Avengers Review

It had been building since 2008 when a brief post credit sequence at the end of "Iron Man" planted the seeds for a full blown cinematic superhero extravaganza like none before that now, four years later, has finally come to fruition. "The Avengers" marks the first time Marvel characters, some (Iron Man) already carrying their own lucrative franchises, are featured together on screen taking on a common enemy that too powerful for any one of them to defeat on their own. So, the pivotal question, is The Avengers actually a good, worthwile film or just two and a half hours of loud dumb fun (e.g. transformers) that provides the quintisential of summer escapism fix (IN 3D!) while lining the pockets of Marvel studios execs eager to cash in on their biggest money making properties.
After attending a midnight showing of The Avengers. In glorious 2D showing I might add, I can say that the first film featuring "The Earth's Mightiest Heroes" definately lives up to all it's hype and then some. From the grandest set pieces to the most minute of details one can instantly tell that a lot of love care, and above all, effort was put into this movie by a studio whose intimate understanding of its characters and earnest desire to convey the ideals and values they represent really seems to take precedence over treating its characters as souless moneymaking tools which, in my opinion, is the problem with 20th Century Fox and its current mishandling of the X-Men franchise but that is the topic of another rant.
The movie is basically a thrill ride, and as with every ride, there are a few lulls and quiet moments here and there, though before you know it your senses are immersed in a another barrage of mind blowing action that, more than any other film I dare say, really feels like a comic book come to life. Seeing Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, and the monstrous Hulk himself on screen fighting side by side was a truly amazing and awesome thing to behold and I am not even a big fan of those characters!
Most all of the main cast are back and slip effortlessly into their respective roles. Robert Downey Jr. once again oozes his trademark charm and charisma as Tony Stark, the world's foremost superhero celebrity. Chris Evans returns as Steve Rodgers, a war hero displaced in time now given a second chance to wield the shield as the star spangled hero Captain America in the modern world. Chris Hemsworth is back as Thor, the hammer wielding god of thunder with a personal stake in the trouble that has befallen earth. Replacing Ed Norton is Mark Ruffalow as Bruce Banner, a brilliant scientist who, when pushed to his limits, transforms into a rampaging beheamoth known as The Hulk. I was a little dissapointed when I learned that the part was being re-cast but now having seen the movie I think that Ruffalow gave a good performance as Banner and I really liked his deliberatly deadpan delivery along with the slightly unhinged quality he brought to the role. If I had to give an award for best performance in the movie though I would probably give it to Chris Hiddleson who reprised his role from last summer's "Thor" as the Loki. Much more of a true villain than the last time we saw him onscreen, Loki's actions even more aggresively reflect his overwhealming psycholical need to compensate for the shameful circumstances surrounding his origins and  the feeling of inferiority he feels towards his stepbrother Thor. I loved how Thor never gave up hope that Loki would see the error of his ways and come around to the good side even after all he suffered at his brothers hands. And the way that Loki would tease possible redemption only to do a total about face and trounce his prey like a jackal that smells blood is a true credit to the actor in successfully portraying such a wonderfully despicable villain.
Unlike the hilarious post credit sequence, in which the completely exhausted group of heroes partake in a much needed fast food indulgance after their epic, world saving endeavors, I had a big smile on my face when I walked out of The Avengers. It truly epitomizes the term "summer blockbuster" and I hope its success gaurantees the long term health of a studio that is truly passionate about making good superhero movies.

Ross

      

"The Man of Steel" Official Banner

Not exactly hot off the presses news but I just felt like posting this new, "official" banner for "The Man of Steel" which hit the web a couple of weeks ago. From what I understand, the filmakers are taking a very neo/medieval approach to Superman's homeworld of Krypton, the style of which is very much conveyed here in the re-imagined S logo which manages to be evocative of the character's classic iconongraphy while at the same time hinting at something bold and new for a modern audience. I know it is a little silly to get too worked up over just a logo but damn, this looks cool!

Ross  

The Hunger Games Review

I love distopian stories. From Brave New World, to 1984, The Handmaid's Tail, The Giver, Anthem, Watchmen, The Dark Knight Returns, all portray a bleak and troubling vision of the depths to which humanity can descend when we trade reason for fear and freedom for safety. Suzanne Collin's  "The Hunger Games," the first in a trilogy of books is the latest offering in a long tradition of stories to take place in a future in which something is fundamentally wrong, and people are in desperate need of a dramatic example to rattle the cages shake them out of apathy and submissivness. Recently adapted into a major motion picture that, if I am not mistaken, has become the highest grossing film starring a female character ever, this harrowing tale of sacrifice, survival, and defiance in the face of insurmountable odds has certainly struck a chord with people everywhere.
Set sometime in the far future where a totalitarian regime has emerged from the ashes of what was once North America, now known "Panem" The Hunger Games tells the story of Katniss Everdeen, a young women who barely manages to scratch out a living for herself, mother, and younger sister in the poorest, coal mining  province of a rigidly stratified class system, the uppermost percentage of which reside in a glistening city state called The Capitol, a veriable Roman Empire of sorts representing the pinnacle of societal acheivment and decadence. In a heroic act of self sacrifice on behalf of her younger sister whose name is drawn at a town assembly refferred to as "the reaping," Katniss volunteers to compete in her place in a yearly event known as The Hunger Games. A high stakes, winner take all gladatorial competition featuring one young man and woman under the age of eighteen selected at random from each of the twelve districts. Serving the double function of a cruel punishment against the more impoverished districts who once tried and failed to throw off the yoke of Capitol opression in a past uprising and a celebrated pastime for Panem's wealthy uppercrust who wager big money to sponsor their favorite players, the nationally televised event provides something of an ultimate reality show for the immoral, elitist and hedonistic Capitol residents who train, encourage, and expect the young tributes to savagely dispose of one another so that only one victor may make it out alive.
Borrowing themes from Lord of The Flies and The Running Man, the story explores the moral implications of young people being forced to kill one another for other people's entertainment, specifically the residents of The Capital, who, in a critique on modern society and our obsession with youth, go to extreme and unnatural lengths to alter or modify their appearances in pursuit of some distorted ideal of perfection. Despite being dismissed as subhuman and inferior, it is Katniss and the people from the lesser districts who are closer to true humanity as exemplified in their closeness to the land and their faith and dependence in each other.
I thought the movie had really good performances all around. Jennifer Lawrence did a great job as Katniss and managed to strike the perfect balance between strength and vulnerability. Unlike the main female character in another wildly popular series which shall go unnamed Katniss does not define herself by whichever broody looking guy she happens to be with at the time but is tough, decisive, resourcful, and clever. Not to mention she happens to be a crack shot with a bow and arrow. Woody Harrelson makes a memorable supporting role as the boozy, irrascible mentor to the tributes of district 12 while the usually stunning Elizabeth Banks looks creepy and clown-like as the insidiously cheerful Effie Trinket.
I was only part way through the book when I finally broke down and spoiled it for myself by seeing the movie. I am glad I did. This is truly a unique film and not one to miss. Not that I mean this as an endorsment to give up on the book, I sure haven't.

Ross

Love Never Dies Review

"Love Never Dies," the controversial sequel to Andrew Loyd Webber's much loved  "Phantom of the Opera" musical was recently released in selected theaters for a special two night showing courtesy of Fathom Events. Not to be mistaken for a major motion picture, the movie was rather a set to film version of the stage musical currently enjoying a run in Australia.
Now, I am one of the many who has had very mixed feelings about Webber doing a follow up to his brilliant original story. First of all, I really couldn't see any overpowering need for there to be sequel. Sure the first phantom's conclusion is a little open ended, but it works perfectly in the context of the play, allowing the audience to ponder at what directions the characters could go and drawing there own conclusions. It definately is not one of those "Empire Strikes Back" kind of deals were you are left on pins and needles wondering how everything will play out.
Second, after having listened to all of the music in "Love Never Dies" I found it just did not measure up to the haunting, melodious, and completely captivating songs and orchestration of "Phantom." Not to say that there are not some really excellent songs here, I think "Until I Hear You Sing" is beautiful and it firmly remains my favorite song of them all. It goes from soft and subdued to bold and dramatic, evocking emotions of passion, loneliness, and nostalgia. Another favorite is "The Beauty Underneath" which has a rough, rock and roll edge to it that may seem jarring and out of place at first but really grows on you after a few listens. "Devil Take the Hind Most" is another one I really like and is a testosterone and tension riddled bit of verbal jousting between The Phantom and Raoul. "Beneath a Moonless Sky" an passionate duet between The Phantom and Christine practically bursts at the seems with bedroom innuendo and sexual allusions to the extent that it gets to be pretty over the top and the more emotional and dramatic the person singing becomes the more unintentonally funny the song gets. Oh well, it's still entertaining.
Unfortunately the character who I feel really gets shortchanged in terms of singing is Christine, which is odd to say since she is the character who holds the distinction of singing the title song, "Love Never Dies," but honestly, I just have never been able to get in to that one very much. My Gramma, who I took to the movie, absolutely loved it though, so I guess to each there own. I just really wish there could have been another "Think of Me" or "Wishing You Were Somehow Here" in this one. Something with a simple yet sweetly enchanting melody and lyrical depth that really make you want to fall in love with her like The Phantom. Unfortunely, as it is I felt that the character did not really recieve her due.
Regardless of my preferance for the classic I was still very excited to see this. Since the show's debut in the U.K. I had only ever listened to it via CD so I was eager to get the full experience and take it in from a visual aspect as well. It had been close to a decade since the film adaptation of The Phantom came out in 04 so I was thrilled to have the chance to see one of my favorite fictional characters once again commanding the greatest stage of all.
One of the first things that immediately grabbed my attention about the Australian production was just how much it tried to differentiate itself was from the musical's original London incarnation. Whole sections were either trimmed down, altered, or cut out entirely. Scenes that had previously been ratcheted up were toned down while parts that were toned down were, conversely, ratcheted up. Personally, I thought that these creative alterations did wonders for the show and resulted in a much more fluent and streamlined narrative. Unlike to the London production in which The Phantom does not appear until almost halfway through the first act after an introduction and some superfluous scenes that drag on for a bit too long, this version of the show truly hits the ground running with The Phantom perched intensly at his pipe organ hammering out some dramatic and tortured sounding bars as he transitions into the melodious and showstopping "Until I Hear You Sing." It is not until after this pivotal scene, in which the driving conflict of the story is revealed, that the show cleanly segways into the the whimsical and haunting "Coney Island Waltz" in which we are introduced to the human oddities that inhabit the turn of the century amusement park and a plot thread involving another key character.
The sets and costumes are stunning to look at and provide a true five course meal for the eyes. Coney Island, with its community of freaks and feeling unearthly decadence, looks every bit the perfect place for The Phantom to seek refuge and later gain influence in following his narrow escape from the mobs of Paris. When the Phantom shows whom he initially believes is Christine and Raoul's young son his lair, "illusion's domain," the entire room transforms into dazzling array of rotating cylindrical mirrors, each seeminly containing some form of Coney Island freak and oddity on the other side. Another  example that immediately comes to mind is the dress Christine wears when she sings "Love Never Dies." It is dark green with a feathered peackock like theme that is echoed in the backdrop behind her giving the illusion that the two are flowing organically together. A set of wooden roller coaster tracks lies suspended in the air and loops the stage in a couple broad circles. This perfectly enhances the show's carnival like aura while at the same time, perfectly representing the symbolic emotional rollar coaster that the main characters are put through throughout the course of the story.
I thought the performances were pretty much solid all around. The actor who played The Phantom sometimes came off a bit too Boris Karlov for my taste but otherwise he was fine. The actress who played Christine was gorgeous and did a great job of balancing her vulnerability to The Phantom with an unshakable sense of maternal responsibility. Other honorable mentions include the actress who played Meg Giry, Christine's former friend from Paris who is now obsessed with establishing herself as a gifted musical talent in the states no matter the ultimate cost to her innocence or her sense of self worth.
I really enjoyed the Australian production of Love Never Dies. It was dark, dramatic, and really went a long way toward causing me to embrace there being a sequel to the original rather than holding it at arms length as a "what if" scenario. Though I still believe some aspects could have been improved upon, the Australian version is definately a musical worthy of The Phantom's legacy.

 

Justice League: Doom Review

Arriving just in time to cleanse the pallete of the rancid taste left from the abyssmal Ghostrider: Spirit of Vengeance is Justice League Doom, the latest offering in DC Entertainment's direct to dvd line of animated features. When I learned that the company's next animated venture following their stellar adaptation of Batman: Year One was going to be another ensemble film featuring the world's mightiest heroes I felt a little dissapointed. In my opinion, the single character films like Batman: Under the "Red Hood" and "Year One," as well as "Green "Lantern: First Flight" have been some of the strongest offerings in the line thus far whereas the films featuring multiple heroes, "Superman/Batman: Public Enemies, and "Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths" have fallen a bit short and have often felt like prolonged t.v. episodes. Nevertheless I was excited by what looked in the adds to be a perilous and high stakes JL story (I know, I know, like any superhero story isn't without peril and high stakes) and hoped this one would be the exception to what had come so far.
In short, JL Doom delivers. Sure the film boasted tons of the larger than life superhero specticle one would come to expect, but were the movie really shines is in the levels of suspense and moral ambiguety that propels the narrative forward and really hones in on the fact that, for all their god-like powers, superheroes can still be incredibly vulnerable when given the right weakness to exploit.
The movie's villain, Vandal Savage, and his lethal selection of assorted rogues from each League member's long list of villains find just such a way to hit each hero were it hurts when they infiltrate the Batcave and steal confidential files documenting Batman's own meticulously planned out methods for neutralizing each hero should they ever go rogue and become a threat to the world.
A megalomaniac who has been blessed, or cursed, however you want to view it, with immortality after coming in contact with a meteorite in the stone age, Savage has amassed a fortune from his centuries long existence and entertaines intimations of world domination but must first remove the greatest obstacle standing in the way of his goals. The Justice League of America. So Savage recruits a deadly enemy of each member of the League promising them an obscene amount of money and the chance to rule the world by his his side should they suceed in destroying the League. The villains cast their lots in with Savage and The Legion of Doom is officially formed.
Having pilfered the most effective ways take down the earth's mightiest hero's from the mind of one of the greatest combat strategists in the world, Batman, The Legion of Doom sets about luring each League member into an isolated situation were it looks like they will be able to take care of business and save the day as usual, but things are not what they seems. What results is some of the most intense, edge of your seat  suspense that I have ever experienced watching an animated movie. You truly do start to wonder if Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Flash, Green Lantern, and Martian Manhunter will make it out of this one entirely unscathed much less make it out at all.
Of course, as a Batman fan first and foremost, I favorite segments were the ones involving Batman and his newly christened, Legion of Doom conterpart, Bane in which the venom enfused monster of a man strikes at the Dark Knight in a truly terrifying and brutal way.
The character Cyborg plays a pivotal role in the movie and proves why he is worthy to stand alongside the A-listers of the DCU. Personally I have never really been a very big fan of the character but really liked how he was used in this movie, quite a bit more so than the forced, abc school special way he has been tact on to the Justice League in DC's flagship, new 52 series.        
Unquestionably the biggest threat they have faced so far, the League's  first encounter with The Legion exacts a major toll that reaffirms their significance in the world while at the same time, shaking the team to its very core both personally and ideologically. And though the fourth act of the movie plays out in a pretty predictable fasion, it is still a thrill to watch The Justice League emerge stronger from the adversity and face their tormentors head on with no fear.
I had a blast watching this movie and, though I like what has come before, would definatley place it at the top of the DC animated features focusing on an ensemble cast. The action is thrilling, the exchanges between the characters are genuine and well written, and the story adresses some pretty heavy topics of trust and power. Simply put, Justice Leaue: Doom does not disappoint.

Ross 

Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance Review

Every now and again a person's preferences of enjoyment will be tested. For example, a seafood connoisseure  may come down with a nasty stomach bug after downing a rotten oyster, or an avid outdoorsman may find themselves held up in a full body cast for awhile following a moment of carelessness on a mountain or very tall tree. In this way, "Ghostrider: Spirit of Vengeance" certainly challanged my love for comic book movies. With a plodding, predictable storyline, a host of bland forgettable characters, and a redundant slew of queasy action sequences that in my opinion, were the visual equivalent of enduring a spin and puke ride at a local fair, Ghostrider SOV is a movie that should probably be excised from all respectable cinemas as quickly as possible.
Like many fans I couldn't believe it when a learned that Ghost Rider of all movies was getting a sequal. The first movie had its moments but overall was a pretty cheesy affair and didn't do much to advance the genre it represented. However, my interest was peaked a little when I learned the movie would take place in Eastern Europe and offer a dark, less altruistic take on the character. And for the movie's many pitfall's, those are probably the two things that I thought worked best in it's favor. The Turkish setting, with it's wide, shrub ridden plain's and lonlely, sweeping vistas add a sense of scope and scale and descolation to the film while the rider himself, with his seared black leather biker gear and ugly charred death's head is definately more of the dreadful, grim reaper-like figure he really should have been all along as opposed to the the goofy quasi superhero he was in the first film.
Believe it or not, I thought the story the filmakers were trying, and I emphasize the word "TRYING" to tell was actually not half bad. Johnny Blaze, who is struggling with the ramifications of his curse as the devil's personal bounty hunter, has fled to Eastern Europe, were he is lives a hermetic, transient lifestyle in hopes of suppressing The Rider's hunger for blood. Meanwhile, a mother and her young son are on the run from your generic outfit of rough looking hardcases intent on capturing the boy as per the orders of there nefarious benefector who just so happens to be "GASP!" THE DEVIL! I know, just go with it. We later learn through exposition, that similar to Johnny Blaze, the boy, Danny's mother made a deal with the father of lies in a moment of desperation. That if he would spare her life, she would conceive for him an earthly son who would share all of his dark power. It seems that the devil has taken many human forms over time though his abilities on earth have always been limited due to the frail composition of human bodies. So the devil's objective is to inhabit Danny's body so he can have an avatar on earth that will never have to be scrapped for a newer model. An underground religious order recognizes how important the boy's safety is to the future of mankind so one of their emmisaries enlists a reluctant Johnny Blaze to protect the boy from the devil and his foot soldiers and bring them to the order's secret headquarters in the mountains with the added incentive that they will remove Blaze's curse if he suceeds in delivering them safely. Now this sounds like the premise to a pretty cool movie frought with a lot of thrills and high stakes "cat and mouse" suspense. Unfortunetly, what I got istead was a lame duck, almost wholly devoid of anything very entertaining beyond some iffy CGI and Nickolas Cage being his crazy Nicholas Cage self.
Crippling any inkling of tension or drama was the movie had absolutely no sense of pace or flow. The action scenes are terrible, with awkward, haulting pauses in them that absolutely kills any sense of momentum the film had going. The only exception being the climax of the film were Ghostrider dukes it out with former fall guy turned super villain Blackout on the hood of a car.  That action scene, which takes place in broad daylight to boot, is pretty decent, but the others? All garbage.
Not helping things any is that the supporting characters are as intolerably boring as the movie itself. Despite all its campiness, at least the first Ghost Rider boasted a pretty memorable supporting cast to back up Nicholas Cage. Peter Fonda was crafty and menacing as the devil, Sam Elliot was rugged and cool as the mentor figure/former Ghostrider. And Eva Mendes was smokin' hot as the requisite damoiselle in distress. Heck, even Cage's honky tonk road manager managed to be somewhat entertaining. But in Spirit of Vengeance all the characers are just soooo boring and uninteresting. Blackout, who has the power to make things rot decay with the merest touch has some cool, effects driven scenes but is others wise pretty much a "run of the mill" supervillain. Christopher Lambert of former Highlander fame has a small part as the head priest of the secret religious order but is not in the movie long enough to leave much of an impression. Really, the only ingredient that keeps the ship from sinking is Cage, who manages to come off as likeable and charismatic even while spouting cheeseball lines like, "so your the devil's baby mama?"
If you are a sucker for superhero movies like me, and feel compelled to see Ghostrider SOV despite the million and one red flags out there about how bad it is, then I suppose you should go ahead give it a try. Though I would suggest that you sneak a flask of hard liquor in the theater with you to make it at least interesting. Otherwise, I would strongly recommend you to send old flamehead on his way.

Ross
           

Chronicle Review

In a genre that has been mined to the extent comic book/superhero based movies have, it has grown increasingly challenging for filmakers to bring anything fresh and original to a table that includes graniose tales of valor such as Thor, era spanning character examinations such as Watchmen, and gritty cinematic masterpieces such as The Dark Knight. However, with Chronicle filmakers achieve the seemingly impossible feat of breaking the mold of the typical  "been there done that" superhero origin story we have all seen a million times before while still remaining faithful to the familiar heart and soul these films posesse, which, good or bad, always leave us coming back fore more.
The movie focuses on three high school seniors Andrew, Matt, and Steve. Andrew is very much the social outcast of the group. Aloof and introverted, he quietly suffers a wave of near constant opposition from both bullies at school and an abusive, alcoholic father at home. The fact that he has started carrying a camera with him everywhere does not help matters much either.
While Andrew is the loner, Steve on the other hand, is Mr. popularity. A model student and star athlete with charisma to spare, Steve is a shoe in for class president and has his sights set on an eventual career in politics.
If Andrew and Steve represent two personality extremes, than Matt is probably the most "middle of the road" personality wise. He is not a reclusive oddball like Andrew, who is also his cousin, while at the same time he is not a super outgoing social butterfly like Steve. I found Matt to be a near perfect representation of a typical late teens guy, shallow, self-involved, and uncertain of what course he wants to take with his life. That all changes later on as he is the character that undergoes the greatest change throughout the course of the film.
Early on in the movie, Matt coerces Andrew to go with him to a party. While there the two cross paths with Steve who persuades them to accompany him to check out something he happened to notice fall from the sky into the woods a ways off. The three embark into the forest were they discover a strange aperture in the earth leading to a metorite made of crystalline that erriely alters in color like a giant mood ring. They each come in contact with the mysterious space rock before promptly high talining it out of there when it starts to vibrate and come alive with some kind of elecritc charge.
After a narrow escape, the three discover that their brief exposure to the sattelite has somehow granted them with telekenetic abilities, allowing them to control and manipulate objects using only the power of their minds. Equally excited and curious, they begin to experiment with their newfound abilities moving baseballs, legos, etc. before field testing their abilities out in public in a series of very mischevious, very funny pranks with a telekenetic twist.
Like working out a muscle, the boys grow sronger and stronger in their abilities until they can eventually manipulate the weight of their own bodies and defy the laws of gravity itself . This leads to some of the most truly thrilling and breathtaking flying sequences I have ever seen performed in a movie. You vicariously experience the indescribable rush of giddy exhileration the boys feel as they tear through the clouds like demigods, laughing like maniacs playing tag and catch with a football over a thousand feet in the air. This was a blast to watch and was definately my favorite part of the movie.
The boys growing camraderie and friendship that is especially epitomized in the flying sequence give a raw emotional gut punch to the remainder of the film as events take take a very serious turn later on. What began as harmless fun and playful adolescant shenanigans quickly tailspins out of control as one of the boys tries using his powers to save the life of an infirm loved one, and later lashes out violently against society as a whole after his attemtps are botched after going to such extreme lengths to prevent the inevitable.
What ensues is a chaotic, high stakes battle for life and death through the streets of downtown Seattle as one character is pushed over the edge and takes a tragically villainous turn while another's conscious is awakened to the heartrending responsibilty of having to save his good friend from himself. Even if that means doing the unthinkable.
I really enjoyed this movie a lot. The young actors who play Andrew, Steve, and Matt each do a fine job and really make you feel an investment in the characters. The scenes showcasing the trio's telekenetic abilities are just a lot of fun to watch and marvel at both from a technical perspective as well as just plain geeky wish fulfillment of what it would actually be like to be able to manipulate matter and fly around like Superman. The "found footage" approach to how the movie was filmed can be a bit jarring at times but ultimately works in the story's favor giving a rough authenticity and documentary like feel to what is otherwise a pretty straight forward and uninvolved narrative.
In closing, I think this film has enough to please both hardcore fans of the genre and average Joe movie goers alike. In a medium dominated by epic blockbusters, Chronicle is truly a rare gem that dares to be different.

Ross