The Dark Knight Rises

In a year of superhero movies, it is definitely the job a director to make their movie stand out against the others that are playing, or have played earlier in the year. Christopher Nolan took on this task by releasing the conclusion to his dark trilogy of Batman flicks this summer, and I am satisfied to say he delivered, for the most part. The Dark Knight Rises is easily the best film out of the three, it's main problem is it takes entirely too long to get it to that point. At a run-time of almost 3 hours, you go into the film expecting to see quite a bit of Batman-style action, all while developing an enticing story- something that Nolan has excelled at in his previous two Batman endeavors. However, the film makes the 2 hours and 45 minutes you're watching the film feel like you've sat there for nearly four hours. The actual character of Batman appears in the movie for maybe a total of 45 minutes of the total run-time, which makes for an uninteresting amount of Bruce Wayne being a broken down man. The story takes place eight years after the events of The Dark Knight, and Wayne has taken to being a hermit who no one has seen in the entire eight years. Batman has also gone missing and people are starting to take notice of the coincidence between the two (well, except Commissioner Gordon that is). Wayne receives a visit from CatWoman (played rather fantastically by Anne Hathaway I might add) who convinces the bat to don his cape again and beat the baddies...the only problem? Bane. He puts a stop to Batman and takes over Gotham while Wayne sits in a cell and watches....for another hour and a half. During that time the story weaves and develops into a fairly generic "let's take over the city" story line, but then Wayne decides he needs to take down Bane and attempts to escape his mental and physical prison. That's when things get interesting. The story evolves past that of a superhero movie and onto some damn fine storytelling. As I mentioned earlier, it is easily the best of the three Nolan Batman films...but it takes over half the movie to get to the point. The movie could have easily been cut down some and still had the same impact near the ending- which is one of the best endings to a trilogy I've seen- if not ever than certainly in a long, long time. If you had told me going into the film that I'd tear up at a Batman movie I'd call you crazy (thanks, Michael Cane). Overall, if you're a fan of the caped crusader and/or Christopher Nolan I highly recommend you check this one out- it is well worth the wait to get to the good parts of the film when everything comes together. 4 out of 5.

Sucker-Punch

I try very hard to not be hard on movies- I love them. I enjoy criticizing them some of the time, but to be truly hard on a movie is just something I don't like to do. Then I come to movies like Sucker-Punch. I have never been a Zack Snyder fan, and this movie sure didn't change my opinion at all. First things first, this movie is very pretty to look at. The visual aspects of this movie are very eye-catching, and intriguing to watch. That being said, they can get old and taxing after two hours of watching them. Near the end of the movie there's a scene where every...single...action is carried out in slow motion. I found myself almost shouting "WHY" at the TV while watching the scene, it got old super-fast. Second, is the story. While watching this movie I had to have a friend (who loves the movie, mind you) explain to me what happened...the whole damn time! I feel that I should be able to figure out what exactly is happening in a movie while I'm watching it and not have to have everything explained to me- I didn't even have this much trouble understanding Highlander! It really killed a lot of the enjoyment of watching the movie for me. Conceptually, this movie is cool- seeing her "dance" in a second-reality-that's-not-really-reality turning into an action sequence in a third-reality-that-is-STILL-not-reality (like I said, confusing) was a very interesting concept- as was the whole "these realities aren't what's really happening" concept- I just found it thoroughly confusing. To be honest, it made me skeptical of watching Inception for fear that I'll get confused watching it as well. If you like Zack Snyder, action movies, or even shiny visuals this is the one for you- however if none of the above is you, you may not want to watch.

2 out of 5.

The Smurfs

I'll be honest- I did not go into The Smurfs with high expectations. After Hollywood butchered the lovable bear that is Yogi, my expectations were roughly the same, expecting The Smurfs to be completely massacred. I was pleasantly surprised- for the most part. I enjoyed the movie and it had many enjoyable, laughable, and heart-warming moments presented in a very family-friendly atmosphere. The Smurfs tells the story of The Smurfs and their archenemy Gargamel being sucked into New York City through a vortex in the Smurf Village. They run into Neil Patrick Harris' character Patrick (convenient, no?) as Clumsy Smurf falls into his box-o-makeup goods. The Smurfs then begin to try and find their way home and showing Patrick how to not miss his life all while trying to avoid Gargamel. Hank Azaria was quite perfect in his role of Gargamel, though portraying him a bit more daft than his typical self from the show. The Smurfs themselves were well cast too, save Papa Smurf who sounded like an Aslan the Lion wannabe and made the whole character seem a lot rougher and bolder than he was originally. Overall, if you're looking for a good, clean family flick than The Smurfs is right up your alley, but if you're into constant action with things blowing up, than you're probably better off checking out the latest Michael Bay flick.

3.5 out of 5

X-Men: First Class

When this movie was anounced I hadn't planned to go see it, until I saw the trailer. Once I saw the trailer my opinion changed. The movie seemed like it was going to be a breath of fresh air that the X-Men series really needed in order to respike my interest in it. After "The Last Stand" I had given up. "Wolverine" wasn't horrible, it just seemed like a movie trying to expand the profits while loosly fitting in with the comics. This movie changes that. Much how "The Dark Knight" has changed how people view Batman, "X-Men: First Class" can change how you can view X-Men. The cast is very well put together, and fit almost every character that has appeared in previous X-Men movies. The deal with this movie is that it is a prequel to everything that has ever been done (X-Men movie related-wise). It is the backstory of Charles Xavier and and Erik Lehnsherr (better known as Magneto). It shows how they discovered each other, as well as their own mutant powers all while attempting to show that mutants are not people to be feared. The adventure that unfolds will leave you hanging on to every turn that the movie takes you on, through hilarious cameos (Hugh Jackman may have won the best cameo in a movie award for me), and fun-to-watch action sequences. The movie is well put together and, while slightly inconsistant with both comics and the other movies, is very enjoyable to watch. I'd recommend it to the general movie goer looking for a good action flick and to the comic book nerd. You shouldn't be disappointed.

4.5 out of 5

The Hangover, Part 2

Tasteless, profane, and no limits. That was the formula that made up The Hangover, quite possibly the biggest comedy hit almost ever. I enjoyed the first part of the series quite well and found myself laughing frequently. However, when I heard that the second part would be coming out I rolled my eyes- another Hollywood sequel that didn't need to happen. Against my better judgment, I went in order to prove myself wrong- and didn't. This movie is indeed another Hollywood sequel that did not need to be made. Storywise, there is only so much you can do with the same kind of premise as the first movie- the guys party so hard they don't remember anything and find out they did some ridiculous things, including lose a member of their party. Look no further than the story of the first one to see the story of the second. This time Stu is getting married and the guys decide to have a calm bachlor's bonfire. When they wake up the next morning they're shaved, tatooed, and missing Stu's fiancè's brother. They then travel around Bangkok in order to find him and piece together the night. The jokes go to places that did not need to be travelled to in many instances causing me to merely shake my head in disbelief. Now, that's not to say the movie isn't funny- I found myself laughing quite a bit, it just is a completely different type of humor than the first one, though the same type of stuff is included. If you are a complete die-hard fan of the first Hangover you will probably enjoy this one a lot, but if you, like me, rolled your eyes at the thought of a sequel you probably should avoid this one.

2.5 out of 5

Black Swan

A very cleverly weaved tale that shows a fairly accurate depiction of behind-the-scenes of major dance companies. Having been in that kind of scene before even just for an audition you get a vibe that is very strongly similar to much of the goings-on in Black Swan. Not to say that all companies are the same, but it does exist. Portman's portrayal of the ballerina Nina was fairly believable, though sometimes cliché. She crafted a very self-conscious girl who wanted to be perfect and, for the most part, it worked. The shock to me was just how much of a "thriller" this movie is. I was not prepared for half of the things this movie throws at you and soon I was witnessing blood, cursing, and some moments intended to startle (one at which I did jump). Parts of the movie are rather grotesque and truly disturbing to witness and others are witty and clever to watch. The actual dancing aspect of the movie is well done, though mostly focused on Portman through interesting camera angles in order to show facial expressions and hear the small talk between the performers on stage. The movie was rather enjoyable and I'd recommend it for those looking to branch out of the ordinary and witness an interesting look inside of a "beautiful" production, however it is certainly not recommended for the faint of heart.

4 out of 5

The Return of Murphy!

Alright so here is a new update on Murphy:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DUh1WnrquUI

[copy and paste in the URL to view]

She's back and better than ever, featuring a new head and new pyro effects. Fast forward to about 5 minutes into that video to see the footage. Her magnificent return has been long awaited since September. At one point there were rumors of her not returning from the higher ups at Disney, however Murphy has returned and she is here to stay!

Halloween: Disney Style

It's come to that time of year again in the Disney parks all over the world- Halloween. Every Disney park worldwide has their own different festival for Halloween, all featuring unique and fascinating features. Disney World in Florida features Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party for the youngsters (for an additional entrance fee) which offers Trick-or-Treating spots for the kids, special character meet-and-greets, and two spectacular shows. The first is the Villain's Mix-and-Mingle, a 7 minute high energy dance show followed by a chance to meet the villains. During the show Maleficent welcomes the guests and gets the show under way and then other Disney villains join her on stage (and new this year is the amazing Dr. Facilier from Princess and the Frog). The show gets better every year, this year featuring the entire front of the stage being engulfed in green flames, flash pots, and a much bigger pyrotechnic finale. Then once the end comes near Magic Kingdom presents Hallo-Wishes, a fireworks show featuring new versions of several classic Disney songs. I wouldn't pay extra to get in I don't think, but it would be well worth it if you have small children.
Disneyland in California features similar things including the mind-boggling, eye-popping Halloween Screams fireworks show, however new this year it's only being shown at the Halloween party which costs extra which has many people upset, but it's well worth a watch. Seeing Zero from Nightmare Before Christmas fly over Sleeping Beauty's castle is fantastic and the effects that happen all over the sky will blow your mind!
Hong Kong Disneyland features a pretty unique to-do which in itself wants to make me hop on a plane. The Glow in the Park parade is amazing just to see video of. The leader of the parade is a float with a giant animatronic Jack Skellington atop it but he can bend over to look at the audience! All the other floats feature similar things, Maleficent rides with Chernabog from Fantasia and it is simply amazing. They then have the Nightmare in the Sky fireworks show, which isn't as impressive as you would expect from Hong Kong Disneyland but still would be worth a watch live.
Tokyo Disney and Disneysea have multiple shows that are simply incredible. Mysterious Masquerade in Disneysea features all the classic characters trying to figure out what artifact is possessing guests and it is interesting to watch. The Tokyo Disneyland has a parade/show combo where the villains take over the Disney good-guys' Halloween bash and it's full of lots of fire.
All in all Disney knows how to throw a party, and if you get a chance to visit any of these places I'd highly recommend it!