Iron Man (2008)

I am Iron Man!

And to think, Marvel thought that Spider-man would be their only critical success and box office hit for a long time. Guess again comic empire! Who knew a story about a corporate sleazeball turned superhero would bring in so much dough?

Director Jon Favreau has probably had the most diverse career among filmmakers who have been in the business for only ten years. Starting with a hardly-known comedy Made, to more child accessible films like Elf and Zathura: A Space Adventure. Out of nowhere, Marvel hires him to direct an adaptation of who (I think) is one of the most interesting superheroes ever created. The result? A great film that's realistic to our time, and most of all, modernizes a comic book character so well, it just works.

Tony Stark, played by Robert Downey Jr. (perfect casting, wouldn't you say?), is a multi-billion dollar man who has inherited his father's business, which happens to be selling and distributing explosives to the U.S. government. Stark starts out as a smooth, yet consciencousless person who "believes the best kind of weapon is the kind you only have to fire once." Durring a demostration in Afghanistan of one of his latest weapons, the Jericho, he is attacked and at the expense of many lives, he is taken hostage by an evil warlord named Raza, who gives him an ultimatum of building him a powerful missle, or losing his life. In secret, he builds an impenetrible iron suit which he uses to escape. After losing his assistant in captivity, Yinsen, and destroying all of the arms the insurgents have stolen, he vows to use his genius towards helping others and protecting those who fall victim to his weapons. He then announces his company will never manufacture them again, and will focus his enginuity on a different weapon, which he reluctantly admits is a superhero.

Downey portrays Tony Stark with style, but surpasses the smooth-talking, one-dimensional character by showing his raw humanity through interactions with other characters. When Tony has an epiphany, like the moment he realizes what his weapons have done to innocent people, we see more of his sensative side, a concept of justice. He takes it upon himself to use the suit, and when we witness his idea of "peace in the middle east" it suffices as some of the most energetic action ever captured for a Marvel movie.

Considering the amount of attention this film has been getting for the entire month of May, it took an Indiana Jones movie to knock it down out of the top spot. I'd say, Marvel is rollin' with the big dogs now.

Oh, and stay tuned after the credits for Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury. Yes, Nick Fury and yes, there are plans to make an Avengers movie.

Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)

I honestly did not understand the amount of hype a sequel to such a rarely talked about film franchise could get. Everyone was talking about Indiana Jones 4, and being on the outside of the Speilberg loop, I was left in the dark. I didn't understand, what makes Indiana Jones so damn cool? Is Harrison Ford such a great actor? Could these films really be as good as everyone says they are?

My mother got caught up in the hype too. She really wanted to see fourth Indy film, and I figured I'd see what all the fuss was about. To my surprise, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull was both ridicules and awesome at the same time. Spielberg crammed so many perks into almost every single scene for film freaks like me to just sit in wonder why he doesn't do more action and less movies based strictly on historicical events. By the end, looking back on the many moments that reference past events from the other Indy films, I was inspired to watch the movie that (apparently) started it all.

Raiders of the Lost Ark is full of great action with an insensitive layer of humor. The elaborate set-designs and wide camera angles definitely signify the talent of an aspiring director in his prime. The story is paced perfectly, and though some events seem illogical at times (for example, how can a middle-aged Caucasian man go unnoticed in a Nazi excavation site dressed like an Iranian woman?) it still delivers a nearly perfect film. Indy isn't a typical sort of hero, as he's a young and intelligent college professor, who takes it upon himself to explore dangerous caves and temples, where infinite dangers lie. A simple concept, but with Spielberg directing and George Lucas' involvement, it's surely a fit that just works. There are hardly any insignificant roles, a good share of humor, like Indy's fear of snakes (which is also referenced in the fouth movie), and there is tons of good quality action. This is film that can appeal to any kind of audience, and shows us direction and writing at its best.