Captain America: The First Avenger

"In two words: predictably exciting" -J.W.

"It captured the essence of what made the comic book so addictive for many of us when we were kids" -M.M.

"The acting was way better than expected and it was just a ton of fun to watch" -A.S.

"The story was good and not as predictable as I thought. Chis Evans did a good job of playing Cap but could have done a better job at playing Steve" -K.M.

"The lessons of Captain America are profound: patriotism is yummy and Nazis are dumb" -M.M.

"A truly epic thrill ride. Nothing but pure clean fun for the entire audience. Not since the first Iron Man have I been this entertained by a Marvel movie. Bravo!" -T.S.

T.S.? Wait a minute that's me! That must mean we're in the middle of my review of Captain America: The First Avenger. Captain America follows the determination of a scrawny big hearted young man by the name of Steve Rodgers (Chris Evans). Steve's parents were killed in service of the country and he feels it's time to do his part. After being rejected several times by the army because of his meek stature, he is selected to become a part of a secret super soldier program due to his integrity and good nature. Steve decides to use his new found abilities to go deep into enemy lines and attempt to dismantle the Nazi group know as Hydra and stop it's dementedly evil dictator, Red Skull (Hugo Weaving), from achieving world domination.

This film is great and follows suit in showing us why Marvel Studios is at the forefront of the entertainment industry. It was a little slow to start out but then the movie grabs you by the scruff of the neck and doesn't let go. The decision to shoot it as a period piece was the perfect route to take. This allowed the studio to rely on some of the same formulas that made Iron Man and The Incredible Hulk so good but it still had it's own flavor.  As much as Chris Evans is saturated in the comic style movie industry (Fantastic Four, Silver Surfer, Scott Pilgram, The Losers, Push, TMNT) he was a perfect fit for this role. Speaking of perfect casting, how amazing was Hugo Weaving? He was demented, scary, and just down right evil. It was like taking Agent Smith and Col. Hans Landa (mastery played by Christoph Waltz) in a boiling cauldron of fear and depravity.

Let's get down to brass tacks here, I mean it's not all candy canes and lollipops. The CG in some of the scenes (two in particular: first, when he chases the Nazi spy after first getting his abilities; and second, when he is chasing after Red Skull's plane in the hanger) was put together with a lot of follow-through. It felt like a mix of re-colored scenes from Spiderman and a bad taste of Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow. Also I didn't feel that they made a solid connection between Cap and Bucky. They were supposed to be the best of friends but they didn't nurture that relationship enough for me to care what happens to Bucky throughout the film. All of that aside, I will say, the work that went in to making Chris Evans look like a puny little guy was spectacular. I know it was the same technology that went into making The Curious Case of Benjamin Button but holy crap it was spot on and flawless in this film.

Overall this is probably the best movie I have seen all summer and if you have an inkling of a curiosity to see it, DO IT, you will not be disappointed (and don't forget to stay till the end, one word, EPIC!). In the curious case of Captain America: The First Avenger I give it 5 Shield Shaped Head Concussions out of 5!

Tony S.
The Revolution Review 2011

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2

Hey Ladies and Gents, Aamber here. As I'm sure you've noticed, we decided to mix things up and have other people write some reviews to give Tony a bit of a break. That means that I got the final chapter of the Harry Potter series.

 

First, a little background! I never considered myself a Potterhead (even though we own most of the films). In fact I have never even picked up the books and I fell asleep during the 6th movie. Last year we finally broke down and saw part one of the Deathly Hallows. It was pretty awesome, and it definitely got me excited for the finale.

 

 This movie is a lot less fun and games than the previous seven and it is definitely more centered around the battle that inevitably ensues. The story follows Harry Potter and his buddies on their journey to find the final pieces of Voldemort's soul (seriously...Horcrux sounds so much less intense) in order to stop his quest for immortality and eventually destroy him. This takes the trio through the vaults at Gringotts Bank, on a high flying dragon ride, and eventually back to Hogwarts where everything began; ending in a final battle that could rival most war epics.

 

Now...how was the finale, you may ask? Honestly, it was kind of amazing. This is no longer the kids movie that Harry Potter started out as. I definitely wouldn't let my daughter watch it, because I'd wake up with her in my bed every night for a week if I did. I don't want to give away too much, but this movie definitely gave me a greater appreciation for some of the actors. Maggie Smith (who plays Professor McGonagall), in particular, was fantastic, though I felt her role was rather limited. There was a lot of death and destruction in this chapter, most of which was done very well. However, some key characters met their demise, yet it seemed like an afterthought. I believe that the film makers truly missed out on a great opportunity for an emotional impact. I also took issue with the epilogue. Set 19 years in the future we get a brief glimpse of what life is like for some of the characters now. I loved the concept, but the film makers really copped out on the "movie magic" here. They attempted to age the actors, but instead implied that everyone in their late 30's looks tired, fat, and bald. These actors are adults now, it would not have been difficult to give them a little aging, but still keep them looking good.

 

All in all this movie was made very well. The score, as always, was fantastic. The special effects were flawless. Even Voldermort's nose was pure perfection and did exactly what it needed to (ya know... induce vomiting). The only issue I have is that it was shot for 3D.... meaning that some gestures (aka gags) in the beginning were intentionally played out for the 3D aspect (but if you've been following us, you already know that I am not a 3D fan); so, we saw it in the normal 2D. One thing that really stuck out for me cinematically was the dragon in Gringott's vault. It would have been easy for them to just throw in a simple CG dragon, but the film makers really took their time and made him as life like as possible. That made it easier to focus on the whimisical side of there actually being a dragon, instead of focusing on how fake it looked.

 

With everything taken into consideration this is definitely a movie worth the watch, but I wouldn't if you haven't been following the story so far. I recommend that even the most seasoned Harry fan watch at least part 1 before venturing into this one. So brush off your sorting hat (you know you've got one), throw on some black rimmed glasses, and settle in for the ride. This one gets 4 Golden Snitches out of 5.

Aamber S.

The Revolution Review 2011

Transformers 3: The Dark of the Moon

(Whistling "That's Amor") Mix in Skrillex dub step without the music portion, throw in a small gun, a big sword, toss in my fantasy actor team (Simon Pegg is benched), an entire jug of awesome, and vala! Transformers 3: Dark of the Moon. I know there are a lot of haters out there that love to bag on the second film. It wasn't that bad. I know it wasn't the greatest movie ever made but it wasn't eye gougingly awful, hey we all make bad choices (testicles on a giant robot humping a pyramid) but we need to look past them. Past oops-a-daises aside, there was nothing to look past in this installation of the series; in one word...EPIC!
This third installment of the series revolves around the idea that an Autobot ship crashed on the moon back in the 1960's and it contained a device that could transform (pun completely intended) the war for the Autobots. Now Sam (Shai Labeouf) and all our old friends (sans Megan Fox) must team up with Optimus and the others to stop the Decepticons before they get their hands on it.
This movie was a...wait for it...mazing! It had bigger robots, more explosions, sharper iron age weaponry, hotter love interests, and better actors! What more could you ask for? Star Trek jokes? Has it! Bad ass militia units? Has it! Matching pajamas? IT FREAKING HAS THEM!!! The plot runs well and never loses focus. I loved the Armageddon post apocalyptic feel it had which even trickled into Megatron at the beginning.
My favorite thing of all? CAST! I never expected it and it blew me away! Alan Tudyk (Firefly, Knights Tale) = amazing, Ken Jeong (Knocked Up, Hangover Series) = hilarious, John Malkovich = disarming, Glenn Morshower (Aaron from 24) = classic, Patrick Dempsey = unexpectedly perfect, Lenord Nemoy = legendary, and as always John Turturro (Oh Brother Where Art Thou, Secret Window) and Hugo Weaving (Matrix, LOTR, V for Vendetta, Captain America) rock my socks! Also the cinematography was a lot more spot on than it has been in the previous films. Thank you Micheal Bay! We like to see robots fighting not the legs of robots fighting! POV is an important tool but let's not get carried away (new spiderman trailer)!

Now how should I rate this...I would consider giving it a five but the POV slips and lazy reuse of shots from The Island (yes Micheal Bay, we caught you) knocks it down to a four...but...robot heads being ripped out by the spine with battle axes and the comedy combo of Ken Jeong and Alan Tudyk bring it up to 4.5 Teleportation Pillars out of 5!

Bad Teacher (by guest writer Heather C.)

For being tardy you must write 15 times on the board: "This is the review for Bad Teacher"!


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Have you ever had a bad teacher? I'm sure we all have, but none as bad a Elizabeth (Diaz) who is a new age teacher. She has it all: sex appeal, drive, and determination. Too bad it's for all the wrong reasons.

This film captures all that a bad teacher would or could ever think of doing. This film will most likely offend the weaker teachers out there and make other (non educational professionals) wonder if that is how schools can be run these days. I personally didn't care for the movie. I felt the script and acting was way under par for the caliber of talent that these stars normally produce. With names like Jason Segel and Justin Timberlake on the bill I expected to see some side splitting comedy but all I got was an open dropped jaw for most of the film. With bad acting,a bad script, and only a few funny moments (honestly most of the laughing was at the audiences reaction and not the movie itself) I would have to give Bad Teacher Two Thumbs Down and I wouldn't waste my money to go see it.

Heather C. (edited by Tony Smith)
The Revolution Review 2011

Green Lantern

In brightest day in blackest night no evil shall escape my sight, let those who worship evil's might, beware my power Green Lantern's REVIEW!!!

The Green Lantern follows the plight of a pilot named Hal Jordan (Ryan Reynolds) who is the first human to ever become a part of a universal superhero corps known as the Green Lanterns. Although the other lanterns don't favor his presence in the corps they must learn to fight together to eradicate a threat that can destroy the entire universe. If Hal can learn to face his fears and rely on the one thing the other lanterns don't have, humanity, then he can become the most powerful Green Lantern of all time.

Even though I'm a huge comic fan and usually the one to rely on when it comes to comic continuity in the movies, I actually never followed the Green Lantern series. What I do know is that Sinestro (purple guy with the funny mustache) get's kicked out of the corps, Hal gets his ring, so Sinestro finds another source of power and comes back for revenge. I thought that's what the plot was going to be, I had know idea what "The Darkness" was, so I guess they have some fodder for a second film. I know what you're thinking (cause I'm psychic like that), "But Kyle, Ryan Reynolds was Deadpool; how can he be Green Lantern too?" That is a very good question and I don't know the answer but he pulled it off. I prefer him as Deadpool but you get what you get.

The story line is way too predictable. About half way through the movie I had already figured out everything that was going to happen, my brother did too and that's saying a lot! Then, after staying for the special scene during the credits, it ended up being nothing more than lack luster. As far as the graphics go I liked the green lantern suits and the compilation of aliens but "the darkness" smoke thing and the guardians did not look realistic at all. I didn't have any complaints about the manifestations from the rings except that Hal's were a little convoluted. He made flame throwers, two jets, and even a hot wheels track to stop a helicopter that just crashed into the ground anyway. It was too much. On top of all that the film editing made it hard to follow and it ruined the flow and lacked the tiniest bit of continuity.

The one redeeming factor was Blake Lively, she's hot. I was on comingsoon.net last year reading some of the fan posts and when Blake Lively was announced to be the lead actress, some of the people (most of them guys...ok...all of them guys) said she wasn't hot enough...FOOLS ALL OF THEM!!!!!

In the end, when I go to the movies I don't want to know that I'm at the movies. I want to be so engrossed in the film that I literally lose myself....that just didn't happen for me this time. I give The Green Lantern 4 Dying Purple Aliens out of 10.

Kyle M. (edited by Tony Smith)
The Revolution Review 2011

The Hangover Part II

I would definitely be lying if I said I expected Warner Bros to make a sequel to The Hangover but lo and behold here is a review of The Hangover Part II. I absolutely loved the first movie, though completely shocked and appalled, I laughed through the entire film; it was a definite riot entirely on an obscenely comical level.

The story begins with finding Stu (Ed Helms) getting married to Lauren (Jamie Chung). The entire wolf pack, Phil (Bradley Cooper), Alan (Zach Galifianakis), Doug (Justin Bartha), and now joined by Lauren's brother Teddy (Mason Lee), come together to witness the union of their friend. Getting together for a drink by the beach, they awake with absolutely no recollection of what happened, where they are, or how they got there. They find that they have lost Teddy and begin on an adventure to locate him while finding the shocking and humiliating truths of the night before.

The movie was an absolute riot. I was a fan from the very beginning. However, I feel that the sequel tied too close to the original movie. Much of the premise is exactly the same. A night filled with debauchery and the adventure of retracing their steps backwards. This movie doesn't pull any stops though. The jokes are cruder but the imagery is more of a shock factor as opposed to enhancing story or humor. However, the movie definitely serves its purpose on all levels, comically speaking, and the chemistry of the Wolf Pack is an invaluable part to the success of this film.

Whether or not you've seen the first entry in the Hangover series, The Hangover Part 2 is definitely one to see (although, it may help to understand the back story of THIS movie). I give this movie 8 ภาพวอดก้า out of 10.


Derek S.
The Revolution Review 2011

Cars 2

Hey that car has eyes on it, hey that car has eyes on it, hey...that car has eyes on it, wait a minute...that mountain is shaped like that car and that car has eyes on it...and that is my five year old's review of Cars 2. Wait a minute, but this isn't her blog...oh well, here's my review of Cars 2. I was a little hesitant when we decided to take the kids to see Cars 2. I knew that they would enjoy it so I rested upon those laurels and didn't set my expectations too high. "But why", you may ask; well if you would be patient I just might tell you...sheesh...some people. Anywho, my primary concerns with another Cars movie was that I had already seen it before. All the gags about how the cars are people now and how a world can be rebuilt with nothing but automobile euphemisms had been force fed to (that seems harsh...let's go with: pleasantly gobbled up by) me already in a great and memorable film known as Cars and I didn't want them to beat me in the head with all of it again and make me not like the franchise anymore. So the question remains, was this an accurate prediction of the events to come? Nope. They ignored most of that cars are people too stuff, took us way into left field, and we enjoyed every minute of it. Surprisingly the plot didn't even revolve around racing that much either; I mean sure it took place during a race but that wasn't the focus of the story. The second Cars film follows Mater as he is mistaken for a secret agent and has to help Micheal Cane prevent a mad man from monopolizing the oil industry. The movie deals with complex, important, and relate able issues (such as friendship, tolerance, and being judgmental) that kids can really focus on and enjoy. I thought the fact that they took this film in a completely new direction, instead of just re-telling the old story again, was a home run for this production team. Not to mention there was a decent cast to boot including those from the previous movie, Micheal Cane (as mentioned before), Eddie Izzard, Bruce Campbell, John Turturro, Emily Mortimer, and Joe Mantegna (just to name a few). Was it as good as the first one? Hard to say, it was different which made it entertaining in it's own way, but didn't have the same charm as the original. Should they make a Cars 3 (or worse, Cars 3D!)? Absolutely...not. In conclusion, if you want answers to the age old Cars questions: How do they use the restroom? How do they fly in planes? How do the political and economical struggles that our country and/or world face today translate into a world completely made up of cars? and if you want to sit through a two hour pilot episode of "Cars: The Animated Series" (cause I can see that coming from a mile away); then Cars 2 is the film for you. I give it (as a dad taking his kids to go see a movie) 3.5 Giant Eyeball Windshields out of 5!

Tony Smith
The Revolution Review 2011