Nbrayton17

I admit it's been a while since I have seen this film but I have yet to give a proper review. Hopefully, this review can trigger the awesome feelings you had when watching The Avengers.

This is what the Marvel movies have been leading up to, that is, every Marvel movie excluding the Spider-Man trilogy. The amount of hype behind this movie was tremendous; while waiting in line for The Avengers, the usher at the theater tells us that "this is the best movie I have seen in 5 years". That being said, it's extremely hard to go into this film without any expectations.

So the question then is, was The Avengers good? If I can, I would call it Marvel-ous.

Let's start with what I really enjoyed.

The two strongest parts of The Avengers are the beginning and the end. When the film opens, we get to see the heros in their respective environments. And the opening scene with Black Widow stands out as one of the best. After Loki threatens Earth, the Avengers team has to assemble. Watching the team finally come together after waiting so many years, is a special moment. Now, the end was good because we finally get to see The Avengers work together as a team. While it took the entire movie for the Marvel heros to figure out that they are stronger as a unit than as individuals, it's worth the wait. How the camera panned across each hero who was doing something that effected the next person was stunning. To me, this felt the most like an actual comic book of video game.

The humor and writing really stand out as good. I found myself laughing a lot more than I thought at this movie (and that works for this film). The Marvel movies have always been bright and very light hearted at times, and the script really made that aspect shine through.

The two sides of the Hulk.

The hulk was one of the best parts of this movie along with the relationship between Captain America and Iron man (I hope they set up the Civil War story). However, if I had one flaw with The Avengers, it would be Mark Ruffalo as Bruce Banner . Honestly, I thought both previous actors (Bana and Norton) played the part better.

I know there is a ton more content to this film, but I should save that for when I get the film again on Blu Ray and have a fresh viewing.

Overall, The Avengers is a superhero film done right. Everything just seemed to mesh and fall right into place. However, I am not giving it a 10 just yet, because The Dark Knight Rises is coming out soon and I believe that it will be better than The Avengers.

9.0out of 10

"Better clench up, Legolas"

Either they are running out of names for movies, or the creativity level is at an all time low.

Alan Alda plays a wealthy business man who illegally invests an entire group of hotel worker's money and loses it all. Ben Stiller, who plays Alda's highly efficient building manager, decides to become the modern day Robin Hood. Josh (Stiller) and his band of rag-tag misfits are going to steal $20 mil from the penthouse suite.

Is Eddie Murphy still funny?

While anyone can tell that he is past his prime, he managed to get a few chuckles out of me. However, the humor that resorts to using cuss words to be funny, just isn't my cup of tea. I'd rather the writing be clever and unique instead of trying to appeal to, what Hollywood thinks, is cool.

Then Ben Stiller holds it together right?

Yes. I've always thought that Stiller is a pretty good actor, both in funny and serious roles. What I found surprising about this movie is that it had overtones of seriousness. As an audience member, I really found myself caring for all the worker's lives that were ruined in a split second. I'm so glad that Stiller didn't go over the top with his character. He balanced out the loud Eddie Murphy.

Did anything stand out?

I thought that Matthew Broderick was probably the funniest character. He is so subtle about his humor and had some of the whittier lines. He can also also turn on the loud humor without being obnoxious. However, I did find great similarities between his crazed business man character here and the CPA he played in The Producers (2005).

Last thoughts:

This is a movie that surprised me on how above average it was. I really wasn't expecting much even with some big name actors, but that just goes to show star power is still worth something. Although highly predictable, Tower Heist still managed to produce a few laughs.

However, I felt that sometimes that the actors were too old. It felt like this could be the, Ben Stiller and Eddie Murphy, sequel to Grown-ups (2010).

Overall, Tower Heist can be a good time if you love the actors and their style of humor. The plot will be forgettable by next year but with this good cast, I think it deserves a chance.

"If anybody needs me, I'll be living in this box."

Pixar really can't do any wrong. Brave marks the 13th time a Pixar film has taken the top spot at the box office. That's everyone one of their films starting with Toy Story.

Brave tells the classic story of all teenagers and their relationships with their parents. Merida, a Scottish Princess, wants to be free to choose her suitor, much like in Aladin. Out of frustration, she turns to a witch who promises to change her fate and mother, Queen Elinor, who want's Merida to act more like a princess and spend less time shooting her bow. And everyone knows, you can't trust witches who promise you your greatest desires.

Quickly after casting a spell on her mother, Merida regrets her little mistake. However, something good does come out of the spell. Merida and Elinor get to spend quality time together, while actually taking the time the listen to each other under "unique circumstances".

Brave does a great job of capturing the dynamics of any stereotypical family. It showcases a whiney teenage girls, three reckless and spoiled sons, a controlling mother, and an oblivious father. And that is truly the magic of Pixar. While the movie is entertaining and has good themes for children, anyone can enjoy Brave.

After watching all of the trailers and a few TV spots for Brave, I was surprised of some of the plot turns. Now, I can't reveal anything here with out spoiling anything but I will say it was unexpected but like Pixar usually does, they make 'strange' work.

Some things to point out:

This is the first Pixar film with a female protagonist. I think that's a great step for Pixar industry.

I really enjoyed the commination of the great score with the soft-rock singles. It reminded me a little of Tarzan.

Merida's hair was amazing.

It was way funnier than I thought it was going to be.

Overall, Brave was brilliant. Definitely a good time. I can't talk about too much without spoling the movie.

It ranks at least in my top 3 Pixar films. Take your family to see it, but be prepared for cuteness overload.

9.5 of 10

"I don't want to get married, I want to stay single and let my hair flow in the wind as I ride through the glen firing arrows into the sunset."