Marvel's Iron Man 3 (2013)

Advertisements

Iron Man 3 is a 2013 American superhero film featuring the Marvel Comics character Iron Man, produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. It is the sequel to Iron Man and Iron Man 2, and the seventh installment in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, being the first major release in the franchise since the crossover film The Avengers. Shane Black directed a screenplay he co-wrote with Drew Pearce, which is based on the "Extremis" story arc by Warren Ellis. Jon Favreau, who directed the first two films, serves as executive producer, along with Kevin Feige. Robert Downey, Jr. reprises his role as the title character, with Gwyneth Paltrow, Don Cheadle, and Favreau reprising their roles as Pepper Potts, James Rhodes, and Happy Hogan, respectively. Guy Pearce, Rebecca Hall, Stephanie Szostak, James Badge Dale, and Ben Kingsley round out the film's principal cast.

Iron Man 3 was converted to 3D in post-production. The film premiered at the Grand Rex in Paris on April 14, 2013, and was internationally released on April 25, 2013 in IMAX and is scheduled to be released on May 3, 2013 in the United States. The third film is always the crucial one. Spider-Man 3 bungled it up and the series needed a reboot. The Dark Knight Rises was a glorious finale. Iron Man 3 serves up a thumping ace. Iron Man 3 is richly visualised, assorting a US President who resembles George W. Bush, a terrorist who looks like a Chinese Osama, and a smart kid who bails out the hero and who could be straight out of a Steven Spielberg sci-fi. Tony Stark’s romance with Pepper Potts gets a triangle tangle by way of an ex flame (Rebecca Hall), and the sexed-up Iron Man suit - more gold than red this time - is a gadget that can self-assemble or detach individual parts on command.

After the release of Iron Man 2 in May 2010, Favreau decided not to return as director, and in February 2011 Black was hired to rewrite and direct the film. Throughout April and May of 2012, the film's supporting cast was filled out, with Kingsley, Pearce, and Hall brought in to portray key roles. Filming began on May 23, 2012 in Wilmington, North Carolina. The film was shot primarily in North Carolina, with additional shooting in Florida, China and Los Angeles. The film's visual effects were handled by a number of companies, including Scanline VFX, Digital Domain, and Weta Digital.

Iron Man 3 is actually a sequel to last year's monstrous hit, The Avengers, rather than Iron Man 2. There is an obvious attempt at reinventing the series. Shane Black takes over from Jon Favreau, who made the first two Iron Man films. Black, best known as the director of the 2005 crime comedy Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, banks more on old-school thrills to get the story going, though the digital effects on 3D are guaranteed to blow you away. Mandarin sure grabs the eyeballs as does Guy Pearce in his role of the sinister genetic scientist Aldrich Killian, the man who really gets the drama going. Downey Jr. does well to retain an element of freshness as the witty Tony Stark. Three films down, that is credible. Gwyneth Paltrow is lovable as ever, as Stark’s lovergirl Pepper. She sure has the presence to make even a supporting role look special.

Disconnect (2013)

Advertisements

Disconnect is a 2012 drama film directed by Henry Alex Rubin. It stars Jason Bateman, Hope Davis, Frank Grillo, Andrea Riseborough, Paula Patton, Michael Nyqvist, Alexander Skarsgard, and Max Thieriot.[1] The movie also marks the acting debut of fashion designer Marc Jacobs.

People struggle to connect using modern technology. An up and coming reporter hopes her interview with an underage chatroom worker will be her big break. A teenager faces the consequences of cyber bullying. A couple who recently lost their child struggle after their identities are stolen online.

It’s a given at film festivals as much as in multiplexes these days that despite switch-off-your-cell-phone announcements and the occasional grumbling protest, whatever’s onscreen will have to compete with tiny pockets of light from audience members unable to stay off their handhelds. Watching those glow patches come and go during Disconnect reinforces the film’s position on how desensitized we’ve become to these technological intrusions. Not that Henry-Alex Rubin’s schematic multistrand drama is at all shy about articulating its themes.

Directing his first narrative feature, documentary maker Rubin (Murderball) has assembled a solid cast and weaves together the three interconnected stories of Andrew Stern’s original screenplay with elegance and efficiency. But this is a film that voices its warning about the hazards of a wired existence with solemn self-importance. It’s also quite late in the day to be pointing out that we’re so plugged into our devices we often fail to see or hear the people closest to us.

That’s not to say Disconnect is without powerful scenes, and a thread about the heedless consequences of cyber pranks among kids on social network sites probably stands to reach more adolescents than non-fiction treatments of bullying.

Olympus Has Fallen

Advertisements

Olympus Has Fallen is a 2013 American action-thriller film directed by Antoine Fuqua, starring Gerard Butler, Aaron Eckhart, and Morgan Freeman. The film was theatrically released on March 22, 2013.

The President of the United States in 2013, unlike his Nineties Hollywood avatars, takes quite a beating. Remember Harrison Ford in Air Force One (1997) got rid of the snarky terrorist by firmly telling him to get off his plane? There was Morgan Freeman as leader of the free world facing up to killer asteroids with dignity and panache in Deep Impact (1998) and Bill Pullman who joined the fighter pilots to lead a counter attack against the aliens in Independence Day (1994). Of course, there was Jack Nicholson as crazy President Jimmy Dale in Tim Burton’s Mars Attacks (1996), but then that was Burton and Jack.

Post-Recession and multi-trillion dollar debt, the Commander in Chief has to take several beatings and shootings and finally be rescued by a disgraced secret service agent. Olympus has Fallen is not without its guilty pleasures though. Antoine Fuqua (Training Day) has crafted a fast-paced action movie with charismatic actors ensuring enough eye candy.

Gerard Butler plays Mike Banning, the demoted Secret Service agent, who takes apart a well-planned operation with nothing more than his wits and attitude. It is the kind of role Bruce Willis would’ve done in his sleep, with more wit, but never mind. There is Aaron Eckhart as the President, who looks like he is going to burst into a fit of giggles at the impossible plot. Morgan Freeman lends gravitas as acting president and also has one of the only funny lines in the movie.

This movie was amazing, it was like riding on the top thrill dragster at Cedar Point and they never stopped for a break. The director of training day did it again with the directing of this action packed suspense movie amazing actors Aaron Eckhart, Morgan Freeman, Gerard Butler and Angela Basset to name a few. I havent had the chance to sit down and really get into a movie that captured your attention from the start until the end. Best movie this year for me!

G.I. Joe: Retaliation (2013) Film

Advertisements

The G.I. Joes are framed for stealing nuclear warheads from Pakistan by Zartan (Arnold Vosloo) who is impersonating the President of the United States (Jonathan Pryce). The entire team is eliminated in a military strike with Duke (Channing Tatum) as one of the casualties. Roadblock (Dwayne Johnson), Flint (D.J. Cotrona) and Lady Jaye (Adrianne Palicki) are the only survivors.

Meanwhile, Storm Shadow (Byung-hun Lee) and ex-Joe Firefly (Ray Stevenson) rescue Cobra Commander (Luke Bracey) from a penitentiary in Germany. Storm Shadow is injured during the escape and retreats to a temple in the Himalayas to recover. Upon learning that he is alive, the Blind Master (RZA), leader of the Arashikage Clan, sends Snake Eyes (Ray Park) and his apprentice Jinx (Elodie Yung), Storm Shadow's cousin, to capture Storm Shadow so he can answer for the murder of his uncle, the Hard Master.

Roadblock, Flint, and Lady Jaye return to the United States where they set up a base of operations in a rundown gym. After Zartan announces that Cobra will replace the Joes as America's main protective unit, Lady Jaye deduces that someone is impersonating the President, and Roadblock leads them to General Joseph Colton (Bruce Willis) who provides them with weapons and helps them infiltrate a fundraising event that the President will be attending, where Lady Jaye steals a sample of his DNA and confirms that he is Zartan. They escape after a brief confrontation with Firefly and Zandar (Matt Gerald), the head of the Presidential Detail and a member of Cobra.

Snake Eyes and Jinx locate and capture Storm Shadow after a battle with ninjas and take him back to Japan where Storm Shadow reveals that Zartan murdered the Hard Master and he joined Cobra to avenge his uncle, embittered that the clan didn't believe in his innocence. Storm Shadow then accompanies Snake Eyes and Jinx as they join the Joes' efforts to stop Cobra.

Zartan invites the world leaders to a summit, where he blackmails them into disabling their nuclear arsenals, and reveals that he has created Project Zeus: Seven orbital kinetic bombardment weapons of mass destruction at his command. He destroys central London to prove his superiority and threatens to destroy other capitals if the countries don't submit to Cobra. However, Storm Shadow betrays Cobra Commander and kills Zartan, revealing Cobra's deception to the world leaders. While Snake Eyes, Jinx, and Flint fight Cobra's soldiers, Cobra Commander activates the remaining six weapons and instructs Firefly to protect the launch device. Firefly is killed in combat with Roadblock, who deactivates and destroys the orbital weapons. Meanwhile, Colton, and Lady Jaye rescue the President.

Cobra Commander escapes during the battle and Storm Shadow disappears after avenging his uncle. The President initiates a global massive manhunt on Cobra Commander, who is now considered to be a terrorist, and reinstates the Joes with Roadblock leading Flint, Lady Jaye, Snake Eyes, and Jinx, and recruiting more soldiers to join them. Roadblock swears to avenge Duke by killing Cobra Commander.