Killing Them Softly

Set in the backdrop of the 2008 Presidential election, an illegal Mob controlled card game is robbed by the man in charge, Markie Trattman (Ray Liotta). After the games start again, a couple of small timers decide to rob the game again, knowing Trattman will be blamed. Jackie Cogan (Brad Pitt) is hired to find the guilty party...and kill them. 

Cast

Brad Pitt as Jackie Cogan
Scoot McNairy as Frankie
Ben Mendelsohn as Russell
Richard Jenkins as Driver
James Gandolfini as Mickey
Ray Liotta as Markie Trattman
Sam Shepard as Dillon
Slaine as Kenny Gill

Who will like this movie

     It's a bit slow moving so it's all set for a "relaxing" viewing. Sopranos fans will like to see James Gandolfini in a Mobster related role that is similar to his Tony Soprano character, without the family values. It could appeal to fans of the movies "Snatch" or "Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels". And although it may not be on the level of a "Casino" or "Goodfellas", the movie-goers who have all those mobster movies in their DVD or Blue Ray collection could find this to be right up their back alley.


Phantom Thoughts

     I am a fan of Brad Pitt movies. He makes some great choices of the roles he chooses to play, and this one is no exception. He brings the character of Jackie Cogan to life in a brilliant and subtle manor. It would have been really easy for an actor to go over-the-top in this performance where so much hinged on how a hit man for the mob views his job and life, but Pitt pulls it back enough to not only be believable  but likable. Another fantastic job goes to James Gandolfini as the old Mob hit man who Pitt brings in to do a job with him. The character of Mickey is a boozing, washed up, hooker buying gangster who just doesn't have it anymore. Another role that would have been very easy to over do, but Gandolfini is superb in his adaptation, making the audience laugh along with him, and then giving a sad after taste. 

     SPOILER: The scene where Ray Liotta's character Markie Trattman bites it, was visually brilliant. The slow-motion action of each shot fired and the effects of them from different angles and points of view was flawless...right down to the rain drops hitting the bullet casings as they were ejected from the gun. As well as the close up of the windshield breaking as Markie's head flew into it. (Even if...in the next shot, the you see the windshield in tact. Oops!)  

     Unfortunately, the accolades stop there. i was disappointed with how most of the scenes ran on about 2 minutes too long with no good flow or rhythm. There was a good story to work with, thanks to the 1974  George V Higgins' great crime novel "Cogan's Trade" that it is based on, but it just came up short. I felt bored watching it at points where I knew I shouldn't be. It's too bad too...It really could've been so much better given the plot and the great talent that was here to work with. The finished product just came out to be...OK.

Until next time, see you in the center seat!
    

Argo

In 1979, Militants storm the U.S. embassy in Tehran in retaliation for the nation's sheltering the recently deposed Shah. More than 50 of the embassy staff are taken as hostages, but six escape and hide in the home of the Canadian ambassador Ken Taylor. Argo is the joint CIA-Canadian secret operation to extract six fugitive American diplomatic personnel out of revolutionary Iran. Directed, Produced and starring Ben Affleck, this is a dramatic telling of a true story.

Cast

Ben Affleck as Tony Mendez
Bryan Cranston as Jack O'Donnell
Alan Arkin as Lester Siegel
John Goodman as John Chambers
Tate Donovan as Bob Anders
Clea DuVall as Cora Lijek
Christopher Denham as Mark Lijek
Scoot McNairy as Joe Stafford
Kerry Bishé as Kathy Stafford
Rory Cochrane as Lee Schatz
Victor Garber as Ken Taylor

Who will like this:

Anyone alive to see the red, white and blue polyester suits of the bicentennial of the USA will be familiar with the topic of this movie. However, I'm not sure how many people are familiar with the way those 6 diplomatic employees were rescued. Those who do know the facts, will know that Argo takes some dramatic license much like “A Beautiful Mind”. I think older teens and 40 somethings and over will be drawn to this. It's a dramatic history lesson that is a good emotional journey.

Phantom Thoughts

I really enjoyed this movie. I think Ben Affleck did an incredible job acting and directing this film, which is so hard to do normally. I don't know if I've seen him in any other role like this and the way the movie flowed and showed suspense when there really was little to be had was done brilliantly. Alan Arkin was fantastic as the fictitious Lester Siegel (his character was a compilation of real life people involved), and John Goodman's portrayal of Hollywood make-up artist John Chambers was just outstanding!

There were a few historical inaccuracies, but what movie based on a true story doesn't? I think the choices made in adding or taking away from what really happened did not hinder the main points of this event. I believe the biggest differences were that it made the CIA look like they had more to do with the rescue than they actually did and diminished the Canadian effort somewhat. Also, there were some tense situations that were added to give suspense than what actually occurred. The last part of getting the diplomats out ran a lot more smooth than was depicted in this film.

It's kind of difficult to make a movie about something that happened where you already know how it's going to end and make it exciting and interesting. Something that still keeps your attention of if they will make it or not, similar to what Ron Howard did in “Apollo 13”, is not an easy task, but it is pulled off successfully by Affleck.

I really liked the end of the movie during the credits as well, where the passport photos of the actual people were put side by side with the actors who played them, as well as archive pics from that time with corresponding scenes in the movie. When a movie that has been out for a month and a half still gets applause from the audience, you know you have experienced something great. I can easily see a few Oscar nominations for Argo.

Until next time, see you in the center seat.

Away for October

Well my movie maniacs, October is just about upon us. Your favorite Film Phantom has quite a lot going on and I will have limited time (if any) to review any new movies. Rest assured, if I do manage to slink into a theater this month, your review will follow not far behind.

I might have some other updates throughout the month so stay tuned. And fear not...the Phantom shall return to his designated center seat!

Premium Rush

One of about 1,500 bike messengers in New York City picks up his last delivery of the day. However, there's a dirty cop who is intent on getting the envelope before it makes it to it's destination. A chase through NYC ensues as the mystery of what the envelope is and why it's so important unravels.

Cast:

Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Wilee
Dania Ramirez as Vanessa
Sean Kennedy as Marco
Kymberly Perfetto as Polo
Anthony Chisholm as Tito
Wolé Parks as Manny
Aasif Mandvi as Raj
Michael Shannon as Bobby Monday
Jamie Chung as Nima

Who will like this:

The movie flips back and forth through time in a Pulp Fiction type of way to expose certain plot points out of order to reveal the answers to the questions that both the audience and Wilee has. It has a Hackers sort of feel to it, to those who remember one of Angelina Jolie's first films (1995). In a more subtle way, it is also similar to the first Die Hard (which is ironic due to the fact that Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Bruce Willis play the same person in the upcoming movie Looper). The limited bike messenger/cyclist audience will love this movie. It's a mild action/mystery with not too much of either.

Phantom Thoughts

  I expected to see a bit more action/racing through this movie from the trailer and tag line "Ride like Hell". Don't get me wrong, there is a lot of bike riding/racing in there...I guess I just expected more. One of the first things that took me out of the movie was the fact that it takes place between 5pm and 7pm in New York City, one of the most congested and difficult places to drive, never mind during rush hour, and the first chase scene is Wilee on his bike being chased by a car...at pretty good speeds, I might add. Look, anyone who has ever been to NYC knows that you couldn't do that at 5am much less 5pm. Also, during this time they go up and down through the city numerous times in this hour and a half span. The least believable is close to the end of the movie where SPOILER: Wilee and Det. Monday drive about 20 blocks in just a few minutes in an unmarked car with no lights flashing or anything. Really?
 
 Now the bad guy in this movie is just an over the top "dirty cop" that you are just forced to hate. For starters, Michael Shannon who plays Det. Bobby Monday kinda looks like a shorter version of Richard Kiel who played the greatest Bond villain ever "Jaws". He's a guy who is a gambling addict, uses the fact that he is a cop to intimidate people... he has no redeeming qualities whatsoever. I spent most of the movie just waiting for him to get his inevitable "getting what's coming for him" moment.
  
  Nima, the girl who gives Wilee the envelope to be delivered SPOILER ALERT just happens to be the roommate of Wilee's girlfriend, Vanessa. These two have been roommates for who knows how long, but Nima has this secret that she's been keeping that has to due with the plot of the story. However, halfway through the movie, she spills her guts to HIM for no apparent reason at all.
  
   Speaking of Vanessa, she is a fellow bike messenger in the same company as Wilee (obviously). Dania Ramirez who plays Vanessa looks like she is delivering grapes in her shirt throughout most of the movie. I guess it must be pretty exciting to be riding through the streets of New York. VERY exciting.

   Gordon-Levitt was injured during filming, when he was cycling too fast and hit the back of a taxi. The impact sent Gordon-Levitt flying into the rear windshield of the taxi, slashing his arm which required 31 stitches. A shot of the aftermath of that accident is included as a scene during the credits of the film.

   Here's another SPOILER: toward the end of the movie, Wilee's bike is taken to a police impound where Vanessa holds on to the back of the police tow truck while on her bike to get it back. She is able to enter the impound building undetected by any cops or surveillance cameras or even the tow truck driver (until he THINKS he sees her after entering the building). Try doing that in real life. I dare you.

  If you are able to put these major plot holes aside, you could be able to enjoy this movie a bit. I like the way they show how Wilee's mind works in getting through dangerous intersections and traffic. The movie flows nicely and it had a good (not great) storyline. Worth a rental or On Demand watch, especially if you have never actually driven or visited New York in your life.

Until next time, see you in the center seat.

Total Recall

This is a bit of a reboot from the 1990 movie of the same name starring Arnold  Schwarzenegger and a bit of the original short story from 1966 "We Can Remember It for You Wholesale" by Philip K. Dick.
It is the distant future and the world has been scarred by chemical war. The only two places on the planet that are inhabitable is England, now known as the United Federation of Britain and Australia, which is re-named the Colony. While the upper class live in UFB, the poor and worker class live in the Colony. The only way to travel between these two places is a skyscraper sized "train" called The Fall which goes through the Planet. A factory worker, Douglas Quaid, visits Rekall - a company that provides its clients with implanted fake memories of a life they would like to have led. After picking out a spy scenario for himself, things go wrong and he finds himself on the run and in the middle of a major class dispute. But he has to find out what is real and what is a Rekall dream in order to figure out which side he is actually on.

Colin Farrell as Douglas Quaid/Carl Hauser
Kate Beckinsale as Lori
Jessica Biel as Melina, a member of the Resistance
Bryan Cranston as Chancellor Vilos Cohaagen
Bokeem Woodbine as Harry, Quaid's "best friend"
Bill Nighy as Matthias Lair, the leader of the Resistance


Who will like this:

If you were a fan of the original movie looking for a "re-make", this is not what you would expect. I thought it would follow more closely to the original short story that it was based on, but that is not the case either. Basically, they took elements of both and made a new movie that has much more political overtones to it and has taken out the trip to Mars that is also present in both the 1990 movie and the short story. I think people who liked movies such as "Minority Report" or "I, Robot" will associate with "Total Recall" as it has that same futuristic thriller vibe to it. It is directed by Len Wiseman, who directed and/or produced pretty much all of the Underworld movies, and his influence is definitely seen throughout this movie.

Phantom Thoughts

If I had to sum up Total Recall in one word, it would be..."eh".
The over the top political statements this movie was trying to make could have been less obvious if they were applied with a sledgehammer to the back of my skull. But hey...that's just me. I'll tell you what I did like. I liked the nods they gave to the original movie. By now, everyone has seen the pictures of the three boobed hooker (played by Kaitlyn Leeb) that makes her appearance in movie form once again. (All three were a prosthetic like in the original, in case you were wondering) A couple of other scenes and mentions were also sprinkled throughout this adaptation of Recall that give ode to the first one.
There were a lot of action sequences. and of course, by "action" I mean Colin Farrell running, explosions, Colin Farrell running, car chases, Colin Farrell running...

This was just a way to pass two hours without staring at a blank wall. Len Wiseman was working with half his Underworld cast, so even he slipped into a comfort zone and directed this thing on auto-pilot. I'm not sure if they cast Kate Beckinsale and Jessica Biel because they looked similar on purpose, but I would have liked to have seen more of a physical difference between the two characters.

A-not-so-much-of-a-spoiler: The ending is supposed to, according to Wiseman, be left to the audience member as to whether the entire movie is a Rekall dream or not (see also: Vanilla Sky). However, after watching it and talking to people who have seen it, no one seems to have that question. It is all pretty clear and wrapped up from what we saw. I've heard there's a good chunk of movie that hit the cutting room floor, including a 5 page monologue by  Ethan Hawke who never made it in the final version. Maybe the Blu-Ray will have these scenes put back in, but I have a feeling it will just make it awkward and confusing. It is what it is and should be watched as just a semi-entertaining waste of time.

Until next time, see you in the center seat.

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Batman-a-thon

The Batman Trilogy all at once. Faithful Phantom followers know that a couple of months ago, I attended the Marvel Marathon that featured 5 Marvel movies followed by the midnight showing of The Avengers. So when I learned that they would be doing a mini-marathon of the Batman Trilogy...I was all in and ready to go! My experience was quite different, which may be due to the fact that I did not go to the same theater that I did last time. Feel free to share YOUR experience in the comment section below.

The first thing that I noticed was when I first got there, it took a much longer time to get in. They were handing out lanyards to all the ticket holders to get in and out of the theater, just like they did for the Avengers Marathon. However, they were also handing out posters to every ticket holder, which not only slowed down the line, but made it difficult to position yourself in a crowded theater with a couple of hundred other people trying to figure out the same thing. It was a nice offering, but I liked the raffle of movie posters and cardboard standees the Avengers did between movies better. It made it a bit more special if you walked out with one, and by doing it during the breaks, you had a chance to put those items in your car before watching the next movie so you wouldn't have to worry about where to put it during the movie.

And let's talk about those lanyards for a moment. Great idea, but the mall I saw this one at closed all it's food courts pretty early on, so there was not a whole lot of walking in and out to do. The other thing about them was that however they were made, when you moved the slightest bit, the metal "jingled" a bit. Now picture a few hundred people shifting in their seats sitting for 9 hours during this event. During slow points in any of the movies, it sounded like Santa Claus was making an early delivery.

I mentioned how the food courts closed early. This was really a poor decision on their part, but great news for the theater concessions...or at least you would think. After the second movie, and right before the start of the Midnight showing of The Dark Knight Rises, EVERYBODY was ready to get something to eat besides popcorn. Not only that, but you had the people who had just come to see the Midnight showing being let in as well. If you had 3 hours to prepare for this onslaught, and knew everyone was gonna come at you all at once, you would have thought you could be prepared for such a situation. That was not the case. If you didn't spend the entire 40 minutes of the break you had on line for food, you were not gonna make it in time, which a lot of people did not. (Good thing they had that 20 minute buffer of previews to make it before the movie started). It really was poor planning on their part.

The other thing that I noticed was that there was not so much of the camaraderie between the movie goers as I experienced with the Avengers Marathon. That may be due to the fact that it was half the amount of time spent together,or it could have been just the situation at the time. Whatever it was, it was just not there. I did however, see a LOT more people dressed up in full costume. Many different characters from the Batman Universe were represented and THAT was really cool!

The sad fact is that this may be the last time you get to see that. AMC (and other theater chains, I would assume will follow suit) is gonna be cracking down and not allowing masks and costumes into their theaters due to the tragic shooting that happened in Colorado that night. It's a depressing sign of the times that something like that had to happen and my prayers go out to all the families of the victims of that night. It's a tragic truth also that not allowing people to have masks or costumes will not stop things like that from happening.

With all that said, I still had a good time at this event and would go again if given the chance. Maybe I won't go back to that particular theater/mall though.

Until next time, see you in the center seat.

Batman: The Dark Knight Rises

Eight years after the conclusion of the "The Dark Knight", Gotham City is free of the mob crime that ravaged it for so long and Batman has not been seen since. Batman has been blamed for the murder of city hero Harvey Dent, and Bruce Wayne has not been able to get past the death of Rachel. However, a curious cat burglar in his mansion and the appearance of a new criminal terrorist named Bane bring Batman out of retirement to protect the city once again.

Cast

Christian Bale as Bruce Wayne
Tom Hardy as Bane
Anne Hathaway as Selina Kyle
Michael Caine as Alfred
Gary Oldman as James Gordon
Morgan Freeman as Fox
Marion Cotillard as Miranda Tate
Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Blake


Who will like this movie

With the original cast and Christopher Nolan back as director (and co-creator of the story), this conclusion to the trilogy has many of the same elements that fans of the previous two will appreciate. New fans to the franchise will find themselves a bit lost as the story in this one relies heavily in an arc with the other two.

Phantom Thoughts

The nice thing about this trilogy is that it keeps almost all the main characters (except for Katie Holmes, who was replaced by Maggie Gyllenhaal in the second movie) and also a large part of the crew in all three which give the movies a natural flow as you watch them. Not all series of films can say this, as bringing on new directors or writers cause an obvious distribution in the continuity.

After watching The Dark Knight Rises, it is my opinion that The Dark Knight with Heath Ledger as the Joker was far and away the best one. But watching the trilogy as a whole, it was a very good way to put the franchise to rest. There are those who will say that it could have been left open to make another, but trust me, this is definitely the period at the end of the sentence.

Gary Oldman continues to impress me with how a good an actor he really is. His way of losing himself and becoming the character he is portraying is so impressive, I sometimes forget that it's him...which is what I think an actor SHOULD be. There was a lot of discussion on the casting of Anne Hathaway as Catwoman. I believe she pulled it off just about puuurfectly. (Sorry. Could not resist). Although the relationship between her and Bruce/Batman was a bit forced at times, Hathaway did the character justice.

You may have seen the commercial of the football field collapsing behind a player sprinting down the field. What you may not have realized is that several members of the Pittsburgh Steelers make cameo appearances as members of the fictional Gotham Rogues football team in the film, including Ben Roethlisberger, Hines Ward, Troy Polamalu, Willie Colon, Maurkice Pouncey, Mike Wallace, Heath Miller, Aaron Smith, Ryan Clark, James Farrior, LaMarr Woodley, and Casey Hampton, and former Steelers head coach Bill Cowher as the head coach of the Rogues.

Speaking of cameos, there are a few others that fans may recognize from the previous two films. This was really well done and puts a nice finishing touch to the trilogy as well. LATE EDIT: I learned that there was unused footage of Heath Ledger in Joker make-up that Nolan refused to use because he did not want to "capitalize on Ledger's death". I can respect that view, but I disagree with the decision. The absence of even the MENTION of the Joker was blatant and awkward.
   The story had some nice twists and turns, some which were really surprising ...in a good way, that kept your interest enough to almost forget that this is an almost 3 hour movie.

I've heard from a few fans of the Batman comic books that were a bit disappointed in what they saw. To those die hards, I suggest you go back and read the Batman comic book series Knightfall (1993); The Dark Knight Returns (1986); and No Man's Land (1999) and see if you don't change your mind.

I really did like this one. Not as much as the second, as I stated before, but if you've seen the other two, go and see how the story ends. Why wouldn't you, really?

Until next time, see you in the center seat.

Madagascar 3

The story picks up right where it left off in the second one. Marty, Alex, Gloria and Melman are in Africa and decide to follow the penguins to Monte Carlo and try to get back home to New York. They soon find out that Monaco Animal control is after them and they are chased across Europe hiding out in a traveling circus as their cover. But in order to get the circus to New York, they need to get the other animals in the circus to step up their game to impress the American promoter.

Cast

Ben Stiller as Alex
Chris Rock as Marty
David Schwimmer as Melman
Jada Pinkett Smith as Gloria
Sacha Baron Cohen as King Julien XIII
Tom McGrath as Skipper and First Policeman
Chris Miller as Kowalski
Christopher Knights as Private
John DiMaggio as Rico
Bryan Cranston as Vitaly
Martin Short as Stefano
Jessica Chastain as Gia the jaguar
Cedric the Entertainer as Maurice
Andy Richter as Mort
Paz Vega as the Andalusian Triplets
Frances McDormand as Captain Chantel DuBois, the leader of the Animal Control

Who will like this movie

All the kids (some of which may be a little older now) who were fans of the first two will surely like this one as well. If you're looking for a first 3D movie to bring your child too, this is an excellent choice. Young viewers will be captivated by the 3D and unbelievable amount of colors literally flying at them. There are some funny moments geared toward the adults as well, however, not as many as in the previous two Madagascar movies.

Phantom Thoughts

This is a 3D movie. And I say that not to state the obvious, but to point out the fact that this was made to be 3D and unlike most other movies in this format, watching it on a regular screen or when it comes out on DVD without the glasses is really gonna take away from the movie.  When you see all the effects they put in to accentuate the 3D-ness, it really goes out of its way to make the most of it.

The main thing about watching the movie is the amount of characters in it. Alex is the "star" if you will, but the other three  "main" characters kinda get lost in the story as we still have the monkeys, lemurs and penguins which are now joined by all the circus animals including Vitaly the Russian tiger voiced brilliantly by Bryan Cranston, Martin Short as Stefano the preforming (and kinda stupid, but funny) sea lion and a love interest for Alex, Gia the jaguar.

I really don't have a whole lot more to say about this one. It's a good, fun movie that the kids will really like and that the parents won't be bored to sit through. It's worth going and seeing in the movie theater as long as you spend the extra money for 3D. In this case, the extra money is absolutely worth it.

Until next time, see you in the center seat.

Amazing Spiderman

The "reboot" of the the 2002 "Spiderman" movie with Tobey Maguire based on the Marvel comic book character. It's the story of a high school outsider named Peter Parker who obtains spider characteristics and powers from getting bitten by a biologically engineered spider. Peter must now wrestle with who he is and who he has become and the choices he makes along the way. Some of those choices end up putting him at odds with the police as well as a scientist (Dr. Curt Connors) who worked with his father before his parents disappeared.

Cast

Andrew Garfield as Peter Parker / Spider-Man
^{Emma Stone as Gwen Stacy
Rhys Ifans as Dr. Curt Connors / The Lizard
Denis Leary as Captain George Stacy
Martin Sheen as Ben Parker
Sally Field as May Parker}

Who will like this

People who know the Spiderman character, but are not comic book fans will appreciate this movie more, as it deviates in a lot of ways from the Marvel series. Fans of the last few Marvel superhero movies might like to see this one as well. Because it is an origin story, it is a bit slow starting and then may be too intense for very young viewers.

Phantom Thoughts

I would like to start out by saying that I have been a fan of Spiderman comic books for a very long time. There are many different titles of books that have different storylines and even alternate universe stories that any "reboot" could have chosen to take. Instead, they decided to go their own way with the story for this one and in the process, I think they failed miserably.

After Spiderman 3, plans were made to make Spiderman 4 with a release date of May 2011. However, after several scripts were turned in and turned down, Director Sam Rami was not confident that they would be able to create a good enough story and "realized we didn't have a good reason to make another one."

Well then, they shouldn't have made one at all. Now you have to tell the same story of how Peter Parker becomes Spiderman all over again to an audience who all pretty much know from either the comic books or the movies from just 10 years ago. I guess they knew that, and added or subtracted some things to try to make it original. The only good thing about this movie was Emma Stone. She played a great Gwen Stacy. The rest of this rant will be riddled with spoilers, so instead of tagging each one, I suggest if you don't want to know what happens in the movie, read no further.

Peter Parker's parents mysteriously disappear when he is younger. It is revealed that Richard Parker is working on some secret experiment with Dr. Curt Connors at Oscorp. Oscorp being the big bad corporation owned by Norman Osborn, who we all know is Spiderman's biggest foe, the Green Goblin. But none of that is brought up in this movie. I guess we'll have to wait for the sequel for THAT one. So he is raised by his aunt and uncle, but since he was old enough to remember his parents, Aunt May and Uncle Ben were not the parent figures they should be to Peter. Martin Sheen plays a great Uncle Ben, but Sally Field is not the frail, old Aunt May that the character should be.

The whole story of why he lets the robber get away that later kills his uncle is REALLY flimsy as well. Basically, it was over a matter of 2 cents. Seriously? And the entire Wrestling story, which was done so well in the original Spiderman movie was reduced to him falling into a deserted wrestling arena and getting the idea for the mask from a poster there. Pathetic.

Peter Parker is a thief. Yep, I said it...and here's proof: When he finds his father's old secret file, he comes across an equation. This is the equation that is the key to regenerating limbs based on lizard DNA that Connors has been working on for years without his partner, Richard Parker. Peter gives him this equation, presenting it as his own. If you're saying to yourself  "Well, that doesn't REALLY make him a thief though". OK...how's this? He STOLE the web cartridges he uses from Oscorp. Now, I was never a fan of the fact that the webs were organic in the original series, but Peter Parker is supposed to invent the webs and web shooters himself. As much as this is a pretty big stretch of the imagination, it is used to highlight his intelligence. We're talking about a story of a kid who takes on the abilities of a spider and becomes a superhero. I would think your imagination is pretty stretched already. But this movie leads you to believe that he stole these from this corporation and Oscorp would not notice their "webs" being used by a guy in a mask swinging across the city? And what happens when he runs out? How will he get more for the sequel?

Now if you're a superhero wearing a mask, it's probably for a reason, right? So nobody knows who you are? Spiderman rips off his mask so many times in this movie, he's not wearing it more than he is! Look, I understand the whole problem with this: if you hire an actor, you want to show his face. I get it. But first of all, Andrew Garfield is not dressed as Spiderman in MOST of the movie, so believe me...you get to see his pretty little puss enough. At least when they did it in the original Spiderman movies, they did it in a reasonable way, where it got torn away in a fight sequence or for the storyline. In this one, he's just pulling off that mask like it's an Alien Facehugger for no reason whatsoever. Take a page from the ONLY thing they got right in Watchmen: Rorschach never takes that mask off until it is ripped off of him, kicking and screaming the whole way.

And where's the rest of the movie? There were scenes in the trailers and commercials we've been watching over and over again for the past 6 months that were not in the movie. Where is that amazing sequence of the POV shot where Spiderman is running over the rooftops? This happens with a lot of films actually and it's one of my pet peeves. But there is also a point in Amazing Spiderman where there is a BLATANT edit of a scene missing that left me saying "How the Hell did THAT happen?"

Speaking of that POV shot, when I saw that as a 3D trailer, it was one of the most amazing 3D scenes I had ever seen. But the movie itself was really lacking in the 3D department. Maybe I'm spoiled after seeing how great the effect was in Prometheus. And perhaps I was expecting too much from that trailer, but if you're going to entice me with effects like that, you better deliver. Amazing Spiderman did not.

And since we are on the subject of special effects, The CGI work on the Lizard was horrible. I know a few computer geek friends who could have done just about as good a job as I saw on the screen. And they are certainly not making the millions of dollars Columbia has to work with.

I really wanted to like this movie, being a fan of the franchise and all. And even though I kinda saw it coming from the previews, I tried to keep an open mind. But the only thing "Amazing" about this Spiderman movie was how bad it was.

Until next time, see you in the center seat.

Rock of Ages

A small town girl and a city boy meet on the Sunset Strip, fall in love and pursue their dreams of rock and roll fame. A famous rock star fights the demons of what he's become with the help of his scumbag manager. And a historic rock bar fights bankruptcy and  public ridicule by the conservative Mayor's wife. All three storylines intertwine in an 80's montage of classic rock hits.

Cast

Diego Boneta as Drew Boley
Julianne Hough as Sherrie Christian
Tom Cruise as Stacee Jaxx
Russell Brand as Lonny Barnett, the manager of The Bourbon Room
Paul Giamatti as Paul Gill, Stacee's manipulative manager
Catherine Zeta-Jones as Patricia Whitmore
Mary J. Blige as Justice Charlier, the owner of The Venus Club
Malin Åkerman as Constance Sack, a Rolling Stone reporter
Alec Baldwin as Dennis Dupree, the owner of The Bourbon Room
Bryan Cranston as Mike Whitmore, the Mayor of Los Angeles and Patricia's husband.

Who will like this

Fans of the Broadway show that inspired the movie will get a kick outta seeing it on the big screen, although some of the songs and storylines have changed. Anyone who is a fan of 80's hair bands will recognize the songs throughout the movie. If you're looking for an accurate depiction of what it was like to live in this time and space, you're looking at the wrong movie as this is a bubble gum, fantasy and made to be fun movie for the older teen and up crowd.

Phantom Thoughts

Rock of Ages went with the very typical, almost parody-like story of "Mid-West girl gets off the bus in the Big City and dreams of being a rock star. Meets a boy. Falls in love. Love is tested against Fame. Love endures". Mix that in with the sleazy agent only out to make a buck for himself and the Famous establishment that is in financial trouble and being targeted by the conservative political figure who SPOILER: is hiding a past of being a part of that rock community. All very played out and nothing original to see here.

But I can forgive all that in the environment of being put together in a musical with this great music. However, that was not the case. The music seemed to be shoe-horned in and forced at times to try to make it go with the story. I don't know if this was due to the changes they made from the play to the movie, but some of it just didn't fit right. They also did some mash-ups with songs which I liked and worked well together.

It was really a super clean version of the 80's. No one was smoking at all and there were no drug references anywhere to be found. This was extremely obvious when Catherine Zeta-Jones is making a speech about the evils of the Bourbon Room (an obvious reference to the Whisky a-go-go) stating the three things that it's about is "Sex, Rock 'n' Roll and........Sex!"

This is not to say that I hated the movie. It is a musical after all, and some "cleaning up" is to be expected. I think Tom Cruise did a great job as the washed up Rock and Roll Icon. He even did OK belting out the songs ("Dead or Alive" was one, which is not the easiest to sing by any stretch of the imagination.) Paul
Giamatti was excellent as the scumbag manager, but I expect nothing less from an actor of his talent. There was one plot line that I actually did NOT see coming. I will not ruin it for those who have not seen it, but it made me cringe through the entire "I can't stop this feeling" song/scene. It was disturbing on a level that made me laugh.

So for what it was, it was just "OK". The music really did save it in the end and I would probably have it on in the background of a party somewhere as subliminal entertainment. I would even watch it with some friends as an on-demand or rental, but I'm not wasting my money to see it in the theater again.

Until next time, see you in the center seat.

Brave

The story of a young princess set in what seems like 10th century Scotland, who is frustrated with the traditions and customs of being a princess that her mother has been teaching her. Merida is more of a free spirit and when she learns that she is about to be betrothed to be married against her will, it is the last straw. She sets out to change her fate with the help of the magical Will-O-the-Wisps and a reluctant witch. But when the spell turns out to have unforeseen consequences, she must try to figure out how to undo the spell and set things back on course.

Cast

Kelly Macdonald as Princess Merida

Emma Thompson as Queen Elinor

Billy Connolly as King Fergus

Kevin McKidd as Lord MacGuffin and Young MacGuffin

Craig Ferguson as Lord Macintosh

Robbie Coltrane as Lord Dingwall

Julie Walters as The Witch

John Ratzenberger as Gordon, the guard (Pixar's "good luck charm", having been in every Pixar film to date)

Who will like this

Pixar and Disney fans will be able to enjoy this although it is less in line with what Pixar has done in the past and more like the Classic Disney animated features. It is a fairy tale in the Hans Christian Anderson and even Brothers Grimm genre. Parents of very young children should be aware that it gets a bit more scary and dark than Pixar films thus far, but not anymore than a "Sleeping Beauty" for instance. This is also a good movie for Mothers and 'tweens, especially daughters.

Phantom Thoughts

Brave is the first feature-length film to use the Dolby Atmos sound format. It was only in 14 of the 4,164 theaters, which is a record-high for Pixar. I was lucky enough to be able to experience it in a Dolby Atmos theater and it was amazing! If you are able to see it in one of these theaters, I highly recommend it. Visually it was a huge step forward as well, as Pixar seems like it has finally gotten the hang of animating hair, which plagued early movies like the original "Toy Story". The 3D was pretty impressive as well, giving the submersive look without having to resort to the "Hey, it's 3D! Look we're throwing things in your face" gimmick. (Although the 3D preview for "Despicable Me 2 that they showed before the movie had this effect and actually worked)

This is the first "Disney Princess" movie Pixar has done, and it should be the example for any of those type of characters going forward. Merida is is a great new female lead who is strong and independent, yet makes mistakes. The message of communication between parents and children is not a new one, but it is brought to light in a very unique way. When seeing the commercials and trailers for "Brave", I was not expecting the quest for Merida to change her fate to turn out as it did. I was debating putting what that was in the movie description, but it's kind of a major spoiler, so I will put it here:

SPOILER: The way the spell that Merida gets from the witch to change her fate is to turn her mother into a bear. Which is enough of a problem in itself, but the fact that her father lost his leg to a bear when she was a little girl just adds to the dilemma. Both Mother and daughter now need to work together to lift the curse before it's too late and in the process learn to communicate with each other better and see each others point of view a little more clearly.

This is a great success for Pixar and a film I enjoyed seeing it. I do think that parents of very young children should use their own discretion about taking their kids to see this, but other than that, it is a fun movie for everyone.

Until next time, see you in the center seat.

Technical Difficulties

I apologize for the lack of posts due to some extreme technical difficulties. Two entire posts have been lost already and I am working out the problems.

The films I have watched will be put up just as soon as I get these issues worked out, as well as the ones I plan on seeing in the very near future.

Keep a weathered eye on the Phantom page for more details, but until then...

You know where you'll find me!

Prometheus

An archaeological find leads a team of explorers to follow clues left over the course of human existence to the possible origins of the human race. The quest leads them to the far reaches of the universe to find the answers to questions that plague mankind. However, all they find are more questions, and a threat to themselves and possibly to Earth itself.

Noomi Rapace as Elizabeth Shaw
Michael Fassbender as David
Guy Pearce as Peter Weyland
Idris Elba as Captain Janek
Logan Marshall-Green as Charlie Holloway
Charlize Theron as Meredith Vickers
Rafe Spall as Milburn
Sean Harris as Fifield

Directed by Ridley Scott

Who will like this movie

If you are a fan of Sci-Fi visual effects, this movie has some great, stunning scenes to look at. This is certainly something you have to pay attention to, as there are many things that are left for either your own interpretation, or for future sequels. Fans of the "Alien" movies will recognize certain aspects and tie ins to the original "Alien" movie, however they may be disappointed in what direction it is taken to.

Phantom Thoughts

It has taken me a few days to create this blog because I just have so many questions and different thoughts about this movie, that I needed time to get them together properly. Here's what I have come to find out:

Ridley Scott, who did the first "Alien" movie was set to create a prequel to the franchise. He got Jon Spaihts to write a screenplay for this movie. It was finished and set to begin production when, somewhere along the line, Damon Lindelof  was brought in to re-develop the screenplay. This was by far the biggest mistake they made. Lindelof used some kind of mind-numbing agents on Scott and the Fox executives to convince them that they didn't need to make a prequel, they could just do a separate storyline altogether. Then, in a moment of self-gratification, he came up with the brilliant idea that they could do BOTH!

Looking back on the movie with this knowledge, I see that they failed miserably in creating either. It is not a stand-alone Sci-Fi movie because it has too many "Alien" tie-ins and it is not an "Alien" prequel, because they have gone so far off course with that as well. In the interview I saw, Lindelof talks about "Prometheus" as a story that takes place within the same Universe as the "Alien" series, but runs parallel to it. WTF?

See, his problem was that he didn't like what the franchise had become. Where "Alien" was something that was unique and special, some of the sequels that followed lost the soul of the original. OK. I can agree with that. I mean, how do you fuck up such an awesome premise such as "Alien vs. Predator"? Well, they found a way...TWICE!
Lindelof also didn't want to just make a prequel that transitioned right into where the original picked up. He was looking to make 2 sequels to "Prometheus". Poor, brain-washed Ridley Scott stated that "by the end of the third act you start to realize there’s a DNA of the very first Alien, but none of the subsequent [films]".

Sigh. My only hope is that the hallucinogens that Lindelof used on Scott wear off in time that he can somehow guide the next two films into the prequel it SHOULD be. There are way too many holes in the script and questions I have to go into all the things that I found wrong. However, some of the things that I felt they got right were:

The android David. He was brilliantly played by Michael Fassbender and a truly interesting character. (I loved the small detail that on a close-up shot of his finger, the Weyland insignia was put into his fingerprint)

The 3-D. They didn't go for the cheap "here's something in your face" 3-D effects that just makes it look gimmicky. Instead, it was very submersive, where it was used to put you INSIDE the movie, much like they did in "Avatar".

The "Why?". With the viral videos that were released before the film with a young Peter Weyland talking about how he was gonna change the world, and the "commercial" for the David android becoming available from Weyland industries, it starts to set up the back story for the big, bad corporation that becomes part of "Alien" lore. I also like the idea of finding out where we come from as a species, and how they went about putting that possible explanation that we had help from an alien race to become who we are into the plot of the film.

Obviously, this was a major disappointment that left way too many questions to be answered. I understand the "leave them wanting more" school of thinking, but when you leave us feeling confused, it turns into a negative reaction. And you never want that to be what your audience walks away with.

Until next time, see you in the center seat.


11/12/12
UPDATE:

The original Jon Spaihts screenplay has been leaked. I have read it and will say that although it is not as impressive as I would have liked, at least I was not confused and was an actual true PREQUEL to the original Alien movie. If you would like to decide for yourself, you can read it here:

http://www.prometheusforum.net/Alien-Engineers.pdf

Dark Shadows

   
Based on the daytime gothic soap opera that ran from 1966 to 1971, Dark Shadows is about a family who moves from Liverpool, England to Maine in 1760 to build a fishing empire. They become so successful that a town is named after them (Collinsport), and the youngest son, Barnabas Collins, grows up to be a wealthy playboy. He has an affair with one of the servant girls, Angelique Bouchard, but breaks her heart when he falls in love with another girl, Josette du Pres. Turns out that Angelique is a witch and her rejection is answered with a curse that causes the death of Barnabus' parents as well as his lover Josette and turns him into a vampire. She then turns the townspeople against him and has him buried "alive" in a coffin.
    That coffin is unintentionally dug up nearly 200 years later and Barnabas goes about restoring the family name and grandeur that has fallen from what he once knew. He struggles with the ways of the world in modern times as well as dealing with Angelique, who is still around and plans to keep him and his family in ruin at all costs.

Johnny Depp as Barnabas Collins
Michelle Pfeiffer as Elizabeth Collins Stoddard, the family matriarch
Helena Bonham Carter as Dr. Julia Hoffman, the family's live-in psychiatrist
Eva Green as Angelique Bouchard
Jackie Earle Haley as Willie Loomis, the manor's caretaker.
Jonny Lee Miller as Roger Collins, Elizabeth's "ne'er-do-well" brother
Bella Heathcote as Victoria Winters, David's governess and Barnabas' love interest. Heathcote also plays the role of Josette du Pres; Victoria and Maggie Evans' roles, separate in the series, were combined in the film.
Chloë Grace Moretz as Carolyn Stoddard, Elizabeth's rebellious teenage daughter.
Gulliver McGrath as David Collins, Roger's "precocious" 10-year-old son

Who will like this movie

Because the original series was done in a soap opera style format, it is difficult to translate that into a film. However, I think that fans of the TV show will find things to enjoy about the movie, especially cameos by original cast members; Jonathan Frid, Lara Parker, David Selby and Kathryn Leigh Scott making appearances as party guests during a ball held at Collinwood Manor. This is a "take your brain and put it in the cup holder" type of movie that will be appreciated for those just wanting to be entertained for a while. Fans of Tim Burton will surely see his influence, while not being a classic "Burton-esque" style movie. This is less "Nightmare before Christmas" and more "Sleepy Hollow" in his approach. Speaking of which, this is the 8th time that Tim Burton has teamed up with Johnny Depp.
There are a few amusing moments in Barnabas trying to understand the time he is now in that is reminiscent of the first "Austin Powers" movie.

Phantom Thoughts

I have to admit, I have not seen any of the original series to compare it to. Nevertheless, this is a cult classic that most Sci-Fi/Fantasy fans all know. In 2004 and 2007, Dark Shadows was ranked #19 and #23 respectively on TV Guide's Top Cult Shows Ever, so I do know a little about it. There are those who say that it is a parody of the original or that they did not do the series justice. But in watching this myself, I can see some soap opera type elements, just enough in fact, to pay homage to the original Dark Shadows. I found it kinda funny that it was set in the year 1972, especially since Dark Shadows ended in 1971.  I believe it is what it is, which could be a rental or on-demand viewing, but was a decent movie that I liked. It was visually well done, as is all Tim Burton's movies, and the plot was well put together. Simple and true with not a whole lot of twists and turns to blow your mind out. This is the type of movie that I'd watch some evening in the Fall, when there is nothing else worth watching on TV. Johnny Depp plays the character very well (maybe a bit over the top at times). There was one scene or two that his make-up looked like it was done with an airbrush about 5 minutes before he walked on the set, but for me...that just lent itself to the campy, soap opera type show this was based on in the first place. 

Until next time, see you in the center seat.

Stay until the end of the credits

      Anyone who has had the pleasure of going to the movies with me knows two things: I don't share my popcorn and I always stay until the very end of the credits to every movie I watch. The popcorn thing is more for their safety, as I tend to put enough butter and salt on mine to kill a small pachyderm. The credits thing, on the other hand, is a bit more complex. There are three reasons why I do this, and why you should too.

1) You get what you pay for
     The price of movie tickets has gone up quite a bit since I started going to and paying for them myself. And with the boom of 3-D movies, Imax movies, 3-D Imax movies...the prices get a bit outrageous. So my thought on this is, if I'm paying these prices, I'm gonna watch the ENTIRE movie. Other people may have to scooch by and wonder why I'm still sitting there. Theater ushers come in to clean up and give me dirty looks because now they have to wait for me to leave to clean that row. I don't care. I paid for it, I'm entitled to be there.

2) Respect for the movie makers
     There was a time when you could read every name and what all the different jobs were in making a movie. Hell, they used to have the credits at the BEGINNING of the movie a few decades ago. So many people are now involved in creating this medium that it is nearly impossible to read each one, unless you happen to be a speed reader. I am not. But this does not stop me from scanning the names and jobs of the people who brought what I just watched to the screen. Sometimes you come across a funny name or one familiar to someone you know. Some of the titles are amusing and interesting also. I once saw "Bee Wrangler" as a credit. I have learned what a "Gaffer" is because I always see that credit rolling by and had to research it. (It's a term for an electrician or Head Electrician, in case you were wondering)
Every one of those people scrolling by had a part to play, and I like to give them the respect of acknowledging that name is there, even if it goes by too fast to read it.

3) More Movie at the end!

     Here's the one that maybe you can relate to the most. Sometimes, there is more movie at the end of the credits! I first ran into this at the end of the original "Lethal Weapon", where at the end of the credits, there is an entire building that is blown up from another bomb threat that Riggs and Murtaugh are called in to investigate. I thought that was the greatest thing ever. There are a lot of movies that do this, some have links to sequels, such as the Marvel movies. Some are one minute clips that can be funny or interesting as a part of the movie, such as the "Pirates of the Caribbean" movies. Others are even a few minutes long as part of a wrap up of the plot. I recently wrote about this when I saw "Battleship" not too long ago. I was the only one left in the theater while a 5 minute conclusion and sequel starter played at the end of the credits. I also told many of you to stay until the end of the "Avengers" movie, and some of you didn't listen and were faked out by the "tease". A few minutes into the credits, there was a sequel scene thrown in that most of you saw. However, at the very end of the credits was what, in my mind, was the greatest end of the credits scene I have ever seen. It took a lot to knock off the original that I experienced all those years ago in a darkened screening of "Lethal Weapon", but kudos Marvel...you accomplished it.

Until next time, see you in the center seat....until the movie is completely over.

Battleship

How do you turn a classic Hasbro game and turn it into a movie? Just add aliens! Aliens have responded to a beacon that we sent out and landed in the Pacific Ocean just off the coast of Hawaii. The US Navy is preforming war games in the area but cannot get to the crafts due to a force field generated by one of the alien ships. However, there are a few ships inside the force field and now the real life game of Battleship has begun.

Taylor Kitsch as Lieutenant Alex Hopper, a US Navy Tactical Action Officer assigned to the USS John Paul Jones
Liam Neeson as Admiral Shane, Commander of the United States Pacific Fleet
Alexander Skarsgård as Commander Stone Hopper, Hopper's older brother, Commanding Officer of the USS Sampson
Rihanna as Gunner's Mate Second Class (GM2) Cora Raikes on the USS John Paul Jones.
Brooklyn Decker as Samantha Shane

Who will like this:

Transformers meets G.I. Joe meets board game. If you've ever played the game, you will appreciate how they tied in some of the key aspects of Battleship into the movie. It really has a Transformers look to it, but not as fast paced. Real US Navy soldiers will appreciate the accuracy of their movie counterparts.

Phantom Thoughts:

I wasn't expecting much from this one, and that's exactly what I got. Before I go on to tear this movie apart, let me say that it wasn't a horrible waste of my time. I did like that the ammo used by the aliens were shaped like the pegs in the original board game. And I liked the use of the real servicemen and women who serve being used in the movie. But I'd like to strangle the guy who came up with the "robots in motion" effect that is being used everywhere now a days. Millions of little pieces that are fluttering all over the screen to make it look less like a solid and more like mercury on silk sheets has been making my head spin.

At one point, I thought I was watching Spiderman on the Titanic. Without giving too much away, at one point, one ship is sinking (Really? Did you really want me to put a spoiler tag on THAT one?)  And we cut to a shot of two of the main characters crawling up to the back of the ship, which is now almost straight up in the air. So they were able to scale this slippery, smooth metal ship on a 90 degree angle? OK...let's say that was possible...next they did the Jack and Rose jump off the bow before it blows up. Look, I understand that in a movie where aliens are coming down to fight the Navy, you HAVE to suspend belief somewhat, but could we stay inside the laws of physics at least?

Speaking of the aliens, they must've wasted too much brain power on making the spacecraft look like Optimus Prime. Because when it came to what these creatures from another world, light years away from us should look like...the film makers said "Ahhhh we'll make 'em look like Scottish blokes with lizard eyes and spines for beards and...oh yeah...give 'em 4 thumbs on each hand. OK...that'll do. When's lunch?"

The plot was extremely predictable and there were too many moments where I was mumbling to myself "Seriously?" Which is not what I should be doing going into a sci-fi movie where I have already given you more than the benefit of doubt.
SPOILER: I did get a kick outta the old war vets helping the new guys drive the old battleship museum after all the new destroyers were...well...destroyed. It was hacky and ridiculous, but it did make me smile.

Here's another suggestion:
STAY TO THE END OF THE CREDITS!
Another blog will be dedicated to why I do this at every movie, but suffice it to say I was the only one left in the theater at the end of the credits, and I was the only one who saw the last 3 minutes of movie they put back there. And it was one of the few scenes in the entire movie that gave me a chuckle.

Until next time, see you in the center seat!

5 year Engagement

One year after meeting on New Year's Eve, Tom proposes to Violet and she accepts. As they start to plan for the wedding, they are met with several obstacles that cause them to keep pushing back the date of the wedding. Tom is a Sous Chef at a high end restaurant in San Fransisco, and Violet is a psychology PhD graduate. When she gets accepted into the University of Michigan's post-doctorate in psychology program which lasts two years, Tom agrees to move with her and delay their wedding until then. As more and more things get in their way, the relationship gets strained and it is unclear if they will ever be able to salvage it before they have a chance to get married.

Jason Segel as Tom Solomon
Emily Blunt as Violet Barnes
Chris Pratt as Alex Eilhauer
Alison Brie as Suzie Barnes
Kevin Hart as Doug
Chris Parnell as Bill

Who will like this:

This is definitely what can be described as a "chick flick" aimed at women who have had bad relationships who dream of it working out in the end. People who liked "Our idiot Brother" or "Friends with Benefits" MAY also like this movie.

Phantom Thoughts:

I cannot express enough how much I disliked this one. I thought I may be able to relate a bit being a chef myself, and having had relationships go wrong, but this just dragged on with very few good scenes in it. It was meant to be a comedy, but I didn't find any of the situations that were meant to be funny amusing at all.
I like Jason Segel, Kevin Hart and SNL alum Chris Parnell, but I felt they were just going through the motions or underused. Could my vision of this be skewed by the fact that I saw this at an AMC Cine Dine theater that not only never brought us our food order and then sent 3 different people to ask if "everything was alright", but also almost killed the person I went with by having her drink a piece of glass in her Mango Margarita? Well, maybe. But I really did try to view the movie for what it was worth. And after having our tickets refunded, I can say that it wasn't even worth viewing for free. SPOILER: But is it a spoiler if it's in the title, really? These two characters are thrown so far apart, that there seems no logical way they could or SHOULD ever get back together, but after 5 years, love conquers all and they do get married in what could be the quickest wedding ever put together. I sat there with my "Yeah, right" face on during this last part of the movie. Although I described this as a "chick flick", I have to admit that the "chick" I saw it with didn't even like it. To be fair, she could have been suffering internal bleeding from glass shredding her esophagus. Who's to say?

Until next time, see you in the center seat.

Avengers

Some of the best Superheroes on the planet are brought together to fight a threat to the world as we know it in this Mega Marvel Movie.

Loki, brother of the demi-god Thor, has made his way to Earth to obtain a lost relic from his Father's trophy room known as the Tesseract. This relic is a source of unbelievable power and with it, he intends to use that power to open a gateway to another universe and lead an alien race, the Chitauri, to take over the world.

Nick Fury, director of the espionage agency S.H.E.I.L.D., decides to gather these known "Superheroes" to combat this threat to the Earth in the "Avenger Initiative" as opposed to the other alternative of an anonymous council who want to go ahead with something called "Phase Two". Fury, along with his agents Hawkeye and Black Widow, set out to recruit Captain America, Iron Man, Thor and Dr. Bruce Banner/The Hulk.

Getting them to work as a team is difficult, as they spend time arguing and fighting each other at first. But when they are all finally on the same page and fighting together, they turn their attention to the real threat in a battle to save the world.

The film is written and directed by Joss Whedon and features an ensemble cast that includes Robert Downey, Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner, Tom Hiddleston, Clark Gregg, Cobie Smulders, Stellan Skarsgård and Samuel L. Jackson.

Who will like this movie:

If you've been playing along and have been a fan of the Marvel Movies leading up to this one, than this movie is geared right to you. If you've never seen any of the previous ones, I still think an action adventure/fantasy fan could get into it. However, I strongly recommend that you at least watch Thor and Captain America before seeing this one as there are carry overs from those movies into this one that will make it easier to follow.

Phantom Thoughts

If you've been following my blog, you may already know that I went to the Marvel Marathon and saw 6 Marvel movies including this one for a total of 15 hours all at once. One might think (the thought certainly entered MY mind) that you could get burned out watching the same genre of movies for such a long period of time. This did not happen as the new Avengers movie was all it was hyped up to be and more! I loved it!

There are pitfalls in making an ensemble movie such as this with so many stars and main characters in it. The most prominent one being to center the story around one of the characters and have everyone else play a role in that story. With the villain being Thor's brother Loki, this would have been an easy road to go down. However, the balance of story between all of them was really well done and no one outshines anyone else. The different storylines of all the Avengers were so well integrated into the main story of the movie that it also never got confusing to follow, which is another problem movies like this can face.

If there was any criticism I could make, it would be that they did use a well worn idea of a group of different personalities having to work together to achieve a specific goal. These personalities clash and fight each other until there is that one event that unites them in their quest and makes them work together as a team. This criticism is so minor and overshadowed by how well everything else worked that it barely stands to even reference.

The Avengers had action, had a good story, it was amusing and even funny at times, and kept my interest throughout the almost 2 and a half hours so much, I didn't even notice the length. And after watching 5 full length movies right before this one, THAT'S saying something. There has been a lot of buzz about how they finally got the Hulk right in this movie, and I would agree, even though I did enjoy the Edward Norton version for the many nods to the comic and TV show that were laced throughout that rendition. The Hulk steals a lot of scenes during the final battle in the film.

Speaking of the end of the movie, I encourage you all to stay to the end of the credits. The VERY end of the credits! There is a scene about two minutes into the credits that sets up the inevitable sequel that has been prominent in every Marvel movie thus far. However there is another little scene at the very end that I think, is the most awesome ending to this movie that they could have written. It is so perfect in it's simplicity. I loved it.

Until next time, I'll see you in the center seat.

Marvel Movie Marathon

15 hours of movies. All at once. Who would be crazy enough to endure such an undertaking in movie viewing? Well...I was for one. But I wasn't alone. At the AMC I was at, there were two full theaters of die hard movie goers who stayed to watch all six movies. From 11:30am Thursday to 2:40am Friday we sat through Iron Man, Incredible Hulk, Iron Man 2, Thor, Captain America and finally the new Avengers. Over 40 theaters across the America had the marathon playing mostly to sold out audiences.

This was an event. An event unlike anything I have ever seen before. At the beginning of the day, it was just like going to see any other movie. You go in, pick your seat and get settled in. No one really pays attention too much to the people around you and your main goal is giving yourself enough space and having a good view of the screen. But that was where the similarities end. Because after a while, you become aware of the people around you. You get engaged in conversations. You get more comfortable with the group you're in. It starts to feel less like a movie and more like watching something with a group of your friends. Every once in a while, someone yells out something funny and you laugh, as a group, instead of being upset about the disturbance in your viewing experience. By the end, we all had that feeling of going through something together. Even the people you didn't talk to during that time, you could give that look to, and they understand. 

I have to say also, that AMC, at least the one I was at, did a great job in organizing such a massive event. There were breaks between movies, giving time to use the restrooms and get more eats (The free refills of large soda and popcorn came in REAL handy for this day). They had raffle give-aways during the breaks as well, along with trivia questions about the Marvel movies. Staff was dressed as Superheroes (special thanks to Megan for dressing up as Black Widow) along with some of the movie patrons. No...I did not dress up for this one. Maybe next time.

You may think that after so many movies of the same theme, that you would get burned out on the subject. I thought that same thing. But it wasn't the case. I don't know if it was just movies themselves or being involved in the whole day. But it was a great time that I would do again in a heartbeat. Big thanks to Marvel and AMC Theaters for putting this together, but an even bigger thanks to all the people who enjoyed this with me. The camaraderie  we shared will last with me for a long, long time. Thank you.

Until next time, I'll see you in the center seat. 

Cabin in the Woods

The story takes place in a cabin in the woods, as you may have already guessed just by reading the title. But there's much more to this cabin than what it looks like. If you are going by the commercials, you would have been misled on the plot of the movie. This is not a spoiler because the film actually starts out with this anonymous company that has pretty much led these 5 college students to this location. The cabin and the surrounding area has been set up with an array of electronically controlled devices that will basically allow the company to create it's own horror movie with the unsuspecting youngsters as the "stars". From the control room, their movements and reactions are being manipulated. The reasons for this is not revealed until the end, and the actual twist is revealed.

Directed and co-written by Drew Goddard and co-written and produced by Joss Whedon. (Buffy the Vampire Slyer and Angel) It stars Kristen Connolly, Fran Kranz, Chris Hemsworth, Jesse Williams, Anna Hutchison, Bradley Whitford, and Richard Jenkins.

Who will like this movie

Certain aspects of the original Scream movie and Drag Me to Hell came up through this movie. I think it would be good for those who like horror movies, but are not really so much into gore. It is funny at times and not too many of the "startle scares" that have become a staple of horror movies today. Enough elements to be considered a date movie.

Phantom Thoughts

As I was watching this movie, I was in. I got it. I liked the premise of what they were trying to accomplish. Here's this company, the American one of many throughout the world, that has rigged a remote area to become it's own horror movie. These kids are brought in and a series of things happen to lead them to the basement. Down there are a plethora of miscellaneous items all just sitting there to be discovered. However each item represents a different way to die. (I love the fact that the people watching from the control room have a pool going on which item is picked, releasing a different horror). Redneck zombies happen to be the one that wins out (don't worry...not that much of a spoiler) and the fun begins.

To be honest, I figured that this company was just dealing in some kind of fear simulation and that at some point, something would "go wrong" and the bad nasties that were unleashed really do kill the kids instead of just scaring them. But I was wrong. The company is actually TRYING to kill these kids off one by one and the mystery continues as to why until the end of the film. Coming from the guys who created Buffy and Angel (there is an Angel alum who plays a good part in the movie) it had a lot of little jokes at itself and horror movies in general that I liked. It had that feel of those shows as well. They make reference to the standard "boob shot" in every horror movie, which is provided in this one by Anna Hutchison.
SPOILER: One of the great sci-fi actresses makes a cameo at the end as the director of the company: Sigorney Weaver.

But here's my problem with it...they have this very unique and interesting idea, right? But there has to be a reason WHY this company would be doing that. That's where it seemed like they just said "Well...let's just do...uhmmm...THIS". I won't spoil it for you who will want to see it, but I was very much unimpressed.
SPOILER: There is a great blood bath scene with every single kind of horror movie monster you can think of and good, but not great effects that go with it. See if you can spot all the different references to other movies that were thrown in.

Little known fact: This movie was filmed and finished in 2009. But with the bankrupcy issuses of MGM at the time, the movie was delayed and eventually sold to Lionsgate, who released it April 13th 2012.

This was a simulated Wrong Turn movie that took a very wrong turn at the end. Until next time, see you in the center seat!

American Reunion

The American Pie gang is back together again for their 13th High School Reunion. Getting back together for the weekend of the reunion and catching up on where their lives have taken them, the crew try to capture the special times they had in high school, only to discover that things aren't what they used to be. But some things never change. And nothing ever goes as planned.

Starring: Jason Biggs, Alyson Hannigan, Chris Klein, Thomas Ian Nicholas, Tara Reid, Seann William Scott, Mena Suvari, Eddie Kaye Thomas and Eugene Levy

Who will like this movie:

Fans of the original "American Pie" movie (and perhaps even some of the sequels) will undoubtedly enjoy the reunion movie. This is an escape-from-your-life and put your brain in the cup holder movie for those who just want a nice break. A comedy along the same lines as "The Hangover", "Van Wilder" and "Something About Mary". Although you may have fun with this one if you've never seen the original, a lot of the comedy stems from things that happened before, gearing it more toward fans of the 1st one.

Phantom Thoughts

To be honest, I wasn't expecting too much from this movie. And when I started watching it, I thought I may have been right. However, after a kinda slow and not as humorous start, things begin to pick up speed about half way through and gave me what an American Pie sequel should be. It's unusual to be able to get an entire ensemble cast together for another movie, especially 13 years later but I'm glad they were able to pull it off. The story lines of the main characters intertwined pretty well without too much feeling of forcing a story just to give a character a bigger part, which can be a pitfall in a movie like this. Of course, the driving storyline is Jim and Michelle and the stereo-typical rut new parents get into. The reunion weekend is the perfect opportunity for them to re-ignite that spark that seems to have gone from their marriage. But this is an American Pie movie, so nothing...and I mean nothing, goes according to plan. One of the things that throws a monkey-wrench into the works is Jim's (now 18 year old) next door neighbor, Kara- played by Ali Cobrin. She and her wonderfully ample breasts make an abundant appearance. That is not the only nudity in the movie however. The other scene is more surprising and disturbing, but very funny at the same time. They worked some new comedy into this one as well as using some of the same jokes in different situations as the first. Although in most cases, it didn't seem as much as beating a dead horse as it did just extending the joke further.

Eugene Levy is just comedy gold and he has refined the Jim's Dad character perfectly! I loved how he and Jason Biggs played off each other and think their banter may be even better than it was in the first movie. Mini Spoiler: When I said they got the whole cast from the first one, I mean they got the WHOLE cast. A few were just kinda cameos toward the end, but even they were worked in well. Also, don't get up right after the credits start as there is another really good scene about a minute into the credits.

In my opinion, it wasn't the funniest movie, but it was really good for what it was.

Until next time, see you in the center seat!