STRAW DOGS (2011)

Straw Dogs stars James Marsden, Kate Bosworth, Alexander Skarsgard, Laz Alonso and James Woods. Directed by Rod Lurie. Rated R with a running time of 1 hour and 45 minutes. Remake of the 1971 film of the same name.

Plot: David and Amy Sumner (James Marsden and Kate Bosworth), a Hollywood screenwriter and his actress wife, return to her small hometown in the deep South to prepare the family home for sale after her father's death. Once there, tensions build in their marriage and old conflicts re-emerge with the locals, including Amy's ex-boyfriend Charlie (Alexander Skarsgård), leading to a violent confrontation.

I'd never seen the original Straw Dogs so I didn't really know much about the movie going in to it. For what it is, Straw Dogs is an ok thriller with some good acting and a pretty good climactic ending. James Marsden is very solid here as a man who is eventually driven to a breaking point of violence to fight for his home and wife. You feel for the guy and you're rooting for him after you see what these southern rednecks do to provoke him. Marsden's David sticks out like a sore thumb in the South and the townies are always giving him a hard time, while oogling his wife. Skarsgard is also pretty good as Charlie who seems like a friendly, kind construction worker, but he has other motives as he used to be Amy's boyfriend. I gotta say that Marsden was pretty badass in the climactic confrontation and was calm and cool and knew what to do. James Marsden....the next action star?? Kate Bosworth was alright and she is definitely attractive.

Some things I really didn't like about the movie was a subplot that involved James Woods. He plays a former high school football coach who is now the town drunk. He really hams it up here and was extremely annoying when on-screen. This subplot also involves a mentally handicapped man who previously harassed a young girl in town. Released from prison the whole town is always watching him and keeping him away from teenaged girls. If you are thinking that this plot doesn't sound like it has anything to do with the main plot then you are pretty much right. They do find a way to connect the two but it came off as lazy and just not done very well.

Straw Dogs is a decently made thriller that is pretty entertaining but that subplot is very distracting and feels as if it is from some other movie. James Marsden though gives a strong performance and he is the primary reason to see this film. Plus he is involved in the best scene that involves a bear trap. Yeah I bet you can guess where that is heading.

B-

WARRIOR

Warrior stars Joel Edgerton, Tom Hardy, Nick Nolte and Jennifer Morrison. Directed by Gavin O'Connor. Rated PG-13 with a running time of 2 hours and 19 minutes.

Plot: Haunted by a tragic past, Marine Tommy Conlon (Hardy) returns home for the first time in fourteen years to enlist the help of his father (Nick Nolte) to train for Sparta, the biggest winner-takes-all event in mixed martial arts history. A former wrestling prodigy, Tommy blazes a path toward the championship while his brother, Brendan (Edgerton), an ex-fighter-turned teacher, returns to the ring in a desperate bid to save his family from financial ruin. But when Brendan's unlikely, underdog rise sets him on a collision course with the unstoppable Tommy, the two brothers must finally confront each other and the forces that pulled them apart, facing off in the most soaring, soul stirring, and unforgettable climax that must be seen to be believed.

Wow Warrior is a fresh breath of air in the sports drama category. Of course it's got some awesome fighting scenes but the acting is the part that really stood out for me. All the intense drama and seeing it unfold in the ring near the end was just plain awesome as a movie lover. Tom Hardy is probably one of the strongest actors working right now and his part as Tommy should earn him an Oscar Nomination. He's so intense and I really can't wait to see him join Christopher Nolan's Batman finale as Bane. Joel Edgerton does fine work but the other two actors stood out to me more.

Nick Nolte (who also deserves an Oscar Nod) gives a heartbreaking performance as a former alcoholic trying to reconnect with his sons, who want nothing to do with him. He takes their emotional abuse because he knows he deserves it. He was the reason his family split up and 14 years ago Tommy (Hardy) went with their mother and Brendan (Edgerton) stayed behind with their dad. Both were great wrestlers but dad, Paddy (Nolte) seemed to always take an interest in Tommy. So when Tommy returns 14 years later he wants his dad to train him for the big Sparta tournament but thats all he wants from him. Inevitably the two brothers will face off in the ring and I promise you that that moment is amazing. The beauty of this film is that you are rooting for both brothers and you want both of them to win, but obviously that can't happen.

Warrior has all the head-splitting, bone-crushing action you could want from a movie about MMA, but it is also great drama and you feel for each and every character. The ending is so unpredictable and you never know what's going to happen and that's another thing I loved about this movie. Great acting, great sports action. I'm going to predict that Warrior will probably be my favorite movie of the year and it is definitely one of the best movies of the year.

A

OUR IDIOT BROTHER

Our Idiot Brother stars Paul Rudd, Elizabeth Banks, Zooey Deschanel, Emily Mortimer, Rashida Jones, Steve Coogan and Adam Scott. Directed by Jesse Peretz. Rated R with a running time of 1 hour and 30 minutes.

Plot: Ned (Paul Rudd), is an erstwhile organic farmer whose willingness to rely on the honesty of mankind is a less-than-optimum strategy for a tidy, trouble-free existence. After being released from jail for selling pot to a uniformed police officer, Ned's girlfriend kicks him off of his farm and he is forced to live with his three sisters (Mortimer, Banks, Deschanel) visiting one after the other after they each eventually kick him out for meddling in their lives. But as each of their lives begins to unravel, Ned's family comes to realize that maybe, in believing and trusting the people around him, Ned isn't such an idiot after all.

The cast in this film was very promising since it is full of some of the best comedic talent working today. Paul Rudd would either make or break the movie since the whole movie is basically about him and his relationships with his sisters. Rudd does a good job in the movie and delivers the laughs as needed, he definitely made the movie. But unfortunately he is not enough to make this movie a top comedy of the year, instead it's just a mediocre comedy.

I found the sister characters to be very uninteresting as they were all portrayed as neurotic women with men problems. It's nothing against the actresses (Mortimer, Banks, Deschanel) but the script made these characters annoying and it made me not want to sympathize with them. They were all actually quite mean to Ned so that didn't help with the audience caring for them. Another problem I had with the film was that it ended rather abruptly and I was left feeling like the story wasn't finished. It should have showed more scenes with Ned and his sisters after all the crazy debacles they encountered.

Two actors who did great work in this film were Paul Rudd and T.J. Miller. Miller is a rising comic actor and has been in films such as She's Out of My League and a small part in Get Him to the Greek. He has a rather small role in this movie too but he doesn't waste a second when he is on screen and is hilarious throughout as the guy who moves in to the farm with Ned's girlfriend. Rudd plays Ned in the unique way in that yes he does make idiotic choices but he is an all around nice guy so the audience can relate to him. Paul Rudd and T.J. Miller deliver the laughs in Our Idiot Brother but they aren't quite enough to make this comedy stand out in what has been the summer of R rated comedies.

B-

FRIGHT NIGHT (2011)

Fright Night stars Anton Yelchin, Colin Farrell, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, David Tennant, Imogen Poots and Toni Collette. Directed by Craig Gillespie. Rated R with a running time of 1 hour and 46 minutes.

Plot: Senior Charlie Brewster (Anton Yelchin) finally has it all going on: he's running with the popular crowd and dating the most coveted girl in his high school. In fact, he's so cool he's even dissing his best friend. But trouble arrives when Jerry (Colin Farrell) moves in next door. He seems like a great guy at first, but there's something not quite right, but everyone, including Charlie's mom (Toni Collette), doesn't notice. After observing some very strange activity, Charlie comes to an unmistakable conclusion: Jerry is a vampire preying on the neighborhood. Unable to convince anyone, Charlie has to find a way to get rid of the monster himself.

Fright Night is kind of like Disturbia but with more blood and the obvious vampire twist. As for the vampire himself, Colin Farrell is excellent as the lean mean blood-sucking machine. He's a good villain and it's fun to see a vampire actually being a vampire unlike those love-sick, vegetarian ones from Twilight. Farrell is taking some career risks by doing a mainstream comedy earlier this summer in Horrible Bosses and is now playing a vampire. I think it's working for him as he is strong in both movies. The rest of the cast including Yelchin, Poots, Mintz-Plasse, and Collette were fine but nothing that really stood out. Though David Tennant provides some funny moments as a vampire "expert" whom Charlie seeks help from.

Fright Night has a good cast and some great visuals but some of the story points irritated me. At the beginning of the film entire families are disappearing (due to being Jerry the vampire's dinner) and the whole town doesn't seem to notice or care. I know I'm just supposed to watch and not worry about that, but it stood out to me and pretty much distracted me. Also when Jerry decides to blow up the Brewster's house none of the neighbors seem to notice that the house just exploded....or they just don't care. I don't know maybe I'm just nit picking but those things stood out to me and bothered me.

Unfortunately I was forced to see Fright Night in 3D and while it was useful in a handful of scenes, it still could have gone without the 3D. Fright Night is entertaining most of the time and uses it's Las Vegas setting to it's full potential, but some glaring plot holes stood out to me and took away from the good of the movie. It is mindless entertainment and if you want to just relax and sit back for a couple of hours, then Fright Night will suffice that need.

B-

30 MINUTES OR LESS

30 Minutes or Less stars Jesse Eisenberg, Aziz Ansari, Danny McBride, Nick Swardson and Michael Pena. Directed by Ruben Fleisher. Rated R with a running time of 1 hour and 23 minutes.

Plot: Nick (Jesse Eisenberg) is a small town pizza delivery guy whose mundane life collides with the big plans of two wanna-be criminal masterminds (Danny McBride and Nick Swardson). The volatile duo kidnaps Nick and forces him to rob a bank. With mere hours to pull off the impossible task, Nick enlists the help of his ex-best friend, Chet (Aziz Ansari). As the clock ticks, the two must deal with the police, hired assassins, flamethrowers, and their own tumultuous relationship.

When you have a zany action comedy movie like this the only way it can succeed is to have the right cast to bring these characters to life. 30 Minutes or Less does this and that is why it is easily the funniest movie I have seen this year. Eisenberg and Ansari have great chemistry and their fire rapid delivering of dialogue is hilarious. McBride and Swardson are also very funny as the criminal "masterminds" of the movie. There is really a 2 part buddy comedy movie as it follows Eisenberg and Ansari and then McBride and Swardson. If you like any of these guy's previous work like Eisenberg's Zombieland, Ansari's Parks and Recreation or even McBride's Eastbound and Down on HBO, then you will enjoy their performances in this one.

There really isn't a lot I can say about this movie other than it is hilarious. It's a fast-paced, gut busting, action comedy with a zany twist. Yeah thats how I would describe 30 Minutes or Less. It's actually a little too short and left me wanting more, which is a good thing. Ruben Fleisher also directed Zombieland so he really knows how to do comedy and I'm interested to see what he does next.

B+

COWBOYS & ALIENS

Cowboys & Aliens stars Daniel Craig, Harrison Ford, Olivia Wilde and Sam Rockwell. Directed by Jon Favreau. Rated PG-13 with a running time of 1 hour and 58 minutes.

Plot: 1873. Arizona Territory. A stranger (Craig) with no memory of his past stumbles into the hard desert town of Absolution. The only hint to his history is a mysterious shackle that encircles one wrist. What he discovers is that the people of Absolution don't welcome strangers, and nobody makes a move on its streets unless ordered to do so by the iron-fisted Colonel Dolarhyde (Ford). It's a town that lives in fear. But Absolution is about to experience fear it can scarcely comprehend as the desolate city is attacked by marauders from the sky. Screaming down with breathtaking velocity and blinding lights to abduct the helpless one by one, these monsters challenge everything the residents have ever known.

Cowboys & Aliens is certainly an intriguing idea and I do believe that the filmmakers tried their best to make a good movie but sadly a good movie this is not. It's definitely one of the biggest disappointments of the summer, right up there with Green Lantern. There's definitely a great cast here with Daniel Craig and Harrison Ford but it's just the story that is dull and boring. It starts off with the typical western movie cliches, a stranger comes to a new town and clashes with the locals. Then the aliens arrive and abduct some of the townspeople and the rest of the movie deals with the rescue of those people.

I found the story to be very unoriginal and quite lazy. Which is disappointing with all the talented people working on the film. The action scenes were loud and boring and simply not special. The aliens were also unoriginal since they are variations of all the other aliens we have seen in countless movies. I also think that Cowboys & Aliens was hurt by being another alien movie in a summer filled with them. Earlier this year we had Battle LA, Super 8 and Green Lantern, and they all had enough aliens for moviegoers this year. Cowboys & Aliens was simply just another alien invasion movie but added nothing new to the genre except, obviously, the setting.

Favreau fans will definitely hate me for saying this but I still don't think he is a very good action director. Yes I know he directed the 2 Iron Man movies but to me they didn't have very special action climaxes. They weren't bad but I just don't think they were very good either. I found this to be the case with Cowboys & Aliens too. The movie was an intriguing idea but the story was very average and it just ended up being another alien invasion movie, and not a very good or interesting one. I don't think we will be seeing anymore cowboy and alien movies anytime soon.

C+

CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE FIRST AVENGER

Captain America: The First Avenger stars Chris Evans, Hugo Weaving, Hayley Atwell, Tommy Lee Jones, Sebastian Stan, Dominic Cooper, Stanley Tucci, Toby Jones and yes there is a cameo by Samuel L. Jackson (aka Nick Fury)! Directed by Joe Johnston. Rated PG-13 with a running time of 2 hours and 5 minutes. Based on the Marvel comic book character.

Plot: Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) volunteers to participate in an experimental program that turns him into the Super Soldier known as Captain America. As Captain America, Rogers joins forces with Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan) and Peggy Carter (Hayley Atwell) to wage war on the evil HYDRA organization, led by the villainous Red Skull (Hugo Weaving.)

Marvel has done it again! They took another one of their superhero characters and made another good movie. Captain America has a great cast and is pure summer fun. It also has a retro vibe since it takes place during WWII and the it looks great. Chris Evans is very good as Steve Rogers/Captain America. He surprised me because he actually brings some depth to the character and you feel for the guy. You understand that he is a good guy and just wants to fight for his country, but his sickly body keeps holding him back. This movie brings us back to the old days where good guys are good and bad guys are bad.

I was a little worried when I first heard Chris Evans would be playing Captain America. I didn't know if he could pull it off and plus he already played a superhero in the Fantastic Four movies! But not to worry folks, Evans can actually act and he is solid as Cap. I also have to point out that the special effects that transformed Chris Evans into the 90 pound weakling that is Steve Rogers were excellent. I heard that they digitally erased parts of Evans to make him look like that. It was very believable and didn't distract me once.

The rest of the cast was also solid. Hugo Weaving plays Johann Schmidt/Red Skull who is the villain in the flick. He is the leader of HYDRA which is the deep science division of the Nazis. Weaving is good here but Red Skull is your average villain, he just wants to take over the world. Hayley Atwell is Peggy Carter who is a British liaison to the U.S. army and love interest to Captain America. The love story does seem a little forced but at least Atwell gets to run around and shoot guns instead of just being there to be saved by Capt. America, like we have seen in countless superhero movies. Tommy Lee Jones is absolutely perfect as Colonel Phillips who is the commanding officer of the super soldier program that Steve becomes a part of. Jones is the main source of humor in the film and he does this part so well that he could do it in his sleep. Stanley Tucci plays a german scientist who created the super soldier serum that transforms Steve into Captain America. Tucci is kind of a mentor to Steve and is the first to believe in him and campaigns for him to be chosen for the super soldier program. Sebastian Stan plays Bucky who is Steve's best friend. He looked out for him when he was a little weakling but the roles become reversed when Steve becomes Captain America.

Now lets get to the Marvel Cinematic Universes. So far in chronological order, Steve Rogers is the first superhero to be established hence The First Avenger in the title. In this movie we are introduced to Tony Stark/Iron Man's father Howard Stark. He is the weapons manufacturer for the U.S. army during WWII and also had a hand in transforming Steve into Captain America. Howard Stark is played by Dominic Cooper and he does a fine job. You see a little bit of Robert Downey Jr. in him and so he's very believable as Tony Stark's father. As we all know, whether you have read the comics or not, that Captain America will be a part of the upcoming Avenger movie that will continue the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Since that movie will take place in the present day along with Iron Man, the Hulk and Thor, one might ask how Captain America is in it since he was around his mid-twenties during WWII. Well don't worry it is explained in this movie and is pretty epic to say the least. I won't spoil it for you but it is exciting because Capt. America will be in the present day and will feel all alone because everyone he once knew is probably dead. It will be interesting to see Evans' depth of emotion because it already has been said that The Avengers will deal with this aspect of Captain America. Samuel L. Jackson returns as Nick Fury near the end of the film. His part in this movie is to presumably recruit Capt. America into The Avengers.

Marvel is doing exciting things with their comic book characters and I simply can't wait for The Avengers! They are on a roll right now that started with Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, Iron Man 2, Thor and now Captain America. That roll will definitely continue with The Avengers. They obviously care about their characters and they get good directors and actors who understand their vision and can translate it onto the big screen. Captain America is the latest of this trend and it is worthy to be with all the previous Marvel movies. Though this one is unique as it contains a retro vibe since it takes place in the 1940's. It's pretty cool to see a superhero that takes place during this time period. With a solid cast and great visuals, Captain America is good fun and is the last piece of the puzzle before The Avengers. May 4th, 2012 can't come soon enough!

B+