Iron Man

Robert Downey, Jr. has been "back" for a while but I think Iron Man has made it official. He's not only healthy and still brilliant but he's also a superhero.

Iron Man is a must-see on the big screen if you're considering waiting for DVD and a must-see if you're on the fence about it. Why?

1. Political: the original comic version of Iron Man, the main character Tony Stark was in Vietnam and becomes a hero in the backdrop of the Cold War. The new story for the film brings the hero into modern times and since we have a war going on as we read and write he is relevant and the kind of hero we need.

2. Acting: Robert Downey, Jr., Terrence Howard, Jeff Bridges and Gwyneth Paltrow...the film combines the best of the best with an excellent story. These actors are in atypical roles which is even better.

3. No 1: the film was number one and a record-breaker for a reason. If it was awful, word would have gotten out. You need to see it so you can talk about it. This is the compelling and content-vacant peer pressure reason. I am into lists at the moment and felt two good reasons wouldn't complete the list so I added this third reason.

Iron Man had a great dialogue, great characters and entertained and excited me. There are also two noticeable sequel set-ups including a worthwhile bonus scene after the credits that make really a fourth reason to see it. You'll need to in order to enjoy the sequel or a follow-up project of any sort if it happens.

Robert Downey Jr. Bonus news: He will play "playboy" Hugh Hefner in a big-screen biopic that is slated to be aptly titled "Playboy". This news was just released hours ago.

What's Your Sign?

David Fincher's (director of Fight Club, Se7en) newest release, Zodiac, is a triumph. The story of the self-proclaimed "Zodiac Killer" and the search by several law enforcement agencies and newspapermen to find him perfectly unfolds over 2 hours and 40 minutes and despite the length of the film, as a viewer I wanted the search to continue a while longer.

One of the most appealing aspects of Zodiac is the chronological nature of the story. Unlike many popular films of late, there was no jumping from past to present or skewing of the time line. The chronology was straightforward and the only mystery in the film was the identity of the Zodiac Killer. The audience doesn't have to work on another mystery of their own such as "Wait, when is this taking place?" or "Who is that guy again?" It is clear in the way the actors age and in the timestamps placed at the beginning of each new time period who's who and when. The aging of the actors was quite realistic and deserves second mention.

Casting of this film was excellent. Robert Downey Jr. was quirky of course but not over the top as Paul Avery, a cocky crime reporter. Jake Gyllenhaal has the innocent, good guy down and brought that to cartoonist Robert Graysmith. The special thing about Gyllenhaal is that he adds an intensity to the character without corrupting him otherwise. Mark Ruffalo and Anthony Edwards play San Francisco investigators and have a fun but not silly chemistry as partners. Ruffalo provided another solid performance to add to his robust resume and Edwards was a welcome surprise having made few appearances on screen since leaving ER 5 yesrs ago. The rest of the supporting cast was very well cast and includes well-knowns Chloë Sevigny, Donal Logue, Dermott Mulroney and Brian Cox. Deserving special mention are Elias Koteas who was unquestionable as an investigator and a delight to watch.

Conclusion: The story and film are compelling and exciting. See it.