Captain America!!!!!

A quick update here. I will post more tomorrow when I wake up.

GO SEE CAPTAIN AMERICA!!!

If you like war movies...

If you like comics....

If you like Super heroes...

If you like going to the movies in general....

You will love Captain America: The First Avenger. It was Awesomely Legendary!! Run out right now and go see. Marvel kicks ass!!!

Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows

So if you read all the Harry Potter books and seen all the previous movies, there is no way you are going to miss this movie. This isn't a hard sell. Mostly everyone is going to see this film this weekend. For chance though, we will just say that you are the one person who hasn't see any of the Harry Potter movies nor have read a single one of the books, and you're asking yourself 'is this movie right for you?'

Are you completely mental?! There is no way you should consider watching this movie if you haven't watched all the other movies at a minimum. This final movie of the Harry Potter saga has been brewing for 14 years. If you are not already a fan, you probably won't be. That is unless you want to give it a try.

So if you do want to try it out. I suggest you first read all the books and watch all the movies one by one. After all that reading and watching of the previous movies, I'm sure you will grow to appreciate what this movie means to the millions of Potter fans worldwide.

That said, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2 was EPIC! Just like the books, (and the audience) the movies grew up along the way. This final chapter is dark, emotional, and action packed. The filming and acting was superb. You will believe you're in the wizardry world. It is a must see movie, but only if your have see all the other movies. It gets a L-Legendary for sure.

Next week, Cap's Coming!!!


P.S. - Oh Yeah! I will probably be checking out Winnie the Pooh this weekend too. At 1 hour and 13 minutes who could miss that?

Transformers 3

"We will kill them all!!" - Optimus Prime

Will Optimus Prime please save us from Michael Bay?

Here is what I like about the Transformer movies. 
       Transformers transforming into cool vehicles
       Awesome action scenes with Optimus Prime kicking ass and taking names.
       The transforming sound.

Here is what I hate about the Transformer movies.
       The Humans interaction with the Transformers.
       Humans are able to run around and take part in a HUGE Transformer battle.
       Main human characters don't EVER get hurt even though the Transformers are 40 feet taller than them.

Transformers: Dark of the Moon is exactly what you expect it to be. Lots of action and little story. I enjoyed watching this film just like I enjoyed the previous two. Just knowing that my childhood favorites are on the big movie screen is cool enough for me. What I can't stand is the constant human interference in this movie just like the rest. How come the same five or so human characters, who get into these long played out gun battles with the Decepticons, are walking away alive every time? Shit they all walk away, period. No broken limbs. No scratches  Why doesn't the Decepticons just squash them all.  And why do all the authoritative characters think humans can stop them all without the Autobots help?

The movie should be more like this.

Human: "Oh no the Decepticons are trying to destroy the world....again. Help us Optimus!!!"
Optimus Prime: "Ok, but you need to stay here out of our way. We can't be breaking formation and tactical planning every time one of you humans are about to get squash."
Human: "Ok. Go get 'em!!!"

88 minute Transformer fight scene. Optimus Prime fights Megatron to the death.

Humans shout: "Horray! you've saved us all!!!'
END

Go see Transformers 3. It gets a E-Entertaining. Enjoy the action. Enjoy the crappy humor. Enjoy the awfully annoying human characters. No Transformer movie will be able to capture the same great feeling and movie experience as the first one did. I hope Michael Bay stops the sequels. There are pure let downs in storytelling. Although they are enjoyable Sunday matinees.

Green Lantern

“In brightest day, in blackest night, No evil shall escape my sight.
Let those who worship evil’s might, Beware my power… Green Lantern’s light!“


Out of all the Superheroes in comic books, Green Lantern has the longest, slowest catch-phrase, motto, battlecry, oath, whatever you want to call it. It is no "Up, up, and away".


Well unfortunately, this also translated over to the the new Green Lantern movie. Now GL is a hard character to explain even to avid comic book readers. He is essentially an Universe space cop, and all his battles involve space creatures on distant planets or in deep space. All his power comes from a green ring he wears. He is part of a group that swears to protect the entire Universe from evil. So how do you make this character into a movie? Not well....


Green Lantern is a very slow paced movie. It spends a large portion of the movie trying to explain itself. Who are the Green Lanterns? Who is Hal Jordan? Why do we care? Even once you get to the point were Hal Jordan becomes the Green Lantern the action scenes are too short and too far in between. More time is spent on how he doesn't want to be a Green Lantern. It is sad. I was hoping it would have done better.


I believe that Ryan Reynolds was a good choice for Hal Jordan. He looks the part. Too bad his acting doesn't fit the part. GL was never a joking character. The jokes you seen in the trailers are about as good as it gets. All the others are one-liners that fall way too flat. Plus so much time is spend on Hal Jordan's insecurity that their isn't any time for any of the other characters to develop. 


Mark Strong was excellent as Sinestro, but you rarely see that character. Mark must have shot all his scenes in a single day. Where is Sinestro?! He is the trainer of Hal Jordan. He becomes the greatest enemy of the Green Lanterns. Hal discovers Sinestro uses fear to enforce his will over his Sector of the Universe that he is suppose to protect, and Hal gets him kicked out of the GL Corps. Why wasn't this part of the movie?! The best actor of the movie is rarely seen!!!


Same with all the other characters. We don't really see them. Peter Saragaard was good as Dr. Hector Hammond, but this character was also is neglected. Maybe they shouldn't have even hired actors. The CGI versions of other Green Lanterns were the most believable supporting characters of the entire movie. At least you know a lot of time was spent on creating them.


I was really excited to see this movie, only to be highly disappointed. I thought GL would have the same problem as Thor. How do you translate something that is takes a lot of imagination to the movie format which people expect to feel realistic. Somehow Thor was able to put it off.


You will need a lot of imagination to like this movie. You will have to imagine that the acting is good. That the story is good. That the effects are mind blowing. Without power of your imagination Green Lantern gets a l - lame. I was bored for most of the movie. I was waiting for a surprise or twist to happen, but none occurred. Rent this movie when it is released on DVD.

 At least I had some fun

Super 8

For months we've all seen the trailers for Super 8, and for months we all have been wondering what is this movie suppose to be about. Well it is quite simple. It's about some kids who like to make horror movies, there's a train wreck near a small town in Ohio that unleashes a unknown monster, weird things start happening, and kids have to solve the mystery. That is pretty much exactly what you get from the trailers.

You will most likely enjoy this movie. It has its moments that make you laugh. The kids have some great lines and the story moves pretty fast. Although the fact you will enjoy the movie, you will get a sense that you may have seen this movie before. The truth is that you're right. If your a fan of Steven Spielberg's movie, then you've seen this movie before. I felt like J.J. Abrams wanted to make homage film to Spielberg, and that is exactly what he did, only with a lot of lens flares. I'm telling you a lot of lens flares. Maybe he had a stockpile left over form Star Trek.

Super 8 is worth seeing. It gets a E - Entertaining. Again most likely you will enjoy seeing this movie, but I can't see anyone carrying on with an emotional connection to this movie when it is over. I think I liked this movie better when I saw it the first when it was called Jaws, E.T., Jurassic Park, and The Goonies.

X-Men: First Class

Do you remember seeing X-Men for the first time back in 2000? Well X-Men: First Class is the movie that one was suppose to be. I was surprisingly impressed.

I was going into this movie thinking, 'How could they possibly retell the beginning of the X-Men any different than from the first movie'. Simple. Start with the two main characters of the legacy(Professor X, and Magneto). Make the story all about them discovering their abilities and growing up with the responsibly. Add in a few young supporting mutants that need guidance. Most importantly, base it around an event in history that actually took place. It gives it a sense of credibility. It is more than a hodge podge of characters fighting in a fantasy story. It adds the "what-if" factor.

I heard that someone stated that this movie would be as good as if not better than The Dark Knight. How does one judge that? I can't say that. I can say that you will most definitely like this movie. This movie will go down as the best movie in the X-Men franchise. The Dark Knight was more than just a "Super Hero Movie". You believed that those characters could be real because how the story seemed to be ripped from everyday reality. The same could be said about X-Men: First Class. It will keep you intrigued for the entire film. I give it an A -Awesome rating. To be a "Legendary" movie it needs to change the way movies are made and thought about. This one is close to that. It is very close.

UPDATE: IMPORTANT - DO NOT WATCH ANYMORE MORE CLIPS ONLINE OR ON TV  FOR THIS FILM. A FEW SURPRISES ARE SPOILED

Side note:

Saw Hangover II last week. I thought it was entertaining. It is the same story as the first movie, and it was meant to be that way. The three main character are just a lot of fun. Their interaction together is what makes the movie a funny  E-Entertaining movie. You would mostly enjoy it. Just don't expect anything new.

Stranger Tides Indeed

Arrr, me hearty. It be time for reviewing the great, grand movie known as Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides.


















How much do you like popcorn? If you are a fan of fun, enjoyable, popcorn movies then you will like the fourth installment of the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise. Not much has changed from the formula of the previous three Pirates films. Johnny Depp still plays the best damn pirate hero as Captain Jack Sparrow that you'll ever see in a movie. It has swashbucklin' duels. It has cutthroats and back stabbing. It has mythical sea creatures protecting precious treasures. It is exactly what you'd want it to be, and it is fun to watch.

The story is not as strong as the first POTC movie. You will not be leaving the theater amazed and thinking, "Wow, they actually made a great movie based on an amusement ride." Mainly because you've seen it all before. At this point you are just going to be happy seeing Jack Sparrow back in action.

I have really grown to like Geoffrey Rush as Captain Barbossa. His character has become just as important to the lore of the POTC movies as Captain Jack Sparrow.When he talks you try your hardest to pay attention, but you know a few words into his speeches that you won't understand him. Then you just laugh it off. It also seems he is growing more grotesques as the sea life continues to pound on him.

As for the new characters, they feel like simple replacement stand-ins to the originals.
Penelope Cruz tries to play the toughest pirate women on the seas vacated by Keira Knightley, but I don't find her to be sexy enough. Well as sexy as a PG-13 Disney movie could be, I guess.

The Blackbeard character is not nearly as menacing of a villain as Barbossa or Davy Jones before him. He really doesn't stand alone as a bad guy worth Jack's time.

The other characters aren't even worth the time for dissecting, so we'll move on.

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides will give you exactly what you want out of it. You will laugh. You will enjoy the popcorn. If you go to the theater, bring friends so you all can laugh about it together. It gets an E - Entertaining. It is worth seeing in the theater, but you can easily wait for the rental.

Avast, ye landlubbers be looking forward to more Pirate movies in the near future.

Next review: I hope Hangover 2 lives up to the first movie in laughs only

Bridesmaids

What is wrong with the America public?!

Bridesmaids was pegged as the "Female Hangover". The trailers made this movie out to be a raunchy laugh-fest that could only be seen in theaters. I am going to be straight with you. It is NOT!

Instead, you get a poorly outlined "coming to terms with one's sad and pathetic life while watching your best friend's life getting better" type movie. Most of the scenes seem like a bunch of awkward SNL skits that lose context soon because they go on way too long. The type of scenes that would never happen in real life nor would anyone involved in these scenes allow themselves to continue being apart of them.  The worst part is that most of the funny parts you see in the trailers are not even in the movie. Also, the trailer talks about them all going to Las Vegas to cause that glorious "Hangover Havoc" only this time with them all females. Well guess what? It doesn't happen! They don't even go to Las Vegas. It's merely talked about. What wasn't it within the budget? Couldn't the film makers get the permits? No, it was written that way to make the movie more sad and pathetic.

I feel swindled by this movie. It was a pure bait and switch. I was expecting gut-busting laughter, instead I got a drawn out, no substance romantic slash gaining one's self-esteem dramedy. I will now have to double check my pockets because I believe I was just robbed of 125 minutes of life.

Here's the real shitty part. By the surrounding laughter that I could hear from the other audience members, people actually liked it. WTF!! I will admit that there were a few funny moments, mostly involving Melissa McCarthy. Her character was good. She was over the top but also somewhat believable. You get a sense that her character wasn't going to take shit from anyone, and that she was sick of trying to live up to that perfect female image. This could be a real person. Also, as the movie progressed, it seems more scenes were written for her as the center, and less scenes involving all of the characters in a group. Wasn't this movie called Bridesmaids? It should actually be renamed as Single Woman in Impossible Situations Involving a Wedding. Maybe it is too long of a title.

Finally, here's the problem with America. People will go to this movie. People will pretend to like this movie. People will also recommend that their friends see this movie. And people will continue to allow Judd Apatow jam this shit down their throats. Well all this needs to stop right here, right now. Is Kristen Wiig a funny person? Possibly yes. She is alright for the SNL skits, but she can't keep my interest for two hours. Congrats to both Kristen and Judd, you were able to steal my $10.50. I wish you luck with all your future endeavors.

I rank this movie as w - Weak, and I want my money back. I recommend you never see this movie, but if you do, rent it some rainy day in the very distant future. Funny thing,  I was going to go see Priest, but I decided to follow the better rated movie by rotten tomatoes. It only shows you that even the supposed experts don't know shit just like the rest of America.

Thor

For he who is worthy to lift this hammer shall possess the power of Thor.

Unfortunately I was not able to move it a smidge. It would be wise of you to test your might and go see Thor. By the power of Mjolnir, what a way to start the summer blockbuster season.  (Update in the morning for I am tired and I need my Odinsleep)

After a much needed Odinsleep, I am back to give you all a complete review of the Summer's first movie.

Thor is a mythical character based on Old Norse legends that were very popular during the Viking Age. He lives along with all of the other gods of the universe in a Realm called Asgard that is at the top of all other realms known to make up the entire universe. This is known as the Tree of Life, or World Tree, named Yggdrasil. To try to understand Thor's world, Asgard and the 9 Realms (including Earth, known as Midgard) as a avid comic reader is hard enough. You need a lot of imagination. So how does a movie help the non comic reading audience relate to an idea of a mythical world that can be reached only by rainbow bridge. Easy, Science Fiction.

I now have a better understanding of the inter-workings of the world of Thor because this movie has based it in the possibility of science fiction. The writers broke the mythical legends down into concepts that help prove modern day science thinking and made Thor possibly a real person. This is what I thought was going to be the hardest part of telling this story as a movie. I was blown away on how simple it was to accept. As simple as accepting Captain Kirk can be transported from his spaceship to another planet. It is believable because we desire to progress as a civilization and reach for the stars. What is the stars could reach back?

With that said, I think this movie hits on all marks. The cast is exceptional. I thought the character development might have a problem because there were so many to introduce, but I was proven wrong on that point. The main characters were given plenty of time to develop while the supporting characters were brought in as separate story lines that all tie together to the main storyline surrounding Thor. Basically, Thor is not needed in every scene to make the supporting characters work as it should be. I know it sounds logical but you be surprise how many movies can't accomplish this.

Since it is a fantasy movie, the fighting scenes are based on fantasy but are very believable as you watch it. Come on it is fantasy! It is ok that Thor flies with a hammer and beats up giant frost men from another realm. You'll enjoy it, pure and simple.

As for the upcoming Avengers movie, the writers and Marvel have done a great job of  beginning to intertwine all their movies. You will see small surprises that help push the Avengers together. I'm not going to ruin these for you, but you will see them and then understand what I am talking about. If Thor has anything to show for how good Avengers could be, I quote Samuel L. Jackson, "Hold onto your butts".

Thor is fun and entertaining. It doesn't go over your head. At the end you will understand that Thor can and does exist. You will be excited to see the next coming films. I think Marvel has done it again. Ironman has been made a popular icon and the same will happen with Thor. Thor is this year's Ironman. It is a surprise hit that we as comic book fans were all hoping for. It is easy to say the Marvel has their shit together. They are not going to half ass telling their stories. Let's all hope the trend continues onto Captain America later this year. If Thor is a sign of what is to come, I am even more stoked to see this year's summer blockbusters.

As for a rating, Thor teeters on the edge of Awesome and Legendary. Last night right after the movie I would have say yes straight to the top, but today I started thinking how it there is more to be done. I want my mind to so elated after the movie that there is no question. Thor gets an A for Awesome.

Go see this movie right away!!!

Finally....SLMR HAS COME BACK....to....

Ignore 2010. SLMR failed miserably.

Regardless, I'm getting the band back together. This year is going to much different. SLMR will go further that it has ever gone before starting tonight. I am leaving right now to see Fast Five, and when I return the most electrifying movie review will be posted for all the millions and millions to witness. Stay Tuned!!!

Update: 10:30pm Well Thanks to the announcement of the Death of Osama Bin Laden, I missed the movie start time. Mainly because I was too interested in hearing about the details surrounding that happening than to go to see Fast Five. So since it is Sunday night and I am not going to the movie and most likely I won't be able to catch it during the week this review has been put on hold. Maybe I'll catch it next weekend and give another official update. I really only wanted to see The Rock and Vin Diesel fight scene anyways. Maybe I'll sneak in after the next movie viewing.

Until then...Thor is next on the list.