Captain America: The First Avenger

Starring Chris Evans, Tommy Lee Jones, Haley Atwell, and Hugo Weaving

Directed by Joe Johnston

Release Date: July 22nd, 2011

Before we get the team assembled for THE AVENGERS movie, there's one hero left to include in the pantheon of silver screen stars: CAPTAIN AMERICA. Sure, there were 2 television movies starring Reb Brown and a direct to video adaptation starring Matt Salinger, but those three stories were either too goofy or unfaithful to the source material. Therefore, it's very encouraging to see such an inspiring adaptation of the WWII icon.

Boy is this movie a lot of fun! After we left the theater, some friends and I were discussing how entertaining and exciting the exploits of Cap (Evans)  fighting the Red Skull (Weaving) in the European Theater were! Speaking of, the main leads of Evans and Weaving each get some great moments with their characters. For example, Evans really understands the need for Steve Rogers to be a man dedicated to protecting the people, rather than wanting power for power sake. Weaving , on the other hand, gets to glower and grit his teeth as the villainous Red Skull. Finally, there's a lot of care and attention to detail such as using the Comic accurate costume, or answering where Cap really got his shield.

Rating: * * * * * of 5 

Defendor

Starring Woody Harrelson, Elias Koteas, Kat Dennings, and Sandra Oh

Directed by Peter Stebbings

Release Date: February 19th, 2010 (Canada)

Let's get this out of the way: yes this did remind me of Kick-Ass. However, the two films are completely different and my review of Kick-Ass can be seen here. Where as that film is more of a cartoon-ish violent comedy, Defendor is a more realistic, drama of a real person who wants to be a superhero.

I have to applaud the actors, as each one of them gets to play around with a stereotypical comic-book character role, such as the stalwart hero or the plucky young sidekick. Particularly, I enjoyed the relationship between Arthur (Harrelson) and Kat (Dennings), as both actors are clearly having fun and work well together on screen. Speaking of Arthur, the character is a wonderfully diverse role for Harrelson, allowing him to play two diverse characters: Arthur, the timid nobody, and Defendor, the deep voiced, "bullet-proof" hero. Let it be said, the movie is definitely a lot darker than Kick-Ass; where the main hero in that movie gets to win a few fights, Defendor is constantly getting beat up and laughed at by the thugs he fights against.

Defendor is definitely worth seeing, particularly if you enjoyed Kick-Ass. 


Click here to buy Defendor Defendor [Blu-ray]

Rating: * * * * of 5 

Legend

Starring Tom Cruise, Mia Sara, and Tim Curry

Directed by Ridley Scott

Release Date: April 18th, 1985

(Note: I am reviewing the US Theatrical Cut of Legend. There is a director's cut available, which I may review at a later date).

In a land far away,  a creature called DARKNESS (Curry) aspires to take over the world by eliminating the most rare creatures in the woods: Unicorns. Their protector, Jack o'the green (Cruise) is a reclusive young man in love with Princess Lili (Sara). Will the forces of good stop the cloven footed monster and save the unicorns?

As per usual with Ridley Scott films, Legend  is a gorgeous sight for the eyes, as if he were bringing a storybook fable to life. Everything from the set designs to the make-up and prosthetics are highly detailed and add a rich lushness to the visual style. Unfortunately, while the visuals are absolutely wonderful, I feel that the story and characters fall a tad flat. The story is fine, a standard fantasy concept of find the girl and save the day, but there's no real deviation or development beyond that. Sure, there's a text prologue, but I would have loved to see some back story on the main characters. For this review, I saw the 90 minute U.S. cut but would love to review the Director's cut at a later time.

Click here to buy Legend (Ultimate Edition) Legend (Ultimate Edition) [Blu-ray]

Rating: * * * 1/2 of 5 

Game Boys

Starring Brad Jones, Bianca Queen, Alex Shryock, and Jake Norvell

Written and Directed by Brad Jones

Released on THE CINEMA SNOB: September 9th, 2010

NOTE: THIS MOVIE IS UNRATED. IT CONTAINS EXCESSIVE LANGUAGE AND SEXUAL REFERENCES. 

Well, here we are again with another STONED GREMLINS Production. Instead of Jones usual genres of horror or exaggerated drama, we have a light-hearted romantic comedy.

I really like this movie, if for nothing else than the appreciation of nerds with particular tastes and interests. Anyone who knows me knows that I have a predilection for movies, cartoons, anime, and comic books. When I go to the latest X-Men or Spider-Man movie, I'm naming off obscure comic-books that pertain to the movie, or just go into great detail about other movies I was reminded of. Therefore, I really connected with Jones' story of old-school gamers with a panache for the obscure title and the embrace of Atari graphics rather than the latest title on XBOX 360.

As usual with his films, Jones employs his closest friends to play his cast of characters, such as his wife Jillian playing a minor character or Midnight Heat's Alex Shryock playing main character Ray. Like Jake Norvell in Midnight Heat (who plays Steve), Shryock makes Ray into an energetic and hilarious character, the overly aggressive gamer with a strange obsession with horrible Superman games. Sure, the game goes heavy into video-game references, some which may fly over the heads of many, but that's the language these guys speak and you either study up or get left behind.

Click here to watch GAME BOYS in its entirety on The Cinema Snob.

Rating: * * * * 1/2 of 5

The Dark Knight Rises: Teaser Trailer Reaction

So, opening weekend of Harry Potter DH Part 2 and the premiere trailer for THE DARK KNIGHT RISES is attached with an assortment of bad trailers (Arthur Christmas and Happy Feet 2 immediately come to mind). Then, it happens: we get a few brief clips from Batman Begins and The Dark Knight before the new footage kicks in.

My response: I am so ready for TDK Rises. Sure, I'd love to say 'No! Keep the franchise going', but in all honesty I'm glad that Christopher Nolan and Christian Bale are wrapping up with Batman before they get sick of the franchise. Sure, the teaser goes by too fast and I'd rather get a clear audio track for the scene we get to see, but maybe this scene will make sense in the finished film. I love the villains they're using (Bane and Selina Kyle, so far), and perhaps Nolan will deliver a few unexpected twists and turns for this finale come Summer 2012.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2

Starring Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Helena Bonham Carter, Ralph Finnes, Michael Gambon, Alan Rickman, Robbie Coltrane, Bonnie Wright, John Hurt, Timothy Spall, Tom Felton, Jim Broadbent, and Jason Issacs

Directed by David Yates

Release Date: July 15th, 2011

(NOTE:  I did not see the 3D version. I do not support 3D at this time and rarely review movies in 3D)

It has come down to this: Ten years in the making, seven previous films for one epic event.

Continuing directly where Part One ended, this is the ground breaking, heart-stopping action upon action scenes where not every character survives to the finale. There's not a lot of character development in this movie, as that was covered more in Part One. In all seriousness, most of Part two is running upon running with characters fighting one another and very few moments to catch your breath. There are many impressive stunt sequences, such as the trio fighting a dragon or Neville Longbottom taking out hundreds of dark wizards with an exploding bridge. I really must compliment the stunt people and Special effects team for working so hard in this installment to make these incredible sequences feel chilling and so great to look at.

That being said, the movie does have a few problems, but they're minor quibbles. First, there's a slight weirdness during a conversation with Harry Potter (Radcliffe) and Dumbledore (Gambon); it's nothing about the conversation they have, the performances the actors give, it's just I find the situation in which the characters speak is just odd. Second, I did' find the story's epilogue to be weak, which I've heard is also criticized by fans of the novels. If you're a diehard Potter fan, stick around for the epilogue. If you're satisfied with the film's finale, skip the epilogue.

Now that the Series is over, I am sad to see the adventure end. Still, it was a fun ride and am glad to have seen such a grand tale.

Rating: * * * * of 5

Midnight Heat

Starring Jake Norvell, Bianca Queen, and Brad Jones

Written and Directed by Brad Jones

Released on The Cinema Snob: 2011

WARNING: The following review is for a film that was unrated, but contains adult language and drug use.

Brad Jones is a collaborator on THAT GUY WITH THE GLASSES, a website that offers such talents as The NOSTALGIA CRITIC, LINKARA, and TODD IN THE SHADOWS. Brad is usually known as "The Cinema Snob", an elitist film critic who ends up reviewing D-Grade Horror and Exploitation movies. Aside from that, he makes his own movies which brings us to Midnight Heat. 

As stated in the intro video, Brad made Midnight Heat as an homage to the 1980s action movies he grew up on. If that is the case, I must say that Brad does a great job capturing the feel of movies made during that decade. Midnight Heat is a gritty and intriguing film, one that draws you in with memorable characters and snappy dialogue. One of the film's best qualities is how well the characters are written, each having their own idiosyncrasies and quirks. I also have to applaud how well writer/director Jones balances his scenes with the non-diegetic music used for the soundtrack. The actors are very talented in their roles, particularly Jake Norvell and Jones. Norvell makes the hero of the story, Det. Rick Wilson, into a broken and flawed protagonist with a charisma and personality that makes him memorable. Jones, on the other hand, plays the mentally unstable Martin with such a manic energy that it makes one think back to a young Jack Nicholson. 

"Midnight Heat" can be seen in its entirety on THE CINEMA SNOB or That Guy with the Glasses. 

Rating: * * * * of 5