Iron Man 3

Of all the comic book heroes brought to screen, the first Iron Man movie was surely the most super surprise. It was followed by the disappointingly average Iron Man 2 and last summer’s marvelous The Avengers. Now comes Iron Man 3 and the question: Is the Iron Man series getting rusty?

Not at all. I could probably enjoy watching Robert Downey’s Jr. Tony Stark in any average Iron Man series, mind you, but this movie brings fresh surprises from start to finish. It’s a riveting action and comedy film built for serious comic book fans as well as typical movie lovers.

Part of what worked in the first film is having billionaire Tony Stark in a situation where he was forced to return to basics. Iron Man 3 does that again to Stark and, in a way, to the whole movie. It’s a wise choice that removed the temptation to top the previous one with gimmicks and over-the-top scenes.

I hope the rest of the summer blockbuster movies satisfy as much as this one.

Simiply put: Stark raving awesome fun.

Award potential: Probably none. But Ben Kingsley’s Mandarin character will be remembered for years.

The ten buck review: Worth ten bucks. 3D is not necessary.

Summer Movies 2013 - Weekend By Weekend Schedule

Will the third Iron Man be a worthy follow up to last summer's The Avengers, or is this superhero series getting rusty? Will Gatsby be that great? And is Fast and Furious 6 really the most prestigious of the top films opening on Labor Day? It's gonna take a weekend-by-weekend schedule to figure it all out.

Friday, May 3

Iron Man 3

Kon-Tiki  (Oscar nominated this year for Best Foreign Lanuage Film )

Friday, May10

The Great Gatsby

Tyler Perry Presents Peeples (Kerry Washington, David Alan Grier)

About Time (Rachel McAdams)

Venus And Serena (Documentary)

 

Friday, May 17

Star Trek Into Darkness

The English Teacher (Julianne Moore, Greg Kinnear)

Frances Ha (comedy from director Noah Baumbach, introducing Greta Gerwig)

Friday, May 24

Fast and Furious 6

The Hangover: Part 3

Epic (Voices by Amanda  Seyfried, Beyonce, Colin Farrell)

Before Midnight (Sequel to Before Sunrise)

Penguins 3D

We Steal Secrets: The Story Of Wikileaks (Documentary)

Friday, May 31
Now You See Me (Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, Mark Ruffalo, Morgan Freeman, Michael Caine)

After Earth (Will and Jaden Smith)

The East (Alexander Skarsgård)

Friday, June 7

The Internship (Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn)
The Purge (Horror, Ethan Hawke)
The Kings of Summer (Sundance Film Festival hit, comedy)

 

Friday, June 14

Man of Steel

This is the End (Seth Rogen, Danny McBride, Johan Hill, James Franco)

The Bling Ring (Sophia Coppola’s movie about  the Hollywood Hills Burglar Bunch)

Stuck In Love (Jennifer Connelly, Greg Kinnear)

Twenty Feet From Stardom (Documentary on backup singers)

Friday, June 21

World War Z (Brad Pitt)

Monsters University (Pixar)

Much Ado About Nothing (Director Josh Whedon)

Friday, June 28

White House Down (Channing Tatum, Jaime Foxx, Maggie Gyllenhaal)

Kick- Ass 2

The Heat (Sandra Bullock and Melissa McCarthy)

I’m So Excited (Written and directed by Pedro Almodóvar)

  

Friday, Wednesday, July 3

Despicable Me 2

Lone Ranger

Friday, July 5

Kevin Hart: Let Me Explain

The Way, Way Back (Steve Carell, Toni Collette)

Friday, July 12

Pacific Rim (Director: Guillermo del Toro)

Grown Ups 2

V/H/S/2 (Horror,thriller)

Friday, July 19

Girl Most Likely (Annette Bening, Kristen Wiig)

Turbo (Voices of Ryan Reynolds, Paul Giamatti, Sam Jackson, Snoop Dog/Lion)

RIPD (Ryan Reynolds, Jeff Bridges, Kevin Bacon, Mary-Louise Parker)

 

Friday, July 26

The Wolverine

Friday, August 2

Blue Jasmine (Woody Allen)

The Smurfs 2

Red 2 (Bruce Willis, John Malkovich, Mary-Louise Parker)

300:Rise of An Empire

Friday, August 9

Elysium (Matt Damon)

Disney’s Planes

We’re the Millers (Jennifer Aniston, Jason Sudeikis, Ed Helms, Emma Robers)

Metallica Through The Never

Friday, August 16

2 Guns (Denzel Washington, Mark Wahlberg)

Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters

Ain’t Them Bodies Saints (Casey Affleck, Rooney Mara)

Haute Cuisine (Foodie film, portrait of the woman who fed French President Francois Mitterrand)

Friday, August 23

The World’s End (Edgar Wright science-fiction comedy)

The Mortal Instruments:City of Bones  (Young adult fantasy novel series)

You’re Next (Home invasion horror)

Friday, August 30

Closed Circuit (Eric Bana crime thriller)

This Is Us (One Direction documentary)

Getaway (Car movie with Ethan Hawke, Selena Gomez, Jon Voight)

42

“I want a player without the guts to fight back”

42 tells the inspiring story of legend Jackie Robinson and Brooklyn Dodgers GM Branch Rickey. Does the second film about legendary baseball hero Jackie Robinson finally hit it out of the park?

Well, it’s a pleasant walk-on-base at best. It’s a film that pays due respect to Robinson by showcasing him quite perfect. Keeping him so inspiring keeps the movie from being so. The story is a bit familiar and it plays out in a paint-by-numbers way.

I still enjoyed a lot of this in parts; there are a lot of nice scenes threaded together. The on field moments are beautiful and the camera work should please any baseball fan. Striking newcomer Chadwick Boseman makes a strong Jackie. And Ford, in the zone here at Branch, surprisingly plays it just right.

Simply put: A single, not a home run. A picture-perfect documentary with some inspirational moments, but not a film that stands on its on.

Award potential: Oscar is too many seasons away for an OK performance.

The ten buck review: Worth ten bucks. This is about as good as you can do in April, and it stands taller as a family film that could inspire discussion.

OZ The Great And Powerful

I don't want to be a good man. I want to be a great one.

And although this movie wants to be a great one, it winds up being, well, pretty good. Director Sam Raimi, best known for the first three Spider-Man movies, starts things out right with an inspired black and white opening that reveals Oz (James Franco) as a con artist magician.

The color opens up to a wonderful world of awe: lavish colors, spectacular costumes, a clever China Town, a dazzling Emerald City — and then the plot falls magically flat. Which witch is the evil one? Which witch gives the blandest performance of them all? A pre-story to the wizard is a great idea; it just didn’t work out here.

James Franco, my favorite goof, is so modern, self aware and cynical that he actually forces the annoying munchkins to stop singing. If there is any charm or innocence in this movie, the great Oz probably faked it.

Simply put: Not so great or powerful, but mildly entertaining

Award potential: This Oz won’t be off to see any Oscars. The effects and costumes are nice, but I bet 2013 will bring stronger contenders in all the visual categories.

The ten buck review: Not worth ten bucks.