Ryan Watches a Motion Picture #28: Iron Man 2 (2010)

Robert Downey Jr. returns as Tony Stark, roguish playboy billionaire turned superguy (I'll say superguy since he never quite reaches hero status in the films - he just owns up to negligence and cleans up his own messes). He's Iron Man of course, and this was the big summer action sequel many people were waiting for.

And it's really fucking boring. Not since Transformers 2 have I sat in a theatre to watch a blockbuster and suddenly realised that I was completely, utterly bored. That I didn't care about anything that was happening on the screen, and that when there was a glitzy CGI sequence, couldn't anchor it to any kind of sense of emotional import. But I don't want to lead you too astray by bringing up one of the worst movies I've ever seen - Iron Man 2 isn't anywhere near as vapid as Transformers 2 because there's only one dick joke in it, if I remember rightly.

Sadly I can only think of one or two action sequences that are somewhat satisfying, and one is close to the beginning and the other not quite at the end, and short. Everything else is annoying quip. A glib talk back and forth that goes nowhere and isn't funny, instead of, say, illuminating the audience as to what's going with either plot or character. In regards to character, there isn't much present. We get a Tony Stark who's a dick and a fantasy of wealth without redeeming quality that I can find, and a Paltrow/Pepperpot that gets mad sometimes about how careless Stark is. Oh, and Don Cheadle getting mad about that too, to the point where he dons a suit of robo-armour for a really ridiculous fight scene at a party. Apart from that there's a lot of time spent trying to sell you on secondary characters. Scarlett Johansson and Sammy J were somewhat fun to watch, but Mickey Rourke's grizzled Russian antagonist was really the only thing I actually found entertaining. Or justifiable.

At least after the credits we see Thor's hammer in an impact crater unrelated to anything we saw in Iron Man 2.

So: A movie as careless and self-serving as Tony Stark. Save your money.

tm Does the QT 20 Part 12: Boogie Nights

Boogie Nights (dir. Paul Thomas Anderson – 1997)

The subject matter of this movie probably turned a lot of people away – a ‘behind the scenes’ look at the California porn industry in the late ‘70’s. Even though there’s a rise and fall and rise arc to the movie, I’m sure some people don’t want to see anything redemptive coming out of people being paid to screw each other so other people can watch. And then you’ve got the flip-side where some people involved in this industry are doing so with the conviction that they’re doing something creative and artistic.

You’ve got Mark Wahlberg playing a kid that gets involved in the porn industry, quickly becoming a star thanks to the length of his member, and then there are all the other people that are involved – actors, producers, directors, etc. etc. But with his sudden ascent, comes the fall – Markie Mark starts getting into the drugs and so has trouble with his ding-dong, most everybody is also doing drugs as well, the business moves to video which is cheaper than the film which director (played by Burt Reynolds) sees as an affront to his artistic pursuit, etc.

This is a good movie with a great ensemble cast, some of whom haven’t done much since or as well as their own. This is one of John C Reilly’s better performances before he fell into the Will Ferrell orbit (somebody save him!), Philip Seymour Hoffman’s first role of note, and should’ve been the closest Wahlberg ever got to an Oscar (nominated for The Departed? Give me a break – whatta crappy movie that was…; it only got nominated for anything because the Academy realized it missed all Scorsese’s good movies…), the always great Don Cheadle, and has a few real live porn actors and actress’ in non-porn acting roles.

I remember a friend being down right irritable the day after the Oscars that this movie didn’t win anything; this was adding insult to his injury that the movie wasn’t up for more than the three nominations it got and won none (Best supporting actress – Julianne Moore, best supporting actor – Burt Reynolds, best original screenplay – Paul Thomas Anderson). And, true enough, it should’ve been up for more nominations and won some.

T&S sez: 8/10