I am returned!

Anyhow, a few things spring to mind before I actually start letting myself be informed about the world again (yes, I admit it, living in a box is very nice).

1. The two most under-rated bands of the 80s: Oingo Boingo, Missing Persons

2. If you hate your PC now, switch to a Mac and then try using the PC again.  You know no such hate.

3. Marvel Studios should just close their doors and give it up if they don’t bring Favreau back for Iron Man II.  Current rumor is that there’s a lot of penny pinching going on.  Favreau made them a blockbuster.  Don’t get me wrong, Downey was great, but it was Favreau’s film.  Unfortunately, there’s a class of moron that gets to make decisions about movies who really thinks that anyone can make a flick, and that the actors only matter because the public sees them.  Marvel has made mistakes before when letting money people make decisions (see Spider-Man 3…the money guys demanded Venom), and this could really kick them in the nuts.  No matter how much it costs to keep Favreau, its gotta be cheaper than making a bomb.

4. Metal Gear Solid 4 rocks.

I love the two new Iron Man posters. Why?
The problem with some comic characters is that the two identities seem, more or less, like the same person. This often changes over time (Batman becomes darker and darker, Bruce Wayne becomes more vapid) as comics mature, but much of the time it doesn’t. Mask or no-mask, its the same person. Even the brilliance of the Spider-man movies didn’t quite work this for me. That may be because, in my mind, why would you EVER go back to being Parker?
But look at these images. Look at Stark and then at the imposing, but separate, inhuman presence of Iron Man. Just like the Christopher Nolan/Christian Bale Batman, the alter-ego is a force unto itself, existing almost on its own.
What might be interesting to see in Iron Man would be this splitting of the two identities. I’m anxious to see Stark grow into Iron Man, and then have Iron Man grow apart from Stark. The two lives may simply not integrate very well, all things considered.