happy spring

ironman

directed by: jon favreau
characters created by: stan lee, don heck, larry lieber, and jack kirby
screenplay by: mark fergus, hawk osbey, art marcum, matt holloway
starring: robert downey jr., terence howard, jeff bridges, gwyneth paltrow, leslie bibb, rahan tahir, jon favreau

i have to say i was skeptical at first, but everyone said that ironman was good. i was pleasantly surprised several times and i agree with the masses. it's a great action flick folks. ironman is well filmed and gives a political message without overpoliticizing (is that a word?) and without being too serious. robert downey jr. is tony stark, womanizing billionaire and industrial boy genius who escapes his injury and capture in afghanistan by building an iron suit of armor and artillery... i did not see robert downey jr. as a superhero, but i am converted. he buffed up (nice arms!), his timing and humor were great and art imitating life probably didn't hurt - an excessive lifestyle catching up with oneself. i really liked jeff bridges (obadiah stane) in this too. i am not a huge gwyneth fan but she was endearing and sweet as tony stark's assistant, pepper potts. she looked surprisingly good as a red head. lastly, jon favreau (swingers), someone who i find a little annoying, did a nice job directing 'ironman'. i am not talking about the plot too much because i don't want to be a spoiler. go see it! 'ironman' is a great start to the action movie season.

i cannot wait for the dark knight (july 18)! i heart christian bale (empire of the sun, swing kids, newsies, little women, the machinist, american psycho, laurel canyon, batman begins, the prestige). i didn't have the guts to talk to him when i saw him and his family at o'hare last summer, but he seems every bit as amazing and intense as you would think. here is the kicker folks: although i knew that johnny depp is in 'public enemies' (and they filmed in my apartment building and on my street!!!), i did not know that christian bale is also in 'public enemies' and cb was spotted in chicago. i guess i am not destined to meet mr. bale in person...

it's going to be really sad to see heath ledger in his last act, but from the trailers he really seems to bring a darkness and insanity to the joker that is required. i'm sure that his last act will be a legacy that we will remember.

now on dvd/on demand/downloadable:

p.s. i love you

directed by: richard lagravenese
novel by cecilia ahern; screenplay by richard lagravenese and steven rogers
starring: hilary swank (million dollar baby), gerard butler (300), lisa kudrow (friends), gina gershon (mostly small roles), kathy bates (fried green tomatoes & dolores claiborne), james marsters (buffy & smallville), harry connick, jr. (well you know), jeffrey dean morgan (lots on the small screen)

the movie opens with holly (hilary) and her husband gerry (gerard) arguing and then making up and then next thing you know, he's dead. i guess they want you to feel the suddenness of loss. i'm not ruining anything. the trailers tell you he's gone and he leaves her letters to help her cope. it's a beautiful story about mourning and the pursuit of love. i cried almost the whole film. however, it is really interesting that gerard and hilary don't have strong chemistry. hilary has more chemistry with harry connick jr. and jeffrey dean morgan (hot!!!!) in this one. it's definitely worth watching, but have a box of kleenex ready.

until next time, happy spring!