Review: The Love Guru

By FORCH F. FORTIER.

I have always been a fan of Mike Myers.

But after the 2008 film, The Love Guru, my faith in Myers has been shaken.

Review: Tropic Thunder

By FORCH F. FORTIER

Pound for pound, Robert Downey, Jr. is one of the greatest actors alive today.

No more is that last statement evident, than in the 2008 film, Tropic Thunder.

Downey (Iron Man) stars alongside Ben Stiller (Meet the Parents) and Jack Black (School of Rock) in a comedy, directed and written by Stiller himself, which spoofs films such as Platoon.

Review: Legion (2010)

By FORCH F. FORTIER

What did we do to piss off the almighty?

I’m not sure, but if the 2010 movie: Legion is any indication of things to come; I weep for the future of the human race.

Not just because of the events of the film, but because of the fact that if this is a sign of movies and the way they’re going to be made in the future, I weep for the filmgoer.

Legion stars Paul Bettany (A Knight’s Tale) as the Archangel Michael, who after disobeying God, falls to Earth and transubstantiates in order to save humanity from incurring God’s wrath.

He raids a weapons cache, and after stopping a possessed police officer, he heads off to the deserts of New Mexico to save a pregnant waitress, Charlie, played by Adrianne Palicki (TV’s Friday Night Lights) whose baby is the key to saving humanity.

After some strange goings on at the diner, including a possessed old lady who crawls up the ceiling, the patrons and staff at the diner are realizing that there is something strange afoot.

Michael arrives, and tells everyone that God has lost faith in humanity, and like the flood [Noah’s Ark] before it, God is going to wipe out humanity as a whole, and send down his army of Angels to kill everyone.

The film itself is very dark. Not just the premise, but also the picture itself is as well. Most of the movie does take place at night, which makes things quite difficult to watch at times.

The special effects are quite good when used, but they do not add to a story, which is quite weak in parts. It isn’t an unoriginal premise, but the plotline is just weak, and not very enthralling. I found my attention not being focused on the screen the whole time, and wandering off at parts.

The film was casted well, as it included a group of very good actors such as Dennis Quaid (Frequency), Tyrese Gibson (Death Race) and Charles S. Dutton (The Express). The problem the film faces is that regardless of the on screen talent, if the story is subpar, the finished product is going to appear the same. This film is no exception.

Directed by Scott Stewart, who has no other previous major film direction credits, you can see that there is a lack of experience at the helm, which really makes the film suffer as a whole.

I give Legion 2 out of 10.

Review: Iron Man 2

By FORCH F. FORTIER
I am Iron Man.

With those four words, Tony Stark shocked the world, and started a revolution in the Marvel Movie universe at the end of the Original Iron Man.

This time, Tony Stark (Robert Downey, Jr) is back, and better than ever. Or is he?

Iron Man 2 takes place about six months after the first film, and continues the saga of the billionaire-playboy/international jet setter.

But all is not well in the world of Tony Stark.

First off, a man by the name of Ivan Vanko (Mickey Rourke), a Russian whose father had ties to the Stark family has built himself an ARC reactor of his own [the device that Tony built to keep himself alive] and is planning to extract revenge on his father’s behalf.

Secondly, the US government, namely Senator Stern (Garry Shandling) wants Stark to give up the Iron Man “Weapon” and allow them to use it to protect the nation, however Stark maintains that the Armor is not a weapon, and refuses to give it up, citing that no other country is even close to replicating the technology, even though his chief competitor, Justin Hammer (Sam Rockwell) begs to differ.

Thirdly, the ARC reactor that Stark built to keep him alive is slowly killing him, as the palladium which powers the device is poisoning him, so Stark, realizing this is starting to become a little more reckless.

Back, of course are Tony’s main compatriots, Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow), James “Rhodey” Rhodes (Don Cheadle, replacing Terrence Howard) and “Happy” Hogan (Director Jon Favreau), all of which have a larger role in the film this time around.

Also joining the fray is Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) as well as Natalia Romanoff, aka The Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), both operatives of SHIELD, who have interest in Tony Stark for a possible team to be assembled [hint, hint. It’s the Avengers, if you couldn’t already figure that out].

The film recaptures the spirit of the original, without losing any momentum. It’s shot very well, the already established characters are built upon very well, and the momentum of the film is also kept throughout.

The only real negative I have about the movie is that [like all superhero films/sequels] there were too many characters to focus on in the film. Obviously with this [and Thor, and Captain America’s films forthcoming] you have a lot to cram in a 2 hour movie, but you’re also building up to the next Marvel Comics film within it.

Plenty of “Easter Eggs” are to be found, if you pay attention, and if you do plan on going to see it at the theater, like the first movie, stay through to the end of the credits, as there is another really great build-up to another Marvel Project, which I am really excited to see!

I wouldn’t say that Iron Man 2 is better than the original, but it’s just as good, and fits together perfectly, even with a different actor playing one of the lead characters.

I give Iron Man 2: 9 out of 10