Wow I've been slack in updating this. Possibly because my brother damaged my fragile ego in criticising my grammar (I'll probably develop a complex now you jerk). I'm still not going to proof read these entries though. Got a few to write about. They'll probably be a bit short because I watched these films a little while ago now and can't remember enough to go into detail. Oh well.
Captain America: The First Avenger
This is the last movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe before The Avengers movie next year (so far we have Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, Iron Man 2 and Thor). Unlike the others, which are set in present day, this one is set in the 40's during World War 2, and the Americans are looking for a candidate for their experiment to turn someone into a super solider. Enter Steve Rogers, a weak, skinny bloke who can't pass the medicals to get enrolled in the army, however has enormous amounts of courage and a selfless attitude which fits the criteria the scientist dude, played by Stanley Tucci, is looking for to turn into, wait for it, CAPTAIN AMERICA.
So ah, yeah, dweeby Steve Rogers becomes the unstoppable CAPTAIN AMERICA (I'll stop that now) by going through some kind of procedure, the danger of which is well highlighted with dramatic music and such, and stars kicking Nazi arse. I've never read a Captain America comic book in my life but it seems like the character was either introduced as a WWII propaganda tool or to satirise WWII propaganda tools. Either way, it's the satirical nature of the situation that's on display here, as Rogers is used to promote war bonds and becomes the poster boy of the American Army, especially after liberating a bunch of POWs single handedly (remember, he had the procedure, so it's believable.)
I really enjoyed this movie, mainly due to the well developed sympathetic character of Rogers and numerous over the top but relevant-and-draw-you-in-with-one-scene-logically-following-the-other-take-note-Michael-Bay action scenes. Alot of it is very silly of course, but the serious approach to Rogers character, not to mention the good performance from Chris Evans, grounds the silliness. It's probably the best of these Marvel Cinematic whatever you call it movies since Hulk, and I've got high hopes for Avengers next year.
**** out of *****
Hanna
I think a movie is a lot like a house. No wait, that makes no sense, I'll start again. There are some movies which are like a home cooked meal. They're warm, inviting, don't require much of you, and depending upon the quality of the food can be satisfying or leave you wishing you'd eaten KFC instead. Then there are some movies which are like house work. They require attention to details, can be an effort to get through, and depending on the quality of the er, house (no, I couldn't think of a better analogy, shut up) can be either either very rewarding or just leave you exhausted an annoyed.
In the case of these two action movies, Captain America is the meal, Hanna is the housework. Directed by Joe Wright, whose previous films include Pride and Prejudice and Atonement, Hanna is something of an artsy action drama the feels like a cross between the Born Identity and Lost in Translation (stylistically, there's no implied adultery on display here.) Hanna tells the story of Hanna, surprise surprise, a 16 year old girl who has been raised in the wilderness by her father since she was little, and trained to become a resilient fighter as the government is after her for "some reason" (spoiler free zone here).
Like Captain America there's plenty of action and the character of Hanna is well developed, however in this case I actually preferred the more warm, inviting approach to storytelling of Captain America over the somewhat detached approached here. The film is beautifully shot, however at times the artistic nature of the film bordered on pretentious. I read a quote from Joe Wright regarding his film making style where he said something along the lines of "Basically, I'm showing off." Whether he meant that as a joke or not, it really feels like he is at times.
***1/2 out of *****
Foxtel Box Office - Hall Pass
As the title says, I got this as one of my free Foxtel Box office films, as I figured it probably wasn't worth the rental fee, yet I was still curious to check it out. The premise of this comedy, being the wives of two friends give them a week off marriage to do whatever they want, feels like it's borrowing from one of those old frat house or American Pie films. However, what actually eventuates from this is a little unexpected and somewhat funny. In fact I'd call the whole movie "somewhat funny", and despite being incredibly stupid I found the storyline oddly engaging. Like most gross out comedies the jokes sometimes work, and are sometimes just gross for the sake of gross. I don't want to spend much time talking about this movie as there's not much to say other than Hall Pass gets a pass (HA!), however only just.
**1/2 out of *****
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