Iron Man 3

I liked this movie. I liked it a lot. But then again to be honest all Iron Man 3 had to do for me was be better than Iron Man 2, and it most certainly was. There were a lot of threads that needed to be tied together; the existing Iron Man universe, the fallout from the Avengers movie, and a new villain for our modern world. The last point is the one that I seem to differ with quite a few people on, BE WARNED IT'S A SPOILER! and I'll get to it a bit later in the review.

Iron Man 3 reconnects us with Tony Stark. It's been several months since the events in New York (from the Avengers, remember that little flick?) and things aren't going so well for everyone's favourite millionaire, philanthropist, engineer/playboy. He saved New York by flying that bomb through the worm hole, and ever since then has been having a bit of an existential crisis. He can't sleep, and when he does he's haunted by those events. To keep his genius busy he's been building some new Iron Man suits, did I say some? I mean A LOT of Iron Man suits. I think he's taking the 'does the suit make the man or the man make the suit' conundrum a bit far...but this is Tony Stark we're talking about here. On top of incessant tinkering, Tony's trouble with dealing with his feelings is causing him to push those who love him away. Silly Tony, just when things with Pepper were starting to go well!

As much as I enjoy watching Robert Downey Jr. act with those adorable anthropomorphic robots in his lab and the witty banter between him and Gwyneth Paltrow's Pepper Potts, that does not a movie make. Enter the Mandarin! The Mandarin is a terrorist (played brilliantly by Sir Ben Kingsley) who is prone to hijacking the airwaves across the US and taking credit for various attacks on American soil. Tony stays out of it until an attack hits a little too close to home, then he acts a little brashly and gives the terrorist his home address making his already fragile personal world fall to pieces. The rest of the movie is Tony Stark rebuilding himself and his suit to come back as the hero we all fell in love with. The most charming part of this is when Tony's stuck in the middle of nowhere, suit out of commission and the world believing he's dead. Doesn't sound charming? Add a smarty-pants kid. RDJ and children is a pretty entertaining combination. Plus they have the same emotional maturity. Sure, it's seems a bit silly that a man with Tony Stark's brains and money would just hang out in small town America, but suspend your belief here folks. He was pretty rattled and then used it to his advantage to do some sleuthing. ANYWAYS! There are some steps and rescues in between, but the movie finally climaxes in a pretty excellent blowup at a shipping yard, yup, it's one of those, needs-to-be-seen-on-the-big-screen type of endings.

SPOILERS AHEAD!!!!
I'm just warning you now! Here's the thing with the Mandarin: it's all a front. Ben Kingsley is amazing as both the terrible terrorist and the sloppy British stage actor who's been hired to be the Mandarin. WHAT!? I know, fans of the comics have been a bit outraged about this, but I think writer/director Shane Black has taken a very modern look at what terrorism is. It doesn't have to be men in caves in the middle of nowhere, it absolutely can be corrupt scientists manufacturing serums and promoting a fear complex in the US. Guy Pearce's Aldrich Killian was charming and horrifying as the true villain of the piece.

A couple extra things.
Don Cheadle was underused in this film.He and RDJ are great together, and quips about the Iron Patriot are funny, but come on! He's such a great actor and could've been used better.
I loved the opening of this movie. As the stars fly over the mountain in the Paramount the first strains of "Blue" by Eiffel 65 start to play. I couldn't help but smile, that was a huge song when I was in high school, and definitely helped put me in the 'Y2K' frame of mind. There was also a quick cameo in this scene, I hope everyone else caught it....maybe I won't spoil it, if you caught it, post it in the comments.
Speaking of cameos, this was my least favourite Stan Lee cameo. After his hilarious one in The Amazing Spider-Man I had high hopes.

That's about it! It wasn't as good as the first Iron Man, which officially launched Marvel's Cinematic Universe 'Phase 1', but it's a not too shabby way to launch 'Phase 2'. We have Thor: The Dark World, Captain America: Winter Soldier and  Guardians of the Galaxy leading up to Avengers 2 to look forward to!

Jurassic Park!

I remember seeing Jurassic Park in theatres the first time very vividly. When you're young and go to movies, often they can be ta bit forgettable. You don't have the brain for movie quotes yet and there are so many more important things to concern yourself with, like whether you're going to be able to convince your parent to get you popcorn AND candy. That was not the case with Jurassic Park. I was 9, and as the movie was rated PG-13, my friend's dad took us. I was going through my paleontologist phase; reading everything I could about them, laughing at my dad's feeble attempts to read their name (I mean come on, Parasauralophus isn't really that tricky is it?). Needless to say, I was beside myself excited to see this movie.
It scared the pants off of me. Don't get me wrong, there were so many amazing things about the movie, but the climax of the movie, at the time, was probably the scariest thing I'd ever seen.


These velociraptors definitely gave me nightmares when I was 9.

When I found out it was coming out to theatres again, I could feel myself getting all giddy again, so I, obviously, jumped at the chance to see it on the big screen again....even though it's been re-released in 3D and I think I have well-documented my loathing for that particular format on this blog. Actually, I'll get it out of the way right now, and tell you that the 3D was useless. There was no reason for it to be in 3D, but if that's the only way for me to see it on the big screen again, well then, I guess I'll take it.
The movie overall, however, most definitely stands the test of time. I'll grant you, the technology is super dated, but it certainly doesn't distract from the general awesomeness of the movie.
I have to admit, the CGI they must have used for the dinosaurs must have been lightyears ahead of its time. Because it still looks AMAZING. The brachiosaurs in the first scene, I don't even have words, just like the paleontologists in said scene.
When I was kid I wasn't quite able to appreciate how phenomenal the cast of this movie was, but it really is amazing. Sam Neill, Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum, Richard Attenborough, Wayne Knight (that's Newman folks!) and Samuel L. freakin' Jackson. Seeing this movie now, when I'm used to Sam Jackson being a badass all the time, I have to admit it's fairly entertaining to see him as this computer guy who can't quite figure stuff out and then *spoiler* have him devoured by one of the still terrifying velociraptors.
John Williams scored this flick, and the music is outstanding. He writes many a memorable score, and the one for Jurassic Park is definitely one more. The suite at the end of the movie as they ride away from the island in the helicopter is still one my all-time favourites.
I don't really know what else I can say about this movie. I loved it when I was a kid, and I love it now. I suppose it's a testament to good filmmaking, that a movie that's 20 years old really loses nothing in translation across the decades.
Last but not least does anyone else kind of wish they could go on the 'Mr. DNA' ride? It seems kind of random in the middle of the movie, especially after seeing REAL LIVE DINOSAURS on screen, but it honestly looks like it would be super fun.

Expendables 2

Okay. I know. In my last post (over a month ago! GAH! how did that happen?!) I promised all kinds of posts on the summer blockbusters. And then I went to San Diego Comic-Con. It was AMAZING, but I contracted the dreaded ConSARS while I was there. You know, stuff thousands of people in a convention centre, next thing you know it's 'Contagion' all over again. ANYWAYS. My brain turned off a little bit. And then I didn't really see any other movies. I know, blasphemous! And then the first thing I go see is 'Expendables 2'? Maybe I'm still sick...
Let me be honest. This movie is bad. Fortunately for this flick there's a lot of 'this is so bad, it's good'. Unfortunately, there's also a lot of this is just bad. But, it isn't that terrible of a way to turn off your brain for 103 minutes.
You remember the first 'Expendables', right? Lots of explosions and fighting, gunfire and kinda snappy, self-aware one liners. Well, welcome to 'Expendables 2'. The explosions are bigger, but with Jet Li getting out of the picture about half an hour in, the hand to hand fighting isn't quite up to par. That being said the Stallone VS Jean-Claude Van Damme fight at the end is pretty amazing. JCVD even does one of his patented round house kicks to Stallone's head. It was kind of awesome.
The other awesome part of this movie: Chuck Norris. Well, sort of. He shows up with all kinds of kickassery, and you can't help but cheer, 'cause it's Chuck Freakin' Norris. But, for some reason when he appears they play Clint's tune from 'The Good, The Bad and the Ugly.' It's odd, and I still don't get it. Despite the weird theme music, he does show up and generally kick all kinds of bad guys behinds, so that's pretty great.
It's true there is an actual 'plot' in the movie, but I use that word fairly loosely, since this is a script that could've used a rewrite or two. It involves lost plutonium and a crazy baddie trying to capitalise on it. But, that's really not what we're coming to see the movie now is it? It's to see all the Planet Hollywood action stars on the big screen together! That certainly happens! Arnold and Bruce are back with more screen time...and terrible dialogue.

Arnold: I'll be back (for about the third or fourth time in the movie)
Bruce: No, you've been back enough! I'll be back.
Arnold: *eye roll* Yippee-ki-yay

Geesh.

Snow White vs Snow White PART II!!!

I was going to write two separate posts for Mirror, Mirror and Snow White and the Huntsman, but after seeing the latter I've come to the conclusion that the posts need to be combined into one giant Snow White extravaganza! Why, you may ask? With the movies having almost identical plots and so many compare and contrast points it just makes way more sense to do it this way.

In both flicks the titular heroine has to rescue her kingdom from the clutches of her evil stepmother (one's definitely more evil than the other, but more on that in a minute). In Mirror, Mirror it's Lily Collins, while Kristen Stewart is Snow White in Snow White and the Huntsman . To be quite honest, Lily Collins wins this one. Granted, Stewart did try, I just don't think she quite has the chops to carry this movie, there was something missing there, although to be fair there actually were a lot of things missing in this movie (it was all over the place). Collins lucked out here, Mirror, Mirror is a charming family-type fairy tale, and it didn't try to be anything more than that. It let her go from naive shut-in to kinda kick-ass princess. And she didn't have to put on chain mail to prove that point.

What's the Snow White story without the Evil Stepmother? Nothing! Julia Roberts in Mirror, Mirror really had no chance to win this one out against Charlize Theron's Ravenna in Huntsman. While Roberts' Evil Queen is a terrible person who taxes her kingdom into poverty, verbally and emotionally abuses her stepdaughter and turns poor Nathan Lane into a cockroach, she's just not that evil. She's past her prime and refuses to admit it, like the ladies on all those Housewives of... (or at least I that's an apt analogy, I've never watched any of those shows) Theron's Ravenna on the other hand has that whole 'terrible beauty' thing going on and makes no qualms about her outright evilness. I mean she literally sucks the youth from the girls in the kingdom. Her castle is all obsidian and spiky, she also wears a spiky crown and necklaces made of crow skulls, clear signs of evil folks. You know, I wonder if they had dressed Julia Roberts in spikes and black and stuff instead of peacock outfits...nope, not even then. Both actresses were over the top in their performances, it worked for Theron, not so much for Roberts.

Next up are the dwarves. Something extremely interesting that I noticed between the two flicks is that in Mirror, Mirror they cast little actors to play the dwarves. The characters then wore this crazy springy stilt things to be bandits in the woods, aaaand make themselves taller. In Huntsman they cast regular sized actors as the dwarves and then used technology to shrink them down. It was just one of those 'huh' moments for me. To each their own I guess. Anyways, the dwarves in Mirror, Mirror are more classic Snow White dwarves, they take Snow White in, let her stay etc. Then they teach her to fight and steal (they're bandits, it's what they know) and all that jazz. In Huntsman the dwarves lead Snow White and the Huntsman into a magical forest where she meets a stag, for some reason (seriously, this movie was all over the place). 

Let me just say this, I'm a Chris Hemsworth fan. He's Australian, he's handsome aaaaand he's Thor. But in Snow White and The Huntsman, meh. He's supposed to kill her, he ends up falling for her, awfully convenient considering at the beginning his find is full of his dear dead wife. I don't know, I guess it just speaks to the general plot disconnect in the movie. Armie Hammer in Mirror, Mirror on the other hand. Wow. You may know him as the Winklevoss twins in The Social Network, but did you know this dude is hilarious? He stole the whole movie for me.

These days every movie with any hint of romance requires a triangular plot apparently. Mirror, Mirror has one that I've seen before in Snow White: Snow, The Prince and the Queen. Here Snow and the Prince fall for each other, but the Queen wants to prove her youthfulness and maybe get some cash from a rich kingdom and tricks the Prince into falling for her, then everything works out in the end, like a fairy tale should. In Snow White and the Huntsman the triangle seemed awfully contrived. Snow and her childhood friend William have held candles for each other, even though they've been separated by time and distance. Then the Huntsman spends some time with Snow and falls for her, of course.

Soooo, by now I've made it fairly clear that I preferred Mirror, Mirror far above Snow White and the Huntsman. It's not just that I preferred all elements, save Charlize Theron's Queen, it's also that Huntsman was trying far to hard to be a movie that it really wasn't. You could practically hear some scenes scream 'LOOK HOW EPIC I AM!' There were even some blatant LOTR (sorry, that's Lord of the Rings for the non-nerds reading this) ripoffs where Snow, the Huntsman, William and the dwarves are walking over Middle Earth-like hills and dales. I couldn't help but shake my head. Perhaps if they had focussed the story a tad instead of trying to be something else it would have worked better. Mirror, Mirror certainly isn't perfect, but I found it a more enjoyable film. It knew it was funny take on a fairy tale and went with that, and pulled it off pretty well.

AVENGERS!

Assemble up, true believers! It's time for another Marvel movie, and let me tell you know, they've seriously outdone themselves this time! If you've seen the five 2-hour trailers [Iron Man, Iron Man 2, Thor, Captain America: First Avenger and to a lesser extent the Edward Norton Hulk movie] leading up to this epic event you might have an idea of the awesomeness in store. So, on Sunday, around 20 of my Browncoat friends [for you muggles, that's fans of Joss Whedon's Firefly and Joss in general] met up at the theatre to revel in Joss' big budget feature. So, if you were at the 6:10 show at Metrotown on Sunday, I apologise, you honestly can't take us out in public, but you have to admit, we were having a good time, right?!
In all honesty it's been a very long time since I've had such a good time at a movie. The theatre was full of people who were ready to be entertained, and entertained we were. We laughed, we clapped, we outright cheered, it's just that type of flick. The action starts right at the beginning and that pace doesn't really let up for the rest of the 142 minutes. By now, I'm sure you know the basic premise of Avengers, Loki [Tom Hiddleston] has assembled a space army to take over the Earth and the only people who can stop it are a band of misfit would-be heroes, Captain America [Chris Evans], Iron Man [Robert Downey Jr.] , Thor [Chris Hemsworth], the Hulk [Mark Ruffalo], Black Widow [Scarlett Johansen] and Hawkeye [Jeremy Renner]. As a huge comic fangirl there were so many moments that just made me so happy. When Cap and Hulk first arrive at S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters, a massive aircraft carrier, I leaned to my neighbour and whispered, "It would be so much better if that was the heli-carrier" Mere moments later I was clapping with joy as it transformed and rose into the sky! Well played Mr. Whedon, well played.
What Joss has done so well, [that's right, not only did he direct this movie, he co-wrote it as well] as he often does, is mix snappy, funny dialogue with some serious character building and throw a whole bunch of action on top. Despite the fact that all of these characters have featured in their own movie or had cameos in those movies they still have a lot of growing to do to become The Avengers.
There's poor, disillusioned Steve Rogers [Captain America]. In his own movie he was so young and idealistic, but now, pulled into a new century, away from everything he knows and loves, he's a bit lost. He needs to find something new to fight for.
Bruce Banner [The Hulk] is still fighting 'the other guy' for control of his own body and consciousness. Let me tell you, Hulk is SO much better in small doses. I enjoyed his character SO much in this film, more than his other two flicks put together. I think we can all only take so much, "oh woe is me and my gamma radiation poisoning". That being said he gets some of the best lines in this movie.
Thor is still Thor. He's far less arrogant than in his movie, but he is still a freaking God, and a powerful one at that. He's still trying to come to terms with the brother he grew up with to this new treacherous and dangerous Loki that's taken his little brother's place.

Tony Stark [Iron Man] actually has the biggest character arc in this flick. The thing about Tony that we love is also the thing that makes it hard for him to be a member of a team; his outrageous and  narcissistic intelligence. Inside he is a good guy, I mean, you don't don't become a hero if you're bad news, you become a villain. However, over the course of the movie he starts to realise that he needs trust other people's intelligence, like Dr. Banner's and other people's leadership, like Cap's. Don't worry though, he doesn't lose any of that awesome Stark cockiness. 

Black Widow and Hawkeye kind of get the short end of the character growth in this movie. We still don't know that much about them, and not a whole lot is revealed in the movie either. Especially with Hawkeye spending half the movie not being himself. That being said they still show that they can hold their own in the big battle for Earth.
Speaking of that battle, thank goodness for CGI. Poor New York took an absolute BEATING in the final battle sequence of this movie, buildings toppled, rubble EVERYWHERE. It's all kinds of amazing. And even during this all-out battle to end all battles there are still a bunch of laugh out loud lines. It really is the type of action movie I would like to watch every time.
Marvel, I must doff my imaginary hat to you, I think after some mishaps a little while ago with some other characters movies, you've really come into your own. Also, I'm all kinds of impressed that you were able to find time when all of these busy actors were available AT THE SAME TIME to film this movie. Seriously, these are not nobody actors who have nothing better to do than be that character, they're all in pretty high demand!
So, to end this very long and probably overly favourable review, GO SEE THE AVENGERS! And if you've already seen it, go again! Nothing makes us Browncoats happier than seeing our beloved leader succeed, go Joss go! And for the LOVE OF GOD, don't leave before the end of the credits! This is a Marvel movie people, there is ALWAYS something after the credits.

John Carter

I know I'm quite late with this review, but I've been at a bit of a loss as to what to say about this flick... So, here's the thing with John Carter, Disney spent A LOT of money on this flick, like a lot a lot, like $250 million a lot. Aaaand as we're all painfully aware, nowadays if a movie like this doesn't "win the weekend" it has it's distributors scratching their heads. When it only makes $30M domestically, it's apparently considered a flop. So, needless to say, I came into this movie with a fair amount of trepidation. I'd seen the many trailers [Disney also spent a TON on marketing, to no avail it would seem], and I like Taylor Kitsch, I mean the guy's from Kelowna! Gotta support the locals! Also, the director is Andrew Stanton, the man who not only brought me Finding Nemo [my favourite Disney flick!] but Wall-E as well, all the ticks in the pro column were there for me. So, despite the negative reviews I decided to hit up a matinee.
The movie is based on Princess of Mars written by Edgar Rice Burroughs [yes, of Tarzan fame], which apparently has inspired many a fantasy and sci-fi writer throughout the years. And I guess I can understand why, it was pretty ahead of its time. It tells the story of an American Civil War soldier who, after his family is killed, defects from the army...which I understand is not a very good idea. After a series of getting caught and escaping from the army he gets transported to Barsoom [apparently that's what Martians call Mars]. Once there he gets entangled in yet another Civil War. He becomes a pivotal piece for both sides as he has super human powers on Barsoom since he's, well, human. Although, his main power seems to be that he can jump really high, but hey, I'd take it.
****returned and written at a MUCH later date****
Okay, I'm back trying to finish this review, and I think the main problem I'm having is that I was raised by parents who taught me that "if I didn't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all". Which probably isn't that good a trait in someone who's writing reviews, but oh well. I mean if the movie was truly terrible I would let you know, but the fact of the matter is that John Carter is just one of those middle of the road family action movies. The effects really were wonderful, making the civilization on Barsoom come alive. The acting wasn't terrible, I mean, it certainly won't win any awards. I think the problem with movies with so many visual effects is that they often overshadow the actual actors, which may have been the case here. If you really want to see Taylor Kitsch act his pants off, DO NOT wait for Battleship [*eye roll*] to come out this summer people, watch The Bang Bang Club instead.
I think that's about all I have to say about this. So, to sum up, John Carter is a middle of the road family action flick that will probably do quite well come home distribution time because it IS a good way to escape for 132 minutes, but certainly isn't anything extra-special.

Bridesmaids

Say what you will about SNL these days; particularly how the only consistent funny sketches are now Update and the SNL Digital Short [yeah, I went there.] but some pretty funny folks have come from that show. Kristen Wiig and Maya Rudolph are two such people, and they absolutely shine in the hilarious and surprisingly heart-warming 'Bridesmaids.'

I'm going to be honest, all I knew about this movie going into it is that I was going to laugh, what I wasn't quite prepared for was how much and how hard. The story centers around Annie [Wiig], who's already not-so-great life quickly down spirals after being chosen to be the maid of honour for her best friend, Lillian [Rudolph]. While trying to pick of the pieces of her own life she tries to plan the perfect fitting, bachelorette and shower for her long time friend, while constantly being outdone by the oh-so-glamourous Helen [Rose Byrne]. Needless to say things go from terrible to ridiculously awful in hilarious fashion. 

The easy banter between Wiig and Rudolph is both funny and natural, but even better is the one-upsmanship between Wiig and Byrne. I knew that Kristen Wiig, with her sketch comedy background, could pull this off, what I wasn't quite prepared for was Australian Rose Byrne to be quite so funny. She's never really done comedy, the film she did before this was 'Insidious', not really a comedy goldmine...Nonetheless, she held her own with the SNL alums. What she, nor the rest of the cast, could do was not have their scene stolen by Melissa McCarthy. McCarthy plays Megan, the sister of the groom, who is fully confident of her awesomeness, even if everyone else isn't quite so sure. She's just uproariously hilarious every time she opens her mouth, and in some instances just when she appears on screen. 

I have to say, as a single lady in my late 20s, this movie struck a chord. Like Annie, a lot of my friends are starting to get married, and while I'm super happy for them, it sure does start to remind you of all the ways your life just isn't quite working out the way you thought it would. However, Annie has one up on me. She gets to be Jon Hamm's booty call. Sure, he's a jackass in the flick, but people, this is Don Draper, would you kick him out of bed? No, I didn't think so...although he does kick Annie out of his; he really is awful in this movie. But that's okay, 'cause Annie gets to be wooed by the adorable State Police officer Rhodes. Chris O'Dowd, from 'The I.T. Crowd' [a show I would highly recommend] certainly makes an impression as the Irish cop [I'm not sure, they never really explain how that one happened] who steals Annie's heart. He's best known for his roles in England, but after this I have a feeling we're going to be seeing a lot more of Chris O'Dowd on this side of the pond and I'm a-okay with that!

I was lucky enough to see my matinee of 'Bridesmaids' with my good friend Nicole [that's right readers, the same Nicole who came with me to '127 Hours']. We just laughed and laughed and laughed. So I would highly recommend grabbing a good friend and going to see 'Bridesmaids'. Unless you don't like to laugh, who doesn't like to laugh?!? NO ONE, that's who. Seriously, people, go see 'Bridesmaids.'

Thor

Oh Marvel! You've done it again! I know this probably won't come as a surprise to most you, dear readers, but on top of being an ardent movie fan, I'm also a comic fangirl, so Mighty Marvel Matinee Monday was a pretty exciting one for me. That being said I have to admit I was starting to have my qualms about movies being made out Marvel comics. Sure, the recent franchises got off to pretty good starts, 'X-Men', 'Spider-Man', but then the sequels came along...and 'Fantastic Four.' However, those were all co-productions with Marvel Films and other studios. When Marvel Films switched over to Marvel Studios and brought us 'Iron Man' I was ecstatic, think about how awesome that movie was. Pretty awesome, right? I thought we'd put the not so great Marvel movies behind us, and then came 'Wolverine'. I try not to think about it too much, it still hurts my insides with what they did to my favourite character in the Marvel Universe. Then I had to remind myself that this was another co-production. I don't know what it is, but when they have to work with others the movies just aren't as awesome. When Marvel announced 'Thor' along with all the other movies leading up to the 'Avengers' I sincerely hoped it would be more 'Iron Man' than 'Wolverine', and thank the Gods of Asgard it was!

The movie itself is a lot like its' hero namesake, big, brash, heroic and a little bit silly. I think the real coup for the brass at Marvel HQ was getting Kenneth Branagh to direct this movie. Getting a director who is well versed in the ways of the Bard is perfect for a story that has the types of elements that Shakespeare was so fond of; honour, exile, revenge, mixed with a touch of magic. They did a similar thing with 'Iron Man', having Jon Favreau direct. Both men are great directors because not only can they tell a story, they can tell a story that's driven by characters, not the action around those characters. And that's what these movies are all about, introducing us to our comic book heroes.

Speaking of heroes, how about that Chris Hemsworth? When we last saw him on the big screen he was sacrificing himself aboard the USS Kelvin so James Tiberius Kirk could grow up to captain the Enterprise. At the time I thought he would be a good Captain America, but after seeing this movie, I have to say, he makes a damn fine Thor. He's able to play the arrogant God very well, someone so sure of his power and place in life. Up in Asgard his arrogance helps make him into a great warrior, but it's also his downfall Once exiled to Earth that same character flaw makes him hilarious, nothing like seeing someone who thinks they're all powerful get taken out by a Dr with a needle. Hemsworth somehow manages to make Thor both a warrior and goofball, and also pulls off a transition from prideful fool to hero somewhere in there. There are many little intentionally funny moments when Thor first arrives on Earth and he pulls them off beautifully. To be quite honest, he kind of looks like he's having the time of his life, I can imagine it's not everyday you get to fight Frost Giants with an all-powerful hammer, and then ask a curly haired pet store owner for a lizard large enough to ride. Also, I would like to put in a special thank you to his trainer, wow. That's some impressive work my friend, keep it up, and thank you, seriously. Thank. You.

Ahem, moving right along...the rest of the cast was also very good, except for one misstep I'll talk about in a minute. Tom Hiddleston is just fantastic as Loki, the trickster and traitor. Loki's calm demeanor is the polar opposite of Thor's. Where Chris Hemsworth brings us a loud, headstrong warrior in Thor, Hiddleston is quiet, calm and calculating as Loki. After sticking around after the credits I have to say I'm pretty sure we'll get to see Loki again and I'm certainly looking forward to it.

Then we have our supporting characters:

Kat Dennings may be type cast as the quirky sarcastic Darcy, and that would be a shame if she wasn't so damn good at it. Her little moments throughout the movie are some of the best and definitely some of the funniest.

I've always been a Stellan Skarsgard fan, even if his movie choices are sometimes a little odd. ['Mamma Mia'? with that "singing" voice? Really?] However, he pulls off the vaguely paternal and mostly skeptical, Erik Selvig very nicely.

I also really enjoyed Idris Elba as the enigmatic gatekeeper of Asgard, Heimdall. He may not have a lot of screen time, but whenever he was there he commanded every moment of it.

I love Anthony Hopkins, who doesn't? And I really am glad that he's getting some work in this ever evolving industry. But I hope I'm not the only one that felt he maybe phoned in his performance of Odin justalittlebit...

Now for the one casting misstep of the movie: Natalie Portman. I'm a huge fan of hers and there's no doubting her acting prowess. That 'Black Swan' performance and the Oscar that accompanied it are proof of that, and she has previous experience bringing a comic book character to life as Evie in 'V for Vendetta', but she just felt wrong to me as scientist and love interest, Jane Foster. I couldn't quite put my finger on the problem until the second time I saw the movie, she isn't nerdy enough. I know, it sounds ridiculous, but I really think that was the issue. She does a fine job acting the part, but I really don't think she was the right choice for the role. I would have liked maybe to see an unknown in the role, or maybe even promoting Kat Dennings from sarcastic sidekick to leading lady.

One last thing before I wrap up. I absolutely LOVE the way Marvel is building up to 'The Avengers'. With Agent Coulson, not-quite-so-mild-mannered S.H.I.E.L.D. agent reappearing and taking a little bit larger role, we see a bit more of what the mysterious organization's all about. There were also references to both Tony Stark [Iron Man] and Bruce Banner [Hulk]. However, my absolute favourite thing, the thing that caused me to have a tiny fangirl freakout in the theatre, was the introduction of Clint Barton. 'Iron Man' might have had Black Widow, but 'Thor' got Hawkeye, and Hawkeye is awesome. 'The Avengers' is just looking better and better.

Welllll, that was certainly a long one, but let's just pretend I'm making up for some short posts in the past couple of weeks, okay? Not rambling on like an crazed fangirl...Until next time, as Stan Lee says, 'Excelsior!'

Water for Elephants

Monday I went to see 'Water for Elephants' and I have to admit, I wasn't so sure about seeing this movie. First of all I've read the book of the same name that it's based on, and it's fantastic. And while I'm a believer that book adaptations don't have to be 100% faithful as long as they keep the spirit intact[see: 'Harry Potter' and 'Lord of the Rings'] I was concerned that it was going to turn into a 'look we got Robert Pattinson in our movie, let's forget the plot' kind of thing. Luckily, that wasn't the case. Also, my usually reliable sources, Rotten Tomatoes and EW, gave it so-so reviews, but after seeing those same sources give my new nemesis 'Fast Five' generally favourable reviews, I figured I was going to stop trusting those clowns and see it for myself.

To be quite honest I'm pretty happy that I did see it, if only to get proof that Robert Pattinson can actually smile and not look like wood, especially when delivering dialogue that isn't aimed at 12 year old girls. And he had some stiff competition in this movie, his co-stars are two Oscar winners and an elephant!

'Water for Elephants' is the story of Jacob Jankowski [Pattinson] a promising young veterinary student who quite literally runs away to join the circus when his parents both die suddenly and leave him broke. But the circus isn't all fun and games, especially in the 1930s. It's a lot of hierarchy and back breaking hard-work, especially when the ring-leader of said circus is a bi-polar masochist, that would be Christoph Waltz. And while his veterinary skill and willingness to work win August's [Waltz] affections, Jacob's friendship and growing crush on his wife, Marlena [Reese Witherspoon], welllll, don't.

As I mentioned before, the acting in the film was very good, and while I didn't 100% buy the chemistry between Pattinson and Witherspoon, it was close; although his chemistry with Rosie the elephant was totally there. [She must be team Edward, sorry, I couldn't help myself] Pattinson's American accent is MUCH better that in those other movies, and it seemed as if he relished a role where he didn't have to act like an over-protective, sparkly stalker. He's much more natural, and I have to admit I feel pretty bad that he has to follow all this progress with two more 'Twilight' movies. Waltz was in fine form yet again as the slightly off-kilter antagonist, and I'm starting to think he may be pigeon-holed. And don't get me wrong, it's a frighteningly perfect hole, it makes me start to wonder if he can play any other character...anyone else? No, just me, alright then. Witherspoon was lovely as ever, and had the right mix of love and desperation as a woman who both loves and fears her husband.

I will admit that the pace of this movie was a bit slow. However, it may just seem that way because we're so accustomed to the ridiculous pace of everything in our lives nowadays, with instant news and micro-blogging. This movie was set in a slower era and adjusted its pace to its subject.

Overall I will admit that this movie isn't for everyone, with the pace and the casting, it certainly wouldn't appeal to everyone. For example, the crowd of about 15 people I saw it with were all women except for the two boyfriends, who I assume were dragged to it against their wills and the one creepy single guy that was sitting in front of me. However, it was very well done and a fairly true adaptation of the book. If you're one of those people who can't stand Robert Pattinson [for whatever reason, no judgement here] then I would still highly recommend the book, actually I would recommend the book either way.

One last thing, can you feel it? The warming temperatures, the desire to sit in an air conditioned theatre for two hours just to get out of the heat[well, not quite yet], the need to be entertained!?! That's right!! The Summer Movie Season is finally upon us! I already know what I'll be seeing for the next 4 weeks, how about you? Starting with an extra 'M' being added to Monday's review for 'Marvel Matinee Monday' with 'Thor'! The first of three I'm excited to do this summer!

Rio

Yet again I'm a little behind schedule getting my post up, I have a couple of excuses, first of all work's been a bit exhausting this week, plus the Stanley Cup Playoffs [GO CANUCKS GO!]have been diverting a lot of my attention these days, however, I think the main excuse when it comes to the review for this particular movie is that just wasn't that great, so I don't have that much to say.

I didn't hate it, but I most certainly didn't love it. As I've previously mentioned I'm actually a huge fan of animation, and I really thought that 'Rio' would be a good one, but I was disappointed. It certainly had it's moments, the colours are gorgeous, and the carnivale scenes are pretty fantastic. Jesse Eisenberg is adorable as a neurotic macaw and Jemaine Dupuis [from 'Flight of the Conchords' which is awesome] was hilarious as the evil cockatoo, but other than that the movie was just kind of blah.

I went to the movie on Easter Monday, and I have to admit, I forgot it was a holiday. I was promptly reminded when I got into the theatre, that was packed with kids and their parents. And as the movie went on I started to feel bad for those parents. Sure, I paid to be there, and to see it in my old nemesis, 3D, but I don't ever buy snacks at the theatre, so my expenses are down to just the ridiculous $15.5o to get in. However, the poor parents around me had to pay for not only themselves, but also their munchkins [again, for the terribly overpriced 3D]. And all of the kids around me had those snack packs, I'm not sure how much those are running these days, but I'm sure it's not cheap. And after shelling out the big bucks they had to sit through a movie that didn't offer anything for them. I've found in the past that watching kids movies with kids in the audience often improves the watching experience, they laugh at silly things and really get into it, which helps me get into it. Not this time. There were a few '3D moments' that they 'oohed' at, but that was about it, even the kids weren't really into it, which lead to me just being a bit bored.

I really don't like putting out bad vibes for movies, especially animated ones, but I was really hoping for more from 'Rio', and was sorely disappointed. I also have to admit that we seem to be sitting in a little movie lull here. I honestly have no clue what I'm going to see on Monday. I'm not really excited about anything that's in theatres right now. The awards season movies are all gone and the summer blockbuster season doesn't start until 'Thor' comes out on May 6th [which I'm super psyched for]. Sure, 'Fast Five' came out this week. I'm sure anyone who's perused this blog before will remember my absolute astonishment that yet another movie is being made in this franchise. Let me just add that both Rotten Tomatoes and Entertainment Weekly, have given this movie favourable reviews, I expect to see pigs flying past my window any minute now. These are both places I usually check to see if a movie is worth seeing if I'm still on the fence, they have let me down. So, no, I won't be seeing 'Fast Five' on Monday, if anyone has any suggestions, bring em' on!

Hanna

I'll admit it, I've been at a bit of a loss at how exactly to review 'Hanna'. [and it doesn't help that the Stanley Cup Playoffs have been doing their best to distract me] There's a lot going on in this movie, and I really feel that words can't particularly describe it. Director Joe Wright [Pride & Prejudice, Atonement] whets his action chops with his usual visual style and fantastic cast.

The movie centres around teenaged Hanna, who has spent her life being trained to be the perfect assassin by her father[Eric Bana]; who then puts those incredible skills on display as she searches for revenge against the woman who killed her mother [Cate Blanchett]

Saoirse Ronan [pronouced seer-sha] is angelic in looks but fights like Jason Bourne, as Hanna, taking out men [with guns] three times her size. The fights are crisply choreographed, Hanna is an extremely efficient killer, not expending any extra energy. She also manages to capture the wonder of a girl who is seeing the world for the first time. Her wide blue eyes take in everything both assessing danger and appreciating the beauty at the same time.

The visuals of this movie are fantastic, going from the blinding white of the Northern forest where Hanna was raised to the scorching red desert in Morocco where she ends up after killing her way out of a holding cell. You get the feeling that nothing that is captured on film was there by accident. Wright also has a fondness for long one shots. There are two fine examples in this movie. One follows Hanna's father Erik outside a train station and down underground, all in one steadycam shot. There aren't a lot of things that bring out the extreme film nerd in me, but that type of shot certainly is one of them. The second occurs amid massive containers on a dock, that also bring to light the absolutely fabulous sound design of this movie. The music following the camera and accentuating characters and their actions.

A little more about the sound design. It's one of those things I think gets ignored by audiences because they don't know what it is. If you want to find out, watch 'Hanna'. The music is very unique, [it was scored by the elusive Chemical Brothers] and sometimes hides in the background, but often an essential part of the action.

This film was unique and well done, and actually has an interesting Vancouver connection. The idea for the story comes from Seth Lochhead, a Nanaimo native who attended the Vancouver Film School. If 'Hanna' is any indication of the type of movies he's going to write, I certainly hope he has some more up his sleeve.

Until next time....GO CANUCKS GO! Sorry. Couldn't help it.

Source Code

'Source Code' is odd. But a good odd, an odd that I actually really appreciate in this day and age where it seems like at least 60% of the movies that are released are re-makes, re-interpretations or out and out sequels. While there are little bits of different stories (particularly 'Grounhog Day' with hints of 'Inception') this story feels new and unique, and on top of all that it's very well done.

I think what I appreciate most about this movie is that it doesn't pander to the lowest common denominator; it assumes that its' audience is intelligent enough to comprehend it's vaguely complicated plot. Understanding how Capt. Colter Stevens [Jake Gyllenhaal] is reliving the last 8 minutes is reliving another man's life is not as important as understanding the whys and hows of his task. We're given a scientific explanation by the head of the Source Code program [Jeffrey Wright] that includes a little biology and some quantum physics, with a little parallel universe thrown in, but honestly, I really feel that it's all secondary, although it was a nice touch to have Colter throw the explanation back, showing he gets it and that he isn't just some dumb soldier. This might be a plot that wouldn't have worked 4 or 5 years ago, but with a movie-going audience familiar with TV shows like 'Lost' and 'Fringe' and movies like 'Inception' there's no need explain the science too much and let us just get on with the action.

While there is plenty of action in 'Source Code' it also, surprisingly, has its fair share of comedic moments.[with a fair few provided by Canadian funnyman Russell Peteres!] The first few times he goes through the last 8 minutes of teacher Sean Fentriss' life are fairly funny. [this was the moment that mostly reminded me of 'Groundhog Day'] At first he's just surprised and then he thinks it's a simulation, which causes him to act like a bit of a fool. Being in a pretty empty theatre and laughing as he tries to convince his fellow travelers that they're not real made me feel foolish myself, but that's the way matinees are sometimes. But as he finally realises that all the people, especially the lovely Christine who sits across from him, on this train are indeed real and actually now deceased he starts to take his task seriously. His task is to find a bomb and then the bomber that is on the doomed train, to stop a second bomb from going off later on in the day, not an easy task to do in 8 minutes. However, after many attempts and dying in an explosion over and over again finding the bomber seems almost anticlimactic.

The real test comes as Colter decides that he needs to save the people on the train-even if they're already dead. I found the end to be pretty cut and dry, but I've heard from a few people who saw 'Source Code' and say that it sparked some debates, always a good sign in my books.

On top of a great story this movie was excellently acted by all. Gyllenhaal is always strong in my eyes, whether it's in indie flicks or big blockbusters. The ladies of the film, Michelle Monaghan and Vera Farigma are also wonderful, both shine in very different ways opposite their strong leading man. I've been a Farigma fan since she was in the little watched, Hallmark produced, Snow White [I have an extreme weakness for Hallmark miniseries] and more recently in 'The Departed' and 'Up in the Air'. She's no less fantastic in this film, although it was nice the see a more vulnerable performance from her.

To finish up I'd like to say that I'd like to see more movies like this, and I hope that other studios take note that maybe it's time to be more original. One last thing, there are a bunch of movies that I'm looking forward to seeing coming out on Friday, and I'd love a little help deciding which one I should see on Monday, so vote on that poll up on the right!

March Double Feature: The Butcher, The Chef and the Swordsman/Jane Eyre

This past Monday I did my first double feature Matinee Monday since my very first post. I made my way back downtown to my new favourite theatre, Tinseltown. They get such an interesting mix of movies in and they're about $4 cheaper than the theatres closer to me. I saw two completely opposite movies for this double feature, 'The Butcher, the Chef and the Swordsman' [TBTCTS for the rest of the review] a Chinese action flick and 'Jane Eyre' the newest adaptation of Charlotte Bronte's classic. So be prepared for a long one, you know how tend to go on...

'TBTCTS' was, well, it was kind of all over the place. I didn't dislike it, but I didn't like it as much as I thought I would. I've seen some criticism that says the plot is confusing, I disagree, it's pretty straightforward; three stories intertwine with the tale of a powerful cleaver, how it was formed, and how it has been passed down from one person to another. Each sequence, Desire, Vengeance and Greed, has its' own look and feel to it. Desire is the story set most recently and revolves around a butcher who lusts after a beautiful courtesan. We then flashback to the other two sequences. Greed is the furthest in the past and tell the the tale of a swordsman who seeks a swordsmith to make him a new sword from a lump of iron that's made of many powerful weapons melted down together. Desire is really over the top, too silly to really be engaging. The butcher, Chopper, is a completely unsympathetic character, and you could really care less whether or not he achieves his goal. Greed isn't much more interesting, although it had a very interesting visual theme; all in black and white except for things that are red. However, it does reveal the origins of the cleaver used in the next story. The middle frame, Vengeance, was the most appealing portion of the film. The renowned chef at a restaurant is going to visited by a prestigious patron, known for his love of food, and his tendency to kill the chef if he doesn't like any part of the meal. Knowing his life is on the line, he takes an apprentice, a mute, who is working off a debt. He must learn the secret of the eight courses served by the chef, and most importantly the eighth course, [that has a long name that I can't currently recall, sorry!] where the chef must skin,slice and cook a fish so that quickly that it doesn't know it's dead and continues to swim in the soup. This middle frame is genuinely engaging and very well done. In fact, I would have been happy if they had been able to stretch that story out for the rest of the flick. Like I said, didn't love it, didn't hate, probably would only recommend it to those who have odder tastes in movies, like I often do, even though this particular one didn't really appeal to me that much.

The second part of my double feature on the other hand had me enraptured from beginning to end. Let me preface this with an important fact: I haven't read 'Jane Eyre.' I was supposed to read it in school and could never get into it, so I got by with the Coles' Notes version. I've also never seen any of the other many adaptations of this classic. I was coming to this movie with a general idea of the plot, but with a fresh point of view, which very rare for me when it comes to literary adaptations, I love to read, and am more often than not one of those people who say 'The book was much better'. But like I said, that was not the case here, although needless to say, I am reading it now.

This movie has a lot going for it on paper alone, well for me at least; it's produced by my favourite broadcaster BBC and Focus Features who rarely do wrong in my books, and has an excellent cast starting with rising star Mia Wasikowska as the eponymous heroine [you might remember her as the eponymous heroine of 'Alice in Wonderland'], she's joined by Michael Fassbender, Jamie Bell, Sally Hawkins and the always wonderful Dame Judi Dench, pretty fantastic right? Well, that on paper goodness sure translates wonderfully onto the big screen under the watchful eye of director Cary Fukunaga. He wanted to bring a darker version of the book to the big screen, something I think he accomplishes perfectly, both in imagery and tone.

The film starts in media res, which is a fancy literary term for starting in the middle, with a distraught Jane wandering through the rain, alone, in the empty English countryside, finally coming upon a cottage where she is rescued. We are then launched into flashbacks, with each flashback informing the audience of how Jane has come to this place in her life. The character is on a near constant search for love and freedom, but was constantly trod upon as a child. By focussing on the darker aspects of Jane's youth, the maltreatment she receives while living with her aunt and cousins after the death of her parents, the poor conditions at the school she goes to attend, Fukunaga makes you want his plain and passionate heroine to succeed and escape from her terrible conditions. She finally seems to have found the life she's yearned for for such a long time at Thornfield Hall, as the governess to only one pupil. She loves to teach and is treated as an equal in the house, but there is something dark and ominous in Thornfield, it's not felt all the time, but is certainly there at night. And it's owner, Mr. Rochester, is as dark and moody as the estate he owns, but Jane eventually wins his heart, although not without the complications and hardships that every good romance needs.

Mia Wasikowska is pitch perfect as Jane, and I applaud director Fukunaga for choosing an actress close in age to Jane in the novel, only 19, [Wasikowska is 21] They've played down her looks to make her as plain as possible, but she has that passion that lies in Jane within her and it shines on screen. She has the ability to give Jane a naivete that older actresses might not have had the ability to do. She also easily holds her own against more veteran actors like Dame Judi and her older leading man, Michael Fassbender.

Michael Fassbender, who's name you might not recognise, was in '300' and 'Inglourious Basterds'. He's looking to have a good year, starting with his wonderful portrayal of the moody Mr. Rochester and then going on to star as Magneto in 'X-Men: First Class'. Rochester is tortured by his past, and while he is a kind employer, he keeps people at a distance. This complex type of character is not easily brought to screen and could have easily been over-acted, but Fassbender is both charming and complicated as Rochester and it's easy to see how Wasikowska's Jane could fall in love with her employer.

I'm going to leave the reveal of the climax out here for those who, like me haven't read the book. I think not being exposed to the novel might have actually been a blessing here. I was able to focus completely on the story being woven in front of me, one that bewitched me from beginning to end. It was beautiful and heart-wrenching, and I'll definitely be renting it when it comes out on DVD.

That's all for this week, and to sum up, see 'Jane Eyre' if you can, rent 'The Butcher, the Chef and the Swordsman' if you're looking for something a little odd. Until next time!

Paul

Wow. I think this is longest for me to ever get a post up. I apologise, but I will give you two very legitimate reasons for this. 1) My Xbox360 is evil. It's taken over my life this week with it's, and 'Assassin's Creed:Brotherhood's complete and utter awesomeness. I've never had time fly past me like this before, I'm sure it's some kind of evil Xbox/Microsoft/Ubisoft plot. And 2) as anyone who's read my blog with a modicum of regularity in the past two months will attest, I've been pretty psyched to see 'Paul'. Well, that might be a bit of an understatment. Anyways, now that I've seen it I wanted to let it soak in, writing various versions of the review in my head, trying to make it come off as non-nerdy as possible, however, I think I've come to the conclusion that that's just not going to be possible, so here we go!

Let me start by asking, do you like aliens? And no, not the stupid aliens that are always attacking the States for no good reason, but more benevolent aliens that pop-up in pop culture, like J'onn J'onzz, E.T. or Marvin the Martian. [I told you this was going to be nerdy!] Do you think a road trip to the alien hotspots across the US would be a fun way to spend your summer AFTER attending the San Diego Comic Con? If you answered yes to either of these questions, then you'd probably like this movie. Actually, even if you said no to the latter, you'd probably still like it.

If you hadn't guessed, that's the basic premise of 'Paul'. Two British geeks, Graeme [Pegg] and Clive [Frost] fly to San Diego to attend the annual Comic Convention there, and then set out to visit sites such as Roswell, Area 51, and the Black Mailbox, only to have their road trip derailed when they pick up an intergalactic hitchhiker. I have to admit watching them do all kinds of fun things at SDCC made me even more excited for my trip there this summer [like that's possible!] with my awesome friend Craig. If we have even an eighth of the fun they have it will RULE!

Moving on, the most fun part of this movie for me was Simon Pegg and Nick Frost. They are pretty much the perfect on-screen duo, they've done TV and movies together across the pond since 1998 and have a remarkable chemistry. I would compare them to Laurel and Hardy, but I'm really not that familiar with their work...Their movies 'Shaun of the Dead' and 'Hot Fuzz' are in my top 10...well, at the very least top 25. [actually, that's a list I should maybe actually make sometime; note to self]. And while they are both amazing, Pegg's always been a little bit more the star, however, in 'Paul' Nick Frost gets to take a bit more of the screen, well, at least sharing it equally with Pegg. I don't know exactly what it is about the pair of them that just works, even when they're killing zombies, or stopping rogue townies they seem like the type of guys you could go down to pub and have a beer with and discuss the merits of original 'Star Trek' versus 'The Next Generation.' Mmmm...I think I might have just figured out why I like them so much. However, I think it quite possibly is an accurate guess since they wrote the movie. While it's not from 'actual' events, but there is a lot of love for the nerds that love them, and the nerds they obviously are themselves. One other thing in regards to the script, I was impressed at how few English references were put in, however, seeing as it's the first [of many, I hope!] movie they've made in the Hollywood studio system I guess I shouldn't be that surprised.

While I renewed my geeky love for Pegg and Frost, I do have to admit that they were slightly over-shadowed by Seth Rogen's awesomeness as the title character, Paul. Paul's been on Earth for years, sharing his knowledge and advising the government. Since being stuck here he's developed a penchant for government grade marijuana and practical jokes. Rogen couldn't have been more perfect for the voice of Paul. His comic timing and caustic delivery are absolutely perfect, and hilarious. He brings Paul to life in a way that kind of makes you wish you could have an alien for a friend, even if that friend is pretty rude and takes his pants off in public way more often than you care for.

The supporting cast in this movie were also all wonderful, most notably, Kristen Wiig, who is finally shedding her 'of SNL'-ness. I wouldn't be surprised if she left the show to pursue big screen stuff soon. She is one funny lady. She starts of as the worst kind of American: [in my eyes at least] the religious fundamentalist. But after a life altering encounter, or, well, literally a smack on the head, from Paul, her eyes are opened to all kinds of new things. The funniest part of her transformation is her attempts at cursing, it's all wrong, and because of that, all kinds of right for the flick. Also, the always amazing Jane Lynch makes a quick cameo, as you may have guessed, she was indeed hilarious.

A couple other little fun things that were great in the movie. Steven Spielberg makes an audio cameo as himself, getting advice on an alien movie from Paul, I wonder which movie that could be...? An alien that needs to get back to his home planet, sounds vaguely familar...Also, Agent Mulder from the 'X-Files' was his idea too. Apparently this was all a plot from the government who have been leaking images of Paul for years, so that when the aliens finally do come to meet the humans, we'll be desensitized and not freak out. Although if Graeme and Clive's reactions are any indication, it isn't working. Also, for the nerds in the audience this movie is also an ongoing showcase of awesome geek chic, in the form of Graeme's fantastic t-shirts. My favourite is his 'Empire Strikes Back' tee.

The best part of the movie is that it doesn't try to be anything more than a buddy comedy, which is actually perfectly summed up by Paul near the end of the movie. As he's saying his goodbyes to his new friends he says "Well, it's safe to say we've all learned something from this, be yourself, speak from your heart, some sh*t like that, I don't know." Aaah, I love a movie that doesn't try too hard! Needless to say all my anticipation was rewarded, I wholeheartedly enjoyed 'Paul' and now I guess I just have to wait for when Pegg and Frost reunite with their 'Hot Fuzz'/'Shaun of the Dead' director for when they finally do their take on apocalypse movies. But with the upswing in popularity for these guys in the US that might be a lot longer than I want to wait...sigh.

That's all for this week, sorry it took so long, again, I blame Microsoft and Ubisoft! I promise I won't be so late for this coming Monday's post, now if I only knew what I was going to see...

Rango

I'll say it. I love cartoons. I still watch them on TV, well, if there isn't anything else on. [Most of the time, at least] I still consider several animated series to be among my favourites of all time; 'Avatar: The Last Airbender' and 'Samurai Jack' among those. But these are all things I can watch at home, without paying anything other than my cable bill. I don't shill out the big bucks at the theatre for just any animated/kids flicks, that being said there are some of these movies that I don't feel any shame going to, namely anything from Pixar and most of the movies that Dreamworks Animation puts out. 'Rango' falls squarely into this category. Actually 'Rango' falls into a unique category of its' own. It's being advertised as a "family movie" but I honestly don't know if I would take kids to this one. It has a LOT of adult references that would fly right over even the smartest 7 year old's head. More than it's fair share of violence, and a story that's a little bit complicated for munchkins.

'Rango' follows a pet chameleon with a penchant for the dramatic who gets lost in the Mojave Desert. He comes to the drought ridden town of Dirt, where he takes on a heroic persona to ingratiate himself with the townfolk and then must transform into that hero to save the town. A common enough archetype, true, but the wit and charm with which it's done in this movie make it a winner. Rango is verbose to say the least, he likes to hear himself talk, and, for a long time in his terrarium, that's all he has, but he can't seem to break the habit once he meets real people. But it's so well written and delivered by Johnny Depp that you really don't mind.

Not only is the dialogue great but the movie is also visually stunning. There's no doubt in my mind that director Gore Verbinski has done his research watching Sergio Leone and John Ford's old Westerns. The scope that was present there is more certainly present here. One of the best examples of this is near the end as Rango walks over sand dunes in the moonlight, just gorgeous, you almost forget you're watching something animated. There's another interesting visual that anyone who's watched 'Pirates 3' will recognise. While Rango is searching for the Spirit of the West, he comes to a dreamlike place that's white as far as the eye can see, and then he's carried to meet the Spirit [who looks like Clint, of course, but is voiced by Timothy Olyphant] by some hard shelled insects. Sound familiar 'Pirates' fans? When Jack's in Davey Jones' Locker, and is carried on the backs of those white crabs? Perhaps he's reminding us that the next 'Pirates' flick is out later this year. Nonetheless it didn't feel out of place in the movie, it actually fit quite well with the oddball-ness of Rango himself.

There are a lot of little things that I really loved that really made me love whole all the more. There's a charming quartet of tiny mariachi owls that narrate the story, who are adorable and hilarious, often predicting Rango's not-so-inevitable demise, and providing tunes for Rango's heroic sequences. There's also a quick homage to 'Fear and Loathing Las Vegas' when Rango gets stuck on the windshield of the Red Shark. Those are my favourite little bits, but there are plenty of other great parts as well.

As for the not-kid-friendliness I don't want to get too much into it, but let's just say we meet an armadillo that's been run over by a car in the first 10 minutes. It's literally in two halves folks. Don't worry, it survives, but still....

So, overall 'Rango' was a super enjoyable film that I would recommend to anyone over the age of 12 or 13. Kids might enjoy it, but they won't get it. Take my friend Kim's 8 year-old son, when asked what the movie was about, he said 'a lizard,' which I suppose is technically correct, but he seems to have missed the whole water, hero, town-coming-together thing...That's about all for now! See you next week, when I will be reviewing 'Paul'! Which I'm super excited for, I really hope it doesn't let me down...Pffft! What am I talking about!? It has Simon Pegg, Nick Frost and an alien! How can it fail!?!

The Adjustment Bureau

As per the poll results,[which seven whole people participated in!] I hit up 'The Adjustment Bureau' for my matinee today. I made my return to Metopolis at Metrotown, after seeing the last couple of movies at Tinseltown, mostly 'cause movies there are $4, that right FOUR dollars cheaper, but I had a free ticket with my Scene card, so to Metrotown I went!

Now I know that 'The Adjustment Bureau' is billed as a thriller, but really and truly this is romance masquerading as a thriller, and it does a damn good job of it too.

The premise lies around David Norris [Matt Damon] a young politician who is running for the senate, but is undone by some antics from his college days. While in the mensroom composing his concession speech he meets Elise [Emily Blunt] a wedding crasher who's come to hide from security. The chemistry is instantaneous, and they flirt unabashedly culminating in, for David at least, a life-altering kiss. Instead of giving the approved speech he improvises and goes on about how everything about him and his campaign is carefully crafted to have the most positive impact on the voting public. I can only imagine that everything he says is completely true, especially in the incomprehensible [to this Canadian, at least] American electoral system. Instead of harpooning his political career, this honesty makes him more popular than ever...which it turns out was all a part of the Plan.

Now we come to the sci-fi-Philip K. Dick inspired part of the story. It turns out that while most of us believe that we make our own decisions and can trust to fate, there's actually a group of well dressed men in fedoras who make sure our 'fate' is as it should be. Not affecting every little detail of our lives, but if something starts to go off track, they jump in and adjust it, so that we get back on Plan. Sounds a little ridiculous right? I grant you that, but this film manages to pull it off.

Needless to say where we should maybe be concerned that this politician is being manipulated by the bureau and it's shadowy leader 'The Chairman' all we really care about is if he gets the girl, well, and if the girl gets him. I know I mentioned it before, but it still remains, the chemistry between Blunt and Damon is fantastic. There is an undeniable pull between them, and apparently, even though the Plan says they shouldn't be, chance keeps putting them together. When they're together there's an amazing magnetism and when they're apart the longing for the other is evident. I've always been a Matt Damon fan, but I can't really say I've ever seen him as a more romantic character. Although it could be that he just needed the right co-star. Emily Blunt is quirky and charming, and she brings out the best in Damon just as her character brings out the best in David.

In the climax of the movie when things come to a head, David is racing through New York using the Bureau's fancy hat travelling system [I know, it's silly, but at least they look good, right?] and brings a confused Elise with him. When it comes down to it, and she's faced with the decision to either follow David, despite the insanity of the situation, or returning to her life without him, you know the inevitable answer. There's no way one can go without the other.

Like I said, a romance masquerading as a thriller. Despite that it was very well done, extremely well acted, by both the leads and the supporting actors. There were also some nice touches that leant to the realism of the story, New Yorkers stopping David on the street and interviews with the always awesome Jon Stewart. These little things make up for the plot holes and varying tone in the film, so that you don't really notice them, well until you think about them afterwards anyways.

That's all for this week, and I promise I'll get my Feb trailer round up posted soon! Until next Monday!

The Eagle

Before I launch into today's review I have two last things to say about the Oscars on Sunday. I was just reminded by Kim that I forgot to announce the winner of the Oscar picks this year! Blasphemy! For the first time since the induction of our annual Oscar pool I didn't win, I'm happy to announce that Kim and I tied it at 15, my mum came in 3rd with 13 and Craig came in 4th with a respectable 8. Secondly, while I was happy with this year's 'In Memoriam' segment, I think the Academy was remiss in not including Corey Haim in their montage. While I will grant that he wasn't their favourite son before he passed, that doesn't mean he should be omitted like that. You would think that with their attempts to appeal to a younger audience they would include an actor that the younger generation would actually recognise. And that's all I have to say about that.

Moving on to today's movie. I know I said that I was going to see 'Incendies' this afternoon, but with all of the awards type movies I've seen lately my brain needed a bit of a rest, hence the Channing Tatum vehicle, 'The Eagle'. I think it needs to be said before I get any further into this that while I do love art-house and critically acclaimed movies, I also equally love those movies that get no acclaim whatsoever, those cheesy comedies, ridiculous romantic comedies, and super-hero movies?! love 'em! I am not that pretentious guy that was in far too many of my classes in university, who only watches those movies that only 8 other people have seen and turn their noses up at those of us who enjoy the movies they consider 'bourgeois'. This is me rolling my eyes, blech. Anyways, I'm also embarassed to admit that the girl in me loves to see movies that have pretty boys in them, one the reasons I have seen far too many romantic comedies...and was also my driving force for seeing 'The Eagle'; Channing Tatum and Jamie Bell?! Yes please!

Needless to say this movie wasn't anything particularly special. Tatum's Roman centurion, Marcus Aquila, has come to Roman occupied Britain in an attempt to regain his family's honour. It was lost with his father, who had ventured north of Hadrian's wall, or at least the area where the wall is now, and was lost along with his entire legion and their symbol, a golden eagle. Apparently this was a pretty big deal and he's been working towards being the best centurion he can be to live down the shame of his father. Once he Britain he proves that all the work has paid off when he is able to thwart an all out attack on the fort where he's been stationed. He gains the respect of his men, but is badly hurt and is forced to go heal at his uncle's house. I was pleasantly shocked to see Donald Sutherland making an appearance as the uncle. Anyways, now that he's injured Marcus is honourably discharged and with nothing else to do decides to head up north to try and find out what happened to his dad and the eagle. While he was healing at the villa he gained a servant in Esca,[Jamie Bell] a native Briton, when he saves him from being killed in a gladiator fight. He and Esca form a tentative friendship and venture past Hadrian's Wall together. I don't want to get too much into their adventures for the sake of spoiling anyone who may be interested in seeing the movie and also because I'm not feeling terribly inspired to do so.

The movie's trying to be a lot of things at once, a period piece, a road trip story, there are odd dreamlike moments that feel out of place. Also, all the violence that's associated with this time, the battles, the gladiator ring, etc, are also a bit odd. They're extremely toned down, which I find strange, but then again, I'm the type of person that likes their violence stylized and awesome, a la '300' and 'Kill Bill' or realistic a la 'Gladiator' or pretty much any other Ridley Scott flick. However, one thing this movie did do was make me desperately want to wander the Highlands. They look misty and gorgeous in the film and I can imagine it barely does them justice.

I know this is a kind of uninspired review, but I went with what the movie had to give me. However, that being said the boys were certainly looking good in their period dress, although sadly, not enough shirtless time for this girls' taste...If you're looking for something to turn your brain off to for an hour and a half, then watch 'The Eagle' but definitely wait to rent it.

I'll have a February trailer round up out in a couple of days and I'm going to post a poll for you all to help me pick my Matinees for March.

Cedar Rapids

You know who I love? Ed Helms. Seriously. Most of the correspondants from "The Daily Show" that have gone on to be in TV and movies are pretty awesome, but I think Ed Helms is up there as my favourite. Both as the co-worker you can't quite hate on 'The Office' and the dentist who pulls out his own tooth in 'The Hangover' he's just got something that makes you want to like him. And with 'Cedar Rapids' that like has definitely turned into love.

Helms stars in this Sundance flick, as Tim Lippe, a small town insurance salesman who has to attend the annual insurance conference in Cedar Rapids after his coworker 'accidentally' dies during some auto-erotic asphyxiation...sounds like a festival flick already, right?

Tim Lippe has never left Brown Valley and literally knows everyone in his small town. To say he's naive is a bit of an understatement. He's never flown before, he's never stayed in a hotel, he's never left Brown Valley. When he gets to the airport to go through security to fly up to the conference he greets the guard by name and laughs at the suggestion that they need to go through the rigamarole that we're all used to when flying. He genuinely says 'But, it's me.' Something I think we all wish we could say at an airport, although none of us do for fears of the ever dreaded full pat down.

One of my favourite moments comes when he goes to pick up his rental car and discovers it's a cherry red Chevy Cobalt, he's so excited, like he's never seen a nicer car in his entire life. [ps: I drive a Cobalt, it's blue and is named Ripper, which is neither here nor there, but it is pretty sweet] Everything is novel for sweet, small-town Tim, from the junior suite in his hotel that smells like chlorine [YAY!] to the nice young lady he first meets outside of the hotel and then meets again when she's leaving a fellow conventioneer's hotel room...

Tim's goal for the convention is to bring home the ever coveted double diamond award to his insurance company, something they've won for the past few years in a row. However, he's soon distracted from his goal after meeting veteran convention go-ers Dean Ziegler [John C. Reilly], Ronald Wilkes [Isiah Whitlock Jr.] and Joan Ostrowski-Fox [Anne Heche]. They push his boundaries and show Tim that there is a lot more to this insurance convention than the double diamond award, forcing him to do some soul-searching about the profession that he genuinely loves.

Insurance isn't really that interesting a thing to me. I have some, sure, but that's 'cause I have to. When Tim talks about insurance you can tell that he really wants to help the people that he insures. He takes the example of when the river in Cedar Rapids flooded a few years before. While it's true that the fire fighters and emergency personnel were the folks on the news, getting all the coverage, putting up sandbags and the like. But afterwards, when all the news cameras had gone, it was the insurance people who were there, helping people get their lives back. Joan calls him 'Insurance Man', and with convictions like that, he kind of is.

The whole supporting cast were fantastic, Reilly, Whitlock Jr and Heche are a lovable bunch of misfits that Helms fits right in with. And despite the fact that all the movies I've seen lately have been filled with great actors, I really feel that 'Cedar Rapids' had the best ensemble of all of them. It's great when you can see a cast that just gels and compliment each other's performances perfectly.

'Cedar Rapids' is a sweet, genuine movie that fits nicely into the coming-of-age archetype, albeit for thirtysomething, which makes it surprisingly refreshing. One last thing, if any of the rest of this hasn't convinced you that this is something that you might want to see, let me add one last thing, Ed Helms sings a rendition of 'O Holy Night' with insurance words instead of Christmas ones. RIGHT?!?! If that doesn't entice you I don't know what will!

Also, I'm aware that it's Thursday, not Monday. And I've been a little late the last few weeks, but I hope to make it up with a Sunday post wrapping up my Oscar thoughts. That's right, the Oscars are on Sunday, the most ridiculously over hyped awards show of the awards show season...but it's also my favourite and I haven't missed it in years! Any predictions? Feel free to throw them in the comments section. I'll post my official picks before the ceremony starts! Till Sunday! BYEEEEE!

Barney's Version

For this week's Matinee I was accompanied to my new favourite theatre (at Tinseltown) by a very special guest: my mum. And while I love her to bits and pieces she is certainly not a movie connaisseur, she goes to the theatre about once a year, usually when a new Harry Potter movie comes out...However! That being said, she occasionally lets me drag her to artsier fare, I still fondly remember us hitting up the Princess on Whyte Ave in Edmonton to see 'Transamerica'. Monday's movie gave me another great 'mum at the movies' memory. The movie opens on a cigar in an ashtray, and I leaned over to her to say 'It looks just like the cover of the book' just as the camera panned to the bottle of scotch to the left of the ashtray, and my mum says 'That's my favourite scotch!' My mum=awesome.

'Barney's Version' is a tricky movie for me to try and talk about. It's interesting in that there's a lot going on and yet at the same time there isn't really much going on. It deals, very simply, with the life of a relatively unhappy Montrealer, Barney. And when I read that line back to myself I realise that it sounds incredibly dull, however, it really isn't. While the pace is quite slow, the performances are superb, especially Paul Giamatti. Giamatti has made of a career of playing a variety of different characters, but somehow always seems to shine the most when he plays the hopeless sad-sack [see: 'Sideways'] Needless to say that odd quality shines yet again in 'Barney's Version'. He's a man who seemingly wants to be happy, but somehow seems to just make those around him as miserable as he is. Even when he's finally happily married [for the third time] to the lovely and understanding Miriam, played by the radiant Rosamund Pike, he can't help but go and mess it all up. Now this may sound overly depressing, but somehow it isn't, and I think it might be the cast of characters that surround Barney, both literally and figuratively.

For me the highlights of this supporting cast were Dustin Hoffman as Barney's retired police officer father and Scott Speedman as his junkie best friend Boogie.

Hoffman is hilarious, and as blunt and inappropriate as Barney can be, his dad can do it better. The best example of this comes from him telling old cop stories at Barney's second wedding, 'causing Barney's new, and not-so-loving father-in-law to cut him off. His last scene in the movie is also absolutely unforgettable, I'm not going to spoil it, so you'll have to take my word for it, absolute gold.

Let me preface this next paragraph: I love Scott Speedman. I have literally watched movies, just 'cause he was in them [see: the first two 'Underworld' movies]. There, now that that's out of the way, let me continue. Boogie is a would be writer, who apparently has a lot of promise, but has never finished his book, although maybe if he stayed sober for five minutes he may have. Speedman broke my heart as the always high Boogie, but even then, he still managed to have that sexy 'save-me' thing going on....but I digress.

Needless to say, I did enjoy 'Barney's Version'. In the end it's sweetness smoothes over it's rough patches, and the addled Barney at the end breaks your heart as much as he does his ex-wife's. OH! One last thing, for all you Canadian film nerds, there is an awesome cameo by none other than Denys Arcand in this flick. And if you don't know who he is shame on you!

That's all for now, sorry it took so long to get this out, four days longer than normal, but like I said before, this was a tough one for me to figure out. Until next Monday, see ya!

The Illusionist

Continuing on with my parade of awards movies [the Oscar's are only 20 days away people!] I went and saw the only non-American nominee in the Best Animated Feature category, 'The Illusionist' [the other two are 'Toy Story 3' and 'How to Train Your Dragon' for you heathens that didn't know.]

'The Illusionist', made by the folks that brought us the delightful 'Triplettes of Belleville', is most definitely not the type of animated film you would take your kids to, and with it's slow pace and lack of dialogue it might not be the type of animated film you would even go to. Two guys actually walked out of the movie this afternoon, something I haven't witnessed in a long time.

All that being said, I really enjoyed 'The Illusionist'. It's a sweet and charming as well as melancholy. The title character, The Illusionist, is one of a dying breed of vaudeville performers who are being weaseled out of their spotlights by 50's rockers that fill the seats with screaming and swooning girls. He's a sweet old man who just wants to perform, and after a series of not so great gigs he goes to Scotland where he meets Alice, a young girl who believes his magic is real. I think that he's rejuvenated by this belief and when Alice ends up running away to join him in Edinburgh, he lets her stay.

They stay in a boarding house full of characters, a ventriloquist, a very sad clown, three identical acrobats, all vaudevillians looking for a stage. Unfortunately work for all of them is getting more scarce and Alice's wants are growing, she wants new shoes, a new coat, a new dress. And since she thinks they just appear out of thin air and the Illusionist doesn't want to dispel this notion he goes to ever depressing lengths to get them for her. As his fellow vaudevillians slowly give up the Illusionist keeps on trying. However, the last straw for him, is making bras and perfume 'appear' in a department store window, while wearing a terrible pink suit. During this time Alice is growing up and falls for a young man in the city. Alice was a frustrating character for me. She's a silly girl, the kind that drives me crazy. She wants to grow up too fast, and while she seems fairly intelligent she ignores how hard life is for the man that's caring for her. When he sees that she's finally grown up and he's given up he leaves a kind of heart-breaking, yet obvious note, that 'Magic is not real.' A bittersweet ending for a bittersweet tale.

The real scene stealer for me throughout this sweet, sad tale was the Illusionist's white rabbit, that he pulls from the hat in his routine. This rabbit is hilariously mean. It bites him and anyone else who tries to touch it. Constantly tries to run away. Despite all this, the rabbit is part of his family. This is most evident when the Illusionist comes home to a stew made by Alice. When she leaves to deliver soup to the other residents of the boarding house he looks at the recipe [we see the pages change in the wind, but he doesn't] and sees 'lapin' [rabbit] is one of the ingredients. He then worriedly starts to look for his mean, white friend. When he's finally given up the magic life he sets his little buddy free out in a field. The scene as the rabbit realises he's finally free is so adorable.

While I'm still sure that 'Toy Story 3' will be the big winner on February 27th [and really, come ON! It's Pixar, and they can do no wrong in my eyes], it's wonderful that little gems like 'The Illusionist' can get some well-deserved press.

Until next week, which I've just realised is my all-time least favourite 'holiday', Valentine's Day, ugh. Don't get me started. ANYWAYS! See you next week when I'll be watching a movie that has nothing to do with that ridiculous made up cash cow for chocolate-flower-card companies.