The Rock & Roll Fantasy

Coming May 2nd is Iron Man, the big-screen adaptation of the Marvel Comics superhero who’s thrilled people for more than 45 years. The film stars Robert Downey, Jr. as Iron Man and his alter ego Tony Stark, along with Terrence Howard, Gwyneth Paltrow, Jeff Bridges, Samuel L. Jackson, Hilary Swank, and the requisite cameo from Marvel icon Stan Lee. You can see the trailers here, and be ready to be amazed — especially with the music from AC/DC, Audioslave, and (naturally) Black Sabbath!

(OK, it’s full disclosure time — I am something of a comic book geek. I read a lot of Marvel books as a kid, and though I moved on to DC titles as an adult, I’ve always had a soft spot in my heart for the New York-based crew that included Iron Man, Spider Man, and Daredevil, among others. Am I biased? Maybe. But if this movie looked bad, I wouldn’t be saying good things about it. Also, the cast features some top-flight actors, including Downey, who is one of the greats of our time, so we can all expect some amazing performances.)