Saw The Big Sleep for the first time. Missed 30 mintutes of it but it was on a comercial channel so I may have only missed 20 mins. I had a vague idea of what was going on but I thoroughly enjoyed it great acting, direction, music. It was just a finely constructed piece and deserves its title as a classic. Will probably read the book before I rewatch the film.
Also has anyone seen Submarine, Richard Ayonadale's first movie and what did they think of it?
It is what it is. Home Alone meets The People Under The Stairs. I'd like to write more but there isn't really much to say. A sequel was made and will be released...eventually. I might watch it.
Jay and Silent Bob Strikes Back
I liked Clerks, but I was never a big fan of all the View Askewniverse movies. This movie sucked. Sorry, but it was just bad writing and embarrassing attempts at humor. So, 3/10. 3, because there are moments that made me chuckle.
Jay and Silent Bob Strikes Back
I liked Clerks, but I was never a big fan of all the View Askewniverse movies. This movie sucked. Sorry, but it was just bad writing and embarrassing attempts at humor. So, 3/10. 3, because there are moments that made me chuckle.
So true. I enjoy some of a few Kevin Smith's movies (namely Clerks, Chasing Amy and Dogma) but Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back is truly embarrassing to watch. It's completely juvenile and comparable to the likes of Epic Movie or Meet the Spartans in terms of it's (lack of) plot and level of humour (I mean, it's as if Smith asked himself "just how many fart jokes can I cram into one movie").
Heck, it's pretty much Cop-Out bad and that's saying something!
I was hoping for something similar in humor to There's Something About Mary and, as a result, was quite disappointed. A lot of the jokes fell pretty flat and I didn't find myself laughing as often as I would have liked. Certainly not the worst comedy of the year (The Dilemma) but it simply didn't hold up.
I'm not exactly sure how I've never seen this one. It's fantastic and one of the more ambitious movies I've ever seen. Wonderful stuff.
I saw The Truman Show when it first came out, and it was a big deal that Jim Carrey was doing a serious movie. I'm glad he didn't limit himself to doing physical/lowbrow comedies for his entire career.
I saw The Truman Show when it first came out, and it was a big deal that Jim Carrey was doing a serious movie. I'm glad he didn't limit himself to doing physical/lowbrow comedies for his entire career.
Wait till you see Man on the Moon. Hands down his best movie IMO
I loved Truman Show and Eternal Sunshine, but I also loved his less serious movies. You know, stuff like A Series of Unfortunate Events, The Mask, Bruce Almighty, and etc.
Never watched Man On The Moon, though. Gotta check it out.
Tron. 7,5/10
What the h*** did I just watch? Maybe it's just me but I saw this for the first time today and I'm confused. You get thrown in and in the end all that our hero gets is a piece of paper with 4-5 lines on it that I could have made in 1 minute myself with that computer. How is that proof that the "bad guy" stole his games? My mother could have made and printed this.
The rest in between looked awesome but was almost as confusing. Will see the bonus material & director's commentary next. Maybe I will understand it a little better.
Edit:
Tron Legacy 9/10
A lot better at explaining things. I like how they completely modernized the look of Tron but still left most of the objects recognizable. The Soundtrack is awesome, the story is predictable but solid.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
The problem about giving this a rating is the fact that I can't help but compare it to the book, and, when put up against the book, the film adaptation will always look inferior. The 'Harry Potter' films have unfortunately always differed greatly from how I perceive things in the books; the characters are different, the environments are often different (not always, though), the manner in which events take place are always different, and basically the whole tone and atmosphere of the films bears no similarity to that of the books. So, often I will dislike many parts of the movie for things such as, say, the deliverance of a line being completely different to how I heard it in my head when reading the book, or a character seemingly having a different personality or demeanor to that which was conveyed to me through the book. The dilemma here, when making a judgement on the film, is that a lot of my criticisms will be based upon inconsistencies and differences between the books and the films. 'But are these changes necessarily bad?' is the question. If a particular scene is structured in a different way to how I read it in the book, I will automatically view it as poorly executed, no matter what. But is the scene actually poorly executed, or is it just different (but still of high quality). The problem is that I can't tell; my mentality and bias prevents me from making that judgement; I'm blinded and unable to differentiate.
So, for me to give score would be wrong, because there are too many things shaping my opinions, so any score I give would only be unfair or inaccurate. As a movie, yeah, it wasn't bad; if you haven't read the books, and enjoyed all of the other installments in the 'Harry Potter' film franchise, then yes, you'll probably love this one - it features a good mix of [meaningful] action, exciting adventure, and quality (albeit, cut down) dialogue delivered by talented actors, with all of it being backed up by good, professional film-making. If you're like me, then you'll probably be able to appreciate it for what it is, but you'll be wishing that the events took place in the manner that they did in the book, and you'll find yourself disappointed by the differences between the book and the films, the vast content that was left out, as well as the differences between this adaptation and your own personal interpretation of the book.
(and so many others) could have made it into the movie but for what it was, it was a decent popcorn flick and a very fitting end to the already popular franchise.
I've always had a few problems with the Harry Potter adaptations straying from the books, but I feel that they've all done an incredible job of bringing the books to life, and I felt that the Deathly Hallows films were the most faithful of them all. The only huge problem I had with Part 2 was
Harry snapping the Elder Wand in two instead of fixing his own wand with it and laying it back with Dumbledore
.
And speaking of lines in the book I was worried wouldn't make it to the film, I was so glad they kept
@Hayden When comparing a book and a film adaptation, it's often a case of how something is implied in a book that many readers can see differently rather than what was included or excluded. Reading a book there a some many interpretations that can be made about characters, themes, events etc. In a film its all just there, the viewer sees just the one interpretation. I agree that reading the book bias your opinion of a film, the best critisism to be made on a film is to see it blind with out the destration of comparing it to the original. A lot of the reviewers who saw the movie without reading the book felt lost with the plot not knowing what was happening. I agree that the movies rely to heavily on referencing parts of the book that they think is prior knowledge.
@GuruGuru214 I'm happy that they kept that scene as well but didn't find it as climactic as I did when I read it in the book. I didn't like the way the actor delivered it either.
The Incredible Hulk, I like this reboot better than the first one 8/10.
And I think Tim Roth is such a cool actor, and Edward Norton is not so bad as well.
For those complaining about the diffrences between the Harry Potter films and the books. Go ahead and read The Lost World (the follow up novel to Jurassic Park) then go watch The Lost World: Jurassic Park. Then you'll truely know what it feels like to see a movie that totally turns away from what makes a great Novel.
I've always felt that the Harry Potter films were great adaptaions of the books and that the things that were left out in the movie were things that were unecessary to begin with. I remember people who complained that they left out nearly headless Nicks party out. lol Not a necessary scene people. not at all.
Anywho, I give the new Harry Potter film a 9.5 out of 10. It's not my favorite in the series but they ended the movies well and it was very entertaining.
The movie stuck by what Andy said- he didn't care if people loved what he was doing or hated it. At quite a few parts in the movie, you hate him but then you realize that's all part of what he wanted. By the end of the movie you really feel for him and I really enjoyed the ride.
Captain Fancypants: The Final Franchise Ad - 10/10 -
This is going to be fun because this is a movie Dashing and I don't see eye to eye on at all. Don't get me wrong. We both liked the movie, we just don't fully agree on why or how. So, I can't wait for his review of this film. Hey, we're kind of like Siskel and Ebert.
...I'm Siskel.
Anyway.
This is hard for me to admit, but I had next to no problems with this movie. Even things that annoyed me were wonderful things I would have never asked to be excised from the film. The plot moved along at a breakneck, sometimes rushed pace, but I didn't mind that. I didn't mind it because this movie did something I like a lot with movies of this kind. It didn't bullshit around. It told exactly what needed to be told and went no less and no further. Yes, that's safe, and a bit robotic. Well, so were the Indiana Jones films. No doubt you've heard this film compared to the likes of Star Wars and Indiana Jones. Well, that's not a wrong comparison. This movie apes those films on every conceivable level, which is no shock as Joe Johnston has a directorial fetish for Steven Spielberg and George Lucas. That's very evident in every aspect of this film. Battle and chase scenes are a lot like what is on display in Star Wars, and acrobatic and fight scenes are a lot like what is on display in an Indy flick. The reason I love that so much is because it really brings me back to old 1940s serials such as The Phantom, and basically moves along the same way a pulp novel plot would. I absolutely love pulp novels like Doc Savage and the Shadow. In these novels, the villain would be set up, the setting where the hero had to fight would be set up, the action pieces would move along at breakneck speed, and the villain would be dispatched in some sort of fitting, sometimes gruesome end. They moved along methodically because they were printed as dime novels in pulp magazines. This feels very much to me like a pulp novel in a dime pulp magazine. Don't let that sound like a detriment. The pulp novels I've read are some of the greatest, most exciting action pieces I've ever read. Even Indiana Jones, fittingly enough, has them, although in full books. I think it's my love of pulp novels and pulp serials, though not a true extremely knowledgeable aficionado, that ultimately makes me adore films like this. This is very much a film in the vein of The Rocketeer, by the same director, The Shadow, and The Phantom in tone, but this is easily the best of them, and it rises far above them. I hate to say that too because The Shadow is one of my favorite superhero films, and one of my favorite superheroes. If you don't like that old-style cheesiness and pulpiness, and just can't stand things like that, the film could suffer for you.
So, on to the plot and acting. I really liked every aspect of it, again, because it didn't bullshit around. You meet Steve Rogers, you get an idea of his character and condition and goals, and then the film proceeds to hand them to him on a silver platter and make him Captain America. Characters that the plot requires to die are killed. Nothing is drawn out. This film is on the fine line of being paced too fast but succeeds in staying on the safe zone. You get a sense of how powerful and superhuman Rogers is pretty much as soon as he becomes Cap. The first action scene is one of the first scenes in a superhero film that I have seen in a long time where I felt like I was actually watching a superhero. Why? Because it didn't bullshit with me! It took a very simple thing that no ordinary man could do and had him do it. End of story. He's an unstoppable superhero, and I had no doubts in my mind about that from that point on. I found Rogers very relatable as well. As a short, underweight guy myself, I can understand the need and desire to be able to stand up for yourself, and to be able to measure up to other men. At the same time, Roger's keeps a good heart, so he doesn't become corrupted by his strength. Yes, he's the glowing white virgin altar boy, but honestly, sometimes it's nice to have a superhero that can be an unshakable symbol of good. There are enough brooding, gritty superheroes. I'm fine with Cap being cut from Superman's mold, although he's really more like Doc Savage. Sure, Cap is the movie's ideal of what we should think right and good is, but in the universe he inhabits it makes sense.
Hugo Weaving is fantastic as the film's villain Red Skull, but is that a shock? Red Skull is a bit underdeveloped, and most of his dialog is reduced to giving Cap a chance to give snappy comebacks, but his motives are explained through exterior dialog, so we know exactly what he wants, and his actions do enough to signify his plan and his views. His identity is well set up atmospherically and plot-wise. He never does anything truly threatening, though, and once Captain America and the Howling Commandos get ahold of his weapons, they basically kick the ever-loving ass out of his army. You could call this a flaw, but it's really more like nitpicking. Red Skull and Cap have great exchanges, Red Skull's plot is developed just enough so that you at least know what kind of a threat he is, and the end fight between him and Cap is badass and great. He is kind of a Skeletor/Mumm-Ra-ish villain, though. The Howling Commando's are memorable and each get their time to shine and kick ass, although most of it gets done during a montage of battles against Red Skull Cap fights during the war. I'd love to see a animated series get made of this movie about Cap's WW2 adventures, because that did leave me wanting more.
The secondary characters were all amazingly acted. They did an amazing job. Peggy Carter, Cap's love interest, was very well handled and kind of a refreshing female character. She was smart, capable, and didn't bullshit around. Howard Stark, Tony Stark's father, was hilarious with all of his subtle nuances and reactions. He was very much a reactionary character, and it worked very well. Tommy Lee Jone's Colonel Chester Phillips stole every scene he was in with his dry, sarcastic wit. Jones really has a wonderful, snappy comic deliver and it shows here greatly. Cap's best friend Bucky Barnes and the scientist who befriends and turns Rogers into Cap are both extremely well acted characters, although we've seen the scientist type of character before in Iron Man. And, of course, Red Skull's lackey scientist, Dr. Arnim Zola, had great chemistry with Hugo Weaving.
The acting, color tone, cinematography, music, directing, and action in this movie was all incredible in every conceivable way. The film just looks beautiful, and honestly I refuse to see it in 3D. My favorite shot of the movie is the one where Red Skull and Cap first meet, on a bridge, high above an exploding factory interior. Just beautiful. The film really evoked the look of wartime art, and art by artists such as N.C. Wyeth and Norman Rockwell. The dance numbers in which Cap sells war bonds in the middle of the movie really evoked this look and feel especially. Those scenes did make me cringe a bit, but they were gorgeous looking, and overall well done. The score by Alan Silvestri is just incredible and memorable. It really reminds me of John William's iconic take on Superman. The amount of references to in universe series and other series such as Indiana Jones were also wonderful. Joe Johnston crafted a truly wonderful, memorable superhero film here that excels on many levels, and easily tops dozens of others as one of my favorite films. Marvel, keep this up, and you'll have something truly special. Out of all of the Avengers films, this one transitioned into the Avengers the most seamlessly. Also, if you think about it, there have been four Avengers movies already. I actually kind of consider Iron Man, Iron Man 2, Thor, and Captain America as parts I, II, III, and IV of the Avengers. They've gotten away with a pentalogy right under our noses, unless The Incredible Hulk also counts. Then it's a....saga? I'm not sure what to call that. Anyway, I loved this film, and I can't wait to hear Dashing's full thoughts on it, although I know most of them already.
The Cameraman's Revenge & Other Fantastic Tales - 8/10 -
This is a film Dashing put me onto. It's basically a feature of charming short stories made using stop motion animation back in the 20s and the 30s in Europe. As a historical piece, it's very fascinating and entertaining, and I honestly loved it. It truly is a marvel to watch, and it has some of the best animation I've ever seen. Some of it is startlingly lifelike. The stories themselves are wonderful, evoking stories by artist such as Edward Gorey, which is no surprise as he derived his style partially from silent films. The fist three stories especially felt very Goreyan. One was about a beetle cheating on his wife with a dragonfly, and a vengeful grasshopper cameraman getting even with the beetle. The second was a charming Christmas story about a Father Christmas ornament bringing presents to good little bugs. The third was about a frog kingdom who asked the god Jupiter to give them a suitable king. There were some rather horrendous frog puns, but overall it was a funny satire on how people often take things for granted and don't appreciate what they have and want more and more. The next story was about a young girl who captured a nightingale as it was searching for it's lover. Another story was about a toy dog who was taken from a little girl by her mother and sold away. The dog then tries to find his way home. Hey, that sounds awfully familiar! This version is better. Etc. etc. I actually forgot what the final story or two was due to fatigue...but I really recommend people find this on Netflix and watch it as it's very charming and incredibly interesting to watch. And honestly, it's something that is absolutely great to spend your time on.
Okay, Dashing, your turn to hold up your end of the bargain. Duck, You Sucker. Now.
Also, if you think about it, there have been four Avengers movies already. I actually kind of consider Iron Man, Iron Man 2, Thor, and Captain America as parts I, II, III, and IV of the Avengers. They've gotten away with a pentalogy right under our noses, unless The Incredible Hulk also counts. Then it's a....saga? I'm not sure what to call that.
It counts. They couldn't get Edward Norton back to play Bruce Banner for the crossover movie, but it's still part of the Avengers series. And I believe that would make it a sextilogy, which doesn't mean even remotely what it sounds like it means. Let's just stick with saga or something.
I'm the more intelligent, less obnoxious, less annoying, less wrong, more handsome one. Plus, Josh has Ebert's build. Oh, and I consider Captain America: The First Avenger to be better than Star Wars - A New Hope.
Everyone who knows me knows I love The Office. Quite frankly, now that Steve Carell is gone I'll go see any movie he's in. This movie though, was something special. It was funny, it was sincere, and the characters were likable. It also had a huge plot-twist which I would have never seen coming so props to them for that. Go see it!
Comments
Also has anyone seen Submarine, Richard Ayonadale's first movie and what did they think of it?
Amadeus - 9/10
So damn funny.
It is what it is. Home Alone meets The People Under The Stairs. I'd like to write more but there isn't really much to say. A sequel was made and will be released...eventually. I might watch it.
I liked Clerks, but I was never a big fan of all the View Askewniverse movies. This movie sucked. Sorry, but it was just bad writing and embarrassing attempts at humor. So, 3/10. 3, because there are moments that made me chuckle.
So true. I enjoy some of a few Kevin Smith's movies (namely Clerks, Chasing Amy and Dogma) but Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back is truly embarrassing to watch. It's completely juvenile and comparable to the likes of Epic Movie or Meet the Spartans in terms of it's (lack of) plot and level of humour (I mean, it's as if Smith asked himself "just how many fart jokes can I cram into one movie").
Heck, it's pretty much Cop-Out bad and that's saying something!
I was hoping for something similar in humor to There's Something About Mary and, as a result, was quite disappointed. A lot of the jokes fell pretty flat and I didn't find myself laughing as often as I would have liked. Certainly not the worst comedy of the year (The Dilemma) but it simply didn't hold up.
I'm not exactly sure how I've never seen this one. It's fantastic and one of the more ambitious movies I've ever seen. Wonderful stuff.
Good movie.
I saw The Truman Show when it first came out, and it was a big deal that Jim Carrey was doing a serious movie. I'm glad he didn't limit himself to doing physical/lowbrow comedies for his entire career.
Wait till you see Man on the Moon. Hands down his best movie IMO
Ooh, on that recommendation I will. I loved Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, so it'll have a tough time topping that.
Guess I'd better finally see it.
Same here. Has been one of those films that I've just not gotten around to watching yet, will have to change that soon.
Never watched Man On The Moon, though. Gotta check it out.
BTW, have you guys seen his official site?
What. The. Crap.
Methinks that someone's been playing Samorost.
What the h*** did I just watch? Maybe it's just me but I saw this for the first time today and I'm confused. You get thrown in and in the end all that our hero gets is a piece of paper with 4-5 lines on it that I could have made in 1 minute myself with that computer. How is that proof that the "bad guy" stole his games? My mother could have made and printed this.
The rest in between looked awesome but was almost as confusing. Will see the bonus material & director's commentary next. Maybe I will understand it a little better.
Edit:
Tron Legacy 9/10
A lot better at explaining things. I like how they completely modernized the look of Tron but still left most of the objects recognizable. The Soundtrack is awesome, the story is predictable but solid.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part I - 8.5/10
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part II - 10/10
The best movie I've seen so far this year. I read the books, so I knew what was going to happen, but I loved every single second.
The problem about giving this a rating is the fact that I can't help but compare it to the book, and, when put up against the book, the film adaptation will always look inferior. The 'Harry Potter' films have unfortunately always differed greatly from how I perceive things in the books; the characters are different, the environments are often different (not always, though), the manner in which events take place are always different, and basically the whole tone and atmosphere of the films bears no similarity to that of the books. So, often I will dislike many parts of the movie for things such as, say, the deliverance of a line being completely different to how I heard it in my head when reading the book, or a character seemingly having a different personality or demeanor to that which was conveyed to me through the book. The dilemma here, when making a judgement on the film, is that a lot of my criticisms will be based upon inconsistencies and differences between the books and the films. 'But are these changes necessarily bad?' is the question. If a particular scene is structured in a different way to how I read it in the book, I will automatically view it as poorly executed, no matter what. But is the scene actually poorly executed, or is it just different (but still of high quality). The problem is that I can't tell; my mentality and bias prevents me from making that judgement; I'm blinded and unable to differentiate.
So, for me to give score would be wrong, because there are too many things shaping my opinions, so any score I give would only be unfair or inaccurate. As a movie, yeah, it wasn't bad; if you haven't read the books, and enjoyed all of the other installments in the 'Harry Potter' film franchise, then yes, you'll probably love this one - it features a good mix of [meaningful] action, exciting adventure, and quality (albeit, cut down) dialogue delivered by talented actors, with all of it being backed up by good, professional film-making. If you're like me, then you'll probably be able to appreciate it for what it is, but you'll be wishing that the events took place in the manner that they did in the book, and you'll find yourself disappointed by the differences between the book and the films, the vast content that was left out, as well as the differences between this adaptation and your own personal interpretation of the book.
I completely agree. I really wish the line
And speaking of lines in the book I was worried wouldn't make it to the film, I was so glad they kept
@GuruGuru214 I'm happy that they kept that scene as well but didn't find it as climactic as I did when I read it in the book. I didn't like the way the actor delivered it either.
Yeah back in season 1 of Tosh.0.
The Mighty Morphing Power Rangers movie. 6/10.
Up: 9.5/10
Dead Poets Society: 9.5/10
And I think Tim Roth is such a cool actor, and Edward Norton is not so bad as well.
I've always felt that the Harry Potter films were great adaptaions of the books and that the things that were left out in the movie were things that were unecessary to begin with. I remember people who complained that they left out nearly headless Nicks party out. lol Not a necessary scene people. not at all.
Anywho, I give the new Harry Potter film a 9.5 out of 10. It's not my favorite in the series but they ended the movies well and it was very entertaining.
The movie stuck by what Andy said- he didn't care if people loved what he was doing or hated it. At quite a few parts in the movie, you hate him but then you realize that's all part of what he wanted. By the end of the movie you really feel for him and I really enjoyed the ride.
That is all.
This is going to be fun because this is a movie Dashing and I don't see eye to eye on at all. Don't get me wrong. We both liked the movie, we just don't fully agree on why or how. So, I can't wait for his review of this film. Hey, we're kind of like Siskel and Ebert.
...I'm Siskel.
Anyway.
This is hard for me to admit, but I had next to no problems with this movie. Even things that annoyed me were wonderful things I would have never asked to be excised from the film. The plot moved along at a breakneck, sometimes rushed pace, but I didn't mind that. I didn't mind it because this movie did something I like a lot with movies of this kind. It didn't bullshit around. It told exactly what needed to be told and went no less and no further. Yes, that's safe, and a bit robotic. Well, so were the Indiana Jones films. No doubt you've heard this film compared to the likes of Star Wars and Indiana Jones. Well, that's not a wrong comparison. This movie apes those films on every conceivable level, which is no shock as Joe Johnston has a directorial fetish for Steven Spielberg and George Lucas. That's very evident in every aspect of this film. Battle and chase scenes are a lot like what is on display in Star Wars, and acrobatic and fight scenes are a lot like what is on display in an Indy flick. The reason I love that so much is because it really brings me back to old 1940s serials such as The Phantom, and basically moves along the same way a pulp novel plot would. I absolutely love pulp novels like Doc Savage and the Shadow. In these novels, the villain would be set up, the setting where the hero had to fight would be set up, the action pieces would move along at breakneck speed, and the villain would be dispatched in some sort of fitting, sometimes gruesome end. They moved along methodically because they were printed as dime novels in pulp magazines. This feels very much to me like a pulp novel in a dime pulp magazine. Don't let that sound like a detriment. The pulp novels I've read are some of the greatest, most exciting action pieces I've ever read. Even Indiana Jones, fittingly enough, has them, although in full books. I think it's my love of pulp novels and pulp serials, though not a true extremely knowledgeable aficionado, that ultimately makes me adore films like this. This is very much a film in the vein of The Rocketeer, by the same director, The Shadow, and The Phantom in tone, but this is easily the best of them, and it rises far above them. I hate to say that too because The Shadow is one of my favorite superhero films, and one of my favorite superheroes. If you don't like that old-style cheesiness and pulpiness, and just can't stand things like that, the film could suffer for you.
So, on to the plot and acting. I really liked every aspect of it, again, because it didn't bullshit around. You meet Steve Rogers, you get an idea of his character and condition and goals, and then the film proceeds to hand them to him on a silver platter and make him Captain America. Characters that the plot requires to die are killed. Nothing is drawn out. This film is on the fine line of being paced too fast but succeeds in staying on the safe zone. You get a sense of how powerful and superhuman Rogers is pretty much as soon as he becomes Cap. The first action scene is one of the first scenes in a superhero film that I have seen in a long time where I felt like I was actually watching a superhero. Why? Because it didn't bullshit with me! It took a very simple thing that no ordinary man could do and had him do it. End of story. He's an unstoppable superhero, and I had no doubts in my mind about that from that point on. I found Rogers very relatable as well. As a short, underweight guy myself, I can understand the need and desire to be able to stand up for yourself, and to be able to measure up to other men. At the same time, Roger's keeps a good heart, so he doesn't become corrupted by his strength. Yes, he's the glowing white virgin altar boy, but honestly, sometimes it's nice to have a superhero that can be an unshakable symbol of good. There are enough brooding, gritty superheroes. I'm fine with Cap being cut from Superman's mold, although he's really more like Doc Savage. Sure, Cap is the movie's ideal of what we should think right and good is, but in the universe he inhabits it makes sense.
Hugo Weaving is fantastic as the film's villain Red Skull, but is that a shock? Red Skull is a bit underdeveloped, and most of his dialog is reduced to giving Cap a chance to give snappy comebacks, but his motives are explained through exterior dialog, so we know exactly what he wants, and his actions do enough to signify his plan and his views. His identity is well set up atmospherically and plot-wise. He never does anything truly threatening, though, and once Captain America and the Howling Commandos get ahold of his weapons, they basically kick the ever-loving ass out of his army. You could call this a flaw, but it's really more like nitpicking. Red Skull and Cap have great exchanges, Red Skull's plot is developed just enough so that you at least know what kind of a threat he is, and the end fight between him and Cap is badass and great. He is kind of a Skeletor/Mumm-Ra-ish villain, though. The Howling Commando's are memorable and each get their time to shine and kick ass, although most of it gets done during a montage of battles against Red Skull Cap fights during the war. I'd love to see a animated series get made of this movie about Cap's WW2 adventures, because that did leave me wanting more.
The secondary characters were all amazingly acted. They did an amazing job. Peggy Carter, Cap's love interest, was very well handled and kind of a refreshing female character. She was smart, capable, and didn't bullshit around. Howard Stark, Tony Stark's father, was hilarious with all of his subtle nuances and reactions. He was very much a reactionary character, and it worked very well. Tommy Lee Jone's Colonel Chester Phillips stole every scene he was in with his dry, sarcastic wit. Jones really has a wonderful, snappy comic deliver and it shows here greatly. Cap's best friend Bucky Barnes and the scientist who befriends and turns Rogers into Cap are both extremely well acted characters, although we've seen the scientist type of character before in Iron Man. And, of course, Red Skull's lackey scientist, Dr. Arnim Zola, had great chemistry with Hugo Weaving.
The acting, color tone, cinematography, music, directing, and action in this movie was all incredible in every conceivable way. The film just looks beautiful, and honestly I refuse to see it in 3D. My favorite shot of the movie is the one where Red Skull and Cap first meet, on a bridge, high above an exploding factory interior. Just beautiful. The film really evoked the look of wartime art, and art by artists such as N.C. Wyeth and Norman Rockwell. The dance numbers in which Cap sells war bonds in the middle of the movie really evoked this look and feel especially. Those scenes did make me cringe a bit, but they were gorgeous looking, and overall well done. The score by Alan Silvestri is just incredible and memorable. It really reminds me of John William's iconic take on Superman. The amount of references to in universe series and other series such as Indiana Jones were also wonderful. Joe Johnston crafted a truly wonderful, memorable superhero film here that excels on many levels, and easily tops dozens of others as one of my favorite films. Marvel, keep this up, and you'll have something truly special. Out of all of the Avengers films, this one transitioned into the Avengers the most seamlessly. Also, if you think about it, there have been four Avengers movies already. I actually kind of consider Iron Man, Iron Man 2, Thor, and Captain America as parts I, II, III, and IV of the Avengers. They've gotten away with a pentalogy right under our noses, unless The Incredible Hulk also counts. Then it's a....saga? I'm not sure what to call that. Anyway, I loved this film, and I can't wait to hear Dashing's full thoughts on it, although I know most of them already.
The Cameraman's Revenge & Other Fantastic Tales - 8/10 -
This is a film Dashing put me onto. It's basically a feature of charming short stories made using stop motion animation back in the 20s and the 30s in Europe. As a historical piece, it's very fascinating and entertaining, and I honestly loved it. It truly is a marvel to watch, and it has some of the best animation I've ever seen. Some of it is startlingly lifelike. The stories themselves are wonderful, evoking stories by artist such as Edward Gorey, which is no surprise as he derived his style partially from silent films. The fist three stories especially felt very Goreyan. One was about a beetle cheating on his wife with a dragonfly, and a vengeful grasshopper cameraman getting even with the beetle. The second was a charming Christmas story about a Father Christmas ornament bringing presents to good little bugs. The third was about a frog kingdom who asked the god Jupiter to give them a suitable king. There were some rather horrendous frog puns, but overall it was a funny satire on how people often take things for granted and don't appreciate what they have and want more and more. The next story was about a young girl who captured a nightingale as it was searching for it's lover. Another story was about a toy dog who was taken from a little girl by her mother and sold away. The dog then tries to find his way home. Hey, that sounds awfully familiar! This version is better. Etc. etc. I actually forgot what the final story or two was due to fatigue...but I really recommend people find this on Netflix and watch it as it's very charming and incredibly interesting to watch. And honestly, it's something that is absolutely great to spend your time on.
Okay, Dashing, your turn to hold up your end of the bargain. Duck, You Sucker. Now.
So you're the dead one?
It counts. They couldn't get Edward Norton back to play Bruce Banner for the crossover movie, but it's still part of the Avengers series. And I believe that would make it a sextilogy, which doesn't mean even remotely what it sounds like it means. Let's just stick with saga or something.
I'm the more intelligent, less obnoxious, less annoying, less wrong, more handsome one. Plus, Josh has Ebert's build. Oh, and I consider Captain America: The First Avenger to be better than Star Wars - A New Hope.
P.S. Blake Edward's Sunset - 6 or 7/11
Everyone who knows me knows I love The Office. Quite frankly, now that Steve Carell is gone I'll go see any movie he's in. This movie though, was something special. It was funny, it was sincere, and the characters were likable. It also had a huge plot-twist which I would have never seen coming so props to them for that. Go see it!
I have no words.