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I promise somewhat irregular posts on (in no particular order) Indian politics, cinema, and anything else that catches my fancy... Why "Qalandar"? So-called "liminal" religious traditions are a particular interest of mine, and "qalandar" is the sort of untranslatable, ambiguous, yet enormously evocative word that for me touches upon and articulates the experience of the sub-continent's "little" traditions in a particularly memorable way...not to mention the fact that in popular lingo the word has more than a merely religious/spiritual connotation, and can mean a bunch of other things, including a smart alec, wannabe, what-have-you...

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Qalandar Reviews IRON MAN (English; 2008)

May 7th, 2008Related|Filed Under

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There Are 12 Responses So Far. »

  1. Comment by JasonTodd on 7 May 2008:

    no arguments here man
    spot on

  2. Comment by Qalandar on 7 May 2008:

    Thanks bro — good job clueing me on on the scene that follows the end credits…otherwise I would never have stayed for it!

  3. Comment by satyam on 7 May 2008:

    Fantastic piece Qalandar! A sequel is in the works by the way (and of course I’m glad I’ll finally get to see Thor!):

    Marvel Strikes While ‘Iron’ Is Hot
    By BROOKS BARNES; Compiled by LAWRENCE VAN GELDER
    Ant-Man? As a summer box office titan? With “Iron Man” proving that even a B-list superhero can sizzle at the multiplex, Marvel Studios on Monday placed big-screen bets on three of his fellows. “Thor,” the story of a partly disabled medical student whose alter ego is the Norse god of thunder and lightning, is scheduled for a June 2010 release. A tentatively titled “The First Avenger: Captain America” will follow, in May 2011. (Captain America, left.) And then there’s “Ant-Man,” about a scientist who can control insects. It has a writer and director but no release date. Along the way, Marvel will serve up “Iron Man 2” in April 2010 and “The Avengers,” a team that includes Iron Man and the Incredible Hulk, in July 2011. Marvel used to license its characters (Spider-Man, the X-Men) to other studios but began making its own pictures to retain the bulk of the profits. “Iron Man,” the studio’s first solo effort, sold more than $100 million in tickets over the weekend.

    [Incidentally a great book on the subject is Comic Book Nation: The Transformation of Youth Culture in America]

  4. Comment by goodfella on 8 May 2008:

    A great, great piece Q. There’s much more than the film to latch on to in your piece. Thanks for sharing.

  5. Comment by Qalandar on 8 May 2008:

    Thanks satyam and goodfella…

    I hope Iron Man rejuvenates Downey’s career, which has long appeared direction-less to me (largely due to his own personal issues)…

  6. Comment by goodfella on 8 May 2008:

    Downey Jr. has always been up and down - but this will really be a franchise for him. And he’s such a terrific actor, totally deserves it.

  7. Comment by Qalandar on 8 May 2008:

    Might even be more than one franchise (entirely in keeping with the way in comics a second-tier hero “gets around” more than A-listers): Downey is making a cameo as Stark in Norton’s Hulk film (which seemed un-promising to me, and really like an extended version of the TV series), he’s obviously in Iron Man 2, and obviously in whatever Avengers film they’ve got planned…

  8. Comment by goodfella on 8 May 2008:

    I don’t know if you’ve seen the second trailer of Hulk, but it gave me more hope. And Tim Roth as the Abomination is a great bit of casting, although perhaps a bit imbalanced since Roth is a much more interesting and just overall better actor than Norton. Their alter egos won’t suffer though…heh.

  9. Comment by satyam on 8 May 2008:

    I should also check out that second preview. The first one made it look B grade and I thought it was a terrible Hulk!

  10. Comment by satyam on 8 May 2008:

    A much better trailer indeed but I still don’t like the Hulk here (seems to be a cross between the green and gray one in the comics!):

    http://youtube.com/watch?v=FE9MRxcN0N4

    here’s the first one for anyone who missed it:

    http://youtube.com/watch?v=VYlJbYtOCkM&feature=related

  11. Comment by satyam on 8 May 2008:

    I think I’ve put the links in reverse..

  12. Comment by Qalandar on 8 May 2008:

    Yeah, I am sure this Hulk will work at the box office, but for someone who grew up on the notion (thanks to writer extraordinaire Peter David, and sense of humor extraordinaire too) that Hulk comics were the quirkiest, funniest ones out there, I never had any patience for either the TV series or the “Hulk Smash!” cartoons (or the 1970s Hulk comics those were based on). I’m one of the few who thought Ang Lee’s film had much going for it (although it took itself so seriously it really bordered on insufferability, a trait that marred both “Ice Storm” and “Lust, caution” too; the point in all three is not that the issues raised aren’t serious — they are — but that the slight scripts don’t justify such ponderousness)…

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