Gwyneth Paltrow

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Movie News Reviews

Movie Review: Iron Man 3 (IMAX 3D)

Phase 2 Fizzle

A Film Review of Iron Man 3

By: Lawrence Napoli

 

Thanks to Robert Downey Jr. (and him alone), the Iron Man franchise has become a household name for the Marvel/Disney Super PAC that isn’t named Spider-Man, Wolverine, Mickey Mouse, Indiana Jones or Luke Skywalker.  His performance breathes life into the inanimate and has raised the bar substantially for actors taking roles in the contemporary action/adventure/blockbuster film that is more than likely based on a comic book.  Unfortunately, Iron Man is still a man, and apparently Downey isn’t interested in doing these movies for the rest of his career.  Yes, Downey is in for The Avengers 2 (which is what Phase 2 is all about), but Iron Man 3 is clearly the official beginning of phasing out Tony Stark from this film universe (thus confirming the rumor that alpha personalities tied to this franchise are walking away) and this impacts Iron Man 3 in a negative way.  The parallel to The Dark Knight Rises are undeniable and though we can debate over which final chapter was better than the other, both films could have and should have been more than the final product we all witnessed.  Iron Man 3, like Iron Man 2 before it, is guilty of being an average (but expensive) blockbuster.  It isn’t fresh and inventive like the first Iron Man, nor does it approach the greatness of Marvel’s The Avengers.  For this entire movement of putting the Marvel Universe on film with the infinite resources at its disposal, the crime of going through the motions is inexcusable.

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Is Iron Man flying or falling?  You be the judge.

Once enough people fork over the cash to see Iron Man 3 (and don’t you even consider the increased prices for digital DLP projection or IMAX because the 3D effect is 100% NOT worth it), we will finally know what Joss Whedon meant when he was quoted as saying “Now what am I supposed to do now?  What am I going to do in Avengers 2?”  Everyone in the news media press presumed this was some posturing to the effort made by director/co-writer Shane Black by acknowledging that Whedon’s own plot for the next Avengers would somehow pale in comparison to what others have described as Iron Man’s “epic,” “bombastic,” and “incredible,” third installment.  Go ahead and watch the film, then think about that quote one more time.  Whedon wasn’t bowing.  He was pulling the last strands out of his balding dome over the plot and character limitations imposed on him as a result of Iron Man 3.  There are no spoilers here, so if you want to know what I’m talking about, read EIC Matt McGloin’s thoughts.  There are only so many places Whedon can go with the Avengers’ MVP and now those possibilities are cut in half.

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So buddy.  Where do we go now?

Ultimately, the story of Iron Man 3 is a whole lot of blather that involves Tony Stark’s spring cleaning of some trivial domestic issues back in the US.  The Mandarin is blowing up American landmarks and he’s a crazy terrorist that needs to be put down.  I found it hilarious how his buddy James Rhodes actually makes reference to this situation: “Aren’t you running around with the Super Friends now?” as to suggest that his involvement in this plot is a little low-ball for Tony.  What was suggested as a terrorist plot for some sort of world control boils down to a personal grudge between massive egos in this fictitious, scientific community.  What was hinted as Tony becoming an even more devoted partner to Pepper Potts is glazed over thanks to a time consuming, Sherlock-ian investigation and is used as a shameless plot device to usher in what will be the end of Robert Downey Jr. in these films.  What would have been possible in seeing the fallout of the invasion of New York is completely swept under the rug with another convenient plot device of Tony’s frequent panic attacks which allows this script to ignore The Avengers completely. 

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You know, I could have used you in The Avengers.

I didn’t like any of this.  It reaffirms the fact that while Iron Man is a cool Marvel personality, he has the worst rogue’s gallery of every major comic book hero.  It tells me in a world where aliens have invaded and can potentially invade again, terrorism in any capacity is somehow still relevant.  This script only introduces more important, personal issues with Tony Stark (the man) only to ignore them in order to focus on the active plot of pitting Iron Man against some obscure villain.  The story is still funny in that it still shows off Tony Stark as an ego driven, genius, philanthropist, playboy, but there’s just so much of it shoved in your face from start to finish that the audience is left wondering if even Stark is taking any of this seriously even when he gets angry after the conflict hits way too close to home.  The climax and resolution of this film treats the audience like children by presenting us with several brand new toys (plot twists) and then taking them away immediately, never to be seen again.  The bullet points of Iron Man 3 too closely resemble those of Iron Man 2 and nothing that happens in this film (even in the post credits teaser) introduces, suggests or even slightly hints at anything that could be happening for The Avengers 2.  Perhaps this is Hollywood mimicking the comic book industry by employing a lot of writers all in charge of their own projects and are somehow expected to be relevant to the crossover arc the company as a whole is trying to promote.  Whedon was right.  I have no idea what the heck he’s going to do with Tony Stark now.

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Don’t tell me the dream is dead.

Iron Man 3 is not a total loss (despite the fact it is a big disappointment) and most of that credit goes to the action and visual effects on display.  $200 million yields plenty of massive set pieces that get devastated from gun fire, missiles and massive explosions.  It also yields lots of awesome Iron Man aerial maneuvers, combat and technology.  I must say that it was a real treat to see Stark’s ‘Iron Family’ at work during the climax, but my criticism of them is twofold.  First, they only pay off in a minimal way thanks to how they end up (but that’s another writing criticism) and second, the different armors don’t really show off their individual specializations very well.  The only one that stands out is the ‘Hulk Buster’ armor we’ve all seen in the trailers, which is used to do one thing and never seen again.   As a result, the Iron party is more like a lot of copy/pastes with different paint jobs that still look sleek and realistic, but all do the same thing.  I wasn’t the biggest fan of Robert Downey Jr. engaging in a lot more action out of the suit in this film, but those sequences are surprising at displaying Tony Stark’s martial prowess (I’m pretty sure Matt Murdock isn’t his sensei).  I like that the plot forces Tony out of the tin can for no other reason than giving the audience something different to look at which is still stimulating, though not as sexy as the suit.  Eye candy alone will see this film easily double its budget, but it won’t see Avengers money.

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Here we come to save the day.

I have no complaints about the performances in Iron Man 3 because the overall cast demonstrates their veteran prowess.  Guy Pearce’s Aldrich Killian is your stereotypical bad guy/crazy evil genius, and I knew his character was going to be that way because the man’s made a career of playing *ssholes in movies.  Don Cheadle, the man who should have been established as James Rhodes in the first Iron Man, produces another fine performance as the Iron Patriot who secretly pines for a resurrection of War Machine which produces a few memorable laughs amidst Stark’s constant “I’m a needy genius” comedy throughout.  Jon Favreau is thankfully limited to screen time in the beginning of the film as Happy Hogan (ugh, how is he still skulking around the sets of these films?).  Rebecca Hall as Maya Hansen presents a character meant to be plagued by the ethics/morality of science unchecked (which is a plot point that dies before given a real chance to live), but she is hilarious when making reference to her role in Ben Affleck’s The Town in the beginning of the movie.  Gwyneth Paltrow’s Pepper Potts is once again personable, elegant and charming, and I really enjoyed when her character is called upon to get her fists dirty, but that too is muffled thanks to shoddy writing.  Paul Bettany simply does not get enough credit as the voice of Jarvis in all of these films, so I’ll give him a much deserved shout-out now because his dignified delivery is matched only by his brilliant comedic timing.

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Wait a minute!  We can do stuff outside of the armor?

A word on Ben Kingsley as The Mandarin in Iron Man 3: I totally get what they were trying to do with this character, but I cannot fathom how Shane Black lured an actor of Kingsley’s caliber into this film with the red herring his character represents.  Let’s not confuse the quality of his performance with the irrelevance of his character.  Kingsley delivers; plain and simple.  You may think the lines of dialogue we’ve all heard in the trailers may sound annoying thanks to his disjointed delivery, but that goes away to reveal something much more entertaining, hilarious and actually thought provoking when considering the world’s modern experience with terrorism.  Perhaps the uniqueness of the satire is what hooked Sir Ben; that and one fat paycheck.

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I am more (or less) than what I appear to be.

Robert Downey Jr. is Tony Stark.  It’s all been said and it’s all true once again.

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Seriously?  Were you expecting anything less?

This movie was good, but it is not great.  Iron Man 3 is very entertaining in presenting amazing visual effects while coalescing them with uniquely hilarious dialogue and circumstances.  Unfortunately, without any effort to move the Avenger franchise forward with Tony Stark’s individual efforts in this film, it makes this story a complete waste of time.  It’s great that Tony still cares about stuff at home, both in his country and his personal life.  It’s great that he’s still at work doing his innovative Iron-Man-thing.  It’s great that he feels anguish over the invasion of New York.  But let’s expand on all of those plot points, not just leave them behind in the dust.  For a character all about transformation and improvement, there really isn’t a concept of change that matters for Tony Stark.  He’s the same human dynamo that is simply put into another dangerous situation that he can skillfully address thanks to his own efforts.  A $200 million dollar investment should be thinking about doing more than giving me another day in the life of the amazing Tony Stark especially when you consider the future of the character moving forward.  Phase 2 is in like a lamb, and it is left to Joss Whedon to insure that it goes out like a lion.   

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Movie News Reviews

Top 10 Best Movie Girlfriends

(Some of) The Best Girlfriends/Wives in Movies

By: Lawrence Napoli

 

[[wysiwyg_imageupload:5651:]]Happy Valentine’s Day!  February 14th may be considered a shameless money grab that makes you want to gag over the rampant PDA by people who seem far too happy to be genuine.  But maybe (just maybe) you have someone special in your life you’d be willing to swallow your pride for and participate in a little conventional gift giving, smile sharing and love making.  This is a day for love, but not necessarily romance because one doesn’t require a sexy sweetheart to appreciate this day.  This isn’t a definitive list by any means, but the women in some of these films are the kind of companions that can fill the human heart with pure joy for their kindness, their talent, their courage and their dedication.  These characteristics and much more combine into what makes someone truly beautiful and we would be remiss to not see these elements in the real people we love in our lives.  These are some of the best girlfriends and wives in movies and the reasons why they can show us some personal meaning to Valentine’s Day.

(Editor’s Note: Head on over here for Lawrence’s Top 10 Worst Movie Girlfriends list)

 

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10) Nina in Bulworth (1998)

Sometimes the sorts of people that “get” us aren’t exactly the ones we would consider “our type.”  Nina is a young, black woman looking to find some cash to pay off the dangerous men her brother owes money to.  Economically lucrative opportunities in the ghetto aren’t exactly robust so she involves herself in an assassination plot to kill US Senator Jay Billington Bulworth.  The man is more than twice her age and as white as the day is long, but the Senator’s crazy political renaissance incorporating brutal honesty with hip-hop charisma draws her to the man.  She surprises Bulworth with her political acumen and impresses him with her coolness under pressure.  She also has an uncanny ability to get Bulworth to cut loose on the dance floor and show a fun side he certainly never knew existed.  Their relationship is strong enough to introduce him to her family and to dissuade her from putting a bullet in his skull.  Sounds like a keeper to me, too bad corporate America had other ideas for Bulworth.

 

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9) Trish in The 40 Year Old Virgin (2005)

Sometimes the people we get involved with accept us despite our personal eccentricities that would otherwise drive some people up the wall, off a cliff and into an insane asylum.  The fact that Andy is a 40 year old virgin is only one thing.  His social anxiety, self esteem issues and inability to relinquish his childhood would equate him to a jellyfish for most women.  However, Trish sees the genuine attraction he has for her, the sweetness in his heart and the care he shows for her daughter.  These are all significant pluses in a potential mate and so Trish pays Andy back with two of the most important things a woman can give a man.  No, I don’t mean THOSE.  I mean patience and understanding.  This allows Andy and Trish to understand each other and the issues each bring to the table as well and their efforts culminate in a marriage that is meaningful.

 

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8) Leeloo in The Fifth Element (1997)

Strong women are very independent and don’t exactly require a lot of coddling or superfluous attention.  That may be an instant attraction to some, but despite Leeloo’s strength, superior intelligence and keen fashion sense, the fact remains that she’s a magnet for trouble and completely ill equipped to save the universe herself.  Leeloo is revered for being “the superior being” whose body happens to be the final component in the weapon against evil, but it is her vulnerability that inspires Corbin Dallas to think way outside the box of his military training in helping her mission.  Simply seeing her smile amends Corbin’s cynical outlook on people and opens his heart to the possibility of love.  Yeah, yeah, it took “the perfect woman” to do this for Corbin, but I think the real message was that finding someone who was “perfect” for us as individuals could have the same effect. 

 

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7) Becky in Clerks II (2006)

They say “never date anyone you work with” and the main reason for that is the inevitable conflict that arises when the politics of the job interfere with the politics of the relationship.  That may be true of work places that can be considered “career worthy,” but what if you work at a lesser establishment?  Work romances can often be one of the only good things to come out of “jobby jobs” and this was certainly the case for Dante.  Becky and Dante get to know each other in an environment where talking about each other’s gossip was the priority of the day.  Talking to someone in this manner over the course of time allows two people to really get to know several sides of each other to the point where they had a one night stand.  Becky throws Dante a curve by revealing she’s pregnant, but sometimes shock can inspire positive activity.  Dante snaps out of his “woe is me” attitude on everything to realize what he truly wants: a life with Becky.  There’s something to be said of a girlfriend that makes you get your sh*t together.

 

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6) Cassandra in Wayne’s World (1992)

How cool is it to be with someone who’s into the same stuff you’re interested in?  Suddenly, you don’t have to get the boys together to talk about music, movies, video games, anime, comic books, Star Wars, Star Trek, Magic the Gathering . . . well, you know what I mean.  Not only is Cassandra an exceptional rocker to compliment our hero, Wayne Campbell (excellent), but she is gorgeous, career minded and motivated.  Basically, she is everything that Wayne isn’t which is somewhat curious to anyone with a pulse as to why she’s attracted to him in the first place.  How kind hearted is Cassandra?  Well, she likes Wayne because he makes her laugh and because he’s a good person.  This is the kind of woman that can make a man change his tune for the better or completely take for granted.  Thankfully, Wayne is positively impacted, but even if he messed it up (which he almost did multiple times), Cassandra would be a great movie girlfriend for any character. 

 

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5) Neytiri in Avatar (2009)

Finding love in the most unlikely of places is the starting point of the relationship between Neytiri and Jake.  They aren’t even the same species, yet a connection was made between them as warriors.  Jake was more than physically crippled; having lost a twin brother, a reason to fight and a reason to live.  Needless to say, he didn’t ship off to Pandora in the best mental state.  As Neytiri trained Jake in the ways of the Na’vi, she was teaching him about life, its interconnection with nature and the importance of community.  Finding someone that can open your eyes to completely new perspectives on how you previously experienced life can be a soul altering experience, but one that can lead to untold attraction and bliss.  Jake was reborn on Pandora and he found a companion that pushed him every step of the way while finding moments of levity amidst the interplanetary conflict between their people.

 

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4) Pepper Potts in Iron Man (2008)

So you’re a billionaire, genius, playboy, philanthropist who doesn’t have a particular interest in the mundane toils of actually running your own business.  Naturally, you acquire the services of someone who can do that for you, but not just anyone could tolerate the difficulties of dealing with the enigma that is Tony Stark.  Pepper has an unfathomable surplus of patience, maternal instinct and down to Earth pragmatism that grounds Tony in such a spectacular way that he realizes that Pepper is the only woman for him.  Pepper can handle Tony’s ego maniacal persona because deep down she believes in his brilliance and his heart and that he has something genuinely good to give the world.  Any other woman could easily fall for Tony’s money, but Pepper knows the real man behind the spectacle.  A woman that loves you for who you truly are is a precious gift.  Realizing that she has discovered such truth is priceless.

 

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3) Trinity in The Matrix Saga (1999-2003)

What if love was truly destined?  Would that mean the efforts of so many people around the world to find it were making a vain attempt to control their lives?  Trinity, a cyber warrior of Zion is hit with this kind of information in addition to the fact that her relationship with Neo would confirm the fact that he was “the one” to save the world.  No pressure.  Despite a modest attraction to Neo’s “pretty eyes,” there wasn’t much to be said of this noob fresh out of The Matrix.  Neo’s main problem in surviving and thriving in this completely new reality is not ability, but belief and it is his observation and admiration of Trinity’s sense of duty, love for her shipmates and belief in the cause of “saving the world” which inspires Neo to believe in himself.  This unlocks his various abilities to overcome all odds, which in turn, attracts Trinity right back to him.  This is the power of symbiotic belief in each other which can be more powerful than any other similarity or synergy to justify the relationship.  All you need is love, but it certainly doesn’t hurt if you look good in tight leather outfits.

 

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2) Helen in True Lies (1994)

Mrs. Helen Tasker is a textbook housewife leading a textbook life, but she has the dubious task of having to deal with a significant betrayal by her husband Harry for discovering he has been a secret agent for the entirety of their marriage and, for all intents and purposes, is a completely different man.  What makes her a good wife is that she doesn’t leave Harry immediately even though she’d be completely justified in doing so.  What makes her a great wife is understanding that she still loves him despite everything and shows it by risking her life to step into Harry’s dangerous world of seductive intrigue to save her family, her husband and the old US of A.  Finding someone you want to marry is not particularly easy, but it is frightening how quickly one can succumb to comfort and routine once the union is formed which takes the supposed “love of your life” immediately for granted.  Helen proves that to forgive is truly divine, but Harry really was a royal jerk for keeping that kind of secret from her, even if it was for her own protection.

 

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1) Jennifer in Marley & Me (2008)

Any long lasting relationship needs love and its complimentary emotions to deal with the inevitable stress life throws our way.  John Grogan is a decent guy all around, but gets freaked out by his wife’s desire to have children.  John uses Marley the puppy as a delaying tactic, but winds up introducing even more stress to their lives.  Jennifer is constantly berated with issues like uncertainties with her husband’s job, unsafe neighborhoods, her biological clock and the K9 from hell.  She loses her temper frequently, but keeps it together and apologizes for hurtful comments made in the heat of the moment.  She genuinely cares for her man with moments like throwing a surprise birthday party as well as giving him his special gift afterwards.  She even makes herself and the children available to take a huge risk by moving to a completely new city, just because John wants a crack at reporting for a newspaper as opposed to simply writing columns.  This is the kind of woman who desires true partnership and a willingness to be with you through thick and thin.  Valentine’s Day is an extra day of appreciation for this kind of person in your life should you be blessed to have one.