"I...AM...IRON MAN!" (and other flights of fancy)

"There has been some speculation out there that I am some kind of super hero. Well, let me assure you that I am not the super hero-type. Clearly."
-- Robert Downey, Jr. as "Tony Stark" (a.k.a. The "Invincible" Iron Man)

I have to admit I get totally geeked over the summer movie season. In fact, the only thing wrong with the summer movie season is that it's ...in the summer.

I mean, the hype is usually just that: hype. And the story actually takes a backseat to the special effects, these days, which is kind of sad in a throwaway, Hackey Sack sort of way. Besides, who wants to sit in a dark, air-conditioned cave on a warm, breezy day?

But, other than that, I love the summer movie season!

Regardless of the supposedly mindless blockbuster banter you hear exploding from your neighborhood multiplex, I think some summer movies have turned the proverbial corner harkening back to a better day when writers and directors actually cared about their craft.

Look no further to Batman Begins and Casino Royale, two excellent examples of "formula movies" that were nothing short of spectacular - on every possible story-telling level (revamping and re-energizing their respective franchises in the process. Correct, Mr. Bond?).

That is why (at least from the previews) I am expecting Iron Man to most likely win "Best Movie" for this 2008 summer season. First of all, it sounds like director Jon Favreau (Swingers) has stayed faithful to the actual story without selling-out to the mind-bending F/X.

And last (but not least), casting Robert Downey, Jr. as the billionaire-alcoholic-playboy "Tony Stark" was nothing short of cinematic genius (and Downey was robbed of an Oscar for his work in Chaplin, BTW, but we here at the Iddy's will give him an honorary one for his work in Back To School anyway).

Robert Downey, Jr. - it seems - has finally gotten his act together and has stated that he his "tired of working my butt off doing films nobody sees." (Amen to that, brother!)

Some heroes are flawed. Many heroes make mistakes. But that's not science fiction ...that's just reality. And it's how you rebound in the end, that matters most. Robert Downey, Jr. has a great power, and he needs to use it, right?

At least that's what we've always been told...

And with a summer movie season that features Speed Racer (um, that one looks a little shaky to me, folks), Batman: The Dark Knight, Indiana Jones and The Kingdom of The Crystal Skull and The X-Files: I Want To Believe ...it looks like there is finally something OUT THERE to drag me away from the black tie, tuxedo and martini bar crowd!

Well, that ...and a few other things. This summer, Hollyweird is calling! Are you listening, Bloggywood? Carry on my wayward son...