Iron Man 2

OPENING: 05/07/2010

STUDIO: Paramount

RUN TIME: 124 min

ACCOMPLICES:
Trailer, Official Site

Opening Statement
With this release, Iron Man 2 joins some pretty elite company of fellow superhero films like The Dark Knight and Spider-Man 2. The similarity surrounding this trio? They’re all superhero film sequels that are even better than their respectable predecessors. Iron-Man 2 is absolutely awesome, no doubt about it.

Facts of the Case
Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr., Sherlock Holmes) appears to have a great life. He’s every city’s salvation after saving the world with his Iron Man technology, he’s a young bachelor/billionaire, and he’s got a brain the size of the Grand Canyon. Well, books aren’t meant to be judged by covers, and in this case neither should people. Stark proves that appearances can be deceiving.

Behind all the glitz and glam, Stark is actually dying. The more he utilizes the Iron Man suit, the more toxins enter his blood. And with his time becoming shorter and shorter, life isn’t making things easy for him. The US Government is breathing down his neck, wishing to monopolize his Iron Man technology which they deem too dangerous for a civilian to possess. A Stark Company rival, Justin Hammer (Sam Rockwell, Everybody’s Fine), is out for major vengeance after Stark humiliates him at a Senate hearing. And on top of that, a dangerous and ruthless new enemy has emerged out of Russia in computer savvy Ivan Ranko (Mickey Rourke, The Wrestler). Like Hammer, Ranko also wants Stark’s head on a spit, since he holds Tony and his father, Howard Stark, accountable for the death of his own father. With many scores to settle, and time running low; Tony Stark attempts to beat the odds, save the world, and ultimately save his own life in the process.

The Evidence
Since superhero movies are total cash registers, consider Iron Man 2 one of the modern day tricked out jobs, complete with electronic screen and bar code scanner. This movie is going to rake in a huge sum of money, and deservedly so.

It excels in everything, but first and foremost, Downey Jr. completely makes the movie. I can’t picture anyone else in this role. His constant witty behavior and comedic one-liners are absolutely fantastic. He makes a wonderfully cocky Tony Stark, and at the end of the day, I can’t decide whether I like him more in this role or as Sherlock Holmes. It’s a tossup all right. In addition to Downey, Rourke made a great adversary, acting very mysteriously and providing us with a very respectable, well done Russian accent. Personally, I didn’t care the Hammer character. I don’t think Sam Rockwell was the best choice for the role. He came off as too much of a nice guy, and I think a more sinister-appearing actor would have filled the part better then Rockwell did.

As far as action goes, it’s basically everything an action-loving junkie would want in his movies. Huge explosions, nice looking machinery, and ridiculously sweet action scenes. Even Scarlett Johansson (He’s Just Not That Into You) gets in on the action, beating baddies and taking names like a lucha libre professional. If you like action, you’ll be very pleased with this movie, I assure you of that.

But the beauty of Iron Man 2 is that it’s not all action and a weak story, like for instance From Paris With Love. The story is deep, the character development is strong, and the multiple storylines are intriguing and interesting. This is a very smart superhero movie; you’ve got to tip your hat to Jon Favreau and Justin Theroux. And in typical Iron Man fashion, there is a handful of foreshadowing of the story premise for Iron Man 3, INCLUDING A POST-CREDITS SCENE! So once the credits roll, do not- I repeat, do not- leave your seats!

And hey, what do you know? A good chunk of the film takes place in my old hometown of Flushing, New York! Now whether you like it or not, I’m going to give some selfish praise to the movie for using my childhood dwellings as a central location in the film. Of course they made it more or less unrecognizable, making it appear a good 97.4% more upscale then it really is, but I’m not complaining. Let’s Go Mets!

Closing Statement
With its great blend of action, comedy, drama, and special effects; count on Iron Man 2 to be a film made of, not iron, but steel (or any other type of alloy/element that’s tough and impenetrable). The movie is great, and absolutely lives up to the hype, in a way I feel most common folk moviegoers thought 2010’s other big release, Alice In Wonderland, did not. Go see it!

The Verdict
9/10

Couples Retreat

OPENING: 10/09/2009

STUDIO: Universal Studios

RUN TIME: 107 min

ACCOMPLICES:
Trailer, Official Site

The Charge
It may be paradise… but it’s no vacation.

Opening Statement
There’s enough comic talent in the cast of Couples Retreat to supply two or three films. Unfortunately, the laughs are few and very far between, in this clunker of a comedy.

The Case
The film focuses on four different couples. Vince Vaughn (Fred Claus) and Malin Akerman (Watchmen) are semi-happily married and have two young children. Jon Favreau (Iron Man) and Kristen Davis (Sex and the City) have been cheating on each other for years. Faizon Love (Idlewild) is recently divorced and now dating a perky 20-year-old played by Kali Hawk (Lovers & Haters). Jason Bateman (Hancock) and Kristen Bell (Veronica Mars) are contemplating divorce, but before they make their decision, they want to go to an eccentric form of couples counseling on an exotic island retreat known as "Eden." Bateman convinces the other three couples to come along (after all, there’s a great group rate), and our adventure begins. Many wacky hijinks ensue, and somehow all the crazy events that take place over the course of the week cause each of the couples to learn something about themselves and grow closer to each other.

The plot structure may be the stuff of tedious sitcoms, but I had hopes the usually-reliable writing team of Vince Vaughn and Jon Favreau would provide a generous dose of character-driven humor to keep the proceedings afloat. Alas, the writing is groan-worthy and predictable, relying on an agonizingly unsubtle blend of forced sentiment and over-the-top gags. For reasons too contrived to explain, the overweight Faizon Love is forced to strip in front of everyone else. The punch line is a shot of his bare buttocks. Ho, ho. Jean Reno wears a much-too-tight speedo. A yoga instructor shows the couples how to flex in a risque manner that makes it look as though he is simulating various sex acts with them. A masseuse gives Favreau a treatment and causes an unintended physical reaction. And so on and so forth. In fairness, the audience I was with found most of this stuff nothing short of riotous. Perhaps you will, too. However, I expect there are quite a few of you, like myself, who will find this material remarkably disappointing, especially when contrasted with the verbal delights of Swingers or the smart n’ sweet combo of the average Judd Apatow-produced comedy.

The biggest crime committed by Couples Retreat is the manner in which it wastes a remarkably gifted cast. Those who have seen Arrested Development and Veronica Mars know just how good Jason Bateman and Kristen Bell can be. This time around Bateman plays one anal-retentive note over and over, while Bell has absolutely nothing of interest to do. The rest of the leading men are cardboard cliches while the rest of the women can’t even deliver their perfunctory dialogue in a convincing manner (Kristen Davis in particularly has a tendency to overdo everything). Jean Reno just looks uncomfortable and unhappy, perhaps because his scenes are some of the most ill-advised in the film. Oh, and how about that ending? If Reno was really anticipating the final outcome of the film the entire time, he must have far greater psychic powers than the film indicates. Couples Retreat isn’t evil or aggressively awful. I suppose it’s a relatively inoffensive comedy (if you can excuse the expected dose of homophobic humor) attempting to promote the positive idea that couples should do whatever it takes to make their relationship work, but it does so in such a remarkably banal and uninspired manner I don’t see why anyone should spend their hard-earned money to witness it. One of the biggest duds of 2009.

The Verdict
2/10

Robert talks about taking the film in a different direction than recent superhero adaptations.

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Gwyneth gets caught in a TMZ-like question from one of the UK press. Although, with that accent, everything sounds polite.

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Jon is still adjusting to his star status, but hasn’t lost his trademark sense of humor.

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