Rabu, 16 November 2011
Senin, 01 Agustus 2011
Reviewed: Captain America: The First Avenger [2011]
12A - 125mins - Action/Adventure/Sci-Fi - 29th July 2011
With the summer season now in full blast we get our latest and final all action comic book hero for the year in the guise of Captain America- yet another character that I am unfamiliar with. Have I missed out on a childhood filled with comic books? It would seem so.
Set during World War II, Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) a poorly yet determined man has only one goal- to join the army so that he can serve and protect his country. Due to his illnesses and diminished stature though he is rejected and turned away by every recruitment station he visits. A chance encounter with Dr. Erksine (Stanley Tucci) changes his fortunes and leads him to be accepted onto a secret project codename Project Rebirth where his honour and integrity gain him the chance to become a super soldier. He undergoes the transformation and becomes capable of near superhuman acts.
Meanwhile in Germany, Johann Schmidt aka the Red Skull (Hugo Weaving), head of the Nazi exploratory research department HYDRA is building and army and technology that threatens to not only usurp Hitler but destroy the world. Captain America is tasked with stopping Schmitt and bringing the war to a premature end.
I was looking forward to seeing Evans in his role as Captain America as I'd wanted to see if he had what it takes to be the leading star in a film rather than the supporting roles he's more used to. He passed with flying colours making the character his own from a skinny nobody to the patriotic propaganda spinning Captain America. The rest of the cast also performed well with Weaving a convincing bad guy (despite me wanting him to say Mr. Anderson) and Tommy Lee Jones adding his unique charisma to the hard as nails Colonel. I was less convinced with Hayley Atwell playing the love interest Peggy Carter as the chemistry wasn't there and she never really extracted any emotions from me good or bad.
The action taken as a whole was good but I'm not sure that there was enough from Captain America. Sure he swung his shield and sent the opposition flying but I never felt that he was getting down and dirty for his cause. Some of the fighting scenes felt rushed and tended to be over before they had even begun. Also I understand Captain America's improved metabolism/regeneration properties cover up the fact he always looks like he's just walked out from make-up room #1 but I would still have liked to see him a bit beaten up and then recover for the next scene rather than looking as if he's just going for a stroll through the park. He never felt in peril which instantly removes any suspense that I should have been feeling for him.
The story of his origins seemed to take president over the action and to a certain degree that's understandable- there is no movie without a plot, but I would have liked a smidge more action and a tad less talking. Luckily the film didn't give off that all American vibe that I thought it might with the patriotism healthily present rather than all engulfing. Likewise, the comedy flowed at a decent level with many short (as in height) jokes and other such one liners hitting their mark. Although for me, I found Red Skull to be the funniest merely for his appearance- he was not scary and just looked like he'd forgotten to lather himself in suntan lotion before a trip to the beach one day.
The ending certainly adds its clout to The Avengers film due out next year. (You may want to hang around at the end for another post credit scene and a teaser trailer for said film). So where does this go in my list of Summer comic book heroes? I think it slots in nicely behind X-Men, just pipping Thor into second and is comfortably ahead of the Green Lantern.
By James W FarmerFor further reviews feel free to check out: http://www.fanaticalaboutfilms.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=James_W_Farmer
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6457786
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6457786
Review: Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows Part 2
Like most adults, I came across Harry Potter when book 3 was released, about two years before the first movie. Kids had been aware of the books since day one. They were an immediate hit, selling millions of copies. However, most adults hadn't heard about them. It was only when a TV station in the US was doing a little research for a small article on kid's reading habits that they realised that these books were outselling videogames and movies without any huge publicity or advertising campaigns. It all boiled down to word of mouth. That, of course, changed almost overnight. Suddenly there was a two month waiting period for the books in the US. An American friend of mine was so stunned that he was able to buy all books (four at the time) in a bookshop in Dublin without any problems that he bought four copies of each and sent them home. He was the best uncle in the world that Christmas.
Anyway, as I said, I came across the books at book 3 and have read them all as they came out. The books, cleverly, grew up at the same rate as the characters and readers; Starting off as a book for kids with magic sweets and happy, fluffy magic. But there was still real danger and excitement in the book and the author never talked down or patronised the readers. As the books went on the books got larger, the characters grew up, the danger and excitement more extreme, favourite characters changed and even died. And the books grew more and more popular. The hysteria surrounding the release of a book would only be matched by the hysteria surrounding the next book.
And then the films came out. Everyone was concerned: How close to the book will they stay? Who will play the teachers? With a big American studio behind them and an American director and market will Harry suddenly become Troy? And who will play the kids? We need not have worried. The movies stuck VERY closely to the books (At times cutting out unnecessary plotlines that actually improves the story). The adult cast was fantastic. The late, great Richard Harris played headmaster Dumbledore (replaced with the equally great Michael Gambon after the death of Harris), Maggie Smith, John Cleese and Ian Hart all played their parts brilliantly. However Robbie Coltrane and Alan Rickman were BORN to play Hagrid and Snape. The kid actors were all pretty good also. Daniel Radcliffe a bit nervous and stilted as Harry (He's to be honest, not the best actor in the world) Rupert Grint as his best friend, Ron was funny and appealing and Emma Watson was perfect as their know-it-all friend Hermione. As the books went on and new characters were introduced the casting was uniformly excellent: Kenneth Brenagh, Ralph Feinnes, Brendan Gleeson, Gary Oldman etc.
So, at last, we get to the last movie. Was it worth the wait? Oh yes! As readers will know, Deathly Hallows Part One covered about more than three quarters of the last book. So Part two was going to be mainly the action packed finale. And it lives up to the challenge. Think the battle of Helms Deep in The Two Towers but with more wands. The action is thick and fast when it needs to be but knows when to calm down when it needs to also. After a five minute build up we are thrown into a daring bank heist with a dramatic and destructive escape. Another few minutes of tense calm and we start the battle of hogwarts. Once bumbling characters are suddenly turn into action heroes and we see other characters in a whole new light. Cool characters get even cooler. Well loved characters rise to the challenge or die without any OTT melodrama, they just die. Most of the actors return even if they don't have a single line of dialogue which is a testament to their respect for the films, books and fans.
Anyway, as I said, I came across the books at book 3 and have read them all as they came out. The books, cleverly, grew up at the same rate as the characters and readers; Starting off as a book for kids with magic sweets and happy, fluffy magic. But there was still real danger and excitement in the book and the author never talked down or patronised the readers. As the books went on the books got larger, the characters grew up, the danger and excitement more extreme, favourite characters changed and even died. And the books grew more and more popular. The hysteria surrounding the release of a book would only be matched by the hysteria surrounding the next book.
And then the films came out. Everyone was concerned: How close to the book will they stay? Who will play the teachers? With a big American studio behind them and an American director and market will Harry suddenly become Troy? And who will play the kids? We need not have worried. The movies stuck VERY closely to the books (At times cutting out unnecessary plotlines that actually improves the story). The adult cast was fantastic. The late, great Richard Harris played headmaster Dumbledore (replaced with the equally great Michael Gambon after the death of Harris), Maggie Smith, John Cleese and Ian Hart all played their parts brilliantly. However Robbie Coltrane and Alan Rickman were BORN to play Hagrid and Snape. The kid actors were all pretty good also. Daniel Radcliffe a bit nervous and stilted as Harry (He's to be honest, not the best actor in the world) Rupert Grint as his best friend, Ron was funny and appealing and Emma Watson was perfect as their know-it-all friend Hermione. As the books went on and new characters were introduced the casting was uniformly excellent: Kenneth Brenagh, Ralph Feinnes, Brendan Gleeson, Gary Oldman etc.
So, at last, we get to the last movie. Was it worth the wait? Oh yes! As readers will know, Deathly Hallows Part One covered about more than three quarters of the last book. So Part two was going to be mainly the action packed finale. And it lives up to the challenge. Think the battle of Helms Deep in The Two Towers but with more wands. The action is thick and fast when it needs to be but knows when to calm down when it needs to also. After a five minute build up we are thrown into a daring bank heist with a dramatic and destructive escape. Another few minutes of tense calm and we start the battle of hogwarts. Once bumbling characters are suddenly turn into action heroes and we see other characters in a whole new light. Cool characters get even cooler. Well loved characters rise to the challenge or die without any OTT melodrama, they just die. Most of the actors return even if they don't have a single line of dialogue which is a testament to their respect for the films, books and fans.
The end may leave you wanting more but, sorry, that's it... Until Harry Potter And The Midlife Crises I suppose. It yet to be seen if these actors will be able top break out of their roles in Harry Potter and make a career for themselves in the Film and TV industry. Only times will tell on this really but one thing's for sure, they won't have to queue at the dole office for a while anyway!
By Barry F
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6441039
Langganan:
Postingan (Atom)