CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE FIRST AVENGER - Review

As far as the Marvel Avengers franchise goes CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE FIRST AVENGER is probably my second favourite film with IRON MAN coming in at number one.

The story was great, the script well written, the cast beautifully chosen, a great soundtrack and well directed. The only thing that I was a little saddened by was that the special effects - cool as they were - were too unrealistic. Now I've had a few people say "yeah but it's Captain America, it should be like that", but I'm not convinced. I think there's a point where you can go "ok that crazy burning pit of fire looks realistic" and stop there. Although if that's really the only fault I can come up with then hey, not too bad right?

Let me tell you about the incredible casting of this film...Chris Evans as Steve/Captain America was perfect. He really had that character down and made you believe in him. Plus what they did with the CGI to make him look all scrawny and little was pretty freakin' crazy! For those of you who recognise Steve's best friend Bucky like I did, I'll save you the trouble and tell you he plays Carter in Gossip Girl. Finally a big shout out to Australia's own Hugo Weaving who played Johann Schmidt/Red Skull!! That man carried his accent beautifully throughout the film and he just made you hate him!

So really I'm not surprised this film took out leading position over HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS PART 2 in the States last week. It was as I hear another cinema goer today say "the shiznits". Now I don't know what shiznits are, but they apparently loved the film and that's a term of endearment!

And for those of you out there desperate to see it but not sure you should take your ladies along, don't worry if they're not into this kind of film, there's plenty of man candy to keep them occupied!

4 out of 5

BAD TEACHER - Review

So I watched this last night and I was less than impressed. The trailer had me assuming it was going to get an MA15+ rating for frequent coarse language, drug use and sex scenes, but as it turns out it only got an M. The most offensive thing in there was the "I want to sit on his face" line. The trailer also made it seem as though it had the potential to be hilarious, and it did have that potential, it just didn't quite make it.

Yet another trashy Hollywood rom-com where the lead characters get everything they wanted and live happily every after. Not that inspiring and not really that funny. There were some great one-liners between Cameron Diaz and Jason Segel, but sadly that's about it's only saving grace. There are plenty of those awkward moments where you think "oh they're not going to do that are they" and then sure enough there it is. Most of the laughter came from those moments, where the only thing you could do was laugh.

They just haven't quite got the BRIDESMAIDS and HANGOVER formula right, but you can tell they really have tried. I wouldn't be rushing out to see this one. 2 out of 5.

THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN - Andrew Garfield & Emma Stone

THE SOCIAL NETWORK really put Andrew Garfield on the map. He'd been doing TV roles and a few bit parts since 2005, but his 2010 starring role in that facebook movie got him some serious fame. Then there was NEVER LET ME GO in which he was phenomenal. Now he's the new Peter Parker, and I'm pretty sure he's going to replace Tobey Maguire for everyone!

This is going to be the first Spider-Man not to feature Mary Jane, but I'm pretty sure the guys are going to be happy with Emma Stone who will be playing Gwen Stacy the new love interest for Peter Parker. 

The trailer looks alright, but the CGI looks a bit computer game unrealistic to me, but this might change as it develops through post-production. 

Here's a little taste of the reinvented Spidey franchise. 

SHERLOCK HOLMES: A GAME OF SHADOWS - Robert Downey Jr., Jude Law & Noomi Rapace

I watched the first one on Boxing Day a couple of years ago and loved it. Partly because it was Robert Downey Jr. and partly because it was awesome. The newly released trailer looks pretty good to me and in the words of Dr. Watson "oh how I've missed you Holmes".

ONE DAY - Jim Sturgess & Anne Hathaway

In the words of David Nicholls himself "it's a really faithful adaptation". Well I'll be the judge of that in a few short weeks!

All things Potter

So if you're one of the few who have yet to see the final installment in the Harry Potter series then you better get cracking before someone ruins it for you!

I'm not a fan of the 3D fad, however I was granted an opportunity to get a sneak peak at the film and that meant having to sit through it in 3D. Biased as I may be, as far as 3D films go this one was done quite well. There was not a huge amount of things jumping out of the screen at you, however the depth created by the 3D was quite amazing. It still gave me a headache as 3D always does and if you're not a 3D fan then I would recommend the 2D version because you won't miss out on anything.

I am always a little disappointed by the films as I have read all the books multiple times as I'm sure most of you have and the same can be said for this film. However, HP AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS PART 2 is one of the better films. I think that David Yates has done a fantastic job of directing this and you really can tell how much these kids have grown up over the last 10 years. They have all really developed their skills as actors since they started all those years ago and I think this made a massive difference. The Sun Theatre ran a mega marathon of all 7 films before the release of the new film at midnight and one of the most noted comments was how much better they got as each film went on.

Overall not a bad film and the general public and mad Potter fans seem to be eating it up!

3.5 out of 5

"all for one and one for all"

While I'm all for a little bit of Orlando on the big screen, and I think Christoph Waltz is quickly becoming one of the best actors out there at the moment, I'm just not sure about this...