There was an idea called the Avengers Initiative. The idea was to bring together a group of remarkable people so they could become something more. See if they could work together when we needed them to fight the battles we never could.

After the theft of the Tesseract, an energy source of unbelievable power, by Loki (Tom Hiddleston) of Asgard, S.H.I.E.L.D. director Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) brings together a team made up of Earth’s mightiest heroes. This team is made up of the smartmouth billionaire with power armor of the highest tech, Tony Stark/Iron Man (Robert Downey, Jr.); the once human popsicle super-soldier veteran that helped lead us to victory during World War II, Steve Rogers/Captain America (Chris Evans); the on-the-run brilliant scientist that transformed into a hulking green monster after being exposed to gamma radiation, Bruce Banner/the Hulk (Mark Ruffalo); the Asgardian god of thunder that shares the name of the Norse deity, Thor (Chris Hemsworth); the beautiful and deadly spy of S.H.I.E.L.D., Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson); and the master marksman with some fancy trick arrows, Clint Barton/Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner).

Can this cult of personality put aside their issues with one another long enough to stop Loki from summoning his army of alien forces and taking over the world? The Avengers have assembled.

There is a movie. A movie that comes about once in a lifetime. A movie that no one thought possible. A movie that would require numerous factors in order to achieve and perform. A movie that not only has built up so much hype that it is nigh impossible to live up to, but actually does.

The Avengers IS that movie.

The Avengers is a movie that has been in the making since the release of Iron Man back in 2008. It was Marvel’s hope that they could create a series of superhero movies based off their properties in order to tie them all together for this one movie where the heroes all team up and save the day while kicking a lot of ass while doing so. This idea spanned across five movies: The already mentioned Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, Iron Man 2, Thor, and Captain America: The First Avenger. Some were great, some were good, and one was bad (Iron Man 2). With each passing year and movie release, fans have been teased with this crossover and expectations were high – as well as low hopes. How does The Avengers hold up?

Spontaneous combustion of the human body has been widely accepted as impossible. People generally don't just burst into flames for no reason. This fact serves as the premise for the trilling Kung-fu mystery adventure that is Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame. The soon to be first female empress of china Wu Zetian, calls upon the unparalleled wisdom of a man she herself previously exiled; the titular detective Dee Renjie. She hopes that he will be able to solve the case of these "Phantom Flame" murders before her coronation occurs, or her own life is taken by the blazing inferno. Directed by Hark Tsui (Seven Swords) choreographed by stunt-director Sammo Hung (Ip man) and featuring Andy Lau (warlords along side Jet Li).

Hailed by NY magazine as "Crouching Tiger meets Sherlock Holmes... only a LOT MORE FUN", this film melds some of the biggest names in martial arts movies into one cohesive heart pounding thriller that won't disappoint. Check out the official trailer below and head over to the film's official website for screens and more information on the film.

Sucker Punch is an odd film in that it is a bit of a mindfuck and you'd have a hard time figuring out what is actually going on. It is like Inception in that there is a plot within a plot within a plot (Plotception?!?!). The main plot involves a girl known as "Baby Doll" (played by Emily Browning) who is sent to a mental asylum unjustly. The film revolves around Baby Doll's escape from the mental asylum which is actually a front, for a prostitution ring. The asylum warden, Blue Jones (played by Oscar Isaacs), forces the girls to "entertain" his male clients as he conducts his illicit activities. Baby Doll has to learn to dance seductively and rapidly for "we do not keep things that have no use." The film alternates back and forth between reality and the fantasy world but in the end you wonder if the entire thing is a fantasy of the mentally unstable Baby Doll. It sounds like a great film to watch but it has its shortcomings.

“Your fans never left you! The world hasn’t forgotten! Sure, it’s impossible, but we’ve gotta try! It’s time to play the music…”
“It’s time to light the lights.”
“It’s time to meet the Muppets…”

Walter was…special. Being a Muppet when growing up isn’t as fun as it sounds, especially when living in a human community. But he sought refuge in his family’s old Muppet Show tapes, and became the biggest Muppet fan in the world. Years passed, and that fact still hasn’t changed. During a trip to Los Angeles with his brother Gary (Jason Segel) and Gary’s girlfriend Mary (Amy Adams), Walter discovers a dastardly plot by oil tycoon Tex Richman (Chris Cooper) to demolish the Muppet Theater for the oil beneath it; though, really, it’s just because Richman is an asshole. Now Walter, Gary and Mary must help Kermit the Frog reunite the Muppets and raise $10 million in a Muppet Telethon to save their beloved Muppet Theater.

Hilarity ensues.

“Whatever happens, stay who you are. Not just a soldier, but a good man.”

The time is 1942. World War II is still raging on. 90-pound-when-wet Steve Rogers wishes to enlist in the U.S. Army to do his part in serving his country, but is rejected on grounds of being too sickly and weak. However, he finally is given his chance as he is offered to be a part of a secret government program that turns him in the epitome of human potential, a super soldier. Donning the moniker Captain America, he enters the war against the Axis forces. However, the Nazi organization HYDRA and its leader the “Red Skull” has tapped into a power beyond our world for his plans of world domination…

Now for the review:

Ah, Cap. After three failed attempts at making you work for the silver screen, we finally have one that did its job well and more.

Captain America’s special effects served its job well. Nothing particularly worth noting, but it is really is nice to see explosions that aren’t computer generated. I suppose I should mention how well they managed to make Chris Evans look like a scrawny wimp at the start of the movie? Frankly, it looked extremely well done. If you weren’t aware of that it was an effect, you probably won’t even notice. However, there are some scenes that were a bit obvious due to how thin his neck is compared to his large head, but those scenes are few and far between.

The music for the movie was, naturally, war-based in nature and really worked well with the time of WWII. It was very patriotic, and made you feel like punching a Nazi in the face. Also, there was this one song in the movie called “Star Spangled Man” that was ridiculously catchy, cheesy, and hilarious. I was pleasantly surprised to read it was composed by Alan Menken of Disney Renaissance fame. Excellent job, sir.

The casting of Captain America could not have been more perfect. When I first heard Chris Evans was cast as Cap, I was pretty skeptical. I mean, really? Chris Evans? The Human Torch from the Fantastic Four movies? Yeah, he redeemed himself by completely awesome in Scott Pilgrim, but I just didn’t see him as the humble and patriotic Captain America. Thankfully, he put his heart into this role and really showed the human side of Cap.

Hugo Weaving was just so delightfully evil. He never exactly took his role seriously, but I don’t think it would have worked if he did. He chewed the scenery like there was no tomorrow and was exactly what you’d expect from a pulp-inspired movie like this. Hayley Atwell served your typical female love interest character, Sebastian Stan actually made BUCKY of all characters awesome, and Tommy Lee Jones was…Tommy Lee Jones. Which is awesome.

Captain America felt a breath of fresh air for me after seeing it. While the movie is unmistakably a superhero movie, this movie also decided to blend a war story into it. Yes, you’re probably wondering isn’t that natural considering the origin story of Captain America? That is true, but for some reason the old Captain America movies tend to gloss over that fact. As such, the movie had this very classic pulp fiction feel to it. It employed many of the tropes you’d expect out of a movie like this and you can probably predict exactly what happens.

However, that does not mean the movie was cliché-ridden. Much like in Thor, Captain America had a definitive self-awareness that allowed it to subvert expectations and even show what would happen realistically in certain situations. For example, even after turning into a super soldier, Cap was used as a mascot for the U.S. war propaganda due to a public display of heroics he did in stopping a HYDRA agent. It is after a solo mission he did on his own did he become a true American soldier in the war effort.

That isn’t to say the movie didn’t have its silly moments, however. No matter how much they tried to set up HYDRA as an intimidating force, the Red Skull’s makeup was just downright goofy. It was just hilarious to look at and you can’t keep yourself from giggling at it. It also doesn’t help that HYDRA’s salute consisted of them thrusting out both of their arms.

No, but the true charm of Captain America: The First Avenger was simply the character of Captain America himself. After seeing so many films about these people that become heroes because they wished to become better people or anti-heroes (which isn’t a bad thing, mind you), it’s just so refreshing to see someone that actually become a hero because he was already a good person. You see Cap struggle in his attempts to be able to be that person that helps people. You see him as the weakling that stood up to bullies despite his weakness. You see him in war training, showing his determination. You see him despair at being unable to do it. You see him become the hero that he was meant to be. You can side with him because he is a good man given the chance to show how great he can be.

For this patriot superhero movie, I give a:

4.5 out of 5

Captain America: The First Avenger is a pulpy-good movie. Although I didn’t cover it in the review, the action was great, the atmosphere was like something out of an oldie film reel, and Cap was just awesome. I’m confident enough to say this is as good as Iron Man for me.

I recommend this movie to those looking for a good, summer superhero movie and those that wish to see an honest and good hero in action. Oh, and be sure to stay after the credits for the first trailer for the Avengers movie!

Captain America: The First Avenger was produced by Marvel Studios, and distributed by Paramount Pictures.

The end of a saga…

The time has come. Many lives have been lost. The war is coming to an end. The final confrontation between the Boy Who Lived and the Dark Lord is here.

Now for the review:

It is the end of a legacy. The very last of the Harry Potter films has arrived. Frankly, if you’re a fan, you would go see this even if I said this was the worst movie I have seen in my life.

The special effects for Deathly Hallows were good. While certainly plentiful, I felt that the film was taking a sort of “minimalist” approach in regard to the effects. Yes, pretty much every single scene had CGI effects happening in the back and foreground, but it felt very natural. It felt as if the movie was saying, “Yes, there’s magic happening. Let’s move on.” It wasn’t like it was trying to show off, like what James Cameron did with Avatar (No! I will not stop bitching about it!). It was just there to serve its purpose of progressing with the story, which I definitely appreciated.

The film’s score was pretty forgettable, save for the original theme composed by the legendary John Williams of course.

In brightest day, in blackest night…

My rating system:

5 = Perfection.
4.5 = REALLY good, but lacking that oomph to make it 5.
4 = Great.
3.5 = Above average. Definitely worth a look.
3 = Average.
2.5 = Below average. If you like its genre, you probably would like it.
2 = Not terrible, but not something you would like.
1.5 = Bad, but still worth checking JUST to make fun of how bad it is.
1 = BEWARE! EVIL! NOT EVEN WORTH MAKING FUN OF! WILL LITERALLY MAKE YOU SICK!

Rebellious test pilot Hal Jordan freezes up during a combat test, resulting in the crash of his plane. The sudden strike of fear stems from the plane accident that caused the death of his famous Air Force pilot father. As Hal tries to ignore his fears, he is suddenly transported to the location of a crashed alien spaceship. Inside is an injured Abin Sur, a member of the Green Lantern Corps, a sort of intergalactic police force. Abin Sur, with his dying breath, declares Hal as the new Green Lantern of his sector and gives him his decoder ring – erm, I mean Green Lantern ring, which gives the Green Lanterns the power to bring constructs into reality via their imagination and willpower. Now, Hal must learn exactly what it means to be a Green Lantern as the Corps’ greatest danger, Parallax, sets its sights upon Earth…

Now for the review:

The special effects in Green Lantern are a mixed bag. When they look good, they look really good. When they look bad, they look really, really bad. The CGI work for the Green Lantern Corps’ headquarters planet Oa looked well-done, albeit not shown that much. The rest, however, looks like something out of a video game cutscene. A really nice looking video game cutscene, mind you, but a really bad looking silver screen CGI scene. I don’t understand how the CGI looked so good in the trailer yet resulted in this ugly mess in theaters.

Drink up me ‘earties, yo ho…

My rating system:

5 = Perfection.
4.5 = REALLY good, but lacking that oomph to make it 5.
4 = Great.
3.5 = Above average. Definitely worth a look.
3 = Average.
2.5 = Below average. If you like its genre, you probably would like it.
2 = Not terrible, but not something you would like.
1.5 = Bad, but still worth checking JUST to make fun of how bad it is.
1 = BEWARE! EVIL! NOT EVEN WORTH MAKING FUN OF! WILL LITERALLY MAKE YOU SICK!

Ah, Pirates of the Caribbean. Disney’s mature audience cash cow, having earned its place as one of the highest grossing films ever, continues on with this latest addition. How did it fare?

Captain Jack Sparrow has been wrangled into yet another adventure as he discovers someone has been using his name to gather together a crew. His investigation leads him to an old flame of his, Angelica, whom is on the search for the Fountain of Youth. The journey leads them through obstacles including zombies, others in search for the Fountain such as the legendary pirate Blackbeard and the newly appointed privateer Barbossa, and…mermaids? The search is on! Now where’s my rum?