CAPTAIN AMERICA:  THE FIRST AVENGER (2011)

Blu-Ray

Another installment from Ruth and Jay's collection.  A really good action movie.




THE AVENGERS (2012)

Regal Fiesta Theater - San Antonio

In some way I'm so glad I was lazy and dismissed those other superhero movies when they were in theaters.  Watching Thor and then Captain America in the course of two weeks and then watching this was like watching some kind of huge big-budget miniseries.  This movie really feels like a culmination of lesser comic book movie parts (that all had redeemable qualities).  With this and Cabin in the Woods, Joss Whedon is on a roll and is providing me with the best subversive and straightforward cinematic entertainment this year.

LE BONHEUR (1965)

Criterion #420

via Hulu Plus

Back to the artsy stuff after a long absence. A stylistic lush permeates this film, and you can see the influences in filmmakers of modern times that establish a tone just by letting characters or groups of characters move within an expansive enviornment.  It's a completely satisfying but cryptic expression of man's pursuit of happiness through women.  Like the best of these older foreign movies, it has a coherent structure, but leaves you with a very unique emotion at the end.  Those are the "dated" movies that make an impact, the ones the dig up a new sense of feeling that you didn't know what existed.  What was this old French filmmaker (a woman, significant for the directors working at the time) trying to say?  What were her motivations?  Le Bonheur intrigues you into finding an answer.

Film Report

Films over the past month

and blogger.com is reformatted?  Hmm...

CABIN IN THE WOODS (2012)

Absolutely wonderful.  I was giddy about writing a long post about this movie at the time, but I'm a little weary of making a whole diatribe now that time has passed.

Basically this movie attacks you on so many levels.  It's not a profound story that is filmed, which is one set of quality cinema.  Rather it is all knowing wink to any film geek that 'gets' satire, genre films, and subversive attitudes towards movies.  It is definitely one of the most nasty movies to spoil... I honestly felt that even the previews ruined some things for me.  But you can't just go to a horror movie... you need a context, and horror movies need a context to be entertaining and relevant.

I'm sorry... too vague... but basically there is a moment in this movie that is nearly the perfect listhmus test for everything I look for in complicated odd cinema.  During that moment if you don an all knowing grin or display a sense of giddiness, then you are one of my kind.  However, if you were confused, or frustrated that the moment wasn't "scary", or if you started actively disliking the film after that point... well then we better find other common interests because you are not going to movies for the same reason as me.

BRIDESMAIDS (2011)

Oscar Count
 - Best Supporting Actress - 1/5
- Best Original Screenplay - 1/5
There is one key argument left for going to the actual movie theaters.  When you are stuck there, it's considered impolite and distracting to take out your cell phone and check e-mail, etc.  When watching a movie at home I find myself shocked and a little appalled that I can't focus for a long time on what should be a complete cinematic story without fiddling with my smartphone.  BUT, could it be reflective of the quality of the movie I'm watching that I'm reaching for that phone when a movie slows down?  It should really be attention grabbing from start to finish to be timeless, no?

Bridesmaids was on my radar because of its critical acclaim, and there were some truly funny moments and performances.  But like most hyped comedies there were character-building scenes in between those funny moments and it got into a boring pattern that couldn't rivet me.

THOR (2011)

I've got to catch up comic book movies... especially because The Avengers is supposed to be real good and it came out last weekend!  And this movie was in my Netflix 'Q'... it just happened that my Texas Aunt Ruth came to visit me with some spare Blu-Rays from my Uncle's collection.  So be prepared for some more popcorn as I make my way through them (and downgrade to a cheaper Netflix plan in the process).

So I'll have to say that on average it was watchable.  The set designs of Norse God world were pretty stunning.  But it was juxtaposed with some very irritating Natalie Portman stuff where she talked in nervous girl cliches and smart allecky quips in the presence of the big towering stud that are superhero represented.  Ain't it Cool thought her scenes were believable and I just thought they were shallow and dishonest and distracting from a big flashy movie.  Some of the action pieces on Earth seemed a little cheap looking as well.

Despite that I have to say... it's fun to see a character from Iron Man 2 pop up and just tie together a saga that is likely to go through multiple films of mostly good quality.  Captain America will be next!