It's Called T.M.I. For A Reason..."Thanks For Sharing"

Thanks For Sharing (2012)

Rated R

Starring Mark Ruffalo, Gywneth Paltrow, Tim Robbins, Josh Gad, Joely Richardson, Patrick Fugit, Pink,

Directed by Stuart Blumberg

The Story:

Adam (Ruffalo) meets Phoebe (Paltrow) and the two really hit it off. It's the first girl he's been seriously interested in, possibly ever. She tells him up front that she just has to make sure she never dates another guy who's an addict. No problem...

Except Adam is addicted to sex, and is in year 5 of his recovery.

And there you have the basis for one of the most  unusual, yet compelling romantic dramedies that you're likely to see.

Supporting Ruffalo are Robbins as his sponsor, and he is saddled with issues of his own and his family (Richardson & Fugit).

Then there is Josh Gad as a leacherous member of their group who doesn't seem to want to even change, but ends up having possibly the biggest storyline changes of them all by the end of the film.

The movie wisely incorporates these addtional stories to make a fuller movie instead of one that just concentrates soley on Phoebe & Adam's relationship. It allows the focus to shift and not just burn the audience out on a love story.

There were a few hiccups along the way that keep this movie from being a must-see, but the cast makes you empathize with them and want to see it through to the end.

Final Grade:  B

Bombs Bursting All Right... "Mortdecai"

Mortdecai (2015)

Rated R

Starring Johnny Depp, Gwyneth Paltrow, Ewan McGregor, Paul Bettany

Directed by David Koepp

The Story:

Usually I try and sum up a film in a few sentences to give you an idea of what the film is about, without giving away any spoilers. However, I think I'll let Lionsgate do the the heavy lifting this time around:

" Juggling some angry Russians, the British Mi5, his impossibly leggy wife and an international terrorist, debonair art dealer and part time rogue Charlie Mortdecai must traverse the globe armed only with his good looks and special charm in a race to recover a stolen painting rumored to contain the code to a lost bank account filled with Nazi gold."

That's way better than I could do.

Heck, that synopsis almost makes me want to see this film again.

Except I watched the first 15-20 minutes of the film, and didn't get any of that.

My snynopsis would read something more along the lines of:

"Johnny Depp makes another piece of #@$# movie wherein he plays himself, or some semblance of Jack Sparrow, because he's a shell of an actor and continues to con his way into payday after payday making crap that people keep watching for some reason."

Oops.

Not a very good synopsis.

Not a very good movie.

Waste of a talented ensemble, and Johnny Depp continues to be on cruise control.

The movie never decides if it wants to be serious, a farce, a serious farce, a farcical drama.

So....sooooo bad.

Easily the worst movie of 2015.

Save yourself!

 Final Grade: F-

Holiday Blockbuster Weekend Concludes: "Iron Man 3"

Not a hoax...not a dream...

This is the review after seeing the movie again at home, even though there is a perfectly suitable review for Iron Man 3 back when it was in theaters:

http://talesfromthequeue.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-tin-man-has-heartiron-man-3.html

Now, on to today's update!



I am Iron Man.

The Story:

Tony Stark (Robery Downey Jr.) returns to end the trilogy of Iron Man films.  This time, he faces the loss of everything he holds dear, including Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow) and his sanity as he still recovers from the events of New York.  The Mandarin (Ben Kingsley) is apparently sending suicide bombers around the globe to punish the American people.  Happy (Jon Favreau) gets caught in the cross-hairs, and sets Tony on a path of revenge.  All of these events conspire in a cyclical tale that flashes back over a decade when Tony ran into Aldich Killian (Guy Pearce) for the first time.  That chance encounter comes back to haunt him at the worst possible time:

Christmas.

Written (partially) and directed by Shane Black, of course it's Christmas!  That's his schtick.  See the Lethal Weapon franchise for further proof.  And that franchise alone will get Shane Black a pass with me on most of what he does for the rest of his career.

That said, Iron Man 3 doesn't need a pass, it's actually that good.

Is it as good as the first one?  Debatable.  It's newer...shinier...
Is it better than the 2nd one?  No question.

I had a blast watching it.  For the critics, many of whom live under my roof, who found holes in the film... well, there are holes everywhere, in every film.

They just didn't bother me so much.

: )

It has been a fun run watching Robert Downey Jr. inhabit the role of Tony Stark to the point where he IS Iron Man, pure and simple.  Someday these Marvel franchises will require rebooting, and while most roles will be easily changed out (see the Hulk...), I do not envy the person that has to pick up where Downey will leave off.

So for now, I'll forget that will happen, and simply soak in the fun and good times that Marvel is giving me with these movies.

Trust me, 10 year old me NEVER thought this day would come, so all in all, this guy is pretty darn happy.

Oh, and the whole outcry about the Mandarin?  Brilliant.  Thought it was absolutely perfect.  Remember kids, these aren't exactly based on the comics, they just contain the same characters.

Plus, these are light years more fun than anything DC is giving us to enjoy.

And finally, do stick around for the end credits, it caps off the movie perfectly.

: )

Final Grade: A (upgraded from A- in the theatrical run)

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: Even though a few in my house moaned about some of the plot holes, I'm hoping it's under the tree this Christmas! :)

The Tin Man Has A Heart..."Iron Man 3"

Phase Two Begins...

The Story:

Ever since New York, Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) has been feeling a bit... off.  Still tinkering with his suits, he is up to version # 42 when the movie begins.  This causes a bit of unease with Pepper (Gwyneth Paltrow) but when you're in love with a genius, there's a price to be paid.  Unfortunately, a terrorist known only as The Mandarin (Ben Kingsley) is attacking around the globe, and when one of his attacks injures Happy Hogan (Jon Favreau), things get personal.  Tony seeks revenge, but even he may be no match for the greatest threat he's ever suited up against.

I'm not going to lie, I loved Part 3.

: )

And the # 1 complaint of the movie going public/critics seems to be The Mandarin and his fate in the movie.

This guy?  No problems at all with what unfolded.  I thought it was a stroke of genius to be honest. 

Stepping on board as director is Shane Black, in only his second outing behind the camera (Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang), but he reteams with Robert Downey Jr., and he is the man who wrote Lethal Weapon, so the franchise isn't going to slip too much.

No, in fact, it rebounds from the disappointment of the 2nd film which gave us perhaps too much Iron Man (men) and in fact, let's Tony Stark spend much of the film sans armor.

This provides Iron Man 3 with its greatest strength, and that owes also to Marvel, Stan Lee, and all who followed in his footsteps in making Marvel the better comic universe to grow up reading:

The movie is about Tony Stark.  Tony Stark IS Iron Man.  You put any other guy in the suit, and while you can call him Iron Man, he's not.  He's an imitation.  Which is why Rhodey (Don Cheadle) became War Machine/Iron Patriot.

The human character is what made the heroes in Marvel lore stand out for me (and many other readers).  Take them out of the suit, and the replacement versions just never clicked after that.  Yet when you see the end of the Batman trilogy, it seems like they feel that if anyone jumps in the suit, they become Batman.

Meh.

So, there you have it, a review that hopefully gives nothing away on this opening weekend, but instead serves as a soapbox as to why I love Marvel heroes, and am thrilled to be seeing them brought to life on the big screen.  Changed as needed from the comics to make as much sense as possible, but never leaving out the heart that made the characters so endearing in the first place.

Go see the # 1 movie in America.  If you liked either of the first 2 installments, you won't regret your decision.

Final Grade: A-

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: I'd go again in a heartbeat, but I already got to see the film with my sweetheart. : )  So for now... maybe I'll just go pre-order the Blu Ray on Amazon.

Shouldn't "Iron Man 2" Have Been Called 'Iron Men' Instead?

Anything you can do, I can do better...

The Story:

Multi-bajillionaire Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) returns!  It's been six months since the big reveal to the world that he is Iron Man, and now the United States wants its grubby paws on the Iron Man armor.  Leading the charge is a smarmy Senator (Garry Schandling) and weapons manufacturer Justin Hammer (Sam Rockwell).  Torn between the conflict between his government and his best friend, Rhodey (Don Cheadle) isn't sure what to do.  When Ivan Vanko (Mickey Rourke) shows up sporting technology similar to Stark's, all bets are off, and Tony is in the for the fight of his life.

The horrible thing about sequels is that they rarely live up to the status of the film that they are following.  On rare occasions the second film can overshadow the first, Toy Story and the Godfather spring to mind, but most are missing that special something. 

Or perhaps it is just the bar is so high from the audience going in, unlike the first film, that the sequel is doomed from the start.  Which is a shame.

On its own merits, Iron Man 2 is a wonderful superhero film, and really important in the overall development of Phase One of the Marvel cinematic universe.  Of course, this is also hindsight seeing in 20/20, what they were able to put into that movie that would come to fruition later.

Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) returns to Iron Man, this time not after the credits, but in the film itself.  He lays more of the groundwork of SHIELD and once again Agent Coulson (Clark Gregg) returns.  Joining the cast is The Black Widow (Scarlett Johannsen).

Yet even with all these characters vying for screen time, character development and action sequences, nothing really feels rushed or left out.

If anything, the biggest letdown of the film is the somewhat unoriginal thought of having Iron Man fight another Iron Man.  Very reminiscent of the first film, though Jon Favreau amps up the explosive power by adding War Machine to the mix and having the two friends battle against an army of Iron Man wannabes.

Again, judged on it's own, the movie is really quite good out of the shadow of its predecessor.

Plus, often times while the first sequel is often considered inferior, many times the third movie in a trilogy is often as good or just a little less awesome than the original.

We'll see!

Final Grade: Originally a B-, but the years have been kind, and so will I... B+

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: Extremely high, and I have happily finally added the 2nd installment into the DVD Library.  Yay me!

The 'Real' Best Picture of 2008 Should Have Been... "Iron Man"

You will believe a man can fly...

In a suit of armor!

The Story:

Multi-billionaire industrialist Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) is in Afghanistan demonstrating his newest weapon for the military when his convoy is attacked and Stark is injured.  Ordered to build a weapon for terrorists, Stark designs an armor that can be worn as a weapon.  It also happens to be able to save his life after his injuries.  However, when Stark finds out who is behind the terrorist organization, it's a betrayal that cuts even deeper than any injury he suffers from.

Wow.

I love this movie.

Jon Favreau signs on as director for the first film from Marvel Studios, and he hit a home run.  Any fear that Marvel was getting in over their heads was put to rest, relatively, by the performance of the first of the "Phase One" of the movies.

Surrounding Downey were excellent casting choices such as Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow) and Lt. Colonel James Rhodes (Terence Howard).  These pieces are vital to the mythos of Tony Stark, and they serve the movie well here.  Filling out the unheralded role as Jarvis, Paul Bettany provides the voice of Tony's armor.  It's an interesting twist on the comics, and one that works very well for the movie.  I would be remiss if I didn't also mention the screen debut of one of the most endearing characters in the Marvel Universe: Agent Coulson (Clark Gregg).  I'm not sure if it was fleshed out from the beginning, but it was hard not to like the little guy. : )

As for the villain, Jeff Bridges plays the weasel Obadiah Stane perfectly.  Going into the film, comic fans knew what was to be expected, but I'm sure it came as a surprise to many non-fans.

Downey brings a cocky swagger to the role that just nails everything the comic book character symbolized, and brings it into the real world.  I'm very pleased that they've left the alcoholic subplot out of the movies, and I hope they keep it out.  That was a period that was influential in the book, but is really a minor footnote in the grand scheme of things.

Tony needs to be challenged mentally, physically and intellectually.  Leave the booze on the sideline.

It's not the perfect superhero movie, but five years later...

It's pretty darn close.

Final Grade: A.  I'm raising it up from the A- simply because it is such a good film that still holds up, and really works for the foundation of the universe.

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: Yes, yes...yes!  So much so that I now have a cool briefcase containing this and many other films on Blu Ray.