I didn't know fluffy towels had a smell until the Yankee Candle company told me so. -Mobile Blogging live from JCPenny.
And then there came a day unlike any other, when Captain America, Iron Man, Hulk, and Thor would be on screen together. While it’s every fanboy’s dream, the harsh reality is that more often than not this can go very wrong, however every once in a great while a movie comes along and becomes the blueprint of what a blockbuster movie should be.
Let’s save the suspense, this was gigantic scale action on steroids. Avengers is every awesome two page spread you've ever seen in comics come to life. I’ll try to keep out major spoilers but in order to fully explain a film with so many volatile elements something has to give. The movie picks up where Thor and Captain America left off; S.H.I.E.LD has the cube and is trying to turn it into a weapon. Loki’s reappearance and attack cause it to fall in the wrong hands, we also loose Hawkeye for a bit but fear not. Nick Fury has to rally his troops, but each is less than thrilled to be working for S.H.I.E.L.D.
We get one awesome fight after another, Cap/Ironman vs Loki, Ironman vs Thor, Captain America vs Thor, Black Widow vs Hulk, Hulk vs Thor, Thor vs Loki, Hulk vs Loki. The battle against Loki’s army is the best mega battle scene since Two Towers or Braveheart, it clocks in at a little over 30 minutes alone.
My concern was Mark Ruffalo as Hulk/Bruce Banner, while he plays the role to hold his own on screen, one could not help but wonder what an Edward Norton Hulk would have been like in this film.
Also certain parts of the movie require you to have at least watched Thor and Captain America, but if you haven't it really won't take away from your enjoyment of this film.
There were only two things Avengers did which were not wrong, just a bit odd. First there was never an “Avengers Assemble!” battle cry (hope this is the scene that was filmed the night of the premiere). Second the death of one of the characters seemed like just a plot moving device and I really liked that character.
No doubt you were going to see this movie regardless of what my opinion would have been. All my intent here is to get you to brave the crowd on opening weekend and see this movie on day 1, it’s just that good.
Note: at the time only the Thanos mid credits scene (possibility of a sequel based on the Infinity Gauntlet story) was shown, there is word another post credits scene will be included in the May 4th release.
5 out of 5 Thank you Joss!!
- David N.
Recently I had the privilege of being invited to see the first project from the recently formed Manley productions. To Whom Much is Given is a documentary film, which chronicles eight weeks in the lives of a handful of troubled inner city students at New West Academy, a non-public school in south central Los Angeles which focuses on growing needs of special education.
Directed by up and coming filmmaker Cory Lutz, To Whom Much is Given takes the road of turning this feature in to an outlet for the kids being showcased such as former gang member Roderick. The decision to go this route doesn’t hurt the enjoyment of the film, but at times does tend to leave you with questions on other interesting subject matter in the film. New West Academy’s founder Dr. Andrew Manley is seen throughout the documentary but the audience is only given bits and pieces of his story. Watching Dr. Manley on screen drew comparisons to Morgan Freeman in Lean on Me, in his no nonsense attitude on dealing with kid’s behavioral problems. Of course I’d want to know more about a guy like that, how could the audience not? At the end we see the kids graduate but we aren’t informed of their post academy fate, only of one of the kids in the actual film. (note during the Q&A with director and founder we did learn a few of them and it was tragic)
The work done on this film by the Manley Productions crew is strong first outing for a rag tag bunch of fresh USC graduates. Most films like these have a skeleton budget, which sadly can often times reflect that fact. With the exception of a couple of built in text titles, this film doesn’t feel amateur or dialed in.
Ultimately To Whom Much is Given doesn’t take the most dangerous path, but it doesn’t take the safest path either. The film itself doesn’t take a side, it only tells an unbiased story through the eyes of a few kids society gave up on. Giving these kids an outlet succeeded to laying in an anti gang undertone to the film, but ultimately we aren’t left with post filming information. I enjoyed watching this film and was left with a lot of questions after it was over, but maybe that is what a good documentary should do, inform you just enough to where you want to know more.
3 out of 5
Personal note, hadn't been back to USC since my time there, still the same campus is like a stripper, pretty on the outside confusing on the inside.
- David N.
But you’ve already seen this story.
Some did it very well; I’m talking to you Daniel Day Lewis. While some didn’t do it justice, I’m talking to you James Cameron. The story is in fact one of the earliest versions of the cliché: Man travels to foreign land, sheds skin, becomes one of the people of said land and finds unlikely love in that land.
Even though in many ways it’s the original version of that tale, John Carter could have been a victim of cliché. Instead Andrew Stanton, the Pixar visionary behind great stories like Toy Story and Finding Nemo reminded the audience that something becomes cliché because it’s originally worth repeating over and over again.
John Carter won’t take you on a lot of twist and turns story wise, however the plot remains solid without surrendering to the action. We get a great John Carter in former Gambit Taylor Kitsch and another super animated performance from Boondock Saint Willem Dafoe. Each important role in the film could have been a lesson for writers on how to give characters voice.
The visual of transforming Utah into Mars, creatures and all is the skeletal support of this film. Without drowning the viewer in dry red everything, Mars becomes a believable world on the brink of death. CG characters are so true to the actors and material, personally Dafoe is now my favorite Martian. Kitsch on screen superpowers make me believe this is what we’re all like when we become superman and get superpowers by going to an alien planet. Well choreographed action with complementary score, seems basic but still manages to go beyond film 101.
Bottom line, to all the skeptics like myself, relax this is John Carter of Mars.
Overall I give the movie a 4 out of 5 but the true importance of John Carter is to our current age of cinema. Beginning with the dark tone of Batman Begins, then that moment where we saw the first Watchmen trailer and now seeing a movie that some fans have waited more than twenty years for. John Carter solidifies this age of cinema as the age of the movie we thought we’d never get to see.
Thank you to L.A Times, and Geoff Boucher for hosting these events, it’s probably a lot of fun for you guys, but it can’t be easy. Hats off to you! Though I will not pay to read it online for $5.
- David N.
