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by Mary K. Morgan - member of the St. Louis Gateway Film Critics Association.
Iron Man (PG-13) Following a spectacular weapons demonstration, world renowned weapons manufacturer Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) is caught in military crossfire and is kidnapped by enemy forces. Hidden away in a rocky cave with only a captive translator and some rudimentary tools and supplies, he is coerced into building a sophisticated weapon. Using the given materials for another purpose, he manages to forge, and intricately wire, a prototype of an armored suit unlike any other known to the world. Using the shield and powers of the suit to escape, he returns to the United States with a very different view of the weapons industry.
After his return home, Tony spends most of his waking hours crafting and perfecting the suit he will be wearing as his new Marvel persona, Iron Man. The entertainment lies primarily in all of the high-tech action and robotic sequences the film offers its fans. The plot is comic-book thin, as it should be. Good guys and bad guy are clearly defined and no deep thought is necessary to determine which is which. So, relax, escape and lose yourself in the hero/adventure/comicbook tale that details the birth of Iron Man.
Rating: 4
Baby Mama (PG-13) Surrogate mothers are becoming almost commonplace, but there’s nothing commonplace about Angie Ostrowiski (Amy Poehler). When Kate Holbrook (Tina Fey) hears her biological clock not only ticking, but sounding its alarm, she decides to become a mother.
Committed to parenthood, but unable to conceive, she turns to an unlikely source for her progeny. Angie, the surrogate, is not exactly what Kate envisioned, but the pregnancy seals the deal. Not a smooth gestation period, circumstances dictate that she and her Baby Mama spend the entire pregnancy together. With virtually nothing in common other than the fetus, the two mothers anxiously await the delivery. And it gets pretty ugly!
Several pregnancy movies of late indicate that the topic might not be as hot as the filmmakers believe, or else the saturation point has been reached. Both leads are worthy comedic actors and pull off the quirky, little story well, with plenty of laughs to go around the audience. Not a must see, but entertaining enough to satisfy those looking for something light.
Rating: 3
Dinosaurs Alive! At the St. Louis Science Center, Summer ‘08
Wow! The only thing the makers of this latest IMAX film about these pre-historic marvels could have done to make the recreations more realistic would have been to blow a large dose of steamy, hot air into the audience when the creatures got close enough to the screen to have us all for supper. The giant, domed screen is the perfect medium to show off both the giant computer generated dinosaurs and the beauty and mystique of the desert sites in both Mongolia and the western United States where the excavations are located.
When it comes to excellence in intriguing, entertaining scientific films, the St. Louis Science Center has never failed to bring “the best of the best” to its IMAX screen. Dinosaurs Alive! is no exception. The footage depicting the paleontologists at work, the re-creations of the prehistoric scenes and the interesting way that they integrated “digs” from past with the present, all resulted in an interesting and, at times frightening, look far into the past.
FYI: If you recognize the narrator’s voice, but can’t quite decide who it is, it’s actor Michael Douglas.
Rating: 4
The Incredible Hulk
On June 13, The Incredible Hulk will burst into a theater near you. This time around, the green, gamma-ray affected Marvel hero Bruce Banner will be played by Edward Norton, and his love interest, Betty, by Liv Tyler. Bad guy General Thunderbolt Ross is William Hurt. And super-bad entity, the Abomination, well, you’ll just have to wait and see that for yourself. Of course there’s nothing stopping you from taking an early peek at incrediblehulk.marvel.com and getting all the inside scoop.
Wanted Adapted from Mark Miller’s graphic novel series comes Wanted, an action/thriller geared to today’s world. Meet Wesley Gibson (James McAvoy), an unlikely hero who “finds” his inner strength when he meets a woman named Fox (Angelina Jolie) who has some unusual connections and phenomenal teaching prowess. As Wesley builds his skills, he learns about destiny. See www.wantedmovie.com, if you are looking for some fresh action that’s a bit outside of the box.
Hellboy II: The Golden Army Director/writer Guillermo del Toro brings back Hellboy (Ron Pearlman) just as everything is breaking loose on earth. The red, horned superhero, along with his team, the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense, are forced to do battle with a ruthless dictator and his supernatural army of destruction that threatens the world. Visit www.hellboymovie.com for all of the details, or wait for the July 11 release for complete details.
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