Thor Review

Thor Review

Comic book superheroes typically fall into one of 3 categories.  Armed vigilante (think Batman,  or Iron Man,), Alien sent from a distant planet to save us (think Superman, Green Lantern), or Mutant Humanoid (X-men, or Spiderman.) If I had to pick one of these categories to lump Thor into he would most definitely fall into the Alien Hero category.

The film starts out with the question "Where did he come from?" We are then immediately given an entire mythology lesson in less than five minutes similar to the way Peter Jackson described the Hobbit in the Lord of the Rings.  It's short, it's sweet, its very well done, and my only complaint is that it is too brief to give us any real sense of the size or scope of the outer realms.  We discover that the mythology lesson was in fact just that, King Odin telling the tales of his triumph over the Frost Giants to his two sons Thor & Loki.  Jump ahead a few years and we are at the coronation of his eldest son Thor.  Thor is to replace his father on the throne, and Loki of course is jealous.  It is here that we get our first sense of who Thor is.  Honestly I didn't like him. He is more than unlikeable he's an arrogant prick, he's the star quarterback who thinks he is better than everyone else, and he is beyond selfish.  His arrogance leads him to be easily manipulated by Loki, a smart and devious younger brother who craves the power his brother is too easily given.  When Thor disobey's his father and in the process destroys a centuries old truce, he is banished to earth. Unlike in the comics he is banished not to a wheelchair but in his standard body.  I would have liked to have seen this film take on the challenge of the wheelchair, but I understand why they chose not to.  When he arrives on earth he is the same jerk he was on the other planet, but now his oafishness, is punctuated by its lack of context.  Thor is sent to earth by his father in order to learn humility, grace and above all wisdom.  I know I said I didn't like him, but we as an audience are meant not to.  He has to be unlikable in order for us to appreciate his change and cheer his achievements later in the film. When he is banished the movie turns for a bit into a fish out of water story as Thor begins to accept and adapt to his modern surroundings. We soon discover that just like King Arthur and the sword in the stone, Thor's hammer has landed and is currently being studied by S.H.I.E.L.D, the militant homeland security team that eventually gives birth to the Avengers. For Thor getting his hammer back means he can once again return to Asgard.

At it's core this movie is a Shakespearian narrative, one of betrayal, redemption and heroism.  Initially the film was going to be directed by Matthew Vaughn.  When Vaughn stepped out the studio wisely replaced him with Kenneth Branagh I say wisely because nobody directs Shakespeare better than Kenneth Branagh.  The movie isn't about a hero, it's not about stopping a villain, or saving the girl. Unlike Superman, or Batman Thor is just trying to get home, he has no love for earth, no desire to stay.  Surprisingly the movie is not at all as earthbound as the trailers would have you believe. It intentionally strives to become the Lord of the Rings of comic book movies. The best parts of the movie take place away f on Asgard and the other realms that are not Earth. These scenes are truly amazing, full of beauty, and story, and because there is such a strong base here it made me wish that entire movie had taken place there. I really am hoping to see a sequel that explores the Asgard and outer worldly realms.  The strength of the film lies in the portions of the movie set away from earth, and I would like to see more of that world.What the movie really struggles with plot and character development.  There are so many subplots vying for attention that none of them are really served, nor do they really serve the main plot which is Thor's banishment and his subsequent return. The characters, with rare exception, are one dimensional and superfluous, I know they all have a greater purpose in the mythology, but did we really didn't need half of them. The motives of the villain Loki are also a bit bewildering, aside from the fact that he is jealous and he wants to take over Asgard, you never get a real sense of what his plan is. Having said that, The entire movie is enjoyable, action packed, and surprisingly funny.  Don't expect a huge uptick in Thor costumes, or merchandise though.  Unlike most comic book movies I think that this will be the least marketable to children because most of the film will be over their heads, but that again is not a bad thing.

Be sure to stay and watch all of the credits.  I promise you will be rewarded with a spectacular nugget of Avengers goodness.

Let me know what you think when Thor comes out Friday May 6th, 2011

Fast Five Review

Fast Five Review

If you had never seen a Fast & Furious movie before and came into this knowing nothing, you would be completely lost, but it would make you want to see the others.  Unfortunately the other films in this series are no where near as good as this one.  Brian & Dom pick up the action where they left off after the Fast & Furious, yet somehow still before the events in the third movie, Tokyo Drift.  If that made as little sense to you as it made to me then just remember that the chronological order of the series is now: 1-2-4-5-3. After breaking Dom out of a prison, in spectacular fashion I might add, our heroes are now wanted criminals, and have fled to Rio.  In Rio our group finds themselves involved in another hijacking, this time a train full of DEA seized cars.  When one of the cars turns out to be carrying a digital treasure map of a notorious kingpin's cash houses, Dom & Brian find themselves the target of not only cops but of mercenaries and drug cartels.  This series of movies is really about anti-heroes.  These guys are bad guys, they do bad things, they steal, they shoot at cops, fight everyone including each other, and basically shirk the rules of society.  However because they are likable and do all these nasty things with a smile, we root and cheer for them.  We want them to succeed.  Hell they are so charming that even the guys who are supposed to be going after them fall in love with and/or join them in their cause.  The action in the film is just like the heroes in the film, we shouldn't believe it, we should audibly call out "Bulls***!" when they happen, but we don't we cheer, and cheer loud because as unrealistic as they are they look cool. Besides who really cares about realism so as long as there are big explosions and narrow escapes.  All morals, and physics aside, this movie does what it is supposed to.  We get to have fun, we get to enjoy two hours of meaningless fun.  As I stated at the beginning, this is probably the best movie out of the whole series. Could it be that this is the one series who's multiple sequels get better? The series, just like the cast is maturing, its stories continue to grow, to evolve into something more than its initial pedigree of hoochies and horsepower.  At it's core Fast Five is nothing more than a heist movie.  For those people who are unaware of what I am talking about, a heist movie is a movie about a group of criminals coming together to pull off one last job to get back at a rival, or someone abusing power (think Italian Job, or the Ocean's movies). Usually (especially since Ocean's 11) there is some sort of big wow moment where you realize, or rather they show you how they pulled off the big crime.  I won't go into details about how that happens in this movie, just be aware that you as an audience are being played for the better part of the movie's climax.  This movie is just like it's heroes, we shouldn't like it, we should think that it is bad, the problem is that it is so damn cool and charming that we love it, and really thats ok, especially for this time of year.

Summer Movie Preview Part 1 May 2011

Summer movie season is officially upon us and it is the season most people look forward to movies.  These movies aren't necessarily the best movies, but they are the ones we typically rush to, line up for, and see at midnight. These are the movies I am most excited about seeing this month, and from the looks of things it may be one heck of a good summer. So lets get started.

Fast and Furious 5 aka Fast Five


Ok I cheated I know this technically comes out on Friday April 29th, but seriously this is the first of the summer movies. Sometimes you just want to eat popcorn. You sometimes need to just let go of logic, reason, even physics and enjoy a good time.  While I don't think this movie will be any better than the others Fast and Furious movies, I do think that it will be a good time. I know they are not everyone's cup of tea, I know some people get offended by the gratuitous half dressed women dancing on the hood of the tricked out cars, thats all just pandering to the masses, what these films are really about is action, and anti heroes, and I don't know about you but but I dig them.


Thor

The first of many super hero films that litter this Summer.  I don't know exactly what to think of this movie.  I look at the cast of Oscar Winners (Anthony Hopkins and Natalie Portman), quality character actors waiting for break out roles (Idris Elba and Tom Hiddleson), and other notable names (Stellan Skarsgard, Colm Feore, and Rene Russo). I also look at the director, (Kenneth Branaugh) who without a doubt has brought the only version of Hamlet to the screen that is worth watching. I realize all these things matter but the reality is that the film hinges on the performance of one man, Chris Hemsworth.  Most of you know him from the 2009 re-boot of Star Trek. Apparently he made enough of an impression with his 8 minutes of screen time in that film to warrant a leading role as the God of Thunder.  I think this movie lives and dies on his shoulders and I am cautiously optimistic that he will do well.

Bridesmaids & The Hangover 2



I am deliberately lumping these two films together because lets face it the Hangover 2 and Bridesmaids are essentially both unoriginal sequels to a very original comedy.  I believe that Bridesmaids may have been given the label of a "Hangover knockoff" purely because of marketing reasons, but if this movie is going to break away from that mold it is going to have to be smart, clever, and better than the low brow schtick that has been playing in the trailer.  I like Kristin Wiig, and I hope that this film elevates her standing better than Macgruber did.  As far as The Hangover 2 is concerned, I think that if it is going to be as good as the original it needs to distinguish itself and be its own movie.  It absolutely must avoid trying to top the original and just be a funny movie in itself.





Pirates of the Caribbean 4: On Stranger Tides


It is great to see Johnny Depp doing what he does best, films where he looses himself in the role are where he shines.  Movies like Dead Man, What's Eating Gilbert Grape, and of course Ed Wood, are the films he should be most remembered for.  However he is going to be remembered for Jack Sparrow, the snarky, drunken buffoon of the Pirates of the Caribbean series.  I know that Jack Sparrow was the star of the first three Pirates movies, but the heart of the film lay with Orlando Bloom's Will Turner  and Keira Knightly's Elizabeth Swan.  If this movie is going to work, if we are going to want to see more of them then this movie had better make us not just like Jack Sparrow, but care about him more than just a sideshow to a greater love story.

The Beaver


Can Mel Gibson please be respected as an actor? Please, I know he is a complete a-hole, and that he is more than likely an anti-semetic woman hating, wife beater, but the guy can certainly act.  He has had his ups and downs, and he keeps coming back, given the right roles I think he could definitely be forgiven, look at Robert Downey Jr.  That guy was a complete mess, but he straightened himself up, got clean and sober, and got the second chance he needed.  Maybe I'm wrong, maybe Mel should just ride into the sunset, and perhaps he will, I just hope this movie is a reminder to everyone of just how good he was when he was at his best.

Priest


I have little hope that this movie will be anything quality, in fact from the looks of things it looks like little more than this year's Jonah Hex. However I also didn't think much of the trailer for Legion. Legion, the directorial debut of visual effect artist Scott Charles Stewart's pleasantly surprised me with quality beyond what the Trailer showed. So I am including this film as one to watch if for no other reason than for my love of what Legion was.

Kung Fu Panda 2


I enjoyed Kung Fu Panda, because it was clever, apart from the cliched use of the song Kung Fu Fighting as a marketing tool. My problems with Kung Fu Panda (along with many of the other Dreamworks Animation features aside from How to Train Your Dragon) is that to me it seems like the art of animation and storytelling take a back seat to being clever, and making a quick buck. The first was the usual run of the mill fish out of water tale, and I am not expecting much more from a children's cartoon.  However children's cartoons are no longer the stuff of kids. If you have seen a lot of kung fu movies, you no doubt enjoyed the small clever references in Kung Fu Panda, and chuckled at them.  But was it enough for more? I don't know. I hope that this movie has far more art and far less of the animated Jack Black hamming it up for the camera.

Tree of Life


What is this movie doing coming out in May? This is the most puzzling thing about this movie to me.  It really is going to be under appreciated and literally confuse many people.  This is the type of movie best suited for December, it is true Oscar bait, and hopefully Oscar quality.  I am not saying that this is a time of year when we need to shut off our brains, but does a heady weighty drama about the struggles of identity belong mixed in with Superheroes, Kung Fu Pandas and Gay Drunken Pirates? Maybe it will be a nice break, something to cleanse the palate.

Something Borrowed


I will admit that I am interested in this movie.  I love "chick flicks" especially if they are insightful, clever, and above all funny. This one just might be it, apparently it was based on a series of clever, insightful and funny books.  I don't know how good it's going to be but the trailer has me interested and who doesn't love Jon Krasinski? He was the best part of the mediocre It's Complicated, shares my exact birthday (October 20, 1979) and with the departure of Steve Carrell, the funniest part of The Office, whats not to like.  Well he did marry Emily Blunt, so yeah we can hate him a little. But Seriously, I think this movie could be this year's Devil Wears Prada and serve as the estrogen kick that a balanced Summer diet needs.

That is it for May I am looking forward to sharing my opinions of the movies above when I see them, and hopefully you see them too so we can have good discussions about these movies and our experiences seeing them.

Shadows and Light

Theaters are dying.  I don't think they will be extinct anytime soon but the fact is that going to a movie has become too expensive, and inconvenient. Why go to a movie when we can push a button and get any movie we want when we want it, with the control we crave. Movies, Film, Cinema, Motion Pictures, whatever you decide to call the communal experience of sitting in the dark please remember how special it is.

We take for granted this common medium, we talk or text or answer our smart phones, and while we do this we forget that there is magic happening before our eyes. We have all been moved by a movie or two, something pings inside of us when we experience the tale that is unfolded before us. We respond, we care, we are inspired, we are terrified, we laugh or we cry, but we respond on an emotional level. What are we responding to? It is in that question that the magic lies.  It lies in how we connect something that is literally nothing more than shadows and light dancing before our eyes.

No matter what your opinion on a movie is you are affected by it permanently. If it is a good movie, you share that with your friends, you say to them "You gotta see..." or "I loved that movie." If it is a bad movie you say "That movie sucked." or "There's two hours of my life I will never get back." Good or bad there can be no doubt that you are forever changed by the experience.



So now to my purpose for this blog.  I am writing this blog to share the experience, my experience. If you watch the clip to the left you will get a sense of what this is about.  Its about getting pie and talking about a movie after I see it. It's not going to be about judging a movie, although I will not shy away from my opinions, it is not going to be about telling you what to watch, or saying that your choice of movie is invalid. This blog will be focused on celebrating and sharing the experience we are gradually losing. I will include news stories about upcoming movies, links to my favorite film reviews, trailers, and even youtube clips of my favorite moments. There is no knowledge greater than experience, and I invite you to join me, experience the movie I like, or hate, for yourself. If you agree or disagree with something I say and it moves you to respond please feel free, and uncensored to do so.