While it captivity, his captors demand Tony use his technical prowess to build them a Jericho missile. Rather than aid his terrorist captors, Tony builds the means for his escape; the Mark I. Upon his return home, Stark vows to reform Stark Industries for good. During his captivity, his self-discovery showed him that weapons of war are not the means to riches; they are the means to death and destruction. While Tony is busy reorganizing Stark Industries, those closest to him have other plans for his company.

Hollywood has lined up a new film for every superhero that has ever seed the inside of a comic book. Obviously, some will fail, while others thrive. Thankfully, Iron Man was one that seemed to thrive. While not perfect in every aspect, what it managed to do well, it did really well.

First the bad. For the first half of the film, the bad guys were a group of terrorists ambiguously named The Ten Rings. The film does a wonderful job of making them out to be the most evil beings on the planet. You are over joyed when Stark gets his revenge. The only problem was, his revenge comes about an hour into the film. After killing off the main bad guys, a new baddie must be identified. Sadly, there is next to no back-story on the new bad guy, so you don’t feel that it was out of Tony’s element when he eliminates him. Next time, we’ll only need one reason for our protagonist to fight, not eleven.

Now the good. What Iron Man did well was make Iron Man really seem like a super hero. Robert Downey Jr. played the most lovable, piece of elitist scum possible. You loved every minute of seeing him get torn down from his high horse, but you also felt bad for him when he hit rock bottom. This was mostly due to Downey Jr.’s impeccable acting in the role. Even after coming home you could see he was still an asshole, but one who had a little more love in his heart.

Aside from the acting, the special effects really portrayed a level of technology that is only present in comic books. Automated systems rebuilding suits of armor in 8 hours is only the stuff of computer-generated trickery; but that didn’t stop it from being totally awesome. Thankfully, the technology didn’t try to be ‘real’, which left it open to rather ridiculous concepts, but that’s fine. Viewers know it’s a superhero movie and expect a certain level of unbelievability.

His reign is to be short-lived though. A band of marauders attacks the village stealing several men, women and children to be their slaves. Among those taken is Evolet, and D’Leh is forced to pursue in an attempt to rescue her. Aided by his father’s friend, Tic’Tic(Curtis), D’Leh must travel beyond the White Mountains, through the forests and across the deserts, to the land of the gods to save the woman he loves.

Compared to the time after, little is known about the time period before 4,000 B.C.E. (Before Common Era, the correct naming). 4,000 B.C.E. was when civilizations started emerging through the banding together of small tribes. Obviously, this film wasn’t titled to include that time-period, but the story was. A major aspect of the film revolved around the construction of a pyramid. Presumably, this is one of the Pyramids at Giza, because of their proximity to the Nile in the film and real life. The problem is, those pyramids weren’t built until around 2,500 B.C.E., not 10,000 B.C.E..

Really, the film feels like it wanted to be Apocalypto, or at least, to build a box office rake on it’s coattails. What 10,000 lacks in a engaging story, it makes up in visual effects. Truly, the effects were astounding; from the stampedes of mammoths to the rain-soaked sabre-tooth tiger to the construction of the pyramid. Sadly, the visuals were not enough to distract from the breathtakingly lackluster story, which revolved around a young hunter trying to save a young girl he loves from certain death.

Reflecting on the film, I realize that what was subtly apparent was the disappointing amount of non-action there was. Over and over, the suspense was built up only to find out what happened was ultimately underwhelming. Normally, films don’t delve into the action too quickly in fear of disappointing later. Watching 10,000 you are kept in a constant state of apprehension; waiting for something to happen, that never does.

10,000 felt like a cross between Apocalypto and Stargate, minus the worm-holes. Viewers who have a critical eye for films that aren’t historically accurate should shy away. Others looking for a mediocre film with pretty visuals to watch on a snowy Saturday are in for a treat!

Cloverfield‘s first trailer was shown during Transformers, at which time, it was simply the untitled film that showed an attack on New York and the date 01.18.08. Being the king of viral marketing, J.J. Abrams setup a very elaborate scheme to keep the film, and it’s monster, a secret until opening day. Shooting under a cacophony of working titles to keep everything under wraps, Abrams was mostly successful at building the suspense for the film.

Sadly, I think the film didn’t live up to that suspense. Going into the theatre, I knew Cloverfield was a monster movie. It had previously been suggested that this was going to be ‘America’s Godzilla’. Knowing that, you are treated to a film that isn’t so much about the monster, but the actors in the film about the monster. While it is an interesting and unique story, it really leaves nothing known about the monster itself. The cliffhanger may have been what J.J. Abrams wanted. Currently, Hollywood is very good at milking a franchise for all it’s worth; the Cloverfield monster seems to be destined for a similar fate as Saw and Spiderman.

The acting in the film was surprisingly well done, considering all those cast were relatively unknown. The actors didn’t actually know what film they were trying out for until they agree to join the project. The special effects were very well done at both a large and small scale. Scenes containing large landscapes of New York had as much detail as scenes shot in a subway tunnel.

I do have two gripes with the film though; first, most of the film was shot without a steady-cam. This leads to the very home-movie feel for the film, which is horribly nauseating. Multiple times I was forced to cover my eyes to settle my stomach, not from the gruesomeness, but from the jarring cinematography. The second issue I have with the film is with the idea of switching between the videos on the tape. A DV tape, as is suggested to be used in the film, doesn’t behave in the way it is show in the film. While recording over a tape, there isn’t a way to stop recording while keeping the tape playing without manually forwarding it. The seamless switching between stories doesn’t make much technological sense.

Other than my personal gripes, I’d say Cloverfield is an interesting monster movie. Plans are already in the works for a second film due out in 2009. Be prepared for another installment, and be sure to stock up on Dramamine before viewing.

As a ruthless assassin, Anton could be perceived as the devil incarnate. He will mercilessly kill anyone without thought if they have something he wants. Hot on the Llewelyn’s trail, Anton leaves a wake of death that does not go unnoticed. Sheriff Bell(Jones) has seen a lot in his days as a law man. The latest string of brutal murders is the some of the worst. To try and save him, Bell tries to track down Llewelyn all while attempting to comprehend the logic behind current events. In the end, he realizes that life will happen whether you can comprehend it or not.

A philosophic film, No Country for Old Men is presented like an action/drama film. The action and drama are there, but something is missing. Maybe it is a lack of character motivation behind Anton Chigurh. Or perhaps it is the parallel stories in the film that never seem to connect fully. It may just be simply the absence of music in the film, but No Country doesn’t feel complete.

The Coen brothers are well known for their films which act as both silver screen entertainment and ruthless social commentary, but No Country seems to be lacking on both counts. The film doesn’t have an ‘end’ so much as it just drags you along then just stops. There are several places in the film which could constitute a conclusion of the film, but it doesn’t end where it would seem natural. Instead, the film is drawn out beyond those points and simply dumped leaving the viewer wondering, ‘what happened?’

As for social commentary, No Country has it in spades, but it isn’t anything that hasn’t been told before. The idea that life is ruthless and there are horrifically evil people out there is something everyone knows. Sure, this film will highlight that fact with plenty of squirting blood and pain-filled screams, but who really needs to be hit by a train full of the-world-is-evil-and-life-sucks-then-you-die?

In the end of the film, the only characters that live are Sheriff Bell and Chigurh. Those are the two characters I would have least like to have seen survive. Throughout the film, Sheriff Bell plays the grouchy old grandpa complaining about how the world has gone to hell in a hand basket and kids these days have no respect for anything. Near the end of the film, he gets told off by his father who explains that, sure life sucks now, but it has always sucked. I just sucked in different ways in the past. Chigurh is of course the sociopathic killer. The whole film you are engendered to hate him and relish the moments when he is wounded or disadvantaged. In the end, he lives.

I’ll be the first to give recognition where it is due. There has never been a film like No Country before. The pessimism that oozes out of this film is plentiful. The sad part is that moviegoers enter the theatre expecting a somber commentary but are presented with a downright depressing exposition of how miserable life is.

After killing the double, and failing to kill the real Belicoff, 47 is public enemy number one. Hunted by Interpol agents and Russian FSB agents, 47 must unravel the mystery behind his failed job and the connection between his intended target and the beautiful Nika Boronina(Kurylenko).

When I first heard Hitman was coming out as a film-adaptation of the hit video game, I was expecting an experience similar to other games-to-movies such as Resident Evil(mediocre adaptation) or Doom(horrible adaptation). In preparation, I bought the Hitman games and played them through. The sheer difficulty and time-intensiveness of the Hitman games is the subject of another review, but suffice it to say, to play as Agent 47 you must be methodical.

Thankfully, the movie really delivered a superb interpretation of the game. Olyphant was perfect for the role, lending a cool exterior with a troubled personality buried deep by years of obedience. He created a character who isn’t so much a man but a creation wanting to be a man. In addition, the action sequences brought back memories of levels in the games. Stashing a weapon in a toilet tank is taken directly from the video game.

Of course, no modern film would be complete without a love interest, but the film was not poisoned by making Agent 47 turn into some sappy love-struck puppy near the end of the film. Kurylenko was absolutely stunning in her role, and would have had me in an instant, but true to character, Agent 47 maintained his ruthless killer instincts and didn’t fall into a ill-placed sex scene. The film ends with a cliffhanger, but this will be one show that deserves a sequel; as long as it maintains the current level of excellence. Hitman set the bar high for future films based on games.

Beowulf lures Grendel into the great hall of Heorot to do battle with him, man against beast. Knowing that weapons will not kill Grendel, Beowulf fights him with his wits and brawn. After besting his foe, Beowulf is made king of Heorot in return for freeing Hrothgar from the curse of his illegitimate son.

Enraged at Beowulf, Grendel’s mother kills his army while he sleeps, attempting to lure him into her lair to exact revenge. When Beowulf arrives, she is impressed with his courage and asks him to give her another son for taking hers. She promises him all the wealth and power he could ever desire in return. Consenting, Beowulf returns to Heorot, not knowing that his choice will come back to haunt him.

When a movie is based off of an epic tale, you expect it to be epic itself. There is a certain badassness that you envision in the film adaptation that you imagined while reading the story it was derived from. Sometimes expecting a film to live up to your own hype is a bad idea. This was a perfect example of that. What started as an epic tale of heroism and pride, ended up as a cartoonish farce of machoness and a-list actors.

What film Beowulf lacked in respect to the original story, it more than made up for using ghastly CGI and laughable story jumps. The whole time I was watching the movie I was distracted by the computer generated actors. It all looks like it should be included in the 4th Shrek movie. The only redeeming part of the CG was the battle sequences and the landscape shots. The CGI really worked well for the dragon battle at the end of the film, other than that, the characters seemed cartoonish and distracting. Beowulf is simply a mediocre movie based off an amazing story which was tarnished by a creative director with too much zeal for wanting to be different. Epic films are supposed to look real, fairy tales are supposed to look fake. Keep those two genres separate because that’s when they work the best.

Building the back-story of his previous life, Saw IV delves into what made Jigsaw do the things he does. Before he became a sociopath, Jigsaw was an expecting father. But when a junkie attacks his wife, killing her unborn child, Jigsaw realizes the horrors of the human existence. That, coupled with the knowledge of his progressive brain cancer, builds in him a need to make others value their lives and pay for their sins.

Saw IV rebirths the Saw legacy with twisted plot points and gut-wrenching visuals, and while it’s all in Saw style, it’s different; and not in a good way. What is different about Saw IV is the lack of immediate context for each of the life-threatening puzzles. In previous movies, entire hours were spent building the suspense and revealing different aspects of a “contestant’s” puzzle. Now, the reveal, the build-up and the execution all occur within ten minutes. This is obviously because audiences expect a quick progression, having seen the previous three films.

Slowly, the series has become less about the “contestants” in the puzzles, and more about the police and FBI officers hunting Jigsaw. In the end, all those officers and agents have ended up contestants themselves, leading to the question, ‘*sigh* Alright, who’s next…?’ I remember seeing the first Saw and absolutely loving it. I remember staring in wide-eyed amazement during the end of the film just saying ‘What the f*ck!?’ Not really knowing how everything played out until the very end.

Not so with the latest film. Throughout, I was constantly thinking, ‘How much more of this will I have to endure before the film is over?’ The first film built the story fluidly and deeply; focusing on one puzzle and the story of the two men in a single bathroom. The latest has no fewer than 10 people in 8 puzzles all getting only slivers of screen time before moving on to the next victim.

I guess when a studio has a good idea, they’ll run it into the ground. The problem is, the Saw series is lacking in quality and there isn’t an end in sight. Saw IV ended with an obvious cliffhanger and we can expect another film. Hopefully, Lionsgate will have the foresight to bring a big climatic finish sooner rather than later to preserve the genius that is the Saw series before audiences get bored.

Quickly, his success lands him in the sights of the newly formed police division sworn to battle in the war on drugs. This elite team of cops is led by Richie Roberts(Crowe), a good cop with a reputation for turning in a million dollars of free money. Other cops aren’t so clean and shiny. Detective Trupo(Brolin) is a crooked cop on the take, looking to make something off Frank Lucas’ good business practices.

What is there to say about a film that doesn’t really live up to the hype? For close to two months now, I’ve seen previews for American Gangster before at least one movie a week. The previews looked really good. Other sites built up the hype, believing this was the next Oscar worthy film. While I don’t think the film was bad, on the contrary it was good, it just wasn’t great. It was worth the $5 to go see it, but didn’t leave me with much else after I left the theater.

Ridley Scott is a wonderful director. Blade Runner and Alien were his best two films. American Gangster wasn’t bad, but it didn’t have the ‘wow’ of a Gladiator or Black Hawk Down. But I guess, it takes a few mediocre movies to make the good ones seem really good, so I won’t hold it against him.

Set in the late 16th century, during a period of religious unrest between the power-hungry nations of Europe, The Golden Age begins as a story of a beloved queen. Elizabeth, lacking child, is expected to marry and produce an heir. Meanwhile, forces near and far align against her, each looking to further their fortunes and territories. Mary Stuart ‘Queen of Scots’(Morton), Elizabeth’s cousin, believes she is the rightful successor to the throne and is plotting an assassination from her prison. In league with King Philip II of Spain(Mollà), their plan is to kill the queen and revert England back to Catholic rule.

Back from The New World bearing gifts for the Queen, Raleigh intends to return and stake claim in the name of England. His ambitions are put on hold while Elizabeth appraises her newly found conqueror. Impressed by his boldness, the Queen tries to stake claim in Raleigh, only to have him stolen away by Elizabeth(Cornish), her own lady in waiting.

The movie is built like a romance, yet includes epic battle scenes, daring in-fighting and betrayal. Sure to be a crowd-pleaser for everyone, a solid recommendation to see is in order. Be prepared for emotional ups and downs, as the story progresses and the intricacies build.

Throughout the film, the duality of Elizabeth is shown in spades. Her first duty is to her country, but she longs to have something left for herself. Blanchett delivers an Elizabeth which is commanding and serene from one moment to the next. The film is built on her skill at portraying a strong, willful and compassionate queen as well as a gentle, playful and dove-like woman and mother of England. A solid foundation indeed.