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: Gravity

GENRE: Drama, Suspense
RATING: PG for intense sequences & some language
RUNTIME: 1 hour and 30 minutes
STARRING: Sandra Bullock (The Blind Side, Crash, 28 Days)
George Clooney (The Descendants, Up in the Air, Ocean’s 11)
DIRECTOR: Alfonso Cuaron (Harry Potter 3, Children of Men)
WRITERS: Alfonso & Jonas Cuaron (Children of Men)
PLOT: Two astronauts try to survive after an accident leaves them adrift in space.

FIVE OBSERVATIONS:
1 Talk about visually spectacular. This film is simply beautiful. The images of the earth, the vastness of space, even the chaotic dance of destruction. Wow. I already predict a Oscar winner for best visual effects.
2 Cuaron uses the silence well. There are a couple times when the music is a tad schmaltzy but he also uses a cacophony of sound to show perfect contrast.
3 Bullock does an amazing job and keeps the audience connected at all times. Her constant fear is beautifully juxtaposed to Clooney’s calmness. He is fun to have aboard this amazing trip.
4 Even before this film, the thought of being in space scared me. This film brings this fear to a whole new level. The suspense is gripping; this is not a relaxing film.
5 Like Don Jon last week, I am enjoying these 90 minutes films. I think it’s the perfect amount of time. Gravity plays out in mostly real time and it is just enough. Add another half hour and I’m sure I would have gotten restless. Way to keep things succinct.    

RECOMMENDATION: See it in 3D in theatres
UPCOMING REVIEWS: Escape Plan, Fall TV Scorecard