Classic Movie Review: The United States of Leland (2003)

It's no secret that I am a huge fan of Ryan Gosling, although considering that everyone else on the planet likes him, it isn't that strange. Now it occurs to me that he goes after either rom-com roles (Crazy, Stupid, Love or The Notebook) or darkly disturbed characters in independent films (Lars and the Real Girl or Blue Valentine). In this film however, he plays a character that's different to the rest (and I don't mean because he has brown hair).

The film chronicles the events leading up to and after the murder of a mentally disabled boy by Leland P. Fitzgerald (Gosling) and the effects that it has on the people who were close to either Leland or the boy, like Leland's ex-girlfriend and the boy's sister, Becky (Jena Malone), or Leland's teacher in prison, Pearl (Don Cheadle).

The family of the boy all try to escape their grief. Julie (Michelle Williams) and her boyfriend Alan (Chris Klein), try to focus on their future at university, but this puts a strain on their relationship. Becky turns to heroin, to which she gets addicted. Leland's own father, Arthur (Kevin Spacey), is an author who tries to come to terms with the fact that his absence from his son's life could have been a motivating factor for Leland. Meanwhile, Pearl, who is an aspiring writer, tries to write a novel about Leland, but is hampered at every turn by his work.

This role is very different to anything that Gosling has played before. He is detached from the world and although his character in Drive (2011) was similarly detached, here there is a certain naivety and innocence in the character.

Don Cheadle is excellent as Pearl, who tries to coax the truth out of Leland, so that he can understand the teenager's motivations. And also, as always, Kevin Spacey plays a role that is cold and calculating, not to unlike John Doe in Se7en or Roger Kint in The Usual Suspects.

Verdict: A real landmark film that I think everyone should see before they die. It is an interesting look at perceptions of life and right and wrong.

Iron Man 3

It's taken three movies but I think I finally see the appeal of Tony Stark. His abrasiveness and bluntness add to his charm. Over the course of the last two Iron Man movies (and that massive Avengers flick), I have to come to love the man in the Iron mask.

In this first post-Avengers movie, Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) is suffering from PTSD caused by the events that happened in New York. He spends most of his days tinkering with his many Iron Man suits with the help of his robotic assistant Jarvis (Paul Bettany). Stark's girlfriend Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow) is running Stark Industries. And Stark's best friend Col. James Rhodes (Don Cheadle), AKA War Machine AKA Iron Patriot, is working for the US Government.

In recent weeks, attacks by a shadowy terrorist known as the Mandarin (Sir Ben Kingsley) have been ramping up in their intensity. Pepper Potts is in talks with Aldrich Killian (Guy Pearce), a scientist who was once ignored by Tony, about some new biotechnology he has engineered.

The shit hits the fan when an attack by the Mandarin hits Tony's old bodyguard Happy Hogan (Jon Favreau). Tony reacts to this attack by saying that he is going to take revenge on the Mandarin and even goes so far as to give him his home address (via the means of good old fashioned media). The Mandarin responds in turn by attacking Stark's cliffside mansion.

Tony's suit breaks down and decides to fly across the country. He wakes up in Tennessee and finds refuge with a young boy who helps repair his suit. Once this is done, he teams up with Rhodey to take the Mandarin out.

I think what I enjoyed so much about this film is the fact that it wasn't directed by Jon Favreau (not that he's a bad director). Shane Black brings some fresh ideas and they definitely show through his directorial style.

Ever since I saw 2002's Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, I have always had faith in RDJ. He brings lightness to roles that would otherwise be quite depressing (because let's face it, Tony Stark is Bruce Wayne or vice versa). As I said earlier, Tony Stark is quite blunt and has no qualms about driving off and leaving a kid in the cold snow.

I have found that putting Ben Kingsley in a movie is great marketing (that this film doesn't really need), but he has only ever played a handful of dramatic roles. This is one of those borderline roles and once you see the film, you will agree that he is a fantastic actor. I have always been a fan of Guy Pearce (one of the first films I ever saw being made had him in it). In this movie, his devious Aldrich does whatever he wants to get his way.

Of course the most important element of these Marvel films is the stunning visuals. The seen where Tony's mansion is falling into the see is fantastic to look at and the climax of the film is even better.

Verdict: A fantastically entertaining superhero romp that is better than the last two Iron Man films combined. Lots of hilarious dialogue between RDJ and Paul Bettany.