COWBOYS AND ALIENS assembles an impressive cast
May 04
While ol’ shell-head continues to rake in dosh from his big release last week, it’s time to turn our sights onto Jon Favreau’s next project. He’s been attached to Cowboys And Aliens for some time now, and when I first heard about the project I thought “Oh look, here comes a silly little B-movie project about cowboys and aliens that will probably be in 3D,” but now, after a steady trickle of news on the project, I have to say I’m intrigued enough to actually see the flick when it lands in cinemas next year.
The catalyst for this change has been the casting. Robert Downey Jr. was originally set to re-team with Jon Favreau in another starring role, but was soon replaced by Daniel Craig; not that I dislike RDJ, but that’s fine with me. Bringing the extra X chromosome to the action is Olivia Wilde, who’s also set to appear in this year’s Tron, and seems to be something of an up-and-comer. Then — and this was the clincher for me — Harrison Ford stepped up to the plate and signed on the bottom line. The latest actor to join the team, as if Han Solo / Indiana Jones wasn’t enough, is Moon‘s Sam Rockwell, who I’ve liked since seeing him in Galaxy Quest over a decade ago.
I rarely see a movie on account of its stars; in fact, there are no currently-active Hollywood actors who inspire me to see every single flick they’re in. I’m more of a “Who’s directing it?” or “What’s it about?” kind of person, rather than an “OMG Jennifer Aniston” type. But for once, a movie has managed to assemble enough interesting actors to pique my interest. Individually they’re all okay — but put them all together and it becomes a must-see film for me. Funny how that works, isn’t it?
Oh, and the plot’s about aliens disrupting the United States’ invasion of North America, forcing the cowboys to join forces with the Indians to fight for humanity. Expect some heavy-handed invasion / slavery imagery, and another (not un-welcome) admission of guilt from white America.
Look, it’s even got a release date, and everything — 29th July 2011. I’ll be there.
IRON MAN 2 review: no girls allowed
Apr 29
Julie Andrews suggests I start the very beginning (which is apparently a very good place to start), so I’ll do that:
Iron Man 2 starts off bad.
There’s an awkward opening scene establishing Mickey Rourke’s “Whiplash” character that comes off hideously awkward and unnecessary, which plunges quickly into a vomit-inducingly sexist scene involving various swooping close-ups of womens’ body parts as they gyrate in moody lighting and then — as if to top it all off — Jon Favreau himself (the film’s director) appears on screen as Tony Stark’s slave / assistant. What pretentiousness! thought I. What nerve!
After making a pretty naff first impression, Iron Man 2 eventually lurched into gear, but the movie I found myself in wasn’t at all familiar. Maybe my memories of the first flick are too vague, and maybe Terrence Howard’s forced removal and replacement subconsciously confused the heck out of me, but Iron Man 2 didn’t really feel like a sequel to begin with. Sure, Robert Downey Jr’s in this one, and he’s still a prick, and Gwyneth Paltrow’s here, and she’s still a bit prickly, but nothing really jived too well and I started wondering if Iron Man 2 was yanking my chain.
Then the action scenes started and I remembered why I was here: because Iron Man’s awesome. That’s really the long and short of it, and it’s the reason why we go to see his movies. Out of the suit he’s the kind of asshole we only dream of someday becoming, and in the suit he’s the kind of red and gold robot fellow whose toys — ahem, ACTION FIGURES — we used to play with as boys. If we were boys — I know I was one, at least once; 50/50 odds that you were, too.
Who are you and why are you in this movie?
Without this boyish awesomeness these movies would be ridiculous. You wouldn’t find a character like Tony Stark in a Serious Movie, because his personality and abilities are larger than life. Which is fine, if you like that kind of thing, but I couldn’t help but feel two things: a) this is a boys only club (no girls allowed!), and b) the movie would’ve been better served by a more rapid and less circuitous route to the boyish awesomeness.
To elaborate on point a), Jon Favreau must be some kind of chauvinist dog, because he takes every opportunity to objectify women (other than Gwyneth Paltrow). The vomit-inducing shots I mentioned above are one problem, but framing a shot with Scarlett Johanssen’s figure is another. I know a lot of people (read: men) don’t give two hoots about this, so I won’t repeat myself here, but bear in mind that Iron Man 2 is shamelessly sexist, and that this is a bad thing. Also Johanssen’s performance isn’t too crash hot. Just sayin’.
Point b) is pretty self-explanatory. There is a fantastic scene in which Whiplash makes himself known to the world at large, and while the scene is appropriately awesome (in a boyish way), it would’ve had even greater impact if we’d never seen Whiplash before. I’m going to go out on a limb here and suggest that the two scenes with Whiplash that are thrown into the first act before his big reveal could have been removed entirely. Then the ensuing scenes involving Whiplash would have a bit more mystery and confusion and — perhaps — tension to them that are lacking here.
Those are my two main gripes. Other than that, Iron Man 2 is an exemplary middle child: building on the first film while leaving the door wide open for a third. There’s even the customary Act 2 self-doubt and moral complexity you’d expect from a good Marvel film, but it’s not carried as far as it could be here, which brings me to my third main gripe (sorry): Tony Stark.
Rockin' the time-travelling-pirate-prisoner look. Also lightsabre whips.
RDJ’s performance in the role is rock solid. He’s quick, sharp, unpredictable, impeccably groomed — but there’s something about Tony Stark that just bugs me. I don’t remember why he’s so rich, so I’ll accept that as a given; but how does he know how to build a high-intensity laser beam with his bare hands in a matter of hours? I didn’t realise he took advanced physics alongside his professional asshole-ism course. Of course, that’s just my personal ignorance talking, and comic book fanatics will lap this up like there’s no tomorrow, but for me there were a couple of things that were just a wee bit too implausible (which, in a comic book flick, says a lot).
Oh yeah, there’s also Sam Rockwell as Justin Hammer, possibly the most annoying character I’ve ever seen in a Marvel movie. Rockwell’s performance is fine, but the film cuts back to him a few too many times, and he becomes really annoying after a while. HINT: he’ll probably play a big part in Iron Man 3 and / or The Avengers.
Anyway that’s enough of the bad stuff, let’s talk about the good. The action scenes are still good, filled with richly-rendered robotic violence, but they’re all spoiled to some extent by the trailers. I hate the feeling you get when you’re half-way through a movie and you’re subconsciously ticking off scenes from the trailer that have already been shown and you realise that the best bit of the trailer is yet to come, and that it’s likely to be in the climax of the film. There should be a rule that trailers can only take footage from the first three reels of a film. Also, trailers shouldn’t be allowed to suck.
Also making a return appearance is Tony Stark’s mind-boggling futuristic super-advanced super-hero-only software technology, voiced by Paul Bettany, whereby he manipulates floating holograms with his bare hands. This is a strange thing to bring up in a review, I know, but it’s awesome. Science and technology play a vital role in Iron Man’s universe, and it’s cool to see them introduced and dealt with in such a hip way. Whether or not this tech will appear hip in 20 years is another matter entirely.
The script is good — I think. I mean, I didn’t consciously think “Hang on, what?” and I didn’t roll my eyes at any of the dialogue, which is a good sign, especially in a comic book movie. I have the feeling the script might have lost its way in the middle, where things get a bit muddled, but otherwise it gives the characters plenty to do without becoming overly predictable or ridiculous. The cinematography is similarly delightful: the nauseating aerial shots are shot in a realistic manner, which lends a bit of pizzazz to the dogfights peppered throughout the movie.
I wonder if superhero movies are in decline. There used to be a time — granted, I was only like 12 back then — when going to see the latest Spider-Man or X-Men movie meant rolicking action and good old-fashioned characters. I get that Tony Stark’s a more post-modern superhero, more of a playboy bully than a dweeby do-gooder, but that really robs Iron Man 2 of the warmth inherent in some of those previous films.
Nevertheless Iron Man 2 is a robust and polished exercise in comic bookery, but I still feel obliged to ask the ladies in the audience to come at the film with patience — lots and lots of patience — because sometimes men are idiots, and sometimes men like to relive their childhoods; in this case, Iron Man 2 is a spiffing, if sometimes perfunctory, amalgamation of both.
Iron Man 2 score
71/100
New U.S. IRON MAN 2 poster has dark and moody floating heads
Mar 31
Nothing says ‘the movies’ like a floating heads poster. Coverage for the highly anticipated sequel Iron Man 2 has been in top gear during 2010 as the release date (May 7 in the States, 29 April Down Under) fast approaches. I’ve enjoyed watching the abundance of trailers, teasers, posters and pics spill onto the web and following varied comments and critiques go up in response: mostly, people are just damn excited, and with good reason. I’m not even ‘into’ Iron Man — never read the comic or followed the character– yet even I’m excited to see this sequel following the surprisingly good first instalment.
Unlike the recent international Iron Man 2 poster (which, as Froley points out, was incredibly lame) the new domestic poster does away with the huge (PhotoShopped) fireball and floats the heads of the lead cast in a slick, black design, offset by Iron Man and War Machine’s chest-shimmering light. Sexy. Everyone besides Mickey Rourke and his character Whiplash can be seen. His floating head seems to be missing.
Leaving Rourke and Whiplash off the poster doesn’t seem to make a whole lot of sense, especially considering the draw both the actor and character have. It’s a mystery. Maybe they’re trying to shield the plot — despite the incredibly spoiler-loaded trailer. It’s a strange decision, but it doesn’t take anything away from an otherwise appealing poster. Very appealing in some spots.
I sincerely doubt I’ve ever had as much fun reading the name Robert Downey Jr. as I have on this poster. Real nice:
International IRON MAN 2 poster is incredibly lame
Mar 25
I’m still not entirely sure why there needs to be more than one version of a film’s poster for different countries, but here’s the “international” Iron Man 2 poster anyway. It comes at you in a flurry of bad lighting, shoddy compositing, stock backgrounds and obviously-CGI characters dominating the proceedings, and it manages to convey absolutely nothing about the tone or narrative of the film. Who is this tin man with the gattling gun on his shoulder? Why is Don Cheadle in this movie, and why is Terrence Howard not in this movie? Why isn’t Sam Rockwell not given at least a small portion of the extensive real estate occupied by people in metal suits who also appear unsuited in the middle of the poster? And why is Gwyneth Paltrow looking at us when everyone else is moodily staring into the middle distance? Makes me wonder if I haven’t got some parsley stuck in my teeth or something.
Well the answers to most of those questions are obvious: War Machine plays a big part in this super-sequel; Terrence Howard was replaced because Paramount is run by idiots who think Don Cheadle is more recognisable or something; despite his cult following and undeniable talent Sam Rockwell is still too unknown to sell tickets; and, well, I guess the poster just wasn’t very well conceived. I particularly like (read: hate) the way Scarlett Johansson is automatically identified as the eye candy by the fact the poster-designers have managed to include her breasts and her behind in the same angle, while Gwyneth Paltrow gets a much more conservative headshot. I see what you did there, poster-jockeys! Meanwhile Mickey Rourke appears at the very bottom of the poster, appearing to fart napalm. ???
Despite the obvious fact that this movie will almost certainly be awesome, I can’t help but roll my eyes at this kind of nonsense. The moody solo-character teaser posters did a much better job of hyping folks up for the flick, and I much prefer the purity of Robert Downey Jr. staring grumpily at me over the awkward parsley-in-teeth stylings of this new poster.
Iron Man 2 hits Aussie screens on the 28th of April 2010; UK follows on the 30th, with USA copping a remarkably late 7th May release
CAPTAIN AMERICA finally settles on its lead
Mar 23
That’s right, Chris Evans has officially accepted the role of Steve Rogers / Captain America in Marvel’s upcoming superhero flick. Yeah, Chris Evans was in the Fantastic Four movies, but because they weren’t produced by Marvel, and because they’re getting rebooted anyway, apparently Chris Evans is allowed to also be Steve Rogers without causing the Marvel multiverse to implode upon itself. Or something. Anyway this Captain America flick is going to be prefixed The First Avenger, in order for Marvel to be able to bring the Hulk, Iron Man, and next year’s Thor together with Captain America in a big old Avengers flick in a couple of years’ time. Yup, Marvel’s got big plans, and they’re definitely moving on them.
Wait a minute — isn’t Chris Evans a terrible actor? You’d be forgiven for thinking this if you’ve only seen him in Fantastic Four and Push and The Nanny Diaries, but under the right direction Evans is more than a pretty set of abs: see Danny Boyle’s best film Sunshine for evidence of this. He doesn’t even get his shirt off in the whole movie. It’s that serious! So that’s good news, but then I remembered who’s in charge of directing this Captain America flick — Joe Johnston. His last good movies were 20 years ago: Honey, I Shrunk The Kids and The Rocketeer. His more recent efforts are less impressive: Jumanji, Jurassic Park 3, Hidalgo, The Wolf Man — it’s like a calling-card of mediocrity. Considering what crimes he committed especially in Jurassic Park 3, and The Wolf Man, it’s likely that even Captain America’s hallowed source material won’t be treated right. There’s a pattern here, and it doesn’t bode well for Captain America.
Back to that Avengers business — remember when Samuel L Jackson appeared in Tony Stark’s apartment in the stinger for Iron Man? And how Robert Downey Jr. rocks up at the bar at the end of the rebooted The Incredible Hulk? They’re trying to plant seeds early and build up a consistent and homogenous comic book universe in film which is, as far as I know, an entirely new and untested trick as far as Hollywood is concerned. Building subtle links between movies like this almost guarantees flow-on business as consumers flock to the new movie because it’s kind of like a sequel, and in this case, The Avengers is going to come out last and act as a sequel of sorts to Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, Thor, and Captain America. Big bucks for Marvel, and an interesting experiece for us humble movie-goers. We’ve had direct sequels and even spin-offs before, but never chronologically consistent and complimentary films from various individual franchises tie together like this. It’ll be interesting to see how it comes along.
Finally, you might be wondering what Captain America is all about, especially if you, like me, don’t live in America and consequently find the character a little bit tacky and a tiny bit racist. Well, story goes that Steve Rogers (a quintessentially American name if ever there was one) is a sickly, frail bloke who gets injected with some super-serum to make him big and tough and manly and more American, and he’s then used as a secret weapon to turn the tide of World War II in favour of the “good guys”. Captain America has an indestructible shield (symbolism!) which he uses both defensively and offensively, but besides his super strength, martial arts prowess and increased tactical intelligence no other super powers are mentioned. Gung-ho patriotism and worldwide warfare don’t go well together any more, especially since Saving Private Ryan showed us what war was actually like, so I don’t know how well the WWII sequences in the Captain America film will play out, and I can only guess how they’ll be received by the public.
Either way, Captain America will generate a lot of business and will be an interesting watch, especially for international viewers. Here’s hoping Johnston pulls his head in and works closely to a well-written script, there’s no need to repeat the Wolf Man debacle.
Captain America begins shooting at the end of June in the UK; expect a mid-2011 release
OPINIONS COUNT