Geek Heaven! Sci Fi/Fantasy Movies of 2011

Some new, and old, clips of the Green Lantern movie, opening next Friday!

http://www.aintitcool.com/node/49932
You Want GREEN LANTERN Clips? We Got GREEN LANTERN Clips! (8 Of 'Em!)
Published at: Jun 06, 2011

GREEN LANTERN had its first screening this weekend, and based on Twitter anyway, the response was positive. People tend to respond with their gut when they come out of screenings like that, and especially on Twitter where they only have the 140 characters to talk about it - "Awesome" was the word thrown around a lot, from what I read.

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New Captain America TV spot, with the Red Skull speaking;

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My review of X-Men: First Class
Continuing in the vein of great sci-fi/geek fan movies this year, X-Men did NOT disappoint! It was gripping, suspenseful, well-acted, well-written, and fun! The cameos by well-known actors made me happy (especially my fave, Wolverine!), and I couldn't help but sympathize with Erik Lensherr; Michael Fassbender did a terrific job! My one quibble was I thought they could've delved more into Xavier's and Raven's/Mystique's relationship, and it's breakdown, more than they did.

All in all, I will be delighted to go see this again, and own it on Blu-Ray! Go see it - you won't be disappointed! :thumbsup:

Green Lantern opens Friday - :woo hoo:

Just got back from watching The Green Lantern. Not much to say - it was good, but could've been so much better (i didn't read any reviews before I went). I'd recommend waiting for the DVD.

Here's some other reviews:
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Capone says GREEN LANTERN fails, despite the clearly ethusiastic effort to get it right!!!
Published at: Jun 17, 2011

what I got was a skimming of the surface, paint-by-number superhero movie I've seen in ages. It falls victim to all of the problems origin-story movies tend to have, relating to too much introduction and not enough compelling plot.

And the real crime is that the elements for something so much better are all there.

http://www.aintitcool.com/node/50062
AICN COMICS BEYOND: Ambush Bug says GREEN LANTERN is a mere shade of the greeny greatness of the comics!
Published at: Jun 17, 2011

The film itself is not as perfect as we all wanted, but it’s an entertaining film nevertheless. One of the main problems is that certain things you can get away with in comics, you just can’t do in films. Namely, beating someone over the head with the theme of the movie again and again is not an effective way to communicate said theme. In comics, an issue comes out once a month, so it may be necessary for the writer to remind us the point of it all in each issue (relatively 15 or so minutes of a film, in comparison). Though GREEN LANTERN the comic is well written, the orchestrator Johns goes out of his way to remind the reader every month the power of the ring (will power) and how one must overcome fear in order to wield the ring. It doesn’t seem monotonous when you read the book on a month to month basis, but if one reads a trade, the redundancy is more obvious. In Martin Campbell’s film, the point is referred to in every other sentence to the point where I felt like screaming, “All right already, we get it! Green = Will Power, Yellow = Fear!” So many lines sound off as follows: “I must overcome my fear in order to master the green ring.” Or “The ring runs on will power, and yours must be strong.” Or “I have fear in my heart, therefore I’m not worthy of the will power ring that beats the yellow fear power!” or some other iteration of that same sentence. By the end of the film, a deaf, dumb, and blind person would have gotten the point. I understand that this film was trying to communicate to the masses, but that doesn’t mean it has to explain the point in every other sentence from every character.

http://www.aintitcool.com/node/50056
Harry has the willpower to say he liked the heck out of GREEN LANTERN
Published at: Jun 17, 2011

As those bad reviews hit, I began to think about the review that I thought was going to be impending. I started thinking about how I would write about this motivation as the one good thing that came out of this film for me.

I spent the first 40 minutes of the movie waiting to hate it. Waiting for something that embarrassed me as a fan of Green Lantern. Waiting to get as pissed as I got at Schumacher for BATMAN & ROBIN, or Pitof for CATWOMAN, or Hayward for JONAH HEX. I was fully prepared to b**** that only BATMAN & SUPERMAN had ever had decent adaptations for.

I smiled a lot in that first 40 minutes, but once I let go of seeking to find something to bitch about, and just watched the movie, ring on my finger – and dammit… I had a blast with it.

Is it perfect? No.

Is it the Green Lantern movie that I’ve always hoped to see? No, but it has some of the things I wanted to see that dream movie in my head.

If you liked Bryan Singer’s 1st X-MEN, this is LOADS MORE FAITHFUL and more pure FUN than that.

At the end of the film though, would I like to see Martin Campbell do another GREEN LANTERN? Absolutely not, I vote for Alfonso Cuaron. Martin did an admirable job of directing the look of the Galactic part of this film, but he doesn’t give the film that breathless rush it needs. He doesn’t deliver the emotional connection with what these scenes should have felt. Part of that is a dead fish score from James Newton Howard. It never really allows the movie to soar as high as it should.

http://www.aintitcool.com/node/50046
Nordling Says GREEN LANTERN Is Mostly Lifeless!
Published at: Jun 16, 2011

First, what works: Ryan Reynolds really does give GREEN LANTERN his all. He's the best thing about the film. It's an earnest performance and you can see Reynolds kicking, punching, and dragging the movie with him. It's unfortunate that the movie is dead weight on his back - the script is a mess, the direction is uninspired, and the pace is flat-out boring.

It shouldn't have been this way. There are moments when GREEN LANTERN comes to life - the first 20 minutes and the last 20 minutes the film rouses itself enough for the audience to begin to care what they are seeing - but there's so much fat, so much wasted time that it doesn't earn those moments at the end that want to be triumphant.

GREEN LANTERN needed to embrace the wacky, weird, silly nature of the comic, and not waste so much time getting to the point. You could feel the audience wanting the film to take them to those places, but it refuses, insisting on going the cliched superhero origin route. Martin Campbell never really lets the film go where it and the audience want it to go, except in brief moments. The film strains to be let free to soar, but the terrible script, the direction, and the editing keep this bird grounded. It's a real wasted opportunity. If a sequel does happen, Warner Brothers needs to find a way to let the movie go as big as it wants, and as silly as it wants. Otherwise, it's just another bland, lifeless superhero film.

http://www.aintitcool.com/node/50044
Green Lantern pissed Quint off.
Published at: Jun 16, 2011

Ahoy, squirts! Quint here. So, Green Lantern pissed me off. I went in a fairly blank slate. I was a Marvel kid, but I’m not totally ignorant of the DC Universe. I know the basic concept behind the Green Lantern Corps even if I can’t quote you the rogues gallery like I can X-Men or Spider-Man.

I love the concept of a sci-fi action superhero movie, so don’t think I went into this movie wanting to pick it apart. All I wanted was a good movie within this very rich universe. I got the rich universe part, but not the good movie part. But the little bits that work only make how awful the rest of the movie is stand out. That’s what pisses me off about this movie. The elements were there, the ingredients are all there, but director Martin Campbell and the screenwriters (all four of them) don’t assemble them into a working film.

Jordan’s weakness, his insecurity due to the accidental death of his father, feels shoe-horned into the plot, his relationship with Carol Ferris (Blake Lively) is muddy and the giant-headed Hector Hammond (Peter Sarsgaard) is only a surface level villain. The more I think on it, I think one of the broad reasons this movie doesn’t work is that introduces the idea of this amazing team, the Green Lantern Corps, with an amazing power and endless interesting characters, and then just abandons it for Hal Jordan’s romance and hobbled hero’s journey arc. The interesting movie is in the Corps as they face a villain that challenges them in ways they’ve never been challenged before. That should have been the story.

And that’s the movie. Things just happen, like someone went down a checklist of what geeks want in their superhero movies with no thought to actually making them make sense within the context of the story.

Reviews of Transformers: Dark Side of the Moon (warning: strong and crude language!)

http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/43598173/ ... rtainment/
Blow things up! A defense of 'Transformers'
One writer says explosion-fest sets new standard for 3-D action films
By Michael Avila
updated 7/1/2011

I didn’t want this, didn’t ask for it, but I’ve been backed into a corner. I must come to the defense of Michael Bay. That’s right, Michael Bay, the director fanboys love to hate. A guy who inspires such venom among film fans, you’d think he made Greedo shoot first.

I defy you to watch “Transformers: Dark of the Moon” and not be left slack-jawed by the final 75 minutes of the movie. It does for action pictures what “Terminator 2: Judgment Day” did in 1991, what “The Matrix” did in 1999. It’s a game-changer, one that elevates the genre to new heights.

The use of 3-D in the film is simply spectacular. The way Bay uses it and a pulsing sound mix to put viewers right in the middle of the battles is nearly overwhelming.

“Dark of the Moon” isn’t a perfect movie, by any means. What it is is an incredible theatrical experience. Something that can’t be replicated with Blu-ray and a home theater system. I wish more filmmakers had Bay’s audacity; he attempts to do things we haven’t seen onscreen. Does he always succeed? No, but when he does, minds get blown.

Isn’t that one of the reasons we go to the movies?

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Harry says, Third Time is the Charm for TRANSFORMERS: DARK OF THE MOON
Published at: Jun 27, 2011

SPOILER ALERT !!
TRANSFORMERS: DARK OF THE MOON is simply the best film of the franchise – by a great deal.

How this came to be, many of us will speculate, but I’m pretty sure it is a combination of Michael Bay fully embracing and shooting this outing in full 3D – using the amazing camera set-ups innovated by James Cameron – with Cameron’s tech folks – and even some advice from James Cameron himself. Shooting in 3D requires you to slow down – especially if you’re Michael Bay. I’m told that it takes 3 seconds for your brain to properly process a shot in 3D, 3 seconds is an eternity in Bay-speak – but in this film – you’re going to see a dynamic to his action that is nothing short of jaw-dropping. I say “Jaw-Dropping” not with any sense of hyperbole – in the last hour of this film you’re going to see **** go down that will physically cause your jaw to drop. Hang open and perhaps end with a smile.

Before I jump into that final hour of the film, let’s talk about the movie as if it was about more than the action scenes. There’s the rest of the movie to dig in with.

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Massawyrm loves the everloving **** out of TRANSFORMERS: DARK OF THE MOON
Published at: Jun 28, 2011

The only complaints you’re going to really hear out of this are going to be those that you always hear about Michael Bay films. Does he have a lot of slick slow-mos? Yep. Jingoistic moments complete with a waving flag. Uh huh. A juvenile objectification of women? Definitely…this time in 3D. A reliance on action in lieu of character development. Perpetually. If this stuff boils your blood, then you have no business being anywhere near a theater showing this. Odds are you won’t be able to hear MIDNIGHT IN PARIS over the rumble of this three auditoriums over anyway. The only thing you’ll find different from every other Bay film is that someone finally told him that when something is happening simultaneously all over the world, it probably shouldn’t be afternoon everywhere when it does. He’s discovered how the sun works.

This thing is awesome. It never lags, always one ups itself and it even makes sure that this time around every single character has something cool to do – even the most tertiary of characters gets their moment in the sun. It’s not high art; it is Transformers.

It’s not the best film he’s ever made, but it is the best TRANSFORMERS film he’s ever made; in fact, this is the very best TRANSFORMERS anything ever made. And it is a spectacle that has to be seen to be believed.

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Nordling Says TRANSFORMERS: DARK OF THE MOON Is So Much Better!
Published at: Jun 28, 2011

It becomes obvious about 2.5 seconds into Michael Bay's TRANSFORMERS: DARK OF THE MOON that Bay should shoot every film in 3D from now on. He shows a command of the technology that exceeds - no **** - that of James Cameron. Before now, it was not really a requirement to see films in 3D - even AVATAR - but Bay has done what no other 3D film thus far has done: he justifies the technology. TRANSFORMERS: DARK OF THE MOON is simply the best-looking 3D film yet, hands down.

And while DARK OF THE MOON suffers from many of the same problems - Michael Bay enjoys his racial stereotypes a bit too much, and his sense of humor begins at pratfalls and ends at THREE'S COMPANY-like sexual innuendo and misdirection - when it comes to shooting action, Bay has improved as a director, something I would have never thought possible over the last film.

But, but, but... Jesus Christ, that last hour. That last hour of TRANSFORMERS: DARK OF THE MOON, as Chicago gets the ***kicking of the millennium, is action filmmaking at its ******* finest. That hour is what rises DARK OF THE MOON into serious greatness. It's what Bay does best, and with the nature of 3D forcing Bay to slow down his shots and edits, the special effects, the explosions, the insane - INSANE - setpieces, the climax - maybe it's true that Bay has no interest in character development, or the subtle nuances of actor performance, but man, can this guy blow things up very, very well.

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Quint thinks Michael Bay minimized the stupid **** and maximized the cool-*** action **** in Transformers: Dark of the Moon!
Published at: Jun 28, 2011

The plot is full of all kinds of character and story convenience… things happen just because, especially towards the end, when the Autobots disappear for huge stretches of time to give Sam Witwicky time to get into trouble just so they can come in at the last second and save the day. Is it bad of me to acknowledge these conveniences and plot holes and still enjoy the movie? I suppose I should be tougher on this movie, but from beginning to end it feels like everybody involved was just having fun and trying to give you a fun time.

But seriously, for all the weak characterization, plot holes and lazy convenience one thing you can not say about this film is that the money isn’t up on the screen. The scope on this is epic. The entire city of Chicago isn’t just the setting for the finale, but is pretty much a wrecked apocalyptic h***hole by the time the robots finish their brawl. The stakes are higher than ever and there was a real sense of a team working together to stop the baddies.

One of my favorite parts shows what a properly trained US army outfit could do to combat the robots without the aid of the Autobots. The human troops have one great moment to fight for their own world instead of just point lasers at the bad guys. In fact, I loved this aspect so much I’d love to see another Transformers movie where a badass Seal-like team are the main characters fighting in this war and we only see the Autobots come in and out every once in a while.

I ended up digging it and was pleasantly surprised to do so. Could it be super low expectations? Certainly. Could I be delirious from lots of travel and tons of work? Absolutely. Could the movie actually just be a good fun popcorn sci-fi action movie? Very well could be. Whatever the reasons, I had fun with it.

There were a couple more reviews that weren't so glowing, but they were filled with really raunchy comments, so I left them off. Feel free to look them up yourself on Aintitcool.com. I have yet to go see this, but will hopefully tomorrow!

Well, unless I've missed gossip about one, this wraps up Geek Movie Year 2011 for the most part. There will still be good ones to see, but none with the hype and anticipation like the ones I started this thread about.
Recap:
I missed I Am Number 4, and deliberately skipped Super 8 after realizing it had strong horror elements.

Green Hornet and Green Lantern were disappointments, and a sequel for Green Lantern is now in the works - I hope they improve the story-telling.

Thor and X-Men: First Class are two of my new favorite movies! They were both incredible and ones that I will be watching repeatedly once they come out on Blu-Ray.

Transformers: Dark Side of the Moon was better than I thought it would be, but Michael Bay is forever on my "Must-Knee-In-The-Groin" List for his egregious abuse of one of the most classic Star Trek lines EVER!

Harry Potter: The Final Chapter. A movie first for me, seeing it at a midnight showing. I will always remember that. The movie itself was okay, but predictable as expected since it was following a book I'd read. My major disappointment came with the final battle when they did a quick shot of most of the principle supporting characters at the start of it, then just showed them dead without portraying their individual battles to the death - I felt emotionally cheated. I'm not as sad as I thought I'd be at the wrap-up of this incredible series and am forever grateful that they made them (and wish they'd do the same already with another favorite series, The Dark Tower).

Here are the reviews of the final movie in my original list. I haven't had time to go see it yet, and need to hurry up and do that.

http://www.aintitcool.com/node/50464
Nordling Is Knocked Out By CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE FIRST AVENGER!
Published at: Jul 20, 2011

In fact, I'll probably make bold statements throughout this review, like "It equals THE INCREDIBLES and SUPERMAN: THE MOVIE in sheer filmic joy" or "CAPTAIN AMERICA is the RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK of superhero movies."

Does it have flaws? Yes, but they're minor ones, and most of them come from the fact that I could have stayed in that world a hell of a lot longer, and two hours simply wasn't enough. Joe Johnston has made a truly retro film, straight out of the Saturday matinees, and what's so wonderful about it is that it completely embraces its nature. CAPTAIN AMERICA means what it says - there's hardly any snark in the thing, and the humor is just as genuine and funny without it.

The supporting cast is excellent as well, with Tommy Lee Jones on fire in this, adding much of the humor and just being as much of a badass as he was in THE FUGITIVE. Dominic Cooper delivers a funny performance as Howard Stark, and you can believe that he's Tony's dad. Hayley Atwell, as Peggy Carter, gives a truly wonderful performance, one rarely seen in these kinds of movies.

CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE FIRST AVENGER is one of the best films of the summer, and of the year. It's going to be cherished for many years to come, and I have no hesitation putting it with the other great films of the genre. Marvel Studios has built up THE AVENGERS, film by film, and have saved the best for last - CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE FIRST AVENGER is what going to the movies is all about.

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Harry loses his geek mind for CAPTAIN AMERICA: FIRST AVENGER and rambles for 3,422 words trying to get it into bed!
Published at: Jul 21, 2011

In trying to describe the perfection of awesome cool that is CAPTAIN AMERICA: FIRST AVENGER, I can’t help but think of films like THE ROCKETEER, RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK and SKY CAPTAIN AND THE WORLD OF TOMORROW, all while thinking of movies like the classic WHITE CHRISTMAS, SERGEANT YORK and the classic era of serials.

CAPTAIN AMERICA: FIRST AVENGER could end up being my personal favorite superhero movie, but I’ll need to see it countless times more and soon. I’m going to deliver a heaping load of praise on Joe Johnston here, about the size of that building in Dubai.

This is THE movie that I’ve been dreaming of seeing since the moment I saw THE ROCKETEER. I love Dave Stevens’ comic… but as much as I love it, it isn’t CAPTAIN AMERICA. Cap is everything I love about the Marvel universe. A hopeful sickly man reborn as Achilles with better ankles & humility. The leader of the Marvel Universe. Created by Joe Simon & Jack “King” Kirby. The first superhero story published by Stan Lee. This is GEEK FOUNDATION.

I love Steve Rogers as played by Chris Evans. He is a simple, humble man that knows weakness, is in awe of his own abilities, humbled by his power, caring for his fellow man and loving the country that gave him everything he loves about life. This is Steve Rogers. They made him exactly the way he is supposed to be. This is a dream of a comic book geek movie. FULL GEEK.

http://www.aintitcool.com/node/50504
CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE FIRST AVENGER Is Simply Awesome, Says The Enemy!!
Published at: Jul 22, 2011

Is this movie perfect? No. Is it the best Marvel film - along with just being a really good movie? I strongly believe so. Especially when seeing super hero movies like GREEN LANTERN (God forbid anyone from seeing it) and watching the new AMAZING SPIDER-MAN trailer (God forbid that, too) - it only helps one to appreciate CAPTAIN AMERICA that much more as a movie.

this is a whole journey - from start to finish - that captures and holds our attention. Never once did I find myself bored in this movie, and the main reason for this is: scenes in this movie are strategically short and they never drag on. - it's good because it means there's very little flab here, which brings the film a sense of propulsion and urgency.

Rarely do I find myself amused by an entire cast, but I did in this movie. Everyone is perfectly cast for the character they play. Finally, Chris Evans nails both versions of his role - the sad, sickly, weak reject and the ripped, high-octane bad@$$. He's my new favorite character in the Avengers universe, sorry Robert Downey Jr.

For every one of you who don't see and love CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE FIRST AVENGER this weekend, somewhere a patriotic puppy will become sad!

PS: Stay after the credits to see the first teaser for THE AVENGERS. It'll give you quiet a nerdgasm.

I hope they include some of this on the box set that is sure to be released eventually.

http://www.aintitcool.com/node/52051
Returning To Platform 9 3/4 - The Producers, Director, and Cast Talk About The End Of The HARRY POTTER Films
Published at: Nov 22, 2011

A couple of weeks ago, I was invited by Warner Brothers to attend the cast party for the Blu-Ray and DVD release of HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHL HALLOWS PART 2 in Orlando, Florida at the Wizarding World Of Harry Potter exhibit. I love the Potter films; always have, and so I didn't wish to turn down an opportunity to see much of the cast reminisce about the making of this amazing series and their thoughts on everything that has happened these past ten years. Granted, for many of these people, the POTTER films have been over for quite some time now. They've found new projects and films, and many have moved on. But none of them can deny that this particular series has affected them all in unique ways, and have changed them forever.