Archive for April 30th, 2008

2008.04.30

Iron Man Rocks

I just got back from seeing Iron Man tonight with a bunch of friends from work. Aside from some pacing issues, this movie rocked. Robert Downey Jr. nailed Tony Stark, rich playboy tinkerer (I would love to travel with him on his private plane!) but the most impressive actor was Jeff Bridges playing Obadiah Stane. I didn’t even know it was him until the credits rolled. The effects were spot on and though it left some lose ends I feel quite certain we’ll be seeing another Iron Man movie.

No Marvel-based movie would be complete without Stan Lee in a cameo role. He appeared as a hot dog vendor in X-Men, a security guard in Ang Lee’s Hulk, and in a couple of the Spider Man movies. In this one he appears as a playboy. The ultimate playboy: Hugh Hefner!

Even if you aren’t a fan of the comic book (and, honestly, I’m not) this was a lot of fun. I’d venture to say it’s even better if you have no knowledge of the comic, which in my book means they (the writer and director) did a brilliant job. Summer movie season kicks off with a blast with Iron Man. I’d even go see this one again!

2008.04.30

Anime On The Web

(Disclosure: I work for VIZ Media, a partner in this venture).

Almost a year ago Cartoon Network launched Toonami Jetstream, a website where you could watch certain anime titles for free. The problem was that you could only view them using a Windows computer.

Starting today, though, Cartoon Network has changed the format and now viewers from all platforms and watch anime on the web. Awesome! Current titles include Naruto and Hikaru No Go, both of which I recommend.

Congrats Cartoon Network, on being inclusive rather than exclusive. You’ve even added the ability to embed video from your site to ours. Awesome.