CASINO JACK and the United States of Money

Watching a documentary about Jack Abramoff reminds you just how corrupt Washington, D.C. really is. Abramoff and Tom Delay are real pieces of political work. They are a disgrace to the political legacy of our founding fathers. Yes, we know Abramoff and his buddies were all crooks of top caliber… but the documentary bounces from revealing to predictable.

First.. some pedestrian movie-going feedback. The documentary was just too long. It lacked the depth and storytelling to keep your interest. At just two hours, the storytelling seems to drag for three hours. You know it’s dragging when you start looking at your watch and wondering, “Can I make it to the grocery before they close?”  EXTRA: Washington Post Review

Now… the story. Let’s get it out on the table. Abramoff and his merry men deserve everything they receive from the justice system, the “big bubbas” in jail and more. The arrogance in real life abounds. The extent of crimes and the secretive nature of their ridiculous plots were hard to grasp in real life. That’s the biggest trouble with the documentary as well. There is so much that these political thugs did in real life that it was even harder to pull together in a well-told story for the big screen. The documentary becomes predictable when one “chapter” of the scandal ends… and another begins. Even the graphic treatment in the transitions on screen were predictable.

So what is there to see if you invest your time and money? Well, it’s a story of horrible DC politics that needs to be shared over and over. Kevin Spacey is so perfectly boring that it’s interesting. So, my score is TWO of FIVE monuments. In this case, I’ll use the very disgraced U.S. Capitol.

IRON MAN 2 - You Had To Be There

You had to be there. No, seriously. You had to see the first "Iron Man" to really enjoy the second.

I have to admit that I delayed seeing this movie because the promotions tended to play on celebrity and "action" over story and engagement. Even the movie synopsis (Fandango) seems to think EVERYONE saw the first movie and knows the climactic press conference scene from the first movie. "Robert Downey Jr. returns as Tony Stark, the wealthy playboy whose exploits as Iron Man are now public knowledge after his admission at the close of the first film. In the follow-up." Well,. we don't. The movie spends no time at the top pulling people into the continued plot from the previous flick. It's a real art -- giving the audience just enough of a review to feel informed but not waste the time of the loyal second visitor.

The single best reason to see this flick is MIckey Rourke. Now let's be honest... just how often have you said that? His character, Whiplash, is the most memorable character in the movie. Stark has lost his appeal. He's so bland that Whiplash seems even more engaging.The second best reason to see the movie is Stark's corporate rival Justin Hammer. He's the dirty business guy that get even dirtier as the movie goes along.

The best "action" in the movie is a weak toss-up between Stark and his buddy tearing up Stark's home in a fight... or the iron men fight scene at the Stark Expo. I say weak because the action never sucks you end and pushes you to the edge of your seat. That's what we remember. That's what gets our adrenaline rushing and heart racing. If you're an action movie... that's what you need.

My rating...3 of 5 monuments... mainly because of Rourke and his high-tech whiplash. It's not a bad movie at all. But, it's just not great either. I don't imagine another Iron Man would be much better.