Believe the hype. Captain America: Civil War delivers every “Holy Shit!” moment you were hoping for in an Avengers movie. And this is a Captain America film (mostly)!
There will be NO SPOILERS in this review; no exact plot points, no surprises ruined, no twists revealed, no characters’ greatest moments exposed. Just the broad strokes here, kiddies, because I want you to enjoy this film as much as I did. If it wasn’t in the trailer, I won’t discuss it here (there will be one minor spoiler, but I’ll warn you… and be as ambiguous as possible). It may make for a very short review, but all you really want me to do is confirm that Civil War is as great as everyone else is saying it is.
And IT IS! Good Lord, this movie delivers on every level. I had very high hopes going in, and I can’t say I was ever disappointed.
It is hard to answer if Civil War is better than Marvel’s old reigning champ, Captain America: Winter Soldier, but that’s because they are very different films. Plus, if I consider both movies 5 Star Films, does it really make a difference which is better? Winter Soldier was a tighter, more contained movie – a 70’s-esque Thriller – while Civil War is a sprawling epic, hitting more parts of the globe and carrying the weight of more characters than even Avengers: Age of Ultron. Yet it works better, much better than Ultron. Civil War does keep that Captain America focus, spending less time with the other heroes than with Captain America and Bucky “The Winter Soldier” Barnes, but really is more of a full Avengers adventure, sans Hulk and Thor. 
If you’re reading this, you know enough of the plot that I don’t need to say much of anything else. What I will say though, is that Civil War delivers more “I feel like I need to stand up and clap because I never thought I’d see that scene/character/moment so beautifully realized in a film” than any Marvel Cinematic Universe film before it. There are shots/scenes/moments in this film that are the most exciting you’ve seen since the unbelievable occurrence in 2o12 when the Avengers actually assembled in one movie! If The Avengers will always be remembered for bringing together different heroes with their own films onto one team, then Civil War will go down as the MCU movie that fully realizes the full potential of EVERY Avenger present, nearly always exceeding expectations. Powers you’ve never seen them use, skills highlighted in a way the other films have not, and personality shining through in characters that you could have previously accused of being one dimensional. It’s everyone from Hawkeye & Falcon as you’ve never seen him before, to Ant Man as you’ve never seen him before! Really, a stellar evolution to even the characters you already knew were bad-ass.
Avengers: Age of Ultron, you’ve been out Avenger’ed by a film with Captain America in the title. 
Civil War isn’t nearly as dark as Winter Soldier, even when funnier characters like Spider-Man and Ant-Man don’t populate the screen. The tone is lighter, though the plot is just as serious as an MCU film ever was, with poignant moments that may be among the most gut-wrenching in any superhero film. While I have Spider-Man brought up though, let’s just say he’s the most amazing (reference to original comic intended) iteration of the character, again, living up to all expectations (like everything else… I keep telling you!).
In this way, Captain America: Civil War avoids all the pitfalls of Batman V Superman, a movie with a similar premise but much lower IQ. Even Batman V Superman‘s greatest strengths are eclipsed by Civil War. I’m not biased, Batman is my favorite comic book character, but even his shining moments in BvS don’t touch the excitement produced by Civil War‘s spectacle; both in character moments and those action scenes you CAN NOT BELIEVE you’ve seen!
The one comparison to Batman V Superman I will make, and this is the only MINOR SPOILER, is the villain behind the warring heroes. Unlike Lex Luthor, the baddie pulling the strings in Civil War is subtle and incredibly clever. You never question the logic of the plan he has put into action and the twists he throws into the film. Minimal Spoiler Over!
I really don’t know what else to say except… If you like the MCU, YOU WILL LOVE THIS FILM! I didn’t notice a single missed opportunity.
With directors of this film and Winter Solider, Joe and Anthony Russo, also at the helm of the Phase 3 ending film, Avengers: Infinity War, Part 1 & 2, all is well in the Marvel Universe.
DC, you best step up your game… and fast!
And yes, there is an amazing Community cameo in this film, just like Winter Soldier (but better!).
Green Room is about a broke band populated by actors Anton Yelchin (Star Trek, Fright Night) and Alia Shawkat (Maeby on Arrested Development), among others, who are drawn to a Neo-Nazi “Venue” in the middle of buttfuck nowhere with the promise of $350 for a gig. Things quickly go south when bandleader Pat (Anton Yelchin) stumbles upon a fresh body and the murderers in the band’s Green Room. The band holes themselves up in said Green Room (I wonder where they got the title…) as they are assaulted by the building’s owner/leader of the movement Darcy (Patrick Stewart) and his men who are in full damage control mode with the aim of destroying all evidence… and witnesses… to the murder of Amber’s (Imogen Poots) friend, who is also trapped with the Band Members.
It’s a simple premise, but it works! Pat and his band most make some tough decisions: how long can they wait in the Green Room before they are overrun? When is the best time to make a strike/escape if there are no other exits? The film becomes a game of cat and mouse, as the band pushes their way through Darcy’s bar, only to retreat back to the “safety” of the Green Room. Repeat that formula a few times and you’d think Green Room would become a bore, but it never lets up; there are always new ways to kill and be killed and the movie’s 1 hour 35 minute run-time makes sure the film doesn’t overstay its welcome.
Besides being clever with “push and get pushed back” plot, the material is elevated immensely by Patrick Stewart’s performance. You wouldn’t think a man whose played iconic Geek heroes like Captain Jean-Luc Picard and Professor Xavier with a voice ideal for Shakespeare would be an intimidating and convincing a Neo-Nazi. Yet, the movie’s most chilling moments arrive when Darcy (Stewart) is trying to “negotiate” with the band from the other side of a barricaded door, leaving the audience simply with his deep and terrifying voice made even more unnerving by his calmness. Stewart’s imposing leader is not just the scary voice on the other side of a door; his character is just a violent and ferocious as any of his men. I never thought I’d say this, but Patrick Stewart is pretty damn scary.
Any film is only as good as its antagonist… and protagonists, with Anton Yelchin and Imogen Poots (who also starred together in the horror/comedy Fright Night) carrying half the film when Patrick Stewart isn’t around. Macon Blair who plays Gabe, a henchman to Darcy, is also fantastic here, starring in his 2nd movie for Writer/Director Jeremy Saulnier following the incredibly under-rated and unseen Blue Ruin (watch it now!). It is just a coincidence that both of Saulnier’s films have colors in the title…
The main theme/running joke of the movie is taken straight from over half the sketches on Key and Peele; Rell and Clarence are the whitest, most boring Black Guys you can find, trying to fit into the toughest Black Gang by, among other things, incorporating the “N” Word (I really don’t want to use it here) into every sentence.
Keanu is a Key and Peele “Greatest Hits” movie. The film has its hilarious highlights with the comedy duo doing what they do best, but it’s not enough to save the film from itself; in adapting what could have been a short sketch into a feature film, the cracks begin to show in Key and Peele’s formula. Some of the film feels like filler, meant to get Keanu from one mini-sketch idea into another while carrying the film’s plot. Keanu feels like it was shooting for a Pineapple Express type film, and while I did enjoy the movie, the film is neither as consistently funny or as skilled with action as writers Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg’s 2nd film. 
Bottom Line: Keanu is funny, especially if you are a fan of Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele’s work, but in order to create a feature, it feels like we’re occasionally getting material that wouldn’t make the cut on their top-notch sketch show (filler, if you will). The plot meanders a bit to fill time, while the action and the cast don’t really seem to fully take advantage of a feature film budget. Still funny, though!
More Joker (Jared Leto)! More Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie)! And the rest… Aaaaand…. BATMAN (Ben Affleck)! 
If this trailer is any indication we may be seeing more Batman in Suicide Squad than we thought! Half the villains on Task Force X are primarily part of Batman’s rogues gallery, after all.
Suicide Squad hits the States om August 5th.
Relying heavily on Benedict Cumberbatch’s star power (gone are the days of casting no-names like Chris Hemsworth or Chris Pratt, this movie has got a bigger lead than Paul Rudd!), the trailer focuses on the accident that leads him on a journey visually similar to that of Bruce Wayne in Batman Begins (just check out the cut from Stephen Strange in a suit to him in a beard and ratty cloths), continuing into Matrix-esque Training Scenes, with some Inception worthy trippy visuals.
I’m in! Dr. Strange appears November 4th.
The new characters look great as well, from Rebels played by Felicity Jones and Diego Luna! to a wise sage with battle armor portrayed by Forrest Whitaker. Donnie Yen as a Samurai (Star Wars was inspired by the films of Akira Kurosawa)! Ben Mendelsohn as a well armed Imperial Officer with a white cape that would make Thor, Superman, AND Dr. Strange jealous!
If The Force Awakens wasn’t your cup of tea, Rogue One may be the closest thing you’ll get to the original trilogy… including the rumored appearance of a lil’ ‘ole Sith called Darth Vader.
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story lands in time for Christmas on December 16th!
The 1st time I saw the trailer for Hardcore Henry, I was at first disgusted by the proposed “gimmick” of watching a movie as one would watch his friend play Call of Duty, but was slowly won over by cool action twists and the aforementioned rocking Queen song. It’s a shame all the top action moments are in that trailer.
The lead villain, Akan (Danila Kozlovsky), has telekinesis powers (and seems to be Albino… or another brother from Hans Gruber’s blond henchman family in Die Hard), for no reason other than to provide an epic “Final Boss” battle: video game style. A prequel comic titled “Hardcore Akan” exists, giving an origin to the character… at least explaining how has such powers… if you can get your hands on it (and the average viewer won’t… which should leave them fairly confused).
On the opposite side of the spectrum, the equally unmotivated/flat character Jimmy, played by the always scene stealing Sharlto Copley (District 9, Elysium, The A-Team), is actually quite enjoyable… and his very existence creates a fun mystery for the audience to figure out.
We first see Jimmy first as you see him in the trailer… and he quickly dies (again, NOT a Spoiler). Then he reappears with a new accent and look, remembering Henry and keeping the same name: Jimmy. Don’t worry, it all gets explained and it is a pretty cool idea which makes for the most interesting action scene, though one great actor and his “twist” can’t save the entire movie. It does give Copley some real fun scenes to do, making his screen presence the highlight of the film.
I did have the chance to see a Q&A before the film where it was made clear that Director Ilya Naishuller idea’s of doing a 1st person film wasn’t to just make the movie look like a video game, but to put you, the viewer, in Henry’s shoes. Jimmy and Akan address you directly… but it still doesn’t work. Instead, having a blank slate of a main character backfires; you have no empathy for a character without a voice or even a face to emote. I didn’t feel like I was Henry, even more so because there aren’t even buttons to hit at the right moment to perform an action like the most basic of video game cut-scenes.
And, of course, there is ultra-violence for violence sake. Intestines spilling out, heads blown apart, you name it. Deadpool would be pleased.
By the time we do get to the long awaited fight it is as glorious as the trailer teased. In fact, it’s one of the more wonderful scenes in an otherwise surprisingly action-lite two and a half hour film. The visuals are still astounding (that Frank Miller inspired “Iron” Batsuit sure looks pretty in the rain) and the strategies The Dark Knight employs against The Man of Steel are entertaining; making you believe Batman really could beat Superman as a brilliant strategist… and with some weaponized Kryptonite gas… and spear!
Gone is the “realism” (as much as could be expected at least) present in Batman and Superman’s fight and other action scenes. Instead, we have characters like Wonder Woman launching themselves across the battlefield (it’s hard to tell how far when everything is on fire…) in what looks like a video game… or a half-assed scene tacked on an otherwise polished movie.
This Batman may kill… and kill… and kill… but what else is new? Batman on the big screen has been a downright serial killer, from 1989’s 
Meanwhile, Ben Affleck’s Bruce Wayne has more depth than any before. He’s not awkward like Michael Keaton or a half assed-cover story for his true Bat Identity like Christian Bale’s version. He’s charming when he needs to be, brooding like any good Bruce Wayne (but not too brooding, another poor choice made by Bale) and… a hero. Even when he’s not in the Batsuit, hidden under the curtain of night, Bruce Wayne is just as much an action hero as his alter-ego, from his heroics at the opening Battle of Metropolis to perusing the criminal underground to steal data from Luthor’s lead henchmen (you know, that Russian Dude).
Everyone else is also just so “Meh.” Henry Lennix is great on NBC’s 
BvS is both better than I expected, yet still a bit of a visually beautiful mess. After all, Zack Snyder is at the helm; the controversial Director behind a horrible film (Sucker Punch), a fan favorite I hate (300), an incredibly average comic book film (Man of Steel), and another beautiful mess that I have a soft spot for (Watchman). Snyder continues to showcase the same weaknesses (plot, story pacing) and strengths (incredibly rich CGI visuals that truly brings comics to life). Luckily, Snyder has help from writer Chris Terrio who has written Academy Award nominated films like The Town, saving BvS from being the complete train-wreck it could have been.
When we saw the funeral, and then the flashback to a family walking out of a Zorro film, yet again, we both sighed. Then something amazing happened… Zach Snyder actually presented the scene in a way we’ve never seen it before with an very creative and bold choice. Instead of Joe Chill (the man who murder’s Bruce Wayne’s parents) ripping the necklace off Martha’s neck, he slips his gun against her throat so that the gun’s hammer holds the necklace tight between her neck and the gun. When the gun fires, the hammer recoils, splitting the pearl necklace and dropping the pearls in a very visual pleasing, surprising, and brutal way.
Visually, things do fall apart in the grand finale, where you have a boring flaming backdrop (EVERYTHING is on fire!) and messily animated Heroes literally lunging/flying at each other over football stadium length for epic punches, even when said characters are not known for flying.
Quick props to Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luthor and Jeremy Irons as the latest Alfred Pennyworth for both not playing their roles conventionally, yet still delivering satisfying versions (especially Jesse Eisenberg!).
Quite the opposite is true, in fact. The movie is almost too slow, allowing the themes of what it means to be just a man in a God’s world and absolute power corrupting to breath for the 1st two acts. That is, before any theme or reason from earlier in the film is quickly forgotten in favor of “Smashy, Smashy, Punch Time” in the 3rd act.
First, following the amazing poster for Zoolander No. 2 (above), Paramount quickly offered up a true trailer with real footage, 
I’ve always been a fan of his casting, and Affleck still seems perfect as The Caped Crusader and Gotham’s #1 Playboy Billionaire, bringing an intense rage with nuances cementing him as the incredible actor he can be. I almost feel sorry for Cavill having to try to out act the very seasoned Affleck, especially caught in a scene that is sooo not Superman.
Superman’s anger and apparent army are one riddle this trailer offers… Is Supes under Lex Luthor’s (Jesse Eisenberg) control 
Screengabs from the Comic-Con Trailer. He looks angry there too!
Definitely some black eye makeup above…
Ta-Da! It’s…. Gone! Just super intense… and pissed… Ben Affleck!
We’ve got Live Concerts, Classic Series Films, Live Sporting Events (including Video Game tournaments…), and Special Screenings like the Dr. Who and Sherlock Christmas Specials coming up in late December/early January. Very, very rarely will all three Weekend Days have the same showtimes, even more rare on weekdays! 
BREAKING GEEK Radio: The Podcast 
