IRON MAN III Movie Review (Minor Spoilers):

I worked very hard not to read any reviews so I wouldn’t know what is going on before seeing this movie and still “heard” rumors, even though I put my hands over my ears and sang the theme song to Cheers in a vain attempt to be completely surprised. 

Well, after seeing this flick, I was STILL surprised… several times!

Iron Man III has so many twists and turns, it is a visual twisty, turny, loopy roller coaster. Even when you can see them coming (which was more often than not), it is still a thrill to watch it unfold, like being able to see the tracks of Viper at Magic Mountain; you know what’s next, but your world still keeps turning upside down.

Visually gorgeous (of course) and exciting; where there aren’t twists and turns, there are chases and explosions enough to keep even the most adrenaline-junkie happy, especially after the first loooong half hour or so of choppy and convoluted back story.  Thankfully, this section ends rather abruptly, almost as if the Real Director showed up with his latte and said, “Move it along kid, Daddy’s home.”

As ever, it is Robert Downey Jr.’s movie from start to finish. Downey masterfully brings the character of Tony Stark to a whole new level, taking the fun of the first Iron Man movie, adding in the angst of the second, less fun Iron Man movie and mashing them up into an even better, deeper and more complex and interesting character that drives the story home. 

Infused with enough humor to make me think that Writer/Director Shane Black is taking note of the best of the best of writer/directors (like Joss Whedon or early Steven Spielberg and George Lucas), the writing is mostly crisp and bright, and the movie generally moves along at a fairly brisk pace, spacing the plot twists far enough apart to keep the whole movie from being too predictable.

Casting notes: Guy Pearce is just creepy. Ben Kingsley was absolutely brilliant, as ever. Dale Dickey was perfectly cast for her tiny role, but it felt like she should have been one more scene… perhaps it was left on the cutting room floor.

A couple of irritants: Happy was rather ill-used, too much of a joke and then practically dropped out of the movie altogether.  Rebecca Hall and William Sadler were totally, ridiculously just boring, no presence as all.  And Tony Stark, what, is he made of steel or something?? There is no way any mortal man – even a brilliant one - would be able to withstand even the tiniest FRACTION of what this movie puts him through outside of that suit. It was more than a little ridiculous, especially in the final climatic scene, even in a super hero movie. And what was with the waaay too long, super talky dénouement, after everything, they are suddenly all alone on the… Dang. I promised no spoilers!

Fun stuff: the kid and skydiving! Watch the credits for the, well, monkey credit!  Of course, stay until the end of the credits for a funny extra scene (obviously directed and written by our Joss Whedon).

The end of the film begs more questions… and I am super excited about what Joss is going to do to continue that story in Avengers II!

My rating: 8.5 out of 10

Just Musing,
Susan

 

THE AVENGERS Movie review

(spoilers)

While waiting in line outside the Cinemark 22 on Friday night, I was struck by the diversity of the crowd. All races, all ages, men women, kids, teens, burly types, skinny guys with glasses, grandparents, straight-from-work dressed, stereotypical fanboys, baggy pants with chains hanging out of their pockets… All smiling and waiting, the atmosphere was all giddy anticipation covered with a veneer of “I’m cool”.

Let us begin.

Comic Book movies should ALWAYS be written and directed by people who love comic books. Joss Whedon’s genuine love for the genre comes through in every frame of this blockbuster. There is something for everybody; it is an over the top, energetic thrill-ride, funny and totally fun movie. Rather than treating the characters with deadly seriousness or turning them into jokes in tights, his respect for the disparate backstories as already told in the preceding movies (Ironman, Thor, and both Hulk attempts), shows though and he somehow manages to bring them together in a totally believable and yet still 100% comic-book way.

He also understands that aside from the absolutely amazing (WOW!!!!) special effects, this is still a character story at heart.

In a less complex director’s hands, you could just have The Avengers all be perfectly reasonable and noble, and have Fury send out lovely engraved but cryptic invitations (which they would all politely accept), sit them all down around a round table and explain that Something Big and Bad is out there and they must, virtuously and selflessly, sacrifice their lives to the Common Good. And they would of course, being heroes, immediately acknowledge their moral Duty and, already being suited up in their cute costumes with capes and leather and tights and armor, begin the Battle for Earth without even stopping for lunch. Of course they win. Heroic Music swells and the credit roll.

That’s the way someone who doesn’t really understand the genre may have approached the film.

Not Joss. Our Heroes come from all over the place and only one is already on board with the Avenger Initiative. The rest have to be… persuaded. So how do you get all these guys in the same room and playing nicely on the same side when one had been brain-hijacked, one doesn’t believe the cover story, one doesn’t even want to be there, one is certain this is simply a personal fight, one has nothing left to lose, and one super-spy-intelligence gatherer is being pulled into an epic war with superior firepower?

Do they all just suit up because Nick Fury tells them to in a deeply rousing and inspiring speech? Nope. They walk away with varying degrees of disbelief and I-Have-My-Own-Problems attitudes and snipe and snarl at each other, bicker and fight like a bunch of siblings in the middle of a Testosterone War (apologies to Black Widow).

And when Superheroes fight... Well. Let’s just say things get broken up a bit. They only begin to work together when everything is falling (literally) apart. I guess falling to earth in a broken…. (insert major spoiler here… nah, not gonna do it!)… will do that to a team. Of course they weren’t ALL on board the *********, but they all did literally succumb to gravity in their own way. Everyone gets knocked on the head a bit, shakes it off and realized they had better Do Something.

Working in pairs at first, then cross teaming, they finally get to the point where Captain America is calling the shots with all the assurance of a broken military general who is finally in his element and completely understands his troops. Only then are they The Avengers.

But they still annoy each other, maybe just a little.

Within the scope of the main Save the World from a Terrible Menace plot, there are smaller interwoven stories, many character reveals, and of course, as this is a Joss Whedon project, completely believable and absolutely hilarious humor sprinkled throughout.

The Big Bad, Loki, is as complex as any other character, and is much more menacing than in the Thor movie; less, dare I say, comic book two dimensional. In Loki’s determined and demented quest to be loved, feared and revered, even he understands on some level that he is manipulating forces that he cannot completely control, but he continues to play his part in the game with a grim determination and certain maniacal glee at the thought of beating his step-brother down. Who cares about the puny humans; they are ants, he is the boot.

There is a lot of fighting, amazingly realistic effects, spectacular settings and many surprises. A few questions are answered and some more are raised. My biggest question has to do with the Hulk, if the end is true, then why the first time?? Hmmmm. I have a theory, but will see the movie again tomorrow to see if it bears out.

Quibbles were few and were drowned out by the completely immersive FUN of the overall experience. And as we learned from the other Marvel movies, stay until the very end of the credits. Something happens, and then later, a small, but funny scene. Just stay. And see if you can count just how many special effects companies were involved!

I saw it in a regular 3D (IMax was sold out… *pouts*) in a nearly sold out theater, and suggest that you see it in 3D, too. I can’t believe that Joss has never filmed in 3D before, it was handled MASTERFULLY.

My rating: 9.9999999 out of 10

Just Musing,
Susan

CABIN IN THE WOODS Movie Review

(mild spoilers)
Not gonna be your normal review, by the way. PLUS I am bound by my inner theater maven and will NOT give any of the plot away. Let someone else leak the twists; it’s not going to be me. I am also not a fan of the horror genre in general, usually finding it a pointless and incredibly, insultlingly stupid waste of time. There are some great exceptions (Slither comes to mind) but on the whole, usually you couldn’t pay me to go to the theater just to watch a bunch of dumb teenagers get carved up for no good reason.

That said, let us begin.

CABIN IN THE WOODS, which has been in movie studio limbo for nearly four years (due to MGM’s bankruptcy, not because of anything wrong with the finished film itself) was released, appropriately enough, today on Friday the 13th. A very twisted and uniquely cerebral horror film, it is the brain child of Joss Whedon and his personal cadre of writer and producer friends, and features several of his favorite actors.

It was, in the beginning, eye-rollingly dumb in its seemingly obvious character set ups – except even this was done in such a clever and… manipulative... way that these tropes became something altogether different – it begins to alternately make fun of and somehow pay homage to the very stereotypes it skewers.

It is laugh out loud funny, jump out of your seat scary, startling and brain teasing because you keep thinking you have it all figured out, and sometimes just downright strange and creepy, CABIN IN THE WOODS not only turns the horror genre on its ear, but has an absolutely maniacally gleeful time doing it. It is a twisting, turning, jaw dropping roller coaster ride with more spirals and loops than… well.

The funny thing is, you are in on the joke in the beginning, which surprised me, so I was wondering if there really was anything left to reveal… you know what the BIG DEAL is right up front – more or less – and so there aren’t too many more big surprises, right? Not so fast, Kimosabee. I swear I was afraid to lift my water bottle to my mouth once things got… going, I was sure something would happen and I would spray half the audience!

Enough about the plot; I really, really can’t say anything else without spoiling it. The production values were a little uneven, usually excellent, sometimes mind-bendingly awesome (that was one crazy “elevator”!!), and sometimes a little fuzzy around the edges like they ran out of money or lost interest on their way to the next crazy scene. The heart of the film also not quite up to the standard I expect from a Whedon project, but it may be I was expecting too much after four years of waiting for this release.

Do NOT go if you are in any way squeamish. Do not take the kids, no matter how much they love Buffy; there are some seriously twisted scenes. I am not giving anything away if I tell you that in this horror movie, some folks die in pretty gruesome ways.

I also guarantee it will be talked about by horror aficionados for years, and by those who, like me, thought the genre had nothing really original to say anymore. With Joss Whedon’s name all over the movie, I should have known better.

My rating: 8.5 out of 10

Just Musing,
Susan

Why I Love Joss (and Buffy)

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Joss Whedon is either revered by rabidly loyal fans or reviled by people who don’t get what all the fuss is about. There is very little in between.

Until about 7 years ago, I was in the latter, “Who the hell is Joss and is that really the way you spell his name?” group; now I am firmly ensconced in the “I Will Watch ANY PROJECT With Joss Whedon Attached” crowd.

There are two main reasons for this sudden and irrevocable change of heart: His ability to write unforgettable, completely rounded flawed, heroic and funny characters and his absolute and utter fearlessness as a writer and as a director.

This man can make you fall in love, make you angry, make you laugh and rip your heart out, in the span of an hour’s episode (roughly translated to 43 minutes of air time). .

Today’s subject will focus on, arguably, one of Joss’ most celebrated popular TV series: BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER. (I will get into my other favorites in separate blogs, where I am sure I will reveal more about me than about Joss!)

First, the name: BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER. Oh please. What an utterly stupid premise, a teenage high school blonde girl named BUFFY (of all things!!) who is super strong and fights vampires?? How childish! I refuse to watch because even the TITLE sounds dumb.

Then I caught the end of the episode when Evil Willow carelessly ripped Warren’s skin right off his body.

WHOA.

What just happened? Why? What did I miss?? I spent the same hour every day trying to figure out what was going on. It was so compelling , even at that late date in the series, that I kept watching day after day… Complex and intertwining, overlapping stories and characters that just pulled me in: Who was a good guy, who USED to be a good guy but was temporarily bad because of a combination of grief and access to power, wait and someone else used to be a really really bad guy and now he was a good guy because of a “curse” (how do you curse a bad guy into being good??? Isn’t that the opposite of curse?) and, of course the Vampire Slayer is somehow in love with a Vampire, no matter how cute he is… WHAT? Unapologetic, quirky, charismatic and somehow amazing interesting bad guys. Really good friends who will literally pull you back from the brink of hell. Even regular guys who just seemed to be sucked up into following the wrong person and end up feeling guilty, but somehow lack the courage to get out. Characters who actually EVOLVE and grow and sometimes even change completely… All that evil personified into characters who were alternately funny and scary and complex and then REALLY scary because it hit close to home.

Joss is unflinching… he knows how to add layers to his characters and pull them all together in a really compelling story, the best of which stay with you for hours, days, weeks. Many essays, blogs, articles, books have been written on Joss’ ability to draw people in, college classes have been taught dissecting the “deeper meaning” of his work, so I won’t attempt to reinvent the wheel here.

Since this is my blog and I don’t really have to impress anyone, I will indulge myself a little.

Here are my Awards for favorite Episodes, Moments and Characters:

BEST EPISODES:
*Creepy Harlan-esque horror: Hush (s4)
*Real life, helpless horror: The Body (s5)
*Funny, Clever and Painful Your Secret’s Out: Once More With Feeling (s6)
*Best Cross-Over with Reality that Really Makes You Wonder: Normal Again (s6)
*Most Fun Had by Grown-Ups: Band Candy (s3)
*EEEEEEwww!: Doublemeat Palace (s6)
*Best Averted Apocalypse: The Gift (s5)

MOMENTS:
*Scariest Hook-Up: Xander and Faith
*Favorite Strong Buffy Moment: Buffy telling the Council off – and throwing a sword at the pompous guy to shut him up
*Best Character Reveal: Spike realizing he is in love with Buffy after a dream
*Best Character Reveal Reaction: Xander laughing after Buffy tells him Spike is in love with her
*Best Betrayal Scene: The Potentials and Gang kicking Buffy out of her house
*Most Powerful Love Scene: The building falling down around Buffy and Spike
*Funniest Tombstone: She Saved the World. A Lot.
*Most Heartbreaking Moment: Anya’s walk down the aisle
*Most Touching Moment: Spike putting the rifle down and awkwardly comforting a crying Buffy on the porch
*Best Payoff Moment: Series Finale, Anya: “Floppy, hoppy, bunnies…!”

CHARACTERS:
*Favorite - for so many reasons - Character: Spike
*The Most Evilest of Really Evil Bad Guys: Caleb
*Most Schizophrenic Bad Guy: Glory
*Best Evil Version of Themselves: Vampire Willow
*Funniest Version of Themselves: Buffy the Robot
*Most Pathetic Character: Riley
*Most Over-rated Character: Angel (except when he was Angelus)

Well, that’s it for today. I suddenly have this strange desire to re-watch the entire series again…

Just Musing,
Susan


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Recognizing Talent

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There are too few people who recognize talent in this world, let alone have the presence of mind to encourage it.

This is true in all facets of our lives, from the workplace to family members and even extends to an industry that would seem to be completely dependent on finding new talent, the Entertainment Industry.

Let’s go over these one by one:

Workplace talent is all too often seen as a threat, especially in an economy where no job is bullet proof. Often, the talented individual is squelched – or ideas are stolen from – by the immediate supervisor. Either the Talent is compartmentalized and given very narrow duties or is actively sought under the guise of boss-employee “friendship” to have his/her brain picked for further nuggets to be mined, polished, re-packaged and sold to the higher ups, with whom the Talent generally has no contact.

There is little that can be done about these types of bosses… You learn to recognize them and either deal with it or find another place to work. Unfortunately, in many smaller companies, these kinds of bosses, managers and directors fill the halls, people who are so afraid of losing their position that they will stop at nothing to kill off a perceived threat to their position or status with the Bigger Bosses.

Many papers, articles and blogs have been written on this subject, so it looks as though it is prevalent across the U.S., if not the world.

Family talent is often dismissed because we hear it ALL. THE. TIME. Performing, writing, drawing, whatever the manifestation, the Talented One usually has shown, practiced, decorated, fixated on it above all else about his/her obsession until the family unit no longer has any patience… or has simply seen it all before, no matter how terrific. Familiarity may breed contempt, but FAMILY familiarity seems to breed invisibility.

Everyone is pretty much wrapped up in their own concerns and tend not to see clearly what is in front of them every day. Again, not much the Talent can do, except perhaps hold their work closer to the vest and only let it out at intervals, perhaps when a piece is finished rather than at all stages of creation.

Entertainment Industry. This is a strange one. So many famous people are only famous for being famous, have little or no talent, but are pretty (boys, too! Remember the young Tom Cruise or Brad Pitt) or interesting looking so they get plum roles and we are left scratching our heads as to why THIS person is on the stage or screen when we saw someone with much more presence in our local Playhouse last week. I guess it is hard to determine who is going to catch fire with audiences… But I do ask for a modicum of real talent if I am going to spend money on concert tickets or movies or TV show DVD collections!

That being said, there is one Hollywood type who is TERRIFIC at spotting real talent in all aspects of the industry, from actors to writers to production personnel to set designers. This person is pretty much universally considered to be one of the best talent magnets out there, and for very good reason: a huge percentage of his “alumni” go on to do very well for themselves, and yet remain amazingly loyal to him, willing to work with him at every opportunity.

Joss Whedon. Yeah, the funny looking geek with the slight lisp and many cancelled TV series who has somehow still managed to garner a rather rabidly loyal fan base who will pay to see anything – ANYTHING – that he has worked on in any capacity.

There are reasons for that. Many reasons. Many GOOD reasons.

Next: Rundown of his projects from the perspective of a movie/tv fan and somewhat late and reluctant fanatic on all things Joss.


Just Musing,
Susan


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