Captain America: The First Avenger

Captain America is the next individual superhero movie leading up to the Avengers movie in May 2012 (which we got to see a preview for at the end of Captain America). It is much different than the superhero movies we have seen recently. It is set in the 1940s which creates a completely different context that effects almost every part of the movie. This added to the fact that this is a superhero movie resulted in an overload of cheesy moments.

This movie reminded me of the Batman and Spiderman cartoons I used to watch as a kid. There is lots of slow motion running with explosions all around, anticipatory music to create a mood, and the villain escaping last minute with a quick remark. It is not as modern as the previous superhero movies released lately. This is not necessarily a negative, but it made me shake my head and chuckle often at the cheese-fest that occurred for the majority of the movie. I would not have been surprised if POW and BOOM action bubbles flashed across the screen at any time, luckily they left that to the original comic books.

I was a little worried about Chris Evans' portrayal of a superhero, especially one as iconic as Captain America. He did a pretty good job representing this little guy turned to super soldier. He also fits in well to this cheesy-type movie. He doesn't really have the swagger of Robert Downing Jr., but that's not what's needed for Captain America. I give him props on this one.

Overall, I enjoyed the film. The combination of a 1940s setting and the fact that it is a superhero movie should have made me expect the cheesy-fest that ensured. I think it outranks Thor, as I expected, but does not compare to Iron man in any way. For most people I would say wait and Redbox/Netflix this one. But if you are a comic fan already or hooked into this Avengers saga like I am, then SEE IT! And make sure you wait until after the 20 minutes of credits to see the amazing preview for The Avengers movie!!!!

Redbox/Netflix It!

Friends with Benefits

Friends with Benefits is a romantic comedy about two friends that decide they want a sex-only, emotionless relationship. I am sure you are probably thinking, "I've seen that movie already. " My thoughts exactly when I first heard the premise, but don't let the plot fool you. Justin Timberlake and Mila Kunis star in a very funny spin on the usual friends with benefits story. The characters are great and these two actors portray them perfectly. Add in the R rated humor and you have the perfect romantic comedy!

As a female who was on the Nsync side of the best boy band debate in middle school, the highlight of this movie is Justin Timberlake. However, if you were on the Backstreet Boys side or avoided boy bands all together, I have a feeling you will still be impressed with comedy and charisma that Timberlake and Kunis bring to the screen in Friends with Benefits. These two have great onscreen chemistry and I don't think anyone will mind seeing both of their backsides. Kunis has proven her acting abilities, but she really shows off her comedic ability in this film. (I even heard Timberlake compliment her on her comedic timing in an interview on Ellen).  The duo takes this cliche plot and make it something current and special.

The writers created two characters that are classified by their exes as "emotionally damaged" and "emotionally unavailable." I think most people in the world can fit into some kind of emotionally dysfunctional category.  Relateable characters make each viewer really put themselves into the shoes of the character that they relate to most! I'm sure every woman, and some guys too, could see their reflection a little bit when they watch this movie.

Ratings can always put an interesting twist on a movie. An R rating saved this movie from revealing it's best moments in the previews. I mention this often, but this is the ultimate downfall of a movie, especially a comedy. Many hilarious moments were in the previews, but many of the funniest moments would probably not be approved by most networks! The R rating was necessary and perfect for this movie!

Overall, this is a romantic comedy. It's not a deep, life-changing plot. Its writers are not going to be holding their breathe when Oscar noms are announced. But it is funny and cute and fun to watch! I was really concerned that this would be a repeat of a similar movie I saw at the beginning of the year, but I think Friends with Benefits outdid similar movies! It has many funny moments, a great mix of 90s throw back jams and some recent pop hits, and entertaining actors! It's one of those movies that you laugh throughout and at the end think, "That was fun!"

See It!

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2

This is the final film in a decade long series. The movie is emotional, exciting, and action-packed!. I thought it was a great movie, but actually enjoyed Part 1 more than Part 2. It felt like it should have been more epic and final. Everything technically about the film is, of course, spectacular! The emotion that is portrayed, and felt by the viewer, is perfect for the final film. We have spent a whole decade with these characters and longer if you read the books before. There is a lot of emotion associated with that much time. The story is also great! The ending to this journey brings everything to a close!

With all this said, I did feel some changes could have been made to make this movie really monumental. Part 1 created the feeling that something huge was coming, the ending was going to be far beyond what we could have imagined. The final scenes of Part 2 just fell flat. There was no strong feelings whatsoever. It was just finished.  (I have already hear many book-readers were disappointed with some changes that were made. I didn't read the books, so I can't attest to this. But I'm sure those die-hard Harry Potter book readers will be frustrated by this.)

Overall, I loved the movie. I have loved everyone of the movies in the series, but I think it could have been a little bit more; more exciting, more emotional, more imaginative. I would definitely recommend it. It's a great movie!

SEE IT!!!

Horrible Bosses

Horrible Bosses is a comedy about three friends who decide their lives would be better if their bosses were dead. It has an all star cast featuring Jason Bateman, Charlie Day, Jason Sudeikis, Jennifer Aniston, Jaime Foxx, and Kevin Spacey. It is a hilarious and surprising story with great acting and some hilarious moments! My only complain is that, like many comedies, most of the funniest moments are in the previews.

The best thing about Horrible Bosses is the cast!!!! I love every one of these actors and each of them does an amazing job! Bateman, Day, and Sudeikis have a wonderful dynamic and enhance each other's performance. It appears that they had a blast making this film and that comes across clearly onscreen! Aniston and Foxx are in roles that are different than we've seen them recently. Aniston is still working to get rid of her type cast in a Rachel-type roles. This movie was perfect for her!!! She plays a ridiculously crude boss who harasses her employee (Day) constantly! She looks great and portrays the character perfectly. Foxx does a great job also. He is a thuggish con-artist who is also hilarious! Great acting all around!

The story is funny and entertaining. There are no complains there. The concept of hating your boss and imagining them being killed is very relatable. However, most people probably don't actually try to go through with it. It is a bit outlandish in that way, but we don't go to the movies to watch something realistic.

My only complain is one of the biggest downfalls of a comedy film. The previews for a movie look hilarious. You go to see the movie and all the funny parts in the whole movie were in the preview. Maybe I see too many previews and watch lots of interviews, but most of the funny parts were in the previews. There were some other funny parts in the movie (ones that could not be put on regular television). But the funniest parts were all in the previews. Except! I think the funniest part was the credits at the end of the movie! Between outtakes and some ad-libing, I didn't stop laughing for the last ten minutes!

Overall, this is an amazing cast portraying a hilarious plot. Most of the funny moments were seen in the previews, but there were a handful of surprises held back. I have very mixed feelings about a recommendation for this movie. Other viewers were laughing a lot more than I was, so maybe I'm just being a little harsh. I would say Redbox it, but you probably won't be disappointed if you spend the money to see it in theaters. I believe it was the best release this week, but most of you don't see a movie each week like I do. There are plenty of other movies to see in theaters before you see this one.

Redbox/Netflix It!

Bridesmaids

Bridesmaids is the hilarious story of what happens in a world where Kristin Wiig and Maya Rudolph are best friends and planning a wedding together. These SNL veterans are hilarious together and I will probably love any film/skit/performance that they do together! Rudolph and Wiig play childhood friends who struggle with their relationship as they plan Rudolph's character's wedding. The acting is great! The writing is hilarious! The story is a little depressing at times, but I've discovered there must be something funny about misery (almost every comedy film includes plenty of it).

Overall, this is a film that can only be described as over the top, crazy, and  .... the only word I can think of is hilarious! There is no other word to describe it. Wiig's character, Annie, thinks she's at the lowest point in her life when her pastry business goes under, but things only get worse! This adds a lot of humor to the plot, but also made me depressed. Then again it made me feel a lot better about my life, so maybe that was Wiig's goal (she was one of the writers). I am pretty late in seeing this one, so most of you already know it is hysterically funny! It is a bit over the top, but only in true SNL style! If you are one of the few who have not seen this film yet, grab a good friend and buy your tickets now!

SEE IT!

Bad Teacher

Bad Teacher is a comedy about a middle school teacher who is not at all equipped to be a teacher. Her main goal is to find a wealthy man to take care of her. Cameron Diaz does an amazing job portraying this gold digger. A strong, hilarious cast supports her well also. It is a very funny film! (Although, I am slightly biased as a teacher). It's a funny movie with a shallow, but funny story and some great comedic writing!

The strongest point is the comedy. This is a full on comedic movie! Granted I saw it with a group of teachers, but we barely stopped laughing the whole time. The writing was great with hilarious scene after hilarious scene. The acting perfectly created theses scenes and quotes. Unlike some other comedies, Bad Teacher has less one liners and more physical humor. This is a testament to the strength of the actors! The writing was well done also.  I absolutely hate when comedies get really serious with an underlying message after they have made you laugh for at least an hour. Bad Teacher did it perfectly! There was an underlying message about being less superficial, but it was not corny or overly sentimental! Loved it!

I was a little disappointed with Justin Timberlake's performance.  I am a huge Justin fan, but this character was not quite right from him or he didn't portray it well. I'm not sure which was the issue, but it didn't sit right with me.  The story is not spectacular or deep, but that's not what a comedy is supposed to be.  I worry that others will not be able to relate to the film as well as teachers do. Hopefully it will make you laugh though.

Overall, I loved this movie! It has good comedic acting and writing. It is not life changing, but it does make you laugh. That is all a comedy is supposed to do!

SEE IT!

Green Lantern

Green Lantern appears to be DC Comics' attempt to compete with Marvel Comics in creating a series of major superhero blockbusters. This attempt is falling short in creating interest in the superhero theme again and I'll predict that it will fall short in making a profit also. However, much to my surprise, Green Lantern was a valiant effort by DC to create a modern movie based on a comic book superhero. There were quite a few weaknesses, but I didn't check the time or shake my head in embarrassment once.

Watching the trailers I expected this to be one of the worst films I had ever seen. My major concern was what appeared to be very weak and superficial casting. I would consider the acting to be the biggest weakness of this movie. Ryan Reynolds may have the look of a superhero, but he is much better suited for a romantic comedy than an action flick. Similarly, Blake Lively looks like the perfect superhero love interest, but in this movie she was also supposed to be a serious business-type woman. She did not pull this off well.

Aside from the acting, there were only minor problems. The effects were sub-par at points but didn't take away from the plot. I felt that there was too many story lines playing out at once. I understand it is necessary to set up a lot of background in a short amount of time, but as a viewer, I felt like I was jumping from one story to another to another until they somewhat came together 3/4 of the way through the movie. I could have done without one or two of the story lines. At the same time, there was so much focus on setting up the background of the Green Lanterns, the history, and the villain that the background of the main characters was lacking.

Overall, I was pleasantly surprised. The acting was not great. The effects could have been stronger and I would have been satisfied without so many storylines. But I enjoyed seeing the film and do not think it was one of the worst films I have seen. I think it will fall in the wayside of many other major summer movies, but Redbox it if you are in the mood for another good superhero adventure!

Redbox/Netflix It!