Iron Man 2

Year: 2010
Director: Jon Favreau
Screenplay: Justin Theroux, based on the comic-book series Iron Man by Stan Lee, Larry Lieber, Don Heck and Jack Kirby
Starring: Robert Downey, Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, Don Cheadle, Scarlett Johansson, Sam Rockwell, Mickey Rourke, Samuel L. Jackson
Running Time: 125 minutes
Genre: Superhero, action, science-fiction

Summary: Billionaire industrialist Tony Stark (Downey, Jr.) has publicly revealed himself as armoured superhero "Iron Man". With Iron Man helping to maintain world peace, Stark becomes a beloved national hero. However the US Government are deeply uncomfortable with allowing the technology and power of the Iron Man armour to remain in private hands and demands that Stark hands over his armour and equipment.
However Stark is more concerned about the fact that the equipment which he designed to save his life and power the Iron Man armour is slowly poisoning him and his behaviour becomes increasingly irrational and unstable much to the concern of his friends such as Air Force Lieutenant Colonel James "Dusty" Rhodes (Cheadle) and Pepper Potts (Paltrow), as well as mysterious new employee Natalie Rushman (Johansson).
Meanwhile Stark's arch-rival Justin Hammer (Rockwell) enlists the help of murderous Russina scientist Ivan Vanko (Rourke) to build an even more advanced version of the Iron Man armour in order to beat Stark. However, Vanko has an agenda all of his own.

Opinions: This movie is a fun sequel to Iron Man (2008) and is intended to be the middle part of a proposed trilogy. The special effects are spectacular and the movie includes some memorable set pieces, such as Mickey Rourke's interruption of the Monaco Grand Prix. The piece is anchored by some great performances from a very talented cast. Robert Downey, Jr. does brilliant work in the central role, making the character of Tony Stark, who could very easily come across as just obnoxious, arrogant and cocky, both likeable and sympathetic. Gwyneth Paltrow also does well as Stark's put upon friend and assistant.
The problem that the film has is that there are so many story lines running through it that they don't all have a chance to fully develop. Also, despite the set pieces, through most of the middle of the film there isn't really much of a sense of jepordy or danger.
However the script is witty and the film is well directed making of a great piece of action entertainment. It should appeal to people who aren't necessarily superhero fans, since it isn't as fantasy oriented as most superhero movies, and plays more as a techno thriller. It also doesn't hurt that the film includes Scarlett Johansson in a very fetching superhero costume.
Watch out for comic-book icon Stan Lee appearing in a brief cameo (where he is mistaken for Larry King). There is also a brief scene at the end of the closing credits which serves almost as a teaser for Thor (2011). Thor, Hulk, Iron Man and Captain America are due to meet up in The Avengers which is due for release in 2012.



Robert Downey, Jr. faces off in Iron Man 2

Sin City

Year: 2005
Directors: Robert Rodriguez and Frank Miller, with "Special Guest Director" Quentin Tarantino
Screenplay: Frank Miller, based on the Sin City graphic novel series by Frank Miller
Starring: Bruce Willis, Mickey Rourke, Clive Owen, Jessica Alba, Benicio del Toro, Brittany Murphy, Elijah Wood, Rosario Dawson, Jaime King, Nick Stahl
Running Time: 124 minutes; 147 minutes extended cut
Genre: Crime, thriller, action, film-noir

Summary: Four stories in the violent world of Basin City (most commonly called "Sin City"). A hitman (Josh Hartnett) shares a tender moment with his victim (Marley Shelton).
Violent but honourable Marv (Rourke) wakes up next to a dead girl and finds himself accused of her murder. Determined to avenge her, he sets off on a brutal quest to find her killer.
After being humiliated during a fight with his ex-girlfriend, Shelley (Murphy), and her new boyfriend, Dwight (Owen), police officer Jack (del Toro) and his friends go too far with the prostitutes of the "Oldtown" area of the city (where the prostitutes have absolute control) and pay the inevitable price, which threatens to destroy the fragile truce between the police and the residents of Oldtown.
On the eve of his retirement, honest cop John Hartigan (Willis) rescues a young girl from a sadistic serial killer (Stahl), seriously wounding him in the process. However the killer is the son of a powerful and corrupt US Senator (Powers Boothe) and Hartigan finds himself convicted of the serial killer's crimes. Years later, the horrifically disfigured killer returns to finish what he started.

Summary: This film is based on three Sin City graphic novels: The Hard Goodbye, The Big Fat Kill and That Yellow Bastard alongside the short story "The Customer is Always Right". The film is a very faithful rendering of the graphic novels, with the books even being used as storyboards, and writer and artist Frank Miller being so involved in the direction of the film that director Robert Rodriguez gave him a credit as co director. However the Director's Guild of America refused to allow the two to share credit as they weren't an established team and Miller had never directed before. Rodriguez planned to give Miller full credit but Miller would not accept it, and neither would Rodriguez accept full credit. As a result Rodriguez resigned from the Guild so the two could share credit. Quentin Tarantino directed one scene in the film and was given a "Special Guest Director" credit.
The movie is film-noir (or more accurately, perhaps, "neo-noir") but with all the stylistic elements ramped up to the nth degree. The movie is filled with over the top graphic violence all shot in glittering high contrast black and white, with the black being as black as pitch and the white being almost dazzlingly bright, and frequent flashes of colour, usually just one element in an otherwise monochrome frame. Shot digitally the movie utilizes a multitude of special effects which actually work well, to create a bizarre and violent world. It features great performances from an all-star cast who all seem to relish Miller's hard-boiled dialogue (mostly taken verbatim from the books).
Technically startling and full of memorable scenes and dialogue, this is a thrilling and exhilirating experience from beginning to end, and one of the most faithful translations ever of a comic to the screen.



Jessica Alba and Bruce Willis in Sin City.

The Wrestler

Year: 2008
Director: Darren Aronofsky
Screenplay: Robert D. Siegel
Starring: Mickey Rourke, Marisa Tomei, Evan Rachel Wood, Ernest Miller
Running Time: 109 minutes
Genre: Drama, sports,

Summary: In the late 1980s, Robin Ramzinski (Rourke) was a top professional wrestler under the stage name Randy "The Ram" Robinson. An icon to millions and at the peak of his career.
Twenty years later, Randy lives in a trailer park which he can barely afford, works part time in a supermarket and spends much of his time taking part in low paid wrestling matches at the weekend on the independent promotion circuit. However he is getting to the age where his body cannot take the intense regular physical punishment. Randy agress to a twentieth anniversary come-back match against his best known opponent "The Ayatollah" (Miller). However, he suffers a severe heart-attack and is told by the doctor that he must give up wrestling if he wants to live. Randy tries to rebuild his life by attempting to reconcile with his estranged daughter, Stephanie (Wood), and striking up a tentative relationship with an ageing stripper, Cassidy (Tomei). However he finds it increasingly difficult to turn his back on the one thing that gave his life meaning.

Opinions: The exaggerated world of professional wrestling, with it's mix of theatre and sport, is a rich source for drama. An interesting aspect in the film is when the wrestlers are shown before and after the match chatting away and being the best of friends, and yet inflicting serious violence on each other in the ring. Most people know that wrestling is pretty much fake but here, although the wrestlers discuss the matches beforehand and tell their opponents what they're planning, and choreograph the match, the injuries and pain are all too real. However the main character in the film is a man who is basically past his time. His career and life peaked twenty years before the movie begins and he has spent the intervening time trying to keep hold of it. He even tries to retain his appearance of twenty years before including his long, dyed blonde hair and even with the wrestling, the one thing that really mattered in his life, his name and career is built on what he achieved twenty years before. His girlfriend, Cassidy, is ina similar situation. While she is still attractive she knows full well that she is getting too old to get the customers.
Mickey Rourke pretty much owns the film. He is the focus of pretty much every scene and gives a superb portrayal of a fundematally decent but also lost and scared man who knows that his time is running out but does not know what to do about it. He is complemented by a powerful perfomance from Marisa Tomei.
The film is well made, with the wrestling scenes in particular being full of kinetic energy. It also features some striking footage of the derelict, urban landscapes where it's set. There's nothing romantic here, just small, sad characters searching for hope and redemption in a bleak, decaying world. On the minus side, however, it is fair to say that there aren't many surprises in the film, and it's not hard to see where it's heading fairly early on.
However it is worth watching, being entertaining and full of great performances.



Marisa Tomei and Mickey Rourke in The Wrestler