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The Avengers
Directed by Joss Whedon.
2012. Rated PG-13, 143 minutes.
Cast:
Robert Downey Jr.
Samuel L. Jackson
Chris Hemsworth
Chris Evans
Scarlett Johansson
Mark Ruffalo
Jeremy Renner
Tom Hiddleston
Clark Gregg
Stellan Skarsgard
Cobie Smulders
Gwyneth Paltrow
If you’ve paid any attention at all to superhero movies then you know that both Iron Man movies, Thor and Captain America: The First Avenger are all setups for The Avengers. Three of them were very good. Only Iron Man 2 was a bit subpar, but I still like it. However, other than the first IM, they all feel incomplete. Well, here is there collective conclusion. Sort of.
Like in the Transformers movies, our heroes must come together to regain possession of an all-powerful thingamajig. This one does all sorts of neat things. Thor’s evil half-brother Loki (Hiddleston) drops into good guy headquarters, steals the thing and takes off.
Never one to take things lying down, Nick Fury (an eye-patched Samuel L. Jackson), the Geppetto to the superpowered Pinocchios, calls in Iron Man (Downey), Thor (Hemsworth) and Captain America (Evans). He also sends for the most volatile of all heroes, Dr. David Bruce Banner (Ruffalo) AKA The Incredible Hulk. Rounding out the crew are Black Widow (Johansson) and Hawkeye (Renner). Well Hawkeye has a change of heart, so to speak, and is working for Loki.
The team trying to come together is enough to hold our interest through the movie’s setup stages. They’re a contentious bunch since they are all used to doing their own thing. There’s also some humor and some action here and there. As a result, the first hour of the movie breezes by despite the fact that it doesn’t really go very far. Nothing has been figured out and Loki still hasn’t made his move. He simply tries to manipulate the situation from within a very special cage our heroes have placed him in.
If the first half of the movie holds our interest, the latter portions excite our senses. Basically, the real fun starts once The Hulk finally shows up. Of course, he does plenty of smashing. Many of the film’s most spectacular special fx sequences involve him. That much is to be expected. What is not is that the big angry green guy also doubles as the comic relief. This is actually a pleasant surprise. Seriously, who knew The Hulk was funny?
Since one funny behemoth wouldn’t be enough to save the movie, the rest of the gang all get their chance to shine. It follows the simple logic of giving people what they want. All of it is shot well with bone-crunching sound, to boot. I have to admit, I could’ve done without the 3-D, though. I just don’t think it added much to the story since the effect didn’t seem to be used nearly as often as it probably should’ve been.
Among this summer’s bajillion dollar blockbusters, The Avengers is going to be hard to top. It makes excellent use of the same tone employed for Thor and both Iron Man movies. Thus, the mixture of action and humor work very well. Other than Captain America’s uniform, it does most things right as far as comic book flicks go. Stop geeking out. I know they used something closer to Cap’s traditional costume so technically they did get it right. I simply prefer the one used in his own movie. It looks much more “super soldier” than the tights, in my very humble opinion. Fashion choices aside, I enjoyed the movie very much. In the pantheon of superhero movies, I’d be hard pressed to keep it out of the top ten, but I’m not among the throngs proclaiming it “The Greatest Thing EVAR!!!”
MY SCORE: 8/10Comment
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I loved the Avengers.....
4.5 out of 5 stars for me.Comment
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Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol
Directed by Brad Bird.
2011. Rated PG-13, 133 minutes.
Cast:
Tom Cruise
Jeremy Renner
Simon Pegg
Paula Patton
Michael Nyqvist
Vladimir Mashkov
Léa Seydoux
Miraj Grbic
Tom Wilkinson
Ving Rhames
Michelle Monaghan
We start on what by now seems to be a normal day in the life of extra super duper secret agent Ethan Hunt (Cruise). He busts out of a Serbian prison while dragging along a fellow inmate who may have some valuable information. He finds out that one of his buddies was killed in the line of duty. More importantly, Hawke learns that he has to retrieve a file that’s locked away in the Kremlin. Yes, an actual physical file and not an electronic one. While there, someone else blows the place up. Unfortunately for our hero and his crew, they’re being blamed so the good ol’ USA has to disavow any knowledge of Ethan and company. We learn this is called ghost protocol, hence the title. Anyhoo, not only do the good guys have to clear their own names, but that of the United States, as well. They must do this without the help of their native land, either. Of course, accomplishing this means they also must stop some Russian nut from starting a nuclear war. And you thought you had a tough day at work.
Thankfully for us, watching this particular mission is a better viewing experience that the last couple. The first movie in the series was pointlessly and aggressively convoluted making it a chore to watch. As a knee-jerk reaction to the sheer confusion of much of its audience, parts II and III turned Hunt into a superhero and dumbed everything down to seemingly random stunts and explosions. So far, the franchise hasn’t been able to strike the proper balance between sophisticated espionage and stupid action.
Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol takes a step in the right direction. Make that a few steps. The action is dialed back a bit. Don’t worry junkies, there’s still plenty for you to tweak on. The difference is that everything going boom isn’t the focus. The story between the stunts actually intrigues us. Occasionally, it slips into needlessly cryptic exposition but for the most part, it works. So does the comic relief, courtesy of Benji (Pegg). For that matter, the camaraderie and sometimes contentiousness of this new squad is pretty entertaining. This includes an interesting turn by Jeremy Renner as Agent Brandt. Though I must admit that I did miss Ving Rhames who only has a cameo in this installment.
If there is a problem with MIGP it’s with Ethan Hunt, himself. Mind you, I’m not talking about Tom Cruise. Haters be damned, he’s solid just doing what he normally does: giving us the Tom Cruise persona. I’m talking about the actual character. It’s the same problem that’s plagued the franchise and one I alluded to earlier: Ethan Hunt is invincible. His decision making is also infallible no matter how quick he has to make them or how stressful the situation in which he finds himself. It’s kind of hard to generate any real suspense when we know that regardless of what our hero does it will work out without any real consequences. Brandt even asks about Hunt’s extraordinarily quick wit. Hawke responds that he was playing a hunch. His hunches are always right.
Complaints aside, I have to reiterate that MIGP takes the franchise in a positive direction. In fact, it may well be the best of the four movies. In my opinion, only the first is any competition. That’s the only one that even tries to engage our brains. The other two are assaults on our senses, and not in a good way. Here, there is a well stirred mixture of the two approaches. Sure, we might still roll our eyes at some of the stuff Super Ethan pulls off, but when woven into the fabric of an interesting narrative it’s more palatable. For me, at least. If you’re already a fan of the series you won’t be disappointed. If you’re not, you might actually be pleasantly surprised.
MY SCORE: 7/10Comment
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Just seen that Mission Impossible movie last week. Nothing too memorable, but I had a great time watching it.Comment
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Hunt, kind sir. Ethan Hunt.
I love the Mission:Impossible movies sans the second, which I hate.Comment
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Joyful Noise
Directed by Todd Graff.
2012. Rated PG-13, 118 minutes.
Cast:
Queen Latifah
Dolly Parton
Keke Palmer
Jeremy Jordan
Dexter Darden
Courtney B. Vance
Jesse L. Martin
Angela Grovey
Dequina Moore
Kris Kristofferson
Kirk Franklin
When Bernie (Kristofferson) passes away Pastor Dale (Vance) decides Vi Rose (Latifah) will take his place as choir director, much to the chagrin of Bernie’s widow G. G. (Parton), who wants the position for herself. The two already have issues with one another so this just makes things worse. Vi Rose is also trying to raise two teenagers by herself since her husband is away in the service. Her daughter Olivia (Palmer) is a member of the choir and a fairly typical 16 year old. Walter (Darden) is a little younger and has a form of autism called Asperger’s Syndrome. We’re told he can’t pick up on things like humor and sarcasm, doesn’t like to be touched and is totally fixated on one-hit wonders. Then there’s Randy (Jordan). He’s a trouble-maker who’s been kicked out of his parent’s house. He’s also in love with Olivia. Melodrama, puppy love and singing ensues. Lots of singing.
As in her best work, Queen Latifah is a force of nature as Vi Rose. Her presence is undeniable. She has a way of dominating a scene whether she’s the focus, or not. This pays the most dividends when she argues with or consoles other characters. She overwhelms them with an unstoppable wave of passion we can’t help but be glued to. Fortunately, we’re given several of these scenes throughout the movie.
The rest of the acting is spotty and seems to break down along gender lines. Most of the ladies are very good. Most of the guys, not so much. Jeremy Jordan as Randy is the biggest offender. He’s just not at all believable as a bad boy and seems to be channeling Zac Effron during the High School Musical days whenever he bursts into song. He’s a cute kid, hardly a menace to society. As far as the other guys go, it’s largely due to the script giving them nothing to do until they have to suddenly drop some supposedly heartfelt pearl of wisdom. This particular strategy fails to aid their performances. Some get nothing to do at all. The usually excellent Kris Kristofferson dies within two minutes of the start, only getting a superfluous flashback scene later in which he only gets to dance cute with Dolly. The talented Courtney B. Vance is on the screen often, but relegated to bump on a log status.
Speaking of the script, it tries to do too much and winds up doing nothing whatsoever. At least, it doesn’t do anything unique. It’s mildly amusing, on occasion, and the various plotlines play out pretty much as expected. One of those is a sob story about how hard the town they live in has been hit by the recession. There is no doubt lots to be explored down that avenue, but none of it is. It just feels tacked on and even more manipulative than the other already gushy storylines.
The same goes for race. Joyful Noise goes out of its way to show us interracial relationships. The choir is more diverse than any I’ve ever seen in real life. I’ve no problem with either other than it feels as if some grand point will be made, but we never get around to it. Then again, maybe that is the point.
What we end up with is a movie that barrels towards a plethora of happy endings and fails to make any decipherable commentary on the topics it seems to want to: the economy and race. On the other hand, it springs to life whenever leading lady Latifah is called upon to give us a show-stopping moment or when the music gets going and we’re treated to another lively tune. The question for you is: do you want a cute, light-hearted and homey musical with a religious slant?
MY SCORE: 5/10Comment
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Drive
Directed by Nicolas Winding Refn.
2011. Rated R, 100 minutes.
Cast:
Ryan Gosling
Carey Mulligan
Ron Perlman
Bryan Cranston
Albert Brooks
Oscar Isaac
Christina Hendricks
Kaden Leos
The kid or Driver (Gosling), as he’s listed in the credits, is special behind the wheel. His ability has gotten him a few different gigs. He’s a mechanic and part-time Hollywood stunt driver. His boss at the shop acts as his agent and is trying to borrow money from the local gangsters to finance a racecar driving career for his boy. The kid is also a popular and highly effective getaway driver for area riffraff. We get the impression that when he’s not doing any of these jobs he sits in his small one bedroom apartment all alone and stares at the walls. He doesn’t say much. His conversations consist mostly of one word answers to the questions of others. It’s pretty safe to say he’ll never be mistaken for a social butterfly. I imagine it’s kind of hard to meet girls that way.
Ah, but a girl there must be. The kid has a thing for Irene (Mulligan) who lives next door with her son Benecio (Leos). We quickly realize, she has a thing for him, too. They often see each other in the elevator but might never have interacted beyond saying a polite hello if not for her car breaking down. You see, she’s less shy than he, but still not a big talker. He manages to string together enough words to ask her out. She accepts and they sort of become a couple. Even though there are fewer words shared between them than sheepish grins, they understand one another.
Showing such a silent relationship is a tricky proposition. Movies are generally cluttered with noise. It’s what we expect. Here, neither of our lovebirds says much with their mouths. Body language and facial expressions handle the bulk of their communicating. The make a cute couple. The trick that’s turned is making us understand the depth of their feelings for each other. Even this is done without the usual visual panache. They never look longingly into each other’s eyes or go running towards one another and kiss deeply while sweeping music blares from the speakers. Neither tries to chase the other down while the object of their desire is aboard a departing bus or train with tears streaking down their face. There are no love scenes. What they have just is.
Well, it just is until it just isn’t. Rather, it lurks in background when we get a large piece of information. This info that I won’t divulge is the dime the movie turns on. When we get it, we may realize things are about to change. Still, we can’t fathom how it will lead us to the place at which we eventually arrive. Just know that this makes the second half of the picture a graphically violent excursion.
For some, the fact that all the action takes place late will be problematic. They’ll be frustrated by all non-verbal communication and general lack of adrenaline during the first part of the movie. The issue will be that these people have likely seen the trailers for Drive and happily hit the play button expecting something more along the lines of a Fast and Furious retread. They will be severely disappointed. The rest of us will be drawn in by the uncommonly quiet half of the film and will delight in the explosion of violence when it comes.
MY SCORE: 9/10Comment
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The first getaway scene, one of my favorite scenes in a long timeComment
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Drive was a surprisingly refreshing movie.Comment
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i dont see what was so great about the first getaway scene. it was short with very little action...but the thing that bothered me the most is that he didnt even do his job. he left his cargo behind.
as for the rest of the film, i enjoyed it for those reasons dell said people wouldnt enjoy it. people would expect something other than what they got. I thought it was great for being different and thats really the only thing that kept me interested.Comment
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