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Mad about movies

City Times takes to the multiplexes to find out what’s in store for movie buffs this week

Iron Man 2

MUCH TO THE sheer delight of the nation’s movie buffs, superhero enthusiasts and hardcore Robert Downey Jr. fans, this weekend sees the release of the eagerly awaited sequel to Marvel Studio’s Iron Man.

Helmed once again by actor-director Jon Favreau, Iron Man 2 will feature acting additions Don Cheadle, Mickey Rourke, Scarlett Johansson and Sam Rockwell, while Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, Samuel L. Jackson and Farveau will reprise their roles from the original.

The script of the latest installment pretty much picks up from where the last one left off: the world is now well aware that armoured superhero, Iron Man is actually billionaire inventor Tony Stark’s (Downey Jr.) alter ego.

As the pressure from the public, media and the government to share his technology with the military builds to an inevitable crescendo, Stark uses the help of his friends Pepper Potts (Palthrow) and James Rhodes (Cheadle) to fight off a fresh batch of super villains.

Kirk Honeycutt of The Hollywood Reporter writes in her review of the 124-minute film that “Everything fun and terrific about Iron Man, a mere two years ago, has vanished with its sequel. In its place, Iron Man 2 has substituted noise, confusion, multiple villains, irrelevant stunts and misguided story lines.”

Although most early reviews of the film err on the negative side, critics claim that it will definitely be a commercial success.

Trivia:

· Prior to Sam Rockwell landing the role of Justin Hammer, Al Pacino was considered for it. Meanwhile Emily Blunt was first offered the role of Black Widow before she refused due to scheduling conflicts and Johansson claimed it.

· Jackson almost didn’t return to play Nick Fury, due to problems with contract negotiations, but secured a landmark nine-picture deal to play the character in Marvel Studio productions.

Labor Pains

A LINDSAY LOHAN movie should definitely have you approaching it with a certain amount of trepidation – after all, her last, suspense thriller I Know Who Killed Me bagged an astonishing eight Golden Raspberry Awards (in fact, the wise folks at the Razzies even added a completely new award category for the flick – Worst Excuse for a Horror Movie).

So here’s what’s in store from the troubled star this weekend – proclaimed romantic comedy Labor Pains directed by Lara Shapiro and starring Luke Kirby, Cheryl Hines, Chris Parnell, and Aaron Yoo alongside Lohan.

The plot of the 2009 film traverses an exhaustingly tried and tested path – after learning from an episode of Law & Order that it’s considered discrimination to fire a pregnant woman, frazzled secretary The Clayhill (Lohan) pretends to be expecting to keep from losing her job at a publishing firm.

The critical reception of Labor Pains comes as no surprise and television critic Mary McNamara sums it up quite nicely in her review of the 89-minute film for Los Angeles Times: “a cliche-riddled narrative landscape”.

Unfortunately for Lohan, who was hoping for the flick to mark her comeback, it suffered from a direct-to-cable release instead of a theatrical one in the US.

Trivia:

· Labor Pains was released under the title of Almost Pregnant in Mexico and Russia, where it debuted at the number four spot.

· Lohan was signed on for a role in the film after she turned down ones in All’s Faire in Love and Manson Girls.

Also releasing this weekend is Hindi film director Sajid Khan’s comic caper Housefull featuring an ensemble cast of Akshay Kumar, Riteish Deshmukh, Boman Irani, Deepika Padukone, Lara Dutta and Jiah Khan.

davina@khaleejtimes.com