WHAT WOULD TOTO WATCH? » Marvel Comics

Toto’s Movie Review: ‘Captain America: The First Avenger’

cftoto — Fri, 22 Jul 2011 14:07:52 +0000

Turns out Chris Evans was an inspired choice to play the star-spangled Captain America after all.

But the latest superhero film from the Hollywood assembly line uses up Evans’ aw shucks appeal by the halfway point en route to yet another feature-length plug for next year’s “The Avengers.”

Dear Hollywood, if we all agree to pony up for “The Avengers” now will you stop invading all these superhero films?

“Captain America: The First Avenger” tells a wonderful origin story then rushes through a series of interchangeable action scenes hardly worthy of the good Captain.

“The First Avenger” maxes out the CGI tool kit to render Evans as Steve Rogers, a scrawny kid from Brooklyn itching to fight those evil Nazis. But the 98-lb. if he’s lucky weakling isn’t fit for military service. A friendly German scientist (Stanley Tucci) sees something noble in the kid all the same, and he chooses him to participate in a secret experiment designed to make an army of super soldiers to battle Hitler’s goons.

The serum transforms the spindly Steve into a walking slab of muscles, but the government inexplicably uses him to sell war bonds in USO-style performances, not fight Nazis. That Evans works the crowd in a note-perfect replica of the comic book Captain America outfit is a sly nod to fanboys who insist the movie versions of famous superheroes replicate the print costumes.

But when Steve’s old pal Bucky (Sebastian Stan) gets captured, Steve picks up his costume metal shield and stages an improbable rescue.

“Captain America’s” first half bubbles with 1940s nostalgia and all the Uncle Sam decency Evans can muster. His Steve Rogers couldn’t outbox his own shadow, but there’s not a lick of quit in him. He’s both heroic and hapless, a droll combination.

He also gets a feisty romantic foil in Hayley Atwell, a va-va-voom British agent overseeing Steve’s transformation. Tommy Lee Jones appears every few scenes to bark out lines straight out of his craggy DNA, and it’s just the kind of abrasive tone needed to lend this old-fashioned romp some texture.

So why isn’t Cap’s arch nemesis the Red Skull (Hugo Weaving) the lip-smacking villain we expected?

Weaving, who made the mysterious man behind the mask in “V for Vendetta” into a character of substance, can’t do much with his flaming red noggin. He kills a random member of his troupe at one point, a tired technique to show us how bad the baddie is in a given film. But there’s nothing special about him. He’s super strong but prefers not to confront Captain America directly, and his master scheme to attack the U.S. mainland feels like a plot sketch stolen from a Bond movie.

Magnificent computer trickery renders the buff Evans into a scrawny twerp, but once that super serum takes hold his Captain America becomes dull. The same can be said of the script, which up until that point crackled with wit and sweetly drawn characters.

Director Joe Johnson (“The Rocketeer,” “The Wolfman”) delivers a few crisp action moments, but there’s no “wow” set piece begging you to pony up for another ticket. And the action often feels rushed, spasms of violence devoid of the bigger picture, a second World War with enormous stakes in play.

“Captain America: The First Avenger” is chock full of red, white and blue goodness as we get to know the man behind the blue suit and shield, but once he charges into battle it’s just another action epic.

‘Thor’ – A second opinion

cftoto — Tue, 17 May 2011 14:21:36 +0000

(Guest post by B.J. Bethel)

“Thor,” the latest from the Marvel Studios franchise of comic book creations, is quite preposterous.

Twenty years ago, before I was a teenager and when children still did such things, I bought a few “Thor” comic books. I never thought the result would be to one day see Anthony Hopkins, film royalty if there is such a term, wearing gold plating in an eye patch, sitting atop a steed, screaming out geek-speak straight from the clouds of a comic book frame.

I never thought I would see Rene Russo, the steamy and headstrong seductress of John McTiernan’s “Thomas Crown Affair,” relegated to a few cuts of a summer comic book blockbuster, but there she was. Kenneth Branagh is as Shakespearian a director as you will find, now he’s directing movies for Marvel Studios.

This is the world we now live in. Where Robert Downey, Jr. can do “Chaplin,” then 20 years later have to find headliner status in “Iron Man.” These are roles taken seriously by the cream of the profession, thanks to “Spider-Man” proving comic book films could be “good films” and Christopher Nolan/Zack Snyder proving they could go beyond that. Every other genre and industry (outside the wonderful world of Pixar) lost trust over these years, while these comic creation continue to make money. They are a haven of sorts, for the studios and moviegoers.

The sheer absurdity of this hit me through the Buddy Holly-esque 3D goggles I wore at the local metroplex this weekend. It’s a sign of an art form falling to its knees, but not with a few rousing scenes to its credit, and that’s exactly how I felt about “Thor.”

Even as I waited for years wondering what these comic book creations would look like on screen, I couldn’t help but wonder if this was ultimately a good thing or a horrible one. I’ve come to the conclusion it’s the former. At least someone is still trying to make fun movies.

Chris Hemsworth is the bulky hero, and a fine one at that. He’s the most physically imposing actor since Arnold in his Conan days (another franchise to be remade this Summer, unfortunately) but he’s better. He can act. His Thor is honest and straightforward, while lesser actors would fall into trope or pure cheese for cheese sake, he holds it together. He’s likable from the moment he’s on screen and has a bright future.

Natalie Portman, his mortal love interest-slash-astrophysicist, is what Portman always is – the scrappy, petite, pretty sweetheart, which makes her an odd match for “Thor,” but Branagh was definitely aiming for the “every girl” route with the role. If one wonders the state of the metrosexual, Thor puts all doubts to rest. The metrosexual is dead. No more pairings with Tobey, Jake or Hayden.

Kat Dennings (who is rather Goddess like herself if her red carpet photos are any indication) is the plucky student assistant with a tazer and a bubbly comment for every occasion. Stellan Skarsgard is their mentor.

Together they “run” into “Thor” in the desert after he’s unceremoniously stripped of his power and standing in his home “realm.” This leads to the fish-out-of-water wackiness one could expect, which Hemsworth never loses his grip on. He’s quite impressive throughout, which is to be expected from the one actor Hollywood though could portray Captain Kirk’s dad. Things play out between Earth and his home realm of Asgard, villains emerge, and the rest goes from there.

It’s nothing special as far as story goes, but it’s well crafted, redemptive, and ultimately, heroic – words rarely used to describe the condition of the modern blockbuster. Sure, Thor is young and arrogant, but you cheer for him the moment he walks in – bearing smiles and his big hammer – and you learn to like him more throughout. He also learns something along the way, and for a minute you are reminded that characters used to do that.

Not to say this is a black-and-white film, but it does have its villains and does have its heroes, a concept lost on movie making. This bit of complication brought to villainy and heroics is nothing new to Marvel characters, and it’s a welcome presence on the big screen where it seems increasingly for a character to have character, he must have no character at all. Consider that one myth dispelled easily.

“Thor” is nothing great, but it’s fun enough. That will do well enough in a world where too many movies are neither.

(Photo: Thor (Chris Hemsworth) and Jane Foster (Natalie Portman) share a moment in “Thor,” from Paramount Pictures and Marvel Entertainment. Photo credit: Zade Rosenthal / Marvel Studios)

‘Iron Man 2′ – Too much of a very good thing

cftoto — Fri, 07 May 2010 14:50:05 +0000

We tried to warn them.

Yes, the folks behind “Iron Man 2″ knew not to shake up the formula – witty humor, a potentially unlikable lead character and some cracker-jack action.

But they didn’t listen when fans cried over each new casting coup – Samuel Jackson! Sam Rockwell! Scarlett Johansson! Mickey Rourke!

“Iron Man 2″ doesn’t soar like the original mainly because a film this overstuffed can barely hover over the ground.

Tony Stark (Robert Downey, Jr.) has plenty on his plate as the sequel opens. An oily senator (Garry Shandling) wants to confiscate the Iron Man suit, claiming it’s a weapon that can’t be left in the hands of an ordinary American.

“I’ve privatized world peace,” Tony says, one of many meaty subplots not given the film’s full attention.

A new supervillian named Whiplash (Mickey Rourke) wants to take Tony out for reasons clumsily explained later in the film.

And the technology that saved Tony’s life in the first installment is now slowly killing him.

What’s a billionaire crime fighter to do?

Better yet, what’s a relatively green screenwriter like Justin Theroux (“Tropic Thunder”) to do with all these story threads?

At its best, “Iron Man 2″ falls back on its star’s limitless charm to sell the sequel. Downey, Jr. is working at a level few peers can touch, and he once again turns Tony Stark into a knotty hero you admire even when he’s at his most arrogant.

But Tony’s tale is bogged down by the appearance of a new, sultry colleague (Johansson), the pesky intrusions of a super spy type (Jackson as Nick Fury), the machinations of a rival weapons inventor (Rockwell) and even the ghost of his late father (John Slattery).

And what about the flirtations between Tony and his faithful assistant Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow)?

Could any sequel handle such an avalanche of story threads?

The sequel’s quirky sense of humor salvages some pedestrian moments, like a battle between a drunken Tony and his best pal Rhodey (Don Cheadle, stepping in for Terrence Howard) with unpleasant echoes of “Superman III.”

Rockwell is having a blast as Stark’s rinky-dink rival, but he’s a mere distraction from Whiplash, the character best suited to smite Iron Man. It’s impossible to create an indelible screen villain like Heath Ledger’s Joker without giving him adequate time to chew scenery.

Rourke, a toothpick permanently affixed to his lower lip, could have been a villain for the ages. You know he’s ready for the assignment – just look at his barrage of tattoos and those savage line readings.

But “Iron Man 2″ is too busy juggling subplots, ogling at Paltrow’s short skirts and setting the stage for the upcoming “Avengers” mega-movie.

“Iron Man 2″ director Jon Favreau seems an unlikely action auteur, but he orchestrates the first meeting between Iron Man and Whiplash better than a fanboy’s wildest fantasies. The sequence is so superior to anything in the “Transformers” franchise it’s ridiculous to even put them in the same category.

“Iron Man 2″ falls into the traps laid by other superhero sequels, namely an addiction to “name” actors in showy roles. It still has the power to enthrall audiences – but only for a spell.

(Photo: Stark Industries newest employee, Natalie Rushman (Scarlett Johansson) with her boss, billionaire industrialist Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) in “Iron Man 2.” Photo credit: Industrial Light & Magic/© 2010 Marvel. All Rights Reserved)

‘Punisher: War Zone’ – Three strikes, yer out!

cftoto — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 06:23:18 +0000

If you like exploding heads, ‘Punisher: War Zone’ is the movie to beat!”

“If you wanna hear some of the worst New Yawk accents in film history, don’t miss “Punisher: Kill Zone!”

OK, I’ve tried my best to give the ad reps behind the new Punisher movie a quote for the movie posters.

Wait … “the most unintentional laughter you’ll hear all winter!”

That’s it. I’m out.

“Punisher: War Zone” marks the third time Hollywood has tried to bring the Marvel Comics vigilante to the big screen. Neither Dolph Lundgren nor Thomas Jane could make the character his own, so it’s up to “Rome’s” Ray Stevenson to do the honors.

But the newest “Punisher” is all B-movie, all the time. Poor Stevenson never had a chance.

The story is a franchise reboot, joining the story of The Punisher, AKA Frank Castle (Stevenson), already in progress. He’s squaring off against a rising New York mobster (Dominick West, who sounds like a dinner theater actor attemping a Bronx accent), and he deposits the goon in a glass crushing machine.

But the thug doesn’t die. Instead, he’s reborn as Jigsaw, a villain whose facial deformities make The Joker look like Brad Pitt.

Now Jigsaw’s out for vengeance, and he springs an old pal appropriately named Loony Bin Jim (Doug Hutchison) from the local sanitarium to help.

Hutchison owns the movie from this point on, bringing the right amount of pulp to this very bloody affair.

In between Jim’s theatrics, we watch as the local cops do their best to track down The Punisher. The Keystone Kops have nothing on these guys. It’s no wonder New York City needs a vigilante to take a bite out of crime.

“War Zone” tries to keep a straight face in the early scenes, but midway through all pretenses toward serious crime fiction go down the drain. And that’s a good thing, since “War Zone” only clicks when it embraces its infantile approach to a very serious antihero.

A friend in the know about comic books says The Punisher works best when paired up with real superheroes. Spider-Man might think twice before killing a supervillain, but The Punisher has no such qualms. It’s what makes him so compelling in the first place.

Maybe the next “Punisher” movie will include the web slinger – or any other Marvel hero who might justify yet another attempt to bring The Punisher to your local theater.

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(Photo: Ray Stevenson is all guns, all the time, as the vigilante anti-hero in “Punisher: Kill Zone.”)

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