Tag Archives: James Badge Dale

My Favorite Scene: Iron Man 3 (2013) “Air Force One Rescue”

Through 17 films, I would only count one MCU film as a disappointment (though some are certainly better than others) and that’s Iron Man 3.  The only thing that has kept me from loathing the film more than I do was the Marvel One-Shot (I really miss those) that they did “All Hail the King” in which they fixed the film’s biggest blunder: making The Mandarin, Iron Man’s only good villain, into a complete joke.


Aside from The Mandarin debacle, Iron Man 3’s main problem is that it butchers Warren Ellis’ classic Extremis storyline, doesn’t do anything to advance Tony’s character other than blow up all his stuff, which he starts rebuilding before the credits finish, and the film generally stands outside of the MCU’s storyline.  That’s fine for a lot of films, but Iron Man has been the backbone of the MCU since he started it, and to waste his last solo film was unforgivable.

There are two things about IM3 that are good enough that the film ekes out a positive rating (post-All Hail the King): Tony & Harley and the plane rescue sequence.  I honestly could’ve done with a whole film of just Tony and that kid hanging out in Tennessee, but the film’s best sequence is a mid-air rescue of 13 free falling passengers after Air Force One is compromised.  It’s an amazing F/X sequence, a great use of JARVIS, and some very creative problem solving by Tony.  Would that the rest of the film had lived up to it.


Iron Man 3

Movie Review: Only the Brave (2017) *Fitting Tribute to the Granite Mountain Hotshots*

Josh Brolin in Only the Brave

With wildfires continuing to rage in Northern California and across the Western United States, Only the Brave is a timely reminder of those who stand on the front lines of battling those blazes.  The film is a primer on the life of a hotshot (a specialist in literally fighting fire with fire by setting controlled burns to rob wildfires of fuel) and a tribute to the Granite Mountain Hotshots.  Based on the GQ article “No Exit”, the film is an excellent look at the life of the men who made up the unit, their families, and the circumstances that culminated in the 2013 Yarnell Hill Fire disaster.  If you don’t know anything about those events, the film is absolutely worth checking out and stop reading here if you don’t want to know more about what happened.

Continue reading Movie Review: Only the Brave (2017) *Fitting Tribute to the Granite Mountain Hotshots*

Only The Brave Trailer #3 (2017) “The True Story of the Granite Mountain Hotshots”


All men are created equal… then, a few become firefighters. Only the Brave, based on the true story of the Granite Mountain Hotshots, is the heroic story of one unit of local firefighters that through hope, determination, sacrifice, and the drive to protect families, communities, and our country become one of the most elite firefighting teams in the country. As most of us run from danger, they run toward it – they watch over our lives, our homes, everything we hold dear, as they forge a unique brotherhood that comes into focus with one fateful fire.

Only the Brave Poster

Only The Brave Trailer #2 (2017) “It’s Not What Stands In Front of You; It’s Who Stands Beside You”

I’ve been a fan of Joseph Kosinkski’s since Tron: Legacy (still mad Disney killed the third film), and he’s got an amazing ensemble cast to tell an incredible true story here.  The trailer is definitely near-Michael Bay levels of testosterone but when you have a cast with Josh Brolin, Jennifer Connelly, Jeff Bridges, Miles Teller, James Badge Dale, Andie MacDowell, and Taylor Kitsch, you have everything you need to do justice to a group of incredible men and women.  Check out the official summary below.  Only the Brave opens October 20, 2017.


All men are created equal… then, a few become firefighters. Only the Brave, based on the true story of the Granite Mountain Hotshots, is the heroic story of one unit of local firefighters that through hope, determination, sacrifice, and the drive to protect families, communities, and our country become one of the most elite firefighting teams in the country. As most of us run from danger, they run toward it – they watch over our lives, our homes, everything we hold dear, as they forge a unique brotherhood that comes into focus with one fateful fire.

trailer-for-josh-brolins-intense-firefighting-film-only-the-brave1

Movie Review: The Walk (2015) *Zemeckis Takes Us to Dizzying Heights!*

Joseph Gordon-Levitt, The Walk, Philippe Petit9/11. That’s the first thing that comes to mind when you think of the World Trade Center’s twin towers. It’s impossible for people to look at those buildings and to see anything other than the horror that occurred nearly 15 years ago. There is; however, another story, a true story, regarding the towers that took place in 1974. A French wire walker, Philippe Petit (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), mesmerized New Yorkers one August morning as they looked to the skies and saw Petit perform an extended walk between the North and South Towers of the WTC. It’s a story that’s the antithesis of 9/11. It’s a dream, Petit’s coup. It’s a story of hope, ambition, bravery and wonder and Robert Zemeckis brings it to glorious fruition in The Walk. Continue reading Movie Review: The Walk (2015) *Zemeckis Takes Us to Dizzying Heights!*