Tag Archives: Iron Man

Cunning Resolve

Cunning Resolve

Marvel’s promise to “keep taking risks” creatively into it’s Phase Two is already paying off, as relatively untested director Shane Black’s Iron Man 3 crushed it at the box-office AND with critics.  Clinching the second highest domestic opening ever, and pulling in a gross $1,111,096,000 and rocking a 9/10 on IGN, Iron Man 3 is only Black’s second film as a director.  Marvel Studios seems to have a knack for boldly pulling creative gem’s out of nowhere, like they did with Joss Whedon.

NOW IM NOT A MATHEMATICIAN OR ANYTHING: but Shane Black’s average rottentomatoes score as a director with only two films turned out to be 80.5%.  Meaning that if making movies were like high-school, Black got a B.  Pretty impressive.  Equally not impressive: one could argue, is Zack Snyder’s average rottentomatoes score as a director with 5 films at 54.4%.  Meaning that if making movies were like high-school, Snyder failed.  LOLUMADBRO?!?

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Super Brawl

JLA - 2

Justice League seems to be in more hot water as WB execs have reportedly trashed Will Beall’s script with several sources claiming “it’s terrible”:

Quote1I’ve now heard from multiple sources that the Will Beall script for Justice League has been scrapped.  The story from each source is the same: it’s terrible.  Some sources seem to think the whole movie is going to fall apart and never happen, while some believe that Warner Bros will keep moving forward, unwilling to lose the superhero arms race.Quote2

WHOOPSY DAISIES.  I’m not a mathematician or anything but aren’t they already LOSING the “superhero arms race”? 

Seeing as The Avengers will assemble at the 85th Annual Academy Awards next week to present an award, while the Justice League doesn’t even exist yet?

Justice League’s saving grace may just be this film:

If Snyder dropped the ball however, WB is screwed.

While these superhero teams may be fictional, they express an extremely important idea: that people are fundamentally different from one another, and that that is a GOOD thing.  Let’s take a look.

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Systemic Threshold

Iron Man 3-4

The 2013 Screen Actors Guild Awards evidently put Argo in front-running position to take home The Oscar’s coveted Best Picture.  After being Oscar snubbed as a directorAffleck and his film have since cleaned up on awards culminating in SAG’s top-honor ensemble award.  Daniel Day Lewis’ Oscar chances went from 95%  to 99% with a SAG win, while Jennifer Lawrence and Anne Hathaway are also now a “shoe-in” as well or so they say.

Disney purchased 3 TV spots for tonight’s BIG GAME (Superbowl XLVII) at about 4 mill a pop while Warner Bros. opted to sit out for it’s third year in a row.  Industry insider info indicates that Warner Bros. is strongly hinging on the commercial success of Man of Steel, before “moving forward” with it’s top-priority project:  Justice LeagueThe studio has every right to be nervous, banking it’s flag-ship character hopes on a director like Zack Snyder.  Snyder had early success with 300 (60%), and arguably Watchmen (64%), but his most recent film Sucker Punch (23%), was literally god awful.  Which explains why WB execs are hesitant.

AND SO while Warner Bros’ ensemble team-up film remains in limbo, Disney’s ensemble team-up film is well into it’s phase two, with Iron Man 3 and Thor: The Dark World coming this year.  Marvel head honcho Kevin Feige says that the studio is going to “keep taking risks” creatively  in phase two and beyond.  One of such risks was casting Robert Downey Jr. as billionaire inventor Tony Stark.  But that seemed to work out for everybody:

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Super Brawl

A Justice League of America film will now officially compete directly with The Avenger’s  2 in the summer of 2015.  Warner Bros. green lit the project and will reportedly ramp up development on it following a decisive legal victory involving the rights to Superman.  Opening the door for competing super squads of epic proportion.  A CLASH OF TITANS if you will.  Okay.  Maybe I got a little excited there.  It is looking pretty legit though as DC/Warner Bros. has made it clear they want a high caliber director at the helm.  As for the cast, let’s hope they go for a little more depth than Megan Fox.  Why does WB want a super-squad of it’s own?  Perhaps a better question is: Why WOULDN’T they want a super-squad of their own.

Can Batman go toe-to-toe with The Hulk? Could Superman beat up Captain America?  I don’t know.  I’m not a rocket scientist.  The two superhero teams will indeed clash at the box office in the summer of 2015, as Warner Bros. looks to sign a director and all star cast within the near future.  Having had talks with The Wachowski Brothers and Ben Affleck about directing, it seems they are willing to spend a pretty penny on bringing a Hall of Justice to the big screen in top class fashion.  Why are all the cool kids making movies about superhero teams these days?  Because effective team synergy is a powerful thing.  Let’s take a look.

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Assembly Required

The day of reckoning is nearly upon us my dear friends as The Avengers drops this Friday and can be seen in 3D and IMAX at a theater near you.  Pre-release tracking on the film projects Earth’s Mightiest Heroes to have the biggest domestic box-office opening of all time.  Why all this huss and fuss, jibber-jabb, and riggamaroo over a silly film about a couple of guys in leotards you ask?  Because the core concept of the story is that there are four basic kinds of people.

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Utilitarian Comradery

Yup.  You guessed it.  The AvengersAnd the four basic personality typesHow did you know?!??

It looks like Loki’s army is going to be a bunch of Skeletor from He-Man looking things a.k.a this guy right here:

Which actually looks pretty cool I guess.  I definitely wouldn’t fight that guy.  Would you?  He looks mean-spirited.

Where did you find these people Loki?  They look like undesirables.  And we all know what happens when you mingle with undesirables.

What perhaps we should be more concerned about is the guys that are on our squad.  Like for instance the Not So Friendly Green Giant and the Armored Avenger.

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Paramount Synergy

With summer approaching Marvel released yet another fresh new trailer this week for it’s in-house blockbuster franchise The Avengers and even though Captain America looks pretty damn goofy in that helmet of his the film actually looks pretty decent.  Earth’s mightiest heroes consists of four main characters, each one of which is highly representative of the four basic personality types: Artisan, Guardian, Rational, and Idealist.  Such a dynamic pattern of awesomeness of course is a common pop-culture occurrence in: Sex and the City, the Wizard of Oz, Star Trek, the Fantastic Four, and Harry Potter among others.  Despite Captain America’s goofy a** helmet let’s take a look at Marvel’s most coveted supersquad.

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Superlative Quaternity

Yes, Quaternity is in fact a word.  It’s like a fraternity, but with only four members.  Congratulations to Eli Manning, Tom Coughlin and the New York Giants on being Super Bowl Champions.  Along with ‘the big game’ came a plethora of ridiculously expensive commercials, one of which was a fresh new trailer for Marvel’s blockbuster superhero ensemble franchise The Avengers.  The four main characters of Marvel’s the Avengers happen to closely correlate with the four basic personality types.  What a strange coincidence.  Let’s go right on ahead then and take a look at Earth’s Mightiest Heroes.

Captain America is the stalwart, stoic, and commanding ‘first avenger’ who defends justice with his iconic and indestructible shield.  The Sentential of Liberty is characterized by his tough-minded demeanor, his unyielding physicality, and his disciplined mindset.  Dutiful, authoritative, and highly dependable with a strict code of ethics Captain America is a classic Guardian.  A born leader, Captain America ‘lead’s by example’ and is the back-bone of the Avengers, much like Guardians are the back-bone of society.

The Hulk is a wild, ferocious, raging humanoid monster that comes out when Bruce Banner gets excited.  The not-so-jolly green giant was inspired by the classic tale of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, and is characterized by his instinctual nature, his overpowering physicality, and his fearless disposition.  Impulsive, audacious, excitable, and highly physical The Hulk is representative of an Artisan.  Indeed The Hulk is often called in for serious jobs that require a creative solution, much like Artisans are in many organizations.

Iron Man is an intelligent, inventive, and ingenious engineer who created a mechanical suit to save his life.  The Armored Avenger is characterized by his mechanical aptitude and inventive genius, being a billionaire industrialist Stark is constantly tinkering with and improving his mechanical suit.  Innovative, scientific, analytical and systematic Tony Stark makes for a wonderful example of a Rational.  Certainly Stark is the brains of the Avengers and uses his cold, analytical mind to keep him and his super-friends on the right track.

Thor Odinson is a mystical, altruistic, brave and mighty warrior from another world who fights primarily for his native realm of Asgard.  The God of Thunder is characterized by his noble demeanor, his humble yet high-spirited attitude, and his selfless acts of valor.  Diplomatic, enthusiastic, empathetic, and highly independent Thor makes for a great example of an Idealist.  Thor is the glue that holds the Avengers together, and is always sacrificing himself for the greater good.

Quote1.png I’m loyal to nothing…except the American DreamQuote2.png

— Steve Rogers  

Quote1.png My kingdom for a Radio Shack. Quote2.png

Anthony Stark

Quote1.png You won’t like me when I’m angry! Quote2.png

Bruce Banner

Quote1.png Even the life of a Thunder God can offer no greater satisfaction than this! For I have helped a fellow man! Quote2.png

Thor Odinson

Abstract Conflict

Thor 2 has finally found a new director after firing Patty Jenkins (Monster) over ‘creative differences’.  Director Alan Taylor, best known for his work on HBO’s Game of Thrones, will reportedly step in and take Jenkins’ place.  Jenkins got canned in early December reportedly because of a “lack of clarity in her [creative] choices”.  Marvel Studios of course has an infamous reputation for doing whatever they want after getting into rough financial negotiations with Mickey Rourke, Samuel L. Jackson, Terrence Howard, and Scarlett Johansson while having both Kenneth Branagh and Jon Favreau opt out of directing sequels.  Jenkins would have been the first female to direct a major superhero tentpole film and Natalie Portman, who is a close friend of Jenkins’, is reportedly very upset at the way things panned out.  It seems Marvel Studios even though they’ve only put out five independent films so far is already getting big-headed when it comes to managing talent.  Welcome to Hollywood.  Given Marvel’s fine display of hubris let’s take a look at the excessive arrogance of one of their most beloved characters Thor the God of Thunder and his mischievous half-brother Loki.

Thor Odinson is the Crown Prince of the mystical realm of Asgard.  Thor is based off of the Norse God of Thunder, and acts accordingly.  A brave and mighty warrior Thor won many battles as a child, growing headstrong and proud.  In his arrogance, Thor put his realm and people on the brink of war after breaking a truce with Asgard‘s enemies the Frost Giants.  Teaching his son a lesson in humility, Thor’s father Odin banished him to earth, and stripped him of his powers.  Thor came back humblegentleempathetic, and sympathetic to his fellow man.  Altruisticenthusiasticinspirational, and yet fiercely independent, Thor is undoubtedly a Champion Idealist.  Indeed Thor’s high-spirited attitude and warm enthusiasm for defending his realm is often mistaken for arrogance, a typical problem with most Champions.  Thor was only able to wield his hammer Mjolnir ‘the day that great deeds of selfless valor had proved him worthy of it’.  Indeed only those ‘pure of heart‘ are able to wield Thor’s mystical hammer.  A hopeless romantic, Thor fell deeply in love with the Goddess Sif before the age of 20.  Thor has undoubtedly proven himself as self-sacrificing over the years, most notably in the subject of his mischievous kid-brother Loki.  Indeed Loki has made countless attempts at Thor’s life, but Thor however always spares Loki, hoping (to no avail) that Loki has learned his lesson.  Indeed Thor has tireless faith in his fellow man, and time and time again Thor is sacrificing himself to save innocent people from Loki or any other dangers for that matter, as he will no doubt do in The Avengers.

Thor’s villainous step-brother Loki aptly named after the Norse God of Mischief starts off as a resentful and jealous Asgardian Prince but evolves into a truly loathsome and malevolent evil genius.  Growing up step-brother to the Mighty Thor indeed  left Loki with a tragic sense of inferiority and not belonging.  What he lacked in physical strength and bravery however, he eventually made up for in cunning and malice.  Always strategizing and conceiving ingenious schemes and plotsThe Asgardian God of Mischief is undoubtedly a Mastermind Rational.  Diabolically ingenious, highly pragmatic, outstandingly intelligent, and a powerful sorcerer, Loki finds ‘difficulties highly stimulating’, as do other Masterminds, as he loves responding to a problem that requires a ‘creative solution’.  Being the God of Mischief, Loki indeed seems to thoroughly enjoy creating problems for himself, and is well-equipped to solve them.  Finding out that he was actually an adopted Frost Giant, Loki became wrought with feelings of abandonment.  Indeed Loki’s malicious and malevolent behavior are quite reminiscent of David Keirsey‘s ‘distracting rituals’ that serve as defense mechanisms for hiding one’s shame.  Loki’s arch-villainy and ascension into madness can be seen in Marvel’s upcoming The Avengers.

Quote1.png My, my, my… a world for the taking. Quote2.png

Loki Laufeyson
Quote1.png Even the life of a Thunder God can offer no greater satisfaction than this! For I have helped a fellow man! Quote2.png

Thor Odinson

These Idealist-Rational relationships do not always remain harmonious, of course.  Conflicts of NF emotional expressiveness against NT self-control, of NF intuition against NT logic, and of NF ethical or humanitarian concerns against NT technical pragmatics can prove challenging.  — Please Understand Me II, p. 238

Thor 2 is set to hit theaters on November 15, 2013 with a script from Don Payne.  Chris Hemsworth will return as the title star in The Avengers, which will arrive on May 4, 2012.

Marvel's 'Phase Two'

Marvel Entertainment Inc. brought a strong presence to NYCC (New York Comic-Con) this weekend to further promote their beloved and blossoming potential blockbuster movie franchise The Avengers.  The panel showed some never-before-seen footage and did some Q&A.  Marvel head honcho Kevin Fiege then opened up to fans about how happy he was with the direction the studio was going, culminating in an Avengers film.  The Avengers however, as Fiege explained, is certainly not the end of the road for Marvel/Disney.

Fiege hinted at the fact that ‘phase two of the Marvel Movie Universe‘ will include another round of solo films, and then culminate in a second Avengers film.  That however, is not all.  Marvel reportedly has five projects currently in development.  Iron Man 3 is in pre-production for a 2013 release attached to director Shane Black.  Thor 2 will begin pre-production soon and just picked up director Patty Jenkins (Monster).  An Ant-man film is ‘still nebulous but definitely in the works’.  Guardians of the Galaxy and Inhumans films are also reportedly in the works.  With so much success in their mainstream characters it seems a bit risky to put out obscure characters like some mentioned above.  Lucky enough for Marvel it has an insurance policy: The Walt Disney Company.

Disney bought Marvel about two years ago for over $4 billion.  While things indeed seem to be going well for both companies since the acquisition, Marvel has made deals with other studios to distribute some of their movies (spider-man, x-men, daredevil, etc.) making the Avengers and its four superheroes a coveted ‘in-house’ Marvel enterprise.  Without kissing too much Walt-Disney/Marvel ass, let’s take a look at the first avenger to make it to the big screen, and also by far the most box office successful avenger: Iron Man.

Anthony Edward Stark is the son of industrialist and inventor Howard Stark, and demonstrated his mechanical aptitude and extraordinary inventive genius at an early age.  Inheriting his father’s company Stark Industries, Tony blossomed into a billionaire industrialist, and an ingenious engineer.  With a highly ‘innovative attitude‘, an ‘entrepreneurial spirit‘, and a ‘charming capacity‘ to ignore the standard, the traditional, and the authoritative: Tony Stark is undoubtedly an Inventor Rational.  Indeed the Inventor‘s tendency to depend on their capability and inventiveness can get them in trouble at times.  Tony took this concept a bit too far when he ignored security concerns and ended up with shrapnel lodged in his chest.  In classic Inventor Rational fashion, Tony used his creative and inventive genius to devise a mechanical suit that saved his life.  And thus, Iron Man was born.  Indeed Tony is constantly searching for new projects, as we will no doubt see in the Avengers, and always tinkering with and improving his mechanical suit.  Indeed given their exceptional propensity to innovate, Inventors have a tendency to live their lives somewhat on the brink of disaster: as evidenced by Tony Stark’s perpetuated struggles with alcoholism.  Tony Stark having a somewhat reckless and at-times irresponsible persona in the comics goes hand-in-hand of course with casting the likes of Robert Downey Jr.  The Armored Avenger can be seen amongst his super squad May 2012, and again by himself May 2013.

Quote1.png My kingdom for a Radio Shack. Quote2.png

Anthony Stark (Earth-616)

While Marvel/Disney seems to have it’s sh*t together, DC/Warner Bros. is still searching for solid cash cows to replace the likes of Harry Potter and The Dark Knight.  While they do have The Hobbit films coming up, they simply cannot afford setbacks like Green Lantern if they actually want to directly compete with The Avengers and it’s four characters with already well-developed fan-bases.

Marvel/Disney seems poised to keep churning out inter-related superhero blockbusters while DC/Warner Bros. still has yet to find solid JLA (Justice League of America) footing.  In the epic battle for Hollywood supremacy that is Marvel/Disney vs. DC/Warner Bros.Marvel/Disney is cleaning house.