Of Iron Man 2

Well this is late....apologies, more about why in my next blog post.



So Iron Man 2. It takes place a few months after the first film and deals with Tony Stark having just revealed that he is Iron Man to the entire world. So this being an Iron Man film we get plenty of weapon contracts, government involvement and a corporations are dicks message. Really you aren't going to see this film for the plot. It's to watch Robert Downey Jr. play a suave and slightly douchey yet ever hilarious playboy. And giant robots beating the shit out of each other.

Iron Man 2 delivers in spades on one of those and the other, whilst present is neglected a little bit. Iron Man 2 is bigger in every way than the first film and whilst this helps the actions scenes immensely, it takes away some of the spark of what made the first film great. Iron Man 2 isn't bad, but when the first Iron Man so fun and witty and didn't need to rely on huge action set-pieces, it feels a bit out of place this movie improves a weak area of the first film at the neglect of what was working in the first place.

Robert Downey Jr. is still Tony Stark but because the world has increased in scope, he gets slightly less screen time. Luckily the likes of Sam Rockwell (proving he makes all films better by just being in them) and Mickey Rourke are able to shoulder scenes without Downey being in them. But the movie doesn't just rely on those three actors, and whilst no one else is 'bad' you do wish that we'd go back to the others. Even when Tony Stark is embroiled in the Shield parts of the film, which are only there to build mythology for the Avengers movie, he still shines.

I don't want to be too overly critical of this film. The humour is still there, the action is very well done. The balance and tone are great, far better than the shit heap that is Transformers 2. But it lacks a spark of what made the first film rank up there with Dark Knight and Spiderman 2 as truly great comic book films. Maybe it's trying to pack in technically two franchises into one with set-up for Avengers as well as dealing with plot lines from this own franchise. Or maybe a distinct lack in movement of this franchise. I would have loved to be building towards the Armor Wars or the Demon in a Bottle storylines but there didn't seem to be much expansion beyond what we found in the first film. Maybe it's being left for Joss Whedon's Avengers film but I would like to see something set up for an Iron Man 3.

Overall Iron Man 2 is a very fun film. Great action, good acting, particularly Downey, Rockwell and Rourke (Cheadle wasn't brilliant though). Sadly the spark of what made Iron Man 1 a fantastic film has lessened a little bit. I'm still super excited for Thor, Captain America and The Avengers but my excitement for Iron Man 3 isn't burning as strongly as before. I'm sure in roads will be laid in the Avengers film but that movie is still 2 years away. Iron Man 2 could have been one of the greatest comic book movies ever (especially due to the normal comic book movie rules) but sadly it's been bogged down by trying to appeal to two different franchises. When it focuses on or the other it works a lot better, so lets hope Iron Man 3 will be free from the tethers of having to work within the time frame of The Avengers 2.

7.5/10

Of May 2010

Normally I try to multiple blog posts, but I guess I kinda fell behind this month. Probably something to do with the election and that I didn't anything overly interested (apart from see Iron Man 2 which I shall review!!!)

Well the election happened a few days ago and I think it's fair to say that it would be impossible to be happy with the result. But (to briefly go political) it does show how we need to use a Proportional Representation system. When a party gains almost 25% of the votes and yet only gains a sixth of the seats, then surely that shows that there is something severely wrong with the system.

But avoiding politics. We've hit sweeps!! In other words we're gearing up for finales and therefore almost every show will be ending. Supernatural bows out this Thursday so expect a review of Season 5 very soon. This will soon be followed by some sort of comedy show post, purely because I can't analyse comedy as well as drama. But stay tuned for a mini ranking of 2009/2010's best comedy shows.

Currently Listening to: LCD Soundsystem - This is Happening and The National - High Violet. Two of the best albums so far released in 2010
Currently Watching (TV): Party Down Season 2 Episode 3

Of April 2010

Ultra, ultra short little post today. Today is the day I turn 18, so it means lots of busy time for me (at the moment I count 2 meals with different groups of people, followed by drinks with a third group of people). So I'm just going to say, I hope your April is as awesome as my April (or at least this first day) will inevitably be!!!

Really that is everything, fairly sure there aren't any big finales coming up, just the normal great TV shows continuing to be great and the return of Doctor Who on Saturday (I'm hearing great things) and the return of Party Down (a show I heartily recommend)

Also quickly a little bit on David Mills who died last night of a brain aneurysm. The man was an absolute genius who worked on my favourite show ever, The Wire as well as on NYPD Blue, Homicide, The Corner and ER. TV lost one of the greats yesterday and all my thoughts go out to his family and friends.

Currently Listening to: This Dust Makes That Mud - Liars (30 minutes of the same repeated 4 second beat, oddly really good)
Currently Watching (TV): Sons of Anarchy

Of Kick-Ass

Long time no review. I haven't written a film review since the release of Jennifer's Body, but I'm glad my first review is for a movie as brilliant as this one. First off Kick-Ass is just a hell of a lot of fun. This isn't Oscar as I'm sure you'll realise from the purple haired girl saying the word "cunt" in the trailer. Kick-Ass is a new breed of superhero movies, it's completely irreverent and pays homage to so many comic book series which just makes it fun to watch.

On a very basic level, Kick-Ass shares some similarities with Watchmen, despite being tonally completely different. Both focus on a world in which there are no superheroes and real people, influenced by comic books decide to dress up and fight crime. However the first difference is that Watchmen takes place in a world in which superheroes have been around for decades and being one is now a criminal offence, Kick-Ass takes place at the very beginning with the obsession with superheroes. Plus the whole not actually taking itself very seriously idea.

If you've seen the trailers you know that this film is gory as hell, but what is seen very slightly in the trailers is just how well choreographed the fight scenes are. Seriously the fights are just a joy to behold, with bullets and knives flying everywhere.* Also whilst there is so much swearing and violence the movie still manages to fit in some adult themes and comments on the world at large (particularly the idea of social media). So we have swearing, violence, themes and of course due to some scenes set in high school, banter! And such glorious banter it is. Maybe it's the British writers, with a background in 90s gangster films, but the gangsters sparkle with wit, as well as the high school students which in some ways feels like an extension of what was found in Superbad (and not just because of McLovin).

It feels odd to say but Kick-Ass is maybe one of the most realistic superhero movies ever. Yes the final fight scene does take a lot of liberties but up until this point it feels like it could happen. Someone may very well eventually dress up as a superhero and try and fight crime (and it would probably end up in the same way that the Kick-Ass's own first attempt ends). It probably sounds stupid to say the movie feels realistic but it really does in a lot of key areas, but it's also a stupid amount of fun because of how over the top it is. It's a weird but awesome mix of "maybe this could happen, but it could never look as fucking awesome as we're making it look".

The main performances in the film are also uniformly great. Aaron Johnson plays Kick-Ass to perfection. He might not steal the show but he plays the everyman well and you root for him throughout, which is all that is needed. He's a geeky everyman character and you understand his motivations, even if they're not as melodramatic as say Peter Parker's. Mark Strong as the villain is superb, but if you've seen any film such as Sunshine or Sherlock Holmes then you know that Mark Strong can play a villain superbly. Chrisopher Mintz-Plasse as Red Mist is probably the weakest but still offers a great performance. It's clear he's trying to branch away from his role as McLovin which admirably but he doesn't get as much to chew on as the other actors, however by the final reels of the film it's clear they're setting his character up for bigger things in a potential sequel.

However far and away the scene stealers in Kick-Ass are Nicolas Cage and Chloe Moretz. Nicolas Cage puts in his best performances since Adaptation as the unhinged Big-Daddy. He swaps between this gleeful naivety when in civilian dress, but the moment he dresses up as a superhero he's a supreme bad-ass killing people left and right. The costume is clearly taking infulence from Batman, however you'll also notice that he's putting on a weird voice when dressed up, until it clicks he's impersonating Adam West. It's a surprise and just makes his performance that much more enjoyable. And then we have Hit-Girl. The one thing EVERYONE will be talking about when they leave the cinema. She swears and she's got no qualms with killing you. If you've seen the red band trailer you know what I mean. Chloe Moretz is a revelation and I can't wait to see what she goes on to do, but it's quite clear she's got a long career ahead of her.

Also a quick shout out to the Kick-Ass soundtrack, it fits the scenese perfectly and I now need to find the remix of the Sunshine theme that is used for one of the films action scenes. It's so epic and fits it perfectly.

Overall Kick-Ass is a hell of a lot of fun. Easily the best film that I've seen so far in 2010 and just a great thrill ride. It's not trying to be Oscar fodder, but it's just a great film. Everything from the acting, directing, editing and choreography come together to make a great whole. Sure it's over the top, incredibly violent and features an 11 year old girl saying the word "cunt" but when the movie around it this enjoyable, I couldn't give two shits because of how well it works. Apart from some green screen issues during the final scenes, the film is a near perfect comic book adaptation. It not be as brilliant as The Dark Knight, but it doesn't try to be. Kick-Ass is fun, irreverent and chock a block with geeky reference. The benchmark for 2010 comic book movies has been set high, so we'll see if Iron-Man 2 and Scott Pilgrim can live up to it.

9/10

*of note, same choreographers are working on Scott Pilgrim, just makes me more excited for it!

Of March 2010

March! In one month I'm eighteen! Not that it really matters because I already do a lot of things that shouldn't be legal until then. Like going to the pub or seeing 18s. But still it's a big event in my life that should be celebrated

I anticipated this being a really angry blog post full of how I hated the hapless twats that run my school IT Department. But I've had a really good day so I'll let them off. Also, it's helped me actually do some work which will be really good in the long run. Specially after a godawful report.

So instead I'm just going to say HAPPY MARCH and then return to trying to think of what to put in my yearbook.

Oh and Lost is still awesome, especially because we got what looks like the worst episode of the season out of the way at episode 3. Plus all the awesome shows are coming back this week, and whilst I won't be able to watch in school, it's something to do which is always nice.

Currently Listening to: Common People - Pulp/Machine Gun - Portishead
Currently Watching (TV): Glee!
Currently Reading: The Amazing Adventures of Cavalier and Klay
Currently Playing: Super Mario Galaxy (in preparation for number 2 in May)

Chuck versus the Apocalypse

If you've been on the internet today, particularly the TV-centric parts, you may have notice something. That fans were in uproar because of Chuck. Apparently this episode of Chuck was so offensive it has now led countless people to boycott the show entirely, or at least they say they will.

All I can say is that some people are quite deluded. Was Chuck last night a great episode? Not really, it was OK but nothing special. Did it make me want to drop the show like a hot potato? NO! I still find Chuck to be one of the most refreshing shows on television. I'm sticking with it till the end.

And yet the episode is getting responses like this:

- "that was the worst episode ever they killed the characters. A comment for one poster on NBC was "The show runners finally killed Chuck..."

- "If we can bring the number of on air viewers below 1 million, the advertisers will take note. You can count on that. You can also bet the advertisers will be on the phone to NBC and the producers of Chuck. Money talks after all."

- "Our sad decision to remove Chuck from our viewing schedule came from the abhorrently low-grade soap opera style this program has delved into. Specifically, forcing characters to behave in stark contrast to their established norms. And all for nothing more grand or "progressive" than cheap shock value."

These just seem completely over the top reactions. Luckily some sane people have been able to speak sense during all of this, particularly the person who doesn't seem to understand that any show with sub-1 million viewers is going to get cancelled fairly quickly, no matter the level of online support.

My main issue is that so many people are planning to jump off of Chuck just because they don't agree with the relationship issues. Whilst indeed the Chuck/Sarah chemistry has been an important part, it's just one of many parts that make up this great show. I think Alan Sepinwall put it best:

"If you're only watching the show for the chance of Chuck and Sarah getting together, you've spent more than two years missing an awful lot of other good stuff happening on this show."

There's a lot to love about Chuck and so many people seem to be shocked that Sarah has decided to hook up with Shaw that they've decided to completely abandon the show despite this being one small flaw, that is probably only a road block on the inevitable coupling of Chuck and Sarah. If you think that Josh Schwartz and Chris Fedak are stupid enough to keep them apart forever then clearly there's something wrong or you've simply never seen a "will they, won't they" relationship"

I see no problem with them being a pairing. Chuck and Sarah have drifted apart because Chuck is becoming a spy and less of the man that Sarah had fallen in love with. He hurt her extremely badly, leaving her at the train station alone. So what has she done? She's gone back to her "type", people like Bryce, Cole and Shaw. Manly spies because she knows they won't her, at least not in the same way that Chuck did.

Chuck on the other hand had been pining over Sarah for years and now she hates him. He clearly still loves her but a gorgeous girl has fallen head over hells for him and Sarah is showing no signs of forgiving him. Both characters are in weird headspaces and yet they apparently aren't allowed to be in a relationship unless it's with each other?

I'm not going to say the leap to relationship was handled perfectly. I will admit that the Shaw/Sarah thing could have done with an extra episode just to put it across more but still when you only have Brandon Routh for a set number of episodes and a story to tell in that time, I don't mind if some corners are cut, just as long as the end result is great. Looking at Chuck's track record they're setting up for something epic but the fans on the blogs seem to be forgetting that.

For them this hook-up is the last straw. They don't care to see the inevitable failure of both relationships due to the fact that they're only contracted for a little while. They don't care about the Ring story. They don't care about the great supporting characters. They care about the now and the fact they aren't getting what they want NOW. All good things come to those who wait, but apparently a lot of Chuck fans seem incapable of waiting.

Interesting Reading
I'm just going to include a few links for some more background and comments from people on the matter

Alan Sepinwall's Review
Maureen Ryan's review
Linda Holmes brilliant outline of events for NPR
NBC Board postings (will need to skip to page 10 or so)

And some indivdual comments:
Alan Sepinwall's comment on Shipping in TV
SerendipityWAF (who helped save the show last year)

Overall I thought the episode was OK, about a 7 or 7.5 But honestly nothing that makes me feel like they've jumped the shark or have made a mistake they can never come back from. Whilst the fans did help Chuck back last year, they don't have a say in how the story goes, that's the writer's job. Let's just hope the fans who are up in arms don't enact upon any of their crazy schemes because that could kill what has up until now been a fantastic show. The show is still on the bubble and one weak episode shouldn't mark the end for it.

Of February 2010

Apologies for lateness but this is only a quickie blog post (for now, I will come back later with some extended thoughts on the current Chuck-pocalypse)

Well it's February and not much is going to happen, you'll get some Lost ravings as well as possibly some film musings but I plan on spending much of the half term break being drunk so don't expect too much thoughtfulness. Definitely helps that not much is happening, no really big films and no returning shows or shows ending (apart from Heroes so I'll need to catch up on that). The big stuff is happening in March and April so for now this blog will be snooze-ville (unless I do my Lost review posts).

Stuff Coming Soon
- Heroes Season 4 Review
- Chuck-pocalypse thoughts

Currently Listening to: In Rainbows - Radiohead
Currently Watching (TV): Chuck versus the Mask
Currently Reading: The Amazing Adventures of Cavalier and Klay (amazing read)