Showing Tag: " marvel" (Show all posts)

REVIEW: Justice Is Not Served in Hell's Kitchen by the Blind Lawyer Daredevil, the Man With No Fear

Posted by James Brown on Sunday, June 15, 2014, In : 0.09% Cocktails 
Daredevil





Directed By: Mark Steven Johnson

Starring: Ben Affleck, Jennifer Garner, Michael Clarke Duncan, Colin Farrell, Joe Pantoliano, Jon Favreau, and David Keith

We've got a lot of big superhero movies in 2014 and 2015, including the likes of The Amazing Spider-Man 2, X-Men: Days of Future Past, Guardians of the Galaxy, and The Avengers: Age of Ultron.  Still, moviegoers seem to have their eyes fixated on the Zack Snyder's Batman Vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice, which is still two years away. ...

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REVIEW: Mutant and Proud Even During the Cuban Missile Crisis, Frankenstein's Monster Magneto Battles His Creator Sebastian Shaw in X-Men: First Class

Posted by James Brown on Friday, July 26, 2013, In : 0.03% Wine Coolers 
X-Men: First Class





Directed By: Matthew Vaughn

Starring: James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Rose Byrne, Jennifer Lawrence, January Jones, Oliver Platt, and Kevin Bacon

"I believe that true focus lies somewhere between rage and serenity."
-Professor Charles Xavier (James McAvoy)

Aside from Hugh Jackman's solo outing in X-Men Origins: Wolverine, there's always been a pervasive theme in the X-Men movies comparing the fight for mutant rights to the Civil Rights Movement.  In my review of the original X...

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REVIEW: Whether Kuekuatsu, the Trickster, or the Moon, Wolverine Does a Disservice to the X-Men Franchise in His Origin Story

Posted by James Brown on Wednesday, July 24, 2013, In : 0.09% Cocktails 
X-Men Origins: Wolverine





Directed By: Gavin Hood

Starring: Hugh Jackman, Liev Schreiber, Danny Huston, Dominic Monaghan, Ryan Reynolds, Kevin Durand, will.i.am, Taylor Kitsch, and Lynn Collins

"I come with you, I'm coming for blood.  No law, no code of conduct.  You point me in the right direction, and you get the hell out of my way."
-Logan (Hugh Jackman)

Hugh Jackman is perfect to play the Wolverine.  The only better casting of a superhero in the history of comic book movies is Robert Downey, Jr...

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REVIEW: In X-Men: The Last Stand, the Best Defense is Not a Good Offense

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, July 6, 2013, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine 
X-Men: The Last Stand





Directed By: Brett Ratner

Starring: Hugh Jackman, Halle Berry, Ian McKellen, Famke Janssen, Anna Paquin, Kelsey Grammer, James Marsden, Rebecca Romijn-Stamos, Shawn Ashmore, Aaron Stanford, Vinnie Jones, and Patrick Stewart

"Don't let it control you."
-Professor Charles Xavier (Patrick Stewart)

Between 2005 and 2007, we didn't have the greatest comic book movies hitting theaters across the globe.  Admittedly, we did have Christopher Nolan's Batman Begins in '05.  However, we...

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REVIEW: With Tornadoes, Cerebro, and the Phoenix, X2 is the Next Link in the Evolutionary Chain of Comic Book Movies

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, June 29, 2013, In : 0.00% Water 
X2: X-Men United





Directed By: Bryan Singer

Starring: Patrick Stewart, Hugh Jackman, Ian McKellen, Halle Berry, Famke Janssen, Rebecca Romijn-Stamos, Brian Cox, Alan Cumming, Bruce Davison, and Anna Paquin

"Mutants.  Since the discovery of their existence they have been regarded with fear, suspicion, often hatred.  Across the planet, debate rages.  Are mutants the next link in the evolutionary chain or simply a new species of humanity fighting for their share of the world?  Either way it is a his...

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REVIEW: X-Men is the Civil Rights Movie of the Modern Comic Book Movie Genre

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, June 29, 2013, In : 0.03% Wine Coolers 
X-Men





Directed By: Bryan Singer

Starring: Patrick Stewart, Hugh Jackman, Ian McKellen, Halle Berry, Famke Janssen, James Marsden, Bruce Davison, Rebecca Romijn-Stamos, Ray Park, and Anna Paquin

"Mutation: it is the key to our evolution.  It has enabled us to evolve from a single-celled organism into the dominant species on the planet.  This process is slow, and normally taking thousands and thousands of years.  But every few hundred millennia, evolution leaps forward."

-Professor Charles Xavier (...

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REVIEW: Spider-Man 3 Is Just Too Much. It's Just Too Much

Posted by James Brown on Friday, June 22, 2012, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine 
Spider-Man 3





Directed By: Sam Raimi
 
Starring: Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst, James Franco, Thomas Haden Church, Topher Grace, Bryce Dallas Howard, Rosemary Harris, and J.K. Simmons
 
The bar was set high for Sam Raimi after the towering successes of Spider-Man and Spider-Man 2, two of the greatest comic book movies of all time.  How do you come up with a story and a film great enough to at least match its predecessors?  Admittedly, it's a daunting task for any director.  In trying to outdo himsel...
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REVIEW: The Courageous, Self-Sacrificing Peter Parker Sets an Example For Us All in Spider-Man 2

Posted by James Brown on Thursday, June 21, 2012, In : 0.00% Water 
Spider-Man 2





Directed By: Sam Raimi

Starring: Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst, James Franco, Alfred Molina, Rosemary Harris, J.K. Simmons, Daniel Gillies, and Dylan Baker

"Sometimes we have to be steady and give up the thing we want the most, even our dreams."
-Aunt May (Rosemary Harris)


With the commercial and critical success of Spider-Man, a sequel was inevitable.  Hollywood was undoubtedly going to keep this cash cow alive.  The only problem was that they had to follow up one of the greatest comi...
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REVIEW: Our Friendly Neighborhood Spidey Slings His Way to Greatness in Spider-Man

Posted by James Brown on Wednesday, June 13, 2012, In : 0.00% Water 
Spider-Man





Directed By: Sam Raimi

Starring: Tobey Maguire, Willem Dafoe, Kirsten Dunst, James Franco, Cliff Roberts, Rosemary Harris, and J.K. Simmons

"In spite of everything you've done for them, eventually they will hate you."
-The Green Goblin (Willem Dafoe)

Superheroes do the impossible.  They are legendary men and women who do what the rest of us can't.  For this, we both love and hate them.  We put them on pedestals as gods among men.  At the same time, we label them as vigilantes and relent...
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REVIEW: As Iron Man, Billionaire Playboy Tony Stark Becomes a Superhero We All Can Love

Posted by James Brown on Wednesday, April 18, 2012, In : 0.03% Wine Coolers 
Iron Man





Directed By: Jon Favreau

Starring: Robert Downey, Jr., Terrence Howard, Jeff Bridges, and Gwyneth Paltrow

Every once in awhile, a film comes along that changes the game.  It's so refreshing and innovative that you can't be anything but impressed by it.  More often than not, you don't see it coming.   It's the film you would least expect to be revolutionary that changes everything.  Just take a look at Iron Man for example.  You would never expect some B-list Marvel superhero to step up ...
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REVIEW: Mr. Green Steps Up His Game in The Incredible Hulk

Posted by James Brown on Wednesday, April 18, 2012, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine 
The Incredible Hulk





Directed By: Louis Leterrier

Starring: Edward Norton, Liv Tyler, Tim Roth, and William Hurt

Back in 2003, Hulk was an absolute disaster.  The film did anything but justice to the big green menace, and there was a backlash from fans.  That's why the 2008 film The Incredible Hulk seems nothing like its predecessor.  Universal has brought in a new director, a new Hulk, and an entirely new cast.  They wanted to distance themselves from the painful memories from Hulk.  I can happi...
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REVIEW: Hulk Is Nowhere Near As Incredible As It Could Be. Are You Getting Angry?

Posted by James Brown on Monday, April 16, 2012, In : 0.09% Cocktails 
Hulk





Directed By: Ang Lee

Starring: Eric Bana, Jennifer Connelly, Sam Elliott, Josh Lucas, and Nick Nolte

Back in 2003, we were just getting started in this era of annual big budget action flicks featuring superheroes from Marvel Comics.  With the successes of X-Men, Spider-Man, and X2: X-Men United, everybody was expecting Hulk to do big things.  In the 2003 film Hulk, we wanted to see the big green angry man be incredible on the big screen.  Unfortunately, director Ang Lee takes us on a tour o...
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REVIEW: Bacon and Fassbender Save an Otherwise Mediocre Film in X-Men: First Class

Posted by Zach Davis on Tuesday, February 7, 2012, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine 
X-Men: First Class
Zach Davis




Directed by: Matthew Vaughn

Starring: James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Rose Byrne, January Jones, Oliver Platt, and Kevin Bacon

X-Men: First Class is Matthew Vaughn’s fourth time out as a director.  After having made Layercake, Stardust, and Kick-Ass, First Class marks the first time he has worked with a budget of more than $100 million.  The problem with First Class is a common one amongst comic book movies.  Vaughn tries to force too much trivia into the film.

As...
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REVIEW: Thor Swings a Mighty Hammer

Posted by Zach Davis on Sunday, January 8, 2012, In : 0.00% Water 
Thor
Zach Davis




Directed by: Kenneth Branagh (Post credit scenes shot by Joss Whedon)

Starring: Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Tom Hiddleston, Anthony Hopkins, Stellan Skarsgård, Rene Russo, Kat Dennings, and Idris Elba


Kenneth Branagh did an outstanding job creating the worlds of Asgard and Jotunheim, the respective homes of the mighty hero Thor and the Ice Giants.  Branagh, not really known for using visual effects and computer images, managed better than many directors who spend their care...
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