Atenção os leitores que gostam de filmes na faixa. Mais cinco filmes, mais um post. Abaixo segue os comentários e fotos de cada um deles.

Só para lembrar, a escala é a seguinte: de 0 a 2, não assista – não vale nem R$1,99! 3 é por sua conta, assista e tire sua conclusão. 4 e 5 eu “agarantio”: pode assistir sossegado, vale R$1,99!  Detalhes técnicos do Cine Player. Vamos aos filmes:

16 quadras: Um policial recebe a missão de escoltar uma testemunha para o tribunal. O que parecia uma missão ordinária, acaba tendo inúmeras complicações quando bandidos querem envolver-se nela.

Nota 4. Filme muito legal e cheio de ação. Em momento algum o filme perdeu o ritmo. Nota 4 com louvor!  

Homem de Ferro: A vida do inventor e maior fornecedor de armas do governo americano Tony Stark nunca mais será a mesma depois que ele é atacado e mantido refém por um grupo de rebeldes afegãos. Ferido por estilhaços de granada que se alojam perto de seu coração, Tony recebe a ordem de construir no cativeiro uma devastadora arma, mas, em vez disso, usa suas habilidades para criar uma armadura que permite que ele consiga fugir. Ao retornar aos Estados Unidos, Tony promete dar um novo rumo às Indústrias Stark. Ele passa dias e noites desenvolvendo e aperfeiçoando uma avançada armadura que lhe propiciará uma força sobre-humana.

Nota 4. O melhor filme da Marvel. Obviamente um filme bem “trucado”, mas filme de super-herói é assim. Mesmo assim achei muito bacana, com um apelo tecnológico bem interessante que conseguiu prender a minha atenção e curiosidade.  

Ilusão de Morte: Dois homens de mundos diferentes precisam se unir para explicar o inexplicável. Um bem-sucedido executivo é acusado de derramar uma substância tóxica no oceano e é descoberto morto no seu escritório. Apesar do escritório estar completamente seco, acredita-se que ele morreu afogado. A fim de resolver este e outros terríveis crimes, o governo de Taiwan é obrigado a aceitar a ajuda de um agente americano do FBI. Ele se alia a um encrenqueiro policial local e, juntos, têm que fazer o impossível. Esta jornada irá levá-los aos locais mais obscuros de Taiwan e ainda à busca ancestral da imortalidade.

Nota 1, para não dizer que foi zero. Fraco e de dar sono.

O nome é péssimo, mas o filme...

Após depredar um colégio, jovem é enviado para fazer serviços comunitários no mesmo local: uma escola de artes. Lá, conhece uma bela aluna de dança moderna que precisa urgentemente de um novo parceiro. Acostumado às danças de rua, ele reluta, mas cede à disciplina à medida que supera seus limites e conhece o amor.

Nota 5: Apesar do nome em português ser péssimo, o musical é muito bom. Nota 5!

Dois é bom, três é demais: Carl e Molly Peterson estão começando sua vida juntos — em uma graciosa casa, com vizinhos chatos, empregos estáveis e rotinas de recém-casados. Só há um obstáculo desastroso em seu novo mundo construído com perfeição… e seu nome é Dupree. Randy Dupree, melhor amigo de Carl e solteirão convicto, ficou sem ter pra onde ir depois de ser demitido. Carl retira seu companheiro desempregado e sem-teto do bar no qual ele está vivendo e o convida para dormir temporariamente em seu sofá, pois é isso que os amigos fazem. Na medida em que Dupree começa a se tornar parte da residência dos Petersons, a vida a três se mostra uma completa e hilariante catástrofe.

Nota 4. Hilário, mas chega aos extremos em algumas situações. Mesmo assim o filme é muito engraçado. Nota 4 com louvor!

If you’re a regular visitor to the site, which you should be, you’ve obviously noticed it hasn’t been updated this past week. Fear not, this was only a temporary hiatus, brought upon me by circumstances I had absolutely no control over. Indeed don’t think it was all fun and no work for me here, no… Not one film was watched, I was just extremely busy elsewhere, but I am back now and The Movie Planet will normally resume its regular output later today. In the meantime, there’s obviously been a crapload of film news during my absence, and I’ve decided to get through all the major stuff quickly in a sort of mega-”Links Of The Week” edition, enabling me to have a clean slate upon my next post. Enjoy.

Movie Announcements

New hotshot comedy actor Seth Rogen (Pineapple Express) will produce and have a supporting role in I’m With Cancer, based on the experiences of producer Will Reiser (Da Ali G Show), who wrote the script here.

Spanish director Juan Antonio Bayona (The Orphanage) will make his English-language debut with an adaptation of David Moody’s novel Hater, written by Glen Mazzara (16 episodes of FX’s The Shield), here.

The 2004 French heist movie Cash Truck (original title Le Convoyeur) is getting a remake in English, titled Armored, adapted by David Ayer (Harsh Times) &  Andrew Kevin Walker (Sleepy Hollow), potentially directed by F. Gary Gray (Be Cool) and potentially starring Eric Bana (The Other Boleyn Girl) here.

Acclaimed director Ridley Scott (Body Of Lies) will return to sci-fi and direct an adaptation of the novel The Forever War, a project he’s been pursuing for 25 years here.

20th Century-Fox has hired screenwriter Allan Loeb (21) to pen a sequel to the 1987 classic Wall Street here.

A big budget Chinese movie based on the legend of Hua Mulan has been announced here. It will be the fifth Chinese film on the subject and the first since 1964.

Bull Durham director Ron Shelton has declared he’s thinking about a sequel here. Star Kevin Costner has however recently stated he’d never do one.

Writer/Director Nancy Meyers (The Holiday) is making a new romantic comedy, which will star Steve Martin (Baby Mama), Meryl Streep (Mamma Mia!), Alec Baldwin (My Best Friend’s Girl) here.

Gary Winick (Charlotte’s Web) will direct the revenge comedy Rat Bastard, written by duo Heather McGowan & Niels Mueller (Tadpole) here.

The French comic book series Du Plomb Dans La Tête (literally something like A Bullet In The Head), will be adapted into the American film Headshot here.

A new muppet movie, a detective comedy titled Happytime Murders will be made, directed by Brian Henson (Muppet Treasure Island) and written by Todd Berger (Chasing Christmas) here.

Steve Carell (Get Smart) will star in the Napoleonic comedy The Adventures Of Brigadier Gerard, based on short stories by Arthur Conan Doyle (Sherlock Holmes) here.

Musical sensation Elton John (The Lion King) is writing a musical that will star Ben Stiller (Tropic Thunder) here.

Amy Adams (Charlie Wilson’s War) will star in the romantic comedy Leap Year here.

The multitalented Kevin Smith (Clerks 1 & 2) is planning a space comedy here.

Liev Schreiber (Love In The Time Of Cholera), Helen Hunt (Bobby) and Carla Gugino (Righteous Kill) will star in the drama Every Day here.

Plot Announcements

Actor/Director Clint Eastwood (Million Dollar Baby) reveals the plot for his latest movie, Gran Torino, here.

The plot and songs for the untitled new romantic comedy by Cameron Crowe (Elizabethtown), starring Ben Stiller (Tropic Thunder) and Reese Witherspoon (Rendition) has been revealed here.

The plot for Full Love, the promising second directorial effort for action superstar Jean-Claude Van Damme (JCVD), has been revealed here.

The plot for the new Star Trek movie has been revealed here.

Casting & Various Hiring News

Despite the next Superman movie being a franchise reboot, Brandon Routh will apparently return in the lead here.

Actor Brad Pitt (Burn After Reading) has stepped down from the Micky Ward boxing biopic The Fighter, to be directed by Darren Aronofsky (The Fountain) and starring Mark Wahlberg (The Happening), leaving that film’s future in jeopardy here.

 The Fame remake has been cast here.

Talented actor Don Cheadle (Traitor) has replaced talented actor Terrence Howard (Iron Man) as the hero’s best buddy Jim Rhodes in Iron Man 2 here. Howard is confused and upset.

Relative newcomer Brad Ingelsby has been hired to adapt the comic book Sleeper here.

Third film co-writer George Nolfi will write the fourth Bourne film here.

It seems Brett Ratner (the Rush Hour films) will direct the new Conan movie here.

Movie Cancellations

Lethal Weapon 5 won’t be made, as co-lead Mel Gibson turned down the script here.

Acclaimed director David Fincher (Zodiac) believes his long-gestating adaptation of Rendezvous With Rama will never get made here.

It seems the long-gestating Goonies 2 won’t be happening after all here.

The eagerly anticipated new He-Man movie has been canceled here.

Other

One of the best teen movies of recent times, 10 Things I Hate About You, is getting adapted for television here.

There’s gonna be a roller coaster based on the Saw franchise here…What?

I guess it is hard out there for a pimp. There must have been a major chasm between Howard and studio executives for Howard to drop out. By the way… how is Don Cheadle cheaper than Terrance Howard?

I must say I’m not a fan of this move. I like Cheadle plenty, but he doesn’t strike me as Jim Rhodes. He’s far to reserved personality wise (even when acting) and delivers his lines in a serious tone. Doesn’t really strike me as an air force type either.

Howard on the other hand was perfect for the role. I thought he had good chemistry with Robert Downy Jr too.

I am not a happy camper right now.

The first Marvel Studios film is in and it’s a knockout. Don’t get me wrong, it’s certainly not perfect, but its flaws are easily outweighed by its strengths. And as hoped, its principal strength comes in the form of Robert Downey Jr. The question was always whether a rich alcoholic was going to be able to play a rich alcoholic convincingly, and Tony Stark in particular, a character who bounces between consistent but conflicting incarnations more than most comics characters. He doesn’t just play Stark, he is Stark, and far more convincingly than I’ve seen him in the comics – more than Millar’s Ultimate Stark, more than Michelinie & Layton’s classic incarnation, more even than Lee in his heyday. He’s not just an arms dealer with a change of heart, or an alcoholic with an unwanted sense of nobility, but as in his current incarnation in the comics his sober decision-making is determined by his intense, alcoholic nature. He always finds ways to do what he wanted to do while justifying those ways to himself. This attention to character detail outdoes anything every superhero film has ever managed before. Downey even looks like Stark – it’s a bravura performance.

He’s hardly alone – Gwyneth Paltrow shines despite Pepper Potts’ under-written role, Terrence Howard pulls off Stark’s friend Rhodey again more credibly than the book, and Jeff Bridges delivers a genuinely masterful performance as Stark’s mentor turned enemy Obadiah Stane. His corporate manipulation is an effective approach for a character who was such a one-note figure in the book, and it’s almost a pity to see him as the genuine enemy, driven by ambition and jealousy, as the film goes on. And it really does go on, which is the main problem it has. At over two hours the film is far too heavy and unfocused, particularly in the origin segment in the first third, where it takes too long to get into the body of the film. But this flaw is easily outweighed by what follows – Stark’s development of the modern suit is both fun and enjoyable and the CGI is far better than anything I’ve seen in any other superhero film. And the film’s ultimate focus on corporate responsibility and humanitarian intervention is a revelation, one which director Jon Favreau might have been better advised to focus the film more on.

There isn’t much doubt though that a franchise has been born, one as with the renewed Batman franchise, is helmed by an acting heavyweight with charisma and good looks to spare. I really look forward to Iron Man 2 in 2010, particularly with the rise of the Mandarin and entrance of War Machine foreshadowed. 8/10

By the way you must wait till the end of the final credits. A SHIELD-related delight finally awaits, which no self-respecting comics fan should miss out on…

May 2nd marks the release of a new superhero movie: Jon Favreau’s adaptation of Iron Man, with Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man.

And I have no problems on this casting choice since Iron Man isn’t really a superhero as it’s really the clothes that make the Man.

In fact, since it’s all about the brains, he doesn’t even need to be inside the suit in the first place.

I checked on Wikipedia and during many arcs throughout the book’s run somebody else has worn the Iron Man armor — most notably James Rhodes, Tony Stark’s oldest and dearest friend — so based on all this, there really is no reason that this version of Stark has to scream SUPERHERO.

When you think about it Tony Stark is kind of a weak hero anyway.

Bad heart, shot nerves.

He’s not even a boy scout. He sleeps around.

A lot.

He’s fallen off the wagon.

A lot more.

You know that phrase, “With great power comes great responsibility”… Here’s a man who’s never heard of it.

Because of this, I know that Downey can handle the dark side of Tony Stark. I mean, who better to portray a man struggling with addiction, am I right…

He also looks the part.

You know, since Tony Stark’s older than the other superheroes. Not as old as Dr. Strange but old enough that he’s easily the adult in the room when compared to the younger superheroes.

(I also like that this and The Dark Knight are coming out at the same time.

I always had the impression that Tony Stark was like Bruce Wayne, in that they were the embodiment of upper class white male privilege and just how hollow said privilege can be and I’m really hoping Favreau focuses on this thread too.

UPDATE: Just saw it, and nope. At least not in this first film.)

So, Downey gets a pass.

But… I still think the actor who plays Jim Rhodes (Terrence Howard) and how he would be better and here’s why:

Rhodes has always been the superhero when Tony Stark’s not and when he’s wears the armor the only reason he ain’t been better at it is that the lack of experience and skills. (But I bet he’s willing to learn.)

Actually, the more I think about it, why didn’t they just cast Howard as Iron Man himself?

And then I read Lance Mannion’s response, and I got an answer:

Yeah, yeah. I know why it is. I know why Downey’s Stark and Howard’s Jim Rhodes.

Tony Stark’s a white guy. Rhodes is black.

This has got to stop someday.

If Eartha Kitt and Halle Berry can play Catwoman—Ok, it’s stretching it to say Berry played Catwoman. But I blame the script and the ridiculous suit. Berry should have been able to play Catwoman on her head. Kitt, though, was only not the definitive Catwoman because Julie Newmar owned the role at the time. Otherwise, she was purr-fect.—if Kitt and Berry could be Selena Kyle, then Terrence Howard can be Tony Stark. Or Will Smith could be. Or Denzel Washington.

One of these days.

One of these days some little kid who is running around his backyard right now with a towel tied around his neck for a cape will have grown up to be an actor and get cast as his generation’s Superman or Batman or Iron Man and no one will notice that in another time he’d have had to hope that Hollywood made a movie version of Black Panther or Green Lantern in order to have a chance to play the superhero instead of the superhero’s best friend.

This week’s column is brought to you by the mind of Lance Mannion. I read his article about a year and a half ago just randomly searching for Iron Man news and I pleasantly surprised by the site and was amazed how much I retained from it. Please check it out: the movie and the site.

UPDATE: I just learned from Jesse that Favreau was really pushing for Downey to do it and if he couldn’t get him, Howard would’ve been next. So that kinda kills most of my article, but the point remains, why can’t more minorities play roles that where predominately portrayed by whites?

Sweeeeet! 

May 2, 2008: In theaters now.  Go see it!

from vids.myspace.com posted with vodpod

Here’s a shot by shot analysis of the trailer from MTV.

Iron man was awesome. I could end this review now if I wasn’t so bent on having people read my shit.  Iron Man was funny, well-paced, well-scripted, well-cast, and had awesome, explosive visuals and action sequences.  The effects were perfect. Done by George Lucas’ Industrial Light and Magic, the CGI never caused me to question the reality of the movie.  A far cry from Jurassic Park, which had cutting edge effects for its time, but ones which you could tell were effects.

The success of Iron Man hinged on the suit, and the movie did not disappoint.  There were at least four incarnations of the suit. From its origin as a glorified killer hunk of scrap to its eventual perversion when the technology falls into the wrong hands, the suit was the star of the show; as much as or even more than the cast.

That is not to say that the cast was underwhelming, far from it.  Robert Downy Jr. was ideal for the roll, with his convincing mix of realistic charm, genuine compassion and super-inflated ego.  Gwyneth Paltrow was surprisingly successful as the absurdly named Pepper Potts.  Most people consider her acting ability to have the depth, complexity and texture of a rice cake, however as Iron Man’s right hand, umm, woman, Paltrow manages to be smart, endearing, sassy and a bit seductive.  Maybe it’s because I’m a guy and therefore, a sucker for a pretty face, but I believed the interaction between Stark and Potts, I wanted them to save the day and fall in love.

Jeff Bridges and Terrence Howard were excellent in their rolls as Obadiah Stane and Jim Rhodes, respectively Iron Man’s arch nemesis and best friend.  Bridges was icy, deceptive, and scary, showing that type of fake friendliness that you usually get from a salesman.  Howard was just the opposite: convincingly sincere and committed to both his duty and his friends.  I look forward to him being in the sequel, hopefully with his own suit.

The last thing I need to talk about is the direction of Jon Favreau.  ‘Swingers’ is one of the best movies you can watch when it come to the interactions of real (or real-ish) people.  ‘Elf’, starring Will Ferrel, is a paragon of comedic timing and irony.   Iron Man had both elements from previous Favreau films, particularly the humor, which was unexpected and acute.  Also thanks in part to the screen writing the movie was perfectly paced.  Divided in thirds, the first part climaxed at the revealing of the completed first suit.  The second climax was at Iron Mans first usage of his improved suit for its destined purpose: to kick some cave-dwelling terrorist butt.  The movie never got boring, and more important, the movie never assaulted you with overwhelming explosions or wrestling, indiscernible hunks of metal.  Unlike last summer’s ‘Transformers’, which had no sense of timing or pace and could just has easily been an infomercial for a scrap-metal smelter.

See Iron Man, bring your friends, bring your girl, bring your mom, even your little kids (as long as they keep their mouths shut.)  Oh, and stay until after the credits for a nice little motherfuckin’ tease.

Batman Begins is still the best comic book movie (and I’m sure it’ll be topped by The Dark Knight), but Iron Man, stomping its way into theaters today gives it a run for its money. Like Batman Begins, this movie is heavily grounded in reality, but Iron Man has more of an edge by eliminating the need for a silly costume. The movie is perfectly paced, heavy with character development, and full of awe-inspiring moments.

I appreciate the fact that this movie is unapologetic for its violence and Tony Stark’s nature as a drinker and a womanizer. The script isn’t dumbed down, nor does it does it ever talk down to its audience. And there’s so many bricks laid down for the next movie and Marvel film continuity as a whole that fans like us will gobble it up. But none of these “inside” clues will detract from the casual movie goer’s experience, and that’s why this movie works so well.

Another reason this movie works is its scale. It’s not a global threat or city destroying monster Tony has to fight – it’s his mentor, his father figure. It’s also an industrial war of sorts, not just on a weaponized scale, but on a corporate and economic scale. What makes the final confrontation more heated is that it’s become a family affair, and when it’s that personal, it means a hell of a lot more.

Performances are excellent across the board. Everyone’s been raving about Robert Downey Jr.’s performance as Tony Stark and there’s nothing more I can add that hasn’t been said. He was born for this role. He not only plays the flawed side of Stark perfectly, but he also shows a lot of vulnerability as well. Jeff Bridges is fantastic is Obadiah Stane. He plays a very likable character, and when he goes off the deep-end, I can honestly say I felt just as betrayed as Tony. Yes, I knew it was going to happen, but that’s how believable Bridges’ performance was.

The movie isn’t perfect, however. Ramin Djawadi completely fails with his Iron Man score. The score is pure background noise – completely nonexistent. Why Marvel has been unable to forge a score that echos the “iconicism” of its characters is beyond me. Perhaps the closest was Danny Elfman’s Spider-Man theme, but even that was lacking. Other small nitpicks include Mandarin’s race change, Jarvis being relegated to a computer, and making the audience wait through 10 minutes of credits just to see the Nick Fury scene, which by the way, is brilliant. The scene is strictly for the fans – casual movie goers won’t see any value in Fury’s statement to Tony Stark. But for us, it means everything. I am incredibly pleased with how this movie turned out and can’t wait to see it again. (Grade: A)

- J. Montes

A Second Opinion

Iron Man lived up to its hype and then some. It was, in my opinion, the perfect example of what a superhero movie should be. Tony Stark’s character, while somewhat revamped, remains true to the spirit of the comics, and at the same time tells new viewers everything they need to know. The evolution of his character from the beginning of the movie to the end is flawless and believable. Likewise, the villainous characters also make sense, and don’t come off as the average “insane with revenge” bad guys. The story, itself, also comes off as plausible. Usually, when watching a superhero movie, you have to hold up your suspension of disbelief and keep in mind what you are watching. With Iron Man this is not the case; it feels like something I might hear about on the evening news. Granted, several of the technologies are futuristic, but they do not draw attention to themselves as being so as in, for example, the X-Men and Fantastic Four movies.

Perhaps, most importantly, this movie was just plain fun to watch, I laughed out loud several times from pure enjoyment. Cheesiness was kept to a minimum (there was a bit present, but never enough to make me groan), and the humor was witty and appropriate. As I type this, I am still getting over the elation of seeing this movie, so I admit my opinion might be a bit biased when I say this, but: Iron Man may just be my favorite superhero movie yet, though I’ll have to see it two or three more times before I can be sure. And here is one very important bit of advice to all movie goers: STAY UNTIL THE END OF THE CREDITS. Trust me, you will NOT regret it. (Grade: A+)

-M. Staples

A Third Opinion

Just to clear things up, I know almost nothing about Iron Man. How he came to be, who Stark was before – it’s all a mystery to me. I wasn’t a Marvel fan growing up (and still not). Basically, superhero comic books have and never will appeal to me. I read Civil War (because of Michael Turner’s covers) and came out hating Iron Man and his bloody “registration act”. Now that you know where I’m coming from, let’s get back to the movie.

The marketing group at Paramount has done a great job letting every single person on this planet with a TV or internet connection that the movie is coming out. The hype, the bombardment of photos, teasers, trailers, comics, Iron Man here, Iron Man there… I was expecting the “Second Coming” after all that. But it wasn’t. The movie has only three big action pieces in its 2 hour runtime and I wanted more. But regardless of my greed, it’s actually a fun movie. The three action scenes are also worth the price of admission. I also loved the character progression throughout the story, the humor, and the drama. Now Marvel, you’ve won me over with this movie. Please make Iron Man 2 more action oriented! (Grade: B+)

In case you were wondering, here’s my Top 10 movies adapted from comics so you can get a reference of where Iron Man fits:

1. Batman Returns
2. Batman Begins
3. Hellboy
4. Iron Man (B+)
5. Spider-Man
6. 300
7. Constantine
8. Batman
9. The Crow
10. The Punisher (Thomas Jane)

-Daniel Yanez

A Fourth Opinion

People have been saying to me for the past few months, “Hey, Iron Man looks like it will be really good.” To which I usually reply, “Yeah but they all look good in the trailers.”

Iron Man was always one of my favorite characters so I tried to guard against having big expectations for this one. Well I’m delighted to say that this movie did not disappoint in any way shape or form. This was really a first rate super-hero movie. The packed theater audience seemed to agree with. There was ample laughter (there are a lot of funny bits in the film), applause when Iron Man first swings into action, and a healthy round of applause at the end.

The acting is first rate. Robert Downey Jr. is perfect as Tony Stark. He’s witty, charming, and charismatic and you walk away feeling that no one else could have done this role justice. The chemistry between all the stars is excellent, they really work well together and I look forward to seeing more of this cast in these roles.

The movie presents a version of Iron Man’s origin that is updated while staying true to the original. The action scenes are first rate with Iron Man’s first adventure, the taking out of some terrorists using Stark weapons, being a highlight of the film. There are great little touches in the film, Stan Lee’s customary cameo is perhaps his best yet, and Tony is constantly conversing with an English-accented artificial intelligence named Jarvis. If one listens carefully during the Vegas scenes early in the film you can the melody from Iron Man’s theme song from the old Marvel cartoons, you know, “Tony Stark makes you feel . . .,” you know the rest.

What I really liked is that there are several story elements introduced early in the film, such as when Tony finds a limitation in his armor design when taking it on a high flying test flight, that take on greater importance later in the film. Nothing is wasted or throw-away, everything fits together nicely. Most importantly, the movie was just plain fun, and left feeling like I couldn’t wait to see it again. (Grade: A+)

-Arthur Cooke

A Fifth Opinion

I am going to make it a point to keep this short and sweet. I don’t want to go over everything that was already said so, instead, I will just say that Iron Man is one hell of a good superhero flick and all fans should take the time to check this one out. Robert Downey Jr. was an absolutely perfect Tony Stark, the teases for future Marvel movies worked incredibly well, and overall I could not be much happier with how the movie turned out… Bring on Hellboy II, Hulk, and The Dark Knight. It’s a good time to be a comic book fan. (Grade: A)

-Kyle Posluszny