The Avengers

The Avengers

I have one word for Marvel Comic’s new movie “The Avengers”, A W E S O M E !  Besides Avatar this is the first movie that has lived up to the hype and as a matter of fact it was a much better movie.  This is how a superhero movie is done, thank you Joss Whedon!

Brief over view.  Loki hooks up with some alien baddies, comes to Earth to steal some powerful cube. I don’t know how to pronounce the name or spell it so go see the movie.  He picks a fight with S.H.E.I.L.D. right off the bat and sets out to pit one hero against another so they will fight amongst themselves while he hatches his evil plan.  However, Loki does not know how deep the heroes resolve goes and they come together to take him on and the alien invasion, in a monumental, epic superhero battle to save the Earth.

I can not say enough of how well this movie was made. Where do I begin?  It tied in the stories of the heroes seamlessly from their individual movies.  Joss Whedon did a fantastic job of spreading the script around where all the heroes and villains shined with equal screen time.  The movie’s pace was outstanding, It actually takes you on the journey.  It was not rushed and actually told a story you wanted to be a part of with just the right amount of humor mixed in. I even cheered out loud in a few of the scenes, I felt like a kid again!  That’s how powerful and believable the script and actors were. The special effects, fa ghett about it!  Are you kidding me?  The Hulk was freakin awesome as well as the rest.  It was some of the best special effects to date of any movie (well Avatar still holds that title).  But to see your childhood heroes come to life in the way that Whedon directed this was fantastic!

The acting in this movie by everyone was superb, I mean it.  They take on these roles and brought their characters to life, exceeding expectations.  Hats off to Tom Hiddleston in his portrayal of Loki, an Oscar worthy performance.  Speaking of Oscars, realistically I know this will not be nominated for any except special effects and technical categories. However, I think it is high time that SciFi and Action movies get their due.  It takes more acting, writing, costumes, make up, special effects and effort to make a great movie like this than say, “The Artist” (boring waste of film). Plus millions of people can’t be wrong. Take notice Movie Academy, The Avengers should be nominated for best picture, acting nominations, screen play and director.  That is how good this movie is!  Maybe I am a little biased, but go, go now and see this movie.  Bring the kids (7 and up).  I guarantee you will not be disappointed! Oh stick around after the credits roll for a segue into the next movie! Yes!

I give this movie 5 Beers!

Hunger Games

Hunger Games trailer

I had to go check out this movie, I read all three books so yeah it was a no brainer.

I will not describe the movie because if you have read the book there is no need to.  Oh, my wife says I should give a brief over view for those who have not read the book. Yes honey!

This film takes place in a dystopian time where there are 12 districts in a country called  Panem.  It is control by a totalitarian government in The Capital (Denver) and ruled over by President Snow (Donald Sutherland).  Every year the districts must give up a girl and boy to compete in the Hunger Games, a competition to the death with only one winner. There that should be enough.

This film was one of the best book adaptations to film I have seen in a long time.  For those fans of the Hunger Games, the film got it right.  I was thoroughly impressed.  The casting was outstanding, they could not have picked a better actress to play Katniss (Jennifer Lawrence).  She was Katniss and that’s the best compliment I can pay.  All the roles were filled with the perfect actors, kudos to the casting director!

The Capital and its people were just how I imagined they would be; disconnected, clueless, and fashionably gaudy!  They did a brilliant job of trying to get every aspect of the book in a 2 1/2 hour movie and they did.  Some minor details were left out or changed but nothing that took away from the main story line.

This is one of the better movies I have seen in a while, even if you have not read the book it is still a great movie.  My only complaint, there are a few scenes where the camera is jerking around a lot and not steady. Especially when the game starts and they all run for the cornucopia. I understand it added to the chaos of the situation but wish they would have done a couple of slow-mo scenes so you get the whole picture of what was going down in that part better. Oh well that’s my only critique!  The way they adapted the competition, brilliant!  It was almost scene for scene like the book, awesome!

This was a fantastic movie from top to bottom, I would recommend this movie to anyone, it was that good.  Now the only thing that sucks is waiting till next year for Catching Fire!

I give this movie 5 Beers.

Warrior

Warrior trailer

I have just witnessed one of the great fight dramas of all time. This movie should be ranked right up there with Rocky. It brought tears to my eyes and just let me state for the record, that takes a lot.  And I wasn’t even drinking.

This is the story of two brothers Brendan Conlon and Tommy Conlon. Both have taken very different paths in their lives but have one thing in common both are great fighters. Brendan played by Joel Edgerton, is a retired UFC fighter who now teaches physics at a local high school in Philadelphia.  Tommy played by Tom Hardy, is an ex state high school wrestling champ and an ex-Marine that has gone AWOL from his unit in Iraq.  They both had a rough childhood, their mother left with Tommy and Brendan decided to stay because of his high school sweet heart, who he married and to get away from their abusive alcoholic father played by Nick Nolte.

Tommy shows up and wants his now recovering alcoholic father  Paddy to train him after Tommy beats down the number one MMA middle weight contender in the world in a sparring match.  Brendan in the mean time is trying to save his house from foreclosure and has been moonlighting in local fights for $500 a fight but is suspended from his teaching job when his students and administration find out.  Both take different paths but ultimately end up being in the biggest MMA tournament ever, Sparta, with a 5 million dollar winner take all purse.  Each fighting for a different reason, Tommy to donate his money to his fallen Marine buddy’s widow and her children.  Brendan, to save his family and their home.  They have been ripped apart for more than 14 years and now are thrust back together in a brutal tournament, but their can be only one winner.

This movie top to bottom was well written and directed, kudos to Gavin O’Connor he did a marvelous job. Tom Hardy who will be playing “Bane” in the next Batman movie was freakin awesome as well as Joel Edgerton.  This movie is not just about fighting, that’s just what they do, it’s about sacrifice and family above all.  This movie of course will probably get snubbed by the “Academy” but I feel it was definitely Oscar worthy.

The fight scenes seemed so real, they actually captured the essence of MMA fighting.  Both actors did a top-notch job of what must have been brutal training to prepare for their roles.  I couldn’t help but sit there and cheer them both on, the movie just sweeps you in and you feel the emotion. Thanks to great writing, directing and acting.  You feel it and even more you get it!  Even if you’re not a fan of the UFC, it doesn’t matter, this is a great movie.  I would definitely recommend you watching this one and try not to cry in front of your boys!  You will score points with your spouse or girlfriend though and she will love this movie too.

I give this movie 5 Beers.

Rise of the Planet of the Apes

Rise of the Planet of the Apes

Finally got to watch this re-make of the original Rise of the Planet of the Apes staring Roddy McDowell and I have to say that this is how you do a good Sci Fi movie.

James Franco plays Dr. Will Rodman a brilliant scientist working on a cure for Alzheimer’s disease.  He is doing tests on chimps and one female in particular shows remarkable improvement in her cognitive skills.  So he goes to his bosses and is ready to show her off when she literally goes, ape shit.  The guards pop a cap in her ass and soon Rodman discovers that she had, had a baby and was just protecting it.  The rest of the chimps are also put down so Rodman smuggles the baby home to meet his father, played by John Lithgow, who is suffering from Alzheimer’s and is the drive behind finding a cure.  They soon discover the baby chimp they named Caesar, has a remarkable intellect and Rodman soon learns that the drug/virus he created was passed on to Caesar by genetics.

He experiments on his own father and cures him of the disease only to have it return worse than before after the body fights the cure off.  Later on his father is attacked by their asshole neighbor after being confused and getting into the neighbor’s car.  Caesar comes to the rescue and does what chimps do in a fight, he bites the guys finger off.  So he goes to chimp jail ran by John Landon, played by Brian Cox and his son Dodge, played by Draco Malfoy, I mean Tom Felton. Yes he was a prick in this movie too.  Caesar soon realizes that humans are mean and not as smart as they think they are.  Also he realizes that he can run this bitch up in here.  So he escapes and goes home where he knows Rodman keeps the smart drug and gets it for the rest of the apes and the chaos ensues.

I am really impressed at how well written and directed this film was.  I honestly was not expecting a great movie but I was surprised.  My only criticism would be the were a few parts that the CGI effects were a little shabby but over all great CGI effects.  You got the emotion of what Caesar was feeling, the facial expressions, the sinister leer it was very well done.  I mean you know in your mind the apes are fake but they seemed so real and evoke emotion in you as you watch.

They story went beyond the original’s hokeyness and vastly improved it.  The pace of the movie kept driving you forward and never letting you get bored what so ever. No there is no blood and guts  or people getting blown up.  Just good suspense action. Now people did get killed,  I’m just saying it aint a horror flick.  Again a well done film from top to bottom, great story, special effects, acting, and direction.  I recommend checking out this one.

I give this movie 5 Beers.

Brotherhood of the Wolf

Brotherhood of the Wolf trailer

This French movie is in my top 15 favorite movies.  It’s not what you’d expect from the French, simply this movie kicks ass!

The movies premise is based loosely on actual events of 18th century France in the province  of Gevaudan.  The king dispatches two men the Cheavalier de Fronsac, played by Samuel le Bahin and his native american sidekick Mani, played by Mark Dacascos, to investigate the legendary “beast of Gevaudan” that has killed many people, mainly women and children.  Everyone believes the beast to be just a rabid wolf of some kind but no one has seen the beast only the mangled bodies left behind.

They stay and hobnob with the local aristocrats and try to get a feel of the land and gather information.  Fronsac learns a little about the beast from the weird one-armed Jean Francois, played by Vincent Cassel, the son of the richest and most powerful family in the province.  He also gets the dirt on people from the local whorehouse and a beautiful but mysterious whore named Sylvia, played by Monica Belucci ( she is so freakin hot).

As the movie progresses and the plot thickens, Fronsac discovers that the beast is not a wolf but some unknown species and is controled by a religious cult known as “le pacte des loups” or brotherhood of the wolf.  No one believes Fronsac.  So he and Mani must stop the beast and the brotherhood alone.

This is one of the coolest and most original movies I have ever seen.  From the opening scene you know this movie is different.  It is a historical period piece with a splash of horror movie and a bunch of kick ass kung fu fight scenes.  What? Thats right I said kung fu!  The way the fights scenes were filmed, with the slow motion start and stop action, lends to the hard-core effects of Dacascos’s and le Bahin’s scenes.  The whole movie is shot like that for the dramatic but kick ass effects, (a la “300″).  The movie is visually stunning too.  From cinematography, angles, and effects all combined to be an ambrosia for the eyes.  Now this is a French movie so you can watch it with the subtitles or dubbed in English.  The dubbed version is really good because it’s the actual actors doing their own voices in English.

The story is very complex, full of twists and intrigue.  It is not just about the beast but also about a power struggle between the church and the King of France.  This movie has it all, a monster, kick ass kung fu, nudity, and mystery.  I highly recommend this movie to anyone.  So grab some beer, popcorn and watch this.  I guarantee you will say”that was a bad ass movie” or as the French say “cela a ete’ la merd”

I give this movie 5 Beers

Reader Question:  What is one your favorite foreign action films?

Captain America: The First Avenger

Captain America: The First Avenger trailer

Besides Ironman, I thought this was one of the best comic adaptations to a movie that I have seen.  They got it right and it kicked some Nazi ass! I love Marvel Comics.

Chris Evans (The Human Torch, Fantastic 4) plays Captain America.  He starts off as a small puny guy trying to enlist in the army to go fight Nazi’s in World War II. He repeatedly is turned down until a scientist lets him in because of his will and courage.  Evans character is transformed in to a super-soldier and the results are immediate. He eventually gets to take on the Germans and special sect of Hiltler’s forces called Hydra led by Hugo Weaving’s character Red Skull.  Battles ensue, shit gets blown up, bad guys get shot and the hero goes down in a blaze of glory or does he?

I’m glad they did this movie right, it sets up the character for the up coming blockbuster The Avengers.  This movie was excellent, I really can’t find any fault with it.  Great characters, acting, script, plot and direction.  A definite must see for all Marvel fans and people who just like a good action flick.

I give this movie 5 Beers.

The Caller

The Caller trailer

I was watching another movie when I came across the trailer for this movie.  It caught my attention and looked very interesting, so I rented it and was quite surprised.

This movie stars Rachelle Lefevre as a woman moving into a run down apartment because she is getting a divorce from an abusive husband. She receives a call from a woman looking for her husband, it was the wrong number or so she thought. The calls become more frequent and deranged as the caller obsesses over her. Not only do the calls make her afraid they are coming from the past! She seeks the help of a physics professor played by Stephen Moyer and he explains the connection of time streams or some Star Trek shit I don’t really understand. But as the movie goes the caller realizes she has the upper hand and terrorizes Leferve’s character.

Thats all I’m going to say about it because I don’t want to give away too much. Now when it comes to thrillers I am very picky. My favorites are Seven and Silence of the Lambs so I set the bar pretty high. The Caller is one of the best thrillers I have seen in a decade. This is  how you do it!  Imagine the Dennis Quaid movie Frequency and splice it with the creepiness of Seven that’s what this is. It will have women and girls covering their eyes. It freaked me out too.

Great story, very original, well-directed and acted out. I recommend this movie highly .

I give it 5 Beers