Category: Movies
the avengers
Back when Joss Whedon was announced as the lucky (or not so lucky) writer/director of The Avengers, internet forums were awash with equal parts joy and scepticism. And rightly so; even though Whedon was already a skilled storyteller (Toy Story, Buffy, Astonishing X-Men), his only cinematic directing gig to date had failed miserably (Serenity).
So how does Marvel justify its decision to hire a relative cinematic-unknown to direct the most-anticipated comic book movie ever?
new moon
Based on the multi-million dollar book of the same name, New Moon is a cinematic adaptation of the second instalment in the Twilight series. But you already know that.
Fresh off the heels of having reviewed its prequel, I wasn’t really in a hurry to watch more films about love and turmoil in Forks, Washington; let alone within a couple of weeks. What am I, a “twi-hard”?
twilight
There was a time when I would proudly profess to never watching “bad” films (unless of course they were so-bad-it’s-good); but, with the seemingly unstoppable onslaught of the mega-schlockbusters (Pirates of the Caribbean, Transformers) I felt it only appropriate that I jump on board with the one franchise that I have managed to avoid from the very start.
I was hoping to see what all the fuss is about. Based on the phenomenally popular book of the same name, Twilight is a 2008 film from the director of The Nativity Story. No, really. Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart) is at a crossroad; living in Arizona with her newly-remarried mother, she chooses to move in with her living-in-another-state father in an effort to re-establish familiarity.
mission impossible: ghost protocol
When The Kremlin is destroyed and Ethan Hunt‘s (Tom Cruise) secret spy team is fingered as the culprit, the US president initiates “Ghost Protocol”; disavowing the entire IMF and branding Ethan and Co. as terrorists.
On-their-own and on-the-run, Hunt and his team are forced to save the world (literally, as in “nuclear apocalypse”) with ever-dwindling resources. This allows the team to do the one thing previous MI episodes have done very little of: stop and think.
captain america: the first avenger
Set in the early years of the Marvel Universe, Captain America: The First Avenger tells of Steve Rogers (Chris Evans); a scrawny, sickly and just-plain-good “kid from Brooklyn”, who despite his lack of fitness is given an opportunity — albeit an unorthodox one — to fight for his country in WWII.
In comic book terminology, Cap’ would be considered a “Countdown to The Avengers” issue, being the last stop before the all-in superhero brawl; but does the film stand on its own two feet?
thor
Based on the comic book character created by Stan Lee, et al (based the on Norse deity of the same name), Thor is an action-adventure-fantasy film set in the ever expanding “Marvel Cinematic Universe“.
Thor (Chris Hemsworth) hails from Asgard, a place believed by ancient Norse cultures to be the realm of the Gods; turns out that Asgard is a real place, and Thor is nothing more than a cocky and “cruel boy” who misuses his God-like powers.
the bourne identity
The Bourne Identity is a 2002 film based on a Robert Ludlum novel of the same name. Jason Bourne (Matt Damon) is an American-accented amnesiac desperate to discover who he is and how he ended up in the Mediterranean Sea with two bullets in his back.
Recovered unconscious by a boat of Italian fishermen, the then unidentified (yet assumed titular) character discovers he is not without skills – a talented knot tier and polyglot, the only skill that he cares for is the one he is missing: the recollection of how he became so talented.
paul
After crash landing in America in the late 40s, an alien named Paul (voiced by Seth Rogen) has been a “guest” of the US Government at one of their top-secret military bases. But for reasons unknown, the space-travelling slacker is on the run from his hosts; choosing to hop on the first vehicle anywhere–in this case, the rented RV containing English Nerdlings Graeme Willy (Simon Pegg) and Clive Collings (Nick Frost).
black swan
Black Swan tells of Nina (Natalie Portman); a talented and naive ballerina, who after four years dancing with the prestigious New York City Ballet company, yearns to fulfil her dreams of becoming the company’s new lead dancer.
A new year brings a new production; and the company director’s (Vincent Cassel) wants to do a daring and somewhat-sexualised version of Swan Lake. Alarm bells ring for Nina as she is used to her highly structured and relatively unshakeable comfort zone. But when a new dancer (Mila Kunis) joins the company, the lines between said comfort, normality and reality become blurred – with potentially disastrous consequences.
