Movie Review: Iron Man 2

It may not feel like summer in my neck of the woods, but the summer movie season is upon us. The first summer popcorn film out of the gate is Iron Man 2. The sequel picks up where Iron Man left off; Tony Stark reveals himself to the world as the self made superhero and must defend himself against the government, new enemies, and himself. Helping Tony along the way is his trusted assistant Pepper Potts (the lovely Gwyneth Paltrow), his best friend Rhodes/War Machine (Don Cheadle) and a couple of new friends Nick Fury (Samuel Jackson) and Natalie/Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson).

This is what I love about Iron Man movies -- Iron Man is not a lonely, geeky, brooding, reluctant hero. He is a brazen, egomaniacal, playboy who enjoys the thrill and power that being a superhero brings. Who better to play that than Robert Downey Jr.? He can play any unabashed, cocky character and make you root for him. (If you haven't watched him in Sherlock Holmes yet, please Netflix/rent it now).

The new baddie in this movie is Ivan Vanko/Whiplash, played by Mickey Rourke, who speaks with a Russian accent and sports some funky teeth for this role. Ivan has a family beef with the Stark's and takes it upon himself to destroy Tony and the Stark legacy. Rourke does a fine job of portraying this menacing foe, but for me the real bad guy in the film was Justin Hammer, played deviously by Sam Rockwell. Mr. Hammer is one of Stark Industries major competitors and he joins up with Whiplash to annihilate any and all competition, but mainly Stark Industries. Sam Rockwell is one of those actors that fills the screen with his presence and usually plays the guy you love to hate. I think he is an intriguing character actor and definitely recommend you catching some of his older films (most notably Confessions of a Dangerous Mind).

A big to do was made about the choice to replace Terence Howard with Don Cheadle as Rhodes but the swap did not bother me one bit. Not only do I think Don Cheadle is a superior actor but I think he was a better match for the role. Cheadle's Rhodes is a no nonsense guy who doles out the tough love as opposed to Terence Howard's whiny, too cool for school take on the role in the original. Another bonus to the sequel is the inclusion of Scarlett Johansson's character Black Widow; she has a small but important role, along with Samuel Jackson's Nick Fury, in introducing and giving a little wink to the upcoming Avengers film. In her short time on screen Black Widow wipes the floor clean with bad guys and looks hot doing it. Scarlett makes for a voluptuous, kick ass female and I would definitely be interested in seeing a Black Widow franchise--little girls of the world need superheroes too.

This movie is not going to change your life but it was funny, action packed, and a good way to spend a Saturday afternoon. I think it definitely held its own against the first film. If that doesn't convince you to go see it maybe this will--after the climactic battle scene my son let out a loud "WOO-HOO" in the theater. My kid knows movies :)

Movie Review: How To Train Your Dragon

Vikings and dragons aren't the first images that come to mind when thinking of family animated movies, but in the capable hands of DreamWorks Animation, the pairing really works. Hiccup (voiced by Jay Baruchel) is the scrawny, clumsy son to Stoick (voiced by hunky Gerard Butler), the brawny head Viking in the village. Hiccup longs to follow in his father's footsteps of hunting and slaying dragons but Stoick wants to keep his boy out of harm's way. One night Hiccup takes it upon himself to join the latest dragon battle and successfully hits what he believes is a Night Fury, the most feared and rare of dragons. Of course no one is around to witness this nor does anyone believe him. Hiccup sets out to find the injured dragon and he finds just that, the Night Fury is injured and trapped. Hiccup frees the dragon and so begins a beautiful friendship and a truly touching story.

I loved this film. Of course I am a parent and a sucker for animated movies but there are themes in this movie that will touch even the most cold-hearted or cynical of movie goers. I also want to applaud DreamWorks Animation for broaching a tough subject in a kid's movie, and since I am anti-spoiler you will have to shell out the cash to find out what I am talking about. You can catch the film at your local cinema in 3-D, IMAX, or old school regular. I prefer old school but at the request of my husband and son we watched it in 3-D. I have to admit it was very cool in 3-D but for those parents with children under 5, I would suggest skipping the 3-D; although my son ended up enjoying it, the first half of the film frightened him because in Quentin's words "I felt like I was in the movie and the dragons were going to eat me". So parents beware of the 3-D action.

Speaking of 3-D, I am not a fan of the 3-D fad; probably because I was traumatized in the early 80's by two horrific 3-D experiences. The first was in 1982 when my Grandma Rita took me and my Aunt Sharon to see Friday the 13th Part III in 3-D. I was 7 years old and I remember my sad little horrified self taking off my glasses every time Jason killed someone. The other 3-D nightmare was Jaws III; Grandma Rita was there for that too. Needless to say those experiences put me off of 3-D, horror movies, and Sea World--but I still love my Grandma :) Watching How To Train Your Dragon in 3-D was a nice way to ease back into the 3-D experience and put my post traumatic 3-D disorder behind me. Regardless of which way you choose to watch the film, this is a definite must see for all.

Claud's Bonus Stuff: Article on my brother

Hello Everyone! New posts are coming but for now I want to share this great article that was written about my brother and his company for a local paper. We are all very proud of him. One thing I should clear up before you read, he did attend Devry, but for no more than 2 semesters. We don't want Devry taking any credit for his success :)

http://csbj.com/2010/04/10/aguilar-led-contracting-breakthrough/

Claud's View: The Oscars

THIS IS OUR HOMAGE TO THE SYLVESTER STALLONE CLASSIC OVER THE TOP

I want to start off by apologizing; my resolution was to write in my blog more and I have failed. Full disclosure -- I was sidetracked by a little phenomena named Twilight. I was seduced by the saga and got sucked in. Hello my name is Claudine, and I am a Twi-hard. Team Edward!!!!

Now let's get down to it.

The Academy Awards are upon us. This is my favorite event of the year; it is my Super Bowl or World Series if you will. Some may watch the show for the glitz and glamour but I watch as a lover of film. What makes this year's Oscars even better is that Inglourious Basterds, one of my favorite films of 2009 by my favorite director Quentin Tarantino, was honored with 8 nominations including Best Picture and Best Director. I am not fooling myself that Basterds has a fighting chance against the money making behemoth Avatar and the gritty war film The Hurt Locker, but as the Hollywood saying goes "it was an honor just to be nominated". Also giving the awards show a little something extra this year are the hosts Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin. I think it was an ingenious idea to pair these two men up to co-host and I am looking forward to watching whatever they have cooked up as long as its not rehashed SNL skits.

Something else new to the Academy this year, that has turned out to be quite controversial, is the introduction of 10 Best Picture nominees instead of the traditional 5. I am on the opposing side of this argument. I think allowing 10 nominees doesn't lessen the honor per se but I truly don't believe that ALL films are worthy of the nomination; which brings me to Avatar. Most Oscar prognosticators are betting that the big Oscar showdown is between Avatar and The Hurt Locker. This bothers me immensely. I have not seen Avatar, on principle, even though my husband swears that I would enjoy it. My issue with the film is that is has been shoved down everyone's throat as the most astounding film ever. The whole thing is reminiscent of what they did with Titanic; a good movie but best film of 1997 I think not. Avatar seems visually stunning so it is well deserving of all the technical nominations but morphing an actor into a blue alien and having the majority of the film computer generated does not a best director make nor does the most popular movie qualify as the best picture. Nothing against James Cameron, he has brought my favorite female heroines to the silver screen- Sarah Connor in Terminator and Ellen Ripley in Aliens, but I think this year he should just be happy to go home with the title of cinematic maverick.

The awards are a big thing for my family. For almost 20 years now my dad, brother and I have had a contest as to who could predict the most wins. My dad even bought a "goldish" statue at a swap meet that we lovingly call "the Jorge". Andrew, my husband, and Alissa, my sister-in-law, joined the contest last year. The contest is pretty fierce, none of us share our picks with each other and we do not turn in our ballots until the day before the show. The winner gets a Blu-ray from each of the losers, bragging rights for a year, and possession of "the Jorge". I was in possession of "the Jorge" for quite some time until my winning streak ended 4 years ago. My brother has been the victor for those 4 years, but this year the "claud strikes back" and I will bring "the Jorge" home. So wish me luck readers and "may the force be with me".

Claud's View: Musically Speaking 2009

Hey everyone! I know it's been a while but life got in the way of my writing. My New Year's resolution is to dedicate time to this blog, no excuses. With that out the way let me get to it.

Music is a very important element in my life. It has the ability to transform me into a dancing diva (thank you Lady Gaga), a salsa hootchie (conyo Pitbull) or a hip hop bad ass (hallelujah Jay-Z). Catch me at a stop light and you will find me dancing and singing to my hearts content; a habit my son has picked up on as well. Each decade was defined by particular music trends. For example the 80's gave us amazing alternative and synth pop bands, not so amazing hair bands and powerhouse performers (Madonna, Prince, Michael Jackson, and U2). The 90's introduced us to grunge, parent approved rap and me to flannel, Eddie Vedder hair, and MC Hammer pants. Not a good luck my friends, not even for the Hammer. The last decade was a melting pot of music--boy bands, pop-punk, pop-tarts, rap rock or rock rap (your choice) the resurgence of the troubadour, country stars dominating Top 40 stations. It was a good decade in music and I enjoyed most of it with the exception of that ketchup song and Daughtry. I have to say that 2009 was a stellar year musically and my favorite music year of the decade. There were new releases by my favorite bands and performers: U2, The Black Eyed Peas, Michael Buble, The Yeah Yeah Yeahs. Plus I discovered some cool new bands to fill my Ipod with: Spinnerette, Ida Maria, Them Crooked Vultures, and Cage the Elephant. I even learned to appreciate Taylor Swift, Carrie Underwood and Kings of Leon. Go figure.

I want to take a beat here to highlight Spinnerette. The band is fronted by one of my favorite singers Brody Dalle (former name Brody Armstrong; the face and voice of The Distillers). Those not familiar with the latter should take a listen, even if you do not like punk, Brody's voice could be raging and melodic all at the same time. The Distillers only released 2 CD's with the last being released in 2003 but those cd's are still on frequent rotation in my car. Give it a listen when you want to release stress or feel hardcore ("because you're not hardcore unless you live hardcore"). But I digress, Spinnerette was a fortuitous discovery because I had longed to hear Brody belt out something new. I was taken aback because the sound for Spinnerette is still engaging just mellower-- they sound like the band Hole, before Courtney Love went batshiz crazy. "Baptized by Fire" is the first single released off their self-titled cd. Check it out on iTunes, Pandora, or whatever music search you utilize.

Being the music lover that I am I firmly believe that the only way to truly appreciate your favorite performer is to see them perform live, so I am an avid concert goer. We are in a recession so I had to be choosy in 2009, but I chose some astounding shows. Started the year with Reverend Horton Heat; caught No Doubt (welcome back!!) with Paramore and The Sounds; Depeche Mode at Red Rocks Amphitheater, followed closely by Flogging Molly (kick ass Irish punk band--thank you to the Wilson's for that one). We capped the concert year by going to see U2 with the Black Eyed Peas at Sam Boyd Stadium in Las Vegas. The show only solidified my claim that U2 is the greatest band in the world or ever and having the Peas open for them only added to the energy. An entire stadium full of people shaking to "Boom Boom Pow" can create world peace.

I don't know what the next decade will bring but I do know that Vampire Weekend will be offering up a new cd in January and that U2 will be blessing Colorado with a show in June. I await both with the excitement of a Twilighter. Happy New Year to you all!

Claud's Picks: Fall Movie Preview Part Deux

I am back with the second part of my fall movie recommendations, sorry for the delay. I have already crossed one film "Extract" off my list and will be reviewing it soon. I must also apologize for not including one film on my last list under comedies--The Men Who Stare at Goats. This film starts on 11/6 and stars George Clooney, Ewan McGregor, Jeff Bridges, and Kevin Spacey. It is about a military group that attempts to train and use telepathy in military situations. Claud's take: This looks like a Cohen-esque film, which is my kind of comedy. The cast is impressive and I have high hopes for quirky stuff.

Now that I got that off my chest, let's continue with the list.

Family Films

Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs-9/18: voices of Bill Hader and Anna Faris. Claud's take: A film based on a children's book where Bill Hader's character invents a machine that transforms water into food. My son and I are looking forward to this one. It seems silly and fun. My "trio" gave it a thumbs up!!

Toy Story & Toy Story 2 (both in 3-D)-10/2: Claud's take: I really don't have to tell you whose voices are featured in these films. Pixar and Disney have decided to rerelease these films in 3-D. The whole 3-D thing really doesn't enhance the movie going experience for me, not my bag, but it seems like 3-D is the "big thing" this year. I will probably take my son just so he can watch them on the big screen.

Where the Wild Things Are-10/16: stars Catherine Keener and Mark Ruffalo. Claud's take: Based on the beloved children's book by Maurice Sendak, director Spike Jonze brings the wild things to life. My son loves the book, as do I, and he makes me play the trailer for him over and over. If you have not seen the trailer yet, please watch it. Q and I will definitely be at the theater on opening weekend.

A Christmas Carol- 11/6: stars Jim Carrey. Claud's take: Director Robert Zemekis brings us another adaptation of the classic Christmas tale using the same animation he used on The Polar Express and this time he recruited Jim Carrey to bring Scrooge to the big screen.

The Princess & the Frog-11/25 voices of Anika Noni Rose, Terence Howard Claud's take: Disney's first African American princess. FINALLY! Based on the Grimm Fairy tale "The Frog Prince" Disney is taking a chance and giving us a traditional animated film. Little girls everywhere will be asking for a new princess this holiday season.

Horror/Suspense (Horror is NOT my thing so I am just listing all the movies that are being released this fall in this genre :))

Jennifer's Body-9/18:

Zombieland- 10/9:

The Stepfather-10/16

Saw VI-10/23

I want to try and get back to my reviews being posted at least once a week. Will do my best to keep up with my expectations :)

Claud's Picks: Fall Movie Preview Part I

Summer movie season has come and gone. Although I didn't get to the theater as much as I would have liked to, what I saw was good. Now the fall films are upon us, and I must say it is my favorite season weather and movie wise. I have compiled a little cheat sheet for all of you of films I am looking forward to seeing and would probably recommend. I split the films up into "specific" genres and two parts, as not to overload your brains. Some of the films may overlap genres but I am sure you will get the gist.

Date Movie/Chick Flicks:

Love Happens-9/18: starring Jennifer Aniston and Aaron Eckhart. Claud's take: Aaron Eckhart is a self help guru who can't heed his own advice. Looks like a nice love story with a solid pair of actors.

Fame-9/25: A remake of the classic movie with a whole slew of newcomers. Claud's take: I am probably going to see this on my own and come out pirouetting and serenading people.

New York, I Love You-10/16: Small films w/different directors (Mira Nair, Brett Ratner) and stars (Natalie Portman, Shia LaBeouf), all centering around New York. Claud's take: Looks like an independent release so I am not sure they will release in my neck of the woods but I will do my darndest to see it.

Whip It-10/9: starring Drew Barrymore and Ellen Page. Claud's take: Ellen Page is girl trying to rebel against her "toddler and tiara" type mom, so she joins a roller derby team and finds herself. Based on a true story and is Drew's directorial debut so I am definitely going out to support her.

Nine-11/25: starring Daniel Day-Lewis, Nicole Kidman, Penelope Cruz, and Kate Hudson. Claud's take: Musical based on the Broadway play which is based on the film 8 1/2 by Federico Fellini. I dig musicals and this is directed by Rob Marshall, who directed Chicago, so it should be a fun to watch.

Comedies:

Extract-9/4: starring Jason Bateman, Ben Affleck, and Mila Kunis. Claud's take: Mr. Bateman is the owner of an extract plant who deals with calamity in his plant and unhappiness in his life. I will watch anything from writer/director Mike Judge, the man behind Office Space, and he had the good sense to cast Jason Bateman. Hoping for good stuff with this one.

The Informant!-9/18: starring Matt Damon. Claud's take: This film is directed by Steven Soderbergh (Erin Brockovich, all the Ocean's films), so right off the bat I get a good feeling, and it stars Matt Damon as a whistle blower at an agricultural corporation. Would seem like this be a drama but they found a comedic spin and went for it. Also has Joel McHale from E!'s The Soup, and we all know he can bring the funny.

The Invention of Lying-9/25: starring Ricky Gervais and Jennifer Garner Claud's take: Ricky Gervais makes me laugh and in this film he stars as a man who invents "lying" in a world where everyone is brutally honest. "I want to go to there."

Couples Retreat-10/9: all-star comedy cast-Vince Vaughn, Jon Favreau, Jason Bateman. Claud's take: Jason Bateman and Kristen Bell are a couple whose marriage is in trouble and they recruit their couple friends to join them on a retreat to save their marriage. Every time I watch the trailer I laugh my ass off. This is one I can't wait for.

Did You Hear About the Morgan's?-12/18: starring Hugh Grant and Sarah Jessica Parker. Claud's take: Hugh and SJP star as a big city couple on the brink of divorce who witness a murder and must be put into the witness protection program. Of course they are planted somewhere foreign--Wyoming. I love Hugh Grant in romantic comedies so this should be fun to watch.

It's Complicated-12/25: starring Meryl Streep, Alec Baldwin, and Steve Martin. Claud's take: A comedy from Nancy Myers (Something's Gotta Give), that involves a divorced couple, Meryl and Alec, who end up having an affair with each other, and Steve is the guy trying to woo the single Meryl. Nancy Myers knows how to write comedies for adults and this cast is gold. Christmas will be very funny this year.

That is my round up for now. I will post part II-which includes: family films, horror, blockbusters, and Oscar bait- in a few days. Peruse this list for now and remember to view responsibly :)