Movie Review: Snowpiercer

Snowpiercer is easily the most unique and entertaining sci-fi action flick since Pacific Rim. Comparing the two movies would be pretty pointless however, Pacific Rim was a blockbuster homage to B-rated kaiju films of old and was purposely campy. Although adapted from a French graphic novel, Snowpiercer feels fresh and excitingly original. While watching the film's many action spectacles and curve ball plot twists, I couldn't help but remember my first viewing of The Matrix. Snowpiercer is nowhere near as complex or self serious as Neo's Simulacra and Simulation inspired computer madness, it's just a damn thrilling movie that found me sitting on the edge of my seat and smiling ear to ear throughout its duration.

do not fuck w/ Captain America: EVER

The film takes place in the not too distant future, where a failed global warming experiment backfires and ends up freezing the entire planet, killing all life in the process. The last remnants of humanity live on a globe crossing train called, the Snowpiercer. For the survivors, Earth and the outside world no longer exist, their only reality is the train. Like in our current times however, life on the Snowpiercer sucks if you ain't in the top 1%. The huddled masses in the back of the bus/train are living all the worst post apocalyptic dystopian cliches, while the fat cats in the front stroke their beards and sniff hallucinogenic toxic waste til their hearts' content. Chris Evans leads a rag tag rebellion on board who try to overtake the engine and end their life of squalor and misery.

Director Bong Joon-ho has created the perfect storm of drama, action and over the top absurdity in this flick. The film's all-star cast (John Hurt, Korean star Song Kang-ho, Tilda Swinton, Octavia Spencer Jamie Bell, Alison Pill, Ed Harris and fucking Captain America himself) serve up amazing performances which anchor this film's otherwise flimsy premise to some much needed reality. The violence depicted onscreen is both jarring and titillating. People drop like flies in this movie and it seems like each death is gnarlier than the last. Finally, the set design and costumes of each train car makes the protagonists journey feel like something out of Alice and Wonderland. The film shifts gears from scenes with awesomely done stylized violence, to somber depressing ass drama, to laughably over the top zaniness and it somehow all works. If you're looking for an intelligent alternative to the Transformers type drivel we're spoon fed every summer, you cannot go wrong with Snowpiercer.

Movie Review: Captain America- The Winter Soldier

Marvel Studios has done the impossible. Not only have they transformed a B-tier, one dimensional character like Captain America into a total badass, but they've made a sequel that surpasses the original and elevates the entire genre into higher plane (think The Empire Strikes Back or The Dark Knight). In summary, Captain America: The Winter Soldier shattered all of my expectations, had me giggling like a school girl and reaffirmed my undying loyalty to the Marvel brand.

S.H.I.E.L.D./Big Brother...is watching,

Captain America's first movie was pretty cool, even if it was a glorified placeholder for The Avengers. I loved the vintage, period piece atmosphere and didn't mind the dozen or so montages that rushed the film into the current MCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe for the non-geeks). Cap's new film, The Winter Soldier, although intertwined with the rest of the MCU, stands on it's own two feet as a legit action/thriller extravaganza. Seriously, you could take away the comic book elements from this film and you'd still have a wildly entertaining action flick. Since Captain America doesn't have high tech armor or an enchanted space hammer, he's just a dude jacked to the extreme pinnacle of human perfection, his movie is bit more grounded than the usual Marvel films. Yeah, he's doing back flips off planes and punching holes in walls, but it's still less crazy than space portals and robot wrestling. Instead we see Cap laying the smack down on dozens of random goons in total 80's action mode. The fight scenes in this movie are beyond glorious. The elevator beat down sequence was easily one of the coolest things I've ever seen in my life (next to Thor Vs Hulk in Avengers). I don't know what I enjoyed more, watching Cap finally go full super soldier, or the subtle barely there extras, like him bouncing off walls and falling off freeways; the crazy physics stuff that was always implied off panel in the comics but brought to light on the big screen.

Geek stuff aside, this is just a really well made flick. The Winter Soldier is a political leaning thriller, with topical references ripped right from the headlines. Nick Fury and his bros at S.H.I.E.L.D. have developed some new mega spy/drone weapons to weed out threats before they occur. It's some Orwellian/G.W. Bush/NSA stuff that our boy Captain America wants no part of (he's a 95 year old WWII vet for crying out loud). Everyone in the cast deliverers great performances, from Frank Grillo and the low level henchmen types to Scarlet Johansson who finally owns her Black Widow character. Of course all praises due to Chris Evans, the dude is the perfect Captain America. He handles the action and emotional aspects of the character remarkably well. His speech during the beginning of the third act was inspiring in all the ways Warner's godawful Man of Steel was not, and "end of the line" remark during the finale battle scene with the actual Winter Soldier had my heartstrings all twisted much like the now iconic, "...I had a date," phrase from the first film.

Kudos to the Russo brothers for directing such a sharp and ass kicking thriller. If you're into fast paced action flicks like the Bourne films, you'll love this. Next to The Avengers, Captain America: The Winter Solider is easily Marvel's best film to date, and also one of the best comic movies of all time (up there with Spider-Man 2, The Dark Knight, etc). Go see this.

Movie Review: The Avengers

Words. Words can't describe how much I loved this movie. The first time I saw The Avengers, I quietly muttered, "Joss Whedon...I love you," under my breath as the credits rolled. I say, the first time because I saw The Avengers TWICE last weekend. Yes, I was on the frontlines of geekdom on the film's opening night at the Arclight in Pasadena. The theater was like a giant club house. We hollered, laughed and sat awestruck with mouths aghast (at least, I did!) over the miracle that unfolded before our eyes. That was the first screening.

20 year dream come true!

Round two happened the next night, i.e. Saturday...less than 24 hours later, with my girlfriend at our local movie theater. She's become quite familiar with the Marvel universe after having viewed all the previous Marvel films leading up to The Avengers (plus years of listening to my geeky rants about mutants, Celestials and Thor kicking Superman's ass) but even if she wasn't tainted by my Marvel fanboy-ism, like our friend who came along and had never seen any of the other films before, they both loved it! Not only is this the pinnacle of comic book movies, it's also a totally rad summer popcorn blockbuster that doesn't blatantly insult your intelligence (take that Michael Bay!).

So the movie, it's amazing. Joss Whedon's script and direction are superb. The film's pacing is exhausting but in a good way. I'm sure you've all seen snippets of commercials for movies that say "So and so from the Daily Bugle calls it, 'a nonstop thrill ride!" Well, that's how The Avenger's is. Whedon's film is a legitimate nonstop thrill ride. It's the fastest 2 hours and 15 minutes of your life, trust me. Not only is the action and special effects mind bogglingly awesome, but The Avenger's is also one of the funniest movies I've seen in ages. There are several L-O-L moments throughout the film that had the entire audience in stitches.

Of course something must be said about the cast. They're phenomenal. All of them. Even Scarlett Johansson and Jeremy Renner (as Black Widow and Hawkeye) who did jack shit with their roles in Iron Man 2 and Thor, even they brought it home with their performances in The Avengers. All praises due to my boy Loki! Again, after stealing the show in Thor he's like super smooth evil asshole perfection in The Avengers. Also, The Hulk....never has he been more awesome than in this movie. NEVER!

Hands down, the raddest movie of the year. I don't care how great The Dark Knight Rises might be, nothing compares to the 20 year nerd-gasm I had watching The Avengers (twice!). 

Movie Review: Captain America- The First Avenger

And the streak continues! Another great comic book film from Marvel Studios. I guess the old adage "if you want some thing done right..." comes to mind here. Marvel faced a few problems regarding this project. First, Captain America is fucking boring. Yeah I said it. He's the ultimate boy scout and is as one dimensional as vanilla ice cream. Second, he isn't all that "super." Lacking any real super powers, Cap could have easily been upstaged by the Thor/X-Men/Green Lantern type flicks that feature awesome CGI bursts of energy darting across the screen. Luckily, director Joe Johnston and Marvel managed to side step these issues and craft a nifty little summer action romp.

So the entire movie is a flashback/origin story for Steve Rogers, the scrawny young reject who oh so desperately wants to serve his country during World War II and signs up for a top secret government project turning him into not just a super solider, but Captain America, the world's first Avenger (See what I did there? Marvel, call me). Chris Evans does a wonderful job as Steve Rogers. I'll call him Steve Rogers because, even after he gets all yoked out and dons the red, white and blues, Evans always retains the human/underdog qualities that make the otherwise boring boyscout that is Captain America worth watching. In fact there are scenes in the film that show just how uncomfortable Rogers is dressed up as a "hero" and always retains a true sense of himself throughout.

At first I was like...but then I was like...

Yeah, the movie is kind of cheesy. There are way too many montage sequences that defy the golden rule of storytelling 101 (show don't tell the audience what's going on, but hey, it IS a comic book movie after all) and there isn't a whole lot of action. That being said, the action that is covered is pretty rad. Watching Steve Rogers make mince meat of random Hydra bad guys never gets old. Hugo Weaving does an adequate job as the Red Skull, menacing but not over the top....which says a lot for a dude rocking a giant red fucking skull. Tommy Lee Jones plays the typical military hardass but he does it rather well. Major kudos to Hayley Atwell as well. At first I was afraid she was simply going to be eye candy but by the end of the flick I was totally sold on her performance.

must.salute.officer...

Speaking of the ending. It sucks. Not in a bad way but in a sad way. Like I suddenly realized I how emotionally invested I had become in these characters and was surprisingly upset about the inevitable end that as a comic geek, I already KNEW was coming. So yeah, Captain America: The First Avenger is a solid summer flick and a really good example of how to pull off a comic book film (you taking notes DC comics?).