't think too much of them. Suddenly, the Marvel people decided that we needed a love story in here somewhere. So why not put those two together? Write that Black Widow came up with a "lullaby" that allowed Hulk to resume human form. It's something that would become handy, but whether or not anything will happen between these two remains to be seen.

This does, however, allow for more character development for her. Her bout with the Scarlet Witch was about as brutal as Harry Potter dealing with the dementors in "Prisoner of Azkabhan"... the horrors in her past, how she was created, trained to be an assassin at a young age- it took her longer to bounce back than the others.
And her budding relationship with Bruce Banner allows for some of these things to come out. Plus she adds that sterilization came with the process of graduation from this "academy" she was part of.
Between the "dementor" thing and the part of the film where she was kidnapped by Ultron (for apparently no reason, other than to allow the excuse for her and Bruce Banner to get another scene together), you would think that the people in charge were being cruel to our lone female Avenger. Throwing her through all the female plot clichés.
But she still kicks lots of ass, so it's not as if she's not taken seriously.

The fact he spent so much of "Avengers" brainwashed by Loki, I couldn't wait to see what Hawkeye would have to work with. He probably had the most scene-stealing moments of anyone- a real plus. I cheered when he got the jump on Scarlet Witch before she could work her magic on him. He had a certain electromagnetic arrow that rendered her useless and her brother no choice but to remove her from the situation.
We also find out that he has his own secret family life that we don't see until the Avengers need to go into hiding. No wonder Jeremy Renner couldn't say anything in the talk show interviews...

New Characters, Action and Special Effects

First and foremost, this is an action-packed superhero film. And other than being superfluous at times, the action sequences and effects were SO good. Like cinematic action had just peaked and set the bar for the rest to jump. Especially loved the effects with Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch. They wouldn't have had the same impact without them.

The fight scene between a bewitched Hulk and "Veronica," Tony's beefiest suit was massive with plenty of comedic moments, but it was mostly destruction. Continuing to harp on Bruce Banner's insecurity about his condition... sadly, it would seem that confidence isn't coming to him anytime soon.

While not as annoyingly invincible as the villain in "Iron-Man 3," Ultron was a worthy foe. He was set on his war path and couldn't be persuaded otherwise. Early on, his powers were so unparalleled, it was almost scary. I approached this movie with a lot of optimism and very little to go on, so I was more marveled [pardon the pun] than intimidated. Him using the hundreds of robots to do his bidding... a little lazy on behalf of the writing because Tony Stark has done the same thing. It'd be another thing if the robots were constructed with the vibranium Ultron used to turn that Eastern European city, Sovokia, into a meteor.
The fight between him and Captain America was really good as well, but when he met his makers- his intentions were more malicious than his presence.
James Spader had the best voice for him- and it was a relief that it was just his voice in this. "Tuff Turf" has me convinced that he was good looking in his younger days... at the age he is now, he just looks creepy :P

Loki, I have yet to take seriously as a villain, but he at least had charisma going for him. [And I kinda miss not seeing him in a movie with Thor... supposedly he had a cameo that was written out, but might make the Blu-ray extras]

Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch had a good back story with Tony Stark... how his weapons destroyed their family and they sought revenge. But the trick was figuring how they'd eventually change sides. Once Ultron became more human, she was able to see his destructive intentions.
Both had great interaction with Hawkeye because you never knew quite what to expect. The running joke was "Didn't see that one coming"... considering how Quicksilver has the speed thing and has moments where the results surprise even him.

I already kinda knew he wasn't going to survive this movie, but I was still kinda sad about it. The Russian accent was growing on me :P [had this been a year ago, I'd have been devastated]
At least there's still his X-Men incarnation [although played by another actor without the Russian accent].

Cameos and No-shows
Well, at least I can't say this time that RDJ got special treatment- being the only Avenger who had their love interest in the movie.
There was no appearance by Pepper or Jane Foster :P but that didn't stop him and Thor trying to one-up each other with their girlfriends' accomplishments.

One of the greatest highlights of the movie had to be the final party at Tony's place... final because it's the last light point of the movie before Ultron arrives.
Our token Stan Lee cameo is here and has great laughs to go with it.
Lots of great interaction with the characters. We get to see Falcon and Rhodey. Afterwards, everyone tries to lift Thor's hammer and hilariously fails.

I was disappointed Falcon didn't get more to do other than randomly show up here and at the end. Loved him in the latest Captain America movie [something I should probably revisit, now that the whole HYDRA thing makes sense].
Rhodey, meanwhile, got to tell stories at the party, get on Tony's case about "representing" when they couldn't lift the hammer, and he helps with the final battle scene- where Nick Fury and S.H.I.E.L.D. lend a hand with evacuation. [Too bad Phil Coulson couldn't make it... seriously, how long can they keep secret the fact he's alive? would the Avengers turn rouge if that truth was revealed?]

Believe or not, the scene with Thor's hammer wasn't just filler... when Tony created his second A.I. being [The Vision], Thor's hammer was the one thing that convinced the other Avengers he was fighting for the right side. He was able to lift it and was therefore worthy.
Considering how Thor nearly choked Tony out over Ultron, him being the one person on his side about this creation was a plus.
And the infinity stone in Loki's scepter finally has a place where it can't be used maliciously again- on the Vision's forehead.

The only remaining question is what the other two infinity stones are, where they are and what role they'll play in everything.

Grade: A
[on the same level with "Avengers," weaker on some points and stronger on others]

Theatrical Review: Mortdecai

Date: Friday January 23 2015
Time: 2 pm
Location: Pocono Movieplex
Party: 3 (my mom, sister & I)

Director: David Koepp
Based on the novel "Don't Point that Thing at me" by Kyril Bonfiglioli
Type: Comedic Heist spoof

Cast:
Mortdecai- Johnny Depp
Johanna- Gwyneth Paltrow
Martland- Ewan McGregor
Jacques- Paul Bettany
Krampf-Jeff Goldblum
Georgina- Olivia Munn

Introduction and Trailers
The three of us were the only ones in the theater, but then it's not every day that the local theater has matiness on Fridays... rather strange, considering that movies come out on Fridays. I paid for the tickets, my sister paid for some Reese's Pieces... and we practically had the place to ourselves.

The two trailers were so-so.
The first was for Will Smith's new movie "Focus"... I can't even remember what it's about other than he's a bit of a gambler/player who hires a girl to get to someone he wants to steal from... I didn't even catch the name until we left the theater and saw it on one of the posters.

The second had me thinking about the sad state Adam Sandler's career has taken over the last five years... not that Will Ferrell does a lot of great movies in general... having Kevin Hart as his co-star might give "Get Hard" a boost. Supposedly, Will Ferrell plays a rich guy who is indicted and has jail time coming to him and Kevin Hart teaches him how to "survive on the inside"... why do I get the feeling he's not even going to spend jail time?

Story
Mortdecai is a rich snooty Brit who happens to be an expert in fine art. Occasionally, this allows him to be an asset to the local police. He lives with his wife, Johanna, who takes a strong stance against his new moustache, and his manservant, who takes a lot of accidental damage in the field of duty.
The plot revolves around finding a missing Goya painting.

Casting and Other Comments

This is probably the first time in a couple years I saw a movie before reading any of the reviews... somehow I get the feeling all of them will read the same after a while.

Based on the trailers, I figured this would be a decently funny movie. It's certainly in the vein of the "Pink Panther" movies. The question is whether it's better or worse than the Steve Martin versions of that brand...
I don't know what I came expecting, but the way they were selling soap for this movie... the fact Ellen said on her show that was ridiculously funny and asked how they could survive laughing between takes, I thought it'd be a LOL type of affair.
During the first half of the film, it was anything but that and I was very disappointed.

Johnny Depp is recognizable as this character about as much as his accent is well-done. In which case, it wasn't the best British accent I've ever heard. But I don't think that was the point.
The point was that he's supposed to be the protagonist yet I didn't really find him very interesting.
Gwyneth Paltrow lit up the screen as his wife and attempted to keep Mortdecai grounded as best she could...
The most interesting character was actually the manservant. Jacques suffers from a lot of accidental injuries. Heck, Mortdecai has him accidentally shot at least three times (once in a flashback that was obviously a jab at Dick Cheney's "hunting incident"). But like a good employee, Jacques does everything asked of him without question. He also has a very healthy sex life that leads to some good shenanigans.
And of course I found Ewan McGregor charming... I always find him charming. Even though he is trying to woo Johanna away from her husband (who is less than pleased with the moustache), he doesn't do it in an overbearing manner as to make him unlikable.

One could argue that Mortdecai had all the makings of a primary character. Some defined traits. Motivation. But I didn't feel like he was three-dimensional.
A lot of the other characters had the issue of not being three-dimensional... but the protagonist kinda needs that to succeed.

The editing can be jarring at times, particularly when they transition from city to city, showing the airplane travel over 3D renderings.

To their credit, the movie did get funnier when the action started coming in. The movie began with Mortdecai negotiating a price for a vase with some gangsters of Asian decent, something that goes terribly wrong. At one point, he gets kidnapped by another group of people interested in the Goya painting.
The realization that we were in Moscow, I felt like that flipped the switch and I became invested... between that and the realization that the Russian thugs were threatening to apply shock therapy to Mortdecai's nether-region... probably because they reminded me of two key interests of mine... a great chase scene followed where Mortdecai and his manservant (who somehow managed to follow his kidnappers all the way here) escape on a motorcycle and sidecar.

The movie did get progressively better, but there were still a lot of goofy moments that generated awkward laughter... like how two people who planned to steal the painting from Krampf's residence poured poison randomly over the shellfish platter... whoever wrote the line in the script "It's the shellfish!" should never work in this industry again.
To make up for that, partially, vomit did have practical use in the following chase scene... something I never thought I'd get to say because I usually am very anti-vomit when it comes to movies.

Another positive that came later on was a revelation about Johanna that got her more involved with the movie... making her more than just Mortdecai's wife who might leave him in his absence because of his moustache and the fact they're steeped in debt.

...as for the rating, I thought it was a little much. There was one f-bomb (the only profanity in the entire film). There was a very brief sex scene in a flashback with no nudity to really speak of, one scene where we hear sex noises in a hotel room, and multiple references to Jacques's sex life.
They could have easily gotten away with PG13 on this... I've expressed these concerns previously about G-rated movies. One lewd reference or moment of "peril" automatically garners a PG rating. By those rules, anything that isn't direct-to-DVD and/or based off a show for elementary kids will be PG... therefore the G-rated movie is as good as dead.

Grade: B+
(The first half was worth a B, the second half an A-)

I don't think I'd recommend spending money to see this. Although my mom and sister said they enjoyed themselves as well.
It saddens me to say this as a Johnny Depp fan, but based on recent choices he's made (by that, I mean "The Lone Ranger"... I actually liked "Dark Shadows"), I don't think I can put him in the same class as some other A-list actors... not anymore.

14. Iron-Man (2008)

Code-name: JARVIS
(just founding out now that's an acronym that stands for "Just A Rather Very Intelligent System"... oh yeah, very creative #sarcasm...
reading further, in homage to Edwin Jarvis, Tony's butler from the comics and they went to AI root to avoid comparisons to Bruce Wayne's Alfred... #nowTHATScreative)

Director: Jon Favreau
Type: Marvel, comic book, action, comedy

Cast:
Tony Stark- Robert Downey Jr.
Pepper Potts- Gwyneth Paltrow
Captain James "Rhodey" Rhodes- Terrence Howard
Obadiah Stane- Jeff Bridges
Christine Everhart aka "Miss Brown"- Leslie Bibb
Jarvis- Paul Bettany
Happy Hogan- Jon Favreau
Agent Phil Coulson- Clark Gregg

Notable Awards and Nominations:
AFI- Movie of the Year
nomination-OSCAR-Best Visual Effects
nomination-OSCAR-Best Sound Editing
nomination-Grammy-Best Score Soundtrack for TV/Movie

Write-up:

First Impressions

Those who've visited this blog before know I'm a huge Robert Downey Jr. fangirl.
Those who haven't... well, there you go.

For as long as I can remember, when I enjoy a movie, I usually come away with a couple names... people I want to keep in the back of my mind so I remember them for the next time...
Taking that all that into account, that was NOT the case with "Iron-Man."

When it was first announced, I just heard he was a 2nd-tier Marvel superhero, not quite as big as Spider-man or the X-Men. Didn't think too much of it. I heard two sequels were announced early into its opening weekend. I was super skeptical because things never happen that fast.

Then we borrowed the movie from family when it came on DVD.
Don't remember exactly when but it was definitely before I saw "Tropic Thunder," the movie that slipped RDJ into the back of my mind... because there was no way I saw that movie and not immediately focus on him during "Iron-Man."

By this point, I'd been through all the "Spider-Man" movies, all the Batman movies (except "The Dark Knight") and a couple X-Men movies. So I knew a little bit about superhero "folklore."
This was a completely different ball game.

This was maybe... wow, 6 years ago... so I don't remember a lot of details, but after the dust from that mental supernova clears, I offer the following:

fyi
SPOILERS FROM THIS POINT FORWARD

• At best: Tony Stark was an incredibly flawed superhero with charisma and a wicked sense of humor
• So many superheroes have "damsel in distress" type love interests: Pepper Potts is not one of those girls and that makes her awesome
• The storyline creatively used our war in the Middle East as the backdrop for a lot of its key pieces
• Defying conventions even further, in one final mind-blowing moment: Tony Stark reveals that he's Iron-Man just before the end credits roll

Kinda funny, isn't it?
A lot of the things I loved about this movie the first time was that it defied the conventions of all other films in this genre.
It should only be fitting that the same can said about the portrayer of our titular superhero. Once massive success happened, it's impossible to think about Tony Stark without RDJ in the same train of thought.

Director Meets Actor, Actor Meets Destiny

Off the top of my head, I really don't know how this brilliant match made in Marvel heaven materialized. Whether it was something Robert heard about and desperately wanted to be a part of or whether it was suggested to him, I don't know.
What I do know is that he prepared for this screen test so feverishly, he knew it backwards and forwards to the point where nobody else could do it better.


I did not know the name Jon Favreau before I started reading into Robert's films, but he's one of those people I definitely am super grateful to. And with the expanding Marvel universe, the reasons why keep growing all the time. Until this point, Jon Favreau was an indie film writer/director (still meaning to see "Swingers" to get a feel for that) and his support of Robert for this role went a long way.
Given the time and place, yeah, it's a little unconventional and a little bit of a gamble... the first time he's headlining a film of this size (and dozens of other reasons I won't go into because I'm a fangirl who keeps things positive).

Amazingly, it worked out, well, AMAZINGLY
There was some luck involved, but for the rest of it, all of the right pieces were in place at the right time. That's all there is to it.

The Story

Right away, I think superhero movie and Gotham City pops into my head. As well as worlds where mutants walk among us humans. So off the bat, it was mind-blowing that this took place in present day America, including our engagement in the Middle East.

Tony Stark is debuting his company's latest weapon for the military: the Jericho missile.
While in Afghanistan, he gets kidnapped and threatened to create the Jericho for a group of terrorists known as the Ten Rings. (Again, really topical stuff because there were dozens of videos circulating of terrorists holding Americans hostage and making demands... somehow that feels like forever ago).

But instead of making the Jericho, he first makes an arc reactor: a self-sustaining electromagnet to keep the shrapnel (from the assault on his Humvee that led to his capture) from reaching his heart. Then he creates a body of armor to escape after 3 months of captivity.

After returning home, he shuts down his weapons division due to the lack of accountability for whose hands his weapons fall into, and begins work on a new project: the suit of armor.
Without him knowing it, his partner Obadiah is plotting against him. Not only did he supply the terrorists with weapons dealing under the table but the kidnapping was his idea to get Tony out of the way so he can once again take charge of Stark Industries (as he did from Howard Stark's death until the day Tony turned 21).

Upon finding out accountability is still not happening, Tony takes the suit for a test run to the Middle East where he takes care of some terrorists and their supply of weapons.
Unfortunately, this catches the attention of the military (those flames are temporarily contained by his friend Rhodey who writes it off as a "training exercise" to the press) and Obadiah, who steals to the specs to make his OWN suit.

We have an epic showdown, bada bing bada boom, Tony does another press conference to the end the movie and reveals that he is Iron-Man.

...and for those who stuck around for the end credits, the director of S.H.I.E.L.D. Nick Fury pays Tony a visit to talk to him about "The Avengers Initiative."

More on Cast and Characters

While I will maintain Robert's best acting is in the indie film circuit, by far, Tony Stark has to be my favorite persona he'd brought to life on screen. Various running jokes in the Marvel community poke fun at the fact he and his character are indistinguishable.

Without committing the name of his actor to memory (the reasoning beyond which escapes me), Tony Stark as a future superhero blew my mind because the two entities don't work together on paper. Most superheroes are selfless humanitarians while he's notorious for his egotism as much as his womanizing. Yet, somehow, he gains somewhat of a moral compass and you want nothing more than to see him succeed.
But really, the thing that turned me on the most about him was his unique sense of humor.Something Robert Downey Jr. possesses and, aside from his wicked good looks, is why I'm the fangirl of his that I am. As for how I know the difference: despite all these qualities, I actually find the genuine article more attractive: for his eloquence as much as how grounded he is.

Despite how Tony Stark operates as if he's an island, he wouldn't have made it through this movie without his greatest supporters: Pepper and Rhodey.

I only had seen Gwyneth Paltrow in "Shakespeare in Love" (which I saw in 10th grade and have ZERO memory of). Rachel Adams may have been Jon Favreau's first choice to play Pepper (how she turned it down, I cannot fathom but "Sherlock Homes" proves it had nothing to do with the leading man), but Gwyneth brings a certain charm and sophistication to this character she'd be incomplete without.
We first meet her after Tony has his one-night stand with "Miss Brown" (a Brown alum Vanity Fair reporter critical of his company) and she says how she does anything Mr. Stark requires "including, occasionally, taking out the trash." See, Pepper isn't just a swooning fangirl or a girl-next-door. She's just as smart as, if not smarter than, Tony and handles everything like a professional.
This helps especially when she has to deal with Agent Coulson from the Strategic Homeland Intervention Enforcement and Logistics Division. Your first impression of this guy is that he's a corporate suit whose constant badgering for answers won't lead to anything good. Ultimately, the opposite turns out to be true and he develops into one of the Marvel universe's most beloved characters-- certainly the most beloved non-superhero.

Rhodey is Tony's best friend and just like Pepper, gives him support when needed and tries to reason with him when he seems to be in over his head (which happens often).
After bridging the gap from fan to fangirl, I saw the original "Iron-Man" at least 7 times in 2011. For that reason, I grew very accustomed to see Terrence Howard in this role. To the point where I still have trouble seeing Don Cheadle in the sequels. At the same time, though, the former has an unfair advantage since I'd only seen "Iron-Man 2"  twice and "Iron-Man 3" only in theaters last year...
I'm still waiting for that trilogy boxset with all the special features, guys!!!

So anyway... it was a shame when this role was recast. Granted, the recasting rose from some rather negative circumstances. Terrence Howard wanting more money, recently blaming Robert for his departure... People well versed in celebrities, movies and such say he has an attitude problem.
His version of Rhodey, I still prefer in its given context of the first film. I haven't felt that comfort level with Don Cheadle as of yet, but Rhodey having a more active role (as in being in the thick of the action as "War Machine" and "Iron Patriot") in the sequels, takes some getting used to as well.

Paul Bettany as JARVIS is a piece certainly not to be estimated. Loved him in "A Knight's Tale" (not for the running joke of nudity but for his inspirational pre-joust speeches). He doesn't just bring authority and class as JARVIS, but the perfect wry sense of humor for the necessary situations.
Then we have our villain- my first encounter with Jeff Bridges.
To this point, I'm not still a big fan. This movie is a huge part that's still hard for me to shake, that old snake in the grass (never mind that Tony Stark needs that arc reactor to STAY ALIVE, he steals it to power his obscene suit of armor). Another part is the "True Grit" remake... I'm sorry, after seeing John Wayne in that role, nobody else will do.
Robert name-dropping him as "The Dude" from "The Big Lebowski" convinced me to get the movie for $10 at Target... I'd been meaning to watch it a 2nd time, just to see if knowing what I'm in for will change my mind about it. So off-beat and WEIRD.
...plus I'm not willing to admit that there was a single time RDJ steered me wrong with his movie suggestions ;)

I do appreciate how he lobbied to have "The Giver" adapted to film, but there are so many debacles in place (Meryl Streep's expanded role, the two of them getting higher billing than the fricking protagonist...) that I don't think I can bare to see it.. so disappointing.

Additional Comments

I don't think anyone imagined just how much this franchise would blossom. This was the first self-financed film from Marvel Studios and is the reason for its existence.
With the exception of "The Incredible Hulk," every film to come out of Marvel Studios has done really well in the box office as well as its target audience. All of the origin stories were great, "Captain America" especially blew me away. "Avengers" remains the best, I think, of all the films so far, but "Iron-Man" I'd probably still place at the top a) cuz it was the pioneer and b) I have my biases.

It's somewhat unfortunate the sequels haven't recaptured the same lightning in a bottle, but not for lack of trying. I loved the character development on "Iron-Man 2" in theaters, but the second time around... Tony Stark's downward spiral was hard to watch in places (especially after knowing how some of it kinda hits home). Who knows? I might come around now that "Seven Psychopaths" made me a Sam Rockwell fan. Did not like him in this movie at all.

Then "Iron-Man 3," it did a lot of things better than "2," but still not quite as good as the original. However great the best parts are, the time Tony Stark spent as a civilian in hiding (love the acting in those scenes because they're so raw and remind us he's still human), I'm still getting over the overlong 3rd act and the villain that WOULD NOT DIE.

One thing definitely worth noting: Stan Winston was one of the best known special effects guys in the business (other credits include the Terminator movies and Avatar). He's the main reason these Iron-Man suits became as effective and aesthetically pleasing as they are. Sadly, this was his last project before his death later in 2008.
As often as Robert name-dropped Jon Favreau and credited him with this film's success, he gave just as much to Stan Winston. He will be sorely missed.

Coming Soon

All I can really say is that next week will be a Brat Pack film.

33. The DaVinci Code (2006)

Code-name: SangRael
("It means... royal blood"... it's also derived from the French for "Holy Grail")

Director: Ron Howard
Composer: Hans Zimmer [which was nominated for a Golden Globe]
Type: book-to-movie adaptation, drama, thriller, historical fiction

Cast:
Robert Langdon- Tom Hanks
Sophie Neveu- Audrey Tautou
Lee Teabing- Ian McKellan
Captain Bezu Fache- Jean Reno
Silas- Paul Bettany
Opus Dei Bishop Manuel Aringarosa- Alfred Molina
Remy, Teabing's butler- Jean-Yves Berteloot

Write-up:

As far as religion goes, I'm as casual a Christian as you can get. We were friends with a church-going family and because the patriarch was a reverend, we went a couple times. It never took for me... just a whole lot of reading Bible verses and singing hymns, everyone in the room seeming like they knew them by heart...

But on my own time, I have read my Bible on occasion. One December, I read the first four books of the New Testament and wrote down my favorite verses. And every now and then, I pray to myself, especially when it's over something I'm stressed or worried about.

So... as far as reinterpreting what you thought you knew about the Holy Book, "The DaVinci Code" caught a lot of people's attention. Practically my dad. I think it was one of those many books he bought at an airport, alongside several Tom Clancy, John Grisham and Jack Reacher novels over the years.
I remember him raving about it and even convinced my mom and I read it and the prequel, "Angels and Demons."

With "Angels & Demons," I found it kinda boring compared to "The DaVinci Code," but I loved the movie adaptation. The only negative was that Ewan McGregor wound up being the villain... buzz-kill.

After reading the book, my dad and I saw this in theaters. For a moment, I thought I might have the ticket stub, but I was mistaken. It was May of 2006 and it was a thrilling experience from start to finish.
The only other comments I have to add as far as impressions go; I totally missed the big reveal about Sophie in the book... do not remember that coming up at all. And there was one part of the Prior of Scion scene that I looked forward to seeing play out in the movie, but it never did :( still kinda disappointed about that, but I'll go into more detail later.

Once my SPOILER ALERT warning is posted...

Ok, here we go... for the record, reading the book does help, but unlike with my YA sci-fi/fantasy books that I adhere to like my life depends on them (as if my entries don't already give that away, lol), I'm not demanding it as a prerequisite.
I only read it once in 2005 during my senior year of high school, so I don't remember much, but it was fast-paced and intriguing all at the same time.

Premise

The story begins with a dramatic murder that takes place in the Louvre afterhours. Before the victim dies, he scribbles down a message and turns himself into a replication of Leonardo DaVinci's "Vitruvian Man".

At the same time, Harvard symbology professor, Robert Langdon is giving a lecture about how symbols have been used over the years in different contexts. Like how some symbols thought to represent evil were once used for good. Posiden's trident being mistaken for Devil's pitchfork and a swastika once being a symbol of peace.
During a book singing for his "Sacred Feminine," he's called down to the murder scene by Detective Bezu Fache... unaware this was to force a confession, opposed to using his expertise to determine the real killer.

While there, Langdon also meets detective Sophie Neveau, who shows him the complete murder scene (Fache wiped some of the evidence for his own agenda) and tells him how the victim, Jacques Sauniere was her grandfather.

The message read:
Oh draconian devil, oh lame saint
P.S. Find Robert Langdon
and a set of numbers, when pieced together, make up the Fibonacci sequence
[1-1-2-3-5-8-13-21]
Sophie also reveals "P.S." stands for "Princess Sophie" and believes they needed to meet for some important reason.

Besides symbology, Langdon's specialty is puzzles and anagrams, and he determines that the "draconian devil" bit translated to "Leonardo DaVinci The Mona Lisa".
A few clues later, they find a key with a fleur de lis (the crest of the Priory of Scion) and their quest begins.

At first, we think it's about finding Jacques Sauniere's killer, but it winds up being about Sophie and who she really is.

Casting

For whatever reason (my mom thinks it has to do with his previous work on "Bosom Buddies" and "Forrest Gump"), my dad does not like Tom Hanks, so he was skeptical about his casting as the lead for this film.
He's not still his favorite actor, but he thought he did a respectable job in these movies.
Then again, the detective work and treasure hunting were probably the biggest things he took away from it.
All around, Tom Hanks is just one of those actors that are really nice guys and have a good range they can work. He does comedies and dramas both really well and he isn't a bad voice actor either.

Other people considered for the same role were Bill Paxton (who dropped out), Russell Crowe (who'd worked with Ron Howard on the Oscar-winning "A Beautiful Mind"), Ralph Fiennes, Hugh Jackman and George Clooney.
I can kinda see (and hear) George Clooney doing this role, but otherwise, I don't think anyone else could have done it better. Tom Hanks has kinda solidified in my mind as this impressive character.

Speaking of "A Beautiful Man," Paul Bettany was cast as the murderer, Silas. I find it a little comical that he does full posterior negativity in this movie... between this and "A Knight's Tale" (where I saw him and Heath Ledger for the first time), you'd think it was a thing for him. How he's unable to keep his clothes on.
But unlike "A Knight's Tale," where Jeffrey Chaucer had a gambling problem and kept losing his clothes, Silas goes full nude (always from behind) for a brutal purpose specific to his faith.

Oh, how they ran all those news pieces afterwards about how Opus Dei isn't as brutal a sect as it's portrayed on this film. They're die-hard Christians in more ways than one. For this specific point, like Silas, some of them wear a cilice (a barbed leg brace that they periodically tighten) and whip themselves. The point is to suffer as Jesus suffered.
Too hardcore for my tastes and luckily for this film, we only have to endure one instance of self-flagellation. Gotta give it up to Paul Bettany, he really does go all out for his acting.

The only other actor I knew going into this was Ian McKellan... from being a "Lord of the Rings" fan, obviously. Of course, for Langdon's British colleague who happens (for the sake of this plot) to be a "Grail scholar," you needed an actor of great respect and esteem. For this specific role, he is such a delight to watch. So into his expertise about The Holy Grail.
As fate would have it (or not, depending on which point you are in the story), four murders were committed within the past several hours. All of them happened to be the current highest ranking officials of the Priory... who keep the truth about the Holy Grail. Jacques Sauniere was the GrandMaster of them all.

As for everyone else, I believe I saw Jean Reno in a "National Treasure" film... a great actor I should see more of because he has a great presence on screen. (Interestingly, Dan Brown said he wrote for Detective Fache with him in mind... gotta love it how stuff works out that way).
Alfred Molina, I know well as Dr. Ock from "Spiderman 2," probably my favorite of the trilogy.

Audrey Tautou, I haven't seen in any other movie. I know she was the lead in "Amelie" and she also played Coco Chanel in a biopic, but for the most part, she's a French actress who sticks to a lot of French films.
Supposedly, Ron Howard fought hard to convince her to do this part, so he must have been a huge fan.

Funny how the movies he directs are so serious and so well made and Ron Howard's career started with making us laugh on "Happy Days." I'd only just started the series last year.

Twists and Turns

The book (and movie) have lots of twists. You kinda need to keep on your toes and if you're religious in any way, it helps to keep an open mind.

My dad got into it because it involves figuring out puzzles, but also because it's history reinterpreted. He had to point out on the first couple pages, how it said the story's based on true events. Alongside him, I can't help but be convinced the events in this story might have some truth to them.

The key leads them to a Swiss Bank account, which leads them to a box decorated with the image of a rose. Inside the box is a cryptex. With the right five letter code, you can release the papyrus inside. Get it wrong or force it open and you unleash a bottle of vinegar inside that erases the messages.
And of course, while all this is going on, Landgon and Sophie are fugitives from law and have to keep pace to avoid Fache, notorious for his unwillingness to give up. Lots of great chase scenes, one of which Langdon and Sophie in a Smart car :-P one of the best scenes in the movie.

The dialogue runs fast so it helps to pay attention because every now and then, you find nuggets of hilarity.
One comes in a conversation with Teabing where they talk about the symbols for spear (^) and chalice (v) stand for male and female. And Teabing says something like "[in the military] the more penises you have, the higher your rank".

Probably my favorite scene in the book is the conversation he and Langdon have, talking about the Holy Grail and stuff. But I remembered it reading differently. I think in the book, he and Langdon were in agreement, adding onto each other's thoughts. In the movie, it comes off more as arguing.

So... the big truth that could possibly destroy the Church if revealed... and supposedly the murders happened to prevent the members of the Priory from doing so...
The Holy Grail isn't the famous chalice, but a chalice in other right. Chalice meaning female because it is the shape of the womb. And it points to one woman in particular, Jesus's companion, Mary Magdalene. (Yeah, whenever The Bible namedropped her, the word "prostitute" was common... apparently to discredit this). Not only was she in DaVinci's The Last Supper, but word is that she was carrying the "royal bloodline" at the time of the Crucifixion.

A very controversial notion because somehow Jesus having a bloodline makes him seem... well, human, opposed to miracle-working son of God.
That and the fact she was the one that was supposed to carry on the Church instead of Saint Peter.
Oh yeah, according to old school Christians, it's like "oh God forbid a woman be in charge of the church"...

Don't worry, I'm not one of those feminists that go crazy about inequality of women and such. But it's one of those reasons why I'm not really big on organized religion.
I haven't read enough of the Bible to see any passages about the supposed "evils" of homosexuality, but that's another one of those things.
I got really worked up a couple years ago when I became acquainted with the "pray the gay away" program... within a couple months of each other, I heard two stories about people (one is one of my best friends) who went through the program and they contemplated suicide because it didn't help them.

The biggest mystery that had to be solved was about Sophie. She was raised by her grandfather, on a lot of puzzles and cryptexes, but left home when she was a teenager. This is hinted at throughout the movie, as is a time in Langdon's childhood when he almost drowned in a well... the reason why he's so claustrophobic

The clue hiding under the rose on the box led them to Westminister Abbey to visit the tomb of another Priory of Scion member, Sir Isaac Newton. Something about an orb that ought to be on a tomb... and that's the answer to the cryptex.

During the course of this, we find out who the true villain of the story is and why Silas was sent on this murderous rampage. And Detective Fache does come to realize he was wrong about Langdon and arrives in time to arrest the right man.

The final clue leads Langdon and Sophie to where the tomb of Mary Magdalene might be.
And the truth about Sophie comes out at Rosslyn Church.

Supposedly Sophie was the only member of her family to survive a car accident and Sauniere wasn't her biological grandfather.
The only part of that spectacular scene that I really missed in the movie was the other reveal that Sophie's brother was alive. The man that greets them at the Church was supposed to be him, but they decided, apparently, that the movie was long enough where the detail was unimportant. :-?

The Score

Although I wouldn't commit his name to memory until seeing a movie further down this list, I'd been unknowingly impressed by Hans Zimmer for years.
His score for "The DaVinci Code" has a lot of range to go with the various pacing of the different scenes. But for me personally, the piece that plays in the last minutes of the movie has as much lasting power as my favorite themes... like "Star Wars" and "Jurassic Park"...

The scene is where Langdon has an epiphany about Mary Magdalene. Her sarcophagus wasn't at the church, but might still lay under the rose....or in this case, the Rose-line" that runs through Paris, marking the original Prime Meridian.
With the final riddle being read by him in a voice over, he takes a nightly stroll back to the beginning of our story... at the Louvre. He kneels before it with the camera zooming under the surface to the casket. And the final shot is of him before the screen goes black.

I get chills every time I think about it. The man's got serious musical talent. So you can be sure he'll come up more as my countdown continues.

Next Week

It's a special moment when an actor or actress makes such a strong impression on me that I follow through other movies on their resumes.
While my next movie isn't the first time I saw this actress, it made sure that me and so many other people (including the Hollywood Foreign Press with a nomination) would not be forgetting her anytime soon.

And it's one of many examples of why theatrical trailers are something I swear by...
Behind franchises (based on books and/or the sci-fi/fantasy genre) and actors I go out of my way to research, they're the biggest reason I go to movies. And 9 times out of 10, the end result is worth the $7. 8-)