Showing Tag: " comics" (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: Because Frank Moses Requested Some Pension Checks, His Fellow Seniors Get to Show They're Retired But Extremely Dangerous

Posted by James Brown on Sunday, July 14, 2013, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

Red

Directed By: Robert Schwentke

Starring: Bruce Willis, Mary-Louise Parker, Morgan Freeman, John Malkovich, Helen Mirren, Brian Cox, and Karl Urban

The actors of today have definitely earned their place in the hearts of moviegoers, but we still love our stars of old. In the world of action movies for instance, just look to the success of The Expendables and the seemingly unending careers of the legends of the 80s and 90s. Somehow, the likes of Schwarzenegger and Stallone are still going, gra...
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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: Why the World Doesn't Need Superman Returns

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, June 1, 2013, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

Superman Returns

Directed By: Bryan Singer

Starring: Brandon Routh, Kate Bosworth, James Marsden, Frank Langella, Eva Marie Saint, Parker Posey, Kal Penn, Sam Huntington, and Kevin Spacey

Before we entered this era of filmmaking where studios reboot a franchise at the drop of a hat, studios opted to keep franchises alive forever and ever. There are countless examples of this. Look at the Friday the 13th and Nightmare on Elm Street series, kept alive through the 1980s, the 1990s, and most of th...
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REVIEW: The Quest for Peace is the Quest to Take Superman to New Lows Entering the Nuclear Arms Race

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, June 1, 2013, In : 0.12% Hard Liquor

Superman IV: The Quest for Peace

Directed By: Sidney J. Furie

Starring: Christopher Reeve, Gene Hackman, Jackie Cooper, Marc McClure, Jon Cryer, Sam Wanamaker, Mark Pillow, Mariel Hemingway, and Margot Kidder

DC Comics has been getting spanked by Marvel at the movies. Just look at Iron Man 3 and how that kicks off Phase 2 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. DC seriously needs to step up their game and leverage the abundance of comic book mythology at their fingertips. As badly as they're losing...
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REVIEW: In Superman III, Richard Prior Happens to Be a Computer Genius. Seriously???

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, May 4, 2013, In : 0.12% Hard Liquor

Superman III

Directed By: Richard Lester

Starring: Christopher Reeve, Richard Pryor, Jackie Cooper, Marc McClure, Annette O'Toole, Annie Ross, Pamela Stephenson, Robert Vaughn, and Margot Kidder

We've come to the point in this Superman retro series where I have to deliver some harsh truths. First and foremost, we haven't had a good Superman flick in over 30 years. It saddens me to say that Superman II was the last great movie about our favorite Kryptonian donning red and blue tights. Since th...
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REVIEW: With the Man of Steel and the Greatest Criminal Mind of Our Time, Superman Heralds the Birth of Comic Book Moves in a Grand Way

Posted by James Brown on Thursday, January 10, 2013, In : 0.03% Wine Coolers

Superman: The Movie

Directed By: Richard Donner

Starring: Marlon Brando, Gene Hackman, Christopher Reeve, Margot Kidder, Glenn Ford, Phyllis Thaxter, Jackie Cooper, Mark McClure, Valerie Perrine, and Ned Beatty

"You will travel far, my little Kal-El. But we will never leave you... even in the face of our death. The richness of our lives shall be yours. All that I have, all that I've learned, everything I feel... all this, and more, I... I bequeath you, my son. You will carry me inside yo...

REVIEW: Watchmen Successfully Brings the Frames of a Comic Book to Life

Posted by Zach Davis on Tuesday, September 18, 2012, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

Watchmen
Zach Davis

Directed By: Zack Snyder

Starring: Malin Akerman, Billy Crudup, Matthew Goode, Carla Gugino, Jackie Earle Haley, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, and Patrick Wilson

I have to start by addressing the end of Watchmen as it takes a huge left turn from the end of the graphic novel. To many, this was considered heresy, but I think it did the film justice more so than sticking with the original material would have. Without spoiling the movie, the ending chosen by director Zack Snyder and ...

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: Everything Burns in the Joker's Gotham, But We Have a Silent Guardian and Watchful Protector in The Dark Knight

Posted by James Brown on Sunday, May 13, 2012, In : 0.00% Water

The Dark Knight

Directed By: Christopher Nolan

Starring: Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Heath Ledger, Gary Oldman, Aaron Eckhart, Maggie Gyllenhaal, and Morgan Freeman

"You'll hunt me. You'll condemn me, set the dogs on me. Because that's what needs to happen. Because sometimes... the truth isn't good enough. Sometimes people deserve more. Sometimes people deserve to have their faith rewarded."
-Batman (Christian Bale)

Once in a long while there comes a movie that changes the way you look a...
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REVIEW: Mr. Wayne Embraces His Fears, and the Legend of Batman Begins

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, May 12, 2012, In : 0.03% Wine Coolers

Batman Begins

Directed By: Christopher Nolan

Starring: Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Liam Neeson, Katie Holmes, Gary Oldman, Cillian Murphy, Morgan Freeman, Tom Wilkinson, and Ken Watanabe

"If you make yourself more than just a man, if you devote yourself to an ideal and if they can't stop you, you become something else entirely – a legend, Mister Wayne."
-Henri Ducard (Liam Neeson)

With summer 2012 heralding the reboot of the Spider-Man franchise, I feel like déjà vu. All I hear is that five...
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REVIEW: Patience Phillips May Land on Her Feet, But Catwoman Lands Flat on Its Ass

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, May 12, 2012, In : 0.12% Hard Liquor

Catwoman

Directed By: Pitof

Starring: Halle Berry, Benjamin Bratt, Sharon Stone, Lambert Wilson, Frances Conroy, and Alex Borstein

After Michelle Pfeiffer's seductive and fiery performance as Catwoman in Batman Returns, there was talk of a spinoff film about the feisty feline starring Pfeiffer and directed by Batman Returns director Tim Burton. With Batman Forever taking a lighter turn and Joel Schumacher taking Burton's place in the director's chair, the chances of the spinoff happening with B...
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REVIEW: The Heat Is On. Clooney and Schwarzenegger Need to Get Out of the Kitchen in Batman & Robin.

Posted by James Brown on Sunday, May 6, 2012, In : 0.12% Hard Liquor

Batman & Robin

Directed By: Joel Schumacher

Starring: Arnold Schwarzenegger, George Clooney, Chris O'Donnell, Uma Thurman, Alicia Silverstone, Pat Hingle, and Michael Gough

The on-screen role of Batman was cursed back in the 90s. Batman was like the Defense against the Dark Arts post at Hogwarts. Each live action Batman film was headlined by a different guy, and this became increasingly to the detriment of the series. Michael Keaton reprised his role as the Caped Crusader in the spectacular B...
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REVIEW: Warner Bros. Killed the Bat We Loved in Batman Forever

Posted by James Brown on Sunday, April 29, 2012, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

Batman Forever

Directed By: Joel Schumacher

Starring: Val Kilmer, Tommy Lee Jones, Jim Carrey, Nicole Kidman, and Chris O'Donnell

Batman may be the most successful superhero of all time at the box office. For a time though in the 90s, he was the worst managed hero. After the magnificent films Batman and Batman Returns directed by the imaginative Tim Burton, Warner Bros. decided that they wanted this superhero franchise to be more “family-oriented”. Apparently, a few little weak kids went ...
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REVIEW: Batman Returns Helps Us Find the Man Behind the Bat & the Woman Behind the Cat

Posted by James Brown on Tuesday, April 24, 2012, In : 0.00% Water

Batman Returns

Directed By: Tim Burton

Starring: Michael Keaton, Danny DeVito, Michelle Pfeiffer, and Christopher Walken

Later this year in The Dark Knight Rises, Anne Hathaway has the hardest job of all. She's got to be Catwoman. She's got to grab some skin-tight vinyl and a whip and bring out a dark, seductive side in her we've never quite seen on screen. It couldn't be a more fitting year for this. While 2012 marks the epic conclusion to the legend of the Dark Knight, it also marks the 20...
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REVIEW: Did You Ever Dance with the Devil in the Pale Moonlight? Vicki Vale Did in Batman. His Name was Joker.

Posted by James Brown on Sunday, April 22, 2012, In : 0.00% Water

Batman

Directed By: Tim Burton

Starring: Jack Nicholson, Michael Keaton, Kim Basinger, Robert Wuhl, Pat Hingle, Billy Dee Williams, Michael Gough, and Jack Palance

With the excitement over the upcoming epic motion picture event The Dark Knight Rises, it's definitely worthwhile to revisit some of the older Batman films. Before talk of Bane, Catwoman, and the Dark Knight himself reaches a fever pitch in the coming months, we need to talk about the movies that laid the foundation for films like TD...
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REVIEW: Tony Stark May Be on the Highway to Hell, But Iron Man 2 Is Clearly on the Highway to The Avengers

Posted by James Brown on Thursday, April 19, 2012, In : 0.03% Wine Coolers

Iron Man 2

Directed By: Jon Favreau

Starring: Robert Downey, Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, Don Cheadle, Scarlett Johansson, Mickey Rourke, and Samuel L. Jackson

The Marvel Cinematic Universe has really become something to behold. It's something really special in the world of blockbuster filmmaking. Marvel is doing solo films for a number of superheroes and then bringing them together as a team in the 2012 flick The Avengers. The hero who led the pack and introduced this universe to moviegoers was Iro...
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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: Green Lantern is a Little Too Green for the Big Screen

Posted by James Brown on Sunday, February 12, 2012, In : 0.09% Cocktails

Green Lantern

Directed By: Martin Campbell

Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Blake Lively, Peter Sarsgaard, Mark Strong, Angela Bassett, and Tim Robbins

Bringing the mythology of comic books to the big screen in live action films is one of the toughest jobs a director can tackle. Not every hero is easy to bring to theaters like Batman or Spider-Man. Some of the most popular comic book heroes are just not meant for live action films. Green Lantern is one of those heroes. Martin Campbell falls flat on ...
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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: Kick-Ass Lives Up To Its Name

Posted by Daneeka Abellard on Thursday, January 26, 2012, In : 0.03% Wine Coolers

Kick-Ass
Daneeka Abellard

Directed By: Matthew Vaughn

Starring: Aaron Johnson, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Chloë Grace Moretz, Mark Strong, and Nicolas Cage

"It didn't take a trauma or cosmic rays or a power ring to make a superhero. It's just a perfect combination of optimism and naïveté."-Dave Lizewski

Kick-Ass helps answer the question ‘what if a completely average guy really tried the superhero thing’. High school student and comic book junkie, Dave Lizewski (Aaron Johnson) is that guy. I...
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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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