Iron Man II

Action, sci-fi

We Filipino movie fans should consider ourselves lucky. We’ve been able to watch such movies like Iron Man II ahead of American fans. So there. One more reason why it’s better to live in the Philippines than America. Also, movies here are cheaper to watch.

I was able to watch Iron Man II at my favorite theater in Greenhills. For P200 (a little more than $4; last time I was in the States, a movie ticket cost $7.50 or something), I sat back expecting to enjoy the second installment of this Marvel super hero movie, after the first one released two years ago became a huge hit. Of course there will be a third installment, according to Robert Downey Jr. himself. And why not?

RDJ made the role of Tony Stark his own. He breathes life to the role of playboy billionaire-inventor with a drinking problem.

Some reviews I read say that IM2 is not quite as good as the first. I disagree. IM2 is better because of the presence as such stars as Mickey Rourke, Samuel L. Jackson and my favorite, Scarlett Johansson.

Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow

Comic fans will not like the fact that the characters they play are not mentioned by their super hero names. So Rourke is not called Whiplash and Johansson is never referred to as Black Widow.

Mickey Rourke as the character Whiplash

Even the alternate Iron Man is not directly called War Machine, although the phrase is used to refer to him. But this is a minor point for a non-comic geek like me.

War Machine, the other Iron Man

I watch to enjoy and I really did enjoy IM2 a lot. Director Jon Favreau who plays Stark’s driver-bodyguard Happy Hogan overdid himself with this one. He must have worked with a really good script because the entire movie never lets up. The pacing is fast and the action scenes are awesome.

Director Jon Favreau as Stark's Happy Hogan

Oh, and did I say that Scarlett Johansson is there? Just live with it, guys. I’m that big a fan. Sam Jackson is no longer playing Col. Nick Fury, head of SHIELD, in a small cameo. He is now an integral part of the plot. There is even a reference to the “Avengers Initiative” which should drive Marvel fans crazy with anticipation.

Samuel Jackson as Col. Nick Fury

Unlike the movies of rival DC comics, the Marvel heroes belong to one universe. This is why Downey as Iron Man is expected to appear in the Avengers movie, planned for 2012 or 2013. Aw, sana ang shooting before the end of the world sa 2012

He will definitely be joined by Captain America (movie about to start shooting) and Thor (currently in production), and maybe even the Hulk. The shield of Cap is seen in both Iron Man movies, while — spoiler alert! — the hammer of Thor is also shown in the latest.

In the last Hulk movie, Downey as Stark talks to Gen. Thunderbolt Ross in the extra scene after the credits about a certain initiative.

And while the Black Widow may not be an original, founding member of the Avengers, the character has already been introduced in IM2. In fact, she’s an agent who reports to Fury. Just like in the comics.

Going back to the movie, there are also a lot of snappy one-liners for comic relief, and they add to the entertainment value of the film.

I give Iron Man II a full five stars. I will buy the DVD when it comes out because I would like to watch it again. And again.

Death at a Funeral, UK version

DVD review, comedy

I was a bit surprised when I very recently saw the trailer for a movie called Death at a Funeral. I have a DVD of a movie of this same title, which turns out is the British original, not the one that is now showing in the States.

What gives? I saw the British version a few months ago. Why would the Americans do a remake so soon after the original came out?

I can understand the Americans remaking Japanese or Chinese films, even those of recent vintage. The Grudge quickly comes to mind. But a remake of an English language movie which was released fairly recently?

Something sure is wrong with this picture. Gaya-gaya, puto-maya? Read more »

The 13th Warrior

Action

This is one of my favorite films but for reasons I will never understand, this movie remains one of the most unappreciated in its genre. It helped turn Antonio Banderas into a complete star, after he was beginning to be typecast in romantic Latino roles.

In The 13th Warrior, Banderas became an action star, playing an Arab Muslim poet who joins a small group of Vikings to help a village under threat of total destruction by an unknown supernatural enemy. Read more »

Let the Right One In

Must watch, horror movie

One reviewer called this European film the “best vampire movie ever,” which I was sure was grossly exagerrated. It had a cast of unknowns and was made in Sweden or Switzerland or something. One of those cold Nordic countries with lots of snow.

But damn, so many months after watching it, I still can’t forget some of its most memorable scenes. Desolate scenes and a bare sound track make this stand out, especially considering its genre. Read more »

Bitch Slap

Action

Take three sexy, unknown “actresses” willing to show off their bods, place them in a Tarantino-style movie, add a few surprising plot twists and you have an oddly entertaining film for men called Bitch Slap.

Wait, did I say for men? Yup, all the semi-nudity in the action film is intended to appeal to the lowest common denominator that teens to middle aged boys will go for — sex. Women who watch it, however, will be pleasantly surprised because Bitch Slap actually shows the fairer sex at their empowered best. Read more »

Ode to Palito – National Artist of the Masses

sariling atin

One of the country’s most unappreciated comic geniuses passed away this week. Who has never heard of Palito, who willingly typecast himself as a living corpse?

Surely Palito is a true immortal. He was dead long before he died. That is, he was known to all Filipinos for his countless movie and TV roles not as a zombie but as a living dead. He may not even be truly dead, but is just pretending to be.

In showbiz, he will live forever. He did so many films with the country’s biggest stars, including the late Chiquito, Fernando Poe Jr. and Dolphy. He even got top billing in a few cult films including the aptly titled James Bone, the skeletal Pinoy James Bond. Read more »