Film: Thor: The Dark World

GENRE: Action, Fanstasy
RATING: PG for violence
RUNTIME: 1 hour and 52 minutes
STARRING: Chris Hemsworth (Thor, Cabin in the Woods)
Natalie Portman (V for Vendetta), Tom Hiddleston (The Avengers)
DIRECTOR: Alan Taylor (Game of Thrones, Sopranos)
WRITERS: Chris Yost (Avengers & Iron Man cartoon series)
Chis Markus & Stephen McFeely (Captain America, Narnia)
PLOT: Thor is up against some dark elves that want destroy all the realms for some reason.  

FIVE OBSERVATIONS:
1 It may be called Thor, but Loki steals the show. He is just so smarmy. I enjoyed the trickstery nature he displayed in this film. I think it’s his best performance of his three Marvel films.
2 Some great action sequences but I was a bit lost when it came to the story. Why were the dark elves trying to destroy everything? Were they just jerks who didn’t like light? And when it comes to ending (which I won’t spoil), how did that exactly happen?
3 There’s a great Avenger cameo in the middle of the film. Very funny.
4 Even with all the destruction and chaos swirling around them, I always enjoy the lightness of Thor, Jane and Darcy (Kat Dennings). Very fun stuff.
5 I keep forgetting that Chuck (Zachary Levi) is Fandral. I don’t know why it never occurs to me until after I see the end credits. Maybe it’s because he speaks with a more bass-y voice.   

RECOMMENDATION: Pretty cool in theatres
UPCOMING REVIEWS: Hunger Games: Catching Fire

Film: Ender's Game

GENRE: Sci-Fi, Action
RATING: PG for some violence
RUNTIME: 1 hour and 54 minutes
STARRING: Asa Butterfield (Hugo, Boy in the Striped Pajamas)
Harrison Ford (Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Air Force One)
DIRECTOR: Gavin Hood (X-Men Origins: Wolverine)
WRITER: Gavin Hood (Tsotsi)
PLOT: Ender Wiggin is a brilliant child who is recruited to save the world from the threat of alien annihilation.

FIVE OBSERVATIONS:
1 I haven’t read the book and while I assume it is better, I quite enjoyed the film. It’s a nicely done science fiction story. It’s a little cliché at times and the last ten minutes drags a bit, but overall, a fun time.
2 A great Harrison Ford role in this one. Ford has done some clunkers in the past (Cowboys & Aliens, Morning Glory, Extraordinary Measures), so it’s great to see him bring it in this film as Col. Grafff.
3 From the trailers, I thought I would be more confused by all the alien attack sequences but it didn’t bother me at all in the context of the film. I’m actually surprised they didn’t release this in 3D.
4 Butterfield did an amazing job as Ender. I wish I felt for him a bit more though. Some more home life stuff with his siblings probably would have helped. I hear the book does a great job of that.
5 Great casting of Moises Arias (Hannah Montana) as the bully Bonzo Madrid.  

RECOMMENDATION: Pretty cool in theatres
UPCOMING REVIEWS: Thor 2

Film: Escape Plan

GENRE: Action
RATING: 14A for violence and language
RUNTIME: 1 hour and 56 minutes
STARRING: Sylvester Stallone (Expendables, Rocky, Rambo)
Arnold Schwarznegger (Terminator, Total Recall, Commando)
DIRECTOR: Mikael Hafstrom (1408, The Rite, Derailed)
WRITERS: Miles Chapman (new) & Jason Keller (Mirror, Mirror)
PLOT: A professional prison-breaker finds himself stuck in a secret and secure prison where he will need to depend on others to help him escape.

FIVE OBSERVATIONS:
1 In Expendables, you only get a couple of moments with these two 80’s action stalwarts, in this film you get to revel in it. It’s fun seeing these two work together. You can tell they are having a lot of fun.
2 Lots of plot holes. The story is pretty laughable. Also, why do the guards have shoulder pads? Why is Stallone’s character a good marksman?
3 Hafstrom uses a lot of extreme close-ups in this film. I know what these actors look like. Is this for the aging audience who have a hard time recognizing them?
4 What’s with bad guys always having OCD? Is it for the irony of cleanliness being next to godliness? What a cliché!
5 Favourite moment: Say cheese pose.

RECOMMENDATION: Wait for it on TV
UPCOMING REVIEWS: Fall TV Scorecard