Tag: Emma Stone

Categories
Fantasy & Sci-fi Movie Reviews

Of Captain America The Winter Soldier And The Amazing Spider-Man 2

What a treat for Marvel fans this year. Earlier on, we have the follow-up movies for Captain America and Spider-Man. Later, we will have X-Men and Guardians of the Galaxy. Some of us who are fans of the online game Marvel Heroes have already planned to meet up and watch the upcoming X-Men together.

Captain America 2 and Spider-Man 2

3 years ago, my wife and I have watched the Captain America movie. I love his personality being so close to people on the ground. 3 years later set in modern time, Captain America is on a mission with Black Widow. The plot I must admit sounded complicated initially. Had I not been introduced to the Hydra organization thanks to that online game I am playing, I would have been pretty lost because I don’t read that much comic. As far as the story goes, S.H.I.E.L.D. is infiltrated and no one can be trusted. It is up to Captain America in leading the people out of the crisis. The villain turns out to be Captain’s best friend and now called Winter Soldier. This film has plenty of action as well as good plot twists. Chris Evans and Scarlett Johansson are both charming on screen. What I found missing or what I really wish to see was some romance in the story, which is none. That leads to the second movie my wife and I have watched – The Amazing Spider-Man 2.

It is hard not to love Spider-Man. He is agile and funny. And he is popular. Andrew Garfield is the perfect actor for this role. There is a vulnerable side of his. But also possess an inner strength and determination that I feel lacking in the previous incarnations. Spider-Man is a super hero after all and he has to be strong. I also happen to like Emma stone as Spider-Man’s love interest. Gwen Stacy is not portrayed as some girls who are helpless without her superhero boyfriend. Being a real life couple may have explained the amazing on-screen chemistry. Plot-wise, this movie is not as memorable as Captain America’s. But I was thoroughly entertained and enthralled by the story between Spider-Man and Gwen Stacy.

Both are good movies. I can’t wait to watch the next two!

Categories
Action & Thriller Movie Reviews

Gangster Squad – Pretty Gruesome, But Funny Too

I watched this for Emma Stone

Cynthia and I at times can be pretty business-like with each other, when it comes to movie outing.  After crawling through the usual Orchard Saturday traffic – which TK and us always forget and regret not watching a movie on a Sunday instead – at the basement car park lift lobby, I turned to Cynthia and asked, “Give me run through of what we are going to watch, would you?”

Her immediate response was, “No idea.  You like the girl and I like the guy.  That’s about it.”

True.  She picked Gangster Squad because of Ryan Gosling.  And I Emma Stone.  TK too insisted that he wouldn’t want to give this a miss because of Emma Stone.

I did not know what to expect.  This film is inspired by a true story set in the ’40s and ’50s.  LA was run by gangsters, many police officers were bribed, and the residents seemed cool with it.  It was a way of life until Sergeant John O’Mara (played by Josh Brolin) came into the picture.  As a WWII veteran and a war hero, he has no plan to yield to the gangster boss Mickey Cohen played by Sean Penn.  Unable to strike the gang as a police officer, John – secretly supported by the Chief – recruited a squad to deal with the gang.  The approach was controversial and the results could at times be hilarious.  Mickey Cohen was ruthless.  You have got to have a strong stomach for the crime he did against others.

Gangster Squad feels authentic, as though I was transported back in time.  Those hairstyles, and costumes.  Cynthia and I cracked every time when John took out a gigantic wireless phone radio (edit: Thanks to TK for the correction).  Sean Penn has acted exceptionally well in this movie.  There were moments when he appeared as spaced out, and uninterested; there were moments when he was as sharp as a fighter, so full of energy – verbally and physically.  Josh Brolin is perfect for the role, as an honest and no-nonsense officer.  Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling are charming, despite having a rather small role in Gangster Squad.

For some strange reasons, this film reminds me of Al Pacino’s 1983 film Scarface.  Sean Penn and Emma Stone would be a good fit for Al Pacino and Michelle Pfeiffer’s roles.  One particular line struck me as quite quote worthy:

To lose everything and win the war, that is a hero.  To lose everything but lose the war, that’s a fool.

Categories
Fantasy & Sci-fi Movie Reviews

The Amazing Spider-Man: Bad Chemistry, Good Chemistry

Mad scientists, don’t we love them to give us yet another villain to fight against?  In this superhero universe, we have seen bad chemicals injected into drinking water aiming to poison the whole city of innocent people.  We have seen bad chemicals vaporized into air.  We have even seen bad chemicals injected directly into air, or intended to be so.  Superheroes spying on the criminals through the police radio channels.  At times, I can’t tell one story from another.  Haven’t we already seen Spider-Man ten years ago?  Do we need a reboot, yet another remake?  One thing for sure, the chemistry between the new Peter Parker and his new love interest Gwen Stacy is good.  Those kisses Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone have could well dethrone the ones we have seen in Twilight Saga.  Oh no, have I just offended the Marvel fans and the Twilight fans in one single paragraph?

I am not a big fan of remakes.  Not when the original film is merely ten years old.  Technology has not changed that much.  Why not The Amazing Spider-Girl instead?  Hence, I have very low expectation on The Amazing Spider-Man.  I watched it because of Emma Stone (I know!)  While the part about Spider-Man’s transformation still does not make sense (I could see millions of people easily could have become Spider-Man), many parts now make more sense.  Like how spider web gets ejected out from Spider-Man’s wrists.  Or how Spider-Man trains himself to be one, which reminds me of the Batman remake.  Cynthia commented that it is unrealistic for Spider-Man to create his costume.  I pointed out to her that these days, you can learn to make anything using Google.  Except Peter Parker in The Amazing Spider-Man uses Bing and an old Sony Ericsson phone.

Right.

I like it that Spider-Man acts like a spider, how he looks for his prey.  I also like it that the villain is not a thousand times bigger than Spider-Man.  It was a fair fight.  A lot of plot development on the upbringing and background of Peter Parker and the character transformation of Spider-Man, which is also a plus.  I also like it that this new Peter Parker is upfront about his identity when dealing with his love interest.  No more stupid girlfriends who are tricked by a mask or a pair of glasses.  While I will likely forget the plot a month from now, the good on-screen chemistry is probably something I will remember for a while.  Till they reboot this franchise again that is.

Categories
Comedy Movie Reviews

Crazy, Stupid, Love – Finding Your Manhood

Cynthia was pretty hyped up about “Crazy, Stupid, Love”.  TK went along with the romance comedy wagon.  I am a huge fan of romance comedy films.  Except, I think, “Crazy, Stupid, Love” is more like a drama of romance than a comedy.  Most bits are rather real, rather sad.  The 40-year-old virgin (now close to 50) Steve’s wife Julianne wants a divorce because she has an affair with someone at work.  Meanwhile, his 13 years old son is having a crush with his babysitter.  The babysitter in turn has a crash on an older man.  In a bar, Steve meets Ryan Gosling – a womanizer who has a look and a body to die for.  No wonder Cynthia loves this movie so much!  In return, Cynthia gives me Emma Stone, which in my opinion, I am not sure why millions of viewers are falling on their kneels over her.  OK, she is quite seductive.  Kind of cute.  Not quite my type.  In this movie, she loves someone who is not ready to settle down.  Out of nowhere, we have a crazy teacher played by Marisa Tomei whom I wish she could find a better role for her age.  In my heart, Tomei is forever frozen and immortalized in “Untamed Heart (1993)”.  It is one of my favorite movies that I wish to remember her of.

“Crazy, Stupid, Love” is light and entertaining.  It mashes the love stories of all these goodhearted people into one.  If there is one take home message, it is about the importance of finding and holding onto your manhood no matter how old you are.