The Avengers

Well look at this, a few weeks go by and I totally forgot about seeing The Avengers in theatres. That is not to mean though, that the movie was bad. It was actually quite good. If anything, it shows that Marvel has really hit the perfect formula that was shown earlier with Iron Man. They've had a good run since, as well, with decent turnouts for Thor and Captain America, each of which has been hinting and leading up to the inevitable Avengers film, which landed just a month or so ago. And it landed huge. This movie is blowing apart box office records and just bringing in tons of cash - Avatar style. All of this, plus the incredible ratings - 93% on Rotten Tomatoes at the moment - confirm that the formula is sound and worth repeating. I expect that all characters in the film have their respective sequels in the works, along with new franchises starting for Hawkeye and Black Widow, among others.

So in the same way that I enjoyed Iron Man, I enjoyed The Avengers and then some. It strikes a good balance of action, story, humour and whatever else is necessary for saying the movie is good. It doesn't matter: the movie is fun. While I struck out against the movie earlier, my predictions weren't entirely inaccurate: the movie is somewhat predictable, but that's not a problem. We get quick back stories for some of the heroes, with the Hulk getting by far the most - it's been noted he's the real star of the film and yeah, he's definitely a fan favourite for good reason. We don't get much on the others simply because we've just been inundated with their movies recently. It's alright though: the previous movies met their goal of bringing these characters (arguably back) into the public consciousnesses admirably.

Poor Captain America wanders around lost most of the movie, and it becomes quite clear he's the "weakest" of the bunch. This has always been a problem though; it's like Batman when he's with the Justice League. If you can't fly you're kind of a hindrance, and ol' Cap shows his leadership on the streets and his hard ethics when he spars with the like of man-boys Tony Stark and Bruce Banner. Everybody else gets equal screen time, an admiral feat upon itself for so many stars. Then we get in the villains, which serve their purpose, although those giant flying worm things were entirely way too close to Transformers. 


So really, I can't say much else about the movie. It's not for lack of disliking it. I just can't quite put my finger on it: the movie runs the line perfectly, not really standing out in either direction. Like I said before, they really hit the formula here and put the right people on the job. There is nothing about this movie that is offensive, or even worth complaining about. On the other end, there is nothing that really made me sit forward in my seat and shake my legs with excitement. Just an all round, really solid film that was a lot of fun. I would say you should go see it, but judging by the box office, you've already done it a couple of times already. 

Television Shows of Late

I figured I would mix things up a bit and let you know what I've been watching lately. And provide some short, uninsightful thoughts on them.

Fringe

Every time a season of Fringe airs, I don't watch it. I have them all queued up and about halfway through the airing, I'll begin watching. I'm not sure where the hesitation stems from, because the show is fantastic. I'm really digging the current season (or the last, I guess), where [spoilers] Peter is vanquished from reality (and everyone's memories) and comes back mysteriously. Lots of guest spots from Observers, cool monsters and sci-fi mysteries. There was concern the show was being cancelled, but we have another (final) season in the pipe. Plenty of time for the writers to wrap things up.

Breaking Bad

I should watch season four before the new season starts, so I'm a few episodes in now. Really brilliant stuff, although again, I'm hesitant to start watching. This show stresses me out a bit, and I think that's the goal. They've done a really great job here, and I'm eager to see what mess Walter and Jesse can get themselves into by the end of the season.

The Office

After the last season ended (and it was not a good season) I was in the mood for a short, light comedy. I burned through some other shows and came back to The Office again, and yeah, it was really great back then. The Jim and Pam dynamic is fantastic, ending the second season. I'm sure it will get bad and I'll lose interest, but for now it's a great show to just pop on.

Happy Endings

This is a really great show; I just started the second season. The characters are well acted and sharply written, and I haven't come across an episode that is unbearable. Plus, Elisha Cuthbert.

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

You would think that with so much free time, I would really tackle this show in the same way I went through The Next Generation. Evidently, this is not the case. I watch perhaps one, two episodes per week now. Each episode is worse than the previous, and I can't pay attention to save my life. Just...terrible. I'm halfway through the second season. I'm told it gets better, but I'm not sure I can make it that far.

Dark Shadows

Listen, I'm a fan of Tim Burton. There was a time when I would gobble up any movie he brought out. That's perhaps a lie: I didn't eagerly go see his remake of Planet of the Apes. In fact, I'm not sure how many I've gone to see in the theatre: they seem to be consumed at home more often than not. Alright, that being said, I'm still a big fan of his movies, or at least, the older ones: 1988 through 1999 were very good years for him.

Tim Burton and Johnny Depp teaming up is not exactly news, as they've done quite a few films together, so I'm not entirely sure why I was excited for Dark Shadows. It's based on an old soap opera - seriously? - from the '70's that I've never heard of and have no interest in. The previews looked decent enough though, and Burton does gothic pretty well. Perhaps I was excited as well because there wasn't much else in theatres - this was a week or so before The Avengers came out and the torrent of summer movies were being released. The preview showed some promise though, which made watching the movie so unbearable.

The core of the issue with Dark Shadows is that it's disjointed, and perhaps for the first time I've used that word, it couldn't be any more true. This film doesn't know what it wants to be. It starts out really well, as the movie is giving us some background information on Barnabas and how he becomes a vampire, back in the 1700's. This is where Burton is at his finest: the mood, atmosphere, acting and all that are great. It reminds me of Sleepy Hollow (one of my favourites). Then we fast forward to the 1970s where the film "begins" so to speak. We're introduced to some people who don't get fully developed, and multiple story lines and themes that jump jarringly from one to another.

For instance, Barnabas comes back, and he's a fish out of water: you get the standard jokes as we experience Barnabas dealing with technology and culture. He comes out of the woods and onto a paved road, and mistakes a car's headlights for a demon or something, and it's funny. I get it. Then things get serious as the witch (Eva Green - beautiful as always) who turned Barnabas into a vampire, turns out to be running a competing fishing company - the business that gave Barnabas his fortune and whatnot. So he wants to fight back and regain the town, so to speak. And we're treating to this montage of him fixing up the old family business, and all of a sudden I have no idea what I'm watching. What about his reincarnated love from hundreds of years ago? No, she takes a backseat and barely makes an appearance again, even though she was based prominently before.

I read a review after seeing the movie that had an excellent point: for most viewers, the '70s were long ago: for me, they didn't even exist. The 1700's are also long ago. So you have Barnabas, who travels forward in time, and the audience, who is travelling back in time. It's jarring for both parties. You - the viewer - are being forced to see through Barnabas' point of view: it's fine to adjust with one time warp, but to have two is too much, and nobody else except the audience is being forced to travel twice. It takes you out of the movie at all times, and even that much harder to relate to Barnabas.

It's a comedy, then it's a horror. Then it's something else that doesn't make any sense. We get romantic story lines that are confusing, backwards characters and a finale so full of action and nonsense that it just doesn't fit with the rest of the film. It was quite bad - and disappointing.

Men in Black 3

In a daring double feature, we walked briskly into the theatre and took our seats. My friend was telling me how he had rewatched the first two films. I think this act was to help refresh his memory, and to introduce the series to his wife. And it hits me that you need to be refreshed on the series since the sequel came out ten years ago, and the first MIB was five years before that. You would think that with the coin these movies bring in, we would have five or six MIB movies by now. But, Will Smith seems to have veered off course from his July blockbuster routine and has in fact taken a few years off from film - something I didn't notice until everyone kept mentioning how MIB3 was his return. Regardless, I didn't want to refresh myself, and the reasoning is still not clear. Perhaps I wanted to leave those memories alone, perhaps the movies had not stood the test of time.

It turns out that I just didn't want to sit through MIB2 again: the movie is completely lost in the open sewer system of my brain. That's not to say it's bad, but it's just the way things have to be. The first movie remains classic, and if memory serves properly it was a very enjoyable theatre experience (I believe I went on a date to see the movie, where I ran into a couple of friends who were also going - we all sat together and the awkwardness was not lost on me). In any event, the first MIB was fun and light, with the emphasis on fun - again. The score was memorable (Danny Elfman had a distinctive, fresh sound back then), the effects were top notch and most importantly, the characters were interesting and had a great dynamic.

Tommy Lee Jones is old. Although he's been in movies recently (including Captain America and The Company Men), it looks like he's struggling to be on screen. I feel as though he's been trying to get out of the MIB series since the sequel, and he definitely takes a back seat in this film, only appearing at the beginning and end. Perhaps he's doing this as a favour, or a quick fat paycheck. But the story is developed and works perfectly: Jay has to go back in time to save his partner, Kay (Jones), where he works with a younger Kay (played by Brolin). In fact, the movie is practically an homage to Jones, as Brolin looks the part and plays the part fantastic: the mannerisms and speech are spot-on. And in the end, Jones is the hero, and you realize you just watched a tribute to the guy.

All that being said, MIB3 was lacking in the fun category that we enjoyed in the first one. That's not to say it's bad: quite the opposite in fact. But this movie was more serious, and my friend summed it up perfectly in one word: somber. I mean, the movie circles around death as a central theme, so it's inevitable. But I feel like since the fifteen years that passed since, movies have changed. We get dark everything, and MIB3 is an attempt at breaking out from that, back into the light. And does so as best it can, and had me leaving the theatre happy with what I just watched. There wasn't much time to screw around - you almost get the impression there's a slightly longer cut in here somewhere - and is quite driven from scene to scene. The effects were there but took a far backseat to everything else: I didn't see it in 3D for better or worse, and I think it's a statement that the effects were just like everything else. They were more impressive back in1997 but just standard now for movies these days. Again, not really a complaint but an observation. If anything, the effects don't detract and let you (and the artists creating the movie) to focus on the film itself.

Definitely worth checking out, and no previous MIB experience required.

Chernobyl Diaries

We drove up the winding path towards a twenty foot tall, secure fence. Within the boundaries of the fence stood three large structures, clad in red brick. We equipped flash lights - even though it was daylight - and began circling the property. We had been told that there were openings; small cutaways big enough to crawl through, and what we got were even larger. It was trespassing, to a degree: there were no signs. The legality is grey, but we needed to explore. Hearts were pounding, as we looked in all directions for anyone who may be watching. We entered the grounds, and found another entrance into the first building. It was full of machinery, tools, parts and debris. Birds made nests in the larger areas, and it was evident that nature had been slowly reclaiming this abandoned facility for nearly ten years. This was urban exploration.

It could be considered one of the holy grails of urban exploration: Prypyiat. An entire city that once housed fifty thousand people, evacuated within a day or two. Entire apartment buildings abandoned and family possessions left behind. There is one catch: there is radiation. And there could be even more for those brave enough to adventure in. That's the premise of Chernobyl Diaries, at least. A group of young adults are looking for adventure in their European trip, and are convinced to take a tour of Prypiat, with the cooling towards of Chernobyl in the distance. Like anyone, they're hesitant, but like anyone, they find it extremely interesting. The history of it is fascinating and well worth investigating. The movie is interesting too, although it stops being so near the end.

It's a short movie and it doesn't waste much time in getting going. We're treated to a standard montage of our characters, then their decision to make the journey. Our group is led to checkpoints, where they are denied access - a strange occurence, but our tour guide knows another way in. Aside from the impending radiation, it's out first sign of danger. We're treated to glory shots of Prypiat and it's abandoned treasures, including the famous ferris wheel. We're also treated to a high level of tension as you, the audience, knows that something is not right. After all, it's why you're watching this movie. Although honestly, I would sit through a multiple hour documentary about the city and the Chernobyl disaster itself. The previews led me to believe that there was something supernatural happening, and I wasn't eager to try and presume what the horror would be.

You may be under the impression that this is a "lost footage" film, but it's not, much to my pleasure. The camera is a character, certainly, but is not at the same time. It's hand held footage the entire time, following and running with the others, but it's never addressed directly. I'm glad they went this route: it would feel tired and clichéd if they didn't. 

The end result was a bit disappointing though. The movie closes in a way that I don't approve of, and I look forward to alternate endings (this is coming from the director of Paranormal Activity, after all, so it should be inevitable). We never really get a solid glimpse at the creatures, which is great, but we do get an explanation, in what feels like a tacked on and half-hearted attempt at putting an end on a movie that doesn't really need one. I very much got a sense of I Am Legend here (the latest Will Smith version). I half expected the monsters to be radioactive vampires.But they aren't. In fact, it's inconsistent: these monsters are able to flip a care and are intelligent enough to cut appropriate cabling, but exist in such numbers that what we're told doesn't entirely line up with what we've just seen.

As a fan of urban exploration it was impossible to pass a movie like this up. There are real tours that go into the city, and I have an appreciation for how ill-prepared these people were for their journey. When you're familiar with some of the rules and guidelines for exploration, it's no wonder that this group runs into such disaster. Just as you walk away from 127 Hours with the message that you should always tell somebody where you're going, you should walk away from Chernobyl Diaries with the message to do the same thing, and to at least bring flash lights on a tour of dark, abandoned buildings.

John Carter

I'm really not understanding the extreme hatred that this movie pulls out of people. When I visit the odd forum (specifically: IMDB) people are just lit up, spouting off about what a wretched pile this movie is. It's like the gum that you step on and that sticky heap never comes off, picking up further dirt and terribleness with every step. You try and wipe it from your shoe on some soft grass, but you end up with grass stuck to your show. It goes on, as you can imagine. John Carter is nothing like this piece of gum. John Carter is more like a brand new, wrapped piece of gum you find in your drawer after lunch: exactly what the doctor ordered.

While the movie was tanking at the box office there were a few bloggers and movie reviewers of note that disagreed with the masses: they implored people to give Carter a chance, and enjoy the movie for what it is. And what is it? An epic movie of grand proportions, saddling a small frame of a storyline. You get big, exaggerating characters. You get dazzling special effects sequences. You get aliens. Even a bit of cowboy action. Yes, that's right: the movie starts off in the 1800's as Carter - a civil war veteran - is continuously escaping, where he stumbles upon a transport to Mars, where the bulk of the movie and story take place. This simple combination puts the entire Cowboys & Aliens movie to shame.

On Mars, Carter is basically a Superman: enhanced strength, agility and of course, Hulk-like jumping ability. He first comes across a race of green aliens with four arms, who are trying to avoid the war going on between the two human-esque tribes (they are somewhat red, after all). All he wants is to go home, but he gets caught up between the love of a woman and the war raging on the entire planet. I don't need to get into the rest of the film: it's fairly basic, you feel like you've seen some of it before and to that degree, I'm not complaining. I see a lot of comparisons between John Carter and Avatar, and yes, there are similarities. But here's the thing: John Carter pulls it off without the pretentiousness. Carter isn't about the effects and grandeur first, it's about being a movie itself. Whereas with Avatar, you get the distinct impression that it was more of a technical show of 3D and CGI then a forced-fed message of environmentalism.

Thinking that there is life on Mars is exciting; we, as a people have certainly been obsessed with it for quite some time. This movie really transported me back to a time when the book was coming out - A Princess of Mars, by the way - and filled me with the fantasy that science has since disproved. A hundred years ago, it was possible that these beings existed, that they had cities and were looking back at this pale blue dot through their own telescopes. Now we have rovers analyzing samples of dirt, and satellites taking images of every inch of the surface: the possibility of life diminished on Mars, we extend our dreams to faraway systems and planets. It's a dream we won't let go of, and I'm happy to have sparked again while watching this film. I really do hope that they continue them - although that seems unlikely at this point.