Iron Man 2

2010, Rated PG-13, 124 minutes, Directed by Jon Favreau, produced by Jon Favreau and many others, Screenplay by  Justin Theroux based on the Marvel comic book, Cinematograhpy by Matthew Ligatique, Original Music by John Debney

With: Robert Downey Jr. (Tony Stark), Don Cheadle (Lt. Col James “Rhodey” Rhodes/War Machine), Scarlett Johansson (Natalie Rushman/Black Widow), Gwyneth Paltrow (Pepper Potts), Sam Rockwell (Justin Hammer), Mickey Rourke (Ivan Vanko/Whiplash), Samuel L. Jackson (Nick Fury), Jon Favreau (Happy Hogan)

The original Iron Man was considered a breath of fresh air in the superhero action movie genre. It was a surprise hit with a light hearted feel, great action, and wonderful and witty dialogue. Iron Man 2 comes with much higher expectations than the first one: bring more of the same fresh air but do it in a new and exciting way that does not stray too far from the original. While Iron Man 2 is an action packed movie with great new characters, it does not break out ahead of the original and even creates a much darker tone that gives it a much less original feel.

Kick-Ass

2010, Rated R, 117 minutes Directed by Matthew Vaughn, Written by Jane Goldman & Matthew Vaughn based on the graphic novel by Mark Millar and John Romita Jr., Produced by Adam Bohling, Matthew Vaughn and others, Cinematography by Ben Davis, Original Music by Marius De Vries, Ilan Eshkeri, Henry Jackman, & John Murphy

With: Aaron Johnson (Dave Lizewski/Kick-Ass), Lyndsy Fonseca (Katie Deauxma), Christopher Mintz-Plasse (Chris D’Amico/Red Mist), Mark Strong (Frrank D’Amico), Chloe Moretz (Mindy Macready/Hit-Girl), Nicolas Cage (Damon Macready/Big Daddy)

Superhero movies have been around for long time. In the past 10 years they have become assured box office success raking in hundreds of millions each. The majority of these films tackles a standard plot of a superhero taking the law into his own hands to clean up the city or exact revenge. Kick Ass, the latest movie adapted from a graphic novel, creates a new premise around the typical superhero plot. The protagonist is no longer a superhero but instead an average teenage boy, a neurotic father and his young daughter. Kick Ass is a new direction in the superhero drama that also represents the progressively more violent and shocking nature of today’s entertainment industry.