Movie Review: The Avengers

As I mentioned in my last blog, I went to see this Sunday, but it was sold out, so my friend and I were like, ‘let’s see it in the middle of the week, it’ll be empty.’  Well, we were wrong.  The theatre was packed, and apparently AMC was caught unawares as well, because they were woefully understaffed.

If you haven’t seen the various Marvel movies over the last few years, the Avengers builds off of them, joining Iron Man, Thor and Captain America with the supporting cast that had been introduced previously.  In this movie, the main villain is Loki, Thor’s foster brother.  While I can’t say the story was utterly original, it was still done on a large scale and written and directed by the indomitable Joss Whedon.  And that is the main point I need to make about this movie.  Being a long time Buffy fan, I know all too well how amazing and talented Joss Whedon is a storyteller, and even his worst episodes of Buffy, Angel, Firefly or Dollhouse were still leaps and bounds above other shows.  It is only Lost that I can ever compare to a Joss Whedon franchise.

In assembling the Avengers, Joss Whedon brings together a star cast that works at every level.  Even though each character may not get the same level of attention, each actor brings the character to life.  The story opens around Nick Fury, the director of SHIELD who has his greatest weapon stolen by Loki, subsequently; he must assemble the various members of the Avengers.  The group assemble, and after much arguing and epic battles, decide to work together to stop the common enemy.

The story isn’t what is packing the theatre, and it isn’t the special effects either, it is the acting and directing.  While children will come in droves to the theatre to see superheroes, adults can come and enjoy the double-speak and hidden meanings to story.  Whedon is known for adding hidden gems and is the fanboy that we all dream about making the comics we grew up with.  The only way this movie could have been better is if Kevin Smith (who wrote for the Green Arrow at one point) had been involved.  The level of fanboy-ism is directly related to the level of success of a franchise movie.  While I respect Christopher Nolan, even the Batman movies can’t rival the Avengers.

I know this review wasn’t really much of a review, but given the box office numbers this movie has, I’m betting you’ve already seen this movie at least once.  Avengers starts the summer movie season off with a bang and I can’t imagine any movie surpassing it this summer.

Movie Review: The Cabin in the Woods

Like many moviegoers, I went to the theatre yesterday in hopes of seeing The Avengers.  But once we got to the theatre, most of the shows were sold out, so we went to this movie instead.  My friend and I had planned on seeing it, but timing hadn’t been working out for us.  I may see The Avengers sometime this week, but we shall see.

The premise for The Cabin in the Woods follows two storylines: the main story of five friends going on holiday and the second those that are planning surprises for said holiday.  In the dual story, the kids have no idea what is being planned for them, but it is clear to the audience that something other than normal is occurring.

The five friends set out on a vacation trip to a cabin in the middle of nowhere.  As they arrive, weird things begin to occur, but as with any horror movie, no one reacts to the danger until it is too late.  Under the cabin, a network of offices, an entire company, exists.  In it, there are people who are forcing the people above into situations that make them decide their own fate.  The friends find a cellar beneath the cabin and find a series of artefacts within.  Each person is drawn to a different item, but the paranoid pothead points out that they should stop touching everything, but they don’t.  In that moment, one of the characters calls, unknowingly, a pack of zombies to attack them.

The company below continues to escalate the situation, forcing two of the group to split up and head into the forest.  Once outside, they are attacked by the zombies and one is killed.  The strange situations continue and the friends regroup in the cabin, but end up locked in their rooms.  The separation is prompted by an intervention from the company below, and as the first friend dies, a stone carving fills with blood.  There is one for each person in the cabin.

As the horror escalates, the friends die one-by-one until there is one left, the virgin, even though she is not a virgin.  Unfortunately, the zombies did not kill the paranoid pothead and he comes to her aid.  They make their way into the company through a maintenance lift and break in.  While this is occurring, the company is breaking into utter chaos as the US installation of the project is the only one near success.  A very amusing side-story in Tokyo shows a room full of 9 year olds turning a raging ghost into a frog.

The secondary story merges with the main story towards the middle part of the movie, and it is revealed that the company is forced to provide sacrifices to the older Gods.  The movie then takes a turn for the hilarious as the two friends still alive make their way through the compound and release the evil forces onto those in the company.  While the horror portion of the story can’t be highlighted, as one would expect from Joss Whedon (and a healthy dose of Whedon alums), great characters and dialogue make this wacky story come to life.

My final comment about this movie is simple – if you liked the movie Drag Me to Hell – then you will like this movie.  If that wasn’t your cup of tea, you’d best pass on this movie.  I thought it was clever and interesting and kept me guessing, though not utterly surprised when the end finally came.  I expect great things from Joss Whedon and this did not disappoint.

Movie Review: The Raven

I’m a horror movie buff.  I love the feeling you get when you literally can’t stand to watch and must cover your eyes for fear of having your mind marred by something unthinkable.  What frustrates me most about a horror movie is when they leave the unthinkable in plain sight, and it is not terrifying at all.  In many of the best horror movies I’ve seen, it is what is not seen that makes me cringe.  Think back to the not too distant Paranormal Activity phenomenon.  The movie did more with less, and no budget than most bigger titles with massive budgets, and The Raven fills that gap perfectly.

 The Raven is chronicling the fictional last days of Edgar Allen Poe, famous writer and poet.  John Cusack is marginal as Edgar Allen Poe, bringing his own personality into the role where it may or may not have existed.  His love, Emily, played poorly by Alice Eve, was not compelling at every turn.  Their poor performances were mirrored by Luke Evans, as Detective Fields.  All three main characters were portrayed with a lack of energy that made the story move much slower than it actually was.

The story was fairly straightforward.  Poe’s stories are being brought to life and he is being challenged by his greatest fan to save the life of his love.  There was nothing new about it, but it was interesting to see the cinematic presentation of many of his stories.  The short scenes with his famous books being brought to life were the few instances, early on, where the story really flowed smoothly.  But as the movie progressed, it became harder to watch.  Ultimately, the story ends with an exchange, one life for the other, but by the end, I just didn't care anymore.

I can’t say I’d recommend this movie, I was barely interested in it as it closed, but Poe is a famous poet and author and certainly deserved better.  The idea that this could occur was so exciting I didn’t think the movie would fall flat with acting that felt wooden.  I am more disappointed in Cusack than I am anyone else.  I feel like any movie I see him in, he’s the same person.  I thought this was a malady reserved for Sean Connery.

Sabrina the Teenage Witch: A Retrospective

I’ve been noticing a lot of nostalgia in my life.  It started several years ago when Cartoon Network re-released the old Thundercats and Transformers cartoons, which I quickly realised were not how I remember them.  But one of the few shows I can watch even now, from childhood, and still find hilariously entertaining is Sabrina the Teenage Witch.  Yes, punch my ticket for childishness, absurdity and general prop humour.

The concept of Sabrina is rather simple, girl turns sixteen, realises she’s really a witch, but of course can’t tell anyone, hilarity ensues.  The idea of not living with your parents at that age is always interesting, but having two aunts as eccentric as Sabrina even I could do without.  Over the course of seven seasons, Sabrina goes from high school to college and grows up.  But the story of her progress isn’t what keeps me coming back, but the random unrelated stories that tie the concept together.  Here are just a few examples of things I’ve been scarred for life from thanks to Sabrina Spellman.

Pancakes

I will never look at pancakes the same again.  During the first few seasons, there was a deep dark secret (two actually) that Sabrina couldn’t be told.  One was that she had an evil twin and the other, that she was addicted to pancakes.  Every time I got to IHOP (which I call IJUMP for those of you that know me well), I always say to my sister, ‘Do you remember that episode of Sabrina?’  To which she often replies something along the lines of, ‘God again, Hina?   What is it with you and that episode of Sabrina the Teenage Witch?’  Yes, every single time I see pancakes, it reminds me of that episode of Sabrina.

All Spellman family members are cursed with an addiction to pancakes.  I think I have an addiction to waffles, but that isn’t the point.  Watching Sabrina consume massive amounts of pancakes over the course of the episode Pancake Madness is absolutely priceless.  At one point, she tries to lick syrup off of a plate in a very child-like fashion.

Wax

No, not the kind you use with candles or to remove unwanted hair, but your parents.  That’s right; Sabrina’s mom for most of the show is a big ball of wax.  One of the curses of being a mortal woman marrying a warlock and then divorcing him is that you apparently turn into a ball of wax should you you’re your daughter face-to-face.

Random, right?  They never lacked in drama in the show, and seeing her mother talk through the ball of wax was pretty awesome

Evil Twins

According to the world of Sabrina, we all have one.  In a series of episodes (I believe) Sabrina is faced with her evil twin.  All witches have one and she must prove she isn’t evil.  The trials to reach this conclusion are pretty fun, and Sabrina, despite her best efforts, all her attempts to be good end badly.  The trials consist of each Sabrina trying to show their goodness.  At the end, Hilda and Zelda stand by as Sabrina, who has been proven to be evil, is to be thrown in a volcano for being evil.  It is the final test and the evil twin fails it as she pushes Sabrina in.

I often wonder if this is a stolen plotline from that one Treehouse of Horror where we discover Bart had an evil twin and they wonder if they went with the wrong Bart.  I miss the older Treehouse of Horror specials; the newer ones are too obvious.

Two Crazy Aunts

Sounds like the title for some depressing Russian play (see Uncle Vanya), but no, Sabrina has two really great, really insane aunts.  As you may guess, I always loved the funny one.  Caroline Rhea was a great aunt, who can forget her failed career at being a professional violinist?  Besides, I can’t ever forgive Aunt Zelda for throwing Kate under the bus and not defending her when she killed her real father for abusing her mother.  Wait, was that the same show?  Doesn’t matter, I get Lost easily.  Zelda was always such a smarty pants, it was occasionally insufferable, but also very amusing.

I did love the Odd Couple mentality between the two aunts.  Hilda was fun and carefree, Zelda, serious and focused.  But both created a wonderful environment for Sabrina to grow up in.

Cats

I’m not an animal person to begin with; I find them unpredictable, much like children, and thus dangerous.  But Salem was no mere cat.  No, this animatronic feline was a wise-cracking, plotting megalomaniac.  People often forget that the reason Salem was a cat, was because he was being punished for trying to take over the world.

Some of my favourite Salem gags involve the back-and-forth between Salem and Harvey and the constant attempts to thwart the neighbourhood cat across the street.  Salem was one of only two characters who appeared in every episode of the series, Sabrina being the other.

I could go on for hours, but really, how many of you even read this far?  I don’t know that there will ever be a show that was as engaging and light-hearted, while still having great balance.  I miss the crazy musical guests, like Britney and NSYNC.  I miss the insane stories like Sabrina having a quizmaster and being placed on TV after Salem sells her life story to a Witching Channel.  Or the Witch Boot Camp that Hilda gave the instructor nightmares from.  Most of my friends make fun of me for loving Sabrina, but it was a great show that helped me combat issues like pancake addition with aplomb.

For the Love of the Game: 2012 NHL Playoffs

A sea of red, a deafening crowd, the throes of defeat snatched from the jaws of victory.  This is the life of a Washington Capitals fan.  The venue was packed to bursting, the crowd in an uproar throughout the game, and yet none of this mattered.  They are the same Washington Capitals they have always been, and will ever be.  The heartbreak kids.  They give you hope, they let you believe and then they fall to pieces.


Late in the third period, the Capitals tied the game at three, after surrendering the lead on a terrible play with too much traffic in front of 3rd string goaltender Braden Holtby (who is easy on the eyes for all the other ladies out there).  The thuggery has hit an all-new high, and the refs have decried that the Bruins are free of fault in all things, which includes lead-thug Milan Lucic who spent the majority of the game picking fights with anyone wearing red.


Washington’s stars burned brightly, goals from the two Alexs and a three-point performance from everyman Brooks Laich (a goal and two assists).  Braden Holtby played his weakest game yet, but even then, that should have allowed the team some small sliver of hope.  This was foolish of any to believe in.


One of Washington’s best players accrued three penalties, one in each period, finishing the night with a rare match penalty, which is accompanied by an automatic suspension and hearing by the commissioner.  To say the Capitals were the better team is actually without question, their skill players are far superior, but what is making the difference, other than the uneven officiating in all playoff games, is the will to win.


The Capitals don’t believe in themselves.  They allowed the Bruins to bully them, out-hitting them by a wide margin.  Fights were aplenty as the game continued; matching roughing penalties were handed out during the final two periods on more than one occasion, giving the illusion of even handed officiating.


It is unfortunate that the refs take the front seat in a game of this magnitude, but it isn’t unusual.  What troubles me more is that the Capitals repeatedly put themselves in this situation, knowing they are undermanned at the outset, and then play without thinking, and suffer the consequences.


I still believe the Capitals can win this series, but I hope the NHL front office explains how to officiate a game to the referees, so perhaps the Caps can have a fighting chance.

Bella Has Nothing on Harry, Frodo and Katniss

It took me a few hours to process The Hunger Games, and when I did finally see it for what it was, it made me realise, again, how terrible Twilight is.  I’ll fully admit that Twilight is my guilty pleasure.  When it is on TV, be it FX or Showtime, and I see it, I stop and watch it.  It isn’t quite a train wreck, but it comes pretty close.  I’ve blogged about this countless times and will probably do so every time I come across any Young Adult literature that surpasses Twilight in every way. 

In Twilight, we have a girl, Bella Swan, who doesn’t feel like she fits in anywhere.  The beginning of the book places her more as the parent than the child in her relationship with her mother, and this forces her to move so her mother can live a carefree life without her.  This isn’t to say that her mother doesn’t care, but it is clear from the very beginning that the self interests of the characters will always overshadow their concern for one another.  The growing trend of this is made more real by the relationship that Bella and Edward share as the story progresses.  In even the simplest of terms, Edward is controlling and manipulative, to the point that if he weren’t super-human and good looking, any self-respecting girl would file a restraining order and have nothing to do with him.  But not Bella, no, Ms. Swan internalises this and decides that she can’t do better than Edward because he is ‘perfect’ for her and his lifestyle of eternal life is just right for her.

I could deride this story for poor writing, but that would be unfair of me, until I myself publish a novel, I have no stones with which to throw.  However, I would be overlooking the obvious by not pointing out how terrible a role model Bella and Edward both are for young kids, though Jacob is actually, for the most part, a respectable, ‘good’ kid.  He is loyal to a fault and places Bella’s needs over his own in what can only be seen as a true act of kindness and friendship, something neither Bella nor Edward ever exhibit in the entire Twilight Series.

Why this came to my mind I blame on a friend asking me to see The Hunger Games at midnight on Thursday night.  I haven’t read the books, I think I’ve said that enough, but the movie was surprisingly good, like The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe surprisingly good.  And while I have a lot of issues with the Chronicles of Narnia series, it too shares the same overall theme with the yet to be named books I’m referencing in the title.

One theme that I found in Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings and the Hunger Games that is missing from Twilight, but is an important one for kids to learn is sacrifice.  It wasn’t until I watched yet another trailer for the movie when I realised that was the piece that made Hunger Games stand out to me, more than Twilight ever will.  In the first twenty minutes of the movie, Katniss sacrifices her own life for her sister’s, knowing that by making the decision she makes, she has a very strong likelihood, if not absolute certainty, that she will die.  It is in this act that Katniss, and Suzanne Collins, brings her book to another level.  One that is built to slowly in Potter, but is alluded to just as quickly in Rings.

If you’re unfamiliar, for some odd reason, and if you’re reading this blog, you should know better than to come here without this knowledge, but both Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter embrace any number of admirable qualities, including willing to sacrifice yourself for the greater good.  In Lord of the Rings, Frodo Baggins is given the most powerful weapon ever forged, and is tasked by men (and others) much smarter and stronger than he, but he freely and willingly takes on the task of destroying the ring.  Ultimately, his sacrifice comes full circle and he does give up his mortal life, going to the Undying Lands with what is left of Elf-kind.  Frodo is forced to make a sudden decision, like Katniss, and while we come to realise that part of his sacrifice is the hold of the ring already taking effect, much of it is also a wish to save those he cares about most, as we see in his vision in Galadriel’s mirror.

In Harry Potter, a similar fate is bestowed upon the main protagonist, Harry Potter.  In the first few books, Harry doesn’t always come face to face with the sacrifice, so much as impossible situations he can’t possibly survive, as in the first two books.  But it is in the fifth book, Order of the Phoenix, where Harry fully realises that either he or Lord Voldemort will have to kill the other, because both can’t live while the other is alive.  The weight of the novels increase both in pages as well as tone once this realisation is made.  Potter goes so far as to try and elude his long-time friends Ron and Hermione in an effort to save them, but they stay with him almost until the end.  As the story draw to its close and Harry is faced with the choice to live, and be on the run for the rest of his life, endangering everyone he cares about, or sacrifice himself for everyone else to live, the choice seems easy.  He goes into the Forbidden Forest to meet his death.

In all three cases, though less so for Frodo, the characters that sacrifice themselves for the greater good are saved, in some form or fashion.  I’m basing The Hunger Games on the first movie only and not the books at all.  They all realise that while they value their own lives, there is something greater to be had if they do what is right.  And then there’s Bella.  The entire goal of Twilight seems simply to have a boyfriend/husband.  And I can certainly admit to wanting one or the other at some point, but to base an entire novel on it, that isn’t a Harlequin romance, and is geared towards kids, seems uninspired.  I think we all want to have a storybook romance, but to have no substance in that romance makes for a hard novel to stand behind.  I am happy to say that the staying power of Twilight isn’t strong, but as a guilty pleasure, I’ll continue watching it for that dream that can’t possibly be real, and puts foolish ideas in my head that are utterly unrealistic, such as men actually being chivalrous or liking you for something that isn’t shallow and derisive.  Twilight is many things, but none of it good.  Hunger Games may fill the void that Potter has left behind.  I often worried that Twilight would fill that gap, but am glad to see that isn’t the case.  I’ve resisted the urge to read The Hunger Games, but will be less able to do so as time goes on.  For those of you familiar with all four series, I am curious what your take on each is, in comparison to one another, but expect no disagreement with respect to the lack of credibility in Twilight as a redeeming novel.

Movie Review: The Hunger Games

I start this blog with some reticence, I never read the books, which are appareantly a world-wide phenomenon, but still agreed to go to the midnight release when one of my friends asked me to.  In hindsight, I think I am glad I didn’t read the books, even though I was wishing I had as I watched the movie.  If you’re like me and you’ve never read the books, then the following may contain SPOILERS for the movie.  But if you’ve read the book, then this should all make sense.

The movie is set in a not too distant future, but you wouldn’t know that at first.  The first few scenes capture a town that is like that of a third world country.  The movie is set in North America, but the location is unknown, though the main occupation is mining of various sorts.  The story focuses on Katniss Everdeen, a young girl who lost her father some years ago and takes care of her mother and sister.  The tradition in this new world requires that each district (somewhat like a state or province), is required to sacrifice one boy and one girl to the event call the Hunger Games.  These games are set up to punish those that took part in a rebellion that cost countless lives.  All the provinces are required to submit children, between the ages of twelve and seventeen, but some provinces are better off than others, giving those children an advantage over others.

As the selection process begins, Katniss’ younger sister is being entered for the first time and is terrified.  When her name is selected, Katniss only has one option, but to volunteer in her sister’s place.  A boy, Peeta, is selected as well and the two are ushered off to be taken to the capital, where the game will be conducted.  In many ways, the game is basically a Battle Dome.  All the kids are put in one place; none can leave until all the others are dead.  The event is broadcast live on television for all to watch.  The scenes from the previous event are brutal and bloody.

Katniss and Peeta are joined by a pair of people, one a mentor, the other a publicist.  The two are supposed to help the children deal with their new situation, and ultimately their imminent deaths.  Once they arrive in the Capital, the squalor that was seen earlier is gone, and the city is teeming with affluence.  The kids are put into a posh apartment and begin a two-week training session and audition for sponsors.  The kids are also joined by Cinna, who is basically a costume designer, but also provides much needed support to Katniss. 

As the games draw near, the tension and apprehension are felt palpably by all the kids entered.  The sheer panic that each child exudes knowing he or she may die any moment had most of the theatre in tears.  Once the event begins, half of the field is eliminated by the kids from the most affluent districts.  The rest of the Hunger Games are much more strategic and require some kids to team up with others, much like the TV show Survivor.  Initially, Peeta teams up with the other kids once he realises that Katniss has a much larger likelihood of winning based on the odds.  As each child dies, a cannon goes off and a display is produced that indicates who has been lost.  The tension grows as Katniss is cornered by five kids, including Peeta.  She gets help from an unlikely source, Rue, who advises her to drop a hornet’s nest on the kids to get away.  This tactic works, but Katniss is also stung and feels the effects of the hornets.  Rue helps Katniss recover and the two work together to try to take an advantage over the kids who have banded together.  They find a way to destroy their things, but in the process, Rue gets caught and killed.

As the game progresses, Katniss manages to find Peeta, injured and trying to hide.  She is forced to fall into a clear trap to get medicine for both to get better.  Though she is attacked, the boy from Rue’s district kills the girl who has her cornered and she is able to help Peeta.  The two manage to survive long enough to be one of the last three alive.  During the competition, the hosts are able to initiate any number of elements into the area to change the game.  At one point they use a fire to move Katniss closer to the rest of the team.  At the end of the game, they introduce what look like jungle cats to hunt the last kids down.  With this added danger, Katniss and Peeta race to the place where the competition started and hide on the large structure that is too high for the animals to reach. Once they get there, the find the other last kid and he tries to kill Peeta, but Katniss saves him and he falls to his death.

The rules that had been amended earlier to allow two winners is stopped, but Katniss decides they should both die so that the game is ruined and there is no one winner.  They fall for her bluff (unless it wasn’t a bluff) and both are spared.  After winning the contest, the last few scenes show Katniss and Peeta going back to district twelve, leaving the ending somewhat unfinished but open for a sequel.

Overall, I have to admit it was better than I expected it to be.  I didn’t know much about the books at all, so was expecting an Eragon-like movie.  The hype seemed similar to me, but I was wrong about both the story and the actors.  While I didn’t realise that Jennifer Lawrence had been nominated for an Academy Award in 2010, I was surprised how her performance grew on me as the movie progressed.  She captured the fear and anxiety I would imagine Katniss would feel knowing she was basically going to her death.  I still felt like she had very wooden moments.  The supporting cast was quite good as well, though I felt some of the characterisations were caricatures of something, but I couldn’t put my finger on it.  Woody Harrleson was believable, but also somewhat unconvincing.  I wasn’t overly impressed with him.  On the flip side of that, Lenny Kravitz was actually really amazing.  I didn’t think he had a gift to act, but he portrayed a lot in the few scenes he had, outshining Jennifer Lawrence.  I felt like much of her performance was elevated by her supporting cast.

The story made sense, but I still had a lot of questions.  I assume these are answered in the book and couldn’t be fit into a two-and-a-half hour movie, but I didn’t understand what the expectation would be once they won, or what caused the rebellion and the Hunger Games to be chosen as the only resort for punishment.  I also felt like the back story for all of the characters was striped down, which is often the case in movies based on books, but I’ve seen it done better.

Overall, the story doesn’t hit me as a Lord of the Rings or even Harry Potter calibre story, but it has merit and may win me over in a sequel.  The real conundrum comes now as to whether I should go all in and read the books now or wait it out.  I went in with low expectations and was happily surprised.  Though, a midnight movie may be costly as the day goes on, as I didn’t take today off, and it is still very early.