The Villain

The "Iron Man 2" series continues as we edge closer to the kick off of the Summer movie season. In the first article, we looked as some of the sequel formulas and how they might translate into this film. Having the formula is one thing, but you MUST get this part right or you're going to fail as a second act.

The Villain is what can make/or break the second step of any franchise. The first movie is all about establishing our hero, now the second one must turn it up a notch by introducing us to a sinister man who dreams of crushing our beloved hero. Villains don't necessarily have to be more sinister than the first film, but their presence must have a bigger part of the plot and story development. You can't have a good movie without a great protagonist and antagonist. Let's take a look at some of the ways to judge the perfect sequel villain.

First, the new bad guy must have a different character/story arc than the first one. Sequels tend to go darker sometimes, and the only way they can achieve that darkness is by throwing in a crazy guy/girl who's got nothing to lose. Even if you don't go darker, just throw us a curve ball to mix it up. With "Iron Man 2," we're on the right track. I was so excited to see Mickey Rourke cast as Tony Stark's opposite in the new chapter. Ivan Vanko or Whiplash is a man that's seen his family and friends torn about by the Stark Industries' weapons. He has a chip on his shoulder and is willing to do whatever it takes to show that Tony Stark can bleed.

Another great element with a new arch enemy is the back story. We know that Whiplash's family has been dealt a tragic blow, but any good sequel should spark our curiosity about his traits/gifts/abilities. I want to know why he is a talented engineer that's able to construct this new weapon and why Justin Hammer (Sam Rockwell) wants him to be the brains behind this new wave of soldiers.....did I give away too much??? I hope not, but I will stop right there....

Any good villain must have that "IT" moment. You're not going to believe he's the toughest guy in the Old West unless he does something to turn the storyline on its head. That something doesn't have to be a crazy fight scene or stunt, it can even be something as small as a couple lines of dialogue. Speaking of that "IT" moment, it should tie in somehow with his fighting abilities. Everyone in the theatre knows that this guy is the bad guy, but in order to take that character to another level you're going to have to prove it on the battlefront. You don't have use the biggest budget to create the greatest fight scene, but you have to SHOW the audience that this guy has tools and he knows how to punish people.

Finally, the villain MUST have a grand exit! I love finding out new casting notes about who is going to play the new bad guy and see how they translate that into a 2 hour show. I get more nervous at the end of the movie for the villain's exit than I do for anything else. We know that the hero is going to live, but we have no clue about his enemy. If he's going to die it has to be something great and not just a cheap end scene. The baddest guy on film should not die thanks to a cheap bullet, he needs to go out with a BANG! Now, I say die, but he doesn't always have to die. Yes, you can still send someone away to jail/hibernation/isolation with a fantastic finish.

Follow these foot notes and I guarantee you will find a great sequel villain waiting at the end every time. I haven't seen "Iron Man 2" so I don't know the ending, but Whiplash seems to be well on his way as being one of the great Tony Stark villains of all-time. Now, he MAY not be the only villain in the film, but he is the only villain that we KNOW about.....THERE'S YOUR TEASE, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN.

Enjoy the show!

The Sequel Formula

Believe it or not, the Summer movie season kicks off this weekend with "Iron Man 2." Tony Stark and the gang are back in the sequel to the 2008 smash hit. It's easily the most anticipated blockbuster of the Summer bunch. Sequels can be really good, but they can also get really ugly. In honor of this being the start of the Summer season, and "Iron Man" week, I'm compiling a list of thoughts/possibilties/expectations and putting them into a series of articles.

First up, the sequel formula. What goes into making a good sequel? Obviously, Movie studios are hoping to expand on the success of the first film, but you have to follow the right formula for that to work. To quote "Scream 2," "Sequels themselves are inferior films..." -- which means you have to expand on the characters' universe for the movie to stand next to the original. Now, expanding doesn't necessarily mean more explosions/fight scenes/characters/etc. Expanding can also mean taking their first world, and turning it upside down. New characters are always welcome, but they aren't a necessity. If Marvel follows their formula for two other sequels, fanboys like me will be happy with the product and coming back for more.



"Spider-Man 2" still stands as one of the greatest superhero sequels by Marvel Studios. The 2004 Summer hit kept the same, simple product from the first film and just turned it on itself. We didn't see a ton of new villains, characters, or storylines and that was perfectly fine. What made the movie so good was the fact that it kept things simple. Peter fights with the powers of Spidey and his love for Mary Jane. There's only one true nemesis in the film, Doc Ock. Too many times movies try to add too many bad guys and it just makes the sequel messy and irritating. When you have a character such as Dr. Octopus, who is one of the strongest villains in comic book history, he's all you need. Some sequels also try to make the new villian darker and more sinister, but that's not a must. The Doc wasn't darker than The Goblin, but he was still a great evil match to the Spidey Sense. Now, with "Iron Man 2," it's obvious that Whiplash is a darker villian than Iron Monger. Will it work?....only time will tell, but I'm super excited about seeing Mickey Rourke go bat crazy again the suit of armor.



Sometimes sequels can involve plenty of new characters and turn out really well. There's no question that "Iron Man 2" is adding a slew of people as the move towards "The Avengers," but will it work? "X2: X-Men United" worked to the tenth degree. In my mind, this film is one of (if not) the greatest underrated superhero movie of all-time. Bryan Singer did an excellent job of keeping the plot line simple, but throwing in these new and intricate characters that helped stir the pot. Night-Crawler was one of the most exciting and most welcomed people to X2. If you add someone, they must have a purpose. Don't just add bad guys, partners, and side characters just for the sake of a laugh or explosion. There's quite a few new characters in "Iron Man 2" so we shall see how well they all mash up not only in this film, but other movies to come....

That's right, I just ended that paragraph on an Avengers tease. Which I'm hoping is not the case with this weekend's movie. "Spider-Man 2" and "X2" were great, but they weren't building towards a universe like this film is. If Marvel uses the formulas that both Spidey and the X-Men banked on, we should be in for a fun ride for weeks to come. How will Tony Stark's second round compare with these other sequels....we wil find out soon enough.

There's much more "Iron Man 2" coverage to come this week. Also, be sure to check out our weekly podcast for the very latest.

Back In New Armor

Everyone remembers the opening scene to "Iron Man." You see the Marvel logo and then you hear AC/DC's "Back in Black" blaring on the silver screen as the troops and Tony Stark are roaming through the desert. Music is the backbone of any movie. Sometimes you may not remember the song, but you remember how upbeat you felt hearing a certain score/tune while something was happening in a film.

We are just days away from one of the biggest movies of the year, "Iron Man 2." The marketing campaign is in full flight with ads, previews, and products. The "Iron Man 2" soundtrack is now in stores. No, you aren't getting a nice array of artists with up and down songs, you get one of the hardest rocking bands of all-time! AC/DC is teaming up with Stark Industries to release "Iron Man 2." They are polishing up 15 of their popular rock jams, giving them some new armor, and unleashing it for the world to enjoy. Most of the songs are the ones that everybody is familiar with. However, they are a few tracks that might catch your eye. Back in 2008, the band debut their "Black Ice" album with a track called "War Machine." They didn't know it then, but that track would fit perfectly with a certain character in the upcoming blockbuster film. These songs go great with the "Iron Man" world. What better music to listen to when you're beating up bad guys than "Thunderstruck" or "Highway to Hell?"

Soundtracks have come a long way over the past few years. Most of the time you are guaranteed maybe one or two good songs on a normal soundtrack with the rest of the songs just filling in the gaps. You don't have to worry about that with "Iron Man 2." You can turn up these jams, bang your head, and anxiously await Tony Stark to kick some butt!

Lights, Camera, Action Figures

Action figures make a young boy's world go round. They can come in all colors, shapes, and sizes. A lot of my childhood was spent playing with Power Rangers on the stairs, swimming with Ninja Turtles, and even blowing up a few G.I. Joe's (Sorry guys...nothing personal). One of the best gifts I received for Christmas was an entire "Jurassic Park" set (complete with Velociraptor and Dr. Grant). You can find out a lot about a movie just by looking at the toys.

In the modern world we live in, every little detail about a popular movie is almost guaranteed to be blown out of proportion. From casting notes to cameos, you can find it all online. A toy franchise can be a big marketing campaign for a movie if it's done correctly. Recently, "Iron Man 2" released their lineup of toys to match one of this year's most anticipated movies. These figures are a sneak peek at what some of our favorite characters/villains/vehicles COULD look like on the silver screen. Being an 8-year-old boy once, every time these new figures are released I have to check them out! I remember getting my first glimpse of what Two Face would look like in "The Dark Knight" by checking out the toy. More recently, I laughed at the makeup of Cobra Commander from the "G.I. Joe: The Rise Of Cobra" line.

These toys play a somewhat spoiler role in some of our favorite films. In case you were wondering, I have no plans to release any of the details I learned about "Iron Man 2." So if you're looking for spoilers in this article, you may want to try someone else's toy box. The verdict on Tony Stark and the gang is still up in the air thanks to a smart marketing campaign. I just find it fascinating that some of the biggest movies can use these tiny little figures to their advantage. Character descriptions, costume designs, and plot details can all be found by looking in your local toy store. Marketing is everything. Neat looking toys can excite your fan base and mundane toys can anger it. In a world where story lines are hunted for all over the internet...sometimes it just takes a glimpse at an action figure to solve the big mystery.

In case you are wondering....Yes, I still have PLENTY of my old action figures stored away at home. I must say, toy makers can try all they want, but they will never top my "Ghostbusters" and "Jurassic Park" set. :)

Kettle Corn

Kettle Corn is a list of casting notes/news/tidbits going on in the world of pop culture. It's like someone just popped a fresh batch of popcorn -- and the smell is too good to pass up!

Empire is celebrating its 20th anniversary with photos of some of the most iconic characters/films over the last 20 years.

The new Iron Man 2 poster is here! (thanks to Superherohype)

Paul McCartney talks with "USA Today" about writing the original song for "Everybody's Fine."

Tobey Maguire tells "The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien" that "Spider-Man 4" will begin filming soon.

"Lost" Season 5 hits store shelves this Tuesday!

Kettle Corn

Kettle Corn is a list of casting notes/news/tidbits going on in the world of pop culture. It's like someone just popped a fresh batch of popcorn -- and the smell is too good to pass up!


The $550 million dollars made in the first 5 days for "Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2"is the largest 24-hour launch in the history of entertainment.

An "Iron Man 2" trailer is coming soon!

Check out "Wired" for a review of "Super Mario Bros. Wii"

"GamerTell" says Target's Black Friday sales are some of the best around.

Head on over to "Slashfilm" for a preview of "Crazy Heart," starring Jeff Bridges and Maggie Gyllenhaal.