Iron Man
Director Jon Favreau’s screen adaptation of the Marvel comic book ‘Iron Man’ is a load of rubbish! But, it is rubbish of a highly entertaining nature. A wealthy electronics genius is kidnapped by Arab terrorists, who try to force him to build a missile for them. Instead, he creates a computerized metal suit of armor and engineers his escape. Back in the States the genius perfects his prototype, and ‘Iron Man’ is born. A Super Hero who fights for Freedom, Justice, and the American Way! Everything about this movie is terrific, from the direction to the costuming and the amazing special effects. Robert Downey Jr. is particularly good as the sarcastic and sardonic ‘Iron Man’. The movie may be escapist nonsense, but it is a hell of a lot of fun!
The Forbidden Kingdom
Jackie Chan is now 54 years old. You couldn’t call him a Kung Fu Action Hero any more, and, wisely, for the past few years he has been concentrating on his comedic flair. Yet, he can still ‘kick ass’ when needed. On the other hand, Jet Li is at the height of his martial arts powers. Jet Li also happens to be the only Kung Fu movie star whose acting abilities possibly outshine his Kung Fu skills. Together, Jackie and Jet are fabulous in this wonderful fairy story, ‘The Forbidden Kingdom’. An American teenager, obsessed with Kung Fu movies, is magically transported to China, where he undergoes an adventure which turns him into a man. Jackie is hilarious as the ‘buffoon’ sidekick, while Jet is just superb in his dual roles of the mysterious stranger and the legendary Monkey King. The fight scenes will leave you breathless!
Fool’s Gold
Kate Hudson and Mathew McConaughey star in this fun-filled adventure movie, about a newly divorced couple, who still love each other, and go on a treasure hunt searching for a fabulous fortune that mysteriously disappeared in the Caribbean in 1715. Andy Tennant’s movie contains no real surprises, but he does put it together rather well. The treasure hunt itself is interesting to follow, plus, there are some amusing supporting characters who keep the laughs bubbling along. However, the great charm of the movie rests in the delicious rapport between Kate and Mathew. They make a good looking and sexy couple, and, as they bicker and fight, they are a sheer delight to watch.
Closing the Ring
The films of renowned British director Lord Richard Attenborough, such as ‘Young Winston’ (1972), ‘Gandhi’ (1982) and ‘Grey Owl’ (1998), always tend to be a bit on the ‘epic’ side. Also, they always tend to be a bit staid. They never show much style, and simply tell a story in the most efficient manner possible. Attenborough movies always rest on their plotlines. His latest movie, ‘Closing the Ring’, is pretty typical of his work. It is an ‘epic’ unrequited love story which spans fifty years, from the Second World War to the mid 1990s, and it is located in Belfast and North Carolina. The movie continually jumps back and forth through time and locations, which becomes a bit annoying after a while, but, there was probably no other way to tell the tale. Shirley MacLaine and Christopher Plummer, supported by some lesser known players, all give solid if somewhat dull performances. Consequently, this story about the machinations of fate, and how it can influence and intervene in the outcome of various events, fails to grab the imagination.
Valentina’s Tango
I don’t believe this movie. It has the most ridiculous plot I have ever come across in a very long time. A Latin husband and wife, who own a Tango Night Club, are crazy about each other, and express their emotions in dance. They have a son, who wants to be a priest, but he can’t give up sex, and another son who wants to be a gangster, and he is planning to sell out his father to the local mobsters. Anyway, somewhere along the line, Dad gets shot, and he is paralyzed from the waist down. Meanwhile, Mum turns out to be a nymphomaniac, and her needs must be satisfied by the nearest available stud! The film is so ‘over the top’ it becomes hysterically funny. However, fans of the current dance fad ‘The Tango’ will just love the movie. There are some fabulous Tango numbers interspersed throughout the whole silly thing.
What Happens in Vegas
This movie is so formulized and pre-programmed that it could have only been written by a computer. A couple who meet each other one night on a drunken spree in Las Vegas, wake up to find themselves married. Seeking an annulment, they come before a judge who is disillusioned by the rising divorce rate, and the weakening of traditional family values. He sentences them to six months of marriage, before he will consider a divorce decree. You can figure out the rest. Anyone could! The movie is incredibly bad, incredibly trite, and incredibly stupid. Cameron Diaz and Ashton Kutcher should be ashamed of themselves for appearing in such incredible trash!
The List
A very dreary movie based on a book by Robert Whitlow, directed by Gary Wheeler, and starring ‘faded star’ Malcolm McDowell. It could be about an American Deep South Secret Society, which could possess demonic powers. I don’t know. I may have fallen asleep. I can’t recall anything else about it.
