This is going to sound like some sort of lame stab at “hot take” cred, but this is probably my least favourite MCU film - barring maybe Hulk. Yes, I’ll watch IM2 and Dark World more regularly than this. It’s got its moments, to be sure - including the above scene - the cast is great, and it looks cool. But it’s so…

To each her/his own, but I cringe when I hear “Father and Son” in movies - it’s been so covered, and overplayed, and is so on the nose, I wish it would just go into semi-permanent retirement for a while (not trying to be a curmudgeon . . . it IS a good song).

Just wrapped up S02 - fantastic stuff!

This series seems to be descending rapidly into “why the MCU kinda sucks” which seems to be a) counter to its purpose, and b) the AV Club’s bread and butter these days.

I think this is the second or third time I’ve heard that Iron Man 2 was written or filmed during the writers’ strike. The writers’ strike took place over the winter of 2007-’08, ending around February. Theroux was hired to write IM2 in July of ‘08, and filming didn’t begin until spring ‘09 - both well after the…

Agreed, The Empire Strikes Back is a killer title (especially without the Star Wars: lead-in), created so much foreboding to my 10-year-old brain . . . and excitement. Which, of course, it paid off in spades.

Love this film. In terms of “mentorship” during its making, it’s worth pointing out the roll Polly Platt played in producing (Brooks was actually exec prod). Crowe’s talked a lot about how important she was in basically guiding him in learning how to make a film (and she basically forced the great László Kovács to…

Also, Iron Man summer was also Dark Knight summer, and the hype leading up to that summer was ALL Dark Knight. That Iron Man might challenge it in any conceivable way was unthinkable - and to stick RDJ in it? Crazy! 

It was Fitzgerald.

I swoon hard for her, despite all the goop. I’m like, Saturday, nothing to do, throw on Sliding Doors, why the hell not!

Usually these days when they run of those “hey here’s a video, and here’s us recapping the video” I just skip right to the video. The recaps are almost never worth reading.

Nailed right in.

It’s “an” inspiration, rather than “the” inspiration, and an important one. Yes, the film had a short theatrical run in the US, but it was also released throughout Europe, including at the Venice and Cannes film festivals. And it’s the sort of film that film people could get if they wanted to see it. John Waters has…

This is a fantastic film, and a great write-up, Katie. For such a “slow” film, there’s a ton going on - reading its delicate balance of passivity and irresponsibility along with Loden and Proferes’s really thoughtful camera work makes the film immensely re-watchable. If it doesn’t strike you on first viewing, I’d…

I just started MUBI in Jan, and haven’t used it as much as I’d like - due to time, not the selection, which is fantastic. And yeah, like Blacked Out, I think it’s a great service overall. I get an email each day telling me what the new film is (which you can opt out of that email of course), and I’m always like,…

I am (somewhat surprisingly to myself) flipping over the moon about this. The first five years or so were hit and miss with me, good fun to be had when the films landed with me. But somehow, since about Winter Soldier, this thing has worked its way under my skin, and much to my surprise, I’m loving the hell out of it.…

Great write-up!

I, too, saw it in the cinema, I’d guess in the early ‘80s, maybe late ‘70s. Is there a chance it ran on HBO for a while in its early days? I seem to remember seeing it repeatedly, or different sections of it repeatedly, during one summer as a kid.

Would like several times, if possible . . . only partially because that whole Bare Jr. album is fantastic.

It’s been a while, but I thought Zack and Miri was pretty good.