The Iron Man 2 Problem

I saw the first Iron Man and liked it.  I like the character (always have) and thought Robert Downey, Jr. did a fine job bringing it to life.  The movie had some dumb Hollywood moments, but it was a Hollywood movie so that was to be expected.  When I started seeing trailers for the sequel, I made plans to see it opening weekend or the weekend after if I didn't feel like dealing with the crowds.

Somewhere along the line that changed, and it had nothing to do with the movie or crowds.  It had everything to do with me.

I went from wanting to see the sequel to being totally ambivalent about it.  I didn't even really think about the reason why until someone asked me if I were going to see it.  After some soul searching, I think I figured it out.

It's all about my mood.

Right now I'm over stressed to the point where headaches are a daily event and sleep is some elusive pipe dream.  I am in a foul head space, and I have no desire to see something that is just pure entertainment (though I think I could benefit from it).  I realized all of this when Mario Bava's La Maschera del Demonio arrived in the mail and I was absolutely giddy at the prospect of sitting in the dark and taking that classic in.

I don't want happy right now.  I want something that reflects my state of mind, and a Marvel superhero ain't it (no matter how much I like him). 

Maybe my emotional state will change in a day or two and I'll find myself in line, ready to enjoy the movie up until it's final act, as is usually the case with superhero movies.  Maybe I'll just wait for the DVD, like I did with the first one.  Maybe I'll never see it and just watch my usual suspects of emotional grind on steady repeat. 

If you go, I hope you enjoy it.  Me?  I'll be watching a spiked metal mask be hammered into Barbara Steele's face and feeling every minute of it ... and that smile won't be wiped off my face.