Boom Boom Pow!

WARNING: May or may not contain spoilers! You have been warned!

Another twofer this week!

Cowboys & Aliens

I wasn’t sure about this one. I know comic book movies are all the rage, but the only thing this movie shares with the comic is the title.  Besides, Daniel Craig as a cowboy? Really? Harrison Ford is old, Olive Wilde is… I don’t know.  I just didn’t have high hopes for this one.  Thankfully, I was pleasantly surprised.

If I had to describe the movie, I would call it a Western that just happens to have Aliens.  It doesn’t try to be more than it was meant to be (unlike ‘Skyline’).  Most of the actors do a decent job playing Cowboys and Indians Aliens.  Daniel Craig does a decent job of hiding his accent and Harrison Ford has got the old grizzled and haggard cowboy look down… oh wait, it’s not a look. He is old, grizzled and haggard.  Olivia Wilde is ok, she doesn’t do much acting and the whole “nude” scene was kinda worthless and unnecessary. 

I don’t want to delve too much into the movie.  It is fun, not overly long and definitely not over the top.  The Cowboys use guns, the Indians use bow & arrows, and the aliens use ray guns. Bad guys die, good guys die, and the townsfolk are saved.

Overall rating:  Matinée/DVD Rental – Take your pick.  It’s a fun movie that focus on story rather than special effects.

Captain America

To date, there have been 33 movies based on Marvel properties. Captain America is #34 and they have come a looooong way since #1.  There have been victories (Iron Man) and defeats (Howard the Duck) but I believe that with each new movie, they learn from their mistakes. 

Captain America, by itself, is a good movie. The biggest compliant I would have is that there is not enough action.  There seemed to be soooo much character building and background development.  However, if you look at it as what it is supposed to be, then you get the bigger picture.  There is a reason it is called Captain America: The First Avenger. Unless you’ve been living under a rock the past few years, you know that The Avengers is being released next summer.  Hulk, Iron Man, Thor and Captain America are all preludes leading up to The Avengers. Based on that, Captain America makes for a very good movie.

There are a few of easter eggs in the movie. Some obvious, some not so much. Look for Bucky Barnes along with Dum Dum Dugan and the Howling Commandos. Phineas Horton's original Human Torch is at the World's Fair. A classic comic book cover is seen during the USO tour with Cap delivering the knock out punch to the Fuhrer. Oh, and speaking about the Fuhrer, there is a reference to Raiders of the Lost Ark. It's subtle, but it's there.

Overall rating: Full Price/Matinée – Again, take your pick. The amount of detail scene on the costumes and in the sets must be appreciated on the big screen.

Rise of the Planet of the Apes review should be up in a couple of days.

Late

JV