art by [GreenYosh]

Bunraku

A colourful mashup of geekeries, this third film from director Guy Moshe blends Samurai, Cowboy, the cultures of both, and several video game references. Seeing as it’s only his third film so far (and the only one I’d heard of), I wouldn’t put a lot of weight on the content.

This came across, to me, as more of an action art film, rather than a movie. It’s chock full of vibrant colours, fascinating fight choreography, and some major name stars; including Ron Perlman, Gackt, Josh Hartnett, Woody Harrelson, and Demi Moore.

Lone, nameless drifter, who carries no gun, (Hartnett) is on his way into town on a mission. On the same train is mysterious samurai with no sword. They eventually meet at a seedy bar, tended by a drunken Harrelson; then things happen.

Officially rated R for bloody violence and language, but overall is still fairly younger teen friendly.

art by [captainosaka]

Scott Pilgrim vs the World

EPIC.


An awesome, dare I call it such, Romantic Comedy (le gasp~!) for GUYS. And for the geekier of girls, or those who love their guys enough to give it a shot. Probably one of my two top favourite Comic Book Movies Of All Time; this was definitely a most excellent adaptation that will be enjoyed by gamer, music, and comic geeks alike; as well as many who aren’t.

Lots of eye popping visuals, and fun dialogue, Scott Pilgrim vs The World is rated PG13 for various fighting and sex related reasons, this would be great for the more mature tweens and up.

art by [rafaelsanches]

Thor

A definite treat for both regular theatre goers and comic fans, Thor was chock full of well planned action and lots of [neat cookies]. They stayed fairly true to the comics (as of my own limited knowledge of Thor’s series); and anyone that has arguments against it being different from the Norse mythology needs to take a step back and remember that this film is not directly related to the mythology, outside of a few names; it is first and foremost a comic book movie that happens to have real world historical ties.

Loki (Tom Hiddleston) has always been one of my favourite characters, and while not the usual prankster I’ve always been so fond of, was still brilliantly played as the jealous, brooding brother with daddy issues. Even though I personally would have loved seeing Triple H as Thor:

(after a few acting lessons, I digress) Chris Hemsworth was most definitely a better choice; especially for bringing in a broader audience. Not only was he smoking hot, he pulled of a beautiful Scandinavian accent and the perfect nonchalant “I’m a God, what of it?” personality. Jane’s background was rewritten (earlier, a nurse; now an astrophysicist), and it worked very well for the purpose of this film. There were a few openings where they could have gone into more detail on background for many characters, and perhaps give a tighter introduction into just who Thor’s trio of friends were back in Asgard.

The supporting cast (including Natalie Portman, Kat Dennings, Anthony Hopkins, amongst several other names) were top notch as well. I’m not sure why TPTB felt the need Asgard to have a wider ethnicity, but the actors all did the characters justice; one of my top favourites being Idris Elba as Heimdall, the guardian of Rainbow Bridge, Bifrost; which in itself was another amazing feat for film: an admirable blend of magic and science, what a geek’s dream!

A middle ground PG-13, for sequences of intense action and violence; but overall fairly family friendly for the older kiddoes.

A couple other treats to watch out for: there’s a SHIELD agent with a bow and arrow; that’s an allusion to Hawkeye. Watch for Stan Lee’s regular occurring appearance, as in all the Avengers films. And watch all the way through to the credits; as there is yet another bonus scene that hints at some of the subject matter to the upcoming Avengers flick.

My own personal biggest beef here is probably a single line played just before the final scene, post-credits: “Thor will return in The Avengers.” Anyone staying all the way through the credits already knows this is a lead up to, if not The Avengers; a Thor sequel, then The Avengers. It’s insulting, at least to me, to put that there.

Just for my own fangirling (and many others’); I could totally have watched the entire movie with Chris dressed like this:

featured art by [jen and kris] and their [tumblr]

X-Men: First Class
First things first, let’s make one little (and by that, I mean REALLY BIG) thing clear:

That being said, hopefully we can get on track of appreciating that this is it’s own thing, and NOT related to the trilogy, if you want to call it that (I prefer to only remember bits of the third film, not a whole, but that’s something else entirely). And, let’s not even get started on Origins here.
 
Now. X-Men: First Class. Once I could pull myself from traditional canon (as I was an avid reader from the mid 90s through the early 2Ks), I was able to see it for what it was: a separate canon, an alternate universe, if you will. Marvel and DC have both been rife with multiple universes on an ongoing basis in comics for some time now, why not do it to the films as well? Hulk vs Incredible Hulk did the same thing, as did Punisher vs Punisher and Punisher: War Zone. Oh, and let’s not forget all the Batmans…

The movie itself weaves a very nice story of origins, beginnings, how-we-mets. There were certain characters I LOVED the inclusion of, and others I honestly still question. With a run time of 132 minutes, I wish it could have been a touch longer so we could spend a little more time with the new mutants. It was harder to feel anything  for them without really getting to know them; outside of Raven. This very much presents much of the X-Men in a new light, and does very well for introducing the idea and ideals of the X-Men to new audiences. I know there’s been several pre-existing fans who’ve really enjoyed the film as well, but it’s something I had to gradually move myself into being able to appreciate.

I love Bacon as Shaw, that was a great match; and the banter between Charles and Erik was simply beautiful. There’s a certain guest appearance (who shall remain unnamed) as Charles and Erik are recruiting the young mutants that was probably one of my top favourite scenes, if only for the LOL aspect of it. Banshee’s learning to fly was spectacular, as was Raven’s transition into full on Mystique mode. Though I do miss the bulky Beast, I did like Nicholas Hoult’s portrayal of the character. January Jones was amazing as Emma Frost, and she had what was probably some of the best effects (her diamond skin) in the film. I wish we could have had more story to Azazel (who i fricken loved just for his coolness, and knowing some of his future), as well as perhaps an actual introduction of any sort into who Riptide was. If his name was ever mentioned before, I don’t rememeber hearing it, and spent half the film trying to figure out who he even was (a tertiary character in the books).

A nice introduction the series for newcomers, and an interesting beginnings story; as well as something that teaches acceptance and acknowledging difference, this would be a great family friendly film for older kids +.