IRON MAN II: ALL THE IRON, A LITTLE LESS MAN

Tony Stark: I am Iron Man. The suit and I are one.

Have I mentioned lately how much I love Robert Downey Jr? Love perhaps, is an understatement. So, Tony Stark is back, bigger better and more full of himself than from the first Iron Man, which is part of the reason why I loved this film. The problem is, that we already saw this in the first movie. So when seen again, it just doesn't have quite the same effect as it did when it was fresh and new. That is not to say, however, that it is not un-enjoyable. In this film, Tony Stark has been "outed" and everybody wants a piece of him. This includes the new bad guy lead, played well by Sam Rockwell and counterintelligence agent/avenger Scarlett Johansson in her formfitting cat woman-like suit. Mickey Rourke, added a little spice to this film as Russian bad guy Ivan Vanko and played pretty well as the muscle for Justin Hammer's (Rockwell) bad guy dictator. Gwyneth Paltrow is also back as Pepper Potts who in general was in character, but lacked the original chemistry she showed Stark. There was lots of action in this film, lots of things that blew up, lots of drama, but again, it just lacked the fresh appeal that came with the first film. This was a good film, however, I just had that feeling like I had seen it before. This is a film that I definitely would not miss, but not a film I would call best picture.

KICK ASS: KICKS

Dave Lizewski: Like most people my age, I just existed.

Who doesn't fantasize about being a superhero; kicking ass, taking names, having a secret identity? Well, nerdy geek Dave Lizewski (Aaron Johnson: look for this BRIT in the biopic of John Lennon, Nowhere Boy) does one better and actually decides to not just sit by and watch bad things happen. He creates a "super hero" with costume and everything. Thing is, he doesn't have any special training or skills so on his first venture out, he pretty much gets his ass kicked, hence the nickname "Ass Kick". The one who gives him that name is Big Daddy (Nicolas Cage) who ends up stepping in, dressed in his Batman gear, with his best Christian Bale bat voice and saving Dave's behind. The most controversial addition to the mix is Hit Girl (Chloe Moretz) who is Big Daddy's daughter, programmed and trained as an assassin in efforts for her father's big revenge scheme. Her foul mouth and ability to kill without blinking is a BIG upset in the movie genre. While there is the comic relief, this film walks a fine line between comedic drama and dark action flick. Poor "17 forever" Christopher Mintz-Plasse offers a light touch with his own addition to the unequipped super hero as Red Mist and makes for a funny driving sequence with Kick Ass. There is no dispute that Hit Girl steals the show. They way she does it is dark and disturbing and equally compelling. She is my new hero. Of course production has begun on the sequel and it will be interesting to see where they go next. Hands down, my new favorite movie; funny, exciting, dramatic and full of action.

DEFENDOR: MY FAVORITE SUPER HERO

Constable Mike: Captain, this guy is pretty funny.

He says he wants to call a truce.
Captain Fairbanks: A vigilante?
Constable Mike: No. No, he's a superhero. He calls him Defendor. And that's with an O-R, Captain. It's not an E-R. Defendor.

And he flips out if you get that wrong. It's very bizarre.

What a most unpredictable and thoroughly enjoyable movie this turned out to be! Woody Harrelson is one of the most underestimated actors of our time. At the base, this is a story about people and how they can have redeeming qualities regardless of how they might seem at first glance. It is almost an homage to super hero movies, full of all their cliches, but then it takes a turn to the dramatic and by the end, turns out to be a sincere and touching movie. We meet DefenDOR wearing all black with a black makeup eye mask and a helmet complete with duct taped on flashlights (for better night vision). A crude "D" marks his chest, also made from duct tape. He has his secret weapons; marbles, hornets in a jar, sling shot and lime juice and surprisingly, they work pretty well. While in the streets defending people from evil he "rescues" a crack whore hooker with a heart of gold (Kat Dennings) and battles a rogue undercover policeman (my favorite Elias Koteas). It's fun to watch how mild mannered Arthur Poppington (Harrelson) turns into Defendor, complete with his Batman voice and clever superhero one liners. "Look out, termites. It's squishing time." In time we see that he is a bit mentally challenged while he tells of his adventures to Sandra Oh, a court appointed psychiatrist. The layers get peeled back and we discover the events that led to this point and it gets a bit more dramatic than funny, however it is never mired down in the seriousness. Harrelson is one of the best actors of this generation and for such an odd and off-beat film, he classes it up all the way. It could have been a terrible film, but with his very touching performance, it makes for one that should not be missed. Be sure to watch the outtakes and featurettes.

HANCOCK

HANCOCK... A REAL PRICK

Ray: People should love you. They really should, okay? And I want to deliver that for you. It's the least that I can do. You're a superhero. Kids should be running up to you, asking for your autograph, people should be cheering you on the streets...

Hancock: [yelling to crowd of neighbors watching]

What the hell you pricks looking at?

I watched this film, took notes and everything, yet forgot about it for a whole month. That's how forgettable this movie is. What is unforgivable is the stereotypical ethnic and homophobic slurs, even if he pretty much slurs everyone and everything. He is the anti-superhero. With Batman, Bruce Wayne came first and Batman his second identity; same with Iron Man. However this not-so-super-superhero had to take the journey to transform into a man. The movie wants us to see how sad and lonely he is and that the bad attitude masks that pain. It plain doesn't work. THEN, when you thought you had the main plot figured out and the movie should end, there comes a major plot twist (enter the wasted Charlize Theron) that is so unbelievable it could only happen on a soap opera. Terrible, terrible, terrible... the one and only thing I liked about Hancock was Ray Embrey (Jason Bateman). He is one of our more underrated actors but his sense of comedic timing and authentic approach made the rest of the film slightly bearable.
NOT a pick: If you are a huge Jason Bateman fan, be my guest; otherwise not a good film.

IRON MAN

IRON MAN: "Give me a scotch. I'm starving."

"Is it better to be feared or respected? I say, is it too much to ask for both?"
"Lisbeth Wheelehan"
So as not to show any bias, for the record, I LOVE Robert Downey Jr. I have seen every film he has ever made. Iron Man is his time to shine. Through all the turbulent times he has gone through, little by little he proved that he was now stable and ready to work (Zodiac, Charlie Bartlett, Lucky You). Tony Stark/Iron Man fit Downey like a glove. Much like Batman and Bruce Wayne, Stark was a high profile man about town with more money than Oprah. After a life altering event, he decides to use his power for good, not evil and hence forth comes Iron Man. At that point, the movie takes a left turn right into a brick wall. Downey is still fine as are Gweneth Paltro (only kinda wasted as a background fixture, but also not a "girl") and an almost unrecognisable Jeff Bridges (who really shaved his head). However, the script, the plot and the ending just fell flat. I'm glad Iron Man had power, because the last part of the movie didn't. Until then, everything was high octane and full of testosterone. Even though I disliked the end, what I liked in the beginning was what will earn this flick a pick. Downey does a lot of improv so what you see is him, top to bottom. Not a masterpiece, but still a kick ass movie.

PICK: Not a perfect movie, but Downey colors outside the lines. A head-banging pick!