"Iron Man 2" Review

So, yesterday I had the honor of accompanying Reilly 'Prince of Power' Brown to the Marvel Friends & Family screening of "Iron Man 2" held at the legendary Ziegfeld theatre here in Midtown Manhattan. Editor-in-Chief Joe Quesada kicked it off with a surprise celebrity appearance by Robert Downey Jr. (Punk'd!) We sat behind Dan Slott, Fred Van Lente, and afterwards Joe Kelly and his kids came by to say hello.

Yeah, that's how I roll.

If this were a Twitter 140 character review it would be: Not nearly as good as the first but a solid sequel.

Origin movies just always seem to work out better, and Favreau and company really sold me on the hero as scientist/inventor aspect of Tony Stark in the first "Iron Man" movie. Iron Man is a superhero that just never really clicked with me. Probably the same 'eat the rich' mentality towards billionaire heroes that makes me really dislike Batman as well (That control freak). My friends and I used to make fun of our our one friend who was an Iron Man fan during shellhead's West Coast Avengers, find-him-at-the-bottom-of-a-bottle, days.

That armor, though, was always pretty cool. I always liked the silver and red design, the rounded shoulder pieces, and triangle chest piece (didn't even realize that he had different shapes until this movie). It wasn't until recently, the Civil War crossover series in the comics in fact, that I really started to like Tony Stark's character as well; a man trying his best to do good and having it epically fall apart on him. He was flawed despite the suave and smooth exterior. Which is why Robert Downey Jr. is such a great choice for the role: he's just as charming yet troubled and vulnerable.

If the first movie was about a sheltered rich-boy putting on a suit of armor to protect himself from the frightening adult world of owning a legacy of violence and war, the second is about a man now defeated and deteriorating within his metal shell. Tony Stark becomes the armor, the smile and wave that hides the fact that inside, the technology is eating away at him.

The idea of legacy in the film is interesting too, because we get to see father & son reconnect, the passing on the wisdom of your elders that takes you from your present, brings you back to the beginning, and helps create a perspective that propels you from your current dilemma. The Stark Expo held at the site of the old World's Fair in Flushing, Queens is a great way to mix the old "anything is possible with science" idealism with the new "science as science-fiction," as that entire area is being gutted and reovated, changed for the 21st Century. (Oh, they blow the hell out of it by the end of the movie, so a great cinematic goodbye to a New York Landmark.)

The structure was pretty well laid out for an action movie, the first action scene on the racetrack is a phenomenal set-piece. Everything about that scene was amazing. From the suitcase armor, Happy Hogan driving on the racetrack, a supervillain attack, right down to Tony Stark gliding through the setup for the scene. It was bad ass.

Though it does really slow it down with the Mickey Rourke/Ivan Vanko scenes, considering his character is slightly underused.

The middle of the movie lingers for awhile and the down moments, the dramatic scenes, the character development and interaction, just doesn't have the punch that every scene from the first had. Every scene in the first movie was entertaining, even the subtle moments with Tony & Pepper. Though I must admit that the Tony/Pepper dynamic is just as good as in the first film--the dialogue between Downey Jr. & Paltrow feels real, and flows well as they try and talk right over each other.

In fact, Paltrow's performance, her reactions to the insanity around her, the disapproving looks swapped between Pepper and Tony, were really the highlight of the film for me. I can't help but smirk as Paltrow and Downey Jr. say more with a glance than they do when delivering dialogue.

Sam Rockwell drops in as industrialist Justin Hammer, doing his best smarmy used car salesman, but there isn't enough room in the film to allow him to utilize his full range. Same for Mickey Rourke, Scarlett Johansson & Sam Jackson. They're pretty cardboard backdrops.

Nick Fury felt like Sam Jackson pretending to be Nick Fury, and not very hard. Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow was fairly subdued through the whole film, she has one scene at the start that is fun, and her action scene was another amazing set-piece, in fact, it had many people talking afterwards (Reilly: 'I want to draw a scene like that!'). However, the first time we see her in the costume is in a donut shop, very matter-of-fact, and it just sort of kills what could have been a much cooler reveal of the character.

This leaves us with Don Cheadle as Jim Rhodes. Cheadle replaces Terrance Howard who played Rhodes in the first film, but Don Cheadle is a much better actor. That said, Cheadle's approach to the character left the Tony/Rhodey friendship feeling really flat. They start as reluctant enemies in act 1, and then escalate to physical enemies (though this should have been in a non-suit situation that developed into a suit fight) which gives us our act 2 fight scene.

It makes for a good demonstration as to what it means to be in a suit of powered armor where you can get hit, thrown, smashed through a floor, and it's not a big deal. You get an idea of the weight of the suits, and the power. The audience didn't really seem to get behind this scene, mostly for the drunk-at-a-party Iron Man lead-in that seemed to invoke Dark Peter Parker from Spider-Man 3 (which I enjoyed but most people hated).

The science breakthrough that Tony Stark makes just before act 3 is an interesting metaphor; creating a new element, giving birth, creating rather than destroying. The process as to how he figured it out was heavy handed though, and really felt like they were either trying too hard to be clever or were just being lazy. I liked it at the time, but thinking back on it, it seems pretty dumb finding the blueprint to a new atom layout, which is the same as the World's Fair layout.

Which all leads to the superwarfare ending. Massive military drones, Iron Man versus War Machine, the suit as protection vs the suit as a weapon. Lots of stuff is blown up, shot to pieces, smashed and destroyed. This is a comic book action scene. Unfortunately you see the highlights in the trailer, so there's not all that much added to the scenes to make it that amazing, except when they get down and dirty with the drones in the little botanical garden and beat the crap out of everything while pulling off some awesome video game fighting finishing moves.

The final showdown with Whiplash/Ivan was underwhelming. It was definitely one major step towards pulling off epic superhero battles, but it still left me wanting. Maybe it's just my exposure to final fight scenes like Jet Li's ten minute brutal battle at the end of "Fist of Legend," but I want to see the hero struggle and fight to the bitter end to win.

Overall, damn solid movie that works really well as a sequel to one of the best superhero movies ever made. And with the final ending surprise setup for the next Marvel movie...well, as far as comic book superhero movies go, Make Mine Marvel.

K

Here's some Iron Man extra goodies for all our loyal 'clubbers out there.

Build Your Own Arc Reactor

A Look At the Iron Man Suits from the Films

A Free Iron Man PDF Comic from Diesel

Happy Hour Movie Review: Kick Ass

Reporting live from the Lovin' Cup Cafe in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, where the Thursday night happy hour is all you can drink Miller High Life, well liquor, and wine from 6-9. There's also killer $2 sliders and tacos.

Beer #1.

I just got back from Union Square, where I watched Kick-Ass, the newest entry in the comicbook superhero action genre. Unlike most other superhero movies, this isn't a DC or Marvel creation (per se), it's the creation of the mad Scot, Mark Millar, who's been on a streak with controversial mainstream (Ultimates, Fantastic Four) and independent (Chosen, Wanted) comic book works, and the Marvel progeny John Romita Jr., who's made his name on Spider-Man & Daredevil, but has drawn it all.



Millar and Romita Jr. released the comic series through Marvel's creator owned imprint, Icon. I heard it was originally pitched as a movie, but when they couldn't get any bites, they went and did it as a comic, which of course got Hollywood interested (surprisingly seeing as Wanted, Millar's Top Cow series, was a bomb at the box office).

Matthew Vaughn (L4yer Cake) directed it, and it was a fairly independent production, all things considered. Which makes sense when you witness the carnage that they pull off in the movie, and the indie comic cred (non-partisan to DC or Marvel), with Dark Horse posters in the local diner/comic store (why don't these exist? Who wants to open one with me?)

I'll save the spoilers for later, but right now i'd just like to say how well crafted a film it is. It has moments where it "jumps the shark" or gets a bit heavy handed with the "comic book movie" tropes, like the narration text boxes that read MEANWHILE, or the motion comic origin of Nic Cage's 'Big Daddy' character. The former happens only once or twice, while the latter was just so cool I didn't mind it. Very awesome seeing a 3D rendering of JR Jr.'s artwork.

Beer #2

Big Lebowski starts up on the wall, projected while Motown and Soul pipes in from everywhere. I've ordered sliders, one chicken & one burger, just to start. I actually really love this place, nice dark atmosphere, great music, always a classic film playing (last week was The Graduate which was appropriate for my viewing on (500) Days of Summer the other day.

But back to Kick-Ass. I've never actually read the comic, and rather than read it before the movie to be that much cooler, if only in my own mind, I decided i'd go in blind & dumb, and judge it on its own merits as a film. It's so rare that I get to do that with mass media comicbook projects, so I cherish every opportunity.

I have it ready to read and will follow this up with a review of that in a few days. But for now, the movie was a lot to digest. It defied conventional formula, although it did have its standard action movie and superhero moments. But I found myself unsure of the direction and plot of the movie, which is also a rarity after seeing almost every worthy (and many unworthy) action movie, foreign or domestic.

Speaking of foreign movies, normally I am drawn to Asian cinema as they have this quality, this boldness and visceral feel to them that make me, force me really, to acknowledge the screen violence that most American movies have left me numb to. There's a rawness and imaginative aspect to their films that really sparks my creativity and inspires me.

Sliders. 2. Beef & Chicken.

I try a bite of the chicken one. So good. It's small but so tasty. A slice of avacado on top, with a piece of cheese. I'm not quite good enough to place what kind. And some sort of sauce that just adds that touch to it. Nom. And the size makes you really stop and enjoy each bite, rather than slave over massive mastication. I stretch that one into four bites and each one is equally satisfying.

A bite of the half a slice of pickle cleanses the palate, reading me for the burger. I save that one for second because it's just that kick-ass, for lack of a better term. A sip of beer and I'm ready to nom. A perfect piece of bacon juts out on either side, the meat just charred enough, a tad dry, and flavored with epic awesomeness.

A girl with awesome hair and glasses (prescription or not? I vote not, though she has a Alternative Nation Kennedy vibe as I wear my oversived ratty sweater I somehow picked up in my youth in the 90's) sits down at the bar a few stools away. I glance up at the dude, and somehow know everything will be okay. We all abide.

I finish the beer and hope that the swank bartender that thinks he's working at a hotel bar serving drinks up to a hipster Humphrey Bogart notices and gives me another. A nod, a point, a mumbled phrase, the transaction is complete. I have more beer.

Beer #3.

Two girls sit down on the other side of me, two stools over, and order their drinks. I polish off the slider, enjoying every moment as it passes over my teeth and brushes up against my tongue. Wait a second, John's texted me. Allow me to respond.

John: What are you doing?

Kurt: At Loving Cup in Bk. Drinking & eating in Wburg. Prob going to a beer garden on LES at 9.

I'll be meeting Lia & Mike who I work with at Lorilei's down on Staton? Or is it Rivington? I know the area, a German bar with massive beers that list percentages next to the absurd names. There's an awkward exchange with Retro Bartender and 90's MTV Kennedy; she ordered sliders and tacos came instead. I almost take the tacos. Instead I make a lowkey gesture and wait til later to order them.

Back to Kick-Ass, part two. It was violent. People got cut. Lots of knife action, a ton of blatant headshots, and brutal beatings. Every action scene drew you in and satified you, whether you were watching Kick-Ass take a hit, and another, and another, and get back up to crack someone else with one of his batons, or you were watching Hit Girl flip through the air, gunning down thugs.

I forgot what beer I'm on, not that it matters. Did I get a new one? Ahh, whatevs. Did I mention that I love that Kick-Ass costume? I totally do. It's ugly and awesome all at the same time. Part Olympic event apparel and part retro Kirby-esque design. Green with track suit lined yellow.

John: I'm at a bar in soho drinking frustrations away. I can always meet up with you-let me know.

Kurt: Dude, totally. Best drink I've had in over a year right now. If you want to meet me in the LES, I'm just meeting two co-workers for some beers.

That's a lot of backstory into my life right there, but suffice to say it involves my horrific living situation and Lady Gaga's DJ. At least James Brown's 'Make it Funky' has come on. James Brown has always made me feel better ever since I saw the Blues Brothers as a child.

Maude Lebowski is lowered from her harness where she flies through the apartment throwing paint at a canvass. Fucking Julianne Moore rules. Go through her IMDB and watch it all. It's all quality. The fact that she's chill and cool, so I hear, and can play a total goofball with a Boston accent as on 30 Rock, well, that's the icing.

But I digress. Nicolas Cage. He ruins everything you like about him with a certain role (Ghost Rider) and then can just kill it with another that makes you love him (Adaptation, Raising Arizona). His turn as Big Daddy makes you kind of love him again. Bad moustached daddy to young Hit Girl, he puts on a Ward Cleaver "aww shucks" sensibility when acting with his daughter, channels Adam West when in costume, and then delivers in dramatic turn in the inbetween spots.

Beer #4?

I ordered tacos. One chicken, one beef. John texted back. Gotta look up the address before I send it to him, so let's finish up this review shall we?

McLovin nails the rich kid, stuffed up nose, wannabe whiny boy without every becoming a caricature. In fact, none of these characters (except the love interest who thinks Kick-Ass' secret identity is gay), ever fall into over-the-top, cartoonish misrepresentations of actual people, but you're still aware this is a world seperate from our own.

Real world violence rules apply, but it also slips into stylized killing strokes without missing a beat. And it all satisfies. A good action scene should snag your attention, give you chills, and the make you go 'Oooooh' or 'Ackk!"

Tacos.

They appear small but that is so utterly deceptive. They are damn filling. One bite of the chicken taco, some sort of sauce drizzled over it, and I remember why I enjoy eating sometimes. Every bite is damn good. A tad spicy, a little bland, the soft taco shells are perfect. A bit of fresh salsa on top, all green and chopped up.

All the performances in Kick-Ass were great, but whatever his name is who plays the lead was outstanding. His voice cracks in just the right way, he can shift from total dork (convincingly, and I'm a harsh judge as I grew up with true dorks, dweebs & weirdos) to heroic with just a costume change. The real world, pop culture mentions are great. A Myspace page to advertise his heroic services? Of course.

Beef taco time. It's gotten a tad cold as I typed away, front windows still open as the sun goes down. I hope you appreciate this, damn you. I definitely need to finish this taco and then break the seal. If this is beer four then my $12 has already paid for my buzz. Next up is whiskey.

The girls have cleared the bar, everyone's met friends her and engage in conversation where I hear "Do you like Animal Collective?" Yeah, about three years ago, which was still way too late. Missed em when they palyed South Street Seaport for free too dammit. But yeah, they're alright considering no one asked me.

Shit, bathroom break.

Whiskey #1 when I get back. Now the drunks gets going. But yeah, Kick-Ass was pretty...kick ass? It had violence, drama, wish fulfillment, was really well directed, never got too gimmicky. It had its own universe which begs to be explored further. Red Mist was originally set up as the villain of the sequel so I recently read. Could be good.

Watching McLovin and the other dude battle it out like two comic geeks would actually fight (I should know, I did it with Tim often when we were teenagers) as the young girl from (500) Days of Summer did some of the most impressive fighting moves I've seen in an American film ever.

And that's the controversy right? Extreme violence committed by an 11 year old. Is it right? Should Nic Cage be okay with shooting a child? Is it okay that the final battle is a brutal bruhaha between a badass Mark Strong bald mafioso and the "cute-as-a-button" girl that I don't know her name? It did feel a little odd, but it played into that wish fulfillment badass killer instinct. Girls are always going to be portrayed as more Kick Ass. (See Mr. & Mrs. Smith)

I prob need a smoke, as I have 25 mins left of this happy hour. I guess I can hold out long enough to finish this review. It was fucking awesome. It was a pretty decent movie, it had satisfyingly violent scenes, played up the comicbook vibe and never got too predictable.

It was a good movie, a badass violent action movie, and oh yeah, it was a pretty honest superhero movie. It really makes me curious what the comic is like. I read a Body Bags One-Shot by Jason Pearson today and it totally prepared me for what I was going to see tonight.

Cartoonish violence that still held an impact as shit hit the fan and got ridiculous, it still held a human aspect to it that never let it get to the realm of unreasonable, even as Kick-Ass flies in with a gatling gun jetpack (I told you there'd be spoilers...)

Whiskey #2.

I'm just about done here. I ate my food. I killed time/my bitter loneliness, by writing this review. The movie was good. The fact that it wasn't a mainstream superhero book is impressive. Millar's second Hollywood movie with a director that is pretty rad (see Nightwatch & Daywatch for the director of Millar's other concept WANTED) is significantly better than his first, even though it explores the same themes (total loser becomes badass).

What other comic book writer can say that he's got two of the most inventive action movies put out by Hollywood in the past decade, aka ever, to his credit? He sat down and wrote those scenes, that an artist drew, then they sold it to a producer, who hired a director, then casted it and shot the damn thing, and both are (fairly) close to the originals.

At least I assume so as I prepare to read Kick-Ass: the comic. Well, that's enough from me. 13 mins left to happy hour, go see Kick-Ass if you even remotely like superheroes or action movies, as it's one of the best that have ever been put out.

Thank that insane Scotsman and the NY ginzo creative team.

K

PS- This night ended with me waking up somewhere in Brooklyn, nearing Coney Island, and I lost my glasses. And cried.

Indie Film Review: MYSTERY TEAM

What happens when your glory days are behind you? When you peaked years ago, when you were younger, faster, smarter, like back in elementary school?

That's what the Mystery Team has to deal with in the new independent film from Derrick Comedy. The Mystery Team, consisting of Jason: Master of Disguise, Duncan: Boy Genius, and Charlie: Strongest Kid in Town, are used to handling cases involving pies and missing bikes, and usually involves shaking down some kids on the playground, which was all fine and dandy when they were kids themselves, but now, on the brink of graduating High School, the team refuses to give up the dream of being Oakdale's #1 Kid Detectives.

Insulted and humiliated by everyone, they just need that one big case to put them back on top again. That's when young Brianna hires the team to find out who killed her parents. Wait, what? Murder? In Oakdale? Brianna & Kelly, her older sister, just moved to town and now they're parents are killed in cold blood. But never fear ladies, for the Mystery Team is on the case, right?



This is the first feature length from the group who brought us such epic comedic short films such as: History of the Drunk Dial, The Young F@#kables, and countless others (about 30 or so). CAUTION: from most of the videos I've seen, they're at least PG-13, if not R, or X for inappropriate use of swear words.

With Mystery Team however, it gets an R rating for crude sexual content, nudity, language and some drug material, but it never really feels that bad or inappropriate as the lead trio are so wholesome, even as 8 year olds curse them out, and strippers with scars grind up on them. In fact, the shady side of this small suburban town is one of the funniest aspects of the movie. I knew this stuff was going on somewhere in the town I grew up in, but much like the Mystery Team, I was too oblivious and innocent to know it.

And that's the other aspect that makes me love this movie, the sense of innocence and boys' adventure. I grew up devouring Encyclopedia Brown and eventually tried Hardy Boys, but it just wasn't as hip as Encyclopedia Brown was; after all he was a rogue kid detective with the nerdiest/coolest nickname ever. Better than Leroy, that's for sure. Mystery Team really captures that feeling of being a kid and riding your bike around town, getting into all sorts of danger and excitement, whether it was real or imaginary.

Now, first and foremost this a comedy, even though it delivers on the mystery aspect (as it should seeing as mystery is in the title), and judging from the odd smoky aroma of the audience I take it that this movie will fall into the cult-stoner-comedy category. It really is one of the funniest movies I've seen in a long while, and has a plethora of classic quotes, "Did you f@#k this bread?!" being my all-time favorite quote from maybe this decade. Some jokes seem like they might wear thin, and the Derrick Comedy crew see this and stop it there, so all the jokes seem pretty fresh, with one or two exceptions.

The movie really delivers on every level, and only really slows a bit towards the end of the second act as the team inevitably disbands, but as soon as they reunite it's back on like Donkey Kong! It's fun, a good mystery, and harkens back to the days of youth, running amuck with your friends, getting into trouble. All the supporting cast are great, as it seems to be comprised of mostly UCB graduates (with even an appearance by Matt Walsh) and is extremely well directed which really enhances the comedic timing of Donald Glover, D.C. Pierson, Dominic Dierkes, Aubrey Plaza and the rest of the gang.

If you're in NYC you have until this Thursday to check the movie out at Quad Cinema, and if you see it twice, bring your ticket stubs and join SWORD CLUB! Yes, that's right, you'll get an inflatable sword, hand numbered, and be on the DVD as a member of Sword Club! If you don't live in NYC, be sure to click on the link on either the Derrick Comedy site or the Mystery Team site to demand it in your city. Looks like Albuquerque, New Mexico is up next on Dec 11th, then Chicago, Illinois on Feb 4th.

So go and enjoy, and be proud of the elitist you are when all the kids are saying how great this movie is once it gets worldwide distribution, and there you'll be, straight up making with your inflatable sword and props on the DVD.

Word.

K

Ps- If you're not in NYC and you can't wait, maybe this Mystery Team short film will tide you over til then: