Captain America: The Winter Soldier

They’ve done it again! The Marvel Universe just keeps getting better! Captain America: The Winter Soldier is simply an AWESOME film. If you are considering going to the theater for a weekend movie, you can't lose with this one!

The writing duo of Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely teamed up with Ed Brubaker to give us what is truly a tremendous sequel.  Famous for The First Avenger and the Narnia films, this team knows what they’re doing!

What makes this film different from its peers is that the story is so good!  All of the best superhero films manage to balance the child-like fun and adventure of a comic book with the serious tension of much weightier themes.  Benjamin Franklin once said, “Any society that would give up liberty to gain some measure of security will deserve neither and lose both.” The Winter Soldier, with the underpinnings of a political thriller playfully peppered with comic relief, ranks up there with the best of the genre.

Gone is director Joe Johnston from the first film. Enter co-directors Anthony and Joe Russo. I’m glad I didn’t know this going in because I would have been terrified. They’ve never done anything like this before and in fact, their only previous directing gigs were for tv sitcoms. With new directors, I’m always skeptical about how a film will turn out, but there is nothing to be concerned about here.  

The Russo Brothers, along with a fantastic team of writers, deliver a movie that flows seamlessly from the previous Avengers and Captain America films.  With a clever script, terrific visual effects, stellar cast, and more than a few twists, The Winter Soldier pushes a tremendous pace for its 136 minutes before leaving you wanting more as the credits roll.

Here's a few more fun facts:

I’ve never been into spoilers in movie reviews, so I won’t start now. However, I will say this: MMA fans have an awesome surprise in store. Kudos to the media and the Marvel studio for keeping this one under wraps!

A la Alfred Hitchcock, Stan Lee makes another cameo appearance as a security guard in a pretty funny scene.  Also, see if you spot Joss Whedon.

Fans of Marvel films probably know this already, but under no circumstances should you leave the theater before the house lights come up.  You have not one, but TWO bonus scenes. So stick around through the credits!  One sets up the next Avengers film, while the other alludes to the next Captain America installment.

So the bottom line is this: Captain America: The Winter Soldier is really freakin' great! 

Sabotage

For those of you who read my reviews regularly, you'll know that I'm a big fan of David Ayer's work, hailing End of Watch as the Best Film of 2012.  So when I saw the trailer for Sabotage, Ayer's latest work, I was anxiously awaiting its release.

For those of you who enjoy this film genre, let me start by saying you'll most likely like this movie. It is gritty, tough, and full of action, tattoos, and guns. Ultimately, the plot is a compelling one with a couple of twists an turns. However, the dialogue is clunky, the characters are only skin deep, and the story unfolds like a rusty lawn chair. While I enjoyed the movie, if I'm being honest,I must admit that I was more than a bit disappointed.  With Ayer at the helm, I had much higher expectations.


Arnold Schwarzenegger has been doing about one film per year since the 2010 when he took on the role of Trench in the ridiculous testosterone fest The Expendables.  Ayer's films all have a palpable realism to them, so when I saw Arnold was cast in the lead role of Sabotage, I wondered if he would be able to pull it off. Many of Schwarzenegger's best films had a certain over-the-top sense about them and, while admittedly campy, this cheesy quality made them fun and enjoyable. Sabotage, however, would require a different quality and unfortunately, I don't feel he adequately delivered.  Much of the dialogue came off as wooden, blocky and, much to my disappointment, uninspiring.

The rest of the cast is a rowdy array of ruffians, most of whom you'll recognize from previous roles. Sam Worthington, Josh Holloway, Terrence Howard, Max Martini, and Kevin Vance make up the bulk of Arnold's team. Rounding out the group is the underrated but wonderful Mireille Enos of World War Z and AMC's The Killing. She is really good...and tough...and really good.  The highlight however, was the surprisingly powerful presence of Joe Manganiello who plays Grinder. I don't know if this cat has the stuff to handle a leading role, but he was absolutely terrific here.

On a strange side note, I don't know if Ayer thinks he has figured out some magical movie formula, but his last three films have each been exactly 1hr and 49 minutes in length. #random

Sabotage will certainly be the most violent film you will see this year. (#beheading #murderbytrain #crucifixion  #throatslash) But what did you expect? It's about a group of rough-neck DEA agents who hunt down vicious criminals and kick in doors of cartel safe houses for a living. Do that enough and you tend to make some enemies.  As I like to say, this film is rated R for a good reason.Under no circumstances should anyone under the age of 18 see this movie.

Save your money and rent this film. Go see Captain America instead. Though I haven't see it yet, I'm almost positive it is a better choice.