![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
A fairly productive weekend, after an extreemly tiring work week. I'm hoping after 6 more months, things will get easier, and I'll be able to focus on stuff un-work-related. At the moment however, am finding it increasingly difficult to focus on books, movies, tv shows or anything that requires concentration after my work day. I'm also discovering that I no longer appear to have the patience/tolerance/interest for heated debates regarding subjective interpretations of fictional storylines, characters, or metaphors. I don't quite know why this is so. Just that lately these discussions annoy the heck out of me.
That said, I have entertained myself this weekend, sporadically.
Saw the flick Iron Man finally. This may be the best superhero action flick that I have seen in a long time. The only other one that comes close is possibly the first Superman.
One caveat - this is not a movie for children. It is not Fantastic Four, although I wouldn't take children to that one either - but this one is more like Batman Begins, it contains adult themes and situations that are inappropriate for anyone below the age of 16. There is one scene in which the lead character is being tortured, while another depicts the potential torture of a co-prisoner. The comic itself is not for children - the story is after-all about an industrialist and weapons manufacturer, who gets injured by one of his own weapons while visiting a war zone, is subsequently captured, tortured, and escapes by building an iron man suit. I don't see anything in that storyline that should be shown to a child. I only state this because I saw toddlers in the movie theater.
The film appears to be very close to the Marvel comic book, they just update it, much like they did with Spiderman, except I think this is actually closer to the original story than both the film versions of X-Men, Dare Devil, Fantastic Four and Spiderman were.
What I liked about it -was the script, direction, and action - which were impressive. I've gotten used to busy superhero flicks like Spiderman and X-men. This movie wasn't busy. It focused on Stark, played perfectly by Robert Downey Jr. - who is amongst the few actors out there that I'd pay to watch reading the phone book. I think I've seen most of his films, including the horrible ones such as Air America. It was a stroke of genius to cast Downey Jr in this role. Paltrow, Bridges, and Terrence Howard are also superb choices. But, if the script had not been up to snuff - the movie would not have worked. The dialogue is funny. Pepper Potts, Stark's trusted personal assistant, unlike most female heroines in these films -actually is given something to do and does not play the damsel in distress. She saves her boss more than once, with ingenuity. Stark himself gets out of trouble with his brain. And Jeff Bridges manages to not ham it up as Obidah, Stark's business partner, he restrains himself and delivers a layered and somewhat interesting performance.
It is an action movie though. If you don't like superhero action flicks, you won't like this film. If you don't like stories about womanizing playboys who have epiphanies and want to help mankind? You won't like this movie.
I happen to love these things, so I adored it. Found the whole experience sort of cathartic. It had a very anti-war vibe, which I appreciated. And it was about solving a problem. Also, and most importantly, it had Robert Downey Jr as the lead...and that's never a bad thing. ;-)
If you do decide to see the flick - stay through the credits. There's a little treat after they are over that you'll kick yourself for missing.
That said, I have entertained myself this weekend, sporadically.
Saw the flick Iron Man finally. This may be the best superhero action flick that I have seen in a long time. The only other one that comes close is possibly the first Superman.
One caveat - this is not a movie for children. It is not Fantastic Four, although I wouldn't take children to that one either - but this one is more like Batman Begins, it contains adult themes and situations that are inappropriate for anyone below the age of 16. There is one scene in which the lead character is being tortured, while another depicts the potential torture of a co-prisoner. The comic itself is not for children - the story is after-all about an industrialist and weapons manufacturer, who gets injured by one of his own weapons while visiting a war zone, is subsequently captured, tortured, and escapes by building an iron man suit. I don't see anything in that storyline that should be shown to a child. I only state this because I saw toddlers in the movie theater.
The film appears to be very close to the Marvel comic book, they just update it, much like they did with Spiderman, except I think this is actually closer to the original story than both the film versions of X-Men, Dare Devil, Fantastic Four and Spiderman were.
What I liked about it -was the script, direction, and action - which were impressive. I've gotten used to busy superhero flicks like Spiderman and X-men. This movie wasn't busy. It focused on Stark, played perfectly by Robert Downey Jr. - who is amongst the few actors out there that I'd pay to watch reading the phone book. I think I've seen most of his films, including the horrible ones such as Air America. It was a stroke of genius to cast Downey Jr in this role. Paltrow, Bridges, and Terrence Howard are also superb choices. But, if the script had not been up to snuff - the movie would not have worked. The dialogue is funny. Pepper Potts, Stark's trusted personal assistant, unlike most female heroines in these films -actually is given something to do and does not play the damsel in distress. She saves her boss more than once, with ingenuity. Stark himself gets out of trouble with his brain. And Jeff Bridges manages to not ham it up as Obidah, Stark's business partner, he restrains himself and delivers a layered and somewhat interesting performance.
It is an action movie though. If you don't like superhero action flicks, you won't like this film. If you don't like stories about womanizing playboys who have epiphanies and want to help mankind? You won't like this movie.
I happen to love these things, so I adored it. Found the whole experience sort of cathartic. It had a very anti-war vibe, which I appreciated. And it was about solving a problem. Also, and most importantly, it had Robert Downey Jr as the lead...and that's never a bad thing. ;-)
If you do decide to see the flick - stay through the credits. There's a little treat after they are over that you'll kick yourself for missing.
