Cowboys & Aliens Review

The whole family (4) went out to this one because the premise envelops so many possibilities. The kids and I just thought it would be immensely cool where as my wife was bracing herself for the worst. The promise of wonders that only a childhood imagination can reach is a tough sell. By naming this movie Cowboys & Aliens you would be hard pressed to find someone who was expecting a serious run at a Western or Sci-fi Thriller.

The way that Cowboys & Aliens grabs you is by doing just that. They set upon making a run at a real Western flick and a science fiction thriller that gets you hopping out of your seat. The cinematography is majestic. Quick, switch to the AMC channel! Yeah, like that. The CGI on all the alien's, their ships, and set pieces are superbly well done.

Harrison Ford teeters on the edge of over acting but holds it together. The resident hottie of the area OK 54 Corral, Olivia Wilde, seemed off throughout the film but though it's distracting it eventually adds to the film. It was refreshing to see Paul Dano playing the roll of Ford's son who did so well in Little Miss Sunshine and was a redeeming voice in Knight and Day. He didn't have to flex his acting chops in the one though. I only had a few odd things which I will bring out later after opening day but by no means are they deal breakers.

Many have seen the opening scene with Daniel Craig seemingly disoriented but with serious hand to hand skills and a descent shot. The movie keeps that hard edge small town survival mode and while it makes stops along the way, they are generally important story points that are also much loved western cliches. Even the silly "townsfolk plucking" seen in the trailers doesn't seem silly at all during it's 118 minutes. It's a fun thriller that does well to move the story along to the action so you don't get swamped up in the details or question why you're enjoying the movie so much.

To my relief most of all the questions thrown at you in the movies early minutes get resolved. Daniel Craig did a fantastic job as the silent hero. Harrison Ford, according to my son, "He's still in shape, I'll tell ya that." My wife thought it was "way better than Transformers, but that's not saying a whole lot" and my youngest thought it was scary in parts but loved it the most. It won't win any awards, but that's not what this movie is about.

It's a must see! Bring fun and imagination, not speculation. Either way you'll likely enjoy it.

Losnsa 8 out of 10

Wife 7.5 out of 10

12 Year Old Son 8.5 out of 10

11 Year Old Son 9 out of 10

Audience Applause?: Yes.

Captain America: The First Avenger Review

America can breathe a sigh of relief. It was not terrible. Not the movie to end all movies but the tone was fantastic, the mood was set right, and they even had a bit of satirical look at the WW2 era propaganda which incidentally birthed the Captain America comics in the 40's. It's cheesy at times, which is to be expected from the comic book styling, but all in all it was done well.

The CGI work they did to shrink Chris Evans, Captain America, into a scrawny version of himself is amazing. This is one of those rare times that the CGI styling really adds to the character development. You get run through a few required montages of hero building but because of the set pieces and the era it really looks fresh and they have fun with it.

Hugo Weaving plays the villain well as usual, intense and unyielding as the Red Skeleton. Tommy Lee Jones and Stanley Tucci also give the average standout performances we've come to expect of them. It is setup well for kids and adults with tons of fun explosive action. I recommend you go in expecting a comic book hero movie and you'll be just fine.

Dismissing one major plot hole regarding plane flight I was very happy. FYI we were all very disappointed to find that there was nothing tacked on after the credits. Hmph

Update: The screener had nothing because they don't trust us. The actual movie has a teaser for The Avengers after the credits.

Green Lantern was interesting. Not great. I thought the main plot was simple given the complexity of the back story. You might chalk that up to the “first movie” exposition requirement.

The hype didn't really match the movie. The visuals were good and they made deep use of 3D obviously intending to use a lot of it throughout the movie from the beginning.

Still, it is Ryan Reynolds playing his usual shtick and a lot of passive replay of other comic book hero plots. The human villain was played up with some depth. Nevertheless, the kids enjoyed it and the audience gave a decent clap when it was over. I thought it was alright. Keep in mind; the kids were begging me to see Super 8 again. Mhmm 3 of 5.

Ours - The Bravery at SXSW 2011 -Stubb's

Red Riding Hood Review

Wow, what a horrible film. I just wanted to get that out. Even in the previews, it seemed that the premise was going to get spread much too thin if thats as deep as the film was going to get. It turned out to be the case. Catherine Hardwick threw up all her Twilight leftovers on this film and hoped for the best. It did not work out. The quality cinematography was done at what seems to have been great expense but creatively it really did seem like a frame by frame rehash of what she’s known for. The sweeping helicopter shots, the dim lit ambiance of young love, and working with wolves. She didn’t go far outside her range with this one. My son said it best at the opening scene, which by the way is a snowy overhead shot of mountains, with a well timed “And somewhere in Spoons.” He set up the rest of the movie. The cast did their job well enough. Amanda Seyfried was her doe eyed self with Billy Burke pulling off the roll without any major discredit. Gary Oldman was a nice addition to the movie after it had droned on far too long between action scenes. Sadly the biggest disappointment was Shiloh Fernandez who came off incredibly stale in his roll as he attempted to make it a vampire movie. Short of calling it a disaster, it was a mess of a movie that tries to walk the line between horror, teen dream, and a period flick and polishes off a huge failure. Oh, but it had a nice red cloak.

Due Date

I must have had a few bad cinematic months or possibly comedy starved because I really liked Due Date but based on some of the reviews out there it was horrible. Now, don't get me wrong, it had the potential to tank especially based on some of the glaring plot holes that scream sloppy screen writing but they knew that you couldn't lose with Zac Galifianakis and the always great Robert Downey Jr. They were right, but look for Robert Downey Jr. to tear it up as a Swedish Bikini Team model or Sumo Wrestler in his next film because he has solid anti-typecasting strategy.
Nevertheless he plays Peter Highman (They aren't subtle are they) the straight guy trying to get home to see his first child born. Complications ensue when he meets Zac the super perm nut Ethan Tremblay. Its a high wire act of absurd drama and hilarious laughs and if you can step beyond the sloppy plot points, I have faith, you'll laugh yourself into a stupor. Enjoy, I did.

Due Date on IMDB

Morning Glory

Though Morning Glory wasn't ground breaking by any means, it took a formulaic plot and added some terrific acting. Working on the premise that not all movies need to be life changing, I rather enjoyed this one. A woman on the brink of losing her dream of being a television show producer finds a chance for redemption in the unique position of working at a dying morning program. Much like the Rachel McAdams character Becky in the movie, you need the right people on screen, even if they are out of place, to stir things up. She did just that by adding the stiff dry Harrison Ford as Mike Pomeroy to a morning show to give it news credibility and letting the always spry and fun Diane Keaton, Colleen Peck, off the leash. Its fun and makes a great date movie. There aren't any awards to be won here, other than the claiming of a delightful evening with a movie that doesn't try to take on too much. You'll walk out refreshed with more than a few laughs without being overwhelmed.

Morning Glory on IMDB