Starring: Gina Carano, Channing Tatum, Ewan McGregor, Antonio Banderas, Michael Douglas, Bill Paxton, Michael Angarano, Michael Fassbender
Director: Steven Soderbergh

MMA fighter Gina Carano makes her acting debut (no, I do not count her bit role in Blood and Bone!) in the new Steven Soderbergh film, Haywire, as Mallory Kane, a freelance covert operative on the run after handler, Kenneth (McGregor), tries to have her killed on assignment in Dublin. With no one to trust, Mallory goes on a one-woman rampage from Europe to New Mexico, and South America, to get to the truth and clear her name.

I’m a sucker for Greek mythology films but I will be the very first person to step up and admit that I had some serious skepticism after watching trailers for Immortals. With the hugest of advertising tag lines saying ‘from the producers of 300‘, it wasn’t beyond reason to suspect that this movie could be nothing more than a shallow cash cow. As a movie following on the heels of Jason And The Argonauts, Clash of The Titans and 300, does Immortals have a leg to stand on as its own established film and not a clone?

Walking out of the theater, I can say that Immortals exceeded all of my expectations. The movie was spectacular in its execution and delivered a story that’s just as captivating as it is entertaining. Director Tarsem Singh (The Cell, The Fall) brings his visual style to the forefront with accurate colors and tones associated with mythological tales along with some of the most visually striking (if not gory) action and fight scenes that have become the hallmark of the genre. Immortals isn’t just another spartan/gladiator tale, it’s damn near a masterpiece.

If there’s one thing Immortals does well compared to other films of the genre, it’s that it doesn’t lay it on thick with the special effects. Watch enough Spartacus and you’ll know what I mean. Amid all the blood, gore and sometimes raw carnage, Immortals never comes off as over dramatic with the effects. Coming off very stylish, the movie never strayed into the realm of being over the top. Maybe it’s because instead of going the typical super-sized monster route, Immortals took a more old school approach by having classic man versus man, legion versus legion fights. It’s truly epic when you see it all coming together in front of your eyes. The script is excellent and the pacing is perfect. There was never a moment where it felt like Immortals was dragging along or delivering up filler content.

The fantasy genre always boasts on thing: huge fight scenes. In Immortals, the fight scenes are truly breathtaking. With all of the fast pacing and adrenaline inducing action, you get exactly what you paid for in this mythological tale. The best of them all is the fight between the Titans and the Gods. As the fight goes down, you see the true evolution of action cinematography. Watching the Olympians dealing out damage to the Titans you see how really bad ass the Gods can be — especially when the action slow-mos so you can see them go to work. The mixture of live action and CGI blend together seamlessly and despite obvious CGI blood, if you don’t find yourself wrapped up in the action, this obviously isn’t your movie.

The Gods themselves are terrifically represented and portrayed uncharacteristically as younger men and women as opposed to old, white haired spirits as most modern films like to depict. It makes for a better connection to have beautiful men and women portraying powerful and fierce deities especially since the fight scenes meet the demands of having young people in the fight.

Henry Cavill’s depiction of the title role of Theseus will surely get you ready for his upcoming role as The Man of Steel. Theseus evolves from simple peasant to leader of an army and Cavill sells the role completely. Mickey Rourke as King Hyperion is very well acted and Rourke is well suited for the role of a bloodthirsty ruler bent on punishing the Gods. Frieda Pinto, Stephen Dorff, John Hurt, Luke Evans and Kellan Lutz loan their talents to the support characters and round out the cast.

Presented in 3D, Immortals does an okay job with the 3D aspects. I’m not the biggest fan of 3D, but honestly speaking, what was rendered in 3D for the film does little to emphasize the action. Remove the 3D element from the film and it’s just as good.

Here’s the film’s synopsis just to give you an idea of what Immortals is all about:

The brutal and bloodthirsty King Hyperion (Mickey Rourke) and his murderous Heraklion army rampage across Greece in search of the long lost Bow of Epirus. With the invincible Bow, the king will be able to overthrow the Gods of Olympus and become the undisputed master of his world. With ruthless efficiency, Hyperion and his legions destroy everything in their wake, and it seems nothing will stop the evil king’s mission.

As village after village is obliterated, a stonemason named Theseus (Henry Cavill) vows to avenge his mother, who was killed in one of Hyperion’s brutal raids. When Theseus meets the Sybelline Oracle, Phaedra (Freida Pinto), her disturbing visions of the young man’s future convince her he is the key to stopping the destruction. With her help, Theseus assembles a small band of followers and embraces his destiny in a final, desperate battle for the future of humanity. Immortals is produced by Gianni Nunnari (300), Mark Canton (300) and Ryan Kavanaugh (The Fighter).

The 2011 remake of the vampire flick Fright Night is in theaters and bringing with it a fresh take on the extremely campy 1985 original. Modernizing the story about a teenager discovering that evil lives next door to him into something more contemporary, this horror film is definitely less B-movie keeping the storyline to the basics but adding new and deeper plot twists. No complaints though — this movie retains that hilarious funny appeal that made the original an instant classic.

Charley Brewster (Anton Yelchin) really can’t have it any better than he does right now. He’s one of the popular kids and is dating the hottest girl in high school. The only thing that’s probably holding him back is his not-so-cool childhood best friend, Ed (Christopher Mintz-Plasse). So, after trying to avoid Ed, it’s only natural that Ed bribes Charley to go out with him on a search after a rash of students in their class start to go missing.

After he and Ed finish their investigation, Charley heads back home where he meets his new neighbor Jerry (Colin Farrell) having a conversation with his mom (Toni Collette). Jerry is an extremely handsome jack-of-all-trades handyman that seems to have Charley’s girlfriend (Imogen Poots) and mother both smitten with his charms. It isn’t until after witnessing some very unusual activity that Charley comes to one frightening conclusion: Jerry is a vampire preying on his neighborhood. When all options run out for him, Charley seeks out the help of Peter Vincent (David Tennant) to find a way to get rid of the blood-sucker.

If you’re familiar with the original 1985 Fright Night, there’s a few points in the remake that follow with that movie (I won’t spoil them here). Director Craig Gillespie (Mr. Woodcock, United States of Tara) literally reworks the film from the ground up and tells a much more solid story. A round of applause is deserved for Gillespie’s knack for keeping the plot’s comedic roots intact while crafting a truly edgy horror film. The plot for Fright Night revolves mainly around Yelchin and a gym-buffed Farrell’s portrayal of Charley and Jerry. Both actors sell their roles dead-on as they play out a serious tug-of-war with Charley on one side trying to keep his mother and girlfriend safe and Jerry on the other executing a far more insidious scheme for everyone around him. Peter Vincent’s role seems minor at first but the vampire hunter takes on an extremely important role as the second half of the movie pans out.

Fright Night is featured in 3D, but the 3D elements are minor and don’t do a whole lot to contribute to the experience of the film. The real meat and potatoes of Fright Night is in the storytelling and the action that is a sheer rollercoaster ride. If you’re a fan of the original film and are wondering exactly how the vampire effects come off, don’t fret. The CG effects for the vampires closely mimics that of the original with the wide mouths and the grotesquely jagged teeth. The transformations from human to vampire is very impressive and almost believable (if vampires were real).

Fright Night isn’t your typical vampire tale. You won’t find any sluttish telepathic faeries, roided-out tattooed werewolves or angsty sparkly-skinned teenage vamps here. What you’ll get is a very sexy blood-sucking good time with enough chills, thrills and laughs to separate Fright Night from the apparent norm of vampire storytelling.

If you are looking for a good horror flick to keep your summer going strong, head out to theaters and check out Fright Night. This is one movie that should definitely NOT get lost in the shuffle of this summer’s rush of blockbusters.

I have to say Marvel Comics has a steady stream of hits for the conversion of their properties from printed medium to the big screen. Blade, X-Men, Iron Man, and now Captain America: The First Avenger has all reminded fans what they love about their heroes. Captain America follows on the heels of a ring slinging space cop and the boy wizard to make its stamp on this superpower packed summer, and it delivers with this genuinely exciting and fun superhero period piece.

If you are an avid comic reader, as myself, then you know the story of scrawny yet full of heart Steve Rogers.  A sickly man from Brooklyn who is transformed into Captain America to help the war effort. To revitalize this point The First Avenger delves deeper into the selection process of how Rogers was chosen for the Super Soldier project. Much emphasis is placed on the type of man Rogers’ is prior to receiving the serum, the fact that it’s his heart and determination that’s his true power. A little sappy I know but it comes across more inspiring than preachy.

Chris Evans gives a stellar performance as the good captain and I was only too happy, not to see a hint of Evans’ portrayal of the Human Torch show up. Evans played Captain America through and through and wasn’t anywhere near as one dimensional as some of the other actors portraying more than one type of comic character. Tommy Lee Jones’ Chester Phillips added a heavy dose of legitimacy to the war scenes to insure that the spandex wouldn’t overrun the movie. Hugo Weaving as the Red Skull came across as a little flat and nowhere near as terrifying as I thought the Skull should be. Of course what would a Marvel movie be if it wasn’t loaded with Easter eggs. Long time fans will recognize the Howling commandos, Uncle Stan and plenty more cameos and references.

With all comic properties a certain amount of changes can be expected when being translated to film, some good, some bad, and others just awful. The changes made to the First Avenger actually accentuate the story and the death (or lack there of) of two major players hint at the possibilities that we as fans can only hope for in future installments. Lastly Captain America satirized the country’s ability to hero worship in making him the pitchman for war bonds by the government where he knocked out a phony Hitler from city to city which lead to recruitment posters, movie rolls and even, dare I say it comics.

If you think you’ve had your fill of this superhero summer then you will miss out on an impressively solid film, that doesn’t fall into the cliché of other superhero films. Captain America: The First Avenger is a 2011 American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics character Captain America. It is the fifth installment of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The film was directed by Joe Johnston, written by Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely. Captain America: The First Avenger premiered in Hollywood on July 19, 2011 and is scheduled for general release on July 22, 2011.

B+

LaTwan Holland was a writer for a local under ground newspaper, The Spinner Rack that covered comics, video games, anime and related movies and is currently the Producer of the DIRECT EDITION. To find out the latest that’s happening with LaTwan and the Direct Edition check them out at the DIRECT EDITION podcast, blog and you tube site.

It certainly isn’t easy being green. Between the prospect of John Stewart’s Green Lantern being part of a Justice League film that never came to fruition, and the property coming close to being a screwball comedy starring Jack Black, the road to bringing the Emerald Knight to the big screen has been more than just a little bumpy. At the end of the journey, we find Martin Campbell in the director’s chair and Ryan Reynolds in the starring role, as we discover how a cocky test pilot became the Green Lantern of Sector 2814.

Director: Matthew Vaughn
Starring: James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Kevin Bacon, January Jones, Rose Byrne, Jennifer Lawrence, Zoe Kravitz, Nicholas Hoult, Lucas Till, Caleb Landry-Jones, Edi Gathegi

Taking place in the 1960s, X-Men: First Class introduces us to a world that knows nothing about mutants. Powerful telepath Charles Xavier has just graduated from Oxford, while master of magnetism Erik Lensherr (aka “Magneto”) is a man on a mission, determined to hunt down the Nazi scientist that experimented on him as a child during the Holocaust. When the efforts of said scientist, now proprietor of the Hellfire Club, Sebastian Shaw, become of interest to the CIA, the two men are recruited to help avert a potential nuclear war, assembling a team of their own to do it.

Director: Todd Phillips
Starring: Ed Helms, Bradley Cooper, Zach Galifianakis, Justin Bartha, Jamie Chung, Ken Jeong, Mason Lee, Paul Giamatti

Going into The Hangover Part II, any measure of apprehension some might feel is perfectly warranted. This time around, Stu is the groom to be, and rightfully opposed to any bachelor party plans. Already dealing with his fiancee’s disapproving father, and being forced to invite Alan to the wedding in Thailand, he’s under more than enough pressure. Things only get worse, however, when Stu, Alan, and Phil wake up in a seedy hotel in Bankok. Once again with no memory of the night before. This time, they’ve lost Stu’s future brother-in-law, Teddy, while gaining a monkey and an elderly monk who’s taken a vow of silence. And while Stu manages to keep all his teeth, he’s got a face tattoo similar to Mike Tyson’s.

There was a time when you try to say everything you can in three movies and get off the stage. Anything left over, goes straight to video, or DVD, or Blu-Ray, or On Demand. I can’t keep up. Yes there were transcendent franchises like James Bond and Rocky. Now Hollywood is busting down the fourth wall of trilogies with regularity. We’re already at five Fast and the Furious films, and counting. Harry Potter will have six, and I’ve lost count with the Saw movies. The problem with most of these “fourth” installments is that they’re ill conceived because they’re add-ons. They’re the culmination of the ideas that didn’t make original trilogy and made to work. Or at least most seem that way. See the last Indiana Jones to see what I mean. Which brings us to Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides.

It’s not a surprise to see On Stranger Tides get made. The second and third films lowered the bar so low that it could just step over them–and it did–but that’s not exactly a crowning achievement. They stripped away some of the unnecessary actors and characters like Orlando Bloom and Kiera Knightly, boiled off director Gore Verbinski and replaced him with Rob Marshall (Chicago), and reduced the running time to a relatively brisk 140 minutes. They brought back the essentials in Johnny Depp (The Tourist) as Jack Sparrow, Geoffrey Rush (The King’s Speech) as Hector Barbossa , Kevin McNally as Gibbs and even Keith Richards as Jack’s Father, Captain Teague.The dial on the supernatural elements has been turned down considerably and that too may lure those scorned back. A Pirates re-booty if you will.

THOR
Director: Kenneth Branagh
Screenplay: Askley Edward Miller, Zack Stentz, Don Payne
Story: J. Michael Straczynski and Mark Protosevich
Starring: Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Tom Hiddleston, Anthony Hopkins, Stellan Skarsgard
Studio: Paramount Pictures
Release Date: May 6, 2011

It’s the biggest summer for super hero films and Thor will test the mainstream waters to see how much of the Marvel Universe they’re able to take and accept. Thor opens the Marvel Universe beyond the major cities of America. Radioactive spider, gamma rays? Plausible. People can buy the story of nerds to heroes and Iron Man remains the high bar, a B-grade character that captured the imagination of audiences with slick special effects and even slicker actor beneath the armor. The box office proved Iron Man was a hit, but was rooted in this world.

Thor however, is a challenge. He is larger than what a mortal can comprehend; he is the god of thunder, and Stan Lee, Larry Leiber and Jack Kirby based him from Norse mythology. He talks like he’s been to one too many Shakespeare festivals and he lives in a floating paradise in a galaxy far, far away. There’s magic, science fiction, and fantastic worlds beyond our own. Still, despite all of these leaps of faith, Thor is entertaining enough to overcome these obstacles with incredible action pieces and a tragic story of a bond broken between a father and his two sons.

Vin Diesel and Blond Keanu, I mean Paul Walker, are back for another ride with Fast Five, having since realized that this franchise may very well define their entire acting careers. This time around, Dominic Toretto (Diesel), his sister Mia (Jordana Brewster), and Brian O’Connor (Walker) are hiding out in Brazil, after breaking Dom out of a prison transport. Things start to heat up for the trio, however, when a bad car heist puts them in the cross hairs of Reyes (Joaquim De Almeida), the biggest crime lord in the country, as well as a relentless federal agent named Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson). If they hope to get free of both of them, they’ll need help from a few old friends.