2016 - THE NICE GUYS, entertaining private eye film

To bad audiences stayed away from this very entertaining film that takes that old warhorse the private eye film and adds some amusing twists and turns to it. 

Ryan Gossling and Russell Crowe play private investigators who initially seem completely incompatible.  They team up to solve the case of a missing teenage girl and during the investigation find themselves part of a bigger conspiracy involving the auto industry.  In fact there is really a third member of this team, Gossling's 13 year old daughter played by Angourie Rice who it turns out is smarter than Gossling and Crowe when it comes to unraveling this mystery.

 

The writer/director Shane Black along with Anthony Bagarozzi knows his way around private eye stories with a twist of humor black or otherwise.  The film has some very funny and violent situations and even the bad guys get clever lines to say.

 

It's unfortuate the film wasn't more financially successful as it would have been fun to see another team up between Shane Black, Ryan Gossling, Russell Crowe and Angourie Rice. The running time is 116 minutes. 

2013 - IRON MAN 3, more of the same

If you've seen the first couple of Iron Man films you've seen this.

 

Downey still plays Tony Stark as a wise ass, Gwyneth has dieted herself down to nothing so a 40 year old woman can look like a 20 year old woman.  The rest of the cast is made up of decent actors who are clearly in it for a paycheck.

The plot is basically the same as the first two films.  There is an evil genius.  He has an army of followers.  They have strange super powers that could probably destroy Iron Man.  There is a lot of action.  Everything blows up towards the end of the film. 

130 minutes. Screenplay by Shane Black and Drew Pearce but it follows the same old Marvel formula.