I Am Iron Man

Iron Man 3, the absolutely, positively fantastic closer to what I see as Iron Man's "Coming of Age" trilogy. So if you read my personal blog, which you should, you'll know that I'm not a fan of Iron Man/Downey Jr. well, that has changed. Yes, that is how good the film was, also 

SPOILER ALERT

So the story so far, he made the suit and revealed himself to the world, he watched as once again his machines were turned against him, he travels through a wormhole and briefly glimpses mortality, where does Tony Stark go from there? Well we actually begin to see some character development.

There was a touch of character development in the first film but we haven't really seen Tony Stark himself in any of his films so far, we've only seen Iron Man. This film sees him forced out of the suit, out of his comfort zone following the realisation that he is suffering. The events from The Avengers are hurting him and we really begin to see that in this film. He is forced to oppose to evil terrorist "The Mandarin" whilst being hunted down by a gang of apparently super-powered villains.

So yes, character, I really liked this film because it actually separated the hero from the suit and it allowed Downey to actually show us the character which hadn't really been done yet. I honestly find Tony Stark more interesting than Iron Man which is a confusing but somewhat accurate description of how it should be. Also commendation to Ben Kingsley for playing the most convincing interpretation of an actor I've ever seen, yes, his character is an actor in the film.

I liked the plot, even if it was almost a carbon copy of the first one, the terrorist leader is actually being controlled by the white business executive, oh the connotations, but it is a winning formula for the series. I did like this variation more, it has to be said. The change in director from Jon Favreau to Shane Black was noticeable, especially so by the tone. Previous series films have been quite light hearted and although it might fall victim to the obvious series cliche of becoming yet more dark and saddening, it was an incredibly needed move for the franchise.

This film had a lot of tragic moments, top 3 for me personally were, in no order; loss of Dummy (the robot arm), incapacitation of Happy Hogan (Favreau) and When Jarvis is lost (briefly). The writing was also incredibly good for the film, whilst in the past I have criticised the comedy of Iron Man films for being inconsistent in quality, this film was the shiz for comedy, it wasn't forced like previous films, it wasn't overdone, like Baby Bear's porridge it was JUST RIGHT.

Best/Worst moments... Best was the Mk 42 returning to the cranes, "The Prodigal Son returns..." followed by the suit crashing into a railing and falling to pieces. Worst part was the slightly choc-a-bloc action sequence of roughly 30 Iron shell-suits fighting enemies that are ALL FIGHTING THE SAME WAY. It could have been so good.

Film is 9/10, very good, a cool family watch as well, definitely worth it. So now the poster and the IMDB, thanks for reading.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1300854/

Gotta catch 'em all

Pokemon, the first movie, is about Ash Ketchum and the mysterious but powerful Mewtwo as they learn about what it means to be a good person. No joke, it's a kid film and it is one of the few films from my childhood that I actually remember.

So from what I remember as a kid it was an awesome film, and tragically sad at some points, and it still is. Fully grown there are moments that still touch me, however there are some things I have noticed. Much like with Pixar films there are elements of the film that adults can appreciate, partly the hotness of Misty/Nurse Joy/Officer Jenny, but also the fact that Misty is friend-zoned by Ash, Brock is friend-zoned by every woman, and that Ash is the BIGGEST TOOL EVER, almost as much as Charizard.

This film has a lot of "Big Issue Themes" cloning, racism, animal cruelty, world domination, destiny, you know the usual stuff. However first I would like to raise the bad points about the film, bearing in mind I am reviewing this kids film as an adult. There isn't really much character, it's very plot-centric, which isn't the worst thing, however this film is like MARMITE, you'll either love it/hate it. Some of the plot devices are pretty pathetic as well, for instance some rough waves and storm clouds are the "WORST STORM EVER". And some of the lines don't exactly flow well, also the puns, mother of god, whichever writer came up with the idea of clones being "clone-some" will be the first one to die when I take over the world.

That being said it's a wonderfully nostalgic film, with throwbacks to the series AND the game, like how Brock is always trying to get with a girl, the fact that NO-ONE questions that ALL Joys look the same. The fight at the start is incredibly reminiscent of random trainer fights in the games, and above all it's just a fun film. My favourite character is Mew, such a BAMF, it is incredibly adorable.

I give it a 6/10, fun for kids, maybe not for adults but worth seeing, and so I leave you with Mew, the poster and the IMDB link

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0190641/

The first rule.

DO NOT TALK ABOUT FIGHT CLUB. It was originally recommended to me by a friend who has a thing for existential nihilism, a cult classic you have probably heard at least one quote from the film Fight Club. For those who haven't seen it; our narrator suffers from bouts of insomnia, he attends support groups in an attempt to find rest but when that stops working he finds Tyler Durden, this leads him to start an underground club and become part of the war on the corporate machine.

Based on the novel by Chuck Palahniuk Fight Club apparently didn't do very well in cinema, but despite this it has one of the largest cult followings of any film/book ever. Stars Brad Pitt and Edward Norton have brilliant chemistry on screen, the two work well together, I found the scenes where they broke the fourth wall to be exceedingly well done. The characters are interesting, and the plot is well thought through, I would recommend watching it through a second time and just thinking about how it would come across from ny other character's perspective. The twist ending that the narrator IS Tyler isn't too obvious but when you watch it again it's so well done that it makes complete sense. Interactions with Helena Bonham Carter really just add to the film, giving it that extra "love interest" dimension. I feel that without Marla Singer the film would have been dramatically less good, mainly because she prompts the Narrator out of the support groups but she is necessary to the Narrator's development.

In terms of cinematography the score is well put together, and the use of some CGI and the overlaying of text onto a shot was well done, there wasn't much and Fincher (director) didn't overdo it. The film has a message, it's wrapped in profanities and reeks of pessimism but it's fairly clear, BE YOUR OWN MAN, The Narrator makes fight club because he feels like he is dying, he's part of the IKEA nesting culture, so his mind creates a way out. It highlights the fact that we, as a society, are becoming too reliant on things, Norton's character loses control of his life and even during filming he starved himself to give that appearance of weakness. Despite Tyler Durden's opinion on God as the abandoning father, he's almost quoting scripture, telling people to not give a damn about their possessions and encouraging people to live their life, albeit with the pain of death.

Film rating, 9/10, admittedly it's not everyone's cup of tea, the film to anyone who hasn't seen it doesn't have that much appeal but watch it, SERIOUSLY WATCH IT. Not exactly a film for the kids but a rite of passage, anyway apologies that it isn't The Breakfast Club. Here's the poster and the IMDB.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0137523/

Greetings Program, welcome to The Grid

The original Tron, 1982, was based on the adventures of Kevin Flynn as he enters the Grid in an attempt to eliminate the evil Master Control Program, this leads him to meet simple security program Tron and face off against the MCP's minion Sark.

The film, for those who didn't obsess like hell over this film when they were 12, was criticised when it was released for being "overly reliant on CGI", which when you compare it to the likes of Avatar, Alice in Wonderland, The Great and Powerful Oz, and really a lot of films that have been released in the past 10 years, you see that it is becoming more a norm.

I think that it was a bold move for Disney to venture into this, and honestly it makes me forgive them a little for some of the crap they churn out nowadays, the fact that they were one of the first studios to try this on a large scale paid off, it's a legitimately good film. Even the language programs use is brilliant "Who does he calculate he is" nerdgasmic, and there's nothing better than killing, sorry, "de-rezzing" people with FREAKIN' light frisbees. I could list all the amazing things about this film, the costumes, the ability of the actors, it's all amazing, the only thing about this film which didn't stand out to me as amazing as it could have been was the story, it's nice but it didn't make me emotional, I didn't feel for the characters. When RAM dies I felt a bit sad but there was nothing to connect me to the other characters, and the interactions between characters was lacking in some areas.

In an age of cubey/triangular computer effects this was a gem, I give it a 7/10 for the enjoyment, I'll review the sequel at some point, For those who found "Space Paranoids" in Kingdom Hearts fun, you might like this, now I leave you with an enjoyable poster and the IMDB link.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0084827/

Who you gonna call?

One of my top all time films, Ghostbusters was released in 1984, starred Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis, and Ernie Hudson, if you're interested in cast and crew I'll put an IMDB link at the bottom.

I assume most of you have already seen it but just in case you haven't it's about some scientists in paranormal psychology at NYU who discover a way to track and capture ghosts using high energy lasers and a "trap". They form a business around it and are hounded repeatedly by the EPA who believe them to be frauds. Meanwhile a spirit is trying to emerge, through a beautiful woman and a nerd, to take over the world, hi-jinks ensue etc.

As I've said this is one of my favourite films, it's a pretty original idea as well, the comedy is still fresh even to this day and I honestly think it's Murray's best role to date. One of the film's highlights for me is the chemistry between the actors, personally I'm a fan of dry, sarcastic, satirical humour and Ramis' delivery of the twinkie line just gets me every time, especially since its the opposite to style of humour he shows throughout. I would argue this is one of the most memorable films in history, my top 3 moments, the Twinkie line, the opening scene in the library,and last but not least, the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man. And along with it is one of the most
easily recognised theme tunes "Who you gonna call?" by Ray Parker Jr.

Also in the cast are Sigourney Weaver, because apparently it wasn't a science fiction film unless 
she was in it, and Rick Moranis. Whilst I can tolerate Weaver, Moranis has very little appeal in 
films, I just don't like him that much, admittedly he has a few moments, like when he gets taken 
down by the creature and the very end with Ramis, but he just isn't that funny. I'dalso like to point 
out the wonderful use of computer effects, especially after Tron (1982) was criticised for it's 
heavy reliance on them to create the mainframe.

All in all, wonderful film, definitely worth the watch, multiple viewing pleasure, my personal rating 
is 9/10, very good, if simple, comedy. Good for a family if you're wondering and now I leave you 
with arguably the MOST iconic film poster of all time.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0087332/