Geek Heaven

If you know not of what I speak when I speak of a sucker-punch, lucky you. I mean that moment in the middle of an otherwise perfectly fine film when, with the same unconvincing unrealism of “product placing” a can of Coca Cola in the center of the shot, the film-maker trots out his favorite bit of anti-American Christophobia or something of the sort. The action of the film stops, we are solemnly told America is to blame for war, poverty, racism, whathaveyou, and them the film continues. These little detours make about as much sense as that scene in LIFE OF BRIAN when Brian is kidnapped by aliens, only not funny. If you’ve never noticed it, good for you, because you can enjoy movies I wish I could enjoy but cannot.

There is none of that in IRON MAN. The US military is the good guys. The bad guys are warlords and smugglers and evil guys who were evil in the comic. There is treason, torture, murder, revenge, paralyzer rays, dancing stewardesses, shrieking eels, true love, repellor rays — okay , no shrieking eels. But the film has all the good things in it I wanted to see. Almost all. Well, except no Mandarin. Maybe he will show up in the sequel.

Here is the big new, though.

Marvel Announces Feature Film Release Slate: Iron Man Sequel and Thor in Summer 2010 and Two Avenger-themed Movies in Summer 2011

In order to focus its attention on maximizing the success of an Iron Man sequel and the launch of Thor in the summer of 2010 and because Marvel believes that the summer is the optimal time to launch a new property, the Company will not release a self produced film in 2009. Marvel plans to launch its 2010 film slate with the release of the sequel, Iron Man 2, on April 30, 2010, followed by the launch of Thor on June 4, 2010. Additionally, Marvel is planting its feature film stakes for summer 2011 with an Avengers-themed summer – a two-picture project which will debut on May 6, 2011 with The First Avenger: Captain America (working title), followed by The Avengers in July 2011.