Review: Captain America: The Winter Soldier

Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014):

Synopsis – Captain America finds his trust tested when S.H.I.E.L.D., the shadowy organization that polices the world turns out to be a little shady (get it?). Then some dude with a robot arms shows up, and he kicks a lot of ass.

Staring – Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Samuel L. Jackson, Robert Redford, Anthony Mackie, other actors including some SPOILERS.

As I established in the Thor: The Dark World review, I am a Marvel comics nerd. Watching these movies are my opium. I can’t tell you how many random asides and mentions from the characters on screen got my pulse racing with excitement. Several times I leaned over to Sarah and whispered what was essentially nonsense to her, getting me that look that says “I'm happy you're excited, but I don't know why.” I really wish that Sony and Fox would just get with the program and make some sort of deal with Marvel so that their movies could mix-it-up with the main Marvel films. Spider-man should be running into the Avengers! The X-Men should clash with the Hulk! Ghost Rider should continue to have movies that relate to nothing! I pretty much loved Captain America 2, even if I can see that it’s not a perfect movie. Perfect for me though? Yeah, pretty much, but I am TOTALLY biased. Here’s a little breakdown:

What I Liked:

-I think the way Marvel fleshes out its film’s stories is kind of brilliant. When I left the theater initially, I thought I had seen a very well-crafted story. Now that I have had more time to reflect, I realize that no, there really wasn’t much depth to the plot at all. But that doesn’t really matter, because it was all a super awesome ride. To really tear down the plot and examine all the pieces individually is to invite the flaws to overwhelm the picture, and consequently my enjoyment of it. Not worth it when it comes to an action movie like this.

-Chris Evans continues to impress as Captain America. Compared to his work as The Human Torch in the Fantastic Four movies he is practically Shakespearing his way through this work. He might just be now forever cemented as the character in my brain, the way Christopher Reeve is for Superman.

-They handled their social and political commentary in the movie pretty damn well. Sarah pointed out to me after the movie that they had pleased the left wingers by siding against global surveillance, while pleasing the right wingers by calling it Communism/Socialism. Plus, you get a guy like Robert Redford in there, who is a staunch liberal, playing one of the heads of the biggest policing force on the planet (Also pointed out by Sarah. She’s much smarter than I). For a big budget movie like this, I don’t think taking both sides of a debate could have been handled more smoothly.

-Falcon, man. Falcon was my favorite thing in the movie. I would love to see a whole movie just around that character. Anthony Machie plays him cool and relatable, simultaneously out of his league but ready to take the challenge head-on anyway. More Falcon, please?

What I Didn’t Like:

-I like Scarlett Johanssen as an actress, and I like seeing her in these movies, but there was something a bit off about her performance this time around. I can’t really put my finger on it. Maybe she was just exhausted from doing 40 movies at once. She has 2 in the theater right now and another one coming out soon (The other films are Under the Skin and Lucy).

What I Hated:

-Once again, as with Iron Man 3, I find the amount of gun violence in these films abhorrent. I realize that this might make me a crazy person. It’s all in an action movie after all, and it is based on previous work that also features a lot of gun play. Even so, I can’t separate myself from my role as uncle to 13 nieces and nephews, no matter how hard I try. Kids watch these movies, and kids get influence by what they watch. I don’t think I would let my child see this film, at least not till they were older.

Verdict:

The fact is I really enjoyed Captain America: The Winter Soldier. I may even go see it again at the theater I liked it so much. Also, I missed part of the movie because I had to go get the management at one point so they could kick out the assholes that were using their cell phones (that didn’t work out of course, but at least I tried). Anyway, go see the movie in the theater if this is you cup of tea, because it is really good stuff.

April Week1: The Lego... Post. Yeah.

Another week, a few more films. I have already started the April Film Project, I just haven't written any of them up yet, because I am a slacker. But hey, 5 movies this week! That's pretty good right?

Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans
Halloween
Jane Eyre
Heartland
Thor: The Dark World


There's what I wrote up the last week. Sorry for the short post, but I'm a boring person by nature. I hope you have a great week!


FYI: The title for this post comes from my nephew Jack. So blame him.

Review: Thor: The Dark World

Thor: The Dark World (2013):

Synopsis – Thor has been cleaning up the 9 realms and making everything cool again, when suddenly (!) a new threat appears in the form of a dark elf who is hell-bent on returning the universe to a state of total darkness.

Starring - Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Tom Hiddleston, Anthony Hopkins, Christopher Eccleston, Rene Russo, Stellan Skarsgard, all kinds of people.

I don’t know what it is about the Thor movies, but I really like both of them. Something about the clash of cultures between the scientists and the Gods just tickles my funny bone in the right way. And for some reason whenever Kat Dennings says something I cannot help but laugh! She is great at delivering lines.

What’s that? This isn’t supposed to be a comedy? Listen, if this had just been a straight action movie, then why would I have bothered watching it? In almost every Marvel movie that’s been released, the minute I stopped caring is the minute the action got turned up to 11. I’m a weirdo, what can I say. This movie has a fair amount of action, but it really is mostly a comedic movie, containing different levels of the “fish out of water” troupe and snarkiness. So I can see why some people didn’t like it, and I don’t fault them their opinions. I loved it.

What I Liked:

-This movie made me laugh, a lot. Whether it was Loki quipping, Kat Denning quipping, or even Natalie Portman quipping, for some reason the humor of the movie was right up my alley. And of course, an action movie where people are thrown around is bound to have some physical humor. All of which worked for me. Lastly, there is the funniest thing in the movie in my opinion…

-Stellan Skarsgard is fantastic in this movie. If you haven’t seen it, I don’t want to spoil his first scene, but I was laughing so hard I was crying. Imagine the guy from Good Will Hunting, now doing the performance that this film required. Every bit with him was great in an already super fun movie.

-As a Marvel comics nerd, I have to say that the stingers at the end of the movie made me so happy. Both the one that hinted toward the Guardians of the Galaxy movie, and the one that put a nice bow on Thor: The Dark World were magical to me.

What I Didn’t Like:

-Everything did feel kind of rushed, plot-wise at least. I suppose the studios thought they couldn’t hold the audience’s attention for a longer movie in Thor-land, but I totally disagree. I would have loved a longer sequence of Natalie Portman’s character walking around with Thor in Asgard and interacting with different Gods and demi-Gods, but I’m a nerd, so there’s that to consider. Also, a little more fleshing out of the villain couldn’t have hurt.

-SPOILER: They kill off one of the characters, and it ends up feeling very halfhearted. It really doesn’t even work as motivation for the other characters. It was just a way for one of the actors to exit from any other film obligations.

What I Hated:

-I hate that it ended.

Verdict:

A fun blockbuster action movie, this movie is a quick watch that is totally enjoyable. Pop it in the player when you want to have a good time. I intend to buy a copy.

Review: Heartland

Heartland (1979):

Synopsis – A glimpse of the life of a woman and her daughter who move to Wyoming to work for a cattle farmer in the 1910’s.

Starring - Conchata Ferrell, Rip Torn, a few others.

The final movie in my March Movie Project, I certainly saved one of the best for last. My mom has always loved the Little House on the Prairie book series. She read it several times through when she was a lass, and when she was raising my siblings and I, she read it to us too. I can remember both mom and dad regaling me with the tales of Laura Ingalls as I drifted off to sleep at bedtime. Because of my mom’s love for those books, she latched on to a few films that showed the life she had read so often about. One of them was this movie, Heartland. Out of the films she picked for me, she really wanted me to see this movie the most, and it was almost impossible to get a copy. Basically, through Amazon, we had to pay a high price for someone to print us a copy of the DVD. We got our copy just before the end of the month and watched it together. My mom loves this movie, I love my mom, and now I also love this movie. Here are some thoughts on it:

What I Liked:

-It’s a very simple movie and I really liked that. Naturally there are certain complications in the character’s lives, such as dealing with the low price of cattle and a having a baby in the dead of winter, but there are plot points made larger than the others that movie can be defined by. What we got was a slice of life from this time period, showing a woman and a man (and a child, but they child is almost inconsequential to the story) living life in a rural setting before things like electricity, telephones, or automobiles were common place. They struggle for what they want, and really everything they try to accomplish is a struggle because nothing in this movie comes without hard work. It was moving to watch, and a bit inspiring.

-Conchata Ferrell was very good in her role as a poor woman who finds herself and her child suddenly in the middle of nowhere working with a man who is difficult to communicate with. Rip Torn was something else entirely. I DID NOT RECOGNIZE HIM. He absolutely transforms into his character, using an accent and changing his mannerism into a tough man who is used to a tough life, a man who won’t take no guff. It wasn’t until halfway through the movie when they showed a close-up of his face that I began to puzzle away at who I was looking at. “I know that guy” I thought. HIS NAME WAS IN THE OPENING CREDITS AND I STILL DID NOT PUT THIS TOGETHER. Really, an amazing performance.

What I Didn’t Like:

-There is an old woman, played by Lilia Skala, who shows up a few times in the movie and talks with Conchata about whatever. She has a thick accent and is almost impossible to understand most of the time. It wouldn’t be a problem if she was just someone who showed up and then left real quickly, but she has a lot of speaking scenes. And it even seems like she is speaking slower on purpose to make herself easier to understand, but it does not help in the least.

What I Hated:

-My mother didn’t remember this stuff, but there are some really brutal scenes of animal mutilation. I say mutilation, because that’s what it is to me, but what I mean is we see some cows branded and at least one that is castrated with a POCKET KNIFE. Maybe this is perfectly normal; I wouldn’t know, I’m a California boy. Oh yeah, and they kill a pig with a shot gun, and it is not fake in any way. Just a little too real for my taste.

Verdict:

I know I just listed a couple of negatives there, but I am still really happy I own this movie now. It will serve to me as a reminder of a time passed by and how lucky I am. It is also a very solid little film, and if you have a way to see it I think you should. I apologize if the animal bits are very upsetting for you. I intend to rewatch this movie many times.

Review: Jane Eyre (2011)

Jane Eyre (2011):

Synopsis – A young woman takes a job as a governess at a castle (?) owned by a total jerk face who bullies her into love. I may have added my own flair to part of the story.

Starring - Mia Wasikowska, Michael Fassbender, Jamie Bell, Judi Dench, Sally Hawkins, a whole bunch of others, all doing good stuff.

Sarah’s love for period pieces tends to lead us out to the theater in pursuit of whatever new ones come out. Recently we saw In Secret which was pretty bad, but most of the time we are at least mostly satisfied by what we see. Jane Eyre is one of Sarah’s favorite movies, and I stand by that choice 100 percent. It is up there with the best looking movies in recent memory, but so much more.

What I Liked:

-The cinematography is amazing in this film. Along with the set design and costuming, you cannot help but truly be transported to the world of the movie. Cary Fukunaga may be a magical imp that carried over his powers to the TV series True Detective, because that looks just as good. They must do something to the film to tone down the colors, because everything is somewhat bleak and grayish in quality. It is still a beautiful piece of work to behold.

-Mia Wasikowski knocks this performance out of the park. She plays Jane Eyre as calm and smart, never taking it to any place over-dramatic, even though it would seem perfectly logical to do so. I mean, Jane Eyre has had a hard and mostly terrible life! A lesser actress would use that motivation as an excuse for hamming up the role, attempting to squeeze pity out of the audience any way they can. Wasikowski’s Jane has been made into a hardened and suspicious woman, not ready to trust anyone, not afraid to speak her mind when prompted to. She is no delicate flower and that is perfect.

What I Didn’t Like:

-If I have one complaint, it is how attractive Michael Fassbender is. I haven’t actually read Jane Eyre, but from what I have heard about it I understand that Mr. Rochester is supposed to be unattractive not only in manner but in appearance. I am a straight man, but even I cannot believe for one second that women would not fall all over themselves in order to get at Mr. Fassbender. Some dudes’ just got all the right stuff in the face area. He’s a great actor though, so I wouldn’t want him removed from the film. Maybe some prosthetics to ugg him up?

What I Hated:

-Nothing.

Verdict:

If you want a beautiful looking drama that features great acting, you really can’t go wrong. There are a few moments that drag, but that’s what you get from gothic literature. Totally worth watching.

Review: Halloween (1978)

Halloween (1978):

Synopsis – A crazy dude escapes from a mental hospital after years of being incarcerated, only to return to the town where he had killed his older sister, beginning a new spree of terror. He is totes cray cray!

Starring – Donald Pleasence, Jamie Lee Curtis, Nancy Kyes, P.J. Soles, Charles Cyphers, the guy who played Michael Myers, the kids, and the rest of the cast!

As I have said previously, I never used to watch horror movies. I think the first time I was exposed to any horror movie was when I was between the ages of 7-9. I was staying over at an older boy’s house, having a sleepover with all his friends, and they were having a horror movie marathon. I don’t know what Nightmare on Elm Street movie this is from, but I remember 2 things: One, Freddy saying “Let’s suck face” and then sucking on a girl’s mouth till she became a hollow husk; two, a giant Freddy head attached to a thick neck, like a huge worm, eating a girl who was in her bed.  The rest of the time I had my eyes closed shut very tightly. Whether these two scenes actually exist in any movie I don’t know; I haven’t bothered to seek them out to confirm their existence. Needless to say, those images became burned into my brain and while I don’t remember having any nightmares I certainly haven’t forgotten the exposure over the years. It started in me a fascination with things that go bump in the night which never carried over into movies until recently. I can remember sitting in the school library, reading Stephen King or looking through this awesome encyclopedia of monsters they had.  Over the last couple of years, I have been delving slowly into the horror genre of film, generally staying away from any movie that I know is only about jump scares; because if I’m going to be scared I want it to be a genuine feeling. A dog barking at you randomly as you walk by is the same as a jump scare, and there’s nothing terrifying about that after the fact. Halloween has been sitting on my shelf for a while now, and I finally decided it was time to get it over. The funny thing to me is, the only reason I wanted to watch it right when I did is because I had just finished Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans and wanted something slightly schlocky to balance out the joy. I got what I needed, but it wasn’t as good as I had hoped.

What I Liked:

-Michael Myers, what’s not to like? They did a great job of making a guy in a mask seem super creepy. His slow and measured movements and muteness (with shots from within the mask, accompanied by breathing) were an excellent choice by the film makers. Nothing seems more alien than something that is alive but cannot be communicated with.

-I heard a lot about Donald Pleasence’s role in this movie and how he is amazing. While I think amazing might be a bit strong, it’s only because he isn’t really given much to do except run around explaining things. He is definitely the best actor in this film.

What I Didn’t Like:

-What the hell? If those are teenagers, then I’m a freaking teenager! Even Jamie Lee Curtis, who was actually the appropriate age during the filming of the movie, seems much older because of her voice. And when combined with those two ladies pretending not to be in their 30’s next, well, it comes off as pretty damn false.

-Everyone knows the theme from Halloween. It is iconic for a reason, and it really is perfect for the film. After a while though, I got pretty tired of the digital score just popping in randomly. I was jarred out of the movie a few times by it. I don’t think I like digital scores as a rule.

What I Hated:

-I was very much enjoying how Michael Myers seemed both very human (driving a car, being seen all over town but not just magically appearing everywhere) and very monster (silent, slow moving, strong, determined like the freaking terminator) at the same time. But when he begins to take a lot of hits, they don’t seem to slow him down at all. He comes off as nearly invincible by the end, especially with the ambiguous disappearance at the end. I thought that was preeeeety lame.

Verdict:

I think I might have had higher expectations for Halloween than I thought I did. It’s my friend Jose’s fault. He has been talking it up for a while. Well, and so has the rest of the internet. Either way, I am glad I watched, and I would watch it again if pressed to, but it really wasn’t anything too special.

Review: Sunrise A Song of Two Humans

Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans (1927):

Synopsis – A man who has grown tired of his life plots with a woman (from the city no less) to murder his wife and sell the farm! We’ve all been there right? Right?

Starring – George O'Brien, Janet Gaynor, Margaret Livingston, and many more.

Silent film continues to blow me away. I watch these masterpieces and remember that little shit I used to be, the one who said “all black and white movies are boring.” I don’t think that is too uncommon an opinion in the age I grew up in, and I wouldn’t be surprised if something extremely similar someday slips from the mouth of one of my nieces or nephews. Now, I cannot believe how much I’ve been missing. This movie was so amazing it might jump straight up into my top 10 list. An hour and a half silent film that ran my emotions through the ringer more than once! I am so happy I watched this movie, and I cannot wait to force it upon my friends.

What I Liked:

-I cannot get over how masterfully the plot of the movie is handled. So much story is conveyed in the actors faces and movements, in the scenery and the score (I don’t know if it’s a faux-pas to mention the score of a silent film, but the one on the YouTube version I watched was AMAZING), and in the subtle use of title cards during the movie. The joyfulness of the second act of the film somehow made me forget the heinous acts of the man in the first act. And even when the third act on the boat trip home is set up so obviously, I could not help but be riveted because of my investment in the characters.

-The copy of the film looks amazing. I watched an HD version that was on YouTube for free, and it was like being transported into a theater and seeing it as a brand new release. The effects used in the movie are all complimentary and pretty astonishing in context to the time period. Or maybe they aren’t! I am not familiar enough with film from the time period yet to make that call. I was just blown away by what can only be called movie magic. The use of super-imposed screens to show what was being imagined and the sets that truly gave the illusion of the locations they portrayed (farmland, city, a fair!) were perfect. Absolutely perfect.

What I Didn’t Like and What I Hated:

-This movie is as close to perfect as you can get.

Verdict:

When I break-down a film, and both the “didn’t like” and “hate” sections are empty, I’m sure can guess how I felt about the film in the end (although sometimes the complaints are so minor they just don’t bare worth mentioning). This film is a masterpiece through and through. And you know what? It’s available to watch FOR FREE on YouTube right now! If you have any interest in silent film that isn’t a straight comedy, please check this movie out.