Director: Shane Black
Writer: Based on Stan Lee’s Iron Man. Screenplay by Drew Pearce and Shane Black
Released: April 2013
Featuring: Robert Downey Jr., Gwenyth Paltrow, Don Cheadle, Guy Pearce, Rebecca Hall, Stephanie Szostak, James Badge Dale, Jon Favreau and Ben Kingsley
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Holy crapolah. This movie… Guys… Just..
Wow.
This is a huge step away from the typical and clichéd superhero movies. This one is very funny with a switch up of roles among the characters. Like, it is an action-comedy with an underlying deep and meaningful storyline.
Throughout the movie, Iron Man/Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) has anxiety attacks. Although I think it could have been more effective and emotional by having flashbacks, it was still pretty intense watching the usually unemotional hero break down.
The story is pretty decent, although I have 
to say that the villain, Aldrich Killian (Guy Pearce) is a little disappointing. He isn’t overly scary, freaky, creepy or quirky. Just. A dude who was out to get Iron Man.
The new characters in this film include a boy named Harley who helps Tony Stark. Every conversation these two had is hilarious. Tony is his legendary sarcastic self.
Rebecca Hall played Dr. Maya Hansen who is a totally undeveloped and uninteresting character… She is almost pointless. Which is disappointing, because I really liked Rebecca Hall in The Prestige and I don’t think she could show her complete talent in this film due to the empty character.
I’m not a huge fan of Gwenyth Paltrow who plays Pepper Potts, but she definitely picks up her game in this movie – she is bad ass!
I reckon the music could have been way more epic…
Overall, though, I thoroughly enjoyed this movie! It was so funny, exciting and I didn’t get bored during the fight scenes.
Jodie’s rating: 7.5/10
The King’s Speech is the account of King George VI, who is forced to overcome his debilitating speech impediment to reach his full potential as a strong ruler which he becomes by default due to his Father’s death, King George V (Sir Michael John Gambon) and the resignation of his brother, King Edward VIII (Guy Pearce). Despite the premise of this film sounding as if it may become a repetitive and stationary story of pure frustration and despair, The King’s Speech was actually an incredible journey of expectation, victory and unity.
After countless ‘royalty approved’ doctors, they were about to give up when Queen Elizabeth (Helena Bonham Carter) found Lionel Logue (Geoffrey Rush). This begins the strong friendship created between the King and his unlikely acquaintance as well as the trust that has to be built between patient and doctor. The humourous, innovative methods and remarkable outcomes of the pair are inspirational and uplifting.
The cast for this movie was not short of perfect. Colin Firth is the protagonist who became the stuttering King George VI convincingly. He shows that he is a versatile actor who is capable of mastering any genre – from Bridget Jones’ Diary to The King’s Speech.
Tom Hooper shows himself to be quite a genius director. The composition of each shot supports the feelings of the King. With the claustrophobic feel of the environment when he is unable to communicate what he needs to say as well as the unsupportive feel of large and empty rooms. Warm and quality lighting creates the atmosphere of being in the presence of Royalty, contrasting the cold, dim, dark glow of the London streets.
This is wonderfully layered film which allows viewers to look into it as deep as they like. Therefore, the second and third viewing is as enjoyable as the first. The King’s Speech is a fantastically made film with every shot perfectly composed and every scene well constructed – this really is a motion picture suitable for anybody old enough to appreciate it.
NZ Film Freak 