Captain America: The Winter Soldier

My View:  Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)  PG-13 The Captain (Chris Evans) is struggling to figure out his place in the modern world. It turns out that he isn’t the only person to time travel – an old acquaintance is back. Now the Captain must deal with an agent from the Soviet Union, The Winter Soldier (Sebastian Stan).  I enjoyed this film so much more than the first Captain America film.  The action sequences are fast and well-choreographed without the dreaded shaky cam that so many of today’s action film directors like to use.  There is a great deal of humor in this film, something the first film sorely needed.  And Scarlett Johansson, as the Black Widow, has almost as much screen time as Chris Evans.  The plot is well thought-out and is very narrow in its range, which keeps the film focused. This film moves quickly, so you won’t notice the 136 minute run time.  Stay through all the credits as there are two bonus scenes, one after the main credits and another after all the secondary credits. They did not screen the film in 3-D for us, so I can't tell you which version to see.  My Rating: Full Price  Captain America: The Winter Soldier Website

Indiefest:  Anita  (2014)  Documentary about Anita Hill, the woman who accused Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas of sexual harassment in the Senate hearings in 1991.  This is the first time that Anita Hill has talked at length about the ordeal she went through not only during the hearings, but also the aftermath.  While this film is very one-sided (neither Thomas or any Senator involved in the hearings as interviewed), it is fascinating to go back and see how things developed.  This film does give you, in detail, what Anita went through and why she decided to come forth with the allegations. As I was watching this film, I kept thinking that a lot has changed since 1991, especially how the workforce confronts the topic of sexual harassment.   My Rating: Bargain Matinee  Anita Website  For a full length review of this film click here

Forgotten Film:  Scarecrow (1973)  R  Max (Gene Hackman) is an ex-con who likes to fight and has been saving his money to open up a car wash in Pittsburg.  Lion (Al Pacino) is an ex-sailor who is homeless and wants to see his child who was born while he was at sea.  These two men meet and decide to travel together and go on an adventure.  This film is a pleasure to watch just to see Hackman and Pacino interact on-screen together.  The film gets a little too artsy with the lighting making everything very dark at times, but the performances outweigh these slight problems.  It’s a film well worth watching master actors apply their craft. My Rating:  Bargain Matinee  Scarecrow Info

In Memory of Ed Wood (A Movie I’ve Only Seen in Trailers But Just Looks Like a Bad Idea): A Million Ways to Die in the West (2014)  A western written and directed by Seth MacFarlane (Ted).  I think I will go watch Mel Brook’s film Blazing Saddles (1974) instead.  A Million Ways to Die in the West Website

In Case You Missed It (A Film Just Released on DVD/Blu-ray): Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues (2013) R  I feel that this sequel didn’t match the comedic standards the first Anchorman set.  It empathizes a character, Brick (Steve Carell), who is really better suited to be a supporting character.   My Rating: Bargain Matinee  Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues

Weird Credits:  From the credits of Captain America: The Winter Soldier:  render wrangler

Coming Soon to a Theatre Near You:  Joe (2013) R I just saw this film about an ex-con (Nicolas Cage) who takes a young homeless man (Tye Sheridan) under his wing to get him away from the boy’s alcoholic father.  It’s Nicolas Cage’s best performance in years.   Joe Website

Until Next Time!