Directed by: Joe Johnston

There has been a long list of superhero movies recently, and along with them, the fear that the genre may become watered down. But have no fear, Captain America is here. Captain America: The First Avenger is the story of Steve Rogers (Evans), a guy from Brooklyn, New York in the 1940’s who wants nothing more than to do his part and serve his country. The problem is that Rogers isn’t exactly a physical specimen. He’s short, scrawny, and asthmatic, but the one thing he does possess is the heart of a hero. It doesn’t take long for this to get recognized by a military doctor who nominates Rogers to undergo the Super Soldier treatment he has developed. A few injections and Vita-rays later, and Rogers is not only a more impressive human specimen, but a superhuman one.

On the other side of the coin is Johann Schmidt, aka, the Red Skull (Weaving). Schmidt is the head of a Nazi deep science division called Hydra and was the first to undergo the Super Soldier treatment, but chose to use it prior to its completion, therefore undergoing scarring physical side effects. The Red Skull sees himself as a superior being, and insists the rest of the world view him in the same way. In order to accomplish this, he seeks out the Cosmic Cube, an ancient artifact that is said to have been left behind by the gods themselves. Using the Cube, his forces create a new breed of powerful weapons which he plans to use to eradicate major cities across the world as a demonstration of his power.

The only way a hero like Captain America can work is if his rise to the name and suit are believable. He can’t merely throw on a costume and start using the name. The movie does a great job of showing this evolution from the scrawny Rogers to the USO “dancing monkey”, to the icon that we know and love. The movie does such a great job at establishing the goodness in Roger’s heart, that even when he is the heroic, larger-than-life Captain America, we can still look into him and see the person he always was. Ultimately, that kind of heart is what the story of Captain America is all about, and fortunately the film never forgets that.

The action scenes in The First Avenger were fluid and satisfying. Just as Thor’s hammer can be a challenging weapon to portray, so is Cap’s vibranium shield, and just as Thor made wielding a hammer look cool, so does Captain America in regards to his shield. There is one scene in the film in which there is a motorcycle chase that made me think of Raiders of the Lost Ark. Perhaps it’s the inclusion of Nazi villains or the period in time, but it was a welcome parallel.

Chris Evans veers from his usual cocky comedy self in order to play Steve Rogers, and he does so incredibly well. That’s not to say there’s no humor, it’s simply spaced out in order to keep the role from becoming a caricature of so many superheroes we’ve been seeing on the big screen. Hugo Weaving is the perfect casting for the Red Skull, and pulls off the unforgiving evil demeanor of the character. The remainder of the cast, from Hayley Atwell to Tommy Lee Jones to Sebastian Stan as Bucky Barnes bring more levels of depth to the already immersive story.

Captain America: The First Avenger succeeds on so many levels where it could have faulted. It’s not an overly patriotic story holding the USA up on a pedestal. It’s the universal story of an underdog standing up against a bully. It offers just enough comic book “cheese” to make it extraordinary, but still grounds it in reality. And for the ladies, it also contains the most romantic and believable love story of any of Marvel’s superhero movies. Well done Cap, now bring on The Avengers!!

Bottom Line: Captain America: The First Avenger tells a fantastic story of an underdog standing up to a bully… with a badass vibranium shield.

[xrr rating=10/10]

Directed by: Seth Gordon

Nick (Jason Bateman), Kurt (Jason Sudeikis), and Dale (Charlie Day) have horrible bosses. Nick’s boss (Kevin Spacey) likes to toy with him while dangling the possibility of a promotion over his head. Kurt’s boss (Colin Farrell) is a coked-up loser sucking his daddy’s company dry. Dale’s boss (Jennifer Aniston) is the definition of sexual harassment. This could be a welcome thing, except Dale has a new fiance that he doesn’t want to mess things up with. The three hatch a plot to rid themselves of their living nightmares once and for all… murder each other’s bosses.

The majority of humor in this movie comes from the trio’s clumsy attempts to plan and prepare these murders. They’re SO bad at it that they hire a murder consultant played by Jamie Foxx. I’d tell you his character’s name, but I try my best to keep my movie reviews clean. The movie works so well because of the performances given by each of the three bosses. They’re all despicable human beings that are just on the edge of believable, but outrageous enough to serve as caricatures of bosses that the audience may be all too familiar with.  Each is heartless enough to get the audience excited for their potential demise.

The performances were solid all around. The trio have great chemistry with Jason Bateman serving as the straight-man, Charlie Day as the bumbler, and Jason Sudeikis as the punchline-dropper. In some ways they felt like a modern-day Three Stooges with slightly more brains and a tad less slapstick. Colin Farrell’s role is almost too small to note, but was fine for what it is. Kevin Spacey couldn’t come across as a more slimy, disgusting person, and pulls off an attitude that few actors can. Jennifer Aniston is surprisingly raunchy, which is hilariously shocking in terms of the movie, but yet very welcome to see as she’s been locked into the same type of role for so many years.

Bottom Line: Horrible Bosses has arrived at a time when the economy can make people feel like they’re locked into their jobs and serves as a humorous, commiserating companion.

[xrr rating=9/10]

Directed by: Martin Campbell

Green Lantern is the story of Hal Jordan (Ryan Reynolds), a brash test pilot who one night encounters a crashed spaceship and a dying alien. The alien gives Hal a green ring, saying it is a great honor and responsibility to be chosen. From there, Hal is whisked away to Oa, the planet that the Guardians have created as a central precinct for the Green Lantern Corps., a group of beings that serve as the protectors of the universe.

Lost yet?? You might be, and this is the first problem with undertaking a universe like the one that exists in the Green Lantern comics. The Green Lantern universe is so expansive and full of details and history that it’s very difficult to cover what’s needed in a 114-minute movie. While the intro summary is informative, it might be too much too soon for the audience to handle. I’m fortunate that I have a good knowledge of the Green Lantern universe, but not all movie-goers will fall into that category. The movie does a decent job of providing the viewer with what they need to know, but this movie should have been more around the 2.5 hour mark, and it seems the expenses needed for that time frame just weren’t an option.

Before I talk about what didn’t work, let’s talk about what did. The special effects in Green Lantern were impressive. The suit itself was the most noticeable effect, but not to a point where I thought it was bothersome. Oa was beautiful, and the creatures that inhabited the planet felt like they belonged. Mark Strong gave the most impressive of the performances as Sinestro, the best warrior of the Lanterns. Blake Lively was much better than the trailers portrayed, and twice as hot. Ryan Reynolds was an acceptable Hal Jordan, but only felt like he truly filled the role in the last 15-20 minutes of the film. Perhaps I’m judging too harshly, as part of the movie’s intent was to show that transformation.

So now on to what didn’t work. The jumpy cuts from scene to scene felt disjointed at times. I’m not sure whether to blame the editing or Martin Campbell as the director. One of the most interesting elements of the movie was the training and learning process Hal had to go through on the planet Oa, but those parts were rushed through much too quickly. In the comics, Sinestro serves as Hal’s mentor and they develop a close bond, but this doesn’t occur in the movie and feels like a wasted opportunity. Finally, the movie’s story structure felt too dated. It was the same old DC formula from the Christopher Reeve Superman days, and doesn’t quite hold up against the modern superhero origin stories.

All those elements aside, I can’t argue that Green Lantern wasn’t a fun movie. It may not be the most well-crafted superhero flick out there, but it was a good time. Perhaps that’s just my love for the character speaking.

Bottom Line: While not living up to its full potential, Green Lantern is still a fun superhero adventure.

[xrr rating=8/10]

Directed by: J.J. Abrams

Super 8 is the latest project from producer Steven Spielberg and writer/director J.J. Abrams. Not only is this the title of the movie, but it’s also what originally connected the two men, as one of Abrams’ first jobs in the film industry was restoring some of Spielberg’s old Super 8 films.

If you haven’t heard of J.J. Abrams before, you’d better learn the name. Not only he is responsible for directing 2009’s Star Trek, but he was also the initial writing force behind the mystery-based TV shows Fringe and LOST. Character-driven mystery stories are where Abrams excels, and Super 8 is no different. Set in a small town in Ohio, the story centers around a group of kids with a passion for making movies. One night while filming, their Super 8 camera captures a train wreck behind them. Following the wreck, the military shows up, while strange events start occurring in town. Electricity flickers on and off, people are missing, and all the town’s dogs have run away. Deputy Jack Lamb (Kyle Chandler) suspects a military cover-up of whatever is causing these mysterious events. Meanwhile, his 12-year old son Joe (Joel Courtney), who witnessed the crash, leads his movie-making group of friends on an investigation of their own.

As always, Abrams tells a story driven by the characters. While the mystery remains the driving force of the plot, the relationships between the kids, as well as their relationships with their parents, are the true focus of the film. Joe is coping with the recent loss of his mother and a workaholic father who is growing more distant as a result. At the same time, he’s developing a bond with Alice (Elle Fanning), who on her first night of shooting with the group also witnessed the crash. Instead of revealing much more of the plot, I’ll leave it for you to experience on your own.

As a character-driven movie, the performances had to be up to par to make it a success. Newcomer Joel Courtney shines in the role of Joe Lamb, who is only one of many great child actors to fill the cast. Continuing to impress is Elle Fanning, who’s career I’ve been admiring since her touching performance in Phoebe in Wonderland. The remainder of their friends aren’t starved for personality either, as one loves to play with fireworks, while another fancies himself a budding director.

It’s not too often I talk about the score of a movie, but the music in Super 8 is worth mentioning. Aside from the bicycle-riding, flashlights in the dark, and other Spielbergian visuals, the score is perhaps the largest cog of the nostalgia machine, feeling very reminiscent of early 80’s classics like E.T. or Back to the Future.

Bottom Line: Super 8 is a nostalgic trip through time, mixing J.J. Abrams’ brilliant storytelling with the feel of a Spielberg classic.

[xrr rating=10/10]

Directed by: Matthew Vaughn

X:Men: First Class was one of those movies that looked like it could go one of many ways. It could be good like X-Men, great like X2, or downright embarrassing like X-Men: The Last Stand. While I had high hopes, I feared that a cast of virtual unknowns in a prequel attached to the same franchise would result in another X-failure. I’m glad to report that not only is First Class great, it’s the best offering from an X-Men movie to date.

This is no doubt due in large part to the return of Bryan Singer, and the addition of Kick-Ass director Matthew Vaughn. Singer originally departed the franchise after X2 to take charge on Superman Returns. Whether or not you agree with the way that the X-movies reorganize some of the characters, Singer clearly understands the underlying message of the X-Men: acceptance and coexistence. No movie up to this point better illustrates that struggle better than First Class. Whether it be Xavier’s undying faith in humanity, Beast’s efforts to hide his mutation, or Mystique’s tug-of-war between the ideologies of Charles and Erik, the message rings loud and clear.

If there is a highlight in First Class, it has to be the performances of Michael Fassbender and James McAvoy, along with the relationship between their characters, Erik “Magneto” Lehnsherr and Professor Charles Xavier. In proper prequel fashion, backstory is given for each man to lay out their journey up to the point of crossing paths. Their respective journeys give ample motivation for each of their belief structures. Charles believes mutants and humans can coexist peacefully, while Erik has seen the darker side of humanity his entire life. Under certain circumstances, like the ones played out in First Class, it’s completely believable that the two could be practically brothers. Their complex relationship is the backbone of the movie and is reflected throughout so many of the characters and events that take place.

The roles of the remaining cast are filled fairly well. Kevin Bacon is a wonderfully sinister villain as the Hellfire Club’s Sebastian Shaw. Jennifer Lawrence is a complex, yet sympathetic Mystique. Each of the “First Class” mutants bring something unique to the table. The one disappointing performance was that of January Jones in the role of Emma Frost, who managed to transform a major character from the comics into that of a wooden marionette.

As there are few flaws to point out, it’d be a crime not to see a direct sequel. On a sidenote, First Class features what is perhaps the best movie cameo I’ve ever seen. I won’t spoil it for you here though.

Bottom Line: The best of the X-franchise features some great performances and stays true to the core message of the comics.

[xrr rating=9/10]

Directed by: Todd Phillips

When first hearing about a sequel to The Hangover, I’m guessing your first thought was one of two things:

1) I loved The Hangover and can’t wait for a sequel!!

OR

2) How are they going to make a sequel to The Hangover?

I fell a bit more into the second camp. While I enjoyed The Hangover, it wasn’t as spectacular to me as it seemed to be to other people. From a storyline perspective, there was really no justification to create a sequel, but the studios could easily justify it because they knew how much money it would bring in. The result is a sequel that shares the exact same formula as the first movie. One guy’s getting married… there’s a bachelor party… they wake up clueless as to what happened and start to put the pieces back together through a series of hilarious events. This time around there was a small tweak to the formula… they left out the humor. The Hangover: Part II felt like any Ben Stiller movie to me, in which I felt so bad for the characters involved in the story that I couldn’t find their situation comedic in any way. I may have let out one, maybe two laughs during the entire 102-minute snoozefest.

The reactions of characters to certain events are also completely unrealistic. I can’t imagine a human being on Earth that would be happy, or even just nonchalant, about losing a finger and not remembering how it happened. I know this is a comedy and there’s a certain amount of suspension of disbelief, but that only goes so far.

The Hangover: Part II tries so hard to take things from the first movie and make them work again. Yes, it was funny when Mike Tyson showed up in the first movie and sang In The Air Tonight. No, I don’t want seemingly random songs played throughout the movie for comedic effect… and no, having Mike Tyson show up to sing again doesn’t work either. In fact, it may have been the single worst movie cameo I’ve ever seen.

Lastly, and I’m cutting this review short because I don’t want to continue reliving scenes from this debacle any longer, when a movie has mystery elements of unraveling how events took place, don’t reveal the answers to those mysteries through a series of still images during the credits. Make them a part of the actual movie. To do otherwise is just lazy.

Bottom Line: The Wolfpack is back, but they should have quit while they were ahead.

[xrr rating=2/10]

Directed by: Kenneth Branagh

For me, the character of Thor was in the same camp as Iron Man. I was always fairly familiar with both on the surface, but never bothered to dig too deep into their respective worlds. Because of this, it made the first Iron Man movie that much more of a pleasant surprise. Now, having seen Thor, I can say that I’m just as pleased.

One of the people I saw the movie with referred to Thor as a “Reader’s Digest” version of the character, and I agree with that assessment. Each of these Marvel films leading up to The Avengers has the task of introducing the mainstream to all of the heroes that will be involved. While Thor did succeed in this regard, it was in no way fleshed out to the extent that Iron Man was. Don’t, however, mistake that as me saying that Thor sucked, because it most certainly did not. It’s just different, and different isn’t always a bad thing.

Thor wasted no time in moving the plot along, and it really couldn’t afford to since there was so much to cover. The nine realms, including Asgard, needed to be introduced and completely understood… and it was. The relationships between Odin, Thor, and Loki all needed to be established… and they were. Thor’s journey from arrogant prince to humble hero needed to be believable… and it was. While fast-paced, Thor had clear goals in mind and hit the mark with each.

One of the best parts of Thor were the action sequences. Thor’s style of aggressive fighting, Mjolnir in hand, couldn’t have been portrayed any better on the big screen. If you think watching a guy swinging a hammer around would get dull, think again. There was clearly a lot of thought put into using Mjolnir in creative ways. They certainly had lots of material to pull ideas from.

As far as the acting went, Chris Hemsworth’s performance as Thor was superb, successfully managing to portray all aspects of the character’s personality. There have been doubts by some that anyone would be able to share the screen with Robert Downey Jr. in The Avengers, but Hemsworth’s charisma and presence put him in a good position to. Anthony Hopkins delivers as he always does in the role of Thor’s father Odin. Tom Hiddleston was perfectly cast as the villainous god of mischief, Loki. Natalie Portman was fine as Jane Foster, but the role was clearly unchallenging for someone of her caliber. Even the warriors three shined throughout the film.

If there’s anything to take away from the success of Thor and Marvel’s other recent releases, it’s that you can’t mess around with the source material. If this is the path that they continue on, I look forward to both Captain America and The Avengers.

Bottom Line: Thor is an action-packed blockbuster that provides a fun and faithful experience.

[xrr rating=9/10]

Directed by: Duncan Jones

Some people like their movies summed up by comparing it to other similar movies, so for those people, here’s an equation: The Matrix + Groundhog Day + American Beauty = Source Code.

Source Code is the story of Captain Colter Stevens (Gyllenhaal), a military man who is part of a new project in which his mind is transmitted into the “memory echo” of a recently deceased terrorist attack victim. This is The Matrix connection. Once occupying the body of the train passenger pre-mortem, he has 8 minutes to find the bomb and bomber before the train explodes. If he fails, he can go back in and repeat the same 8 minutes, but this time can adjust his actions and hopefully return successful. This is the Groundhog Day connection. The whole purpose of doing this is to find another, larger dirty bomb that the same terrorist is planning on detonating if he’s not caught in time. So where then does the American Beauty connection come in? For me, American Beauty was one of those movies that struck your soul and made you really appreciate the gift of life and every second you have. Sure, it’s wrapped in a different package, but Source Code had the same effect.

There are not a lot of bad things to say about this movie. The performances were solid, particularly from both Jake Gyllenhaal and Vera Farmiga. For having the same initial sequences repeated as often as they were, each time it was presented in a different way that prevented it from feeling overly repetitive. With only 8 minutes at a time to get things done, you can imagine how fast-paced the action had to be, which results in some suspenseful moments. And to top it all off, there are layers of complexity here far beyond what the trailer had originally suggested. Let’s just say that the terrorist bomb plot is only half of the mystery. I won’t go into it any further than that since I don’t want to ruin anything.

Source Code is also the sophomore effort by director Duncan Jones, who hides behind a fake name for a reason that escapes me because soon after directing Moon it became widely known that he is the son of David Bowie. Famous father and pseudonym aside, if Jones keeps putting out quality flicks like Moon and Source Code, he’ll soon be on the fast-track to directing the next big Hollywood blockbuster.

Bottom Line: Source Code is a mystery as fast-paced as the train it takes place on, with unexpected turns lining the track ahead.

[xrr rating=9/10]

Directed by: Jonathan Liebesman

It’s only fair that I begin this review by stating that I’m not a big fan of military or war movies, so I was hoping for the sci-fi element of Battle: Los Angeles to shake things up a bit. The story goes like this: Aliens invade our planet by concealing themselves Trojan horse-style inside meteors which all land nearby major cities across the globe. Their suggested aim is to eliminate the indigenous population of humans and take the planet’s water for their own use. While there are mentions of a war spanning across the globe, the movie focuses on one military unit assigned to search for and rescue any civilians left in an area of Los Angeles.

Unfortunately, the alien element was not played out as well as it could have been. It didn’t even have to be aliens. They could have easily swapped out the enemy for any mass of people or creatures that used different technology, since it was really just about having an enemy that was unfamiliar to us. That being said, the aliens themselves were actually designed fairly well. The weapon integration made it very clear that this is a warrior race with a clear goal in mind, enough to alter their own bodies to accomplish it.

The acting was adequate, but featured a cast that was capable of more, specifically Michael Peña and the lead, Aaron Eckhart. The rest of the cast that compiled the military unit simply weren’t given the time to build enough depth to their characters. Like many war movies, and wisely so, Battle: LA wasn’t afraid to kill off important characters, but also like many war movies, I often wasn’t familiar enough with a particular character when they died, thus taking away any real emotional response to their death. There were, however, two deaths that actually did mean something, so I’ll give credit there.

The biggest flaw with Battle: LA was the unyielding momentum of it all. A well done story is like a roller coaster. It has peaks and valleys as it moves along. An action sequence or a critical moment may occur and heighten your emotions and adrenaline, and then it slows down and allows time for absorption before working up to the next peak. Once the battle started taking place here, there was pretty much only one extended sequence of downtime where the audience was allowed to relax from the constant feeling of paranoia that the rest of the movie offered. This results in a roller coaster that’s always on the way down, and a somewhat uncomfortable viewing experience.

The biggest success of Battle: Los Angeles was its military accuracy. Sure, there were some tiny flaws here and there, and admittedly I’m no expert when it comes to these things, but a close friend of mine with an abundance of military experience couldn’t say enough good things about how faithful the movie was in regards to all things military-related.

Lastly, +2 points for casting Taryn Southern as the reporter on the beach, but -3 for blowing her up. And -5 points for a glaring continuity error involving a pistol near the end.

Bottom Line: Battle: Los Angeles is not the horrible abomination other critics are making it out to be, but it’s certainly nothing new or special either.

[xrr rating=5/10]

Directed by: Neil Burger

Eddie Morra (Cooper) is a fairly untalented, or maybe just unmotivated, writer until his former brother-in-law Vern offers him a little clear pill that allows the user to unlock the full potential of their brain. Upon “awakening” with a new-found mental prowess, Eddie succeeds in accomplishing tasks in mere hours that months of struggling couldn’t achieve. He finishes his book in days, accesses subconsciously-stored memories with ease, masters the stock market earning him millions, and learns new languages by simply hearing them in the background. Unfortunately, it quickly becomes clear that this world offers more than just successes, as Eddie finds Vern with a bullet in his head. Not only that, but the drug has some unexpected side effects to deal with.

Limitless is a great “what if?” story that poses a long series of questions. What if you could unlock your full potential just by popping a pill every day? What would you do with the new abilities you have? Is it worth the risk of negative side effects? How would the people around you respond to the “new you”? Is everything you’re accomplishing really you, or is it the drug? There was a lot of room for failure in a movie like this, but Limitless does it right… for the most part.

There are parts of the film that jump around and may feel confusing, but given the context they’re supposed to be. There may also be several moments in the movie where you find yourself asking, “If he’s so smart, why didn’t he think of doing this or that?” Let’s keep in mind that we’re watching a movie that’s supposed to be exciting. Limitless could have been 30 minutes long, but who wants to watch that? As a result, there are a few areas where things may have been made longer than necessary for the sake of drama. There’s also one subplot that surfaces and quickly feels tossed aside, but by the end of the movie you may not even care; I didn’t.

Bradley Cooper continues to rise in Hollywood, but seeing him back in the days of Jack & Bobby, I knew he had the acting chops to make it big. It certainly doesn’t hurt to have someone as polished as Robert De Niro to play off of either.

Bottom Line: Limitless has a great “what if?” premise and follows through to deliver an exciting thrill-ride.

[xrr rating=9/10]