The Avengers

The Avengers

And this is it.  After years of planning and hundreds of millions of dollars invested, Marvel's master plan has finally come to fruition and The Avengers has been released in theaters.  The film is the culmination of a strategy that began with 2008's Iron Man, a plan to introduce all the major Avenger super heroes in their own films and then bring them together in a big old fashioned crossover.

And the strategy worked brilliantly.  The Avengers lives up to expectations and even manages to exceed them.  After his defeat in Thor, Loki (Tom Hiddleston) comes into contact with an evil alien race called the Chitauri.  He makes a deal with them.  He will retrieve the all-powerful Tesseract (the super weapon from Captain America) and turn it over to them in return for an army with which he will conquer the Earth.  What stands in Loki's way?  The Avengers!  Assembled by S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson), The Avengers team includes Thor (Chris Hemsworth), Iron Man (Robert Downey, Jr.), Black Widow (Scarlett Johannson), Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner), and Captain America (Chris Evans).  Together they have to band together, defeat Loki, and save the planet.

That's a lot of characters and that is where Marvel's gambit paid off.  Because we have already been introduced to these characters, we don't really need to waste time delving into their back stories.  We can just jump right into the movie.  Because I'll be honest, the movie is two and a half hours long, as it is.  If we had to introduce audiences to these heroes, we would be in big trouble.

As it is, the film's weakness is in its first half hour.  We have all these characters and we need to get them all together somehow.  Sometimes these moments seem a bit forced, others - such as Thor's introduction - are downright contradictory to the earlier films.  Not that these scenes are particularly bad.  They just have some...speed bumps, I guess you could say, and are not as strong as the rest of the movie.

Because once we have everyone in the same room, the film really begins to hum, and then it churns, and then it explodes.  Every member of the cast is pitch perfect - especially newcomer Mark Ruffalo, who replaced Ed Norton as Bruce Banner/Hulk.  I initially thought Ruffalo was miscast, but he won me over pretty quickly.  And now I think he is the best cinematic Banner we've had yet.  He's almost the MVP of the movie.

Perhaps the most remarkable thing is that even though this movie is super crowded, everybody - and I mean, everybody - has their moment to shine, including smaller characters like Agent Coulson (Clark Gregg).  Every hero has a crowd pleasing kick butt moment, especially in the final battle.  This is a tricky juggling act and we have to credit Joss Whedon (creator of Buffy and Firefly) for shepherding such a complicated cast through the film.  Give him credit, too, for the great sense of humor that permeates the film.  Simply put, The Avengers is funnier than most of the comedies we get these days, plus we get great effects, great heroics, and great acting, too.  There are other summer films coming out that might end up being better than The Avengers, but I doubt any of them are going to be anywhere near as entertaining.

But in the end, The Avengers is not just a fun summer film, it is also accomplishes a remarkably feat -  it captures the spirit and the magic of the comics.  The Avengers really feels like a comic book come to life.  It is easily Marvel Studios' best film and rightfully takes its place as one of the best comic films of all time.


MVP:
Full disclosure - I am not a Whedon fanatic.  I think he is a talented writer and director, but I do not fawn over everything he does.  I loved Firefly and Serenity, but Buffy was just okay (here comes the hate mail) and Angel was just slightly better.  I want to qualify that just so you know I can be unbiased about this whole MVP thing, because I gotta say that Whedon just upped his game 500%.  I felt comfortable as soon as he was hired because I knew he was adept at handling team dynamics.  But I didn't think he would knock it out of the park like he does here.  I am still incredibly impressed how no character was under-utilized.  Everyone had something important and relevant to do - and we had eight major characters.  That is pretty remarkable.  And as a writer, he was able to give each hero their own distinct voice, which is also pretty difficult to do.  It's just impressive all around.  Whedon captained this ship and gave us one of the best of the genre.  I can't wait to see what he does with the sequel.  This was an easy MVP decision.

BEST LINE:

Ouch, so many.  Lots of good lines.  But I can say this line got a lot of cheers in the theater:

Captain America: "Ma'am, there's only one God, and I'm pretty sure he doesn't dress like that."

TRIVIA:
Some fans were disappointed that the villainous aliens in the movie weren't the Skrulls, Marvel Comics' go-to evil alien race.  The aliens in the film, the Chitauri, actually come from the Ultimates comic version of The Avengers.  In the comic, they do claim that they go by other names, including The Skrulls.  So why not just use the Skrulls name?  Well, turns out there were some legal issues.  The Skrulls were also villains in the Fantastic Four series, and since Fox Studios currently has the rights to Fantastic Four, that means they couldn't be used in The Avengers film.  Bummer.

Sherlock Holmes (2009)

Sherlock Holmes

I had some doubts about Sherlock Holmes. The casting seemed solid, as did the design work, but the trailers left me a bit...confused. Were they turning Holmes into an action hero? Was director Guy Ritchie forcing Holmes into his usual British crime template (i.e. Ritchie's Snatch and Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels)? Was this another summer blockbuster experiment that was doomed for mediocrity?

Somewhat surprisingly, I have to say that I was pretty impressed with what this confusing team brought to the table. Overall, Sherlock Holmes is a bit hit-or-miss, but it hits far more often.

A new case is afoot. A recently executed villain named Lord Blackwater (Mark Strong) has been seen lurking about London and some very important people are turning up dead. The case is of particular interest to Sherlock Holmes (Robert Downey, Jr.) and Watson (Jude Law) because they were the duo that captured Blackwater to begin with. While toiling away on the case, Holmes also has to contend with an old lover/enemy/con artist Irene Adler (Rachel McAdams) who seems to be butting in on this case a bit too much.

I want to start the review by defending Sherlock Holmes against some unfair criticism. A lot of people have complained about changes that have been made to the characters to try and make them cooler for the new generation. I will admit, there is some of that going on, but not as much as people might think. Robert Downey Jr. is not the Sherlock Holmes we've come to know and love in popular culture, the rude and brilliant gentleman with the pipe and the deerstalker hat. But that image does not necessarily 100% correspond with the books, either. If I had to guess, I would say this image began with Basil Rathbone's portrayal in the 1930s, though I am not sure about that. But I do know that the cliche image is not from the original stories. Also, Holmes in the book may not be an action hero, but he sure knows how to fight. He practices martial arts and sometimes participates in matches. And Dr. Watson is not the cute, cuddly and slightly rotund sidekick who waddles around from case to case. On the contrary, he is a war hero and knows how to kick some butt.

But to be honest, accuracy shouldn't be that big of a deal anyway. Anyone expecting Hollywood to release a version that is 100% accurate to the books in slow-paced, Masterpiece Theatre-style production were deluding themselves. This is Hollywood Holmes, a roller coaster popcorn flick and for the most part, it really is an enjoyable ride. Director Guy Ritchie delivers an exciting film, with great technical prowess and top notch production design. Robert Downey, Jr. is terrific as Holmes, delivering a careful medley of wit, brilliance, cruelty and charisma. Jude Law is fantastic as Watson, a man who is attracted to these crazy cases despite his better judgement. The two have superb chemistry and the film does a fine job of juxtaposing Holmes' brilliant messiness with Watson's prim and proper military orderliness. The best moments of the film are easily when Holmes and Watson are riffing off each other; forget about the story. It's not really needed!

Especially since the story itself is a bit of a weakness. While Mark Strong is excellent as always, I found his master plan to be a bit hokey and the climax of the film definitely goes too far over the top. McAdams, meanwhile, is just an okay female lead. She handles the charm and the action well enough, but I had trouble believing her as the greatest con artist of all time. She needed a bit more edge.

I do also want to make a special mention of the score. I am generally tired of composer Hans Zimmer. His music and that of his collaborators has become cookie cutter and one size fits all, no matter what the genre. And I am tired of hearing The Rock and Crimson Tide when I am trying to watch a movie about gladiators or pirates. But what is most frustrating is that when Zimmer wants to be, he is not just good, he's REALLY good. And the biggest surprise about Sherlock Holmes is that the Zimmer I like came to play. This is an awkward, quirky, and lively score, and it certainly features his best main theme in a decade. Go Zimmer! This is the composer I want working more often.

Tangent over. All in all, Sherlock Holmes is a flawed but entertaining film. And it was a blockbuster film that for once deserved its massive box office because it delivered sharp and energetic entertainment. Despite its problems, I am excited to see where the franchise goes.

BEST LINE:

Mrs. Hudson: "Oh, he's killed the dog. Again."

MVP:

I can say with confidence that Jude Law is the best Watson I have ever seen. He blows other Watsons out of the water. But ultimately, this movie succeeds or fails on the back of Robert Downey, Jr. He once again finds a way to make an unappealing character (let's face it, Holmes is a bit of a tool) and makes him sympathetic and entertaining. If Downey's quirkiness had not worked, then the whole movie would have fallen apart. So ultimately, the decision is an easy one. The MVP must go to Robert Downey, Jr.

OSCAR NOMINATIONS: Best Art Direction, Best Original Score

TRIVIA:

When Robert Downey, Jr. was researching the role, he didn't just read the original stories. He also went straight to the 1980s series to study the late Jeremy Brett, generally considered the best Holmes in cinematic history.

Tropic Thunder

Tropic Thunder

I approached Tropic Thunder on video with some hesitance. All too often, I've seen a comedy in the theater and upon watching it a second time, I realize that its really just okay (Wedding Crashers and Knocked Up are good examples). I really enjoyed Tropic Thunder in the theater, but how would it hold up a second time around?

Thankfully, the movie not only holds up well. It might be even better than the first go-around!

Tropic Thunder is about a group of spoiled and annoying actors who are trying to make the most expensive Vietnam war movie ever made. If you haven't seen it, I don't really want to ruin the plot much more than that - but check out the terrific comedic cast you'll be watching: Ben Stiller is Tugg Speedman, a fading action star who is trying to prove his dramatic chops; Robert Downey, Jr. is Kirk Lazarus, the acclaimed Australian actor who takes his method acting too far when he takes the role of the African-American platoon sergeant; Jack Black is the drug-addicted and raunchy comedian Jeff Portnoy; Jay Baruchel plays Kevin, a young hard-working actor trying to make a breakthrough; and Brandon T. Jackson is the rapper Alpa Cino (say it out loud). The platoon is joined by a terrific supporting cast that includes Matthew McConoughy, Nick Nolte, Danny McBride, Steve Coogan, and a surprise guest star I shouldn't ruin.

I should say the less you know about Tropic Thunder the better, but it is definitely more intelligent than you would think. Oh, it has its share of fart and sex jokes - most of them actually not that funny - and it also has a running gag about a previous film made by Speedman, called Simple Jack, that they just push too far. Luckily, even this gag has a great payoff at the end of the film, but it takes a long time to become worth the uncomfortable investment.

Other than that, this movie works equally as a parody of war movies, a post-modern ironic take on movie stars and studios, straight-up action movie, and gross-out comedy. It's a superbly built movie, well-written, and with excellent direction from Stiller (this is easily his best work behind the camera). A subtle, but crucial contribution is made by Oscar-winning John Toll as Director of Photography. Comedies are not supposed to look this good. But Stiller reached out to Toll, the eyes behind Braveheart, Last Samurai, and Thin Red Line, and the result is a lush, colorful, dynamic and EPIC atmosphere. A point most people might not notice unless it is pointed out to them, but a good percentage of Tropic Thunder's success is due to the superb look of the film. I should give some props to Theodore Shapiro, who crafts a score that gets the joke, treats the film as if it were a real war movie, and refuses to play up the comedy. The seriousness of the music makes the ridiculous actions onscreen even better.

The cast all performs to the top of their game. My favorite moments generally come from Robert Downey, Jr. In a role that should have been offensive, he ends up stealing almost every scene he's in. Part of the comedy is that he IS being incredibly offensive and everyone can see that except him. He's so lost in his character, he can't see that what he's doing is so wrong.

Enough said. This movie is a winner, a solid, well-conceived and performed comedic winner. I definitely think you should see it!

MVP: You know, I was trying to decide between Robert Downey, Jr. and John Toll, when I started watching the special features on the DVD. Star, co-writer, and director of the movie, Ben Stiller must have put tremendous amount of time and energy into masterminding this party. Nowhere is this more evident than in one of the DVD features - an entire mag of film is shown from beginning to end, featuring an exchange between Lazarus and Speedman. This is the big dramatic (comically dramatic) scene of the movie and the acting was super intense (comically intense), and watching Stiller incredibly focused and trying to stay in-character while trying to direct the Downey, Jr., keep his eye on the lighting, and pay attention to the million other things that I know happen on a film set...this must have been incredibly difficult! It made my decision clear - for pulling this madcap escapade off, including his directing-writing-starring hat trick, the MVP has to go to Stiller.

TRIVIA: As course, as much as I liked Stiller, there was one thing I felt seemed a bit off. Downey, Jr. is a method actor, so playing one is ironic and funny. There are similar ironic parallels with Jay Baruchel and Jack Black. So to keep that post-modern joke running, I always felt that they should have had a rapper playing Alpa Cino and an action star playing Speedman. Turns out they tried - Mos Def was offered Alpa Cino and the producers were thinking about Sylvestor Stallone or Keanu Reeves for Speedman. That would have been interesting.

Would it have been better, though? I don't know. Maybe not, actually. Stiller and Jackson were pretty terrific!

BEST LINE:

Speedman: I can't believe you people!

Lazarus: Wait! What do you mean "you people"?

Alpa Cino: What do YOU mean, "you people"?

OSCAR NOMINATIONS: Best Supporting Actor (Robert Downey, Jr.)