Something Something, and the land of the free. Captain America, decent outing.

Chris Evans is a flat and basic character who hits one note. I don't mean to be disrespectful and I'm sure he was doing what he was told, by the production team behind the film, but he shows very little emotional depth. Basically, Evans plays the most manly, silent, archetypal hero figure, with out internal conflict.

Some may say that this is a failing of the movie - that most heroes like Spiderman, the Hulk, etc, have some sort of inner turmoil and the fact that this is missing in Cap A is a weakness of the film. But I would venture to say that what those people are missing is the propaganda aspect of these movies. Cap can't be weak, or suffer turmoil over his decisions. The closest he gets is when he regrets (SPOILER ALERT) the loss of Bucky. But for anyone who has read the comics, or watched the Avengers animated series, you know that this is inevitable.

After mourning Bucky, he moves on quickly with advice from Peggy Carter, played by Hayley Atwell. After that it is smooth sailing for the Captain as he does what is right. All the time. He never falters from his moral high ground and that is what brings him victory. He is selfless, and self-sacrificing and self-effacing. That is a lot of self... but none of it makes him self-absorbed.

The point being that he is the best soldier. He is an intentionally patriotic creation of Jack Kirby and Joe Simon from 1941. That means that he is meant to be a role model for kids - teaching them to be strong soldiers and stand up for what is right. Oh, and teaching them to join the army if they want to be like Captain America, which was pretty important in 1941.

With that out of the way, I enjoyed the movie. The supporting actors did a great job. Stanley Tucci made us feel loss, with his portrayal of Dr. Erskine. Tommy Lee Jones did a great job being himself as Colonel Phillips. And that is exactly what was needed for this character. Sometimes when an actor is cast, it is just for his or her name. With Tommy Lee Jones, it is because you know what you are getting and you get what you want: A gruff, loud, southern army / police / old man type.

The movie was mostly a development movie. It moves the plot along in order to set things up for the next movie: The Avengers. And for that I applaud Marvel. They have  done a great job creating a franchise that people want to see, just to find out what development will bring them closer to the next movie. It's like a running serial made for the big screen.

The action was good, not great, but good. There were a few, "YEAH!" moments, and a few "Did you see that?"s. But  overall, I'd say that it wasn't better than any of Marvel's previous outings, such as Thor, or Iron Man 2.

What does make this movie worth watching is this: It is filmed exceptionally well. The costumes are great, and the feeling of the photography is very nostalgic. I felt like I was watching a comic book, 1940's news reel. Complete propaganda from start to finish, but that is what Captain America is all about and they acknowledged that even in the final credits, with all of the war-time advertisements plastered across the screen. At least the director, Joe Johnston didn't have any illusions about what he was doing. And he did allude to many of the great themes of the 1940s: One man can make a difference. Men win wars, not guns. And the list goes on, but those ideals were what made America what it was. And as a Canadian, I can say that I appreciated those values. They remind me of such movies as The Sandlot, or Stand by Me. Kids who want to be something, and feel invincible.

Thanks Captain America, you one dimensional, patriotic symbol you.

Re-Watching the CRAP!

I've been in the mood recently, to re-watch some of the crappy movies from the past... You know, movies that you left the theatre feeling like you'd wasted your money, your time and lost a little piece of your soul in the process. I know we've all felt like that at some point. It's a feeling that you can't help getting when a really big movie has been over-hyped and you buy into it whole-heartedly.

A few of those huge letdowns have been: Pirates of the Caribbean - At World's End, X-Men: The Last Stand,  The Matrix Revolutions, The Day After Tomorrow, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, Spider-Man 3, Quantum of Solace, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, The Wolfman, Clash of the Titans,and the list could go on.

Now some of you may disagree with some of those on my list but I'd like to call upon the opinion of others:
Encell Entertainment's 10 Biggest Summer Movie Let-downs 1999-2008 and Dean00

SOOO! Here is my point. We watch those movies in theatres, with the highest of hopes and then we leave feeling like we've been shot in the stomach. Well, after going to see Predators (2010), without any expectations and being blown-away despite the reviews, I've decided it's time to put aside expectations and give movies a chance based solely on their vision and how successful they in realizing it.

Beginning with X-Men III (The Last Stand), I decided to go back to the comics and the cartoon. I re-read the Ultimate X-Men comics to get an understanding of the Phoenix. Then I watch all of the Phoenix Saga cartoons. After all of that reading and watching I revisited The Last Stand. I must say that it was still lacking. The change in direction with Brett Ratner was a mistake. But they couldn't go with the original story line of the Phoenix. If they went with the "aliens from space" angle it would have complicated the plotline too much. So, in retrospect, what they did was alright. It has redeeming qualities, apart from the fact that they killed the series by killing Xavier. That SUCKED!!!

Now for At World's End; the terrible 3rd installment of the Pirates of the Caribbean saga. I did no background research. I just jumped in and I must say that it was okay. I didn't feel like I'd been shot in the gut. The plot seems plausible, after seeing it again. The acting was quite good. On a negative note, the scenes in Davey Jones' Locker with Johnny Depp were ridiculous. But aside from that. The movie had enough action, drama, twists and an ending that satisfied. It was definitely worth a second chance. Because of that, I don't want to go into too much depth about it. I'd like you all to go and see it again for yourselves.

As for the other movies I've mentioned in this post. If you happen to disagree, or feel that they may deserve a second chance - minus the high expectations - go for it. I'd love to read some of your opinions.

Movie for Schmucks

         Dinner for Schmucks was not without its charm. If you are looking for a movie that will make you laugh, this will do the trick. But there were some problems. The movies felt like it had gone through too many brainstorming sessions in the writing process. At every plot point I could visualize a group of people sitting in a room and asking, "What is the worst thing that could happen for this scene?" and all of the resulting responses were then thrown into the script ad nauseum. Then they would brainstorm about how to make this terrible thing worse. As a quick example that doesn't give away any of the plot: Tim (Paul Rudd) forgets his phone on the way to a business lunch. Barry (Steve Carrell), after hearing a voicemail on said phone, stating that Tim needed to bring his girlfriend, goes and finds an unsuitalbe replacement. Tim then has to propose to this terrible stalker-woman in the restaurant. What is the worst thing that could happen at that point? His girlfriend walks in. Then the stalker-woman beats his car to death with a steal pole. 

            The problems with this movie outweigh the jokes. An hour into the movie, the plot sags and you get used to the worst possible scenarios that keep occurring. The jokes get predictable and the laughs die off. BUT!!! And this is a big but, toward the end the movie gets a sudden burst of energy and it become the movie it should have been all along. With fast-paced comedy and lots of laughs, it carries through to the finish. The only other problems at that point are with the plot's resolution where we get to see many inconsistencies with the story. Characters working together who should loath one another, etc. 

Overall, the movie was entertaining and the last 15 minutes will leave you feeling like it wasn't a complete waste. But then again I saw the movie during a pre-screening and didn't have to pay. So maybe you should wait for this one on DVD and Blu-ray. 

http://www.nj.com/entertainment/movies/index.ssf/2010/07/dinner_for_schmucks_movie_review_carell_strains_for_laughs.html