Iron Man 3

Year: 2013
Director: Shane Black
Cast: Robert Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, Guy Pearce, Don Cheadle, Ben Kingsley, Rebecca Hall
Now showing in cinemas everywhere

Normally as movies progress to the sequel and beyond, there tends to be a decrease in the quality of the films. This is just an assumption you take with you to a film, especially when going to see a third installment of a film and the sequel really wasn't that great.

That is why Iron Man 3 is such a delight.

No matter how good the trailer looked, you were always weary about Iron Man 3, especially after the disappointment that was Iron Man 2.  However, there is no need for concern. Iron Man 3 is the film you wish was the Iron Man sequel. Unlike Iron Man 2 which was all over the place, Iron Man 3 is clean cut with a great screenplay and is just all round entertaining. A great film to kick off blockbuster season with.

Iron Man 3 picks up when Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) has returned from his alien encounter in New York and is struggling to come to grips with his anxiety issues. A new enemy has emerged in terrorist, The Mandarin (Ben Kingsley) and when he hits a little too close to home and Happy (Jon Favreau) falls into a coma, Tony seeks revenge on The Mandarin. He soon finds out that he has more enemies than just The Mandarin that he needs to worry about.

The screenplay (written by director Shane Black and Drew Pearce) for Iron Man 3 is extremely impressive. There are twists and turns galore and some real surprises during the film. Unlike many action blockbusters, there is more to this film than just the action and special effects. Of course these are also amazing, but the story is completely intriguing. You could probably categorise Iron Man  3 as an action/ thriller as Tony Stark does channel a bit of his inner Sherlock Holmes (funny about that).

Shane Black is to be given huge credit for what he has done with Iron Man 3. Not only is the film well directed, but the decision for Jon Favreau to step aside as director after the first two films gave Iron Man a breath of fresh air and doesn't make us feel like the film is trying to achieve what the previous films have done. Iron Man 3 is a good film in it's own right and works as a stand alone film. Therefore, even if you haven't seen the first two films you can understand and enjoy the third film.

One expects that the special effects and action are going to be pretty impressive in a film like this, and they are. The sight of Stark's Malibu mansion tumbling into the ocean is pretty incredible and let's face it, Iron Man is just a great special effect in himself. There are several other amazing moments in the film, but many which cannot be spoken of without giving too much of the film away.

Robert Downey Jr. is Tony Stark. The character is absolutely his own and even  though you sometimes wonder if Downey Jr. is just playing himself, he is still just fantastic on screen. Stark has so much character and is just great fun to watch and cheer for. There are moments throughout the film when Downey Jr. reminds us what a brilliant actor he really is.


Another cast member who shines in Iron Man 3 is Guy Pearce. Pearce plays Aldrich Killian, a scientist who encountered Stark back in 1999 and has an eye for Stark's girlfriend, Pepper Potts ( Gwyneth Paltrow). Without giving too much away, Pearce plays evil well. His performance is by no means forced and he just seems so natural in the role (one hopes that that isn't the case!)

Gwyneth Paltrow isn't bad. Her and Downey Jr. have great on screen chemistry. Ben Kingsley is great, as one always comes to expect from him. Ty Simpkins, who plays Stark's unlikely partner in crime Harley, is very good and one remembers him long after walking out of the cinema.

Iron Man 3 is the film Iron Man 2 should have been. However, it doesn't really matter as we are happy it happened whether it be second or third in the Iron Man order.

8/10



On a side note...
One thing I was impressed with was how tactfully Iron Man 3 linked in with The Avengers.

Marvel really have a good thing going at the moment. Their superheroes are going from strength to strength (excuse the pun) on the big screen and will continue to do so. Three members of The Avengers, including Iron Man have films coming out in the next year. The sequel to Thor, Thor: The Dark World is due to be released in October this year and the sequel to Captain America: The First Avenger, Captain America: The Winter Soldier is currently in production and to be released in April 2014.

The Avengers 2 has been announced and has a scheduled release for 2015 which many people may find exciting. I am interested as to how they are going to tie all the characters in again. People who have seen Iron Man 3 will understand why I am watching this space with interest.

One thing is for sure, superheroes are alive and well in the movies.

You may have also seen Robert Downey Jr. in.......
Sherlock Holmes  and Sherlock Holmes: A Game Of Shadows as Sherlock Holmes
Iron Man 2 and The Avengers as Tony Stark/ Iron Man
Chaplin as Charlie Chaplin

You may have also seen Guy Pearce in.....
The King's Speech as King Edward VIII
Prometheus as Peter Weyland
Lawless as Special Deputy Charlie Ranks

You may have also seen Ben Kingsley in....
Hugo as George Melies

Contagion (2011)

Contagion

Year: 2011

Director: Steven Soderbergh

Cast: Gwyneth Paltrow, Matt Damon, Kate Winslet, Laurence Fishburne, Jude Law, Marion Cotillard

Before I begin my review………

Contagion is not a movie for hypochondriacs or those who are obsessive compulsive.

If you think you are sick all the time and are constantly worried that you are going to catch something somehow, Contagion will only fuel the fire.

I don’t consider myself a hypochondriac or obsessive compulsive, but this movie had the ability to make me paranoid. When Kate Winslet’s character, Dr Erin Mears said “The average person touches their face 3000 times a day”, I immediately became aware of how many times I touched my face or whenever someone around me did.

One of the first signs of the virus in the film is the presence of a cough. There were some coughers in the cinema, and my heart skipped a beat every time I heard one of them.

I suppose these reactions I had to the film are just an indication of how realistic Contagion is. It is now a few hours since I saw the film and the more time elapses, the more disturbing I find it. The dislodging of your emotions in a film is always a sign of a good film. You may enjoy the film or not, but the fact is that if a film makes you feel a way you weren’t feeling when you walked in the cinema, then it is doing something right.

Review……..

Contagion is Steven Soderbergh back to his best.

Soderbergh rejuvenates his ability to unsettle his audience while they are completely unaware as they are completely taken by his brilliant film-making skills.

Beth Emhoff (Gwyneth Paltrow) returns from a business trip to Hong Kong with what she thinks is a bad case of the flu combined with jet lag. It is clearly not, as Beth and her young son both collapse into seizures and die within a few days. Her husband, Mitch (Matt Damon) is determined to find out what happened to his wife. The virus spreads rapidly around the globe and with millions affected and scientists cannot find a cure quick enough.

Although Contagion can be considered a suspense film, the film goes deeper than just being a race against the disease. Contagion is a scary dose of the mortality of humans and how society acts when faced with their mortality.  The realism in the film is incredible. Soderbergh’s direction makes you feel like you are right there when everything happens.

However, Contagion does lack something which a suspense film normally excels at, pace.  The first half of the film is the perfect pace, while the second half completely slows down and makes it feel longer than its 106 minutes. Yet this is Soderbergh taking time to show the stages society goes through and what the virus does to each of the characters emotionally.  This period of the film does come across as a time where not much is really happening, but look deeper to see what Contagion is really trying to tell you.

The musical score is fantastic and completely suits the atmosphere of the film. The beginning sequence of the film is the perfect way to begin the film and heightens your curiousity and interest straight away.

There is not one actor who puts in a bad performance in Contagion. Kate Winslet, Marion Cotillard and Laurence Fishburne are perfect in their roles, but these three actors seem to be a rare breed of actor who can clearly just not give a bad performance.

Jude Law is also a real stand out with a role which is very different to his usual role. His character of Alan Krumwiede is very interesting. He plays the part well of the “journalist” who completely takes advantage of the situation, or so it seems.

Matt Damon is probably the only lead actor who you feel could have given more in his role. He isn’t quite as grief stricken as he should be considering his wife and stepson have just died. The relationship with his daughter, Jory played by newcomer, Anna Jacoby-Heron, doesn’t seem at all realistic. However, Jacoby-Heron is one to watch out for.

Contagion may not be a film for those who are worried about their mortality and health and will unsettle you, but there is no denying that it is very well made and a piece of art.

8/10

Country Strong

Country Strong
Year: 2010
Director: Shana Feste
Cast:  Gwyneth Paltrow, Tim McGraw, Garrett Hedlund, Leighton Meester

In My Own Words
Does anybody else find it funny that the only star of Country Strong who is first and foremost a singer outside this film, doesn't sing?

I bet you didn't pick that up until you just read that! Tim McGraw lives and breathes country music being the winner of three Grammy's, married to another country superstar, Faith Hill and has sold millions of records. I can imagine many country music fans would have flocked to see Country Strong in hope of seeing their idol sing on the big screen. Yes he has been in other films in which he hadn't sung in, but this film surely would have been the one he did considering it is about country singers such as himself. Not that it is a bad thing at all because it seperates him as a true actor rather than a singer only trying to be an actor, but it is just interesting that he is the only singer before actor out of the four and the only one who doesn't sing. That's all.

These are my own words and here is my review.

Review
Well, this is probably one cast you probably thought you would never see together in a film. We have Academy Award winner Gwyneth Paltrow, country music superstar Tim McGraw, TRON: Legacy heart throb Garrett Hedlund and Gossip Girl and sometimes pop singer Leighton Meester. Interesting cast, but what about the movie around the cast, Country Strong?

Country Strong is one of those films which require a lot of brain power. Not during the film, but to actually figure out whether you enjoy it or not. It has good points and bad points, just as it has good songs and bad songs. Yet, it is worth a watch for a bit of cheese and a bit of drama.Country music fans will be ecstatic at the long awaited release of a country music film which proves country music to be cool and fun, and not dreary like it is sometimes made out to be.

After a horrific night nine months before in Texas when country music superstar, Kelly Canter (Gwyneth Paltrow) appeared onstage drunk, fell over a microphone cord, plummeted and lost her unborn child, her husband and manager, James (Tim McGraw)belives she is ready for her comeback tour. However, Kelly's younger lover and country music start on the rise, Beau (Garrett Hedlund) is not quite as sure. James oprganises a sold out tour of Nashville, Austin and Dallas for Kelly and takes Beau and the young starlet, Chiles Stanton (Leighton Meester) along as support acts. These young stars are ready for their moment in the sun, but it seems that Kelly has already had hers.

There is always something fun about films based on the movie industry, and Country Strong is no exception. Something that Country Strong is also no exception for is that it is cheesy and contains stereo-typical characters for a film of this type. There are some great songs which would do well if they were released on their own ("Timing Is Everything") and then some really horrible and overly corny songs ( the horrible but somehow catchy and toe- tapping "Summer Girl"). There are moments of thrill and goosebumps where the the stars are applauded by massive concert crowds. Country Strong ticks all boxes for a cheesy entertainment based spectacular.

However, Country Strong is inconcsistent to say the least. The story is actually very good and quite entrancing at times, but the script is quite lame which destroys the vibe of the story. There are un-nesccessary lines where there should just be emotion through facial expressions and this would have made the movie far more endearing. For example, when Chiles gives her first performance in front of James to prove she is good enough to tour with Kelly, the audience would have benefited far more if her character had shown her ambition and then nerves through her body language and facial expressions rather than her lines. Yet, the ending is still strong and quite unpredictable.

Gwyneth Paltrow does very well in this film. She plays out well the woman who everyone thought was very close to making a full recovery and goes on a downward spiral into coming undone once again. At the beginning of the film, she is not quite as strong a character as what she becomes in the audiences eyes further into the film. The only thing about Paltrow's performance is that she really has no chemistry with her co-stars. She doesn't seem to be overly in love with her husband ( although at times you're not sure whether she actually is) and there is no chemsitry between her and Garrett Hedlund at all.

 Tim McGraw is also very good, yet one would expect him to be in a film which is based on his main career outside the film. He shows a tremendous amount of love and pain for his wife. It is unclear whether he is actually supposed to be a good guy or a bad guy in this film. He seemingly forces his wife back into the spotlight when she clearly is not ready, yet he never fails in his love for her and, unlike his wife, doesn't have a wandering eye.

Garrett Hedlund is fine. He does well, but his performance is not by any means spectacular. However, who knew he had the perfect voice for country music? Leighton Meester's Chiles doesn't have a particular strong character and at the beginning she starts off quite weak as a result of a bad script, but she finishes off quite well. When happy, her smile does definitely light up the screen.

Country Strong is not the dramatic film which director, Shana Feste may or may not have wanted it to be. It has as many flaws as it does strengths, and like it or not, it is still a fun watch. The combination of Paltrow, McGraw, Hedlund and Meester is enough to bring in the curious folk.
6/10

Iron Man 2

Iron Man 2
Year: 2010
Director: Jon Favreau
Cast: Robert Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, Don Cheadle, Scarlett Johansson, Mickey Rourke, Sam Rockwell

In My Own Words
Ah the action sequel. The second film in a superhero series. There are two givens with a film such as this, high expectations and box office success...and “Iron Man 2” definitely comes with both of these! There was never any doubt that this film was going to make a significant amount of money and draw in huge crowds. The first “Iron Man” was a massive success and delighted movie goers that were not normally superhero fans, which in turn meant a success for the second film as the “Iron Man” phenomenon had such a large appeal. And the high expectations, were they met? Do the majority of expectations for an action sequel ever get met? The answer to both these questions is no.

I pose the question. Are action sequels just made for the money or for the love of the director for the film? I would say both, but an action blockbuster sequel (or any sequel to a film which had any success at the box office for that matter) does equal money, no matter how bad the film is. Don’t get me wrong, “Iron Man 2” was not one of the worst sequels I have ever seen, but it was not one of the best. However, the overall quality of the film in this case will not affect the box office figures. “Iron Man 2” has not received favourable reviews from other sources, yet in its second week it is still topping the US box office. The film does do its job, which is to entertain. If you do go to see “Iron Man 2’, I can guarantee you that when you look around the cinema as soon as the lights go up, you will see the same thing on everyone’s lips, “It wasn’t as good as the first one”.

These are my own words and here is my review.

Review
Jon Favreau’s “Iron Man 2” is not quite the action packed sequel the world was expecting. While most sequels tend to heighten the action sequences, comedy and sex, it seems like “Iron Man 2” went backwards with all this. Sure the gadgets are all there, but the film just lacks. Even as a stand alone film and completely disregarding the first film, it is still a disappointment. If it were a stand alone film, it would probably be even more of a disappointment considering the stellar cast, most of which are Oscar-nominated performers. The film takes place six months after the last film and the world is at peace as a result of Iron Man/ Tony Stark’s existence. Everyone loves Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr. ), and Tony Stark loves Tony Stark! Stark has now become completely absorbed by his fame and is consistently making rash decisions, according to his partner, Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow), which land him in hot water. At this point in time, Stark refuses to hand over the Iron Man technology, which earns him new enemies with the government and rivalling companies. To make matters worse, he also has Ivan Vanko (Mickey Rourke) after his blood as a result of past tension between his family and Stark’s. And while Stark has all this going on, he also needs to run his company and find some way of saving the world and himself before it is too late.

As is evident from this synopsis, “Iron Man 2” has way too much going on. Sure these stories do tie in with one another and do make logical sense when watching the film, but it is way too much to feel any suspense. Funnily enough, for an action film, there does not seem to be much action at all and the action sequences that are featured aren’t particularly outstanding. Funnily enough though, the film is very well shot. There are moments of fantastic cinematography which Favreau must be complimented for. Visually, it is a pleasure to watch and it does serve the purpose of entertainment, however dull and overly busy it can be at times. There is no tension or emotion in the film and is not anywhere near as clever as the first film.

It is such a shame for a cast like this to have so little characterization for some, and too much for others. Sam Rockwell in his role as Justin Hammer, is completely and utterly annoying. Rockwell himself is a fine actor as has been proven in other films, but he is so ill-suited to this role. He takes the cake as the most annoying villain thus far this year. He talks way too much and his anger in the film is just laughable. Scarlett Johansson’s character, Natalie Rushman, is completely bland and monotone. She fulfils no other purpose in the film besides looking gorgeous. Mickey Rourke is not bad as the devilish Ivan Vanko, but it is a huge step down from his performance in “The Wrestler”. Again, it is not Gwyneth Paltrow’s best performance, but she is in no way bad during the film. She definitely shows that she has a talent. However, it is impossible not to like Robert Downey Jr. Yes he is obnoxious and narcissistic, but he does it so well. He is extremely charismatic and is, as he was in the last film, the perfect man for the role.

Like many action sequels, “Iron Man 2” does not live up to its expectations, nor does it even reach to low expectations. It is entertaining enough, but there is no “wow” factor to it. It can be silly and annoying, and also dull and lifeless. But who can resist the charm and cool of Robert Downey Jr., who is about the only thing (besides Scarlett Johansson in a tight suit for the guys) makes this movie watchable?
5/10