There Was A Lot Of Hate Directed Towards "Avengers: Age of Ultron"

Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)

Rated PG-13

Starring Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Jeremy Renner, Scarlett Johansson, Paul Bettany, Elizabeth Olsen, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Anthony Mackie, Don Cheadle,

Written and Directed by Joss Whedon

The Story:

Tony Stark (Downey Jr.) enlists the aid of Bruce Banner (Ruffalo) to create a worldwide peacekeeping solution called the Ultron Program. However when the program becomes sentient and becomes Ultron (Spader), it decides that the Avengers are part of the reason why there is no peace on the planet and sets out to exterminate them.

Avengers, Assemble!

So, was Avengers 2 as good as the first Avengers film?

Absolutely not.

However, not for really a lack of trying.

Avengers was the first time that crazy concoction of teaming up all the characters had ever been done before, and it was lightning in a bottle.

But if you go back and look, you'll find glitches and plot holes abound in that one as well, fans were just eager to see the big-screen spectacle, we either didn't notice, or didn't really care.

This time around, the bar was already set too high, and it was bound to fail to reach those lofty heights, but you might as well try, right?

And they did.

And there is SOOOO much to enjoy about this film. The banter amongst the Avengers is wonderful, and it makes them human and it also foreshadows what's to come in upcoming films. There's a lot of different opinions and egos on this team, and it will come to a boiling point in the next film, and it should.

However, I happily watched this installment and walked away very happy.

The action sequences were well done, and the giant cast of characters seemed to share the screen and story in equal chunks so that everyone, and no one, is the absolute star of the film.

It was nice to see Hawkeye's (Renner) role fleshed out a bit more. I always enjoyed the Avengers that weren't super-humans, yet found a way to hold their own with the big boys, and Hawkeye and the Black Widow (Johansson) continue to shine in this role.

In fact, the only thing I didn't really care for was Ultron. Spader put too much personality or himself into the role, and it came across as...weird... I guess.

Ultron is a relentless program whose sole purpose is to upgrade, upgrade, upgrade in an attempt to be the best possible Ultron...and kill the Avengers...

Cracking wise... that's not Ultron.

My biggest gripe, but when he's the main villain, it starts to stand out as the film wears on.

Still, a good movie, but not the best Marvel film of the year.

Final Grade: B+

Bombs Bursting All Right... "Mortdecai"

Mortdecai (2015)

Rated R

Starring Johnny Depp, Gwyneth Paltrow, Ewan McGregor, Paul Bettany

Directed by David Koepp

The Story:

Usually I try and sum up a film in a few sentences to give you an idea of what the film is about, without giving away any spoilers. However, I think I'll let Lionsgate do the the heavy lifting this time around:

" Juggling some angry Russians, the British Mi5, his impossibly leggy wife and an international terrorist, debonair art dealer and part time rogue Charlie Mortdecai must traverse the globe armed only with his good looks and special charm in a race to recover a stolen painting rumored to contain the code to a lost bank account filled with Nazi gold."

That's way better than I could do.

Heck, that synopsis almost makes me want to see this film again.

Except I watched the first 15-20 minutes of the film, and didn't get any of that.

My snynopsis would read something more along the lines of:

"Johnny Depp makes another piece of #@$# movie wherein he plays himself, or some semblance of Jack Sparrow, because he's a shell of an actor and continues to con his way into payday after payday making crap that people keep watching for some reason."

Oops.

Not a very good synopsis.

Not a very good movie.

Waste of a talented ensemble, and Johnny Depp continues to be on cruise control.

The movie never decides if it wants to be serious, a farce, a serious farce, a farcical drama.

So....sooooo bad.

Easily the worst movie of 2015.

Save yourself!

 Final Grade: F-

Sentient Computers...What Could Go Wrong? "Transcendence"

Transcendence (2014)

Rated PG-13

Starring Johnny Depp, Rebecca Hall, Paul Bettany, Cillian Murphy, Kate Mara, Cole Hauser, Morgan Freeman

Directed by Wally Pfister

The Story:

Will Caster (Depp) is a brilliant scientist who thinks that an Artificial Intelligence could become a sentient being if allowed to be uploaded onto the internet.  His best friend (Bettany) warns that it is a dangerous proposition.  When cyber-terrorists cause Caster's death, his essence is uploaded onto his program.

What could possibly go wrong?

Haven't people seen War Games? The Terminator?

Computers = Bad

This movie = Not that great.

The problem, well, I 'll start at the beginning.

When you have a voice-over that says, in essence, a few years ago, before we lost everything...

So, you get the idea of where the movie is going to go, and how it's going to get there.

No surprises. No intrigue.

It simply happens.

Zzzzz.


Final Grade: C-

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: None at all.

The Proverbial Blast From The Past... "A Knight's Tale"

A Knight's Tale (2001)

Rated PG-13 for language, violence and partial nudity

Starring Heath Ledger,  Rufus Sewell, Shannyn Sossamon, Paul Bettany, Mark Addy, Alan Tudyk, James Purefoy

Directed by Brian Helgeland

The Story:

William Thatcher is a squire whose master dies.  He assumes the identity of the knight to compete and feed himself and his partners Roland (Addy and Wat (Tudyk).  On their journey to tournaments, they meet a young man named Chaucer (Bettany) who forges paper for William that allows him access to bigger and better tournaments.  Then William  sees the lovely Jocelyn (Sossamon) and is in love, and this brings him into direct conflict with Count Adhemar (Sewell).  Will the charade work, or will everything come undone?

I have heard people moan and groan about how much they don't care for this movie...

I am in the other camp.

The happy camp, that enjoys this movie and revels in how much fun the movie is having.

Yes, that includes the usage of rock music in a medieval setting.

A lot of people hated it.

For me, it works.

I don't come to this one hoping for a fairly historical drama.

I want fun.

And that's exactly what we are given from start to finish.

The entire cast is pitch perfect... Sewell as Count Adhemar is a particularly perfect evil foil to Ledger's hero.

I am still torn over which Heath Ledger performance is my favorite, this one or 10 Things I Hate About You. 

You can take his turn as The Joker.  I'll enjoy these films instead.  Way more fun...

Paul Bettany seems to be having a blast as Chaucer, and his introductions at the fight are nothing short of legendary.

A small, but pivotal role is James Purefoy as Sir William Colville... who also isn't exactly what he seems either.

: )

This movie gets a lot of airplay in our house.

A lot.

No complaints.

Final Grade: A

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: Own it. It gets watched at least once a year.  When it wears out, Blu Ray upgrade. ;)

The 'Real' Best Picture of 2008 Should Have Been... "Iron Man"

You will believe a man can fly...

In a suit of armor!

The Story:

Multi-billionaire industrialist Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) is in Afghanistan demonstrating his newest weapon for the military when his convoy is attacked and Stark is injured.  Ordered to build a weapon for terrorists, Stark designs an armor that can be worn as a weapon.  It also happens to be able to save his life after his injuries.  However, when Stark finds out who is behind the terrorist organization, it's a betrayal that cuts even deeper than any injury he suffers from.

Wow.

I love this movie.

Jon Favreau signs on as director for the first film from Marvel Studios, and he hit a home run.  Any fear that Marvel was getting in over their heads was put to rest, relatively, by the performance of the first of the "Phase One" of the movies.

Surrounding Downey were excellent casting choices such as Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow) and Lt. Colonel James Rhodes (Terence Howard).  These pieces are vital to the mythos of Tony Stark, and they serve the movie well here.  Filling out the unheralded role as Jarvis, Paul Bettany provides the voice of Tony's armor.  It's an interesting twist on the comics, and one that works very well for the movie.  I would be remiss if I didn't also mention the screen debut of one of the most endearing characters in the Marvel Universe: Agent Coulson (Clark Gregg).  I'm not sure if it was fleshed out from the beginning, but it was hard not to like the little guy. : )

As for the villain, Jeff Bridges plays the weasel Obadiah Stane perfectly.  Going into the film, comic fans knew what was to be expected, but I'm sure it came as a surprise to many non-fans.

Downey brings a cocky swagger to the role that just nails everything the comic book character symbolized, and brings it into the real world.  I'm very pleased that they've left the alcoholic subplot out of the movies, and I hope they keep it out.  That was a period that was influential in the book, but is really a minor footnote in the grand scheme of things.

Tony needs to be challenged mentally, physically and intellectually.  Leave the booze on the sideline.

It's not the perfect superhero movie, but five years later...

It's pretty darn close.

Final Grade: A.  I'm raising it up from the A- simply because it is such a good film that still holds up, and really works for the foundation of the universe.

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: Yes, yes...yes!  So much so that I now have a cool briefcase containing this and many other films on Blu Ray.