Film Review Vault: Iron Man

Film: Iron Man

Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 93%
Wikipedia
IMDB

Coop's Take:

The most recent Superman movie represented everything wrong with modern-day hero movie hype: no chemistry, too much noise, poor script. From the opening scene of Iron Man, it was obvious this film would take a different direction in the genre: brilliant writing, brilliant acting, brilliant direction. One of the best comic/superhero movies I've seen since the original Superman films--Robert Downey Jr. is as good as they come: by far my favorite actor today (see Saints); the film was brilliantly cast (Howard, Bridges, Paltrow); a great achievement for director John Favreau.

Favorite Acting Scene:
RDJ building the suit while acting with the inadament.

Trivia:

• Rachel McAdams was Jon Favreau's first choice to play Pepper Potts, but she turned the role down.
• Nicolas Cage and Tom Cruise were interested in playing Iron Man. Cruise in particular was going to act in and produce the film.
• The script was not completely prepared when filming began, since the filmmakers were more focused on the story and the action, so the dialogue was mostly ad-libbed throughout filming; Jon Favreau acknowledged this made the film feel more natural. Some scenes were shot with two cameras to capture lines improvised on the spot; Robert Downey Jr. would ask for many takes of one scene since he wanted to try something new... (more trivia)
  

Coop's Movie Rating: 8
Coop's Trailer Rating: 6 1/2

Trailer:




Wired Review: Iron Man a New High for RDJ
Robert Ebert's Review

Unscripted:




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A frothy Guinness to you for stopping by and another for coming back,
Stagekid

Film Review Vault: There Will Be Blood

Film: There Will Be Blood

Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 92%
Award: Won 2 Oscars (Best Actor, Best Cinematography)
Wikipedia
IMDB

Coop's Take: There are few actors working today that truly capture the screen; Daniel Day Lewis is certainly one of those special talents. In a time where most movies aim for big action and fluff, every so often a film comes along that heightens the art to a level worthy of its history and its potential as a medium for story-telling, for expression. There Will Be Blood is a great achievement by Paul Thomas Anderson & Co. It's definitely on my top 3 for 2007 (and ahead of No Country for Old Men).

2007 was a good year for film: No Country for Old Men, There Will Be Blood, Once, Sweeney Todd, Into the Wild, Juno, King of Kong and a handful of others (Breach, American Gangster, Sicko). I'll have to look back to see if I already completed my Top 10 for 2007 (I usually wait to see movies on video--unless we're talking about a film like Iron Man; I think my next post will be to start building my Top 10 list for 2008)

Favorite Acting Scene: The bowling alley scene where DD Lewis puts on an absolute clinic in acting.

Trivia:

• While on location in Marfa, Texas, No Country for Old Men was the neighboring film production. One day, director Paul Thomas Anderson and his crew tested the pyrotechnical effects of the oil derrick fire, causing an enormous billowing of smoke, intruding the shot that Joel Coen and Ethan Coen were shooting. This caused them to put off filming until the next day when the smoke dissipated from view. Both this film and No Country for Old Men would eventually become the leading contenders at the Academy Awards a year and a half later.
• Anderson told Entertainment Weekly magazine that the fake oil used throughout the movie included "the stuff they put in chocolate milkshakes at McDonald's."... (more trivia)
  

Coop's Movie Rating: 9
Coop's Trailer Rating: 8

Robert Ebert's Review

Trailer

(HD version)

Charlie Rose (a look at Blood and No Country)

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A frothy Guinness to you for stopping by and another for coming back,
Stagekid

Video Vault: Where the Hell is Matt?

I want to hang out with Matt over a Guinness and a globe (and just to be clear: this, to me, is what life is all about: a simple idea executed brilliantly):


Where the Hell is Matt? (2008) from Matthew Harding on Vimeo.
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A frothy Guinness to you for stopping by and another for coming back,
Stagekid

Film Review Vault: Schindler's List

Film: Schindler's List
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 96%

Award: Won 7 Oscars including Best Picture
Wikipedia
IMDB

Coop's Take: A legacy-changing film, from one of the great directors of all time--Schindler's List is a true masterpiece. Liam Neeson, Ben Kingsley, and Ralph Fiennes give performances unmatched by but a few. Everything I have always believed about film--in terms of potential for story-telling; distribution of a message; the power to invoke anger or confusion or elation--pours out in Schindler's List.

Favorite Acting Scene: Amon Goeth in the wine cellar, where he's battling with his feelings for Helen Hirsch. Ralph Fiennes is first-class in everything I've seen him in (especially The English Patient and The End of the Affair).

Trivia:

• To prepare for the role, Ralph Fiennes put on almost 30 pounds drinking Guinness;
• Harrison Ford was offered the title role but declined, saying that some people would not be able to look past him as a star to see the importance of the film... (more trivia)
  

Coop's Movie Rating: 10
Coop's Trailer Rating: 9

Trailer


Siskel & Ebert Review


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A frothy Guinness to you for stopping by and another for coming back,
Stagekid

Film Trailer Vault: The Wackness

The Wackness: HD Trailer

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Stagekid

Film Review Vault: A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints

Film: A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 75%
Box Office: $420,603
Wiki
IMDB
Trailer

Coop's Take: I will never get tired of films or stories that try to express the struggle of youth--a struggle that often times involve a desperate need to break away from home--from our town or neighborhood; from our parents or friends. Saints offers a mid-1980's, Queens, NY struggle of Dito Montiel, played by--in my opinion--the best actor working today and who may end up being the best of all time: Robert Downey Jr; RDJ's role is quite minimal, but his impact is, as always, a game changer--a film changer.

Shia Labeouf turns in a fantastic performance: there is absolutely no surprise seeing Spielberg & Co. jump at the opportunity to work with this kid. After his performance here--accompained by his role in the Rear Window-influenced, Disturbia--Labeouf's young career has risen quicker than any I've seen.

An Intro to Movie Posts on This Blog: The above links will lead to a ton of reviews if that's your thing, but too much influence/information can stain the experience. Personally, I like researching a film after I've gone through the viewing experience. So... read Coop's Take (I'll never give away an ending or a climatic scene: my focus will be more on the acting), watch the trailer (I'll try to link to the highest quality resolution), and come back, again, after you've seen the film to discuss (I'm also on FriendFeed)!

Ideally, I'd watch my films in a huge movie theatre, surrounded by nobody and nothing--except for my drenched-in-butter popcorn and a water-I-brought-from-home-because-those-charging-5-bucks-for-a-Pepsi-produced-bottle-should-be-arrested. But since the movie theatre experience is dying and since time is becoming increasingly important, a lot of my viewing will be on my iTouch: better to have seen Schindler's List (my next review) than to keep it rotting on my life list.

Also: I am a huge fan of movie trailers: it's art much in the same way a short story is art. Therefore, I'll not only be rating my movies, but also its trailer:

Coop's Movie Rating: 7 ½
Coop's Trailer Rating: 8

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A frothy Guinness to you for stopping by and another for coming back,
Stagekid

"Lessons in Productivity from Ralph Waldo Emerson"

Source: ZenHabits
Post: "Lessons in Productivity from Ralph Waldo Emerson"

I am nowhere close to where I want to be in terms of productivity. I never want to feel satisfied. Is there anything worse than apathy and complacency?

"Emerson eliminated distractions by limiting the amount of books he read, streamlining “lower duties” like household chores, and avoiding relationships with people whose nervous temperaments upset his focus. While today there are many more distractions than in Emerson’s day, we too can reduce our information consumption. Put Haiku Productivity in practice by limiting the amount of stuff you own, RSS feeds you read, and times you check email. By doing so, you’ll create an environment"...

and

“Ah!” said a brave painter to me, thinking on these things, “if a man has failed, you will find he has dreamed instead of working. There is no way to success in our art, but to take off your coat, grind paint, and work like a digger on the railroad, all day and every day--RW Emerson” ... (keep reading)

Today's Related RSS fodder: "The Howard Roark of Engineering"
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A frothy Guinness to you for stopping by and another for coming back,
Stagekid

Video Vault: WineLibrary TV

I'm a huge fan of Gary Vaynerchuk (hat tip to my brother). Expect his new videos to pop up here every once in awhile:

"With a wealth of knowledge and an entrepreneurial spirit, Gary spent every weekend of his college years at his parents’ store, rebranding the family business as Wine Library and establishing himself as a respected expert. As the store’s only wine buyer, he sampled every wine that entered the store. Customers depended on Gary for his advice and within a five year time period, Wine Library grew from a $4 million dollar business to a $45 million business:"




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A frothy Guinness to you for stopping by and another for coming back,
Stagekid

An Ode to Declarations

What I love about blogging is that you can make declarations (e.g. my last post) and change your mind the next day.

I realized last night there was no way to put restrictions on the content of this blog. My last post therefore, is more of a rant. The root: I need to write more: I need to blog more. I've always had an appreciation--a passion--for film, literature, and theatre/acting; it's not surprising that I came to the conclusion yesterday that these topics needed more of my attention. Attention they will get, but to confine my efforts to express, is the wrong decision--at least for the purposes of this blog.

Thanks for keeping up :)

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A frothy Guinness to you for stopping by and another for coming back,
Stagekid

Blogging Evolution

It's time to (at least temporarily) evolve the blog. While I enjoy posting on anything that interests me (technology, politics, social networking, etc.) the noise is beginning to distract:

Politics: It's been exciting for me, this past year, to follow the presidential campaign. I had no idea how hungry I was for politics: it's been life-changing, in a sense, to take a stance on issues that will effect not only my life, but my kids' lives as well. Consider me hooked (especially during the next eight years of the Obama presidency).

Technology: Web 2.0 is the immediate future. There will be no escaping it and for those who think it won't affect their lives, they're wrong. Embrace the potential, people.

Contributing to online political and web 2.0 discussions will continue in a major way (Politico, FriendFeed, Twitter, other blogs, etc.), but for the purpose of this blog, it is time to get back to, and focus on, what I am truly passionate about: film, literature, and theatre.

Film: With the introduction of Apple's iTouch, I am watching more movies and documentaries than I ever could have imagined. I am finally getting to that usually unattainable"Oh, thanks for recommendation: I will add it to my must-see" list. I want a place to track and comment on what I watch. Working at the University of Washington, I have free access to an unlimited amount of movies: I grab the documentary or film I want, take it home, iTouch it...all for free. I am finally able to watch all those PBS documentaries: building the Brooklyn Bridge; biographies of FDR and Eugene O'Neill; the birth of NYC's subway system; the history of Broadway. AFI's top films of all time--bring em on: from Chaplin to Brando; from It Could Happen One Night to Schindler's List. Finally I can watch those films that seemed to sneak in and out of the box office without my even realizing they were there: from A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints to Fast Food Nation.

Literature: I won't even get into what will happen when I finally get the yet-to-be released, v.2 Amazon Kindle, but books for me have always been my escape. The written word is unrivaled in terms of expression and emotion. Hemingway's A Farewell to Arms or The Sun Also Rises, Graham Greene's Heart of the Matter, Ondaatje's The English Patient, Chabon's Kavalier and Clay--these are perfect stories and perfected prose; they, and many others, are beautifully written. This blog will be where I capture the emotion--the confusion--I feel when confronted with the story or character I come across.

Theatre: The stage is where our life--our culture--is at its best. The script, the preparation, the story, the actor, the stage: there is nothing more powerful in terms of emotion and in terms of the human condition. My credits are one (Our Town: George Gibbs)--but those three months of complete transformation changed the way I look at life. The final curtain closed, the production had ended--but a passion for the stage had just begun. I may never get back onto that stage, but I will certainly find my way back to the theatre. This blog will chronicle that journey.

I gave myself 60 seconds to write a personal tagline of what this blog will now represent within the online space:

"Film, literature, and theatre: just another triple-treat connoisseur (and often times fanatic) of skilled acting, depth in prose, and anything theatre."

It might stick.

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A frothy Guinness to you for stopping by and another for coming back,
Stagekid