Green Lantern

Warner Bros.

Rated PG-13

Running time: 114 minutes

Click below to watch the Green Lantern trailer.



In Brightest Day,
In Blackest Night,
No Evil Shall Escape My Sight.
Let those who worship evil's might,
Beware My Power...
Green Lantern's Light!
- Hal Jordan/Green Lantern

In Warner Bros. Green Lantern, a dying alien Temuera Morrison bestows on cocky test pilot Ryan Reynolds a power ring and lantern which allows Reynolds to turn into an inter-galactic policeman - a Green Lantern.

With the release of a galactic villainous force Parallax, the inter-galactic police force - the Green Lantern Corps - try to contain him. With Parallax's ability to feed on fear, several Green Lanterns fall prey to the power of Parallax. When Parallax arrives on Earth to meet with it's telepathic scientist controlled subject Peter Sarsgaard - who was exposed to a part of Parallax during the autopsy of the alien Abin Sur/Temuera Morrison - it is the newest Green Lantern Reynolds who must overcome his fear and use his willpower to become Earth's last hope.

While the film tells the story of the origin of Hal Jordon/Ryan Reynolds who would go on to become the greatest Green Lantern of the Corps, the scenes on Earth are anti-climatic compared to Reynolds training scenes out in space on the planet Oa - home of the Guardians of the Universe. While this origin story is much better than Thor, the scenes at home at Coast City on Earth still seem a little trivial. Even though the origin scenes include Hal Jordon's comic book associates from the Ferris Aircraft company Blake Lively and Taika Waititi, as well as dealing with the loss of his test pilot dad, there is not as much angst as what would seem necessary for such an origin story. The climax does not seem as Earth-shattering as you would expect as it happens in one city instead of being world-wide.

What is good about the movie is that the movie looks like the comic book. That is what really made me want to see the movie is because it looked like the comic book, which looks amazing and not something really cheesy. Even the aliens looked believable which includes Geoffrey Rush, Michael Clarke Duncan, Mark Strong, and Clancy Brown - most of which are done through performance-capture. The computer graphics of the Green Lantern uniforms and the Green Lantern's animated light image of their willpower creations were also believable. The relationship with the Central Power Battery of Oa and the universe of Green Lantern was interesting and unexpected to me, which also leads to a potential sequel as hinted at during the end of the movie's credits which is not unexpected if you have read the comic books.

Cameos by Tim Robbins and Angela Bassett were not well used, even though they played powerful characters. Angela Bassett's character was especially disappointing as she is supposed to be the head of the intelligence organization Checkmate in the comic book.

Rated PG-13 for violence. Running time: 114 minutes.

Pancho
All people smile in the same language.

X-MEN: FIRST CLASS

20th Century Fox

Rated PG-13

Running time: 132 minutes


In 20th Century Fox and Marvel Entertainment's X-MEN: FIRST CLASS, you see the origins of Charles Xavier, James McAvoy, and Erik Lehnsherr/Magneto Michael Fassbender as they form a team of mutants - humans born with an evolutionary X-gene allowing them to develop unusual abilities - to prevent evil mutant Sebastian Shaw, Kevin Bacon from creating the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962 and thus starting a Nuclear War.

This prequel to the X-MEN series is a better origin story then even the original X-MEN. This is not a children's film, even if there are mutant teenagers in the film, but a mature adult film. You get into the backgrounds of the characters, some of which are the ancestors of future mutants - and the reason why some mutants, who were originally good, decide to join the evil Brotherhood of Mutants due to their need of a surrogate family abused and persecuted in the same way they have. As Xavier and Magneto, McAvoy and Fassbender were originally friends - but their ideologies drifted them apart, such as Jewish Fassbender's vengeful search for Bacon for manipulating Fassbender's genetic ability after surviving the Holocaust - until McAvoy and Fassbender finally wind up on opposite sides of mutants evolutionary place in the world. The film deals with the mutants problem of acceptance, not only from the "normal" society of humans - but also from themselves. Some mutants are even more mutant than others. This causes a deep great feeling of abnormalcy in the mutants and they would do anything to become "normal." As Raven/Mystique Jennifer Lawrence says "Mutant - and proud of it!"

The film is also very political dealing with both the Holocaust and the Cuban Missile Crisis in the film, and with breaking news stock footage of President John F. Kennedy adding a sense of realism to the story. The international feeling with German, Russian and other languages, languages that become sub-titled in the movie, makes the story more worldly than just a setting at home in Washington D.C. or New York. This is similar in feeling to the Bond films.

While the movie adds some mutant characters that I do not recall from the X-MEN comic books, they add to the film, even if we really do not get to know them. Moira MacTaggert's, Rose Byrne, origin is different from the comic books since she is now a CIA agent investigating the Hellfire Club and mutant connection, but it explains the relationship she has with McAvoy. Oliver Platt's talent was pretty much wasted as the CIA Man in Black in charge of putting together the Mutant Project, as he had very little to do and was made the butt of jokes, but he was responsible for engineering Cerebro - the mutant locator. Watching trained mutants fight is amazing to see as they kick ass with their powers. The X-Men flying the SR-71 Blackbird was pretty cool. The Hellfire Club was great to see, but after it's initial introduction, you do not see it much anymore except for Bacon's few mutants - like the White Queen Emma Frost, January Jones. This is a shame as the Hellfire Club is a high profile political and business club. I would like to see more mutant political maneuvering from the Hellfire Club in future movies.

The uncredited cameo of Hugh Jackman was priceless.

Rated PG-13 for violence, language, and sexual situations. Running time: 132 minutes

Pancho
All people smile in the same language.

Pancho's Movie Reviews

Pirates of the Carribean: On Stranger Tides

Click below to watch the Pirates of the Carribean: On Stranger Tides trailer.

Walt Disney Pictures

Rated PG-13

Running time: 136 minutes

In Walt Disney Studio's Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, Captain Jack Sparrow, Johnny Depp, needs a ship and crew to find the Fountain of Youth. Depp runs into an old flame, Penélope Cruz, who kidnaps Depp for her father - Blackbeard the Pirate, Ian McShane.

This is a dark film, both visually and thematically. With a prophecy that Ian McShane will be killed by a one-legged man, Geoffrey Rush, McShane as the evil Blackbeard the Pirate, with his magical sword, forces Depp with his map to find the Fountain of Youth for him so McShane will stay alive. There is a question as to which side Cruz is playing for, or if she is just out for herself. Meanwhile, after finding a survivor from Ponce de León's ship, the Spanish navy goes on a quest for the Fountain of Youth as well - so England sends privateer Rush after the Fountain of Youth as well for Queen and Country. Because of a magical ritual, one of the things necessary for the Fountain of Youth to work is the tear of a mermaid - so they set out to capture a mermaid. These are not the cute typical cartoon Disney mermaids you are used to, but more like evil siren-like Harpy's with flippers and can be very beautiful and frightening.

There are a lot more religious themes in the movie than I expected, which made sense for the story - especially with the Spaniards, the Fountain of Youth becoming more important than any gold and silver treasure they might encounter. It is curious to see the professionalism of the British and Spanish navies compared to the pirates and zombie crew of McShane's ship the Queen Anne's Revenge. The cameo by rocker Keith Richards was quite good.

Rated PG-13 for violence and supernatural elements. Running time: 136 minutes. 

Pancho

All people smile in the same language.

 Pancho's Movie Reviews

THOR

Paramount Pictures

Marvel Studios

Rated PG-13

Running time: 115 minutes















Click below to watch the Thor trailer.



In Paramount Pictures Thor, the Norse Asgardian god Thor, Chris Hemsworth, is stripped of his power by Odin the All-Father, Anthony Hopkins, for being too arrogant and is banished to Earth/Midguard. After hitting Hemsworth with her car, Natalie Portman takes the strange Hemsworth home as she believes he is a key to her scientific weather research.

Based on Marvel Comics Thor, this film was much more interesting in the Asgard and other realms than while being on Earth. While Earth had all the jokes, with the main settings being in a desert and a small town, it was rather boring compared to the family dynamics between Odin, Thor, and his brother Loki, Tom Hiddleston. Not even S.H.I.E.L.D made up for a boring Earth as S.H.I.E.L.D was just portrayed as another secret government agency that takes over everything and nothing was really spectacular about it. The movie trailer made S.H.I.E.L.D seem much more sinister. Agent Clark Gregg mentioned that Thor made the S.H.I.E.L.D agents look like minimum wage mall cops which was easy to do as the agents did act like mall cops and not the elite special operations teams that they should have been. While back in Asgard, it was rather touching and sad to see a sweet young Loki turn into a bitter man jealous of his beloved brother Thor. This was a better telling of betrayal than Anakin Skywalker becoming Darth Vader. With director Kenneth Branagh's  Shakespearean roots, this definitely helped the story which is basically a retelling of Shakespeare's Henry V.

The frost giants were much more agile than what I imagined from the comic books, so the battles between them and the Asgardians were more intense than what I expected. And it is the invasion of the frost giants during his coronation that causes Thor to be arrogant in the first place as he wants to insure the safety of Asgard by invading the frost giants realm with the Warriors Three.

As Queen Frigga, Thor's mother, Rene Russo was an unexpected addition to the movie as I recall no publicity concerning her being a part of the film. Actually I did not recognize her until I read the end credits, although I knew that she had looked familiar when I saw her. There is also a bowman amongst the S.H.I.E.L.D agents Jeremy Renner who is uncredited as the character Hawkeye.

In the spirit of Asgard and the other realms, the credits were rather cosmic. There is also a scene after the end credits which goes more into Samuel L. Jackson and S.H.I.E.L.D which, when combined with all the references in the movie, lead to possible sequels like The Avengers.

The band Foo Fighters song "Walk" is also in the film because the filmmakers thought its lyrics were strangely appropriate for the film.

Rated PG-13 for violence. Running time: 115 minutes.

Pancho
All people smile in the same langauge.

Your Highness

Universal Pictures

Rated R

Running time: 102 minutes



In Universal Pictures Your Highness, Prince James Franco's bride-to-be, Lady Zooey Deschanel gets kidnapped from their castle home by the evil wizard Justin Theroux. Franco then goes on a quest with his knights to rescue Deschanel - along with his lazy brother Danny McBride.

A cross between The Three Musketeers as well as The Princess Bride and Xena: Warrior Princess, this film is much more of an action film than a comedy that the trailers make it out to be. You can feel the jealousy that loser brother Danny McBride has for his heroic brother James Franco, but never forget that they are brothers. McBride reminds me of Oliver Platt in The Three Musketeers. although not as sophisticated, while Franco reminds me of Cary Elwes in The Princess Bride. On the eve of the Royal Wedding, one can imagine the chaos Theroux created during Franco's wedding and why the brothers are now on a quest. The quest picks up when they encounter fellow warrior Natalie Portman, a hot woman who can kick serious ass, but who has her own quest to get Theroux. Treachery and villainy abound as evil Chosen One Theroux needs virgin Deschanel to fulfill the ancient astrological prophesy to give birth to a dragon which he can control for his evil deeds. While a lot of magic bolts were flung around, it is surprising that the bolts were not actually deadly but only threw everyone around. The Great Wize Wizard is the most perverted muppet-like character I have ever seen, even more so than the Minotaur. At least you can understand the Minotaur's beastiality in his home lair.

The 3-D-like opening credits were pretty cool, especially when watching a 2-D film. I can imagine how they would look like in a real 3-D movie.

Rated R for violence, language, and sexual situations. Running time: 102 minutes.

Pancho
All people smile in the same language.

 Pancho's Movie Reviews

PAUL

Universal

Rated R

Running time: 104 minutes
















Click below to watch the Paul trailer.



Universal Pictures Paul has two English science fiction geeks, Simon Pegg and Nick Frost, on an American road trip to Area 51 - when they come across an extra-terrestrial alien from space, Paul -  voiced by comedian Seth Rogen - who escaped and is on the run from the government.

As a fanboy, I appreciated all the science fiction movie references. A cross between Men in Black meets E.T.: The Extra-Terrerestrial and Due Date, I was expecting more biting humor from the movie after all the fanboy reviews I heard - especially with the geeks going to the San Diego Comic-Con. With science fiction writer Jeffrey Tambor as a sarcastic writer, I almost expected him to be a major part of the movie like a bad guy or an unlucky road companion. Fortunately his sarcasm was kept to a minimum and kept the movie from being mean, and the film really was rather cute with Kristen Wiig as the religious girl road companion who wants to kiss someone for the first time. Although Wiig and her religious father could turn off those with religious views because of their attitude, it was interesting to see their development as the film went on. With the science fiction references, it makes me wonder how the fanboys at the real San Diego Comic-Con reacted to the movie Paul.

The film is rated R and does not seem to deserve it. To me an R film is supposed to be very graphic. It is mostly because of the language that the film is rated R and even then it seems mostly like a PG-13 film to me, even a PG film. This is a shame as I think the film would have had more of an audience as a PG-13 family type film. Paul very easily could have related to children.

The computer generated motion capture animation for Paul is very good and realistic, especially the animation of the eyes. This is better than the animation of the similar grey Roswell aliens of Stargate SG-1. It makes you wish you could care more for Paul just as people cared for E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial. Paul is just a little too funny and rude for that kind of audience identification, even if he does want to go home - however it was cute to see how he was the fictional inspiration for E.T. along with a cameo voice-over by Steven Spielberg.

Jason Bateman and Sigourney Weaver are good as the intimidating government Men in Black who are after Paul, including the rookie Men in Black assigned to assist with their search - who realize the U.S. Air Force's investigation of UFO's in Project BLUE BOOK was real. Unfortunately, or fortunately for Paul, the rookies do not know how to shoot. Jane Lynch as a truck stop woman and Blythe Danner as the adult version of the kid who found Paul - who came to Earth and crash-landed on her dog 60 years ago - were also good.

Rated R for language, violence, and casual drug use. Running time: 104 minutes.

Pancho
All people smile in the same language.

Battle: Los Angeles

Columbia Pictures

Rated PG-13

Running time: 116 minutes



In Columbia Pictures Battle: Los Angeles - Los Angeles is being invaded by aliens from space and a U.S. Marine unit defends the city against them.

Staff Sargent Aaron Eckhart decides to retire, after losing his men in a previous tour - when the aliens arrive under the guise of meteorites. He now has to lead his men, who distrust him to keep them alive - especially the brother of a Marine killed under his command. Also leading the men is 2nd Lieutenant Ramon Rodriguez, fresh out of Officer Candidate School as the Marines are sent in to evacuate some stranded civilians from a West Los Angeles police station. Amongst the civilians is veterinarian Bridget Moynahan who helps dissect an alien. Along the way the Marines pick up a squad of friendlies, including Technical Sargent Michelle Rodriguez from the U.S. Air Force who was sent on a recon mission to search for the aliens Command and Control center.

Inspired on the real events of the 1942 Battle of Los Angeles, this is an intense film of a homeland invasion. Done in the style of Cloverfield and told from the point of view of the Marines, the shaky-cam might be a distraction in the beginning - but is soon ignored as the action starts. The initial breaking news stories adds to the realism of the film. The film deals with intense urban street fighting, ground combat. There is very little air combat action, despite the use of helicopter troop carriers and the drone foo fighters. As a Los Angeles local, it was nice hearing them mention Los Angeles streets, so you can track the Marines progress through the city. The intense action amongst our neighborhoods makes you wonder what it would really be like if our homes really were invaded - and not necessarily by aliens. You do not really get a good look at the aliens and for a while I was not sure if the aliens were drones or aliens in battle armour.

The film really is about the story of the Marines and not the aliens, and there were times that I teared up as I related to what happened to the Marines. The actors trained with the Marines, so their depiction was very believable, as I am sure their characters were as well. It was nice that the movie opened on 03/11/11 as 0311 is the Marine Corps Military Occupational Specialty (MOS) for Infantry Riflemen. The film was such a positive movie that at the end of the film the audience cheered. As the Marines say: Retreat? HELL!

Rated PG-13 for violence. Running time: 116 minutes.

Pancho
All people smile in the same language.

Like us on Facebook. Pancho's Movie Reviews