Iron Man (2008)

A summer hit … yeah …

I was not too sure about this movie mainly because it stars Robert Downy Jr and it is a Marvel character that is unfamiliar to me, however, I was pleasantly surprised at the movie as a whole. The story is not too bad, the main character (??? Stark) is a ruthless arms dealer who is equally brilliant. Having been kidnapped by some terrorists he is instructed to make a weapon of mass destruction, he uses the materials and time to come up with Iron Man V1.0 which he uses to escape.

Back home …

He goes back to the US and starts building Iron Man V2.0 which is sleeker, faster and stronger than the first, I liked the scenes where the project goes wrong, Downy is perfect for these scenes because of his sarcastic attitude. Eventually he gets the suit working correctly and this is where the fun starts.

His side kick ..

Gweneth Paltrow makes a welcome appearance in this movie (and return to the big screen), she plays Stark’s butler and general dogsbody. Her obvious affection for Stark gives the movie that something special that wants you to believe that these people should be together.

The final battle (and special effects) …

The final battle is full of special effects that keep you glued to the screen, they have done a good job with the effects in general, sometimes they are over the top but hey, this is the Marvel world so what do you expect.

Bottom line …

A good action movie that deserves to be up there as the top movie of the summer, Downy and Paltrow work well together and there are enough twists and turns to keep you interested in the plot. Make a date for next summer for the sequel.

Ratings
Overall rating:	9/10
Special effects:	9/10 (the best in a while)
Acting:	8/10 (par for the course)
Music:	8/10 (fine for this type of movie)
Where seen:	Movie Theater
Perceived length:	Short

//*Eggbox

Balls of Fury (2007)

What this is not …

Don’t expect anything that is meaningful or deep in this popcorn of a movie, the jokes are crass and over the top, the characters are over the top and the action (if that is what you call it) is puerile; stuff of the gods.

It’s a spoof, get over it …

One of the reasons I liked this is because it is (sort of) a spoof of all those crappy kung fu movies where the main character goes from being a bum to an enlightened world champ in the course of 90 minutes saving the world in the process.. This is the theory here but he is a ping-pong champ who has fallen from grace and he gets a chance to redeem himself.

So the plot revolves around the main character relearning his talent for ping-pong and getting into an illicit ping-pong championship on a remote island.

The characters …

The main character is Randy Daytona (played by Dan Fogler), I have never seen this dude before in anything but I like him, he is a fat ugly toad of a guy that has an innocent look on his face all the time throughout the film, makes me feel like an Adonis.

The best thing is that he plays it straight and makes you like him (even though he looks better in the dark).

Christopher Walken is the best …

The bad guy is Feng played by the ever weird and crazy Christopher Walken, I think that he has got to the stage in his career where he just plays himself because that what people expect. The one liners he comes out with are great (the one about sudden death is the best). My opinion is that you could have got rid of a few characters and still pissed yourself laughing looking at Christopher Walken.

Other notible characters …

The FBI agent Ernie Rodriquez is played by George Lopez who does a reasonable job but I expected more from him.

A chinese heavy Siu-Foo is played by the great Jason Scott Lee, in fact he uses quotes from the movie Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story that he actually said. It’s good to see him in a comedy role, he made me laugh, the part where he makes a bet with the main character for $5 and asks for change because he only wants to bet $4 is classic, the missus and my son missed it but I was rolling around with that line.

Bottom line …

I wouldn’t put this up there with Harold and Kumar go to White Castle but it is worthy of a look if you need to get out of it for an hour and a half. Some of the gags don’t really do that well and you have probably seen some of the better ones in the trailer but there is enough there to keep you amused.

The DVD is not too bad, the extras are pretty cool, don’t forget to see the one about the Ball Wrangler

Ratings
Overall rating:	7/10 (For making me laugh)
Special effects:	7/10
Acting:	5/10
Music:	6/10
Where seen:	DVD at home
Perceived length:	Short

//*Eggbox

Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay (2008)

About time …

Te To say that I have been waiting for this movie to come out is an understatement, the first one [Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle (2004)] was a blast. Now don’t misinterpret what I am saying here, the plots in both movies are 100% stupidity, the characters are larger than life and the situations they get into unbelievable if you think for more than a millisecond.

The setup …

The movie starts where the last one left off, right after the dudes have downed a number of White Castle burgers.

A quick explaination for those people who do not live in the US; White Castle is a fast food chain where the burgers are incredibly small but are very tasty. The only problem is that the meat is … well … not prime and the affects on the body are somewhat random. You usually purchase more than you should eat (along with loads of fries and too much soft drink). They are affectionatly known here as “sliders”, they slide in and they slide out the other end.

So we get the picture of Harold (the Asian dude) (played by John Cho) in the shower feeling good about himself because the connected with the hottie in the lift (elevator for our US cousins), smooth music and slow motion, probably the most artistic shot in the whole movie. Luckily this does not last long because Kumar (the Indian dude) (played by Kal Penn) punctuates the moment by taking a dump of mammoth proportions and shattering Harold’s moment.

Guantanamo Bay here we come …

As the title of the movie suggests the pair end up in Guantanamo Bay through a series of events that are just classic, Kumar tries to get into the Mile High club, not in the biblical sense, think of it as more as the Mile High As a Kite Club, he has even invented a battery powered bong to get the most out of the weed, what a guy!

Another aspect of the pot is Kumar’s lost love who they meet when they are at the airport, we see that there is a spark there but the plot takes a twist when we find out that she is marry Kumar’s mortal enemy from college. This dude (Colton played by Eric Winter) is your run of the mill slime ball who you just want to slap, be patient and everything will work itself out

They get on the plane and get arrested by sky marshalls, taken back to the US and interrogated by a secret service offical who is wonderfully played by Rob Corddry, he is an idiotic simpleton who cannot see past his pressed shirt and stupid tie. I just hope that his character is not based on fact but I feel that may not be the case.

So they get to Guantanamo Bay and after a short spell in the cells and some interesting dialogue with the other inmates and guards they get out and back to the US, thus ensures a road trip like the previous movie but with the added suspense of being hunted down by the government.

Where now …

They end up in Miami Florida where they meet a friend who they ask for assistance, this is a great scene, the dude drop in while there is a party going on. Ok, here is where the smut level hits 10, it is not a topless party (which would have been fun) but bottomless, there are some very interesting designs where most men will be looking when the opportunity arrises, I saw a mohawk and a US flag, very creative. The scariest thing here is their friend who is also bottomless, that dude needs a haircut, not on his head.

So the guys borrow a bright yellow open top Mustang and are dressed like Crocket and Tubbs from Miami Vice, so they start their trip, as you can imagine they lose the car are end up with the KKK. This is a short scene that does a great job of making the KKK out to be a bunch of simple, stupid wankers, I don’t think the writers had to make up much stuff here.

The creepy house …

They end up in a hunters lodge with a hottie wife and a cyclopes kid, this is reminisent of the scene with Freakshow in the last movie, it plays out Ok but I felt that it was a bit forced.

Neil Patrick Harris is a God …

What a guy, he is such a sport and a mental at the same time. We meet him as the guys flag down a car and (what a surprise) it’s NPH. He is munching on magic mushrooms, swilling beer and Jack Daniels and still drives better than most people. The scene where he sees the unicorn talking to the FBI man is wonderful, the only problem is that he takes an exit too early in the film.

The final reel …

So it comes down to Harold and Kumar meeting up with good ole George Bush, the movie makes him out to be a pot head (pretty accurate from my perspective) and they get a pardon and a trip to Kumar’s ex-girlfriends wedding. The bottom lines is that Kumar gets the girl, they go to Amsterdam and Harold gets his girl, the last montage is worth sitting through some of the credits for.

Bottom line …

This movie had a lot to live up to, the writers did a good job getting all the things you (now) expect from a Harold and Kumar movie, they did not hold back on the bad taste and everyone gets their just desserts (except NPH).

As you have probably worked out I liked this movie and am giving it a 9 out of 10 because it lived up to the hype and it did make me laugh (boy do I need that at the moment). I don’t have any inside information but I really really hope that they come out with another one sooner rather than later, there is so much that they could take the piss out of, here are some suggestions.

• Harold and Kumar run for President
• Harold and Kumar buy a House and don’t get it Repossessed
• Harold and Kumar run the Federal Reserve
• Harold and Kumar stick it to the Oil Companies
• Harold and Kumar run the United Nations

The possibilities are endless, put these guys in charge of something big, give them a big bag of weed and see whether they can cock it up any better than the guys running it now, I think not.

Ratings
Overall rating:	9/10 For making me laugh
Special effects:	6/10 (not much really)
Acting:	5/10 (par for the course)
Music:	6/10 (fine for this type of movie)
Where seen:	Movie Theater
Perceived length:	Short

The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep (2007)

I saw this movie again this week at home and enjoyed it as much as I did when I saw it at the movie theater with my son. The basic plot is that a lonely boy finds an egg on a Scottish Loch (now what could the name of Loch be ….. hmmmmmm …. Ness), it hatches and hilarity ensues as the young Nessie (named Crusoe for some reason) reeks havoc on the household.

Maybe he was called Crusoe because like the character in the novel he is also stranded in a strange place.

Set during the second world war the arrival of an army unit adds to the mix, it just so happens that these soldiers are preparing for a submarine attack by the enemy and they setup a net across the Loch and a couple of large guns. It is obvious that these elements will play a large part in the story.

Do I look like I’m bothered, well I am …

The major thing that bothered me about the plot is that Loch Ness does not have access to the sea in any way so how a German submarine could get into the Loch is a mystery to me; they would have to be some very clever subs. That aside, the plot device is there to add tension and a great final reel.

The good old day, buzz bombs, rickets …

One of the other things I found interesting was the recreation of 1940’s Scotland, they did a good job with the sets, costumes and hardware (military and civil) and captured the essence of the time using period music. The supporting cast added a lot to the movie, the mother (Emily Watson), sister (Priyanka Xi) and the handyman (Ben Chaplin) all helped in getting you into the story in a way that was not forced or sugar coated.

The main character could be the young boy (Alex Etel) or the computer generated Water Horse (make up your own minds). Alex Etel was perfectly cast, he looks like he was ill through the whole movie (Scots do look like they are near to death most of the time due to their lack of access to sunlight and nutritional food), the boy should get a medal for being such a good method actor.

You sick Nasty …

There are a couple of nasty characters that are there to drive the plot forward, Churchill (the army cooks dog) goes from being the aggressor to being put in his place, Joel Tobec plays the evil private (they lit him from below and he gives a stare that would leave you having to change you underwear), excellent. David Morrissey plays the Captain and he is tough enough and also caring enough so that you don’t hate him at the end of the movie; although you want to kick his butt during the mid section because his is such a pompous twit.

I liked Ben Chaplin in this movie, he plays the handyman (war hero) who has a healthy disrespect for the captain. He helps the main characters throughout the film by keeping the Water Horse under wraps from the mum. Ben is an underestimated actor, he has been around the block a while now and has never really made it big.

The bottom line …

Anyway, the bottom line is that Crusoe gets away and everyone is happy, there are a couple of twists at the end of the movie, not too big but both will put a smile on your face.

Highly recommended where you just want to feel good and get transported to a fantasy world, even if it’s set in Scotland!

Ratings
Overall rating:	8/10
Special effects:	8/10
Acting:	7/10
Music:	7/10
Where seen:	Movie Theater and DVD at home
Perceived length:	Medium

//*Eggbox

Rambo: First Blood Part II (1985)

I revisited this movie recently, I watched this one in the office during my lunch breaks over a couple of days. In fact I watched it twice, first the movie as-is, then again with the commentary by the director, very interesting.

The concept of Rambo may be a bit passé these days but I tried to appreciate the movie as if I was watching it when it was released (as such).

In general I was impressed by the movie, the acting was not terrible and the action made up for it in more ways than one. The story was plausible and does get you into the movie quickly, it is easy for you to understand the motivations of the characters very quickly.

Sylvester Stallone looks good in this movie, the commentary indicates that the guy spent over 4 hours a day training to get the physique for the roll, the dedication by Stallone pays off. Steven Berkoff plays the evil Russian commander perfectly, he is a cool and calculating instrument of torture that gets your blood boiling and you want to cheer when he gets blown up by Rambo.

The other bad guy is Marshal Murdock played by Charles Napier (you’ll know him when you see him), I like this dude, he plays the character in a way that makes you want to hate him but you understand that he is really a grunt following orders but he doesn’t have the balls to do the right thing. Richard Crenna is the rock that keeps Rambo going and his greatest ally, he is the father figure that gets Rambo to do the mission and fights for him when things get out of hand.

The action is punctuated with a couple of tender moments with the female lead Julia Nickson-Soul, she plays a sympathetic Vietnamese who gets Rambo to the site of the POWs. It was obvious that she would die and cause Rambo to go haywire but she does add that something extra to the movie that lets you see the softer side of Rambo (even though it’s only for a few minutes).

The thing to remember with this movie is that this was really the first movie of its kind and most other movies of this genre followed the same paradigm, i.e. the lone warrior fighting for honor and glory over insurmountable odds. The set pieces with Stallone firing the automatic weapon in the air, trashing the control center, killing the bad guys one at a time silently in the jungle have been copied time and time again.

So the bottom line is that anyone who enjoys a good action movie and is willing to get over the fact that they have probably seen something similar in the past (albeit a take off on this movie) should enjoy the movie.

Ratings
Overall rating:	8/10 (For action)
Special effects:	9/10
Acting:	6/10
Music:	6/10
Where seen:	DVD (in the office)
Perceived length:	Medium

//*Eggbox