My Summer Movie Season List

*Update* I was suppose to release this before Avengers came out but I forgot, my bad

So the Summer Movie Season is upon us and like every year I’m here to tell you the movies that I’m looking most forward to. Not only that but I’m going to do a little extra this year and give you movies that I’m so so about (let’s call them the meh movies), the small releases that you might not here about, and the movie I’m not sure or excited for. So let’s start with the small releases shall we.  (These are movies from May to August, since that’s the Summer Movie Season)

Limited Releases

The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel: The movie has a great British cast and looks pretty damn funny. Downside, comes out the week of The Avengers

Snabba Cash (Easy Money): Thanks to the success of Safe House, young director Daniel Espinosa’s Swedish movie is going to get released here in the states (word going around that’s it’s pretty good). Other than Espinosa directing, the movie stars future Robocop and AMC The Killing stat Joel Kinnaman.

 

The “Meh” Movie

Ice Age: Continental Drift: Why did I put this on the list? Well I do need a break from fast-paced action movie right? Maybe, but I do like the Ice Age movies and although the last one was just okay this one seems to be “the last one” (yeah right)

Men in Black 3: Nothing against the MIB movies, I’ve quite enjoyed them but something about me doesn’t scream “I want another one.”

Premium Rush: Although this is later in the season (some might not even consider it a summer movie) the movie looks interesting to say the least. Joseph Gordon Levitt stars as a bike messenger caught up in something bad. The movie probably won’t be his hit movie his summer (Looper will probably that movie or Dark Knight Rises)

 

The “Not Sure” Movies

The Amazing Spider-Man: I didn’t think it would be possible for me to be capable of seeing another Spider-Man after that horrible job Sony did on Spiderman 3. Anyway, after seeing the first trailer (not teaser) I was sparked with some interest. Andrew Garfield (The Social Network) is playing the famous web swinger with a supporting cast with the likes of Denis Leary, Rhys Ifans (playing Dr. Curt Connors/the Lizard) and the lovely Emma Stone as Peter Parkers first real love Gwen Stacy. If the next trailer is good then Sony might have changed my mind on this.

*Update* The third trailer actually convince me to go watch the movie and be somewhat okay to go.

Total Recall: Just to throw it out there, THIS MOVIE SHOULD NOT BE REMADE, okay moving on. The movie itself is nothing like the Arnold movie, which the team behind it said from the beginning, BUT what made the Arnold movie good was (besides being an Arnold movie) was that it based of freaking Mars. I’m not going to bash the movie before seeing it because I’m not the type of person (majority of the time, sometimes I can’t help myself). Will I see it? Most likely yes *sigh*

 

The Big Ones

The Avengers: All these years of build up are finally going to end, the moment every nerdy Marvel fan has been waiting for. One of the most anticipated movies this year is also kicking off the Summer Movie Season. Count me in.

Battleship: “You snuck my Battleship!” So what happens when you bring a board game and make it a big Hollywood summer action blockbuster? That’s what we’re going to find out this summer. Also, if you’re a person that thinks this movie is nothing like the game answer me this, Would you really want to watch a movie about two kids sitting down playing the game? Or do you want a different fun interpretation?

Snow White and the Huntsman: Who thought someone can come in and make a fairy tale into an epic action movie? Well it looks like that’s finally happening with Snow White. Despite, some people not liking Kristen Stewart as Snow White (mainly because of her Twilight fame) we can’t be to quick to judge. The movie also has Charlize Theron as the wicked queen and Chris Hemsworth as the titled Huntsman.

Prometheus: Ridley Scott is back with the Alien franchise and it looks BADASS. I have to say this might be my most anticipated movie this summer because I have no idea what can happen in some weird way (it is a prequel after all). But the movie does look like a fun ride. Add the incredible cast and this has my money

Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter: Does the title sound ridiculous? Yeah, but the movie looks pretty damn cool. Based on the book, I’m pretty excited since I was a pretty big fan of the book and some of the stuff from the trailers looks different from the books which gets more me more excited because I don’t know what they will change or take out.

G.I Joe: Retaliation: How can you make a better sequel despite the first one being so bad? Easy, replace the lead (Channing “I Can’t Act” Tatum) and majority of the cast with The Rock and Bruce Willis AND make it a real action movie. Some will have their doubts but I’m pretty damn excited.

The Dark Knight Rises: The last of the Nolan Batman movies is finally here and we couldn’t be happier and sad at the same time. While many of us are happy some people are asking if it could pass The Dark Knight. Only time will tell but we can grantee that it’s going to be good

The Bourne Legacy: When I heard that Damon/Greengrass wouldn’t return and that they would go forward without them I had lost hope. But, when I heard the cast and idea come together I was okay. The teaser also helped the cause by showing nothing but still making me interested.

Savages: I’ll be honest I knew nothing about this movie before the trailer came out and I have to say I really liked the trailer. It really didn’t look like an Oliver Stone movie and the cast is actually pretty damn good.

Ted: To be honest I actually didn’t know where to put this movie. I like Seth MacFarlane and the idea seems kinda funny and there’s a pretty great comedy cast. Problem is this can turn into one of those movies that “seems good on paper.”

The Expendables 2: While some think the first movie was a letdown (in some cases it was) it didn’t stop Sly from bringing back the crew for another go around. Add Bruce Willis, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Chuck Norris, and Jean Claude Van Damme, and Scott Adkins then maybe this is what the first was meant to be.

Lawless: Tom Hardy sure has a big this year huh. The movie also sounds pretty good, set during the Depression-era, a bootlegging gang is threatened by authorities who want a cut of their profits. Along with Hardy, Guy Pearce, Gary Oldman, and Shia LaBeouf (okay maybe not him so much) the cast and setting/story sounds like a win.

So that’s the list, Agree? Disagree? So-So? Let me know

 

My Award Show 2011

Alright everybody it’s that time again were I like I did last year have YOU choose your best actors, actresses, supporting actor/actress, director, animated, horror and fight of 2011. So prepare yourself for a long list. When I did this last year I was surprised on the amount of votes I got (also thanks for some people spreading the word too).

RULES/INFO:

1. Vote for your favorite (obviously)

2. You can vote as many times as you want (PLEASE DON’T SPAM)

3. You can vote for 4 recipients each time.

4. Voting ends on Jan 8th

 

Best Comic Book

 

Animated

 

Horror

 

Fight

 

Villain

 

Supporting Actress

 

Supporting Actor

 

Actress

 

Actor

 

Director

Immortals Review

Director: Tarsem Signh

Cast: Henry Cavill, Mickey Rourke, Stephen Dorff, Freida Pinto, Luke Evans, Isabel Lucas, John Hurt

Story: Theseus is a mortal man chosen by Zeus to lead the fight against the ruthless King Hyperion, who is on a rampage across Greece to obtain a weapon that can destroy humanity.

While the trailers for Immortals make the movie look like 300, it is not that trust me. Tarsem’s approach to the visuals in Immortals is like watching a moving painting (yes I know how that sounds). However, Tarsem has proven himself once again that he is one of the best visual directors working right now. Now onward to the review.

Immortals is the story of Theseus played by future Superman Henry Cavill, a peasant who may be humanity’s only hope against the mad King Hyperion (Rourke), who has declared war on mankind and the gods themselves. Hyperion’s plan is to acquire the powerful Epirus bow, the only weapon powerful enough to break the Titans, that the gods banished after a war, free from their prison.

Theseus’s adventure starts when he sees his mother and his entire village slaughtered by Hyperion and from that point on he makes it his sole purpose in life to kill Hyperion. He is also aided on his quest by Phaedra (Pinto), a beautiful Oracle who has foreseen Theseus’ future and wants to make sure he stays on the right path. They also have Stavros (Dorff) a thief who joins the cause and proves to be a loyal ally by the end of the movie. The gods in the movie show up from time to time by according to Ancient law, the gods cannot intervene with the affairs of humans, unless the Titans have been awakened to wreak havoc on Earth.

Now the other comparison to 300 (and some other movies) is the use of slow motion and whil Tarsem uses slow-motion in many of his action scenes it lets us enjoy the some of the fights taking place on screen. Especially when the gods show up which is some of the best parts of the movie, although enjoy them while they last since they are very limited. Also like 300 the action looked pretty cool with the beautiful background behind but I give it Tarsem’s credit that every time the film breaks out into hardcore action it still manages to keep its beautiful imagery around it.

Let’s get to the actors themselves and who better to start off with than Henry Cavill. His first big role since being announced as the next Superman, the actor proves himself a true movie star in the making. Which is good if you were worried about him playing an iconic character like Superman. Mickey Rourke plays King Hyperion as a man with a vengeance-filled heart. He is basically the definition of evil in this movie as he kills his own men when they fail him and gives off a senses of “you better be scared shit of me.” Freida Pinto does well with what she has, and her character seems to disappear at the end of the movie and Stephen Dorff character is bound to be many people favorite when they see him.

Luke Evans plays Zeus pretty well and you can tell he is torn in his decisions for most of the film. Isabel Lucas as Athena, Zeus daughter has limited screen time but the scenes she shares with her father Zeus is some of the best scenes and I wish there were more. Other gods in the movie are Kellan Luts (yes from the Twilight movies) as Poseidon, Daniel Sharman as Ares and Steve Byers as Heracles (although they never address them by name) all get their moment to shine, despite spending the majority of the film looking down at Earth from Mount Olympus.

All in all Tarsem’s Immortals created a beautiful and bloody mythological epic and while the story falls a bit and the movie does slows down a bit. However, Some people will find the movie a bit boring (which is understandable) but the visuals and the action that builds up from the very beginning it what really bring the movie together.

Immortals

4 out of 5

Drive Review

Director: Nicolas Winding Refn (Bronson)

Cast: Ryan Gosling, Carey Mulligan, Bryan Cranston, Albert Brooks, Ron Perlman, Oscar Issac, Christina Hendricks

Story: A Hollywood stunt performer who moonlights as a wheelman discovers that a contract has been put on him after a heist gone wrong.

Now I’m not going to lie despite the cast and how the trailers made the movie seem good, the director did a movie I really didn’t like, Valhalla Rising aka the ONLY movie I ever walked out of, so I was really split on whether I wanted to watch it but in the end I went to go see it and I’m glad I did. Also I want to mention people might think this movie is slow paced (in some cases it is) but the pacing actually makes this movie and despite it being a action thriller it is in some ways an art film.

Ryan Gosling stars as Driver, a Hollywood stunt performer and mechanic who on his off time is a getaway wheelman for criminals after their heists. He is also a man of strict professionalism; he will give his client five minutes of his time. What they wish to do in the moments leading up to those five minutes, or after them, is none of his concern. Driver’s skills are cleverly demonstrated in the opening scene that sets the tone for the rest of the movie but does not really follow the regular Hollywood action rules.

After making a connection and somewhat relationship with his next door neighbor Irene (Carey Mulligan) and her son, Driver attempts to protect them by helping out Irene’s ex-con husband who just gets released from prison (Oscar Isaac), whose family has been threatened by the mobsters that kept him out of danger in the jail. Of course it goes wrong and now Driver is in deep with gangsters Bernie (Albert Brooks) and Nino (Ron Perlman) who he has brief connection to them.

While the movie sounds like any other heist gone wrong films, Refn does a good job of making this movie is own giving his leading action-man the silent, silky scorpion jacket wearing and borderline awkward at times character but Gosling’s performance is so well done that the film’s sudden outbursts of extreme violence are powerful and cringe worthy. Also with the title like Drive the car chases are spread out through out the film. When they do happen it’s very loud and done for a reason (yes I know that sounds weird but trust me). Refn also give the film a European feel and it’s very clear with the feel and the way the camera is set up in certain scenes, this may be what makes the film so powerful and good.

Gosling and Mulligan have an incredible chemistry, which is weird considering how little they actually talk to each other. Each of them manage to say more with a glance or an awkward smile than long dialogue. Albert Brooks on the other hand, is the most talkative character in the film and has an intimidating attitude throughout the film. Ron Perlman is reliable as ever, and you can tell he has a lot of fun with his foul-mouthed gangster-role, and Bryan Cranston Shannon as Driver’s boss and friend is close to the heart of the film next to the Gosling/Mulligan arc.

Drive is a great combination of car-thrills, an excellent soundtrack, great performances and shocking violence and dare I say one of the best if not the best film of this year.

Drive

5 out of 5

Don’t be Afraid of the Dark Review

Director: Troy Nixey

Cast: Katie Holmes, Bailee Madison, and Guy Pearce

Plot: A young girl sent to live with her father and his new girlfriend discovers creatures in her new home who want to claim her as one of their own.

In a remake of a TV movie, Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark stars Guy Pearce and Katie Holmes as Alex and Kim, a couple living in a large, old, creepy looking home that Alex is restoring, when his young daughter Sally (Bailee Madison) comes to live with them. When we get to know Sally at first she’s a bit of a handful as she sees her dad with a new women but later becomes fascinated when she hears odd voices coming from hidden basement that Sally helped discover. Those noises turn out to be caused by small creatures living inside the house, who have been there for ages and who seem to want to be Sally’s friend but this is a movie so you can guess that’s not the real reason.

While he didn’t direct it, Guillermo del Toro’s (he produced and co-wrote) presence can be felt with a lot of those weird kinda creepy but still beautiful images and even has a bit of Pan’s Labyrinth feel to it. Of course, like all Del Toro films the creatures, who are eventually fully revealed about half way, are pretty fascinating creations, whose small size and speed make them pretty damn creepy.

Director Troy Nixey does a great job at setting up the scenes and getting the right mixture of creepiness as Sally finds out what these creatures are capable of. The movie is being advertised as a horror film the movie isn’t as scary as you think, it has its moments as you feel anxious for Sally when she’s alone in the dark. Holmes does okay as Kim, who is doing her best to connect with Sally. The always amazing Guy Pearce who plays Sally’s father Alex is the typical horror movie character who blows off all the signs about what is really going until it’s too late. But even though the movie has Pearce and Holmes the movie is delivered though Madison’s character and does an amazing job making us believe her performance as a little girl going from curious to terrified by her encounters with the creatures.

All in all though, Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark feels like any other Guillermo del Toro story with a haunted house with little creepy creatures. Along with Nixey’s directing skills of creating a perfect mood and atmosphere when the creatures attack, and they have many scenes when they do, the movie works very well in sending the audience home happy and scared of going home or buying an old fashion house.

Don’t be Afraid of the Dark

4 out of 5

Best Summer Movies in 2011

So another Summer Movie Season has gone by and it was filled with superhero films, remakes, comedies, etc. So the question is, what is the best or what are the best summer movies? Well I’ve put together a list to show you what I thought were the best movies of the summer. So let’s start off with the honorable mentions

Honorable Mentions

• Fright Night: Yes, the remake of a cult classic is on my list of best summer movies. Believe it or not the movie was actually quiet fun (for a remake) and falls into my surprise hits of the summer and so far the year (have 2 more but I’ll save those).
• Transformers: Dark of The Moon: Despite it not being the best movie on my list Transformers 3 does have its moments where I enjoyed it enough to put it on here. Give it to Transformers however, it was what we thought it was going to be, a summer action popcorn movie.
• Horrible Bosses: At first I wasn’t really that interested in seeing this but once I saw it I can’t believe I had those doubts. The movie had my laughing or at least giggling throughout the film. It was always fun seeing Colin Farrell in a different role than usual.
• Cowboys & Aliens: Although most people didn’t like it, I found C&A an enjoyable film that did a descent job of mixing the Western and Sci-Fi genres which has never really been done before.

• Don’t be Afraid of the Dark: Guillermo Del Toro has done yet another job of making something that is suppose to be creepy into something that is somewhat beautiful that can kill you (I know but that’s just the way I see it).

Now on the what I think are the best Summer Movies this year, please feel free to agree of disagree with me. (No order here)

• Thor: It not only was the first summer movie and the first comic book superhero movie, it was also a good way to start off the summer. Hemsworth did a great job playing the God of Thunder and had strong emotional scenes which is weird for a comic book summer movie.
• X-Men First Class: Yes another comic book movie in the best section list but it’s not because it’s the X-Men but because it told a great story on two characters (Xavier and Erik) and how they became friends to enemies. Also a great period film.
• Super 8: J.J Abrams is one of the few directors in Hollywood to keep movies pretty close to the chest (Cloverfield anyone) and he did it again with Super 8. However, the film was as strong when it didn’t have Abrams secret in it as well.
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2: The end of an era, childhood’s for most of us, came to close this year in one of the biggest openings to a movie that I can remember. HP delivered what many of us wanted and expected.
• Captain America: The First Avenger: The last comic book superhero movie to come out was one of the strongest. The movie had everything from action to good strong telling and love story. Of course this was the last Marvel film before we see the super team of The Avengers come to screens next summer.
• Attack the Block: A film that made the rounds in film festivals and eventually got limited release in theaters in various cities was a great low budget horror action comedy from the UK about aliens attacking a suburb in England. Highly recommend this movie when it comes out on DVD for all of you.
• Rise of the Planet of the Apes: The last great Summer Movie in my opinion did a amazing job of rebooting a series that has thought to be dead (Let’s just say Tim Burton’s version doesn’t exist okay). Andy Serkis does a great job of playing a CG character of Caesar that leads apes against humankind. It’s also rare that a movie is told through a CGI character that never talks and a director that has never done a big budget movie.

So there is my list. Do you agree of some or disagree? let me know

Rise of the Planet of the Apes Review

Director: Rupert Wyatt

Cast: James Franco, Freida Pinto, John Lithgow, Brian Cox, Tom Felton, David Oyelowo, and Andy Serkis

Plot: An origin story set in present day San Francisco, where man’s own experiments with genetic engineering lead to the development of intelligence in apes and the onset of a war for supremacy.

Even though it was back in the day before our advance computer effects and makeup the original Planet of the Apes movies were consider to be somewhat good movies and if you ask some they might have been ahead of it’s time (only some people by the way). Now I’ll admit I wasn’t really that excited at first about this movie mainly because I was only somewhat familiar  with the Planet of the Apes films and the plot seemed a little weird (it’s a reboot and remake at the same time but with it’s own origin story too, if that makes sense). After I saw the first trailer I knew it looked good and when Andy Serkis (Gollum from Lord of the Rings) was cast to not only play the REAL lead and do the motion capture, I was really interested.

I’ll start off with the talented Andy Serkis as Caesar the real protagonist of the film. Caesar receives great character development as he grows from a baby chimp to a grown human-like character to a confused and tortured soul, torn away from the only family he’s ever known, and then finally to an ape freedom fighter and leader. Also that’s not really a spoiler since they show in the trailers but trust me seeing that transformation is worth the price of your ticket alone. Serkis is one of those actors that people trust with mo-cop work and and his portray of Caesar is excellent and dare I say the best performance I’ve seen this year.

James “I kinda always look high” Franco is Will, a geneticist who is searching for a cure to Alzheimer’s. which is father played by John Lithgow, is suffering from. Will as we seen in the beginning is using an experimental drug on chimpanzees which is meant to repair brain cells but, as it turns out, is also giving the chimps heightened intelligence. After one ape, Bright Eyes (one of many references to the original series), goes berserk, the program is shut down by Will Greedy Boss Steven Jacobs (Oyelowo).

The thing is, prior to her outburst, Bright Eyes had given birth to a baby that no one knew about (Caesar). Will, seeing that the chimps are being put down, sneaks the baby home (not willing) with him and winds up raising it. The years pass, and Will attempts to rebuild his cure program after seeing Caesar doing so well. Meanwhile, Caesar, now able to communicate through sign language, is clearly a very special ape, but is still an ape living among humans (tell me that wouldn’t be weird to see). Eventually he winds up in a nasty primate sanctuary run by the always reliable Brian Cox and his son Tom Felton (who plays yet another douche bag), he must learn to live among his fellow apes.

Now this is where the movie picks up you truly feel for Caesar and some of the other apes are feeling in this horrible place that is suppose to be some sort of sanctuary. This point of the movie places on a somewhat silent movie and we observe what the other apes go through and what lead Caesar into eventually becoming man’s worst fear. It’s also there were we the people that know the original movies start to see the references (because it is after all a reboot/remake movie). Some of them are more obvious than others (sort of) while others you might have to think a bit (if you don’t catch them you can ask me later ). However, even for me I felt that those lines were kinda rushed or even a little silly and didn’t have the same effect as it had before.

So now that I mention it the apes are the real stars of this movie you don’t really care that much for the humans after the second half. You actually start rooting for the apes when they take over at the end sequence which is really cool by the way. Freida Pinto (Slumdog Millionaire) shows up as Caesar’s vet and Franco’s  love interest but that’s pretty much all she’s there for.

Rise of the Planet of the Apes is a great summer movie and great movie overall and while some might prefer the original (some people might) to this one I still highly recommend it.

Rise of the Planet of the Apes

5 out of 5

Cowboys & Aliens Review

Director:Jon Favreau

Cast: Daniel Craig, Harrison Ford, Olivia Wilde, Sam Rockwell, Adam Beach

Plot: A stranger with no memory of his past stumbles into the hard desert town of Absolution. The only hint to his history is a mysterious shackle that encircles one wrist that isn’t man made.

Now before I do the review I want to say something. Ever since the trailer to this came out people have been saying this movie looks stupid or even worse saying it doesn’t make sense like saying “But the aliens are going to win duh” and what I want to say to those people is…are you fucking kidding me? I’m sorry I thought you go to the movies to enjoy what you’re watching on screen (or not). Thinking that EVERY movie has to make sense is really stupid because people seem to like the true story of transforming alien robots coming to save the world. We go to the movies to lose ourselves not question everything we see on screen (well sometimes but not all the time anyway). So lets get to review

Cowboys & Aliens is loosely based on a graphic novel of the same name, is a sci-fi/western mashup set in the Arizona Territory and follows Jake Lonergan (Daniel Craig), a gunslinger who wakes up in the middle of nowhere with a futuristic gauntlet on his arm and no idea of how it got there. He eventually arrives in Absolution, a small town where meets preacher Meacham (Clancy Brown) and comes to the aid of saloon owner Doc (Sam Rockwell) who is being harassed by young thug Percy Dolarhyde (Paul Dano) and his cronies (including Adam Beach). Later he is approached by the Ella (Olivia Wilde) who like Jake is a little mysterious and who knows more about Jake’s gauntlet than he does. But before Jake can get any answers, Sheriff Taggart (Keith Carradine) and his deputies come to arrest him. It turns out Jake is quite the outlaw who, although he has no memory of it, allegedly stole from the all-powerful local rancher (and Percy’s badass dad) Colonel Woodrow Dolarhyde (Harrison Ford).

Before Dolarhyde can take Jake away to punish him distant lights signal the sudden and violent arrival of the alien invaders. The brutal attack on Absolution plays out really well with the alien ships destroying the town and abducting some of its inhabitants before Jake destroys one of the spacecraft with his strange gauntlet. This otherworldly threat forces Jake and Dolarhyde to team up and take Ella, Doc, Meachum and Taggart’s grandson, Emmett (Noah Ringer) to rescue the townsfolk. Of course this is a western  so along the way, they join meet up and eventually forces with Apaches who have encountered the aliens as well.

Now don’t be fooled by the title (like other people are) this is at most times a straightforward western, with elements of the sci-fi genre. In fact like alot of zombies movies (not that I’m comparing the two genres) the word alien is never mentioned. In fact alot of people see the aliens as either demons or a curse in some way.

Now on the cast, Craig is as always cool playing a man of a few words trying to figure out why he’s in this mess while Wilde’s character Ella is more of a presence than her underwritten role provides, however she does have a very important role in the movie next to Craig. But it’s Ford who is the one most people will probably be watching, primarily because he’s such a bastard or badass for most of the movie. Rockwell and Beach do a pretty good job playing his supporting role and both have their moments to shine in the movie. The aliens themselves are not something we haven’t seen before (expect for maybe one thing) they’re big greenish monsters. Also some people might find why the aliens are here kinda ridiculous but like I said it’s a movie just enjoy it.

Cowboys & Aliens is fun overall and some might like the western aspect more than the aliens and other it might be the other way around. However, as far as summer popcorn flicks go, Cowboys & Aliens gives us a bit of originality in a season of sequels/reboots/remakes etc.

Cowboys & Aliens

4 out of 5

Captain America: The First Avenger Review

Director: Joe Johnston

Cast: Chris Evans, Hayley Atwell, Sebastian Stan, Tommy Lee Jones, Hugo Weaving, Dominic Cooper and Stanley Tucci

Plot: After being deemed unfit for military service, Steve Rogers volunteers for a top secret research project that turns him into Captain America, a superhero dedicated to defending America’s ideals.

The summer of comic book movies continues with the all American hero Captain America himself and is played by comic book movie veteran Chris Evans who did a good job so suck it up fanboys who were displeased with his casting. Anyway, Captain America: The First Avenger is a true blue summer movie that delivers on everything promised in its trailers which some don’t really follow.  However, it does not mean that it is the best comic book movie made (maybe even this year) but it’s still a damn good movie. It’s a summer movie adventure whose story takes place across a few years and several locations but just because it’s Captain America and takes place during World War 2 doesn’t necessarily mean it’s a war film.

Now while most to all superheroes generally have the same origin story idea it’s Marvel that does a fantastic job of making the transformation of Cap’s origin  story and eventually sets up the plot of The Avengers next year

The first time we see Steve Rogers (Evans) is in New York City and Evans does a great job with getting us to like his character even when he’s getting his ass kicked in an alley until he’s saved by his good friend “Bucky” Barns (Stan) who if you read the comic books know who his character becomes. The relationship between to the two is clearly there with the two being good friends even a brotherly bond. While the two are at what is the early Stark Expo, even seeing Howard Stark (Cooper) which I’ll get to later but first lets get to  Dr. Erskine played by the always good Stanley Tucci who is head of the Super Solider program and an early mentor to Rogers. Erskine’s also gives us the back story of Johann Schmidt, AKA Red Skull (Weaving) which gets some descent amount of screen time. Early in the film we see Schmidt get the all-powerful Cosmic Cube which gives his endless supply HYDRA henchmen with armed canon weapons.

Besides Evans and Weaving the rest of the cast  includes The (never named) Howling Commandos, whom Cap breaks out of a POW camp. Most of their action is shown to an enjoyable montage (cause come on every movie needs a good montage) showcasing their explosive brand of field ops alongside Cap, and the scene is one of the movie’s best. It’s a testament to how much Johnston and the actors sincerely like these characters that they feel fully realized, despite their limited screentime. Of course we can’t forget Tommy Lee Jones who plays Army Colonel Phillips overseeing Captain America in action, and getting most of the film’s best lines. Then there’s the love interest of Hayley Atwell’s Peggy Carter which gives a believable and satisfying romantic arc to the movie which some comic book movie seem to avoid but if you don’t believe me the one moment by the end of the film shows this.

Now every movie has a weak link (or a few) this one was its Red Skull but not that bad. Red Skull is a little underdeveloped but is still a scary aspect (red face usually does it). He spends more time planning his death plan for the world. Another is Howard Stark, however he’s isn’t as bad as Red Skull, even though he does have good amount of screen time I felt that maybe they would have done more than just have him be the tech guy and bit playboy-e

Captain America: The First Avenger is one of those movies that either you really like or really hate. Also with this being the last Marvel movie before The Avengers it truly is one to see. Captain America is just a great film that just so happens to be a comic book movie. Also, STAY FOR THE CREDITS, why? Because the first teaser for next years The Avengers that’s why.

Captain America: The First Avenger

4.5 out of 5

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 Review

Director: David Yates

Cast: Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, Alan Rickerman, Ralph Fiennes

Plot: The final chapter begins as Harry, Ron, and Hermione continue their quest of finding and destroying the Dark Lord’s three remaining Horcruxes, the magical items responsible for his immortality. But as the mystical Deathly Hallows are uncovered, and Voldemort finds out about their mission, the biggest battle begins and life as they know it will never be the same again

Well it’s the end of an era as the last Harry Potter movies are now over. For some of us the Harry Potter movies have been our childhood and has a close part in our hearts. Of course the Harry Potter series will go down as one of the most profitable movie and book series in history. So let’s just get the review.

The film starts where Part 1 left off, with Harry, Ron and Hermione hunting down the Horcruxes, which of course items have parts of Voldemort soul, and the three Deathly Hallows which Voldemort believes will grant mastery over death. Lucky for us the movie stars the action pretty quick in Gringotts Bank where, with the help of tricky goblin Griphook (Warwick Davis), they must pull off the most dangerous of heist that involves a rollercoaster set-piece and a giant fire-breathing dragon.

It’s then back to Hogwarts for the final time but it’s not the fun and magical place it use to be but dark place that seems a little like a stronghold, with Death Eaters controlling the school, Dementors floating around and Severus Snape as the new headmaster. However, that doesn’t stop Harry, Ron and Hermione to go back and join a resistance at the school that sets the stage for the final war, with the teachers and pupils preparing to take a last stand against the forces of evil.

The second half of the film is what we all have been waiting for the one huge and long battle. How huge you ask? Well, the school is in ruins with broomstick escapes to explosions going on but one of the coolest scenes for me was t with Professor McGonagall casting a spell that sends the school’s silent stone sentries into battle.

The series has always had great effects and this one is no different but within all the movies it’s the small moments that make the movies great and this one is no different. One that stands out is fan favorite Neville Longbottom finding his inner badass. However, one of the best if not the best scene in the movie is the dramatic revelation of Harry’s destiny that gives us the real background of many characters and gives Alan Rickman who plays Snape delivering the film’s stand-out performance as this most ambiguous of characters.

This final instalment asks a lot of the young actors but they seem to hold their own but there’s not that much more development (at least for me) from them. Radcliffe has always been the center piece of the series and since Goblet of Fire there has been a building towards the fight between Harry and Voldemort, and yet when the pair finally commence hurling spells at each other in a fight to the death and Voldemort bitch slapping Harry, the moment felt a little rushed. Yes, if they dragged it out it might not have worked but I still liked the scene.

Director David Yates, who is the best Harry Potter movie director brought closure to the series by allowing the majority of the cast have their moments but their were sometimes that I felt could have been better explained or expanded but that could have been screenwriter Steven Kloves decisions. In spite of this the film remains a great finale to franchise. A movie about faith, friendship, loyalty and love, the movies have done justice to J.K. Rowling’s remarkable books and Deathly Hallows Part Two might be the best of the movies for some people but not for me but does come very very close.

The movie ends on a high note of sorts and may have fans crying like children watching the finale moments of our childhood fade to black with the famous music we all know.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2

4.5 out 5