With the forward momentum and strong villain missing from its predecessor, Iron Man 2 is still easily the lesser movie, messily constructed and, at times, mind-numbing. Still, its willingness to embrace its absurdity makes it possibly more enjoyable. Sam Rockwell is a riot at a slimy weapons manufacturer. Avengers crossover did not bother me as much as it did two years ago, but maybe that just means Marvel wins?
If the wildly overrated Fantastic Mr. Fox’s biggest flaw was its lack of drama and danger, Moonrise Kingdom represents a welcome return to form for writer-director Wes Anderson. The turmoil and frustration bubbling under the surface of each carefully composed shot drives the best of Anderson’s work, and as Spike Jonze did with Where the Wild Things Are, Anderson here filters the anger and sadness of childhood through his idiosyncratic artistic vision.
The story is simple enough. Young Sam (Jared Gilman) and young Suzy (Kara Hayward) fall in love, bonded by their loneliness, and they run away together. As the two enjoy a host of adventures, the communities they left behind tear their hair out trying to find them. It all sounds like innocent fun, but along the way, there are scissor stabbings, dead dogs, explicit threats of violence towards parents and preteen hard-ons. And although the film pits youngsters against the dark side of nostalgia, it isn’t quite a coming-of-age pic. Instead, it’s a sort of dream about children desperately trying to be adults when they’re not even close, and how they spend the rest of lives trying to figure out what they lost.
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I must have a musical bald spot because my metalhead is starting to show. Bob Dylan never stopped writing great songs, even with his weaker albums. I will never cease to be amazed by Eddie Van Halen’s work on “Eruption.” There are two by Elvis Costello because he’s the man, but Bruce is on top because he’s the boss.
10. The Police- Born in the 50’s (Listen)
9. Judas Priest- Beyond the Realms of Death (Listen)
8. Bob Dylan- Changing of the Guard (Listen)
7. The Clash- (White Man) in Hammersmith Palais (Listen)
6. Van Halen- Eruption (Listen)
5. Funkadelic- One Nation Under a Groove (Listen)
4. Elvis Costello- (What’s So Funny ‘About) Peace, Love and Understanding (Watch Bill Murray sing in Lost in Translation)
3. Elvis Costello- No Action (Listen to non-album live version)
2. Blondie- Hanging on the Telephone (Listen)
1. Bruce Springsteen- Racing in the Street (Listen)
See Also: Top 10 Albums of 1978
Did I fall into Marvel’s trap? I have never read a non-Star Wars comic, and the Avengers tentpoles are never great. And yet, with each progressive installment, I fancy myself a fanboy, eagerly waiting through credits for Easter eggs that will reveal villains and plots points that mean absolutely nothing to me. But somehow, the marketing has trapped me, or franchise fever got to me because I’m hooked.
Appropriately, Joss Whedon’s The Avengers appears both a triumphant victory and a sad indication of the state of film. Whedon breathes life into the film with crackling dialogue, and perhaps more impressively, he expertly structures and executes his material to successfully navigate a sprawling ensemble of heroes and thrilling actions sequences. But as I embrace this blockbuster, I can’t help but ask if my expectations are too low.
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Revisiting Iron Man for the first time confirmed Captain America as my favorite of the Avengers franchise. Movie has great moments and a strong performance by Downey Jr., but story lacks a certain narrative thrust. It never quite feels like there’s much at stake, despite the presence of war. Instead, it plays like extended exposition with limited depth. But this is all nitpicking, as it’s all still a lot of fun.
The third Alien lacks the fresh thrills of the first two, but Fincher does the best he can with a lifeless, obvious script. At its best, the film is visually mesmerizing, understandably the slickly shot and edited work of a director then best known for music videos. The threat of sexual violence hangs over the entire film, and the climactic set piece delivers the suspense absent from the film’s first hour.
Kids:
A few hours ago, I landed in Los Angeles, turned on my phone, and confirmed what you already know. Sony Pictures Television is replacing me as showrunner on Community, with two seasoned fellows that I’m sure are quite nice - actually, I have it on good authority they’re quite nice, because…
As I did with 1969, I have selected 20 songs. Quite simply, there’s too much good stuff. 1977 might actually be my favorite year in rock music: the birth of the Clash, Cohen working with Spector, two game-changing albums from Bowie and Costello’s debut album. Even Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours, an album I feel like I should hate, is pop perfection.
20. Billy Joel- Just the Way You Are (Listen)
19. The Clash- Complete Control (Listen)
18. The Damned- Neat Neat Neat (Listen)
17. Parliament- Flash Light (Listen)
16. Richard Hell and the Voidoids- Blank Generation (Listen)
15. Leonard Cohen- Memories (Listen)
14. The Clash- Janie Jones (Listen)
13. Ramones- Sheena is a Punk Rocker (Listen)
12. Bob Marley- Natural Mystic (Listen)
11. Bee Gees- How Deep Is Your Love (Listen)
10. Talking Heads- Psycho Killer (Listen)
9. Television- Venus (Listen)
8. The Jam- Away from the Numbers (Listen)
7. Sex Pistols- Holidays in the Sun (Listen)
6. Paul Simon- Slip Slidin’ Away (Listen)
5. David Bowie- “Heroes” (Listen)
4. Fleetwood Mac- Dreams (Listen)
3. David Bowie- Sound and Vision (Listen)
2. Elvis Costello- Alison (Listen)
1. Neil Young- Like a Hurricane (Listen)
See Also: Top 10 Albums of 1977
