While we haven’t seen it yet, the word around town is just ok on the latest comic book movie, Captain America: The First Avenger. Starring Chris Evans as Captain America and Hugo Weaving (The Matrix, Lord of the Rings, V for Vendetta) as Red Skull, Captain America was expected to turn the tide on a relatively weak display of comic book movies this summer.  X-Men: First Class was ok, Pirates 4 stunk, and Green Lantern was eh at best. Thor still has my vote on comic book movie of the summer. Anyways, Captain America is the latest from the world of Marvel (now Disney) and apparently it’s just another run of the mill mediocre film.

Here’s what some critics are saying

Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun Times and world famous critic says – “Of course it’s loaded with CGI. It goes without saying it’s preposterous. But it has the texture and takes the care to be a full-blown film.” Full review here.

Peter Travers of Rolling Stone says – “Evans, who played the Human Torch in two less-than-fantastic Fantastic Four films, brings such humor, heart and vigor to virtuous Steve that our rooting interest holds even when the action gets to be standard-issue.” Full review here.

Stephanie Zackarek of Movieline says – “The picture is almost admirably boring, as if director Joe Johnston had wanted to distinguish his movie by not packing it with action, or even bothering much to define the characters.” Full review here.

Rene Rodriguez of the Miami Herald says – “Evans – always a reliably dynamic and vivacious screen presence – can’t do much to bring the character to life. As far as superheroes go, Cap remains a bit of a stiff.” Full review here.

As of 3pm on Thursday 7/21, Rotten Tomatoes audience meter has it at a 97%. Pretty damn good. However, critics have it at a 67%. Plain ok.

Tell us what you think when you see it this weekend.

Ouch, thus far Transformers: Dark of the Moon has a rotten rating of 34% (9am Wednesday) on Rotten Tomatoes ‘tomatometer’ while the audience meter has given it a generous 90% .  Can you say another (The Hangover Part II being the first) disconnect between critic and moviegoer? But hey, isn’t that what summer movies are all about. One thing you can guarantee is that reviews of this movie are less than likely to have any real impact on the box office performance. The previous installment of Transformers, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, set single day box office records and killed it overall despite less-than-stellar reviews.  And, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen turned out to be one of those movies that when on TV you just can’t turn off.  If we know anything about Michael Bay, this film will be one giant display of gorgeous special effects.

Here is what some top critics have said about Transformers: Dark of the Moon

Lou Lumenick of the NY POST says – “I miraculously survived a preview screening with a throbbing headache and slight nausea; others may not be so lucky.” Click here for a complete review.

Richard Roeper of RichardRoeper.com says – “Rarely has a movie had less of a soul and less interesting characters.” Click here for a complete review.

Betsy Sharkey of the LA Times says – “Between Bay’s obsession to make his 3-D matter and the artistry of the special effects legions amassed for the project, the visual payoff is striking.”  Click here for a complete review.

Thomas Leupp of Hollywood.com says – “Exhilarating and exasperating, awe-inspiring and stupefying, less a movie than a prolonged manic episode. In other words, it’s a Michael Bay film.” Click here for a complete review.

Some people liked it, others definitely did not.

Our review will be posted later today (First, we have to see it)

Does Kung Fu Panda 2 have enough ninja power to defeat the much anticipated Hangover sequel this weekend at the Memorial Day 2011 box office. Dreamworks’ sequel to the hit Kung Fu Panda has been thus far much more well received than The Hangover Part II. Right now Kung Fu Panda 2 has a fresh rating of 75%, a lot better than The Hangover Part II.

With 2 of the biggest sequels of the year hitting theaters this weekend perhaps the box office record for Memorial Day weekend could get broken. Not to mention, Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, is in its second week in theaters and will still command a presence at the box office. The four day record for Memorial Day is $246.6  million and was set back in 2007 with Spiderman 3, Pirates 3 and Shrek 3 all were in theaters.  You can pretty much expect a record breaking weekend.

Anyways, lets hear some thoughts from critics about Kung Fu Panda 2.

Richard Roeper says – “A breezy, funny, touching, action-packed sequel.”

Joe Neumaier of the Daily News says – “Yes, some of its lightning-fast fighting styles seem borrowed from videogame aesthetics, but director Jennifer Yuh Nelson’s true cannon fist is how seamlessly “Panda’s” wild skirmishes mesh with its eloquent narrative, even if there are less pauses for reflection this time ’round.”

Todd McCarthy of the Hollywood Reporter says – “Director Jennifer Yuh Nelson, who worked on the first installment as head of story, action sequences supervisor and the Dali-esque position of dream sequence director, devotes the requisite amount of time to small-fry-friendly bumptious slapstick and silliness, which feels generically mandatory. But it all moves along briskly, with a degree of visual grace and a solid feel for 3D.”

Peter DeBruge of Variety says – “Once again, the DreamWorks team demonstrates that humor is the primary weapon in its arsenal, relying on Black to crack wise throughout while doing their best to supply jokes that won’t date the movie a decade down the road.”

It looks like most critics like what they saw. Kung Fu Panda was one pure genius. If Dreamworks has a movie that was only 1/2 as good as the original, they should have a hit on their hands.

Our review will come soon.

Ouch, thus far Hangover Part II has a fresh 34% on Rotten Tomatoes ‘tomatometer’ while the audience meter has given it a generous 94% .  Can you say disconnect between critic and moviegoer? But hey, isn’t that what summer movies are all about. I am sure that this installment of the Hangover is the same ole story in a different city, but that does NOT mean I won’t see it. Sure my expectations might be low, but maybe that’ll keep me in for a nice surprise. Will this version contain the glory and pure comedic genius the first one did, well probably not. I hope it does have some one liners that we will remember for a whle though.

Here is what some top critics have said about The Hangover Part II:

Scott Bowles of US Today says – “It’s not that the jokes in this ill-fated sequel are rehashed from the first film. Refried humor would have felt like a cold beer in the summer sun here.”

Carrie Rickey of the Philadelphia Inquirer says – “While these characters were amusing the first time around, Phillips and his screenwriters don’t bring much new to the party.”

Ty Burr of the Boston Globe says – “the movie’s an unclean thing and a mostly unfunny one.”

However, we do have some positive thoughts to take away from this critic…

Phil Villarreal of Ok! Magazine says – “The guys could make 12 more of these movies, do just as well every time and get audiences to laugh and laugh at themselves for laughing. That’s a lot of laughing, and that’s The Hangover: Part II.”

What did you think?

Our review will be up soon

Let Summer 2011 begin with the debut of Marvel’s latest film Thor, starring Chris Hemsworth and Natalie Portman.  While the trailer might have looked, well lets just say, eh, early reviews have been anything but lackluster for the first summer blockbuster of 2011. I have got to admit I am very surprised.  Rotten Tomatoes has a Fresh rating of 83%, a stellar rating thus far, and the anticipation seems to have grown tremendously this week. Lets take a quick look at what some people are saying.

Richard Roeper  says - “Thor” is the most entertaining superhero debut since the original Spiderman.”

Ty Burr (of the Boston Globe) says - “Thor” shows the Marvel movie formula – amp up the laughs, deploy stars smartly, protect the franchise at all costs – at its most obvious and efficient. It gives mediocre a good name.”

Owen Gleiberson (of Entertainment Weekly) says – Pulls off something I wouldn’t have thought possible: It restores the innocence to big-budget superhero mythmaking.

Sure, not everyone is saying great things, but they are a minority.

A.O Scott (of the New York Times) says -” A howling turkey is at least something to laugh at, and maybe even something to see. But “Thor” is an example of the programmed triumph of commercial calculation over imagination.”

So there you have 4 critics thoughts. Overall sentiment is very positive…well that’s at least what I’ve heard through the grapevine.

Are you going to see Thor this weekend?

Michel Gondry’s comedic take on The Green Hornet comes out in theaters on the 14^th. Britt Reid, played by Seth Rogen, inherits his father’s publishing business after his sudden death, and starts a new life of fighting crime as the masked Green Hornet, teaming up with his driver and kung fu expert, Kato. Gondry very successfully created a comedy out of the superhero idea of the Green Hornet, especially because of the cast he chose.

Seth Rogen and Jay Chou were perfect as the Green Hornet/Britt and his sidekick. Their characters and the interactions between the two are absolutely hilarious. The idea of a hero being a total goofball and, well, a guy who sucks at practically everything, really worked mainly because of these two.

Sadly, Cameron Diaz plays a very small part as the eye candy, although with a really good brain. Ladies, you will still love her character very much. There are so many guys out there who act just like Britt and when you act like Diaz’s character towards them, you always wonder how they could ever think a mere friendly conversation means you “want” them. Although she was hardly present, Lenore was a joy to see on screen and still played a vital part in the story.

The bad guy, Chudnilaioenohgr—whatever his name was—was excellently played by Christoph Waltz, whom you’ll recognize from Inglourious Basterds. He was simply brilliant. Very uniquely written as a subtle but freakishly ambitious criminal, his character can’t help but be one of the most entertaining. Well written and well played!

I’ll admit the strength of Britt’s motivation is questionable and the story could have had a much more satisfying ending. And there are some moments where you’ll ask how someone didn’t get shot when it’s ten against one and the ten are shooting and the one is just running in an open space (okay it wasn’t that bad, but pretty close to that at times). But I guarantee it’s worth bearing for the rest of what the film has to offer. And when the fighting is “real fighting,” the way Kato’s skills are portrayed is, for lack of a better word, AWESOME. I was more the Batman and X-Men series fan, so I can’t say much for you original Green Hornet fans except that in spite of the comedic take, it’s still a superhero film worth seeing.

SEE IT!!

Yogi Bear, the latest 3D take on the original Yogi Bear series, will be out in theaters tomorrow. Directed by Eric Brevig, the film stars Dan Aykroyd as the voice of Yogi, Justin Timberlake as the voice of Boo Boo, and Tom Cavanagh as Ranger Smith. In the film, Jellystone Park is in financial trouble and it’s up to Yogi, Boo Boo, Smith, and a documentary filmmaker, played by Anna Faris, to save it.

Although no one can replace Daws Butler as the voice of Yogi Bear, Aykroyd did a great job living up to it. If you’re not satisfied with his voice, then you can just justify it by giving him credit for making it his own—while still making it work. And I personally loved Timberlake as the voice of Boo Boo. Sadly, Cavanagh could have done a much better job playing Ranger Smith. His reactions were not genuine at all. Faris plays the character she usually does—sweet but really odd and freakish every now and then—but this was not her best performance in that role (although she was better than Cavanagh). The best performance was by Andrew Daly, who plays the mayor. His character added so much fun to the story and made the audience laugh every time he appeared on the screen.

The film was a very enjoyable family movie. It definitely lived up to the original series, including the humor and character dynamics. It made use of the 3D effect throughout and the children in the theater loved it  (and kept trying to grab at whatever “popped out” of the screen…).  Boo Boo was SO adorable, and so was another character revealed in the end (sorry, it’s a surprise). There were slapstick jokes for the kids and also humor for the adults, and nothing seemed off in the story either.

Overall, if you’re not planning to bring the whole family out for some nice clean fun, I’d say RENT IT

Life As We Know It comes out in theaters October 8, 2010. The film is a comedy/drama about two single adults who must take care of their mutual best friends’ daughter after the parents’ unexpected death in an accident. Don’t let the drama tag scare you, though, because there’s lots of comic relief in between. From the start, the film will have you laughing, and although some jokes are a bit forced, there are also some pleasant surprises. The story, however, lacks any surprises. So basically, you’ll know what’s going to happen before it does, but you’ll stay in your seat hoping to enjoy how it happens.

The performances were great. Duhamel had excellent comic timing that topped off the scenes and you can’t not love Heigl. One thing I did think while watching the film was, “Damn, that baby is one heck of an actor…” If you’re a sucker for cute babies, you will love the actress, or shall I say actresses, who play little Sophie. Director Greg Berlanti captured some great moments between all three—the baby and the two single friends. And Lucas is perfectly cast as, well, Mr. Perfect.

Unfortunately, Mr. Perfect was one of the factors that made the story less enjoyable, in my opinion. He was maybe too perfect. One of the ultimate questions in the film is if Heigl’s character will take Mr. Perfect or Duhamel. In real life, the answer would be obvious…

It’s a fun film, and the jokes are able to make the predictability more bearable. This was a really really tough call, but unless romantic comedies are your thing, I’m going to have to go with

RENT IT

The Friars Club Comedy Film Festival screened a sneak peek of Dax Shepard and David Palmer’s Brother’s Justice this past weekend to see what viewers would think since they’re still putting the finishing touches on the film. According to the filmmakers, the trailer won’t be out for a while, but keep an eye out for the film in the next three months or so.

Do you remember when Dax Shepard showed up at the 2006 Teen Choice Awards in a red karate training uniform? Well, if you watch Brother’s Justice, it all makes perfect sense. The film is a mockumentary written and co-directed by Shepard that documents his pursuit of becoming an international Martial Arts action star. It is one of those hilarious films about making a film, except this one is friendlier to viewers not so familiar with the movie making process. Shepard is joined on screen by an entourage of stars who make guest appearances: Tom Arnold, Bradley Cooper, and Ashton Kutcher, to name a few.

The acting was probably the best part of the entire film. Dax’s comic timing is just right, taking advantage of the awkward moments as they come, and the stars all had great “chemistry”—in a completely manly, nonromantic way. According to the filmmakers, it was not unusual for scenes to be improvised, where the cast only had the scene’s overall idea to guide them. They were all so into their parts that half the time, I couldn’t tell if the footage was real or staged. You will love Shepard and want him to get that Martial Arts role—even when you’re laughing so hard because his instructor is being the crap out of him. I walked into the theater expecting some laughs and boy did I get them.

The music choices help to complete the film by providing the right comic touches. However, I wish they had better transitions between scenes. That was the only aspect of the timing that was awkward, in a bad way. Also, the ending was not the satisfying one I was looking for. The story of the movie is set up as Shepard’s journey towards a goal, but I’m not sure if we ever find out whether or not it was achieved.

Throughout the film, Shepard is constantly forced to confront the question of whether or not he is good at what he does, comedy wise. Judging from the way the film was put together, I’d say Shepard knows comedy and how to do it right. And the film has some great moments that are worth seeing, however, they are mainly just those: moments.

RENT IT

Waiting for “Superman”

I certainly felt lucky after watching the film. Its point on how difficult the system is to beat really strikes a chord—I felt like my personal journey from an okay elementary school to a decent public school to a good middle school to a private all girls high school on the Upper East Side and finally to one of the top film schools in the country was a once in a lifetime occurrence, a glitch in the system.

Besides being shaken up, I had an intense battle with my tear ducts while watching the struggle Anthony, Bianca, Daisy, Emily, and Francisco undergo throughout the film. Guggenheim captured four basic and extreme emotions in the children—fear, hope, heartbreak, and elation—and coordinated them with a score that hits your heart in all the right places and keeps you waiting to see what happens next. I could have sworn I could hear the other viewers chanting, “Come on, come on,” in their heads at the film’s climax too…

The best quality of the film, however, was that it answered the questions it asked in an engaging way that even those who aren’t the sharpest tools in the shed can understand (no offense to us audience members educated in America). There are fun animations and pop culture references integrated throughout the film to help explain all the legal and let’s admit it, boring, stuff.

We are all aware that our education system is terrible, but you will leave the theater knowing just how terrible it is once you experience this documentary. Newspaper and magazine articles can’t do what Guggenheim did. It is well worth the money.

SEE IT