IRON MAN

I liked Iron Man, which might be the superhero movie that comes closest to the comic books I enjoyed during the 1970s. Despite its unbelievability, it touches just enough on some crazy, twisted realities (largely having to do with armamentation) that it reaches a level of mythic (or quasi-mythic) profundity.

The story has to do with the smart, rich, playboy Tony Stark inventing a metallic suit that gives him special powers including supersonic flight. What's so unbelievable about the story? Basically, the physics of it all (at least as far as I can tell). And Stark and his nemesis both seem awfully quick at figuring out how the metal suit operates. And his nemesis also seems awfully slow at finishing off Stark.

That, of course, is very comic book-ish. In fact, the movie was very good at reproducing some classic Iron Man story elements. For instance, one of the ongoing Iron Man motifs that I remember from yesteryear had to do with technical difficulties. I can personally recall numerous occasions when the drama of the storyline intensified due to Iron Man's energy running low or malfunctioning. (Which reminds me that I've got to recharge my Palm very soon!) Another is the Tin Man motif: Tony Stark has a weak heart (literally and figuratively), so he encloses himself in a literal and figurative shell.

This movie stands apart from a lot of superhero movies in that Iron Man's alter-ego Stark, as portrayed by the rascally Robert Downey Jr., is interesting and lively, not some boring mild-mannered opposite of an "exciting" superhero. So it's actually fun to watch him when he's not enclosed in metal. Downey and Gwyneth Paltrow, who plays his faithful assistant Pepper, enhance the proceedings with a little Secretary-like dominant/submissive chemistry. Jeff Bridges is excellent playing an out-of-type role.

The movie's score is very good, cleverly interweaving themes previously associated with the character, and the soundtrack comes across very well at the Ziegfeld, where some low rumblings have a Sensurround-like effect. My main complaint about the film is that the climactic battle was kind of dull. It was like the big stupid battle at the end of Transformers, but (to my relief) much shorter.

Hollywood seems to be having big problems with fights these days. In movies such as Iron Man and Transformers, the fights seem to be about action and noise and special effects...but not about cleverness and drama...elements that are actually interesting. However, in the case of Iron Man, it's not so different from the comics I used to enjoy, as the following video illustrates. After that, there's an Iron Man trailer that ends (around the 2:22 mark) with one of the most annoying cliches of modern filmmaking.



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SWEENEY TODD: THE DEMON BARBER OF FLEET STREET

Each version I've seen of the mad barber musical Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street continues to be more pared down than the one before it, but I've still enjoyed them all. In the new movie version, director Tim Burton and screenwriter John Logan slice and dice the Stephen Sondheim original to such a degree that I'm not surprised that gallons of blood are spilled in the process. If you can stand the blood and you have any interest at all in Sweeney Todd, I encourage you to give the movie a whirl while it's at the Ziegfeld or a similarly large and well-outfitted theater.

I still remember what it was like to see a new movie musical at a big plush theater such as Radio City Music Hall or the now bemoaned Cinema 150 in Syosset, Long Island. It was an "event" that was somehow like going to an opening night of a real Broadway musical. And that says something about how atmosphere, anticipation, and enthusiasm help to make such events memorable (though it also helps if the musical happens to be any good).

These days you can still get that special "opening night" feeling at the Ziegfeld, which has a sound system that enabled even the organ music accompanying the opening production credits of Sweeney Todd to make a strong impression. Now and then there was some distortion, but the projection of the images was wonderfully crisp throughout.

As director, Burton infuses Sweeney Todd with morbid despair, furthering the recent trend that emphasizes the grimness of the story while downplaying (but hardly eliminating) its potential for giddy gallows humor and even some moments of vital optimism. He makes the mood visible in the production design and audible in the reduction of certain lyrics to the equivalent of mad mutterings. On stage, the great number "A Little Priest" gives the leads a golden opportunity to "work the audience" with exquisitely timed delivery of some of Sondheim's cleverest lyrics, but on screen it is easy to not even notice the wordplay as Burton abandons the theatrics and hews to his very cinematic approach. That approach works, but don't leave with the impression that Burton's take on Todd is the only one possible, as the video clips below should illustrate.

Seeing Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter as the grotesque leads (pictured, with Depp resembling Susan Sontag), I couldn't help but reflect on how far they've come from their early days as a teen idol and a Merchant-Ivory ingenue. Good for them! I don't know who's responsible for the moment in Sweeney Todd when Carter's Mrs. Lovett moves her feet this way and that on a beach blanket, but I love that little touch. It's also amusing (to me, at least) to think of her and Alan Rickman (who plays Judge Turpin) and Timothy Spall (who plays Beadle Bamford) in terms of their nasty alter-egos from the Harry Potter movies. Hermione ought to do some research to learn if Voldemort's hordes had anything to do with the Sweeney Todd affair.

And now, here's "A Little Priest" with Angela Lansbury, Broadway's original Mrs. Lovett, and George Hearn as the barber.



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And here is a rare view of Lansbury with the original barber, Len Cariou. The quality of the video is poor, but just listen to the interplay between the performers and the audience, which laughs all the way through. That's not likely to happen with the movie version.



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NOW AT THE ZIEGFELD: BLADE RUNNER: THE FINAL CUT!

Take some smart science fiction, fuse it with film noir, and you've got Blade Runner. Gothamist tells me that it's playing at the Ziegfeld!



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