ALBUM REVIEW: Kendrick Lamar - Good Kid, M.A.A.D City

Kendrick Lamar has some balls.  He had already developed a huge buzz through his mixtapes and release an independent album Section 80 in 2011 that was critically acclaimed.  His label Top Dawg Entertainment inked a distribution deal with Dr. Dre's Aftermath and Interscope Records, allowing him to reach wider audience.  Hip hop mainstays Lil Wayne, Game, and Dr. Dre endorsed him as the "next big thing" in rap.  On top of that, Dr. Dre was going to add his magic touch to his first major label release as executive producer.  With all these elements lined up, Kendrick could have just made one hot single, get a couple Dr. Dre beats on there, and coast through the rest of the CD while benefiting off his powerful connections and endorsements.  It sounds so easy, but what does Kendrick decide to do?  He decides to make his major label debut a concept album.

Good Kid, M.A.A.D. City serves as a day-in-the-life of Kendrick Lamar as a seventeen year old kid living in Compton, California.  The album chronicles the coming-of-age of Kendrick as lust, comedy, crime, and tragedy shapes his development as the man he is today.  Well, perhaps the coming-of-age story has been done many times in multiple mediums.  Still, even though the story is not new, getting to the beginning to the end can still be entertaining.  The question here is this: can Kendrick Lamar release a concept album that tells an engaging, enjoyable story but still be accessible to the average fan who is not familiar with K. Dot's previous work?  Indeed.

The most impressive aspect of this album is that despite having a larger profile from being released on a major label, it is clearly Kendrick's show.  There is not a track on the album where Kendrick Lamar takes a backseat to the production or the guest artists and uses them to keep the listeners' interest.  It seems easy for Kendrick to hop into the backseat based on the people involved in the album.  Pharell Williams of the Neptunes adds his signature sound and vocals to the track "Good Kid."  Just Blaze puts together a California anthem with the track "Compton."  T-Minus comes through with the infectious hit single "Swimming Pools (Drank)." Scoop DeVille laces two of the tightest tracks of last year with "Poetic Justice" featuring Drake and "The Recipe."  Many of the other producers such as Soundwave and DJ Dahi and are not as well known but will soon be in demand due to their work on "Bitch, Don't Kill My Vibe" and "Money Trees" featuring Jay Rock, respectively.  Surprisingly, Dr. Dre has no direct involvement in any tracks but makes two guest appearances on the aforementioned "Compton" and "The Recipe."  Another west coast rap legend MC Eiht makes an unexpected but satisfying appearance on "M.A.A.D City," which should make a new generation of rap fans say "geah" as if it is 1992 all over again.  Nevertheless, Kendrick makes its clear that he is the main attraction.  All of the contributors are in the passenger seat while Kendrick is behind the wheel.  Despite what they bring, Kendrick Lamar controls where the album is going.

What probably helps in Kendrick's command over the album is his clear vision and its flawless execution on the album.  He seems to have thought out every aspect in how the album is put together, and it makes every listen better each time.  I am always a sucker for the subtle moments that make an album intriguing, and there are plenty of them: the interplay of the music and K Dot's lyrics in "Sing About Me, Dying of Thirst," using a snippet of the opening track "Sherane aka Master Splinter's Daughter" to bring the story back to the beginning at the end of "Poetic Justice," the transition of K Dot getting into the backseat of his friend's car before moving to the track "Backseat Freestyle" - it is all there.  Even the interludes demand replay (the interludes with Kendrick's parents are definitely the highlights), and unlike some albums, the interludes help keep the album together instead of shaking up the album's flow.  No album that I have heard since OutKast's Aquemini has been able to achieve this feat so convincingly, and Kendrick should consider this a victory in itself.

Fortunately, Kendrick does not settle for just having an album that comes together musically.  He does not hit you with tongue-twisting, deep metaphors and punchlines.  However, Kendrick Lamar uses his words to weave his tale of youthful angst and loss of innocence to put you right there in the action.  The album cover states that the album is a short film by Kendrick Lamar, and that is exactly the feeling that you receive when you play it.  The highs and lows that one feels when watching a movie is apparent despite being in audible form instead of visual form.  There are still some moments that are surprisingly insightful even when you are likely having fun with it, such as the one on "Swimming Pools (Drank):"

Now I done grew up round some people living their life in bottles 
Granddaddy had the golden flask, back stroke every day in Chicago 
Some people like the way it feels, some people wanna kill their sorrows 
Some people wanna fit in with the popular, that was my problem 
I was in a dark room, loud tunes, looking to make a vow soon 
That I'ma get fucked up, filling up my cup, I see the crowd move 
Changing by the minute, and the record on repeat 
Took a sip, then another sip, then somebody said to me 

 [Chorus] 
Nigga, why you babysitting only two or three shots? 
I'ma show you how to turn it up a notch 
First you get a swimming pool full of liquor, then you dive in it 
Pool full of liquor, then you dive in it 
I wave a few bottles, then I watch 'em all flock 
All the girls wanna play Baywatch 
I got a swimming pool full of liquor and they dive in it 
Pool full of liquor, I'ma dive in it

I am probably the only one who thinks this, but I think this song is as genius as Afroman's "Because I Got High."   Like Afroman, Kendrick makes a song that simultaneously glorifies getting drunk and criticizes getting drunk (he even calls it "poison" on the second verse).  You got to appreciate songs like these because it's so tough to get anyone to listen to a rap song with any sort of substance.  It is also tough to make a song with substance that is sonically enjoyable, and Kendrick pulled it off here.

Other artists have made similar albums, but I have not heard any rap album that was able to pull it off as well as Good Kid, M.A.A.D. City.  Kendrick's vision and courage in making this album definitely paid off, and he clearly released one of the best albums in 2012.  I have no problem recommending this album as well as the deluxe edition to any music fan, whether they like rap or not.  After fully digesting this album, I imagine that when a new crop of rappers rise up 10-15 years later, they will point to this album as one of their biggest influences in their work.  Yep, it is that good. 

AUDIO SHAKEDOWN - Volume 10

Here we are at the tenth installment of the Audio Shakedown, or Shakedown X, if you prefer a more dramatic branding. My brain has been all over the place lately, so there's a good mix of stuff in here, though I have been spending a lot of time with some of the records from the first wave of NYC punk rock, which factors in a bit in this Shakedown. So without further ado, here's what I've been digging lately:

Black Sabbath - 13 - All the fans waiting for this record for the past year have had quite a ride. The initial excitement about a new album from the original Sabbath lineup was dampened by news of Tony Iommi's health issues and the departure of Bill Ward from the project (initially it was a "contract dispute," but later statements by Ozzy indicate that Ward's playing just wasn't up to par anymore). Then came the puzzling news that Ward's replacement was Brad Wilk from Rage Against the Machine, despite the fact that there exists a legion of drummers already playing in the Sabbath style out there in doom and sludge bands across the world. No one was sure what to expect, but the record is out and the results are in: Sabbath still rules. Producer Rick Rubin got this one just right, with the unmistakable feel of classic Black Sabbath intact, though the individual members show that they've been busy in the interim. Geezer's bass tone is thunderous, Tony's still at the top of his game, and Ozzy's vocals are great. Brad Wilk performs admirably, though if you really listen you can tell there are places where Wilk sticks with a straight ahead stomp where Ward might've made it swing a bit, but that's a non-issue, as it never becomes distracting. In the end it turns out there was no cause for concern; giants still walk the earth, and 13 is an album that Sabbath can be proud of. 

Miles Davis - Kind of Blue - Usually when something finds a massive audience, it's because it's a piece of lowest common denominator mush. But Kind of Blue is one of those very rare artifacts of human culture, an album whose appeal is so universal that they may as well just issue everyone on Earth a copy with their birth certificates. There is something built into the modal structure of the chords and leads that speaks to a deeper part of our brains. It's an ineffable alchemy, and one of the very few records where I feel pretty confident saying that if you can't find anything to enjoy here, there is something wrong with you.

Johnny Thunders and the Heartbreakers - L.A.M.F. - Despite the cachet that the New York Dolls carried in their namesake city, it's odd that the Heartbreakers' debuted to the sound of crickets initially, though the collapse of their label and their unceasing drug habits probably had something to do with it. At any rate, L.A.M.F. gradually grew through "cult status" to "essential album," which is really where it belongs, among the big names of the CBGB scene in late 70's New York. The album is trashy and raw, dealing mostly with drugs and sex, and carried the essence of the burgeoning punk rock aesthetic, thanks to members Johnny Thunders and Jerry Nolan, both of the New York Dolls, and Richard Hell, who had just left another early punk titan, Television. By the way, don't bother with the "revisited" edition of this album, with its cleaned-up production.  It's much better in its raw original form, as dirty and dangerous as the city that spawned it. 

Deafheaven - Sunbather - Sunbather is a novel brew of arty post-rock à la Godspeed or Mogwai blended with smile-free black metal, a bold move considering how unforgiving some black metal fans can be about violations of traditionalism. Deafheaven's enjoyable first record was done in a similar vein, and their mixed approach really upset the metal purists, which I always find amusing. But Sunbather, their sophomore release, represents a phenomenon that I enjoy even more: it's so good that even the purists have had to give them credit, despite their stylistic objections. Sunbather maintains an interesting atmosphere throughout, as they borrow black metal techniques but somehow manage to leave behind the icy feel that they usually evoke, instead using the same tremolo picking and minor key melodies to bring some sun into their expansive yet introspective compositions.

Patti Smith Group - Easter - Horses was the breakout album, and it's definitely excellent, but if you're looking for something with more fully realized songs, it's probably a good idea to reach for Easter. Not that Easter lacks Patti's spoken word performance, but it's where the band becomes skilled enough at their craft that they feel confident being more musical than textural. The best known track is of course "Because the Night," Smith's collaboration with Bruce Springsteen (whose influence on the track is obvious), but there are great songs all over the record. The eerie, ritualistic "Ghost Dance" is a particular favorite of mine, as is "Godspeed" a non-LP track that was included on later pressings. The religious imagery that Smith plays with over the course of the album works surprisingly well; its use is direct but not blunt. This is a diverse, challenging listen that stands as one of Smith's greatest statements.    

Motorpsycho - Little Lucid Moments - This record sounds like an extradimensional intelligence has assembled a metal band, a punk band, and a prog band, and then manipulated their minds and bodies in order to play them like an arcane puppet orchestra to attempt to communicate some vital information. The songs are twenty plus minutes long, and different sections sound like they're from different albums (some sections sound like they're made by a different species), yet there seems to be an overall sensibility knitting it all together into a cohesive whole. I feel like if I could just listen a little harder to this music, the chords would restructure themselves into instructions on how to leave this planet and join a waiting cadre of elite galactic scholars. And honestly, if none of this sounds remotely interesting to you, I'm not sure why we're even talking here.

AUDIO SHAKEDOWN - Volume 9

In this edition of the Shakedown, I'm taking the opportunity to catch up on some new (and new-ish) releases. There's been a lot of good stuff coming out, but I've been so obsessed by older music lately that I've ignored some of it for a while, an oversight which I will now rectify.

Coliseum - Sister Faith - It doesn't seem like ten years ago that I was asked to review Coliseum's self-titled debut, but I find that I enjoy their brand of messy, wild, gruff-voiced punk as much as ever on their fourth LP, Sister Faith. At the beginning of their career, their sound was nearly off the rails, like the song might fly apart at any moment and it was only momentum that kept it all together. Even though they've tightened everything up a bit on their newer releases, the feeling is still there in the throaty distortion, heavy bass, and powerful drumming.

Queens of the Stone Age - ...Like Clockwork - I don't agree with those who say that this is the greatest extant rock band on earth, and I'm going to be honest with you, this is the first album by QOTSA that I've found listenable since Songs for the Deaf. All the stuff in between was too unfocused and dependent on Homme's falsetto singing for me to find enjoyable. Make no mistake, though, ...Like Clockwork doesn't really sound anything like Songs for the Deaf. Homme and company have found a new approach here that borrows more from Bowie circa Aladdin Sane than you might expect, especially on the second half of the record. There are of course the much-touted guest stars, but if they hadn't been so discussed in the pre-release press, you'd probably never know they were there. This album was dangerously over-hyped, but nevertheless manages to be a surprisingly interesting release.

Alice in Chains - The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here- I was pleasantly surprised by 2009's Black Gives Way to Blue, despite being all too willing to can it for its obvious lack of Layne Staley. That album was a reminder that Jerry Cantrell was always Alice's main composer, and was responsible for more of the band's essence than perhaps anyone else in the band. It was also a display of the admirable talents of William DuVall, who stepped in as lead singer to take the vacant spot once filled by one of the most recognizable voices in modern rock music, and ably did a job that can't have been easy. So the comeback provided some quality material, and there's more where that came from on The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here. There may not be any big surprises on the album, but the grinding distortion, phrygian-laced lead work, and vocal harmonies that we all know and love are firmly in place. Layne Staley's voice and lyrics, both of them surprisingly elegant and a little bit venomous, will always be missed, but this new incarnation of AiC has the goods and is worth a listen.

Fauna - Avifauna - Black metal is one of those gut-reaction genres, where no amount of persuasion  will convince a person that it's their thing if it isn't. It's like they're physiologically unable to tolerate the sound. That being said, I'm going to tell you how good this black metal record is. Avifauna is Fauna's third LP, and probably their best so far. There are two short interlude tracks sandwiched between three massive epics, ranging from thirty to seventeen minutes. Fauna is one of the tentpole bands of the so-called Cascadian Black Metal scene, and this album is very representative of the sound: long tracks filled with an atmospheric, majestic black metal devoted to natural and pagan themes (Avifauna starts with a minute and a half of birdsong), sprinkled liberally with quiet, moody acoustic passages. Avifauna also plays with drone elements without becoming boring and experiments with strings without sounding lamely "symphonic." It's a beautiful record, if you can handle it.

October Falls - The Plague of a Coming Age - October Falls' previous releases populate a spectrum ranging from minimalist moody folk to rasping black metal whose nature-loving sympathies lay near to the aforementioned Cascadian Black Metal scene (though October Falls hails from Finland). On The Plague of a Coming Age, they've moved out of that more minimalist sound into a much more lush, and maybe even accessible, style of arrangement, experimenting with clean vocals and fuller drum sounds. The black metal style is still present, but it's been augmented by some adventurous techniques (more than one guitar tone!), and a more midtempo feel, a bit like early Opeth. This is a risky move, as black metal fans tend to be pretty unforgiving of change, but this release represents a largely successful experiment. I can't say I wasn't hoping for another album in the vein of their fantastic record The Womb of Primordial Nature, but I can safely say that this record will find a place for itself in my listening nonetheless.

Kylesa - Ultraviolet - Kylesa returns with another dose of their signature brand of sludgy noise tinged with psychedelia. I've been increasingly impressed with this band's output as their career has progressed, and this is another strong release from them. They haven't changed too much about their sound since 2010's Spiral Shadows, but I admire their willingness to pull back from an all-out sonic blast to provide some shading and nuance. Philip Cope delivers a good vocal performance as usual, but it's Laura Pleasants' vocals that are the star of the show for me. The guitar work is dirty and driving with some nice winding psychedelic flourishes throughout, and the dual drummers and sturdy bass provide a more than ample framework for it all. Kylesa seem to know what they're good at and deliver it, but retain their motivation to try out a few new tricks as well. It's a process that ensures reliability as well as relevance.

BOOK REVIEW: The Library at Night - Alberto Manguel

The eighteenth trump of the major arcana of the tarot is The Moon, which does indeed represent the nocturnal side of things. It is the sign of the imagination as it conjures both dreams and nightmares. The Moon is uncertain and even a bit dangerous, in the primal way that causes all animals to fear the dark, even if irrationally. It is exactly this twilight sensibility that Alberto Manguel was concerned with as he wrote The Library at Night, an exploration of mankind's relationship with its books.

The book is a series of essays regarding different facets of that literary relationship, "The Library as Space," "The Library as Shadow," "The Library as Survival," and so on, but he's not just referring to the library as a public or private institution (though that is discussed at some length). He's referring to any group of books, from the famed Library of Alexandria, to the more modest personal collection, to the single book that keeps a prisoner of war from going mad. Manguel asserts that books contain stories, yes, but even more, the story of books is our story, as they represent what we choose to collect, emphasize, and remember.

The tarot's Moon also represents the permeability of the boundary between past and present, and as the book examines how mankind has kept and cataloged its stories, the reader begins to see how the past comes to bear on the ways we let our stories live in and with us even today. The Library at Night is meticulously researched and its admirable scope brings a wealth of perspectives to bear on the topic, but true to the nocturnal bent of the title, the essays meander dreamlike through history and culture from the heights of Classical Greece to the depths of World War II to reveal their insights. This book is a rare gem for bibliophiles, as it's clear that Manguel is a reader whose passion matches the best of us, and the essays he's written not only justify our passion for the printed word, but demonstrate that it's perhaps that very capacity for invention and memory that makes us human.

AUDIO SHAKEDOWN - Volume 8

At long last summer is upon us. After trying to medicate myself through the dismal late winters and rainy springs with some warm weather music therapy, my listening seems to get looser once it's actually warmer out. Instead of focusing on one particular time or theme, I tend to just chase down whatever sound I want to hear at any given time. With that said, here's some of the things I've been enjoying lately. 

R.E.M. - Green - It's easy to forget that this was the first time that many people heard R.E.M., as this was their major label debut. Led by the single "Orange Crush," Green would find its way out into a much wider audience than IRS Records could ever have given them, and cemented the bands place in the annals of alt-rock history, but what a strange record to plant your flag with. It's not surprising that irony-dripping pop numbers like "Stand" or "Pop Song 89" would also come out as singles, because in 1988 it was easier to lead with that smirking irony than the open-heart vulnerability of tracks like "You Are The Everything" or "I Remember California." Green also finds the band branching out musically with mandolin, cello, accordion, and lap steel guitar, adding a lush sound to their bruised and arty rock. Green is stronger than many critics are willing to admit, and remains an oddly affecting snapshot of a band poised on the edge of stardom.

Todd Rundgren - Something/Anything - I have listened to a LOT of music, and still there are sounds on this double album that I've never heard anywhere else. Rundgren is in full "pop songcraft wizard" mode on this record, and the attention to detail is staggering. It takes a while for it to appear, because the songs are so direct and deceptively simple in places, but there are whole tiny environments built inside these tracks. I admit that it took me a while to respect this record; parts of it may sound dated at first, or schmaltzy, or overly poppy, but let it sink in and you'll see what's really there. 

Björk - Homogenic - For the longest time I was not a fan of Björk, but for the past couple of years, her work has been creeping into my listening habits bit by bit. Her albums are extrememly varied, and though I have a certain respect and use for each of them, Homogenic is the album that I turn to most often. It's bolder than the whispering Vespertine, more direct than Medulla or the recent Biophilia, and emotionally weightier than Debut. Homogenic seems to play to Björk's strengths in a specific way where other albums sometimes sacrifice that essential feeling to further their concepts.  It's a challenging, engaging record, and I'm glad it finally found a place in my brain.

Lemonheads - It's a Shame About Ray - Every time I listen to this record, I'm struck by how successfully Evan Dando mixed the acoustic and electric guitars. It's a small touch, but it gives it a much more intimate, personal feel compared to the prickly, aggressive guitar work of his peers at the time. The fact that the record is filed with simple, catchy songs and flies by in under half an hour no doubt accentuates that friendly quality. Dando's tales about outcasts' and losers' everyday tribulations makes it seem like a bunch of songs that your buddy recorded that turned out to be surprisingly good.

Deftones - White Pony - This album came out just as I was graduating high school, and it still positively glows with the weird energies of summer for me. This is the Deftones' most powerful statement, a record that knit all their abilities as musicians together and injected it with a surprising amount of art and grace. The imagery can be dark, but it remains nuanced; the Deftones found a way to temper their already successful aggression with their artsier side, and it really boosted them up off the plateau created by their first two releases. They managed to find a dynamism that no one really expected, and they use it to pull the listener into the album's own world. For me, White Pony succeeds at everything it attempts, and I can't think of anything that would really improve upon it.

Mazzy Star - So Tonight That I Might See - The perfect soundtrack for a gentle descent, Mazzy Star were an intersection of sorts between 90's alt-rock sensibility, gothic spookiness, and folky acid haze. The drifting guitar work wraps you in purple velvet and smoke rings while the somnolent vocals of Hope Sandoval do weird things to your head. "Fade Into You" remains their most well-remembered statement, and with good reason, but highlights abound on this record. "Mary of Silence" revels in dark acid rock, "Wasted" is the blues on downers, and "Bells Ring" delivers a head-nodding shuffle with Sandoval's voice sounding both close-miked yet far away. These are lullabies for the weird kids, and there have been few bands that have done it as well. 

As a public service to music lovers, I'd like to take this opportunity to point people toward Archive.org's Live Music Archive. It's a vast collection of bootlegged concerts provided in lossless or mp3 format for free streaming and download. I like the way they've set this up, as everything is given away for free, so there's no shady profit being made off of other people's work, and the only bands that go up in the archive are bands that have sent the site official word that they're okay with recorded concert trading. And even though it consists only of bands that give their approval, you might be surprised at who is cool with the idea. There are almost a thousand shows by the Smashing Pumpkins up for download, a well as shows by Hum, Soul Coughing, Cracker, Elliott Smith, Against Me! and thousands more. So check it out, and if you have any bootlegs that might be worthy additions, see about uploading them. The more that go up, the better the archive.

BOOK REVIEW: River of Stars

The latest epic from noted fantasist Guy Gavriel Kaye is surprisingly economical and direct for a book of 650 pages. River of Stars Tells the story of a kingdom on the verge of collapse and the hero who might not only save it, but seems destined to return it to a former glory. It takes in the beauty of a vast kingdom that stretches from plains, to mountains, to marshes and renders it in sharp poetic detail. It involves a broad range of characters, from poets to warlords and everything in between including scheming politicians, honest men of letters and desperate peasants.

With his lean uncomplicated style Kaye brings this vision of remote Chinese history to life, basing it broadly on the events of the late Song Dynasty in the 13th century. Referred to in the book as The Kitan Empire, Kaye builds it into a complex world of both luxury and poverty, beauty and fear. One of the most impressive things about River of Stars is the way the author creates a sense of inhabiting an alien culture. His descriptions are rendered in a form and cadence that evoke Chinese sensibility and he describes character motivations from a complexly unique cultural perspective, communicating their importance without seeming to be giving a sociology lecture.  

There are grand memorable images, like the moving of a giant rock to decorate the emperor's garden, destroying everything in its path as it is moved at the expense of land, homes and lives. The desolation of an army as it is ambushed at a river crossing and the intimacies between a boundary defying female poet and the military hero who might save the empire.

The adventure element is also pretty stunning. Small confrontations in the wooded marsh and battles of thousands arrive in clear exciting bursts. In all Guy Gavriel Kaye puts his stamp as both a top tier fantasist, evoking ghosts, spirits and mystical destiny, as well as a talented historical re-constructionist, providing a clear and plausible image of a long vanished history.

MOVIE REVIEW: Iron Man 3

The surprise success of 2008's Iron Man was the beginning of a phenomenon that was strong enough to engulf even the most skeptical comic book fan.  Last year's The Avengers solidified what Iron Man began 4 years prior to its release.  Now with the first arc of Marvel's cinematic universe in the history books, we are now kicking off the next arc with the third installment of the Iron Man series.

Even before The Avengers was released, fans knew that a third Iron Man was coming.  Fans also knew that Jon Favearu, the director of the first two installments, was stepping from behind the camera and allowing Shane Black to take the lead.  I was not quite sure whether the move was voluntary or whether Marvel/Disney preferred the move.  Nevertheless, I was initially concerned that the quality of the franchise would suffer after the exceptional job done on the first Iron Man.  Once I saw the disappointing Iron Man 2, though, I thought the change could do the franchise some good.  Shane Black has a long background with buddy movies and witty banter, so it seemed that he would be good at bringing out the Robert Downey, Jr. that we love either with or without the armor.  Perhaps Shane Black should have directed the second one, for the movie needed some better banter between Tony and Rhodey, but I guess was not part of the plan at the time.  Well, Shane has the reigns now, and while his crack at Tony Stark's alter ego is far from perfect, he ends up succeeding more than he fails.

The best thing that Shane Black realized is that when you have Robert Downey, Jr. playing Tony Stark, you just let him loose and let magic happen.  Once again, Downey, Jr. nails the character and expands it to show even more of his vulnerability, fears, and shortcomings.  You see him suffer from post-Avengers PTSD, his desire to protect his loved ones, his focus on revenge - all mixed in with hilarious one-liners that at least get a slight chuckle.  Of all the superheroes out there in the cinematic universe, Tony Stark is the only one that you want to see WITHOUT his superhero abilities, and Shane Black provides plenty of Tony in this movie.   Even though it is clearly Tony's show, all the supporting cast gets a chance to shine as well.  Ben Kingsley's portrayal of The Mandarin especially stands out, for his performance as Iron Man's nemesis is the most engaging villain portrayal since Heath Ledger's Joker.  The movie takes a liberal approach to his character's origins as well as fellow villains Advance Idea Mechanics (A.I.M.), but overall,  they do not lessen their appeal in the movie.

The main gripes I have with the movie are threefold.  For one, the plot twist at the end was not that surprising in itself, but it was surprising how it left you more disappointed and less shocked.  I will not reveal the plot twist to not spoil the movie for some, but you end up feeling a little unsatisfied by the time you arrive at it.  In addition, while the majority of the movie had good pacing and character development, the all out finale between the enemy and Iron Man's legion of armors was slightly overdone.  It was cool seeing all the armors in action (Hulk-Buster armor!!!), but some of the sequences, especially with Rhodey springing into action to save the President, was too ridiculous to ignore.  Furthermore, even though it is clearly Iron Man's party, I expected some other characters to stop by and say hello during the movie.  At the very least, where was SHIELD when all the chaos and destruction was going down?  Maybe we will get the answer in future offerings from Marvel.

Overall, Iron Man 3 succeeds in wetting our appetites for more Marvel action.  If the subtle hints in the movie are not figments of my imagination, then I am excited to see what happens next.  Marvel has yet to let me down, so my hopes are high.