REVIEW: CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER

Sorry I haven’t posted any review for two weeks. I’ve been a little busy. Here now, I am going to review one of the most anticipated movies of 2014, Captain America: The Winter Soldier. The film is a sequel to the hit 2011 film Captain America: The First Avenger and serves as one of the movies in the Marvel Cinematic Universe of comic book superheroes.

Captain America: The Winter Soldier is co-directed by brothers Anthony Russo and Joe Russo. The writers from the first film, Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely returns as scriptwriters. Also returning is actor Chris Evans in the title role of Captain America. He is joined by new additional co-stars Scarlett Johansson, Robert Redford, Anthony Mackie, and Emily Van Camp. Other actors returning from the first film are Sebastian Stan, Hayley Atwell, and Toby Jones. Actors Samuel L. Jackson and Cobie Smulders reprises their roles from 2012’s The Avengers in this film.

How will the sequel fair up to its predecessor? Do read on…

Chris Evans as Captain Steve Rogers a.k.a. Captain America

SYNOPSIS:

After the events in the film The Avengers, Captain Steve Rogers a.k.a. Captain America now works for S.H.I.E.L.D. (Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement, and Logistics Division) as a mission operative. Despite being hailed as an international superhero, he still feels lonely as he tries to piece together the missing pieces of his past. While on a rescue mission, he discovers that the organization he works for, holds some dark secrets relating to his past. Together with the help of Black Widow (Johansson) and Falcon (Mackie), they try to prevent the worst from happening.

Natasha Romanoff a.k.a. The Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) teams up with Captain America

SCRIPT:

Not too bad and exciting. The script does well in an attempt to make it a ‘stand alone’ film, meaning you don’t have to watch the first film in order to understand this. There’s good enough back story to keep the uninitiated interested in the film. The plot was a bit scattered as it tries to tell too much but eventually you would be able to grasp the storyline. As with most Marvel superhero movies, there a lot of references to other characters in order to set-up a potential storyline in future films. There were quite a few plot twists here and there which I felt was overdone but eventually those twists serve a purpose to the story.

Anthony Mackie (right) joins the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Falcon

ACTING:

As usual, Chris Evans turns in a good performance as the hero. Great ensemble cast to support him. Scarlett Johansson is more menacing in the same role compared to her performance in Iron Man 2 and The Avengers. I would have loved to see more of Anthony Mackie though as I think he did well. Samuel L. Jackson is at his best, as usual. I particular liked the casting of legendary actor Robert Redford in a supporting role.

Veteran actor Robert Redford sharing a scene with Steve Rogers

FILMING:

Impressive and entertaining. At first, I was skeptical with the appointment of relatively new directors helming the film. However, it turned to out to be a good action adventure film. High praises for the stunts, gunfights, and car chase sequences. Lots of creative angles and shots. Good editing too. All of them were very exciting and I feel even renowned action director Michael Bay would be proud. The visual effects were not overly done and executed neatly.

Filming a scene from Captain America: The Winter Soldier

PACING:

A little slow at the beginning as it aims to explore plot points and back story. It picks up well towards the end. Good climax.

The Winter Soldier

TONE (MOOD):

A group of heroes must race against time to stop a mysterious villain while juggling dirty secrets within their own organization.

Natasha Romanoff (Scarlett Johansson) in action

DOWNSIDE:

There’s a lot of dialogue at some parts and too much explaining. I didn’t fancy the various plot twists. Non-fans of superhero films might not be able to relate.

Anthony Mackie as Falcon. The gear on his back becomes wings

UPSIDE:

Great action sequences which at some scenes can make you go “Wow!”

Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) and Natasha Romanoff (Scarlett Johansson) preparing to do battle

OVERALL:

Quite an entertaining film. It does not rank as one of the best superhero films but it does have its own special blend of fun. TAKE NOTE: There are TWO post end credits scenes. The first one comes midway through the credits. The second one comes at the end after all the end credits.

RATING:

8 out of 10

REVIEW: NEED FOR SPEED

When I was a university student in the late 1990s, my leisure activities were pretty much occupied playing video games. One of the many video games I played was a racing game called Need for Speed, a game distributed and published by popular game company Electronic Arts. Since then, the popularity of Need for Speed has grown tremendously and now there are many editions of the game to satisfy gamers. Thanks to this popularity, Hollywood has decided to adapt it into a feature film.

The film retains the same name Need for Speed and it is directed by Scott Waugh. Waugh previous film was military drama titled Act of Valor (2012) which I liked. Starring in Need for Speed are Aaron Paul (from TV’s Breaking Bad), Dominic Cooper, Imogen Poots, Scott Mescudi, Ramon Rodriguez, Rami Malek, and veteran actor Michael Keaton. The screenplay is written by George Gatins and John Gatins.

Will this film adaptation of a popular video game live up to expectations? Do read on…

Aaron Paul in the lead role as Tobey Marshall

SYNOPSIS:

Times are financially tough for race car driver and mechanic Tobey Marshall (Aaron Paul). When his old nemesis Dino Brewster (Dominic Cooper) shows up and makes a business offer, Tobey accepts the proposal. Soon after, Tobey was betrayed and cheated by Dino which resulted in the death of Tobey’s close friend. Tobey was convicted of his friend’s death. Two years after being released from prison, he seeks out revenge against Dino with the help of a British girl named Julia (Imogen Poots) and his rag-tag crew of mechanics.

It is all about fast and expensive cars. This is a scene in a mountain forest range like in the video games

SCRIPT:

Predictable and mildly exciting. From the start, I kind of felt where the movie is heading and what will happen in the end. However, the scriptwriters managed to spice it up with some small subplots and funny characters which gave it a variety. There was good characterization for the main roles. The film also does pay tribute by including many elements from the video game such as the obvious use of high-end expensive cars, police chases, race reward, and similar looking locations just like in the game. The film has a reasonable balance between action and drama, where both constantly alternate back and forth throughout. It was a little tiring to follow and care for the story.

Dominic Cooper as the antagonist Dino Brewster

ACTING:

Quite okay but could have been better. Aaron Paul did pretty well as the hero. Dominic Cooper could have brought more to his role as the villain. I feel he was not a convincing baddie as I hoped he would portray. I like Imogen Poots as the only prominent female cast member as she brought more balance to the film. Glad to see Michael Keaton in the film too who plays an eccentric race organizer.

Imogen Poots as Julia, Tobey's sidekick

FILMING:

Neatly done and satisfactory. As I mentioned earlier, the filmmakers attempt to pay tribute by including elements from the game. This is evident in the filming where most camera shots are either aerial photography or high angle shots. There were also some P.O.V (point of view) shots similar to the game. I am impressed with the aerial photography. There were lots of it and really showed some beautiful landscapes of America. I am pretty certain some stunts required computer visual effects but it was tough to differentiate what is real and CGI. That is good sign. Maybe they did the stunts for real. If they did, well done. I felt the paced could have been more faster and stylistic, then again, that is a subjective opinion.

A race scene from the film

PACING:

A little slow in the beginning as it tries to establish a lot of the storyline motives. Pick-ups towards the end.

TONE (MOOD):

High adrenaline race to the finish in order to decide who will emerge the victorious.

Bad luck police cruiser when chasing the illegal racers

DOWNSIDE:

The film is geared to the male demographic. The ladies might not fancy it. It has a predictable plot.

UPSIDE:

Expensive cars and loud noises. Avid Need for Speed gamers might like it.

The 'hero' car in an action scene from the film

OVERALL:

It was a decent adaptation of the video game. It also can be enjoyable for those who are not familiar with the Need for Speed game. It’s a ‘popcorn’ movie.

RATING:

7.0 out of 10

REVIEW: 300 RISE OF AN EMPIRE

In 2006, a very unique film titled 300 burst into the world of cinema with much acclaim about its filmmaking techniques. The film has received some form of cult status among movie fans because of its portrayal of stylistic violence and patriotic themes. The story tells a fictional account of an actual battle that took part during the Persian Wars many centuries ago. The film was adapted from a popular series of comic book written by Frank Miller and published by Dark Horse Comics. Since 300 was released, many fans were hoping for a sequel, and now one has arrived. 300 was directed by Zack Snyder, who went on to direct other successful films such as Watchmen (2009), Sucker Punch (2011), and Man of Steel (2013).

The sequel for 300 is titled 300: Rise of an Empire. The film is directed by newcomer Noam Munro. Snyder return as one of the film’s producers and co-screenwriter alongside Kurt Johnstad. Rise of an Empire introduces Australian actor Sullivan Stapleton in the lead role and actress Eva Green as his nemesis. Actors returning from the first 300 film are Lena Headey, Rodrigo Santoro, and David Wenham. Rounding up the supporting cast are Jack O’Connell, Hans Matheson, Callan Mulvey, and Andrew Tiernan. Just like the first film, the sequel is also adapted from the works of Frank Miller.

How will the sequel live to expectations from the first film? Do read on…

Just like the first film, it uses similar style, filming techniques, and even shots

SYNOPSIS:

During the Battle of Marathon in the era of the Persian Wars, a Greek army general named Themistocles (Sullivan Stapleton) kills his enemy King Darius of Persia. Xerxes (Rodrigo Santoro), son of King Darius, witnessed the incident and was too late to prevent it. Artemisia (Eva Green), a ruthless female war commander from Persia, manages to convince Xerxes that he is destined to avenge his father’s death. Xerxes reinvents himself as a ‘God-King and with Artemisia by his side, wages war against the Greeks with his massive Persian army. Attempts by Themistocles to seek help from Sparta’s Queen Gorgo (Lena Headey) fell on deaf ears, thus, he has to gather whatever he has of the Greek army to fight the Persians.

Sullivan Stapleton as Themistocles

SCRIPT:

Weak and cluttered. The film tries to tell a story of what happened before, during, and after the events of the first 300 film. By doing so, the script tried to cramp a lot of information into the film. This resulted in multiple plots being messy and a little difficult to follow. I understand that the filmmakers are trying to make a sequel which would also appeal to audiences who have not watched the first 300 film, but I feel they failed in doing so. As the movie progress, the story became less engaging and less interesting to follow. Those who have watched the first 300 might be able to grasp the storyline.

Rodrigo Santoro reprises his role as Xerxex

ACTING:

I was unimpressed with Sullivan Stapleton in the lead role. I guess he was there just for his good looks. Despite his mediocre performance, he was surrounded by some great female acting notably Eva Green and Lena Headey. I loved Eva Green’s performance as the ruthless villain Artemisia. No holds barred kind of performance.

The lovely Eva Green as Artemisia

FILMING:

Very impressive but ultimately felt like it was being overdone. It has almost the same exact style as Zack Snyder’s previous 300 film where there are big fight sequences, epic slow-motion shots, and gory violence. Just like the first film, the sets, costumes, and visual effects were top notch. However for this sequel, the story gets lost in too much visual effects imagery just to make it look cool. Too much blood splatter to the screen was annoying. As the film progresses, it became a movie more interested in showcasing how cool it would look like in 3D rather keeping the plot moving along.

A nice visual effects shot when Xerxes declares war on Greece.

PACING:

Interesting start. Good introduction. Then, it went downhill all the way. It got draggy in the middle. The ending was just okay.

TONE (MOOD):

Men and women from several nations who try to uphold their believes and satisfy their egos by creating violence towards their neighboring states.

I almost can't get enough of actress Eva Green

DOWNSIDE:

Weak script and uninteresting characters. In my opinion, the film felt cramped.

UPSIDE:

The art of the visual effects evokes some of the best moments from the first 300 film.

We saw the fate of Leonidas in the first 300 film. Here's a reverse shot that we didn't see

OVERALL:

Only go see it if you don’t mind stupid dialogue and loved the first 300 film.

Lena Headey as Queen Gorgo of Sparta

RATING:

4.5 out of 10