Short Review: Everything they did right in the first movie, they did wrong in this one.


In this follow up to Iron Man, director Jon Favreau comes down with a serious case of the sophomore blues. The original film had a sarcastic edge that smoothed out a clunky but still enjoyable plot. The origin story of Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr) introduced an externally belligerent/internally weak man who finds the cure for his mid-life crisis. In the original Stark is forced to beat down his past self, personified by his business partner Obadiah Stane (Jeff Bridges). This outing avoids all of that messy character stuff and focuses on lots of loud noises, flashing lights and Scarlett Johansson in a body sock.

Tony Stark returns having achieved world peace thanks to his use of the Iron Man suit. At least, that is what we're told. We never get to actually see him protect the world. It's all explained in a Senate hearing. This makes Stark's hero work an abstract. This in turn makes it meaningless. If it is not on the screen, it doesn't exist for the audience.

The screenplay by Justin Theroux clearly explains that the world is at peace in the opening moments. One would then expect that in turn this world peace would be threatened. Nope. Stark is attacked by Ivan Vanko (Mickey Rourke), a Russian physicist with a grudge. Vanko's personal vendetta is funded by Stark's weapons manufacturer rival Justin Hammer (Sam Rockwell). World peace is never actually threatened. The only things threatened in this story are the egos of a bunch of scummy super-geniuses. This does not make for a riveting central conflict.

This lack of stakes is the main reason the film fails so completely. Theroux doesn't paint himself into narrative corners, he paints himself out of the whole room. He is so busy introducing characters for the upcoming Avengers movie and fumbling with technological presentations that he almost doesn't have time shoehorn in any actual characterization.

There are numerous scriptural issues that make the story fall flat. This is evidenced in Stark giving up his company in the first act. Once he does this he has literally nothing to lose. At no time does he find it critical to get his company back. It is just something that happens. If it has no deeper value, why does Theroux involve it in the film?

At one point Hammer tells Vanko to take Stark's "legacy" from him. How does the audience know when his "legacy" is taken away? We are given a statement of action by the villains and it involves a motive no less intangible than them saying they're going to hurt Stark's feelings. This is poor writing.

Vanko's whole motivation is a vacuum. Favreau gives us enough to understand that Vanko is fueled by revenge, but this revenge is hollow because we don't understand its cause. This results in Vanko being little more than another hurdle Stark must overcome instead of a villain to confront. (Spoiler warning) This is why at the end, Stark so easily overcomes Vanko and his droid army and why Vanko's death has zero dramatic punch. He is a non-entity. (Spoiler done)

The film also lacks any symbolism or meaning. In the original we were given the cheesy, but effective symbol of Stark's heart. Does Tony Stark have a heart? Yes, and its sitting in this little glass box. It is a symbol that is referred to and played upon throughout the entire film.

In this film, Favreau sets up a similar conceit. Stark is literally being poisoned by his suit. While the suit gives him fame and glory, it is also making him more toxic (both literally and figuratively). This is a solid metaphor and it is strongly established early on. It is then left unused.

One would hope that when they set up in the first act that Tony Stark and Iron Man are one in the same and that he gains so much through wearing the suit, that in the end he would have to discard the suit in order to complete his heroic task. This would make Stark the real Iron Man and make the suit his accessory, instead of it being the other way around. No such luck.

Overall, this version of the film is an incomplete draft of what should have been a more enjoyable production. It stinks of something that was rushed to market. This is not a good movie. Its not even a passable one. The film ultimately becomes an elongated teaser trailer for the upcoming The Avengers movie, hitting screens in 2012.

Labels: Don Cheadle, Jon Favreau, Mickey Rourke, Robert Downey Jr, Sam Rockwell, Samuel L Jackson, Scarlett Johansson, sequel, superhero

Actual science fiction is an uncommon thing to find in the cinema. Think of it, when was the last time you watched a science fiction film that didn't center on aliens, demons, zombies or hippies in bathrobes carrying light sabers?

Sam Rockwell portrays Sam Bell a worker on an isolated moon station. Bell is alone - totally alone. As one would expect, his solitude has its price. Slowly, Bell is losing his grip on reality. He is hallucinating and getting confused.

The only company Bell enjoys is a boxy computer named Gerty, voiced by Kevin Spacey. Gerty is an obvious throwback to 2001: A Space Odyssey's HAL 3000 with his passive voice and mechanic responses. Gerty is little more than a computerized butler and is incapable of overcoming Bells building loneliness.

This is a film that makes me hesitant to delve too deeply into its plot. There are too many ways for me to ruin what is a very thoughtful, delicate script. I am loathe to take anything away from your first viewing. I will say that director Duncan Jones handles Nathan Parker's script perfectly. Parker worked off of Jones' story idea, so its not shocking that their efforts blended so seamlessly. The end result is remarkably good. Rockwell gives what is easily his best performance and I do think much of his success is rooted in the sharp script he gets to deliver.

The first third of the film I thought I could predict what was happening. This is because 99% of the time I can. I've seen thousands of movies and after a while the patterns of story are just there for you to see. I am not an easy many to surprise or impress when it comes to movies. I misread this one and I did not know where it was going. That alone makes me recommend it. Unpredictability is a seriously rare commodity these days.

Bottom line: if you enjoy intelligent, patient science fiction this should be on your short list of films you need to see. I can't fathom you will be anything but satisfied.

This is what film should be: smart, meaningful and compelling.


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Labels: film, Kevin Spacey, movie review, Sam Rockwell, science fiction

This is a well done movie. It is sharply written with fully drawn characters and some memorable dialog. One of the characters is one of the most important public figures in 20th Century America, Richard Nixon. It is based in real events and is the adaptation of a successful play. The performances have been lauded by critics, and I concur that they are praiseworthy.

One problem.

It never gets past the “who cares?” moment.

What do we care? David Frost, a smarmy Australian entertainer/television host lands a series of interviews with Richard Nixon following Nixon’s resignation from the Presidency. The two men verbally and psychologically duel throughout the interviews (both on and off the record). In the end, Frost gets Nixon to admit that his approach to the presidency was overreaching and criminal.

And?

We all already know this.

The man was about to be impeached. We know his thoughts on the power of the Presidency were out of whack with reality.

A film should have a purpose. A film without purpose is little more than a entrancing, flashing lights on a wall. This movie is devoid of a moving point. Its not a deep character study given that we learn nothing new about the characters. Its not a political statement since it is surprisingly without an axe to grind - a remarkable feat in the age of BDS. I couldn’t find any reason for this film to exist other than for the sake of just existing.

Again, it is a aptly made film and the performances are good. I just can’t justify telling people its worth sitting through.




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Labels: film, Frank Langella, Kevin Bacon, Michael Sheen, movie review, Oliver Platt, Ron Howard, Sam Rockwell

Screenwriter: Justin Theroux (Tropic Thunder)
Director: Jon Favreau (Zathura: A Space Adventure)
Actors: Robert Downey Jr. (Chaplin), Mickey Rourke (The Wrestler), Gwyneth Paltrow (Shakespeare in Love), Scarlett Johansson (The Island), Don Cheadle (Ocean's 11), Sam Rockwell (Moon), Samuel L. Jackson (Snakes on a Plane), Paul Bettany (The Da Vinci Code), Kate Mara (Transibberian), Jon Favreau (Swingers) and Garry Shandling (What Planet Are You From?) and Olivia Munn

Labels: Don Cheadle, film, Gwyneth Paltrow, Jon Favreau, Kate Mara, Mickey Rourke, movie trailer, Paul Bettany, Robert Downey Jr, Sam Rockwell, Samuel L Jackson, Scarlett Johansson

Screenwriters: Jared Hess (Napoleon Dynamite) and Jerusha Hess (Nacho Libre)
Director: Jared Hess (Napoleon Dynamite)
Actors: Sam Rockwell (The Green Mile), Michael Angarano (Lords of Dogtown) and Jennifer Coolidge (Robots)

Labels: film, Jared Hess, Michael Angarano, movie trailer, Sam Rockwell

I do not trust Sam Rockwell's taste in projects. This one however looks like an exception. The buzz has been strong for this production and seeing the trailer, it looks like it has the goods. This is an effective trailer and plays off all the right elements. What at first looks like a 2001: A Space Odyssey rehash drags in aspects of The Shining.


Screenwriter: Nathan Parker
Director: Duncan Jones
Actors: Sam Rockwell (The Green Mile), Kevin Spacey (21), Matt Berry and Robin Chalk

Labels: film, Kevin Spacey, movie trailer, Sam Rockwell

Screenwriter: Peter Morgan (The Queen)
Director: Ron Howard (The Da Vinci Code)
Actors: Kevin Bacon (Hollow Man), Sam Rockwell (Matchstick Men), Frank Langella (Superman Returns), Patty McCormack (Shallow Ground), Michael Sheen (Blood Diamond), and Oliver Platt (Casanova)

Labels: film, Frank Langella, Kevin Bacon, movie trailer, Oliver Platt, Ron Howard, Sam Rockwell

Nicholas Cage stars in this forgettable film about a neurotic con man who is cursed by his compulsive need to have his environment clean. There’s really not much else to talk about. You watch Cage act twitchy, not the best way to spend one's time. There are some good works mixed in with plenty of mediocre fumbling. This film seems to be up some good but the ending is so illogical that it spoils any of the positive aspects. There are good threads about guilt and family that run through the film, but they fizzle in the finale. This is too bad since the story should have delivered the goods. If you haven't seen it, no need to bother yourself with it now.


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Labels: film, movie review, Nicholas Cage, Ridley Scott, Sam Rockwell

They've turned the Wild West into the Wandering, Talks Too Much West.

If you think the title is needlessly drawn out, wait until you see the movie. It has now been proven, you can take one of the most interesting and infamous criminals in American history and turn him into a yammering, and boring she-male. The intentions when making this film may have been good but the results are dismal. For those of you looking for a traditional Western, you're clean out of luck. This isn't a Western, it simply takes place in that time frame. If you're looking for a headier work, you're still going to come up dry. All this movie is offering is two hours and twenty minutes of talented actors drawling through long tracts of dialog for no real purpose. I kept getting the feeling that this was the result of a bunch of effete snobs wandering in the woods telling each other how smart they are.


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Labels: Brad Pitt, Casey Affleck, film, Mary-Louise Parker, movie review, Sam Rockwell, Sam Shepard