Captain America: The First Avenger

PITCH

"Why someone weak? Because a weak man knows the value of strength, the value of power..."

VIEWING

      Captain America looked gorgeous shot for shot.  Joe Johnston (The Rocketeer, October Sky, The Wolfman...) really captured the essence of the 40's.  The pizazz, the noir, the giddiness of discovery coupled with the whole fashion scheme, style, and attitude that was prevalent then.

     The motion image augmentation or misplacement that was used to shoot Steve Rogers as a scrawny Gollum-like figure of a man, was dang-near flawless.

     Supporting cast was really fun to watch.  Tommy Lee Jones was right on point being a cranky old efficient colonel and  Dominic Cooper playing Tony Stark's(Iron Man) dad had me all in.  Hugo Weaving continues to show why he is the most sought after actor to play villain in Hollywood.  He loses the Agent Smith residue and unleashes a near perfect German accent as he becomes Red Skull.

      One thing I noticed that people should be aware of is that Captain America was known for his brawling and niftiness with that shield of his.  He's not some alien or trickster with cool weapons.  He's an American and that is suppose to be enough.  It was for me , I sorta loved it. 

     For those of us that are were not privied to the comic books growing up, that little square of energy that baffled us in the extra footage after the Thor credits is finally defined. Speaking of extra footage, don't leave too early or you'll miss a long awaited teaser from the upcoming AVENGERS movie.

     I give it a B.

DON'T FORGET TO SIT THRU THE CREDITS FOR THE AVENGER TEASER!!!!

WORTH

$$$$1/2

Winnie the Pooh

PITCH

  

 VIEWING


     Going back to the basics can be a clear cold drink in the middle of an over-populated, high-tech heat infested ball park.  A breath of fresh air in a vacuum of grotesque in the name of 'shock-vale'.  In my case, a revisit to a time of innocence in a world gone bad. 

     Felt good to see familiar characters in a new adventure.  Couple that with a short story/new nursery rhyme before the main feature called The Ballad of Nessie about Nessie (the alleged Loch Ness Monster)and her best friend MacQuack, I was in one of the most nostalgic atmosphere's that I had ever been in.

   

Pooh and company looked great on the big screen.  As the introductions rounded out a warm grin creeps around my face and we're off on another adventure.

     This time they have to find a new 'tael' for Eeyore and defeat the 'backson'.

     Whether or not they succeed is dependent upon whether or not you watch!

      This was money well spent, it's worth an A grade. I challenge any critic to tell me how this movie could of been any better.

WORTH

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SIT THRU THE CREDITS FOR A SURPRISING REVELATION!!!!

Friends With Benefits

PITCH

VIEWING

      I surprised myself by going to see this one. Having seen No Strings Attached just a few months ago I had no intention of revisiting the inevitable.  I felt no movie production company is going to take a romantic couple movie and split them up in the end.  The closest the industry came was in the movie The Breakup.  Even though the title prepared us for the conclusion it still didn't go over well with a lot of us. 

     Honestly, the movie had more depth than I would expect from such a shallow title.  I like where the story went when Dylan's [Justin Timberlake] family was introduced, especially his father.  For some reason, that whole dilemma with his pops just resonated with me.  Richard Jenkins, Dylan's dad, did an extraordinary  and convincing job of making his part memorable in a watch-then-forget-it kind of flick .

     Nice cameos from Shaun White and Andy Samberg, but Woody Harrelson continues to be a funny/necessary addition to any flick.

     The movie was worth watching, I give it a C+.

WORTH

$$1/2

The Zookeeper

PITCH

" Lead with your pudding cup."

VIEWING

      So when this screenplay ended up on the production company's desk, I'm not sure why they green lit it but I'm sure that it had a lot to do with Kevin James.   This script offers nothing new.  The story has been redone so many times.  The concept of talking animals is a long way from 'ground-breaking'; and there were very few surprises.

     ... but I liked it.

     Maybe, I liked it because it was a return to the Kevin James that I laughed at from King of Queens. That Kevin James that I hadn't seen since he did Hitch. 

     Maybe it was because the animals were actually funny and all the physical stunt humor that Kevin pulled off actually worked ( wait till you hear whose voices are behind the animals, I was pleasantly surprised at the caliber of actors/actresses that are doing this type of work).

     Perhaps it was a combination of all those things and somehow, this cast of animals and humans just had that certain chemistry to pull this movie off. I dunno, all  I know is I had a good time watching The Zookeeper and wouldn't mind watching it again.  Kids should get a kick out of it for sure.  Well, worth your money , I give it a B.

WORTH

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HORRIBLE BOSSES

"So you do... know... the movie."

PITCH

VIEWING

     Another pleasant surprise from one of the most historical years at the movies...  Honestly, I had no idea that HORRIBLE BOSSES would of been this funny.  I went in the theater not knowing what I was going to see, in fact, which ever movie started first would be the winner once I got there.  It was between this one and The Zookeeper and this HB won by 20 minutes....  Might of been the greatest and best decision made by me in quite some time.

     The trailer did a good job of explaining all three situations so the movie didn't have to do much in that area.  What was surprising is that the content in the trailer was still funny in the movie.

        Every character had energy/pop.  The situation(s) were funny by itself but all three leads plus Jamie Foxx made this an exceptional comedy.  By the way, Jamie Foxx's named surpassed Charlie Murphy's name in The Lottery Ticket as the the all time funniest names for a male in a movie.

      Never saw Jennifer Aniston this way.  How can anyone look at Colin Farrel with a gut, bald head, and a comb-over and not laugh?  

Jason Bateman needs to put a copyright on that stare of his, and lastly Charlie Day is a new comer for me.  I heard that he has a show and it's pretty funny so now I have to check it out, the guy was hilarious!

     If I wanted to be a prick and try to find something wrong... I'd say:  I wish the script would of went just a little further in the harassment dept of all the bosses to mentally justify the want/need to actually take out a boss.  But sense I'm not,  HORRIBLE BOSSES gets an A- !

WORTH

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Transformers: Dark of the Moon

PITCH

" It's over. I'm sorry, but it's over."

VIEW

    Where do I began?  There is soooooooooooo much here that it's almost frightening to try and harness it all and give you a short and precise evaluation.  Let's start with this:  I loved it.  Love, love, love... loved it.  

Never have I seen a trilogy this complete since the Godfather movies, this is what the Matrix conclusion should of looked like.  Here we had an origin, a middle, and this glorious conclusion. Not a melancholy cerebral ending for us to determine what happens; Or something like a Soprano ending where you feel incomplete.  

 

Darkside of the Moon leaves no stone unturned.

   The cast once again showed why they are paid like they are, even the newcomer Carly played by Rosie Huntington-Whiteley.    Caution: You are going to hear a lot of people downing her performance for whatever reason they can come up with.  Believe me she was spectacular, amazing even, for her first movie!  Her first real acting gig and she nailed it!
 

Kudos to the writers for making her part pertinent to the story.  Actually, the resolution of the conflict relied heavily on her role believe it or not.  Incredible.

     John Malkovich was funny but most of his stuff should of been left on the editing room floor.

 
John Turturro provided comedic relief as well and as usual, but Ken Jeong [Mr. Chow from The Hangover] provided probably the most laughs next to Alan Tudyk[Simon in Death at a Funeral] .  I forgot he was in the flick, what a pleasant surprise.  Also it was nice seeing  Lester Speight [Reebok's Terry Tate 'the office linebacker']again.

      Lastly, Leonard Nimoy and Hugo Weaving are exceptional voice talents.

     So, the only complaint from others that I'm entertaining is the length.  Understand, that I come from a place where if the movie is good... I really don't mind it being long.  In fact I applaud it, more material for my buck is exactly how I see it.

     I liked the story a lot although I heard some complaints about that too. The whole pillar dilemma and all the deceit made the villainy seem absolute.  A complex problem that needed more than one answer made for some interesting decisions and outcomes... but the finale!  Whew! I believe the finale lasted dang near an half of a hour.  When I went to see it a second time I made a note to look at my watch and I forgot because there was just so much going on!

     One thing is for sure, no one on this earth can say that the action was lacking.  I'm pretty sure you haven't seen this much action for this long of a period of time ever!

     Darn right this movie get's an A and probably the crown for the blockbuster summer cinema showdown here in 2011.  We have to see how Captain America comes out and Cowboys and Aliens.  Mission: Impossible 4 wont be out till after the summer so we still have quite a spread left.  So flicker on O' great flickering light, we will be watching.

WORTH

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