[X] My Assistant

[dvandorn]

As someone who avidly read most all of the comic books that were printed in the 1960s, I always go to these film versions of the venerable comics I loved as a child with some trepidation. Some of these things have been done so badly...

Iron Man, however, is a tour de force in pretty much all arenas. Downey does a truly wondrous job of taking the Tony Stark character from someone you'd only want to have a beer with if you could poison his brew to a guy you really care about. And Jeff Bridges impressed me in this film as he hasn't impressed me for decades.

And, of course, anything Gwyneth Paltrow does is automatically worth watching, for me. Regardless of what it is. That's a hormonal thing on my end, though...

But the film really does capture a lot of the elements from the original comic book, moving (in accelerated fashion) from the original "shellhead" version of the Iron Man suit, to the Mark II form-fitting golden suit, and finally settling on the Mark III red-and-gold suit that we've known for so long, now. While much of the film must be CGI, transitions from effect to live film are completely invisible. And I had the good fortune to see the film in a theater using DLP projection -- not a bit of celluloid was killed to create my viewing experience! And the quality of the image, on a really big screen, was just exquisite... frame rates are higher in DLP projection than in standard film projection, so the fast movement on-screen never fluttered or strobed. Truly impressive.

I'd give the film four stars out of five.

-the other Doug

[Stu]

I don't know, I must be a freak or something, but I find it quite easy to switch off my scientific brain when I watch sci-fi films or TV series and just enjoy them as entertainment. I actually think that sometimes it really is okay to just get in from a hard day’s work, grab a drink, put your feet up and watch a movie or tv show and be entertained. It’s not a crime. I read a lot of "(xxx movie) is rubbish because..." on sites like Phil Plait's Bad Astronomy forum, people taking issue with this effect or that scene, and I can't help thinking "Life's too short! Just eat yer popcorn, don't talk, and enjoy the movie! The real world will slap you across the face as soon as you get outside, don't worry," you know?

I often wonder if dinosaur experts post ‘Jurassic Park was rubbish!’ “That raptor claw was too big!” “Sam Neil’s jacket was too clean for a REAL digger!” “A REAL dinosaur’s snot would be MUCH gloopier!” posts on their web forums…

I realise the science in many sci-fi movies and series leaves - ahem - a lot to be desired, but can’t anyone just stick a DVD in the machine and enjoy being distracted from taxes, family rows and the imminent end of the world anymore? Yeah, that movie everyone loves to hate, Armageddon is about as scientifically accurate as an episode of The Clangers (US blogees, YouTube it, you'll thank me forever! ) but it’s meant to be a bold, brash, in yer face loud adventure film, not an episode of COSMOS.

I can watch old episodes of STAR TREK without tearing the dodgy science to bits. Same with GALACTICA, B5 and others. Heck, I can even watch BLAKES 7 - possibly the cheesiest, least accurate SF show ever (yes, even beating SALVAGE 1 and V) and find a kind of innocent joy in the Federation solar systems crammed with dozens of planets that are clearly painted balls, the silver foil costumes and the spaceships dangling from fishing lines. And DR WHO's early episodes with aliens clearly made out of old boiler suits sprayed green and covered with twigs and moss, are still delightful in their way.

I just think, well... what would I rather see after handing over £7 of my wages… a scientifically accurate, yawnsome, sloooow motion shot of a real shuttle OMS burn, or two kick-a** space shuttles blasting off at the same time and tearing through space like hot rods...? Would I rather see an astronaut staring at a checklist for hours before opening an airlock hatch, or animal crackers marching up Liv Tyler’s tummy..?

Ok, that last one's not strictly speaking space related, but it was a great scene

[imipak]

I can watch old episodes of STAR TREK without tearing the dodgy science to bits. [...] Heck, I can even watch BLAKES 7 - possibly the cheesiest, least accurate SF show ever

"even" watch B7 - probably the greatest serial TV drama ever made?! For shame!

Compare and contrast the ST Federation with the B7 one - a benevolent democracy vs a fascistic authoritarian police state. Then compare and contrast the protagonists - happy smiling shipmates, vs a random assortments of thieves, pirates, terrorists, fraudsters, and thugs, lead by a delusional "freedom fighter". And Servalan - what a baddy! What lines! "It's an old wall... it can wait a long time." The "Anna" episode. And after four series - the best. ending. ever!

also... they practically invented Ssh as far as I'm concerned, when Avon remote controls Liberator remotely by logging into Zen using Orac. (How can any self-respecting geek can resist hostname fodder like that, I can't begin to imagine...)