Movie Review: Captain America Civil War

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So this was probably one of the most anticipated movies of the spring, despite the fact that it was up against some intense competition, with Jungle Book and Mother’s Day being strong performers. However, I was pretty sure this one would take the number one spot, as it’s already set records outside the US. And for once, a big budget blockbuster is pleasing critics and hitting all the right notes with audiences.

And it had a lot of notes to hit.

The film opens in 1991, with a frozen Winter Soldier (Sebastian Stan) being thawed out for another in a series of murderous missions. One after another, the code words needed to activate the killer are spoken: “daybreak … furnace … homecoming … freight car …” Flash forward to present-day Lagos, where an Avengers squad made up of Captain America (Chris Evans), Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), Falcon (Anthony Mackie), and Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen) is foiling the theft of a biological weapon. There’s a shit ton of casualties and it all goes downhill for the Avengers from there when they have to submit for government oversight.

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There’s a lot going on, but they managed to balance it pretty well. I never got too confused, despite a cast of what feels like millions. They go through ever doggone country in the world and tie in every other franchise that Joss Wheaton ever read a comic on, and they never stop moving. All the actors blended into their characters, and there’s a lot of characters to keep straight.

But for the most part, I still knew what was going on, because the plot’s pretty straight forward. They don’t want to deal with United Nations regulators telling them what to do, despite the wake of destruction they often leave. It doesn’t become a one sided argument, because it argues the point from both sides. I mean, when you see what they leave behind when they’re being heroic, you can kind of see the government’s point.

“Yeah, guys, you got that lady’s purse back from a mugger, but there were 45 civilian casualties and your caused $85 billion worth of damage to the city. Maybe next time, don’t start with the nuclear option?”

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It all eventually culminates in one of the best battle scenes I’ve ever seen. It should have been confusing, or too much, but it wasn’t. The direction is subtle but the action is perfectly choreographed, which is why I never felt like it was too much, when this movie should be the definition of too much. There’s a method to this madness, and I didn’t even resent the over the top ads for future movies.

The latest offering of Captain America is a misnomer, because it’s got just about every other character you can think of. But it’s extremely well-done to the point where you can follow it easily. It’s controlled chaos and worth the watch. It’s one of those rare movies that’s critic and audience approved and should not be missed.

WE GIVE IT: 4.5 STARS!

four and a half stars

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Movie Review: Trainwreck (2015) – A Rom-com Without Sap; I Didn’t Think It Was Possible

There is a reason that I hate most romantic comedies. It’s not because of the lack of realism in the plot. I can pretty much enjoy anything that requires a leap of the imagination. Nope, it’s because there’s never a character I can identify with. The girl is always this Type A, high strung ball breaking business women who never had time to settle down because of her career.

Note to movie writers, some of us aren’t in relationships and it has nothing to do with our careers. Some of us are just incredibly immature bed hopping binge drinkers. I can’t identify with some Type A nutjob. That’s why I don’t like romantic comedies and that’s why I loved Trainwreck. Finally, there is a character that represents us. For the first time, I didn’t just like a romantic comedy. I loved a romantic comedy. For that, I thank Amy Schumer.

Trainwreck starts out with young Amy learning all about the dangers of monogamy from her father, who explains it by asking Amy “What if I told you this was the only doll you could ever play with for the rest of your life?” Drilled that monogamy is a bad thing, Amy lives on one night stands and drunken benders. That is until she meets a cute, almost virginal doctor in the course of her job as a magazine writer. Then starts Amy trying to grow up and settle down.

It’s a paint by numbers rom-com but what made it shine is the edge. That edge comes in the form of Amy Schumer and some seriously biting sarcasm and humor. There are so many laugh out loud moments. They’re able to keep it rude without going too crude, and it sucks any overly sappy sweetness right out of the movie.

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A rom-com without sap. I didn’t think it was possible. I think it probably has something to do with some of the most flawless casting I’ve ever seen.

Colin Quinn was a stroke of genius as the belligerent, commitment probe dad. While I have never once thought of Bill Hader as a romantic lead, it this movie he just plain shines. While some thought the movie was too cameo heavy, I found that they managed to fit in the cameos pretty seamlessly.

Especially the movie long cameo for LeBron James. He plays Hader’s best friend and he’s pretty good. A lot of that was smart writing. They knew to not give James more than he could handle, and he handled it well. You never forget he’s LeBron James, but I imagine that’s probably what being LeBron James’s best friend is like anyway.

But the big star in this one is Amy Schumer. She is just plain fantastic in this movie and I think it might be her breakthrough. This girl is about to go from being a cable cult following, to a big name star. They didn’t change her up too much from her personality on “Inside Amy Schumer” but it still worked for a romantic comedy.

Trainwreck was very well written and even better cast. If you like Amy Schumer, and even if you hate romantic comedies, this one is worth the watch.

WE GIVE IT: 4.5 STARS!

four and a half stars

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Trainwreck Official Poster - 25JUL2015