Demon in a Bottle

Just re-watching me some Marvel movie goodness and realized that one of the few nods to Tony Stark’s alcoholism (a feature I’d always considered to be central to the character) in the current MCU will probably be Stark’s shitfaced appearance in the nineties flashback at the beginning of «Iron Man 3».

Not to be complaining, I think his daddy issues work just fine as a character trait/motivation,… maybe even better considering his role in «Captain America 3: Civil War», without being too dark. 

Nonetheless I can’t shake off the thought that almost 10 years ago, the powers that where considered Robert Downey Jr.’s drug-related history might be a suitable association for the well-informed comic book fan waiting for the next superhero movie to come (of which there weren’t that many around at the time).

iron-man-128-demon-in-a-bottle

Of course, that was before we all learned how truly, perfectly Robert Downey Jr. IS IRON MAN and, even without the booze, was defining Tony Stark for the big screen, clearing the path for a franchise we all learned to enjoy in a way we thought we never could. 

(Now that I think of it, there was some heavy drinking in Iron Man part 2, but that didn’t lead anywhere either.)

Demon in a Bottle

PS: This is getting better and better: I think I just spotted a «The Silence of the Lambs» easter egg in «Iron Man 3» (in which the US-president is strung up in the «Iron Patriot» suit. I think the sound given at that moment supports that theory.)

Manhattan

Rating: 4

Now here’s some binge-worthy TV! Stumbled upon this gripping gem about the Manhattan Project leading up to the creation of the first nuclear bombs by accident.

Still loving it while finishing the last episode of the first season. Shame it didn’t get picked up for a third season. And I still miss the hell out of an appearance of Richard Feynman, but then again, maybe better not to let reality disturb the drama too much.

If you get a chance, check it out on Netflix!

ManhattanTV

The First Avenger: Civil War

Rating: 4.5

Marvel did it again! They once more delivered a solid, action-packed, and most important: FUN comic book movie. One could argue that Civil War and Batman v Superman follow basically the same plot. <spoiler>The superheroes in both universes seem to share one trait: they’re all mamma’s boys. Not that that’s a bad thing. Love you mom!</spoiler>.

But the folks at Marvel just know how to nail it almost every goddam time!

Most importantly, as always, this newest Marvel flick knows how to have a good time. Paul Rudd, I love you, man!

And they even managed to establish a reeeeallly cool Spidey in just a couple of minutes,… something Sony wasn’t able to do in two whole movies.

On the negative side, Marvel still has it’s problems with the bad guys. <spoiler>Zemo reminded me too much of the latest Blofeld. All build-up, no real pay-off (in this movie, that is.).</spoiler>

Captain America 3 may be not the best Marvel movie, but it’s a keeper. Go see it! Like in: NOW!
And as always: Good luck DC, you gonna need it.

(Yes Scarlett, I still love you, too)

helvetiaVSuperman

The Revenant

Rating: 4.5

Alright Leo, you can keep yours,… but let’s get some more Oscars over here to this Lubezki cinematographer guy. This movie belongs to him. It doesn’t get much more cinematic than that.

The Revenant

Besides some neat storytelling moments, I didn’t care much about the plot, though.

BTW: Didn’t thought that Ultra-HD would make such a difference. But man, that IS some beautiful home cinema experience. The investment in a 3rd gen Apple TV (1080p) DOES show on a 4k screen compared to the first generation (720p). (Don’t know about Apple TV 4, though; didn’t need either the 7.1 Audio or the gaming capabilities. And there’s some nice upscaling going on in my Sony TV Set apparently).

More: The Oscars 2016

<spoiler>«I thought they smelled bad on the outside.»</spoiler>

Daredevil Season 2

Rating: 3.5

daredevil

<nitpicking>What really bugged me was his new cowl. Of course they really nailed its design compared to the model of season one, but in a show so gritty and «realistic» compared to similar presentations, I was somewhat surprised about a certain use of movie-magic revolving around the devil’s mask. When you spot it, you’ll know what I’m talking about and after that it’s really hard to unsee.</nitpicking>

But that’s it. Other than that, once more Daredevil is almost perfect television. Interesting characters well executed (please excuse the PUNisher), gripping story, stunning action, very easy on the eyes. And I loved his new toy and how they introduced it.

After the trainwreck I saw yesterday that was «Batman v Superman» I’m so glad at least one Studio knows what to do with its Superhero properties. I wonder what it would look like if Marvel could manage to take their spectacle to the big screen… oh wait, they did, and they do. Almost forgot there still lies a civil war ahead…

BTW: What I really liked about «Batman v Superman» was, surprisingly enough, the Batfleck. Not just his cowl, not just his whole costume, but his take on the character. Didn’t see that one coming. I wonder how Ben Affleck would do as Matt Murdock on the big screen… oh wait, he did. But let’s forget about that.

Whiplash

Rating: 5

Once again I realize that the best sign to recognize a really outstanding movie is the moment when you watch it for the nth time and you’re still surprised of how good it truly is.

«Call your Mom, call your Dad…»

Last Week Tonight

Rating: 4.5

I’d always loved his segments but I didn’t expect John Oliver to fill Jon Stewart’s enormous shoes in such a brilliant, hilarious, satisfying and relevant way this quickly, hosting a weekly show. (Sorry, Trevor Noah).

(Not the best example by far, but a good one, which made me want to write this post.)

 

And of course there’s this:

https://www.youtube.com/user/LastWeekTonight

http://www.hbo.com/last-week-tonight-with-john-oliver