Iron Man 2 Cast Photos
Author: Snugglecub
Iron Man 2
Iron Man 2
Robert Downey Jr. does it again! I’ve already commented on how he was so perfectly cast as Tony Stark, how he was able to flawlessly embody both the man and the superhero, Iron Man. And while I’m on the subject of casting, I’d like to mention how amazing it is that with only one notable exception, the major players in the Marvel Cinematic Universe have all stayed with their roles for the duration of the Infinity Saga and beyond. As I write this, the MCU’s phase 4 has just ended, and phase 5 is about to begin, and the only major character that changed was Edward Norton playing the Incredible Hulk in his first appearance, but being replace with Mark Ruffalo in all forthcoming films.
Here, we have a secondary character, at least he was at the time, Rhodey, played in the first Iron Man movie by Terrence Howard, was replaced by Don Cheadle. Personally I have always been a fan of Cheadle as an actor, and I thought the change was a good one. Howard didn’t do a bad job. Cheadle was just better. And we are introduced to a major superhero and fan favorite, Black Widow, played by Scarlett Johansson. She has a fighting style that to my untrained eye, looks completely unique to her character. It is like martial arts, but with a lot more body contact like aggressive wrestling, and a healthy measure of gymnastics. The first time we see Black Widow unleashed was something like the first time we saw Darth Vader unleashed at the end of Rogue One, except that this came first. She was totally bad-ass, and she looked good doing it!!
We also got two new villains, one of whom was pretty cool, the other, unfortunately, not so much. Justin Hammer, played by Sam Rockwell, was so arrogant and so smarmy, that you couldn’t help but love him as a bad guy. Whiplash, played by Mickey Rourke, had the potential to be a really great baddy, but I don’t think he was written well. He just got defeated a little too easily… twice. The first time he attacked Iron Man on the race track in Monaco, we see that his electrified whips can slice cars up like cake. But Iron man just grabs one of them, uses it to pull himself to Whiplash, and takes him down with a couple quick punches. Then he tears out his mini-arc-reactor, and that was it.
The second fight, Whiplash’s drones seemed like more of a threat than he, himself, was. When he came in, the skirmish lasted a very short time, and the villain was taken down with the single super-blast from the two converging energy beams. I don’t know. I just wanted the bad guy to seem more powerful and harder to beat. At least he embodied the mentally unbalanced thing pretty well. Maybe some of his questionable decisions could be attributed to that. Still, he looked the part. He was physically imposing and you could tell he was no weakling.
The one thing that never sat well with me, though it was visually cool to watch on the screen, was the new way Iron Man put on his armor. So there he is, on the race track, and Pepper and Happy arrive in the car. Pepper has the suit that is disguised as a briefcase. So that means that the small briefcase-sized package should weigh the same as the fully deployed suit of armor, right? She should not have been able to lift it. OK, suspension of disbelief.
But overall, it was a great movie. The casting was spot-on, the action was good, the introduction of new characters, including Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury, was great, the acting was good, the visuals and special effects were stunning, the connections to the larger cinematic universe were amazing, and it was just a fun ride. It might sound like I didn’t care for the film, but I really liked it. The good far outweighed the bad. Now, if I had to compare it with the first Iron Man movie, I think I liked the first one better, but when a movie is that good, it is kind-of hard to top it in the sequel. At least we got to see Tony and Pepper kiss at the end. Let’s just admit that it was something we were all wanting to happen. The romantic tension between them had been growing since the first movie, and the build had been slow enough to be believable. Kudos to director Jon Favreau for another successful addition to the franchise.
Top 10 Favorite Parts
- Tony’s appearance at the Senate hearing.
- The first appearance of Black Widow, when she takes down Happy in the Boxing Ring.
- Whiplash destroys the race in Monaco
- Iron Man’s fight with Rhodey at Tony’s birthday party.
- Stark’s meeting with Nick Fury. “Sir, can you please exit the doughnut.”
- Justin Hammer presents the weapons to Rhodey. The Ex-Wife.
- Tony discovers how to create a new element to power his Iron Man suit.
- Black Widow takes out the guards at the Hammer facility.
- Iron Man and War Machine fight the drones in the garden at the Stark Expo.
- Tony rescues Pepper from the exploding drone, then all the drones at the Expo explode as they fly away.
1938 – Fay Bainter
1938 – Fay Bainter
White Banners
I’ll be honest, I don’t think this was an Oscar-worthy performance. I don’t really get the nomination. This was a strange movie, and the part Bainter played, that of Hannah Parmalee, was a strange role, and I tend to think that the role, and maybe the movie itself, had the potential to be more dynamic, more dramatic. But Bainter played it so subdued that it lacked energy. It lacked tension, even when a scene demanded it. Yes, it was partly the way it was written, but it was also the acting choices Bainter made.
First of all, I know the film was made in the 1930s, but I didn’t like some of the messages in it. One of them, delivered by Bainter, herself, was that women were the weaker gender, and that it was the obligation of men to be stronger than them. Obviously, that one didn’t age well. But that one statement seemed to color how Bainter approached the role. There were two scenes that come to mind when I think of how her performance could have had more intensity, more impact.
The first of these scenes was the one in which she is trying to prevent Sally from going ice skating, and Peter puts her in her place by calling her the family’s servant. She took the slight by having no reaction at all, not even a look of hurt shock or disappointment. And if you think about it, since we later learn that Peter is her own child, you’d think that she would have some kind of reaction to the fact that her son had the capacity for such cruel words, even if she could not scold him. The second scene where her acting could have been more intense was the one where she is begging Mr. Ward not to reveal her secret to Peter. He tells her several times that telling the boy the truth is the right thing to do, but her protestations were just weak. The scene would have been better served with a little more desperation in her eyes, more pleading in her voice.
I mean, I know that Bainter was a fine actress, but I just don’t think this was her best moment. Though, I will also admit that the scene where she convinces Mr. Ward not to fight for his stolen patent was well played. There was a righteous nobility about her that sold the scene, and maybe that’s what earned her the nomination.
1938 – Norma Shearer
1938 – Norma Shearer
Marie Antoinette
As always, Norma Shearer turned in a wonderful performance. I only have one grievance with her performance, and it isn’t a big one, so I’ll get it out of the way quickly. In every performance I’ve ever seen her in, she always has an unnatural ease in front of the camera. But in Marie Antoinette, there were a few scenes where she seems to be putting on airs. Not the airs of the character, but those of someone who is trying hard to portray the character. It didn’t happen all the time, but every once in a while, it was as if she had to really try to be Marie Antoinette. The role didn’t seem like an extension of herself, which is what I usually get from her in other performances. Just an observation from an untrained eye.
But the greatness of her performance far outshined that one thing. The character really went through the full range of emotions over the course of the film, especially near the end. The emotions she displayed were raw and real. The tears she shed were not pretty. They were hard and unapologetic. She didn’t cry. She sobbed. And in those moments, her face was so changed by the emotions, that she didn’t even look like the same actress. The makeup and lighting helped. And I have to mention the costumes that she wore in the film. Talk about grand and opulent! She looked magnificent! Absolutely gorgeous! Although, it was interesting seeing her as a blond, instead of her natural brunette.
Time and again, Shearer has proven herself to be a natural in front of the camera. She always seemed to be aware of her surroundings. She always paid attention to what was going on in a scene, and behaving accordingly. What I mean is that when someone else was speaking, she listened. When someone else was the focus of a scene, she didn’t stop acting. She was actively in the moment, even when she wasn’t the most important part of that moment. It is a quality that not every actor always has. She had it in spades.
Norma Shearer was quite a rare talent, and it is no wonder that this was her sixth Best Actress nomination, an impressive feat, considering that the Academy Awards themselves were barely over ten years old.
Iron Man Cast Photos
Iron Man
Iron Man
So this was the movie that really started it all off, and it was awesome. But that is a lot more significant than you might think. This was the real beginning of the MCU. Back then, in 2008, nobody knew, nobody had any clue just how massive and how good the franchise would turn out to be. I tend to think that if this movie had performed poorly at the box office, I doubt they would have made that many more of them.
At that time, superhero movies were not that highly regarded, and it’s no wonder why. There were a few successful examples like the first two Superman films, or the first two Batman movies. But then both of those properties turned out some real clunkers, and superhero movies became jokes. Yes, there were a lot of good examples of superhero movies like some successful Spider-man films or the X-men franchise, but even they eventually started to go down the same road. I mean, just look at the multiple attempts to bring the Fantastic Four to the screen or even The Incredible Hulk. Put them all together with films like Cat Woman and Green Lantern, and you have a hard nut to crack But Iron man was a good movie first, and a superhero movie second. And defying expectations, the movies in the Marvel franchise just kept getting better. But even after all the MCU installments that have been released up to date, this one is still very re-watchable. It still holds up. The story, the acting, the visual effects, the characters, the humor, and the exciting action sequences, all combine to make for a really entertaining movie.
Of course, the casting was spot on. Can you imagine anyone but Robert Downey Jr. playing the part of Tony Stark? Of course not. It is his role, and nobody else’s. Gwyneth Paltrow, playing the part of his professional assistant, Pepper Potts, was great, as was Jon Favreau, playing his bodyguard and driver, Happy Hogan. Other notable members of the cast were Terrence Howard as James “Rhodey” Rhodes, Clark Gregg as Phil Coulson, and Shaun Toub as Ho Yensin. Then there were the bad guys, Jeff Bridges as Obediah Stane, and Faran Tahir as Raza. Everyone took their jobs seriously and turned in great performances.
And about the story, I have to say that the creators tried to base as much of the fantasy in reality as they could. They eased audiences into the concept of a guy in a technologically magical suit of armor by starting off rough and clunky, and the letting us see the development and evolution of the super-suit. The started us off in the real world, and introduced elements that could almost be seen as possible in the world in which we live. We didn’t have to stretch our imaginations too far to see the progression… with one exception. During Stark’s escape from the terrorists, he flies out and ends up falling out of the sky to land in the desert. I’m sorry, but, the fall would have killed him, or at least broken half the bones in his body. But he just walks it off.
So the villain, wonderfully played by Jeff Bridges, (I don’t think he was ever given an official super-villain name) was good, even though he followed a very common comic book nemesis trope. He was just a carbon copy of the hero. So the real conflict was resolved by who knew how to use the technology better. Who was smarter? Well, clearly, Stark, who was the real genius from whom Stane stole all the tech needed to make his own power armor. It made sense that Tony was able to out-smart the bad guy several times and kill him. Yeah, amazing how easily Stark took to killing, isn’t it? First the terrorists, then former business partners gone bad.
I also loved Clark Gregg as Agent Coulson. I liked the character, and I liked the way the actor portrayed him. And though I liked Terrence Howard, I didn’t mind that they changed the actor to Don Cheadle in subsequent films. It isn’t that Howard was bad. It’s just that Cheadle was better. And just one final thought. After watching the entire Infinity Saga, then re-watching this movie, it becomes clear that right from the beginning, Kevin Feige had a revolutionary master plan that worked beyond anyone’s wildest expectations. It was a huge risk that paid off. Like I said: good movie first, superhero movie second.
Top 10 Favorite Parts
- Tony’s conversation with the soldiers in the convoy, perfectly establishing his character right from the beginning.
- Tony’s Escape from the terrorists.
- Tony asks Pepper to reach into his chest.
- Stark builds his new Iron Man armor and tests its flight capabilities.
- Tony and Pepper almost kiss.
- Iron Man saves the villagers in Yinsen’s home village.
- Pepper is almost caught by Stane when she hacks into his computer and learns of his involvement in Stark’s abduction.
- Iron Man fights Stane and kills him by asking Pepper to overload the big Arc Reactor.
- “I am Iron Man”
- The Post Credit scene where Nick Fury makes an appearance.
1938 – Wendy Hiller
1938 – Wendy Hiller
Pygmalion
Wendy Hiller did a fantastic job. This isn’t the first time I have watched this movie, but this is the one that brought Hiller to my attention. Everything I have ever seen her do has been noteworthy. But here she was, a fresh-faced twenty-six-year-old actress who was incredibly skilled in her craft. And she really knocked this one out of the park. And it didn’t hurt that she was beautiful as well.
The role of Eliza Doolittle is a very complicated one. Not only is it packed full of emotional gravitas, but it requires mastery of two different accents, the first one being a strong Cockney, and the other being a high-born English, though in this case, it would be high-taught. Hiller pulled them both off quite believably, and even had to combine the two a little bit in the film’s climactic scene. But it wasn’t just the accents, it was the attitude. The way she carried herself from the beginning of the movie to the end had to evolve with the character. I imagine this could not have been easy, but Hiller was perfection.
One of my favorite scenes with Eliza is the one in which she first comes to Professor Higgin’s house, looking for speech lessons. The character of Eliza is way out of her depth and doesn’t even know it. There is a confidence in her that is nervous and vulnerable, and by the end of the scene it is very nearly crushed by Higgin’s acerbic personality. She ends up terrified, and yet determined to better herself, even if it means allowing him to treat her badly. And the complete shift in her mannerisms when Colonel Pickering shows her respect and kindness was remarkable.
But probably one of the more difficult scenes for Hiller to play was the climax of the story, where she walks out on Henry Higgins. There was a strength in Hiller’s eyes that was unmistakable. There was confidence and a sense of self-worth that was crucial to the narrative. I thoroughly enjoyed Hiller’s performance in this film. She made me enjoy the movie, despite the fact that I’ve never been a huge fan of Leslie Howard, who, I must admit, did a good job, as well. The original play by George Bernard Shaw was beautifully written, and Wendy Hiller really did the part justice. I think she really deserved her Oscar nomination.
1938 – James Cagney
1938 – James Cagney
Angels With Dirty Faces
I have not seen many films with James Cagney, but I have liked him in those I have. He was one of those actors who could whip out that quick dialogue and make it seem easy. And there was a presence about him that was attention-grabbing. He was handsome in an unconventional way and he knew how to turn on the charm. Even though he was the movie’s bad guy, you ended up liking him anyway. He was a gangster who was involved with the mob, a thief, an extortionist, and a murderer. And on top of all that he was charismatic and likeable.
Not having seen any other movie in which he played a gangster, I don’t know if he used a set of traits of movements every time, but I have seen other actors impersonating him and using his moves. That sharp little shrug when he was getting ready to do something, the way he walked with that tough-guy attitude, that fire in his eyes that never left his gaze, whether he was pointing a gun at someone or trying to put the moves on a girl.
And I liked the way he played Rocky. He wasn’t just bad for the sake of being bad. He had a softer side. He made a connection with the Dead End Kids who were pretty important characters in the movie, and you could tell, through his acting, that Rocky felt somewhat paternal towards them. He clearly saw a version of his younger self in them.
There was only one thing that Cagney did that had me rolling my eyes a little. In the big shoot-out scene where Rocky gets captured, he is firing six-shooters. But he looks like he is, I don’t know, furiously working some kind of hand pump, when he is shooting multiple slugs in a row. It’s like he is emphasizing each shot with a forward thrust of his hand, like he is hammering a nail. I’m not a marksman, but it just seems like his accuracy would be zero without a steady hand, and never-mind the recoil of the weapon. The silly motion just made him look like an actor who was playing at shooting a toy gun. Yet somehow, he was more accurate than the police trying to capture him. But that’s ok. Cagney was really a song and dance man, like in Yankee Doodle Dandy, not a real gangster.
1938 – Leslie Howard
1938 – Leslie Howard
Pygmalion
Well, here we are with another British actor who goes out of his way to keep his emotions hidden. But Leslie Howard benefited from a script for which this is a necessary personality trait. Howard was perfect for the part. As a matter of fact, the lack of emotion in the character of Professor Henry Higgins is a major plot point in the story. So I paid close attention to the subtext, the subtlety, and the intentional lack of emotion in Howard’s performance.
Higgins’ insensitive nature was played perfectly. The point is driven home in a single exchange near the end of the movie. He says, “My manners are exactly the same as Colonel Pickering,” to which Eliza responds, “That’s not true. He treats a flower girl as if she were a duchess.” Higgins quickly quips, “And I treat a duchess as if she were a flower girl.” That sums up the character pretty well, and Howard played the part that way throughout the entire film. He clearly understood the character he was playing, and based on other film’s I’ve seen the actor in, I think it was because it somewhat resembled his own personality, but that’s just conjecture.
There was only one scene in the narrative where Higgins really loses his temper and nearly strikes Eliza. He yells at her, barely raising his voice, but the emotion actually shows through his eyes and his furrowed brow. It was a good scene for the actor to let loose, but only a little. Howard gave the camera just enough to let us know the power of the character’s anger, but kept it under tight, careful control, preventing it from erupting into actual violence.
The rest of the movie, he played things pretty even keel, which again, was a defining characteristic of Professor Higgins. Yes, there were moments of exhaustion, amusement, frustration, and surprise, but like the anger, it was all kept to small, measured amounts. The only scene in which I think I would have liked a stronger reaction from Howard, is when Eliza makes her entrance into the ball. Yes, Higgins was supposed to be worried about the grand deception, but I wanted a more profound moment when he sees her in all her glory, looking like true royalty, admiring her not for what he’d created in her, but for who she was in that moment.
1938 – Robert Donat
1938 – Robert Donat
The Citadel
Robert Donat was ok. He wasn’t great, he wasn’t bad. He was ok. It seems to me, there was a kind of a trend in movies from the 1930s and 40s, especially if they are historical dramas, which the Academy seemed to really like. The movie goes along without resolving the main conflict until the last few minutes. There, the protagonist delivers an impassioned speech that usually is one of those “how can you be so short-sighted / narrow-minded” speeches, after which, the end credits immediately start to roll. And it seems to me that this is the big scene that earned Robert Donat his Oscar nomination.
I want to make it clear that I think his performance in the rest of the film was just fine, but I don’t see how he really stretched himself as an actor. I don’t think he displayed more than 4 emotions in the entire movie. And when he did show us something new, it was rarely very dynamic or impactful. There was a scene in which he saves the life of a newborn baby. That one was a good scene, but that was about it.
But I have a notion that it was a decidedly British performance. British actors, especially the male actors tended to keep their emotions in check. The proper Englishman was the calmest and most subdued. Unfortunately, this often comes across as dispassionate on the screen. And the trick is, I’ve seen Robert Donat in other films where he displayed more gravitas, more emotionally animated. Still, he played the part pretty well, as it was written.
The movie followed professional career of Dr. Andrew Manson. As a younger physician, he is idealistic with a desire to work for the betterment of all mankind. But after years of poverty and being underappreciated, he falls into a cushy job where he gets paid a lot of money to pamper wealthy socialites without having to do any real work or altruistic research. But once his new ways inadvertently cause the death of his best friend, he remembers why he got into medicine in the first place, and he returns to the passion of his youth. Cue the power speech. Still, I have to give Donat credit for making a distinct difference between the two doctors.