The Amazing Spiderman: Oh what a web they weave

I have been on a superhero kick. Don’t ask me why but I’m addicted (and heavily anticipating the Batman film coming out later this summer). This was not a movie I had planned on seeing though…seeing as this series was just done a few years ago and I had been disappointed with the acting and inconsistencies in the story. But the Amazing Spiderman restored my faith in the red and blue spandex suit. 

The acting was far superior to the originals. I’m sorry but no girl in her right mind can come out of this film without a huge crush on Andrew Garfield. He straddled the line between superhero and geek so naturally and effortlessly. He stole my heart as he was attempting to woo Emma Stone. And he did a great job of providing comic relief. I liked that nothing come easy to him, we see him struggle with his new abilities, and with the whole idea of doing good for others with no return. He just made me want to believe in him. Emma Stone was a much more interesting love interest than Kristen Dunst’s Mary-Jane, who always seemed whiny, vulnerable and slightly annoying to me. I preferred Stone’s character overall, she was smart, took action in any situation and was, in my opinion, a great supplement to Spiderman. Where Dunst seemed to be constantly in trouble and unable to take care of herself, Stone was a strong female role in a male dominated hero story. Rock on girl. 

What really held the story together though was the rich back story that we finally received for Spiderman. Peter doesn’t just get bitten randomly. We learn why he was around those spiders in the first place, how they were created, and about the negatives and positives of inter-species genetics. It was interesting because, though the bad guy was a disgusting lizard hybrid that, I will admit, might haunt my dreams for a week or two, his character balanced Spiderman’s. Both characters were affected by genetically modified species, one reaction was positive and one was negative, making the lizard a much better nemesis than the green goblin. I loved learning about Peter’s parents and why their lives were in danger. It helped to build the story and support motivations for the characters, putting the audience in the loop, thus giving us a better reason to cheer our hero on. 

Noteworthy: The cameo by Stan Lee, creator of Spiderman, was hysterical and much needed comic relief in the middle of a very intense fighting scene. He is also the most adorable old man ever.

Ted: Snuggle bear’s coolest accountant

Before I watched this movie I was on the fence.  There is just something weird about a talking teddy bear that swear, drinks and has sex. Then again, at least it’s an original story. My friends gave it rave reviews, so I went with an open mind, hoping that it would live up to the hype. It did, and here’s why.

Let me premise this by saying that if you are a movie snob and only appreciate academy award winners, this is not for you. But if your open to it, besides delivering laughs, Ted had a romantic comedy-esk plot as well as an overall moral. Go figure. Ya, there are a large number of party scenes where they do crazy things, but what were you expecting? This isn’t the Notebook. Ted may be crude, and at sometimes disgusting (there is a scene where there is a shit on the floor, enough said), but he was a great match for Mark Walhberg’s somewhat innocent and immensely immature character, John. It just made sense that someone so lost would have a talking teddy bear as his best friend. Because, as Mila Kunis character points out, how much can someone grow up if they are still bringing their teddy everywhere? I wonder if the writers meant to give Ted a deeper meaning, or if it just happened, because, surprisingly, this bad-mouthed teddy bear has some wisdom to offer. Ted stops fooling around all the time and gets a job. Mark becomes less selfish, more motivated, and begins building a life for himself and his fiancé. Basically, everyone in the film learns how to grow up, a lesson not easily learned and one that I am currently struggling with.

If you are looking for a great example of a well-written comedic script, this is it. The one-liners were awesome, and some of the jokes so unexpected that it kept me interested when the story dragged a bit in the middle. Though many will argue that the Flash Gordon references were stupid, I think they supplemented the idea of immaturity nicely. Especially since that was one of the most ridiculous shows ever to be created.  Overall, Ted did what it was supposed to. It made me laugh so hard I almost fell out of my seat, and weep for the demise of humanity all at the same time. Sounds like a winner to me.  

Noteworthy: The White Trash name game was hilarious. Apparently Mark Walhberg named off about 50 girls names in 30 seconds just off the the top of his head. Impressive. 

The Avengers: Action Packed Fun

There is just something about a superhero that is appealing. So I guess I shouldn’t be surprised that The Avengers was such a knockout hit. For all you people who were worried that you weren’t going to be able to follow because you aren’t a comic book nerd or you haven’t seen all the prequel films, fear not. Though I wouldn’t call this the  "greatest action film of all time,” like some critics, I am a fan of this motley crew and think that they deserve a place on your radar.

I will be the first to admit that I am not a huge fan of CGI, especially in films where the rest is live. So I thought the aliens that were attacking earth, while weird looking, were kind of lame. The plot itself stems from Thor, so if you haven't watched it you should afterward to get the back story. It was smart to have this be the premesis of the movie, however, because Thor had the best plot of the prequels. And the best villian.

I am a huge Loki fan. I have to say that as far as acting goes, even though he is the bad guy, Loki, played by Tom Hiddleson, was amazing. He wasn't just evil for evil's sake, he had a plan and a purpose. You could see the cracks in the surface of his character, like he used to be put together and now he was slightly off his rocker. He straddled the "in control" and "out of control" line expertly. The rest of the acting was above average. Even though he is a jerk, I love Robert Downey Jr.'s Iron Man because of his quick wit and truly complex personality. Whoever wrote his lines did a great job.

The set was beautiful, and one of my favorite parts of the movie. The designers nailed the futuristic look that also fit with modern society. They did a great job of differentiating outer space, the secret agent aircraft and our world, giving them all different feels that were equally convincing and real (John Carter take note). The costumer also had a challenge because each superhero was so unique, and unlike most group action heroes (Fantastic 4 or Watchmen, for example) they did not look like they fit together at all, which was important because it supplemented the internal turmoil in the story.

Mostly this movie was enjoyable because their was a lot going on, it was easy to follow, and the characters were heroes. Everyone, regardless of their acting skills, did a great job of getting you to root for them, even Hawkeye who is evil the first half of the movie. Though I don't think that it should have beat out Harry Potter or Titanic for opening week records, I can see how this film could be enjoyed by many, and why it earned the top spot.

Young Adult: Deep and Depressing Reality

I did not want to see this movie after watching the previews. I did after reading the reviews. Turns out the actual film is somewhere in-between the rants and the raves, in that it is not so much a dark comedy as it is just, well, dark. My friend and I were sorely disappointed that we didn’t laugh at all, just covered our faces in embarrassment for the pathetic sole that is Charlez Theron’s character, Mavin. 

It’s true that this is probably pretty true to life. Very realistic in the fact that some people move away from small towns and are miserable, and others stay and are happy. It’s also true that most of the time, in life, we don’t learn the lessons. We do stupid things, and we continue to do stupid things just because.

The costuming was brilliantly juvinille. I loved that she sported oversized glasses, ratty bun hair and a hello kitty t-shirt with plad pj bottoms most of the time. Very teenage-ish.

The big mistake that was  her age. 37? Really? No one would be that out of control at 37, I’m sorry you just blew it. I think if they had taken ten years off the character I would have been more likely to say “ya, totally.” 

I’m torn about the relationship between Mavin and the loser from high school who bonds with her over their completely selfish and pathetic lifes. It was fine, platonic but cute because they were kindred spirits, until (spoiler alert) they slept together. This ruined the one story line that I actually liked, leaving me feeling hopeless and pissed.

But I guess that was the point of the movie. Life is messy, and most of the time you do something stupid that ruins the good in it. 

Still, I would rather see a happy ending which is why this one fell flat. 

Hungry for More: The Hunger Games

I thought I would give it some time for the glory of the Hunger Games to settle down before talking about it. For those of you who have read the book, I think you will be pleased by the adaptation, it does a pretty good job of sticking to the story, with some slight tweaks to keep the ball rolling. 

The casting was relatively correct, I say relatively because, though I love her and think she is a tremendous actress, when I was watching the movie I was overcome by the fact that Katniss was just too big. She was about twice the size of some of the other characters and looked like the obvious winner. It was nothing that  Jennifer Lawrence, could do really, she played the part well, her facial expressions were perfect. But she was just…too old, and you could tell. In the scene where Clove is on top of her with a knife, all I kept thinking was, “dude you are twice her size, just throw her off you, there is no way she could pin you like that.”

I was pleasantly surprised with Peeta. He's not my favorite character in the book because he seems, well, weak compared to Katniss, and who wants a guy who's weak? Which is why rugged, manly Gale (though he did not fulfill my expectations but we will get to that in a sec) seemed like the obvious choice of a love interest to me. But in the movie, Josh Hutcherson made me root for him and, more than anything else, he stayed true to the character without overdoing the hopeless romantic stereotype.

Shout outs to the perfection that was Essie and Haymitch. Thumbs down to whoever style Gale, he was supposed to be rugged and poor, not a featured Abecrombie model with perfect hair and not a spec of dirt on his perfectly pressed white shirt. 

The cinematography was the other thing that got my attention. Rarely do I sit in a film and think, “Wow, the camera angles are awesome,” but that is what I was doing during parts of this movie. They did a great job of catching the essence of each moment – with the close ups when something serious was happening, and the longer shots to show how massive the capital was, the bleakness of the Districts or the intense landscape of the games. Some of the shots were just genius, keeping the story close to the audience and making it feel intimate, just like the novel. 

Can't wait for Catching Fire? Neither can I.

This Means War: Handler Hilarity

This is not one of those movies that I am going to over analyze because, lets face it, there’s not much more to it than surface level. This Means War is about two hot CIA agents who fall for the same girl. Boom, let the chaos ensue. The plot is weak, and relatively unoriginal, basically driven by the hotness of it’s leading men. The acting is less than stellar; there will be no Oscar noms. But I would be lying if I said that I don’t enjoy a throwaway rom com every now and again.

Reese Witherspoon plays the sweet girl next-door with an independent woman edge. She was cute and feisty, nothing that we haven’t seen in her other films (Sweet Home Alabama or Just Like Heaven, for example) but still endearing. The main highlight was Chelsea Handler as a supporting character who basically mirrors Handler’s real-life persona, only married with children. She was hysterical. I say more Chelsea Handler movies because, if nothing else, you leave laughing.

This movie fits the bill for date nights, girls nights, or when you could use a laugh. I won’t add it to my personal collection, but I didn’t mind spending the $7.50.

The Vow: I Don't Know

When I saw previews for this movie, I am ashamed to say that I was excited that another lovey-dovey sob story was coming out. In case you haven’t noticed, underneath all the cynicism, I am a self-proclaimed hopeless romantic. The Vow promised to make me feel the way that The Notebook did, or so I thought.

The surface level plot was alright, Leo (Channing Tatum) trying to win Paige (Rachel McAdams) back because she can’t remember him is incredibly reminiscent of the Notebook. The problem was the rest of it. The parents and ex-boyfriend who wanted to give her a do-over, and her decisions to just run away to the familiar instead of trying to remember. It created a story of frustration, one in which the good guy always seemed to get the short stick. The problem was that this rising action was never resolved. There was no climax, or resolution, they just gave up. This made my chick-flick loving girlfriends and I feel incredibly cheated. Why in the world did we go through all that pain, if they weren’t going to rediscovery their love in a passionate, over-the-top reunion scene?

The sadness itself was a waste. I find that most movies have moments with great writing where tears stream down my face, and this is a sort or release. It allows all the sadness and suffering I am watching an outlet because there is a moment when things are so sad, but also so sweet that I am broken down. The Vow did not deliver such a moment, and I was simply left feeling depressed. My friends and I walked away sad and dejected and wondering why the hell we paid good money to get bummed out.

Noteworthy:

The opening scene where they got in the car accident was interesting. When the car got hit, the scene suddenly transitioned into slow motion; so you actually saw Paige fly through the glass while Channing Tatum monologued about moments of impact. It was effective and my favorite part of the movie because it was a creative way to show "impact" that essentially created all of the problems. It was terrifying and surreal watching someone fly slow motion through a windshield, and because of the choice of music and lighting it really didn’t seem serious until everything returned to real time and she crashed onto the hood of the car. 

Warhorse: Was that Necessary?

I am a huge Steven Spielberg fan, then again anyone who has had the experience of E.T. and Elliot flying across the sky in a bicycle kind of has to be.  But I will be the first to admit that war movies are not my thing. The idea of following a horse for over two hours was also a little daunting. How much can a horse do? The hype drew me in though and I found myself sitting with my popcorn ready to take the gore for the sake of art.

The story itself was beautiful woven, showing both sides of World War Two, and the many different people who were affected by it. Unfortunately, death is prevalent as well as injury and there are some scenes that are just unbearable to watch. Basically, unless you can handle a constant stream or bullets intermitted with tortured animals, skip this one. When the Joey, the horse,  gets stuck in barbed wire,  the scene seemed to drag on way longer than necessary, In fact, at one point I even had to cover my eyes and yell “make it stop.” Animal cruelty was a big part of the film as well and I can’t help but wonder if APA was present throughout filming to ensure that none of it was real.

For those of you with a stronger stomach for gore than I, the acting was above-average, and the score was well done. Though I’m not sure this will be one we talk about for decades, or that I will add to my library, it was definitely a big project and I applaud Spielberg for taking it on.

Noteworthy:

The scene where two opposing soldiers help Joey (the horse) out of barbed wire, is the best in the whole movie. It showed the humanity of both sides of the war (British and German) and had some great lines that added some much needed humor after a very serious incident.