"Captain America: The First Avenger" - Review

"Quite possibly the biggest surprise of 2011."

Believe it or not, "Captain America: The First Avenger" is easily the surprise of the summer, if not, the entire year. Even though I hate to admit I was wrong, I was one of the many who unfairly wrote this film off as a disaster before it was released. He's never been one of my favorite Marvel characters, but the reason was mostly because I thought Captain America was a character who'd be very tough to make a decent film of. But I'm glad I'm standing corrected, since I enjoyed it a lot, and it's good to see that all the individual "platform" films leading to the actual "The Avengers" films have been great.

The storyline was simple but effective, the cast performances were good, the lead characters were memorable & had dimension, and it had a smart balance of both heartfelt dialogue & awesome action sequences with acceptable comic relief here & there. But perhaps my personal favorite aspect of the film was the 1940's setting & costumes. It was a rare pleasure to experience in a Marvel film, and it was executed both very elegantly and genuinely. My ONLY complaint was that I would've loved to see more scenes between Captain America & Red Skull, their shared scenes felt a bit too rushed and short.

I know I'm against 3-D in cinema, so please don't think I'm being bias, but I honestly didn't see anything that would be remotely special in 3-D, so I'd suggest saving your money and seeing it in glorious 2-D.

"Captain America: The First Avenger" isn't up to par with Marvel modern classics such as "Spider-Man", "Spider-Man 2", and "Iron Man", but then again those films are VERY difficult to match. It still, however, might shockingly make my current Top 10 of 2011 (I'll share that soon). Overall, it's a really good film, and I highly recommend it. I am now completely stoked over "The Avengers" film next year.

Score: 4/5

"Thor" - Review

"Whoever wields this hammer, if he be worthy, shall possess the power of Thor."

"Thor" was always a Marvel character whom I never imagined making it to the big screen; and as soon as it was bound to happen due to a film about "The Avengers" being green-lit, I felt it wasn't going to be as grand as other Marvel films such as "Iron Man", "Spider-Man", and "X-Men". It also didn't help that I wasn't very familiar with the actor choice to play "Thor" (Chris Hemsworth), however, I started to gain some confidence for the project when I started to see names such as Natalie Portman ("Black Swan", "V For Vendetta"), Kat Dennings ("Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist"), and of course, the great Anthony Hopkins, being added to the cast.

As soon as the first-look images surfaced, followed by the initial trailer, it started to look quite appealing to me, and it gradually became the 2nd comic-book film of 2011 that I was most looking forward to ("X-Men: First Class" is 1st). It ended up pretty much meeting my expectations. I was entertained, I felt the emotional aspects, I laughed & appreciated the comic relief, and I enjoyed it overall. The running time is stated as 114 minutes (1 hour, 54 minutes), but I honestly didn't feel the length whatsoever, which is definitely a good thing. It wasn't as great as the first two "Spider-Man" films or "Iron Man" (but then again, those are tough films to top!), but it's definitely the best Marvel film since the first "Iron Man". The acting was very solid, with Chris Hemsworth surprisingly taking the honors as the best performance in the film (breakout performance, for sure). I also felt the chemistry & romance between "Thor" and "Jane Foster" was amazing, beautiful, sweet and quite possibly the best thing about the film. (the clicking between the two felt rushed, but the chemistry was so strong that it didn't end up mattering). The action was plentiful, the special effects were incredible, the dialogue was good, and the flow was perfect. I also enjoyed the references to Iron Man and Hawkeye (who are both appearing in "The Avengers").

"Thor" is the third of four characters who are being introduced in their own films before the release of "The Avengers", and so far, the first three have been really good to great. "Thor" is definitely one of the best Hollywood films of the year so far, and will easily remain so. It's very good entertainment, I definitely recommend it; and I'm already looking forward to its sequel and, of course, "The Avengers". :)

Score: 4/5

"Battle: Los Angeles" - Review

The biggest disappointment of 2011 (thus far)

I hate admitting it, but I was actually very stoked about this film when I first saw the teaser trailer last year. But considering it was brief & without much detail, I now learned that the saying "don't judge a book by its cover" applies to not only things you assume will be bad, but also things you assume will be good; live and learn, I suppose.

My expectations were very high for this film, but all I received was a bunch of military/war film cliches that merely replaced the enemy country with aliens (if you can't name at LEAST 10 major cliches, then you can't call yourself a reliable source of film knowledge). There are also a lot of plot holes, the dialogue was overly cheesy & sometimes laughable, the CGI/visuals weren't impressive in comparison to recent visual achievements, and there are certain happenings that aren't just far-fetched, but unexplained as well (the ocean level lowering in a matter of hours, seriously? at least explain how!). If you want a simple action-packed blockbuster movie, without any depth, character development, deep dialogue, or lingering afterthoughts then you'll love this, if you're the complete opposite, then I'd highly advise to keep away, or at the very least, wait until you can rent it.

Don't get me wrong, I enjoy the occasional "popcorn flick" when I turn off my serious switch, but this film just felt like a first-person shooter video game that I'm not able to play; not fun at all! It was inevitable, but here's my first negative film review.

Score: 1/5

"Rango" - Review

"No man can walk out on his own story."

I'm usually almost a strict "Pixar" fan when it comes to computer-animated films. "Dreamworks" has been a downhill slope for me after "Shrek 2" (with the exception of "How To Train Your Dragon" which I enjoyed), and the only non-Pixar computer-animated films that I've liked since the first two Shrek films have been "Bolt" and "Tangled" (both directly from Disney). Year after year it seemed like competition, both box office and critical was between the aforementioned studios. But I think they finally have a new competitor in this arena in "Paramount".

This film almost solely caught my attention from the theatrical poster. It looked so different from its competitors that I just had to see it. The trailer nailed that interest completely and it ended up not disappointing me at all.

It was released strictly in beautiful 2-D, and I can't emphasize enough on the "beautiful" because I was in awe almost the entire time from just how pretty this film looked. Many of the times I couldn't even believe this was computer-animated because of how realistic it looked. But this film isn't just an eye-candy treat. The storyline itself is simple but very effective and perfectly executed. The comedy is fresh, smart, and I was surprised at how many times I found myself laughing out loud throughout the entire film. I'm actually surprised this is a PG rated film, but then I remember that kids won't understand most, if not, all of the innuendo and satire this film presents.

It actually reminded me a lot of what "Shrek" did in 2001 by providing a family film with the perfect ingredients to please both adults and kids alike. So don't feel "forced" by your kids or younger family member to see this film, because I guarantee you will enjoy it as well. It currently has my trophy for best film of 2011 so far; but I don't see ANY other animated feature dethroning it of best animated film of the year. I highly recommend this funny, lovable, and memorable film.

Score: 5/5

"The Adjustment Bureau" - Review

"If you believe in free will. If you believe in chance. If you believe in choice. Fight for it."

I first heard of this film back around Summer 2010 from a trailer at the theater. It was initially due for a September 2010 release but was delayed until March 4, 2011. Which was a disappointment considering this is the type of film I go for the most.

Was it worth the wait? Did it live up to my expectations? The answer is yes. Now, I didn't expect another brilliant "Inception" or a best film of the year, but I did expect a film that was smart, unique, thought provoking, and sparked discussion. It did all of the aforementioned for me. On top of all that, the casting was great and they all did a terrific job with their performances; the chemistry between Matt Damon and Emily Blunt was amazing too (and is Emily Blunt extremely beautiful or what? <3).

Sure the central theme of the storyline might have minor theology, but it doesn't do it in a preachy, annoying, or one-sided way. As an Atheist, it didn't bother me at all because it didn't put any labels on anything nor was it any obvious religion in disguise. To me, the film said that even if there was some form of intelligent design, that free-will and choice is still important and worth fighting for. That we don't NEED a specific "book" to tell us how to think or live.

The only complaint I have (if it even counts as one) is that I feel that if this film was a little more daring and had a little more depth, it could have easily been a new classic. That still doesn't stop it from being a very good film overall though, and easily one of the best films of the year so far. I recommend it.

Score: 4/5

"Biutiful" - Review

Biutifully touching and heartbreaking

"Biutiful" is the fourth and newest film from Academy Award nominated Director, Alejandro Gonzalez Iñarritu, whose previous work includes of "Amores Perros", "21 Grams", and "Babel". This is his first film completely in Spanish since his debut film.

Anyone familiar with Iñarritu's work knows that he always touches on similar themes of death, love, crime, life struggles, and many other things. And "Biutiful" is no exception to the aforementioned. Javier Bardem ("No Country For Old Men") stars as Uxbal; a single father of two living in the slums of Barcelona who is involved as a middleman in the criminal underworld of said city. However, though involved in crime, Uxbal isn't like most criminals, he has compassion, heart, kindness, and incredible love for his children (whom he basically does these things for). On top of living and working in a dangerous world, Uxbal is on the brink of death after being diagnosed with cancer. So the majority film deals with him accepting his fate, reconciling, dealing with his estranged bi-polar wife, and fixing his messy life as much as he can.

My only (minor) issue with the film is the storyline, because it's something that Iñarritu has already done. However, that doesn't stop it from being a beautiful, touching, and great film overall. My biggest praise would easily go towards Javier Bardem's performance; it was very powerful, so real, and ultimately forced you to care dearly for Uxbal. It's no surprise that he's been nominated for Best Lead Actor at this year's Academy Awards (and the first ever nomination for a role in a foreign language, if I'm not mistaken). This role has officially sealed my approval of Bardem as one of the best actors today. He's impressively eclectic as he can play any role ranging from a likable criminal with morals, a charming & unorthodox artist ("Vicky Cristina Barcelona), and a relentless monster ("No Country For Old Men").

This film is completely in Spanish (with English subtitles), so if you're open-minded enough to check it out or if you already constantly view foreign films, then I recommend it; just do keep the tissues handy if you check it out because it causes many lumps in your throat. It isn't without its minor flaws but it's still one of the best films of 2010. I loved the performances, I loved the incredibly moving musical score, and I enjoyed it overall.

Score: 4/5

"It's Kind Of A Funny Story" - Review

"If you aren't busy being born, you're busy dying."

I went into this film with medium expectations, but I was pleasantly surprised. It's a nice little charming film that has a good balance of comedy, modern romance, & drama, with the latter probably being the strongest part (better scenes), but the laughs are there too. Zach Galifianakis was easily the best cast member in this film by playing a character whom you cared about dearly and also brought the funniness. This is my first time seeing Emma Roberts in a film and she was easily a close second. She's not only very beautiful but shows a lot of promise and potential for future projects.

The main character Craig (played by Keir Gilchrist) was kind of good, but it could have been done better by a different actor, in my opinion. But considering this was possibly his major role, he didn't do a half-bad job.

It isn't a film to desperately rush out and see, nor is it a modern classic by any means, but if you have the time and can't decide on what to view, then I recommend it.

Score: 4/5

"Never Let Me Go" - Review

"We all complete. Maybe none of us really understand what we've lived through, or feel we've had enough time."

Even though it seriously pains me to admit it, I completely missed this film last year. I did hear the name, but all I knew about it was that Keira Knightley was involved. But I'm glad I finally checked it out on the DVD/Blu-Ray release date (better late than never, right?) and what an amazing, beautiful, powerful, and moving film this is. I haven't felt like crying in a film this much in a long while. It touches on themes of mortality, what having a soul really means, ethics (or lack of, actually), love, what's important in life, and so much more.

The genre is almost impossible to describe since it's part Sci-Fi, part Romance, and part Drama. But the final outcome of this odd recipe was incredible. It really makes you think about the high possiblity of the events in this film happening. And the even higher possiblity of just how disgusting and unethical the human race can be when it comes to things that only benefit them greatly.

The performances from the main cast (Garfield, Mulligan, and Knightley) were very solid and get major praise from yours truly. Keira Knightley has impressed me for a long time now; Carey Mulligan for a little while now (since "An Education") but Andrew Garfield has officially won me over after two top-notch performances in 2010 ("The Social Network" being the other) I highly recommend it this film to everyone. I'm even going to have to revise my "Top 10 Films of 2010" list. It's an absolute shame this was snubbed by the Oscars; so it's now a hidden gem lost in the hype that I hope is found by many.

I award it the highest honor possible...

Score: 5/5