Aylmer to Zazzoo and Beyond: May 2013

Iron Man 3
(2013 - May 3)
Action | Adventure | Sci-Fi
2 hrs. 10 min.
Rated: PG-13 sequences of intense sci-fi action and violence throughout, and brief suggestive content | Read more
Grade: B-
Director: Shane Black
Writers: Drew Pearce (screenplay), Shane Black (screenplay), 6 more credits »
Stars: Robert Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, Don Cheadle | See full cast and crew

Marvel Studios' "Iron Man 3" pits brash-but-brilliant industrialist Tony Stark/Iron Man against an enemy whose reach knows no bounds. When Stark finds his personal world destroyed at his enemy's hands, he embarks on a harrowing quest to find those responsible. This journey, at every turn, will test his mettle. With his back against the wall, Stark is left to survive by his own devices, relying on his ingenuity and instincts to protect those closest to him. As he fights his way back, Stark discovers the answer to the question that has secretly haunted him: does the man make the suit or does the suit make the man?

In my opinion they 'jumped the shark' with this one. I think the material is getting thin. Its over done, the special effects are too much, the screenplay is desperate and weak as is the direction. It just didn't do it for me. I have enjoyed the previous two installments but this one isn't up to par. More is less and in this one its just more, More, MORE. I didn't buy into all the little sub plots, like the one with the little boy. It is one cliche after another. It's like they just threw everything at the screen to see what would stick and it just became campy, messy with too many subplots and inside jokes that fell flat. These two stills (below) sort of sum up the lameness of this film for me.

If you want mindless noise, big explosions, fist fights, gratuitous action, meaningless deceptions and plot twists for the sake of plot twists, maybe you'll enjoy Iron Man 3. Get a large popcorn to see you through.

Plot Summary: Marvel Studios' "Iron Man 3" pits brash-but-brilliant industrialist Tony Stark/Iron Man against an enemy whose reach knows no bounds. When Stark finds his personal world destroyed at his enemy's hands, he embarks on a harrowing quest to find those responsible. This journey, at every turn, will test his mettle.

With his back against the wall, Stark is left to survive by his own devices, relying on his ingenuity and instincts to protect those closest to him. As he fights his way back, Stark discovers the answer to the question that has secretly haunted him: does the man make the suit or does the suit make the man?

Starring Robert Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, Don Cheadle, Guy Pearce, Rebecca Hall, Stephanie Szostak, James Badge Dale with Jon Favreau and Ben Kingsley, "Iron Man 3" is directed by Shane Black from a screenplay by Drew Pearce and Shane Black and is based on Marvel's iconic Super Hero Iron Man, who first appeared on the pages of "Tales of Suspense" (#39) in 1963 and had his solo comic book debut with "The Invincible Iron Man" (#1) in May of 1968.

Behind the scenes

Cast

Robert Downey Jr. Gwyneth Paltrow Don Cheadle
Tony Stark Pepper Potts Colonel James Rhodes

Guy Pearce Ben Kingsley Rebecca Hall
Aldrich Killian The Mandarin Maya Hansen

Fast And Furious 6
(2013 - May 24)
Action | Crime | Thriller
2 hrs. 10 min.

Rated: PG-13 Intense sequences of violence, action and mayhem throughout, some sexuality and significant profanity Read more
Grade: C+

Director: Justin Lin
Writers: Chris Morgan (screenplay), Gary Scott Thompson (characters)
Stars: Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Dwayne Johnson | See full cast and crew

Hobbs has Dom and Brian reassemble their crew in order to take down a mastermind who commands an organization of mercenary drivers across 12 countries. Payment? Full pardons for them all.

I admit it...Fast and Furious 6 is the first of this franchise I have seen. This is not my type of movie. How does the saying go, if you have low expectations the chances of being disappointed are diminished. Well, that being said this film was better than I expected it to be. That isn't saying much because I expected total boredom.

As expected there are lots of explosions, constant noise, lots of cars revving their engines and driving fast and dangerously and almost as many crashing and burning. This film has a lot of things to annoy me and it did. Stupid plot lines people equipped with weapons but deciding to settle threats via fist fights...so stupid! The screen is absolutely dripping with machismo and testosterone, so freely flowing that it could trigger a contact erection...even if you don't sport that type of equipment!

The action and stunts, however, are incredible and intriguing to watch, even though they are so ridiculously implausible (For example, the climactic scene with the cargo plane...this has got to be the longest runway on earth. It is all just so fantastically inane. But the special effects are, in deed, the reason I gave this film as high a grade as I did. Note the photo below)...

but none the less fascinating to watch. So, if you like loud movies with lots of car crashes, guns, fist fights, cardboard cut-out acting, buy a large popcorn and soda, leave your brain home and enjoy yourself.

Synopsis:

Vin Diesel, Paul Walker and Dwayne Johnson lead the returning cast of all-stars as the global blockbuster franchise built on speed races to its next continent in Fast & Furious 6. Reuniting for their most high-stakes adventure yet, fan favorites Jordana Brewster, Michelle Rodriguez, Tyrese Gibson, Sung Kang, Gal Gadot, Chris "Ludacris" Bridges and Elsa Pataky are joined by badass series newcomers Luke Evans and Gina Carano.

Since Dom (Diesel) and Brian's (Walker) Rio heist toppled a kingpin's empire and left their crew with $100 million, our heroes have scattered across the globe. But their inability to return home and living forever on the lam have left their lives incomplete.

Meanwhile, Hobbs (Johnson) has been tracking an organization of lethally skilled mercenary drivers across 12 countries, whose mastermind (Evans) is aided by a ruthless second-in-command revealed to be the love Dom thought was dead, Letty (Rodriguez). The only way to stop the criminal outfit is to outmatch them at street level, so Hobbs asks Dom to assemble his elite team in London. Payment? Full pardons for all of them so they can return home and make their families whole again.

Building on the worldwide blockbuster success of Fast Five and taking the action, stunts and narrative to even greater heights, Fast & Furious 6 sees director Justin Lin back behind the camera for the fourth time. He is supported by longtime producers Neal H. Moritz and Vin Diesel, who welcome producer Clayton Townsend back to the series. (c) Fox

Some of the car crashes are a little more intriguing after watching this clip (below) on the 'flip car' they built for the film.

The Fast and Furious franchise has legs. Installment 6 had a budget of $160 million and even before opening in the USA has already earned $177 million in foreign markets and added $98,528,000 on its US opening weekend. Naturally there will be a 7th installment which is scheduled for 2015. The new villain is revealed in a spoiler at the end of the film.