Man of Iron

Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr) is Iron Man, in Iron Man III, with or without the eponymous battle suit. Faced with the challenge of the unknown Mandarin, Tony Stark must save Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow), right hand man  James Rhodes (Don Cheadle) and the entire US leadership - after challenging the Mandarin to open combat. The journey takes Tony Stark to faraway Tennessee and the combat between the once-spurned villian Adrian Killiach (Guy Pearce) and his nefarious scheme, and our superhero, is as intense as it has ever been in the Iron Man franchise. Iron Man III delivers, and delivers well, and for some reason trails off with Mark Ruffalo and the promise of more to come

13.5/20

Spread Out

Contagion is a well-paced and largely gripping thriller on the spread of a highly contagious and lethal virus. The movie has one distinctive feature – somehow it manages to hold your attention in spite of every element in it being a cliché. A deadly disease that has its origins in livestock and wild animals in – where else – China. Finds its way to the top of the food chain, to none other than the travelling businesswoman Beth (Gwyneth Paltrow) and her son, but miraculously skips husband Mitch (Matt Damon). Kills millions before the desperate search for a vaccine is finally successful, thanks to the tireless efforts of Dr Orantes (Marion Cottilard) and Dr Cheever (Lawrence Fishburne). In the meantime, notable martyrs include Dr Mears (Kate Winslet), the early health worker, tireless and felled by the disease in the line of duty. The one non-cliched character is the profiteering and rumor-mongering freelancer Alan (Jude Law) – about the only character in the movie who is not a rank stereotype. In the meantime, chew a few fingernails as director Soderbergh (Solaris, Ocean’s Eleven) spreads disease and paranoia all around

13.5/20

Iron Age - Part II

Director Jon Favreau clearly realizes that he has a good (read lucrative) thing going, and wants to keep his powder dry for later installments, as far as Iron Man 2– the second installment of the irrepressible Robert Downey Jr as Tony Stark aka Iron Man, is concerned. This superhero clearly differentiates himself from the rest of the save-the-world pack on two counts (a) his identity is out in the open (b) he is singularly immodest. With a cast that clearly “trades up” from the first installment, Iron Man II runs through Tony’s idiosyncratic jaunts, in particular handing over the Stark empire to Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow) on what appears to be a whim, and an impulsive participation in the Monaco GP that reveals potential supervillian Ivan Vanko (Mickey Rourke). Lt Col James Rhodes (Don Cheadle) brings the voice of reason, the Hammer empire headed by the unscrupulous Justin Hammer (Sam Rockwell) is all about bare-knuckles corporate rivalry, and Natalie Rushman (Scarlett Johansson) ups the glamour quotient substantially. Endnote – this movie keeps you wholesomely entertained, and waiting for more from Tony Stark. Mission accomplished for now
13/20

With Malice towards One

Bill Pullman plays the aggrieved husband in Malice, whose cup of woe keeps running over till he figures out exactly what are the forces shaping his life. The approach of the storyline is strange – the initial mysteries becoming almost an oversight and getting solved in an unexpected and not particularly interesting direction, while the main story develops into something else altogether. Nicole Kidman’s performance makes this movie worthwhile – tramscending from a wronged wife, to something else altogether, vehement, and with a brimful of malice