The Dark Knight Rises

The idea of a good movie is different for many people. The Dark Knight Rises was beyond good to me. As per my usual style I will not give spoilers. I will just give my initial reaction and thoughts to the movie.

First, GO SEE IT! I have been out of The Dark Knight Rises for about 25 minutes at this point and I can honestly say that my mind is still flooded and at a loss for the best way to convey what this movie was.

Initially what I want to convey is that without a doubt Tom Hardy scared me. I mean literally and figuratively. I sat with my hands clasped in front of my face for the majority of the movie. He played Bane amazingly well. Though it may not be the popular opinion I was more scared of him then I ever was the Joker. Bane was just everything physically intimidating and psychologically cruel. I mean it was a very very impressive role for Tom Hardy to play.

Christian Bale of course did not disappoint. Who would ever expect that to happen? He may be a lot of things that people do not like but when it comes to his acting ability he is just marvelous. Christian Bale is the Dark Knight. When people look back on the men that portrayed Batman/Bruce Wayne I really think that his is by far the best. Hands down no questions asked he will be my Dark Knight forever.

The suspense in the Dark Knight Rises is something that I was not expecting to experience. I figured that there would be some but to literally feel on the verge of panic attack most of the time was something that I most certainly did not expect. Welcomed it was but, it was a welcomed pleasant surprise.

The cast of The Dark Knight Rises in all was amazing. Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Anne Hathaway, Micheal Cain, Gary Oldman, Morgan Freeman, and the list could go on was very spectacular. I will be the first to admit that I was rather surprised at the thought of Anne Hathaway as Catwoman. Actually I was to be completely honest rather disappointed. I was wrong very very wrong in this case. Even though I feel that she was the least believable in the role I think that it was fairly well played on her part.

I was once told that I should talk more about audio, video, screenplay, and plot story. I have so much that I could say about all of these things but I just do not want to be the spoiler for anyone. I avoided as is my usual routine for these kinds of movies all trailers prior. I wanted to go in with a clean slate so to speak. I can not as a movie lover type something that could ruin it for someone else. That being said, The Dark Knight Rises was phenomenal. I laughed, I cried, I actually cried more than I thought I would. I can not give a grade but I will say this for sure I will definitely be going to see The Dark Knight Rises again at the theater very soon. Yes it was that good.

Thor 2 and Captain America 2

Thor: The Dark World Release date Nov. 18, 2013

This installment of the Thor series brings on a new director in Alan Taylor. Many will know him from the Game of Thrones series. Being the director of that series will probably help him a lot in directing The Dark World because of the changing settings. The vision from Alan according to Chris Hemsworth is “Big waterfalls, mountains and a Viking influence… Having that in Asgard is going to make it all that more special and that’s what Alan wants to bring to it.” Which makes sense since this is a movie about Norse gods.  

As for the plot of the film. We all know Loki will have to pay for his misbehavior in The Avengers.  Many hope that this will be a film in which he tries for redemption but knowing Loki that could be the case for part of the movie. Then the rest of it could be him up to his mischievous ways.

There is no word that I have found yet about the villain. Thanos could have something to do with the movie but from the other announcements at SDCC it makes that possibility a little less likely. Who really knows though besides Marvel and those involved in the movie. Speculation for this aspect of the movie has been varied and interesting to say the least. Could this be the movie with a woman super villain? If the comics are any indication that is a very distinct possibility.

Marvel has been rather quiet about the whole plot scenario.

Casting for the movie has had its shakeups. They have added and then had to subtract people. There are still rumored returns and questionable returns. Kat Dennings was questionable due to TV show obligations. Mads Mikkelson has left the film for Hannibal a TV show in which he will be playing Dr. Hannibal Lector. The other casting change is that Zachary Levi is replacing Josh Dallas a Fandral.

 Filming is scheduled to begin sometime in August in London, England.

Captain America: Winter Soldier release date April 4, 2014

This movie is going to deal with the direct aftermath of the Avengers movie on Earth as opposed to Thor 2 which will take place post Avengers on Asgard.

Chris Evans will of course return as Captain America. Samuel L. Jackson will continue as Nick Fury. Anthony Mackie was just announced as playing Falcon, Captain Americas side kick. This is just breaking as I type this so information is sparse to say the least. But, Falcon as anyone who follows the comics knows was the first African American superhero in mainstream comic books. He ultimately became an Avenger working with S.H.I.E.L.D.

The Russo Brothers will be directing this movie. There really is not a lot of information on this movie yet. It is rumored to be ready to begin filming around the time that Thor 2 is complete.

Horrible Comedy Oversights.... BAD ME

Okay first things first. I recently posted my favorite comedies. While thinking about it post publish I realized that I forgot some great funny movies. Seriously, I do not know how I forgot them but, I came to the conclusion that you simply can not whittle that list down to five movies. I am almost embarrassed about the movies that I over looked. Honestly I have zero clue how that happened. Truly they are some of my favorite funny movies.

Forgot to mention but it does not mean they do not count.

The Big Lebowski.. I do not know what happened here. I completely and totally dropped the ball on this one. I mean this is probably one of my favorite movies of all time. The three pictured above and John Tuturro just made the movie for me. Maybe it was the bowling, Walt's Vietnam rants, Donny and his innocence and sweetness, The Dude's relaxed ways, I do not know. All I know is that  "Nobody fucks with the Jesus!"

 Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgandy
The cameos in this movie are great. The one liners I mean it is just awesome. Steve Carell, Paul Rudd, Will Ferrell, and  David Koechner are just hilarious as a cast. They play off each other so well. Their rendition of Afternoon Delight makes me laugh every time. It may or may not be the ringtone on my phone.

Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby
If the title alone does not make you smirk I am not sure what to say. This movie was a sleeper for me. The first time I saw it I was not sure what to think. The second time I knew what to think and what I missed. It was so funny. It is one of those movies that I have to stop and watch whenever it is on. I just love Will Ferrell though. He is just so very funny. I could quote this movie all day long but if you have not seen it you really need to. The delivery of the lines is just so funny. John C. Reilly and Sasha Baron Cohen are just amazingly hilarious in this movie.

Like I said these are not honorable mentions but horrible over sights on my part. I could make this longer because I know as soon as this posts I will have remembered another movie that I should have put on there. But, for right now I am content in knowing that I am honest about my mistake in trying to make a list of five best comedies. Point learned never do that again.

OH before I forget you can not forget Spaceballs. Mel Brooks is just a comedic genius.

Maybe I am partial to this movie because it is a Star Wars spoof but, I just think it is the best. John Candy at the top of his game. Pizza the Hut, Yogurt, and so forth. Just great puns as per usual. The only thing missing for me was Gene Wilder. Yep I do have an odd crush I know.

Liz's Favorite Funny Movies

I like a lot of different kinds of movies but I can never seem to get enough comedies. I do realize that my sense of humor is slightly different from some people and you may not agree on all the movies I have chosen but this is my list of my five favorite comedies. I also must note that these are in no particular order. I could never pick an order because I love them all for different reasons.
5. Young Frankenstein- Gene Wilder is the most hilarious Dr. Frankenstein I have ever seen. Very rarely does a week go by that I do not think about Peter Boyle and his rendition of Puttin on the Ritz. The puns are so great. An amazing comedic look at the work of Dr. Frankenstein and one of my all time favorite movies.

4. Super Troopers- The one liners in this movie just crack me up. The verbal innuendos are painfully hilarious. The shenanigans that this group of cops get into are something that only Broken Lizard could come up with. It always made me wonder if real cops are like this and then I think.. no of course not. No one can have the much fun at work.

3. I Love You Man- Jason Segel and Paul Rudd take the term bromance to a whole new level in this. If you are a fan of either you will love this. Paul Rudd's character is so awkward when it comes to dealing with other guys that it is almost uncomfortable to watch at times. Jason Segel is adorable as the friend to Rudd.

2.Tommy Boy- What is there not to like about this movie with the late Chris Farley? This was him at his best. Physical comedy was what he was great at and in the first few minutes of the movie he delivers. This movie is just the hilarious. On a road trip to save your deceased fathers company he gets into the most hilarious situations one can think of.

1. Napoleon Dynamite- This movie is well, not for everyone. I have friends that only watch it with me because I laugh so hard at certain things. I think the one part that cracks me up the most is LaFawnduh from Detroit. Being from Michigan 35 miles north of Detroit it just cracks me up to no end. There is just so much in this movie that is very dry yet utterly fantastic in the best sort of way.

The Amazing Spiderman

The Amazing Spiderman was a very enjoyable movie. I went in not knowing what to think. I did not watch trailers of any kind prior to seeing The Amazing Spiderman. I can honestly say that I am glad that I did do it this way. As I gathered from others, scenes that they thought were rather cheesy from trailers worked well for the movie. The Amazing Spiderman had a great cast. Andrew Garfield as Spiderman was a good choice although unexpected. I like how he played Peter Parker. Emma Stone as Gwen Stacy well, she is such a good actress. The two of them worked very well together. Dennis Leary as Captain Stacy was a pleasant surprise. 

There is not a lot of negative things to say about The Amazing Spiderman. I think that the biggest complaint I heard was that the villain's graphics were not great. But, I think that any time you try to make an animal or reptile look human you run into difficulties. The CGI all in all was very good.
The Amazing Spiderman used humor so well. There were many scenes where the entire audience laughed out loud. I think that a big part of that was how well the cast of The Amazing Spiderman worked together. Awkward teenage humor was funny and believeable.
The biggest word to the wise that I have is DO NOT go into The Amazing Spiderman thinking about the previous Spiderman movies. Go into it planning on having a laugh and spending two hours and fifteen minutes enjoying yourself because that is what The Amazing Spiderman delivers. The Amazing Spiderman does start to drag at a couple points but quickly and effortlessly pulls you right back in. The Amazing Spiderman was well worth my time.