Iron man comes in number for 2008 with total earnings of $314,376,968. I don't know anyone who hasn't seen iron which makes it number 1.

Indiana Jones comes in second place with a total earnings $312,569,461. Indiana Jones has always been an American favorite which makes it number 2.

Kung Fu panda comes in 3rd with total earnings of $206,616,381. I mean what's better than a crime fighting panda?

Hancock comes in 4th place with total earnings of $191,543,979. Everyone loves a good superhero. Or a sloppy one…

Everyone loves a love story. Especially when it has to do with robots and humans who have become lazy and the universe. Pixar has done it again with a total earning of $182,732,709 which puts wall-e in 5th place.

Batman fans don't be upset but, The dark knight comes in last place with a total of $158,411,483. More money is expected to come in. Afterall the movie did just come out.

Brad Grey told Entertainment Tonight that if the movie does as well as expected, Paramount will green light a sequel for the same week in 2010. So unless something goes terribly wrong at the box office this weekend, expect Iron Man 2 to go into production in early 2009.

Harry Potter - The Deathly Hallows (2010)

In this feature adaptation of the popular novel by children's fantasy author J.K. Rowling comes the 7th and final movie. At the battle of Hogwarts several people die, as well as Harry and professor Dumbledore. Harry comes back to life to avenge is family, friends, and his own life that Voldemort took from him

The Chronicles of Narnia - The Voyage of the Dawn Treader

As Lucy, Edmund, and their cousin Eustace return to Narnia to join Prince Caspian for a voyage on the majestic royal vessel known as The Dawn Treader, theyencounter merfolk, dragons, dwarves, and a wandering band of lost warriors

X-men Origins: Wolverines (2009)

The gruff, steel-clawed Marvel superhero Wolverine strikes out on his own in this X-Men spin-off starring series regular Hugh Jackman. The film is set up as an origin tale for the character, and will find him sharing the screen with Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds).

Magneto (2010)

David S. Goyer directs this X-Men spin-off exploring the origins of the formidable Marvel super-villain who was once liberated from Auschwitz by future mutant leader Charles Xavier. Ushered along with his parents into the most notorious concentration camp of the Nazi era, Magneto gradually discovers that he has the ability to telekinetically manipulate metal.

Hancock (2008)

There are heroes. There are superheroes. And then there's...

A hard-living superhero who has fallen out of favor with the public enters into a questionable relationship with the wife of the public relations professional who's trying to repair his image. Hancock is an upcoming 2008 superhero-comedy film directed by Peter Berg and starring Will Smith, Jason Bateman and Charlize Theron. The film is slated for release on July 2, 2008. Will Smith portrays an alcoholic and lazy vagrant with no respect for authority or property. Ironically, he also possesses superpowers and the destruction he leaves in his wake makes him despised by everyone.

Personally, I'm looking forward to this one.

In one of the most accurate castings ever made, Robert Downey, Jr. plays main character Tony Stark, a man known as the “da Vinci of our times” for his technological genius but also as the “Merchant of Death” for being one of the leading weapons developers in the world. Stark, who loves fast cars and fast women, just shrugs it off and has a good time, much to the dismay of those closest to him, such as assistant Pepper Potts (Gwyenth Paltrow), Air Force colonel James Rhodes (Terrance Howard) and business partner Obadiah Stane (Jeff Bridges).

But while in Afghanistan demonstrating his new missile system, Stark is attacked and kidnapped by terrorists... using weapons of his design. Critically injured and kept alive by a special pace maker, Stark is told to build weapons for the terrorists, but instead, with the help of fellow captured scientist Dr. Yinsen, he builds a crude but powerful suit of armor that he uses to make his escape. Upon returning home, Stark begins to upgrade his armor and use it to stop the use of his weapons on innocent people. But when the remains of his original armor fall into the wrong hands, Stark realizes his real enemy and faces the fight of his life.

I'll admit I'm not much of an “Iron Man” fan, but I love comic-based movies and this one is excellent. The film actually manages to faithfully adapt the original story from the comics and, at the same time, update it for modern times and audiences. Even Stark's armor, both the original prototype he first builds and his later, more familiar red and gold Mark III version, looks like it was lifted right off the comics page, thanks to the special effects genius of Stan Winston. And rather than look silly like some might think it would be, it all looks very believable and realistic, with Stark having to put it on in segments and with help rather than just stepping into it and snapping a few clasps. Much of the film, in fact, is spent showing Stark designing, testing and building the upgraded versions of his armor, with features such as the familiar jet boots and repulsor rays, with his workshop being in his garage with all his cars present (hey, where else would you expect any guy's workshop to be?). Of course, such testing has some rather comic results, such as Stark crashing into the wall during his first jet test or crashing right through the floors of his mansion the first time he tries to land after a test flight. It's not only expected, but welcome in the film.

Probably the best about the film, next of course to the action (full of plenty of guns and explosions for all the guys), is the casting. Downey's casting as Stark has been one of the most surprisingly accepted choices among comic book fans, and he more than pulls it off. Whether he's the arrogant, devil-may-care playboy at the start of the film, or the eye-opened and guilt-ridden man who sets out to correct the mistakes he inadvertently caused, Downey does it perfectly in a way that's rarely done. It's more than likely due to the eerie similarities Downey's own life battles with drugs and alcohol is like Stark's, who in the original comics had his own such fight in one of comics' most memorable storylines, but that just more than proves that the actor was right for the role.

And Downey isn't the only well-cast member of the movie. As Pepper Potts, Paltrow is a woman who sticks with her boss despite (or because of) his faults with complete professionalism, though the disdain is still there, along with some budding romance. Howard adds his own cool professionalism as Jim Rhodes, Stark's closest friend and military liaison and another who tries to keep Tony's on the ground, without much success. And finally there's Bridges as Stane, the business partner who's interests in Stark are obviously questionable, despite his friendly and supportive attitude. It's these casting choices that help lead up to the film's finale, and of course, the obvious sequels, as those who know the comics know there's plenty more story to tell.

Naturally there are some changes to film, but these are ones I don't think fans will mind. For one, Stark's butler from the comics, the ever reliant Jarvis, is here a computer A.I. program that runs Stark's Malibu mansion with clever dry wit. This change not only shows Stark's genius with all things technical, but probably avoids comparisons to Alfred and Batman. The film's change of location from New York, the usual haunting grounds of Marvel's superheroes, to sun-and-surf filled Malibu seems rather appropriate and fitting to Stark's character. Such changes are rarely accepted by die-hard fans, but these more than work and help the film rather than hurt it.

All in all, this is a great movie, one both comics and even non-comics fans can enjoy. And this is also a movie you'll want to stick around to wait for the end credits to finish, since, like other Marvel movies before it, there's a surprise addition and cameo that you have to see.

Released by: Paramount Pictures

Starring: Robert Downey, Jr. (Tony Stark/Iron Man), Gywenth Paltrow (Pepper Potts), Terrance Howard (James Rhodes), Jeff Bridges (Obadian Stane/Iron Monger)

Directed by: Jon Favreau

Rating: PG-13

Score: 10 out of 10

Comic-book/superhero movies can have a great trailer, they can have great hype, but when it comes down to it, if the movie isn't that great everybody feels let down. The reason that we all feel this way if the movie isn't great is because, A) everybody has been talking about how great the movie will be B) the trailer looks great and, C) fans talk about the history of the characters, their richness, their history etc. this lends the ear added anticipation to what it is awaiting. However when the movie comes out, and it blows, we feel betrayed. It doesn't help that, since a majority of the comic-genre films have not lived up to their expectations (i.e. The Hulk, Fantastic Four 1&2, X3...) the fan base grows hungrier and hungrier for a film that sates their appetite. I am proud to say, my satisfaction right now is comparable to the hour after thanksgiving dinner, I hold no qualms with the world. I am at peace.

Iron Man has taught us a few things. When making a comic book movie, or super hero, or whatever you want to call it, it might help to have this criteria met.

Hire a director who is also a fan. I'm going to go ahead and shoot Favreau some credit here, great job. Not only did you entertain me for two hours, I was impressed, intrigued, and in awe at some points with the decisions that you made. From start to finish, this movie flows, it has pace, it has character, and it does exactly what it is meant to do, which is, keep us entertained with the same amount of intensity that we had when we stumbled across the comic-book worlds in our youth. Getting a director who knows that feeling will help because A) he can tell if what he's putting out there is shit and B) he can tell if what he is putting out the is gold. He knows, because the finished product will incite the same visceral response that the pages he was first in awe of did.

Get good actors. Not that there aren't good actors in some of the other comic flicks, but you have to know when you've got a top dog for the comic world. Jack Nicholson embodied the Joker, Christian Bale as Batman, and Hugh Jackman as Wolverine; they all have done their parts. There are many other fine actors who have played in the super hero part, that I feel they just can't carry some of the qualities that a super hero embodies; the dichotomy of the hero and the alter-ego. Without the ability to properly portray this utmost important trait, the movie -and the character- is a dud. For the actor/actress to hit this note in perfect tune is the most important thing (aside from script and action). The duel personality of the comic book super hero is usually the most intriguing and drawing thing to certain characters, and the ability to portray this human element to a character is what makes the movie. Robert Downey Jr. knocks it out of the park. He plays the Tony Stark role perfectly. Bridges, Paltrow, and Howard all do an excellent job as well.

The dialogue in the movie is great. This is most likely not attributed to the script, but to the abilities of fine actors to tweak lines, and scenes, to make them feel more real. There is no awkwardness to the film; it all feels natural, unlike The Hulk or Spiderman. The movie is witty, intelligent, and economical. It does not drag out at any part, it does not delay, and it does not leave you waiting; it simply provides you with questions and then it answers them. As soon as you have asked a question of this movie, it will deliver you an answer twice as good as you could have imagined. “Oh, but what will the suit look like?” you ask yourself... “Oh that's fucking sweet!” you instantly respond. The movie flows so easily within it's dialogue that scenes where Downey Jr. is talking to a mechanical arm are more entertaining than any single word mentioned in The Hulk.

The action is great. When you want to see action, this movie provides it to you. But, unlike other comic-book movies, this film does not rely on it's action, and it does not falter in it's ability to deliver when the action comes.

You get enjoyment from nearly every aspect of this film. From the ability of the actors to portray their characters correctly, from the dialogue, from the action, and from the direction. It is a great product of skilled people.

So, the notes that Hollywood should take from this are, A) do not have directors such as Ang Lee direct comic-cook movies, sometimes certain instincts are not applicable B) get good actors C) make sure the movie does not rely on it's action -or lack thereof- D) get a good script E) make the movie intelligent and insightful F) make it entertaining. If you do these things, you will have monstrous successes at the box office. In the comic-book genre of movies it is word of mouth that will carry you to the top of the box office, because the fans expectations are so high, and if you disappoint them, it will not bode well. This movie has the qualities that make you want to see it again right away, buy the movie on dvd, and tell your friends about it. Quite simply, Iron Man embodies what every comic book inspired film should be like; the kind of flick that you get excited about, and when you finally see it you are reminded of what captured your imagination in the first place about super hero's.

Other things that Iron Man has taught us...

1. Gwyneth Paltrow is still fine. That's right, we may have forgotten, but she is.
2. Supporting roles matter. Howard, Paltrow, and Bridges are great.
3. Let's not get campy with the movie or too intense about it. These movies are made to entertain, but their ability to do so is amplified when we are able to get lost in the story and characters, not lost in too much over-the-top drama or campy behavior.
4. CGI is getting better and better.
5. Downey Jr. is a testament to the fact that addiction is a battle that can be won. He's always been a great actor, and he deserves credit for getting his shit together. Many can not do it.

I saw the trailer middle of August. So there I was, for months, hoping that the people responsible would not make a mess of the movie. I came back to reality then. I forgot Iron Man for a while, until I realized that Iron Man would soon be playing in the theatres. Based on the sneak peak, and additional trailers I saw, Iron Man looked wonderful.

Spoiler Alert

I was hyped up to see Iron Man. When I finally saw it, I wasn't disappointed. First of all, I think the casting was great! The phasing was never a drag. ILM, as usual, delivered the goods. Although I'm not an Iron Man fanatic, I'm still a bit familiar with the character through reruns of the old Marvel cartoons. (Complete with the musical theme) In the movie, Tony Stark is on a humvee with three soldiers in Iran. They try to be comfy with one another, when out of nowhere, they are attacked. The soldiers die while Tony Stark tries to escape, only to get a glimpse of the bomb (Stark Industries is written on it. Hehe…) that would lead to his injury. He falls to the ground, on his chest bloodstains begin to appear. Flashback to 36 hrs. before the injury. Tony Stark is supposed to accept an award for being innovative, he's not there, his father's friend and business partner, Obadiah Stane, accepts the award on his behalf. Tony wasn't at the award ceremony because he was in a casino. His friend Rhodey handed it to him there. I saw that Tony is not purely about work, he also has time to play.

He doesn't care about the award and so, he gives it away instead. It was established that Tony Stark is a billionaire/playboy. (From here on, I would not give too much details, just going to summarize it. Hehe…) He is then captured by the enemy in Iran and they force him to create the same weapon he made for his country. He refuses and instead creates an armor equipped with a missile launcher, flame throwers, and it allows him to fly away from his enemies via rockets installed in his boots. He crashes in the desert and is found by his friend Rhodey. They come back home and Tony Stark has a new found respect for life. He experienced the effects of war and realizes he ought to alter the course of Stark Industries. Obadiah doesn't agree and soon locks him out of the industry.

Tony Stark sees that nothing has changed in Iran, (weapon supplies are still going on and many innocent are suffering) and so dons an improved version of the armor and does something about the problem there. It turns out, Obadiah is the enemy and creates his own armor, taking Stark's armor design. Iron Man defeats Obadiah and the movie has a truly wonderful ending. Tony Stark's statement at the last moment was hilarious for me. By the way, don't leave the theatre after the end credits, a special treat awaits!

I would definitely recommend Iron Man to super-hero movie buffs. Most likely, you won't be disappointed.

The movie starts with the story of Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) who is an engineering genius that inherited his father's weapons manufacturing company Stark Enterprise. Tony Stark is captured in Afghanistan and held in a cage for three months. In order to escape he secretly builds an iron man costume. During this time Stark realizes that his company is supplying both sides of the conflict in order to profit from the war.

When he returns to America he announces that his company Stark Enterprise will no longer be in the business of making weapons. He is informed by his long time business partner Obadiah (Jeff Bridges) that the board of directors has taken control of the company and they will continue with their weapons production.

I'm going to give the story away, but the movie is filled with action and witty one liners between Tony Stark and his assistant Pepper (Gwyneth Paltrow). The action scenes in the movie reminded me of Transformers and the action fights were short. The final battle scene in the movie was against Iron Man and another colossal iron suited man from his company.

Robert Downey plays an excellent roll as Tony Stark. He is quick with the wit. At one time his assistant Pepper walks in on him getting undressed from his Iron Man uniform and all he could say is “Oh, there's worst things you've walked in on me on.”

The computer aided graphics were amazing. I am glad I saw this movie on the bog screen instead of waiting for the DVD. The soundtrack was all heavy metal music, until the scenes with the Afghan fighters which was classical music.

The story of Iron Man in Marvel Comics was no doubt influenced by Eisenhower's warning of the “Industrial War Machine” speech. The modern twist on this story by applying it to Afghanistan and Iraq makes this movie very relevant. This was a very enjoyable movie. I took my children (age 12 and 5) to see it and they enjoyed it also.

Viral marketing seems to be the big trend to market your product. It makes people feel like their "part" of the marketing. It is more interactive. For example, the new Batman film, "The Dark Knight" asks people to solve puzzles, riddles, take photos, and other things. In return, you'll get cool things like T-shirts, swag, and the "Gotham Times Newspaper". If the community really works together, that could lead to unlocking a movie trailer.

A politician known as "Harvey Dent" is asking for your help so he can run for District Attorney, and help end crime in Gotham City. Warner Bros has been sending out real campaign buses to different cities in the United States with Philadelphia and Chicago being some of the cities. They give out t-shirts, bumper stickers, buttons, and stickers at certain locations. This might sound corny, but this type of viral marketing is the same type of marketing that created buzz for movies like January's "Cloverfield". If you let the internet feel like their interacting with the hype, then the excitement increases tremendously.

There are many reasons why "The Dark Knight" could be one of the top films of the summer. It's predecessor, "Batman Begins" is widely regarded as one of the best Batman movies ever. Christopher Nolan was assigned with one simple task by Warner Bros. Reinvent Batman. They saw how comic book movies were back in popularity again with "X-Men" and "Spider-Man". Nolan, who only had experience doing smaller, more independent movies in the past, was given a bigger budget than he's normally use to. It was Christopher Nolan's duty to bring back respect to Batman. Many fans express cynicism toward another Batman movie. He didn't just give it back it's dignity and respect. He did more than that. Some comic book fans regard it as one of their favorite comic book movies of all time. It is at around 84 percent on Rotten Tomatoes which is pretty damn impressive. But why? Simple reason. "Batman Begins" didn't feel like your typical comic book movie like Spiderman or X-Men. It felt like a real movie with deep characters. "Batman Begins" was a reboot of a franchise, and it took over 7-8 years to have it made. They wanted you to forget all the other Batman movies. Christopher Nolan's Batman world is a different Batman world than what you are use to. It's more realistic and gritty. It's darker, and the threats are menacing. Roger Ebert, who gave a thumbs down to all the other Batman movies, gave "Batman Begins" a thumbs up and a letter grade of A.

There had never been an origin story about Batman before. With "Batman Begins" they tried to explain Batman's origins in the most realistic way possible. Their approach to the material was to show that Batman could be anyone, and that's what makes him so appealing. He's a normal person overcoming the odds, just like huge pop culture movie icons like James Bond or John McClain. Speaking of James Bond, MGM followed the same strategy that Nolan took with Batman Begins. MGM fired Pierce Brosnan, and hired a blond Bond to reinvent the 007 series with "Casino Royale". It seems like the words "reinvention" and "reimagining" are thrown around a lot in Hollywood. Batman Begins started a trend. Hell, even Rob Zombie tried to go back to the beginnings of "Halloween". Critics though didn't take much of a liking to Zombie's vision of Michael Myers though.

Back to Batman.

With the origin story fleshed out in the first movie, "The Dark Knight" is all about escalation. Things have to get worse before they can get better. It leaves off where the last movie left off. Thugs and gangsters have overtaken the city after Gotham rids the city of crime boss, Carmine Falcone. Many of the inmates at Arkheim Asylum are still on the loose, as well as Dr. Crane (Scarecrow). And Commissioner Gordan tips off Batman about some guy who calls himself, "The Joker" who has been linked to armed robbery and homocide. There is recent buzz that Christopher Nolan showed off the first cut of the Batman sequel to Warner Bros executives at a private screening. The buzz is that Warner Bros executives were in awe of what they saw, and the excitement over the July 18th release date has tripled.

Christopher Nolan was under a lot of pressure. He felt Heath Ledger put his heart and soul into the role of "The Joker". Nolan wanted to Heath Ledger's final complete role some justice. Every little edit and trim on this film would effect Heath Ledger's performance. For Nolan, it was tough to walk into the editing room a day after finding out Heath Ledger died, and having to see Ledger's performance. But the director promises that Ledger's performance is "iconic". Actor Christian Bale is hoping the movie will be a great tribute to Ledger's life. The hype about Heath Ledger's Joker performance was huge way before he even died. Ledger, vocally expressed how comic book movies bored him. I remember even hearing about how he was offered a role to play the lead in Spider-Man. But he loved what Nolan did with previous Batman, and it was enough reason to sell him on the movie. Ledger seemed to know right away how to play the clown prince of darkness. Reports talked about how Ledger locked himself into a room for hours just to get The Joker's voice and movements right. He even kept a small diary where he wrote notes about the character to get the most out of himself.

With a big sequel on the way, expect big marketing to follow. Some team ups involve General Mills and Nokia. With a mid July release, they don't have to worry about having to compete with all the big films in May and June like Iron Man, Chronicles of Narnia, or Indiana Jones. Even George Lucas himself recently wasn't sure if Indiana Jones could beat the new Batman movie, and was even telling Indy fans not to get their hopes up too much for the new Indiana Jones movie. In December, the first 6 mins of The Dark Knight was screened to audiences who saw "I Am Legend" in Imax theaters. There were reports that people cheered after the first 6 minutes of The Dark Knight more than they did for the 1 hour and 40 minutes of "I Am Legend".

There will be many big movies coming out this summer. In my opinion though, those other summer movies are only there to help pass the time between now and July 18th.

Just to think, after 1998 many wondered if the Batman franchise had run it's course. Who in their mind would think that an indy director who directed movies like "Memento" and "Insomnia" would make the Caped Crusader stronger than ever? Thank god. It's great to get the bad taste of those Joel Schumacher films out of our mouths. It has to feel great to be Joel Schumacher when people blame you for being the guy who "almost killed" the Batman franchise.

There is a rumor that we may see the final "Dark Knight" trailer in early May on the day that Warner Bros other big movie, "Speed Racer", comes out. I wouldn't be surprised if many of the ticket sales for Speed Racer are from people who just want to see the new TDK trailer. There were reports that people saw I Am Legend just for the last TDK trailer. And for good reason too.

You have a kick ass cast (Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Gary Oldman, Morgan Freeman, Aaron Eckhardt, Maggie Gyllenhall) a kick ass director, (Memento, The Prestige, Insomnia) and one of the most bad ass superheroes in one big package.