Stacy's Blog Has Got It Going On

"We create our own demons." -Tony Stark Ever since the events of The Avengers , Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) hasn't been alright.  He can't sleep and is suffering from panic attacks.  To make things worse, a new terrorist, The Mandarin (Ben Kingsley), is gaining power and killing innocents everywhere he goes.  When Tony threatens the Mandarin, the terrorist becomes determined to destroy Tony's world and bring the past back to haunt him. What Works: Iron Man 3 's biggest strength is focusing less on the physical Iron Man suits, but on Tony himself.  We get to see a lot of what Tony does without the suits and the improvisation is a lot of fun.  During the attack on Tony's house, the suit isn't working properly and Tony has to find away to fight back without all of his weapons.  Later, we get to see Tony launch a one-man raid using only items picked up at a hardware store.  This movie shows us that Tony Stark is much more than jus...

"You have only three choices: run, hide...or die." -Danielle Rousseau The first part of the season 1 finale of Lost  kicks off with Danielle Rousseau (Mira Furlan) arriving at the survivors camp with a warning...the Others are coming.  16 year previously, a pillar of black smoke appeared on the horizon.  That night the Others came and took Rousseau's baby.  As the survivors prepare for the launching of the raft, they see a pillar of black smoke coming from the other side of the island. Jack (Matthew Fox) and Locke (Terry O'Quinn) decide to try and open the hatch so everyone can hide inside.  Rousseau offers to take them to a place called the Black Rock to retrieve dynamite and blast open the hatch.  Kate (Evangeline Lilly), Hurley (Jorge Garcia), and Dr. Arzt (Daniel Roebuck) all decide to go with.  Before they head out, Jack gives Sawyer (Josh Holloway) a gun to bring on the raft as a precaution.  Sawyer finally tells Jack about h...

"I will never turn against our son." -Tori Breyer A spaceship falls from the sky and crashes at a farm.  Tori and Kyle Breyer (Elizabeth Banks and David Denman) find a baby boy inside and decide to raise him as their own.  As he grows up, they notices that the boy, Brandon (Jackson A. Dunn), never seems to get cut, bruised, or injured in any way.  Once he hits puberty, Brandon begins to change and the darker and more violent side of him begins to emerge. What Works: I love the concept of this movie.  It's literally Superman if Clark Kent was a psychotic killer.  That's an absolutely brilliant premise and this movie mostly succeeds in the execution of said premise.  It's virtually beat-for-beat Superman's origin story and it's a lot of fun seeing it play out with such a dark twist. The gore is absolutely insane.  Each kill is violent, over-the-top, and memorable, which is exactly how I like it.  One scene even has a jaw be...

"I understood that reference." -Steve Rogers Loki (Tom Hiddleston) arrives on Earth with plans to lead an alien army and take over the planet.  Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) has no choice but to call on the Avengers to deal with the threat.  The Avengers assemble, but quickly realize they aren't so much a team, but a time bomb of personalities.  They'll have to figure out to put their differences aside if they want to save Earth. What Works: First off, the action in The Avengers is incredible.  The final battle in New York is, of course, wonderfully epic and a lot of fun, but even the smaller scale action is exciting.  I love all of the different sequences on board the Helicarrier and the three-way fight in the woods between Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), and Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) is also a blast. Mark Ruffalo is a wonderful addition to the series.  He replaces Edward Norton as Bruce Banner and does a ...

"I'm not kissing you." -Colonel Phillips Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) is desperate to join the military to help fight in World War II, but is too weak and sickly.  After numerous rejections, he is recruited into a secret program that turns him into a super soldier.  After mostly being used to drum up financial support for the war, Rogers finally gets to go into battle and fight Hydra, a Nazi research division led by Johann Schmidt (Hugo Weaving), and an army of soldiers equipped with strange, futuristic weapons. What Works: It is really interesting to watch a superhero movie that takes place during World War II.  It's odd watching some of these superhero tropes happen in 1940's New York.  This makes for an especially engaging first half of the film.  Everything in New York and boot camp is a lot of fun. My favorite action sequence in the film actually takes place in New York.  I love Steve chasing after the Hydra spy on foot.  I...

"Who do you want to die as?" -Winston The 3rd chapter picks up with John Wick (Keanu Reeves) attempting to escape New York with half the city out to get him.  John has a $14 million bounty on his head, few resources, and even fewer friends.  If he wants to survive, John has to face the biggest fight of his life. I will be giving out spoilers below, so I will simply say that Chapter 3 is the weakest of the three films, but it has the best action and is still totally worth seeing in the theater. What Works: The action sequences in Parabellum are the best in the series...and that is saying something.  The amount of work that went into this choreography really shows.  It's extraordinarily and each sequence feels unique enough that it never gets tiresome. The first act of this film is my favorite part of the series.  It starts with a countdown as John runs for his life.  Once the clock hits zero, every assassin in the city comes a...

"Don't scream." -Detective Jim Lipton After receiving a strange package a with ventriloquist doll inside, Lisa Ashen (Laura Regan) is brutally murdered.  Her husband, Jamie (Ryan Kwanten), is the prime suspect.  The ventriloquist doll is a bad omen in Jamie's hometown.  To prove his innocence, Jamie returns home to learn more about the tragic town legend and the horrible secret that connects everything back to him. What Works: Donnie Wahlberg is by far the best part of the movie.  He plays a cop (as per usual) and chews the scenery every chance he gets.  I love how he almost pretends not to care about the case at all, but still travels a long way to continue his investigation.  He's a funny character and adds some life to the film. This movie is directed by James Wan who is a very good director and, even though this isn't a good movie, his talent still shines through often enough.  There are some really visually striking s...