After Sam Raimi and company piledrove the Spiderman films into the dirt with Spiderman 3 in 2007, Sony needed to kick start their franchise again (for legal and creative differences). The Amazing Spiderman reboot is the result and it’s pretty much a success.

I consider the first move to be overrated, 2 is a truley great movie and 3 is a complete mess. Here we are given a new cast, new director, new stunt team, slightly new story. Here’s the main problem with the movie: it’s a reboot. There’s really no reason to do an origin story again when it’s only a decade after it was first brought to the movies. This could have just been a direct sequel, ignoring anything that happened in 3. Everyone knows the start so it’s just redundant. That said, it’s done well. A different take on the Peter Parker and Uncle Ben catalyst for the superhero starts us off and thankfully they’ve done with a new villain with Dr. Curt Connors (The Lizard).

I really liked the new cast, Andrew Garfield is a perfect Peter Parker and Emma Stone as Gwen Stacy is a perfect match. I didn’t miss Tobey Maguire at all. He’s more of the comic smart ass here and they have him using mechanical web shooters like the comic as well. It’s a nicely layered movie, it’s a smooth track to setting up the loveable teenager to heroic hero as the stakes are gradually ratcheted up. “With great power comes great responsibility” is well at work here.

The unique fight scenes are great, really pushing the difference between Spiderman and all other superheroes abilities. There’s a great weight to all the hits but the quickness of a super nimble person. It’s a lot of fun to watch him disable people with webbing and then swing around different ways in each scene. The 3D isn’t anything really worth mentioning. It’s used subtly in dialog scenes but there is next to no separation during the big action scenes. There’s some great work done with traveling as Spiderman in the first person perspective, but it looked surprisingly flat in 3D. There either very little visual depth or the background is in such a blur the whole image just turns into a streak. Not worth the money.

I think it’s worth watching, if only to get another one with this cast. Spiderman has some life in him, something I didn’t think was possible after watching 3.

I’ve watched a lot of stuff in the past few weeks from being off work and healing up the old eyeball. Gaming was too much of a strain so I stuck to TV and movies. So much so that it makes the most sense to make a quick hits post for it all.

Tower Heist A good movie until the last act where it turns too Hollywood. Ben Stiller leads the cast of this Robin Hood like heist movie. It’s a fun story, but when they throw plausibility out the window to get to the end, it really ruined it for me.

Safe House Excellent rental. Ryan Reynolds shows up in another movie, this time teamed up with/against Denzel Washington as the bad guy. A fun concept that’s pulled off well. Interesting action scenes, perfect run time, solid movie.

Beats Rhymes & Life: The Travels of a Tribe Called Quest Really liked this documentary on a Tribe Called Quest. Fantastic soundtrack to a terrific story. Taking the viewer back to the real honest and pure days of hip hop, Beats gives the fantastic journey of one of the most influential groups in the game. The nucleus of this is the rift that came between Q Tip and Phife Dawg…a power and respect struggle that stretched for years. Director Michael Rapaport tries to lay everything out as honestly as possible and I think he accomplished that. Keeping it all down to a reasonable runtime restricts the full story and I’m not too sure who was in the wrong. I can see both angles from their specific sides…I’m really left thinking that they’re both in the right. Just personality clashes that couldn’t be avoided. Growing up seems to have helped in the end. Highly recommended.

Jeff, Who Lives At Home An arrested development coming of age tale. I’m a fan of Jason Segel and really makes the Jeff character work. Ed Helms as his brother was great casting, they work well together.

Everything Must Go This one is in the same genre as Jeff, Who Lives At Home. Will Ferrell plays Nick, a middle management type at a car dealership who has an alcoholic relapse. It costs him his job and his wife, planting him squarely on his front lawn for some self-reflection and character building. I’m a Will Ferrell fan and I like when he takes the roles where he’s not an athlete of any kind. With a more grounded role he doesn’t do anything wacky here but he is a sad character. Sad is actually too strong of a word, he’s just in a low place in his life. While being sad and angry with his life, he doesn’t grate on you. Will brings a certain level of compassion and likeability to Nick and his growing relationships with his neighbors Kenny and Samantha is a good one. While this isn’t really an original tale (changing your life, moving on, father/son relationship) it is a solid one.

Warrior I’ve read a lot of good things about this one, but the entire time I watched it, I couldn’t stop thinking about how much better The Fighter is. It’s easy to compare the two with the story focused on two brothers and fighting (MMA and Boxing), but I thought the characters of The Fighter were just way better. While Warrior is well made with some good acting (I like Tom Hardy a lot), nothing about it made me think that The Fighter is not the better use of the medium.

The Woman in Black I watched this movie specifically for Daniel Radcliffe and it’s so boring that I wish I didn’t. Dark hallways and jump scares fill this movie and that’s about it. Don’t bother, just watch one of the Paranormal Activity movies if you are looking to scratch that ghost story itch.

Underworld: Awakening Kate Beckinsale back in skin tight lycra suit! Besides the obvious eye candy, Awakening continues this competent Werewolf Vs vampire franchise. Enter a new found daughter for Selene to protect and the stage is set for some more carnage. If you like the other Underworld movies, dive right in. If not, it really doesn’t mess with the formula so you won’t be missing anything.

Brave is a beautiful story from a beautiful company. Pixar has quite the track record in animated films and I’m happy to see Brave continue the tradition. Family values are the center piece of this one which is always a solid foundation to build on. Mix in some fairytale mythos and you’ve got a movie that will be remembered fondly for generations.

Princess Merida is a very strong willed and determined young woman. When thrust into the tradition of betrothal, Merida rebels and mistakenly unleashes a curse that threatens to ruin everything she knows and cares for. It’s a simple tale with a neat little twist filled with endearing characters that you can’t help but root for.

As with every release, Pixar updates their visual game with some of the best animation in the world. The landscapes are just stunning, the character designs are unique and charming and all the special effects make for a truly believable world. I was surprised at how much slap stick humor was in this one, but I didn’t think it distracted from anything. The voice cast goes a long way too, some great performances throughout (Kelly Macdonald in particular, I’m a big fan of hers).

The Pixar name sets a certain bar of expectation and I think Brave fits into the family very well. With the two Cars movies giving me the only sense of “ho-hum” from this studio I am happy to see this return to form. It’s a really well made story for kids and adults, with a real vibe of love and care pushing it forward. There’s a fun lead in, a dramatic turn and then a courageous mad dash at the end. Now while it’s not my favorite Pixar movie, Brave is better than most movies released today.

30 years after making his last science fiction movie, Ridley Scott returns to the genre with ! A prequel to Alien, the hype behind this movie was at an all time high just before it’s release. A tall hill to climb for any filmmaker, most seem pretty disappointed.

I liked it. It’s definably not as good as I (and everyone) hoped, but after watching and reading about online, it’s clear that a lot was cut out. The first 2/3 are very strong it’s the last act where a lot of the logic of the story swerves around and the guess work seems to take hold. With the heritage of the Alien franchise (the original and the first sequel are cinema classics) at it’s genesis in this movie, it didn’t answer a whole lot and that bugs a lot of people. The set up is great and easy to understand. In the not too distant future, archeologists find some evidence of a civilization that points them to explore the stars in search of answers. It might even be an invitation. Hop on board the Prometheus along with the crew, it’s going to be a promising trip! Cue the horror show! That’s all great. The buildup to the panic is great too. It’s interesting, engadging and you’re always wondering what is just around the corner.

The pacing of the movie seems a little off. You find yourself watching on uneasy footing but the set up and follow through don’t work well enough in the end so instead of an lasting adrenalin rush, you’re left feeling way more confused than you ever should be. There’s really weird character behavior too. The part that really bugged me was after an emergency procedure, Shaw doesn’t even try to tell anyone about what happened to her. The set up from a crew mate, and the seriousproblem that is developing at an alarming rate. All stuff you’d be screaming at to anyone you saw. She’s practically crawling down hallways, sweating like a maniac for the rest of the movie and no one bats an eye at her.

This all sounds really negative, but I did enjoy the movie. It just had surprising problems. On a technical level, Prometheus is a masterpiece. It’s one of the best looking movies ever made, the visuals of direction and production design coupled with the best special effects in the business is a site to behold. Quality acting too, even if some actors (Idris Elba) are underused (Michael Fastbender is absolute tops and I liked Noomi Rapace a lot).

Each movie in the Alien franchise is very different, Prometheus continues (or starts it, if you take the story timeline into account) that linage. I think this movie will ultimately be remembered fondly. I’m looking forward to seeing it again to see the stuff I missed, there’s a lot to take in and digest. The home release should be packed with extras.

If you are looking for a fun vampire movie, might I suggest Fright Night. This remake of the 1985 movie of the same name sees Colin Ferrell as Jerry. He’s the Fright in Night. A vampire of extreme methods and a zest for being a vampire. He moves in next to Charley (the always awesome Anton Yelchin) and it takes the disappearance of a friend that tips off Charley that Jerry isn’t human.

It’s a movie that doesn’t take it’s time to get to the point. It throws the Twilight style of vampire far behind and goes for the pure monster angle. Real refreshing to see, the cast is all great and it’s really well paced. It’s a good looking movie too. I only have 2 complaints.

Some of the CG effects are so bad it’s distracting. Terrible compromising, really awkward human animation, it’s easy to tell when the CG takes over. My other complaint is some weird acting by Colin Ferrell. He’s a great actor and he plays an outstanding villain here. But for some reason he decideds to really ham it up. It’s like watching vaudeville or something. The scene where he goes to Charley’s and asks him for some beer took such a weird turn I thought I was watching outtakes. At this point Jerry knows he’s been made and Charley is doing his best to stay cool and not tip his hand. So their interaction would be much different from a normal conversation, but it’s played so wrong you can’t help but laugh.

Aside from that, it’s a great rental at the very least. Easy to skip, I’d recommend you check it out for some good movie monster fun.

I’m a sucker for Greek and Roman mythology/time period movies and shows. It’s an intresting period that lends itself to the cinematic lens. Greek gods are always cool, I’ve been a fan with the likes of the Hercules and Xena TV shows from the 1990’s all the way to Spartacus on Starz today. Immortals, which was released late last year, fits the mold well.

Immortals is the story of Theseus versus Hyperion. King Hyperion is ravaging his was across Greece on the hunt for a legendary bow that has the power to unleash the Titans on humanity. If he succeeds then it means the end of mankind. The god Zeus favors Theseus, seeing the best of humanity in him. Over the years he’s been gently guiding Theseus, preparing him for this time when he is most needed.

The film most resembles the movie 300 with its digital backgrounds and blood. I really like the look, it’s a very grand and silky looking world, even when shown the most barren of landscapes. Henry Cavill as Theseus is really good and I love Mickey Rourke as Hyperion. He’s a great actor for a villain and unlike Iron Man 2, he’s used to great affect here. The action scenes are rather quick, but there’s good amount of them and each one is fun to watch. The score is a perfect fit as well, making for a fun movie. It runs about an hour and 45 minutes, which I thought was perfect. A well made film, even if it is a bit by the numbers. I’d put this easily above Colombiana if you are looking for an action movie to watch.