Amazing Spider-Man

The Amazing Spider-Man
Directed by: Marc Webb (the irony)
Cast:  Andrew Garfield as Peter Parker/Spider-Man
          Emma Stone as Gwen Stacy
          Rhys Ifans as Curt Connors/The Lizard
          Dennis Leary as Capt. George Stacy
          Martin Sheen as Uncle Ben Parker
          Sally Field as Aunt may Parker
Rated PG-13
*The following may contain spoilers*
"It's too soon for a reboot! Sam Raimi's Spider-Man trilogy was the best!" These were words that I heard quite often. I don't know why I heard them, but I did. Needless to say, I was always pretty excited for this re-imagining of the wall-crawler because, let's face it, Spider-man 3 was a train wreck.

Remember when this was a thing?

So, when Spidey got the scrubdown, I was excited and boy, did they deliver. Of course, everyone knows the story at this point: Nerdy guy gets bitten, fights a villain, gets the girl, loses the girl, repeat steps 2 - 5. But, it was the way that Marc Webb approached the well-known story, making it believable and relatable. It helps that his leads, Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone were perfect for their roles.

They're also not 30.

Martin Sheen and Sally Field also did an incredible job as the loving, adopted parental roles while Rhys Ifans was an excellent villain. But that's pretty broad, so let's break it down....

What I Liked
In my opinion, this is the perfect Spider-Man origin movie. As far as continuity to the source material goes, every step is nearly perfect. And on it's own, it's a spectacular superhero movie. As I said above, what sets Spider-Man apart for me is the believability of the whole thing. As Sam Raimi proved, it's not easy to make Spidey's origins realistic, but Webb pulled it off. The pacing, timing and progression of character throughout his beginnings as the hero and the movie as a whole were perfect. His journey from Peter Parker to Spider-Man was actually emotional and powerful, driven by realistic situations. The villains growth and progression was also great, both in timing and emotionally. It also stayed true to the original Lizard character, keeping him a good guy who makes a mistake while trying to do good things.

Finally, Sally Field is an incredible Aunt May, bringing the right mix of emotion, shock and acceptance to the role, creating a real connection between her and Peter by the end of the movie. Martin Sheen and Dennis Leary also do great in their roles, all three coming together to create the perfect support system for Peter, showing in full force that Peter is reliant on his family and friends.

I also really liked the way his web-shooting was explained; again, the machines made sense and seemed realistic enough to be believable. I also loved the way that his web-swinging scenes were shot, putting you in the eyes of Spider-Man and really helping you get in the moment of the action. The way that he learned how to be Spider-Man was also really well done and is nominated for my "Favorite Movie Scene of All Time". It's currently tied with the final scene of Inception.

What I Didn't Like
There wasn't really a whole lot, just a few nit-picky things with the acting, but I can get over them. This really was the perfect Spider-man movie.

(For the record, I saw it three times, so no, this is not just the nerdy fanboy excitement talking.)


Final Thoughts
Everything about this movie was done right, from Peter's parents disappearance to Stan Lee's cameo. It perfectly captured everything that Spider-Man is: humor, charm, good luck and family. Marc Webb, congrats and I can't wait to see what the next movies in this Spidey's legacy brings us. I'm excited, whatever it is.

When Should You See It?
Now. Right now. It's still in theaters. Go. Then buy it on Blu-Ray.


Personal Rating: 9 of 10
Plot: 8.5 of 10
Characters: 9 of 10
Writing: 10 of 10

Brave

Brave
Directed by: Brenda Chapman
Cast: Kelly Macdonald as Merida
          Billy Connoley as Fergus
          Emma Thompson as Elinor
Rated PG
Seen June 23


*The following may contain spoilers*
Pixar has long been the forerunner in computer animation. Their dynamic visuals and creative stories have won them countless awards and broken many records. From Toy Story to Finding Nemo to Monsters, Inc., Pixar has always delivered a great movie with a lot of heart. Brave is no different, providing Pixar's unique take on the classic princess story. A Scottish princess named Merida hopes to change her fate to avoid being forced into marriage by her over controlling mother. But, after dealing with an incompetent witch, the spell goes awry and provides the story with the heart of Pixar we all know and love.


What I Liked
As I said, this is Pixar's take on the classic princess story and I really like what they did with it. The focus on the mother-daughter relationship opposed to the standard father-daughter dynamic was a nice change and allowed for a lot more natural story progression and growth than usually comes from princess movies. It was also nice to see an independent princess, not one caught up in a whirlwind romance, the conflict coming from her family instead.

What I Didn't Like
Although what Pixar did with the story was good, I feel like there was a lot more they could have done, mainly in breaking the princess stereotype further. I've come to expect a lot from Pixar and I feel that Brave was more of backslide than a step forward. The focus felt more on animation than story and they seemed to be deliberately making a "Pixar-princess-movie", sacrificing creativity so that they could hit the cliche story marks.

Final Thoughts
Brave is not a bad movie, but it's also not a great movie. Beautifully animated with a lot of heart, i feel that the only thing it's missing is Pixar's signature creativity. This lack of creative storytelling is made up for with heart and humor however, making it worth a watch if you're in the mood for something fun.


When Should You See It?
At this point, just wait until DVD.

Personal Rating: 7 of 10
Plot: 5 of 10
Characters: 8 of 10

Snow White and the Huntsman

Snow White and the Huntsman
Directed by: Rupert Sanders
Cast: Kristen Stewart as Snow White
          Chris Hemsworth as the Huntsman
          Charlize Theron as The Queen
Rated PG-13
Seen: May 18, 2012

The story of Snow White is not a new one. Unfortunately, it’s generally remembered as a Disney cartoon one with a girl who sings to birds. No thank you.

For everyone who hates that image (like myself), Snow White and the Huntsman is here to save you. Retelling the classic tale brings us a Snow White tale worthy of the 21^st century, with battles, romance and decent visuals.

What I Liked

This is Snow White for adults. A little more realistic in its violence and character reactions, this Snow White is entertaining the whole way through.

This new story also approaches the love story in a new way, drawing the focus away from men saving her and letting it rest on Snow White herself, somewhat empowering the feminist and making it her that is fighting for her own destiny, as opposed to letting the men save her as she is usually doing.

Men and Vampires and Werewolves

The Queen is also a new version. Darker and a lot more creepy and deadly, she helps ground this in realism and makes the entire journey seem more important. A good antagonist is always a great help in making movies better.

Chris Hemsworth also does a good job in his first big role since becoming a Norse god and Kristen Stewart proved she can actually act, but …

What I Didn’t Like

I felt like both actors were a bit under used. With Chris Hemsworth, it seemed like he was only there because he was in the title and made a love triangle, not for any other real purpose. And Kristen Stewart proved she could act…when she finally got around to her dialogue. She spent the first three-quarters of the movie in silence, leaving us to read her very emotional face.

                                                

I also wish that the Queen’s character had been explored better. They went into her background a little bit, but I wish they had done more with it.

Closing Thoughts

Overall, I was a lot more impressed with this movie than I thought I was going to be. To be fair, I went in with almost no expectations, but still, I liked it. 

Entertaining with just enough spooky, Snow White and the Huntsman is a worthy replacement for the 1920’s Disney movie as the go-to Snow White reference. It helps that there is a lot less singing to woodland creatures. 

*The following may contain spoilers*


What I Liked:
What I Didn't Like:
Final Thoughts:
When Should You See It?


Personal Rating:
Plot:
Sexuality/Sensuality:
Spiritual Aspects:
Drugs/Alcohol:

Prometheus

Prometheus
Directed by: Ridley Scott
Cast: Noomi Rapace as Dr. Elizabeth Shaw
          Michael Fassbender as David
          Charlize Theron as Meredith Vickers
          Idris Elba as Janek
Rated R
Seen: June 17, 2012

As has been the popular saying by critics lately, Prometheus marks the return of Ridley Scott to a genre he defined. Different, but not so much, from Scott’s 1980’s Alien franchise, Prometheus focuses on a group of scientists journeying into space in the hopes of finding the creators of the human race; engineers as they like to call them. However, seeing as how Ridley Scott already defined this genre once, will he be able to do it again?

What I Liked

The main thing that I liked about Prometheus was its reliance on the actors instead of effects or foreign creatures. As a result, the actors are up to the task and deliver incredible performances across the board, bringing characters to life in a way that is almost artistic.

The most obvious example here is Michael Fassbender who plays David, the Android. I believe his portrayal is Oscar worthy and that’s really the only reason I mention him here.

That’s not to say that aliens and foreign creatures are missing. This is Ridley Scott, after all. The “engineers” are awesome, a great display of a “more evolved” human race. Certain other creatures that make an appearance are also impressive, keeping Prometheus as creepy and shocking as one could want it to be.

What I Didn’t Like

Prometheus was nothing new. The idea of space exploration has been done before and adding a conflicting view of spirituality to it does nothing to make it original. If anything, the spiritual elements just made it annoying, as characters couldn’t quite seem to make up their mind about what exactly they believed. 

On top of that, being set in the Alien universe (*SPOILER ALERT* this is totally an Alien prequel) took a lot of ground away from what Prometheus could have been as a stand-alone movie.  This lost ground was made even more evident by the set up for a sequel that was featured at the end.

Don’t get me wrong, the fact that it was an Alien prequel doesn’t make it bad; it just keeps it from being incredible. This is mainly due to the fact that you spend most of the movie trying to tie the franchises together, distracting you from the movie itself. The prequel element also requires there to be a lot of similar technology and such to the original Alien movies and prevents Scott from “redefining” anything as many hoped he would do. In order for Prometheus to be incredible, it would have needed to focus more on itself than the other movies.

Final Thoughts

Once again, I really liked this movie and thought it was great. I just feel that it could have been a lot better had it avoided tying itself to Scott’s previous movies. This kept it from redefining and being original and just left another Alien movie in the theaters about 25 years too late. 

When Should You See It? 
If you enjoy theater experiences, his is definitely one that you wont want to miss, especially if you can see it in IMAX. Otherwise, seeing it on DVD makes no difference than watching the regular version in a theater.


Personal Rating: 7 of 10
Plot: 6 of 10
Sexuality/Sensuality: 2 of 10
Spiritual Aspects: 6 of 10
Drugs/Alcohol: 3 of 10

Men In Black 3

Men in Black 3
Directed by: Barry Sonnefeld
Cast: Will Smith as Jay
          Tommy Lee Jones as Kay
          Josh Brolin as Young Kay
Rated PG13
Seen May 27th, 2012

After ten years, Tommy Lee Jones and Will Smith are back in black and blasting some alien scum for all to enjoy. But after the disappointing Men in Black 2 and the third installment’s under-achieving opening weekend, is this threequel worth your time?

What I Liked:

Contrary to the sequel, MIB3 was able to distance itself from the previous installments, and have a stronger storyline because of this. Couple the originality of plot with the originality of concept and it’s a double win.

Steering away from aliens trying to destroy the world, this third film focuses on time travel. This results in a new setting, new(ish) characters and a whole lot of MIB inside jokes. The setting also allows for some historical tie-ins and provides a background for the entire series.

The special effects aren’t something to be overlooked either. Obviously the ten year jump has helped, but MIB3 hit the right balance between CGI and make up, particularly where the aliens were involved. The lack of alien threat also helped Will Smith, Tommy Lee jones and newcomer (and amazing star) Josh Brolin dive a little deeper into their characters and put some more emotion into it all.

I’d also like to point out that the new character of alien Griffin brought a quality to the movie I didn’t think was possible. Combining humor, wit, heart and a type of superpower into a single character brought the entire movie to a whole new level.

What I Didn’t Like

There wasn’t really a whole lot I didn’t like. If I had to really pick it apart, I’d probably go with wanting Boris to do a little better acting. Other than that, this thing was pretty great through and through.

Final Thoughts

While I really liked Men in Black 3, this was a triumphant return and a fitting end to a franchise. It’s incredibly rare for a series’ third entry to be its best (though this is happening more often lately) and I think it would do well for Men in Black to be remembered for it’s best entry and not a drawn out, money grab that would be a fourth installment. 

When Should You See It?
If you're a fan of the series, I'd recommend it in theaters if you're in the mood for an outing to the movies. Otherwise, waiting for DVD is a cheaper and just as enjoyable experience.

Personal Rating: 7 of 10
Plot: 8 of 10
Sexuality/Sensuality: 0 of 10
Spiritual Aspects: 0 of 10
Drugs/Alcohol: 1 of 10

The Avengers

But first...


Reviewers Note:

Well it appears that I’ve once again neglected my beloved movie blog. In the hopes of defending myself, it has been an incredibly crazy year and, as it turns out, a movie review blog that I write for fun generally falls to the wayside when it comes down to writing about 21 Jump Street or finishing that paper before it’s 9am due date.

My love for movies and you, my dear readers (all three of you) has not diminished. I saw 54 films last year, 27 after I stopped reviewing (yes, I have a problem but that’s between me and my therapist). Needless to say, I’m still a movie fiend, but I won’t bore you with 27 reviews of things on DVD already. Instead, I’m going to start with my current favorite movie of the year and work my way through the summer, helping you guys figure out what you should see this summer.

This review will be for The Avengers and we’ll go from there. Hope you enjoy it!

Your loving reviewer,
Spencer

The Avengers

Directed by: Joss Whedon (!!!!)
Cast: Can be found here
Rated PG-13

*The following may contain spoilers*

Where to begin with The Avengers? In it’s fourth week of release, it’s on track to become the third highest grossing movie of all time and is the second highest superhero movie of all time. And it’s packed with all kinds of awesome. But, with Joss Whedon at the helm of a bunch of superheroes, what could go wrong?
(The correct answer is: nothing.)

What I Liked:

This movie was incredible, but I’ll keep it brief. To start, I really like the unspoken “new formula” that superhero movies are taking of using smaller villains first. It started with Christopher Nolan’s Batman series, where the first bad guy was Scarecrow and then moved up to the big one, Joker. The same is being done in the Spider-Man reboot with Lizard and was done in Avengers with Loki.

The great thing about this formula is that it allows for more exploration of the heroes’ character before they have to deliver on a highly anticipated villain. This was especially needed in The Avengers.

While all the heroes have had their characters developed and explained in their own franchises, we’ve never seen them together and audiences needed to get that feel before we’re attacked by *CENSORED DUE TO SPOILER* in Avengers 2. Loki was an excellent choice because his villain’s character was already set and was tweaked in the first two minutes of the film. As Jenna Marbles said on Twitter: “Loki needs a hug”.

As far as the team exploration and their display went, it was perfect. Every part was played perfectly, with every character having to overcome their own weaknesses to deal with the others on the team. This was done very well in the time given and their coming together as one at the end was really fun to see.

The plot for The Avengers was also incredible (another shout out to Mr. Whedon). Each character had equal time and the story actually made sense and gave them all something to do, a feat I might have assumed impossible with anyone else at the helm.  My only complaint about that was Thor, but that’s the next section.

I think that’s all I can say without giving anything away, so let’s move on.

Things I Didn’t Like:

The main thing here is Thor and Captain America’s place in the story. While Thor is brought in as someone to bring Loki to justice, I felt that it was somewhat forced and seemed a little bit like “Oh, hey, we need Thor in here.” On the other hand, it kind of would have been impossible to bring him in any other way intelligently, so I’ll let it slide.

Next, there was Captain America. Cap is one of my personal favorite Avengers and seeing he and Iron Man go at it was pretty great. But there were plenty of times that he felt lost in this newer generation and didn’t seem all that necessary to the team. In the comics, he’s kind of the only reason the Avengers can move on their own, let alone uniformly and like a team. I just would have liked to see his leadership role explored a little bit more.

Other than that, there’s really nothing I have to complain about, but I’m pretty biased considering I love the crap out of this thing.

Final Thoughts:

I’m admittedly biased, but this is the best superhero movie we’ve ever had (barring Dark Knight; nothing can touch that). It’s fun, edgy and fast paced and sets an incredible bar for every forthcoming superhero movie, Marvel and DC alike. If you haven’t seen it yet, go now. If you have, go again. I’ll just go back for my fourth time and keep this stored as my favorite movie of the year (so far).

When Should You See It?
Yesterday. You're already late. Get up and go NOW.

Personal Rating: 9 of 10
Plot: 10 of 10
Sexuality/Sensuality: .25 of 10
Spiritual Aspects: .10 of 10
Drugs/Alcohol: .05 of 10

NEXT UP: Men in Black 3

Captain America: The First Avenger

Captain America: The First Avenger Directed by: Joe Johnston
Cast: Chris Evans as Captain America / Steve Rogers
Hayley Atwell as Peggy Carter
Tommy Lee Jones as Colonel Chester Phillips
Hugo Weaving as Johann Schmidt / Red Skull
Stanley Tucci as Dr. Abraham Erskine

Rated PG-13

*The following may contain spoilers*

Here we are; the final movie before The Avengers. As a stereotypical nerd boy, Captain America is quite the milestone for me. But, not just as a springboard for the greatest superhero movie ever. No, Old Cap returning to theaters is a big step for a lot of reasons.

See, Captain America is kind of the Superman of the Marvel universe, a Superman without powers. Cap was introduced simply to boost the American morale. He was supposed to be the American hero that everyone wanted 9hence the name). He was the ordinary guy that could save the world.

Captain America was first brought to life in the 1940’s in the middle of World War II. Steve Rogers was just an American kid; scrawny and weak, yet he never ran from a fight. Despite his size, Steve was courageous and brave and wanted nothing more than to serve his country. According to the movie, Steve tried and failed to get into the army five times before one Dr. Abraham Erskine discovered him. Dr. Erskine was a scientist who had the idea for a formula that would amplify every characteristic of the human body; cells, muscles, heart rate, metabolism, everything was amplified… including your basic human characteristics. This is why Steve was chosen. The man who always lost, but never ran. The man who did not accept defeat and whose patriotism never faltered. Steve Rogers became the patriot with a shield that America needed. He became Captain America.

What I Liked:

Captain America was just an amazing movie. From the graphics to comic homage to the sheer wit in some of the lines, Marvel did everything perfectly. Originally, I had my doubts about it being set in the 1940’s as I wasn’t really sure how they would make the transition, but they pulled it off beautifully.

As I said, there was a lot of tribute paid to the comics, and that’s always really nice to see. Much like the original comics in the 40’s, the movie focused on Stan Lee’s created villain Hydra. Hydra represents a big villain element in most of the Marvel comic worlds and it makes sense that they may show up in The Avengers; if not in the upcoming one, then very soon. The point of this tangent is that Hydra was handled very well. Like in the comics, Hydra uses very advanced technology that takes you out of the era. Despite being in the past, the technology used makes you feel like you’re watching a comic book and that’s really a fun thing to experience. Especially since all of the technology is purposefully campy with a very 40’s comedy style.
It also helps take away from the dark element of World War II, which is what Cap’s creators always intended to do. He was made to lift the spirits of the country, not depress them with seriousness and the movie handles this very well. Despite the serious threat that Hydra presented, you can’t help but have fun on Cap’s adventure. 

Marvel always does a great job of tying their movies together, especially in this giant launching pad they’re building. And Captain America was no exception. Since this particular chapter was set in the past, the references were fewer but they still got them in there. My personal favorite was getting to see Mr. Howard Stark (Tony Stark/Iron Man’s dad) in action. Showcasing all of the charm, wit and suave audiences have come to expect from the Stark family, it was easy to see where Tony got it.
 

I also really loved the (SPOILER ALERT) plot immersion of the Cosmic Cube, last seen in Thor. Despite its inclusion in the hidden cut scene after Thor’s credits, I wasn’t completely sure how prominent a part it would play in The Avengers. Captain America confirmed that it will be a crucial element and, just from what we saw in the last two movies, Joss the Boss’ possibilities with it are endless.

Another personal favorite is the now standard way that Marvel pokes fun at itself, particularly their original costumes. Captain America was no different, using his original costume to promote sales of war bonds. It’s just tiny details like these that satisfy the nerd in me.  

What I Didn’t Like:

Much like Harry Potter, there was nothing in Captain America that I couldn’t look past. 

However, that will not stop me from whining about them in this section.

I mentioned above that Cap sells war bonds in the movie. That’s fine and good, provides comic relief and all that, but it went on for 20 minutes. I was over it in about five. Let’s go kill some Nazi’s already!

Also, there was a general feeling of hurriedness in the middle, particularly in a montage of Cap blowing up Hydra bases and I would have just liked to have spent a little more time on that.

Finally, I almost wish that they had started the whole thing differently. Without giving anything major away, the beginning kind of sets up that Cap will not have a happy ending. And, even though I knew how Cap made it to the present, I would have liked a surprise element, and I’m sure the non-obsessed people of the world would have too. It also would have made the ending a lot more tense and suspenseful which never hurts.

Final Thoughts:

Captain America was incredible. Touching on every point that made Iron Man great, Marvel has hit their stride. Captain America was amazing on its own, but as a springboard tie-in, it was mind-blowing. Chris Evans makes a fantastic Captain and he will make a fine addition to the team. However, no matter how great these movies get, I can’t help just wanting moreTony Stark. Hurry up, 2012. I’m ready to assemble.

When Should You See It?
If you're into the Marvel movies at all, go see this immediately. It's beautiful.
If you're not, well then it's pretty good for a weekend outing.


Personal Rating: 8 of 10
Plot: 8 of 10
Drugs/Alcohol: 1 of 10
Steve and his friends go to a bar and are shown drinking beer. Steve once attempts to get drunk but reveals that, thanks to the serum, he cannot.