IRON MAN 3 - Jenny and I saw this yesterday. I was curious how I would react to a standalone Marvel movie after having seen last year's epic AVENGERS movie. After all, three super heroes in one movie is better than one right? The truth is Robert Downey Jr. and Iron Man are still very entertaining on their own. Downey Jr. continues his excellent work as Tony Stark, and the perfect combination of action and humor makes this Iron Man movie fun to watch. Though the film is darker than the previous 2, and the 3rd act disappoints a little, as a whole the film is very good. Marvel Studios just keeps making hit after hit.
ABRAHAM LINCOLN: VAMPIRE HUNTER - Based on a popular graphic novel, this movie imagines Lincoln as an up and coming political leader by day, who happens to hunt vampires at night. As ridiculous as it sounds I have to admit I thought it was kind of fun. In no way should this be compared to Spielberg's "Lincoln," but I thought it was decent.
LOOPER - A futuristic thriller about a hitman for the mob who is ordered to kill his future self. This movie plays around with the physics of time travel, and it does it well.. It's smart, it's entertaining, and it's cool. I loved it.
PORTLANDIA: SEASON TWO - Season 2 of this hip comedy from IFC. Overall Jenny and I thought Season 1 was better, but this is still a funny show. Highly recommend it.
SHERLOCK HOLMES: GAME OF SHADOWS - Unlike the IRON MAN franchise, this is one Robert Downey Jr. franchise that I wish would end. I love the Sherlock Holmes character, the stories, the books, the classic movies, etc. But it really annoys me what they're doing here. The Downey Jr. Holmes still solves mysteries with his mind, but for some reason he's also an expert in martial arts and fighting. For a fan like me that goes against the very essence of the character.
THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY - Ben and I saw this back in December in London while we were there for vacation. This is part 1 of a new trilogy of Lord of the Rings movies, and it's great. Ben and I read "The Hobbit" together last year in preparation for all of these movies. It's great going back to Middle Earth again with my son. I get to enjoy it all over again.
THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN - In order to maintain the rights to Spider-Man, Sony Pictures had less than a year to green light a new film, or risk losing the rights back to Marvel Studios. As a result this film feels poorly done. Word is they're already making a sequel, and that's a shame. The character deserves much better.
THE CABIN IN THE WOODS - A horror movie about a group of college kids at...well...a cabin in the woods. Once scary things start to happen the group of course try to figure out what's going on and try to escape. The twist here though is not what you're expecting in a horror movie, which makes the movie better than your typical horror movie. I liked it.
TO ROME WITH LOVE - This is another one of Woody Allen's recent movies set in Europe. This one is obviously set in Rome, and involve the love lives and relationships of Allen's usual blend of characters. This one isn't Allen's best, and it's not even in the conversation. But I did like it better than I expected. The casual movie goer probably won't like this one, but anyone who is a longtime Allen fan should check this one out.
TROLL HUNTER - This is another one of those "found footage" horror movies, though this movie really isn't horrific. Inspired by reports of real life trolls living in the Norwegian wilderness a documentary team travel through the frozen north in search of the legendary creatures. The movie tends to drag a lot, and I might have fallen asleep near the end. I wouldn't bother seeing it again.
GUS - This is the classic Disney movie from the 70's about a mule who kicks footballs on a professional football team. I literally remember watching this in the theater back when I was a little kid. Recently I decided to rent it for the kids. I wondered if it would be too dated and might bore them, but actually they thought it was pretty funny. Funny how some of these old "Disney family" movies still hold up after all these years.
HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA - Adam Sandler stars as the voice of Dracula, who runs a hotel for monsters. When a human stumbles upon the hidden castle and starts to fall for Dracula's daughter crazy antics ensue. The kids and us all thought this was pretty good for a kids' movie. It's not on par with Pixar quality, but it was pretty good.
MEN IN BLACK 3 - The third installment in this franchise. This wasn't as good as the original, nor was it better than the 2nd. I think this is one franchise that's lost its steam. Hopefully they'll end this thing.
SNOW WHITE & THE HUNTSMAN - This is a reimagining of the classic Snow White tale. This time the movie has a certain kind of "Lord of the Rings" vibe going on. Actually I'm surprised to say I thought this was pretty good. I thought the dwarves were kind of goofy looking, but overall it wasn't bad.
THE HUNGER GAMES - I've never read the books, and in no way do I consider myself knowledgeable about this franchise, but I do know it's insanely popular. The story takes place in the future, where teenagers hunt each other to the death. The books are hugely popular, and the movie was a hit as well. As for me, I thought it was just okay, but I guess I can see why it's so popular.
THE HUNTER - William Dafoe stars as a hunter hired to track down the last Tasmanian tiger. While in Tasmania Dafoe befriends a family and gets involved in their lives. However, the family has no idea of Dafoe's true intentions. The movie is slow and methodical, but it's very interesting. I enjoyed it.
WRATH OF THE TITANS - The sequel to CLASH OF THE TITANS, this time the Titans have escaped from the underworld and are unleashing havoc upon the Gods. The effects and action sequences were entertaining, but these movies are nothing more than high-tech sword and sandal movies. Still though...for a rental I thought it wasn't bad.
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