MOVIE REVIEW: CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER,

Steve Rogers continues his journey as the super-powered American soldier who's grasping to find his place in a modern world after being frozen in ice since WWII with this Marvel Studios sequel. Chris Evans returns to star, with Community director/producers Joe and Anthony Russo helming. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, Rovi

Director: Joe Russo, Anthony Russo 

Cast: Chris Evans, Anthony Mackie, Sebastian Stan, Samuel L. Jackson, Scarlett Johansson

Release Date: Apr 04, 2014

Rated: PG-13 for Gunplay, Action throughout and Intense Sequences of Violence

Runtime: 2 hr. 8 min.

Genres: Action/Adventure

Review:

Captain America: The Winter Soldier is one of Marvel’s best scripted stories thus far.  That’s not to say it doesn’t have some issues but it’s a solid attempt at trying to dig a bit deeper into some complex issues with a complicated villain.  It’s rather blunt if earnest about it’s intentions.  If this all makes it sound rather dour well it is at time occasionally turning into a plodding and somewhat joyless experience that could have been trimmed by a good 15 to 20 minutes.  Personally, I might have been more impressed if I hadn’t seen a similar story line in a certain DC animated series I was fond of but I digress.  The film, when it hits its mark, delivers some excellent action set pieces and superhero action.  Evans does his best to bring some deeper layers to the Captain and he pulls it off for the most part.  Scarlett Johansson has a larger part which doesn’t require her to runaround in her catsuit and the film’s better for it as she displays some solid chemistry with Evans.  Newcomers Anthony Mackie and Robert Redford bring varying degrees of excitement to the proceedings.  Mackie is obviously having a blast throughout while Redford’s name brings some gravitas to the whole thing but he seemed as disinterested as can be.  Sebastian Stan’s Winter Solider is in the movie title but his screen time is surprisingly small in the grand scheme of things.  It’s a game changing film that does kind of blows up a lot of the establishment from the Marvel universe so it’ll be interesting to see where they from here, hopefully they’ll remember bring a bit more fun.  

B-

Cindy Prascik's Review of Captain America: The Winter Soldier

Dearest Blog, yesterday I chose an afternoon at the cinema over an afternoon at the office. In the common tongue, I believe that's what's known as a "gimmie." On the docket, Captain America: The Winter Soldier.

Spoiler level here will be mild, nothing you wouldn't know from the trailers.

Captain America finds himself at odds with S.H.I.E.L.D.'s thinking, and facing a surprising and dangerous adversary.

Well, dear Blog, first I should admit I'm not quite so much on the Marvel bandwagon as most of the world. They make good superhero movies, and I like good superhero movies, but they don't make anything that sets my world on fire like that last Batman trilogy did. A matter of personal taste, I know, but worth mentioning in the interest of full and fair disclosure.

Captain America: The Winter Soldier has many positives, so we'll start with those. It's a layered story that manages to hold your attention without becoming muddled and over-complicated. The action sequences are solid, and the CGI tricks look pretty authentic. The movie is filled with familiar names and faces, and it's as comfortable as hanging with a group of old friends when they name-check other characters from the Marvel universe. Chris Evans again serves the Captain well. If he's neither as charismatic as Robert Downey, Jr. nor as interesting as Mark Ruffalo, he IS the very picture of the all-American hero, perfect for this role. For my money, though, the actor who's really worth seeing here is Sebastian Stan. I've been a fan since his work on the short-lived NBC series Kings, and am positively delighted about his jump to the big-screen blockbuster. (I'd have been more delighted with more screen time, but since I watched Black Swan for about two minutes of him, I guess I'll live.)

On the negative side: Had the action sequences been trimmed just a bit, the movie would have been sharper and better paced; as it is, it does seem to drag a bit at times. Of more concern was the reaction in my pretty-crowded cinema, almost a total flatline. No spontaneous oohs and ahhs, almost no bursts of laughter at the comic bits, no chatter or applause at the end. For a movie that's been so well received, I found that very curious, especially as the crowd seemed mostly comprised of fanboys and kids.

Captain America: The Winter Soldier runs 136 minutes and is rated PG13 for "intense sequences of violence, gunplay, and action throughout."

Some folks are saying The Winter Soldier is even better than Marvel's Avengers, seemingly the current benchmark for a great superhero movie. For my money, they're about the same: fun times that perfectly fit the lighthearted summer-blockbuster mold.

Of a possible nine Weasleys, Captain America: The Winter Soldier gets seven and a half.

Until next time...

 

 

Any room for me up in there?

[Trailers] Captain America: The Winter Soldier & Anchorman 2 US and International

A couple of new trailers have hit the interwebs over the last few days so let’s dig right in.

First up is the trailer, which looks surprisingly impressive, for the Captain America sequel. There’s a noticeable tonal shift from the first film which I never loved or hated. This one seems more like an international flavored action thriller with superheroes in the mix. Lots of familiar faces pop up along with plenty of new ones, check it out….



Earlier this week a couple of new Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues trailers hit. The 2nd US trailer showcases plenty of new footage. If that didn’t wet your appetite check out the international trailer which has even more new footage. I’m a huge Will Ferrell so I can’t wait for this, check them out below…

2nd US Trailer….



International Trailer….

MOVIE REVIEW: THE AVENGERS

IN THEATERS

MARVEL’S THE AVENGERS 3D



Marvel Studios delivers the ultimate comic-book film, which ties together such characters as Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.), Captain America (Chris Evans), The Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), and Thor (Chris Hemsworth) for a big-screen franchise team-up like no other. Taking center stage this time is Nick Fury (played once again by the note-perfect Samuel L. Jackson), leader of the peacekeeping agency known as S.H.I.E.L.D. Fury, along with former Russian spy Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), recruits a super team to combat Thor's ever-deceptive brother Loki (Tom Hiddleston) after he brainwashes ace archer Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) while stealing a cosmic cube from an underground base. Thus the heroes must learn to work together alongside outlaw scientist Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo), who can track down the artifact's gamma signals when he's not hulking out into a giant green monster. Show runner Joss Whedon (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Firefly) adapted and helmed the script by Zak Penn. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, Rovi

Director: Joss Whedon

Cast: Robert Downey, Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson.

Release Date: May 04, 2012

Rated PG-13 Intense Sci-Fi Action/Violence and A Mild Drug Reference

Runtime: 2 hr. 23 min.Genres: Action/Adventure

Review:

Marvel’s huge gambit started with Iron Man’s post credit scene and went on from there. It was a terribly risky and ambitious. Once all the stand alone films were done Joss Whedon was tasked with the incredibly difficult task of putting it all together and giving each character its due while creating a story that would justify these characters coming together. Whedon, to his massive credit, delivered a spectacle which will be remembered by children for years to come. Whedon’s love of the characters and genre is readily apparent in the ever single frame of the film. Whedon knows his audience and delivers the kind of film that fans want. Massive action set pieces that give each character a time to shine as the film goes along, leading up to a an insane climatic battle that gives us more destruction than Transformers Dark of the Moon. It would have been easy for Whedon to just deliver an endless battle royale but he gives his film time and allows each character to have simpler quieter moments that let you into their head and motivations. The cast is on target throughout and while it would have been easy for Robert Downey Jr. to have run the show, he’s kept in check and gives the other actors room to breathe and shine. Mark Ruffalo’s take of Bruce Banner is impressive, so much so that I’d say we finally have a definitive film version of the character. Scarlett Johansson and Jeremy Renner do as much as they can with less screen time than the other stalwarts. Tom Hiddleston provides a great villain for the super group to fight, sadly he only lacked a long twirly mustache. 2 post credit scenes provide more fun to ease you off your high. The first sets up a sequel and latter is a wonderful moment showcasing Whedon and the cast. A perfectly fitting end to a film that’s blockbuster filmmaking at it’s finest.

A

[Official Trailer] Avengers Assemble

New name, new poster and new trailer, geekness levels rising……..

More footage is on hand it makes everything look appropriately fun and epic….

[Official Trailer] The Avengers

Official trailer is finally out and it’s pretty damn Geektastic, watch it for yourself.

You get a nice sense of the scale that Whedon is going for and some nice action shots of all the heroes, of course Robert Downey Jr’s Tony Stark gets the best line in the trailer…..

MOVIE REVIEW: CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE FIRST AVENGER 3D

IN THEATERS

CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE FIRST AVENGER 3D



Director: Joe Johnston

Cast: Chris Evans, Hugo Weaving, Sebastian Stan, Tommy Lee Jones, Hayley Atwell

Release Date: Jul 22, 2011

Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of sci-fi violence and action

Runtime: 2 hr. 4 min.

Genres: Action/Adventure

Review:

Captain America was among the list of superhero films that worried me going into this summer. It’s the type of property that’s hard to pull off because so much of the characters soul is trapped in a by gone time that might not translate to the big screen. Joe Johnston’s luckily was given a script that firmly places this origin story in its proper time and place. Shooting it with the look and feel of a WW2 propaganda film, Johnston captures so much of what makes the character and what he stands for without being overly jingoistic. Johnston paces his film methodically; taking his time with the characters and allows them to breathe. As a result, Chris Evan’s is given ample time to flesh out the scrawny runt Steve Rogers by giving him an earnestness that carries over to the Captain America version of Rogers. Hugo Weaving is good fun as the sinister Red Skull, even if the characters written a bit broad for my taste. Thanks to Johnston’s patience, secondary characters played by the likes of Tommy Lee Jones, having a ball, Hayley Atwell, Stanley Tucci and Dominic Cooper don’t come off as one dimensional as they could have. Johnston also has to be given a lot of credit for well staged action sequences which keep pepper the 2nd half of the film, some of the larger set pieces giving a decidedly Raiders of the Lost Ark to them somehow. The 3D, if you those like me who enjoy the novelty, is effectively used for effect but some of the action sequence can sort of bombard your eyes with information.

B+

[Trailer] The Avengers

After last weeks The Dark Knight Rises bootleg now it looks like another bootleg of a hotly anticipated comic book film has hit the internet.

The teaser to The Avengers, which is going to play before Captain America, is out and kind of cool looking, at least from what little I could see, quality is pretty shoddy and will probably be pulled down sooner than later…….

I’ll post the official one as soon as it’s out…..

MOVIE REVIEWS: SCOTT PILGRIM VS. THE WORLD

IN THEATERS

SCOTT PILGRIM VS. THE WORLD



Based on Bryan Lee O'Malley's Oni Press comic book of the same name, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World follows the eponymous slacker rocker on his colorful quest to defeat his dream girl's seven evil ex-boyfriends. Twenty-two-year-old Scott Pilgrim (Michael Cera) may not have a job, but rocking the bass for his band, Sex Bob-omb, is a tough job unto itself. When Scott locks eyes with Ramona Flowers (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), he knows she's the girl he wants to grow old with. But Ramona has some serious baggage; her supercharged exes rue the thought of her being with another man, and they'll crush any guy who gives her a second glance. Now, in order to win Ramona's heart, Scott will do battle with everyone from vegan-powered rock gods to sinister skateboarders, never losing sight of his gorgeous goal as he pummels his way to victory. Shaun of the Dead's Edgar Wright directs the film from a script he penned with Michael Bacall. Superhero veterans Chris Evans and Brandon Routh co-star in the action comedy as two of the seven ex-boyfriends. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Director: Edgar Wright

Cast: Michael Cera, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Kieran Culkin, Chris Evans, Brandon Routh.

Release Date: Aug 13, 2010

Rated: stylized violence, sexual content, language and drug references

Runtime: 1 hr. 53 min.

Genres: Action/Adventure

Review:

If you’ve ever wondered what a Baz Luhrmann dream would look like if it had 16-bit sensibility, I know I have on various occasions, then Edgar Wright’s Scott Pilgrim vs. The World is right up your alley. Like Luhrmann’s Moulin Rouge, Wright has a basic and fairly straightforward story as his base but the visuals elevate it to an inspired bit of kinetic epilepsy inducing filmmaking that’s easy to love. Wright uses anime and old school video tropes in telling this story and it’s a visual marvel to behold, something that’s insane but perfectly logical within the story. Acting, like the story is 2nd fiddle here and with a few standouts, Kieran Culkin leaves the most tangible impression, the cast is mostly just going with the flow of the film’s lunacy. Wright has really flexed his directorial muscle here and created visual candy which is s tad overlong and probably not terribly accessible to the general public.

B+

MOVIE REVIEWS: THE LOSERS

ON DVD

THE LOSERS



Director Sylvain White adapts the Vertigo comic about a team of mercenaries who wage war on the CIA after they're double-crossed in the field and left to die. Clay (Jeffrey Dean Morgan), Jensen (Chris Evans), Roque (Idris Elba), Pooch (Columbus Short), and Cougar (Óscar Jaenada) were on a black-ops mission in the Bolivian jungle when rogue CIA agent Max (Jason Patric) hung them out to dry. After beating the odds and surviving their ordeal, the team decides to strike back against Max even if it means sacrificing their own lives to do so. Aiding them on their treacherous suicide mission is sexy operative Aisha (Zoe Saldana), who has her own reasons for wanting to see Max get his just deserts. But getting to Max won't be easy, because in addition to having the CIA on his side, he's about to spark a war that could plunge the entire globe into chaos. Their time quickly running out as Max's plan kicks into overdrive, the Special Forces unit that everyone assumed dead arms themselves to the teeth and prepares to strike back with a vengeance. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

Director: Sylvain White

Cast: Jeffrey Morgan, Zoe Saldana, Chris Evans, Idris Elba, Columbus Short

Release Date: Apr 23, 2010

Rated pg-13 for a scene of sensuality, violence, sequences of intense action and language

Runtime: 1 hr. 38 min.

Genres: Action/Adventure

Review:

Coming to life with a kinetic energy that makes the film engaging right from the start, The Losers is the kind of stupid fun that makes illogical storylines and overly telegraphed twist bearable. Sylvain White give this comic adaptation a zany over the top feel which is perfect for the subject matter and nothing is every terribly weighty or heady. Instead there is a clear cut modus operandi to provide as much action packed mindless fun as possible. White moves this movie along at a brisk pace allowing you to gloss over some of the more glaring issues in the story. The cast is clearly on board and is clearly having fun from the start. Jeffery Dean Morgan feels extremely naturalistic as the team’s alpha dog Clay. He lives in this characters skin easily and coolly throughout. Idris Elba is strong as the 2nd in command even if he’s shackled with the most obvious of storylines. Chris Evan is a real scene stealer as the wise cracking hacker Jensen. Oscar Jaenada and Columbus Short are both good in more limited roles. Jason Patrick seems miscast as the film main baddie, he never quite gets the character and overdoes what should have been a cooler more sinister character. Zoe Saldana is right at home as the resident female ass kicker, her and Morgan have strong chemistry. The flaws while forgivable are hardly small. Sylvain White does what he can to cover up the story’s silliness and illogical plot and for the most part he succeeds but in some of the slower parts in the third act they become more and more apparent. Still, as silly action films go this one is a strong example of how to keep it light and fun.

B-