Lights....Camera....Popcorn!: April 2014

Welcome to another episode of Lights....Camera....Popcorn!

Today's review is Captain America: The Winter Soldier.

Written & Directed by Anthony & Joe Russo.

Based on the Marvel Comics character Captain America created by Stan Lee & Steve Ditko.

Review #248

MPAA Rating: Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence, gunplay and action throughout.

Run Time: 136 min

Hulk Spoils Hollywood Podcast Page

Cast

Chris Evans...Steve Rogers / Captain America

Samuel L. Jackson...Nick Fury

Scarlett Johansson...Natasha Romanoff / Black Widow

Robert Redford...Alexander Pierce

Sebastian Stan...Bucky Barnes / Winter Soldier

Anthony Mackie...Sam Wilson / Falcon

Cobie Smulders...Maria Hill

Frank Grillo...Brock Rumlow

Maximiliano Hernández...Jasper Sitwell

Emily VanCamp...Kate / Agent 13

Hayley Atwell...Peggy Carter

Toby Jones...Dr. Arnim Zola

Captain America: The First Avenger was an average film at best. I had major problems getting behind this one. The biggest being the casting of Chris Evans as Steve Rogers. He just didn't look the part and still doesn't after three films. His persona is too class clown than captain. He knocked it out of the park when he played The Human Torch in the unwatchable Fantastic Four films. That's who I saw every time cap was on screen.

The rest of the film was way too boring and mishandled by director Joe Johnston. What was the point of having a super soldier if you weren't going to show him being super. I'll get into that later. The bottom line is that this character got off to a slow start in his first solo film since the mid 90's. Then Joss Whedon breathed new life into the character. He gave cap more of a purpose and reality while sharing screen time with the rest of the earth's mightiest heroes. So here we are with Phase 2 of Marvel's cinema universe and the captain kicks off the roster of films hoping to right the many wrongs his first effort displayed.

I'm pleased to announce that the captain's mission was accomplished.

Plot

Steve Rogers struggles to embrace his role in the modern world and battles a new threat from old history: the Soviet agent known as the Winter Soldier.

What gave this film so much promise was the introduction of The Winter Soldier. What happened very early on was the real and better story behind this film which was cap's continued adjustment to the "real" world he lives in. At least a year has gone by since Rogers return to the living and the events in NY and he still has time to tell jokes about not having plans because all the members of his barbershop quartet are dead. He's still coming to grips with a world and time that's passed him by while dealing with a much more important issue. The fact that he still doesn't trust Nick Fury and S.H.I.E.L.D.

This comes to a head after the initial action scene which was pretty impressive by comic book action standards. Cap finds out that he's rescuing hostages that were taken captive because of S.H.I.E.L.D's trespassing. It stings cap to his core. In fact he protests early on by saying to Black Widow that he's tired of being Fury's janitor. This is the main plot point of the film that I loved the most. The Russo brothers did the right thing and tackled the issue that made the most sense to Rogers at the moment. This film would have sucked major balls if they just went the typical hero vs new villain route. Instead the fused that narrative with a more compelling one that in turn became an intricate yet simple story that made nothing but sense for THIS character.

That's important to remember. The story laid out in this film only works for Captain America. The rest of the Marvel universe would have failed miserably if tossed into this kind of plot. I wish I could divulge more but there's way too much that goes on that requires your full attention and getting into it will cheapen the experience. I know I'm gushing about this film but it's not perfect. That being said, it does a whole lot right. The biggest being making Black Widow not only important but likeable.

I've gone on record saying that both Black Widow and Hawkeye were completely useless in The Avengers. I still feel that way but for some reason this film softened me up to The Widow. Her role and purpose was expanded to be more than just the ass kicking T&A. Her involvement was vital to the story and cap's journey. A lot of this has to do with the core story but also her background as a former turned Russian spy. The web (no pun intended) of intrigue that surrounded her character was interesting to see play out. You were never quite sure where she was going or who she was playing. Her loyalties come into question which played into the mindset of Rogers as he discovers how misled he's been while working for S.H.I.E.L.D.

This at the core is what made this film so good and a nice departure from the fantastical and supernatural stories that Marvel has churned out over the past few years.

The final two things I'll comment on this film revolve around 2 new characters. The first being The Winter Soldier. Anyone who read the comics know who he actually is and the film does a pretty good job shrouding his identity. However, if you pay close enough attention you can put 2 and 2 together before you get his full reveal midway through the film. What I enjoyed about The Winter Soldier's involvement was that there was an enemy capable of taking the captain to task. This was a problem with the first film. Johnston did a disgraceful job showcasing the captain's extraordinary abilities when it came to going up against "normal" enemies.

A good example of how the Russo brother fixed that is in this picture above. You see the aftermath of the carnage left by cap but this fight showcased his proficiency with close quarter combat and taking on multiple enemies. You truly saw his power and ingenuity going against seemingly un-winnable odds. However the best example takes place in the opening action scene. There were several shots of cap running along the ship at top speed taking out thugs with ease. The camera catches the action from far angles so you can appreciate the cap's speed and timing during this action beat. There's no cuts til he takes on more than one thug. It was a nice touch and the PROPER way to showcase Captain America's supernatural power.

Finally let's touch on the Falcon played by Anthony Mackie. The announcement of his involvement in the film was curious to me. In the comics, Falcon is not looked at as a popular or particularly strong character in the Marvel universe. The Russo brothers did what most smart filmmakers do with soft characters. They made him stronger. Gone was the one piece jumpsuit and feathered wings. In it's place was a "practical" design for the Falcon. It was a very nice touch that displayed a conscious effort to normalize even the most over the top characters. Falcon doesn't necessarily fit that mold but his inclusion to the film and future installments serve notice that Marvel is taking their characters seriously and will do what they can within reason to give us the best of both worlds.

The final word on this film is simply. Captain America: The Winter Soldier was a good film. A MAJOR improvement from it's predecessor and the good sign for the character and it's journey when it takes on The Caped Crusader and The Man of Steel in 2016.

It's going to be an interesting battle.

On the 5 star scale. Captain America: The Winter Soldier gets 3.5 stars with a "Go See It!" recommendation.

That's a wrap for today.

Until Next Episode...."I'll Save You A Seat!"

"D"

Welcome to another episode of Lights....Camera....Popcorn!

Today's review is Divergent.

Directed by Neil Burger.

Written by Evan Daughtery & Vanessa Taylor.

Based on the novel "Divergent" Written by Veronica Roth.

Review #247

MPAA Rating: Rated PG-13 for intense violence and action, thematic elements and some sensuality.

Run Time: 139 min

Hulk Spoils Hollywood Podcast Page

Cast

Shailene Woodley...Tris

Theo James...Four

Ashley Judd...Natalie

Jai Courtney...Eric

Ray Stevenson...Marcus

Zoë Kravitz...Christina

Miles Teller...Peter

Tony Goldwyn...Andrew

Ansel Elgort...Caleb

Maggie Q...Tori

Mekhi Phifer...Max

Kate Winslet...Jeanine

Ben Lloyd-Hughes...Will

Christian Madsen...Al

What do you get when you combine Ender's Game with The Hunger Games?

This movie.

Plot

In a world divided by factions based on virtues, Tris learns she's Divergent and won't fit in. When she discovers a plot to destroy Divergents, Tris and the mysterious Four must find out what makes Divergents dangerous before it's too late.

I said it in the Hunger Games: Catching Fire podcast that you can listen to here. I thought this movie would suck and it did. It sucked a lot. My issues with this film are countless. The first being that from the first frame I instantly thought Hunger Games only in a cleaner society. The world Divergent takes place in has 5 distinct factions that create a sense of purpose and belonging to each individual. This is a call back to the different districts in Panem. Then Ender's Game gets into the act with Divergent's main character Tris.

By now you've seen in the trailers so this is not spoilery. Tris is divergent which means that she's not limited by the controls this society have set on everyone. There are a few of these "special" people that pose a threat to the established order this is what makes her character so important. It also made me not care for a single millisecond. The reason why this film fails so miserably for me is that it's based on a series of books that came after The Hunger Games. There are too many parallels that you can make that just don't jive. I'm of course am just going by the film adaptations of these stories so it wouldn't surprise me in the least to find out that within the body of the books there's missing exposition that flows better and produces a more cohesive narrative. My thoughts on that reasoning is 3 simple words.

I don't care.

Now I'll explain why.

Since these films are being made off a trilogy or more books. Hollywood is taking the approach of not open ending each chapter. Instead of teasing the POSSIBILITY of a sequel they are flat out telling you there will be another one. Which in turn leaves the previous film with a lack of closure. It's a beyond stupid tactic to employ for several reasons. The first and most important one is the audience response. There's no guarantee that these films will hit big with the people. So to assume that and prepare for a cinematic universe is daring and dumb. What's given tinseltown these brass balls is the success of The Hunger Games but the counter argument was the under performance of Ender's Game. So the powers that be are hedging their bets that Divergent will be able to cash in on the massive success of Katniss and friends. It seemed to have worked since this film grossed $54,607,747 opening weekend.

However....

The momentum almost came to a dead stop after that. Final world wide total was a pedestrian $139,776,993. This apparently was enough to forge ahead with not only the second books (Insurgent) adaptation but the third (Allegiant) which will surprise surprise be split up into 2 films. I just don't see it and it for me stems with one person.

Shailene Woodley.

She was in a word awful in this movie. The unfortunate thing about this is that I think she's a decent actress. I think she will kill it as Mary Jane Watson in The Amazing Spider Man 3. The problem is that she's not in The Amazing Spider Man 3 playing a supporting character. She's the headlining character in her own franchise and she flops miserably in this. First off she just doesn't look the part physically. Again I have no idea how she's described in the book but after talking about The Hunger Games with my cousin and Hulk Spoils Hollywood co host Carlos "The Ranger" Morales he gave me some background on what Katniss was like in the books and it gave some insight to how the films changed her for the better. In Divergent, Tris is just too damn weak. And her character is not fully formed mentally.

Meaning Woodley's performance never gives Tris a clear focus or agenda. She's constantly hinting at her true feelings about EVERYTHING. Her life, the world she lives in, her thoughts on the established order. I hate to keep doing this but in The Hunger Games you knew right away what Katniss was all about. Perhaps it was because she lived in poverty so her disdain for the upper class was understandable. Here, Tris hates something but doesn't show it or expresses what she would do to change it with one exception. I can't say what that was. Be on the look out for the Divergent podcast to get more of a detailed explanation.

That being said, there's really not much else I can get into without completely blowing up my spot. I'll finish off by saying that this film wasn't expected to be any good by my eyes and I hate that I was right. There was so much underdevelopment in a lot of areas here that it will take a ton of convincing by The Ranger to get me to change my mind. I for one do not expect that to happen but stranger things have happened. One thing I do know for sure is I will NOT be seeing how this story comes to it's inevitable close. I gave Divergent a chance and like the free will that each divergent possesses I will exercise mine and wait for The Hunger Games: Mocking Jay Part 1.

On the 5 star scale. Divergent gets the goose egg. 0 stars with a "Save The Loot!" recommendation.

That's a wrap for today.

Until Next Episode...."I'll Save You A Seat!"

"D"