What’s Your Favorite Movie?

Common question, and for as long as I can remember my response has been Raiders of the Lost Ark .The next two films in the series definitely make my all time top ten. Despite this (or maybe because of this), I reacted with dread to the news of a fourth installment. The trilogy was, to me, a complete story. When we last saw Indy, he was riding off into the sunset, having discovered the Holy Grail itself (which is synonymous with “no bigger artifact available”). And aside from all of that, to quote the new film –how old is Harrison Ford now? Like 80?

I shouldn’t have worried. While Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull isn’t of the same caliber as the original movies, it’s a nice epilogue to the series, and entertaining.
Spielberg and Ford don’t try to hide the characters age, but embrace it. Throughout the film, Ford appears to be channeling Henry Jones senior (as portrayed by Sean Connery in The Last Crusade). The introduction of Mutt Williams (Shia Labeouf) is the one of the saving graces of the script– not so much due to that character but the foil he provides for the aging Indy.

The film has many flaws, chief of which is the determination to make it as true to the era it’s set in- the 1950’s – as the previous films were with the 1930’s. The pulp serials that inspired Raiders were full of guns, magic and Nazis. The 1950’s still had the guns, but Commies had replaced Nazis, and magic was replaced by flying saucers, aliens and atomic bombs.

Favorite scene: The opening. The thing that separates Indiana Jones from so many others in the action pantheon is that he is not a hero because he can smash a hundred bad guys with his bare hands; it’s the way that he never gives up, taking beating after beating. So it’s fitting somehow that he returns to the big screen by being thrown unceremoniously to the ground.

Worst scene: The G-men accusing Indy of being a communist. This seems to be nothing more than a device to fill the viewer in on what Jones has been up to since the 30’s, and another “Hey! It’s the 50’s! Red Scare!” moment that has nothing to do with the plot. It doesn’t go anywhere.

Kids movie? Nope, too much violence (though I saw Raiders when I was 8 and it didn’t do me any harm. Well not much. Actually, don’t bring any kids under 13).

Date movie? Yeah, as long as your date likes good movies.

If you like this, check out: Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow, another tribute to genres of old.

-- Necronomisean

Iron Man

As a comic book fan, I was a little nervous about the new Marvel production, Iron Man. I mean, Spider-Man 3 was poor (too many villains and a bad plot), Ghost Rider was weak, and I heard rumors that Fantastic Four 2: Rise of the Silver Surfer and X-Men: The Last Stand were very, very bad (which is why I stayed away from them). And Elektra? Woof! To be fair, the first movies in those particular franchises were excellent (Ghost Rider excluded). And this movie, Iron Man, is the first movie in what I hope to be a successful and long running franchise.

Iron Man was an outstanding example of Marvel Comics' ability to create a fantastic superhero movie. It had everything that a fan could want: great characters, great character interaction, superhero action, alter ego character development, great special effects, funny lines, solid plot, and the hope of a sequel(s). I could not ask for anything more.

More importantly, Iron Man had everything that a non-fan could want: great characters, great plot, easy origin explanation, explosive action, funny lines, and hot babes (Gwyneth Paltrow was super hot ... and she should really consider keeping her hair red). Why is it more important, in my book, to keep the non-fans happy? Because there are more non-fans than there are fans, and those non-fans are out significant others and our friends: the more they enjoy comic book movies, the happier we fans will be.

Let's talk about casting, shall we? Perfect. Having Robert Downey Jr. play the role of Tony Stark was a stroke of genius. He was perfect in that role, better, even, than Toby Maguire, who was the best Peter Parker to date. Gwyneth Paltrow was perfect in the role of Pepper Potts, lending her topnotch acting skills and her heavenly appearance to the part. Terrence Howard was perfect as James "Rhodey" Rhodes. He was a very deep and well played out character (I loved the private jet scene that was the drunken "I love you, man" episode that is common between modern day male friends who drink a lot). And Jeff Bridges was perfect as the opportunistic and heartless Obadiah Stane, who becomes the super-villain Iron Monger (He looks good bald; very distinguished; although, I'm a big fan of Bridges as the Dude from the Big Lebowski).

Kids movie? I would say no. There is a lot of violence in this movie. People are shot and killed a lot, especially in the beginning. There are a lot of intense moments that could scare younger viewers.

Date movie? I would say yes. There is nothing that would embarrass a dating couple, and the movie is sprinkled with good laughs to keep things light.

I give Iron Man ten rings of the Mandarin out of ten.

(Below is the first Iron Man comic book I ever bought, The Invincible Iron Man #104 from 1977...)