News: Justice League Gets A Release Date! (I rant about Dc Comics)

To my great surprise, the forthcoming Batman and Superman film starring Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Lex Luthor and Cyborg is NOT the Justice League film but actually a sequel to Man of Steel!

Gee, Warner Bros. sure had me fooled!

Zack Snyder announced today that the Justice League, or as I like to call it "Dc's last attempt at competing with the multi-billion dollar comic book behemoth that is Marvel," has been given a release date for 2018. Four years from now and two years after the Man of Steel sequel a.k.a Batman and Superman a.k.a Justice League Lite a.k.a Dc's second to last attempt at competing with the multi-billion dollar comic book behemoth that is Marvel."

If you are really bad at detecting obvious sarcasm, you can clearly tell that I am less than pleased with Warner Bros. and Dc Comics game-plan (if you can even call it that). I just feel like the only reason we are getting a Batman and Superman film and a Justice League film so soon is that they are scrambling to make money in any way, shape or form. And if that means churning out ridiculously hyped up rushed, half-baked films, then that's what they'll do. Just to make an easy $1 billion dollars. And if the films turn out to be complete and utter crap, the studio executives wouldn't care because they just robbed you blind of your hard earned $10, ($15 if you see it in I-Max 3-D!)

I don't want to be just another angry nerd behind a keyboard, because I want this film to be great! And hey who knows, with the route they are going on this film could still be absolutely incredible! It's just that I don't feel like it is going to be from the countless big name characters announced to the weird casting choices. It just seems like they are playing all their cards WAY to early in the game.

Let me remind you of Marvel's grand plan for an Avengers film:
Marvel took a risk when they released Iron Man way back in 2008. As we all remember, the end credits scene was of Tony Stark talking to Nick Fury about "The Avengers Initiative." An Avengers film wasn't confirmed upon Iron Man's release. They would only advance the plan if Iron Man was a hit, and it was a smash. And in 2012, 5 years later after the very mention of an Avengers film, Marvel's grand plan came to fruition in the form of the biggest comic book blockbuster of all time. It was everything we wanted the movie to be and then some. It was awesome and we loved it and you know why we loved it? It's because they took time to plan out what they wanted to do and how to do it right and they hired the people who were perfect for the job.

Now I've figured out what the biggest difference between the executives at Marvel and Dc. I can sum it up in one word: Patience. Dc is scrambling to compete with Marvel in the movie business by throwing everything but the kitchen sink into their next films that probably don't even have a script written. Marvel takes time and consideration when producing their upcoming films to make sure that they are the best they can be.

In a perfect world, this is what would happen: Warner Bros. and Dc Comics should give us solo films for the Justice League heros before the main event. That way the characters won't get glossed over and underdeveloped. A job that the Justice League film shouldn't have to do.

So yes. Those are my thoughts on The Justice League/The Dc dilemma. Underneath this crusty shell of negativity I do have hope. I'm just incredibly uncertain. Here's hoping we get less Justice League casting news and more Star Wars Episode VII castings news in the future!

Movie Review #85: Pee Wee's Big Adventure (1984)

Do you ever have one of those films that just gets you? A film so bizarre that no matter how hard you try you can't give your friends a valid or even a comprehensible reason for why you love this film as much as you do.
This is just one of those films for me.

Pee Wee's Big Adventure not only marks the big screen debut for Paul Reuben's character of Pee Wee Herman, but also the directorial debut for one of the most original figures in hollywood for the next 20 years, Tim Burton.

I've said in the past that I am an enormous fan of Tim Burton. While  he might be considered to be inconsistent filmmaker as of the past 10 years, in his early years he crafted some of the most creatively entertaining pieces of cinema. And this being his debut film is no exception.

The plot is very simplistic. Pee Wee Herman's bike has been stolen and he embarks on an epic journey to reclaim his most prized possession. On the way he encounters a fugitive on the run, a biker gang and he learns the cold hard truth about the Alamo's basement.

The reason this film works so well is for the reason I just said: The plot is basic and uncomplicated. With this, the film focuses more on making a consistent stream of memorably funny sequences and hysterical one-liners instead of a twisting and turning storyline. And with Paul Reubens himself and acclaimed SNL cast member Phil Hartman co-writing the script, you can be sure that the comedy is not in scarce supply.

I'm kind of a tough sell for comedies. Not many movies or TV shows can make me truly laugh out loud. And the ones that can generate a chuckle out of me can rarely continue to make me when I re-watch them. That is not the case with Pee Wee's Big Adventure. I laugh harder every time I revisit this this film!

If you had to ask me what my favorite part of this film is, I would have to think about that for a bit because there are so many iconic scenes that instantly stick out when I think of this film like the breakfast machine, the Alamo, Large Marge, and of course the dance sequence at the biker bar. They are all so memorable because of how goofy they are and maybe that's why this film appeals to me so much. It might come off as episodic to some, but I didn't mind.

Many, if not all great directors have a particular style you can see through their films that tell you off the bat who this film was directed by. Usually it takes many directors a few films before you can see a pattern develop in their filmmaking. That is not the case with Tim Burton. You can instantly see that this film has Burton written all over it. From the creepy dream sequences to the iconic score from none other than Danny Elfman himself, this is Tim Burton at his prime and most bizarre.

Final Report: Pee Wee's Big Adventure is, in a word: Bizarre. It's a film that I had a tough time reviewing because I couldn't think of much else to say aside from, "It makes me laugh." It's a peculiar piece of 80's nostalgia that I highly recommend to everyone. What can I say? It's just one of those films.

Movie Review #84: Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)

Comedy month will continue later with reviews for Zoolander and a few of my personal favorite comedies. But right now the summer movie season has come a month early for us and for the third consecutive year in a row, Marvel kicks it off in style!

Captain American: The Winter Soldier is the third installment in Marvel's Phase 2 which began with Iron Man 3 and followed by Thor: The Dark World. And it would only seem fair for The Star Spangled Man to get a sequel!

In this film we get to see how Steve Rogers has been adapting to the 21st century. This is the first time we've seen him in action in present day after the events that happened in The Avengers. We see that he's now working with SHIELD and Black Widow on military missions. Trouble emerges when a mysterious masked figure called The Winter Soldier emerges and starts wreaking havoc and it's up to Captain America to stop him.

My description of the plot doesn't do the film justice. I tried to make it as simplistic as possible because the plot is far more complicated and interesting than what I wrote. I just don't want to give away any spoilers at all because I don't want to be the guy that ruined a movie for you.

Captain America: The Winter Soldier does what Catching Fire did, which is blend enthralling action sequences with an enticing political storyline. But unlike how the first half of Catching Fire felt like a political thriller while the latter half was a full blown action flick, The Winter Soldier seamlessly blended both halves evenly to give us one of the best Marvel movies to date.

This is without a doubt the best solo Avenger film since the first Iron Man and the best Marvel sequel since Spider-Man 2. I was flabbergasted by how terrific just about everything in this film was! I'm especially surprised because this is a sequel and if Marvel has faltered in one area, it is that they have struggled with making worthy successors to the first film in the franchise. While I did enjoy Iron Man 3 and really liked Thor: The Dark World, (not so much for Iron Man 2) I never considered them to be great. But not only would I consider Captain America: The Winter Soldier great but for a better word, marvelous.

How is the action? Terrific. I love the fact that they used as little CGI as possible. Not that I have anything against CGI! It's an incredible tool that has advanced the development of action movies. But like all good things, CGI should be used in moderation. Which it is in this film! I loved the hand-to-hand combat fight scenes. They had a sense of realism to them and realism is something that isn't always achieved in a comic book film. There is a particular car chase scene early on in the film that might be one of the best I've seen in years.

The action is awesome as expected, but what really makes this addition to the Marvel Cinematic Universe so memorable are the relationships between the characters and the excellent script.

Before this film, I considered Captain America as a "minor" Avenger. He doesn't really have any great powers," is what I used to think. This film put me over the edge to realize that Captain America is a force that you do not want to mess with and makes his shield as powerful a weapon as Thor's hammer in my eyes. The scene in the elevator when he took out an entire team of highly trained soldiers and hit men using only his fists made me say, "Okay, I'm on board. This is one hero that really earns the title of super."

Scarlet Johanson is wonderful as Black Widow. The relationship formed between her and Steve is not just shown but actually put to the test. The two have such believable chemistry together that I would not be surprised if the two of them started an actual relationship in the films to come. That would be tough to explain to Hawkeye though. Speaking of which, where was Hawkeye in all of this? Heck, Anthony Mackie as Falcon probably had more lines here than Jeremy Renner did in The Avengers!

While we're one the subject, Falcon was a great addition to the cast! I really liked his character and how he is sort of going to become Captain America's right hand man. Plus, that wing suit is probably the coolest gadget not made by Tony Stark. I can't wait to see him in Age of Ultron along side the rest of the Avengers.

Aside from sequels, the other field that Marvel has struggled in recently is that of villains. Mickey Rourke was forgettable in Iron Man 2, I can't even remember the name of the villain in Thor 2 and don't even get me started on The Mandarin. It seemed that outside of Loki, Marvel had no other memorable villains. Well now they have two: The Winter Soldier and Alexander Pierce.

These two characters reminded me a lot of General Tarkin and Darth Vader from Star Wars. Pierce being Tarkin and The Winter Soldier being more like Darth Vader. Robert Redford plays Alexander Pierce who I think was the perfectly cast in this role as a corrupt political puppet-master behind the ins and outs of SHIELD. He shows both sides of personality by commanding a great presence about himself as a leader and being downright despicable as a villainous mastermind. Like Tarkin, Pierce is the top dog who calls the orders. The Winter Soldier on the other hand like Vader, does his masters bidding. I love the backstory given to him and how he connects this film to the first Captain America film. Which leads me to the script.

The writing is solid. We learn about Steve Rogers personal life. All of the things he's been catching up on in pop culture and history and Natasha even tries to set him up with a girlfriend. And that situation really highlights their relationship with each other. It isn't romantic, but rather a great bond of trust and friendship and I love seeing that.

My problems with the film are very few. There is a scene involving an A.I. (of sorts) that I felt was a bit out of place. I also thought that it gave into the cliché that the bad guy tells you his entire evil plan before he kills you which really gets under my skin. And I wish that Alan Silvestri composed the score because I really enjoyed his work on the first film.

Final Report: With a powerhouse script that doesn't skimp out on character development or political depth and riveting action sequences, Captain America: The Winter Soldier raises the bar extremely high for all Marvel films to follow. So hit me with your best shot X-Men Days of Future Past! Give me your best because this is one superhero flick I do not see being bested for a while.

Sorry this is being posted so late. I did see the film (twice) during its first week, I've just been having trouble getting time to finish this post up. So sorry for the wait.

Movie Review #83: Ace Ventura: Pet Detective (1994)

With today being April Fools Day, I figured that why should I review just one comedy? How about I review some of my favorite comedies throughout the entire month of April?
It would bring me back into the groove of consistently reviewing movies weekly. Which is something I have been lacking on recently and I do apologize for that.

Aside from Tom Hanks, there was no other actor in the 1990's as big as Jim Carrey. He just about ruled the world of comedy movies with monster success after monster success. Especially in his breakout year of 1994, when he had not one, not two, but three enormous box office hits and now proclaimed comedy classics.
Those films being The Mask, Dumb and Dumber, and the one that started it all, Ace Ventura: Pet Detective.

I personally regard Carrey as one of the funniest guys on the planet. I am a huge fan of his wacky voices and the ways he can morph his face into the funniest and just downright stupidest of expressions. I can really relate to his comedic style because I make people laugh by making goofy faces and silly voices. Many of my friends have actually encouraged me to become a voice actor or find a job in radio because of this. So in short, he's really inspired me and he will never stop making me laugh.

Carrey broke out of the television career he had on the popular sketch comedy show In Living Color with Ace Ventura: Pet Detective. A movie about a pet detective who gets hired by the Miami Dolphins football team to track down their missing mascot that just so happens to be a rare Bottle-nose dolphin named Snowflake.

It's hard to think of anyone but Jim Carrey playing the character of Ace Ventura because the guy is so committed to the roles he is given. I mean even by the way he walks shows how into character he is! Many of the films laughs come from scenes that have no dialogue when we're just watching Carrey wander around like a complete dope.

Carrey said in an interview that since the character of Ace Ventura was so in tuned to animals that he should act like an animal! He based Ventura's actions off of those of a bird. Like the way he struts about, his ridiculous hair and even the colorful shirt he has on. Details like that add to the character in such a great way. He just wouldn't have been as funny!

Quite a few of the verbal jokes are also very memorable. There are a ton of great insults, put downs and analogies said by Carrey that are simply hysterical. Some of which I have actually used in my everyday conversations!

The supporting characters are pretty expendable. None of them really stood out. Probably because Carrey's hammy performance filled up the entire screen. That is except for the villain. Without spoiling anything, but what they did with the villain's backstory is completely ridiculous, but in a strange way actually ends up making sense. It's pretty memorable to say the least.

Even though this movie is very funny, it's also very stupid. I mean, immensely stupid. I'm not saying it becomes unfunny, but rather just a bit annoying. To me at least. Jim Carrey haters would most likely rather want to take a bath with their favorite electrical kitchen appliance (If you get what I mean).

Final Report: Ace Ventura: Pet Detective might come off as more obnoxious than a Yoko Ono concert to some. But to fans of the classic Jim Carrey formula like me, it's a pretty good time.

The Results Are In! Winners of 2013 Academy Awards.

The 86th annual Academy awards were this sunday and here are my thoughts on the winners!

Even though I have only seen two of the nine Best Picture nominees, I was still interested in who would win the night's top prize. (I'm also an Ellen fan and she's always fun to watch.)

And I must say that I am pretty happy with these winners! Going in to the show, all I wanted was for Alfonso Cuaron to win something for Gravity. And he won two statuettes for both directing and editing! So from then on I could go to sleep with my mind at ease.

I was a bit surprised that 12 Years A Slave won Best Picture over Gravity, but it does make sense. 12 Years A Slave does look like it is a superior film as a drama and most likely is. It was a bit of a bait and switch though because Gravity had been winning just about everything until the end. And this way, both McQueen and Cuaron walked away with some Oscar gold. And Brad Pitt too!

It was great seeing Matthew McConaughey win Best Actor because if you told your average moviegoer 10 years ago that the guy who starred in all of those terrible rom-com chick flicks that he's gonna win an Oscar one day, they would have thought you were crazy. But like the legend of the phoenix, out of the fiery ash emerged an actor born anew. I'm glad for the guy. He seems totally cool and he definitely deserved it. (Or at least from what I've seen from the trailers and clips.)

Same goes for Jared Leto! Keep up the acting and the music!

I would say I was surprised that "Baz Lurhmann's The Great Gatsby" won Oscars for Production and Costume Design, but it really did deserve it because on a technical level it didn't disappoint. Even if the film might have been a "Great Letdown."

I really wanted Bad Grandpa to win for Makeup. Mostly for the fact that you would be able to call Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa an Academy Award winning film. How great would that have been?

 It was a bit of a bummer U2 once again got snubbed for Best Original Song. But when you're going up against the powerhouse vocals of Idina Menzel, it was a real toss-up choice. Could have gone either way.

By the way, did you hear how John Travolta pronounced Idina Menzel's name? I'm pretty sure he said something in Klingon because that did not sound human or of this earth.

Once again, the perpetually "Oscar-less" went home with jack squat. What I mean by that is anyone who has continually been snubbed year in and year out. And I'm not just talking about Leonardo DiCaprio, but rather cinematographer Roger Deakins and composer Thomas Newman. One day they'll get their due.

Movie Review #82: Frozen (2013)

This being the month of February, winter is in full swing up here in the great mid-west region of the United States. So naturally, I can relate to the thought of an eternal, never-ending winter because it sure does feel that summer has never been farther away.

It's incredibly fascinating that Frozen, a movie that came out during the last week of November, has continued to make its way into the top five spots in the box office. For most of the past three months. It's absurd! I mean it did come out the same week as Catching Fire did, so I can only imagine that everyone first saw that and then saw Frozen during January when they knew there wouldn't be a new release worth spending $10 on. $12 if they go the 3-D route!

I must have been the only member of my friend group who hadn't seen Frozen because I have been hearing nothing but the highest of marks about it. Calling it to be a "return to form for Disney" and
one of the best Disney movies in years." With praise like that, I knew I had to see what all the buzz was about.

Frozen is based off of Hans Christian Anderson's classic tale of The Snow Queen. In this story there is a pair of royal sisters named Anna and Elsa. Elsa was born with the powers of ice, snow and winter. Kind of like Iceman from X-Men. But when Elsa accidentally sends their kingdom into a never-ending winter, it is up to Anna and the friends she meets on the way to bring back summertime.

What I really liked about Frozen was that it reverted to the classic Disney musical formula that worked so well for Beauty and the Beast, The Lion King and The Little Mermaid. Yeah I know that Disney has recently made other animated movies with a lot of musical numbers like Tangled and The Princess and the Frog. And while that is true, Frozen felt like a proper, classic musical. The songs don't just happen when it is convenient for the plot, the characters break out into song and dance very often and it worked to its advantage. Even if only a couple songs end up being really memorable and the others felt like filler.

The animation was gorgeous. It was so cool whenever Elsa used her powers to create whatever she wanted. It was really epic seeing her shoot icicles out of her fingertips and turning things to ice just by touching them. Particularly in the Let It Go sequence. Everything about that sequence worked. The emotion, the visuals, the irresistibly catchy melody and Idina Menzel's stellar vocals made that one of the most powerful scenes I've seen in an animated movie since the last scene act of Toy Story 3.

I was also surprised by the characters! From the first trailer I saw, I had a grating feeling that the character of Olaf would drive me insane. He just looked really childish and irritating. But the writers played their cards right by making him really funny! He has a ton of quotable lines that me and my friends keep using in conversation. I also liked the romance between Ana and Kristoph. It felt genuine and sweet. Plus, this has to be the first Disney movie to blatantly ask the question: "Why would you pledge yourself to be married to a guy you just met a few hours ago?" Yeah, they actually ask that question! Finally! I have been waiting for a Disney movie to address this question for years. I love subtle humor that pokes fun at fairy tale love stories for being ridiculously unrealistic. I tip my hat to the screen writers for their clever, tongue-in-cheek humor.

What I didn't care for so much was that I found it to be pretty predictable. Even for Disney standards. I already figured out who the main villain was by the first time I was him on screen and after that I was able to predict what would happen next and it really bummed me out. But it didn't ruin the movie for me because even though I knew what was going to happen, I was so enveloped into the lives of these characters, their quest and their surroundings that I didn't mind too much!

I feel like I would have enjoyed this movie more if I saw it before The Lego Movie. To me, The Lego Movie raised the bar for every animated movie that follows it. And while Frozen was came out more than three months before Lego Movie did, I can't help but feel left wanting more. For once, a longer run-time wouldn't have been that bad of a thing!

Final Report: While over-hyped and a bit predictable story-wise, Frozen is a stunningly animated musical with great characters and a surplus of irresistibly catchy songs. I'm still having trouble getting Let It Go out of my head! It was a nice return to the classic Disney style.

Movie Review #81: The Lego Movie (2014)

And out of the slums and the turmoil of January, arose a beacon of terrific filmmaking and animation. A film that provides solace for movie buffs who have been yearning for something more than a barely watchable flick. Its name? The Lego Movie.

Man is it good to be back at the movies! Yes January was a dark time for moviegoers. With films like I, Frankenstein and The Legend of Hercules stinking up the multiplex, no wonder the only movie that made a profit was Frozen which first premiered in November!

When I first heard about a major, big-budget, animated motion picture about Legos, I was giddy with childlike wonderment but nervous on if it would actually be anything more than the biggest corporate sellout since G .I . Joe The Rise of Cobra. But luckily thanks to the talented writing and directing duo responsible for Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs, The Lego Movie went from something ordinary to something extraordinary.

The story revolves around a Lego construction worker named Emmet, voiced by Chris Pratt. He is the most ordinary guy you've ever met. Nothing stands out about him, he doesn't have any odd quirks. No nothing. He is about as basic as they come. But one day he meets a girl named Wyldtyle, played by Elizabeth Banks, and she mistakes him to be the special one: Someone so unique and important that he will be able to save the world from Will Ferrel as Lord Business who has a weapon called the Kragle that can destroy the world as they know it. And without giving anything away, when we learn what the Kragle really is, it's pretty hysterical.

I have a soft spot in my heart for animated movies. I of course love Disney and Pixar, I mean who doesn't? But I am also a huge fan of animated movies that aren't made by the huge, bigwig animation kingpins like Disney or Dreamworks. I love Rango and The Adventures of Tintin and

As I said before, this comes from the guys who made Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs and if you have seen that movie, you will know that the animation style was incredibly fast-paced and had a quick wit that matched it flawlessly. And here it works even better. It reminded me of an Edgar Wright movie like Hot Fuzz. It was so relentlessly fast-paced and quick witted that if you got up to go to the bathroom for two minutes you would have been completely lost by the time you got back! And that can work as both an advantage and a disadvantage for the film. The pace fit the jokes and animation like a glove, but at times it was almost a bit too much. Things were being thrown at you at a million miles and hour with no stop or even any opening credits! I didn't mind in the slightest, but I know that some will.

The animation is simply astounding. Remember when you saw Jurassic Park for the first time and the visuals completely blew your mind because you couldn't tell the what was real and what was done by computers? I felt that same feeling all over again. I was having an impossible time trying to find the what was real and what wasn't because they blended so well you couldn't differentiate the two! It was also really cool seeing that everything, and I mean everything, in the movie was made out of Legos. When things blew up, the explosion was made out of Legos. When they were in the ocean, the moving waves were made of Legos. Now that is some serious MasterBuilding.

What anchors the clever writing and jokes is the voice cast. It really helps when you have a group of some of the funniest people on television and film! Chris Pratt as Emmet our main character reminded me a lot of Zachary Levi from the CW show Chuck. He's just an average guy who got thrown into a situation that he cannot handle at all. It's very entertaining and Pratt has enough lovable charisma to spare. Elizabeth Banks is his sassy parter in crime who is far better at handling the situation than Emmet is. kind of like Sarah from Chuck!

Will Arnet voices Batman and he nearly had me in tears from some of the things he said. The writers basically based Batman's personality and actions off of the whole "Because I'm Batman" mantra made famous by Christian Bale that has been turned into so many memes now. And when he's on screen, he steals the whole show. Unless Liam Neeson as Bad Cop is on screen. Then He steals the show! His character is cop with a split personality and he keeps switching back and forth from good cop to bad cop. There was a really terrific interrogation scene with him and Emmet that had my entire audience roaring with laughter.

The rest of the supporting cast features Allison Brie as a hysterically optimistic creature named Unikitty, Charlie Day as an overly enthusiastic nineteen eighties astronaut, and the cuddly-wuddly Nick Offerman as a robot pirate named MetalBeard. They do such a great job of lending their voices and great comedic timing that it didn't even feel like they were actors recording lines in a booth but rather the characters themselves.

Without spoiling anything, the third act breaks the third wall in a very big way and it worked so well. Oddly enough after seeing the trailer when it was released for the first time I thought to myself, "If they film ends up being like this, I will adore this movie. And it did. It surprised me and I love the filmmakers for doing that. Going in that direction showed me that this directing duo respects their audience's intelligence. And that is something that isn't found very often in movies anymore.

I can honestly say that The Lego Movie is better than the past three Pixar movies combined. Not only is it one of the best animated movies made in several years, it is one of the the most creative movies that I have ever seen! I can't believe that we were blessed with a beautiful gem like this in February of all months! I loved it and I am looking forward to a sequel.

Final Report: The Lego Movie has a little something for everyone. If you're a kid who still plays with Legos, you'll love seeing your favorite characters come to life on the big screen. If you're an adult, you'll appreciate all the clever pop culture references and the intelligent third act. If you're like me, a kid who grew up playing with Legos, it's like watching your imagination come to vivid life. It's the ultimate nostalgic throwback and it really does live up to the word "Awesome".

Movie Review #80: Yellow Submarine (1968)

Fifty years ago, the greatest band of all time crossed the pond to perform live on The Ed Sullivan Show to millions of adoring fans. And the rest is music history.

If you couldn't tell from that short intro, The Beatles are my all time favorite music group. They were the first band I listened to when I discovered rock and roll in the sixth grade. And only because of them have I expanded my music taste not just to other bands, but to other genres. But I shall forever regard them as the all time greats.

So in sixth grade, I did my research and discovered that they were apparently so popular that they starred in four films about them as a band. This was unheard of to me! I had heard of concert films or band documentaries being theatrically released, but never an original idea based around the band as a major wide release motion picture. Aside from The Who's Tommy, I can't think of any other band who's music was so successful that it spawned several profitable, critically acclaimed movies!

For some reason, this film had been out of print for years. Decades even. Which I don't understand why it was. I mean it was a hit for when it came out and is regarded very highly by film critics like Roger Ebert who has awarded it with the prestigious title of a "Great Movie". But only recently has it been rereleased on Blu-ray, and I must say that it is one of the best digital restorations I've seen.

So what's the story? Once upon a time, or maybe twice, there was a place called Pepperland. It was a beautiful world filled with vibrant colors and terrific music. That is until the Blue Meanies arrived and took all of the music and color out of Pepperland. And it's up to Old Fred and his Yellow Submarine to bring The Beatles to Pepperland to restore it to its former glory.

If I had to make a list of my top ten favorite movies of all time, Yellow Submarine would definitely be on there. I love this movie. Not just because I love The Beatles, but because I can watch this movie 1,000 times more and I would be able to notice something new each time.

This is not your average kids movie by any means. Kind of like with Rango, most of the jokes will go over their heads but they can still enjoy it for the silly characters, the pretty colors and animation. That doesn't mean it is a bad movie by any means! It's just that it might not be for everyone.

What I love about it is how completely bizarre it is! If you thought Blue Meanies were strange a weird name for an antagonist, then their accomplices The Apple Bonkers, Snapping Turtle Turks and The Flying Glove will make you wonder if you dropped acid before pressing the play button. The character designs are really funny and so are the jokes. Yellow Submarine is one of those movies that isn't constantly funny, but they manage to get quite a few jokes in there thanks to some great puns and a clever script. Unless you are watching with the subtitles on, you might miss quite a few jokes because some of them are so quick that they are quite literally "blink and you'll miss it."

Chief Meanie: Ah, the hills are alive...

Max: [sings] ... with the sound of music!

Chief Meanie: [Punches Max] Who did it? Who is responsible for this?

Max: Rimsky-Korsakov?

[Chief Meanie shoots him, Blue Menial #3 stomps him into ground]

Max: [Poking his head up from ground] Guy Lombardo?

Hilarious little gems like that kill me.

Animation wise, It still looks great after all of these years. What is really interesting is that for when a new song comes on, the animation changes its style. In the Eleanor Rigby sequence, it looks very gloomy, realistic and rather like something on Monty Python's Flying Circus ( Terry Gilliam must like this movie too! ). When you cut to the Lucy In the Sky with Diamonds sequence, it reminded me of Andy Warhol's painting of Marilyn Monroe. And in the Nowhere Man break, to me it almost looked three-dimensional!

And the music? Oh the music! One of the best soundtracks ever. I think that The Beatles albums are divided from Please Please Me to Revolver then Sgt. Pepper all the way to Abbey Road. The people I know only like either the first half of their of the career or the latter half. For me, I love it all! But my favorite time in their music ranges from Rubber Soul to Magical Mystery Tour and the songs on those albums are the ones that are on this soundtrack! What's not to like?

Final Report: With gorgeous hand-drawn animation, clever humor and some of the most timeless songs by one of the greatest bands of all time, it's no surprise why Yellow Submarine is one of my favorite movies of all time.

Movie Review #79: Captain Phillips (2013)

I figured Captain Phillips would be the only other Best Picture nominee aside from Gravity I would be able to review before the Oscars. I might review Nebraska and Philomena when they are available to rent. Until then, let's talk about arguably the most sophisticated thriller of the year.

Captain Phillips is based on the real events that happened to cargo ship captain Richard Phillips when his vessel is overtaken by Somali pirates. And the events that follow are so unbelievable that it's hard to wrap your mind around the fact that this actually happened. And rather recently too!

Tom Hanks stars as Richard Phillips and I'm just going to say it, this is the best performance I have ever seen Tom Hanks give. No contest. As I said in my Polar Express review, when Tom Hanks is in a movie, it's impossible for me to see anyone but Tom Hanks. What I mean is that no matter how good his performance is, I always see Tom Hanks and never the character he plays. That is quite the opposite here. When the pirates had a gun pointed to his head I didn't see Tom Hanks, I saw Richard Phillips.

Since we're on the topic of powerhouse performances, how about those pirates?! Where the heck did they find these guys? Well it doesn't matter because they were terrific. It was really cool to see unknown actors in large supporting roles. They could have very well chosen some big name actors, but they went the indie route and it most definitely paid off.

Of all the filmmaking gimmicks, shaky cam is arguably the most abused one. The biggest drawback it has is that it makes the action incoherent and annoying. Director Paul Greengrass uses it for his advantage by not only raising the intensity, but by actually making it visible! Yeah, someone who can competently film action. What a concept!

Speaking of intensity, this might be on par with Gravity for the most white-knuckle movie experience of the year. I could not believe how often I found myself biting my nails and holding my breath! The third act was so stressful that it was like the end of Zero Dark Thirty. Come to think of it, Captain Phillips and Zero Dark Thirty are actually rather similar! Both are incredibly intense, showcase terrific lead performances and were realistically crafted by some of Hollywood's most talented filmmakers!

And much like Zero Dark Thirty, the only Oscar it will most likely win will be for Sound Mixing. Stupid Academy. Also, how the heck were both Hanks and Greengrass snubbed this year? On a side note, no love for Monsters U but a nod towards The Croods? And on an even more unrelated note, no Pacific Rim or Man of Steel but the Lone Ranger? I'm getting off track.

As far as flaws go, I didn't really find any other than a few nitpick details. It did feel like it went on for a bit too long even though the runtime was only 2 hours and 14 minutes. I guess that the intensity made the film seem more drawn out that it actually isn't. And in the third act, the intensity became so much that it really wore me out. I'm not sure if that is a pro or a con actually. Regardless, this film is no picnic. But it is a rewarding experience.

Final Report: While anything but pleasant, Captain Phillips is intelligently written, well directed and marvelously acted. With a breakout performance from Barkhad Abdi and a return to form for Tom Hanks.

Super Bowl Trailer Highlights!

With the Super Bowl being the single most watched sporting event on television, there are of course a ton of new commercials. All of which are trailers to upcoming summer blockbusters! Here are some of the trailer highlights!

First up is Darren Aronofsky's biblical epic Noah. I've heard a lot of mixed reviews when the film was screened in advance. I'm taking all of that with a grain of salt because yes, the film could go either way. All I want is for it to be biblically accurate. Because when you're adapting a Bible story to the big screen, this is one book adaptation you do not want to screw up.

Besides that, this looks like a really epic movie. Aronofsky is a talented director and the film visually looks stunning. So it could possibly be The Ten Commandments for a new generation! Maybe that is a bit unrealistic but anything is possible.

What would a summer at the movies without a Marvel movie or two? The first Marvel movie of the year is Captain America: The Winter Soldier. This looks awesome! I've been hearing really interesting things about this. I heard that it isn't relying highly on CGI and that it minimizes the use of visuals as much as possible. I find that very interesting. We will also be introduced to The Falcon played by Anthony Mackie. Plus, Robert Redford?!?!? What!?! Sign me up!

Sounds like a really sweet flick to me and I can't wait!

This might be surprising to some, but I am looking forward to The Amazing Spiderman 2. I hated the first Amazing Spiderman film because of how absolutely nothing new was brought to the table. But with the introduction of villains Electro and Rhino and some super neato effects, I am hopeful! And with any luck, Dane Dehan as Harry Osborne will hopefully tone down the annoyance of Garfield as Spiderman.

It might not get me in the theaters, but it has my interest for sure. It's a definite maybe for me.

Will it be stupid? Yes.
Will it be cheesy? You bet.
Will it take itself way too seriously? Probably.
Will it have terrible Michael Bay dialogue and cringe worthy humor? For sure.
Will it have Shia Labeef? For once, NO!

Out with Laboots and in with Marky-Mark! Plus, Optimus Prime riding a dinobot. The fifth grader inside of me nearly had a heart attack.

I still might not see this because I don't want to support a franchise I really can't stand, but I would be missing out on robot dinosaurs fighting other robots. If I get the chance to see it, sure I'll see it.