Recent theatrical viewings

[dean]

The Avengers:

A team of 'unique' heroes are assembled to defend us all from war.

This one pretty much nailed it.  The characters worked great together, bringing together multiple franchises and Mark Ruffalo in particular did a fantastic job as the third Hulk in three movies.  They even handled the differences in the 'Heroes' well.  There is one shot in the battle scene which flits from each main character doing kicking butt in their own unique ways which just flowed really well.

Loki's character wasn't as well defined as in the first one, but is always a stand out, Robert Downey Jnr spouts one liners and generally acts like a jerk [which is always good value] and even the secondary characters have some heartfelt moments. 

Overall I couldn't really complain about anything other than the whole 'we're going to war' premise, with the plot jumping from 'we're at peace' to 'we're at war' with little evidence to suggest it's actually going to happen, even though it does.

If you enjoyed the latest batch of Marvel films, you'll love this one, if you didn't, you probably wouldn't see this one anyways.

4/5 stars.

[Rev. Powell]

THE KID WITH A BIKE (2011): A French boy tries to reunite with the father who abandoned him; a single hairdresser takes an interest in him.  Young Thomas Doret is excellent as the understandably troubled boy who craves love but instinctively sabotages his chances in this thoughtful heartstring-tugger. 4/5.

[Rev. Powell]

THE DICTATOR (2012): A Saddam Hussein-like dictator (Sacha Baron Cohen) escapes an assassination attempt and tries to regain his position before his double can sign a new democratic constitution at a U.N. session. Nothing revolutionary, but solid laughs and you do have to admire the politically incorrect relish with which Cohen seeks to offend Arabs, Jews, Republicans, feminist organic co-op grocers, and anyone with a sense of good taste and propriety. 3/5.

[Rev. Powell]

FOOTNOTE (2011): The story of two Professor Shkolniks: father Eliezer is a bitter Talmudic scholar whose life work can be reduced to one footnote in a major reference work, while son Uriel is a rising academic star who has outshone his father but remains loyal to the old man. It sounds dry, but there's surprisingly juicy drama (and comedy) about lifelong grudges, office politics, and the complex father/son dynamic inside the professorial premise. 4/5.

[HappyGilmore]

Dean~
I pretty much agree about Avengers. Loved it. Ruffalo was perfect as Banner/Hulk.

[ChaosTheory]

PROMETHEUS - A team of scientists travel to a distant planet looking for the origins of humanity, all hell breaks loose.  That's basically it. 
I loved this, I thought it was gorgeous-looking, well-cast and fun but the story is pretty muddled; a lot of people are going to hate it.

[Rev. Powell]

Tchoupitoulas (2012): Documentary following three boys who miss the ferry home and are stranded in New Orleans overnight. An abstract tribute to childhood wonder; nine year old William, a curious dreamer and budding poet, becomes more interesting than the carnival city and its street performers. 3/5.

[Doggett]

The Avengers.

Theres a space cube that an alien wants. He takes it then gets caught, which is part of his plan, breaks free, unleashes as army from another dimension and a bunch of superhero types try to stop him.

The green angry one was funny.

3.5/5

[indianasmith]

For Father's Day, my 18 year old daughter and I went to see SNOW WHITE AND THE HUNTSMAN, which she has been desperate to watch for some time.  I was pleasantly surprised by how good this is!  The photography is gorgeous, the plot intriguing, the villains do some serious carpet chewing, and Kristen Steward is much less wooden than she is in the TWILIGHT films (which my OTHER daughter made me watch!).  This one is really worth the price of admission. the opening battle sequence, and the fairy forest scene, are visually amazing. Some of the best CGI I have ever seen.

[Rev. Powell]

MOONRISE KINGDOM: A misfit scout runs away from camp to rendezvous with his emotionally troubled pen pal on a remote New England island; adults and the scout troop team up to hunt the couple down. Touching comedy about misfits in love, but you have to meet Wes Anderson halfway on his highly artificial deadpan style, where no one acts or talks quite like a real person. The ecclectic cast includes Edward Norton, Bill Murray, Frances Dormand, Bruce Willis, Tilda Swinton and Harvey Keitel. 4/5.

[Pilgermann]

They Live (1988) - Just got back from a midnight show.  I enjoy this movie more and more each time I see it.  It's pretty hilarious in spots, and downright tense in others, but it's just a ton of fun to watch, especially with an appreciative crowd.  There were moments where folks were laughing for apparently no reason but overall people were having a good time.  The famous fight scene got almost as many gasps as it did laughs.     I'd rank this a 9/10.

[Rev. Powell]

SAFETY NOT GUARANTEED (2012): A depressed college student interning at a magazine finds a purpose when she begins investigating a man who has placed a personal ad looking for a time-traveling companion. When the growing relationship between the moody girl and the crazy guy gets hard to swallow, the supporting characters---her reprobate supervisor and a nerdy fellow intern---take up the dramedy slack; it's minor, but too humorous and sweet to dislike. 3/5.

[Rev. Powell]

TO ROME WITH LOVE: Four stories from Woody Allen set in Rome: a Roman citizen becomes famous for no reason, a young married couple is separated and tempted by other lovers, an architecht follows a younger version of himself through a romantic fling, and a retired opera director wants to make a mortician into a star tenor. There are no huge laughs (the opera phenom who can only sing in the shower comes the closest), but the stories are all well-written and charming enough to keep you watching. It's simple enough: if you're a Woody Allen fan you'll be satisfied, and if you're not this trifle won't change your mind. 3/5.

[ChaosTheory]

MOONRISE KINGDOM - the most Anderson any screen has ever held and the best movie I've seen this year by a wide margin. 

[Rev. Powell]

HEADHUNTERS (2011): An art thief who uses his position as a corporate headhunter as his cover thinks he's struck a gold mine when he meets a CEO who's perfect for the job he's shopping, who also happens to own an original Rubens---unfortunately for him, a murder complicates his big score and sends him on the run. Hollywood thrillers could learn a thing or two about implausible plot twists from this crazy but crowd-pleasing Norwegian thriller with dashes of black comedy. 3.5/5.