The Muppets

I had never seen any Muppet TV show before stepping into the theater on Thursday night. I didn't even know much about the Muppets except from what I had seen in a show at Disney World. So, with no past memories of beloved characters and TV episodes I stepped into that theater to see if "The Muppets" would succeed in appealing to the next generation and what was the result? Boy I wish I could have watched the show. "The Muppets" was a sweet surprise that could not have caught me more off guard.

Meet Gary (Jason Segel) and Mary (Amy Adams), two very happy people who are about to take a trip to Los Angeles to celebrate their ten year anniversary...of dating. The only problem is that Gary's younger Muppet brother Walter is tagging along so that he can have his lifelong dream of visiting the Muppet studio come true. Unfortunately the three come to the studio to see it in shambles and to make matters worse, Walter overhears the plans of the evil oilman Tex Richman (Chris Cooper) to demolish the studio in order to drill for oil. Gary, Mary, and Walter desperately seek out Kermit the Frog to tell him the news and after some convincing, Kermit decides to get the old gang back together in order to raise the $10 million required to purchase back the studio. The journey will be filled with laughs, shenanigans, and a few musical numbers, but in the end it may fall in the hands of Walter to give the Muppets the spark they need to succeed.

One of the many surprises that I found in "The Muppets" was that it turned out to be a musical. If I would have paid more attention to the commercials I may have realized this but never-the-less it was a very pleasant addition to an already great film. Each musical number was a splendid mix of laughter and pure happiness. The addictive original tunes, as well as some classic Muppet songs such as "Rainbow Connection" were each unique and well placed although nothing could have caught me more off guard than when Academy Award winner Chris Copper started to rap. It was a grand, mind-blowing moment that demonstrates just how creative and great "The Muppets" is.

But what makes "The Muppets" truly great is that, in a society's pop culture that has been corrupted by crass humor and Jersey Shore, the Muppets have retained their innocence. There's no language or adult content in the film yet it succeeds in being hilarious to both children and parents alike, a feat that many comedies cannot seem to do anymore.

In just 90 minutes I fell in love with the Muppets. I fell in love with their humor, music, and heart. Perhaps the best thing about "The Muppets" is that the film is so happy. From start to finish it warmed my heart with the joy each character brought to the screen and the wonderful messages it teaches. Add that to a great cast with an unimaginable amount of cameos and you have one of the year's best films. I give it four stars out of four.

"The Muppets" has a running time of one hour and forty two minutes and is rated PG for some mild rude humor.

Tower Heist

Ben Stiller and Eddie Murphy...two comedians with built up reputations and, for the most part, a good record of successful films. However, over the last decade, Stiller's reputation has stayed strong but Murphy's has arguably sank. So, when I first saw trailer's for "Tower Heist," I was a little skeptical knowing that Murphy had not been in the best films over the past several years. Do the two actors hold this action/comedy together?

Josh Kovacs (Stiller) has a pretty great life...he's the manager of a high luxury apartment complex and has a strong (business) relationship with the apartments most wealthy customer, Arthur Shaw (Alan Alda). Kovacs' neighbor isn't as lucky. Slide (Murphy) has no job, no life, and is soon carried off by the police department for unknown reasons. But the two very different men will soon cross paths because soon a scandal is exposed revealing that Arthur Shaw is being accused of a Ponzi scheme. If Shaw is proven guilty, all of the workers including Kovacs will loose all of their money which they gave to Shaw to have him invest. Angry at Shaw's deception, Kovacs decides to rob the most secured building in New York and since he has no idea how, he bails Slide out of prison to get him to help. Now the two, along with a few other co-workers will have to put on the most elaborate heist in order to get revenge on the richest man in the New York.

Two words...Eddie Murphy. The man is absolutely hilarious. I can't remember the last live action film where he succeeded in being the great comedian that he can be. All of his lines were comedy gold and though Stiller may be the main character, this is Murphy's film. Granted, Stiller is great at his iconic deadpan comedy and the supporting actors each contribute laughs throughout the film. Overall, the cast has great chemistry in times of both laughter and seriousness.

The Robin Hood esque story line doesn't really bring anything new to the table. A group of guys seek to rob an insanely rich guy for the benefit of the needy whom the "evil" rich man has taken from. The popular story arc along with the many other films in the Heist genre make "Tower Heist" pretty predictable but there was still enough fun and craziness to keep me interested and entertained.

Yeah I may have been able to call the movie scene by scene, but it didn't matter to me. I love movies like "Ocean's 11" and "The Italian Job." Movies like that and like "Tower Heist" are entertaining and creative. Throw in a great cast and the return of Eddie Murphy to quality comedy and you've got a great movie. I give it three stars out of four.

"Tower Heist" has a running time of 104 minutes and is rated PG-13 for language and sexual content.

Real Steel

It seems like all films that have anything to with boxing are entertaining. The "Rocky" series, "Cinderella Man," and "Million Dollar Baby" are just a few examples of boxing films that have hit the screen and been widely received as great movies. Why do people love the boxing genre? Because they have heart, they are about the underdog rising to the top, and when the time comes for the main character to go into the ring...it's very suspenseful. This year, a new twist is being brought to the boxing genre. Now robots are in the ring and it's more violent than ever. Is it possible to have the same emotion that we have for human characters for machines? Maybe...

Charlie Kenton (Hugh Jackman) is running out of time. Running out of time to pay his debts to several "dangerous" people, running out of time to keep up with his rent, and running out of time until he becomes a washed up has-been. To solve his problems, Charlie invests all the money he has into his boxing robot, Ambush. Charlie drives around with his robot looking for fights for the extra cash. The bad thing is, Charlie is a little stubborn and soon his cocky attitude results in the destruction of Ambush, his last way to make money.

When Charlie doesn't believe things can get any worse, he finds out that his ex-wife has died and that his son Max (Dakota Goyo), whom he has never met, is now his to raise. Even though both want nothing to do with each other, they have a common love for robot boxing and this love begins to shape their growing relationship. One night, Max comes across an old abandoned robot in a junkyard. Charlie tells Max that the robot, named Atom, would never have a chance in a fight but Max is determined. To Charlie's surprise, Atom not only wins his fight but is offered more fights by more and more people until he makes it into the big leagues. Now against all odds, Charlie and his son must fight their way to top in a struggle that won't only build their fame, but build their relationship.

So does "Real Steel" feature the same emotion felt in other films of its kind? Yes and no. This time around, the heart and soul of the film doesn't take place inside the ring, it takes places outside the ring. The real story is about a father trying to make up for the years that he abandoned his son. Sadly, the movie could have done a better job in its character development. Things just happen to quickly and without explanation. At the start of the film, Charlie doesn't even act like Max is there and tries to ignore him as often as possible. Then ten minute later, Max is hugging his father and joking around with him. Where did that come from? Make no mistake there are a few well done scenes that illustrate their growing relationship, but there aren't enough of them to make it seem believable.

As for the plot, "Real Steel" doesn't exactly bring anything new to the table (except for robots) since the story is an exact copy of most other boxing films, most of all "Rocky." This being the case, the movie itself was very predictable, but when it's over, the predictability does not ruin the movie was still being fun. And "Real Steel" is very fun. It was already entertaining to watch men beat their opponents up, but when robots do it, the entertainment reaches a whole new level. Not much can beat the sight of a giant robot sending another's head into the junk pile with a major punch.

"Real Steel" is big on the action, but not big enough on the emotion. For some, the sight of robots going at it might be enough to satisfy ones action craze, but if you want to see an inspirational film where you can connect with the characters...go watch "Rocky" again. I give it two stars out of four.

"Real Steel" has a running time of two hours and six minutes and is rated PG-13 for some violence, intense action and brief language.

Dream House

It's October and Halloween is around the corner! As usual, many thriller/horror films will be hitting theaters throughout the month and the first one to be released is the psychological thriller, "Dream House". From the creepy music, the eerie house, and the two little girls featured in the somewhat freaky trailers, "Dream House" looks like a promising thriller that will be sure to blow your mind. But after seeing it, that spark of great story telling never quite hit the dynamite.

Will Atenton (Daniel Craig) has decided to leave the big city of New York to move to a more quiet town so that he can write his new novel in a more peaceful environment. He moves with his wife (Rachel Weisz) and two daughters to a seemingly lovely home, but they begin to take notice of the wary neighbors and the signs in the basement that speak of gruesome murders that took place in their house. With more and more whispers that the mysterious murderer, Peter Ward, is on the loose, Will must find out the truth about what dark events took place in his house and how he can prevent them from happening again.

The biggest problem with "Dream House" began long before the film was released. When the first trailer was released, the film makers thought it would be clever to include a little something special to get people excited. What was that little something special? Nothing much, just the...BIGGEST SPOILER ALERT OF THE FILM! In the rare case that anyone reading this article has not seen the advertisements for this film I will refrain from giving away the spoiler but believe me...it's big. Shortly after the trailer was released, the director of the film told the press that even though a seemingly big spoiler was shown in the advertisement, there would be way more that we weren't expecting. Well the thing is...he's wrong. There is no more. If you see the trailer there is nothing else to surprise you, and it ends up giving the entire film away.

Because of this major advertising flaw, "Dream House" ends up being incredibly predictable (even if you don't know the twist). This leads to the film dragging out from beginning to end and not once does it do a successful job of drawing in the viewer. Adding to its predictability is the fact that "Dream House" simply takes elements from other great thrillers (saying the names could give away the ending) but fails to craft them together in a new and creative way.

As for the overall scare/suspense factor, the film also fails. The trailers play up the eeriness too much making the final result more disappointing. Because of the film's predictability, suspense is absent and the plot is much more humorous than scary, and not in a good way.

I should have know from the poorly thought out marketing campaign that "Dream House" would be a disappointment. But I had faith that the film would throw something even more unexpected in my face to impress me. I was wrong. Predictable, unoriginal, and void of all suspense, "Dream House" lurks in the shadows of the great psychological thrillers of our time. I give it one star out of four.

"Dream House" has a running time of 92 minutes and is rated PG-13 for violence, terror, some sexuality and brief strong language.

Contagion

When I first saw the trailer for this germ-a-phobe apocalyptic mystery film, "Contagion," this was the conversation that I was having in my head: "Oh Gwyneth Paltrow and Matt Damon...and there's Laurence Fishburne with Marion Cotillard. Wow it has Bryan Cranston too? This film has a lot of famous--Jude Law...Kate Winslet...wow!" Yes, wow is the best word to desrcibe my thoughts. In front of me I saw a cast of award winners/nominees who are trying to prevent a worldwide epidemic. Sounds pretty interesting to me. But do the A-lister's star power hold together the film?

"Contagion" begins with Day 2, just twenty-four hours after the unknown virus's birth. Beth Emhoff (Paltrow) isn't feeling too well on the plane ride back from Japan. And neither are the people she has came into contact with. Whether it's a waiter that has taken her glass, or a person who has shaken her hand, whoever has picked up Beth's DNA is getting sick...very sick. Soon after Beth arrives home to her husband Mitch (Damon) and son, she has a seizure, is taken to the hospital, and dies the next morning. Mitch arrives only to find his son dead and is taken into custody in order to quarantine him and diagnose the virus that is spreading through his family and throughout the world.

On the other side of things we have three doctors. Dr. Cheever (Fishburne) is a doctor at the Center for Disease Control and Prevention who is approached by the Department of Homeland Security. They believe that the worldwide disease is a bio weapon designed to put the world in a state of shock on Thanksgiving week. Dr. Cheever sends Dr. Mears (Winslit) to Minneapolis where Mitch lives to investigate the virus and attempt to quarantine the city. The third, Dr. Orantes (Cotillard), travels to Japan to find the source of the virus. Oh yeah and Jude Law plays a journalist who says to "not trust the system".

As you can see, there are a LOT of things going on in this film, and that is one of the flaws. The story is too big. Instead of focusing on a concrete story, the film focuses on several. There are several consequences to this. First, because the film focuses on seven different characters and stories, it is hard to remember all of what is going on and in some cases, the "main characters" can be forgotten. Second, it's like the filmmakers just decided to finish the stories of some characters and leave the fate of others up in the air. Several questions and plot points were never addressed. And the final and greatest problem is that because of the giant storyline, "Contagion" is void of emotion. How can I connect with a character and their story when they only take up one seventh of the film? Answer...I can't.

As with many "crisis is wiping out humanity" movies, "Contagion" starts off with a bang. It's quick, it's intense, and lots of people are dying. For the first hour, I was very into the film...the second hour, not so much. The film's second half drags and the terrible thing is that the ending is nothing special and quite anticlimactic.

The star power "Contagion" packs can't save the film from a bloated plot line and an unemotional ending and characters. And while the film may have tried to push messages of "don't trust the government" and "deforestation is bad", the only effect the film had on me was the slight hesitance to touch my face...and even that won't last long. I give the film one and a half stars out of four.

"Contagion" has a running time of 106 minutes and is rated PG-13 for disturbing content and some language.

Rise of the Planet of the Apes

Apes taking over the planet? That premise is almost as ridiculous as this films extremely long name, "Rise of the Planet of the Apes". However, seeing six more films spawn from the original classic (one being a remake and the latest being a reboot/prequel) its obvious that the idea has not lost its momentum. Does this new prequel have what it takes to continue the story of super smart apes?

Scientist Will Rodman (James Franco) has been searching for a cure for Alzheimer's Disease. His motivation for his research is his father, Charles (John Lithgow), who is struggling with the disease himself. To find this cure, Will tests different vaccines on the chimpanzees he keeps in his lab. The tests turn out to be successful on the chimps as Will sees them become as smart as humans. One of these chimps is named Caesar (Andy Serkis) who inherits this intelligence from his mother. Will raises Caesar in his home, teaches him sign language, and treats him like a son. But fate cannot let Caesar live a human life forever. After a violent incident, Caesar is forced to live in primate facility operated by John Landon (Brian Cox) and his son Dodge (Harry Potter's Tom Felton). Seeing for the first time how his fellow species is treated, Caesar develops a plan to make the rest of the chimps like him and free them all from their prison.

Back when the original "Planet of the Apes" was released in 1968, it was ok that the actors wore costumes to play the apes. But in 2011, that would never work. Good thing modern day film making has the magic known as CGI to make apes look like more than a man in a mask. And when talking about this there is really only one critical question to ask: does the CGI impress the eyes of the viewer...yes it does, moving on.

Another great achievement of modern film is the art of motion capture in which an actor plays his part in a funny suit and then the CGI is added to the scene afterwards. Examples of this can be seen in characters such as Gollum from the "Lord of the Rings" series, King Kong, and the apes in this film (such as Caesar). Another thing in common with these characters is the actor that plays them, Andy Serkis, who has proved that he is one of the best is the motion capture acting business. The wonderful thing about Serkis's performance is that none of it includes dialogue. Instead he portrays a wide range of emotions, such as anger, with just body language. And its not hard to say that Serkis gives the best performance of the cast, making Caesar one of the most interesting characters of all the summer movies this year.

But "Rise" also features a touching narrative, filled with emotional scenes and a heart filled climax. But some of the scenes are not only emotional, but have a very classic feel to them. In fact, the best scene in the film I would consider to be among the top three scenes of all the films this summer because of the sheer iconic feel it has to it (hint...don't mess with a super intelligent ape). The narrative along with the stunning motion capture and Serkin's great performance makes "Rise" a great opportunity for the franchise to live on. I give it three stars out of four.

"Rise of the Planets of the Apes" has a running time of two hours and is rated PG-13 for intense and frightening sequence of action and violence.

Captain America: The First Avenger

Does anyone think that there have been too many super hero films this year? Well if you do...I feel sorry for you, because I love comic book movies. Granted there have been at least four or five other super heroes that have graced the silver screen this year but there is one more who needs his time to shine and he is perhaps the most known of them all. I feel like it's good to note that I felt like it was my patriotic duty to see this film but more importantly, "Captain America: The First Avenger" is the last piece of the puzzle before Marvel releases their mega super hero team-up film, "The Avengers" next May. Does Cap bring anything new to the table?
It's 1942, World War II is in full swing, and young Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) has been rejected for military service once again. It's no surprise that he has been rejected for the hundredth time. Steve is puny, sickly, and has a long list of medical issues. But Steve has no greater desire than to serve his country so he doesn't stop trying.
Soon his efforts are noticed by a scientist named Abraham Erskine (Stanley Tucci) who takes Rogers aside to offer him a chance to be a part of the government's new super soldier program. During training Rogers is looked down upon by everyone including Colonel Chester Phillips (Tommy Lee Jones). But Dr. Erskine believes that Rogers is the best choice because of his heart, compassion, and bravery. The next day Rogers is injected with the super soldier serum and he emerges as a tall, buff, Nazi killing machine who is tasked with taking down Johann Schmidt (Hugo Weaving), the head of Hitler's deep science division HYDRA. Rogers, now named Captain America, must stop Schmidt before he unleashes the ultimate power upon the world.
In the past couple years, the super heroes we have seen have had very different personalities. There has been the million dollar narcissist, the self-absorbed Norse god, and several others with severe anger management issues. That's why its nice to see a more classic kind of hero back on screen. Captain America does not put himself above others, he doesn't insult, back stab, or judge anyone. Instead he's a humble man that loves his country and is willing to sacrifice himself for the greater good. Cap is a hero we haven't seen since perhaps the last "Superman" film and its good to see a hero that parents won't mind their kids looking up to.
Just like May's "Thor" had a much different setting than past Marvel films, so does "Captain America". The World War II setting is a change up but don't worry, Cap doesn't come close to the intensity and graphic content of films like "Saving Private Ryan". Instead Cap's a whole lotta fun featuring lots of fighting and explosions.
But there's a lot of heart in the mix. As with many hero flicks there is emotion, there is romance, and there are lessons to be learned (in this case sacrifice) and here there's lots of it especially during the film's gripping climax (one of the best Marvel has made).
Backing all of this up is the terrific cast. Many know Chris Evans as the other Marvel super hero The Human Torch from the "Fantastic Four" movies and usually he plays the same type of character; the smooth talking ladies man. Not so much in "Captain America". As you've read, Evans was challenged to play a much different character for this film and he succeeds. As for Hugo Weaving, who has given life to villains such as Agent Smith and Megatron he was the perfect choice to play to cruel Nazi nemesis of Captain America (who fans know as The Red Skull). Throw in some good supporting actors like Stanley Tucci, and the humorous Tommy Lee Jones and you have an all star cast.
"Captain America: The First Avenger" has everything going for it, great action, great acting, and a lot of love for the U.S.A. Fans of past Marvel films with have no problem enjoying this film and there's a high chance that those who don't enjoy the comic book craze will have just as much fun. But if there is one thing I know, its that after this movie and what is shown after the credits I, along with the rest of the super hero lovers, can't be more excited about what will happen when Iron Man, The Hulk, Thor, and Captain America come together to fight whatever stands in their way. Bring on "The Avengers"! I give this film three stars out of four.
"Captain America: The First Avenger" has a running time of 121 minutes and is rated PG-13 for intense sequences of sci-fi action and violence.