Iron Man 2

Considering the fact that I've been highly anticipating this movie, even before the credits rolled on its predecessor, it had very big shoes to fill (Shaquille O'Neal sized ones really) But, knowing how difficult it is to follow up on successful movie with a sequel, especially in the film adapted comic book genre, I sort of expected to be disappointed in some way or other by Iron Man 2. After watching the first ten minutes though and getting a small glimpse of what was to come, I immediately realized that there was no way that this movie couldn't/shouldn't be better than the first. Essentially everything from the first movie is back, plus new additions like Mickey Rourke, Don Cheadle, Samuel Jackson, and Scarlet Johansson.

I could really go on and on about what I liked from this movie, but I'd rather keep it sweet and short. Iron Man 2 is better than the first, the on screen chemistry between Downey Jr. and Paltrow is there, the writing is more on point, it has incredible special effects and explosions, and its once again the definitive summer blockbuster so early in the season. So, by all means see it.. (Over Robin Hood and Shrek Forever After in the coming weeks)

Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans

With a tagline like, "The only criminal that he can't catch is himself", I pretty seriously question the creativity and marketing capabilities of the team behind this movie. Not only does this line have very little to do with what transpires in the film, but I can think of several that would've been better, but I wont get into them now.

Anyways, I saw the movie after a "Nicolas Cage fan" friend of mine suggested I see it after ripping his appearance in "Kick Ass". It didn't take very long for me to understand why my friend enjoyed Cage's performance in it. He plays a hot shot, crooked police officer with enough swagger to make rapper T.I. uncomfortable, but his role and subsequent performance isn't what was wrong with this movie. If I had to say something was wrong with it, it would be it's lack of "fluidity", by that, I felt like the movie didn't progress from scene to scene convincingly enough. Also, when scenes ended and certain information was inferred to the audience, this bordered on the side of confusing too closely for me. I would've liked to have some more screen time for Eva Mendes as well, not because she's beautiful, but because she excels at roles like this one.

The Losers

I went into seeing this movie with little expectations, I'd seen the trailer a couple times, but it didn't stick out to me like it'd be anything special. There weren't any actors in it that I cared for that much, except for maybe Zoe Saldana.

I want to be short and sweet about this because I don't feel the movie deserves my over analysis, but, The Losers, was entertaining. It was pretty good, not memorable or anything like that, but it did have it's moments. I can see Saldana becoming more of a go to "sexual icon" actress after watching her in films like this one, although I wasn't really believing the chemistry between her and co-star, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, she looked fantastic in every scene she was in. The rest of the cast was pretty well chosen for this movie in my opinion, with Chris Evans, Columbus Short, and Jason Patric really impressing with their performances.

IMDB reports that the estimated budget for the movie was $25 million, which seemed like a pretty solid budget to me. Granted it says that they filmed in Puerto Rico(for Bolivia, and maybe Dubai and Mumbai), the explosions, weaponry, and other toys seemed real. But, with that relatively small of a budget and the movie being released to almost 3,000 theaters its pretty disappointing that it only reached about $9 million it's opening weekend. I don't know anywhere near all of the details necessary to break this down, but I think with the movie being adapted from a comic book (Having a substantial already established fan base) and the general lull at the box office last weekend, The Losers, should have made at least $15-20 million. That's just my opinion though.

The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus

This film is certainly a visual achievement that draws on the stifled imaginative minds of adults. The glimpses into "the imaginarium" are pretty breathtaking (I can only wonder what they looked like on a sixty-foot screen). But, I'm sure for some people they'll be misconstrued as an overly vivid acid trip, especially with the movie being directed by Terry Gillaim. Gilliam, in my opinion, is the genius mind that brought the world, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, a quintessential cult classic and defining movie for my generation. But, where that movie was great Imaginarium struggled.

First of all, Fear and Loathing, was so intrinsically tied to drug culture that the wild visions and out of the blue dialogue and plot progression seemed sort of normal, but Imaginarium doesn't benefit from something like this, so when unexpected plot twists or peculiar character developments happen in the film it's just very confusing and off putting. But, what helped the film immensely was the casting and acting. Heath Ledger, in his final film appearance, shines in the movie playing an odd philanthropist. Also, Verne Troyer, Christopher Plummer, and relative newcomer Lily Cole turn in great performances. I'm surprised Cole hasn't been cast in any American movies, I see a lot of potential for her, especially playing a similar role to the one she did in this movie.

It's difficult for me to recommend this movie as its overall impression that it left on me was of a relatively disconnected plot, with a wonderful performance from Ledger and incredibly, imaginative images. But, the child in me really liked it and if you can follow that then you may like it also.

Kick Ass

After seeing this movie a friend of mine boasted that, "If you don't go see Kick Ass, you should get your ass kicked". Although, he may have just been caught up in the raucous, hilarious state of mind that the movie puts you in, he might not be totally out of line with his statement.

I thought the movie was very funny, but I wouldn't call it the funniest movie I've ever seen. A solid script and good acting from Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Clark Duke, and relative newcomer Aaron Johnson made the movie watchable during the earlier parts of the movie, before most of the "ass-kicking" started happening. But, the one thing on my mind after leaving the cinema, was Chloe Moretz or "Hit Girl", her homicidal, spunky, Bride-esque character completely stole the show. I was wondering after her first appearance on screen why the film wasn't centered around her instead of the goofy Aaron Johnson. But, Moretz's character definitely added another dynamic to the movie which will only benefit it in the future.

I say see this movie, definitely not with as much gusto as my friend, but certainly with more of a level head on it. It provides a great escape from the stresses of everyday life, as most movies should and will do, but it'll gross you out, make you laugh out loud, and maybe even feel a little sorry for Nicolas Cage.

The Lovely Bones

I really dislike when I see people weighing in on a movie that's been adapted from a novel and their overall beef being, "That the movie didn't do the book justice." I can sort of see where people who say these things are coming from, but I can't agree with them. You have to understand what it takes to create a movie, a good idea, believable actors, a good story, sometimes a lot of money, amongst many other things. So, a lot of times the book just serves as a platform for the movie to garner an audience. Also, producers need to protect themselves from lawsuits by purchasing the rights to a novel, so when they say it's based on a novel it can sometimes only be to give credit to the author or authors.

I wanted to say this after reading the "review" listed on IMDB.com about, The Lovely Bones. It lambasted Peter Jackson, the director of the movie, for doing the book, which the film is based on "little justice". Jackson crafted a story that is compelling and suspenseful, although it may not be perfect in terms of what is in the novel, it does include some top notch acting from Stanley Tucci and Saoirse Ronan which shouldn't been overlooked. I did think some of the heavily fantastical, CGI scenes were very overblown, but Jackson may have included them to illustrate on the imaginative minds of children.

Date Night

I was a little torn while watching the beginning scenes of Date Night, because it seemed like the writers were trying to hard to force the funniness of the two stars, Tina Fey and Steve Carell. But, before long their overall hilarity took over, combined with a bunch of near perfect cameos and outrageously funny scenes this movie had me cracking up more than enough.

More about the cameos though, J.B. Smoove, or Leon in Curb Your Enthusiasm, has a brief appearance as a cabbie in the movie, but it's about 2 minutes that provide a platform for a lot of raucous laughter from the audience. Also, Mark Wahlberg, has a cameo as Holbrooke, a muscular spy and former acquaintance of Fey's character, Wahlberg I'm sure will provide most women with a solid five minutes of the movie that they wont quickly forget. James Franco and Mila Kunis also provide a few laughs with a short cameo, that most of the trailers for the movie kind of spoiled.

Strangely, this movie felt like it fell into the category of romantic comedy to me, I was expecting just a comedy, but there were a few scenes that lingered at length on relationship issues. Maybe they were meant to serve as potential bathroom breaks for audiences just there to laugh, but overall they didn't seem too forced and both stars are solid enough actors to keep your attention.