The Green Hornet

The Green Hornet was the first movie released in 2011 with the superhero classification. The Green Hornet is campy, the story corny and this makes it a wannabe super hero movie trying to be original with the superhero perceived as a criminal to the public. Based on the plot and the dialogue,it is far from being a great movie, but it does not try to be. The movie could have been written more seriously which may have taken it into the same arc as a Christopher Nolan Batman film, but instead, it wen on the road to be a comedic film with lots of explosions.

Seth Rogen plays Britt  Reid a.k.a The Green Hornet and while he does deliver some great humor, it just did not work for me. I can not really tell you why it was not for me but I just did not buy Rogen as The Green Hornet, his body type and persona onscreen just did not radiate through but instead for me came across as someone just dressing up and playing with friends. While Rogen wrote the script he ended up playing the same type of character he has played dozens of times already it is just this time he is rich, has a sidekick and weapons, devised by the sidekick. He plays Britt Reid as a super loud and obnoxious character without being endearing to the audience.

Where Seth Rogen failed, it is really the supporting cast that carry the movie. I loved Jay Chou as Kato. The martial arts background along with his great one liners truly made me wonder why Britt Reid was not the sidekick. This role in and of itself would be very challenging and tough in a whole new way in the sense that Bruce Lee played the original Kato in the TV series. So to step into this role for a virtual unknown here in the U.S. he had some big shoes to feel. Chou delivered with Kato in ways that I was not expecting and I was surprised that he was so understandable with his lines. Similarly, I loved Christoph Waltz as Krudnovsky the villain. He played the villain with such ease and his characterization of almost being insecure with "not being" scary enough was brilliant. The interaction between Waltz and a surprise cameo by James Franco at the beginning of the movie was probably my favorite scene and I would have loved to have had James Franco in the movie longer.

There were moments throughout the film that paid homage to the TV series that I thought were spot on for such a campy film. At the time of the TV series Kato almost had no lines and just having an Asian onscreen was pushing the boundaries. I found it quite original how they used this as a running gag throughout the film as Rogen and Chou argued about who truly was the sidekick. Also I thought it was great that with "The Black Beauty" they did not go with any updated vehicle but instead kept the same vehicle that is now just a vintage car. Even though I did not see the movie in 3D, from what I have heard, this is one of those films that the 3D did not benefit. While there could have been some great action scenes in 3D, particularly those moments when we get the Katovision, apparently the filmmakers did not focus on those moments.

The Green Hornet is a movie full of campy and corniness. I think the biggest flaw in this movie was that Seth Rogen was not endearing to the audience in his portrayal of Britt Reid. Had they found an actor that could have been more endearing and believable as the superhero it would have helped make this movie more then just a below average superhero movie. The supporting cast was perfect and really carried the movie. I am giving the Green Hornet three and a half buckets of popcorn out of five.This movie had the potential to be great, but the potential was not met in too many areas. While you may not want to add this to your DVD collection, it is an enjoyable movie for those nights when you are really in the mood for something campy.

-The Movie Man

Thor

There used to be a time when Memorial Day weekend was the signal for the kicking off of the summer of movie blockbusters. However in recent years it seems like Hollywood has begun to push that earlier, and with Thor opening this past weekend it is definitely the earliest I can remember the launching of the summer movies. Thor is in many respects a great action movie that not only delivers the punches, but has the perfect amount of romance, laughs and a strong story to make this a movie with more then just meets the eye. Thor for me was one of the least known superheroes and so it was great to get this origin movie to help build on the story arc that has been building over the past few years for the Avengers movie. I know that there were the cynics out there that felt the movie was going to be a disaster and that Thor was coming off as being just a teenager who is upset at his dad based on the trailers, I was glad that in all actuality he really was the god of Thunder and the movie did not disappoint.

Chris Hemsworth, stepped into the role of Thor and does a stellar job, especially since for most he is pretty much an unknown actor. For a superhero movie it is imperative that the actor must not only command the screen, but must portray an aura of having super human abilities. Hemsworth plays this to a "T" and gives a very Thor-like performance onscreen in not only his physique but also with how he carries himself and speaks. This gives the character a perfect combination of the pompous and operatic "classic" Thor with the dynamic and unstable modern Thor. I do not know how the purist fans of the Kirby/Lee era will take that mash-up, but I think it was a very good decision, specially because Thor does not only work as an origin of that superhero, but also as an efficient preamble of the highly anticipated film The Avengers, which will be an unification point of Marvel's film universe

The supporting cast of characters is magnificent and really help to make this film more then just your average superhero film. Tom Hiddleston who plays Loki brings a great villain to the role. Marvel definitely found two diamonds in the rough with Hiddleston and Hemsworth. Hiddleston does such a great job that I would definitely have to say that he embodies the best villain in the Avengers story arc so far. Portman plays the role of the innocent, sweet science girl with such ease that you almost believe that is precisely who she is. Hopkins in the role of Odin is exactly what we expect from him. I swear I have seen him in this same role a billion times yet he commands the screen with such subtlety that I do not tire of it.

I think the biggest gamble that was taken on this movie was that of Kenneth Branagh's directing. It is definitely a huge risk to bring in a "classically" trained actor and director to direct a huge summer superhero blockbuster. However in the case of Thor it ended up being definitely appropriate since the comic has always used Shakespearean drama and archaic language to tell the story of the God of Thunder, the political/family conflicts in the kingdom of Asgard and its interaction with the Marvel universe. With Branagh's direction Thor ends up being a shining example of the superhero movie done right.

The writing is spot on as they do a magnificent job telling the story as we are able to see Thor's motivations, power and ark completely. The pacing of the story is perfect in that everything keeps moving, but does not race along at such a frantic pace that no depth is told in the story while at the same time it does not plod along at a pace that makes you look at your watch. Instead, the action keeps you on the edge of your seat while at the same time you get a depth that is not always found in action movies. Also I think part of the writing that makes it work so well is the casting of Hemsworth and Hiddleston were done so early it allowed them to do research into their characters that truly comes through in the writing and their performance. The visual effects were amazing especially that of the kingdom of Asgard. The detail in the city was brilliant and I particularly loved the interpretation of the "rainbow bridge." This interpretation really helped to give the movie an ethereal feel.

Thor is the perfect way to start off the blockbuster movie summer and it has set a high bar for the rest of the movies this summer. Intelligent comic book popcorn movies are rare, but Thor delivers on all cylinders. The acting is above what I was expecting and I definitely expect Hiddleston and Hemsworth to have Thor be there breakout roles. I am giving Thor three and three fourth buckets of popcorn out of five, this is one that is definitely worth seeing in the movie theater so to have the entire action movie effect. Also make sure to stay for after the credits to see a separate story strand that will surely be tackled in an upcoming Marvel movie.

-The Movie Man

The Tourist

The Tourist is a fun action movie that has great on the edge of your seat moments without draining all of your energy like a lot of edge of your seat movies tend to do. While this movie had its fair shares of issues from replacing roles to replacing a director, I think in the end it got it right. Having seen this movie now I can understand why it received the golden globe nomination for best picture, and while it was no groundbreaking movie it did precisely what one wants a movie to do and that is to entertain. While there were a lot of negative reviews from critics and while they were not completely wrong the movie is enjoyable and a great diversion.

Depp's Frank is delightful, touching and slightly mysterious. He has endless room to play around, and makes Frank memorable, and lovely, as only Depp can. I loved seeing Deep in a role that was normal. I have become so used to seeing him being wild kooky characters that for me it was refreshing to see Depp go in a different role from those of late. Jolie's role is more limiting, but she still makes it fresh and - yes - deeply amusing, parodying both herself and the genre in general. Watching her saunter around on her high heels, one can't help but recall what James Bond used to be like. This isn't Wanted or Salt: she has far more to do here than look cryptic and shoot people, and she does it very well. Add to that the utterly magnificent Paul Bettany, Timothy Dalton and a few stereotypically dim Russian gangsters, who speak actual Russian for once and there funniest lines are not even subtitled, you can not go wrong.

Naturally, a movie that takes place in Venice the views are going to be spectacular. One can not help but actually view the city nearly as its own separate character because of the beauty that we are treated to.  The visuals are simply stunning, whether that describes the beautiful European vistas, lavish homes and hotels or the lead actors, there is definitely eye candy everywhere. The action scenes are exciting and even the dialogue has some charm. However it seems that for every peak there is a valley. The Tourist like its pre-production story seems to have a bit of an identity crisis. At times the film feels intense and brooding, other times it feels like a carefree romp through the waterways of Venice.

For me the biggest part of this movie that hurt it was simply that the plot was not as strong as it needed to be and the characters were left very much on the surface with a lack of depth. For what sounds like a fantastic plot on paper, the execution of it all leaves a little something to be desired. Perhaps the problem is with expectations. The premise and the trailer and two actors who typically take on fairly meaty roles suggests that The Tourist would at least have hints of substance, instead the audience is left with a beautiful and fun movie that is essentially summer action fluff – think The Italian Job meets Knight and Day.

While this movie had its weaknesses, the strengths outweighed the drawbacks. The Tourist does not try to be an intellectual film, but instead it is a fun romp through a beautiful city. The Tourist has a nice twist that helped give it that extra boost in my book. I am giving The Tourist three buckets of popcorn out of five. This is a movie that is worth the price of a rental and it will be one that you will need to make your own decision regarding if it is worth buying or not for your own DVD collection.

-The Movie Man

The Last Airbender

M. Night Shymalan ventures away from his typical movie genre to bring us The Last Airbender on the big screen adapted from the Nickelodeon cartoon. This was a movie that I did not see in theaters because so many had panned this film and the story line. After seeing this film I really have to wonder why critics were so hard on this movie and what were they really expecting from this movie.

Although the movie was a distinct movie in a different direction for Shymalan from past movies there were elements that he used that everyone will recognize from previous movies. He kept his trademark of appearing in his films, while this is one of his trademarks, I can not help but think of how this trademark is really a twist on the Alfred Hitchcock shadow trademark. Also he brings a great amount of imagery to the film with some great sweeping panoramic shots to help us see this great world. I know a big criticism that was out there for the film was that it did not hold true to the cartoon. While some may see this as a detriment I enjoyed the fact that he took this film and transformed it into his own. Not to mention it is hard to take 8 hours of animation story of the water book and condense it to make everyone happy.

For me the part of the movie that was successful was the acting. It is refreshing to watch a movie that has fresh faced actors. Noah Ringer in the role of Aang of course is what makes this film. The training he has had in martial arts is not only the reason he was selected for the role, but it makes the scenes work with such a fluidity. While a big criticism for his role is that the Avatar needs to be more happy like in the cartoon. I enjoyed this portrayal because it gives us some true emotion as he was trying to come to grip with the fact that no one he knew to be alive anymore and the guilt he feels for running away when told he was the Avatar. Shaun Taub in the role of Uncle Iroh shines. The direction and leadership he provides for the disgraced prince of the fire nation is perfect. He gives the audience someone that you do not want to succeed and you are rooting against from the get go.

The artistry in this film is really what drew me in. The fluidity of movement that is used for the different bending is so reminiscent of Tai-chi. The artistry for bending makes a lot of sense because one would definitely feel that in order for one to bend and control elements they must be able to focus and clear their mind. Also with this control it seemed to hit the right feelings with the decision to limit the fire control so that only the higher level benders can create fire with only their chi's. It worked so well for the fighting sequences in that it gives the film a great feel for Asian fight sequences.

I know one of the biggest complaints from fans of the animated series is the supposed mispronunciation of many of the names. Having never seen the animated series to me this was no big deal because I did not know what the pronunciation should be in comparison. For me this was made a big deal for no reason at all especially since there are some that have never seen the animated series.

While everyone has seemed to pan this movie, I found it to be a very enjoyable popcorn eating type movie that allows you to relax and simply put off the troubles of the world.  The fresh faces on the acting was very nice and while none of the acting was groundbreaking it was sufficient to tell the story. I am giving The Last Airbender two and three quarter buckets of popcorn out of five. This is a movie that everyone may not want to own, but is worth the price of a DVD rental.

-The Movie Man