NevermoresRaven Blog

Iron Man has been a longtime favorite comic book of mine, I even have the dreaded first hardcover issue of "Ultimate Iron Man"(cringe, cringe in terror!), so i've been waiting excitedly for this film since they announced it's production. I had very high hopes(and yet a good amount of doubt) for this film, and it hits on all notes.

I won't go through plot details because if you're going to see this movie you should already know the basic plot behind Iron Man, if you don't know then you're just a fake who wants to seem cool by watching comic book movies.

First thing is first, the acting. Some of the finest acting i've seen in a long time. I lost a bit of hope in acting as far as comic book movies go after seeing Spiderman 3, he did do an emo dance after all. But this movie has top notch acting. Robert Downey Jr. makes an incredible Tony Stark with his ability to project sarcastic comments, deep feelings, bitter hatred, and even wonderous bits of comedic gold(flight testing being the best example). Terrence Howard makes a great Rhodey, and plays the semi-sidekick(later to be actual sidekick) role wonderfully. He comes across as being Tony's friend, but also a failed attempt to be the voice of reason. In steps Pepper Potts as the voice of reason. Gwyneth Paltrow steps up to the role of Tony's hard edged red-headed assistant, and does an amazing job playing opposite Downey Jr. And, i'll be frank, she looks smoking as a red-head, I didn't even think she had it in her anymore. Guess I was wrong.

The special effects are amazing, and work in a not too over-the-top comic book sort of style without seeming too fake. The sequence of Tony getting the Mark III armor put on is a true feat of CGI genius. Someone in some magazine said it seemed too much like Transformers at the end, but I fail to see how that's a bad thing since that movie is amazing as well. The scene with Tony flying with the F-22 Raptors is great to look at, and funny to boot.

The music is also great, and the soundtrack is a must have for fans of rock music. Utilizing very few acoustic strings(Violin, Cello ect.) and relying more on electric guitars and bass with a really hard rock drumming gives this film it's mood. Seriosuly, Iron Man is a metal movie and it needed a metal soundtrack. Best of all, there's no trendy crap-rock like found on the soundtracks of Transformers and Spider Man. The last two tracks on the CD are passes, but hey that's oly 2 out of like 18 or something.

In the end this is a spectacular summer movie, and I can't wait for it to hit blu-ray(i'm already drooling just thinking about that). If this was any indication of what this summer has to offer then it's a safe bet that we're going to have on hell of a summer. A must see.

I am one of the biggest nerds around, and the original "Star Wars" trilogy is one of my biggest nerdisms(wait, is that a word?). So you think someone who gets into arguments over who would win in a fight between Darth Vader and Captian Kirk would take his prized movies as a godsend, and I do. However I also happen to have this thing called a sense of humor, and Mel Brooks' "Spaceballs" tickels my funnybone(oh god, the cliches!) and then some.

Now any idiot could spoof sci-fi classics like "Star Wars" and "Planet of the Apes"(Planet of the Grapes could net you millions!), but Mel Brooks does it in a way that not only satires the films but also pays homage to them with subtle jabs.

Let us not forget the iconic dialouge this movie has, and the great lines it presents. "I knew it, i'm surrounded by assholes", "Spaceballs the Flamerthrower! The kids love that one", and the famous:
Dark Helmet: I am your father's brother's nephew's cousin's former room-mate.
Lone Star: So what's that make us?
Dark Helmet: Absolutely nothing!
Those are by far my favorite lines from the film, and some of the best in cinema if you ask me.

This whole film just shows Mel Brook's talent for satire and witty writing, and every scene gives a sense of respect at the same time to the source material.

Needless to say, the acting in this film is spot on to what they needed. Rick Moranis plays the villianous Dark Helmet with a surprising wit and tounge in cheek attitude, but he also plays the most incompitent villan ever. I think that's why his character is so likeable. And let's not forget John Candy as Barf, the heroic Mog. The stupid dog puns that he's able to spit out add a sense of simple familiarity to the character.

So please, for the love of all things awesome, see this film if you haven't. I just about killed my friend when she said she had never seen it, but she is now one of those who has basked in it's glory.

Holy crap, has it really been 15 years since this came out? You mean to tell me I was 7 when this came out? Wow, I feel kind of old all of a sudden.

So "Jurassic Park", where do I begin with this movie? This is, by all means, one of the single greatest survival-thriller-action movies ever made. The combination of thrilling action and dinosaurs just sets this apart from most anything else out, sure the sequels were both pretty bad but they don't count anymore.

First of all, the acting in this movie is stupendous on all accounts. Sam Jackson, Sam Neill, Laura Dern, and Richard Attenborough all give stellar performances. Even the kids who play Lexi and Tim give great performances and set the bar(even though both of them have sort of fallen from the face of the Earth). And lest we forget the big stars of the movie, the Dinosaurs themselves.

Speaking of those Dinosaurs, how awesome are those things? The CGI may seem a little dated, but it still holds so strong even all these years later. Come to think of it, it looks more convincing than some other movies i've seen since the turn of the century(I, Robot for example). The scene where the T-Rex chases the jeep down the road is still an impressive specticale of visual magic, and credit must be given to the masters at ILM. The anamatronics are equally amazing, and to this day remain some of the most realistic robots and puppets i've ever seen in my life. The sick Triceratops still makes me gasp in wonder at the effects the pulled off.

And let us not forget the amazing soundtrack by John Williams. The theme song alone(like so many of Williams' previous works) captures the imagination and is easy to notice anywhere. It's like Jaws or Star Wars, you just know that song.

So what is bad about this film? Well to nit pick a little bit, it's got some vast differences from the book. But hey, what novel adaptation(Sin City excluded) is truely faithful to the book in the end?

Either way, this is one of the best films of the 90's, or the century, or of ever. Watching it brings back fond memories of my childhood and my eccentric quest to become a palientologist.