Movie #347 - A Knight's Tale

A Knight's Tale
2001 - Rated PG-13 - 2 hr 12 min
Director: Brian Helgeland
Starring: Heath Ledger, Mark Addy, Rufus Sewell, Alan Tudyk, Shannyn Sossamon, Paul Bettany, Laura Fraser, James Purefoy

Heath! I miss Heath Ledger!

Once I got over my initial grief, I remembered how mixed my feelings were about this movie. It has all the right things to make it a fun story with a great cast. But the random rock music and the "beautiful" chick who really isn't that pretty... ugh. It's got it's weak points. And I think a lot of people discredit it completely for these shortcomings.  In truth, Ledger's great and the story is a heartwarming one.  It's no worse than any other adventure/comedy/light period movie.

Except for the damn rock music.  It almost seems like they tried to hard to make it unique, when they didn't need to at all.  For what it's worth, I actually don't despise this movie. It's not a favorite, but it was fun to revist and see Heath's effortless acting at play once again.

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 #316 - Iron Man

Iron Man
2008 - Rated PG-13 - 2 hr 6 min
Director: Jon Favreau
Starring: Robert Downey Jr, Gwyneth Paltrow, Terrence Howard, Jeff Bridges, Faran Tahir, Leslie Bibb, Paul Bettany, Jon Favreau, Peter Billingsley

Robert Downey Jr. is Iron Man. No joke.  I think that's his big secret.  No drug or alcohol problems. No rehab. He was secretly off fighting crime in his Iron Man suit. 

Which would make this movie a kind of biography...

Anyway, I don't know a lot about the comic or the character, it's true.  But this is one of the best Marvel comics-to-big-screen franchises there is.  I attribute that to a killer cast, fabulous action sequences, and general kick-assery. 

Also, it's fun to see Jeff Bridges be the bad guy.  And as unlikely a pair as they seem, Paltrow and Downey have fantastic on-screen chemistry.  Still, the best scenes in the entire movie are between Downey and his team of robots as they test the suit again and again.  Priceless.

Movie #151 - The DaVinci Code

The DaVinci Code
Columbia Pictures
2006 - Rated PG-13 - 2 hr 29 min
Director: Ron Howard
Starring: Tom Hanks, Audrey Tautou, Jean Reno, Ian McKellan, Paul Bettany, Alfred Molina

Finally the prequel movie (or sequel book) to Angels & Demons has come up on the way.  I know it's almost cliche these days, but I'm a fan of Robert Langdon and his adventures, as well as his token female adventure partner.  Actually, I like Sophie the most of the two of them.

So here we are on the hunt for DaVinci's clues across Europe, uncovering deep and dark Christian secrets, and blowing the lid of the life of Christ.  Interesting to think how much of this is true - which many speculated when the book first hit shelves, but that's long since died down.  Now, most people just enjoy it for the adventure and the mystery of it all. 

Some argue that the movie's too long. Maybe it is. But with book to movie adaptations, there's no pleasing everyone.  Overall, I think this captures the tone of the book, which is the part we all like, which makes this a good adaptation in my opinion.