Merged: The Movies Thread

[724Skinsfan]

Has anyone watched Spartacus: Blood and Sand on Starz? At first I wasn't too impressed but after a while I became hooked.

[Redskins8588]

Originally Posted by 724Skinsfan

Has anyone watched Spartacus: Blood and Sand on Starz? At first I wasn't too impressed but after a while I became hooked.

My wife and I watched the whole season on Netflix I liked it. Very, very graphic not only with the violence but with the sex also... Waiting to see what next season is all about...

[skinsfanthru&thru]

Originally Posted by Redskins8588

My wife and I watched the whole season on Netflix I liked it. Very, very graphic not only with the violence but with the sex also... Waiting to see what next season is all about...

Yeah it started slow, but really picked up when he became "the bringer of rain." And all the actresses on the show are gorgeous, but holy crap is Viva Bianca(Iliythia) amazingly hot or what?

The second season unfortunately, but understandably, has been put on hiatus so the main actor Andy Whitfield can fight his recently diagnosed non-Hodgkins Lymphoma. While season 2 is on hold though, they are developing a possible 6 episode prequel. 'Spartacus: Blood and Sand' Season 2 postponed, possible prequel in the works - From Inside the Box - Zap2it

[Rainy Parade]

anyone that digs rock documentaries:

the White Stripes Under Great White Northern Lights is really good.

even better is It Might Get Loud, about guitar, featuring Jimmy Page, The Edge, and Jack White. cool stuff.


oh, and hey OTM what's up!

[mredskins]

Maybe I should check it out, I tired the first episode it was really slow.

[MTK]

Anyone going to see Iron Man 2 this weekend? I've heard mixed reviews so far, seems like it's not going to be as good as the first one.

[mredskins]

Originally Posted by Mattyk

Anyone going to see Iron Man 2 this weekend? I've heard mixed reviews so far, seems like it's not going to be as good as the first one.

I like too but my mom day plans may throw a wrench in seeing it this weekend. Not a bad thing I just may need to wait a bit.

[skinsfanthru&thru]

Originally Posted by Mattyk

Anyone going to see Iron Man 2 this weekend? I've heard mixed reviews so far, seems like it's not going to be as good as the first one.

Going to see it tonight and give my 2 cents tomorrow.

[CRedskinsRule]

I am planning to see IronMan 2 with my kids for my oldest's birthday this weekend. Hope it doesn't disappoint...

[mredskins]

Originally Posted by CRedskinsRule

I am planning to see IronMan 2 with my kids for my oldest's birthday this weekend. Hope it doesn't disappoint...

I can't wait for my son to be old enough to go to the movies. Two is a tough age when it comes to things to do.

[CRedskinsRule]

Originally Posted by mredskins

I can't wait for my son to be old enough to go to the movies. Two is a tough age when it comes to things to do.

Yeah that's for sure... this year, mine turn 13,11,10. No more single digits!!!

[mredskins]

Originally Posted by CRedskinsRule

Yeah that's for sure... this year, mine turn 13,11,10. No more single digits!!!

Awesome! Enjoy their company.

[CRedskinsRule]

Originally Posted by mredskins

Awesome! Enjoy their company.

Thanks!

[mredskins]

BDK's review:

Is Iron Man 2 better than the first film? This is a question that I have been bombarded with since the first credit sequence hit the screen. In short, the answer is yes and no. The film improves on some levels (action and comedy) and then disappoints on others (very uneven and an unnecessarily complicated plotline). Though, I feel the improvements are enough to make Iron Man 2 a worthy sequel. How does it stack up against The Dark Knight, Spider-Man 2 and other super hero/summer blockbuster sequels? That's a great question. As the great Samuel L. Jackson once said, "Well allow me to retort!" Try to imagine this visually on a chart. Let's say the chart goes from one to one hundred and contains bar graphs. The higher the bar graph, the better the film. This is simply being done to show the change in quality of the films as the sequels were released. The Dark Knight was obviously a more superior film than Batman Begins, so much so that the leap would be from a seventy-five to a one hundred. The same went for Spider-Man to Spider-Man 2. The introduction of Doc. Ock (Alfred Molina) made the sequel vastly superior to the first film. Transformers to Transformers 2 took a completely opposite route where the first film was a visually entertaining and the second was just a complete waste of time. Why am I rambling on about other films? The main reason is to show that the Iron Man sequel essentially lives up to the first film. If you, the viewer, can sacrifice a couple of issues, you will be pleasantly surprised to see the upgrades the sequel has to offer.

While the film may be uneven, Iron Man 2 blows the first film out of the water in the action and comedy department. Iron Man was bit more consistent and linear in its story telling and may be an all around better film. Though, Iron Man 2 packs that action punch that the first one lacked. As a critic, I sometimes go back and re-read my older reviews, particular my review for the first film. I do regret giving the film a five out of five. A more suitable rating would have been a four or four and a half because that last battle scene between Robert Downey Jr. and Jeff Bridges was not up to par with the rest of the film. That could easily be one of the most anti-climactic battle scenes in the history of action films.

Not only did director Jon Favraeu (star of Swingers, director of Iron Man, Elf) amp up the action/comedy, he also blew up the cast. Besides the obvious star, Robert Downey Jr., we are also entertained by Don Cheadle (who takes over the role left by Terrence Howard and does a much better job), Sam Rockwell (easily the most underrated actor working today - Moon, Confessions of a Dangerous Mind), Scarlett Johansson (Match Point, Vicky Cristina Barcelona), Mickey Rourke (The Wrestler, Diner), Samuel L. Jackson (Pulp Fiction, Shaft), Garry Shandling ("The Larry Sanders Show") and of course, the return of Pepper Potts herself, Gwenyth Paltrow. Let me say that the choice to have Don Cheadle take over the role of Lt. Col. Rhodes was perfect. Terrence Howard is a wonderful actor but he wanted too much money for the part and was let go. I find that to be a dumb decision considering he has not done a great film since Hustle and Flow. You would think that maybe playing War Machine would bring him to bigger and better roles considering the high profile of the character.

Iron Man 2 picks up sixth months after the first film left off. Tony Stark (Downey Jr.) has revealed that he is, indeed, Iron Man. Now, the Government wants his Iron Man suit because they feel it can be used as a weapon against terrorism. Stark, who is a business man as well thinks it's crazy and that he has now brought world peace. He argues that no one will be able to re-create the suit and that things are going great at the moment. That is until Ivan "Whiplash" Vanko (Mickey Rourke) comes along. You might remember that famous scene in the first film where Tony meets that mysterious man (Yinsin) in the cave, who essentially brings him back to life by placing an arc reactor in his chest to keep the metal shrapnel from getting to his heart. That arc reactor had actually been created well before that day by Howard Stark (John Slattery) and his partner Anton. They were the first to develop this arc reactor. Though Howard and Anton had a falling out which eventually lead to the death of Anton. Ivan now wants his revenge and brings to life his own version of the Iron Man suit, using lightening whip lashes, which he unveils on a race track in Monaco during the Grande Prix. Now, the military is fed up and wants those suits. Stark's partner/friend Lt. Col. James Rhodes (Cheadle) is now teaming up with Iron Man to help fight against Ivan. Rhodes goes by the name War Machine! There's a lot more going on but I don't want to give too much away. For the comic book fans out there, Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) is heavily involved as is Black Widow (Johansson). We are also dealing with the love story between Pepper and Tony.

One of the film's biggest issues is the overly confusing and complicated plot lines. To be honest, the back story of Whiplash's father Anton was not clearly stated in the movie. When I originally watched it, I thought that Anton was the person who helped put the arc reactor into Tony Stark. Though, after doing research and thinking back on the film, I found that Anton and Tony's father had falling out. That is an issue with the writing not being clear. The movie is a bit oversaturated with plot but like I said, if you can get over that fact, the action is worth every penny.

As you can see above, there is a lot going on in this film, maybe too much at times. I don't mean to be too persnickety about a film of this nature but it was oddly uneven times. Staying consistently entertaining was not a problem but the tone of the film would jump all over the place. One second it wanted to be a serious love story and the next minute it was a full-on action film. Personally, it was not a huge problem but there were times where the shifts did not feel natural. Favraeu would go from a massive action scene with high explosives to scene where two people are confessing their love on a rooftop. There needed to be some type of buffer in between those scenes. The jump was a bit too quick.

Now on to the good stuff! The action scenes are worth every penny of your hard earned money. I am a film critic and normally don't have to pay for these films but I will be going back for sure and paying my own money to see this. There are at least three mind-blowing long action scenes that will blow you away. Anytime War Machine (Cheadle) and Iron Man were on screen together, it was gold. There were times where I actually had tears in my eyes because I could not handle how awesome the ending action sequence was. Though, the introduction of War Machine was a bit awkward and forced but you will get over that quickly. The action scenes essentially make up for the film's issues and make this a must-see.

Robert Downey Jr. is so charismatic. That guy brings laughter and a sense of being bad-ass all at the same time. The character of Tony Stark is such a pompous guy but you can't help but love him. Everything he does, he does with a smile on his face and it makes it fun. Every joke of his in the film hits perfectly. In short, Downey Jr. is the perfect Tony Stark/Iron Man.

Let's take a second to recognize one of the most talented actors working today, Sam Rockwell. Rockwell hasn't yet hit that mark where everyone knows who he is but I think he likes it that way. He delivers such a brilliant performance in this movie as Justin Hammer that he almost steals the show. He's funny, awkward and has a bit of evil in him as well. Hammer was a character of many emotions and Rockwell balances all of them perfectly. The introduction of his character was such a great idea. Stark Industries is the worldwide leader in weapons. Hammer wants to take over that slot and he wants to do this by trying to create the Iron Man suit to give to the military. Hammer teams up with Ivan to get that job done.

The movie also really succeeds in the comedy department. The movie is funny throughout, delivering great one-liners and a lot of jokes for the comic book fans. There is one particular reference that will make comic book fans laugh-out-loud. Let's just say it deals with some sort of shield.

All-in-all, Iron Man 2 pretty much lives up to the first. It doesn't have the same solid quality as the first film but the action and comedy is ramped up just enough to where they both even out. Now, if the movie was a bit more even, we would have a five out of five on our hands. Go see this film in theatres, you will not be disappointed, hence the 4.5 BDK rating. Also, what's better than seeing an Iron Man film with AC/DC blaring in the background!

[CRedskinsRule]

Good to hear all the positive reviews of Iron Man 2