Captain America: The First Avenger

I had planned on seeing Bad Teacher, but at ticket booth I changed my mind and saw Captain America: The First Avenger instead. What a good decision.

First things first. The title. Captain America may hold the "title" of The First Avenger, but he is the last of the four featured in the upcoming film (The Avengers) to have his own film. I just found it ironic that they made this movie last of the four.

So let's get to it. The movie moves more as a recount of events rather than just a story occurring (minus the narration). We follow a meek/mousy looking Steven Rogers (played by Chris Evans) who undergoes an experimental treatment to turn him into bigger, faster, stronger Captain America (aka Johnny Storm 2.0). Captain America starts out as a public figure of stability and has to gain the respect of the troops he is trying to help. He goes on to fight Johann Schmidt and Hydra.

Following surprisingly fitting dialogue these actors follow through. Evans and Hayley Atwell (playing Peggy Carter) have great chemistry when they are on screen, though a few events had some awkward timing, most notably the first kiss. Great performances all around by the main characters, help give this superhero movie an extra kick. I did not, however, enjoy the accents from some of the characters. They seemed a bit off to have been strictly German. With many big name actors in this film, I was not surprised that the performances were fun to watch.

The sound throughout this movie was outstanding! Easily one of the best parts of the film. The sound effects actually matched and were not simply the standard door creak heard in countless movies. They seemed fresh and added a lot to the fight scenes. The special effects, while good, left a little to be desired in my opinion. The only time they seemed strange was in the train scene. (See the movie to find out what I mean). Though I am very pleased to see more and more comic book movies focus on the stories rather than just on the action. It makes the movies more fun to go to, more well-rounded, and shows that the producers and directors are spending more time on the story details

While I haven't read any Captain America comic books in my time, I can say that I followed the story well and it made sense. I greatly enjoyed the tie in to World War II (though I know that came from the comic books). It makes movies like this more fun to go to; seeing things you've learned about for years, with a new spin on them.

Before Captain America became the hero in this film he was doing hokey bond-selling, which I must say I sided with the soldiers on. It fit with the time and for most of it I actually felt more patriotic, but after he tries the same spiel on the men in action the whole story changes and action ensues.

A mouse to lion story unknown to many, was brought to screen with pride and dignity. Captain America: The First Avenger was a great end to the separate films (The Incredible Hulk, Iron Man, and Thor) and a great beginning for Captain America and The Avengers.

8/10

The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet's Nest

What a wild conclusion to a wonderful trilogy! Stieg Larsson's Millennium trilogy was brought to the big screen by Niels Arden Oplev with The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo and seamlessly picked up by Daniel Alfredson for the final two films. I haven't read the books yet, but after watching all three of these films this trilogy is the next series on my must-read list.

The story on screen comes out as a web of intricate lies, deceit, and mystery as I'm sure the the books do and as usual probably better than the movies. Each film became darker than the previous one and the third installment was no different. Picking up right where The Girl Who Played With Fire left off we find a hospitalized Lisbeth Salander played again spectacularly by Noomi Rapace.

The acting throughout is yet again a pleasure to watch. The actors really bring their characters to life, especially Lisbeth Salander and Michael Blomkvist. The acting of Anders Ahlbom as Peter Teleborian was incredible. He made a character come to life as the sleaze ball that he really was. One character that I really liked was Lisbeth's doctor Anders Jonasson only because of how he helps her. Though I didn't really understand why he was so trusting and helpful to her or why she was so trusting of him. Maybe there is more detail in the book.

Since I haven't read the books I can't say much about the translation from book to film, but from what I know about screenwriting I thought it was decent. The one thing that confused me was how the courts work in Sweden. If the way it was portrayed in the film is how it really is court would be a very exciting place. With new evidence being found and added during a trial without the knowledge of the opposing side really showing a lawyers true worth. While watching the court scenes I couldn't help but feel elated as I watched the full story unfold and watch as pieces from the first two films come together to complete the excellent story.

Overall this final installment of the Millennium trilogy (originally supposed to be a ten book series) rounded out a solid set of films quite well. Though some things didn't make sense (like the courtroom scene) it all worked well. I am curiously waiting to see how the American adaptation of The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo turns out later this year and if it will hold up the standard set by the Swedes in 2009.

7/10

Friends With Benefits

Making a movie that tells you pretty much the whole premise in the title entertaining is usually a struggle, but not with Friends With Benefits. It, along with Bridesmaids, has shown that cliched romantic comedies can be funny for everyone. It takes an idea that is usually attributed to college students and brings it into the "real world," but does it with wit and humor. I think that filmmakers are finally realizing that they can actually make romantic comedies funny.

The story follows Dylan (Justin Timberlake) and Jamie (Mila Kunis) meet in the airport in New York and as there friendship takes off so does the movie. At first it mimics their relationship. Fast quick edits like the time spent at the beginning of any friendship seems rocky, but fits perfectly. This editing is not standard for romantic comedies which adds to the underlying idea of the film: mock romantic comedies. This idea slowing fades though as the movie starts to become that which it pokes fun at. Don't let this deter you though, even as this happens the movie is entertaining and funny!

Following a man who is an emotionally unavailable workaholic (Timberlake) and a woman who is emotionally damaged (Kunis), this film keeps the wise-cracks coming throughout. These two actors have a great chemistry on screen and play off of each other incredibly well. The supporting characters were outstanding to watch as well. Every time a new character was introduced it was another actor/actress that I enjoy watching!

The script was full of witty rapport between Dylan and Jamie and some great lines will surely be repeated for months to come. The humor never really seemed to stop to me and a lot of that is due to the script, but also due to the actors' comedic timing, which was perfect most of the time. There were plot gaps and yes, maybe the humor is raunchy, but if you're looking for a movie that many will enjoy, Friends With Benefits just may be the right fit for you!

7.5/10

Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows Part 2

I don't know where to begin with this. This movie brought an official close to my childhood. I, along with many others, grew up with the Harry Potter series, got the books at midnight when they came out, and waited for hours in lines to see the movies at midnight too. I call this movie a bookend to my childhood and I mean it in every way.

The movies matured as the books did, and I am very happy they decided to stretch the last book into two movies. There was just too much information for them to include in just one movie. Everything about this film lived up to my expectations and that's the best way for me to put it. Honestly I feel that even if you haven't read the books or seen any of the movies this one paired with its' part one would be great movies to see and very enjoyable.

The actors performances were the best of the eight films and they brought each of the characters to life exactly how I had imagined in the final book. It only took ten years. The darker aspects of the book really shine through in the movie. All the deaths and violence were portrayed a little shallow for my taste, but they were trying to keep it a family-esque film so they had to basically brush over the deaths. But the whole movie had a dark feel to it. A feel that first joined the movies in the Goblet of Fire. It made the movie seem more adult (like a majority of the audience).

Not only was the acting great, but the script, aside from a few delineations from the book's plot, was outstanding as well. Some of my favorite parts in the book came through exactly as I had pictured them while reading. One was the Molly/Bellatrix fight, another was the Gringotts scene, and the scene in the Room of Requirement. They all did justice to the book and I was very pleased with them.

The score as usual was outstanding! Especially the parts when there was no music. All we heard were footsteps or the crunching of leaves. Alexandre Desplat's music emphasized all the right scenes and worked its' magic throughout the movie. Every swell in the music matched a swell in the action. It was fantastic!

Overall the movie was a great end to an outstanding book and film series. If you have read the books you'll love this movie and if you haven't read the books, you should probably start there first.

9/10

Horrible Bosses

It's been awhile since I've seen a movie (20 days to be exact) and I wanted to see one before seeing Harry Potter on Thursday night. So I went to see Horrible Bosses. It turned out to be a pretty standard summer comedy. While it had a great cast, script, and acting, a few things just didn't really work for me.

The movie begins with an explanation of each of the three main characters bosses and why they hate them. The explicit use of titles on the screen for what Nick, Dale, and Kurt (played by Jason Bateman, Charlie Day, and Jason Sudeikis respectively) think of their bosses. The entertainment ensues from there. Jason Bateman seems to be channeling his old character Michael Bluth from Arrested Development. In this movie I think it worked great! Especially opposite Charlie Day and Jason Sudeikis, previously seen together  in Going The Distance, who share the same chemistry in Bosses. Each of the three men has his own quirks and they come through at different points in the story. The comedic timing from these three was just outstanding and the delivery of their lines was great as well!

The villains matched the performances of the protagonists perfectly. Kevin Spacey, one of the great actors of the time, is stupendous as Nick's boss. He is wonderfully evil and despicable. Colin Farrell is hilarious as a coke-head boss and of course Jennifer Aniston is as stunning as ever and she gives a great performance opposite Charlie Day's Dale. Finally one of my favorite characters of the film was Motherf**ker Jones played by Jamie Foxx. The many different interactions amongst these seven characters is what made the movie funny to me, though I think this has to do more with the script than just the acting.

The script could have sold itself in my opinion. Some of the lines are hilarious and had me in stitches. However, while most of the script was funny and entertaining, a few times it dragged a joke out too long. I think it only happened three times to be exact and two of the times were the same joke being dragged out. Past that though, many new lines were said that will probably be quoted for the next few months and possibly years.

One of the best things about Horrible Bosses was the use of fantasy and imagination throughout. Mainly because everyone has thoughts of killing someone they despise at least once in their life. The movie takes that idea and runs with it. Each man devising a different way to kill each other's boss. And the collisions between story lines and characters produces some great comedy. The story is good, but sometimes dragged on a little too long to me. Either way, if you like Jason Bateman, Charlie Day, or Jason Sudeikis, you will enjoy Horrible Bosses.

7/10