Summer 2012 Movie Kick-Off: The Avengers

The Avengers

4 out of 5 stars

What do you do when you want to watch something about beloved, classic fictional characters made with disgustingly expensive special effects and starring at least five incredibly hot male models - I mean actors?


You go pay your future children's college money for a ticket to see The Avengers, of course!  


Is it worth it? I would say definitely.  They hired some pretty skilled special effects guys, because there is some sweet computer action going on here.  And then there's the wave of nerd euphoria that comes with seeing a whole group of your favorite childhood obsessions together in one movie.  Now if only I could get someone to put the Power Rangers, all the Nick Toons, and the Backstreet Boys together, they would be an animated crime-fighting musical group; we definitely don't have enough of those. I call the copy rights on this. 


I was expecting that Robert Downey Jr.'s sarcasm would have to carry the movie, but the others did surprisingly well.  And of course, the entrance of the Hulk stole the show.  I mean, when a huge, invincible green guy starts roaring and throwing stuff, he's got my attention (guys, take notes).  


Even that Hawkeye dude who fights super villains with a bow and arrows is hot enough to distract me from the fact that he's fighting super villains with a bow and arrows. 


Overall, Avengers is a win-win for everybody: the studio makes its money back, actors stay employed, and you get to ogle your one-film-wonder characters one last time. 


  

Quoth The Raven: "Meh"

The Raven

2.5 out of 5 stars

I was fairly excited to see this film - the subject of Poe is not yet horribly overdone, but alas, there were more weaknesses here than strengths.

First, I think it tried too hard to be the Sherlock Holmes (Robert Downey, Jr.) movies, with that hyper-throwing-lines-out-like-everyone's-on-crack vibe.  Those movies are only Bs anyway, we don't need copycats.

Second, as much as I like John Cusack, he was the wrong choice for Poe.  He does not work the macabre well; maybe he's been typecast too long as that feel-good stereo-toting lover boy next door, but he really doesn't have a creepy bone in his body.  Unfortunately, that's a disadvantage when you're playing a famous historical creeper.  In the scenes where Cusack was supposed to be an arrogant a**hole, he just couldn't pull it off.  Why? Because he is too good; he's nice to the bone.

I hate to say it, but Johnny Depp probably would have been a better choice, or maybe Stanley Tucci - we know he's got serial killer down pat from The Lovely Bones.

Acting aside, it would have been just a fun movie if it weren't for the over-the-top violence.  Now don't get me wrong: I like my violent movies just like the best of them, but this was just excessive without anything to back it up (like a good storyline, memorable characters, etc.).

Final Cut: Maybe when it comes to Netflix it might be worth checking out if you have nothing else to watch, but otherwise, save your money.

My Latest Obsession

The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo

4.5 out of 5 stars

 Last summer, out of curiosity, I read The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson.  To be quite honest, I was intrigued by the story, at least enough to finish the book, but I wasn't overly impressed.  It was much more graphic than I was used to reading at the time, and I was left wondering at the choice of title, as it appeared to me that Mikael Blomqvist got much more screen time (and was more central to the story) than Lisbeth Salander.

So I left it at that. I did not continue the second book, nor did I bother to reread the first. I remained thoroughly unimpressed. 

And then the movie came out.

Rooney Mara bowled me over with the power of her performance. Daniel Craig supported her perfectly as Kalle Blomqvist. Lisbeth Salander finally came alive for me; at last I understand the enormous popularity of the series.  

I. Love. Lisbeth. Salander. 

I'm currently working my way through the final book of the triology, The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet's Nest, and will be posting some more in-depth book reviews, but for now, if you see nothing else this year,

GO SEE THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO.

 

 

 

Summer Movie Series: Super 8

Super 8

4 out of 5 stars


I first saw the promo for this film a looooooonnnnggg time ago, early last year, and it totally dragged me in with a teaser to this incredible nerd-tastic train crash scene.  So, I was understandably psyched to see this movie.  And all the better - my family came with me, which is an exceedingly rare event, seeing as I have an *cough* unusual taste in movies.

Set in the 70's with a small group of kids leading the story, I was enthralled from the very beginning. The film makers really allowed the dynamics of the kids to shine through, and that made a huge difference.

The special effects are amazing, but I would expect no less of Steven Spielberg. And still, it's tastefully done; they didn't throw in CGI just because they can, unlike some robot movies that I've seen.

Pretty much the best love story of the summer.

And the kids are just likeable, particularly the lead boy, actor Joel Courtney. I just liked watching him, and wanted to follow his story. Elle Fanning also does a terrific job as his love interest, and even the goofy kid with braces is fun.

This could literally be any monster movie.

The only slightly-less awesome part was that towards the end, it started to feel a bit campy, a bit like a monster-movie cliche. I lost a little of my enthusiasm about 3/4 of the way through the film. But hey, 3/4 is much, much better than 1/4, and even the less thrilling parts were still enjoyable.

If you're going to see only one movie this summer, I would highly recommend it be Super 8. INSIDER TIP: Stick around for the credits, you'll get your money's worth!

'Meek's Cutoff': Film Making At Its Best

The three women of the wagon party.

Meek's Cutoff


4.5 out of 5 stars

I saw Meek's Cutoff this afternoon at my local artsy theater, and now, hours after the film ended, it is still reverberating in my head. There have been few films that really affected me like this (namely, Watchmen and Let the Right One In). Personally, I consider this type of move a resounding success, if it manages to evoke such strong emotions within the viewer. Meek's Cutoff does this in a unique and striking way.

The audience's attention is first captured when, fifteen minutes in to the movie, no one has uttered a single word. The only sound has been the natural soundtrack of a small wagon party crossing a river, setting up camp, etc. The tension is already beginning to build here while the audience waits for someone to say something! Admittedly, many Americans would watch this and call it quits right away, but I believe that the director is calling on our patience as an audience to immerse us into the scene.

It is the deliberately slowed down pace and the lack of excess stimuli that really make the viewer a part of the story. Hearing the wagons creek, watching the hard physical labor, take away the "glory" of the pioneer days and reveal it to be the demanding, sometimes terrifying, often deadly enterprise that it was. You feel the setbacks along with the characters, the tension mounting as the situation becomes dire.

In the traditionally European style of film making, the movie leaves a lot of unanswered questions, and therefore allows you to fill in the blanks. I left the theater with the story playing out in my head, over and over. That's definitely how I like my movies.

If you prefer billion-dollar transforming robots waging war against vampires, werewolves, and aliens, then alas, you won't be satisfied. BUT, if you believe that minimalist film making can lead to great things, then this is definitely the movie for you.