Fan Fare

Helena Bonham Carter, queen of Halloween frights

This item is both good, and perhaps not so good, for director Tim Burton. His long-term companion, Helena Bonham Carter, has had the distinct honor (some might say dubious distinction) of making it on a list — twice — of top movie-themed Halloween costumes. The first time, she is a queen (good) and the second, a witch (not so good, although given Burton’s taste in characters  — Edward Scissorhands, Sweeney Todd — he might think it’s cool).

Online movie ticket seller Fandango.com polled some  2,200 people on its website, asking them about the upcoming ghoulish holiday where people dress like goblins or werewolves and play tricks or get treats. Fifty-five percent said they would dress up and of those, 58 percent said they’d pick a movie-themed costume.

Among women, the top costume was Alice from Burton’s version of the classic “Alice in Wonderland” and at No. 2 was the Red Queen, also from that movie and portrayed by Carter. The actress’ role as witch Bellatrix Lestrange in the “Harry Potter” movies was No. 5.  (pictured above left).  Sandwiched in-between were  Barbie from “Toy Story 3″ in the No. 3 position and Hit-Girl from the action adventure “Kick-Ass” at No. 4.

For men, the top costume was “Iron Man” (who is played by Robert Downey, Jr.), followed by the Mad Hatter (Johnny Depp) in “Alice” and the Kick-Ass character in “Kick-Ass” (Aaron Johnson) rounding out the top 3. Bloodthirsty Jigsaw of the “Saw” movies and the menacing Machete from the film of the same name completed the No. 4 and No. 5 positions.

Where group themes were concerned, the Mad Hatter and Alice from “Alice” topped the list in a tie with Ken & Barbie from “Toy Story 3,” and Shrek and Princess Fiona from “Shrek Forever After” were in the No. 3 position. Suprisingly, given the film’s popularity, the blue Navi’i people of “Avatar” fame were down the list at No. 6, but they did beat out the cast of characters in the “Harry Potter” movies. And in another sign that the popularity of “Harry Potter” is wearing thin on movie audiences, Facebook co-founder Mark Zuckerberg was No. 9 on the list favorite male costumes, just knocking off No. 10, Harry Potter.

Happy Halloween.

“Iron Man”: anti-war or pro-war?

With “Iron Man” out wide in theaters — and out in a huge, $101 million opening box office way — it’s time to reflect around the water cooler on what the movie means and what, if anything, its makers were trying to say.

The war question: Is ”Iron Man” anti-war? Does Tony Stark (aka comic book superhero Iron Man, played by Robert Downey, Jr.) create his suit of hi-tech armor to stop a military arms maker run amok and tame an evil-doer?

Or, is it pro-war? Does Stark create a new weapon that will undoubtedly be used by the military arms maker he created to build even more lethal high-tech weaponry?

“I’ve heard it’s pro-war and that it’s anti-war, which means that I did my job,” director Jon Favreau told Reuters in a pre-release interview.

Favreau said his goal was to make the movie neither, but to reflect the times. He said he has changed his own mind several times on the current wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Here’s all of what Favreau said in reponse to a question about the movie’s story set in the context of current times, the wars and the U.S. election.

“It was an opportunity to reflect the times a little bit. I think it’s a good moment now. It’s an election year. We didn’t try to take a position strongly on it, but to present the world as we see it in, sort of, a comic book version. And, set this hero against the times, instead of making it in some non-descript moment in history with a non-descript political landscape. We didn’t but we did want to present it that way.

“I think what superhero movies have always offered are very simple solutions to complex problems. If there’s a sense of powerlessness that people feel or a culture feels or certainly kids, there’s always been Superman to stop the train or stop a bullet. That’s always been the metaphor of the superhero. In a more complicated landscape politically, here’s “Iron Man” who can step in and solve problems with the blink of an eye through ingenuity and through resolve of character,” Favreau said.

Jon Favreau on “Iron Man”: not indie, but still edgy

Director Jon Favreau, whose new movie “Iron Man” debuts in theaters this week as the first big-budget Hollywood movie of the summer season, has long championed low-budget and independent filmmaking. His career took off as an actor and writer of 1996 indie movie “Swingers.”

Indie movies generally are low-budget films confined to art houses. They are known for being “edgy,” which is another way of saying they push boundaries in terms of subject matter and creativity. “Iron Man,” starring Robert Downey, Jr.,  is anything but low-budget and indie. It was produced by Marvel Studios and is being distributed by major studio Paramount Pictures.

Still, a lot is being made about Favreau bringing an indie feel to “Iron Man.” We asked him how can he still claim to be “indie” after making movies with big stars such as Will Ferrell in “Elf” and huge special effects such as “Zathura: A Space Adventure.” Favreau’s answer: he can’t. But in the proper context, he can still be edgy.

“I think that you start off as an indie guy because your voice is very different from the mainstream and you’re young and you don’t have any money to make anything. So you’re forced into being an independent moviemaker. It’s your only way in the door,” Favreau told Reuters.

“I was an independent filmmaker because that was the only way in. It wasn’t like I felt like my point-of-view was so different. But what has happened over the last 10 years, as the audience has changed, we are now the mainstream … As a filmmaker, I don’t feel lilke I’m the edgy guy doing the edgy dialogue anymore.

“There are other people with fresher voices coming up. They are the ones who are leading the groundbreaking front on the periphery of the film industry. I’m a suburban dad now. I can make a movie that’s really cool that I know my 6-year-old would love and I also know that my friends and family would love. I can do an edgy, different version of a superhero movie, but if I were to make a small movie now, I don’t know if I have the chops to do something that groundbreaking.”