Captain America: The First Avenger

My View:  Captain America: The First Avenger   Chris Evans (Fantastic Four) plays Steve Rogers, a man who dreams of joining the service during World War II but is repeatedly turned down because he is too small and sickly.  He is then recruited to a secret Army project that turns him into Captain Americajust in time to fight an evil Nazi officer named The Red Skull, who is building a fighting force to take on the world.  This movie does a brilliant job of building up the legend of Captain America, and Chris Evans has the charisma and the physique to fill the uniform.  The first 15 minutes of the film are a wonder of special effects as Steve Rogers is shown as the "96 pound weakling" in a body much smaller than the average man.  This makes his transition to Captain America all the more believable.  A smashing storyline, rousing special effects and a love interest for the Captain in Hayley Atwell make this a great summer adventure.  Be sure to stay through the credits.  At the end of the film, there are a few scenes that set up the next Marvel film, The Avengers.  My Rating:  Full Price   Captain America Website

The 50 (a movie from my best/worst film of all time)

#38 Worst Film:

Kazaam  (1996)   The tagline sums up this film nicely - "He's a Rappin' Genie with an Attitude...And He's Ready for Slam-Dunk Fun!"  At one time, Shaquille O'Neal had thoughts of becoming a movie star, and this is the film that broke that dream.  Shaq plays a genie released by a lonely young boy who is trying to survive in the dangerous "hood.”  Max (played by Francis Capra) is granted three wishes by Kazaam.  Shaq is just horrible in the role and makes it worse with a musical number where he raps about being a genie.  By the end of the movie, you just wish Kazaam would go back into the boombox he came from.   Kazaam Info

Forgotten Film:  Bullitt (1968)  When you look up the word, “cool,” in the dictionary, you should see a picture of Steve McQueen as Detective Bullitt, the starring role in this film.  Wearing a turtleneck and driving one of classic film cars of all time, a tricked out Mustang, McQueen plays a detective who is assigned to protect a witness.  The witness is murdered under McQueen’s watch, and he does everything he can to solve the case.  This film contains one of the greatest chase sequences ever, a race through the streets and hills of San Francisco where most of the driving stunts are done by McQueen, himself.  Jacqueline Bisset is just gorgeous as Bullitt's girlfriend, but's it's McQueen's movie, and he plays it perfectly.   Bullitt Info

In Case You Missed It (A Film Just Released on DVD):  Source Code (2011) Jake Gyllenhaal plays a man who wakes up on a train sitting across from a woman (played by Michelle Monaghan) who seems to know him.  After eight minutes, a bomb goes off on the train, and Gyllenhaal discovers that he is a soldier who is part of a secret government project.   This project allows him to go back in time in someone else's body and reenact their last 8 minutes of life using a time loop program, so he is sent back to discover who the bomber is to prevent a future bombing.  Gyllenhaal is top-notch in this action role, and there is great chemistry between him and Monagham, a woman he decides is worth risking his life for.  My Rating:  Bargain Matinee   Source Code Website

In Memory of Ed Wood (A Movie I've Only Seen in Trailers but Just Looks Like a Bad Idea):  Bucky Larson:  Born to Be a Star:  A dimwitted nerd discovers that his parents were porn stars in the 1970s.  He decides to travel from his hometown in Iowa to the big city of L.A. to follow in his parents’ footsteps.  The trailer looks awful, and the movie looks like a cross between Dumb and Dumber and Porky’s.  I'm sorry, but any movie with Don Johnson in a major role just has to be bad.  Bucky Larson Website

Weird Credits:  From the credits of Captain America:  The First Avenger:  Norwegian accent advisor

Coming Soon to a Theatre Near You:  Attack the Block (2011)  This British horror/comedy film was the talk of the South by Southwest Film Festival.  A teen gang in a low income housing project takes on an alien invasion in London.  Think Shaun of the Dead, but instead of zombies, aliens are the freak show.   Attack the Block Website

Until Next Time!