It may be a little late, considering I saw the film opening night, but director Alfonso Cuaron’s latest is a film worth reviewing at any time. Praised as an artistically beautiful spectacle for the eyes, Gravity is also a powerfully acted film that will keep you on the edge of your seat for the entirety of its ninety-one minutes. The trailers for the film make it quite clear what the viewer will be getting. Sandra Bullock and George Clooney star as astronauts in orbit outside of planet Earth who suddenly find themselves fighting for their very lives amidst damage and chaos. The trailer I saw was a heady mix of beauty and adrenaline and that is exactly what Gravity delivers.

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Sometimes all you want to do is laugh. This was the case earlier this Saturday morning when I got together with a group of guys, including my soon-to-be son-in-law, Grant, to have the male version of a bridal shower. While the women got together to do…(it’s a mystery)…the guys got together to watch a flick and then eat buffalo wings.

I’ve been a Simon Pegg fan ever since the release of Shaun of the Dead. His films are consistently fun in the slightly off, goofy, geeky way that I like. His newest film, an alien invasion comedy, The World’s End makes a wonderful trilogy along with Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz. All three films take a snarky-yet-cool look at the various kinds of films that they spoof.

I went into the film expecting to be entertained by groan-worthy humor and inside-joke references to the other films and my expectations were met. These movies may be deemed guilty pleasures, but there is sincerely no guilt, just pleasure.

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In the year 2154 the separation between those with wealth and privilege and those without is manifest in the form of an orbiting space station called Elysium, the place where the rich not only live in luxury but avail themselves of technology that can quickly diagnose and cure sickness and disease. Those without the financial means to qualify for life on Elysium remain on an Earth devastated by overpopulation, illness and crime. When an accident leaves Max in need of Elysium’s life-saving technology, he will stop at nothing to get it, despite the impregnable nature of the off-planet Paradise.

Writer/Director Neill Blomkamp’s (District 9) latest science fictional outing is a visual feast, providing many a sense-of-wonder moment in its rendering of the station that is Elysium. A heavy-handed message about the distribution of wealth, health care reform and immigration coupled with rated-R level language and violence threaten to overwhelm what is ultimately an enjoyable, if flawed, film. If you can leave your feelings about the political arguments at the door you will mostly likely find an entertaining science fiction/action experience with special effects worth seeing on the big screen and a story that is fair yet may not inspire the need for repeat viewings.

My rating: 7/10 stars

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I’ll admit, I was among the first naysayers when word leaked out that the Star Trek franchise was returning to the big screen in a reboot format. I grew up with Kirk, Spock, McCoy, Scotty, Uhura, Chekov, Sulu, and–of course–the starship Enterprise. I possessed a dedication to these characters and the actors who portrayed them that precluded any excitement about someone else stepping into their shoes. That affection remains to this day. However, I also mentioned at the time that I would be the first to sing the praises of J.J. Abrams if he managed to create something special. When Star Trek was released in 2009 opinions fell all along the spectrum from “hated it” to “loved it”, mine came to rest on the later end.

Enter Star Trek: Into Darkness, a film that I now had very high expectations for because of the efforts of J.J. Abrams and the cast to stay true to the spirit of the original Star Trek while updating it for a contemporary audience in the first film. Would these increased expectations have the opposite effect, leaving me with a more tepid response to the second film?

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Do you remember the moment in the first Iron Man film when RDJ installed the electromagnet in his chest and then pulled a t-shirt over it and you could see it glowing underneath? That moment? Ya…well that was the moment I thought how cool it would be to have that look.  I don’t need the suit, just the cool ice-blue glowing thing.

Now that I’ve gotten that off my chest (really? Did you honestly think I could resist that bad pun?)

At a Glance: Robert Downey, Jr is back as slick-talking, sarcastic Tony Stark, aka Iron Man.  In this third round he and Pepper Potts are a couple and are experiencing the growing pains expected in any relationship…involving a wealthy, obsessed, genius superhero.  After a long, self-obsessed life, Tony Stark has left some destruction in his wake and in Iron Man 3 he discovers that no matter how fast you can fly, or how indestructible your armor, you can only stay ahead of your past for so long before it catches up with you…and exacts its revenge.

Pros: RDJ was born to play this role. He gets better at it with each iteration; smart cast; clever direction; a more mature film. Shane Black was the perfect choice to helm this film and it shows from start to finish.

Cons: Ben Kingsley is a bit annoying at first (but stick with it); post-credits scene was fun for me but judging from audience reaction it was a bust; credits go on for looong time.  (I’m reaching here folks. I liked it).

My Thoughts: Shane Black revived Robert Downey Jr for me.  With the brilliant detective film Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, Black created a role that RDJ was able to crawl into and inhabit. It was the screen presence in that film that caused me to be very excited when Marvel announced that RDJ would be their Iron Man.  Comic book films are fun, and I judge them by what they are.  My expectations are often filtered through the “its a comic book movie” lens.  But every once in awhile one connects with me on a slightly higher level and thanks in large part to Robert Downey Jr, the Iron Man franchise has made a connection. All three of the films have their inherent faults, but this third film, with an emphasis on existential angst and a theme of the boy growing up to be a man, is my favorite of the lot.  Like the most recent James Bond film, there is a maturity to Iron Man 3 that I did not expect, but welcomed.

My Rating: 

Continue reading Iron Man 3: A Non-Spoiler Film Review →