Movie #317 - Iron Man 2

Iron Man 2
2010 - Rated PG-13 - 2 hr 4 min
Director: Jon Favreau
Starring: Robert Downey Jr, Mickey Rourke, Gwyneth Paltrow, Don Cheadle, Scarlett Johansson, Sam Rockwell, Samuel L Jackson, Clark Gregg, Paul Bettany, Leslie Bibb, Gary Shandling, Jon Favreau

Sequels are always tough... and I usually approach them with great trepidation.  But when I heard about Iron Man 2, I was pretty psyched.  Thankfully, the movie doesn't disappoint.

While it lacks the fun creation sequences of the first movie, the technology doesn't stop advancing and the Iron Man suit has a few updates, like unfolding from a case that travels pretty light.  There are new bad guys, including scary Mickey Rourke, and new good guys, including Scarlett Johansson.  Tony Stark's troubles with his heart machine thingey (yes, that's the technical term) are more complicated, the ties to the Avengers are strengthened just a tiny bit, and the relationship with Pepper Potts grows as well. 

It's not as good as the original, but I think it continues the plot and everything that surrounds it in believable ways.  Everything takes a step forward, from the technology to the characters, so it's a great movie with lots of treats for fans.

Movie #194 - The Family Man

The Family Man
2000 - Rated PG-13 - 2 hr 5 min
Director: Brett Ratner
Starring: Nicolas Cage, Tea Leoni, Don Cheadle, Jeremy Piven, Saul Rubinek

At least in this movie, Nicolas Cage is the good guy. Well, most of the time. He's a real jerk in the beginning, but he comes around.  And the transition is well managed, not forced or unbelievable.

The premise is like a backwards It's a Wonderful Life or a version of that parallel universe movie Sliding Doors (I kinda wish we had that one, actually).  Nic Cage left behind his college sweetheart to pursue his big time career as a broker.  A chance encounter with Don Cheadle earns him a "glimpse" at the alternate reality, where he stayed with the college sweetheart and started a family.  Gone are his power and success, gone are his life's luxuries, and gone is his freedom (and whorish lifestyle).  SPOLER ALERT...

But he soon starts to see that life with a wife and kids, living in a suburb, and working a retail job aren't so bad.  He's still in love with Tea Leoni, he learns. And his kids are pretty adorable, too.  The sad thing is that it's just a "glimpse" and he has to leave, has to return to the real reality where he left this option for his career.

The ending is a bit disappointing.  Yes, it would be super Hollywood of them to let him stay in the new reality.  And yes, the ending they did go with leaves a nice fill-in-the-blank for you. Do they get married and have those kids?  Probably not, since the odds are against them.  I do feel bad for him that he has to leave those kids behind after growing to truly love them.  I got really hung up on that and so the movie left me with a bad taste in my mouth.  Those poor unborn kids... Maybe I'm too worried about this movie.