releasing this week: Iron Man 2 and The Last Song

Sometimes it’s obvious which films to highlight. There really is only one show in town this bank holiday weekend… it’s Iron Man 2. However, I usually highlight two and I always like to talk about an alternative so… If you don’t give a damn about the Iron Man and you think one Nicholas Sparks film in the cinemas isn’t enough then there’s a new one out just for you, The Last Song.

So… I guess I’ll start with Iron Man 2.

I did a feature on this film a few weeks so I’ve already said quite a bit about it. The gist of it is that I’m not one of those people who was salivating over the idea of a new Iron Man film. I liked the first one, but not as much as I thought I should have. You can see the rest of those thoughts in my review of the first Iron Man. Bottom line is I gave it 7/10. I didn’t think it was enough fun.

Which is not to say that I’m not looking forward to Iron Man 2. I try not to be a sucker for hype but they’ve really drawn me into this one. All I’ve been hearing about for ages is Iron Man 2, Iron Man 2, Iron Man 2… ok damnit, I want to see Iron Man 2!

So what does Jon Favreau have in store for us? I gather he’s got more Iron Men and Mickey Rourke in the guise of Whiplash, a badass mofo who seems to have designed his own fancy suit. I’m hoping he’s stuffed more fun in too… preferably in action form. Akso hopefully there’ll be some great scenes with that amazing car. Man, I love that car.

And of course I’ll be looking forward to Robert Downey Jr. He’s always entertaining. He’s a funny guy and I’d say if it wasn’t for him I wouldn’t have enjoyed the first Iron Man that much at all, or Sherlock Holmes for that matter.

Next up, The Last Song.

Now unfortunately for Nicholas Sparks, I did not like Dear John. I didn’t hate it but it was pretty much completely forgettable and painfully formulaic. Forumlaic isn’t necessarily a bad thing but when it’s done badly it’s just boring and that’s what happened to Dear John

This isn’t a review of Dear John though, I’ll get around to writing that at some point. The reason I mention it is that Dear John got a 5.7 on IMDb… The Last Song only got a 2.8. I’m choosing to believe that the score is mainly down to haters. Course I don’t know if it is, so I thought I’d better warn you. This film could be terrible. Or it could be a reasonably watchable romantic drama. I doubt it’s as good as The Notebook, but as long as it’s watchable and it makes the viewer shed a few tears it’s done it’s job really.

I suppose it all depends on the leads and that’s why I wonder if it’s just a bit of hating in those scores. Sure, lots of people like Miley Cyrus but there’s plenty out there who don’t and they’re always great at pushing IMDb ratings down. I mean I can’t believe that a film like From Justin to Kelly is really in the same league as Hobgoblins. It might be crap but films like Hobgoblins are a step beyond, they even re-use the same shots over and over again… There’s no way The Last Song can be that bad, at the very least it probably has a decent soundtrack and is shot on good quality film… And there’s people out there who will like The Last Song and genuinely think it’s good. Nobody could think a film like Hobgoblins is good. They might like it because they’re having a good laugh at it but seriously, it’s awful, awful stuff.

But anyway… this is turning into a bit of a rant so I’d better stop. If you go and see The Last Song do let me know if it’s really that bad… it can’t be, really, right?

Other films out this week:

Nightwatching – an (apparently) beautiful biopic around the life of Rembrandt, and his painting of the famed Night Watch. I’m not familiar with the director Peter Greenaway but he’s been nominated for the Palme d’Or at Cannes Film Festival 4 times so and he’s won a whole host of awards so if you’re an arty type it could be good. (limited release – IFI Temple Bar)

The Disappearance of Alice Creed – 18 cert British thriller from the writer of The Descent 2. It’s about two men who kidnap a girl and hold her in their apartment. I have to be honest here… I heard The Descent 2 was pretty bad, I don’t particularly like Gemma Arterton (who is starring in this) and it’s only releasing in 2 screens in Ireland. So… I don’t know if I’m going to be rushing out to see this one. However, from what I’ve scanned through, it has got some good reviews.
So, if you want to be the person who’s seen a good thriller that no-one else has heard of, then this could be the film for you. (limited release – Cineworld Dublin and Vue Liffey Valley only)

Iron Man 2 is in cinemas from Thursday 29th Apr, The Last Song, Nightwatching and The Disappearance of Alice Creed are all in Irish cinemas from Friday 30th April 2010.