Posts Tagged ‘Robert Downey Jr.’

Short Take: Shows more promise in future Marvel films than in itself. Entertaining, but disjointed.

Director: Jon Favreau (Iron Man, Elf)

Screenwriter: Justin Theroux (Tropic Thunder)

Cast: Robert Downey Jr. (Iron Man, Sherlock Holmes, Tropic Thunder), Don Cheadle (Brooklyn’s Finest, Hotel Rwanda, Ocean’s 11), Gwyneth Paltrow (Two Lovers, Iron Man), Scarlett Johansson (He’s Just Not That Into You, The Spirit, Vicky Christina Barcelona), Mickey Rourke (The Wrestler, Domino, Sin City), Sam Rockwell (Everybody’s Fine, Moon, Frost/Nixon)

Length: 2 hours 4 minutes

Synopsis: Picking up where the last film left off, the film follows Tony Stark (Downey Jr.) as he struggles to overcome a number of obstacles after revealing he is Iron Man.  Stark fights to keep the U.S. government from taking the Iron Man technology while also competing with fellow arms businessman Justin Hammer (Rockwell).  However, Stark has bigger problems like Ivan Vanko (Rourke), an angry nemesis out for revenge against the Stark family, as well as the threat that the piece of machinery keeping him alive may also be slowly killing him.  On top of all this, Stark tries to cultivate his budding romance with Pepper Potts (Paltrow) while also flirting with his mysterious new personal assistant Natalie (Johansson). Read the rest of this entry »

With Iron Man 2 opening this weekend, marking the biggest comic book movie since 2008′s The Dark Knight, we thought it would be appropriate to consider what the best castings have been since the genre began. There have been a lot of cases where the actor/actress fit the role like a glove. Some choices seemed obvious at the time, while others worked out unexpectedly well. A perfect example is Michael Keaton as the caped crusader in Tim Burton’s 1989 Batman, a casting which few supported before the film’s release but which many now consider the best casting of the character to date. But not even that sweet surprise made the Movie-Thoughts Top 5 Best Comic Book Castings. See which actors we thought fit their comic book characters best, and then send us your Top 5! Later we’ll tally the totals and see how close we came to the fan consensus.

And the Top 5 are…

5.  Robert Downey Jr. – Tony Stark/Iron Man

Downey Jr. wasn’t so much a casting of a super hero as a casting of a super ego, but nevertheless his quick-witted line delivery and narcissistic on-screen persona transfer perfectly to a character we’re meant to believe is bizarrely brilliant and grossly spoiled (at least before his capture). Once the narcissism was exchanged for just an inordinate amount of pride and confidence, the heroic nature of the character was able to shine through and RDJ flowed from the former to the latter flawlessly.

4. Christopher Reeve – Clark Kent/Superman

As good as Brandon Routh was as his replacement in 2006′s Superman Returns, Christopher Reeve has been immortalized in the iconic role of the Man of Steel for good reason. Not only was he able to look the part, which is harder to achieve than you might think, but he was able to expertly play both the awkwardness of Clark Kent and the self assuredness of his alter ego. Those who know Superman know that that alter ego is not a psychological rock, and when it came time to display the requisite humility and vulnerability the character sometimes shows he was able to pull it off without missing a beat. Mr. Reeve helped prove to us that even the impenetrable are not invulnerable.

3. Patrick Stewart – Professor Xavier

Not only is Mr. Stewart perhaps the best known bald actor thanks to his role as Star Trek‘s Capt. Jean-Luke Picard, which helps match the look of the character, but all else about him as an actor fit this role perfectly. The low but friendly timber of his voice, the air of wisdom and sincerity, and the hyper-disciplined demeanor all amalgamated to Stewart actually being Professor Xavier. The role called for someone who could convince us that he is the ultimate confidant who always knew what’s best, and he pulled it off with flying colors. Imagining anyone fitting this role better seems impossible.

2. TIE: Jack Nicholson/ Heath Ledger – The Joker

Admittedly, we’re cheating with this one, but we just could not decide who fit the role better based on the versions of the character that they played. Nicholson as The Joker in 1989′s Batman fits perfectly because the character as it was envisioned for the film drew inspiration from earlier Batman comics, when the character was more goofy and aloof. During this period the villain took a primarily sociopathic persona but was not nearly the intellectual foe that he later became. Ledger’s Joker, as it was written, was clearly based on the more sinister version displayed in the comic series decades after the earlier version. During this era, which still continues, the character proves to be frightfully brilliant in his scheming to battle Batman and Gotham City, manipulating various peripheral characters to exact his will. Nicholson’s devilish grin and menacing stare made him look the part to a “T”, and his maniacal laugh effectively made him The Joker. Ledger’s actual look relied more on makeup, but his healthier physique allowed him to be a more competent combatant with Batman in physical terms and not just psychological. Much of his success with the character was due to his outstanding performance, but that everything about him fell exactly in line with the version he was portraying makes this a one in a million cast.

1. Hugh Jackman – Logan/Wolverine

The character of Logan/Wolverine in the X-Men movies, we would claim, is based from the version portrayed in the comics of his own series. For unlike his portrayal in the series that involves the entire X-Men crew, there he has considerably more depth and foundation (as one would expect). Jackman’s physical stature and hair styling made him believable from a purely aesthetic standpoint, but his ability to range from all requisite mindsets (tenacious, tortured, paternal, romantic, etc.) allowed him to convey all aspects of the character as needed. The arch of the character in the films is thanks in large part to the writing, but we here find it downright unfeasible that anyone possesses the mix of physical likeness and acting skill to pull off the role of Wolverine better than Hugh Jackman.

We don’t doubt that our Top 5 list is controversial, and we’re hardly married to it, but we feel it certainly captures five of the best castings of any comic book character yet seen on the silver screen. Based on the submissions you all send in to us we’ll likely feel inclined to make a revision or two, but until then we stand by what you see. When you narrow down your own Top 5 lists, try to keep in mind that it’s not about ranking your favorite movie/comic characters but the quality of the casting of those characters and how the actor/actress fits so well in their respective roles.

Here is a list of roles that we hated to leave out but had to (in no particular order): Alfred Molina as Doctor Octopus, Tobey Maguire as Spider-Man, Ian McKellen as Magneto, Danny DeVito as The Penguin, Michelle Pfeiffer as Catwoman, Gary Oldman as Commissioner Gordon, Willem Dafoe as The Green Goblin, Kevin Spacey as Lex Luthor.

Perhaps some of these roles will make your list. We’re interested to see, so let us know!

Jon Favreau (center) gives direction to Robert Downey Jr. (left) and Don Cheadle (right). *IGN images

For those of you itching to see Iron Man 2, which opens this Friday, we suggest you take a look at a video available at movies.IGN.com that shows multiple snippets from interviews taken with the film’s various stars. Director Jon Favreau, Robert Downey Jr., Mickey Rourke, Gwyneth Paltrow, Scarlet Johansson, and Don Cheadle each share interesting nuggets of information about the film and the direction its story decided to take. For those trying to avoid spoilers, have no fear. No major plot points are given. Instead you learn things like Favreau’s intentions, such as that he tried his hardest to avoid what he called “villainitus,” which he claims is the overabundance of bad guys. After Spider-Man 3 received heavy criticism for this, it’s nice to see that Favreau and Paramount can learn from the past.

In other news…

A release date for the next Batman movie has been announced, which will reportedly be July 20th, 2012. The working title is simply Batman 3, which is expected to change once production begins. Chris Nolan is reportedly not officially signed on to direct the project, but is currently working on writing the film’s script with the help of his brother Jonah and writer David Goyer. Stars Christian Bale, Michael Caine, and Gary Oldman are expected to return.

Source: IGN.com

Short Take: No longer just a sleuth, Holmes is also a hero

Director: Guy Ritchie (RocknRolla, Snatch, Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels)

Screenwriters: Michael Robert Johnson (Début), Anthony Peckham (Invictus)

Cast: Robert Downey Jr. (Iron Man, Tropic Thunder), Jude Law (Cold Mountain, Closer), Rachel McAdams (The Notebook, Red Eye), Mark Strong (The Young Victoria, Stardust)

Length: 2 hrs 8 mins

Summary: The film begins with famed detective Sherlock Holmes (Downey Jr.) and his partner Dr. John Watson (Law) finishing their last case together.  They stop Lord Blackwood (Strong) just before he commits another ritualistic murder and a few days later witness him hanged for his crimes.  However, Blackwood seemingly comes back from the dead and Holmes and Watson, with some help from Holmes’s old flame Irene Adler (McAdams), try to discover Blackwood’s endgame before he kills anyone else. Read the rest of this entry »

Director Guy Ritchie

Back on December 21st ComingSoon.net published an interview they had with director Guy Ritchie about his newest film Sherlock Holmes. Since the movie opened just this past week, and most of those who had wanted to see it have probably done so, I thought it would be interesting for those of you who have seen the film to read the interview and tell us what from it you learned aside from the information given by Ritchie’s answers. Hindsight is 20/20 as they say, so take a look at the interview and remember the movie to see what you come up with.

As the interviewer points out before the actual transcript, Guy Ritchie obviously does not enjoy the interviewing process. With this in mind, don’t expect elaborate answers. However, there should be enough material to build off of and make your own conclusions.

One question that stood out asked how the involvement of Robert Downey Jr. (an actor known for favoring improvisation and suggesting last-minute changes) fit with a story that’s fairly intricate and thus difficult to reconstruct while filming. I’ll let you all read Ritchie’s response for yourselves.

In other news…

Roland Emerich’s 2012 has broken China’s box-office record with $67.3 million (460 million yuan), with the previous record-holder being Transformers: Rise of the Fallen with $63 million.

Source: Variety

Director/Producer Steven Spielberg

Dreamworks and 20th Century Fox were set to begin production in 2010 on a new adaptation of “Harvey,” the Pulitzer Prize-winning Mary Chase play that was previously made into a 1950 film starring Jimmy Stewart, which Steven Spielberg was going to direct until yesterday when he severed himself from the project.

“Harvey” is about a man who believes in an invisible friend who happens to be a six foot tall rabbit.

Reportedly, Spielberg was having a tough time casting for the main role and is likely one of the main reasons he pulled away. He immediately thought to hire Tom Hanks to play the same role as Stewart, but Hanks supposedly wanted nothing to do with a part the was played by the iconic star. Robert Downey Jr. was next considered for the role, but when offered the part he was hesitated to commit and was insistent on making revisions with the script. When it became clear that Spielberg and Downey Jr. could not get on the same page creatively, the director called it quits.

Spielberg is currently involved with the post-production phase of The Adventures of Tintin: Secret of the Unicorn, and has had a handful of scripts on the backburner for years, including an Abraham Lincoln civil war drama which will star Liam Neeson.

Source: Variety

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A new hi-res poster was released today of the upcoming summer flick Iron Man 2.

The film brings back stars Robert Downey Jr. and Gweneth Paltrow, and brings into the fold Don Cheadle, Mickey Rourke, Scarlett Johansson, Sam Rockwell, Samuel L. Jackson, and Garry Shandling, as well as an on-screen appearance by director Jon Favreau.

The film is currently in its post-production phase, and as you can tell by the poster it is set to release on May 7th.

Quick Opinion: The details about the film’s plot are still being kept under wraps, but it would be interesting to see if, like Batman’s The Dark Knight, the franchise chooses to take a darker turn with its second installment. Not only would moving in that direction be consistent with superhero sequels (Superman II, Batman Returns, Spider-Man 3, etc.), but it would be very telling of the times because the character of Iron Man, along with his world, is not known for having shadowy undertones.

Cowboys and Aliens

Director John Favreau and Oscar-nominated actor Robert Downey Jr., whom are the propulsion behind the enormously popular Iron Man franchise, have just announced their involvement with the film adaptation of the graphic novel “Cowboys and Aliens,” written by Fred Van Lente and Andrew Foley. Favreau will complete his current project, Iron Man 2 due out next summer, and make Cowboys his next directorial outing.

The screenplay is being written by writers Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci (Star Trek (2009), Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen).

Reportedly, Dreamworks studio is behind the project and is expecting its success to help validate the company’s new independence.

Cowboys and Aliens is currently penciled in to release during the summer of 2011.

Source: Hollywood Reporter