CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER
Release Date: April 3, 2014
What it’s about: Captain America teams up with the Black Widow and the Falcon to unravel a mysterious conspiracy and battle an enigmatic enemy known as…The Winter Soldier.
What it’s got working for it: The trailer suggests a good-looking movie.
What’s it’s got going against it: Also looks a little hokey.
DRAFT DAY
Release Date: April 11, 2014
What it’s about: The general manager of the Cleveland Browns attempts to pull of a huge deal on draft day.
What it’s got working for it: The rare participation of the NFL in a feature film. And some possible insight into the draft day process.
What’s it’s got going against it: Given the NFL’s participation, don’t expect any hard-hitting or surprising insights.
OCULUS
Release Date: April 11, 2014
What it’s about: Ten years after the disappearance of their parents, a brother and sister look for answers in an antique mirror.
What it’s got working for it: There is that promisingly cool scene where the brother and sister see themselves through the open window.
What’s it’s got going against it: Everything else in that trailer? Been there; seen that.
RIO 2
Release Date: April 11, 2014
What it’s about: Those birds from the first movie vacation in the amazon.
What it’s got working for it: If you like the first one, you’ll probably enjoy the sequel as well.
What’s it’s got going against it: The trailer? Let’s assume they’re saving the funny bits for the actual big screen experience.
HEAVEN IS FOR REAL
Release Date: April 16, 2014
What it’s about: A boy survives a near-death experience and returns with knowledge of things he couldn’t possibly know about.
What it’s got working for it: An interesting and hopeful premise. “Inspired by a true story”.
What’s it’s got going against it: The more pessimistic will question the honesty of the source material.
THE RETRIEVAL
Release Date: April 18, 2014
What it’s about: In 1864, a young African-American boy is enlisted by bounty hunters to entrap a fugitive freedman.
What it’s got working for it: An interesting dilemma for our young hero who must struggle to choose between fear and respect, old and newfound loyalties.
What’s it’s got going against it: If you watch the trailer, you’ll note he doesn’t struggle very long. Looks fairly straightforward.
TRANSCENDENCE
Release Date: April 18, 2014
What it’s about: The singularity is here! A scientist becomes the surprising catalyst for the Artificial Intelligence he seeks to create.
What it’s got working for it: Not exactly original, but Johnny Depp’s involvement holds promise.
What’s it’s got going against it: Remember The Tourist? Dark Shadows?
BRICK MANSIONS
Release Date: April 18, 2014
What it’s about: In one of his final films, Paul Walker plays an undercover cop who teams up with an ex-con to take on a ruthless criminal hiding within the walls of a fortified future Detroit.
What it’s got working for it: Luc Besson’s movies can be fun (ie. The Professional, The Transporter, The Fifth Element).
What’s it’s got going against it: And, other times, horrendous. Anybody catch The Family?
Joe! It’s Captain America – OF COURSE it’s a little hokey. That’s part of the fun. I’ll be there, ’cause the Winter Soldier looks cool and mysterious. And I’m a sucker for cool and mysterious villains. And I liked the first Captain America..
Transcendence: Well, it has Johnny Depp, Paul Bettany and Morgan Freeman. And a moderately interesting premise. So I’ll go.
The other ones – probably not. Oculus is too creepy for me. And the others just don’t grab me.
Joe, all I know about the source material for HEAVEN IS REAL can be found on Wikipedia.
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heaven_Is_for_Real
BTW, mutual acquaintance Cliff Simon did a good job on “The Americans”. Tonight ended his two-ep role.
Joe – I got two different posts about movies dated today and all the links are broken on the second one. Something is wonky in Blogville tonight!
Mr. Mallozzi…a question…
(And forgive me if you’ve answered this before – I don’t have the best of memories…I probably should eat more fish, or something.)
In general, when it comes to movies you seem to share the more negative views of the loudest critics (plot holes, bad dialogue, etc.). And there are some movies out there that are truly awful, but there are also those that – while met with bad reviews or low box office numbers – really aren’t that bad. Or…maybe they are, but for some reason they just work for some people. So, are there any movies you like – perhaps even love – that you’re embarrassed to admit to actually enjoying. Your dirty little cinematic secrets, as it were?
(And I don’t mean campy movies that gained fame well after they first appeared on the big screen – I’m talking about those films that met with strong criticism, and are still sneered at today.)
I have a few, I think the most recent being Battleship. I really love that movie, even if it was the biggest punchline joke of 2012. So, how ’bout youze?
das
Uh…it’s a movie about a superhuman soldier based on a comic book character created to boost patriotism in 1941, and whose main weapon is a shield made of the fictional metal, vibranium, which comes from the equally fictional country, Wakanda. Oh, and did I mention he hangs out with a dude who wears wings and talks to birds?
Yeah…I’m thinking that’s the very definition of ‘hokey’. 😉
(Also, I’m thinking you have one too many apostrophe-esses in your “What’s it’s”… 😉 )
das
Also, I’m thinking I should have read Sparrowhawk‘s hokey comment first. 😛
(I agree with her assessment of Winter Soldier – main reason I’m going to the theater to see this one. I’m going through Loki withdrawal atm, and I need another dark, smoulder-y sort to keep me going…especially seeing as how the broody, pallid sorts are few and far between these days. 😛 )
das
Captain America: The Winter Soldier: I’ll probably go see it as I’ve mostly enjoyed the Marvel movies so far.
Draft Day: Meh. Why are there so many football and baseball movies? Why aren’t there any cricket movies?
Oculus: I’m beginning to wonder if it’s possible to do an original horror movie? I think everything has already been done.
Rio 2: There was a Rio 1?
Heaven Is For Real: Could go either way. As an NDE sceptic I find the whole “based on a true story” angle to be eyebrow raising.
The Retrieval: *sigh* With the success of 12 Years A Slave are we going to have to put up with a glut of mediocre slave movies like we had to put up with a glut of gladiator movies a few years ago?
Transcendence: Might be interesting. Johnny Dep usually does nothing for me (Except for Cry Baby which is awesome!) so I’m wary.
Brick Mansions: I’m a big Luc Besson fan but, as you say, he’s a bit hit and miss. The cop-con buddy movie has been done to death so I think it will be hard to come up with anything original.
I’m hoping that the popularity of Captain America and Ironman in the movies will culminate in a film version of Marvel’s Civil War. Wouldn’t that be a great thing for us comic book lovers? And, I like the idea of the Black Widow and Cap becoming real friends. I don’t know if that’s happening in the comic book universe, but they have such interesting similarities and oppositenesses (not a real word, but I couldn’t think of the right one) that they could hang out and talk about many things. I think Nick Fury and Natasha are supposed to be the beneficiaries of some sort of youth serum that keeps them going even though Fury was an adult in WWII and Natasha was a grown woman back in the Cold War.
I thought the Rio2 clip was funny. But the mirror movie looked way too scary for me.
Like they said above, the Captain America movies are the definition of hokey! The problem I have with that character is that his superhero powers just aren’t that super. That *could* make a difference and actually make him a vulnerable, more human character than the normal, but somehow I doubt that’s going to happen.
The mirror one just looks dumb. A bunch of jump scenes and a some shocked looks don’t necessarily make a horror movie.
Thanks for the encouraging words about the storm yesterday, folks. Das – UI would wear the bunny slippers with honour! 🙂 Everything is fine here, and the snow has stopped and the wind’s dropped by quite a bit. I’ll have to get out this morning and start – somehow – to get the snow out of the driveway. Pretty much everything here was shut down except essential services.
I took this video after supper yesterday evening. It was crazy out there!
G’day
Kids want to see “Rio 2”, the first gets played a LOT in my house.
Heaven is Real? Puke.
I’ll definitely see Captain America. I’ll definitely keep my standards low. I love superhero stuff. I tolerate the hokey because the adventure is fun.
Just when I think I’m getting braver a movie like Oculus comes out. Pass! I love Scream. That’s my kind of horror flic. I do watch The Walking Dead and Game of Thrones but they’re not constant creepy-horror. Not that there’s anything wrong with it. 😉 I’m just a five year old little girl when it comes down to it. I saw the Shining once and will forever be freaked out when walking down a long hotel hallway. I don’t need the nightmares.
As for the rest? Eh. Maybe Netflix. I’ll see what Cinebistro has playing. That place has absolutely spoiled me on movies.
What’s it’s got going against it: Remember The Tourist? Dark Shadows? You forgot Willy Wonka. I had to laugh at your comment. Dark Shadows was pretty bad. I didn’t see Remember the Tourist but thanks for the warning.
All those look like rentals except for Captain America (I happen to enjoy hokey). I maybe the only one but I like the Black Widow and the Falcon.
gforce: Brrr!
I’m not really liking the new emoticons. The rollie eyes don’t roll anymore, see 🙄 . They just sit there. 🙁
@ gforce – Heh…you sound Canadian. 😀
And that’s one crazy snow drift! You definitely got more than us, and we didn’t have the winds quite as bad so not a lot of drifting (except across roads that ran alongside open fields/pastures). Ours is mostly melted now – probably just about 2/3 gone, with just the deeper patches lingering. It’s been dang cold for ‘spring’, though.
Enjoy the virtual bunny slippers! It could have been worse – I could’a sent you a pair of Dr. Denton’s wif da handy-dandy butt flap, and everything! 😀 My sister gave my husband and me each a pair of Dr. Denton’s for our wedding – mine was pink with pink roses sewn all over it, and hubby’s was blue with little bells sewn all over it – front and back – so that I would know when he was ‘coming and going’, as she put it. 😛
das
Rio 2, Transcendence for sure (Rio 2 more when it comes to premium channels), Heaven is Real looks cool. Brick Mansions probably wait until it gets to premium channels.
Absolutely no way on this earth I will watch? Oculus.
Geez, Louise, gforce! Time to move to Vancouver, methinks.