The Avengers **½

Director: Joss Whedon
Cast: Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth
Samuel L. Jackson, Mark Ruffalo, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner
Tom Hiddleston, Clark Gregg, Cobie Smulders
Stellan Skarsgård, Gwyneth Paltrow

The Avengers feels like a success because its very existence seems to be fulfilling a promise made to us with the advent of comic book movies: that one day we would get to see an epic popcorn flick in which all our favorite superheroes would get to have some fun together.
What once was thought to be impossible due to technology, budget and other factors, has finally become a reality and the result is disappointing because in the process, the film has become the equivalent of opening gifts as grown ups on Christmas morning: the magic has all but vanished.
The first part of the movie, consists of the "let's put on a show" plot that was much better used in last year's The Muppets, since the faces involved are all familiar (or at least they should given that this movie has no less than six prequels) all the audience is expecting to see is what they will do together.
The film however takes its time setting up the stage as we see Thor (Hemsworth) come back to Earth to stop his psychotic brother Loki (Hiddleston) from invading it. Joining the Norse god are brilliant playboy/Iron-Man (Downey Jr.), the slightly passive aggressive Bruce Banner (Ruffalo) whose Hulk is on almost permanent sleep, the thawed Captain America (Evans), the sexy agent known as Black Widow (Johansson) and ace archer Hawkeye (Renner), all led by agent extraordinaire Nick Fury (Jackson who seems to be more alive than in any movie he's made in at least a decade).
The entire film revolves around this group of heroes kicking Loki's ass and preventing imminent destruction at the hand of weird aliens who ride intergalactic mopeds and use fish like spaceships to wreak havoc on New York City (because where else do space invasions begin?).
The film often lies at a very awkward spot because its execution is often marred by the Whedonisms being repressed by the very epicness of it all. Whedon is an extraordinary director who has no trouble alternating and even normalizing the relationship between fantasy and "real life". Some of his greatest creations combine vampires, space cowboys and clones with a deep sense of longing, melancholy and geek humor.
His persona shines during some key moments in the film, mostly through, who would've guessed it, Thor and Captain America, the two towering men whose latent humanity shines through under Whedon's sensitive directing.
The Avengers thrives on its all-star ensemble but the running time (already excessive) doesn't give us enough time to delight ourselves with our favorite characters, unlike the Ocean's Eleven movies this one doesn't know how and when to use its assets best. It tries to be fair, when it should've been selfish in its purposes. As much as Downey Jr. shines as Stark, his smugness can get too grating, especially when Whedon is making Hemsworth and Evans act! 
It's a shame that the director never really knows what to do with the larger setpieces, because he has proven time and time again just how great he is at action sequences (remember the sense of Indiana Jones-like adventure he infused in the whole of Serenity?) The Avengers overflows with moments of almost-greatness that feel abrupt, as if Whedon wanted to jump but remembered he might break a bone upon landing.
The movie is unarguably efficient in its coherence, but it's almost too coherent, when it could have been playful, thrilling. Instead of inspiring us to want and turn the page to see what's next, more often than not we end up wondering if something fun will ever happen. Comic book movies are often a double edged sword because those who concentrate on the profoundness contained in the post-war plight for salvation are never really "fun" (any Batman movie under Nolan), and those that concentrate on thrills leave audiences feeling empty and self indulgent (any Spider-Man under Raimi).
Perhaps to concentrate too much on this would lead to an exploration of why comic books even matter and by the end we'd have lost all notion of the product known as The Avengers, which despite Whedon's attempts, misfires more than it succeeds and reminds us that the whole sometimes is lesser than the sum of its parts.

Short Take on "What's Your Number".

It's a shame that this movie begins with a joke that feels rehashed from the vastly superior Bridesmaids (people in the theater whispered it without realizing that both movies were probably in production at the same time) and kicks off its proceedings by wondering about the sexuality of a character played by Zachary Quinto (and on the week when he decides to come out!). Truth be told, all in all the film isn't any good, it feels like an episode of Sex and the City gone bad and it hides some disturbing chauvinism under the face of being who you are and defending your right to have sex with as many people as you want. The film still sells audiences the good old fashioned idea that finding "the one" is some sort of panacea that everyone should dream about! Even women who enjoy having sex can be rescued by the notion that out there there's someone willing to forgive them for their previous sluttiness and make honest beings out of them.

Why then, might this movie be worthy of even a minute of your time? Anna Faris. The way in which this woman puts herself through all sorts of incoherent episodes in the name of comedy makes her the ideal heir to a long tradition that features women like Mae West, Carole Lombard and Lucille Ball. Watching Faris' expressive eyes can sometimes deliver a funnier punchline than the words her character is given! Not to mention she even makes the endlessly dull Chris Evans seem funny (and with his shirt on!).

She crafts delightful chemistry with every actor in the film. Her scenes with Martin Freeman are hilarious, her encounters with real life husband Chris Pratt makes you wish they invited you to their home and entertained you with their humor and her moments with Joel McHale encompass the terrors of dating with such sweet sincerity that you can't help but fall for her.

Why hasn't anyone given Ms. Faris the movie she actually deserves?

Captain America: The First Avenger ***

Director: Joe Johnston

Cast: Chris Evans, Sebastian Stan, Tommy Lee Jones

Hayley Atwell, Neal McDonough, Dominic Cooper

Hugo Weaving, Derek Luke, Stanley Tucci

Out of the large universe of Marvel superheroes, Captain America has always been one of the strangest because unlike say, Spider-Man or Hulk, despite their US headquarters, he doesn't really represent a global cause. The stars and spangles on his uniform appeal specifically to Americans and no, the rest of the world does not consider the US of A to be its savior. In fact it's essentially intriguing to ask oneself why would a studio bother in making and distributing a film about such a specifically American icon when the country has unarguably been losing more and more prestige as a mediator of nations. Oh wait, there we have the answer...

In reality this film isn't so much a prequel to The Avengers or yet another money making blockbuster, it's basically a propagandistic piece that tries to recover the very American idea which says that the prouder you are of the USA, the more you will make foreigners admire you.

This sounds like a tough sell after the disastrous international consequences brought about by the Bush administration and the mixture of antipathy and pity brought on by the inefficient Obama government.

Each of these factors make Captain America: The First Avenger a complex beast because it's meant precisely to work as the sort of nationalistic fluff made during the war, designed to attract young men to enlist and young women to drool over their efforts. So, what's the best way to convey this without getting flack from liberals and extremist praise from conservatives? You make the movie an homage to the lost art of propaganda, you set it during the era when it thrived, you bash in the method's techniques and surreal patriotism and you get to have your cake and eat it too.

This is precisely what director Johnston does for this film, he borrows the retro aesthetics of his superb The Rocketeer, throws in some modern quips to satisfy comic book fans and even casts non-distinctive actors (can anyone tell the difference between Atwell, Sienna Miller and Claire Danes?) to fulfill the promise that anyone can become Captain America.

Chris Evans pulls off the all-American handsome blue eyed, blonde hair look as super soldier Steve Rogers, who starts out as a Benjamin Button-ized skinny young man with good intentions who catches the eye of a Nazi-escapee scientist (the always wonderful Tucci) who realizes he's the best subject for his new program. Rogers then is injected with a serum that - in the best fairy tale way - creates a physical manifestation of his inner values. Therefore the meek Rogers who hates bullies and never says no to a good cause turns into the obscenely muscular version of Evans we already know. Problem is that before he escaped Germany, the good scientist also conducted the experiment on the insane Dr. Schmidt (Weaving) who turned into a supervillain trying to destroy the world by means of Nordic god weaponry.

The film then becomes a brisk adventure that recalls 30s and 40s serials, the film exudes a lovely Indiana Jones spirit and the art design and costumes are spot on. The film is often at its best when it inadvertently gives us glimpses of the futuristic views of the past. Cooper is a scene-stealer as crazily seductive engineer Howard Stark (Iron Man's dad) and he shows absolute joy in a manic Howard Hughes inspired way. Gotta love that he gets to pull off the mustache now favored by hipsters the world over, while staying true to the aesthetics and customs of the era he's in.

For all its talk of American pride and honor, the film can get quite sneaky at times and you might find yourself rooting for the Captain's illegal operations. Perhaps all changes in times of war but to justify invasion in this day and era feels like an ethical conundrum, even in the name of blockbuster joys. Best of all is that Johnston never denies his intentions, at one point Dr. Schmidt reminds the Cap that he's not an emblem of nations, that his cause is in the name of one particular country. Of course he ignores him and despite our best efforts to keep neautral, we keep on cheering for him until the very end.

Sheet-y Saturday.

Where we take a look at posters for upcoming features.

When it comes to superhero movies I'm usually completely blasé until I watch them (see how much I enjoyed Thor for example!) and I'd been even more than indifferent towards the new Captain America until I laid my eyes on this fantastic poster.

This is how you do a film poster people! The retro factor gives the film a completely different perspective and truly makes me salivate at the possibility of encountering a throwback to the Fletcher Superman cartoons for example. Can you imagine how awesome that would be?

Love the Hitler punching, the font, the colors and heck, if Chris Evans doesn't look like a young Gary Cooper in that illustration.

Do you love this one as much? Excited about Captain America?

Sheet-y Saturday + Kylie!

Where we take a look at posters for upcoming features.

Why isn't Anna Faris the biggest female comedy star in the movie world? She constantly delivers purely genius work, and no this is not hyperbole. The other day watching X-Men for example, the trailer for this movie was the only one that brought a smile to my face (sorry Harry Potter Part 20 and Mr. Popper's Penguins). On the bright side, it's refreshing to see that she still gets leading roles, her movies haven't been precisely huge by any chance, so I'll take my Faris as I can.

If this movie had been made thirteen years ago I would've been all over it. Back then Tom Hanks was my favorite actor and Julia ruled my world, actually come to think of it, wasn't it that way for everyone else too?

Now, I find Hanks smirk utterly irritating and while Julia still rules my world, she abandons it so much, that I've learned to survive without her. With that said, the poster for Larry Crowne, which should feel like an event, is so dull.

Yes, it's about Hanks' character going back to college and being taught by Julia but it's not really Big or anything. The poster wants to reflect the fun of doing things at an inappropriate age, and as much as Julia's smile creates new angels, Hanks riding a Vespa feels less Gregory Peck and more like Old-man Holiday.

Dying to see either of these flicks? Do you remember loving Tom and Julia as much as I did?

On another note, go check out my Kylie article over at The Film Experience. It's all part of the Moulin Rouge! anniversary.

I still can not believe ten years have passed since I became obsessed with this movie.

Yet still every viewing feels like the very first one.

Sigh.