The Avengers (2012)

Superhero movies have been around for a long time, from the movies to movie serials to television series, mini-series, etc., and through all of that there have been more misses than hits and very few grand slams. The source for superhero stories has always been comic strips and comic books, and variations of those items, but with the well being so deep, and so full of great story telling it has taken the leaps in technology to really bring these tales to an audience that truly loves them. As technology has gotten better, so has the content of the movies that the film makers have been able to show us on the screen.

As Earth is being readied for an alien invasion, S.H.I.E.L.D. calls upon its mightiest heroes to ready for the fight of their lives to save the world. Using earlier films, Iron Man, Captain America, Thor and The Incredible Hulk, as the origin stories there is no need for rehashing setups in this film since we’re already familiar with the characters. With Joss Whedon in the director’s chair, and at the writer’s helm, we’re given a strong, thoughtful and invigorating movie that even non superhero fans will enjoy. Just like the comic book that spawned this film, the blending of action, drama, suspense and comedy are so well mixed and so well defined it would be near impossible to take anything away from this tour de force except the feelings of amazement and awe. The same way we felt when we opened those comics of old and saw those colors splashed on the pages in front of us.

Wow, Wow, Wow!!!!!! The movie about the Earth’s Mightiest Heroes is by far the mightiest superhero movie made so far, all of the others pale in comparison. This is the first movie in years that actually lives up to all the hype that has been thrown out there. Marvel Studios has proven once again that they know how to make a movie about the one thing that they know the most about, and have perfected over the years: Superheroes. A question was raised by someone if it was necessary to watch the 5 previous films before seeing this one, I honestly don’t think so this movie does stand on its own, but there is a lot of back story in those films which is helpful to the audience. One last thing I must say, this movie also proves what a movie theater is for, the action packed, special effects driven, summer blockbuster, and this movie is all of that and more.

J. Edgar

Movies that are based on true events or labeled as biopics have a greater responsibility than just telling a story, they have to entertain. So in the instance of entertainment is Hollywood to blame if they have to embellish the story for entertainment values. I think not, most stories about people’s lives are a little mundane and need a little beefing up in order for an audience to enjoy sitting through it. Here we have the story of one of the most pivotal figures in law enforcement, J. Edgar Hoover and his rise and fall from power. Unlike other films of this genre like The Queen, which covers one event in the life of the character, this film deals with the majority of his adult life and how he preserved it.

The life and times of J. Edgar Hoover, from the build up and creation of the FBI to the backroom dealings that gave him the power that he so craved. The story alone in entertaining to a point, but the added action moves the plot along quicker, told through the writing of Hover’s memoirs. One of the best aspects of this film is the makeup job that is applied to Leonardo DiCaprio; he truly looks as if he’s aged from his twenties to his seventies. The other star of this film is truly the director, Clint Eastwood; he is able flesh out the characters and the scenery in a way that the audience does not get lost in the leaping in time. Through the writing of the memoirs we are transported from the 1920s to the 1970s, and with the flawless direction and seamless editing we do not lose track of where we are or who we’re watching.

As biopics go this film is more involved than most with less exaggeration than most, it has an air about it that shows just enough to peak the audiences interest but also holds back enough as not to overwhelm. With all of the biopics that have come out over the past few years there are but a few that can be said to be worth watching repeatedly, this is one of them.

Captain Sinbad (1963)

Fantasy films have come a long way from the early days of film making and over the years a few names have become synonymous with the genre. The adventurous stories about the sea voyages of Sinbad have been around for centuries. Different incantations have been seen and with each new version the audience is treated to new and amazing sights. Here we’re given a vehicle for Guy Williams, known for his television roles in Zorro and Lost in Space, that unfortunately does nothing to expand his acting ability but to show that he is very adapt to the action hero role.

Captain Sinbad returns home only to have to battle the dark forces of an evil tyrant who has kidnapped the beautiful princess. Even though a far superior Sinbad film was made in 1958 by Columbia Pictures, in 1963 King Brothers Productions chose to use poor special effects and cheap set design to carry this version. Even though marketed towards a younger audience, the effects don’t carry this fantasy tale where the audience’s attentions are focused. Through the whole film there are a couple effects that do work, the ship being bombarded with huge boulders and the giant hand protecting the tyrants heart. But even for a kids film the acting is stale and the battles seem a little too planned out.

There are many fantasy films out there, old and new, that have strong merits to be watched, and they should be watched by audiences young and old. Fantasy films help expand imaginations and keep them vibrant, and with an imagination that is always in motion your horizons are always changing and becoming more adventurous.   

The Adventures of Tintin (2011)

Computer generated animation that is used today seems to be getting better and better as time goes on. But just because you use new and better technology doesn’t mean you’ll have a hit film on your hands, you still need a strong plot and an enjoyable story. Both of which are lost with this movie. Usually when dealing with a long time source of material, as we have here with the Tintin comics, you would think that a strong and enjoyable movie would be made. Even with big names attached to the feature, Steven Spielberg, Peter Jackson, Daniel Craig, couldn’t save it from the failure heap.
The well known journalist Tintin is dragged into an adventure that could solve a centuries old mystery of pirate treasure. Even with top of the line computer animation the people don’t quite look real, which is fine since the characters are straight from the comics, but it draws your attention away from some of the other things that are going on in the scenes. Where this film is supposed to be an action movie you would think that the sequences would be stronger and faster paced, here they just seem planned and contrite.

This film proves the fact that you can’t have a hit every time you make a film, and the two biggest names attached here, Spielberg and Jackson, know this all too well. Maybe the next time around they’ll do better but for now this isn’t worth the time or effort to watch.

X-Men Trilogy

This trilogy is one the best franchises to come out of Hollywood in years, with over forty years of source material to work with what do you expect. With the success of this movie series, it single handedly saved the future of other comic book stories to be transferred onto film. Not that I was a big X-Men fan but this series has revived the feeling that the action/fantasy/sci-fi movie is not dead and will possibly live out us all.
X-Men-With the partnering of CGI effects and actors with the talent to flesh out these characters this was a flawless shot to the moon. The story was perfect to show the fear and loathing between the Humans and the Mutants, and with just a hint of the back story for Wolverine wetted my appetite for more. With actors like Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen leading these Mutants, the acting caliber is raised each time they walk into a scene, and the bar just keeps going higher. The fight sequences are classics from the comics and the expanse of the Marvel X-Men universe shows that any future movies would be rich in content and action.
X-2: X-Men United-The biggest thing that any sequel needs to do is keep things fresh but not to stray to far from the original concept that the audience gets lost. This movie basically picks up where the first one ends and that's the one of the best parts here, you could watch both films back to back and its as if there is no break in between. The other thing that this movie does very well and that's introducing new characters, and some of the best ones are seen here. Sometimes the introduction of someone new distorts the plot line, but here the characters just enhance the story.
X-3: The Last Stand-There were a lot of fears about this movie not the least of which was the change of directors, but the that doesn't take away from the fact that this is a very good movie. The further development of the core characters works here, but the killing off of some of them was not a good call. Since the X-Men universe is so large and populated by such an array of characters it is understandable that more new characters were introduced in this movie and others not brought back. The action sequences, especially the Danger Room, are superbly done and the visual effects are so flawless that they look as real as can be.
The large fan base that these movies are geared towards should be satisfied with the results that these three movies have brought. It has created a franchise and along with it a movie genre that was thought to be dead and regulated to television. But with the success of the X-Men series we will be seeing more and more comic book stories turned into movies.

Wedding Crashers

This movie shows how far you can get on a good lie, as long as you don't have to improvise to much along the way. The situations that are presented here are just the kind of things that two long time buddies would want to be a part of. Women, booze, parties, and more women are exactly what any red blooded male would want and this is almost a handbook on the correct path for this goal. After years of crashing weddings, love finally strikes down and flounders the crashers at a high profile wedding of a politicians daughter. The three standout actors in this comedy are Owen Wilson, Vince Vaughn and Christopher Walken, who plays a great politician who seems oblivious to his families dysfunctions. Also keep your eyes open for Jane Seymour, she's the sexy wife to Walken's politician, and after all these years she's still a knockout. The family itself is so close to believability it's scary, from the undersexed wife to the oversexed daughter to the Goth son, who just happens to be a closet homosexual, to the elderly mother who seems to have had an affair with President Franklin Roosevelt, at times its just a little to close to home. Because it seems so real, the situations that occur are just that much more hilarious, and at times you'll be laughing so hard your sides will hurt.
This film was everything that I thought it would be, I laughed almost nonstop from beginning to end and the ending leaves enough open that a sequel is completely possible. After watching this movie you just might get the idea that you and a buddy or two should go out and crash a few weddings, but just remember never get emotionally involved and always, always have a solid back story.

Lucky Number Slevin

When crime thrillers are done right they are very good and you never see the twists and turns coming until its to late, this is one of those films. With heavy hitters like Bruce Willis, Morgan Freeman and Ben Kingsley you see characters that are almost tailor made for the actors, and having Josh Hartnet in the title role is just about as perfect as you can get. What starts out as a mistaken identity movie turns into a revenge film in the blink of an eye, and the twists don't end until the credits begin.An identity mix-up places an unsuspecting man, Slevin, into the middle of a mob war. The way that the camera angles are shot is superb, you're not suppose to know the identity of the actors at different points in the film and it works towards the final scenes when everything is revealed. Once you get sucked into the story its hard to look away, because if you do you may miss an important piece to the puzzle. Bruce Willis as the cold blooded killer is great he is at the top of his game here. Morgan Freeman and Ben Kingsley as the feuding crime bosses are perfect, the bitterness that each actor portrays from their character works to the point that neither wants to help each other at the very end.
The guessing that goes on in your head through out the entire movie helps with the storyline because once you think that you've got a solid theory it gets knocked down with the next scene. This is one of those movies that after you've seen it, you're going to want to watch it again just to see if there were things that you missed the first time around. Rent it or buy it, but see it, because it will be one of the best thrillers you see in a long time.