Captain America: Winter Soldier

Or should I say "Captain YUM-erica". 

Ahem...

Captain America is back! He's got a new uniform, a new sidekick, and a new mission. 

from herocomplex.latimes.com

It's very difficult to talk about a new movie without giving any spoilers, so I guess I'll keep it brief.

Thor: The Dark World is Thorrific!

The good- Chris Hemsworth is very well cast, and seems to have grown into the role quite a bit. This time around, his Thor is much more natural and human. And his interactions with Loki are excellent-- the brotherly chemistry between them really works. 

Thankfully, the script for this sequel has a lot more humor than the original "Thor"-- I think the folks at Marvel and Disney learned something of real value when Joss Whedon's "The Avengers" was such a huge success in large part due to a script generously peppered with wit and humor. "Thor" benefits greatly from doing the same. 

I think the entire cast from the first movie returned for this film, including Thor's Asgardian buddies and family, and they have some fun moments. Natalie Portman's Jane Foster is back and somewhat more interesting this time, and Kat Dennings as her assistant Darcy is good as well, but it's Stellan Skarsgard who steals every scene he is in. I love the continuity between both "Thor" and "The Avengers" and his storyline in this film.

The bad- Some scenes seem rather rushed-- there were a handful of quick cut-aways that felt abrupt. Really, that's my only critical comment. Well, maybe also that the "Dark Elves" didn't really seem all that scary. I never felt like the heroes were ever in real peril, but in a film like this, that's okay.

The awesome- The special effects and CGI are, as usual, phenomenal in this movie. As I mentioned above, humor also improves on the first film so much-- no comic book-based movie should take itself too seriously, and "Dark World" achieves an excellent balance.

 But what really lifts this movie is Tom Hiddleston as Loki. He endears the character with such depth-- Loki is a trickster, he is conniving, wicked, and clever. But he also feels sadness and disappointment and frustration and Hiddleston manages to relate a wonderful mixture of emotions beneath Loki's veneer of confidence and sly trickery. He really is utterly compelling as the villain and his performance threatens to overshadow all the heroes of the Marvel universe. I look forward to seeing what Loki will do next. (Though, it's been said that he won't appear in the sequel to "The Avengers".)

Oh, and one more awesome is a cameo by... well... maybe I won't tell you. You'll see. It's adorable and funny and made me so very excited for the next few Marvel projects. 

If you haven't made it to the theater for "Thor" yet, it's an excellent date movie, or take your teenagers. This is a great "popcorn" movie-- this film is what you go to the movies for. Fast, fun action and entertainment.

An Embarrassment of Entertainment Riches

 A plethora of amazing entertainment is coming in the next 6 months, and I am counting the days! Here's what I'm most excited about (in chronological order):

Big Awesome!!!

I doubt you missed this, because it drowned the internet yesterday, but just in case you did, here you go. 

It's no big deal. It's just...

CAPTAIN AMERICA!!!!

Yep. It's the new official trailer for the upcoming sequel. I am just a little excited. Just a little. As much as I like Thor, I think I'm looking forward to this one even more than that one. There's just something about Cap. He is so... heroic? I can't find the word I'm looking for... Help me out in the comments, won't you?

Anyway, the movie comes out in April, so this is really just teasing us, but I still enjoy it. 

Like a Girl in an Eye Candy Shop

Wow. Just.. wow.

Logo Image From This Site

I am overwhelmed by the awesomeness that is "The Avengers".


Where to begin?


Story: The fantastic script was both written and masterfully directed by Joss Whedon. Winding these various heroes' stories and back stories together was no small feat. He far exceeded my already high expectations for this story. I was actually nervous that I would be disappointed because I was looking forward to this film so much. He truly surpassed what I was hoping for. Whedon blended together wit, humor, laugh-out-loud comedic moments with a deeply disturbed Loki, scary alien baddies and hearth-thumping battle and hand-to-hand combat scenes (thankfully, with no shakey-cam or extreme close-up cheater shots).


Characters: (Following images taken from HERE )

Thor- I love Thor. He may well be my favorite of the group. He and his blue eyes were amazing in this movie-- dare I say I liked Chris Hemsworth even more this time around? He was funny, smart, and seemed a lot more comfortable both in character and wielding his hammer. And those muscles... wow.

Captain America- Adorable. His solo film was great, but I loved him here even more. Chris Evans just gets better and better. He looks great, the new costume is fantastic, and his sincere-good-boy character is authentic and sweet. He is a fearless, calming force on the team. I thought his character development was great, and his humorous moments were flawless.

Iron Man- Good old Tony Stark returns, full of clever quips, smart-aleck remarks and genius intelligence. He is funnier than ever, brave and stout-hearted. He likes to stir up trouble with his teammates, but comes through when he's needed. I always enjoy his scenes with Pepper Potts, and their two short scenes in this movie were perfect. I like how in each successive movie, his Iron Man suit deployment is improved and enhanced. Clever technology keeps us coming back for more.

Hulk- I've never really liked the Hulk much. His story is so sad and though I enjoyed "The Incredible Hulk" and Edward Norton's turn as Bruce Banner and the "big green rage machine", I wasn't really sure what to expect from Ruffalo. I was floored. In my opinion, Hulk steals the show. I don't want to say more- no spoilers from me, but he is excellent.

Black Widow- I didn't really like Scarlett Johanssen in this role in "Iron Man 2". I felt like she had some good fight choreography, but most of her stuff involved flashy posing for the camera and showing off her tiny body. This time around, however, she is given so much more to do. Whedon really fleshes out female characters well, and Black Widow is no exception. She has heart, substance and gets a couple of the films biggest laughs. I enjoyed the fact that she is able to emotionally connect with each member of the team-- this seems realistic to me. She's not romantically involved with any of them, but women generally have a gift for empathy, and I liked that she has a deep understanding of the men she works with. She is also seriously good at kicking butt, too; she's easy to root for.

Hawkeye- I really like Jason Renner, and I think he's well cast in this role. He isn't given as much to do as some of the others, but what he does is integral to the movie and to the team and I look forward to seeing more of him in this year's new "Bourne" movie.

Others:

Nick Fury- Samuel L. Jackson revises his role, complete with eye patch and long leather coat. I've never really forgiven Jackson for his terrible acting in the Star Wars movies, but certain members of my family tell me I need to give him a chance and that he's actually a good actor, so I tried to with this movie. He was fine. Not bad, not too over-the-top, and probably delivered. I'm not familiar with his character from comic book lore, so I can't be sure, but I was satisfied and not annoyed by him, so that's an improvement.


Loki- Tom Hiddleston returns to wreak havoc on the world. He is fantastic in this role and it is enriched and deepened by Whedon's script and Hiddleston's performance. Superb. I loved him in this movie.


Agent Colson- one of my favorite guys, Colson has some great scenes and, as always, dry, subtle humor that threatens to steal the scenes from the flashier characters around him.


Overall:
Viewers leave this movie feeling so happy and satisfied, I can't say enough glowing things. Just go see it. You won't regret it.


For those sensitive viewers (you know who you are...), there is the expected violence: punches thrown,  cars flipping, explosions, arrows and bullets flying, etc. No more than you expect, though. As for sexuality, this movie is almost squeaky clean, the only exception, really, being the short dress worn by Black Widow at the beginning, but it's not so bad. There is very minimal cleavage-- most kids see much worse in the line at WalMart or even at church, I daresay. She does wear a skin-tight costume, but so do the men. I didn't find any of them offensive in the least. I don't remember any cussing at all...


I had many more intelligent and well-worded things to say about this movie, but my brain is very tired and I can't remember anything else for now, so I'll end here. Go see it. Oh, and stay through ALL the credits, to the very, very end. Not halfway-- wait for the very tail end of all the credits. You won't regret it.
I added more in second entry here. Clicky clicky!!
For more reading fun, check out this great spoiler-free review of the movie from MTV.

Pre-Avengers Plans

T-minus one week and counting!! "The Avengers" opens next week, on May 4th, with much happy anticipation on the part of me and my family. To prepare, and as an excuse for some cheap fun, my brother suggested a "Marvel Movie Marathon", which I offered to host, since I have the day off this Saturday and we also have a giant TV. Also, all my children are old enough to watch the movies, so I'm not going to have the problem of little ones with nothing to do. We're watching them in release date order, rather than by chronological order (as some die-hard geeks might prefer), starting with  "Iron Man" and ending with "Captain America". I know some local movie theaters had the same idea, but I'm really happy with doing it at my house, where it will be free. Plus I made homemade Snickers candy... so win-win-win!

I only hope I'm not getting my hopes up just to be disappointed... I mean, with "The Avengers". Fingers crossed...

How It Should Have Ended

Have you come across How it Should Have Ended or HISHE on Youtube yet? I can't remember how we discovered it, but we've really enjoyed some of their cartoons, especially those that include superheros sitting together at a cafe. They've created send-ups of most of the most popular films of our modern time, including the Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, Titanic, new releases like The Hunger Games, and all of the latest superhero films. They're creative, and usually quite funny. Here are a couple of samples to whet your appetite. (Yep, I used the word "whet" in a sentence. 5 points for me.) Go check them out!