Movie Reviews

By Lynne Martin

With Marvel Studios bringing in a new director and writers, IRON MAN 3 (2013) starring Robert Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, and Guy Pearce is positioned to take audiences down a noticeably darker and violent path. Although a good percentage of the dialogue seems to have been replaced with one-liners, this film still delivers a solid 20 minutes of explosive action tightly wrapped with unexpected plot twists and flashbacks to Tony Stark’s playboy past.

Just as Stark seems to have settled into a little domestic bliss with his live-in girlfriend Pepper Potts, our hero’s life is suddenly ripped apart by some unknown enemy intent on the singular goal of eliminating Iron Man. Narrowly surviving the devastating attack on his home, Tony allows the world to believe he is dead, taking the opportunity to rebuild and simultaneously hunt down the terrorist known as Mandarin with his evil henchmen from AIM (Advanced Idea Mechanics).

For the very first time in Iron Man history, we find a young boy by the name of Harley acting like Stark’s sidekick. The boy’s presence gratefully bringing back the missing ‘sense of wonder’ sometimes lost when a comic book is translated to the big screen. With action sequences filling up most of the running time, I did find myself missing the personal sparring between Stark and Potts and some of Iron Man’s legendary indulgences.

Although Downey’s contact ends after IRON MAN 3, I think it’s safe to say that we have not seen the last of Tony Stark in either his IRON MAN franchise or THE AVENGERS, especially since Downey has repeatedly expressed a public interest in continuing the character. Directed by Shane Black, PG-13, 130 mins, Action, Sci-Fi, Adventure, Sequel. **** 4 stars out of 5.

Pain & Gain works with disturbing concept

PAIN & GAIN (2013) starring Mark Wahlberg, Dwayne (The Rock) Johnson, and Anthony Mackie is the true story of inmates Daniel Lugo and Adrian Doorbal and the disastrous chain of events that landed them both on Florida’s death row. Coming in at just over two hours, it doesn’t take long for audiences to begin to feel their own sense of pain.

An ill-conceived plan by a personal trainer and his two workout buddies to kidnap a local businessman and drain him of his finances quickly begins to fall apart. Not only do the small time crooks fumble every step of the kidnapping, their attempt to eventually extort the desired money hits numerous roadblocks. Only their penchant for violence is able to outweigh their inept decision-making and drug abuse.

If this wasn’t a true story, the character development and plotline would be too ridiculous to even follow. Only after reminding myself that I was watching a close representation of true events was I able to drum up enough interest to finish the story. Based on a series of articles published in the 1999 Miami News Times, PAIN & GAIN is a recounting of the violent and brutal kidnapping and resulting torture and murder of several victims. So many lives wasted as the ‘Sun Gym Gang’ fought to grab what they considered to be their share of the American dream.

For some reason, director Michael Bay has decided to present the kidnappers in a sympathetic light. A disturbing concept when you consider that families of the innocent murder victims will be inadvertently exposed to the publicity surrounding this movie. Excellent soundtrack, Rated R, 130 mins, *** 3 stars out of 5.

– Lynne Martin is an avid movie collector and a staunch supporter of sexual education. She currently resides in Alberta, Canada with her husband and their large extended family. For a complete list of her reviews and other works, or to leave a comment, please go to: www.lynnemartinbooks.com.

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