Film 6: Thor

Warning the following could contain spoilers!

Film: Thor

April 2011

Director: Kenneth Branagh

Starring: Chris Hemsworth, Tom Hiddleston, Natalie Portman, Stellan Skarsgard, Gregg Clark with Anthony Hopkins and Samuel L. Jackson.

Plot: In 950 AD Odin (Hopkins) and the Asgardinan forces arrive to defend the Earth and defeat the frost giants invaders, starting a great war between the two races that only ends when Odin marches into the giants homeworld of Jotunheim and defeats their king, takes their main weapon the Casket of Ancient Winters and steals their prince whom Odin raises as his own.

Years later Odin holds a ceremony to Honour the bravery of his son Thor (Hemsworth) who he plans on naming the next king of Asgard, the ceremony is interrupted by frost giants who have broken into Odin's weapons vault trying to reclaim the Casket but are stopped by the vaults defender the Destroyer Armour. Thor angry at this offence defies Odin and takes his brother Loki (Hiddleston), the warriors 3 and Lady Sif to Jotenheim and fights a group of frost giant but have to be saved by Odin who angry at Thor Strips him of his power, banishes him to earth and puts a spell on Thor's enchanted hammer Mjolnir so it cant be lifted except by someone who is worthy.

Landing on Earth Thor is knocked down by scientist Jane Foster (Portman) who is conducting research into the ability to travel between the realms. Her work is taken by S.H.I.E.L.D agents lead by Agent Coulson (Clark) Foster thinks the only way to further her research is through Thor, despite the objections of her colleague Dr, Eric Selvig (Skarsgard). Breaking into the SHIELD cordon around Mjolnir Thor fights his way to the hammer but fails to lift it not yet being worthy of wielding it.

Meanwhile Loki discovers the truth of his parentage and confronts Odin as he falls into the Odin sleep from which he might not wake, Loki assumes the throne and after the warriors 3 set off to find Thor sends the Destroyer Armour to kill his Brother.

After being freed from SHIELD Thor reflects on the mortal life he must now live and is willing to accept it before the Warriors 3 arrive to tell him of Loki's deceit and ask for Thor to return to Asgard, Thor explains that he is unable to return but is then confronted by the Armour, Thor is struck down but his sacrifice is enough to make him worthy of wielding his hammer. Beating the armour Thor returns to confront Loki who plans to seal his position as King by destroying the frost giant's home world using the Rainbow bridge the asgardians use to travel the worlds as a weapon. Knocking down Loki Thor realises the only way to stop his plans is to destroy the bridge despite the fact that by doing so he can not return to earth Thor breaks the bridge in an explosion that knocks Loki into an abyss.

Thor reflects on his sacrifice when Odin tells him he is proud of his son.

After credits: Selvig is in a bunker where he meets Nick Fury (Jackson) who shows him the tesserect (Cosmic Cube) this interests Selvig and Loki.

Thoughts going in: I love the Marvel cinematic universe but i did have reservations about this movie, Thor was one of my favourite characters in the comic books but i was worried by the trailer which seemed to give away an awful lot about the film making me wonder whether it was worth seeing. However with Portman and Hopkins attached to the film peaked my interest even though i had no idea about Hemsworth or Hiddleston.

Review: Beautiful visuals, the film wasn't supposed to be about its look but yet it was amazing, the costume design was amazing as well, in a comic book movie often the costumes either don't look right or else are too silly but once again marvel got it right as did Branagh in the films direction mixing good action with great story telling and needed humour. Hopkins delivered as expected but the performance from Hensworth really surprised me and especially Hiddleston who got me invested in the character of Loki who previously hadn't been too interesting. The cameo of Jeremy Renner as Hawkeye was a fan boy moment and added to my enjoyment.

Score: A

Says its title: Yes, its title is the main character so it is repeated numerous times.

Worth the DVD?: Yes, as part of a Marvel collection or on its own the film is great and is worth numerous viewings.

Film 5: Fast and the Furious 5

Warning the following could contain spoilers!

Film: Fast and the Furious 5 (Fast Five, Fast & Furious 5 Rio Heist)
April 2011

Director: Justin Lin

Starring: Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Jordana Brewster, Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson.

Plot: While transporting Dom Toretto (Diesel) to prison the convoy is attacked and Toretto is freed by his sister Mia (Brewster) and her boyfriend Brian O'Conner (Walker), after the breakout the 3 head for Rio, (presumable to reassess the situation or something). Teaming up with fellow car thieves to do a big job the team take cars from a train that from the others reaction seem to have more to them than meets the eye (Transformers! not really). Discovering that the on board computer in one of the cars contains a chip to the location of large amounts of cash, the team decide to steal the money so they can start a new life.

After deaths on the Train Government agent Luke Hobbs (Johnsen) and his team are sent in to capture Toretto and his accomplices.

Toretto decides with the scale of this job a team is needed recruiting from his world wide connections he soon has his team and prepares to launch the heist, but is interrupted by Hobbs who captures the group and prepares to have them extradited to the US. While moving Toretto to the airport Hobbs' team is attacked by the drug smugglers who Toretto had planned on stealing the money from, leaving only Toretto's team and Hobbs alive, with the officer wanting revenge for his men. The gang break into the police station, where the money is being held, and drag the safe through the streets of Rio, when it seems hopeless Dom tells O'Conner to run while he takes out the remaining forces chasing them. He takes out the rest of the drug smugglers and police but before driving off is confronted by Hobbs who tells him to leave the safe, Toretto agrees and takes his head start Hobbs has offered him.

Looking in the safe Hobbs finds it empty where it is reviled that it was swapped earlier by the gang. Hobbs laughs while we join Toretto joining up with O'Conner and a pregnant Mia, challenging each other to a race.

Thoughts going in: I had seen Fast and the Furious and only parts of the others so I went in knowing only that it seemed a generic action movie with a lot about cars that I didn't really think I would care about. But the main promotion for the movie had Diesel vs Johnson which was an encounter I had to see.

Review: This was just another F&F film, full of action, unnecessary car races, car thieves inexplicable being well trained in use of guns, computers and any form of vehicle that's not a car. It was fun to watch and a funny moment in the cinema when it did the traditional shot of Rio when it goes passed Christo Redentor and a woman screamed "Oh, it's Rio!" despite the movie having 'Rio Heist' in its title.

Score: C+

Says its title: No, at no point does anyone even say Fast and Furious.

Worth the DVD?: No, unless these are your sort of movies it does not stick out from any of the rest of the series, lets hope Fast 6 is more standout. 

To look forward to: The Avengers

Film: The Avengers (Avengers Assenble, UK)

Release Date: May 3rd 2012 (April 26th 2012, UK)

Director: Josh Whedon

Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Chris Hemsworth, Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner, Tom Hiddleston, Cobie Smulders with Gregg Clark and Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury.

Reasons to go: 

• Tony Stark Gets his suit taken off him while Walking!
• The Hulk looks amazing.
• Thor is baddass.
• Scarlett Johansson looks sexy as the Black Widow.
• The build up to the film is unlike anything that has been before.
• Marvel Studios has constantly brought an A game
• The acting talent of Robert Downey Jr.
• Greg Clark as Agent Coulson
• Cobie Smulders is Marie freakin' Hill and wear a catsuit! 
• Loki returns and is more menacing and dapper than ever before
• Samuel L Jackson is sick of the Mother F***ing Aliens on his mother f***ing planet
• What if i told you they were putting together a team.
• Hero fights Hero at some point.
• Josh Whedon is more than capable of delivering as director.

Reasons Not to go:

• You feel sorry that Hawkeye has to be put next to Iron Man, Thor, Captain America and Hulk
• You're a Nolanite and you prefer full realism, a hero with no powers and a tiny villain who can only mumble.

My take: This has been 4 years in the making ever since the post credit scene in Iron Man when Nick Fury (Jackson) proposed to Tony Stark (Downey Jr.) that they were starting something called the Avenger Initiative. After 4 years and 4 more films we have finally arrived, never before has a company with foresight used 5 films to build up to one moment and it is almost upon us. I have loved all the films leading up to it;

Iron Man was perhaps the best comic book movie of all time, what Downey Jr and Jeff Bridges did with their roles was amazing, the movie elevated the character from a B list Hero to the main event and its success was shown in the box office bringing in over $500 million.

The Incredible Hulk didn't follow Iron Man to box office glory but it was still a good movie but it was sad to hear how Edward Norton took a lot of control and even kept Rick Jones out of the film, the man responsible for why Bruce Banner became the Hulk and the person who got the original avengers together. I was pleased to see he was replaced by Mark Ruffalo and more pleased to see the work they have done with the CGI hulk which for me has never been fully right before.

Iron Man 2 was not the first film, but it served its purpose of being a fun romp that set a lot of ground work for the Avengers that could not have been done in any other movie. Plus the bit with the suitcase suit makes it all worth while.

Thor was a good film, i was afraid going in it wouldn't deliver but Hensworth, Hiddleston and Hopkins preformances and the mixture of comedy into the film made it a great addition to the Marvel cinematic universe.

Captain America was everything it promised, a good period movie that lends a lot to explain how the technology in the present exists and the final set up for the Avengers was just amazing.

If this film is on the same level like any of the ones that have precededed it then it will be worth multiple viewings but make sure you at least see it once.

Film 4: Winnie the Pooh

Warning the following could contain spoilers!

Film: Winnie the Pooh
April 2011

Director: Stephen J. Anderson

Starring: Vocally - John Cleese, Jim Cummings, Craig Ferguson,
Singing - Zooey Deschanel

Plot: The Film is based on 3 stories from the book series linked together to make a single flowing narrative following the adventures of Pooh and friends.

Pooh wakes up and in typical fashion searches for honey only to find that he is all out (shock horror), while searching for more he discovers Eeyore, who also in a typical fashion, has lost his tail. Pooh gets all his friends to help try and find the tail but to no avail, when along comes a very British Christopher Robin who suggests a contest to find a replacement tail for Eeyore with the winner receiving a large pot of honey, they try many different things but all fail with comedic effect and Eeyore is forced to go without a tail.

Later Pooh tries to visit Chrisptoher Robin but finds he is not home and only a note left behind, Pooh being a bear obviously cant read the letter so he takes it to Owl who should have no problem reading, what with him being an owl and all. While the note actually reads "Gon out, Bizy be Back Soon" Owl messes up reading it and informs Pooh that Christopher Robin has been taken by an evil creature called the Backson! The gang try to trap the Backson while Tigger goes out to try and confront it and make Eeyore bravery by dressing up as a Backson, meanwhile Pooh falls into the trap while suffering the effects of withdrawal form honey. The rest of the Gang also fall in leaving only Piglet to rescue them, while searching for help piglet is scarred by Tigger still in his costume and runs away knocking several of the giant letters of the book into the trap which allows Pooh to make a ladder and escape.

They find Christopher Robin who explains the mistake in the letter, Pooh then proceeded to head round to Owl's where he finds that Eeyore's tail is being used as a door pull by Owl, returning it to Eeyore Christopher Robin is proud of Pooh's kindness and rewards him with a pot of honey and reminds every one that Pooh is a silly old bear.

Thoughts going in:  Disney's Winnie the Pooh had always not meant a great deal to me, i never connected with the characters apart from Eeyore and it was not part of my childhood like other bits of Disney, However I was determined to support Disney in their traditional animation efforts so I was excited to see what they would produce, I was also pleased that we would be getting this film before America when it so often happens the other way.

Review: It is as nice to view as an of Disney's traditional films, and it was good to see the links to the stories British past but the story was lacking a lot even for a children's film this wasn't for 5+ it was a movie you would take a 3-5 year old to see. I know that is where the characters are most popular but it would have been nice to see it brought up a few years to appeal to a more wider audience base.

Score: C-

Says its title: Yes, in fact Zooey Deschanel sings the song Winnie the Pooh which has the title in it a lot.

Worth the DVD?: Yes, if you have small children or aim to have a full Disney animated collection but otherwise no it is not worth it, it is very nice to look at but lacks the substance worth paying for.

Film 3: Your Highness

Warning the following uld contain spoilers!

Film: Your Highness
April 2011

Director: David Gordon Green

Starring: Danny McBride, James Franco, Natalie Portman, Zooey Deschanel, Justin Theroux

Plot: Thadeous (McBride) is the younger son of the king he has spent his life in the shadow of his older brother Fabious (Franco), who has always succeeded at any quest given to him and has wooed the beautiful Belladonna (Deschanel) whom he intends to marry as soon as it can be arranged. Thadeous is excited at the prospect of being the best man until he over hears some knights mocking his poor track record on quest, Thadeous upon hearing this runs out of the wedding in a huff.

The wedding is crashed by the evil warlock Leezar (Theroux) who makes off with Belladonna whom he intends to impregant with a dragon when the two moons converge. Distraught Fabious enlists the help of his knights and brother in order to rescue Belladonna. The brothers learn from a pedophillic fortune teller that the only way to kill Leezar and free Belladonna is to find the fabeled sword of unicorn from within an enchanted labyrinth.

Betrayed by their fellow knights Thadeous and Fabious are captured and forced to fight against a great beast which nearly kills the brothers until they are rescued by a Isabel (Portman) a warrior seeking revenge against Leezar who killed her brothers. Joining together the group journey to the labyrinth where Thadeus retrieved the sword and slays the minotaur guarding it before it can rape Thadeus' servant. Journying to Leezar's kingdom the group kill Leezar and free Belladonna before she is impregnated and ride off home. Fabious and Belladonna are married, while Thadeous is confronted by Isabel who claims to like him but their relationship can only remain friendly until they kill the witch who has the key to her chastity belt, making Thadeous realise they need to go on another quest (thereby leaving room for a sequel unlikely to be made due to the horrible box office performance).

Thoughts going in: The last thing i had paid to see with James Franco was Pinapple Express and dear god i hated that film, i wish i could have gotten my money and more importantly my time but it will be lost to me. I did not know that the director was the same person at all but i saw the trailer and it did have some funny moments in it also it had Natalie Portman and i wasn't going to give it a miss, I should have had some suspicions when the large group of friends that would usually join me to see films all said no, but I went in anyway.

Review:  When I see funny bits in a trailer i hope for more of the same not that all of the comedy in the film could be put into the trailer yet that's what seemingly happened in this film. It was very much like Pineapple Express (which i hear some people actually liked, hear about but never see these people) but set in medieval times. It sums this film up when it cost $50 million to make and only grossed $25 million despite the relatively good amount of advertising it received. Looking for positives the cast preform their roles well enough, but once again another film that brings in Zooey Deschanel just to sing a song and be a bit strange rather than to actually act.

Score: D+, It was going to get and F but the humour in the trailer and more importantly Natalie Portman in a golden bikini brought it up.

Says its title: Yes (so at least it had that going for it)

Worth the DVD?: No, it is not worth owning in anyone's collection, However for the bit with Natalie Portman, maybe.

Scoring and addition

I should explain my scoring system if it is not clear I score films on an A to F system with +/- as an option to differentiate between the tiers,

A = must see film

B= If you have time it is worth a viewing

C= If you just fancy a trip to the cinema then this is good to see

D= nothing worth seeing on its own, as part of a double showing could be good

F= Not worth seeing at all, avoid, avoid AVOID!!!

I will be adding to my reivew by including whether the film has its title as dialouge because that totally matters as to whether a film is good or not.

Film 2: Source Code

Warning the following could contain spoilers!

Movie: Source Code
April 2011

Director: Duncan Jones

Starring: Jake Gyllenhaal, Michelle Monaghan, Vera Farmiga, Jeffery Wright

Plot: When Colter Stevens (Gyllenhaal) wakes up on a commuter train opposite Christina Warren (Monaghan) he has no idea why he is there as the last thing he can remember is piloting  a helicopter on a dangerous mission in Iraq. He panics trying to take in his surrounds and before he can fully understand the train explodes.

Waking in a cockpit Stevens is greeted by the voice of Captain Colleen Goodwin (Farmiga) who explains that the device he is in is the 'source code' an invention of Dr. Rutledge (Wright), which was created to take the last few minutes of a victim of a terrorist attack and thereby almost let Stevens 'travel back in time' to investigate the attack. Stevens accepts the idea and goes back into the code to try and find out who the bomber is and if he is planning another attack, during his visits Stevens develops a growing liking for Christina and at the same time also investigates his last mission which haunts him, he discovers that he was apparently killed in the mission saving several lives in the process.

Confronting Goodwin with this information she reveals that his is near death and is only being kept alive by a system of machines, not wanting this life Stevens makes Goodwin get Rutledge to promise that if he is successful in stopping the terrorist attack then he would be taken off life support and free to die.

Successfully identifying the terrorist, the team behind source code celebrates the success of the project as the attack is avoided, Dr. Rutledge then states that instead of keeping the promise he intends to just clear Stevens memory of the event and continue to use him, Goodwin reveals to Stevens about Rutledge's intentions and Stevens begs Goodwin to disobey her orders and take him off life support while he goes back into the code in order to say goodbye to Christina. Goodwin does this for him and as his organs fail Stevens in the code kisses Christina fully expecting to die but instead finds himself still on the train and continues his life in the 'source code'.

Thoughts going in: Another film I knew little about, in case of Source Code i didn't even know anything about the premise of the movie. Just than it had Gyllenhaal in it, not an exciting prospect after Prince of Persia.

Review: The twist came out of nowhere the movie made me believe he was just a guy in a device not that he was the built into the device, it was a twist that would make M. Night Shyamalan smile. The idea was a good new twist on the time travel idea, he wasn't really time travelling but it was presented in a way that he could do a lot within the 'source code'.

Score: C+

Worth the DVD?: Yes, much like my suggestion with limitless this is a film worth having on DVD but only if you get it on offer, at full price it is perhaps too much.