Captain America on the Empire Magazine cover

Chris Evans as Captain America

This looks awesome, that is all!

The King's Speech review

I'm trying, as fast as I can, to watch all the Best Picture nominees for 2010.  The King's Speech was next in line, and boy was it worth the wait.  Tom Hooper directs Colin Firth as King George VI of Britain.  He was the country's leader just before World War II, and struggled with a stammer in his speech.  Helena Bonham Carter plays Firth's wife, Queen Elizabeth.  Geoffrey Rush plays the king's speech therapist, and the two form a close friendship as they tackle, The King's Speech. 

What I liked about the film:
The Cast

What an amazing ensemble.  Director Hooper didn't cast the biggest names, he cast the right people for the roles.  Firth has already won a Golden Globe and a SAG award for his take on the king.  He will most definitely win Best Actor at the Oscars.  He is simply brilliant.  He became the king.  His confidence was conveyed through his eyes and body, or the lack of I should say.  When Firth was around Carter and his daughters, he was comfortable, confident and stood tall.  When he was in front of an audience, he fell apart.  He was flustered and couldn't mutter a word.  It was wonderful to see Firth with his children, where he could be himself.  And even after he become king, he wanted to embrace his children with no formalities, a contradiction to the way Firth's character was raised with his father. 

He WILL win his first Oscar.  Carter, also nominated for an Oscar gives a heartbreaking performance.  She wants to be there for her husband in any way possible; even if that means recruiting Rush as the king's therapist behind his back.  She is deserving of her nomination, and it was nice to see her recognized. 

Geoffrey Rush steals the show!  He plays a failed actor who has devoted his career to helping those with speech impediments.  Rush stands for his beliefs in the face of the king.  It's either his way or the highway.  So the king must work with Rush on a daily basis, in his office, not in the comfort of his palace.  One of the best aspects of Rush's performance is how sincere he is.  He WANTS to help the king succeed.  He sees through Colin Firth's stammer and knows what kind of king he could be.  It was so fun to watch Rush and Firth go through the exercises to improve the king's speech.  They're funny, yet warm moments between the two characters.  Too bad Christian Bale will win an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for The Fighter, otherwise it would be Rush's Oscar to lose.  Magnificent job.


The Story

The movie is about a king with a speech problem?  How do you make an interesting and compelling story about that?  Director Tom Hooper has!  With the help of writer David Seidler, the story is amazing.  As the movie proceeds, we discover more and more factors that have played into the king's stammer.  His relationship with his father, his relationship with his brother, the way kids teased him; all important factors explained throughout the film.  As the story unfolds, we discover Rush is the king's only friend.  He motivates and encourages Firth to take over the thrown when his brother, played by Guy Pearce, has been deemed unfit to rule.  It was nice to watch a film that taught me a lot about a time and place in history that I didn't know much about. 

The Director

Pretty difficult task at hand I think; make a film about one speech in the history of the world.  Tom Hooper has made me a fan for life.  The build up, the anticipation leading up to the final speech is breathtaking.  My heart was racing in anticipation of the climax, the king's speech.  Hooper captured the place, London.  He also captured the time, the 20th century time of war.  It was amazing how the film intertwined Hitler's rise without it taking over the film.  The wardrobe was great and the score was phenomenal.  He's directed several projects from this era in the UK's history, hopefully he ventures out and we can see his skills in a different setting.


What I didn't like about the film?
Supporting Characters
Not really a "dislike" as much as a question mark.  There were a couple of characters that I was intrigued by and didn't get to see more of.  The relationship with Rush and his boys was amazing, and a total contradiction to Firth and his father.  I would have loved to see more of the boys.  Also, Guy Pearce's character intrigued and bewildered me.  Imagine what his character essentially does; he gives up the right to be one of the most powerful figures in the world, to be with a woman.  Wow, there's a movie there somewhere.  Great stuff.


The Verdict:
Brilliant
The movie was under MY radar, despite all the accolades.  I didn't really feel like it was a "must see", boy was I wrong.  The movie is something every movie fan should go see.  It's human emotion at its finest.  The love and friendship between Firth, Carter and Rush is undeniable.  The final speech moved me in a way that's difficult to describe.  It wasn't my generation, it wasn't my country, but I was so proud of the king.  He brought his people together at a time when they needed it most.  He was the leader they needed him to be.  The cast and director were at their very best.  I hope the movie continues to receive the recognition it deserves, and I will continue to promote it to the best of my ability.  Amazing film.

Marketing genius: CG film "Rio" gets its own version of Angry Birds

If you don't already know, Angry Birds is one of the best, if not THEE best selling app on Apple's App Store.  Made for the iPhone, it has sold millions of copies, is rumored to be adapted into a feature film, and now is cross marketing with Fox studios.

Print marketing is almost dead, major corporations are pulling print ads left and right.  Even TV is losing advertisers.  The Super Bowl lost a regular in Pepsi last year because they felt the internet was the way to market their product.  So Fox is getting creative in marketing their new CG animated film, Rio.  In March, you will be able to download a Rio themed version of the game, Angry Birds.  Pretty smart right?  I think it's marketing genius, and if it's a hit, could be the marketing of the future.  Check out the trailer to Rio, here. 

I know I bitch a lot about how Hollywood wont take chances with creative ideas, and how they reboot or sequel anything mildly successful; but this is a fun, creative way to bring their film to a broader audience.  So am I being hypocritical, should studios stop worrying about a "build-in" audience?  Or do you agree, it's a cute and clever way to market the film?  Let us know. 

Henry Cavill's long journey to playing Superman

So yesterday the internet was a buzz with the news that British actor Henry Cavill was cast as the Man of Steel, Superman.  It turns out he has a pretty interesting story.  He was already cast as Superman before!  Check out this article from 2004 on MovieWeb.  He was cast when McG was set to direct.  That film (totally separate from Superman Returns) died out, and Bryan Singer took over the reigns.  Singer cast Brandon Routh and the rest was history.

THEN, Cavill was almost cast as Batman!  Turns out he was on Christopher Nolan's short list before ultimately casting Christian Bale.

THEN, Cavill was almost cast as James Bond, but lost the role to Daniel Craig.

THEN, Cavill was almost cast as Edward in the Twilight Saga.  That went to the douche bag of a generation, Robert Pattinson.

THEN, Cavill was almost cast as the Green Lantern, but lost the role to Ryan Reynolds.

Holy mother of wow this guy's been through a lot.  I mean those are four bonafide franchises the man lost out on.  I almost feel bad being so disappointed in the casting, but I don't.  I knew they wanted a relative unknown, so I can't say I was TOTALLY surprised by Cavill's casting.  I wanted someone who was more famous, but then I read an article in the LA Times. 

The article shares an obvious point... now Superman, Batman (Christian Bale, Welsh), Spider-Man (Andrew Garfield, UK), will all be played by British actors.  Not counting Thor (Chris Hemsworth, Australian), and Green Lantern (Ryan Reynolds, Canadian).  The article makes valid points as to why Directors cast the actors they do.  Also, it looks at why the "charismatic" American actors, don't always do well, ala George Clooney's Batman.  It's an interesting article, check it out.  For now, I still don't like Cavill's casting and can only hope Producer Nolan and director Zack Snyder make me eat my words.

Cava-who? Henry Cavill will be our next Superman

Henry Cavill, another relative unknown, will play the last son of Krypton.  And I couldn't be more disappointed.  Granted, the producers and filmmakers don't care what I think, but still.  Producer Christopher Nolan and Director, Zack Snyder, know what they're doing so I have to relax a little bit.  But really?

Back when Snyder was hired to direct, we had an idea they were going "younger".  But rumors kept coming out about various actors playing the part.  First was the Jon Hamm rumor.  I didn't totally believe this, because again, they said they wanted to go younger.  Then the Matthew Goode rumor came out, also to be proven wrong.  What about the original rumor that Brandon Routh would return and director Bryan Singer would not?  Oh man, all these rumors could give any movie fan a headache.  With the casting of Cavill, the rumors are put to rest.

I've seen Cavill's work, and I'm concerned to say the least.  He plays Guy Pearce's son in The Count of Monte Cristo, he was also in Stardust, costarring Robert De Niro.  He had a stint on TV's "The Tudors".  I don't know what to say really.  I hate the idea, but trust Nolan, Snyder and company.  Remember when Anne Hathaway was cast in The Dark Knight Rises?  I hated the idea, and still do.

But everything the filmmakers have done before has worked, and worked damn well too.  So I'll just have to wait and see screen shots and stuff before feeling better about this.  You know what else is weird, we really did hear about a short list of actors vying for the part.  Usually that's the precursor to the casting, but that wasn't the case with this.

Here's what Snyder had to say:

In the pantheon of superheroes, Superman is the most recognized and revered character of all time, and I am honored to be a part of his return to the big screen. I also join Warner Bros., Legendary and the producers in saying how excited we are about the casting of Henry. He is the perfect choice to don the cape and S shield.

You know what's a good movie? (Part 7)

Part 1: Forrest Gump

Connection: Tom Hanks

Part 2: Toy Story

Connection: Pixar

Part 3: The Incredibles

Connection: Superhero Films

Part 4: Batman (1989)

Connection: Jack Nicholson

Part 5: The Departed

Connection: Matt Damon

Part 6: Good Will Hunting

Connection: Robin Williams

Part 7: Mrs. Doubtfire


I still pop this classic in the DVD player at least once a year, and it's still hilarious!  Director Chris Columbus gave us a film for all ages (as he often does).  That film... Mrs. Doubtfire!  Robin Williams stars as a lovable dad who can't hold down a job.  He's married to Sally Field, a very serious career woman who has little time for her kids.  The kids are played by Lisa Jakub, Matthew Lawrence and Mara Wilson. 

When the parents file for divorce, it becomes harder and harder for Williams to see his kids.  So he comes up with a plan to dress as the kid new nanny, Mrs. Doubtfire.  When Sally Field's character starts dating Pierce Brosnan, hilarity ensues.

The movie is all about heart.  Yes, on the surface, it's a man dressing up like a woman, and being put into all sorts of uncomfortable situations.  But beneath the surface, is a story of a family who has an enormous amount of love for his children.  He loves them so much, he's so desperate to see them everyday, he's dressing up as a woman to do so.  That's what the best films are all about, heart. 

The movie mostly follows Williams, Field, and their children.  Each character has an arc, some growth over the course of the movie.  I think that's important too.  Williams becomes a responsible parent, Field loosens up and enjoys her life, their son gets better grades in school, etc.
Plus there are some great supporting characters, like Williams gay brother, who is played by Harvey Fierstein.  These characters fill out the movie with just great all around performances.

Chris Columbus is one of my favorite directors in Hollywood.  He's done consistently good work.  His choice of cast, setting (San Francisco), score, montage, etc.; everything played into a real life scenario, which had us thinking, 'this is possible'.  Best of all, he knows how to capture people, real people.  This is just a dad wanting to be with his kids, it's so simple, but can open up a world of possibilities with a director like Columbus.

Then there is the star of the show, one of the best situation comedy actors of our time... Robin Williams!  Give the man a spoon and he'll make a funny situation out of it.  In the picture to the right, he made the lids to two pans funny, he's that good. Examples of Williams' genius: The way he's jealous of Brosnan's character and the relationship he's developed with Field, the way he picks up on women while he's in the suit, the way a man picks up on him while he's in the suit; all brilliant acting.

He nailed the accent to Euphegenia Doubtfire, his walk in the fat suit was funny, his reaction to women was funny, everything about Williams' performance was funny.  I loved him in this and can safely say, NO ONE else in Hollywood could have done what he did in this film.

Mrs. Doubtfire went on to gross 441 million dollars worldwide during its theatrical run.  That is an incredible amount of money.  There were a ton of movies before Mrs. Doubtfire that had a man or woman acting in a fat suit.  There are a LOT of movies that came out after Mrs. Doubtfire that tried it as well (i.e. Shallow Hal, and the terrible Big Momma's House).  But no one got it quite right like Columbus and company.  It's a movie with a great message, a ton of laughs, and has endured the test of time.  I absolutely love this film.

RED DVD review

Bruce Willis, Morgan Freeman, Brian Cox, Mary Louise Parker, Karl Urban, Helen Mirren AND John Malkovich are in the same movie?  Sign me up, I don't care what it's about.  Add a bunch of guns, chases, thrills and laughs... what do you get?  RED, which was just released on DVD and Blu-Ray this week.  The acronym, RED, actually stands for Retired: Extremely Dangerous. 

Our cast are all retirees that are being hunted down by someone.  They must work together to uncover what's going on and get to the bottom of the killings.  Great premise right?!  Now I'll tell you what I liked and didn't like about the film.  Let's begin.

What I liked about the film:
The Cast
How can you ignore a cast like this?  Every single actor does a great job in this film.  Willis is the newest retiree and is having trouble adapting to his new life.  He has become friends with Mary Louise Parker, and she's helping him cope with his boredom.  Freeman, Cox, Mirren and Malkovich are also all retired and have known each other for years.  They all contribute to solving the mystery going on around them.


The Action

I always look at action films a little differently than I do any other genre.  It has to be different from anything I've seen before to be really impressed, and this one is.  The camera angles, chases sequences, and best of all... seeing old people shoot guns!  That's comedy in and of itself.  There's a particular shot of Willis walking out of a spinning car, avoids getting it by it, and shoots at his target in stride, AWESOME!

The Story
Simple to follow, but sophisticated enough that we don't go numb.  I liked it.  It was the perfect mix of mystery and mayhem.  I never felt lost during the movie, I knew everything that was going on, despite a half a dozen locations.  I also never felt like director Robert Schwentke was talking down to me either.  Great job in this department.

The Director

Speaking of Mr. Schwentke, I loved what he did in this film.  Before RED, all I had ever seen of Schwentke's work is The Time Traveler's Wife, which I hated!  I also knew he was set to direct Ryan Reynolds (rumored) in the upcoming comic book adaptation, R.I.P.D.  In this film, he takes the audience on a crazy ride; where we can just let go of our problems for two hours and enjoy!  The score was fitting, the wardrobe, the editing, all of which the director has a hand in achieving.  Plus, can you imagine the pressure that guy must of felt?  He's directing living legends, the best at what they do.  He did a great job!

The Cast

Yeah, I KNOW i already put this down as a "like".  But the cast is too big and too good not to mention again.  Freeman is terrific.  Malkovich steals every scene which is off-beat comedy, awesome!  And Karl Urban is a freakin' bad ass in the film.  He plays an up and coming agent who takes his job very seriously.  Watching him and Willis go at it was great.

What I didn't like about the film:
Mary Louise Parker's character

I love Mary Louise Parker.  She is so funny, so talented and very attractive.  She's doing really well for herself.  But her character was in the film for one reason... to simply explain what's going on.  Much like Ellen Page's character in Inception.  I understand it, but don't agree with it.  The writing could have covered what was being relayed to Parker's character.  Still, she's great.

The Verdict:
Original and worthy
The movie is original in what it does and worthy of the cast that was assembled.  Its hard to make action-comedies these days.  What's left to be seen, you know?  But RED was new, fresh AND exciting.  Really really enjoyed it and I look forward to the sequel. 

The two disc special edition Blu-Ray of the film includes Deleted and extended scenes.  Also a 6-part interactive feature that include pop ups with trivia, videos, interviews, etc.  Another feature, CIA Exposed, and an audio commentary with retired CIA Field Officer, Robert Baer.  Enjoy folks!