Movie Review- "Singin' in the Rain" (1952)

My theater was having a one night only special showing of this, so I went to see it. I had never seen it before, but know that Gene Kelly is a legendary performer... and this movie proves it. The movie also features a young Debbie Reynolds, back when she was just starting out and she did an awesome job. And Donald O'Connor was hilarious in his role as the #2 man.

The plot is easy to follow. Every time Donald O'Connor was onscreen, you just had to laugh. He was hilarious is every scene he was in. All the dance sequences were choreographed beautifully. It's easy to see why this is a classic film. Jean Hagen was just hysterical as the "villain" of the film. You just loved to hate her.

My only complaint about this film is that there seemed to be one scene that didn't really "fit" with the rest of the movie. It had Gene Kelly and Cyd Charisse. Don't get me wrong. The dancing was beautiful, even if it did seem to drag on a bit. The scene was shot beautifully, but I guess I am just having trouble seeing where it fit into the plot of the film. But, like I said, very minor complaint.

My Final Rating: A-

Movie Review- "The Bourne Legacy"

Ok, I went into this not remembering much about the previous 3 movies, which as it turns out, worked in my favor. This almost works as a stand alone movie, with some necessary flashbacks and information that could be picked up along the way.

Jeremy Renner is an interesting choice to fill the shoes of Matt Damon. He did a terrific job in the role. And the beautiful Rachel Weisz was really good. I haven't seen her in a role this well-suited for her since "The Fountain". I thought these 2 stars had a good chemistry on screen.

My only real complaint is that it felt that I watched half a movie. not because of the length of the movie, but because of the structure of the story. Just when you think the movie is going to finally "get going", they slap the ending credits on us. I understand that they wanted to leave us hanging for the sequel, but I just felt a bit cheated by the ending. Maybe my complaint will lessen when the sequel does come out.

Overall this was an ok movie, but probably something I wouldn't see again.

My Final Rating: C+

Movie Review- Total Recall (2012)

Ok, I went into this treating it like a standalone movie. I didn't compare it to the 1990 version. The story itself is self-contained, so there is no need to see the original before seeing this one. The story itself is very cut and dry. Once the action gets going, it never seems to stop. And for me, that was a small part of the problem. There was too much action and not enough plot. They tried to make plot twists in this but as a viewer, you knew what was going to happen.

For me, Colin Farrell seemed to be an odd choice to play the lead. He just doesn't strike me as an "action star". But, there were worse actors they could had cast. Kate Beckinsale was ok in her part. She switched accents (for story purposes) very well. Although, i feel we did not really get a chance to know more about her character before she became a villain. And, unfortunately, due to the script, she delivered probably the 2nd worse line in film history (Halle Berry takes the #1 on that one). Jessica Biel was the selling point for me. She is an amazing actress and this film just further proves it. She shows emotion very well. I loved every scene she was in.

Due to the sci-fi nature of the script, various realistic elements have to be overlooked, for example: the transport that goes through the core of the Earth. But, other little things annoyed me about the population's non-interference while an authority is chasing an individual. But, other than that, the movie itself is an enjoyable ride. Probably not a movie i would see again, but glad i saw it once.

My Final Rating: C+

Movie Review- "The Avengers"

Ok, we have spent 5 movies (IRON MAN, IRON MAN 2, THE INCREDIBLE HULK, THOR, & CAPTAIN AMERICA) setting up this movie... And it delivers, big time! If you have not seen the aforementioned movies, then you may be somewhat lost in the plot to this movie, however, it is very easy to pick up. Joss Whedon knows how to do a superhero movie. This had the right mix of action, plot, and dialogue. The villain Loki enters the scene and shares a mischievous smile that rivals the Joker.

The acting was spot-on. All the characters were very likable. And I have to give my own kudos to Mark Ruffalo for portraying Bruce Banner almost perfectly (Bill Bixby would be proud). The action scenes were very intense at time (like the Hulk/Black Widow chase scene), and comical. This movie did not focus on one hero more than any other. All the heroes received equal screen time. And, true to the beginnings of their origin, all of the heroes do not get along at first.

My complaints about this movie are very minimal. First, I did not like Capt. America's costume. It just looked "too padded". We do not get a sense of what Agent Maria Hill is like, just that she is one of the few to question Nick Fury. If there was more to her character, maybe they will show it in "The Avengers 2"... who knows? They could have introduced certain future Avengers by name or at least given us a few easter eggs, like in the first few X-Men movies (although, it has come to my attention that Joss Whedon does not really do that). Overall, this movie met and exceeded my expectations. This was the #1 movie for 2012 for me, so far.

My Overall Rating: A-