Jurassic World

It's 22 years after the events that"Jurassic Park" take place, and the park is finally open and working for 10 years under the new name "Jurassic World". Claire Dearing, the parks' operation manager, has her two nephews visit for the weekend. But she is too busy to spend time with them and gives her assistant the job of looking after them as they are given passes to anywhere in the park. Her main concern is convincing investors to fund the new project they are working on. After 10 years, the public has become bored with just seeing real dinosaurs and so the genetics department has created a new, more impressive one....one that has never existed before now.
   After seeing this new creature, the owner of Jurassic World, Simon Masrani tells Claire to consult with the Raptor wrangler in the park, Owen Grady. Owen is skeptical of the care of the new dinosaur and asks what they used to create it. But Claire is tight lipped on the matter. As it turns out, his concerns are well founded as the creature escapes.

Cast

Chris Pratt as Owen Grady

Bryce Dallas Howard as Claire Dearing

Nick Robinson as Zach Mitchell

Ty Simpkins as Gray Mitchell

Vincent D'Onofrio as Vic Hoskins

Irrfan Khan as Simon Masrani

Omar Sy as Barry

B.D. Wong as Dr. Henry Wu

Jake Johnson as Lowery Cruthers

Who will like this:

Young parents, who have become parents about 10 years ago or so, will want to bring their children to experience their own Jurassic Park memories and create new ones for themselves. Jurassic World is the Summer blockbuster movie in every definition of the word. If you need to be entertained in the air-conditioned theater for a few hours, you can buy your ticket at the door.


Phantom Thoughts

Have you seen the other 3 Jurassic Park movies? Yeah? Ok.....then you don't need to see this one.
"But, Phantom..", you say, "aren't you being a bit harsh? This is not a reboot, it takes place AFTER the events of Jurassic Park."  No. I'm not. Watching this movie, they took the ENTIRE story from the previous ones. And I do mean everything.  Let's go down the list:
- You've got the head of Jurassic World welcoming in her two nephews = Hammond welcoming in his two Grandkids (JP1)
- Owen Grady is the "expert" who is the voice of reason = an amalgamation of Dr. Grant and Ian Malcolm (JP1-3)
- "evil" InGen corporation is motivated by greed and makes things worse instead of better (JP2)
- Although he doesn't create the situation like Wayne Knight did, Vincent D'Onofrio's decisions to prove his theory that the dinosaurs can be used as a military weapon causes even more chaos ( JP1)
 * side note: this is also the same running theme of the Alien movies with the Weyland Industries Corporation
- The couple of the kids on the island are getting a divorce = The Kirby's (JP3)
- The kids find themselves being attacked in an island vehicle by the BIG dino = (JP1)
- The Pteranodons are freed from their "birdcage" and attack the visitors = (JP3)
- The T-Rex is lured by a flare by Claire = Same scene with Dr. Grant and Ian Malcolm (JP1)
I literally can go on and on. I mean, they even end up in the original building from the first movie which has been abandoned. So I think the point was to just make a new version of the old movies. They figured that if they put in all the same elements that made the originals so popular, they would get the same results. But it felt forced. The pacing was off. The way the tension built to a crescendo in the first one was missing in this one.

There is a bright side to all this. I have long been an admirer of movies that give nods the original inspiration, if there is one. They are called "Easter Eggs" in popular circles. And because they wanted SO much to connect to the original movies in this one, Jurassic World is filled with them. From "Mr. DNA" to a statue of Hammond himself, there are many obvious (and not so obvious. Did you see Ian Malcom's book: "God Creates Dinosaurs" in the film.....twice?) little gems to find.  And the only returning character from the original, B.D. Wong as Dr. Henry Wu, gives a little "Fuck you" to everyone who complained that the dinosaurs in all these movies don't look (or sometimes act) like ACTUAL dinosaurs would.  When questioned why he would spice different animals together to make Indominus Rex, he says "because we've always done it that way. To fill the holes in the DNA." Duh. Doesn't anyone remember the South African tree frogs? "Life finds a way".

And here's the biggest SPOILER ALERT. I mean, if you're still reading this, you probably don't much care about spoilers, but I'll alert you anyway. The biggest "reveal" toward the end....the big secret of what did they splice together to make this new creature....comes out. I don't know about you, but I kinda guessed right away the thing had Velociraptor in it. It looked like a Raptor, it hunted like a Raptor and it was smart like a Raptor. Hell, they even had a shot of it's eye peering through the bushes at you like in JP1! If that was their idea of keeping a secret, no one better tell the writers what's really in Area 51.

Also, the way the villain, Indominus Rex, was finally brought down was kinda anti-climatic. Yes, the fight scene with it and T-Rex and the Raptors was good, but I felt a bit jipped that at the climax of the fight, Mosasaur comes out of nowhere and chomps him down.

Finally, I have to mention this. I saw this in the trailers and was sickened by it and after watching the actual movie, it didn't ease my mind much. We see one of the kids asking Chris Pratt who is the "Alpha" of the Velociraptors. To which he replies: "You're looking at him." Riiiiiight. So you're saying that the most vicious, deadly and SMARTEST of all the dinosaurs as depicted in all the Jurassic movies including this one, chose soft, pink, chewy, yummy, no-claws-or-sharp-teeth having Star Lord as their leader? Are you fucking kidding me? That's like me and 3 of my friends listening to a piece of bacon for advice. And although it's not as bad as I had first imagined it (there are still glimpses of the ferociousness we know the Raptors to be) it's still laughable.

But my 14 year old daughter liked it. It broke all kinds of records at the box office. I spent a few hours of a very humid day in an air conditioned theater. Bryce Dallas Howard is nice to look at. So I guess it wasn't a total waste of my time.

Until next time, see you in the center seat.

Avengers: Age of Ultron

The second installment of the Marvel "team up" movie bringing together the World's mightiest superheroes. In this one, Tony Stark a.k.a. Iron Man, and the gentle side of The Hulk, Dr. Bruce Banner, unknowingly create Ultron, an AI program that was supposed to be a program for World peace. As Ultron becomes more self-aware, he decides that in order to save humanity, he must destroy it. Now it is up to The Avengers to stop him before he succeeds.

Cast

Robert Downey Jr. ... Tony Stark / Iron Man
Chris Hemsworth ... Thor 
Mark Ruffalo ... Bruce Banner / Hulk
Chris Evans ... Steve Rogers / Captain America 
Scarlett Johansson  ...  Natasha Romanoff / Black Widow 
Jeremy Renner  ...  Clint Barton / Hawkeye 
James Spader  ...  Ultron 
Samuel L. Jackson  ...  Nick Fury 
Don Cheadle  ...  James Rhodes / War Machine 
Aaron Taylor-Johnson  ...  Pietro Maximoff / Quicksilver 
Elizabeth Olsen  ...  Wanda Maximoff / Scarlet Witch 
Paul Bettany  ...  Jarvis / Vision 

Who will like this:

The easy answer, obviously is anyone who has seen any of the 10 previous Marvel movies, including the first Avengers movie. However, due to the increase in violence, action and even language to some degree, I may not recommend this to a very young viewers. Hence the PG-13 rating. It is also is not a movie for the casual fan as was the case for the last one. The stronger follower of the movies and/or comics will get more out of it than others will

Phantom Thoughts

Well....here it is. Finally the movie we've been waiting for since the last end credit scene from the last Avengers movie in 2012. You've gone through Marvel's "Phase 2" of movies like Iron Man 3, Captain America: Winter Soldier and maybe even started watching Agents of S.H.E.I.L.D. and Agent Carter on TV in anticipation for this....the BIG PAYOFF! Ummmm......not so much.

You know how when you start a new job, and you are told how much you will be making and think to yourself "OK. That's sounds pretty good". But after you get that first paycheck, you realize that "Wow. After taxes, insurance and....hey,what's this OASDI thing? " You didn't end up with as much as you expected? Yeah. It's kinda like that.

Now don't get me wrong. That's not to say it wasn't good, it just didn't live up to expectations and hype. But anything that is the magnitude of Avengers: Age of Ultron rarely does. The most common criticism I've heard about this movie is that it falls into the same pit a lot of other Superhero movies suffer from in the past: too many characters. And they're right....to a point. The difference is Joss Whedon. His storytelling skills juggle the characters so effortlessly that each one is handled individually without dropping any one of them or having them knock into each other. And while the amount of players do not cause the film to crash and burn, it doesn't help much either.

James Spader's mesmerizing voice breathes incredible life into the sentient robot Ultron, but Ultron's development into the villain he is supposed to be is not quite as fleshed out as he is. We are introduced to "The Twins" that we met at the end of Captain America: Winter Soldier, who become Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver, but they are also under-utilized. There is a love story that seems to be thrown in out of nowhere between Banner and  Romanoff that, although an interesting side plot, probably could have been avoided.

BIG SPOILERS AHEAD--------

So in the movie, Ultron is basically created by a mix of Tony Stark's attempt to create an AI program for World peace, mix in the mystical Mind Stone from Loki's scepter in the last Avengers and finally taking over most of Iron Man's JARVIS system. In the comics, Ultron is created by Hank Pym from Ant Man. And with THAT movie set to come out later this year, it seems like a missed opportunity to introduce it. Then again, that would mean adding even more characters to an otherwise overcrowded credit list so I can forgive that. On the other hand, Ultron created Vision in a very similar way to the comics, enough to satisfy the die hard fans, I would assume.  Bringing Vision to life was also a saving grace for actor Paul Bettany , who was the voice of JARVIS in the previous Iron Man movies. Since JARVIS "died" and was replaced by FRIDAY at the end of the movie, being on screen to act as Vision is a step up for Bettany. (He also has the second awesome Thor's hammer: Mjölnir moment in this movie)

One thing that DID live up to the hype, was the Hulk vs. HulkBuster Iron Man fight. First off, I love the fact that the pod carring the suit and it's replacement parts is called "Veronica", an in-joke based on the Archie comics. Archie Andrews is always torn between the two women that love him, Betty and Veronica. Banner already had a girlfriend, Betty Ross. And seeing the Hulk get his payback for one of the funnier moments in the original Avengers was welcome nod as well.

But the most DISappointing thing about AOU is....no end credits scene! This is one thing that Marvel movies are famous for (next to Stan Lee's almost guaranteed cameo, which might I add, was one of his best ever! Marvel geeks twitched in their seats when he gave his famous sign off line "Excelsior! ") although there were rumors and a what we now know to be a faked Spiderman end credits scene talked about, I was disappointed not to find anything there.

It was a wild ride for your senses. And not the typical fun for a few hours fare Marvel usually dishes out. It's one that will have to be seen more than once to catch and follow everything that happens. And although I wouldn't say it was better than the first one, it wasn't that much worse either. There were a LOT of things to find and see. Much too much to get into here. Maybe too much for one movie as I have already pointed out. Still, I will watch it again....and again to catch everything.

Until next time, see you in the center seat!

4 Reasons "Star Wars: The Phantom Menace" was a good movie

I don't usually do this. The main reason for this blog is to review movies that I see in the theater, not for my thoughts on something you can see on a Spike Marathon during the Summer. But with the upcoming Disney owned Sequel Trilogy making a lot of waves through the Nerd Kingdom, the Prequel bashing has been stirred up again. Especially a hatred for Episode I . There is even a sequence of watching the Star Wars Movies called: "Machete Viewing" where you would watch Episodes 4, 5, 2, 3, 6 in that order. Completely eliminating Episode 1 altogether! Which is why I felt the need now to show you why The Phantom Menace deserves some respect.

Now...I can hear the haters already saying "OH YEAH? WHAT ABOUT JAR JAR BINKS? HE SUCKS!" Calm yourselves. While I agree that they went a little over the top with him, he was basically there for comic relief. And wasn't that the role of R2-D2 and C-3P0 in the original trilogy? They were the Laurel and Hardy of those movies, just not to the Binks degree. And to the fans who only hold the original trilogy as gospel, least we forget the backlash to the Ewoks in Return of the Jedi? But the hatred for Jar Jar was loud and vicious. So you know what Lucas did? He pretty much said "Oh....you don't like Jar Jar? Ok...I'll give you a REASON not to like him!" and in the following movies, made HIM the reason the Emperor comes into power which causes the creation of the Galactic Empire.

But not liking one character is not reason enough to condemn the whole movie. Here are 4 reasons (in no particular order) to remember why Episode 1 is... at the very least worth a re-watch:


1) A New and Classic Soundtrack

John Williams. Multiple Academy Award winning composer and creator of the most famous music associated with a Galaxy far, far away returns and makes an all new epic musical backdrop that resonates through all three Prequels. Not only does he incorporate the music we all know and love into this story beginning, but introduces a score that reflects the history of this franchise while breathing new life into it. Just listen to it. It gives me chills on how good it is.

 



2) Darth Maul

Darth Maul is the most bad-ass bad guy since the undisputed greatest movie villain of all time: Vader. Ray Park, who was a stuntman previously, plays the sinister apprentice to the mysterious Sith Master. This allows him to do all his own moves and battles himself. But that's not what makes him awesome. His look is simple and complicated at the same time. He is clearly humanoid, but with horns that surround his head like a crown, eyes that glow yellow and red like the Devil himself looking into your soul and the red and black Sith markings that are reminiscent of Mexican Day of the Dead make up. But his demeanor is so calm and reserved at all times until he is in the heat of battle. That is where the wraith comes out! And no one had ever seen a double bladed lightsaber before, and it remains as one of the most incredible weapons in the Star Wars Universe.  Maul's mastery of it was mesmerizing.

 

 

3) The Pod Race

 

 

No. You are wrong. It was not boring or unnecessary. It was not like watching someone play a video game. These are arguments I've heard against this part of Phantom Menace. The Pod Race was essentially a sporting event that the locals gamble on, similar to a Football game or NASCAR race. But it was also a dramatic moment in the movie because the outcome determined whether our Jedi Ambassadors and their landing party including Queen Amidala will be able to continue their mission. It also would determine whether the driver of the pod, a young slave boy named Anakin Skywalker and his Mother would become free. So...what about the race itself? A young boy from Tatooine in a high speed, one man vehicle, racing along an obstacle ridden terrain to get to the goal. Sound a little familiar? It should. The scene resembles the run Luke Skywalker takes to blow up the Death Star in Episode IV: A New Hope. Being introduced to the boy who would become Darth Vader was very intriguing to say the least. How does this innocent boy become the most feared man in the universe? But we see a few glimpses of his Jedi and future Sith skills in his driving of the pod. Watch it again and see for yourself:

 



 

 

 



4) The Lightsaber Battle  between Obi-Wan Kenobi, Qui-Gon Jinn and Darth Maul

This is clearly the best lightsaber duel of ANY of the Star Wars franchise movies. Hands down. As I stated before, Darth Maul's double sided lightsaber and his mastery of it thanks to Ray Park is simply incredible. And the sequence....when played without interruption, is brilliant. My favorite part is when Maul tries to strike at Kenobi's back, only to have it blocked when Obi-Wan raises his weapon over his head and behind him. Then Maul counters with a quick swing of the second blade to the front, only to be met with Kenobi bring his lightsaber forward. Here is the battle without the rest of the plot points sprinkled in and just try to argue otherwise:

I think I've made my point. Go back and watch it again. You may find that your disgust of this movie is not as well founded as you may have thought.

Until next time, see you in the center seat. And may the Force be with you.

Ouija

When Laine Morris' childhood friend Debbie, mysteriously commits suicide for apparently no reason, Laine and her devastated friends try and find answers behind her death. In an act of desperation, they use a Ouija board to try and communicate with her on the other side. However, Debbie isn't the only one who is communicating with them and they unknowingly unleash less amiable spirits who start to hunt them down one by one.

Cast


Olivia Cooke as Laine Morris
Daren Kagasoff as Trevor
Douglas Smith as Pete
Bianca A. Santos as Isabelle
Ana Coto as Sarah Morris
Shelley Hennig as Debbie

Who will like this movie

There are similarities to other horror movies such as Annebelle, Mama and The Conjuring to give you an idea of what to expect. Guys who want to take their very skittish girlfriends to see a movie so the girls will grab their hands and bury their faces in their chests can buy a couple of tickets to this one.

Phantom Thoughts

For the record, this was NOT on my list of "must see" movies this week. I would have been perfectly happy waiting for this to come on Starz or Encore to see it. I wouldn't even waste a Netflix selection on it. However, I was invited to go see it, and I could not resist the opportunity.

Let me get straight to the point, this was very predictable. Not only was the plot as see through as the ghosts that were supposed to be in it, but the "scares" were mostly of the pop out variety that is cheesy like my brothers fingers after tearing through a bag of Cheetos.

I am not familiar with any of the actors in this movie either. I think there is a reason for that.

Here's some background info though: Universal bought the rights from Hasbro to make a Ouija movie back in 2009. The original concept was to make a big-budget film based on the board game on the same scale of "Pirates of the Caribbean". The script was written and tossed around different directors for a few years before they decided it was not worth the money and they dropped it. In 2012 Universal picked it back up with the intention of making it for a much cheaper and more like "The Lone Ranger". And we all know how THAT worked out, don't we? But on a positive note, Ouija is the FIRST horror movie, or movie of any kind, based on this board game.

Until next time, see you in the center seat.

Ghostbusters 30th Anniversary

This is going to be a little different "review" than I've done in the past. I have always done reviews of movies I've seen in the movie theater, and although I DID watch this in a theater, being that it is 30 years old, I don't feel the need to explain what this is about or who it is geared to or who will like it.

That being said, I HAD to go see this on the big screen....again. You see, this was one of the first movies I became obsessed with after first gazing my eyes upon it. (Star Wars holds the top spot on that list, which I saw 7 years earlier) The movie came out June 1st 1984, and I spent the next 4 months making my Ghostbusters Halloween costume. I had a pirated VHS copy (and a good, professional copy considering this is in 1984!) that my uncle had gotten me. I had the record...yes, you heard me...an actual vinyl record of the soundtrack. I hung the movie poster on the inside of my bedroom door.  I was hooked.

I listened to that record all Summer long, working in the basement of my parents house. I used what I could see from the poster and paused the movie tape over and over to try and get all the details I could. Using mostly cardboard, tape, a water gun rifle, some spray paint and lights from old battery powered toys, I fashioned my own Proton Pack. I recorded the theme song over and over on to an audio tape and put a tape recorder inside it. It was finished off with my Dads coveralls, a Ghostbusters emblem that I painstakingly drew and attached with some duct tape and an electrical tape name tag. It is, to this day, one of the costumes I am most proud of. It's a shame that I have no photo of it.

But the real reason I had to see this on the big screen again was that for the last 30 years, if I am in a conversation about watching a movie at home vs. watching in a theater, Ghostbusters is my go-to example of why it's better in the theater.  A point that I am happy to say was reinforced tonight. You see, no matter if it was the pirated VHS tape, the official videotape, DVD or even the collector's edition widescreen DVD....NONE of them has been able to put on a television screen what you get to see on actual aspect ratio. The best example of this is the obligatory montage scene that movies at the time all had. If you remember, this particular montage was the rise of fame of the Ghostbusters in New York City. Various magazine covers were on screen along side shots of the crew capturing ghosts all over the city. Try as they might with clever editing, all the home versions never get the full view of this.  This also happens in other parts of the movie as well.

This was a guilty pleasure for me and I enjoyed every minute of it. Does it stand up against the test of time? Well...maybe not as much. For one, all the characters are smoking...indoors....all through the movie. (Something they quickly did away with in Ghostbusters 2. NO ONE is seen smoking in that one.) Also, there are a lot of product placement that when you see the labels of the items, you just know it's from quite a while ago. Lastly, the special FX. Great for it's time, but flaws are accentuated when seen 30 ft. tall. Most notably a scene that is looking down at the street over the shoulder of one of the Demon Dog "statues", and you not only see the lines of the road through the statue image, but cars going by as well can be seen coming through it.

But you know what? I didn't care. I loved sitting there in a darkened theater, with my popcorn, soda and Milk Duds watching Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Ernie Hudson, Sigourney Weaver, Rick Moranis and the late, great Harold Ramis utter those now famous lines in surround sound.

Until next time, see you in the center seat.......and maybe I will be wearing my Ghostbusters emblem patch. A step up from the drawn paper one.

Guardians of the Galaxy

Peter Quill is a human boy who was abducted by aliens and grows up to be a space outlaw working for a bunch of space pirates called Ravangers. After stealing a mysterious orb, Quill (who refers to himself as "Star Lord") finds himself being hunted down not only by his employers and the law, but by fearsome baddie Ronan the Accuser.  He is thrown together with an unlikely group of characters who, although they start out as rivals, discover they share a common goal. As they work together to achieve this goal, their allegiance to each other gets stronger, and they become "The Guardians of the Galaxy."

Cast

Chris Pratt as Peter Quill / Star-Lord

Zoe Saldana as Gamora

Dave Bautista as Drax the Destroyer

Vin Diesel as Groot

Bradley Cooper as Rocket

Lee Pace as Ronan the Accuser

Michael Rooker as Yondu Udonta

Karen Gillan as Nebula

Djimon Hounsou as Korath

John C. Reilly as Corpsman Rhomann Dey

Glenn Close as Nova Prime Irani Rael

Benicio del Toro as Taneleer Tivan / The Collector

Who will like this movie

I see a lot of similarities and parallels to Star Wars: A New Hope and on certain levels: The Usual Suspects. I have heard those say (and I agree with) there is a reminiscence to the TV Show: Farscape. In that regard, I suspect this to be appreciated by a wide range of fans. There are very few curse words and "intense" scenes that very young viewers with over sensitive parents may object to, but this is the perfect just about all ages movie.

Phantom Thoughts

I would like to start out saying that out of all the Marvel movies I have heard about being made, this was the one I was looking forward to LEAST. I had never even HEARD of this comic/graphic novel before and seriously.....a talking raccoon and tree? How good could it possibly be?

Boy, was I wrong.

This was a wonderful blend of action, sci-fi fantasy and comedy. The story moved along well and the characters were fleshed out and congealed at a good pace. Guardians didn't have to talk down to it's audience, but at the same time, you didn't have to over-think it. You just sat back and experienced it along with the main characters.

Now let's talk about those main characters for a moment...and I'll start with the ridiculous ones. Rocket is a raccoon that had been experimented on to become a walking, talking, thinking being. He is extremely intelligent in all things mechanical which is countered with his short fuse and low morals. He is voiced by Bradley Cooper, and if I didn't know that, I would never had guessed. He didn't use a funny or different voice for the role, but rather he gave the Rocket such unique life that he himself is hidden away. Groot is the walking tree-like creature who is the muscle of the duo. That being said, there is a sensitivity, almost a sadness in his demeanor. Vin Diesel says the words: "I am Groot" for the part (because that is just about all Groot says throughout the whole movie), but it's the WAY he says those 3 words at various stages that gives a communication to him. This was the most blatant similarity to Star Wars I felt, as Groot was a parallel of the Wookie Chewbacca.

Zoe Saldana is becoming synonymous with strong, female, alien women. And am I the only one who thinks it's just a little bit ironic that in the original Star Trek series, Kirk banged a green alien. And now the same actress who is Uhura in the NEW Star Trek movies, is playing a green alien in THIS one? Maybe it's just me.

Michael Rooker basically plays his Merle from the Walking Dead character only with blue make up on. Right down to the fact his weapon of choice is a mind controlled space arrow! If we find out he has a space crossbow-yielding brother played by Norman Reedus in the sequel....I wouldn't be a bit surprised.

As for the rest, Chris Pratt did a fantastic job balancing comedy, drama and action in his Peter Quill.

Djimon Hounsou, John C. Reilly, Glenn Close and Benicio del Toro were all great in their roles as well. Even Dave Bautista, who I thought was merely cast for his physic, brought Drax to life impressively. But the one I was most floored with and surprised at was Karen Gillan.  She plays Thanos' daughter Nebula, who is reminiscent to Star Wars Clone Wars Ventress. Let me preface this by saying that I am a HUGE Doctor Who fan. And Gillan played Amy Pond in that series for 5 years. But even I did not recognize that it was HER playing Nebula until the end credits. I knew she had shaved her head for a role, I just didn't know it was THIS one. But it wasn't just the make-up and the bald head that threw me, her jealousness, viciousness and bad-ass/kick-ass portrayal was so infinitely remarkable, she was unrecognizable even to a fan such as myself. Geronimo, Pond!  

I wanted to go see a regular old 2-D showing, but it was sold out. So I was "forced" to see this in 3-D. The 3-D effects were not fantastic, but there were a good amount of "things flying at you" moments that were effective. But where the 3-D really shined was in the scenes in space and  fight scenes.

As you can imagine, a movie with a talking raccoon and tree set in outer space has quite a bit of CGI involved in it. However, unlike the "Oz the Great and Powerful" all the CGI scenes and characters were un-noticeable. By that I mean, it was as if someone pointed a camera at Groot and Chris Pratt on a distant planet surface and yelled: "Action!" It was never distracting or out of place.

I found myself laughing and applauding with the rest of the audience in the theater. To me, this one came out of no where and hit all the right marks. Nicely done, Marvel. Excelsior! Of course, since it is a Marvel movie, I don't have to tell you to watch for the "extra" scene at the very end of the credits. Although there have been many links around the web giving this scene away, I will not play into the spoilers....(my Brother just choked on his Doritos with that statement).

I look forward to this new franchise and my hope is that they can keep the bar as high as they have set it.

Until next time, see you in the center seat!
 

The Fault in our Stars

Adapted from the novel with the same name by John Green, The Fault in our Stars follows  Hazel Grace Lancaster, a 16 year old girl who is a thyroid cancer survivor due to an experimental drug she was given when she contracted the disease 3 years ago. Her parents decide that attending a support group would  be best for her, despite her protests. But there she meets Augustus Waters, a boy who lost his leg to osteosarcoma but is currently in remission. The two almost instantly bond over a book written by mysterious author Peter Van Houten who ended the book mid sentence. As Hazel and Gus go on a journey to find answers to the novel, they fall in love...and the real journey begins.

Cast

Shailene Woodley as Hazel Grace Lancaster
Ansel Elgort as Augustus Waters
Nat Wolff as Isaac
Laura Dern as Frannie Lancaster
Sam Trammell as Michael Lancaster
Willem Dafoe as Peter van Houten
Mike Birbiglia as Patrick

Who will like this

It is always a safe bet that if you liked the book, you will enjoy a movie made about it. Having not read the book myself, I have been assured by many different sources that THIS movie follows the book almost to the letter. As the novel was geared towards the "tween-ager", it follows suit that they, especially female tweens, will be a large part of it's audience. It's a tear-jerker. It makes for a good date movie, although I would advise against it being a FIRST date movie.

Phantom Thoughts

This was not one of the Phantom's top picks to see last weekend. However, my 13 year old daughter REALLY wanted to see it, so off to the theater we went. And although I went expecting kind of a young person's movie, I have to admit that there a few times my eyes welled up a bit.

But more on that in a moment. For now, I would like to focus on the cast. Shailene Woodley, Ansel Elgort and Willem Dafoe are all fine actors, and as such did a fantastic job in the parts they played. However, there was a surprise that took me out of the movie for a moment. Mike Birbiglia. Mike Birbiglia? For those who don't recognize the name (and I assume most of you won't) he is a stand-up comedian. And the part he played was a far cry from his on-stage persona. He played the support groups' counselor, a Jesus-loving, self-focused, mediocre guitar playing musician. I have to admit that a smile crossed my face during his on-screen performance, but not for the reasons the filmmakers intended. His uncomfortable counseling methods were cringe worthily humorous, but seeing Mike Birbiglia do it....well....THAT was where the real humor was.

The story itself was a decent one. Even with the expected "plot twist" (SPOILER: one of the main characters die. PLOT TWIST SPOILER: it isn't the one you think it is) it's still well done enough to pull at your heart strings enough to force an emotional response. So the fact that I knew what was coming, didn't interfere with the message of hope, love and loss enough to deter bringing those emotions to the surface just as what I believe was the goal of both the author John Green and Director Josh Boone.

The only thing I think I'd change....was to end both the book, and the movie, in mid-sentence. This is the crux of why Hazel and Gus come together and the fuel in continuing down this road together. What better way to wrap it up than to do the same? Now, I'm not one for leaving loose ends. I like a conclusion as much as the main characters do (although some of my favorite movies do have unresolved endings) so part of me would have hated it ending like that. But I could definitely respect a decision to do so.

Until next time...see you in