My Review: Iron Man 3 (8/10)

¨Ladies, children, sheep... Some people call me a terrorist. I consider myself a teacher. Lesson number one: Heroes, there is no such thing.¨

Iron Man 3 is the first film following the events of The Avengers, and if you wondered if the movie was going to lose entertainment value considering it shifts the focus back to only one superhero, you were wrong. Despite not having all those great characters together, Robert Downey Jr. manages to capture the audience’s attention once again with his vibrant portrayal of Tony Stark. He has been the main reason why I´ve enjoyed these films so much because they are just a perfect fit. New director, Shane Black (Lethal Weapon), who worked with Downey in Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang, knows that the secret to the success of this franchise is letting Downey be himself and focus on his character. In this third film Starks is stripped down of his toys and questions whether or not he is worth anything without the suit. The Nolan effect which has been a key element in superhero movies is present at the beginning of the movie. We see a much more vulnerable Tony Stark, who is suffering from panic attacks due to the events in The Avengers, and who makes mistakes like putting his beloved Potts in danger due to his big mouth. This first part of the movie didn’t work very well because it felt like a different kind of hero, but the effect wears off real quickly and Starks is once again back to his normal self once he realizes he is what makes the suit and not vice versa. Having his character stripped of his toys and having to manage to depend on simple things once again to defeat his foes is what made this film so entertaining. It was like if Stark had to go back to the basics and rediscover himself, although he never loses his goofiness. The villains in this film were also a huge improvement from its predecessor. This might not be as great as the original Iron Man, but it is an improvement from the first sequel. Black did a decent job following Jon Favreau´s work and he manages to keep the franchise afloat.   

Tony Stark/Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) has to face a new set of villains in this third film which takes place after the events of The Avengers. A terrorist who calls himself The Mandarin (Ben Kingsley) is terrorizing the world through several explosions across the globe. Meanwhile Tony has found himself absorbed trying to perfect his suits and may have crossed the line trying to overprotect his love interest, Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow). The reason behind his obsession is that he can´t afford to lose what he loves most. When Stark threatens The Mandarin, his army destroys his home leaving him for dead. Stark has to hide out while he figures out more information about this terrorist. He discovers some information about an AIM program run by Aldrich Killian (Guy Pearce) which seems to be involved with the well known terrorist. Without being able to use all his equipment and technology, Stark is forced to use his intellect and capabilities to defeat his new enemies, while at the same time trying to protect Potts. Along his quest he makes some new friends, like the young boy named Harley (Ty Simpkins) who helps gather some materials for him to work with, and counts with his always reliable friend, Rhodes/War Machine (Don Cheadle). Rebecca Hall also has a small role in this film as Killian´s assistant, and Paul Bettany lends his voice once again to Jarvis.    

As you would expect, the visuals in this film are great and the action sequences are also very entertaining. The two hours go by in a flash thanks to some decent pacing. The franchise doesn’t bring anything new to the table, but it still offers some great summer popcorn fun entertainment. Iron Man 3 is the perfect way to start off the 2013 summer and we can only hope the rest of the films keep this streak going. I loved the little twists and turns the film takes here by making you think it is going to be so much darker than the rest of The Avengers, but then all of a sudden it returns to its playful self. The Marvel universe is one that doesn’t have to be taken so seriously because we have fun with the lightness of the characters and situations. The entire spin with The Mandarin was incredible. I wasn’t too pleased with the opening minutes of the film considering Stark was much more vulnerable and not as fun as his usual self, but once he got his confidence back everything seemed to play out really well. Black is a master at mixing some great action scenes with tons of comedy (Lethal Weapon and Kiss Kiss Bang Bang are proof of that) and we see it once again with Iron Man 3. Downey Jr. continues to deliver with his clever lines and charismatic self. He is the only reason we need to want to go see this movie.

http://estebueno10.blogspot.com/

My Review: Contagion (8/10)

¨It`s figuring us out faster than we`re figuring it out.¨

The first thing I wanted to do after the movie was over was to wash my hands and get disinfected. Contagion is a great thriller about an epidemic that is spreading around the world and taking millions of lives while at the same time spreading panic and fear everywhere. The film is a great case study on human behavior and it felt very authentic (especially after the Swine-flu scare that spread over the globe a couple of years ago). Some may complain due to the pace of the film or the multiple stories that are going on that don`t let you focus on any of the characters, but I really enjoyed it and thought Steven Soderbergh made the right decision by focusing on the virus and letting it be the true central character as we see it spread throughout different parts of the world and affect almost everyone in the same way. The virus and the fear combined together produced sufficient thrills for me despite the slow pace of the film, and I really enjoyed the script from Scott Z. Burns who had previously collaborated with Soderbergh and Matt Damon in the 2009 comedy The Informant. It`s very difficult to typecast director Soderbergh since he makes a wide variety of films and it`s almost impossible to compare his works due to the variety of his projects, but I would have to say Contagion is the most similar to his Oscar winning film Traffic due to all the multilayered plots that were going on. In Traffic the main character was the drugs, while in Contagion it`s the virus. Out of Sight remains my favorite Soderbergh film however.

The movie begins with Day 2 of the virus where we see a sick woman named Beth Emhoff (Gwyneth Paltrow) who is travelling from Chicago to Minneapolis. She had been on a business trip to Hong Kong but spent a few hours in Chicago. Once she arrives home, her husband Mitch (Matt Damon) finds her really ill and decides to take her to the hospital after she suffers a convulsion. Apparently some guy in Hong Kong died from similar symptoms, and so did someone in London, Japan, and Chicago. The virus seemed to have started somewhere in Hong Kong, but it is spreading all over the world. Some doctors in the U.S. Center for Disease Control decide to investigate what could have caused the deaths. Dr. Ellis Cheever (Lawrence Fishburne) is in charge of the investigation, and he sends Dr. Erin Mears (Kate Winslet) to Minneapolis in order to try to pick up as much information as she can and see how Beth`s death could be related to the one in Chicago and across the globe. Erin has an interview with Mitch who seems to be immune, but he won`t take chances with his daughter Jory (Anna Jacoby-Heron) and overprotects her. Dr. Ally Hextall (Jennifer Ehle), who also works for the Center, is in charge of trying to find a vaccine or a cure. Meanwhile the World Health Organization decides to send one of their own to Hong Kong to try to point out where the virus could have begun. Dr. Leonora Orantes (Marion Cotillard) arrives to the populated city and begins her investigation with the help of a local named Sun Feng (Chin Han). Everyone is working against the clock as the virus continues to spread over the world at an alarming rate, and conspiracy theory-blog writer Alan Krumwiede (Jude Law) doesn’t help control the chaos as he complains about the government working alongside pharmaceutical companies to make a profit.

There are so many different stories going on that it can be hard to track what is going on if you aren´t paying attention. Everything happens so fast, and the urgency has to do with how quick the virus begins to act and kill people. Many characters or stories get sidelined at times, but that is ok because the main character is the virus itself and it is everywhere. Soderbergh makes sure we get this point across by filming a lot of close up shots of people shaking hands or touching objects that someone else later picks up. The threat is eminent and everywhere. In a way Contagion is a disaster movie, but it is different from most films which usually tend to take an all-action approach or that focus on a few characters. In Contagion there are so many characters and stories going on that some don`t even get a resolution, but it is ok because we find a resolution to the main character: the virus. I know some might find this difficult to deal with and would have wished for the story to have focused on one character, but that isn`t the way Soderbergh works. The only downside to this is that some great actors such as John Hawkes, Marion Cotillard, Elliott Gould, and Bryan Cranston don`t get enough screen time and their talents seem underused. It really doesn’t matter because Contagion is a smart and entertaining thriller well worth a watch. 

http://estebueno10.blogspot.com/

My Review: Iron Man 2 (8/10)

¨ If you could make God bleed, people will cease to believe in Him. There will be blood in the water, and the sharks will come. ¨

(8/10) Jon Favreau does a great job again with the direction of the sequel to his 2008 hit, Iron Man. He has made a sequel that is just as good and entertaining as the first movie was, and he even had some screen time as Tony Stark`s personal bodyguard in this second installment. Just like in the first film, the secret to the movie`s success is Robert Downey Jr. `s performance as Tony Stark, who unlike other superheroes is even more fun to watch as himself than when he suits up. The film is highly entertaining and the two hours the movie lasts just fly by. This is what summer movies are all about and Iron Man 2 has lifted the standards for entertainment this season. The problem most sequels have is that the novelty of the first movie is gone, and yes Iron Man 2 misses that, but the film is still so entertaining and it is so fun to watch Downey Jr. playing Tony Stark that we just can`t get enough of him. The special effects, the characters, the action, are all good, but the true success of this film (like the previous one) relies on Robert Downey Jr. `s performance and how fun it is to see him playing this character. There are new villains, new superheroes, a new plot, but none of that outshines Downey Jr. and we just want to see more of him without caring too much for all the other elements. This is not a superior movie than the first one, but it is just as equally as entertaining and if you enjoyed the first one then you will enjoy this one. This time the screenplay was written by Justin Theroux (who also wrote Tropic Thunder) and there were some very funny lines and dialogues. The plot was also smart and up to standards for superhero movies, but I will not get tired of repeating it, Jon Favreau hit a homerun when he casted Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark.

The movie picks up where the first one ended; Tony Stark is telling the world that he is Iron Man and that he wants to maintain world peace after all the destruction that his company had caused in the past. Somewhere in Russia an old man is watching this statement on TV and telling his son, Ivan Vanko (Mickey Rourke), that that should be him and not Tony Starks. Right after he says this he dies and Ivan gives a vengeful cry and begins working on some sort of powerful weapon. Six months go by and Stark`s confession has caused the government to try to force him to turn in the suit so that they can use it as a military weapon. They have tried to make another suit with the help of Justin Hammer (Sam Rockwell), a weapon specialist and clearly one of Stark`s rivals, but he has failed, so now they are trying to take his suit through legal actions. Tony has a bigger issue to deal with; the pacemaker like device he is using as a heart is deteriorating his blood and he is heading towards a painful death if he doesn`t discover another element that can replace the one he is currently using. Because of this Tony decides to appoint Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow) as the CEO and president of Starks Industry and hires the very attractive and sexy Natalie Rushman (Scarlett Johansson) as his secretary. His best friend, Lt. Col. James Rhodes (played by Don Cheadle instead of Terrence Howard who played him in the first version) works with the government and is forced to ask Tony to collaborate with them by giving them the suit after an incident with Ivan has showed the world that Iron Man (God) can bleed.

Iron Man 2 is one of the most entertaining movies of the year. There is nothing new about the sequel, but it still provides a lot of entertainment. As sequels go, I think The Dark Knight was a much better one as it introduced some new elements, an unforgettable villain, and was even superior to Batman Begins. Iron Man 2 is not superior to the first one, but it is entertaining enough to equal it thanks in most part to Robert Downey Jr. who has really found the perfect role. The villains were also interesting enough; Sam Rockwell and Mickey Rourke are great actors and they contributed to this film. Don Cheadle is a talented actor, but I really didn`t like the switch they made with Terrence Howard, I think he fit the character better and this is probably one of the only negative aspects about this movie. Scarlett Johansson was placed mostly for eye candy (although no one can argue she is a great actress as well) and she didn`t disappoint either. Jon Favreau also has some funny lines as Happy Hogan and delivers some laughs. Samuel Jackson has a couple of good scenes as Nick Fury, and you can`t help but get excited for The Avengers movie since this one serves as a sort of transition for that. Overall I really enjoyed this movie and recommend it. If you liked the first one then you won`t be disappointed although I can`t say it is better because it is more of the same, but same is good enough for me as far as entertainment goes.