IRON MAN

[stePH]

The Snarky Avenger recently reviewed Iron Man and called it "the best comic book movie ever."  Any time somebody uses that phrase, the first questions that come to my mind are: "Have you seen X-Men 2 and what did you think of it?"  Answers from Snarky aren't forthcoming, but I went to see Iron Man this afternoon while my wife watched Sex and the City with her girlfriends in the same cineplex.

I can confidently say that the two best comic book movies ever are X2 and Iron Man; more than that I am not prepared to say at this time.  Downey's performance was great, the story was involving and well-paced, and it's set up nicely for a continuation (stay to the very end after the credits to catch Samuel L. Jackson's cameo as Nick Fury of S.H.I.E.L.D.).  I recommend it unreservedly.

[stePH]

Oh, and for the record: I've never read an Iron Man comic, nor The Avengers or any other title that Iron Man has even made a guest or cameo appearance in.  My judgment of the film is based entirely on its own merits as a movie, and not on any connection to the comic.

[Heradel]

Liked Iron Man, but I liked SATC more.

[Tango Alpha Delta]

Liked Iron Man, but I liked SATC more.

Really?  I hesitate to do this, but... no, I don't need doubt.  I drew a mental line in the sand on SATC (TV) and I'm not going to let you trick me into seeing the film! 

[stePH]

Liked Iron Man, but I liked SATC more.

Really?  I hesitate to do this, but... no, I don't need doubt.  I drew a mental line in the sand on SATC (TV) and I'm not going to let you trick me into seeing the film! 

I will be seeing SatC at some point, as I've already watched every episode of the series (some of them more than once).  But today my wife was going with her girlfriends, and I much preferred to see Iron Man.

[edit]
Oh, and hilarious bit: during the montage of magazine covers early in the film, when it comes to Tony Stark coming into his inheritance and taking over Stark Industries, one magazine cover has the headline "Tony Stark takes the reigns at 21". 

Seriously, don't they have editors?   

[CGFxColONeill]

lol did not notice the cover when I saw it thats kinda funny

I liked the movie as well but there were a couple times it was hard to do the whole suspension of disbelief thing ie when
he was falling from several 100 feet in the air and surviving, or when they just happened to find him after he had been wandering for hrs? in the desert, but they could not find him for months? before that.

on the whole I really liked the movie and the special effects were probably the best I have seen in a long time

[Windup]

I've seen both, and liked both, but if I had to choose, Iron Man gets the nod.  Mainly on the strength of Downey's performance as the flawed, enigmatic hero.  

That, and I thought one of the funniest things I've seen in a while was the morning after confrontation between Pepper Potts and the Vanity Fair reporter.  ("I do everything Mr. Stark requires, including, on occasion, taking out the trash."  It's delivered in such civil tones that it takes a minute before you realize what she just said.)

[Tango Alpha Delta]

Liked Iron Man, but I liked SATC more.

Really?  I hesitate to do this, but... no, I don't need doubt.  I drew a mental line in the sand on SATC (TV) and I'm not going to let you trick me into seeing the film! 

I will be seeing SatC at some point, as I've already watched every episode of the series (some of them more than once).  But today my wife was going with her girlfriends, and I much preferred to see Iron Man.

[edit]
Oh, and hilarious bit: during the montage of magazine covers early in the film, when it comes to Tony Stark coming into his inheritance and taking over Stark Industries, one magazine cover has the headline "Tony Stark takes the reigns at 21". 

Seriously, don't they have editors?   

I wonder... pointed jibe at magazine editors, or foul up in the prop shop?

[Heradel]

Liked Iron Man, but I liked SATC more.

Really?  I hesitate to do this, but... no, I don't need doubt.  I drew a mental line in the sand on SATC (TV) and I'm not going to let you trick me into seeing the film! 

Well, I liked it, but I also watched SATC during High School on my own, and I don't think it would have been as good without the emotional investment in the characters. I also wish they'd spent more time with the men, but it was already two and a half hours, so~.

[Windup]

Liked Iron Man, but I liked SATC more.

Really?  I hesitate to do this, but... no, I don't need doubt.  I drew a mental line in the sand on SATC (TV) and I'm not going to let you trick me into seeing the film! 

I will be seeing SatC at some point, as I've already watched every episode of the series (some of them more than once).  But today my wife was going with her girlfriends, and I much preferred to see Iron Man.

[edit]
Oh, and hilarious bit: during the montage of magazine covers early in the film, when it comes to Tony Stark coming into his inheritance and taking over Stark Industries, one magazine cover has the headline "Tony Stark takes the reigns at 21". 

Seriously, don't they have editors?   

I wonder... pointed jibe at magazine editors, or foul up in the prop shop?

Or -- I can't believe TAD, of all people, would overlook this possibility -- demon pun.

[stePH]

Well, I liked it, but I also watched SATC during High School on my own, and I don't think it would have been as good without the emotional investment in the characters. I also wish they'd spent more time with the men, but it was already two and a half hours, so~.

Two hours and fifteen, according to my wife.  But that's still almost as long as the entire fifth season. 

[Tango Alpha Delta]

Or -- I can't believe TAD, of all people, would overlook this possibility -- demon pun.

I would be afraid of banishment to the Ninth Level of Pseudopod if I polluted another thread that way.  Besides, Russell drew a big pentagram around me last time, and I won't even TELL you what he did to that poor chicken...

So demon puns will remain an infernal monologue for this poster. 

[Windup]

Or -- I can't believe TAD, of all people, would overlook this possibility -- demon pun.

I would be afraid of banishment to the Ninth Level of Pseudopod if I polluted another thread that way.  Besides, Russell drew a big pentagram around me last time, and I won't even TELL you what he did to that poor chicken...

So demon puns will remain an infernal monologue for this poster. 

I meant that it was a pun on the part of the faux magazine "editor."  Surely, TAD, you're allowed to post -about- other people's puns without incurring judgement upon yourself?  Would Russell truly be such a harsh diety?  Perhaps he only fears that you will become like him...  Have an apple??   

[stePH]

I've seen both, and liked both, but if I had to choose, Iron Man gets the nod. 

You're a little unclear ... when you say "both", do you mean X-Men 2 or Sex and the City as the film other than Iron Man?

[Tango Alpha Delta]

Or -- I can't believe TAD, of all people, would overlook this possibility -- demon pun.

I would be afraid of banishment to the Ninth Level of Pseudopod if I polluted another thread that way.  Besides, Russell drew a big pentagram around me last time, and I won't even TELL you what he did to that poor chicken...

So demon puns will remain an infernal monologue for this poster. 

I meant that it was a pun on the part of the faux magazine "editor."  Surely, TAD, you're allowed to post -about- other people's puns without incurring judgement upon yourself?  Would Russell truly be such a harsh diety?  Perhaps he only fears that you will become like him...  Have an apple??   

Well, you know how hard it is to interpret the scriptures of N-sh; I figure I should err on the side of caution!

[Planish]

My favourite supporting character was the fire extinguisher 'bot.
There was some great chemistry (so to speak) between it and Stark.

I do wish there had been more of the Black Sabbath Iron Man music. I thought it was sheer genius to synch the opening "Whomp! ... Whomp!" of the drum track with the door-punching in the preview/trailers.

[Windup]

I've seen both, and liked both, but if I had to choose, Iron Man gets the nod. 

You're a little unclear ... when you say "both", do you mean X-Men 2 or Sex and the City as the film other than Iron Man?

X-Men 2 and Iron Man. 

[stePH]

i]X-Men 2[/i] and Iron Man. 

That's what I thought, but I didn't want to assume anything.

[stePH]

I do wish there had been more of the Black Sabbath Iron Man music. I thought it was sheer genius to synch the opening "Whomp! ... Whomp!" of the drum track with the door-punching in the preview/trailers.

In the ending credits was good enough for me.  The song has nothing to do with the comic book character, so I'm pleased that they only used an instrumental section from it.

I always thought the great missed opportunity in this regard was Frank Zappa's "Conehead" during the ending credits of the Coneheads movie.

[Alasdair5000]

Exactly what you said.

One of my all time favourite movies is Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang directed by Shane Black, the man indirectly or directly responsible for some of the greatest action movies of the last twenty years (Also the guy with the glasses reading the comic in Predator).  In it, Downey Junior plays a criminal who, entirely by accident, stumbles onto an audition and...NAILS it.  Flown out to LA to read for a part he finds himself, aided by Val Kilmer as 'Gay Perry' the studio detective caught up in a case which involves pretend detectives, real murders and manages to inform on both noir and action movie logic whilst at the same time being a story in it's own right.  It's GLORIOUS.

The moment Stark says 'Oh no, this is the FUNvee, the HUMDRUMvee is back there'?  I was in:)

Wonderful movie.  Big fun.

[stePH]

Exactly what you said.

One of my all time favourite movies is Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang directed by Shane Black, the man indirectly or directly responsible for some of the greatest action movies of the last twenty years (Also the guy with the glasses reading the comic in Predator).  In it, Downey Junior plays a criminal who, entirely by accident, stumbles onto an audition and...NAILS it.  Flown out to LA to read for a part he finds himself, aided by Val Kilmer as 'Gay Perry' the studio detective caught up in a case which involves pretend detectives, real murders and manages to inform on both noir and action movie logic whilst at the same time being a story in it's own right.  It's GLORIOUS.

The moment Stark says 'Oh no, this is the FUNvee, the HUMDRUMvee is back there'?  I was in:)

Wonderful movie.  Big fun.

Thanks for the recommendation.  It's going on my NetFlix queue ahead of Fight Club.

[stePH]

Oh, and something else just occurred to me a few hours ago, and I just remembered it now:

Unless I've somehow misunderstood "Jarvis", Tony Stark appears to be in possession of an AI that can ace the Turing test.  Does anybody else know about it?

[Ocicat]

Oh, and something else just occurred to me a few hours ago, and I just remembered it now:

Unless I've somehow misunderstood "Jarvis", Tony Stark appears to be in possession of an AI that can ace the Turing test.  Does anybody else know about it?

Just wait for the Avengers movie.  I'd be wiling to bet they use Ultron the robot as the villain.  It will probably end up being a descendant of his "Jarvis" system. 

(In the comics, Ultron is invented by Ant Man, who's also a super scientist, but a biologist.  How a biologist is supposed to create the world's most advanced AI I'll never know.  But then again in the comics Jarvis is a slightly comical butler, just a poor stand-in for Alfred.)

[lieffeil]

Walking out of the theatre, my friends and I realized that we were all craving exactly the same thing: To pick up two pieces of pizza and fold them together in one hand.
I had a great time at this movie. Just... ah. That's Entertainment.

[stePH]

Walking out of the theatre, my friends and I realized that we were all craving exactly the same thing: To pick up two pieces of pizza and fold them together in one hand.

I used to grab two pieces of pizza and put them together like a sandwich.  I haven't done it in a long time though.  Ususally it was when it's a community pizza and I want to be sure to get two pieces before it's all gone.