Captain America Review

Captain America was a risky property. For one, it was Marvel’s biggest character in terms of the Avengers film, he’s the leader after all and it just wouldn’t do to have their top guy in a failing film. The second was that he’s very patriotic (something that has faded significantly since the 40’s) in a colorful red, white and blue outfit. Many had fears that bringing Cap into the modern age of cinema and retaining the outfit would be nearly impossible. Director Joe Johnston had a lot going against him trying to bring a character like this to the big screen. Despite all that, he managed to pull it off with seemingly ease.

The story starts with a 90lb weakling who is determined to join the army and constantly rejected because of his various health issues and size. That’s when he is given the opportunity to test the Super Soldier Serum and become the peak of human perfection. Meanwhile, an organization that has broken away from the Nazi’s calling themselves Hydra, lead by the Red Skull have found the Tesseract. An ancient device once held in Odin’s vault. (Remember him from Thor?) This device gives Hydra highly advanced technology leaps and bounds beyond anything anyone else has in that era.

One thing I particularly enjoyed about the film was the old school action/adventure vibe it comes off as. Very similar in feel to Indiana Jones with "supernatural" powers, Nazi's (and other forces) and over-the-top action that you would find in your typical old school serial. This was a big plus for me.

The pacing of the film may not be what some are used to in todays age of fast paced filmography. The first half of the film is much slower than the second half, containing only a few action sequences. The director instead chose to focus on helping us know the heart of the man behind the mask first. While these scenes tend to lack action, they are no less interesting. There is plenty of humor to be had and a lot of heart. When he finally does become Captain America the action really takes off, but thanks to the character development we really get a stronger feel for who Captain America is beyond the shield smashing, super strength patriotic symbol that he becomes during the course of the film. The action sequences are very well done, giving a great display of his abilities and the use of the shield is ripped right out of the comics. This IS Captain America. They’ve managed to capture not only the physical but the mental state of Cap that we’ve read about and bring him to life on the big screen.

It should also be noted that Hugo Weaving did a fantastic job as the Red Skull. With a fantastic make-up job and the ability to completely melt into his role. I never once saw him as an Elf or any of his other past roles…all I saw was the Red Skull. And he had plenty of screen time to display his acting prowess. Though I had wished for more scenes between him and Cap. 

While I felt the film could have been longer that doesn’t make me like the film any less. I guess I just wanted to see more. Thankfully, we will in The Avengers next year. Btw. Don’t forget to stay after the credits for a sneak peak of The Avengers. Overall. This was a strong character film with enough action and heart to pull you in and a love story that never quite gets started due to the way Cap’s time in the 1940’s ends and I look forward to seeing more in what could have been a disaster of a film ended up becoming a quality product.

9/10

The Adjustment Bureau Review

Let me just start by saying I’m not really into films that center around romance. Unless of course there’s a healthy dose of gunplay or swords flying around. And when I read about this film and heard the center of the story was the relationship between a politician and a dancer I was sure I was going to hate it. But I forced myself to check it out purely because I was curious of the overlaying plot beyond merely the romance itself.
You see, apparently our world is controlled by a group of entities which control all the major decisions people make in their lives. They are not so much mystical as they are extra-dimensional humanoids who are not all that different from us in appearance and dress. Using books that they carry they are able to see the life plan that is mapped out for each person that these guys follow.

Well, something happens and a particular politician ends up meeting a girl in a situation that was not meant to happen. This event created a divergence in the man’s outlined plan for his life. The Adjustment Bureau then takes great steps, using all their power to keep the two apart in order to ensure he stays on the pre-written plan for his life.

The Adjustment Bureau is a fairly unique film that’s presented well and strongly acted. The two leads have perfect chemistry, a vitally important element that could easily have broken this film had they casted the film wrong. The director struck a fantastic balance between fascination with this world within a world, action sequences and the romantic plotline.

If you were hesitant about this film the same as me, I would recommend giving it a try. It was a surprise hit for me and I believe anyone who can open their minds to the “out there” plotline of beings dressed like something out of Casablanca who control our lives, then you will find a very enjoyable and imaginative film that doesn’t come around Hollywood very often.

8/10

Arthur Review

Arthur is a film about taking responsibility; it’s about questioning the status quo and taking a stand. Starring Russell Brand, this is a remake (not a re-envisioning) of Dudley Moore’s 1981 film of the same name. And to be honest…I just didn’t want to watch it. but due to circumstances I ended up seeing it anyway. And you know what? I actually liked it.
What’s most surprising to me is the stellar performance of Russell Brand, an actor I’m not too all familiar with beyond the trailers I’ve seen for various raunchy sex comedies. So, I really wasn’t expecting much from his acting, but it turns out the guy can act. We see him display a wide variety of convincing emotions throughout the film.

The basic premise of the film is about a man named Arthur, a man-child of a sort that has lived rich all his life and has a Nanny to take care of his every need. He believes in all fun and no work and this often times get’s him in trouble with his face plastered on front page of every newspaper. Not everyone finds this funny however, as his mom who heads one of the largest, richest companies in the country is losing investors because Arthur is not dependable enough to run the company once it’s time for him to over over the reins. The plan? Marry Arthur off to another wealthy family and have his wife become the successor to the company and its fortune and if he doesn’t agree he’s cut off from the money and the life he’s been used to for so long. To make matters even more complicated, he falls in love with a woman from a poor part of town who shows him there is more to life than wasting it drinking and partying and being always on the go. (a representation of our own society perhaps)

It’s interesting to note that the actress chosen didn’t really come off as being skilled enough to play alongside Russell, the first scene of her speaking felt awkward. But the moment the two are together on scene the chemistry between the two begins to take off rapidly and you begin to realize she’s just as quirky as he is, but with a bit more restraint and a lot more responsibility. Leaving Arthur with a tough choice. Marry the evil and twisted women of the other rich company or leave his wealth behind to be with the one he truly loves. This choice will take the entire course of the movie to come to terms with, because you see not only is he addicted to his lifestyle he is also an alcoholic. All of this opens up many heartwarming scenes between his true love as well as the Nanny who is more like a mother to him.

Overall, I was not expecting to like this movie but ended up being completely engrossed in the story and the characters. It was a welcome surprise to see a quirky comedy that managed to retain a lot of heart in the process.

7/10

Sucker Punch Review

I’m not sure what it is, but lately I’ve been seeing films I don’t typically watch. Maybe it’s just morbid curiosity. Sucker Punch doesn’t quite fit into that category. When I first saw the previews for it I thought it looked amazing. And then it came out and reviews trashed it hard. I resisted when it came out on blu-ray, but that doesn’t last long. I had to see what was so horrible about it, so I checked it out.
And you know what? They were wrong. Or maybe they just didn’t understand or appreciate Asian influenced cinema enough and that’s really what this is. The story isn’t deep, the characters don’t get overly complex and the action is HIGHLY stylized. Think live action Anime. Some scenes appear to be more like music videos than a scene from a movie. But that’s how it’s meant to be. That’s not to say you won’t care about the characters. While they had no real depth, they were all enjoyable.

The story…well…it gets a bit confusing to describe and much easier to see. Let’s just say it’s about a girl called Babydoll who accidently shoots her sister while trying to shoot her abusive dad. She’s sent to an insane asylum where she is about to be lobotomized and that’s kind of where the movie starts. Sort of. Much of the story takes place in a dream and then a dream within a dream. Each of the characters in her real life represents a part of herself in her dreams. The goal is to escape from where she is trapped. But in order to do so, she has to find a few items in the dreams action sequences in order to gain the strength and courage to help free herself and others. Or something. Like I said, it’s harder to describe, you just have to see it play out. And that’s the thing…the story is told more visually than it is verbally. That's not to say there isn't plenty of conversation to help us understand what's happening.

I was surprised I enjoyed this film so much. Typically films that are more action than plot depth bore me but this one was unique. It managed to convey emotion without an abundance of words. The visual strength of the film wasn’t just the action, it was how it captured the expressions of the characters. You find yourself glued to the screen, not wanting to miss a second of the visual feast and wondering how the heck Babydoll is going to escape this crazy world as well as the world she herself created in her mind.

8/10

Super 8 Review

It is believe (and most would agree) that Spielberg did his best work with his involvement in films in the late 80’s and 90’s with such highlights as Goonies, Indiana Jones and Jurassic Park to name just a few. They had a certain magic to them. They were films made for families but never insulting the audience by dumbing it down. They were made for families, but not kiddy. They captured the spirit of adventure with all its humor and action. Since then that spirit has fizzled out of Hollywood and replaced with elaborate and mindless action sequences to keep a low-attention span audience entertained.

JJ Abrams hopes to bring that spirit back and the films he has been releasing really show it. Super 8 is no exception to this rule and carries with it the same emotion and feel of adventure that so many films of the past once entertained us with.

The film takes place in a small town where a military train crashes, unleashing a destructive, yet elusive monster. With the film taking place in a small town there is little room for giant, explosive set pieces that fill so many of the latest blockbusters. But the action sequences with the creature are far from small. JJ has captured the perfect middle ground, keeping the action intense and epic in nature without going overboard. Many of these scenes are likely too intense for younger children, but for everyone else it’s sure to make you grip your overpriced popcorn bucket in suspense. And there is enough humor and character drama to really carry the film on its own. Speaking of characters, I’m not sure how they did it but they managed to find child actors who can actually…well…act! The group of kids who take center stage in the story do an exceptional job displaying more emotions than half the grown up actors in other films lately.

Over all, it was a fun film with lots of edge of your seat action and deep emotional character interaction. It captures a bit of that childhood innocence and combines it with a theme of letting things go and that not everything is at it appears.

10/10