By Jared Curtis jared@dmcityview.com
‘Iron Man 2’
Directed by Jon Favreau
Rated PG-13, 120 minutes
Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) is my kind of superhero — a billionaire playboy who likes to drink, smoke, fight and dabble with defense systems. He’s the same man he was in the original, only this time he is struggling to keep his arc reactor (the device keeping shrapnel from his heart) working and is running out of ways to power it. While racing in Monaco (one of the better scenes in the film), he is attacked by his newest nemesis, Whiplash (Mickey Rourke). I enjoyed Rourke as the evildoer, but it was Sam Rockwell as Stark’s rival, Justin Hammer, who really made “Iron Man 2” pop. Rockwell is so good as the sleazy Hammer, I’d rather see another film about him than “Iron Man 3.” Although it wasn’t as good as the first film, “Iron Man 2” is still ahead of the curve in the superhero genre and is a great way to spend a couple of hours. CV
‘Made’
Directed by Jon Favreau
2001, Rated R, 95 minutes
Although Jon Favreau is known for directing action (“Iron Man” and “Iron Man 2”) and family (“Elf”) films, his first opportunity behind the camera, “Made,” is one of his best. Bobby (Favreau) and Ricky (Vince Vaughn) are aspiring boxers and lifelong friends. Problem is, they are awful fighters, and they both struggle to make money. When a local thug (Peter Faulk) hires them to go to New York and handle some business, things start looking up. But soon the two realize they are a long way from home and in over their heads as they become engulfed in the criminal underworld of Ruiz (Sean ‘P. Diddy’ Combs). Favreau knows to let Vaughn run loose, and the film is better for it. Add in a stellar supporting cast (Famke Janssen, Faizon Love and Sam Rockwell) and a laugh-out-loud cameo by Dustin “Screech” Diamond, and “Made” has everything it needs to keep viewers entertained. CV
