Tag Archives: Paul Bettany

Paul Bettany’s 10 Best Movies

Paul Bettany
Paul Bettany broke out in 2001 when he stole A Knight’s Tale as a very unorthodox Geoffery Chaucer, co-starred with future MCU partner Robert Downey Jr. in Kiss Kiss (Bang Bang), and was part of the stellar ensemble for the year’s Best Picture: A Beautiful Mind.  Since then, he has established himself as one of the most dependable character actors in Hollywood in films like Master & Commander, Margin Call, and The Young Victoria.  Bettany is most popularly known for his work in the MCU since the franchise’s first film: Iron Man.  He voiced Tony Stark’s AI suit companion, JARVIS, in all three Iron Man solo films and the first Avengers film before JARVIS became Vision in Avengers: Age of Ultron.  He would reprise Vision in Captain America: Civil War and Avengers: Infinity War.  Bettany’s recent career renaissance also includes a stellar performance as the Unabomber, Ted Kaczynski, in The Discovery Channel’s Manhunt: Unabomber, as well as putting his mark on the Star Wars Universe as the main villain in Solo: A Star Wars Story.  Bettany has been married to actress Jennifer Connelly since 2003.
Continue reading Paul Bettany’s 10 Best Movies

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

Journey’s End Trailer #1 (2018) “Innocence Lost; Courage Found”

Ever since The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, I’ve been awestruck by Asa Butterfield’s talent.  He was one of the finalists to be Spider-Man in the MCU, and I was rooting for him, though Tom Holland has that so owned now, I think it was for the best.  Through Hugo and Ender’s Game, Butterfield has continued to blow me away, and I’m hoping as he transitions into adulthood he’s the rare star that manages to continue to find good roles and evolve as an actor.  Journey’s End is a World War I epic based on the novel by R.C. Sherriff.  It’s scheduled to hit theaters February 2, 2018.


Journey's End Poster

Trailer Time: Mortdecai Trailer #1 (2015)

Lionsgate has debuted the trailer for the upcoming Mortdecai, starring Johnny Depp in the title role.  Can Depp rebound from his last few ….dozen (it feels like) movies?

Juggling some angry Russians, the British Mi5, his impossibly leggy wife and an international terrorist, debonair art dealer and part-time rogue Charlie Mortdecai (Johnny Depp) must traverse the globe armed only with his good looks and special charm in a race to recover a stolen painting rumored to contain the code to a lost bank account filled with Nazi gold.


Also starring Gwyneth Paltrow, Ewan McGregor, Olivia Munn, Jeff Goldblum and Paul Bettany, Mortdecai is directed by David Koepp and hits theaters February 6, 2015.
mortdecaiheader

Movie Review: Transcendence (2014) *Mild Spoilers*

Johnny Depp, Transcendence
Transcendence is not, despite the hysterically overwrought reaction to it by some reviewers, the worst film of the year.  Not even close.  A truly horrible film has no ambition or drive and Transcendence has these; it just has no soul.  It is, in short, what I suppose it would be like to watch a bad Christopher Nolan movie (I can only speculate since that’s never happened). Continue reading Movie Review: Transcendence (2014) *Mild Spoilers*