REVIEW: Cowboys & Aliens

MOVIE
Cowboys & Aliens

CAST
Daniel Craig, Harrison Ford

RATING
PG-13

RELEASE
July 29, 2011

DIRECTOR
Jon Favreau

STUDIO(S)
Universal Pictures,
DreamWorks Pictures

RUNNING TIME
1 hour 58 minutes





STARS
***1/2











REVIEW:

'Cowboys & Aliens' opens up on Daniel Craig waking up in the desert having a mysterious cuff on his wrist and no idea who the hell he is. Throughout the first 20 minutes of the film, the audience learns that his name is Jake Lonergan, a criminal wanted for death and money. What's great about the first half hour of this movie is that the audience is just as clueless as Daniel Craig's character. Throughout the movie we learn piece by piece what happened in Lonergan's past that caused the aliens to come. John Favreau, best known for directing the 'Iron Man' series is fantastic at developing his characters, as well as being a great storyteller in general. As corny as the movie's title may be, 'Cowboys & Aliens' is an awesome summer movie that gives today's audiences a glimpse of the ol' west as well as satisfying their sci-fi appetites.

The best thing about 'Cowboys & Aliens' is its characters and how they're developed. Daniel Craig takes a break from the '007' role to be Jake, a clueless criminal who may be everybody's only hope in getting their town back. Like I said previously, you're just as clueless throughout the movie as Jake is, because he is still trying to figure out who he is and why he has the mysterious bracelet on his wrist. With every hero there has to come with a cranky counterpart, and that person is Colonel Woodrow Dolarhyde, played by the man, the legend, Harrison Ford.

Since Ford is much older than he was thirty years ago, playing a scruffy, cranky, old sheriff who can also be a badass is the perfect role for him. It's always nice to see Ford on the big screen being the action star he always was, rather than being in some average medical drama. Ford and Craig have terrific chemistry, and that alone carries the movie. This movie has a great supporting cast, including the luscious Olivia Wilde, and the hilarious/powerful Sam Rockwell. They are just as great as the two main leads, and they will make you laugh and intrigue you throughout the two hour movie.

As most know, Jon Favreau, the director of 'Iron Man' is at the helm of this sci-fi western. As much as I love the 'Iron Man' movies, I think that Favreau made a great choice leaving the series. Before 'Iron Man,' Favreau directed the Will Ferrell comedy 'Elf,' and the sci-fi kids adventure 'Zathura,' both of which are excellent movies. 'Iron Man' was only the benchmark of this director's career. With his creative mind, Jon Favreau can really go far in Hollywood, rather than just acting alongside Vince Vaughn in a dumb comedy. Favreau's creative mind sells the what could have been dismal story of this movie. Of course we get unnecessary subplots involving defending yourself, but you still have to remember that every great movie has a few minor flaws.

With an energetic cast, a cool storyline, and killer special effects, 'Cowboys & Aliens' is a fun summer movie that will keep you on the edge of your seat until the initial mystery is solved. Craig and Ford have perfect chemistry together, and why wouldn't they, considering the fact that it's an epic action battle between 'Indiana Jones,' 'James Bond,' and a whole bunch of extra terrestrial aliens. The story is intriguing, as you keep wondering what is going on between Jake Lonergan and the aliens that want to kill everyone. For those looking for some pure summer fun, you may want to give this movie a chance. Not everyone will love it, but if you know that it's going to be more western than sci-fi, and there's more character development than alien battles, then you will enjoy the epic battle of 'Cowboys & Aliens.'


PREVIEWS YOU MAY SEE:

The Debt

Contagion

Moneyball

Killer Elite

In Time

Tower Heist

Battleship

REVIEW: Crazy, Stupid, Love

MOVIE
Crazy, Stupid, Love

CAST
Steve Carell, Ryan Gosling

RATING
PG-13

RELEASE
July 29, 2011

DIRECTOR(S)
John Requa, Glenn Ficarra

STUDIO
Warner Bros. Pictures

RUNNING TIME
1 hour 58 minutes





STARS
****










REVIEW:

Everybody in life falls in love with someone really special to them. Whether it's an older or younger indivitual, a high school sweetheart, or a person of the same gender, everybody will one day find their soulmate. Love is the obvious theme for 'Crazy, Stupid, Love,' a funny, yet sometimes deep romantic film starring funnyman Steve Carell. With names like Steve Carell and Emma Stone on the poster/in the trailer for this movie, you would probably be expecting another dumb but funny romantic comedy. I'm not saying that this movie isn't funny, because it is indeed. I'm saying that this movie has no idea what genre it wants to be categorized in. Is it a comedy? Is it a drama? That's what I thought was great about this movie: the fact that, like reality, it has no idea what genre it wants to be. 'Crazy, Stupid, Love' is that rare romantic film that can make you laugh, and make you sad. For that reason alone, this movie is quite possibly the best romantic movie of the year.

Cal Weaver, a man who believes that he has the perfect life, has just found out that his wife has been cheating on him, and therefore wants a divorce. Desperate and lonely, Cal goes to a bar every night and mopes about his wife and what she did to him. But alas, along comes Jacob Palmer, a smooth talking gigelo who helps Cal find a bit of happiness so he can win his wife back. At the same time, much other romantic subplots occur, all eventually colliding into one another into one big pile of Crazy, Stupid, Love.

The best thing about this movie is the cast. Steve Carell knows when to be awkward, funny, and dark at the same time when being Cal. In my opinion, this is Carell's best role since Brick Tamland in the hilarious 'Anchorman.' Steve definately made the right choice leaving his hit show 'The Office,' as long as he keeps making movies as good as this. If you saw 'Dinner for Schmucks' last year, you may agree with me that the best character in the movie was the artist Kieran, played flawlessly by Jemaine Clement. This year, I believe that the best character in 'Crazy, Stupid, Love' is the suave Jacob, played by Ryan Gosling. Like Clement last year, Gosling's character is awesome because he is. He is what most people would call a "womanizer," mainly because he can score with hot women in a bar every single night. This character is funny, charming, an just plain cool to begin with. I hope that Ryan Gosling is in more mainstream movies opposed to artsy films, because he could make it very far with regular moviegoers. The rest of the cast, including Julianne Moore and Kevin Bacon all play their parts well and we actually come to care for them, despite the fact that they're not very likeable characters in reality.

The story is witty and original, the cast is fantastic, and the film's directors John Requa and Glenn Ficarra, who are best known for co-writing 'Bad Santa' and co-directing last year's 'I Love You Phillip Morris' certainly knew what they were doing when making this movie. Of all of this weekend's releases, this one has to be my favorite one. It's not just because this movie is laugh out loud hilarious that I consider it THE movie to see this week. I believe that with enough laughs and enough heart, you can certainly make a worthwhile film. It's not something that you must go see in theaters, unlike 'Cowboys & Aliens,' but how ever you see this movie I can guarantee that you will enjoy it. If you have ever fallen in love and/or have had your heart shattered into pieces by your "soulmate," then you might have a strong, yet funny case of 'Crazy, Stupid, Love.'



PREVIEWS YOU MAY SEE:

The Change-Up

The Help

30 Minutes or Less

Contagion

What's Your Number?

New Year's Eve

REVIEW: Captain America: The First Avenger 3D

MOVIE
Captain America:
The First Avenger

CAST
Chris Evans, Hugo Weaving

RATING
PG-13

RELEASE
July 22, 2011

DIRECTOR
Joe Johnston

STUDIO(S)
Paramount Pictures,
Marvel Studios

RUNNING TIME
2 hours 4 minutes



STARS
***1/2







REVIEW:

In 2011 alone, four superhero films have been released, with three of them coming from Marvel. We started out the superhero summer with 'Thor,' which was enjoyable, but I didn't enjoy is as others did. Then came 'X-Men: First Class,' which is still one of my favorites of the year. Then DC decided to step into the spotlight with 'Green Lantern,' failing miserably at making a good movie. Now as the month of July is quickly coming to a close, most are "Potter"ed out from last week and are looking for the next big summer flick to see. This week's summer flick was born in America, rather in the U.K., and its name is 'Captain America: The First Avenger.'

The reason why this movie has "The First Avenger" in its title is because ol' Cappy was the start of S.H.I.E.L.D./the whole Avengers team. 'Iron Man' was the start of the Avengers franchise, and both of his movie were possibly the best superhero movies in the past decade. Then we got 'The Incredible Hulk,' which was also an outstanding movie. Although I enjoyed 'Thor,' I felt that it could've been much more. I was a bit worried about this movie, despite director Joe Johnston being the director of films like 'The Rocketteer' and 'October Sky,' and the lead actor Chris Evans being the best things in films like 'Fantastic Four' and 'Scott Pilgrim vs. The World.' Needless to say, 'Captain America' is a spectacular summer flick, and an awesome comic book movie. While I did like it much more than 'Thor,' it's not as sublime as 'X-Men: First Class.'

Steve Rogers is the ultimate patriot, with a bit of a disadvantage. Despite having the courage to defend his country from Nazis, Rogers has been declined from the U.S. Army due to his weak physical body. However Rogers is given the opportunity to be recruited by the army and become the first of many "Super Soldiers" that will help defeat Hitler. As it turns out, the real villain of the world is Johann Schmidt, better known as Red Skull, who wants to destroy the entire world, including Hitler and his German army. So Steve becomes the famous "Captain America," posing as a publicity toy by day and kicking serious German ass for the last hour of the movie.

I am not a huge Captain America fan, but I do respect him for being the king of the Marvel universe. This king can really kick some serious ass! Chris Evans, best known for playing the wise ass Johnny Storm in the 'Fantastic Four' series plays Cappy to perfection, as he shows patriotism, courage, and fear quite well. I actually think that the song 'Don't Stop Believin' by Journey was inspired by Captain America's courage and bravery. As good as Evans was as 'The First Avenger," the majority of the supporting cast was much better than their lead. The best character in the movie is the sarcastic and bossy Col. Chester Phillips played by the always awesome Tommy Lee Jones. If Jones' character from Men In Black was a sarcastic agent, then he might be the colonel in this movie. We also get Hugo Weaving as the cool baddie Red Skull, Hayley Atwell as the badass love interest Peggy Carter, and in a small role, Stanley Tucci as the creator of the Super Soldier serum, Dr. Abraham Erskine. All of the characters in this movie help make Captain America the best superhero film since 'X-Men: FIrst Class.'

SPOILER PARAGRAPH:
Director Joe Johnston had a big task to complete, and that was to tie this movie in with every other Avenger related Marvel movie to come out. He does that very well, as we get our 'Iron Man' and 'Thor' references throughout. The biggest reference to the Avengers is the character of Howard Stark, Tony Stark's daddy. This character helps design the chamber where Steve Rogers becomes Captain America. Without him, there wouldn't be any Avengers. Red Skull possesses a magical cube that helps power his deadly machine. For those who stay after the credits of these movies or read their comic books would know that this cube, called the 'Cosmic Cube' is one of the most important aspects of The Avengers movie. These aren't spoilers as much as they are pointers to the Marvel universe references. Plus with every Marvel movie we get our Nick Fury appearance, which is always nicely played by the fantastic Samuel L. Jackson. Johnston knows how to hold the Marvel universe in his hand, and I hope Marvel will let him take on more superhero films soon.
(END OF SPOILERS)

If you were disappointed in films like 'Thor' and 'Green Lantern' earlier this summer, then you may want to get yourself to see 'The First Avenger.' This film in my opinion is what Sherlock Holmes was back in 2009. The week before Holmes came into the spotlight, James Cameron's Avatar had exploded onto the scene, destined to become the highest grossing film of all time. Last week the final Harry Potter film came out and also exploded onto the scene. This film is a great follow up to the fantastic movie weekend that was last week. This film isn't nearly as good as Potter, but it is still a worthwhile superhero film. I doubt that this will be ranked amongst superhero classics such as 'The Dark Knight,' 'Iron Man,' or 'Spider-Man 2,' but for what it is, it is a fun and sleek superhero film that is almost as good as 'X-Men: First Class.' If you are looking for another fun superhero film to see this year or are trying to get out of "Potter"mania, then you might want to get your time traveling instincts ready and travel to the era of Captain America, The First Avenger.


PREVIEWS YOU MAY SEE:

Cowboys & Aliens


Rise of the Planet of the Apes


Contagion


Abduction


Mission Impossible:
Ghost Protocol


The Adventures of Tintin


The Amazing Spider Man


The Avengers (After Credits)

VIDEO REVIEW: Winnie The Pooh (With Guest Critic Chris Fyfe)

MOVIE
Winnie The Pooh

CAST
Jim Cumming,
John Cleese (NARRATOR)

RATING
G

RELEASE
July 15, 2011

DIRECTOR(S)
Stephen Anderson, Don Hall

STUDIO
Walt Disney Pictures

RUNNING TIME
1 hour 3 minutes




STARS
****




STARS (CHRIS)
****










MINI-REVIEW:

Aw that silly old bear from the Hundred Acre Woods is back on the big screen for the first time in six years. Pooh and his gang have been resurrected from the Disney Channel graveyard by directors Steven Anderson, of Meet the Robinsons fame, and Don Hill and given the hand drawn 2D animation treatment once more to tell us a brand new story. I've grown up with Pooh, Tigger, and the rest of the gang, so just the thought of being able to see them on the big screen gave my inner 5 year old self some pure joy. After the trailer was released, I was completely sold on the film, since it just looked like pure fun. After seeing the film, I must say that both my 5 year old self and my 14 year old self are completely satisfied by what our eyes saw. Winnie the Pooh is the best family movie out there, possibly the best family movie of the year so far.

In a time where people have to rely on fart and bathroom jokes to get a good laugh, this movie abandons that and gives the audience the most innocent movie to come out in the past 6 years. Even if you're an adult, you should go see this movie, despite the film only being 63 minutes long. This film will give adults a flashback to when they were kids and possibly watching Winnie the Pooh or playing with G.I. Joe's/Barbie's. I was watching a couple of little kids in the row in front of me jumping up and down and getting excited when the movie started. I talked to the family after the movie, and found out that it was the kids' first movie. I was surprisingly not annoyed by it, because I saw myself as a kid, getting all excited when Pooh or Rugrats would be on TV. That's why people should see this movie.

Even if there are little kids there to see the movie, you have to remember that it may be their first time seeing a movie in theaters. That alone should make you smile. The characters in this movie are funny, the jokes are very clever, and there's nothing that will scar the kids for life. I guarantee you now that this will be the very first movie for my kids to see, because there's nothing to be afraid of, both kids and adults. Parents won't be offended by anything or be tempted to walk out of the theater, plus get a few laughs in there. An added benefit is that the film is only 53 minutes without credits, so kids won't be as antsy when they get out of the theater as they would in some other kids movie out there. For the kids and kids at heart, Winnie the Pooh is the must see family film of the summer. Oh and here's some quick food for thought: what do you think Pooh puts in his "hunny" that makes it so divine? I think weed, but I want to hear your thoughts, so put your ideas in the comments section below. And as always, keep bloggin' nerds!



VIDEO REVIEW:





PREVIEWS YOU MAY SEE:

Dolphin Tale


Puss in Boots


The Muppets


Alvin and the Chipminks:
Chipwrecked


Chimpanzee

REVIEW: Another Earth

MOVIE
Another Earth

CAST
William Mapother,
Brit Marling

RATING
PG-13

RELEASE
July 22, 2011 (LIMITED)

DIRECTOR
Mike Cahill

STUDIO
Fox Searchlight Pictures

RUNNING TIME
1 hour 32 minutes





STARS
***1/2








REVIEW:

Have you ever wondered if there was another form of life out there, just waiting to be discovered by us humans? What if these extra terrestrials were humans like us on a planet considered to be identical to our own? That is only the backdrop of the recent Sundance hit, Another Earth. The movie may seem like a full blown sci-fi spectacle, but it really is a drama with a sci-fi element in it. Fox Searchlight, who won an impressive distribution competition between other well known indie studios decided to get director Mike Cahill and Brit Marling to go on a six city tour and hold special screenings of this movie, with Q&As immediately after. Philadelphia was one of the six lucky cities chosen to hold one of these six screenings, and I was lucky enough to attend the event. I am very happy to report that this movie is very well acted, intriguing throughout, yet can also be disturbing and complex during parts. Another Earth is a well conceived drama promising a strong future for lead actress Brit Marling and director Mike Cahill, plus giving the audience the best interpretation ending since last year's Inception.

On the eve of the discovery of a new planet identical to our own, the lives of Rhoda Williams and John Burroughs quickly became intertwined. Rhoda is a bright young woman who has just been accepted into the astrophysics program at MIT. John is a brilliant composer with a loving wife and son, and is soon expecting a second child. Tragedy strikes between the two and Rhoda is sent to jail for what she did. Four years pass, Rhoda is free from jail, and the new planet, now being called "Earth 2" is close enough to our planet where we have the ability to communicate with and travel to it. Rhoda wants to apologize to John for the crime she committed, but things soon get complicated as both of their lives become parallel to one another.

If you're going to see this movie because you want a science fiction movie, you will probably come out of this being very disappointed. There is only one thing about this movie that's science fiction related, and that's the fact that there's an identical Earth floating around our Earth. This movie is really a drama, and with a drama comes a dark and disturbing nature to it. If you can't handle that you will be disturbed and sad by the outcome of the characters in this movie within the first 10 minutes of the film, then you might as well buy a ticket for something else. The disturbing nature of this movie is only supported, not just the excellent/original concept of this film, but by the astounding cast put into these characters dark situations.

I have to say that the best thing about this movie is the excellent cast portraying these disturbed characters. William Mapother, possibly best known for his role on 'Lost' is excellent as John. You really do get to know this character after his accident, and he does deliver some funny lines, one in particular involves clever product placement use involving the Wii. He is the heart and soul of this movie, no doubt. But even this well known actor couldn't match the soul of newcomer actress/co-writer of the film Brit Marling, who plays the main lead, Rhoda.

Despite being the cause for the tragedy of John and his family, you still care for her and feel the pain and emptiness that has been bubbling inside of her for the four years she spent in jail. Do you remember last year when a little movie called 'Winter's Bone' came onto the scene, and made Jennifer Lawrence a big star? I believe that this movie may pull off a 'Winter's Bone,' and make Brit Marling a huge star. Marling give a powerful performance that will shock you and please you throughout the movie's hour and a half long running time. If there is any reason to see this movie, it is to check out one of the many up and coming new stars of 2011. I mentioned earlier that I got to meet Marling after the screening, and if she's reading this, I hope I get to meet you when you become an even bigger star than you are currently.

If you're looking for a sci-fi classic like Inception or District 9, then you might as well go see something else. The science fiction aspect heavily shown in the trailers is just the outer shell of this movie. The core of this movie is a drama, and that's all you're going to get in this movie. Sure there may be a couple of light hearted moments in this movie, but make sure you're going into this movie knowing that it's a drama. If you know that you're going into a dark, sometimes disturbing drama instead of a sci-fi, then you will enjoy this movie. The acting is superb, the cinemaphotography is great, and director Mike Cahill should become a household name after this movie is released. I will be very shocked if Brit Marling isn't even considered to be an Oscar contender, both for acting and co-writing this movie with director Mike Cahill.

The one thing that I didn't care for in this movie was that the relationship between Rhoda and John could never happen in real life. I was sort of cringing in my seat every time they were with eachother, because you have to remember what Rhoda did to John's family. Other than this plot malfunction, the movie still soars over other indies to come out this year, probably because Mike Cahill is a great storyteller. This may be the most compelling original story that you will see this year. However like Inception, I still have many questions to ask the director and star of the movie that I wish I thought of asking them when I met them. I want your interpretations of the movie and its ending if you happen to go, so please leave them in the comments section of this review below. If you want a compelling drama disguised as a sci-fi with a great original story and sublime acting, then you just might want to travel to Another Earth.