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Men In Black

Not that it may be so obvious, but the 1997 sci-fi action comedy Men In Black, about a secret government organization that monitors the actions of the many alien beings living on or around Earth, is based on a comic book series from a small comic book company that got bought out by Marvel, created by Lowell Cunningham. The movie, directed by Barry Sonnenfeld, is about how an above-average New York cop (Will Smith, hilarious as ever) ends up being recruited as a Man In Black by Kay (Tommy Lee Jones), a gruff but smart agent who still pines for the woman he left behind years ago. Their first mission involves fighting off a massive and smart cockroach who's walking around NYC as an exterminator as he searches for a tiny planet being possessed by the unlikeliest of creatures. Sonnenfeld's known for keeping his movies short and tight, and Men In Black, which doesn't even pass 100 minutes, is no different. Jones and Smith, seemingly mismatched, are perfect together, their comic chemistry never letting up. The unsung hero here is Vincent D'Onofrio, who gets the thankless yet awesome role of Edgar, the human whose body is taken over by the cockroach, meaning that he no longer looks like a healthy human being. As the film continues, Edgar becomes less human and more insect-like. D'Onofrio is fantastically gross here, never overplaying his awkwardness or villainy. Though it led to a weak sequel, Men In Black is a great film, and a lot of fun.

Iron Man

What an incredible time it must be for Robert Downey Jr., an actor who's always on his A-game. Only a couple of years ago, Downey was struggling to make a full comeback with the underrated Kiss Kiss Bang Bang. Now, he's become the second major quirky actor in the past decade after Johnny Depp to get a full and very welcome comebacks, thanks in no small part to last year's first summer blockbuster, Iron Man. Though it's an origin story, Downey and director Jon Favreau breathe new life into this common comic book trope. Downey is Tony Stark, the snarky head of a weapons manufacturer. Once he's abducted by a terrorist cell in Afghanistan and sees the evil that his weapons are used for, Stark decides to fight back. He escapes and decides to create a suit to combat evil while taking his weapons off the market. This news doesn't please one of the other heads of Stark Industries, Obadiah Stane (Jeff Bridges, menacing with a bald pate), who takes matters into his own hands. Though the face-off between Stark and Stane doesn't get built up fully, there's no denying that Iron Man is one of the most fun comic book movies, mostly due to Downey's affable charm and his byplay with every single actor, from Gwyneth Paltrow (never better as Stark's would-be love interest) to Terrence Howard. Though Howard's been replaced by Don Cheadle for the forthcoming sequel, I can't imagine the relationship will feel any different. The second film, with Mickey Rourke and Scarlett Johansson attached, already is anticipated, so hopefully, Iron Man won't be the latest superhero franchise taken down by a new sequel.

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