Film at its finest

Review: ‘The Avengers’ Is Marvel’s Best Movie Ever

‘The Avengers’ is a superhero movie teaming Captain America, Iron Man, Thor and the Hulk together to be an elite squad of heroes to protect the Earth starring Chris Evans, Robert Downey Jr., Chris Hemsworth and Mark Ruffalo.

Ever since ‘Iron Man’ in 2008, Marvel has granted each superhero from The Avengers their own film so audiences become familiar for an eventual collective movie. This weekend, that movie was released not only to a record breaking opening weekend but to outstanding acclaim. ‘The Avengers’ couldn’t have gone any better.

The film works remarkably on every level. No one character outshines another, in fact the many heroes involved are all worked within the story with surprising ease. They’re so much fun to watch on-screen together interacting, trying to make sense of this team they’ve been pushed to join.

From beginning to end ‘The Avengers’ is pure fun. As a spectacle, it’s beautiful and immense, sucking you into these breathtaking action sequences. On the other hand, there are subtle, intimate fights that are highlights as well. You would expect a little humor but in this movie it’s done so well that it outlasts many actual comedies. Joss Whedon, the writer / director, deserves so much credit here. Whedon puts his unique stamp on this world and effectively makes the most fun action film I’ve seen in years, probably ever.

I can’t say enough in this review alone. I could go on and on about it easily, ranting about how well done this is. Go out and see it immediately. See it any time you can under any circumstances because you should absolutely love it. I only recommend you see it with company, because had I not had the chance to discuss it with others, my Marvel-induced adrenaline may have gone to waste.

Tim Burton is typically a loved or hated director. How do you feel about him?

In 2012, my favorite films (as of now) have been The Avengers and The Cabin in the Woods

Now, what does that tell you about Joss Whedon?

# He's amazing

# joss whedon

# the avengers

# the cabin in the woods

# movies

# film

Filmmaker of the Week: Judd Apatow - How A Student Of Comedy Became A Master

Some would say it all started with “Anchorman”, Judd Apatow’s first undeniable major hit, which he produced. Others might say the turning point came with his directorial debut “The 40 Year Old Virgin”. Then you get the fans that go way back who claim it was the black comedy “The Cable Guy” (like Leslie Mann, Apatow’s wife, whom he met on set).

No matter which way you spin it, somewhere along the line, Judd Apatow hit it big. His own Apatow Productions has produced countless major hits such as “Superbad”, “Forgetting Sarah Marshall”, “Bridesmaids” and “Step Brothers” and he’s directed his own three films there as well: “The 40 Year Old Virgin”, “Knocked Up” and “Funny People”. His fourth directorial effort “This Is Forty” is set to release Christmas 2012.

Apatow has a reputation for working with his friends. Back in 1999, Apatow produced a short lived sitcom “Freaks and Geeks” (only to later gain a faithful fan base) which introduced America to many of today’s biggest comedy stars. Actors like Seth Rogen and Jason Segal found a home on “Freaks and Geeks” that wouldn’t be matched until Apatow’s success years later, propelling their talents along for the ride. Even James Franco had a leading role on “Freaks and Geeks”, and he returned in 2008 for Apatow produced “Pineapple Express”. Not to mention reuniting with his early 90s roommate Adam Sandler for “Funny People”. My point is, there is something admirable about a man finding success with the same core group of people after so many years of work.

Also, I’m a firm believer in a film reflecting the filmmaker. Apatow’s most scrutinized film, “Funny People”, often is panned for it’s long run-time and mild humor. However, I’ve never seen the film that way. “Funny People”, to me, is a fantastic way to understand Judd Apatow. It’s really the only film of his I would consider a true passion piece, something a filmmaker obsesses over and dreams of people seeing. “Funny People” was all about the life of comedians and practically life in general. It is very funny (to me) but it’s ambitious for Apatow to really delve into storytelling in a way he never had before here.

Apatow hasn’t seemed to let the criticism knock his drive, with “This Is Forty” also anticipated to be a fairly autobiographical film as well. I couldn’t be more excited to know that he’s sticking to his guns; the trailer was just released attached to “The Five Year Engagement”. After seeing what Apatow accomplished with “Funny People”, I wouldn’t want it any other way.

Top Ten Summer Box Office Predictions

The summertime in film is the flashiest, most exciting time of the year. Stories of adventure, space, superheros and all other brands of extravagant cinema come together all at once for the popcorn flick rush. And when it comes down to it, the studios are expecting a big return. The most colossal summer bombshells will most often cost no less than ten figures to produce. So, to put it simply, these guys are expecting us to shove all the money right back into their pockets.

It’s the reason for the season.

That’s okay, really. It sounds like we’ve been victimized but in the grand scheme of things, the most the majority of us will pay for a movie ticket this summer is in the ballpark of nine dollars. So when the film is loaded with enough bang for our buck, it’s easy to turn the other cheek.

But now, the season is here. “The Avengers” is set to release this Friday and is sure to be one of the bombshells aforementioned. So, where will it rank among all other movies being released this summer? Better yet, what will be the ten most successful box office hits to be released?

Here’s what I think.

10. “Rock of Ages” dir. by Adam Shankman (June 15)

There’s something to this movie that I can’t put my finger on. It’s an unconventional blend of music and comedy that seems pretty original with a huge cast. I’m not sure what I’ll think but I expect audiences will go out of their way to see it.

9. “The Expendables 2″ dir. by Simon West (August 17)

Doesn’t this get the whole summer popcorn movie thing in a nutshell? The whole premise of this movie is to gather the biggest action stars that can be acquired and create the greatest thrill ride imaginable. I’d be surprised if it didn’t break a nice bank.

8. “Ice Age: Continental Drift” dir. by Steve Martino and Mike Thurmeier (July 13)

“What?” Yeah, I don’t know. I liked the first Ice Age and haven’t seen any since, but the consensus is these aren’t very good anymore. But they wouldn’t be making a third sequel if they weren’t practically guaranteed profit.

7. “Men In Black III” dir. by Barry Sonnenfeld (May 25)

I’m kind of discouraged by the trailers but I really enjoy the first two movies. This movie infamously had to halt production midway through due to filming without a finished script and having no clue where it was going. It’s a huge franchise with charismatic leads though, so I figure no matter what it’ll do fine.

6. “Brave” dir. by Mark Andrews and Brenda Chapman (June 22)

I’m pretty excited to see this and wanted to put it higher, but Pixar is coming off “Cars 2″ which was their weakest installment to date critically and financially. I think this looks like a real return to form though and I’m wishing it the best.

5. “Battleship” dir. by Peter Berg (May 18)

Basically this year’s Transformers. I don’t remember the robot / alien / monster game-piece in the old strategy board game? Oh well. Like a faithful Battleship movie would be any good anyway. Audiences will probably rush out to see it.

4. “Prometheus” dir. by Ridley Scott (June 8)

If you don’t follow movies closely this one might fly under the radar. But if you do, you know this is going to be one of the largest scale films of the summer. The hype machine is building this up to be the greatest sci-fi movie in years. I think this one could catch on really well once it’s released. I’m pumped.

3. “The Amazing Spiderman” dir. by Marc Webb (July 3)

Spiderman is back in a big way. Sony and Marc Webb have really seemed to make an effort to separate this reboot from the Sam Raimi trilogy and I think that will keep audiences from feeling like they’re paying for a movie they’ve already seen.

2. “The Avengers” dir. by Joss Whedon (May 4)

This is going to be the best pure superhero movie ever. I’m convinced. I’m buying into it. Audiences have literally been buying into it for years since “Iron Man” was first released. This will be absolutely huge.

1. “The Dark Knight Rises” dir. by Christopher Nolan (July 20)

“The BEST pure superhero movie EVER???”gasps Batman fanatics. Yes, the Nolan movies are far from the traditional superhero movies for being so dramatic and gritty. But these Batman movies are the better films. Period. Anyway, as far as this being #1, think about it. “The Dark Knight” was nothing short of dynamite just being tossed into our laps. Now, it’s the 3rd leading domestic box office success of all time. People still talk about that movie like they just watched it for the first time. So much of the success in that movie was attributed to the late Heath Ledger, so I was almost hesitant to put this #1. But knowing Nolan, and seeing the trailers I’ve seen, I wouldn’t be in my right mind to do so. If you don’t know, Nolan also directed “Inception” so he’s done the summer blockbuster thing a few times. You can go ahead and ink this. I’ll be ambitious; this is my only guarantee.

So do you agree with my list? What do you think? Feel free to reply, or even leave your own list in my ask box, or tell me why I’m a genius or an idiot. Just enjoy the best summer of movies you’ve ever been a part of.

# the amazing spiderman

# the avengers

# the dark knight rises

What Marvel superhero needs their own movie?

Getting ready for The Avengers this week.

First viewing of “The Incredible Hulk” is basically uninteresting an hour in. I’ll hand it to Edward Norton and Tim Roth though. Norton is a good Hulk on paper but I can see how this didn’t pan out.

Mark Ruffalo seems perfect. I think they’re finally going to nail this character.