Gwyneth Paltrow Top Ten

 1) Shakespeare in Love (1998) - still a good movie

2) Seven (1995) - very sweet in a movie that needed sweetness

3) The Royal Tenenbaums (2001) - really solid

4) Sliding Doors (1998) - a film about a girl who gets a haircut but very good 

5) Bounce (2000) - a forgotten film but she's very good

6) Glee (2010-11) - her stint on this was funny

7)  The Talented Mr Ripley (1999) - peak decent Miramax

8) Emma (1998) - not as good as Alicia Silvertone but likeable

9) Iron Man (2008) - not much of a role but one of these films should be on this list

10) Shallow Hal (2001) - I liked her in this, honest! 

Movie review - "Tuff Turf" (1985) ***

 It didn't really twig for me until about 30 minutes in that James Spader was meant to be a former rich kid sent to a crummy high school -  once I got that, then I understood this film and why Spader was cast. It shouldn't have been hard to set that up.

This is part teen melodrama, with Spader falling for the girl (Kim Richards, very pretty and good) of the local hoon (Paul Mones, who Michael Pare slapped around in Streets of Fire). It's also part musical with Spader singing to Richards, and forcing her to dance with him, and big production numbers, and lots of music.

Nice to see Spader playing a hero in this era, and Robert Downe y Jnr as his friend. Spader and Richards are a cute couple and Mones is a decent villain. It goes on a bit - the final fight is especially long - and lacks the strong handling of a really good B but it was fun.

Book review - "MCU: The Reign of Marvel Studios" by Joanna Robinson, Dave Gonzales, Gavin Edwards

 Thoughts on MCU after reading book (was a good book)...

- What Feige did was amazing, very few producers have come close, maybe David O. Selnick from 30s to 40s before Benzedrine addiction and dumping his smart first wife wrecked his career.
- Other parallel is James Bond series which has been going since 1962 - this has interesting similarities... cultural phenomenon, many imitators but no one has surpassed it, has ability to reinvent, makes lots of mistakes but not fatal ones, isn’t afraid to go “small” (Bond films went from the big Moonraker to the small For Your Eyes Only, from the big Die another Day to the small Casino Royale), always be true to character (eg they always have a British or at least British Empire Bond)
- Main issues with MCU not actually their fault (a) no one else can make blockbusters as consistently successful (b) Disney keep wanting them to expand bc they make so much money
- If Marvel keep small, they will endure but if they keep expanding they are rooted
- I forgot how many dud Marvels there have been eg Thor 2 and 4, Ant Man 2 and 3... but historically there’s always been a classic around the corner eg Tom Holland Spiderman... it feels it’s been a while since a classic Marvel though - I actually feel Feige’s (a) run out of gas and/or (b) simply doesn’t have the same emotional connection to these new heroes as he did the original ones - but could be wrong
- I actually love though how Feige embraces all the history - even duds like Thorn 2 and the Garfield Spidermans, which have bad reps, get call backs - this has weird parallels to soap where previous “era” get overlooked - embracing dud eras I feel is something not nearly done enough in franchises or long serials
- Also amazing how bad and voluminous the corporate notes were even AFTER the films became successful - and the head of Marvel wanted to FIRE Feige... this was astonishing... and explains why so many Hollywood films are bad... that a great producer can produce great successful films and as a result the head of the company wants to fire him (not bc of a crime, but because of his success) - this is surprisingly common
- character is obviously king - (and casting so crucial to character) - problem with Captain Marvel (warning: mansplaining) us that Captain Marvel isn't much of character... but bc it made so much money that kind of got lost - Wonder Woman and Black Widow are great characters - problem Black Panther 2 IMHO was not fixing on a character - think there is so so much scope for female super heroes just make sure they have a good character and are well cast
- my predictions about what’s coming up
    - Thunderbolts - will tank bc it feels like leftovers
    - Captain America Brave New World - will tank bc no one will care and that director isn’t v good
    - Deadpool vs Wolverine, Blade, Fantastic Four - will go through roof bc Feige understands these characters
    -

Anyway lets see how I go

Movie review - "Oppenheimer" (2023) ****1/2

 I loved it. Big, bold, long, tackles huge issues, shoves in stars. Oh, it's Remi Malek. Oh, it's Gary Oldman as Truman. Puts in a few Florence Pugh nude scenes to break things up. And some special effects. Doesn't leave Oppenheimer's POV except in key bits.

Very well cast. Emily Blunt does excellent in a not much part. Everyone is good. Lots of nerds.

Plays with expectations. Like a sports film - getting the team together, building a bomb. Creates sympathy for Downer Jnr then flips it.

Movie review - "Captain America: Civil War" (2016) ***1/2

 The Marvel gang can be annoying with their hair transplants, pilates physiques and perfect teeth but this is a super slick very well done movie, admirable in its action scenes and way it juggles so many characters. Dull villain, manufactured heart (Stark's parents were murdered, etc), brilliant airport fight sequence.

Tom Holland steals the show as Spiderman.

Movie review - "Spiderman: Far from Home" (2019) ***

 Breezy, entertaining entry at it's best when dealing with teen life as the kids head off to Europe, and also making meta comments about the story (eg a biopic of Tony Stark has been made). Less strong when it comes to action - bloated CGI scenes, not terribly thrilling. Jake Gyllenhaul's villain is fine. Tom Holland is excellent - all the kids are. I love how the joke kid character was given a little touch in that his parents sent a chauffeur to pick him up and he was disappointed. Zedaya has X factor but is basically The Girl here.

Movie review - "Doolittle" (2020) **

A film that hasn't gotten a lot of love and it's certainly flawed but I watched it with my five year old who loved it and we had a grand time.

The debits are easy to spot - Downey Jr's Welsh accent which is badly dubbed in, the undercast kids, the failure to milk dramatic moments (especially with the boy, why not have people trying to kill Doolittle more?), the not particularly good effects. I think a few more reshoots and clarifying of the drama would have worked wonders.

Still, it's a quest, and an adventure, and Antonio Banderas and Michael Sheen ham it up with the right tone - this film needed more adult actors to play it that way. And my daughter laughed a lot.

Movie review - "Iron Man 3" (2013) ***

The end credits of this are terrific - bright, poppy, comic booky, irreverant, with a bouncy music score. The actual movie isn't up to the fun and pace of these credits but it's still a fun time, with everyone quipping away and Shane Black clearly bringing a lot to the party.

There's a lonely kid who pops up - there's a few in Black movies eg The Nice Guys, The Last Boy Scout - but he's fine. The emotional core of the movie is Iron Man dealing with a stress attack which is different, or was then.

There's lots of quips, some decent twists, some fantastic action sequences (especially the attack on Stark's house), the regular decent effects, the regular overlong bland final action scene, Ben Kingsley is fun once the reveal comes through (was this controversial? It was fun).

I like Rebecca Hall and just bought Gwyneth turning into a superhero; Don Cheadle had an amusing subplot. It was a good time. Not a billion dollar good time but enjoyable.

Book review - " Live From New York: The Complete, Uncensored History of Saturday Night Live as Told by Its Stars, Writers, and Guests" by James Andrew Miller & Tom Shales (revised edition 2015)

A revised edition which goes up to 2015 so includes people like Kirsten Wiig, Andy Saumberg, Bill Hader and Bobby Monyihan... but cuts out before the Trump presidency years when the show was reinvented and became central to the country's identity once more, in part because it was kind of like the voice of the opposition.

It's still a terrific read, full of bubbling personalities and funny stories - Bill Murray and Chevy Chase fighting backstage, clashes between Victoria Jackson and Jan Hooks how Tina Fey and Amy Poehler were the ones to really form a female power block,  Chase's ability to annoy people. Jim Downey sounds like a bit of a misogynistic prick.

The book was perhaps over long - did we really need all the accounts of people deciding to leave (because when a show goes for over thirty years that happens a lot) and there was maybe too much on Lorne Michaels. Also there's lots of references to characters and sketches which will mean nothing to those in countries who don't get the show, like Australia. Still, this book is a classic.

Movie review - "Iron Man 2" (2008) **

I heard it wasn't very good and it isn't. I watched it for completion's sake. The photograph is lovely and the cast is strong but it's not exciting. It just feels made for money.

Gwyneth Paltrow and Scar Jo are wasted - they even wear identical clothes. Mickey Rourke is kind of fun as a villain but his character is rote. Garry Shandling isn't allowed to do anything much.

There's no sense of fun, danger, excitement. Robert Downey's X factor isn't exploited. I mean, it's in focus and all that.

Movie review - "Avengers Endgame" (2019) ***1/2 (warning: spoilers)

So much has been written about this I'll just throw in random thoughts:
- they pulled off a very difficult act but then Marvel figured out what so many other super hero groups didn't... to make the stories human and personal and add humour
- there's a lot of hair piece acting in the film
- I didn't like it as much as the first... the surviving people were mostly pretty dull... the first third was awkward (surely Thanos' head could've been cut off in part one?) but the second half picks up
- loved fat Thor - finally a Chris Hemsworth part I can relate to
- if the future is changed then wouldn't that mean Robert Downey Jnr's kid would die?
- I did cry at Downey's death but I did see this on a plane
- Gwyneth Paltrow looks silly in an iron man costume but I guess it was effective to have her there at the end
- Michelle Pfeiffer's cameo is weird
- What happened to the romance between Hulk and Natasha?
- missed Dr Strange vs Iron Man most of all
- Very rousing when all the Avengers get together.

Movie review - "Spiderman: Homecoming" (2018) ****1/2

I really loved this movie. Part of Marvel's success has been their ability to reinvent themselves and with this Spiderman film they did what in hindsight seems obviously but is rarely actually done - quietened down, went back to the source material, went back to character.

Tom Holland's Peter Parker is the first one who actually genuinely seems like a high school student. They make him 15 and he seems young - he acts young, he wants to impress "dad" (Tony Stark), and is constantly and annoyingly enthusiastic, gets distracted by school and the girl he likes. It's very well done.

The girl in the film is a dream girl - she's not even a manic pixie, just a dream - but she's at least smart and diverse. It's brilliant how baddy Michael Keaton is her dad and he's a fantastic villain - very scary, and given decent motivation (a working class guy who's entitled - a Trump voter). I liked the alternate girl and Peter's best friend who gets to achieve his dream of being "the guy in the chair" (this was lovely screenwriting set up and pay off)

Robert Downey Jr and Jon Favreau had a lot of spice, the action scenes are done with Marvel's typical expertise but the strength of this is in the character work and the depiction of the world. It's a shame Marisa Tomei didn't have more to do.

Movie review - "Avengers: Infinity War" (2018) **** (warning: spoilers)

A genuine marvel, if you'll excuse the pun - how they pulled off such a juggling act, which so much expectation and so many characters to service. And they did, big time.

How? Well the basic story is super duper simple - bad guy wants stones. Easy to follow. They focus on character work - a few characters in particular who have depth, so at the end when everyone "dies" it means something: there's the father-son relationship between Tony Stark and Peter Parker, the rivalry between the egomaniacs/basically same character Stark and Dr Strange, the romances between Vision and Scarlett and the Star lord and Gamora, and the father-daughters relationship between Thanos and Gamora.

Characters like Black Widow, Steve Rodgers, Black Panther, etc take more of a back seat, which is entirely appropriate. Thor has a great moment with a semi nervous breakdown. Plenty of smart lines, and extremely well done action sequences.  A very good movie.

Script review - "Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl" by Ted Elliot and Terry Rossio

Johnny Depp gets all the credit for the success of this franchise, and he brought a hell of a lot - but you know what? There are other actors who could've played the part: Robert Downey Jnr, Eric Roberts, Bruce Campbell. The part is so well written and clear.

It's a bright, fun, lively movie - simple to follow though it has some complexity (I got lost occasionally with the rules of the curse though it did all make sense). Will and Elizabeth are a bit dull but they kind of have to be so everyone else can shine. There's no real great romantic scene between them - there's more heat between her and Jack Sparrow. But a very good script with lively support characters and a believable world.

Movie review - "Kiss Kiss Bang Bang" (2005) ***1/2 (reviewing)

Saw this in LA with a Q and A from Shane Black, who was in great form, talking about his love for crappy thrillers, his career up and downs, his battle with alcohol, his work to get this film made - he said the crucial thing was Robert Downey Jr was dating Joel Silver's assistant which helped make Silver want to fund the film.

It's a bright, energetic modern day noir with lots of funny narration and detail, a decent plot, and plenty of good actors. Downey Jr is in fine form, as is Val Kilmer, though he seems a little overweight. Michelle Monaghan is warm and funny and lovely as I guess the femme fetale only she isn't.

Sometimes the pacing didn't feel right and it felt like Downey turned into too much of a super hero at the end. I loved the look of LA and the different sort of photography that's used.

Movie review - "The Avengers: Age of Ultron" (2015) **

Something inside me snapped while watching this film: I'm over Marvel. Over their smug, quippy films with their really good actors playing cutouts, with their celebration of fascist values not very artfully disguised, with their top secret organisations constantly recruiting new super heroes for their nefarious means.

This feels like a stock episode of a very expensive TV show. They only kill off one major person, someone we barely know. There's a little bit of urst between Scarlett Johanssen and Mark Ruffalo but not much; I expected Jeremy Renner's wife and kids to be killed or at least threatened, but they aren't - so why introduce them; they don't even kill off the villain they just keep introducing more and more characters; there's a little bit of conflict between the Avengers but not much. Joss Whedon has said he was inspired by The Godfather II - well, Fredo was killed in that film, and mum Corleone died... nothing that big happens here.

The action sequences feel generic. Everyone looks as though they eat well and go the gym. There's no emotion and lots of unpleasant political undertones. The cast is very strong and there are some bright lines.

Movie review - "Chef" (2014) *** (warning: spoilers)

Entertaining quasi-indie film about a movie director (sorry, chef - Jon Favreau), who is frustrated that the studio (sorry, restaurant owner - Dustin Hoffman) won't let him make the films (sorry, food) the way he wants, preferring to use establish tropes and things that have worked before (sorry, dishes). He gets in a slanging match with a movie critic (sorry, food blogger), and gets inspired to make an independent movie (sorry, food truck) like he used to. He has a devoted film crew (sorry, chef crew) and despite being a tubby man he is able to bang the hot actress (sorry, waitress - Scarlett Johansson) and has to get backing from an independent movie financier (sorry, his ex wife's ex husband - Robert Downey Jnr).

Favreau has stated this isn't autobiographical because in real life he's not divorced or estranged from his child - but in this movie he actually gets along very well with his child (they keep throwing in lines of dialogue how they don't but in every scene they seem to get along great) and he has the best relationship with an ex wife I've ever seen in a movie - so much so that at the end of the movie they're back together, without even a real scene showing them reconnecting.

Okay I'm starting to sound mean and I didn't intend that. This is a sweet film - yes, about the struggles of a millionaire film director, and it goes on too long, and is strict wish fulfillment (eg "critics and the public will like you if you just follow your heart"), but there is lots to admire: a big heart, a star studded cast (Downey Jnr's turn is particularly hilarious), a heavily hispanic feel in terms of food and art direction (something still not common in Hollywood films), and some excellent food porn. It's one of the most cleverly made indi films I've seen - a personal movie but stuffed full of things to entertain you if you're not into that personal message: movie stars, good foods, and interesting visuals. Aussie filmmakers take note!

Movie review - "The Avengers" (2012) **** (warning: spoilers)

To think we were stuck with all those David Koepp adaptations over the years when Joss Whedon was around to bring comic book adaptations to life. It's one of the best big screen versions of a comic book I can think of - smart, funny, and it mostly spanks along. It does drag for a bit around the two thirds mark - there was a lot of hanging around on that big ship, and in common with many of these spectacles I found the destruction and action wearying after a while because it didn't seem wedded to anything real.

One of the unwritten rules about blockbusters is a friend of the hero needs to die around the two-thirds mark - since we know none of the Avengers are going to cark it, I figured it would either be Clark Gregg or that woman from How I Met Your Mother (who I didn't spot straight away - I had to google her afterwards), and I was right. They don't do much with the concept of Captain America being in the modern era, which one would have thought was rich fodder, but maybe they're holding that off for his own sequel. Thor is good for a few laughs, but he's a foreigner so doesn't have that much stake in Earth. 

The meatiest roles go to Iron Man (which is the best part really because it's got the best lines - he also gets a romance plot with Gwyneth Paltrow), Hulk and Black Widow. The Black Widow stuff with Hawk seemed a little under developed but then I haven't seen Iron Man 2.

Scarlett Johansson is sexy but not terribly convincing as a woman of action. Mark Ruffalo is superb at the Hulk, and gets to take part in the best action sequence - despatching Loki. Great to see on the big screen. Hopefully Whedon will make several blockbusters, as I feel he's more needed in the movies than TV as there are plenty of good TV shows still out there but few films.

Movie review – “Iron Man” (2008) **1/2

Highly praised but I found it disappointing. The first 40 minutes were terrific – Robert Downey Jnr as a more social Howard Hughes, with a private plane where the stewardess double as pole dancers, good friend to Terence Howard (likeable in a tricky part), enjoyable banter with Gwyneth Paltrow, funny lines, and exciting stuff in Afghanistan. But once he escapes the threat is removed and never really recovers. There are too many scenes of Downey Jnr making things and trying out equipment, and loud crashes and bangs. Jeff Bridges never seems much of a threat and the finale is tired.

Movie review – “Due Date” (2010) **1/2

The massive (and deserved) success of The Hangover would have surely opened many doors in Hollywood for Todd Phillips: why follow it up with yet another film about a road trip? Was he a massive fan of Planes Trains and Automobiles and wanted to pay homage? Or were these actors he wanted to work with and so he came up with this movie that doesn’t really have a plot or a reason to exist?

 

That being said there are pleasures to be had here: Zach what’s-his-name succeeds in creating another original, memorable strange character: addicted to marijuana, his dog, masturbation and Two and a Half Men, determined to make it as an actor, incredibly annoying. Robert Downey Jnr has less to work with in the straight man role – he’s got an anger management problem apparently, although he’s a lot more tolerant than I would have been.

 

Jaimie Fox and Michelle Monaghan have nothing roles but Juliette Lewis is outstanding as a stoner – and Phillips is pretty funny too in the same sequence. I didn’t find all the scenes of bad driving very entertaining (falling asleep at the wheel, etc) but the masturbating dog has to be a first.