ADAM FRAZIER
Here’s a short edition of The Cynical Optimist to keep you busy until I get something more substantial to contribute. There’s another opinion on “Iron Man” as well as my thoughts on the recent announcement of the shutting down of Warner Independent Pictures and Picturehouse.
“Iron Man†review
A suitable superhero movie
After making his first appearance in the brightly colored panels of Tales of Suspense #39 in 1963, Iron Man went on to become one of Marvel Comics’ most iconic characters. Known for his signature red and yellow power armor and supersonic flight, Iron Man is also Marvel’s latest superhero to blast into theaters.
In the Jon Favreau-directed film “Iron Man,” Robert Downey Jr. plays Tony Stark, a billionaire industrialist and brilliant inventor with his own weapons manufacturing company.
During a business trip to Afghanistan to demonstrate Stark Industries’ new weapon system, Stark is attacked and kidnapped by a terrorist group. The group wants him to build a version of his company’s latest product, the “Jericho Missile”, an extremely destructive, multi-warhead weapon.
During the attack, Stark is injured and in danger of dying from the shrapnel lodged in his chest. The only thing that keeps him alive is an electromagnet surgically implanted into his chest, keeping the tiny scraps of metal from hitting his heart.
Agreeing to make the missile for the terrorists, Stark instead uses his resources to build a powered exoskeleton to make his escape. Thus, the Iron Man is born.
Comparatively, Iron Man’s comic book origin story finds Tony Stark in South Vietnam giving a weapons demonstration to the U.S. military. During his visit, Stark is captured by a similar band of terrorists demanding the same thing. It’s quite impressive that the filmmakers have stayed so closely to the source material, swapping out ‘60s Vietnam for post-9/11 Afghanistan.
When Stark returns to the states, his character begins to develop into more of a humanitarian. After seeing the potential of his weapons in the hands of terrorists, Stark sets out to shutdown the weapons manufacturing branch of Stark Industries much to the displeasure of business associate Obadiah Stane (Jeff Bridges).
Meanwhile, Stark’s assistant and love interest Pepper Potts (Gwyenth Paltrow) helps get the billionaire playboy back on his feet. Without the lovely Ms. Potts, Stark wouldn’t even be able to tie his own shoes and he knows it. Then there’s Stark’s best friend and Air Force pilot Jim Rhodes (Terrence Howard) who makes it his own goal to make sure Stark is never put in the same situation again.
While recovering in his Malibu home, Stark begins to tinker with the technology that made his first power suit possible. After making several modifications, Stark decides that he will no longer put innocent people in danger but will stop those who would do them harm as Iron Man.
When the “Iron Man†film was first announced, there seemed to be apprehension from fanboys; however, when the casting announcement was made that Robert Downey Jr. would be playing Tony Stark, all was well. Comic enthusiasts instantly recognize Downey as the perfect choice for the role. Simply put, Downey is the best part of this film. His performance as the billionaire playboy is flawless and authentic to the character’s comic roots.
Downey’s co-stars, however, struggle throughout the film to find their characters. Gwyneth Paltrow comes off as flat as the pages Pepper Potts is printed on and Terrence Howard is never completely convincing as Stark’s best friend Rhodes. Jeff Bridges is interesting as Stark’s mentor and cutthroat business partner Obadiah Stane but fails to hold his own against the hero.
Historically, the Iron Man comic has suffered from a lack of good, compelling villains and it shows in this film adaptation. “Iron Monger†is just a bigger, badder version of Iron Man. Haven’t we seen this enough in superhero films? Do we really need an evil twin version of our hero?
It is in this way that “Iron Man” borrows heavily from “Robocop”: a battle between Iron Man and Iron Monger resembles Robocop’s showdown with ED-209, a superior weaponized robot that dwarfs Robocop in size and strength.
The special effects during these action sequences are, however, truly wondrous. Much like last year’s “Transformers,†“Iron Man†contains the ability to keep me staring in awe at the beautifully complex machinations created by ILM and industry legend Stan Winston.
Director Jon Favreau has given “Iron Man†a critical element that most of its superhero film counterparts lack: heart. Much like “Elf†and “Zathura,†Favreau’s take on “Iron Man†combines the heart and excitement of a kid’s flick with the brain of an adult feature. It’s in this way that Favreau creates a film that has a little something in it for everyone.
Overall, the problems that plague “Iron Man†are no different than the same ones that appear in any superhero flick. Being as this is the first film in the guaranteed trilogy, “Iron man” is tied down to its hero’s origin story. The film succumbs to its need to focus on the character and his origin, leaving the story little choice but to take a back seat and go by the numbers.
Despite its typical flaws, “Iron Man” is a well-done superhero story and definitely in the top tier of Marvel’s growing list of films. While not as solid as “Spider-Man 2” or as rich as “X2: X-Men United,” “Iron Man” is an enjoyable introduction to Marvel’s next big franchise. I look forward to seeing Downey in the suit again as well as the promise that this time around we’ll get a deeper story without all the necessary evils of an origin story.
Oh, be sure to stay until after the credits for a special surprise for those in the know.
3.5 Stars
The Death of Picturehouse
Back in December, when “The Golden Compass†flopped horribly at the box office, we all knew it was only a matter of time until New Line Cinema crumbled under its already shaky financial foundations and faded away completely.
In February, Warner Brother stepped in and purchased New Line, and with this merger was the inevitable situation of what to do with each studio’s independent film divisions. I am a huge fan of both Warner Independent Pictures and Picturehouse. In fact, some of my favorite films in the past few years have come from these studios.
Maybe you’re not familiar with these smaller, independent divisions, but you’re certainly familiar with the films they’ve helped distribute. In its five years of existence, Warner Independent Pictures, has distributed films like “Good Night, and Good Luck,†“A Scanner Darkly,†“The Science of Sleep,†“In the Valley of Elah,†and “Funny Games†among others.
Picturehouse, which has only been around for three yeas, has distributed amazing films like “Pan’s Labyrinth,†“The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters,†“Rocket Science,†and “The Orphanageâ€.
Are you interested yet? Intrigued perhaps? Well, sorry to break the news to you but it was just announced by Warner Bros. president and COO Alan Horn that Warner Bros would shutting down both WIP and Picturehouse instead of combining them under one banner.
Did common sense just fly right out the fucking window? This is fucking ridiculous to me. In Horn’s announcement he went on to say that, “We’re confident that the spirit of independent filmmaking and the opportunity to find and give a voice to new talent will continue to have a presence at Warner Bros.” Sounds like a bunch of bullshit to me…
Warner Bros. has just taken over Hollywood from the sound of it. Warner Bros. will be making money on all of New Line Cinema’s future releases, including the upcoming “Sex and the City†movie as well as that epic juggernaut, “The Hobbit,†when it eventually comes out. Now that Picturehouse and WIP have folded, Warner Brothers will be distributing movies for four (yes, you read right, four) individual studios.
I’m saddened, honestly, and pissed off. I had feared this might happen when Warner Brothers initially purchased New Line. I guess my fears have been realized.
G.I. Joe
Okay, so we’ve all seen the new pictures revealing of majority of the cast of the new live-action G.I. Joe movie and I’ve got to say, I’m split right down the middle on this one. On one hand, Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow seem dead on – and Destro shows promise, but as the rest of the characters… What the FUCK!?
Why is everyone wearing black, “Batman Begins” style body armor? No one has any personality whatsoever. This wouldn’t matter, of course, if the characters had been fleshed out with some top-shelf actors but seriously… Channing Tatum as Duke?
Duke is the main fucking character of G.I. Joe and he’s going to be played by a former model who can only seem to show off his abs in urban dance movies? This part belongs to Mark Wahlberg or someone with at least a little something to bring to the character. Pathetic.
The true test is seeing Cobra Commander, who is being played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt. Gordon-Levitt is a tremendous actor and I think he can really pull off this performance, but I’m a little nervous about the production design surrounding this movie. If Cobra Commander looks as good and faithful to the source material as Snake Eyes does, this “G.I. Joe” might have a chance at not being a complete pile of shit.
