Movie Review: The Amazing Spider-Man

On Saturday night, I went to see "The Amazing Spider-Man" in the theater.  I didn't know what to expect, but I saw that it was doing reasonably well on Rotten Tomatoes (73%), so I decided to give it a whirl.  I typically want a movie to be over 70% on Rotten Tomatoes before I'll consider seeing it in the theater.  This is the reason why I did not see "Snow White and the Huntsman" or "Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter" in the theater.

But I digress.  As I said, I didn't know what to think about "The Amazing Spider-Man" so I had relatively low expectations.  And we all know, the key to a good movie watching experience is low expectations!  I thoroughly enjoyed this movie.  In fact, I enjoyed it more than any of the three Tobey Maguire Spider-Man flicks.  I went back and forth on whether this was a 4.5 or 5 star movie...I settled on 4.5 stars.  It's a notch below "Avengers", but on par with the first "Iron Man" movie.

"The Amazing Spider-Man" is a reboot of the Spider-Man franchise, and if you saw "Spider-Man 3", you know that this franchise needed a reboot.  Because it's a reboot, we get a retelling of the origin story, but with a few new twists.  Once Peter Parker (Andrew Garfield), discovers his calling as a hero, the movie takes off and Spidey has to face off against The Lizard and save New York City from certain doom.

The cast is much better than the original movies.  Andrew Garfield is wittier and more confident as Spider-Man than Tobey Maguire ever played the character.  Emma Stone plays Gwen Stacy, and is really good in the role.  Some might remember Emma Stone as Wichita in "Zombieland", which is another great movie by the way.  A nice addition was Denis Leary as Police Captain Stacy, Gwen's father.  Leary has come a long way since doing crude comedy in the early 90s.  Martin Scheen and Sally Field sort of round out the cast as Uncle Ben and Aunt May, and both are excellent as one would expect.

The biggest problem with Spider-Man is his villains are sorta lame.  The Lizard is actually Dr. Curt Connors after a science experiment gone bad.  Connors is played by Rhys Ifans, but in my opinion never rises to the level of the great villains (see Joker or Loki).

I'll be very interested to see where director Marc Webb takes a second movie.  We are definitely set up for a second movie in this darker reboot.  Hopefully the momentum from the first movie will be sustained going forward.  Sadly so few super hero movies succeed with sequels, so we'll have to wait and see.

Many Many Movies to Review

It's been a while since I've reviewed movies, so this will be a long one with a record number of movies...for this blog anyway.  I still can't compete with Nuke's blog for movie reviews, though I'll try to put more behind my reviews than Nuke does (see how I complimented Nuke and picked on him in the same sentence):

"The King's Speech":  Amanda had watched this one a while ago in the theater and she loved it.  Netflix kept recommending it for me, so despite my usual tendency to not watch Oscar Winners, I decided to give "The King's Speech" a try.

I really enjoyed this movie.  I give it 4.5 stars.  It was funny, clever, heart warming and moving all in one.  This is the story of King George VI, who struggles with a speech impediment...or as he put it in the movie, "I bloody stammer!".  After not having success with any doctor, George's wife introduces him to Lionel Logue, who helps the King and forms a life long friendship. 

Colin Firth is fantastic as King George VI.  I can see why he won best actor for this role.  Helena Bonham Carter plays Queen Elizabeth (George's wife), and she does wonderfully.  It was so weird to see her play a "normal" character.  Finally, Geoffrey Rush portray Lionel Logue.  Rush is such a great actor.  I'm very glad I decided to see this movie.

"Defiance":  Why is it that Daniel Craig is so good in everything, except James Bond movies?  I haven't found a Daniel Craig movie I don't like, yet I think he's completely ruining James Bond. 

Craig stars as Tuvia Bielski, one of 4 Jewish brothers who escape the Nazis in Belarus during World War II, and survive in the forests of Russia for the duration of the war.  "Defiance" tells the story of how Bielski eventually saved over 1200 Jews, forming a community in the forest, while being constantly on the run from the Nazis.

This was another really good movie...another 4 stars.  Daniel Craig is excellent as the tough, yet compassionate Tuvia Bielski.  I found the story compelling, and decided to read a little more.  From what I've read, the movie is fairly accurate, though somewhat dramatized.  If you are a fan of World War II history, "Defiance" should be on your list.

"Planet Hulk":  Based on how much I enjoyed "Avengers" as well as the fact that I've enjoyed many of the DC Comics full length cartoons, Netflix has been recommending a set of Marvel cartoons for quite a while.  With the family gone, I decided to give these a shot over instant watch. 

"Planet Hulk" was the first movie I watched.  It was ok...3 stars.  The premise is interesting.  The heroes of earth, tired of the Hulk's constant raging, banish him to a far away planet.  But the Hulk gets angry and throws a fit causing the ship to go off course.  Hulk ends up on a planet ruled by an evil dictator, and through a series of Gladiator like battles earns the respect of the people of the planet.  Hulk then participates in/leads a revolt against this evil leader.

Not a bad movie, but not on par with the movies that DC comics has been putting out.  It may just be due to the fact that the brooding Hulk annoys me a bit.

"Ultimate Avengers:  The Movie":  This was the worst of the movies I saw.  There's just too much going on in the Avengers to pack it into 81 minutes.  Plus, the Hulk was able to lift Thor's hammer...that's just not accurate and really annoyed me. 

This movie is mostly a story about Bruce Banner and Captain America.  Iron Man, Thor, Giant Man and Wasp play supporting roles.  While I really enjoy Captain America, the version of the Hulk in this movie is not likable at all, and really saps the entire movie.

I'd give this one 2 stars and suggest not watching it.

"Doctor Strange":  I think "Doctor Strange" was the most well done of the 3 full length cartoons I watched.  Perhaps because he's a more obscure Marvel character, we got a lot more plot development in this movie than the other two. 

Doctor Strange is actually a medical doctor, until an accident ruins his hands.  After hitting rock bottom, he meets a mysterious man who tells him he can heal him if he comes to Tibet.  Why do you always have to go to Tibet?  Anyway, Strange makes his way to Tibet and discovers his power as a magician, and begins to use those powers to save humanity from the forces of darkness.

As I said above, this movie was really well done.  I actually rated it 4 stars, and think it's on par with anything DC Comics is putting out there.

"Hoosiers":  I've seen this movie before, but I've never reviewed it.  I decided to watch it on Tuesday night, as I was off on the 4th of July.  It had been years since I'd watched "Hoosiers" all the way through, and I'm so glad I decided to watch it again.

For those who don't know, "Hoosiers" tells the story of the fictional Hickory High School basketball team.  Hickory is one of the smallest schools in the state of Indiana.  When Norman Dale (Gene Hackman) comes to town to coach the team, he initially turns off the townspeople with his style of coaching, and his attitude.  But through the movie, Dale turns the team and the town around, eventually leading the team to the Indiana High School basketball championship  This story is loosely based on the 1954 Milan High School team that won the title against the big schools

To me, "Hoosiers" is Gene Hackman's defining performance.  He's perfect as Norman Dale.  The rest of the cast compliments Hackman well, including Dennis Hopper who nominated for an Academy Award for his performance.  This movie has everything you could want in a sports movie.  Easily 5 stars and definitely worth watching over and over again.

"Gettysburg":  Rarely is a movie worth over 4 hours of my time, so when I got this one from Netflix a while back, I ended up sending it back without watching it because I just didn't have 4 hours.  I borrowed it from Nuke a few weeks later as he agreed that I didn't need to return it right away.  I told him it would probably be Christmas break before I got to watching it.

Well, with the family away, I spent the evening of the 4th of July watching this Civil War classic.  "Gettysburg" tells the story of the most famous battle of the Civil War from the perspective of several of the participants.  Most notably, Colonel Lawrence Chamberlain (Jeff Daniels), General Buford (Sam Elliot), General Longstreet (Tom Berenger) and General Armistead (Richard Jordan).  General Robert E. Lee (Martin Scheen) also plays a prominent role.

This is a fantastic, epic movie.  I learned a lot about this famous battle by watching this movie.  The story jumps around to each of these characters, but not in a bad way.  You really see the struggle that Armistead feels, going up against one of his best friends.  To me, the story surrounding Chamberlain was the most compelling, as I was not aware of his contributions to the Union victory...darn public schools! 

"Gettysburg" is a 4.5 star movie and definitely worth 4 hours and 14 minutes of your time.

"Real Steel":  Hopefully you are still with me.  This is the last movie I have to review.  I had heard "Real Steel" was a chick flick, dressed up as a robot boxing movie to attract male viewers.  That's not quite an accurate description, but close.  Think "Rocky" but with robots instead of real boxers.  Throw in a tenuous father/son relationship and you have a good idea of what "Real Steel" is all about.

It's the year 2027, and Robot boxing has replaced human boxing and become one of the biggest sports going.  Hugh Jackman is Charlie Kenton, a down on his luck former boxer, trying to make his way in the robot boxing gig.  Early in the movie, he finds out that the child he fathered (Max) 11 years ago is now in need of him after the death of his mother.  Kenton plans to sign custody rights over to Max's aunt, but swings a deal to take Max for the summer.  After Max finds an old fighting robot and begins to restore/reprogram him, Charlie and Max's relationship takes off.  With Charlie to teach the robot how to fight, they begin to win some bouts and catch the attention of the world champion's team, leading to a turning point in the father/son relationship and a bout with the undefeated world champion.

This was a really good movie...again think "Rocky".  If you don't get a little choked up at the end, you have no heart.  I liked "Real Steel" a lot and give it 4 stars.  Jackman continues to impress as an actor, and the kid that plays Max (Dakota Goyo) is actually a good actor, which is rare for so many child actors.

A Slippery Slope

Today, the Supreme Court of the United States (henceforth known as SCOTUS), upheld pretty much all of President Obama's healthcare law, including the individual mandate, which says that individuals are required to have health insurance.  In the 5-4 majority ruling, John Roberts, Chief Justice of SCOTUS, said that while the Commerce Clause does not allow the Federal Government to force individuals to purchase a product, the individual mandate is essentially a tax and Congress can levy taxes so therefore, it's legal.  Do you follow that?  SCOTUS said that the Federal Government forcing an individual to purchase a product is a tax!

Let's forget for a moment that President Obama said way back in 2009 in an interview with George Stephanapolis that the individual mandate wasn't a tax.  "You can't just make up that language and decide that that's called a tax increase," is one of the quotes from the interview.  Let's just think about the consequences of this ruling...it is now considered constitutional for the Federal Government to force you to buy a product under the guise of it being a tax.  What's next???

-Don't want to buy those fluorescent light bulbs?  Too bad, you have to, it's just another tax.

-Hate working out?  That's too bad, we're an overweight society so you have to join a gym.  Don't worry, it's just a tax.

-You have to buy a more fuel efficient vehicle.  Sorry, just another tax.

-All Americans have the right to defend themselves, so everyone has to buy a gun.  Just a small little tax.

Are some of those absurd?  Maybe, but even 5 years ago we would have thought the Federal Government forcing people to buy health insurance was absurd.  Where does it end?

This is one of the worst decisions ever made by the SCOTUS.  Right up there with saying slavery is okay back in the day.  I expected the 4 liberal judges to go this way because they don't typically follow the law, they just advance the liberal cause.  But Chief Justice Roberts is supposed to know better.  I guess Washington D.C. corrupts some faster than others.

If there is a bright spot in all this it's that President Obama now has to defend this atrocious law all through the election, and maybe we'll all finally find out what's in the law, unlike the people who actually voted on it in the first place.

Recent Funnies

My wife and I love to watch comedians together.  Recently we've watched two comedic specials:

Jim Gaffigan:  Mr. Universe - Jim Gaffigan continues to be one of the funniest comedians going.  Following "Beyond the Pale" with the famed Hot Pockets riff was gonna be difficult, but Gaffigan knocks it outta the park with "Mr. Universe".  Taking shots at his own physical fitness, McDonald's, Disney World and overweight whales, my wife and I were laughing from start to finish. 

I highly recommend watching "Beyond the Pale" before you watch this one, or at least one of the jokes won't make a lot of sense to you.  Gaffigan ranks right up there with George Carlin, Bill Cosby, Jeff Foxworthy, Bill Engvall and Mitch Hedburg in my pantheon of great comedians.  This is a 5 star comedy special and definitely worth watching.

Gabriel Iglesias:  Hot and Fluffy - "Hot and Fluffy" was recommended by a coworker of mine.  I had never seen Gabriel Iglesias before, so I wasn't 100% sure what to expect.  Overall, Iglesias is a fairly clean comedian that loves to make fun of himself, his friends and the police.  While not as funny as Jim Gaffigan, this was a fun comedy special that kept both my wife and I laughing.  I'd give this one 3.5 stars and I'll commit to watching more stuff from Gabriel Iglesias.

The Reason for Bad BBQ

Today I was instant messaging with my good friend Nuke during lunch.  I was lamenting the fact that we don't have good barbecue where I live, with the exception of a food truck that is only open part time.  We don't even have a Famous Dave's, which is top notch chain BBQ.  You would think that a community with a reported metropolitan area of over 250,000 people would have some good ole' BBQ, but alas, we do not.

Nuke asked me if I had any theories as to why it was this way, and it hit me like a bolt of lightning...Democrats are to blame for the lack of good barbecue around here! 

Before you say "Jake, you're nuts", hear me out.  Where I live in Iowa is an increasingly Democratic area.  We have a democrat Congressman and we voted for Obama in the last election.  Add to that the fact that the best BBQ comes from the South and Texas, traditional Republican strongholds, and one can easily see that Democrats are to blame for the lack of good BBQ in my city. 

But let's take it a step further.  What do Democrats value?  Farmer's Markets!  And we have several kick butt farmer's markets around here.  I don't think I need to say any more.  I believe my point has been made.

With this knowledge, I'm now resigned to the fact that I will have to make my own BBQ or travel for good BBQ until such time as the Republicans seize control of the population in my little corner of Iowa.

Another Trip, More Movies To Review

So, my blog has basically become a movie review blog.  I just got back from another trip to Brazil, and I watched 3 more movies:

"Sherlock Holmes: Game of Shadows":  I watched this movie on the way to Brazil.  I liked it a lot...at least a 4 star rating.  In fact, I think it's better than the first "Sherlock Holmes" movie.

Robert Downey Jr. is back as Sherlock Holmes and Jude Law is back as Dr. Watson.  The two actors are really great in these roles.  In this movie, Dr. Moriarty is more than a shadowy figure manipulating events, he is now Holmes' #1 nemesis, and is capable of matching wits with Holmes throughout the movie.  In fact, it seems that Moriarty often has the upper hand.  With the fate of all of Europe hanging in the balance, Holmes has to overcome his greatest nemesis to stop all out war.

As I said above, "Game of Shadows" is a very good movie.  With lots of action and humor, I found this was 2 hours well spent.

"We Bought a Zoo":  I have to admit, I was very skeptical about "We Bought a Zoo", but after hearing rave reviews from many friends, I decided to give it a try on the way home.  I was glad I agreed to give this a shot, as it turned out to be a really nice feel good story.  And anyone who has read this blog knows how I love feel good movies.

Matt Damon stars as Benjamin Mee, a recently widowed journalist raising two children.  When his son is expelled from school, Benjamin decides to move the family.  The family settles on buying a great home in the country that has one small catch, it's also a zoo.  With the help of the zoo staff, led by Scarlett Johansson, Benjamin and his family set about repairing the run down zoo, and in the process they repair their family and learn that life moves on, even after great loss.

This is a very touching story.  It's based on actual events, but from what I've read, Hollywood changed it up a bit.  Matt Damon does a great job in this role.  Add in the always capable Johansson, rising star Elle Fanning and Thomas Haden Church as Damon's older brother, and you  have a cast that melded really well. 

There is a little language and innuendo, but I think this is a family appropriate movie.  I think we'll watch it as a family at some point.  I give "We Bought a Zoo", 4 stars.

"Haywire":  Don't watch this movie...1 star.  Sometimes when on a plane, you pick a movie because the time it runs happens to fit the schedule you want prior to going to sleep.  That was the case with "Haywire".  It's a really stupid movie, and I'm sorta ashamed that I watched the entire thing.

The biggest thing I don't understand is how the producers got Michael Douglas, Antonio Banderas, Bill Paxton, Ewan McGreagor and Channing Tatum to appear in this movie.  Didn't they read the script? 

Avengers Assemble!

At the Super Bowl about 16 months ago, the first trailer for "The Avengers" debuted.  This was before we had even seen "Captain America" or "Thor".  That's a lot of hype to live up to...and "The Avengers" lived up to that hype.

Marvel has done a wonderful thing here starting with "Iron Man" in 2008.  For the last 4 years and 5 movies, Marvel has been building toward this...the first big super hero team up movie.  And while I don't think "The Avengers" qualifies for "best movie ever" status, it is an exceptional film.  I do think Marvel has elevated the super hero movie with this film, and I expect it will be hard for others to keep pace in the short term.  I'll be really interested to see what Chris Nolan does with "The Dark Knight Rises" later this summer.  "The Avengers" is gonna be really hard to top.

This movie picks up about a year after "Thor" ended.  Loki (Tom Hiddleston) has allied himself with an evil alien race, and is planning to use these aliens to help him take over the earth.  Loki's grand plan is to rule the planet his half brother, Thor, loves so much.  Somebody has "family issues".  To secure the aid of the aliens, Loki must give them the Tesseract (see "Captain America"), which is currently on earth.  So, Loki begins a war, which S.H.I.E.L.D, led by Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) is powerless to wage.  But, Fury always has a plan.  He enlists the help of Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.), Captain America (Chris Evans), The Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), Thor (Chris Hemmsworth), The Black Widow (Scarlette Johannson) and Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner).  But, these heroes have egos and agendas...can they co-exist in time to save the world?  I know the answer, and you'll find out if you go watch. 

Joss Whedon directed "The Avengers" and did a masterful job.  No one character dominates...in fact, Whedon does this movie so well that fans of each hero will be satisfied with the role their favorite hero plays.  Each character has his or her moment to shine, and the cast meshes very well.  Robert Downey Jr. and Mark Ruffalo seem to really mix well on screen.  I hope we will see another standalone Hulk movie with Ruffalo playing the part of Bruce Banner...he's perfect.

As with any great super hero movie, you need a great villain.  Tom Hiddleston provides that great villain as Loki.  For those that thought he wasn't evil enough in "Thor", he's one bad dude now.  Hiddleston is the perfect actor for this role, and he has great interactions with each character, but especially with Chris Hemmsworth (Thor).  You can really see that Thor wants his brother back, but Loki has truly grown to despise his brother, which makes for very good on screen dynamics.

As with all Joss Whedon directed movies and TV shows, "The Avengers" is very funny, but not in a ridiculous way.  In fact, the mix of humor, action and drama is just about right.  And the length of the movie is not overwhelming.  Though it's about 2 and a half hours, nobody was getting up to go to the bathroom...in fact, I didn't even check my watch.  Time flew by.

So, "The Avengers" is a 5 star movie.  I highly recommend it.  I think PG-13 is the right rating, but it could really be PG-11 or so.  There is nothing gratuitous, just a lot of fantasy action, and a few scary moments with The Hulk.  I'm gonna take David to see it later this weekend.