The main reason I wanted to see this was because of Joel Edgerton. I've been a big fan of his every since I saw him in Warrior last year. Plus I saw the trailer for this awhile back and it looked cute. Certainly a lot better than the crap Disney seems to put out lately.
This movie is about a married couple named Jim (Joel Edgerton) & Cindy (Jennifer Garner) Green. They live in a beautiful small town (can't remeber the name of it but apparently it's the pencil capital of the world) and seem to have a perfect life except for one thing- they're unable to have a child of their own. One night over a bottle of wine, they write down what they hope their child would have been like and bury these notes in the backyard in their garden. A few hours later, a 10 year old boy shows up in their house covered in dirt. His name is Timothy and right away he starts calling them Mom & Dad. Timothy seems to have literally grown from the garden. He even has leaves on his legs. Is it silly & ridiculous? Yes, but this is fantasy & a Disney movie kind of just have to go with it. Timothy is basically the perfect child and almost everyone seems to accept him as Jim & Cindy's son. He makes an impression on anyone he meets.
I found the whole story to be very sweet & charming. It's clearly aimed at kids (I'd say maybe older ones) but adults can enjoy it as well. Infact, at the showing I went to there seemed to be more adults than kids.
The characters overall were likeable. Joel was great as usual and it was nice to see him in a family movie like this. Even Jennifer Garner was good (I'm not realy the biggest fan of her as an actress) and seemed to have decent chemistry with Joel. Of course the big scene stealer was the little boy playing Timothy (CJ Adams). He was just adorable and really looked like he could be Joel & Jennifer's kid. My only big complaint was that I wish they had developed some of the characters better (specifically the minor ones). I found them really interesting and would haved liked to known more about them.
The musical score was absoluetly beautiful and really seemed to fit with the movie. I'll definetly be putting it on my iPod at some point.
While far from perfect, The Odd Life of Timothy Green is an enjoyable movie that's very sweet and something the whole family can enjoy. Just be sure to bring plenty of tissues because it's also quite the tearjerker at times. I haven't cried like that at a movie in awhile. Still, I highly recommend it :)
My Rating: 8/10
Sunday, August 26, 2012
Saturday, July 21, 2012
The Dark Knight Rises (IMAX)
First, I’d like to
take a moment to send my thoughts & prayers out to the people of Aurora,
Colorado affected by this horrific tragedy. It’s sad that you can’t even go to
a movie anymore without worrying whether or not you’ll make it home alive.
SPOILER ALERT: There may be some slight spoilers in my
review. While I don’t consider them to be spoilers (everything I’ll talk about
as far as the plot goes appears in the trailers) some people might. There is
however a MAJOR spoiler if you haven’t seen The Dark Knight. But that movie has
been out for 4 years and if you haven’t seen it by now… what the hell is wrong
with you? :p You’ve been warned.
It’s finally here!!! I’ve been looking forward to The Dark
Knight Rises for a long time. I remember seeing the first trailer for it back
last summer when I went to the midnight screening of Harry Potter & the Deathly
Hallows part 2. I jumped in my seat and couldn’t contain my excitement. Now
that I’ve seen the movie in its entirety, what’s the verdict? Well, it sucked…..
Just kidding! The Dark Knight Rises was AMAZING!! Everything
I hoped it would be and then some. A fitting conclusion to an epic trilogy.
The Dark Knight Rises takes place 8 years after the events
of The Dark Knight. Batman had taken the fall for Harvey Dent’s crimes and the
city of Gotham now seems peaceful. Of course this is all based on a lie. Jim
Gordon (played by the brilliant Gary Oldman) is sort of the facilitator of
this. He’s one of the few people who know what really happened. Meanwhile,
Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) has been living as a recluse, a shadow of his
former self. But he’s forced to come out of retirement when a new threat, the villainous
Bane (Tom Hardy) comes into the picture hell bent on destroying Gotham.
Bruce/Batman is aided by the ever loyal Alfred (Michael Caine), Lucious Fox
(Morgan Freeman), Jim Gordon, as well as rookie cop John Blake (Joseph
Gordon-Levitt) and Wayne Enterprises board member Miranda Tate (Marion
Cotillard).
Christopher Nolan is truly one of the greatest directors out
there. While his films may not always be perfect, he puts his heart and soul
into them. I’ve loved his approach to Batman throughout this trilogy. This last
one in particular is very dark (probably the darkest of the three) and
emotional. I found myself tearing up several times. But I enjoyed every minute
of it. The movie is nearly 3 hours long, but it sure didn’t feel like it. I was
never bored nor did I feel like it dragged. Especially in the last third of the
movie with one of the most amazing, breathtaking action/showdown sequences I’ve
seen in years. My jaw dropped.
The acting was stellar. It goes without saying that
Christian Bale is excellent and in my opinion is the best Batman. What I loved
the most besides him kicking ass as the caped crusader is his quieter moments
as Bruce Wayne. You can really feel his pain and see the affect all of this has
had on his characters’ life.
Of course, I was most
looking forward to seeing Tom Hardy (whom I’m a HUGE fan of) as Bane and I wasn’t
disappointed. I never doubted for a minute that he could play Bane. He blew me
away with his performance. It was chilling, terrifying, and powerful at the
same time. That’s definitely not a bad thing. He’s virtually unrecognizable
(which shows you how great an actor he is that he can transform himself like
that), wearing this Hannibal Lector type mask for pretty much the entire film.
Tom Hardy shows more emotion with just his eyes than most actors do whose face
isn’t covered by a mask. I’m so happy his career is taking off. He’s definitely
going to be around for years to come. Getting back to his character, I liked
how Bane is Batman’s equal both physically and mentally. As the two of them
battled it out, it scared the crap out of me. It’s the first time you feel like
this might not end well for Batman. On a side note, I know some people have
complained about Bane’s voice over the last several months, specifically when
the prologue was released. The fixed it some in post-production. And while I
may have missed a few words here and there, overall I understood him just fine.
One more thing, even though Bane is this truly evil character, I found myself
strangely attracted to him. He’s got a body like you wouldn’t believe, but I
think it’s mostly because I know behind that mask there’s a really good looking
guy. Okay, enough of me gushing over Tom Hardy. Moving on…
I know many were skeptical about Anne Hathaway (who I like
as an actress overall) when she was cast Selina Kyle/Catwoman, but I trust
Christopher Nolan and knew he wouldn’t have chosen her unless he knew she was
right for it. And I think she does a good job.
The action sequences (especially at the end) were spectacular.
Batman’s gadgets/vehicles were kick ass as well. Especially his new flying
vehicle called The Bat. Wow :o
This movie was meant to be seen in IMAX (if you’re lucky
enough to live near an IMAX theater I highly recommend going to see it this
way). A good portion of the movie was shot with those special IMAX cameras and
it looks stunning.
Hans Zimmer is back with another beautiful musical score
that sends chills through me every time I listen to it. I’ve already added it
to my iPod and have listened to it repeatedly over the last few days.
I could go on for days about how good The Dark Knight Rises
is. It’s pretty flawless as far as I’m concerned. I know there’s still 5 months
left to go in the year, but this is my absolute favorite movie of 2012 (and one
of my favorites of all time). I seriously doubt anything will be able to top it
when I make my top ten list at the end of the year.
Thank you Christopher Nolan for creating such an epic
trilogy. There aren’t too many truly well made films anymore and you’ve managed
to create such masterpieces that will be remembered for years to come. I look
forward to seeing more from you in the future.
I feel sorry for the person who directs the eventual Batman
reboot. There’s no way in hell they will ever be able to top what Christopher
Nolan has done.
My Rating: 10/10
Saturday, July 7, 2012
The Amazing Spiderman
I hadn't really planned on seeing this movie. I've never been a big Spiderman fan (as some of you know, I'm more of a Batman girl) and I wasn't impressed with the first trailer I saw. But after seeing the more recent trailers I thought I'd give it a chance. I'm glad I did :)
Like many people, I wasn't crazy about the Spiderman franchise beeing rebooted so soon. It's only been I think five years since the last Spiderman movie. What's the point?
Having said that, I did enjoy the story even though there are many similarities between this and the Toby McGuire version.
I'm not even going to bother explaining the plot since most people are familiar with the story behind how Peter Parker became Spiderman (and if not you can Google it).
What impressed me the most about this movie was the acting. Overall everyone gave amazing performances and I really enjoyed watching the characters. I think Andrew Garield was a good choice to play Peter Parker/Spiderman. I've been a fan of his since I saw him in The Social Network (a movie I highly recommend if you haven't already seen it). I actually like his version of the character better than Toby's. He and Emma Stone (who I'm a fan of as well. She plays Peter's love interest Gwen Stacy.) had amazing chemistry. Their scenes together were probably my favorite part of the whole movie. Even if the dialog was a bit cheesy, even cringeworthy at times. But that's to be expected in a movie like this. Rhys Ifans plays Dr. Curt Connors/The Lizard. He's a great actor and I always enjoy seeing him onscreen.
My only major complaint was the visual effects for The Lizard. Boy were they bad! This movie had a $200 million plus budget and this was the best they could do? I've seen movies with a tenth of that budget that looked better. That was the only part of the visuals that was lacking though. The movie overall looked gorgeous. I saw it in regualar 2D (I wasn't sure if I wanted to pay the extra money this time around) so I can't comment if the 3D was any good. But I can tell you the 2D version looked just fine.
While I still don't think a reboot was necessary, I enjoyed The Amazing Spiderman for what it was- a fun, entertaining summer movie. It's good but not great. The acting is what really sold me on it. If you're into these types of movies definitely check it out. Oh and be sure to stay during the credits. There's a small scene that kind of sets up the eventual sequel.
My Rating: 8/10
Like many people, I wasn't crazy about the Spiderman franchise beeing rebooted so soon. It's only been I think five years since the last Spiderman movie. What's the point?
Having said that, I did enjoy the story even though there are many similarities between this and the Toby McGuire version.
I'm not even going to bother explaining the plot since most people are familiar with the story behind how Peter Parker became Spiderman (and if not you can Google it).
What impressed me the most about this movie was the acting. Overall everyone gave amazing performances and I really enjoyed watching the characters. I think Andrew Garield was a good choice to play Peter Parker/Spiderman. I've been a fan of his since I saw him in The Social Network (a movie I highly recommend if you haven't already seen it). I actually like his version of the character better than Toby's. He and Emma Stone (who I'm a fan of as well. She plays Peter's love interest Gwen Stacy.) had amazing chemistry. Their scenes together were probably my favorite part of the whole movie. Even if the dialog was a bit cheesy, even cringeworthy at times. But that's to be expected in a movie like this. Rhys Ifans plays Dr. Curt Connors/The Lizard. He's a great actor and I always enjoy seeing him onscreen.
My only major complaint was the visual effects for The Lizard. Boy were they bad! This movie had a $200 million plus budget and this was the best they could do? I've seen movies with a tenth of that budget that looked better. That was the only part of the visuals that was lacking though. The movie overall looked gorgeous. I saw it in regualar 2D (I wasn't sure if I wanted to pay the extra money this time around) so I can't comment if the 3D was any good. But I can tell you the 2D version looked just fine.
While I still don't think a reboot was necessary, I enjoyed The Amazing Spiderman for what it was- a fun, entertaining summer movie. It's good but not great. The acting is what really sold me on it. If you're into these types of movies definitely check it out. Oh and be sure to stay during the credits. There's a small scene that kind of sets up the eventual sequel.
My Rating: 8/10
Saturday, June 30, 2012
Magic Mike
Damn!! :o :o There really are no other words to describe how much fun I had watching this.
Everyone has been talking about Magic Mike lately. A movie about hot male strippers? Sign me up!
Honestly, there isn't much of a plot. It's not one of those movies. Apparently it's loosely based on Channing's real life experiences when he was 19.
It's hot guys dancing on stage for almost two hours. I'm not complaining of course hehe. That's what I paid to see. But basically the movie revolves around a guy named Mike (Channing Tatum), a 30 year old who by day is a construction worker and by night works as a male stripper in a popular Tampa club. Of course, this is only temporary (even though he's been stripping for about 6 years) while he saves up to start his own furniture buisness. One day on a construction job he meets a messed up 19 year old named Adam (Alex Pettyfer, who was in that god awful Beastly movie but in this he's somewhat tolerable). Mike introduces him into the stripper world, taking him under his wing. Adam quickly becomes a sucess. Tossed into the mix is Adam's caring, protective sister Brooke (Cody Horn, who couldn't act if her life depended on it and seemed to have only one facial expression throughout the whole movie) who's really only there to be Channing's love intrest.
The director of Magic Mike is Stephen Soderbergh. He's good at getting amazing performances out of any actor, even if the actor isn't necessarily that great. I'll admit I'm not really a big Channing Tatum fan (don't get me wrong, he's nice to look at and I would totally sleep with him if given the chance) but I really liked his character. Matthew McConaughey plays Dallas, the owner of the strip club where Mike works. I was surprised at how good he was (McConaughey's perormances are usually hit or miss for me). It's one of his best performances in recent memory. He looked like he was having a blast filming this.
The best part about this, of course, was the dance sequences. I give a lot of credit to whoever choreographed this movie. I kept watching it thinking "Damn, how the hell can those guys move like THAT?". I thought I was going to have a heart attack at times right there in the theater. The performances were that hot.
The movie does seemed to drag a bit in the last half though. It was like, this story is interesting and all, but when are you going to get back to the guys stripping on stage?
My one complaint about Stephen Soderbergh as a director is he always seems to use this ugly yellow tint in his movies. Luckily in Magic Mike he only uses it in certain scenes but still... it's distracting.
If it wasn't for all the eye candy, my rating would be slightly lower. But I really did have a good time.
It's obviously geared towards women and gay men. I just can't picture a straight guy going to see this unless he's being dragged there by his wife/girlfriend.
If you're looking for something fun to do on a girls night out, go see Magic Mike. You won't be dissapointed ;)
My Rating: 7.5/10
Everyone has been talking about Magic Mike lately. A movie about hot male strippers? Sign me up!
Honestly, there isn't much of a plot. It's not one of those movies. Apparently it's loosely based on Channing's real life experiences when he was 19.
It's hot guys dancing on stage for almost two hours. I'm not complaining of course hehe. That's what I paid to see. But basically the movie revolves around a guy named Mike (Channing Tatum), a 30 year old who by day is a construction worker and by night works as a male stripper in a popular Tampa club. Of course, this is only temporary (even though he's been stripping for about 6 years) while he saves up to start his own furniture buisness. One day on a construction job he meets a messed up 19 year old named Adam (Alex Pettyfer, who was in that god awful Beastly movie but in this he's somewhat tolerable). Mike introduces him into the stripper world, taking him under his wing. Adam quickly becomes a sucess. Tossed into the mix is Adam's caring, protective sister Brooke (Cody Horn, who couldn't act if her life depended on it and seemed to have only one facial expression throughout the whole movie) who's really only there to be Channing's love intrest.
The director of Magic Mike is Stephen Soderbergh. He's good at getting amazing performances out of any actor, even if the actor isn't necessarily that great. I'll admit I'm not really a big Channing Tatum fan (don't get me wrong, he's nice to look at and I would totally sleep with him if given the chance) but I really liked his character. Matthew McConaughey plays Dallas, the owner of the strip club where Mike works. I was surprised at how good he was (McConaughey's perormances are usually hit or miss for me). It's one of his best performances in recent memory. He looked like he was having a blast filming this.
The best part about this, of course, was the dance sequences. I give a lot of credit to whoever choreographed this movie. I kept watching it thinking "Damn, how the hell can those guys move like THAT?". I thought I was going to have a heart attack at times right there in the theater. The performances were that hot.
The movie does seemed to drag a bit in the last half though. It was like, this story is interesting and all, but when are you going to get back to the guys stripping on stage?
My one complaint about Stephen Soderbergh as a director is he always seems to use this ugly yellow tint in his movies. Luckily in Magic Mike he only uses it in certain scenes but still... it's distracting.
If it wasn't for all the eye candy, my rating would be slightly lower. But I really did have a good time.
It's obviously geared towards women and gay men. I just can't picture a straight guy going to see this unless he's being dragged there by his wife/girlfriend.
If you're looking for something fun to do on a girls night out, go see Magic Mike. You won't be dissapointed ;)
My Rating: 7.5/10
Saturday, June 2, 2012
Snow White & The Huntsman
Finally! A good retelling of a classic fairytale. After a shitfest of other movies that aren't even worth mentioning, I'm happy to say that Snow White & The Huntsman is really good.
We all know the story, but we've never seen it like this. In this version, Snow White (Kristen Stewart) has been imprisoned for years, since her father King Magnus died. Her stepmother Ravenna (Charlize Theron) has taken the once happy, prosperous kingdom and, using her dark magic, has turned it into a very bleak, depressing place. In order to stay young and powerful, Ravenna literally sucks the youth out of various women. But still, her power is growing weaker. In order to live forever, she basically has to consume Snow White's heart. But Snow White manages to escape and ends up in the Dark Forest. The scariest, creepiest place you could imagine. Ravenna sends the drunken, widowed Huntsman (Chris Hemsworth), who's one of the few who's been there before, to capture Snow White and bring her back. Eventually he does find her, but he has a change of heart and ends up protecting her and training her to kick some serious ass. Eventually Snow White will lead an army against the Queen and take back the kingdom which is rightfully hers.
The first thing you'll notice about the film is how beautiful it looks. Major props to the visual effects crew for making this amazing world. From the Dark Forest to the various creatures, I just sat there in awe of how beautiful everything looked. I wouldn't be surprised if it gets nominated come Oscar season, as far as visuals go anyway.
Of course, I have to talk about the acting, which was good overall. Yes people, Kristen Stewart CAN act. I think this film proves that. Although I already knew she was a good actress when I saw her in Speak. She gives a powerful performance in that as a rape victim. You really can't judge her acting abilities based on Twilight. As much as I like the Twilight movies, I know they're far from her best work.
Chris Hemsworth, who seems to be all over the place lately, gave an interesting performance as the Huntsman. I don't think they ever refer to him in the movie by an actual name, but from what I've read his name is suppose to be Eric. Anyway I really enjoyed seeing his story play out. He kicked ass when he needed to, but there were several moments between him and Kristen (I thought the two of them had good chemistry) that were very sweet.
Then there's Charlize Theron playing the evil Queen Ravenna. Wow. She gave a very convincing performance. I think she was the perfect choice for the role. You really hate her character, as you should, but Charlize plays her so well that you kind of understand why Ravenna is the way she is.
The Seven Dwarfs (there's actually eight in this movie), whom Snow White and the Huntsman encounter along the way, are played by various British actors and they were terrific. They provided some much needed comic relief. I just wish they had had more screen time and had appeared a bit earlier in the film.
The director is a guy named Rupert Sanders. This is his first feature film. His first time directing anything really. I couldn't find anything else on his imdb page as far as directing goes. You never would've guessed he hadn't done this before. He does a fantastic job setting the tone and I look forward to seeing more of his work.
The film does have a few flaws. As I mentioned before, the visuals are amazing, but at times it felt like one big acid trip. I don't really have a problem with that (I enjoy a good acid trip type movie once in awhile) but in this one it felt a little too much at times.
Another thing is the character of William. He's suppose to be the "prince" character (in this version he's the son of a Duke and a childhood friend of Snow White's). Not that the guy playing him is a bad actor, but I just felt he had no chemistry with Kristen. And to be honest, his character really isn't needed in this version of the story.
Then there's Ravenna's relationship with her brother Finn. It was just... creepy! Bordering on incestious even. At least that's the feeling I got anyway.
One more thing, and this isn't a big complaint, is Chris Hemsworth's accent for his character. I think the Huntsman is suppose to be Scottish. It just seemed a little weird to me and I couldn't help but laugh at times. But I give him credit for trying. And I've heard much worse attempts when it comes to accents.
I also want to bring up the love triangle between Snow White, the Huntsman, and William. Yes, it's there in a way but it's not in your face which is a good thing. They really don't develop it at all in this movie. Maybe they will in the rumored sequel. Who knows. I really hope they make a sequel regardless since there wasn't a clear ending and I'd love to see the characters developed more.
Action. Amazing visuals. Hot guys. And a kick ass princess. There's something for everyone in SNow White & The Huntsman. Definitely check it out.
My Rating: 8.5/10
We all know the story, but we've never seen it like this. In this version, Snow White (Kristen Stewart) has been imprisoned for years, since her father King Magnus died. Her stepmother Ravenna (Charlize Theron) has taken the once happy, prosperous kingdom and, using her dark magic, has turned it into a very bleak, depressing place. In order to stay young and powerful, Ravenna literally sucks the youth out of various women. But still, her power is growing weaker. In order to live forever, she basically has to consume Snow White's heart. But Snow White manages to escape and ends up in the Dark Forest. The scariest, creepiest place you could imagine. Ravenna sends the drunken, widowed Huntsman (Chris Hemsworth), who's one of the few who's been there before, to capture Snow White and bring her back. Eventually he does find her, but he has a change of heart and ends up protecting her and training her to kick some serious ass. Eventually Snow White will lead an army against the Queen and take back the kingdom which is rightfully hers.
The first thing you'll notice about the film is how beautiful it looks. Major props to the visual effects crew for making this amazing world. From the Dark Forest to the various creatures, I just sat there in awe of how beautiful everything looked. I wouldn't be surprised if it gets nominated come Oscar season, as far as visuals go anyway.
Of course, I have to talk about the acting, which was good overall. Yes people, Kristen Stewart CAN act. I think this film proves that. Although I already knew she was a good actress when I saw her in Speak. She gives a powerful performance in that as a rape victim. You really can't judge her acting abilities based on Twilight. As much as I like the Twilight movies, I know they're far from her best work.
Chris Hemsworth, who seems to be all over the place lately, gave an interesting performance as the Huntsman. I don't think they ever refer to him in the movie by an actual name, but from what I've read his name is suppose to be Eric. Anyway I really enjoyed seeing his story play out. He kicked ass when he needed to, but there were several moments between him and Kristen (I thought the two of them had good chemistry) that were very sweet.
Then there's Charlize Theron playing the evil Queen Ravenna. Wow. She gave a very convincing performance. I think she was the perfect choice for the role. You really hate her character, as you should, but Charlize plays her so well that you kind of understand why Ravenna is the way she is.
The Seven Dwarfs (there's actually eight in this movie), whom Snow White and the Huntsman encounter along the way, are played by various British actors and they were terrific. They provided some much needed comic relief. I just wish they had had more screen time and had appeared a bit earlier in the film.
The director is a guy named Rupert Sanders. This is his first feature film. His first time directing anything really. I couldn't find anything else on his imdb page as far as directing goes. You never would've guessed he hadn't done this before. He does a fantastic job setting the tone and I look forward to seeing more of his work.
The film does have a few flaws. As I mentioned before, the visuals are amazing, but at times it felt like one big acid trip. I don't really have a problem with that (I enjoy a good acid trip type movie once in awhile) but in this one it felt a little too much at times.
Another thing is the character of William. He's suppose to be the "prince" character (in this version he's the son of a Duke and a childhood friend of Snow White's). Not that the guy playing him is a bad actor, but I just felt he had no chemistry with Kristen. And to be honest, his character really isn't needed in this version of the story.
Then there's Ravenna's relationship with her brother Finn. It was just... creepy! Bordering on incestious even. At least that's the feeling I got anyway.
One more thing, and this isn't a big complaint, is Chris Hemsworth's accent for his character. I think the Huntsman is suppose to be Scottish. It just seemed a little weird to me and I couldn't help but laugh at times. But I give him credit for trying. And I've heard much worse attempts when it comes to accents.
I also want to bring up the love triangle between Snow White, the Huntsman, and William. Yes, it's there in a way but it's not in your face which is a good thing. They really don't develop it at all in this movie. Maybe they will in the rumored sequel. Who knows. I really hope they make a sequel regardless since there wasn't a clear ending and I'd love to see the characters developed more.
Action. Amazing visuals. Hot guys. And a kick ass princess. There's something for everyone in SNow White & The Huntsman. Definitely check it out.
My Rating: 8.5/10
Saturday, May 5, 2012
The Avengers (IMAX 3D)
My fellow nerds, this the moment we've all been waiting for! After all these years and several individual movies, The Avengers is finally here. I've so been looking forward to this, but in the back of my mind, I worried how they were going to fit all those superheroes into one movie. Turns out, there was no need to worry. They somehow found a way to make it work and created an amazing movie.
I'll only give a bried summary of the plot since I'll spoil things if I say too much. By the way, you don't necessarily have to have seen Iron Man, Thor, Captain America, etc. in order to see The Avengers, but it certainly helps and I highly recommend that you do anyway. So basically, Loki (Thor's adopted brother) has made a deal with some sort of powerful alien race- if they give him an army to help take over Earth then he will give them the Tesseract, a cube shaped object with an unlimited energy source. In other words, all hell is about to break loose. So Nick Fury (played by the amazing and badass Samuel L. Jackson), the director of S.H.I.E.L.D, brings together all the heroes we've seen in the individual movies over the last few years- Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.), The Hulk (Mark Ruffalo, who replaces Edward Norton), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), Captain America (Chris Evans), Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner), and Black Widow (Scarlett Johanson, whom I'm normally not really a fan of but I think she does a great job in this). They'll need all of them in order to stop Loki and his army.
The director of The Avengers is Joss Whedon, probably best known for being the creator/writer of one of my all time favorite tv shows, Buffy The Vampire Slayer (a rare case where the tv show is better than the movie it's based on). I knew if anyone could pull this movie off, he would. And boy does he.
The budget was over $200 million which is insane, but they definitely put it to good use. The special effects were some of the best I've seen in a long time. I especially liked what they did with The Hulk. They used the same type of performance capture technology that was in Avatar. So Mark Ruffalo was actually able to perform in those scenes and not just do the voice later on in a recording studio as I beleive was the case in the previous versions of The Hulk.
This movie is nonstop action that keeps you on the edge of your seat from the moment it starts until the credits roll. Never for one second was I bored.
As far as the characters go... well, what can I say that hasn't already been said a million times? Outstanding work by everyone involved. Joss Whedon made sure each one of them had enough screen time (which was my main concern about this movie) and a chance to shine. I still don't know how he managed to do it. My favorite moments were when the team was first being assembled. Grouping all those heroes together, personalities will clash. There's an awesome fight sequence between Iron Man and Thor in the woods.
There were several funny moments throughout, many of them involving Samuel L. Jackson who was one of my favorite parts about this movie. I found myself laughing til my stomach hurt.
The 3D was really good overall. Worth the extra money. Definitely see this in IMAX too if you can. This is the kind of movie IMAX was made for. Good luck getting tickets this weekend though. Most of the showings at the theater I went to last night were sold out. The people at the showing I was at were nice though. Had a chance to talk to some of them while we waited in a VERY long line to get in. It was a lot of fun and I felt comfortable, like I belonged lol. During the movie we were all very energetic, but no one was obnoxious from what I could tell.
Be sure to arrive early, not only to get a good seat, but they show the latest trailer for The Dark Knight Rises (which I've watched several times on my iPhone since it came out a few days ago, but seeing it on an IMAX screen I was like :o :o ). It was incredible. Everyone in the crowd sat there in silence as it played. It was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. And then when it was over, everyone cheered and applauded. I've seen that happen after a movie (as everyone did again after The Avengers was over), but this was the first time I've seen it happen for a trailer. It was great! Moving on...
If you're at all familiar with the Marvel movies (and even if you're not I'm just letting you know) then you know what I'm about to say- make sure you stay through the credits!! And I mean until the end of the credits. There's actually two scenes that they play, one in the middle (which seems to set up a sequel. I really hope they make one) and one at the very end which is priceless :)
Brilliant. Amazing. Jaw dropping. These are the words that come to mind when I think of The Avengers. I really have nothing bad to say about it. It's easily one of my favorite movies this year so far.
Thank you Joss Whedon! Fir creating an Avengers movie that was way more than I could've ever hoped for.
My Rating: 10/10
I'll only give a bried summary of the plot since I'll spoil things if I say too much. By the way, you don't necessarily have to have seen Iron Man, Thor, Captain America, etc. in order to see The Avengers, but it certainly helps and I highly recommend that you do anyway. So basically, Loki (Thor's adopted brother) has made a deal with some sort of powerful alien race- if they give him an army to help take over Earth then he will give them the Tesseract, a cube shaped object with an unlimited energy source. In other words, all hell is about to break loose. So Nick Fury (played by the amazing and badass Samuel L. Jackson), the director of S.H.I.E.L.D, brings together all the heroes we've seen in the individual movies over the last few years- Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.), The Hulk (Mark Ruffalo, who replaces Edward Norton), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), Captain America (Chris Evans), Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner), and Black Widow (Scarlett Johanson, whom I'm normally not really a fan of but I think she does a great job in this). They'll need all of them in order to stop Loki and his army.
The director of The Avengers is Joss Whedon, probably best known for being the creator/writer of one of my all time favorite tv shows, Buffy The Vampire Slayer (a rare case where the tv show is better than the movie it's based on). I knew if anyone could pull this movie off, he would. And boy does he.
The budget was over $200 million which is insane, but they definitely put it to good use. The special effects were some of the best I've seen in a long time. I especially liked what they did with The Hulk. They used the same type of performance capture technology that was in Avatar. So Mark Ruffalo was actually able to perform in those scenes and not just do the voice later on in a recording studio as I beleive was the case in the previous versions of The Hulk.
This movie is nonstop action that keeps you on the edge of your seat from the moment it starts until the credits roll. Never for one second was I bored.
As far as the characters go... well, what can I say that hasn't already been said a million times? Outstanding work by everyone involved. Joss Whedon made sure each one of them had enough screen time (which was my main concern about this movie) and a chance to shine. I still don't know how he managed to do it. My favorite moments were when the team was first being assembled. Grouping all those heroes together, personalities will clash. There's an awesome fight sequence between Iron Man and Thor in the woods.
There were several funny moments throughout, many of them involving Samuel L. Jackson who was one of my favorite parts about this movie. I found myself laughing til my stomach hurt.
The 3D was really good overall. Worth the extra money. Definitely see this in IMAX too if you can. This is the kind of movie IMAX was made for. Good luck getting tickets this weekend though. Most of the showings at the theater I went to last night were sold out. The people at the showing I was at were nice though. Had a chance to talk to some of them while we waited in a VERY long line to get in. It was a lot of fun and I felt comfortable, like I belonged lol. During the movie we were all very energetic, but no one was obnoxious from what I could tell.
Be sure to arrive early, not only to get a good seat, but they show the latest trailer for The Dark Knight Rises (which I've watched several times on my iPhone since it came out a few days ago, but seeing it on an IMAX screen I was like :o :o ). It was incredible. Everyone in the crowd sat there in silence as it played. It was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. And then when it was over, everyone cheered and applauded. I've seen that happen after a movie (as everyone did again after The Avengers was over), but this was the first time I've seen it happen for a trailer. It was great! Moving on...
If you're at all familiar with the Marvel movies (and even if you're not I'm just letting you know) then you know what I'm about to say- make sure you stay through the credits!! And I mean until the end of the credits. There's actually two scenes that they play, one in the middle (which seems to set up a sequel. I really hope they make one) and one at the very end which is priceless :)
Brilliant. Amazing. Jaw dropping. These are the words that come to mind when I think of The Avengers. I really have nothing bad to say about it. It's easily one of my favorite movies this year so far.
Thank you Joss Whedon! Fir creating an Avengers movie that was way more than I could've ever hoped for.
My Rating: 10/10
Saturday, March 31, 2012
Wrath Of The Titans (IMAX 3D)
NEW SAM MOVIE!!! NEW SAM MOVIE!!!
Come on guys, you knew I was going to do that. I'm just so excited that Wrath Of The Titans has finally been released. Walking out of the theater tonight, I had a big smile on my face and seriously felt like doing a happy dance in the middle of the lobby. But I kept it together. Somehow I don't think everyone else there would care to see that. Nor would they understand my enthusiasm for Sam the way you guys do. Anyway, Wrath Of The Titans was AMAZING! Did you think I would say anything different? lol
The movie takes place about 10 years after the events of Clash Of The Titans (you don't have to have seen Clash in order to see this. They do a cool little recap at the beginning. But you should still see Clash anyway). Perseus (Sam Worthington) is now living a quiet life in a little fishing village with his young son Helius. The gods are losing their strength. Zeus (Liam Neeson) is captured in the underworld by his brother Hades and other son Ares (Edgar Ramirez). They plan on releasing one of the Titans- Kronos, the father of Zeus, Hades, and Poseidon. Of course if this happens, it'll be the end of the world.
Perseus must travel to the underworld to rescue Zeus and prevent Kronos from destroying everything. He needs the help of Agenor, Poseidon's demigod son, and fallen god Hephastus (Bill Nighy). Also aiding Perseus is Queen Andromeda (the role was recast and played by Rosmand Pike this time. She did a decent enough job.)
And that's basically the plot. Other than that it's pretty much like Clash- Sam runs around in a skirt killing monsters for an hour and a half. Is it crazy? Yes. Is the dialog a little cheesy at times? Yes. But so what? I thought the movie was fun.
I think Wrath is even better than Clash in some ways. There's a lot more monster/fighting scenes. Take all the cool monsters from the first movie and times it by a thousand and this is the result. There's never a dull moment. Jonathan Liebesman the director did a fantastic job creating this world and improving upon its predecesor. Much credit should also go to the visual effects team for their stunning work creating all those awesome monsters that scared the crap out of me and everyone in the audience.
You all knew it was coming- I have to talk about Sam ;) What can I say that I haven't said a million times already? The man is an incredibly talented actor who just keeps getting better with each role. He's great at being able to carry a big blockbuster franchise. He's great in dramas or small indy movies. He's great period :D :D :D I can't wait to see what roles he takes on next. Whatever it is, you know I'll be there opening night.
Liam Neeson was badass as always. I mean, it's Liam Neeson! The man can do know wrong. Sadly, he doesn't really have an epic line like he does in Clash (Gotta love "Release the Kraken!"). Ralph Fiennes was good to. He's at his best when he plays a villian. I mean come on, the man is Voldermort for crying out loud!
As much as I loved the epic action scenes, probably my favorite scenes in the whole movie were the ones with Sam and the little boy who plays his son. Very sweet :)
The only thing I wish they had done in Wrath is spent a little more time developing a few of the characters. Specifically Agenor and Hephaestus. I found them both really interesting. Bill Nighy, who I'm a big fan of, is terrific for the small amount of screen time that he has and his character provides some much needed comic relief.
Go and see this in 3D if you can (and in IMAX as well if there's an IMAX theater near you). The 3D was surprisingly good. I'm not sure if the movie was shot in 3D or wether it was converted in post production. Either way it looks great and you really feel like you're in this world and being chased after by all those monsters. While it's not Avatar quality 3D it's MUCH better than the 3D in the first movie. I love Clash don't get me wrong, but the 3D in that was AWFUL. The worst I've seen to date.
I'm sure there will be some people who don't like Wrath, but I don't care. As I've said before, if you go into this kind of movie expecting an Oscar worthy experience then you're a moron. But if you're looking for a fun, entertaining, action movie then go see this :) You won't regret it.
My Rating: 10/10
Come on guys, you knew I was going to do that. I'm just so excited that Wrath Of The Titans has finally been released. Walking out of the theater tonight, I had a big smile on my face and seriously felt like doing a happy dance in the middle of the lobby. But I kept it together. Somehow I don't think everyone else there would care to see that. Nor would they understand my enthusiasm for Sam the way you guys do. Anyway, Wrath Of The Titans was AMAZING! Did you think I would say anything different? lol
The movie takes place about 10 years after the events of Clash Of The Titans (you don't have to have seen Clash in order to see this. They do a cool little recap at the beginning. But you should still see Clash anyway). Perseus (Sam Worthington) is now living a quiet life in a little fishing village with his young son Helius. The gods are losing their strength. Zeus (Liam Neeson) is captured in the underworld by his brother Hades and other son Ares (Edgar Ramirez). They plan on releasing one of the Titans- Kronos, the father of Zeus, Hades, and Poseidon. Of course if this happens, it'll be the end of the world.
Perseus must travel to the underworld to rescue Zeus and prevent Kronos from destroying everything. He needs the help of Agenor, Poseidon's demigod son, and fallen god Hephastus (Bill Nighy). Also aiding Perseus is Queen Andromeda (the role was recast and played by Rosmand Pike this time. She did a decent enough job.)
And that's basically the plot. Other than that it's pretty much like Clash- Sam runs around in a skirt killing monsters for an hour and a half. Is it crazy? Yes. Is the dialog a little cheesy at times? Yes. But so what? I thought the movie was fun.
I think Wrath is even better than Clash in some ways. There's a lot more monster/fighting scenes. Take all the cool monsters from the first movie and times it by a thousand and this is the result. There's never a dull moment. Jonathan Liebesman the director did a fantastic job creating this world and improving upon its predecesor. Much credit should also go to the visual effects team for their stunning work creating all those awesome monsters that scared the crap out of me and everyone in the audience.
You all knew it was coming- I have to talk about Sam ;) What can I say that I haven't said a million times already? The man is an incredibly talented actor who just keeps getting better with each role. He's great at being able to carry a big blockbuster franchise. He's great in dramas or small indy movies. He's great period :D :D :D I can't wait to see what roles he takes on next. Whatever it is, you know I'll be there opening night.
Liam Neeson was badass as always. I mean, it's Liam Neeson! The man can do know wrong. Sadly, he doesn't really have an epic line like he does in Clash (Gotta love "Release the Kraken!"). Ralph Fiennes was good to. He's at his best when he plays a villian. I mean come on, the man is Voldermort for crying out loud!
As much as I loved the epic action scenes, probably my favorite scenes in the whole movie were the ones with Sam and the little boy who plays his son. Very sweet :)
The only thing I wish they had done in Wrath is spent a little more time developing a few of the characters. Specifically Agenor and Hephaestus. I found them both really interesting. Bill Nighy, who I'm a big fan of, is terrific for the small amount of screen time that he has and his character provides some much needed comic relief.
Go and see this in 3D if you can (and in IMAX as well if there's an IMAX theater near you). The 3D was surprisingly good. I'm not sure if the movie was shot in 3D or wether it was converted in post production. Either way it looks great and you really feel like you're in this world and being chased after by all those monsters. While it's not Avatar quality 3D it's MUCH better than the 3D in the first movie. I love Clash don't get me wrong, but the 3D in that was AWFUL. The worst I've seen to date.
I'm sure there will be some people who don't like Wrath, but I don't care. As I've said before, if you go into this kind of movie expecting an Oscar worthy experience then you're a moron. But if you're looking for a fun, entertaining, action movie then go see this :) You won't regret it.
My Rating: 10/10
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