A Heroically Different Kind of Team

Ever since Robert Downey, Jr. suited-up as Iron Man for the first time back in 2008, audiences were given a glimpse after each  Marvel Comics movie of a larger story that would eventually lead to several superheroes pooling their ultra-rare abilities to fight malevolent forces.  Think of their first mission as an exercise in team-building.  And what an exercise it is, one that's as physical as it is emotional for it's gifted characters.

In director Joss Whedon's superhero mash-up, The Avengers, he takes titans of the Marvel universe and elegantly places them together for the purpose of combating an power-obsessed, otherworldly villain.  Without forfeiting well-developed characters and a vivid story for overblown messes of explosions, Whedon constructs a film that succeeds in being both greater than and equal to the sum of its parts that came before.

At the story's beginning, the Avengers are involved in each of their own tasks: Tony Stark is busy with juggling Stark Industries and being Iron Man; Dr. Bruce Banner, a.k.a. the Incredible Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), has exiled himself to India so he can learn how to control his anger; Captain America is trying to adjust to the new millennium; Norse god of thunder, Thor (Chris Hemsworth), has returned to his realm of Asgard; Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) is fighting the Russians; and Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) works for S.H.I.E.L.D., a peacekeeping organization  When Thor's half-brother, Loki (Tom Hiddleston), steals a powerful and mysterious object called the Tesseract from S.H.I.E.L.D., Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson), puts the Avengers Initiative into action and recruits these heroes so they can defeat Loki before he enslaves humanity.

The wonder of this cast it that it manages to give depth to each character, despite the number involved and the action that's happening around them.  Each superhero has their own important scene, or scenes, that build their character in ways that are unfortunately uncommon in most action movies these days.  Downey, Jr. is as quick-witted as ever as the smart-alecky Tony Stark.  Being intelligent and sharply funny, each of his interactions with certain characters are terrifically unique from each other.  With Captain America now in a different time period than he's used to, there is a comical mix of him using references from his life in the 1940s and not understanding references from the 21st century.  Hemsworth and Hiddleston bring back the sibling rivalry that was put to great detail in Thor.  The dynamics in their relationship still has that trace of Shakespearean tragedy that Kenneth Branagh, who has done extensive work with the Bard's creations, brought to his film last year.

Compared to Eric Bana and Edward Norton, Mark Ruffalo has done the best job with the Hulk character yet.  Ruffalo's usual shy-guy attitude is a perfect opposite to his mean and green alter ego in the film.  He doesn't turn into the Hulk until about halfway through the film, so that allows the viewer to see him as a complex human character trying to deal with his burden.  Out of all the superheroes in the story, Bruce Banner seems like he's the only one whose power poses as a problem for him, rather than a gift.  His time as his regular self presents him as an isolated individual, and he feels as though he doesn't fit in the group.  His character has more to him other than, "Hulk smash!"

There is a better sense of Black Widow's history in The Avengers than when she first appeared in Iron Man 2.  Her guilt-ridden past makes up for what we didn't learn about her before, and makes her one of the most interesting characters in the film.  Hawkeye, unfortunately, is under the control of Loki throughout most of the movie, so we aren't able to go deep into his character, compared to the others.  Hopefully, the sequel will provide this Avenger with the chance to grow his story.  Samuel L. Jackson, as in other Marvel productions, is terrific as the one-eyed man with a plan.

The screenplay, by the director, not only uses the superheroes from the previous Marvel films to link their stories, but uses other elements from those films as well to form the plot, such as Loki from Thor, the Tesseract from Captain America and the significance of Stark Industries from the Iron Man movies.  By doing so, Whedon makes the story seem more unified for a greater purpose, other than just for the sake of bringing the superheroes together, and has these stories tied more tightly together.  Since Whedon takes pieces out of the handful of Marvel adventures that came before this, it would be to the viewer's benefit to watch those previous films before seeing The Avengers, just so they can have an easier time following the plot.

The film is a lively fusion of action and drama, with the uncommon feat of the two being well-balanced.  Before the climactic battle, there are a couple of superb action sequences, but they don't stand in the way of the importance of the characters' team-building and learning about each other.  There are some wonderful character-driven scenes, such as one-on-one discussions, including some between Loki and Black Widow, Loki and Thor, and Black Widow and Bruce Banner, as well as a part where the Avengers become divided on how to approach the problem with Loki and a revelation concerning S.H.I.E.L.D.  All of this culminates in an epic showdown where the Avengers fight Loki and his army, a clash that leaves New York City nothing short of ravaged.  The final fight does become a bit lengthy, but given that adequate time was set aside for the characters' relationships to develop, and the fact that audiences have been waiting several years for this team to form, an ambitious, city-destroying battle is a thrillingly entertaining payoff for moviegoers sticking alongside these heroes as they came closer and closer together with each movie.

With this film, Joss Whedon presents himself as the next great director of action films that are both fun and refreshingly smart, such as Brad Bird and J.J. Abrams.  His handling of the characters shows that he isn't just out to make a standard Summer blockbuster, but a film that treats its subjects and audience intelligently and with care.  With how long comic-book and movie fans were waiting for this adventure to happen, Whedon can easily win them over with his dynamic contribution to the superhero genre.  As is the grand tradition of many Marvel films, there is a scene during the credits that eagerly stages a sequel.  Hopefully, if Whedon chooses to direct a second installment, he finds a way to go further into his characters and also craft some dominating action scenes, as he successfully did both in this film.  For The Avengers, it's outstanding how Whedon put these characters together so well.  As the old cliche goes, "the more the merrier."

Final grade: A-

Coming to America

One of the greatest pleasures of comedy is that you never know how much an actor will do to make you laugh.  You might even require a map to see exactly how far he or she will go.  We sit in delicious anxiety as we wait to see what kinds of  fun shocks the comedian will use to surprise the audience.  Whether the bombshells are offensive or not, credit must be rewarded to these artists who aren't afraid to go in for the kill.

Sacha Baron Cohen has won distinction for being one of the bravest and most revealing (sometimes literally) comedic actors working in film today.  He's not known to shy away from sensitive topics in both the social, cultural and political arenas.  Rather, he attacks everything that is wrong in society today, including prejudices that pollute our lives. Baron Cohen is an actor who can make audience members recoil as they look on with wide-eyed astonishment at the hilariously uncouth activities he throws himself into, as we saw with his characters of Borat and Bruno.

In director Larry Charles' third collaboration with Baron Cohen, The Dictator, the team shifts away from the mockumentary style of film-making they used for Borat and Bruno, and instead use a more scripted approach. While their latest project doesn't have quite as much shock-value as their previous films where they interact with real people, there are still gasps of foul hilarity to be had.

Admiral General Hafez Aladeen (Baron Cohen) is the supreme dictator of the fictional North African Republic of Wadiya.  He is ruthless, greedy and anti-Semetic, among other unpleasant things.  Aladeen refuses to accept democracy into his homeland, executes people at will and is secretly building nuclear weapons.  After the United Nations Security Council threatens to intervene with Aladeen's dastardly deeds, he plans to make a trip to New York City to address the council.  He soon becomes lost in the city after he escapes a hitman (John C. Reilly), and his beard has been shaved off, rendering him nearly unrecognizable.  He is then hired by Zoey (Anna Farris) to work at her eco-friendly food store.  Soon, Aladeen must find a way into the UN conference to prevent his wrongly-appointed body-double from signing a peace treaty, which will bring an end the dictator's tyrannical rule.

Baron Cohen has the tendency to play foreigners who are placed in America whenever he's in a satirical comedy.  There is a certain genius to that, since he uses these characters to address today's issues in the United States, while also comparing our own traditions to that of the character's homeland.  The way he handles the fish-out-of-native-country roles makes the audience reflect on their own views of several issues, be they economic or social, and encourages them to look at these topics from different viewpoints.  Baron Cohen can fluently turn a simple comedy into a daring political statement.

As with his other characters, Aladeen lives a rather unique love life, as evidenced by his champion-level of philandering with countless celebrities.  Hundreds of photos of superstars adorn one of Aladeen's bedroom walls, including those of Lindsay Lohan (hardly a surprise), Ellen DeGeneres and Oprah Winfrey.  Megan Fox plays herself as Aladeen's latest bed-buddy, who leaves right after being paid so she can be with the Italian prime minister.  This is a sharp little jab at the political sex scandals we're all too familiar hearing about.

In the supporting cast, Anna Farris plays virtually the same character as in her other movies, except with black hair instead of her trademark blonde.  But she still manages to be a delightful, sprightly oddball as Aladeen's new friend.  Ben Kingsley plays the dictator's uncle who accompanies him to America.  Kingsley, sadly, doesn't become too involved in the film's most comedic moments.  Since he's usually a serious actor, it would have provided more laughs to see him cut loose on all of the craziness.

Contrary to Cohen's other nose-dives into courageous raunchiness, which have had viewers aghast within the first few minutes, The Dictator's screenplay, by Cohen, Alec Berg, David Mandel and Jeff Schaffer, takes some time to get to that point.  There are a few passable chuckles to be had in the beginning, but the film appears to be surprisingly tame at first for a Baron Cohen comedy, especially since he tends to come right out with the hard hits.  He does, however, amusingly and lovingly dedicate the film to a certain tyrant at the very start of the film, and once his character arrives in America, he returns to his old, shocking self.

Sacha Baron Cohen's over-the-top jovialities return just in time for the film to bathe in its sweet, offensive ridiculousness.  There is a scene where Aladeen assists a woman giving birth in Zoey's store, and it includes some imagery that I'm sure you have only seen in one of those "miracle of life" videos in your high school biology class.  Scenes like these are the ones that Cohen is known for, the ones that make you sink back in your seat because of discomfort, only to have you in hysterics seconds later.  Another uproarious sequence involves Aladeen and his friend, Nadal (Jason Mantzoukas), riding in a helicopter over NYC with two tourists.  Aladeen and Nadal engage in certain conversations in their native language, which soon leads the tourists to believe that the two friends are terrorists.  The whole time, Aladeen is decked-out in an American-flag jumpsuit, believing it will alleviate any feelings of suspicion that others might have.

Cohen is one of those I'm-going-to-do-something-totally-out-there-and-I-don't-care-what-others-think actors, and director Larry Charles can set the scenes wonderfully so he and Cohen can catch others off guard in whatever scenarios that the characters get themselves into.  However, the mockumentary approach works better for Cohen's political style of comedy, since he uses real people in real situations to make his voice heard.  But his work in The Dictator shows that no matter what method he uses to tell his witty stories, he is capable of placing film viewers and his fellow characters into their un-comfort zones.  Cohen isn't a dictator, but is instead a comedy king.

Final grade: B+

Will You Marry Me? In a Few Years?

Most love stories in the movies either deal with the couple's time spent dating, their marriage or the dating that segues right into matrimony at the film's end.  But what they don't normally show, however, is the time spent during the lovers' engagement.  This is the stressful period for the couple as they make sure that everything is in proper order for their special day.  But for every bit of stress, there is a problem paired with it.

For Tom Solomon (Jason Segel) and Violet Barnes (Emily Blunt), their engagement isn't what's typical in the view of a romantic comedy.  In director Nicholas Stoller's The Five-Year Engagement, he takes these two characters into a state of increasing, and sometimes funny, tension as their marriage keeps getting shoved back to a later date.  It's all about the strain that happens between the proposal and the "I dos."

Tom and Violet's prolonged path down the aisle began when they meet at a New's Year Eve party.  One year later, Tom pops the question, and Violet eagerly accepts.  Shortly after they set a date for their wedding, Violet gets admitted to a post-doctorate psychology program at the University of Michigan.  The two agree to postpone the wedding until Violet finishes with the program.  Later on, her work begins to open-up new opportunities for her, and the wedding keeps getting put on the back-burner.  Now, Tom and Violet have to figure out how to make their engagement work they so can, hopefully, make it to the alter.

Based on his previous comedic works, Jason Segel seems to have a natural connection with anyone he works with.  His pleasant and lovable nice-guy demeanor can win over anyone.  Segal might as well be labeled as a "ladies man" since he has the talent to click with any of his female co-stars, such as in television's How I Met Your Mother, to his films, such as Forgetting Sarah Marshall and The Muppets. He pulls Emily Blunt into the joyful ridiculousness of his personality, and Blunt gleefully follows.  She is as eager as Segel to revel in some doses of slapstick humor and awkward bedroom situations.  It's their effortless ability to work together that saves the movie.

Alison Brie borrows a fine English accent for her role as Violet's sister, Suzie.  They aren't on screen together for much of the film, but they share a hilarious scene in which Suzie tries to convince Violet to go through with their marriage, while both of them use Sesame Street voices to entertain Suzie's daughter.  Jacki Weaver is very entertaining as Violet's pushy mother.  Brian Posehn delivers several laughs as Tom's sometimes-inappropriate boss.

Besides the considerable chemistry between the characters, the screenplay by Nicholas Stoller and Jason Segel is curiously lacking in hilarity beyond that.  Compared with other comedies they have worked on together, such as Forgetting Sarah Marshall and Get Him to the Greek, the scenarios displayed aren't as merrily outrageous as those in their other films, and there aren't many memorable one-liners that are worth quoting continuously.  The interaction of the characters is what prevents this film from being an almost rare miss by Stoller and Segel.  The Five-Year Engagement presents how actors can keep a film going, even if the story tends to fall a little flat, like champagne left out at a wedding.

Final grade: B-

A Future Where Entertainment is Brought to Deadly Extremes

Reality television, for some reason, has been one of the biggest viewer-grabbers in the history of the medium.  It seems like that for every creative television drama or comedy, there are 100 reality shows that make you embarrassed to be human.  TV series that expose some of the worst in its subjects have been bombarding our home entertainment for the past few years.  The characters are either inebriated, fighting, sleeping around or engaging in any other mischief in order to hog the camera.

In a post-apocalyptic North America, reality television is as in-demand as ever, but it's frightfully different.  Instead of the characters wallowing in alcohol, debauchery and mistakes that they will regret in the morning, they are pitted against each other in a cruel test of survival that's televised to a national audience.  In director Gary Ross' The Hunger Games, based on the first book in Suzanne Collins' marvelously addictive trilogy, the film provides an alarming atmosphere that has a very different feel from the text.  We are positioned in front of a screen, much like the viewers in the movie, and are forced to watch what happens.  It's a visceral view of the depravity that people are willing to sink down to in order to survive.

In the nation of Panem, the 12 districts that cater to the Capitol instigated a failed rebellion against their oppressors 74 years ago.  As penance for their defiance, the Capitol creates a yearly event where each district picks one boy and one girl, between the ages of 12 and18, out of a lottery, or "the Reaping."  The two teenagers are then taken to the Capitol, where they are trained to fight in a death-match where only one can emerge victorious.

Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) is a 16-year-old living in District 12, the poorest and coal-mining district of the Capitol.  She loves to hunt with her best friend Gale (Liam Hemsworth), and provides for her family with the game she finds.  When the 74th Hunger Games has its lottery, Katniss' younger sister, Prim (Willow Shields), gets picked as the female tribute.  Desperate to keep her safe, Katniss heroically volunteers to take her place.  Once Katniss and District 12's male tribute, Peeta (Josh Hutcherson), are selected, they are brought to the Capitol to train for the games.  Once they are put into the arena, Katniss will do everything she can in order to survive and get back to her family.

Jennifer Lawrence's performance utters a few echoes of her breakout role from the 2010 indie drama, Winter's Bone.  Both characters come from impoverished households and dangerous surroundings, and they both must provide for their families when there isn't anyone else who will.  Lawrence's physique and superlative acting abilities (she is an actress well beyond her years) build Katniss into a strong and independent female character for the screen, just as Suzanne Collins did with her heroine for the page.  Lawrence fluently translates Katniss' tough-girl survivalist personality that made her character so emulative when we were first introduced to her in the book.  She is prodigious with a bow and arrow to the point where she resembles a Robin Hood for her dystopian society.  Lawrence covers every emotion that Katniss should feel in her world.  Everything is there, from her sense of comfort when she's hunting with Gale, to her poignant sacrifice for her sister, to her dazed and confused expression when she begins her interview in front of the Capitol.  When she's about to go into the arena, she is visibly shaking, and our hearts beat with her's as she's brought onto the killing grounds.

Josh Hutcherson has gradually become a mature actor, especially ever since he had a role in the 2010 comedy, The Kids Are All Right.  With Jennifer Lawrence, the couple sticks very close to the relationship dynamics that the two share in the novel.  Before the games, Katniss and Peeta don't have any sort of past besides a brief act of kindness.  Afterwards, Lawrence and Hutcherson skillfully carry the heightened romantic tension once they're characters are in the games, with Katniss trying to play on their status as "star-crossed lovers," and with Peeta who has genuine feelings for his fellow tribute.

Similar to the Harry Potter films that are stacked with countless famous British actors, The Hunger Games comes with an array of experienced American actors.  There is Elizabeth Banks as Effie Trinket, the sprightly escort for the District 12 tributes.  Stanley Tucci plays Caesar Flickerman, the cheerful interviewer of the tributes who knows how to please his audience.  He has a personality as sparkly as the blue suit he dons.  Woody Harrelson is the film's comic center as Haymatch Abernathy, the boozy mentor of Katniss and Peeta.  Lenny Kravitz is splendid as Katniss' sympathetic and compassionate stylist whose clothes eventually make her into the Girl on Fire.  Donald Sutherlnad is shiver-inducing as the quietly ruthless President Snow, an apt name for his cold persona.

Another supporting cast in the film comes in the form of the four Career tributes, those who are trained from an early age to partake in the games.  They are led by the sadistic Cato (Alexander Ludwig).  These tributes take glee in their slaughter, and are a constant danger.  There is a scene where they are chasing Katniss through the arena, and they are laughing and acting playful with her.  This is a disturbing juxtaposition with their true intentions to kill her.  These contestants are unrestrained in their thrills of their kill.

The costuming and make-up are among the film's most memorable aspects, especially for that of the Capitol citizens.  They are dressed in colorful (and I mean colorful) clothing, with each outfit trying to outdo the other.  Their impressively bizarre make-up, along with their costumes, highlight how privileged they are in the never-ending good life that they all share.

The music, composed by James Newton Howard, is wonderful in the ways it's used and not used.  The main part of the opening music consists of a few strums of a guitar that reflects the simple, Southern atmosphere of District 12.   None of the music is used in one of the most important scenes: the Reaping.  This plays as a benefit to this sequence.  All we hear are the sounds of footsteps on gravel as the citizens attend the bleak event, distant voices and the piercing silence as the characters, and ourselves, wait for the names to be called.

Cinematographer Tom Stern's dominant filming technique for The Hunger Games is the handheld camera.  It works very well in the scenes depicting the games.  One of those sequences in particular is when the tributes enter the arena.  As they run to the Cornucopia, a pile of gifts consisting of survival essentials, there are quick cuts and unsettling camera movements that capture the overall sense of danger and emphasize the frantic actions that these teenagers take in order to survive the first blood-splattering moments of the games. However, the unsteady-camera approach is used a bit excessively.  It should have been used only for the scenes that the citizens of Panem get to view on television, such as the Reaping, the tribute interviews and the actual games, since these are the parts of the film that simulate the experience of watching a merciless reality show.  It wasn't needed for the scenes that happen outside of what appears on Panem's broadcasting.

The story cleverly adds some elements of reality television that we see today, such as the ostentatious costumes worn by the contestants in the tribute parade and the interviews, the romance between Katniss and Peeta that's staged in order to please the audience and the way how the games' control-center influences what goes on the arena, all to give the audience what it wants.

The screenplay, by Suzanne Collins, Gary Ross and Billy Ray, is one of the most faithful book-to-film adaptations to come out in a while.  Despite a few minor changes, the original story is nearly all there, most likely because of Collins' help with the script.  It's transparent that the screenwriters have the second installment in mind because they add a few scenes that are not in the first book, in order to provide a vision of what's to come in Catching Fire.  The character of President Snow comes to mind.  He appears more in the film than the book.  The extra scenes give us a greater perspective of Snow, and provide us with a taste of how big a threat he will pose to Katniss in the next movie.  There is also a glimpse of an uprising in District 11 that also helps to put future events in motion.

Before The Hunger Games, the last movie Ross directed was Seabiscuit, and that was nine years ago.  Besides that, the only other time her sat in the director's chair was when he made Pleasantville in 1998.  Because of his limited projects as a director, it was a challenge to predict the vision that he would bring to this futuristic, war-ravaged society.  Fortunately, he keeps the edginess of the source material and doesn't water-down the violence that provides a view into the extensiveness of the brutality that the Capitol pushes on the tributes.  With his working close with Suzanne Collins, the two retain the story's ideas that have kept readers obsessively flipping through the pages.  He competently handles his many actors and manages to have them give spot-on portrayals of how these characters conduct themselves in the novel.  The film's observations of reality television are handled just as adeptly.  That genre of TV doesn't make the viewer think, but the reality-television aspect in The Hunger Games does, and that's what makes the film a haunting social commentary.

Final grade: A-