Cowboys and Aliens Review

Its 1875, Cowboys are alive and well and so are bandits and evil men. None of them are more evil then aliens. The film is about Jake Lonergan (Daniel Craig) a man who wakes up in the middle of the desert with an odd feeling and some sort of bracelet on his arm. He goes to the local town and finds out that he is wanted for many different things. Right before he leaves off for jail, spacecrafts come to the town and destroy buildings and take many of the settlers. So with the help of the town and Colonel Woodrow Dolarhyde (Harrison Ford) they must stop and destroy the aliens.

Cowboys and Aliens is a film I wanted to check out since it came up but stuff came up so with nothing that amazing out I finally got my chance to see it. Walking in I was a little nervous because the film got very mixed reviews and I have disliked all of director Jon Favreau films, yes yes I know Iron Man was loved by almost everyone but I am not a fan at all. Who was right the negative reviews or positive.

Cowboys and Aliens I am happy to say is one of the summers best films a true blockbuster. Unlike movies such as Transformers and even Harry Potter to a certain extent, I could not just stop being amazed on what was going on the screen. The film is just so cool and that may sound unprofessional but I felt like a little kid watching a movie. I was wide eyed and just astonished.

So what makes this different to the terrible Transformers and Battle LA, its the veteran cast that knows how to act. Daniel Craig is one of my favorite actors and Hollywood's best action star in my opinion. He is just pure stone faced awesomeness during the action scenes. The scene that sold this for me is Harrison Ford's character gives him a light shove and Craig punches him square in the face. If you can beat up Han Solo and Indiana Jones your tough. Harrison Ford is having a lot fun in here and you can tell seeing him play the old grumpy character. Olivia Wilde here pulls of the mysterious lady in the town well. The regular cast is playing there same roles like Paul Dano the smarmy man. Also Noah Ringer has very few lines and is told to man up!

The action sequences in the film are phenomenal with the best action I have seen all year. While watching you can tell that Jon put alot of care and money into them and you have to respect that. The scenes were very memorable unlike most of the action films this summer.

One complaint critics have been having with the film is that the cowboys and aliens don't mesh and disagree with that completely. The thing that makes it possible for the Cowboys to beat the Aliens is the fact that the Cowboys are going up against a scout alien ship and not a giant army of aliens.

Overall Cowboys and Aliens is one of the summers best blockbusters.

MUST SEE IT!

30 Minuets or Less Review

30 Minutes or Less is the sophomore film for director Ruben Fleischer whose first film was the comedy classic Zombieland. Here he is even reunited with Jesse Eisenberg who is fresh off his Oscar Nominated performance in the Social Network. The film also stars rising star Aziz Ansari who has been in a lot of smaller roles in Funny People and Get Him to the Greek but here gets his first major role. There is also Danny McBride who now has cemented himself as one of the best comedians in Hollywood now and Nick Swardson who is taking a break from his roles in Adam Sandler comedies.

The film has an interesting story about Eisenberg getting a bomb strapped and he is forced to rob a bank. This story line offers a lot of potential for some funny jokes and even dark turns in the story line. So does this film rise up to its potential or is it just wasted potential. Lets find out!

I’m back from 30 Minutes or Less and I am proud to say it does not disappoint. The film is just a machine gun of jokes and keeps on firing and all of the jokes are just laugh out loud material. The writers here Matthew Sullivan and Michael Dilliberti were tasked with there first writing gig and create a funny script with some dark twists and turns in the story to keep you interested and care for the characters.

Like I said before the film has a very talented cast and they deliver. Jesse Eisenberg is funny as always and has a great chemistry with fellow co-star Aziz Ansari who also is fantastic in his first major role in Hollywood. Then you have Danny McBride is rancher then ever in this film saying all sorts of vulgarity. Is this a bad thing, hell no its hilarious. Nick Swardson surprised me here toning down a bit so he is not annoying but still very funny. Swardson has a lot of comedic talent which he showcased here, I just wish he was in more of these type of films instead of the usual Adam Sandler stuff in which he is annoying in. The film also has Micheal Pena who has a little screen time but does a good job with what he has. This is a come back for him after being in the terrible Battle Los Angeles

Director Ruben Fleischer has become one of my favorite up in coming directors with this film showing the same great qualities he showed in Zombieland. He can direct actors, knows the best moments to allow or disprove of improve, and can also direct an action sequence surprisingly well. The action sequences in the film are directed perfectly. There clear, crisp, and look great. No it does not have the biggest budget but for a comedy its great. In recent comedy films such as Horrible Bosses, the action was directed so close up it was hard to see clearly here Fleischer puts an effort in to it which most studios and directors don’t care about the action scene. Fleischer next film will actually be a crime film about the LAPD vs the Los Angeles crime family. After seeing his past two films I have full confidence that he can pull it off and I can not wait to see the final product.

The thing that grabbed me walking in was the story and how I expected it to turn out. Before I saw the film I found out that this really happened to a man in Pennsylvania and it ended up in real life that a collar bomb was placed on him and he had to rob a bank. In real life it turned out he blew up before he could get them the money. Does it turn out the way in the film? Well, you have to wait until August 12th to find that out for you self!

Overall 30 Minuets or Less is a raunchy, action packed comedy that should entertain anyone who is looking for a film in that genre or was a fan of Zombieland. Just like Fleischer debut film I can not speak highly enough of the film. Also stay after the credits for a really funny scene involving some of the characters in the film. I reward it a rating of.

MUST SEE IT!

Rise of the Planet of the Apes Review

The original Planet of the Apes films are considered classics to people. Then the visual mastermind Tim Burton took over for a reboot and everything was looking good. Until the movie was terrible and hated by most and critics and public audiences. Now the franchise has to start from ground zero with Rise of the Planet of the Apes. Unlike the Burton remake, this film starts as a prequel going through the beginning of the end. Does this different approach lead to the rejuvenation of the series or like Burton’s film put the original films to shame.

Rise of the Planet of the Apes is about Will Rodman (James Franco) an up incoming scientist who is working on a cure for Alzheimer’s Disease which is a disease that his father (John Lithgow) has. To make sure the drug works they decide to test this drug out on apes. The drug is meant to be a virus that not only repairs brain cells, but genetically modifies the subject giving them inhance intelligence. When tested on the Chimps it works as these Chimps get smarter but not as smart as the target intelligence.

Then one of the test Apes has a baby and this ape wows Rodman. He has inherited the intelligence of his mother and he is giving the name of Ceaser (Andy Serkis). Soon he seems to distant from the rest of the world and lives with his own kind. The apes who are mindless animals are effected by this overly intelligent Ape. Is this the beginning of the end of Earth being ruled by humans but instead by the Apes!

Going into this movie I was excited to see the results (talked about it in my preview for August). The film was getting so many great reviews so this had to be good. I am here to say, the film is fantastic. Rise of the Planet of the Apes is tied with X-Men First Class as not only my favorite film of the summer, but my favorite film of the year. This film is one of the few blockbusters this summer that displays in my mind a perfect blockbuster. The film is not just two hours of action like Transformers, instead the film is about building characters and relationships which leads to a final action climax that has some substance to it. You don’t see the action has great effects but powerful moments in the film.

The film like First Class has wonderful action. James Franco is the poster star but he is more of a supporting character to Andy Serkis. Serkis in his carer has been known for doing motion capture. He has done it twice before as Gollum in Lord of the Rings and the title character in King Kong. Here he gives his best performance showing so much emotion with only slight movements. Serkis should be considered for an Oscar because he is that good. Everyone else in the cast including Franco, Lithgow, Bryan Cox, and Draco Malfoy no I mean Tom Helton does a good job with the scream time they get.

The visuals in the film are done by Weta Digital who have done the motion capture for Avatar and Lord of the Rings. Here they bring the same effort and it shows as the visuals are stunning in this film. The apes never looked fake for a second as every scene looked very authentic. The actors should be credited here to because there’s never a moment when there starring in space where the effects would be put in. Both the actors and motion capture mesh perfectly.

The film is directed by Rupert Wyatt who like Matthew Vaughn knows that characters are more important then action. The film has the big climax full of action and that’s it. Do not go in to this film expecting the ape Apocalypse but instead the begging of the end. The first hour and half is spent with Ceaser and that is the right way to go. We go thought his good times to his bad and see why he is motivated to do what he does.

Overall Rise of the Planets of the Apes is one of the summer and years best movies.

MUST SEE IT!

Monthly Preview: August

July is over and summer is almost done with only a few weeks till schools start. So with July over its time for August which is usually a month to dump off a movie. This August we have a blockbuster, some want to be blockbusters, raunchy comedies,and teen friendly stuff. For this I have made four ratings, excited, promising, meh, and disaster in the making. I will also predict the films total box office numbers because Hollywood is about the business. Ok lets get started.

August 5th.

Rise of the Planet of the Apes



What seems to be the final blockbuster of the summer, Rise of the Planet of the Apes storms in theater today. I can not wait to see this film! One of my favorite actors James Franco stars and this is something different from his usual. The early buzz on this film is amazing with people calling this a gripping summer blockbuster with great action scenes and some truly touching moments. This is great to hear because most of the blockbusters this summer have been very hollow to this looks like a great way to end the summer for blockbuster. Hopefully the film succeeds at the box office, and with a budget of 90 million dollars I think it will surpass it domestically because of positive word of mouth. I expect good money and a good movie

110 million domestic, EXCITED

The Change Up



Another raunchy comedy opens today, staring Jason Bateman and joining him is Ryan Reynolds after Green Lantern bombed. This seems like it is going to make a good amount of cash with Crazy Stupid Love seeming that it did all of its business opening week. It will be the only romantic raunchy comedy out for the month so it should make plenty of money. The only worrying thing is that there has been so many raunchy comedies so people might be tired of the genre. Quality wise this looks just meh. Bateman is always good but the story and the film seems generic and nothing special. I think The Change Up will get good money but i am not really looking forward to seeing in theaters.

90 million domestic, meh

August 10th

The Help



Both Gwen Stacey’s star here in the Help coming out today. This has been getting good reviews but nothing to rave about. The film does look good with a good cast and story but im not excited for it. The film is based on a book so it will have a cult following of people so it wont bomb at the box office. I actual expect this film to do ok despite completion. This film mostly will be for the older audience so I expect that audience to come and support the film. This overall does not seem groundbreaking but seems like a solid film in quality and gross.

42 million domestic, Promising

August 12th

30 Minuets or Less



Since I have already seen the film and loved it I am just going to talk about how I think it does in the box office. Personally, I am hopeful people see this and it does not get lost in the crowd of movies. I think it will do well because of the fact that it is directed by the box office hit Zombieland and has a great cast that has proven they can bring in money. The films wont do amazing business but with a what seems to be smaller budget, I think it will make its budget and then some. Not as much as Zombieland, but more than Your Highness, and Arthur two other comedies that came out this year. I predict the film to gross.

48 million domestic

The Final destination 5



Today the fifth film in the Final Destination comes out. Most of these films have been bad but this one has some promise. I like the new element that there are trying to kill each other to stay alive that adds a lot off suspense to who will die when because anyone could die at any time. The scene in the trailer with the bridge destruction looks like the most grand of any of the openings of any of the films. I am still worried because the last two films were terrible so I still am keeping my guard up with this film.This film like all of them will make good money. I don’t think this one will gross more than the last one (The Final Destination grossed 68 million) but it will still get solid business. The new Final Destination 5 looks like it can be better than the last ones and gross some solid money.

56 million, promising

Glee 3D Concert Movie



Oh no this looks just bad. Sure it’s not for me but I am not sitting through a concert of this pitiful music. The movie will get good money because its fan base will come and see it but it will only be out for two weeks. Since concert movies are cheap it will make its money back but don’t expect a slam dunk hit. So overall Glee 3D Concert movie will benefit for fans and 3D pricing but wont be a huge hit. You still can not pay me enough money to go to a theater and sit through what seems to be even more dredful then the terrible show.

30 million, Disaster in the making

August 19th

Fright Night



Today, another horror remake comes out for Fright Night. I have not seen the original but people I have talked to say this is not a lot alike the original. To me this looks ok with a good cast but seems pretty silly from the trailer and the early reviews coming out from the comic con screening. It seems like it might be entertaining but I am not that hopeful. It will do good business opening week because of its following and only horror movie out but after opening week I expect a big drop off. I think it will make around the same money that Scream 4 did. So Fright Night looks ok and will do ok in the box office.

39 million domestic, meh

Conan the Barbarian



It seems as August will have its first box office bomb with Conan The Barbarian coming out this week. The movie looks really dumb and a dishonor to the first film. From the trailers this film just looks like at best it can be a dumb action film. The 3D seems like it is a cash grab after watching a trailer in 3D. The new Conan looks like he can pull it off but that’s not saying a lot. The film reported 90 million dollar budget seems impossible for the film to reach. I don’t even see this film surpassing 50 million dollars let alone 90. The trailer most likely turned off a lot of fans of the original so there will be no cult following seeing this. Overall this looks ok but a failure at the box office.

45 million domestic, meh

Spy Kids: All the Time in the World



I am rueing today because the newest installment of Robert Rodriguez’s Spy Kids series come out. This seems like a complete cash grab of the original trilogy which started ten years ago. It looks like complete slap stick and its sad to see Ricky Gervais wasting his time with this junk. The effects look cheap compared to the original films and in general feels lazy. The film has a reported budget of 40 million dollars and if that is true, it will barely reach that. Since its the only kid film out it will but dont expect people who grew up with the series coming out and seeing this lazy excuse of a movie. So overall the film looks terrible but will make decent money.

42 million domestic, Disaster in the making

One Day (2011)



This is one of the smaller releases and it seems that way. After watching the trailer I could predict the whole films outcome but it has a solid cast of stars and people behind it so it should be well made, just nothing that amazing or special. The film is from Focus Features which mostly does smaller nationwide films and I expect the business to be that way. It should open out of the top 5 making most of its money opening week and then get some more scraps. So nothing amazing gross, or quality wise.

20 million domestic, meh

August 26th

Dont be Afraid of the Dark



Another horror remake in August but I am more hopeful about this one. Dont be Afraid of the Dark is written and produced from the great Guillermo del Toro who is the master of creative creatures which he showed with Pans Labyrinth and both Hellboy films. From the trailer I nearly crapped my pants because this looks scary. At the end they did a jump scare and wow it got me good. I am worried because I havent seen much from director Troy Nixey and we dont see much acting in the trailer. Financially people are going to see this movie. It is going to get the college students who are in there first week to see this. The film is most likely does not have a huge budget so even if it has a sub par opening week it still will be find. Overall this looks like a scary good movie and a solid hit.

54 million domestic, promising

Colombiana



Today Luc Besson brings his latest action movie, Colombiana staring Zoe Sladana. I am really looking forward to this one it looks like a darker and better version of last years average Salt. Luc Besson latest work Taken and From Paris with Love were very entertaining with lot of great action. I do not expect anything different here and it looks like is most dramatic film. From the trailer the film had a cool look and style to it and this looks like a great action revenge flick. Money wise this film should gross around the same as the second Transporter film, Transporter 2 (grossed 43 million dollars). It seems like the name of Luc Besson can bring in audiences and hopefully the film gets Taken business. If the film doesnt boom in the box office, it still looks like a fantastic film that should do fine in the box office.

42 million domestic, EXCITED

Our Idiot Brother



Shees I am not looking forward to this one and I don’t think audiences are either. From the trailer this looks like a really stupid movie with such a good cast. I love Paul Rudd but I think his career is going down hill if he’s starring in this garbage. I hope it was just a bad trailer that I saw because this looked terrible. This seems like a smaller film so I don’t think it will make a killing in the box office despite its big cast. So overall I am not looking forward to Our Idiot Brother but I hope I am wrong because there is a very talented cast around this.

29 million domestic, Disaster in the making

August 31th

The Debt



Today August ends with The Debt. This film has a lot of promise around it starring Helen Mirren, Sam Worthington, and Tom Wilkinson two of them Oscar nominated, directed by John Madden who directed best picture winner Shakespeare in Love (one of the more debateable winners but still it won), and written by Matthew Vaughn and Jane Goldmen, the same team that brought us Kick-Ass and X-Men First Class. This looks like a better version of last years The American both being Oscar contending thrillers. I hope this is good enough to earn Oscar nominations and I think it will. Box Office wise it depends on quality. If the film has Oscar Buzz business will pick up and the film will be very successful. If it is not that Oscar film, it will do decent but nothing amazing. Overall this looks like an Oscar contender and I hope it is one

62 million (if picks up Oscar buzz) If not 29 million domestic, EXCITED

So August overall is a pretty mixed month. I am excited for three films, three films look promising, four look meh, and three look disastrous. So for a rating I have to give it a.

August: Meh

The Smurfs Review

What everyone has been waiting for, another 60′S kid show turned into a movie. So far we have had The Scooby Doo films which had some promising notes (Matthew Liarld was a great Shaggy and Scobby Doo looked good) but it turned out to be a disaster. More recently we have had the Alvin and the Chipmunks film which is just three squeaky chipmunks signing for an hour and a half which is as mindless and bad as it sounds. You thought that revamp of “You spin me right round” was bad, try hearing it sang by chipmunks. So does the Smurfs have what it takes to reverse this or is it another childhood disaster.

The Smurfs is about these blue tiny creatures called Smurf who live in their small village. Each of these smurfs are unique having their own diffrent personality which chooses their name. Examples of this is Grouchy, Clumsy, and Brainy. The village for the most part is peaceful, except when they have to deal with Clumsy (Anton Yelchen) making a mistake. There is also the evil wizard Gargamel (Hank Azari) who tracks down the Smurfs everywhere they go so he can use them for his evil scheme. One day when he attacks, the Smurfs find a portal which transports some of the Smurfs and Gargamel to a mystical land, New York City.

When the Smurfs get here they met Patrick Winslow (Neil Patrick Harris) who is a fashion vice president who is having a soon to be child with his wife Grace Winslow (Jayma Mays). The Smurfs also find out that Gargamel is on their trail trying to track them down. So the Smurfs try to get back to their village while learning the true value of friendship, family and other messages.

The Smurfs is your usual half animated half CGI film. The film is full of pop culture refrences that seem unnatural to the show it is adapting. I dont think the Smurfs excist in the same world where Katy Perry’s I kissed a girl is a nationwide hit. The thing that made last years Yogi Bear good is it stayed true to the show it was adapting. The film had no pop culture or fart and poop jokes that are just bad. Studios cram as much relatable stuff as possible to audiences so they can get a cheap laugh because they know or get the refrence.

That goes to another thing, why make this film in New York? The original series took place in Smurf village where thousands of Smurfs live. The film starts off there and its actually enjoyable. There were some really neat cameos in the beginning of the film it gave me a chuckle. The only reason the film is in New York is to give the film a relatable human character and so we can some landmarks that’s it. Like I said before the main problem here is that it is not true or honest to the television at all. Last time I check saying a word with smurf in it was never in the show and it’s not funny here.

The film does have some bright spots. Hank Azari is a scene stealer in everything he is in and its not different here. I respect Azaria because he brings a full effort to everything he is in and he makes everything better. The special effects of the Smurfs look fantastic blending in nicely to the New York landscape. The thing is this is all the stuff I was talking about with those other adaptations gone wrong. There is one breakout performance and everything looks good. These days that it is not enough.

Overall Smurfs is another failed adaptation which is sad to see. Hopefully Yogi Bear will show that an honest true adaptation is the best way to go. Overall I have to say.

Skip It!

Friends with Benefits Review

Friends with Benefits is about Dylan (Justin Timberlake) and Jamie (Mila Kunis) two people who have recently dealt with break ups and meet through Dylan getting a job at GQ and working aside Kunis. They soon grow a great friendship and are so friendly they decide to have sex for sport. “No emotion no one gets hurt they” say but soon they realize that this leads to some complications from just having sex.

So far this summer we have tons of raunchy comedies (Hangover Part two, Bad Teacher, Horrible Bosses, The Change Up and 30 Minuets or Less) but Friends with Benefits is the first raunchy romantic comedy all summer. Does it rank up with 30 Minuets or Less has a great raunchy film or does the comedy sink to the lowly Hangover Part 2?

Compared to this years just sex film No Strings Attached this is a great film. That’s not saying much because I am not a fan of No Strings Attached. While watching Friends with Benefits throughout, I saw so much potential to be something unique and one of the best romantic comedies in recent years but it falter to live up to its potential. That’s not to say it has its moments.

The film has a very star studded cast they perform well here. Justin Timberlake and Mila Kunis both have a fantastic chemistry together and that leads to the films laughs. There is Patricia Clarkson here who was last seen in Easy A. Here she plays it over the top and it just did not feel organic. Richard Jenkins is great in everything hes in and there is no difference here. In the film he has Alzheimer’s and he pulls it off. The film also has Emma Stone, Andy Samburg, and Jenna Elfman who do fine with there small screen time. The one problem in the cast is Woody Harlson as a gay sportscaster. Here they play him up as a stereotype gay person and it is just hard to watch and some what offensive.

The film is directed by Will Gluck who is fresh of the surprise teen comedy hit Easy A. In that film he had a lot of clever jokes and they all hit, here the jokes are very hit or miss. Like I mention before, mostly all the jokes come from Kunis and Timberlake and there fantastic chemistry together. The problem is the writers of Easy A did not write this and you could tell. There is certainly not enough witty comedy here to be held up with Horrible Bosses or even the weak Bad Teacher.

Another thing is I had a lot of problems in the story. Both Kunis and Timberlake are suppose to be emotionally damaged but they do not sell this quality. It dose not seem like the break ups they went through in the beginning of the film. They kind of just forget about and even joke around about it. Throughout the film had some surprising elements in the story that was unique but by the end of the film, it was just your average romantic comedy story line.

Overall Friends with Benefits had a lot of potential but by the end I was left feeling empty. It hurts even more to see it fall apart depite it having some fun moments. Sadly overall, I have to say you should.

Skip It!

Captain America The First Avenger Review

Directed by Joe Johnston
Written by Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely
Starring Chris Evans, Tommy Lee Jones, Hugo Weaving, and Hayley Atwell

 Captain America The First Avenger! Its finally here, my much anticipated installment to the final piece to create the Avengers. As a kid, I ever wondered if Captain America would ever be on the big screen. Growing up he was one of my favorite superheros because of his qualities. Hes honest, a leader, and just the ultimate superhero. Did Marvel do justice to me and thousands of fans.

 Captain America centers around Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) a small skinny man who just wants to enlist in the army. His best friend Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan) who takes him to Modern Marvels of Tommorow where Rogers meets Dr. Abraham Erskine (Stanley Toucci) who presents him with the chance to become part of the super solider project. Rogers agrees and the super solider serum works and he becomes Captain America.

 Captain America is not the only super solider. A German general Johann Schmidt (Hugo Weaving) who has is own Division called HYDRA. He also took the serum but it effected him a bit more. The serum gave him a Red Skull hence his name. The Hydra division is all very futuristic having much more powerful weapons then the Americans. So can Captain America and the Americans succeed?

 So how was Captain America? Well it was.... amazing. The new Captain America film is a stunning ride full of great action, character, and humor that reminds me alot of Indiana Jones. This is Marvels greatest achievement and this is coming from a lover of superhero films. For me, this is one of my favorite superhero films ever.

 The thing I love most is Chris Evans as Captain America. The thing that makes him one of my favorite characters is he is a good man and easy to route for. I personally find it hard to route for Robert Doweny Jr hard to like at times because he can be a bit of a jerk. Evans is just infectious as Captain America and is a relatable hero. He just wants to do the right thing even thought everything is against him. It is the perfect underdog story!

 The rest of the cast is solid as well. Tommy Lee Jones is your average general but that's all I wanted from his character. He was surprisingly really funny in his role. Hugo Weaving is always a great villain and he does a great job here as well. Hugo Weaving is probably now Hollywood's go to guy to play a villain in a film. Hayley Atwell is a great love interest and a very likable character in total. Everyone else is solid as the cast does not miss a beat.

 The film is Marvels funniest film. At one point the film takes a twist that is one of the funniest things I have seen in a super hero film ever. I will not spoil it but it is laugh out loud hilarious. Most of the dialogue was corny but that was an homage to 70's blockbuster films. I surprisingly laughed more in this then Bad Teacher and Hangover 2.

 The action is the film is on full throttle awesome. The film had some amazing chase scenes with the ultra Captain America kicking butt. The film does a good job blending the futuristic element well with the guns of World War 2. The iconic shield is great and the scenes with him throwing the shield looked great and gave me the chills every time he throws it. The action to me had that same feel to a Indiana Jones with the great soundtrack playing with the character kicking butt with there iconic weapon.

 The directing by Joe Johnston is fantastic. Throughout his career, Johnston has done a great job creating a period piece with most of his films. This film is not different as he does a great job creating a 40's feel to everything which is what most of the humor was centered around. The cars, outfits, and styles all looked true to the times which makes Captain America the best period superhero film ever made.

 Overall, Captain America is a fantastic action packed thrill ride that I hold up to the original Indiana Jones. The more I think about it the more I love it. I would not be true to myself if I did not give it a high rating. Yet I can not give it a perfect rating but a high rating of.

3.5 out of 4 Stars!

Winnie the Pooh Review

Directed by Stephen J. Anderson and Don Hall
Written by  Stephen J. Anderson, Clio Chiang ,Don Dougherty, Don Hall, and Brian Kesinger
Starring Jim Cummings, Craig Ferguson, Tom Kenny, and Travis Oates

 Winnie the Pooh has been brought back into theaters. All of the creatures from the One Hundred Acrid Woods have been brought back for a all new adventure. Like usual, the animals have there own separate goals. Winnie the Pooh (Jim Cummings) want to get his honey because he has ran out of it. Eeyore (Bud Luckey). Has lost his tale and needs to find it. The rest of the animals are occupied trying to rescue Christopher Robin from the backson.

 First things first the film did a great job with the voice acting cast. Almost all of the voice actors perfectly executed there characters seemingly. On the other hand Tom Kenny sounded too much like Spongebob (he voices the show) and it gets annoying. Also who ever voiced Christopher Robins just sounded off from the show and films.

 The film looks great drawn in 2D. It is so nice to see a well drawn 2D film instead of the usual 3D garbage the audiences now mostly get. The animation is bright and cheerfuller and supports the characters and there emotions nicely. Hopefully people noticed how effective 2D can be while watching the film and studios will use it more.

 The film is also quite funny. I chuckled about 5 times when I was expecting to not laugh one bit. Most of the jokes are for kids but the film is without crap, fart, poop, or pee jokes which is a sigh of relief for me after watching The Zookeeper and Cars 2 filled with them. It was just sad to see no real laugh out moment among these jokes.

 The best part of the film were the music numbers. The music in the film was catchy and well sung by the voice actors. The visuals during these scenes were stunning to say the least with moments like Pooh diving in a pot of honey in a bee costume.

 The major problem with the movie is two things. One the film is only 53 minuets long! I am sorry that is just a rip off for audiences having to pay 10 dollars to see a movie less then a hour long. The next problem is this is all stuff you can find on television. There is some added visuals and those musicals but you can just sit in the comfort of your home and watch it.

 Overall Winnie the Pooh is enjoyable but nothing more then a rental. That's why I give it a rating of.

2.5 out of 4 Stars

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows part 2 Review

Directed by David Yates 

Written by Steve Kloves

Starring Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, Ralph Fines, and Alan Rickman

 So it all comes down to this. The final film in the so called epic Harry Potter saga. Harry Potter has been an iconic series in the past 2000's. I dont find it as amazing as most audiences. I have seen all of the films and have enjoyed many of them. The thing is I have disliked both of the past two Harry Potter films because they dragged so much in my mind. So does Harry Potter end the series right?

 Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2, is the final adventure in the Harry Potter film series. The much-anticipated motion picture event is the second of two full-length parts. In the epic finale, the battle between the good and evil forces of the wizarding world escalates into an all-out war. The stakes have never been higher and no one is safe. But it is Harry Potter who may be called upon to make the ultimate sacrifice as he draws closer to the climactic showdown with Lord Voldemort. It all ends here. Will Harry Potter defeat Voldomort or fail to him.

 So is part two better then the previous two films? I am glad to say yes. This new Harry Potter is a nice way to end the Harry Potter series, with a BANG! The film is a battle full of CGI spectacle and action with some great effects. The problem is the film does not really connect with me. I just did not really feel any emotion for the characters when they were going through there struggles. I just sat back and enjoyed the CGI but then what makes it different then a film like Transformers.

 The film is dark for a blockbuster film. It is all out war with some of the characters you know and grew with start to die. The scenes that make it dark are some of the quieter non CGI scene instead of loud effects. One of my favorite scenes in the film were after the battle you see dead bodies of some of the characters and real emotion comes out.

 I honestly think the film should have been not as CGI filed. The three scenes I remember the most do not have anything to do with CGI. Yates does a great job making some very heart felt scenes like a flashback scene that is remarkable and memorable. I think Yates should have done a bit more of that even thought most audiences would disagree. 

 The performances in the film are fantastic. All of the actors are at the best especially Alan Rickman. Rickman has a small amount of screen time but gives an Oscar worthy performance that I was not expecting. The main three Radcliffe, Watson, and Grint all do an outstanding job but this is Radcliffe's film. Watson and Grint have much less screen time. 

 My major gripes of the film is the story and the film can not help that. I just dont like the ending at all and it feels like a cop out to me. The set up to the ending was great and if they just stuck to that the film could have had a much more memorable and emotional ending that may have been gutsy but cinematic gold.

 Overall Harry Potter is a entertaining blockbuster but does not compare to either Lord of the Rings or Star Wars. The film suffers because it has to be more for everyone which holds it back from greatness. I still have to give the film a rating of.

3 out of 4 Stars

Submarine Review

Directed by Richard Ayoade
Written by Richard Ayoade
Starring Noah Taylor, Paddy Considine, Craig Roberts, Yasmin Paige, and Sally Hawkins

 Submarine for me was one of the films I could not wait to see. The film looked like my type of indie comedy with a lot smart humor and some really realistic characters. Most of the time when I look forword to a movie it backlashes on me and the movie turns out to be terrible. So does Richard Ayoade make a film that is satisfying for the critics and audiences.

Submarine is about Oliver Tate (Roberts) is a 15 year-old Swansea boy who is convinced that he is an unrivaled genius who is widely loved by his classmates, when in fact he is pretentious and socially alienated. Soon he falls in love with a wild girl named Jordana (Paige) and does everything to bullying to impress her.

 Soon life begins to fall apart for Oliver. His at home life is in disray with free spirited guru Graham (Considine) and is wife may be having an affair with his mom (Hawkins). His father Lloyd (Taylor) becomes more and more out of his relasonship. So can Oliver reunite his family while keeping his relasonship with Jordana.

 So back to my question, did Submarine disappoint? Well I am so happy to say that this film did not disappoint one bit. This is a coming of age film that ranks up there with Garden State as one of my favorite coming of age films. The film seems so much like a Wes Anderson film such as Rushmore. For me that's a plus because I love all of Anderson's work.

 Newcomer Roberts has such a great charm to it. Throughout every minuet of the film I routed for him because he kind of relatable person. He kind of reminds me of the character and Juno who seems over pertinacious but is not really as smart as he is. He is a kid, he has things to learn and the film is coming of age film because he learns how to overcome that. Oliver's girl friend Paige Yasmine also has great chemistry with Roberts and seems like an extremely likable and you can see how Oliver is chasing after her so much.

 Paddy Considine is hilarious in his role as a self help guru. He does a great job balancing being silly and seeming real at the same time. In any other film he would be a character who is over the top silly like in a Jared Hess film but in here he is well balanced. The parents here Taylor and Hawkins do a good job as the strained relasonship.

 The comedy in the film is quirky and I could not stop laughing. I laughed out loud about ten to fithteen times. Roberts is so witty and quirky and I just thought he was so funny. The script written by Ayoade is well written giving all of the actors there chance to show there comedy chops. The direction helps the comedy alot as well. The film has a lot of clever scene translations that are like play translations. 

 Like any good coming of age film, there is a lot of heart. I really cared for the relasonship and each of the characters. I some what related to Roberts and his character. He is flawed and has made quite a bit of mistakes himself. Seeing him grow was just heart warming and by the end I was in tears with such a picture perfect finale.

 Overall Submarine is one of my favorite movies of this year. This movie has been on my mind thinking. The film is just my film and for that I give it a rating of.

4 out of 4 Stars

Look at this fan made poster for the Batman series.

If Nolan is going to relase all three in a combo. This must be the DVD art.

Hugo Tralier

 Martin, I am so disappointed in you. This movie honestly looks embarrassingly mediocre. It kind of reminds me of Ramona and Betzuz which is so average. I was planning to see this for Thanksgiving but now I need to see more to prove me not to see the Muppets instead of the garbage.

Avengers Trailer Leaked

 The quality of the video may be bad but its great to see first footage from the Avengers. I am nervous that we did not get to see any of the Hulk but besides that I can not wait. 

The Top 5 Romantic Comedies of the 2000s

 Romantic Comedies are one of my favorite genres because they can be so many different things if done right. It can be funny, emotional or touching depending on the outcome of the relasonship, or very dramatic. Recently, the genre has been on a down swirl with such terrible films like Killers, The Ugly Truth, and The Bounty Hunter. The genre still has its great films and today I will list my favorite Romantic Comedies of the 2000's. 

Number 5. Knocked Up

 Knocked Up was the film that jump started director, writer, and producer Judd Apatow career as the king of the raunchy comedy. This film on the other hand focuses more on the romantic element of having a baby after a one night stand. The film is hilarious showing the world Seth Rogen for the first time. We also get to see alot of the other Apatow regulars such as Jonah Hill, his wife Leslie Mann, and even Rogen. 

 It is the usual Apatow comedy, you get the raunchy humor but quite a bit of heart and this film is no difference. I think the film showed how Apatow could direct actors because he showed promise from the untalented Kathrine Heigel. This is one of my favorites of Apatow's films and well be remembered as the best pregnancy film of all time.

4. Larry Crowne 

 This one should be a hated choice by most but I kind of loved this film. The film is directed by Tom Hanks and also starring him, he is a likable actor and it shows from in the film. Every character I was charmed by all of the main characters in the film, especially Hanks and his costar Roberts. There romance seemed real because they had such a great connection together. They both seemed essential to each others lives and you root for Hanks to win her over.

 The film was also very funny in my opinion. The film caught me off guard numerous times with some really funny and clever jokes. I laughed about eight to ten times and I was expecting to not laugh at all. You after admire Hanks ability to unite the people in the film all are total misfits, and make them seem like a family. This film just grows on you and thinking about it now I smile. 

Number 3 

Number 3 Scott Pilgrim vs the World

 Scott Pilgrim Vs the World, the video game film? How is that nominated? Well listen here, Scott Pilgrim is about Scott's chasing after Ramona by defeating her seven evil ex-boyfriends. The film is extremely funny with each evil ex battle even funnier and more epic then the last which is rare to see. Each of the evil exes all also different in there own ways from being an actor, a base player, and even a lesbian. It was by far the funniest film of 2010 and perhaps one of the funniest films of the decade. 

 The thing that surprised me about the film was the love story. Director Edgar Wright shocked me by creating such a tender love story and connection between them. Scott loves Ramona for her looks and her sense of mystery but by the end he finds out more and loves her even more. While watching I got the feeling that Ramona was worth fighting for. The film overall is a smart hip and heart warming film that well be an instant cult classic.

Number 2 Fever Pitch 

 Fever Pitch should be another surprising one for most. I thought that this film was sweet, memorable, and as a Red Sox fan, a great tale of the franchise. The films love story happens around the time the Red Sox made a miracle run at the World Serise championship. Both actors have a great screen presence together. There both naturally charming, funny, and likable which is a plus for any romantic comedy. Fallon impressed me most perfectly portraying his obsession with the team without getting to jokey about it. You can see why he loved the team because of everything about going to the games. As a person who as attended a Red Sox game, the experience is one of the warmest you will find at any other stadium and I related to the film in that way.

 The comedy in the film also works because Fallon is a true comedian. As a Red Sox fan I got a laugh from all of the inside jokes like the 1985 World Serise joke. That may turn some people off that the jokes involve sport knowledge but it is a huge plus to me. The way the film wrapped up was just as magical as the conclusion to the 2004 World Serise. This for me is a near perfect film.

Number 1 Love and Other Drugs

 For me this was a easy choice. This film takes you on a roller coaster of emotion. The film starts off with a happier tone with the Jamie Randell (Gyllenhaal) having affairs with Maggie Murdock (Hathaway) which was just emotionless sex. Soon Randell falls for her and then the roller coaster turns a bit. By the end you dont know if Hathaway and Gyllenhaal are going to end up together, but you hope they do. Both Gyllenhaal and Hathaway show so much passion for there roles and you could tell. I personally think both should have one there Golden Globe nomination and even get an Oscar nod. The final scenes of the film had me in tears with an emotional scene. Once you see both in tears you feel the tears roll down your checks yourself. I can not say enough about there great performance in this film.

 The film also surprised me how raunchy it was. The first hour or so was very funny with a lot of great scenes with supporting characters such as Oliver Platt, Josh Grad, and Hank Azaria. The best scenes were just the scenes of smart diolauge between Gyllenhaal and Hathaway. Both are very witty from the first time they meet and seem like the perfect match. The film also has a very great message. Love can come from anywhere. You could love any one any different shape, size, race, skin color, or disease, all you see is your love for that person. Hathaway has Parkinson's (no spoiler in the first meeting) and Randell still well do anything to get here. This is a very emotional, powerful and funny film.

Zookeeper Review

Directed Frank Coraci
Written by Nick Bakay and Kevin James
Starring Kevin James, Rosario Dawson, Leslie Bibb, Adam Sandler, and much more

 For most people watching this film for most people is a death wish. Looking at the trailer, I was strongly regretting ever seeing anything from the film. Well I saw the film and it was not that bad. I actual enjoyed a bit of the film. Ill go over that soon but now lets talk about the films premise.

 The Zookeeper is about Griffin Keyes (Kevin James) a down in his luck man who works at the local zoo as a Zookeeper hence the title. Five years ago his girlfriend Stephanie (Leslie Bibb) turned down his wedding proposal because of his job at the local zoo and him not working as any prominent person in society. Ever since that day, hes goal has been to win her back.

 One day after an encounter with her, suddenly the animals at the zoo start to talk to him. The animals include everything from lion (Cher and Sylvester Stallone), a monkey (Adam Sandler), two bears (voiced by Jon Favreau), and much more. These animals love Griffin and want him to stay. To keep him, the animals give him advice to get Stephanie back. Will this work for Griffin or backfire massively?

 Like I said I kind of enjoyed it. Hold your tomatoes for a second and let me explain. The film is your usual Sandler film and most for me are hit or miss. This one I enjoyed and the major reason is Kevin James the star of the film. Ever since James stared in The Kings of Queens you has a had a very likable screen presence. He comes of as a genuine nice guy who you care for and root for throughout the film.

 James also has a very good chemistry with the animals. The scenes with him talking to all the animals show a good repore between the animal voice actors. He also has a great chemistry also with Rosario Dawson a doctor at the Zoo. Both come of as nice people and your thinking perhaps James is making the wrong descion.

 The hilight of the film are the scenes with James and the Gorilla played by Nick Nolte. It seems as they are really good friends. I actual think that there bromance was better then any relasonship you saw in the Hangover part 2. They created mostly all the laughs in the film for me.

 The problem is not the films fault. The film is targeted more for kids to laugh out and parents to tolerate the film.  I only laughed three times because the jokes for the most part were not aimed at me. Younger Kids and families are going to enjoy the film alot. Its the usual Sandler produced comedy, jokes aimed at younger audiences and most likely a good message to end with. The film follows the formula perfectly but still I have to mark it down because of the lack of humor.

 Some of the jokes in the film like the joke about TGIF were absolutely hard to watch. There also alot of really bad physical comedy. Everything else is tolerable. I also have to say that even thought the film was short,  by the end it seemed it was running out of steam.

 I still kinda enjoyed it. I am not giving it a huge recommendation, but a decent rating. I suggest families and kids see this in theaters and regular people give it a chance when its on TV or Netflix. I give the film a rating of .

2 out of 4 Stars

Sherlock Holmes 2 Trailer! AND 100 BLOG

THIS LOOKS AMAZING!

DARK KNIGHT RISES POSTER

Horrible Bosses Review

Directed by Seth Gordon
Written by Michael Markowitz, John Francis Daley, and Jonathan Goldstein
Starring Jason Bateman, Charlie Day, Jason Sudeikis, Keven Spacey, and Jenifer Anistion

 Horrible Bosses is the newest from the line of raunchy comedies. The bad thing is so far this year, both Hangover 2 and Bad Teacher have been some what disappointing because of the lack of laughs. So does Horrible Bosses have what it takes to change this trend?

 To answer that question, yes. Horrible Bosses is by far the funniest film I have seen so far this year. The film unlike the Hangover 2 has actual jokes instead of silly and dumb slapstick. It is also is not as disgusting as the Hangover 2 which is a good thing.

 One of the reasons the film sticks is the huge cast. Bateman is the best straight comedian in Hollywood. Throughout the film he has a straight face while making the jokes and I just love that so much. He is clearly rising as a big time comedian star. The star of the film for me is Sudeikis. He is the most funniest character and it is great to see him bounce back from the raunchy let bad Hall Pass.

 The film also has Charlie Day who is the Galafankis type character and he was funny without getting annoying. Now time to talk about the bosses. Kevin Spacey just looks like he is having a blast with his role as the major boss and he does it perfectly. Colin Farreel is the least used boss but he does a fine job in his short role. Then there's Jenifer Anistion who absolutely hit a grand slam. She was easily the funniest of any of the bosses and this really surprises me  because she is terrible in almost every other film she is in. That's saying all of her films are terrible.

 The problem for me is the story. The film could of been a really funny dark comedy about killing your boss but instead they made the film your ordinary Hollywood comedy. Without spoiling anything the film has the same genirc happy ever after ending which is disappointing because the film could have been so much more but it took the lazy route when coming to the script.

Overall, Horrible Bosses is one of the funniest films of the year. I give the film a good rating of.

3 out of 4 Stars 

Is 3D a tool to enhance film or a unnecessary gimmick?

 Recently on Ebert Present at the Movies, the critics had a talk about 3D. This inspired me to share my own opinion on this interesting and debatable topic. 

You can argue when this craze started but I will say back in the year 2004 a film called The Polar Express was released which for me was my first 3D film. The film was very popular and just was a true magnificent sight to see. The film was one of the first films of the 2000's and it payed off. This was the true start to the phenomenon.

  

 Now a few years later a few more films started to use technique such as Bolt, Beowulf, and Monster House. All three films had an enhanced look and were all approved by critics to see in 3D. The problem is all three of these film under performed (Bolt was off its budget by 30 million Beowulf 60 million). It seems 3D  has been improved but it all might end with the films bombing in the box office.

 

 Then came the year 2009. The 3D year opened with the first stop motion animation film in 3D Coraline. The film opened to huge critical success having an 89 percent on the Rotten Tomato meter and later earning a best animated feature Oscar nod. The film also did well financially grossing 76 million domestic to become the highest grossing film animated film of all time (until this year Gnomeo and Juliet broke the record). Things were looking up for 3D.

 Now we fast foreword to later on in the year with three more animated films coming out Ice age 3, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, and A Christmas Carol. The films overall had good critical success (except for Ice Age 3) and all were said to have demonstrated 3D well. The films made a killing in the box office (Ice Age 3 became the highest grossing Ice Age, Cloudy had third highest September gross, and Carol grossed 318 million worldwide). Now the trend is becoming a trademark for animation but will it ever branch out.

 Now we come to the end of December with James Cameron's newest blockbuster Avatar which was shot in 3D. The film became a box office juggernaut becoming the highest grossing film in all time grossing a total of 2.7 billion dollars. The film also was nominated for 9 Oscars including Best Director and Picture. Even thought it only won three of those nomiantaions, Avatar had proved that 3D can greatly enhance a film and earn the film a boat load of money.

 Now we enter 2010 and right out of the gate we start out with three animation films, Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland, How to Train Your Dragon, and Clash of the Titans. Alice in Wonderland came out right after the Avatar craze and it really benefit from that. The film was a box office success grossing a billion dollars. The problem here is that critics and audience had mild complaints that the 3D darkened the film and made it easier to watch in 2D. Is this a warning sing of what to come? 

 Then came How to Train Your Dragon coming out only a few weeks after Alice. Unlike Alice the film was a huge critical success becoming known as one of Dreamworks best film and one of the best films of the year. The critics loved the 3D and the films majestic flying sequences. The film later earned a Oscar best animation nod for its quality. The film was also a financial success not grossing as much as Alice but still bringing in a fine profit. Alice must have been a 3D mess up.

 Then came Clash of the Titans. When Titans was released critics hated the film calling it the worst 3D film ever released. They claimed that hair was floating over peoples heads and only rocks were brought up to your face. The film was also the first to use post production 3D which is adding in 3D after the film has been filmed. The film may have been a financially success but is this a sign of the end of 3D.

 The rest of 2010 was so-so with 3D. There was they great (Tron Legacy, Resident Evil: Afterlife and Jackass 3D) the average (Shrek Forever After, Yogi Bear, and Despicable Me) and the down right bad (My Soul to Take and Gulliver's Travel). So where is 3D at?

 

 As of now 3D has been extremely over indulgent. Last year around 20 films were released in 3D and this year we are predicted to have twice as many films. This is why most of the films like Pirates of the Carribean 4 and Green Lantern are having so much more of there tickets purchased in 2D rather then 3D. People are smart and no when to cash in there money for 3D for films like Transformers 3. 

 Since most studios release there films in mostly 3D, if audiences do not want to see the film in 3D they film fails. Take for instance Drive Angry the film grossed only 10 million dollars because the film was only released in 3D. Also Green Lantern has been a box office bomb because of having more 3D screens then 2D and no one wants to see the film in 3D.

 So 3D is not a gimmick because it has a enhanced more experience alot of the time with films like Tron, Avatar, and Jackass. Even thought Drive Angry and Green Lantern were films I liked, I am somewhat happy they failed. See now directors and producers are scared that if they make a 3D film, they will get tuned out because the huge amount of 3D films.

 The thing is 3D should become more of a treat then a standard thing for moviegoers. In 2009, the 3D was perfect because it was spread out and they weren't to many films. This allowed more audiences to see it because the 3D was more like an occasionally thing you would take advantage of. Now with nearly 40 3D films coming out in a year, they will not be viewed as much.

 For the next two maybe three years films will have giant amounts of 3D films. I feel thought after that hopefully the 3D is used only by people who know how to use it correctly then just any average joe. I think  3D will become will become what it is suppose to be. A rare way to experience a film.