Iron Man 2

Iron Man 2 suffers somewhat from sequelitis but it is an enjoyable follow up to the surprise comic book adaptation of a couple of years ago.

I liken it a bit to Transformers 2 - good, some great action sequences, but not as slick and tight. There's a definite lull in the middle of Iron Man 2 that does make you tap your fingers waiting for them to get on with it.

We pick up the story in Russia where Ivan Vanko (Mickey Rourke) vows to avenge his father's fate of banishment from the free world at the hands of Tony Stark's father. Vanko senior played a big role in developing the technology that has seen Stark create the Iron Man suit and Ivan gets to work on some electrics of his own.

We're also introduced to Natalie Rushman (the stunning in red hair Scarlett Johansson) who is selected by Stark to be his new assistant with the promotion of Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow) to CEO of the company.

Robert Downey Jr is certainly revelling in playing such a narcissist and I think this is where things go awry in the middle.

The first half an hour is mind blowing. One of the great entrances of a villain belongs to Rourke's Vanko (also known as Whiplash). The last half an hour is similarly excellent.

So sit tight in the middle as we have to put up with the annoying Justin Hammer (Sam Rockwell nails being a major tool here) trying to manipulate Vanko for his own gain. Idiot!

Rushman's connection with Nick Fury (Samuel L Jackson) is revealed also and the Avengers team is starting to come together.

(Just on the Avengers link, there's a scene at the end of the film, after the credits, giving us direction on where this is heading - next stop Thor.)

Iron Man 2 is enjoyable, great action sequences, some very good one liners and, did I mention Scarlett Johanssen kicking butt. There's also an almost unrecognisable Garry Shandling in there for good measure.

A 7.5 out of 10, but could have been better.

Hot Tub Time Machine

Here we go again. Another pretty good, if not new, idea that doesn't realise its potential.

Influenced I'd say by the success of films like The Hangover, Hot Tub Time Machine opted for crass over clever and instead of a witty, possibly black comedy, about the chance to revisit a time when you made choices and mistakes, we get a lowbrow (admittedly at times witty) comedy that really smacks of try hard.

It's got all the ingredients, including John Cusack, to be memorable but instead we get average.

Drawn together by an apparent suicide attempt by their friend Lou (Rob Corddry), Adam (Cusack) and Nick (Craig Robinson), along with Adam's nephew Jacob (Clark Duke from Kick-Ass) revisit Kodak Valley, a place they holidayed some 20 odd years earlier.

Finding it rundown and virtually deserted the quartet wind up in the hot tub which, as the name suggests, turns out to be a time machine and whisks them back to 1986 and a pivotal night for the three who existed back then.

They really didn't do enough with the 80s setting here. Crispin Glover plays the bellhop Phil and the writers missed a brilliant opportunity for a funny moment. Lou says a line about wanting to get back to the present - I would have certainly written it as 'back to the future' in homage to Glover's presence in the film (he played George McFly in BTTF 1).

I must admit I had reasonable expectations.

Based on Cusack's involvement with director Steve Pink who wrote the screenplay for and co-produced the wickedly brilliant Grosse Point Blank and High Fidelity. Of course both feature Cusack and I reckon if they aimed a bit for the former film then Hot Tub may have been a real winner.

Sure, if you like your humour crass, childish and obvious then this will be right up your alley. If you expect more from a team that has proven its ability to make standout films then you will just see this as a shade better than pedestrian.

I had a few laughs but the bigger, and slightly ignored, stories of friendship, destiny and putting the past behind you would have made a better film. Not to mention all the time travel paradox stuff about changing the past to affect the future.

A 7 out of 10 - but they could have easily made a 9.

Anatomy of a good handshake

If there's one thing I appreciate it's a good solid handshake.

That may seem a strange thing to appreciate, but a person's handshake can tell you so much about them.

A few people I know have amazing handshakes.

They convey a lot of unspoken things.

There's a guy I know called Murray.

The first time I met him I was taken aback by his handshake because it was so different. It was firm, but not hand-breaking, and it gave me a very positive feeling. I actually mentioned to him how I appreciated his handshake and he said having a good handshake was something he was taught as a younger person.

Now, that was more than a year ago so my comments come from hindsight as I now know a bit more about him.

With the carnival being on for the last few weeks I've seen him every week and when I was leaving on Saturday we got into a conversation about a few things, football, plans for the rest of the weekend, etc.

After a rather ordinary first attempt at a farewell handshake we got it right, and I actually commented to him that I'd miss our weekly handshakes!

I don't know what it is but if I get a handshake that feels forced or doesn't encompass the hand properly it makes me wonder. I do get a few that make me wonder from time to time.

So I'd say next time someone shakes your hand have a think about what it is telling you, you might discover something you didn't realise before.

Coming Down

Later this week I'm starting the process of coming off the anti-depressants I've been on for the best part of three years.
I have tried once before but it was an ill-conceived attempt so I'm taking a much more methodical approach to the reduction. My long term aim is to be completely off them by the end of the year.
I know that is pretty long term, and I may actually achieve it sooner, but that's the realistic goal.
The next six weeks will determine whether it will happen faster or not.
I'm reducing by one-third over the next six weeks. If everything works well then, after a short period of stability, I'll try for a further reduction.
Maybe once I'm completely off them I can have a glass of wine to celebrate!

Kids caught up in the Storm

Aside from all the legal and moral implications of the Melbourne Storm's salary cap rorting, there's a big problem facing thousands of people across the eastern seaboard.
How do you explain this to the kids out there that run around in their Storm gear?
My eight-year-old nephew almost lives in his Storm jersey, he loves Billy Slater and follows the team closely.
How is he expected to understand why his team won't be able to win the premiership this year, why the 2007 and 2009 premierships have now been stripped and the intricacies of the matter.
Hopefully, if anything, he can be taught a lesson in cheating and in fairness and the consequences of what happens when you do wrong.
It's a pretty heartbreaking way to learn them though, to have a team and players you idolise now internationally embarrassed and their name, if not branded, associated with cheating.
For me, I'm a bit of a fan of the Storm. They're my second team after the Knights and one of my favourite players in the game is from Melbourne. I hope he's not one of the players who was receiving whatever bonuses were handed out.
I'm sure we'll find out in the coming days. It doesn't take long for the media to name names.

Thought for the day

It's been a pretty big day, so here's some timely perspective from Michael J. Fox I came across in an article in the paper today.
We all know his story by now.

''I have to tell people, if you live long enough, something bad will happen to you. No matter what it is, loss of job, economic downturn, major illness, it will happen. You can see it as a calamity or you can own it and absorb it and accept it. Then allow time to pass and then view it for what it is, an opportunity.''

Some wise words I reckon and I'd like to think I can take it on board myself when I've had a hard day.

Bazinga

If you're up for a good laugh check out this clip from The Big Bang Theory featuring one of the funniest characters in a sitcom for years - Sheldon Cooper (Jim Parsons).
If you already watch this show then you'll know all about Sheldon. If not then let's just say he's incredibly smart yet very naive, a bit playful and a bit psycho.
The best way to describe him though came on the show, 'he's one lab accident away from being a super villain'.
Enjoy.

Truth is a double-edged sword

If I learned one thing this week it is this.
You can portray the truth (or honesty) as being something that is crucial in any relationship, be it with a work colleague, friend, partner, whatever. But if you do you have to be prepared that the truth might not be what you thought it was. Or what you'd hoped.
I learned a few truths this week and, fortunately, they were learned somewhere in the middle of the 'easy way' and the 'hard way'.
I learned one particular truth about myself. Well it was something I kind of already knew but tend to fail to acknowledge most of the time.
As always there is damage when you're honest and upfront. It's just a matter of whether the wound was just superficial, if it will heal or if it will bleed.

Kick-Ass

This wickedly ridiculous but hugely entertaining film has certainly caused some controversy. Should pre-teen girls be encouraged to become foul mouthed, knife-weilding/gun toting vigilante super heroes?

Certainly not.

But in sending up the super hero genre Kick-Ass has raised that debate.

Anyway, geeky teen Dave Lizewski decides he should be the world's next superhero and dons a remarkably superhero like scuba suit and becomes Kick-Ass following an attack by a couple of thugs.

With no obvious super hero, other than nerve loss due to the beating and a heap of Wolverine-like steel plates and invisibility to girls, Dave takes on the task of cleaning up the streets.

Soon we meet Hit-Girl (Chloe Moretz) and her father Big Daddy (Nicholas Cage channeling as much Batman as he can), who are much more experienced at being super heroes than Dave due to Big Daddy's desire for vengeance towards the man who put him in jail.

As I've said this action-comedy is ridiculous but I think it means to be.

It's so over the top. There's the teenage angst and masturbation jokes, the comic book super hero spoofs and adages - 'with no power comes no responsibility' - and I reckon Dave's house looks a lot like Aunt Mae's from Spider-Man.

The conclusion with the super hero Red Mist (Chris Mintz-Plasse) is similarly ridiculous and leads us to the disturbing thought that they are thinking sequel.

I certainly hope not. This wouldn't be as funny the second time around.

Other than that thought, Kick-Ass is high on entertainment but also high on profanity. It gets pretty silly but Dave is a pretty good wannabe superhero and that helps.

An ass kicking 8 out of 10.

Star struck

Derby Day at Randwick is usually a pretty big day and today was no exception.
Then midway through the afternoon I was standing in the enclosure and Shannon Noll walked up near me as he waited to sing the national anthem.
Being one of my favourite singers I took the opportunity to go over and shake his hand (good handshake too, which I like).
In the end I had about a five minute chat with him while suppressing the excited fan inside me. I'd have just been happy with the quick hello! I also had a photo taken with him but I'll keep that to myself.
I have to say he impressed me. I told him about how much I loved a few of his songs in particular - notably his cover of What About Me and also the song Lift - and how the latter came around a time when I needed to hear it.
It's a shame my nephew wasn't there today because he could sing What About Me before he could talk coherently, or close to it.
Hopefully I didn't babble too much. He said there is new music coming soon from him, which is great. I'm not usually so star struck but it was great that he came across as 'normal' in person as he does in interviews.
While the work side of my day was a blur I have to say meeting Shannon was a massive highlight.
Randwick got an awesome day for once for their big race meeting and it was really a pleasant day out there. Aside from meeting and 'idol' I caught up with a couple of friends I haven't seen for a bit. So a memorable day all around.

Why is it a Bunny?

On the way to the shop to grab the newspaper this morning I came across a rabbit.
He or she was just minding its own business on the side of the pavement in front of an area of scrub and trees. It was pretty tame, or at least not jumpy at all, and I stood there for a few minutes watching it.
As I went on my way I wondered why is a rabbit, or bunny, the symbol of Easter?
And why do they deliver eggs? Rabbits can't lay eggs, chickens do. So why isn't it the Easter Chook?
I consulted the all knowing Wikipedia for some answers.
Apparently bringing eggs is a tradition that began in Germany in the 1600s. Because Easter falls in the spring in the northern hemisphere the rabbit, or hare, became a symbol due to its prolific breeding habits. Just like at Christmas, apparently only good children received eggs at Easter.
Of course these practices have become commercialised to the point that Easter Eggs are available for purchase shortly after Christmas.
I'm not entirely sure I'm satisfied with the origin of the Easter Bunny and it's actually quite disturbing that a rabbit delivers eggs for you to eat.
It's a good thing that they're generally pretty cute creatures - but, still, it's a bit icky.

Oh, by the way this was my 800th post. Can't believe it.

Alice In Wonderland

We all know the story, now Tim Burton has given his dark and quite out there version of Alice In Wonderland and it is exactly what you'd expect from him - dark and out there.

Despite my earlier post complaining about the 3D prices I have wanted to see the film for a while so ended up going anyway. However, I did take my own 3D glasses which I had, happily, kept from seeing Avatar.

Burton's Alice is a 19-year-old girl who is about to be forced into a marriage she doesn't want - until she spots the White Rabbit and follows him into the woods and eventually down a hole.

Once in Wonderland, which is apparently actually called Underland but Alice (Mia Wasikowska) when she was a child at her first visit had given it her own name.

The characters are all there - Tweedle Dum and Tweedle Tee, the Cheshire Cat, the March Hare and of course Johnny Depp's demented Mad Hatter. There's also the wonderful Alan Rickman as the Blue Caterpillar - seriously, Rickman is marvellous as always despite the smallness of the role.

The Red Queen (Helena Bonham Carter) is wonderfully wacky and has a very short fuse. I have to admit to loving every time she screamed 'off with their head!'

Far less animated is the White Queen (Anne Hathaway who again proves herself a weak link).

Given all the hype surrounding Alice In Wonderland, expectations were high. I have to surmise that on that score it was a shade disappointing. However, it was still a worthy attempt. I think Burton just tried a bit too hard to give the classic tales (both Wonderland and Through The Looking Glass) too much of the Burton-weirdness.

It was an enjoyable movie, brilliant at times, but overall left me feeling that he could have made an absolute corker of a film, but didn't. The 3D was well used but I get the sense that it doesn't really matter whether you see it in the enhanced version or not.

Next time, maybe, Tim. A 7 out of 10.