Don't Spoil "Avengers: EndGame"

Avengers: EndGame (2019)

Rated PG-13

Starring Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Jeremy Renner, Mark Ruffalo, Paul Rudd, Scarlett Johansson, Don Cheadle, Josh Brolin, Brie Larson,

Directed by Joe & Anthony Russo

The Story:

After the conclusion of Avengers: Infinity War, what remains of Earth's Mightiest Heroes attempt to go after Thanos, retrieve the Infinity Stones and snap everyone back to life.

Buckle up for the 22nd installment of the greatest ride in cinema history.

No other franchise, no other studio has been able to do what Marvel Studios has done, 22 movies, 11 years of sustained excellence that have proven to be successful with audiences AND movie critics.

It all culminates here.

Go see it in theaters now, and prepare to have your list of favorite Marvel films be re-ordered.

Again.

:)

A Review With No Spoilers..."Avengers: Infinity War"

Avengers: Infinity War (2018)

Rated PG-13

Starring Robert Downey Jr, Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Chris Pratt, Mark Ruffalo, Tom Holland, Benedict Cumberbatch, Everyone Else! :)

Directed by The Russo Brothers

The Story:

Thanos (Brolin) is on his quest to unite the 6 Infinity Stones and wipe away half of the universe. Can the combined forces of the Avengers and Guardians of the Galaxy stop him?

The answer may surprise you!

Buckle up true believers for the 19th installment in a 10 year ride that is the biggest emotional roller coaster of them all.

It comes out of the gate swinging and doesn't let up until the screen goes dark and the house lights int he theater come up.

You'll laugh.

You'll cry.

You'll repeat as necessary.

When it's over you'll want to see it again, and you'll also feel like the wait to get to Infinity War was nothing compared to the wait to see what happens next. 

As fans, we have invested 10 years of our lives in these characters.

So too have the actors invested nearly as long in portraying them on the screen.

We've been lucky to have them, and however this all ends, I'm glad to have had the chance to see all of these films with my kids.

I said at the start of the year that barring some surprise, I would be penciling in Avengers: Infinity War as my favorite movie of 2018.

I think we can put the pencil down, and grab the big black Sharpie.

Don't miss this one.

Final Grade: A+

Verily Tis Time To See "Thor: Ragnarok"

Thor: Ragnarok (2017)

Rated PG-13

Starring Chris Hemsworth, Tom Hiddleston, Cate Blanchett, Idris Elba, Jeff Goldblum, Tessa Thompson, Karl Urban, Mark Ruffalo, Anthony Hopkins,

Directed by Taika Waititi

The Story:

Ragnarok, the prophesied end of Asgard is at hand. Hela (Blanchett), the Goddess of Death seeks to destroy all that remains of Asgard and take her place on the throne. The only one who has any hope of stopping her is Thor (Hemsworth), and he's going to have to travel across the entire cosmos to get their in time. 

You've seen the trailer, and if that didn't get you psyched to go see this one, then there's not much I can write to convince you.

Waititi delivers the best of the 3 Thor sagas on the silver screen, and yes there's a lot of humor in it...

But I don't think at any point is the humor too distracting, or not in character for any of the characters.

Hemsworth has always been fun in the role of Thor, and they finally tapped into that and let the God of Thunder be the humorous, full of bravado son of Odin that makes the character shine.

He's complemented with the return of Hiddleston as Loki, and once more the brothers find themselves allied and at odds, sometimes both in the same scene.

Many more surprises, returns and losses for this final film from Marvel in 2017.

Is it their best of the year or best ever?

That will be debatable and vary from person to person.

I'm leaning at still giving that edge for this year to Spider-Man: Homecoming, but that may just be because after 5 attempts, I felt they finally got it right.

With Thor, they never really got it wrong, so much as they didn't deliver on everything that it could be.

So go, see the movie and have a good time.

Laugh it up, because things are about to get a lot darker next year with the arrival of Infinity War.

Final Grade: A

I Had Almost Forgotten The First One..."The Huntsman: Winter's War"

The Huntsman: Winter's War (2016)

Rated PG-13

Starring Chris Hemsworth, Charlize Theron, Jessica Chastain, Emily Blunt, Nick Frost,

Directed by Cedric Nicolas-Troyan

The Story:

A sequel and a prequel, all in one. This tells the story of Eric (Hemsworth) growing up under the "care" of Queen Freya (Blunt). His affection towards Sara (Chastain) caused him to be removed from the kingdom, and you know what happened next if you saw Snow White & the Huntsman. The rest of the movie shows Eric on the search for the Magic Mirror before it can be used to bring Ravenna (Theron) back to life.

First, they did the best thing by not bringing Kristen Stewart back for the sequel.

She was my least favorite part of the original, and she is definitely not missed.

:)

The new additions to the cast are enjoyable, but it's almost like they couldn't decide if they wanted to tell a prequel or a sequel.

Splitting time between both gives you enough storyline bouncing back and forth to make for one movie, but it seems a little less coherent that way.

At times there was almost too much plot going on with attempted plot twists and turns seemingly around every corner.

The cast is game though, and the movie looks great.

But at the end of the day, it's just an average movie, and doesn't inspire any reason to rush out to see it.

Final Grade: C

Deja Vu All Over Again... "Ghostbusters"

Ghostbusters (2016)

Rated PG-13

Starring Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Wiig, Kate McKinnon, Leslie Jones, Chris Hemsworth,

Directed by Paul Feig

The Story:

Ghosts have been sighted in Manhattan, and former paranormal believers Erin (Wiig) and Abby (McCarthy) find themselves back in each other's lives. They assemble a group of fellow "Ghostbusters" (McKinnon & Jones) and prepare to save New York from certain doom.

Well, if that sounds familiar, it should.

You've seen it before, and it was better.

However, that's the risk you run when you remake a beloved Hollywood classic.

Now, that's not to say that the original Ghostbusters movie was a cinematic masterpiece.

It was mostly a fun movie that took a science/supernatural story and injected some humor in it with a great cast that had chemistry and fun together.

So when the all-girl remake was announced, there apparently was a shrieking of fandom that what was happening was blasphemy, etc. etc.

That I don't get at all.

If you're going to put the movie on blast, wait until you see it to decide if it is good.

Or at least, wait until the trailer comes out, and then make it the most hated movie trailer in the history of the internet.

Anti-Ghostbuster fans 2...remake 0.

And really, let's be honest, the trailer(s) for Ghostbusters weren't that good.

There was little humor to be found, and it appeared that if anything funny was going to happen, it would be from McKinnon or Jones, not the main leads Wiig and McCarthy.

Which is strange.

Now having seen the movie, the trailer was right, this movie wasn't very funny.

It's like they tried too hard...or not hard enough... I still can't put my finger on it.

There were some things they did right, I absolutely loved all of the new technology McKinnon brought to the team. That was inventive and enjoyable.

However nearly all of the laughs in the film belonged to...

Chris Hemsworth.

Yep, it appeared that if the Ghostbusters movie was going to take a few shots at the men that were attacking the film prior to release, they were going to do it in film with a few pieces of dialogue peppered here and there, and then taking Hemsworth and letting him play the "ditzy blonde" stereotypical role.

Except he NAILED that role and is the most enjoyable part of the film.

His choice of playing sax or listening to sax scene is comedy gold!

So at the end of the day, it's not a horrible remake and is worth a viewing, but I don't see this one having the legs to become a celebrated treasure like the original has become.

Final Grade: C+

Here Fishy Fishy... "In The Heart Of The Sea"

In The Heart of the Sea (2015)

Rated PG-13

Starring Chris Hemsworth, Benjamin Walker, Cillian Murphy, Brendan Gleeson, Brendan Whishaw, Tom Holland

Directed by Ron Howard

The Story:

Herman Melville (Whishaw) is ready to write his next novel. He wants to base it on what happened to the ship, The Essex that was reportedly attacked by a white whale in 1820. For research, he approaches Tom Nickerson (Gleeson) and learns of the fateful attack and the horrific aftermath of the ship sinking and what the surviving crew members had to endure.

Based on a mashup of several bits and pieces of the true story that Melville would create the fictional novel Moby Dick with, the bulk of the story takes place via flashback aboard The Essex. Rookie whaling Captain Pollard (Walker) and perennial first-mate Owen Chase (Hemsworth) butt heads from the get-go, but their determination to fill the ship with oil and return to port to be rid of one another fuels most of the voyage. Along the way, a young Thomas Nickerson (Holland) learns from them and the crew as they are beset with tragedies and unspeakable horrors after encountering the white whale.

Historians can pick this movie to pieces, but they are missing the point.

The sinking of the Essex did happen.

What happened next did happen.

Melville based Moby Dick on those events.

This movie puts all of the above into a blender and hits "go".

It's here to entertain, not turn into a faithful historical adaptation.

Ron Howard brings confident direction to the tale that failed to find an audience in theaters.

Perhaps too long...perhaps not interested enough in "another Moby Dick adaptation", I can't venture to guess.

It kept me interested from beginning to end, and the performances by everyone in the cast were exceptional. Gleeson's Nickerson as the man who's hidden shameful secrets for so long is positively heartbreaking when he finally expresses what happened in the lifeboats as the survivors waited endlessly for rescue.

Hemsworth is a commanding presence as the man who should be captain, and while he is the focal point of the movie, his supporting cast rounds out the film nicely.

A flawed gem from Ron Howard, but they can't all be masterpieces.

Final Grade:  B-

Happy Thorsday..."Thor: The Dark World"

Thor: The Dark World (2013)

Rated PG-13 for language, violence, and pure awesomeness!

Starring: Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Tom Hiddleston, Anthony Hopkins

Directed by Alan Taylor

The Story:

Since the events of Thor and The Avengers, Thor (Hemsworth) has been busy bringing peace to the Nine Worlds.  Meanwhile on Earth, Jane Foster (Portman) has discovered a wormhole to dimensions where she is infected by an ancient, powerful, evil force called the Aether.  It brings back the ancient race of Dark Elves who are bent on using this power to destroy all worlds...forever.  Time for Thor to save the day, his lady love, and all of reality in the process.

However, he's going to need a little help from his brother Loki (Hiddleston) first...

This was my favorite movie of 2013, and now it is available for purchase.

Has my opinion changed since seeing it on the glorious big screen last fall?

Nope.

This was my favorite film of last year, and it has held up as a great comic book movie... a great science fiction movie...

A great movie.

 

Period.

If I was asked to pick a movie to show non fans of either genre why Marvel Comics movies are so popular and entertaining...

I might very well skip the Iron Man, Cap and even Avengers franchise and simply hand them a copy of this film.

It picks up on events that have happened, but if you didn't see them, you'll be brought up to speed within the film.

The storyline is epic...yet also grounded and personal at the same time.

It's good vs evil.

Boy meets girl.

And it's marvelously well written, well acted, and Alan Taylor picked up the reigns from Kenneth Branaugh, and didn't miss a beat, and I say, improved on everything that was great about the first Thor film.

Hemsworth continues to shine as Thor, but the revelation of course has been the ascension of Hiddleston as a bonafide movie star.  His charisma and charm have made the role of Loki possibly the most popular character of any Marvel movie, including Downey Jr.

The supporting characters were given more screen time this go around and continue to develop into a stellar supporting cast.

The ending definitely lends itself to at least one more film.

Sign me up!

Final Grade: A

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: Yes to both.  Woot!!

What A "Rush" !!

Rush (2013)
Rated R for language, nudity

Starring: Chris Hemsworth, Daniel Bruhl

Directed by Ron Howard

The Story:

The intertwining story of two drivers destined and determined to be Formula 1 drivers. The first, James Hunt (Hemsworth), lady killer and all around cocky Brit.  His rival, Austrian Niki Lauda (Bruhl), who is icy and meticulous.  Their rivalry culminates in 1976 as the two battle for the championship.

Based on a true story.

I opted for a later poster to represent this film.  The original, a close-up of Hemsworth indicated that the movie was centered on his character, James Hunt.  And really, the movie is based on his life... and yet...

It is the fascinating counterpoint of Lauda who brings balance and interest to this film.  It is easy to see why Hunt was going to be successful, he was boastful and a braggart who backed up his bravado on and off the track.

But the sheer determination of Lauda to succeed when he was an uncharismatic robot that nobody liked, even his own teammates, is the crucial piece of dramatic device that is needed to make this movie, and their rivalry, work.

When an accident nearly claims one of these two during their run for the championship, it is the sheer anger of watching their rival go for the championship that drives him to get better, get out of bed, and against all odds, get back onto that track!  Insane and unheard of, but it happened.

The racing scenes are spectacular, but nothing you don't expect when you're watching any Howard film.  He always gives it 100%.  Another feather in the directing career of Ron Howard who simply makes entertaining movies.

Final Grade: B-

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: I could watch it again, but no need to own it.

The Number One Movie in All of the Nine Worlds? "Thor: The Dark World"

By the bristling beard of Odin!

The Story:

Thor (Chris Hemsworth) has been busy restoring order to the 9 Worlds since the events of New York (see: The Avengers.  No really, you should really see that movie!)  But dark forces are gathering to eliminate the 9 worlds from existence!

Can Thor stop them?

Not without a little help from...

Loki (Tom Hiddleston) !!

That's all you're going to get from me during the opening weekend.

: )

I will say that like most Phase One movies, Phase Two doesn't miss a beat by replacing directors.  Alan Taylor takes the helm, and brings the Norse Legends to life, all the while taking a "comic book" movie and embracing the science fiction aspects of it.

And it works!

I liked the first Thor.

I liked this Thor even more.

To quote VeggieTales in summing up this movie:

"I laughed. I cried. It moved me, Bob."

Just about all of the original cast returns, to varying degrees of use within the film.  Anthony Hopkins, Rene Russo, Natalie Portman, Idris Elba...

Good stuff.

If the ending is any indication, I am looking forward to seeing what Thor 3 has to offer.

Final Grade: A-... it will probably upgrade to a pure A when I review it again on DVD. :)

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: When does it come out on Blu-Ray already???!!!

Room For Rent...Cheap! "The Cabin in the Woods"

A secluded cabin in the woods... what could possibly go wrong?


The Story:

5 twentysomethings head off to a cousin's cabin located in the woods.  You've got your typical horror movie stereotypes:  jock (Chris Hemsworth), slut (Anna Hutchison), nerd (Jesse Williams), stoner (Fran Kranz) and virgin (Kristen Connolly).  They arrive in the middle of nowhere and are enjoying their stay, when suddenly the cellar door blows open... and they all decide to go down and see what might be going bump in the night.  They find a veritable treasure-trove of toys and old things and as they rifle through the collection, one of the group reads an ancient incantation from a journal.  Suddenly, the dead are rising, and they are coming for vengeance.

If only that were truly the scary part of their ordeal...


Okay, I did not see THAT coming.

Credit of course must go to the writing team of Drew Goddard (also first time director) and some guy by the name of Joss Whedon.

Well, apparently along with Red Dawn, a pre-Thor Chris Hemsworth starred in this film, and was released after the Marvel franchise was up and running.  Smart on the part of both movies to capitalize on their fortunes of getting something before it was hot, but it really didn't matter as both films are able to stand on their own.  Whereas I liked the Red Dawn remake more than the original, I have to chalk this up as the best horror movie I've seen so far this year.

It's funny, scary, surprising, exciting and engaging.

Plus, unlike many of the horror movies of the last decade that really seem to dwell on the kills and letting you watch every slice and dice, this film goes old school and lets your imagination do a lot of the work, or throw gallons of red goo at the screen.

Thank you.

While not gathering the kids around to watch with me, I prefer my splatterfests to be less intimate and descriptively gruesome. 


Plus, there is a whole different layer to this movie than I've discussed here.  Those that have seen it know what I'm talking about, but I really don't want to ruin it for those that haven't seen it.

Good stuff...

Shame there won't be a sequel!!!

: )

Available to stream instantly on Netflix as of this writing.

Final Grade: A-

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: Again, due to the non-family friendly nature of this film, it's an outside chance, but I could definitely watch it again.

North Korea Gets Uppity in "Red Dawn"

You want an argument for why America should never restrict our ability to have weapons?

The Story:

In the not-so distant future, a riled up North Korea decides to take on America on our shores.  They paratroop into the West Coast while the Russians take the Eastern seaboard.  In a small town in Washington state, a Marine (Chris Hemsworth) home on leave grabs his brother (Josh Peck) and some other local kids and outrun the invading force.  Soon they become the thorn in the side that keeps bugging the North Koreans, inspiring hope to their town, themselves, and unknowingly, all of America as the freedom fighters known only as...Wolverines.

Okay, like many, I rolled my eyes and shook my head when I heard Red Dawn, that brilliant 1984 flick about the Russians invading America was being remade.

Seriously?

I saw Red Dawn once or twice, probably last time was in the 80s.  It was a rousing, flag-waving, ' Go America ' film that perfectly marked that time in history as the Cold War was raging it's dying breaths.  Has it held up over time?  Don't know, haven't revisited it.  Maybe someday, just to compare, because maybe like Footloose...

The remake is far superior.

And yes, that is the case I am making for the remake of Red Dawn.

From the sketchy details I remember on the original, this one shores up any of the plotholes from the original.


I bought this group of teens a little more realistically than I had with the original film at the time.

You see actual growth in the characters from the beginning to the end of the film.  Not all of the characters make it out in one piece, and as they are lost, the characters grow some more.

Sorry, mine may be the only positive review of this film on the internet.  It seems that most people hated this one from start to finish.

Not this guy.

What can I say?  Call me a flag-waving Reaganite, I had a good time.


: )

Final Grade: B-

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: Yes, I could watch this one again, and for the right price, I'd add it to the library!

Evil Never Looked So Good..."Snow White and the Huntsman"

Mirror Mirror on the wall...

Okay, let's take a look today at a slightly different version of the Snow White legend...

The story:

Snow White.
Wicked Queen.

So far so good...Huntsman doesn't kill her...got it...instead he helps her, teaches her to fight, and together they try and escape the queen's clutches and bring about her downfall.  Sprinkle in 8 Dwarves, and the rest is history...

Interesting.

So, remember when I said I wasn't able to get into Mirror Mirror?  Yeah, the "other" Snow White picture of the year.

This one, I had no problem with.  It was actually fairly entertaining.

Though I must confess, I did mock the film a few times for lifting scenes (or at least ideas) directly from other films.  

My favorite was when the Queen is interrogating a would-be assassin, and I started chanting "Mola Ram"...

But yes, The Mummy, Jurassic Park and a few other famous lifts were had.

However, it was still an enjoyable journey, provided you can, with a straight face honestly say that:

Kristen Stewart is more beautiful than Charlize Theron.

THAT is the biggest, and most difficult leap of faith the movie asks you to make.

Even at her worst, I'm not buying it, and think the Magic Mirror was slightly broken.

The dwarves are played by non-dwarves, which probably is against union rules, but Hollywood apparently only casts little people as Munchkins, all other fairytale creatures under 4 feet tall will be outsourced to tall actors.

Naturally, Hemsworth is awesome as an underpowered Thor.  The guy is on the verge of being typecast as a brawling action hero.

I am fine with that.

: )

Plus the film leaves you wondering who really was Prince Charming?

Okay, at least who would live happily ever after with Snow White?

100 Greatest Movies of All Time...That I Own. # 3 ~ The Avengers

Welcome to the Greatest Comic Book Movie...Ever Made.

Yep, I'm still on a euphoric high from seeing it in theaters with my kids earlier this summer.

In fact, while it sits in my house since Avengers Day courtesy of Netflix... I have yet to watch it!

I know... terrible!

But I plan to.  Just been a little busy.  However, the kids have all watched it, at least once, and said it's still as good as they remember.

So that leaves me to wonder will this movie remain in the Top 5 of all time?

Or will time allow some of the other classics to slide back in front and push the Avengers back down somewhere else in the Top 25?

We'll see. : )

So for the few that haven't seen the film, here goes:

All of the heroes from the Marvel movies finally get together under Nick Fury's Avengers Inititiative to stop Loki from taking over the world.

Perhaps my most concise summary, ever!

Really, it's a chance for all of the Avengers we've seen in each of their own films to step up and branch out just a little bit more.  There is still character growth for some of them, and a chance to further hone their place in the Marvel Universe.  And then, it's a slobberknocker of a fight at the end of the film to save the day.

Robert Downey Jr. once again owns his role as Tony Stark.  Hemsworth and Evans both continue to grow their pieces as Thor and Captain America.  Hawkeye and the Black Widow each get more screen time this go round.  And then there is Mark Ruffalo playing the final, and best, version of Bruce Banner yet to grace the screen.

As for Agent Coulson...

In a world of Life Model Decoys, where the Vision still would need brainwaves, where unless you bury a body then they probably aren't dead...

I'm holding out hope.

: )

And then there were 2...

As everyone probably already knows my # 1... it will be tomorrow's reveal that will bring closure to this epic adventure.

100 Greatest Movies of All Time...That I Own. # 47 ~ Thor

Never.

That's when I thought a movie starring the Marvel Comics version of Thor would be released on the Silver Screen in my lifetime.

Remember, I'm a child of the 70s that grew up with the cheesy Spider-Man show, and about the only thing that Marvel could hang its hat on was the pretty darn cool Hulk television show.

Fast forward to the 90s/00s, and Marvel properties began hitting the screen to impressive showings (Spider-Man and the X-Men), but there were a few clunkers along the way (Daredevil & Ghost Rider, I'm looking at you).

And then...

Marvel said, enough of this, we're doing it ourselves.

Oh boy.  It's either sink or swim at this point, and Marvel literally cannonballed into the deep end when they released Iron Man.

Grand Slam (oh my, another baseball reference!) the first time out, and the future of which all remaining Marvel movies would be judged.

Now, as it just so happens, Iron Man, belonging to the Avengers, falls into the category of my favorite characters, ever.  Trust me, I've been giddy with excitement and nervousness knowing that it's the true heroes of Marvel that are getting the Marvel Studios treatment.  Yes, I get that everyone knows Spider-Man and the X-Men, but truthfully, my day begins and ends with the heroes that call Avengers Mansion...

Home.

So when it was announced that Thor was coming next...and it would be directed by Kenneth Branaugh and star Anthony Hopkins as Odin...

Well, needless to say, I was both awed and nervous as well.  Anything less than Iron Man could be seen as a failure.

Starring Chris Hemsworth...who?...as Thor.  And Tom Hiddleston .... who?...as Loki.

That's a whole lotta no-name brand going into the story of the God of Thunder.

The story is straight up from the comics:  Odin must teach his son a lesson in humility so he strips him of his powers and sends him to Earth.  Granted, much of the story gets fiddled with to condense it to movie storytelling, but that's the basic premise of the story.

But they did it, and it worked!

No, it didn't light the box office on fire, but it didn't arrive with a thundering dud, either.

No, instead, the 3rd Branch of the Avengers Tree was revealed.  That left only Captain America to come, and complete the founding of the Avengers.

And Marvel would hope that the audiences would respond accordingly.

I think that worked out okay as well.

If memory serves, the biggest complaint about Thor was the casting of "gods of color" in the film.

Trust me, if they can change the color and origin of Nick Fury, I've got no issues with some minor characters in the Thor mythos.

Sometimes, the comic nerds need to just let it go.

Be impressed that something that NEVER should have EVER existed in our lifetime is here, to see, and to share, with our children.

Assuming you are the comic nerds that are married and well adjusted, and not the stereotypes that live in your Mom's basement...

Then I'm barking up the wrong tree completely!