Movie Review: Iron Man 3

After the forgettable Iron Man 2, Jon Favreau steps down as the director and Shane Black dons the cap of the director in the third installment in this franchise. If you like filmography of Shane Black, it does not feature a big project like this in the past. Then it has also been the case when Jon Favreau started this franchise and also when Joss Whedon directed The Avengers last summer. Both of them hadn't directed a big project before. So what is wrong in Shane Black directing this one? After watching all the superheroes sharing the same screen space in the enjoyable escapist fare The Avengers from Whedon, what can possibly top the experience? A superhero movie had new standards set last summer.

Shane Black along with Dave Pearce is credited for the script. In a way, this is the curtain raiser for the action festival season of the year with summer marked with releases of this genre. In the latest installment, Shane Black decides to give us the raw Tony Stark(Robert Downey Jr). Tony is still cynic who is politically incorrect. He loves Pepper(Gwyneth Paltrow) and is slightly insecure when Aldrich Killian(Guy Pearce) reappears. This is not the only reappearance. The nerdy botanist Maya Hansen(Rebecca Hall) also reappears after the one-night stand 13 years upon which Tony asking her cautiously if she has brought a 12 year old package as a surprise from that night. When people are reappearing, the evil villain The Mandarin(Ben Kingsley) creates ruckus by destroying Tony's Malibu mansion. To top it, Jarvis and Happy Hogan are unable to help Tony. Thanks to the recent developments, Tony is stranded in the middle of nowhere no resources.

Shane Black creates the most ironic situation available for the protagonist. Coming to think of it, Tony is filthy rich. But all the wealth is of no use for him in this situation. It is the best recipe for drama. That brings us to another question. Do we really want to see such a Tony? I don't want to. Do I have a choice? The story is written that way. So let's overlook that. Is it an interesting movie? Even though the movie starts in an uninteresting way, Shane makes us forget about the bad start and forgive him with the spectacular finale. When the credits roll out, we are a satisfied audience. If you have the patience to sit through the never ending credits, you also get a conversational piece with Tony and another superhero as a bonus. How does Shane Black achieve it? The movie has steady stream of action sequences placed in timed intervals to jack up our adrenaline levels. Of course, CG plays a major role in creating the captivating action sequences. At time, the CG is very evident spoiling the experience. Probably, this is because of watching the movie in 3D. To think of it, this movie doesn't have to be in 3D. On the positive side, there are some hair-rising suit changes of the Iron Man, some of it happening mid-air.

All what I described above is the additional things which make the movie interesting. The main interesting point of the movie is Robert Downey Jr himself. Despite seeing Robert Downey Jr play this character in three different movies, we aren't bored yet. We want to see more of this character. He has overshadowed his co-actors in the previous movies, the most notable is the Avengers last summer. In this one too, he overshadows all other performers. There are only two performers the audience notices, Don Cheadle and Ben Kingsley. Don Cheadle plays the sidekick Rhodes who dons the suit to become Iron Patriot and has scenes written to make us laugh. We all know Ben Kingsley is talented. In this movie, he gets to show us how quickly he can change skins while portraying a character.

Go for it. Even though the movie starts off slow, the finale will satisfy the action lover in you.

Language: English

Genre: Action

Rating: ***

For trailer, click here.

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Movie Review: Parker

Before you see the movie, it is better to have some background information on Parker. Parker is the quintessential American anti-hero who features in the novels of Donald Westlake written under the name Richard Stark. Now, Taylor Hartford has adapted the novel named Flashfire for the screen and naming the movie with the name of main character. I have neither read the novel nor have heard about the novelist before. So, I will not be able to comment on the adaptation. As for the movie, Taylor Hackford succeeds in giving us a watchable thriller.

Parker is a criminal. Like all heroes walking on the opposite side of the line drawn by law, he has his quirks mostly to make the character more endearing. So he has a twisted sense of righteousness when it comes to the crimes committed by him and also the moral conduct of his partners. When the movie starts, Parker(Jason Statham) is double crossed by fellow criminals headed by Melander(Michael Chiklis) after a successful heist. As a result of the low standards of his partners where standards are defined by Parker himself, Parker loses his money but gains bullets in his body.

Waking up in the hospital penniless, Parker not only has to track his former partners in order to retrieve his share of money but also serve justice, yes you have guessed it right, by the standards defined by Parker himself. It is this journey that Taylor Hartford films in an entertaining way. Revenge, even when all the powers in the world stands against you, is a theme that will never go out of fashion. We all know Parker will succeed but we are not sure how. That is what makes the movie entertaining. The emphasis is not on action but on the search for Parker's partners. This is actually a relief if you look at the releases of Jason Statham, almost 2 movies every year. That is a whole of action in an year by one guy and a sure fire recipe for obsolescence.

Parker is an American. Why is Jason Statham playing a quintessential American hero? You will forget this question as soon as the movie starts. In all fairness, Jason Statham fits the character except the country of origin. Jason Statham has the screen presence to make us believe he can do when he is still recovering from wounds and broken ribs. He looks like an unstoppable force. Lastly, he also looks like the nut with the quirky sense of justice, honor, duty and what not! Michael Chiklis is a good choice as Melander because of his size. Parker should have a villain matching him. Although we look forward to the final confrontation between the two, it is over in seconds. If you are not attentive enough, you will miss most of the fun here. Jennifer Lopez plays Leslie Rogers, divorced, living with her retired Cuban mother and  struggling to make both ends meet. She likes Parker and interested in helping him for a share in the crime. She gets to crack some of the jokes in the movie and also amuses us by stripping to display her semi naked body. Nick Nolte plays Parker's mentor and confidante.

Go for it as this provides entertainment and a good diversion.

Language: English

Genre: Action

Rating: ***

For trailer, click here.

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Movie Review: Oblivion

A man living in a post-apocalyptic world gradually realizes the lies around which his world is built. If you already have a sense of deja-vu, then you are not the only one. We have seen similar themes several times before. I don't know why this theme is so attractive to a filmmaker when the genre is science fiction. This is what has inspired the director Joseph Kosinski while conceptualizing the movie. If you are wondering who Joseph Kosinski, his last directorial venture was Tron Legacy.

When you connect Joseph Kosinski to his previous movie, it is natural to conclude this one will also be heavy on Computer Graphics. If you have reached this point, I have one more surprise for you. The movie is based on an unpublished graphic novel by the director. So, the  stage is set for stretching imagination blurring the lines between real and virtual. This is where the director succeeds. We have breathtaking visuals, amazing locations and even a highly mesmerizing swimming pool (of course with a naked woman in it).

Tom Cruise plays Jack Harper. This is the second time he is playing a character named Jack in the past few months. Remember he was Reacher before and now Harper. Jack Harper is the guardian of natural resources constantly checking the installations, guarding them in person and using drones along with his colleague Victoria (Andrea Riseborough). The world is run over by alien life forms and hence the need for protecting the resources. Jack and Victoria forms an effective team with only 2 weeks of duty remaining on the earth. That is when everything goes wrong. One of the reasons for the snafu is the mysterious woman who keep appearing in Jack's dreams Julia(Olga Kurylenko) and the other a man named Malcolm Beech(Morgan Freeman).

Although the posters and previews might have given the impression of an action movie, there are very few action scenes. The focus is on the emotional turmoil of Jack Harper. This is what disorients a normal movie goer going in expecting the onslaught of adrenaline. For a drama, the movie feels very long because of the pace. The first act contributes to it. There is a lack of clarity on the villain which makes the audience leave the hall with a feeling of something amiss. As for the performances, there is nothing much to write about.

Stay away from this enterprise

Language: English

Genre: Drama

Rating: *

For trailer, click here.

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