Iron Man

 Released Year: 2008

Directed by Jon Favreau

Casted by:

Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark / Iron Man

Terrence Howard as Lt. Colonel James "Rhodey" Rhodes

Jeff Bridges as Obadiah Stane

Shaun Toub as Yinsen

Gwyneth Paltrow as Pepper Potts

 Story: 

Genius, billionaire, and playboy Tony Stark, who has inherited the defense contractor Stark Industries from his father, is in war-torn Afghanistan with his friend and military liaison, Lieutenant Colonel James Rhodes to demonstrate the new "Jericho" missile. The convoy is ambushed and Stark is critically wounded by one of his own rocket propelled grenades. He is captured and imprisoned in a cave by the terrorist group the Ten Rings, and an electromagnet is grafted into his chest by fellow captive Yinsen to keep the shrapnel shell shards that wounded him from reaching his heart and killing him. Ten Rings leader Raza offers Stark freedom in exchange for building a Jericho missile for the group, but Tony and Yinsen agree Raza will not keep his word.

Stark and Yinsen secretly build a powerful electric generator called an arc reactor to power Stark's electromagnet and a suit of powered armor to aid in their escape. Although they keep the suit hidden almost to completion, the Ten Rings attack the workshop when they discover their intentions. Yinsen sacrifices himself to divert them while the suit powers up. The armored Stark battles his way out of the cave to find the dying Yinsen, then in anger burns the Ten Rings weapons and flies away, crashing in the desert and destroying the suit. After being rescued by Rhodes, Stark returns home and announces that his company will no longer manufacture weapons. Obadiah Stane, his father's old partner and the company's manager, advises Stark that this may ruin Stark Industries and his father's legacy. In his home workshop, Stark builds an improved version of his suit, as well as a more powerful arc reactor for his chest. Personal assistant Pepper Potts places the original reactor inside a small glass showcase. Though Stane requests details, Stark keeps his work to himself.

At a charity event held by Stark Industries, reporter Christine Everhart informs Stark that his company's weapons, including the Jericho, were recently delivered to the Ten Rings and are being used to attack Yinsen's home village, Gulmira. Stark also learns Stane is trying to replace him as head of the company. Enraged by these revelations, Stark dons his new armor and flies to Afghanistan, where he saves Yinsen's village. While flying home, Stark is shot at by two F-22 Raptor fighter jets. He reveals his secret identity to Rhodes over the phone in an attempt to end the attack. Meanwhile, the Ten Rings gather the pieces of Stark's prototype suit and meet with Stane, who subdues Raza and has the rest of the group killed. Stane has a new suit reverse engineered from the wreckage. Seeking to find any other weapons delivered to the Ten Rings, Stark sends Pepper to hack into the company computer system from Stane's office. She discovers Stane has been supplying the terrorists and hired the Ten Rings to kill Stark, but the group reneged. Potts meets with Agent Phil Coulson of S.H.I.E.L.D., a counter-terrorism agency, to inform him of Stane's activities.

Stane's scientists cannot duplicate Stark's arc reactor, so Stane ambushes Stark at his home and takes his. Stark manages to get to his original reactor to replace the taken one. Potts and several S.H.I.E.L.D. agents attempt to arrest Stane, but he dons his suit and attacks them. Stark fights Stane, but is outmatched without his new reactor to run his suit at full capacity. The fight carries Stark and Stane to the top of the Stark Industries building, and Stark instructs Potts to overload the large arc reactor powering the building. This unleashes a massive electrical surge that causes Stane and his armor to fall into the exploding reactor, killing him. The next day, at a press conference, Stark admits to being the superhero the press has dubbed "Iron Man".

In a post-credits scene, S.H.I.E.L.D. Director Nick Fury visits Stark at home, telling him that Iron Man is not "the only superhero in the world", and explaining that he wants to discuss the "Avenger Initiative".

 L² Scored: 6/10 

L² Comment:

 All these while Iron Man is not my favorite superhero and i'm not sure why. Back in 2008, when I first watch this movie in the cinema with bunch of my friends, everyone was kinda excited while waiting the movie to start but not me... Half way through the movie, I actually fell asleep :P 

Well, 8 years later i decided to give it a try and re-watch this movie since Iron Man is one of the main character of Avengers, and apparently without Avengers he won't get famous by himself at all. This time I did not fall asleep half way but its still not that attractive to me. By giving 6/10, it would be very generous of me to do so... All because Gwyneth Paltrow is in it. Beside that, I realize Terrence Howard is the original cast of War Machine, however he was replaced by Don Cheadle in the future movie, not sure what's the reason, but i feel the producer make the right choice to take Terrence Howard away....

Crash

Released Year: 2004
Directed by Paul Haggis

Casted by:
Don Cheadle as Graham Waters
Matt Dillon as John Ryan
Ryan Phillippe as Tommy Hansen
Terrence Howard as Cameron Thayer
Brendan Fraser as Rick Cabot
Thandie Newton as Christine Thayer
Sandra Bullock as Jean Cabot
Story:

In the city of Los Angeles, all these characters life are related to one and another of their life. The story will start with 2 black youngster Anthony and Peter Waters complaining how the restaurant mistreat them because they are black. Just when they saw Rick and Jean, the white couple, the 2 black youngster rob them and took their car away.

Rick is a district attorney who manipulates racial politics in order to further his career. He tried to blackmail Detective Graham Waters so that he will not loss the support from the black community in the coming election. But Rick wife's Jean is super-duper racitst white woman, who does not wanna give herself in this and even scold her Hispanic maid, Maria and a mexican locksmith who came to fix their door.

In another hand, a persian shop owner went to buy a gun with his daughter to protect his shop and family. But due to his selfishness, he refuse to change the door as advice by the mexican locksmith. In the end, the shop was rob and no insurance coverage on his loss.

Tommy and John are 2 policeman who is on duty and found out a black couple is having oral sex on a highway. This black couples is Cameron and Christine. John sexually molests Christine under the pretense of searching for a weapon. Cameron did not do anything but just beg to let them go. Christine was frustrated towards her husband respond as Cameron is a tv cast producer who has been trying so hard to fit into the whiteman society.

Graham Waters is frustrated with his mother of keep on urging him to find his younger brother Peter who ran away from home. He pissed off his latino girlfriend, Ria when he answered on phone during sex. He later went to visit his mum but still not really put his effort to find his brother. In the meanwhile, Tommy cannot stand with John for his behavior and ask to on duty alone. John is happily work with his new partner when he saw an accident. John went for the help and Christine is the victim. The car almost explode and John finally persuade Christine to let him do the rescue and both of them are save.

In another hand, Cameron was rob by Anthony and Peter but he beat Peter off his car and crazily fought with Anthony in his car. Policy came for arrest and Tommy was there. To protect his own black people, Cameron finally dare to stand up and protest for his black society. While Tommy was driving back, he met Peter who is hitch-hiking. He tought Peter wanna rob him and accidentally shot him to death.

The persian owner was not happy that his shop was rob and went looking for the mexican locksmith with the gun he bought. He shot the locksmith but the mexican's daughter rush up and hug her dad. But luckily, the Persian's daughter did not buy the real bullet for him. Persian owner regret on his behavior and went back home. As for Jean, she falled from the stairs and called her best friend to help, but the best friend claim that she's busying doing her nails and is not free. Only the hispanic maid came for help. Finally Jean realised her own racists mind is not correct.

As for Graham, he finally found his brother's dead body. The mother will not forgive him.

L² Scored: 8.5/10

L² Comment:

One word, wow~ Love the way how the story presented. All the actors and actresses are A class :) Especially Don Cheadle. The whole film mainly talk about the discrimination of races and the change of their thoughts, very nice and real. Kinda heavy though. But i would not miss this nice film. Oscar best film in 2005 which beat down the Brokeback Mountain.