Tag Archives: Iron

Jun. 13.

Circle of Iron (1978)

Circle of Iron

Amazon.com

Bruce Lee and James Coburn conceived the story for this unusual blend of fantasy, martial arts adventure, and Zen mysticism that should please cult-movie collectors and action aficionados with a taste for the offbeat. The bland but serviceable Jeff Cooper stars as a lone warrior who sets out to find the mysterious Book of All Knowledge. He faces numerous physical challenges on his journey, chief among them David Carradine in four roles (including a half-man, half-monkey), as well as numerous philosophical conundrums. While the dialogue by Sterling Silliphant (In the Heat of the Night) and Stanley Mann (Eye of the Needle) occasionally teeters into self-parody, the action and pace rarely lags, and the fine supporting cast, which includes Christopher Lee, Eli Wallach, and Roddy McDowall, lends a degree of gravity to the proceedings. One wonders how the film would have played with Lee in the cast (it had been a pet project of his for years, but was completed year (more…)

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Jun. 13.

Circle of Iron [Blu-ray] (1978)

Circle of Iron [Blu-ray]

Amazon.com

Bruce Lee and James Coburn conceived the story for this unusual blend of fantasy, martial arts adventure, and Zen mysticism that should please cult-movie collectors and action aficionados with a taste for the offbeat. The bland but serviceable Jeff Cooper stars as a lone warrior who sets out to find the mysterious Book of All Knowledge. He faces numerous physical challenges on his journey, chief among them David Carradine in four roles (including a half-man, half-monkey), as well as numerous philosophical conundrums. While the dialogue by Sterling Silliphant (In the Heat of the Night) and Stanley Mann (Eye of the Needle) occasionally teeters into self-parody, the action and pace rarely lags, and the fine supporting cast, which includes Christopher Lee, Eli Wallach, and Roddy McDowall, lends a degree of gravity to the proceedings. One wonders how the film would have played with Lee in the cast (it had been a pet project of his for years, but was completed year (more…)

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Jun. 13.

Iron Man (Single-Disc Edition) (2008)

Iron Man (Single-Disc Edition)

Amazon.com

You know you’re going to get a different kind of superhero when you cast Robert Downey Jr. in the lead role. And Iron Man is different, in welcome ways. Cleverly updated from Marvel Comics’ longstanding series, Iron Man puts billionaire industrialist Tony Stark (that’s Downey) in the path of some Middle Eastern terrorists; in a brilliantly paced section, Stark invents an indestructible suit that allows him to escape. If the rest of the movie never quit hits that precise rhythm again, it nevertheless offers plenty of pleasure, as the renewed Stark swears off his past as a weapons manufacturer, develops his new Iron Man suit, and puzzles both his business partner (Jeff Bridges in great form) and executive assistant (Gwyneth Paltrow). Director Jon Favreau geeks out in fun ways with the hardware, but never lets it overpower the movie, and there’s always a goofy one-liner or a slapstick pratfall around to break the tension. As for Downey, he doesn’t get to jitterb (more…)

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