Preparing for War

It appears that the cast for The Avengers sequel is set to get even bigger.

Seems like The Avengers will have to make room for one more in their upcoming film as it appears Don Cheadle could be reprising his role of Colonel James Rhodes, AKA War Machine, in Avengers: Age of Ultron. Originally mentioned in passing at USA Today, Bleeding Cool reported the story as a rumor followed by a "confirmation" from HitFix on the actor's return for the film.

In addition, Bleeding Cool reports that British actor Simon McBurney is in line for a role in the film that they are hearing will be the "new Jarvis," which isn't a replacement computer but the actual butler named Jarvis.

This all remains unconfirmed by Marvel Studios, but check back here for official confirmation on the matter as we learn it.

Avengers: Age of Ultron will bring the Marvel Universe's biggest heroes together again to face one of their biggest villains, with Marvel's The Avengers director Joss Whedon returning to write and direct the sequel. The film is set to open May 1, 2015.

Mandarin play

I am waaaaay behind on my reviews, but I'm hoping to correct that starting now with my review of the first summer blockbuster of 2013.

How do you top dealing with an invading race of evil aliens? Well if you're Tony Stark, you take on an even tougher opponent - anxiety attacks. That's right, in Iron Man 3 we see the seemingly unflappable Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) struggle with internal stress after the events that took place in last summer's The Avengers. Of course, there's still evil elsewhere in the world that he has to deal with, but we'll get to that in a moment.

Perhaps realizing that there was no way to top the out-of-this-world story of The Avengers, this film takes a closer look at the man in the metal suit. This is as much a Tony Stark film as it is an Iron Man film and that's not a bad thing. In this third outing, we dig deeper into Stark's growing realization of his responsibilities whether that's to his devoted assistant/girlfriend Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow), his close friend Rhodey (Don Cheadle), or the American population. That onus weighs heavily on Stark who can't sleep and avoids talking to anyone about his problems. Thankfully for the audience, Stark has too much of an ego to pull a Bruce Wayne recluse act, so instead he opts to hide his fears through sarcasm and wit. Once again, Downey shines here, delivering a number of hilarious one-liners.

Downey's performance stands out here, even moreso than normal, thanks to Shane Black, who took over directing duties from Jon Favreau. Black, who also co-wrote the film, has worked with Downey before and knows how to get the most out of him. Black, who's previous credits include Kiss Kiss Bang Bang and writing the original Lethal Weapon, really makes this film his own. Aside from knowing how to write for Downey, some of the other elements in the film including the Christmas setting and the buddy cop vibe are representative of Black's style as well. While I had no problems with Favreau's work, I really liked what Black brought to the franchise.

Some Iron Man fans, however, may take umbrage with some of the decisions he made. The biggest one of all will deal with the film's central villain, The Mandarin. While this villain does not have the same pop culture recognition as other comic book villains, he is considered by many to be Iron Man's greatest foe. In the film, he's an enigmatic character with a flare for the dramatic. Played by Sir Ben Kingsley, this is one of the most interesting villains I've ever seen in a film like this. While the role isn't as meaty as say Heath Ledger's Joker, there's a lot more going on with the character than just menace. As someone who was not a reader of the comics, the creative liberties that the film takes with the character's origins did not bother me, but I can understand why some would not embrace this interpretation.

This revised Mandarin works for me because there seems to be a concentrated effort to make a character that has been in existence for several decades relevant in today's society. The villains have been a weakness to this point in the franchise, but that changes here and elevates the movie as result. This is particularly true when it comes to the film's climax. In the first two films, particularly in the second, the final battle was underwhelming and perfunctory. This time, the audience gets more bang for their buck as good vs. evil clashes in grand fashion on an oil tanker. I would probably say that the film's final act is still its weakest, but in comparison to what we got earlier in the franchise, this is a vast improvement.

If I had a complaint about the film, it's that I would have liked for the story to build more toward future films, since we know more Avengers adventures are to come. Instead, this is very much a stand-alone film. Yes, the film makes a few references to the greater Marvel universe but nothing that really gets you excited for the future or provides you a sense of what's to come. Still, as summer blockbuster fare this does nothing but deliver. You have some fine performances, a nice balance of comedy and drama, and a few exhilarating action sequences (I particularly enjoyed the Air Force One rescue scene). What more could you ask for?

At the film's end, there's the promise that "Iron Man will return" and let's hope that means for more than just another go-round with the Avengers. While I recognize that Downey Jr. isn't getting any younger and may also get tired of putting on the big metal suit, there's no one else I could ever see playing this role. He brings Iron Man to life in more ways than one. Grade: A-

Downey, but not out

It's a sad state of affairs at the box office when you can say that this is the best things that's been shown on screen in 2013. Here's the newest trailer for Iron Man 3

Iron thrill

You saw the Super Bowl spot, now see the full extended trailer for Iron Man 3 right here.

Sullying his good name

The last time director Robert Zemeckis made a film involving live human beings was 2000's Cast Away. That was the story of Tom Hanks trying to go through life after surviving a plane crash. In his latest effort, Flight, Zemeckis once again gives us a tale of a plane crash survivor and his life in the aftermath. The focal survivor in this film is the airplane's pilot, Whip Whitaker, played by Denzel Washington.

In this case, the events leading up to the crash are just as important as the ones that proceed it. We learn quickly that Whip has a problem with alcohol and drugs. He not only drinks prior to the flight, but on the plane as well. During one flight, a mechanical problem with the plane occurs and Whip is forced to flip the plane mid-air in order to land the plane with minimal damage. Without the maneuver the plane would have crashed and killed everyone instantly. But thanks to his efforts, there was minimal loss of life and Whip becomes a hero

It is only when the crash comes under investigation that Whip's problems with alcohol come to light. From there, the film examines in detail Whip's demons and the effects it has on those around him. Whenever a film tackles the subject of addiction, the results can be vary wildly from overblown melodrama to sobering realism. For the most part, Washington is very effective in his performance. What makes his portrayal so fascinating is the way he is able to be so functional in most aspects of his life despite his crippling dependency on booze. Given the subject matter, it would not surprise me in the least if this earns Washington another Best Actor nomination come Oscar time

But for as strong of a performance as Washington gives, I couldn't help but feel cheated that the film chose to strictly focus on it. I would have preferred the story to be more mystery-centered, leaving the audience wondering if Whip had been drunk while flying the plane and if that was the result of the crash. That aspect gets thrown to the side in favor of an uninteresting subplot involving Whip forming a relationship with a fellow addict (Kelly Reilly). More time should have been spent with either Don Cheadle, who plays a lawyer representing Whip, or John Goodman who plays hippie who helps supply Whip with drugs. These are characters that Cheadle and Goodman have played before, but they are so good at what they do you can't help but want to see their screentime maximized.

As with Cast Away, the story ultimately lets down what would have otherwise been a good movie. Clearly Zemeckis knows what he's doing when it comes to visual effects. The scenes involving the plane crash is harrowing in the way it is depicted. Those who are uneasy with flying to begin with will likely want to stay away from this movie. However, seems to have trouble sticking the landing, no pun intended, when it comes to finishing his movies. With Cast Away, he opted to go for a realistic, ambiguous finish when that story desperately needed a feel-good Hollywood ending. In Flight, he delivers the exact opposite problem. Up until the ending, this movie is a grim, realistic portrayal of an alcoholic. Then in the closing minutes things gets wrapped up in a tidy, saccharine manner that would be more fitting of a movie made for Lifetime.

There's a lot to like about Flight, but like its protagonist, it is deeply flawed. On the weight of the acting performances and visually stunning crash scenes, I'd say this movie is worthy of a recommendation. It helps, though, to come into this movie knowing what you can expect to see so you can better appreciate what the film is trying to accomplish. Even if he failed to soar to new heights, Zemeckis manages to keep the movie cruising at a consistent level of entertainment. Grade: B

The plane truth

We got more trailers coming at ya. This time it's a preview for the first live-action film directed by Robert Zemeckis in over a decade. Flight is the fictional tale of a heroic effort of a pilot (Denzel Washington) to avoid a tragic plane crash that gets marred by the discovery that the pilot had been drinking prior to the flight and may have caused the accident in the first place.

Tree-mendous

From Funny or Die comes a hilarious live action version of Captain Planet, starring Don Cheadle as the eco-avenger. Warning some of the language in it is NSFW.