Friday Flix: Iron Man 3

Oh, you knew this one was coming! Tony Stark strikes again in Iron Man 3, which some could call Iron Man 4 since Avengers was in some ways Iron Man 3, but I digress.

If you haven’t seen this in the theater yet, I’m going to warn you now of potential SPOILERS coming in the next several paragraphs. And I want to state up front right now that I thought Iron Man 3 was a solid A movie. It’s really, really good. But that doesn’t mean I don’t take issue with some of it. And since many of us are storytellers or at least appreciate good storytelling, it’s good to learn from the stories we hear.

But back to Iron Man 3. The description from IMDB.com:

When Tony Stark’s world is torn apart by a formidable terrorist called the Mandarin, he starts an odyssey of rebuilding and retribution.

Okay, so there we have it. Iron Man faces terrorist. And go!

WHAT I LOVED

The best part of this movie for me was the interaction between Tony and this kid Harley. Tony escapes certain destruction via the Mandarin and ends up in the middle of Tennessee where he meets a boy named Harley who helps him recover and keep his malfunctioning Iron Man suit safe.

Harley also plays the role of audience, asking Tony all the questions about New York we’d like to ask him. I think this worked really well for the story because Tony needed a different kind of reminder of what he’s doing this all for. There were the personal reminders of protecting his friends and his love, but there’s something so perfect about the innocence of this kid that helps Tony see what he needs to do to find healing. Kids are honest in ways adults just can’t be anymore.

Plus it worked great as a contrast for Tony’s ego to see this little kid has got it together better than he does. If you go for anything, even if you haven’t liked Iron Man, I think you’ll enjoy the back and forth between Tony and Harley.

Monday’s Writerly Quote

When it comes to Superbowl Sunday, I’m really more of the “Huh? What big game?” school of thought. But somehow I ended up at a Superbowl party anyway. I wasn’t really invested in either team, but I did happen to catch the touchdown the 49ers made when they only had 6 points, and it was pretty awesome. But there were two things I really loved about the Superbowl.

1) The Extended Look Iron Man 3 Preview. Robert Downey Jr. just oozes with coolness in this new preview, which certainly made me smile. And now I’m wishing I could travel a few months into the future to see the movie. Argh! May will be so awesome, what with Iron Man 3, Star Trek Into Darkness, and potentially the Great Gatsby. I heart Baz Luhrmann, but you never know with these things sometimes. Anyways, the preview:

2) The Ram Truck’s Superbowl Commercial. I grew up in Idaho and I have family that were and are farmers. Farmers are some of the best people you’ll ever meet and this ad really touched me. It kind of gave me a “Yeah! Go America!” vibe too. It just brings back so many happy memories from my childhood and the love I have for small town people. Plus, love the Paul Harvey!

Okay, I know what you were expecting was a quote, and here it is. This one is from Stephen King:

“If you don’t have time to read, you don’t have the time (or the tools) to write. Simple as that.”

I remember in my very early days as a writer this was my mindset. I didn’t have time to read because I was so busy writing. But friends, that’s a terrible mindset. We have to make time to read. Period. It makes you a stronger writer and it helps you get a feel for your genre and, I think, helps prevent you from becoming too clichéd because you know a lot of what’s already been done. You start to notice patterns and formulas less creative writers are using and have the ability to avoid them yourself.

I know I addressed this somewhat last week, but I cannot stress its importance. If you want to be a great writer, be a great reader. Take the time to read.

What do you think about this quote? What do you do to help yourself become a better writer? And, for those of you who did watch, what was your favorite part of the Superbowl? Any favorite commercials?