I saw Muppets Most Wanted last night. It was hilarious.

Spoiler

I especially liked the 'investigators,' Gonzo, and Fozzie the Bear. Plus, with all the cameos--Loki gets tasered

With almost all of the talk about Divergent, I didn't realize that Muppets Most Wanted was released this weekend. I might have to see if my husband would be interested in seeing it on a date night. Otherwise I'll probably wait for the DVD. But I REALLY want to see this one. I loved the last one.

I saw Captain America: The Winter Soldier a few days ago. My full thoughts would take a while to explain, (I may post them later), but to sum up:
It was great.

Spoiler

But sad.

NOAH

A short review:

The Noah movie is deeply philosophical and psychological. It’s structured as an aggressive debate on the nature of God, mankind, sin, suffering, justice, mercy and redemption, in the tradition of rabbinic arguments and the great thinkers of the Christian Church throughout its tumultuous history. Much of this formidable debate plays out as a small (but heated) family drama between Noah and his kin.

The movie borrows from a number of ancient source materials, namely the Old Testament Bible, the interesting but uninspired Book of Enoch and the Epic of Gilgamesh.

Noah proves to be Darren Aronofsky’s most mainstream movie to date (that said I’ve only seen three others of his) but it’s probably still the most unorthodox interpretation of Noah and the Great Flood you’re ever likely to witness.

A really good (if highly speculative) take on the book of Genesis, chapters 6-9. You'll be thinking about the movie long after you've left the cinema.

Check out my detailed review below to find out more.

8/10

A rather long review:

Great movie! Going into it, I knew this version would be different from the historical account found in the Bible, in the book of Genesis, Chapters 6-9. The movie is, in parts, both true to the Bible and rather speculative. The story borrows from Noah's story in the Old Testament but also other sections in the Bible, including the earlier chapters of Genesis (the creation, the fall, Cain and Abel, the early genealogies). There's some Jewish lore (the Book of Enoch), some Jewish mythology and Mesopotamian mythology and of course, director Darren Aronofsky's own ideas.

I've seen some of Aronofsky's other works - Pi (good), The Fountain (clever but dull) and Black Swan (good), so I had some idea of what to expect. He is clearly passionate about the story he's telling and he's not afraid to take it in unorthodox directions.

I found the storytelling to be layered and challenging and the major characters to be both psychologically and philosophically rich, save for Noah's son, Japtheth. Much of the acting was well done, especially Russell Crowe playing Noah.

Noah's story is fascinating. It's terribly dark and disturbing and the movie is sombre in tone. Noah has many doubts and his dreams eventually drive him mad. He later develops a form of cabin fever aboard the Ark. That said, his story extrapolates on what may have happened eg. Noah's doubting his role in God's plan, family struggles, withstanding the culture of sin surrounding them, the fear and horror of experiencing the Flood - hearing all those outside the Ark dying, the doubts in creating an Ark and then trusting that God was watching over them, surivour's guilt and so on. This Noah's a far cry from the biblical man but he's certainly shown to be fallible. That and his eventual psychosis is intriguing to watch.

The visuals were often compelling but not distracting. They were only there to further the story (here's looking at you Michael Bay!) I was surprised at how little of the actual Flood was shown. It's not a disaster movie in the tradition of Dean Devlin and Roland Emmirech (you don't really see the continent break apart and the volcanoes erupt. You don't even see the waters rise or recede or much of the violence done to the land, the people and the animals. Much is left to the imagination.

Many say Aronofsky is an atheist. After watching seeing several of his movies and now Noah, I have to strongly disagree. Seems to me, he's either a lapsed Jew or one who's struggling to hold onto his faith. He questions so much and uses all of his characters, to different degrees, to share a little of his story, his fascination with Noah and his own struggle with his Creator God. The result is raw and ugly and disturbing. It's also honest and strangely encouraging. No saccharine religiosity here.

I have a few objections given the speculative nature of the movie. Some of them are major and some minor. My major objections are that the fallen angels are in league with Noah and his family and help them build the Ark (hello, these were Satan's minions). The CGI fallen angels as rock giants looked a little silly and out of place. I wonder why they changed the character design from the graphic novel (which I haven't read - yet). At one point, Noah tells the creation story to his family, but it's laced with evolutionary imagery (which admittedly is artfully done and highly impressive but also contrary to what the Bible teaches. Noah fighting off Tubal-Cain's men as the great waters of the deep shoot up into the sky. That was rather silly. Perhaps Noah's madness was taken too far. The movie needed more humour and at times, a sense of joy.

Minor objections: The stowaway on the Ark wasn't bad, so much as unnecessary. The writers could've mined Genesis 6:1-8 for more material; that was a missed opportunity. The meat = sinful, environment = good, people = bad message was a little preachy, but not nearly as bad as I feared. Also, there not being any dinosaurs aboard the Ark and no scenes where Noah's family tended to the animals. Once they're aboard, we see very little of the animals, because they've been drugged into hibernation (how convenient for the CGI artists!) Finally, I would've liked to have seen more of a civilization pre-Flood.

Judgment, sin, suffering, redemption - these themes are all given a fair hearing. Mankind is certainly not let off the hook for their sins and God isn't portrayed as the enemy (very good).

All in all, Noah was a really good movie. The story is controversial but artfully considered. Just don't go to see it expecting Noah's story to be wholly true to the Bible, because it most certainly isn't.

Warning: Mature audiences. Contains: Moderate violence, adult themes and disturbing imagery.

8/10

Here's my review of "Noah." I haven't seen it and don't plan to. I'm not going to apologize for that either. The second link explains why.

http://voices.yahoo.com/bible-movies-noah-12590322.html
http://220lily.wordpress.com/2014/03/31/noah-2014/

Noah seems to be a very Jewish movie. How on earth can you write a review for movie you haven't seen and don't plan too? You're welcome to avoid it but I can't take this seriously.

@Warrior: Both my review (footnote) and that post on my blog list reviews that I read, written by Christians I trust. They explained the movie in detail, including what's wrong with it! I don't recommend this film to anyone. Where is your love and valor for the truth?!

Has anyone seen "Perfect Sisters" (2014), with Georgie Henley? It premiered in 11 theaters yesterday. Half were one night only (April 11). The film is still in New York, Toronto, North Hollywood and Cupertino CA, and Little Rock.

http://www.skandarandgeorgie.com/2014/0 ... ector-qas/

Okay, fair enough. But please don't question my love and valour for the truth. I take much of the Bible as literal history (yes, even the Creation, Fall, Great Flood, Tower of Babel etc.) There are plenty Christians who don't subscribe to such beliefs, everything in Genesis is seen as mythology or allegory etc. (especially Genesis 1-11).

Yes, I thought the Noah movie was very good, but as an alternative take on the Genesis account, not something to use as a teaching tool for non-Christians. I, in no way, shape or form, take Aronofsky's version as fully truthful. I just don't think it's the problem some Christians make it out to be.

I saw Captain America:The Winter Solder last week and absolutely loved it definitely one of if not the best MCU movies, the story is vary thrilling the characters are great and everyone gets their chance to shin, The action is some of the best I have ever seen in a movie, I don't wont to give too much away but I highly recommend it

9/10

I agree Narnia fan 7!! I finally got to see it Saturday. That said, I felt the end credit scene was probably one of the most disappointing. So short...I wanted more!!

Also, once the film got to the big turning point and started revealing secrets, the whole thing reminded me of That Hideous Strength! I kept waiting for Mr. Bultitude to show up!

In the end though, I'm happiest about Marvel giving my favorite Avenger a film worthy of his great character. <3

Now I can sit back and enjoy proper anticipation for Maleficent!

I wasn't going to watch Divergent until I had read the book so last week I read the book within 2 days and saw it this past Saturday. I thought it was amazing and very true to the book.

This past Wednesday I had the pleasure of seeing the new Godzilla film with my Mum. Below is the review I wrote up for my FB friends, if anyone is interested in reading my thoughts.
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With a long and varied history over the last 60 years including 28 Toho produced films, two animated series and now two American adaptation, Godzilla rests on the top of a very short list of cinematic creations that have been able to survive the test of time and enter the public conscious for six decades straight.

So now we come to it at last. The great film of our time. A new American rendition of the great Gojira. Is it worth the wait? Can it hold it's own against the original film(s)? And probably most pressing of all, is it actually a true Godzilla film (unlike the 1998 adaptation)?? In a nutshell, yes... with a few drawbacks.

Story:

The plot is rather straight forward kaiju fair with a heavy emphasis on the human element. Monsters are discovered, government tries to figure out what they are, the monsters escape and wreck havoc, everything builds to a final showdown in an iconic city where all the monsters have a knock-down drag-out brawl while the humans do... something. Fortunately director Gareth Edwards handles all of this with a steady hand and keeps the film moving along at a nice pace, stopping long enough for plot details to be explained or characters to have a moment to breath.

One of the drawbacks here is that the story relies on the old "hero conveniently being wherever the action is" trope, though this time it doesn't stick out as badly as one might expect. A final point that should be made is that the finished product turned out surprisingly well to have had no less than six writers working on the script (although only three are credited in the final film)

Characters/Acting:

Brian Cranston is the best actor in the film. There, I said it. You're welcome Breaking Bad fans. In all honesty Cranston (Joe Brody) is the most interesting and fleshed out character. It's unfortunate he's not in the film any longer than he is, though he completely captivates you in the small amount of time he has. Aaron Taylor Johnson (Ford Brody) is better than most critics have given him credit for, though his acting does seem to stall out by the third act (which most of the cast does for some reason). Elizabeth Olsen (Elle Brody) is fine in her role, playing a believable young mother trying to deal with kaiju running rampant.

David Strathairn gives a decent performance as a more sympathetic army commander stereotype while Ken Watanebe is great as Dr. Serizawa... though after a point he's not given much to do (more a fault of the script than anything).

Special Effects:

Easily some of the best CGI I've seen in a while. More gritty and realistic than Pacific Rim, but definitely in that quality range. There were some quick shots that featured less than stellar computer effects, but these were only fleeting and never occurred during the "money shots".

It should also be noted that Edwards took the time the effort to try and film as much stuff on locations or sets as possible, lending an even more authentic air to the whole film.

Godzilla:

THIS is how you do an American Godzilla. Staying true to both the form and attitude of the Toho creation, this Godzilla is easily one of my favorite designs for the character. Both noble yet very intimidating, Godzilla is everything he should be in this installment. While many have bemoaned his "hero" status in the film, it really is more of a case of Goji having a one track mind of killing the MUTO's and we (humans) merely benefit from him taking out the bigger threat.

MUTO's:

Massive Unidentified Terrestrial Organism's, the MUTO's are a fine addition to the pantheon of Godzilla advisories. Resembling a cobbled together miss-mash of the Cloverfield monster, the Bugs from Starship Troopers and Gyaos (from Hiesei Gamera Trilogy), the MUTO are given plenty of screen time and genuine character throughout the film. The winged male is probably the coolest whole the massive female puts up the better fight with Godzilla.

Music:

I'll be reviewing the album on my blog this week, so I won't go into too much detail here. Suffice it to say, Alexandre Desplat does a perfect job at matching the visuals Edwards puts on screen as well as giving that extra oomph to the proceedings when needed. Just don't expect anything sounding remotely like Akira Ifukube.

Directing/Cinematography:

For only his second feature and his first Hollywood production, Gareth Edwards handles directing duties like a pro. While there are certain things that need work in his style, the overall feel of the film is from a director more accomplished. Edwards definitely has a bright future ahead of him if he continues to improve from here.

The cinematography is stunning helps to ground the whole film in a sense of reality. Even the monster sequences are shot beautifully, even with the constraints of the "human point of view" trappings Edwards insisted on.

Closing thoughts:

Legendary's Godzilla, while not living up to all the hype, is a very solid installment in the Godzilla series and a decent jumping off point for a new series. Hopefully the sequel will correct some of the problems found in this first film and give us an even better Gojira flick in the future. As is, I can definitely recommend this one to both fans and casual viewers alike. Let them fight!

Score:

3 1/2 out of 5

I saw The Amazing Spider-Man 2 a few days ago. It was very good. Nice special effects, and a good love story, but

Spoiler

it ends sadly Gwen . . .

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Electro and Green Goblin were appropriately creepy, and there were lots of funny bits. (Like the scene where Peter is covered in feathers, or the one where he's holding a giant dead fish. Or when he tries to say his face is dirty because he's been cleaning the apartment's non-existant chimney. Also, the fact that he can't seem to figure out how to do laundry made me crack up laughing). His banter with Harry Osborn was also funny, which makes it all the worse when Harry becomes the Goblin. Also, Peter's scenes with that little kid, (the one who stands up to the Rhino in the end), were just sweet. But I'm definitely going to miss Gwen I cried when she died. The fact that Spider-man, with all his power, couldn't save the girl he loved was just heartbreaking.

I also saw Captain America: The Winter Soldier again recently. I'll give some details:

Spoiler

I really like Steve and Natasha's friendship. It was nice to see a man and a woman as friends, and not have them fall in love. Their scenes in disguise were hilarious. I also liked Steve's friendship with Sam. He was friendly, funny, and awesome in a fight.
The fight scenes were well done, and the special effects looked amazing.
Alexander Pierce was creepy, mainly because he didn't look like a 'typical' supervillain. He didn't have an over-the-costume or an evil laugh--he just looked like an ordinary man. And that made him even scarier.
Computer-Zola is even creepier. I had fun imagining what Colonel Phillips' reaction would be if he found that Zola had uploaded his brain onto a computer on what used to be his army base.
My favorite scene is probably the one where Cap gives his speech and inspires the loyal S.H.I.E.L.D. agents to fight against HYDRA--and that one man refuses to launch the Helicarriers. It reminded me of the scene in The Avengers where the old German man refused to bow to Loki.
To finish up . . . The Winter Soldier himself is both frightening and heartbreaking. His final fight scene with Cap aboard the Helicarrier, and his rescue afterwards, made me cry.
So I guess you can tell I really liked it.

GODZILLA is back!

Cold War opening credits draw the viewer into the dark, anxious times of the late 50s/early 60s. A sombre but intriguing tone is set for the rest of the movie. “Godzilla” is well-written and acted (Brian Cranston is a stand-out – no surprise there). The CGI/visual effects are brilliant without threatening the story and the locations are properly realised. There’s a real humanity to the movie but also an impressive understanding of the scope needed to tell such a tale, quite a tricky balance to get right. Great restraint is shown in revealing Godzilla. I wouldn't have minded a little more of Godzilla and a little less of the ‘other’ monsters, which were a little too reminiscent of the "Cloverfield" monster for my liking. Also, it could've done with a touch of humour. This is a really good movie. No, it doesn’t have the silliness of “Godzilla” (1998) or the orchestral action and unadulterated fun of “Pacific Rim”, but what “Godzilla” (2014) does deliver is a harrowing drama/thriller that highlights the truth - sometimes we're helpless in the face of danger, sometimes we need another to save us.

Warning: Not for children. “Godzilla” contains science fiction violence and adult themes. Several scenes are eerily reminiscent of 9/11 and the Fukushima tsunamis.

8/10

My husband and I went on a spontaneous date to Guardians of the Galaxy last night after dropping our kid off at my parents house. (I think this is the first movie I've seen in theaters since Desolation of Smaug. ) I really liked it... with the exception of the language which was like stepping back in time to all of those campy 80s movies.

I thought all of the characters were well developed considering I knew NOTHING about the comic books prior to hearing this movie was in the works. So it was pretty easy to follow along. The story was a bit more believable (well, relatively speaking) than a lot of the other recent Marvel and DC Comics' movies. It was funny in the right spots and serious in the right spots. So yeah, on the whole, big thumbs up from me. Probably the Marvel movie I've liked the most since Iron Man. I liked it waaay better than The Avengers for sure.

One of the weirder reactions I had though, was that I wanted to put this movie in the same family as the Star Trek series.