Month: July 2011

Our setting is the Old West and as the movie begins, outlaw Jake Lonegran abruptly awakens out in the wild.  He’s been beaten and has no clue as to who he is and how he’s ended up where he’s ended up.  He notices a mysterious wrist attachment, and while he’s trying to take the attachment off, he’s encountered by a trio who’s making their way to the town of Absolution.  When Jake doesn’t give them answers that they’re looking for, the trio decides to “teach” this stranger a lesson.  Jake reacts instinctively and quickly teaches the trio a lesson of his own and soon he’s taken some of their clothing, their money and some guns and makes his own way to Absolution, still having no clue as to who he is and how he’s ended up in this situation.

Once he’s made his way to Absolution, Jake finds out a little about the town and a few of the people, and then comes across Percy Dolarhyde, the reckless son of Woodrow Dolarhyde, a former Colonel who controls the town thanks to his cattle business.  Percy ends up getting himself into quite a bit of trouble as he’s trying to teach Jake a lesson and lands himself in jail.  Soon though, the town’s sheriff takes notice of Jake and recognizes his picture from a wanted poster.  Jake has also caught the eye of a mysterious woman named Ella, who seems to know everything about Jake’s situation but isn’t really giving anything up yet.

Soon, word gets to Woodrow Dolarhyde about what has happened to his son.  Dolarhyde and his men make their way to Absolution in the middle of the evening to try and get Percy free just as Percy and Jake are both being taken away to the Federal Marshal.  Just as this happens, strange flying craft appear over the town, quickly establishing that they’re there for destructive purposes and in the process, abduct many of the townspeople.  Now, Jake and Woodrow Dolarhyde find that they have to join forces to find out the secrets behind these mysterious visitors.

That’s the premise to Cowboys & Aliens the latest comic/graphic novel to make it’s way to the big screen as well as the latest from director and actor Jon Favreau, who’s best known recently for his work at the helm of both of Marvel Entertainment’s Iron Man films.  Now, I’ve never read the graphic novel (written by Scott Mitchell Rosenberg), so I’ve no clue as to how close this is to it.  I’ve heard though that the main inspiration for the adaptation has been more from the cover image of the book more than anything else, so take from that what you will.

Favreau’s got some very impressive talent both behind and in front of the camera, with the driving script having such notables as Lost creator Damon Lindelof and the duo of Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci, who are currently the driving forces behind the TV shows Hawaii Five-O and Fringe as well as having had their hands in many big movies, including the Transformers franchise and the latest re-working of Star Trek. With writers with that pedigree, you certainly do expect big things from Cowboys & Aliens.

For the most part, Cowboys & Aliens delivers a fun, popcorn experience.  Favreau’s movie certainly has a terrific look (I think it’s his best-looking movie to date) and has some pretty impressive visual effects.  Where this falters is with it’s script.  Now when I say that, please keep in mind, I still had a great time with this movie, so I’m not really being damning with my criticism.  I think they’re trying to pack a little too much into this though and not necessarily paying everything off as satisfactory as they could.  Plus there’s a few holes (in particular behind the character of Ella) that you could drive a truck through.  It’s still a pretty rousing good time with some pretty terrific set pieces, but it’s script could’ve probably used a few less hands involved.

Of course, when you’ve got a cast that’s as large and diverse as this, I guess the temptation is there to try and give everyone their due, and for the most part, everyone does get their due but to varying degrees of satisfaction.

The cast is headed by Daniel Craig as Jake Lonegran and Harrsion Ford as Woodrow Dolarhyde.  Craig, of course, is best known these days for being the latest actor to play James Bond, and here he’s just as intense as he is as Bond, being quite convincing with his action sequences.  I tend to see Craig in the same vein as the late, great Steve McQueen with a coolness and confidence that all guys wish they could have, and he certainly continues that perception with Cowboys & Aliens. I haven’t been quite as impressed with some of the more recent work from Harrison Ford, and as this gets started, I was almost wishing for that part to have been played by someone like Gene Hackman instead.  But, Ford does get some nice service from the script and has the most satisfying arc that any of the characters of this movie can hope to have.  His character actually does go through a transformation here, and it’s very much evident on-screen.

They’re backed up with a very impressive array of talent including Clancy Brown, Keith Carradine, Paul Dano, Noah Ringer, Sam Rockwell, Adam Beach, David O’Hara and Walton Goggins.  All of these guys play some specific Western archetypes and they’re all certainly very serviceable in their parts.  I thought that Sam Rockwell and Paul Dano were both quite good. Rockwell plays Doc, the man who runs the local saloon and who’s getting tired of being pushed around by the Dolarhydes.  For myself, Sam Rockwell, whether he’s playing a lead or he’s in support, is always money in the bank.  He’s strictly support here, but he certainly brings enough to the table to stand out amongst this impressive cast.  Paul Dano plays Percy Dolarhyde and he’s certainly quite effective in creating this spoiled son character that you really want to see get hurt at just about every opportunity.

Olivia Wilde plays the mysterious Ella and she’s the one character that I have the most problem with, though it’s not any fault of Wilde’s.  Ella is key for this group’s discovery of why the aliens are here.  Her character really does nothing more than advance the plot to the writer’s convenience.  Ella leaves more questions than answers and while I don’t think that every film necessarily has to dot all of their “i’s” and cross all of their “t’s,” as far as her character was concerned, this needed more completion.

Still, even with it’s script problems, I thought Cowboys & Aliens was a fun genre mash-up.  I certainly had a good time with it despite it’s script shortcomings.  Jon Favreau has certainly done all he could to at least make this look fantastic and he keeps things moving at a pretty brisk pace.  Harrison Ford is the biggest standout for me with it’s extremely impressive cast, getting the best character payoff by the film’s end.  I wouldn’t necessarily say to run right out and see this right away, but it’s certainly a fun diversion, just as long as you’re not too demanding in getting every question answered.

Flat out, right from the start, I think Marvel hit one out of the park with this one…

While comic book super-hero movies are all the rage now (and I certainly remember a time when they weren’t) to the point where there seems to be a certain amount of fatigue setting in from some viewers, Marvel is doing something distinctly different in trying to create fully satisfying standalone movies that also all tie together. In my estimation, they’ve really succeeded.  They’ve given their hardcore fans something that they know, but they’ve also given a fresh viewer something that they can really get into.  With Captain America: The First Avenger we’ve gotten one of the most pure conversions yet and my hat is off to director Joe Johnston, producer Kevin Feige and the entire production team of Marvel Entertainment.

We start off in the present day, as a a mysterious aircraft has been located buried under an arctic mass by an as yet unidentified team (though those in the know already have an idea who this team is).  As the team makes their way into the aircraft, they discover a familiar red, white and blue object and from there we flashback to the 1940s.

In short order, we’re introduced to Johann Schmidt, also known as the Red Skull, the leader of HYDRA, a group that supports the Nazis with their work into the supernatural and the paranormal.  Schmidt is in pursuit of a mysterious object in Norway (giving us our first little tie into Thor) that he believes will lead him to some sort of ultimate power.

The we meet young Steve Rogers.  Rogers is a 90-lb. weakling who has a good heart and wants to do his part for his country.  He’s repeatedly tried to enlist into the armed forces and repeatedly gets classified as 4F, making him unable to serve.  As Rogers is getting ready to see his best friend off to war, James “Bucky” Barnes, he’s discovered by Dr. Abraham Erskine.  Erskine sees great potential In Rogers for his Super Soldier project and is immediately drafted into service, much to the chagrin of the head of the project, Colonel Philips and one of his top agents, Peggy Carter.

Needless to say, the project is a success and from there… well, I’ll leave that to you to discover.

Captain America: The First Avenger is the fifth in the series of Marvel comic adaptations to be directly handled by Marvel itself, following on the heels of the first two Iron Man movies, The Incredible Hulk and Thor leading up to next year’s big Avengers movie.  It’s also, in my opinion, the best film yet in the series.

Joe Johnston is the director of this film and he’s certainly no stranger to working in the realm of the fantastic, having spent many years before as a lead concept artist with Lucasfilm and having previously directed such films as Honey, I Shrunk The Kids, The Rocketeer, Jumanji, Jurassic Park III and last year’s The Wolfman. When I first heard that Johnston had been selected to direct this, I was thrilled by the prospect, primarily due to his work in bringing the late Dave Stevens’ The Rocketeer to cinematic life.  Johnston doesn’t disappoint at all here.  He gives us a very satisfying full story about the good Captain as well as tying it into the other Marvel films, and it’s just loaded with nice “Easter Eggs” that fans will appreciate, that in no way will detract from anyone else’s enjoyment.

The look of the movie is absolutely first rate.  Everything from production design, to shot framing to visual effects is absolutely stunning.  For a movie that’s slightly over two hours long, it’s tightly edited and wonderfully punctuated with a terrific score from composer Alan Silvestri.  In fact, I hope this gets an Oscar nomination for visual effects primarily for the wonderful job the movie does in transforming actor Chris Evans into a 90-pound weakling.  Near as I can tell, this looks seamless and the only way you know it’s a visual effect is because you have a recognizable guy like Chris Evans in the role.  I’d hazard to guess that if this same technology was used with a total unknown, with the exception of the height differential, most would think that an unknown actually made a physical transformation himself for the role.

Chris Evans plays the part of Steve Rogers/Captain America and he’s just fantastic.  He’s certainly no stranger to comic book movies having played The Human Torch in The Fantastic Four movies, and Jensen and Lucas Lee in last year’s The Losers and Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World respectively.  I first got familiar with Evans when I saw him in Not Another Teen Movie back in 2001 and it’s been fun to watch him come along since then.  His Captain America is sincere and quietly confident to the point of what I’d expect that some might see as corny, but I love that, and think it’s just the thing that this character needs.  He wouldn’t have been my first choice to have played this part, which is no reflection on his skills, I just wouldn’t have thought of him to do it.  I’m sold though, Chris Evans is perfect here and you just want to see him do more.

He’s got a lot of great back-up, starting with actress Hayley Atwell as Peggy Carter.  Carter’s first skeptical of what this weak guy can do, but as she gets to know Rogers further, she really opens up to the guy.  That chemistry that Atwell has with Evans is genuine and certainly convincing in the context of the film.  Tommy Lee Jones plays Colonel Phillips and really this is the type of part that Jones can do in his sleep, but it’s still terrific to see him do it.  Jones brings a big sense of humor to the film that’s never condescending.  Sebastion Stan plays “Bucky” Barnes, Rogers’ best friend, and though his scenes seem relatively brief, he’s right on target.  Stanley Tucci plays Dr. Abraham Erskine and brings just the right touch of both compassion and authority.

Hugo Weaving plays Johann Schmidt/The Red Skull and ever since first seeing him in The Matrix I’ve been thoroughly impressed by his skills and confidence in every part he’s played.  In V For Vendetta he confidently and convincingly played a part without ever revealing his true face.  While he does show his face in his opening scenes here, at one point his true look as The Red Skull is shown and from that point on, he plays that part in the full make-up and to me, from that point on, he’s Jack Kirby’s classic character brought to true cinematic life.  Weaving’s just terrific here and the promise is certainly there that he will return to the part.

I chose not to see this one in 3D and though I’m glad I did see it in 3D, I’ve since seen Christy Lemire’s and Ignatiy Vishnevetsky’s review of the film (in 3D) on Ebert Presents At The Movies to which both gave it a “thumbs up” review.  I’ve of course heard others de-cry the 3D yet again, so really I guess it just where you stand on 3D yourself as to whether you choose that route to see the film.  There were certainly sequences that I saw in the film that I could imagine looked great in 3D, but would those sequences justify the full price?  I really can’t say.

But regardless of how you see it… do see it.  Captain America: The First Avenger is terrific fun and just a rousing good time at the movies.  Chris Evans carries the film with a commanding presence and charm and the film itself just looks awesome under Joe Johnston’s masterful direction.  As has been the case with all of the Marvel movies, stay through the end credits and you’ll be treated to a preview of next summer’s Avengers film.  Don’t miss this one…