'Oh, it's good to be back'

"Iron Man 2" looks like it's going to be a ton of fun.

'Iron Man 2' trailer rocks!

There's nothing like a geektastic super hero movie trailer to bring me back to the blog.

In this case, it's the long awaited first look at "Iron Man 2." The highlights for me were the quick glimpse of Samuel L. Jackson back as Col. Nick Fury (he made a cameo at the end of the first movie) and getting to see War Machine in action.

Enjoy!

Iron-clad hit

I saw a sneak preview of “Iron Man” tonight, which I thought was an absolutely great superhero flick.

They did a really great job updating the story. Tony Stark’s company is the leading weapons contractor for the U.S. military. But during a trip to Afghanistan he’s captured by terrorists using weapons he designed. While in captivity he builds his first suit of armor to help him escape.

Upon returning home, Stark – who once reveled in being nicknamed “the merchant of death” – seeks a new direction for himself and his company. Privately he begins to perfect his armor suit to help him protect the little guy, while publicly announcing his company is getting out of the war business.

But in the process, Stark develops enemies left and right who try to co-opt his inventions for their own devious purposes.

“Iron Man” ranks right up there with the “Spider-Man” movies (at least the first two). The Spidey films benefited from the fact that director Sam Raimi is a lifelong Spider-Man fan. I think it shows in “Iron Man” that director Jon Favreau is great big comic book geek at heart too with a real appreciation for the source material.

I can’t say enough about the cast. Robert Downey Jr. is the perfect Tony Stark. He owns the character. Gwyneth Paltrow is enjoyable as well as Stark’s loyal assistant Pepper Potts. Rounding out the cast is Terrence Howard as Stark’s close friend James “Rhodey” Rhodes and Jeff Bridges as Obadiah Stane.

Also worth noting is the fact that this is the first movie released under the new Marvel Studios banner. Now that Marvel is producing their own movies, that opens up the possibility for potential character crossovers down the road – and it appears some seeds are being planted this summer. Look for S.H.I.E.L.D. to play a key role in the storyline, references to the Avengers’ butler Jarvis and a brief nod toward “Iron Man” spin-off “War Machine.” Meanwhile, there is word Robert Downey Jr. will making a cameo as Tony Stark next month in “The Incredible Hulk,” which is said to also feature S.H.I.E.L.D. and a possible reference to Capitan America’s super soldier serum.

It’s been a great run for Marvel Comics fans at the movies. “Iron Man” keeps it going and shows that there is still more to come. They can’t make a sequel fast enough!

At the movies

As promised, here is a list of the Summer 2008 movies I’m most looking forward to seeing.

Realize that I’ll probably actually get to see very few of these, and those I do see will likely be on DVD, VOD or regular old TV. Heck, I still haven’t seen all of the movies from last year that I wanted to see!

Anyway, here we go…

“Iron Man” (May 2) – I’ve written a lot about this movie already here on the blog. As I’ve said before, in my comic book collecting days I was never a big Iron Man fan per se. But I was a huge Marvel Comics fan, and Iron Man is a major player in the Marvel Universe. It looks like they’ve done a great job with this movie and I’m very anxious to see it.

“Speed Racer” (May 9) – I wasn’t a huge fan of the cartoon, but I do remember watching it a few times as a youngster and I appreciate it for it’s pop culture status and the role it played in introducing Japanese anime to the United States. Plus, it looks cool and the kids are dying to see it. I’m pleased to see Hollywood actually releasing a live action PG movie that it looks like kids and adults can both enjoy. As a parent, I’m still peeved that “Transformers” was PG-13.

“Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull” (May 22) – ‘Nuff said. This one is the big enchilada. My must-see movie event of the year (or should that be decade?).

“The Incredible Hulk” (June 13) – Up until recently, there hasn’t been nearly as much written about this movie compared to “Iron Man” and I don’t think I’ve even mentioned it here yet. There was a trailer released a few weeks ago and I really wasn’t sure what to make of it. Parts of it seemed good, but the CGI looked a little goofy. But there is a lot about this movie that I find intriguing – mainly the notion of it essentially being a “do-over” after 2003’s disappointing “Hulk” movie. And as mentioned, I’m a Marvel fan so it’s my duty to want to see any Marvel movie.

“Get Smart” (June 20) – I loved the old TV show. The new movie has a great cast (Steve Carell, Anne Hathaway, Alan Arkin, The Rock). Let’s hope they don’t screw it up.

“Wall-E” (June 27) – I’ve never seen a Pixar movie I didn’t like. They’re always fun for the whole family.

“The Dark Knight” (July 18) – I didn’t see “Batman Begins” until long after it was released on DVD, but I thought it was fantastic. I’m a Tim Burton fan, but this was better than his take on Batman. It’s become one of those movies I have to stop and watch whenever I stumble upon it while flipping channels. I can’t wait to see the next installment.

“The X-Files: I Want to Believe” (July 25) – I’m not sure if they can pull it off, but I hope this movie is great if only so it can erase the bad taste the last episode (make that the last several episodes) left in my mouth.

Looking a little further down the road, here are some movies from later in 2008 that are also on my want to see list…

“Quantum of Solace” (Nov. 7) – See what I wrote above for “The Dark Knight” and substitute “James Bond” for “Batman.” I actually enojyed the Pierce Brosnan movies for the most part, but there is no disputing “Casino Royale” was the best Bond flick in ages.


“Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” (Nov. 21) – We just got around to watching “Order of the Phoenix” last week, which was decent, although not my favorite Harry Potter movie. “Half-Blood Prince” was one of the most important books in the series, but arguably had the least action. Still, I’m really anxious to see how it translates to the screen.

Coming soon

I know I'm guilty of getting a little too excited over movie trailers (for films I often don't even get to see). Fortunately, the Onion is here to remind us all about the "big picture..."


Wildly Popular 'Iron Man' Trailer To Be Adapted Into Full-Length Film

Metal mania

For someone who was never a huge Iron Man fan, I certainly do seem to be posting a lot about the new movie.

I don't think I own a single issue of "Iron Man." But I have enough other books that the character appears in. And although I never collected his own title, I certainly respect him as one of the core Marvel Comics characters.

Not to mention...this movie just looks so cool! It's easily No. 2 on my list of summer movies I really want to see (if you have to ask what No. 1 is, you obviously don't know me very well and must be new to this blog).

With all that said, take a look at the awesome new poster for the movie.

The invincible movie trailer

It's shaping up to look likea great summer at the movies. Here's the newest "Iron Man" trailer...

Iron Man Exclusive Trailer

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Armor up!

The "Iron Man" teaser trailer has arrived!

I had a YouTube version the foootage shown at Comic-Con posted here for about a day last month before Paramount had it yanked.

This new trailer is very similar to that. It's not quite as long and is missing some cool stuff -- but at least you can watch it in glorious HD Quicktime.

Enjoy some shots of ol' shell head in action while rocking out to Black Sabbath!

'I Am Iron Man,' Part 2

I'm a few weeks late in posting this. Odds are, if you're geek enough to care, then you've already seen this photo of what Iron Man will ultimately look like in his upcoming movie.

But since I earlier posted the first image of his old, clunky gray armor, I figured I should keep up and pass this along. It's been sitting on my desktop for three weeks.

'I Am Iron Man'

I'm counting the days until the release of "Spider-Man 3."

But in the meantime, Ain't It Cool News has a scoop on another Marvel Comics character coming to the big screen. Here's a first look at Iron Man's first suit.

When Iron Man first appeared in "Tales of Suspense #39" he wore a clunky, gray suit of armor before eventually upgrading to the sleek red and gold outfiit fans are more familiar with.

It looks like he will follow suit (no pun intended) in the movie--starting out with this makeshift outfit.

Jon Favreau is directing "Iron Man" with Robert Downey Jr. starring as Tony Stark, aka Iron Man.

Power suit

Am I the only geek that finds it ironic that there is a news piece about Japanese scientists creating a "power suit" that augments someone's strength on the same day the news breaks that Robert Downey Jr. will star in the new "Iron Man" movie?