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I finally got around to seeing Iron Man starring Robert Downy Jr. and Gwyneth Paltrow. I didn’t anticipate much since people I know that have seen it said they were disappointed. I can see why they would be since it was the number one movie when it came for several weeks. Many people loved it and critics loved it as well. Therefore, when an audience filled with great expectation of a movie that is supposed to be great turns out to be better than good but not great it becomes a let down.

Basically Iron Man was created after a Marvel comic character. Robert Downey Jr. portrays Iron Man after he gets captured by a group that are killing villages with the weapons he and his company made. Once he realizes that these weapons were killing innocent people then he decided to not be a part of it. His partner in the business had sent out a group to kill him off in order for him to have full control over the company. In turn, Downey creates an iron suit that helps him escape and eventually return home. He creates a more updated format of the costume in order to help save innocent people.

The film tends to take a long time before the actual story begins and by this time it is almost over. It definitely ends in a way to set up for a sequel. Downey signed on to do another two sequels. Iron Man is worth seeing and lives up to its hype. I became intrigued with the relationship between Downey and Paltrow (who portrays Pepper his assistant). If you haven’t seen it then see it. It isn’t great but it is definitely entertaining and Downey proves he can play just about any kind of character. Terrence Howard and Jeff Bridges also star in the film.

Tina Turner rocked Dallas on October 26st. I had seen her perform back in the early 90’s two different times. One time she was sick but performed anyway and another time she was promoting her latest album which I can’t remember which one it was. Both shows were great and Tina managed to prove time and time again what a great performer she is. But on Sunday she was at her best. I never saw her like this. Especially being in her late 60’s it is a wonder how she was able to sing as well as she did and dance better than her back dancers.

All her best songs were sung including “The Best,” “Private Dancer,” “What’s Love Got To Do With It,” and “Better Be Good To Me.” She had a number of costume changes as always, but there was more theatrics this time around. There seemed to be a compilation of all of the stage changes. Tina came out on a ramp for her encore which was real cool to me since I was able to get rather close to her.

In the beginning Tina appeared on a high circle stand that went down into the stage once the song began. When she sang “Golden Eye” she came out of a lit up circle from the back of the stage and down on moving stairs. There was fireworks that shot off as well throughout the concert which definitely was unexpected.

Tina obviously knows how to put on a great show and I hope she will come back to town soon. The price of the ticket was rather high but it was worth being able to see her perform again.

“Keeps Gettin’ Better” is the first single off Christina Aguilera’s upcoming greatest hits compilation. Christina sings about how sometimes she’s a bitch while other times she nice, but either her man will love her. Ok. This song has climbed up to number 7 on the Hot 100 and quite honestly I never hear on the radio. It doesn’t stand out on its own like Christina’s other work. Many times you could hear the first few cords and know it’s a song of hers.

Here are a sample of the lyrics:

Step back gonna come at ya fast
I’m driving out of control
And getting ready to crash
Won’t stop shaking up what I can
I serve it up in a shot
So suck it down like a man
So baby yes I know what I am
And no I don’t give a damn
And you’ll be loving it

Some days I’m a super bitch
Up to my old tricks
But it won’t last forever
Next day I’m your super girl
Out to save the world
And it keeps gettin’ better

The video was odd since it really had nothing to do with what she was singing about. Christina, like Britney Spears enjoys dressing in different costumes and wear various color wigs. The video is colorful that’s for sure, but it is too busy and lost my interest. I didn’t care to look at it all the way through.

Christina’s performance on the MTV Music Awards was confusing to me too. She didn’t sing the song like she always does. She mouthed it and took away any kind of enjoyment there could have been. It’s not all about the dancing. What makes a performance exciting is the combination of singing and doing it well while dancing. Not just anyone can do that. Christina can, but she opted out.

Some of the best horror’s

1. Halloween
2. Psycho
3. Prom Night (original)
4. The Shining
5. The Grudge
6. Night of the Living Dead
7. Jeepers Creepers
8. Nighmare on Elm Street
9. The Shining
10. The Ring

Worst Horror’s

1. Halloween 3
2. Dawn of the Dead
3. House of a 1000 corpses
4. Devil’s Rejects
5. Saw 1 through 4
6. Prom Night (remake)
7. Texas chainsaw Massacre

David Archuleta who came to fame from the seventh season of American Idol released his first single from his self-titled debut album entitled “Crush”. This is song fits the teenager who was runner up on the infamous reality television show. It is upbeat and perfect for his teenage crowd. It is a very simple song and beautifully written. The only problem I have with “Crush” is that the video makes Archuleta look goofy. For some reason someone decided to cut his hair short which doesn’t work for him. His nose and mouth seem to take up most of his face while his eyes are not seen. His hair sticks up on the top and cut very short on the sides. He just looks funny. Maybe a lot of teenage girls will think he looks cute this way but he looked better on the show.

“Crush” has already hit number two on the billboard top 100. It was released in late September and I think it will continue great success for the 18 year old. He’s got a great voice that make just about any song sound good. He just can’t look goofy. People won’t watch him perform a song if he looks like he is still going through puberty. David will gain many fans from the radio and until he grows his hair out he should stay out of view of the public.

“They Wait” is considered a horror film, but it seems more like a psychological thriller. American Chinese Terry Chen is an ambitious worker whose uncle died in China. He decides to take his family there. Jaime King stars as the distraught American housewife who fears for her son’s safety after he falls into a coma.

A ghost appears to the boy and eventually to his mother. Apparently the ghost is trying to tell the family something and it takes almost two hours for them to figure out. They have until a certain time before the couple loses their son to the ghost.

I enjoyed this film. It is simple and not too horrific. It tells a story without being too graphic and I loved the part where people get what they deserve. Some of the best entertainment for me. In a world that involves a lot of injustice I love to see movies that show bad people get punished.

“They Wait” is simple but effective.

The Happening is the latest efforts by director and writer M. Night Shyamalan. I didn’t have a chance to see it in theatres. I heard it was good from some while others said it was a disappointment. After watching it I can see why they felt it was disappointing. This was such a great film until the end.

The beginning is stunning. The entire storyline and idea was completely spectacular. The only problem is that the idea was too big to finish. If there was another answer or something simpler it would have been better. The film was truly great until the conclusion. In recent films such as the Lady in the Water and the Village, Shyamalan managed to capture your attention until the end. It falls flat and leaves you disappointed. The plot is so grand that you expect to have a slam dunk for an ending. You keep telling yourself, “This is going to be great”. Then it isn’t.

Mark Walhberg stars in this film alongside John Leguizamo. Not everyone makes it in this film and you can’t seem to figure out what is going on until near the middle of the movie. Once you understand the concept you wonder how is it going to end. I have learned that when you tell stories the ending is one of the most important parts since it is the last thing the person will hear, read, or see. This is the emotion that they are going to be left with and when they are disappointed the entire story falls apart no matter how good it started out or how great the middle of the story was. A story can be forgiven if it starts out bad and ends with a great exit. Sadly enough The Happening ended flat and disappointing.

I would recommend to see the film if you have nothing better to do in order to see how great the film could have been. It is the most gory and graphic of all of the Shyamalan films but couldn’t have been great. The director has failed to match his claim to fame “The Sixth Sense”. Yet, he has proven he is a great director and story teller.

I recently watched a film entitled the “Brave One” that stars Jodie Foster and came out in 2007. It was being aired on cable and I never had the opportunity to see it. It got lost in the mix I guess. This is one film that I could recommend to anyone that is stressed out or annoyed over an incident with another person. The Brave One left me feeling relieved and pleased that the good guy one.

The movie surrounds the life of Jodie Foster’s character. One evening her and her boyfriend took a walk with their dog through Central Park and got attacked. Foster’s fiance was killed and the killers took the dog after beating her almost to death.

As Foster recovers she finds New York a place she is afraid of until she gets tired of running and being fearful. She buys a gun for $1,000 and begins killing those that hurt others such as a drug dealer who pimps out girls in need of money. She kills two thugs on the subway when she was only minding her own business. After the thugs decide to harrass everyone on the subway they go after Foster leaving them alone with Foster. She shoots them after they threaten her and walks away. She becomes an unknown vigilante and struggles with her demons of right and wrong. Terrence Howard stars as a detective who investigates the random murders that only have a similarity of a 9mm gun. Howard becomes friends with Foster without knowing she is the vigilante.

I find this one film to take pleasure in. I enjoyed watching bad guys get what they deserve. This rarely happens these days and I think more films should display and react to the audience frustration especially during these times. Movies need to reflect what is going on and offer a place to vent for viewers who are left extremely frustrated. I wonder why The Brave One didn’t do better in theatres. It should have or maybe it didn’t come out at the right time.

Brendan Fraser returned for the third edition of the Mummy films. Jet Li portrays a corrupt leader in ancient China who is brought back from the dead. The Mummy Tomb of the Dragon Emperor was not as good as the first, but it was entertaining and managed to keep your attention.

Faser’s wife is portrayed by Maria Bello who came in for the third edition of the Mummy series. She lacked the chemistry as the previous actress Rachel Weisz had with Brendan yet she managed to carry the movie just as well. If you are into the Mummy series just don’t expect too much and you will enjoy the ride it takes you on. The special effects were good and there were moments that were simply unrealistic and silly, but it didn’t seem to matter. You go to see the Mummy to be taken to a different place where this film managed to do so. Escaping from your every day life is needed at times. If a film can help you escape for awhile then it did its job.

If you are a fan of Brendan or if you enjoy the Mummy series or simply want to watch something that will allow you to escape then watch this film. It isn’t great, but it is good.

Step Brothers stars Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly. This is the second film in which the two team up. The first film was Talladega Nights. They work well together, but in Step Brothers Reilly managed to become the star of the film rather than Ferrell. The concept was original and funny. The plot is about two grown men around the age of 40 who still live at home. Ferrell lives with his mother while Reilly lives with his father. Both parents meet at work and fall in love and marry. Eventually, Ferrell and his mother move in with Reilly and his father making it a very difficult situation for the two single men. At first they both hate each other and have fights like typically siblings who are children do. They capture the essence of child-like actions and thoughts very well.

Upon meeting up with Ferrell’s younger brother the step-brothers realize they have a lot in common. They manage to bond and eventually cause havoc to their parents who continue to try to get them to grow up and be real men.

I enjoyed watching this film. At times it seemed to lag but overall it was very entertaining. It was great mindless entertainment. I would highly recommend this film to Will Ferrell fans. John C. Reilly is highly under-rated as an actor and as a comedian he is completely ignored. He has played a multitude of great silly roles and making the characters come alive in such films as “Never Been Kissed,” “Boogie Nights,” and “Talladega Nights the ballad of Ricky Bobby.”

If you haven’t seen it, check it out in theatres and dvd. I saw it at a discounted theatre that showed it for $2.00 and it should be coming to dvd soon. Mary Steenburgen and Richard Jenkins also star in the Step Brothers as the parents.