IRON MAN- blech.

Behold the GIMP M.Barnes. The only man in America that hated Ironman! Don't get to close to the bars son, this one bites.

I guess I don't get all elite for comic book crossovers because I don't read comics. I can only take it for face value. I haven't seen ironman yet, but look forward to it. I did like speed racer though, even though it has been panned all around. There was leap and bound more story in speed racer than I ever expected.

That's the thing...I'm not that invested in Iron Man as a character...I never really read a bunch of Iron Man books, most of my involvement with the character is through the Avengers and the Ultimates. I think some of my disinterest in the movie is because of that, for sure. SO I'm taking it at face value too, other than the fact that I'm a general comics fan.

I want to see SPEED RACER...hopefully it'll still be in theaters next week...

Ken B. wrote:

Aw man...if they do Secret Wars, I hope they use the Jerry-curled jumpsuit-wearing Beyonder instead of the evil mustache and armor Beyonder. Talk about PIMPIN...

Hey, it's Donny Osmond!!

Isn't he supposed to be wearing purple for his Captain Purple uniform?

--Mike L.

I was also underwhelmed by Iron Man. It was just so .... standardized. It was as if they were going through a plot check-list.

Show hero-to-be as self-centered ... check
Have life changing event ... check
Practice new abilities ... check
etc...

The movie finally became interesting 5 seconds before the ending credits started.

Now, Speed Racer was just awesome. Three days after seeing it, I'm still in sugar-shock.

Mike Z

That's just it- IRON MAN is too routine all around. It feels stamped out of a mold. A good mold, sure, but a template nonetheless.

I thought the X-MEN films actually kind of took more chances, particularly the second one...it wasn't afraid to really sell us the mutant deal, suggest some of the larger plotlines, or to give us something other than an origin story.

With SPEED RACER, I doubt it will live up to what I want it to be...I want it to be this total Warholian pop-trash overload...I want it to be the movie where the CGI jockeys just said "To hell with grounding anything in reality, if we can show anything let's show EVERYTHING".

I already know I'm going to be bitching that none of the cars are real, that there's no actual stuntwork, and that I was more dazzled by the car stuff in VANISHING POINT or BULLIT.

But if it can succeed on a purely visual red-line level, I might be on board with it.

THE SPIRIT is shaping up rather nicely...the poster is fuckin' ACE.

I liked Iron Man, partly because I've forked over good money for Daredevil and Elektra. Anytime a superhero movie doesn't suck, I am relieved. It helps that Robert Downey Jr is one of my favorite actors. I thoroughly enjoyed this movie, and see it as a set up for a much better sequel.

I'm a huge fan of UNBREAKABLE also, one of the better superhero movies out there.

Agreed. Unbreakable is brilliant. An origin-story fleshed out into a full length feature. Of course, the people I know who don't like it complain that it only feels like half a movie...

-MMM

Elektra and Daredevil are great examples of why it's okay that Iron Man follows "the formula." Sure, there's a formula there, but that doesn't mean that if you follow that formula you get a good movie.

Uh...Spawn is a good example of this. Followed the formula to a tee. Almost completely worthless movie--unless you're into John Leguizamo in a grotesque clown suit naming his farts.

So yeah...Iron Man is formula. But it's DAMN GOOD formula.

Shymalan intended for UNBREAKABLE to be a trilogy. Of course, the movie flopped and people didn't really take to the story for some reason although I still think it's brilliant and, given his increasingly terrible track record, will likely be his masterpiece. One of the things that I really cherish about it is that I had no idea it was a comic book story at all when I went to see it- I avoided all internet discussion because I figured there'd be a surprise a la THE SIXTH SENSE. When it was gradually revealed that it was pure comics, I was blown away.

But I'm of the opinion that there doesn't need to be any further story. It's an origin story, that's all. It's enough to extrapolate on how the world will be different with superheroes and villains in it when the movie ends. I don't need my imagination of what happens after ruined with a sub-par sequel.

LADY IN THE WATER 2...who's ready for that one?

Michael Barnes wrote:

Shymalan intended for UNBREAKABLE to be a trilogy.

This is horseshit. Where the fuck was the film going to go? Sham's didn't say this until the film became a 'hit' with the comic book crowd.
Unbreakable is a great origin movie, but it's NOT a comic book movie. A part 2 which comic booked the premise up would have been shit. The movie ended with the story being told - it was about self discovery and the brtrayal of fate. It was not about Bruce becomming Superman.

Man...I used to take up for M. Night Shamalamadingdong...until I saw LADY IN THE WATER. Holy CRAP was that a bad film.

I still like Sixth Sense, Unbreakable, and The Village. I tolerate Signs. Lady in the Water was some serious horseshit.

His new movie looks like it might have something...if he doesn't get it this time, I think his career is pretty much over (or at least, no more commercials "from director M. Night Shyamalan...")

Village was fucking aweful.

Unbreakable is his best film but I would have to agree with Mr Skeletor that The Village sucked balls,the ending just pissed me off so much I havn't even seen Lady in the Water .

Alright, I should qualify that...I thought The Village did a great job creating tension and atmosphere, but yeah, the ending pissed a lot of that away. Worse, it was a twist you saw coming a mile away.

So I really dug about 3/4 of it, the rest did go downward from there.