REVIEW: "Captain America: The Winter Soldier" (2014) Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson. Dir. Joe and Anthony Russo

Having been thoroughly underwhelmed by the most recent Thor movie, I was a bit trepidatious to say the least, about seeing the newest Captain America squel. However, I'm happy to say that my fears were quelled pretty quickly, as aside from a weak climax in the third act (they've got to figure out to fix that continuing problem at some point), The Winter Soldier is a highly enjoyable, highly relevant sequel that features some strong new characters and makes the most of a well written, dare I say clever, screenplay that leaves one foot firmly rooted in reality. That's a big difference, and it makes the movie stand out from any other Marvel movie since the first Iron Man, even more so than The Avengers.

Captain America, aka Steve Rogers, once again played by Chris Evans, is still working for S.H.I.E.L.D. but mostly because he wouldn't know what to do with himself if he didn't, as he admits in the movie to his new pal Sam (soon to be knows as Cap's sidekick The Falcon and played by the charismatic Anthony Mackie). Since we didn't get around to his lingering mental state in the last Avengers movie, this is the one that deals with Steve's adjustment to life in the 21st century, as he must catch up on all the history and social changes (along with pop culture) that he missed, and pay a visit to his one time love Peggy Carter, now 95 years old and suffering from senility. It's mildly depressing for him, but most disturbing of all is the way S.H.I.E.L.D. fights its battles, which as Cap soon learns is hardly the straightforward, honest way the Greatest Generation fought the Nazis once upon a time.

In a nod to the new age of intelligence we live in, the agency partly founded by Peggy after World War II has a new goal to prevent crime before it occurs, and uses drones and advanced spying mechanisms to invade privacy in order to do so. Cap's not so into this new style weaponry and insists this is not the kind of freedom he fought for during the war years. Of course, S.H.I.E.L.D.'s ambiguities are part of a larger plot by Senator Alexander Pierce (Robert Redford, having fun in a villainous role) to infiltrate the government, and the more complicated the complexities weave, the more The Winter Soldier feels like something of a throwback to the kind of anti-government conspiracy thrillers Redford himself starred in in the 1970's (perhaps that's why he signed on?)

The low key conspiracy feel lasts a good two thirds of the movie and helps with the action scenes, which consist of some exciting chase sequences and up close fights, but mostly with guns and not giant Iron Men and Hulks. Yes, Captain America is a supersoldier but Superman he is not, and this allows others to get in on the action too, as Cap can't handle everything by himself. Mackie's Falcon gets to play a role, Cobie Smulders returns as Director Nick Fury's right hand woman, and Fury himself gets his best part ever in these movies, finally making use of Samuel L. Jackson's considerable screen presence as he gets some meaty scenes to play.

And that's leaving out the best piece of the ensemble, which is Scarlett Johansson's Black Widow, also finally getting a part worthy of her being called an Avenger. Former KGB agent Natasha Romanoff is teamed up with Captain America as his only ally when S.H.I.E.L.D's corruption is exposed, and the two share a flirty chemistry throughout the film that's a fun change from the male dominated world of the Marvel movies in general. Black Widow's significant role in the action is a welcome sight to behold, as Natalie Portman's Jane is pretty pathetic in the Thor movies, and Gwyneth Paltrow's Pepper doesn't do much either besides banter with Tony. I'm not quite sure if Johansson's character could carry her own movie yet, but after her part in this one I could at least start to imagine it.

As for The Winter Soldier himself, getting into that storyline (there are lots of overlapping subplots in this movie) would require some major spoilage, but suffice it to say he's a big part of the weak action climax near the end of the film, and after a refreshing 2/3 of an action movie that didn't feel factory assembled, the ending fight scenes, unfortunately, were highly familiar to the point of cliche. Happily, that's not enough to diminish my appreciation for the rest of the film, and it surprises me to say that the Captain America franchise so far has been the only one to hit the nail on the head twice in a row. This is a film that simultaneously stands more on its own than any of the other Marvel entries, and whose aftereffects will be felt in the Marvel Universe for all future movies to come. Wrapping all those layers together, along with some good characters, a dash of romance and just a hint of commentary related to real world military industrial complexes, and you've got yourself a very solid pre-summer action movie that's well worth your time.

* * *

TRAILER #2: "How to Train Your Dragon 2"

Loved the first HTTYD, and hope the second one's just as good. Looks like it, as this new trailer sells the family drama of Hiccup's reunion with his long lost mother (Cate Blanchett, fresh off her Oscar win) over the action of all the flying dragons (we already know that stuff's going to be great). The first one was one of Dreamworks' best animated movies- with any luck the sequel could be one of this year's best as well. It's coming out Jun 13th and is the second in a planned trilogy, which is actually attempting to do something quite different for animated films, and that's age the characters as the movies progress. You can already see in this one that the teenagers from the first film are now young adults- and that's something they rarely (if ever?) do in animation, so it'll be interesting to see how that works out.

TEASER: "Wish I Was Here"

Right off the bat, the very fact of this movie's existence is kind of icky. For his first feature film as a director since Garden State, Zach Braff used Kickstarter funds to get it made and raised nearly $3 million, which rubbed a lot of people the wrong way and for good reason. It's one thing when a cult property like Veronica Mars, which would never have been made otherwise, uses crowdsourcing, but you're telling me Zach Braff, actor, producer and occasional director of the very long-running sitcom Scrubs, could somehow not manage to get this extremely low-budget, personal film produced without the money of ordinary people? But he did it anyway, and it was received at Sundance to some pretty lousy reviews (although the pre-existing ill will towards it couldn't have helped), and is now coming out in July. It does look kind of self-indulgent and annoying (although you could make the case that Garden State walked that line as well):

TRAILER #3: "22 Jump Street"

The final red-band trailer for 22 Jump Street is also the best one, making this sequel look at least as funny as the first movie (which was pretty damn funny). We'll see if the guys can strike lightning in a bottle twice when this comes out on June 13th, but I have to say, it looks like they might have:

FEATURETTE: "X-Men: Days of Future Past"

Bryan Singer talks about his return to the X-Men series in this short, behind the scenes video. Kind of strange to think it's been 12 years since he last took the reigns of an X-Men movie, but here he is now, directing not just this one (coming out May 23rd) but the sequel, to be called Apocalypse. Looks like the next generation cast is what drew him back in:

Blu-Ray Pick of the Week: "Sabrina" (1954)

A Billy Wilder classic from the 1950's is out this week. This is the romantic comedy starring three of the biggest stars in Hollywood history- Audrey Hepburn, William Holden and Humphrey Bogart all in the same room. It's Audrey's movie all the way though, as she shines in one of her most iconic roles, the chauffer's daughter who longs to be part of the upper class world the two sons of her employer belong in. As if she could ever be one of the lower class right? The great Billy Wilder fills this movie with sparkling dialogue and some classic moments- it's a wonderful, smartly cynical comedy with a beating heart.

Original 1954 trailer:

TRAILER #2: "Godzilla"

This new extended trailer for Godzilla (May 16th) is also the best one, giving us more of the movie and just a tiny bit more of the monster (who really ought to be saved until we can see the real thing). I don't know though, I have a good feeling about this one- it looks exciting and Bryan Cranston makes everything better just by being in it. We'll see, but I bet this is going to be good.

TRAILER: "Chef"

The trailer for the new comedy written and directed by Jon Favreau has been released. This is Favreau's first personal film in a good long while, since Swingers- you can see he got a bunch of his buddies to make appearances in it, including Robert Downey, Jr. and Scarlett Johansson. It looks like it could be pretty good- I hear it's more of a father/son bonding movie than the trailer makes it look, but it got positive reviews from the critics at SXSW, where it premiered last month. It's coming out May 9th:

Mickey Rooney 1920-2014

Hollywood legend Mickey Rooney, the teen sensation and box office star of the 1930's and '40's, whose career in film, stage and television spanned nearly eight decades, has passed away at the age of 93. One of the last surviving stars who worked in the silent era, he started out as a child actor in silent and early sound films, before becoming hugely famous as a teenager in Love Finds Andy Hardy (1938) and its many sequels, along with other classics like A Midsummer NIght's Dream (1935) and Babes in Arms (1939) with Judy Garland, for which he was nominated for Best Actor. He made several musicals with Judy Garland, his fellow teen star at the time, and went on to star in National Velvet (1944) with Elizabeth Taylor, one of my favorite movies of that era. As an adult he continued to act in movies throughout his life, with several notable roles including The Black Stallion (1979) for which he was nominated again in the supporting actor category. As one of the great stars of Hollywood's golden age, throughout his career he amounted four Oscar nominations, five Emmy nods and one win, two Golden Globes and an Honorary Oscar for lifetime achievement in 1983.

Here's the trailer for National Velvet, one of his best movies:

REVIEW: "The Grand Budapest Hotel" (2014) Ralph Fiennes, Jude Law. Dir. Wes Anderson

Wes Anderson's The Grand Budapest Hotel is a delightful treat, a delicious confection to be savored from beginning to end, and preferably as many times as possible, as I intend to see this movie several more times in order to feed my new addiction. His best film since The Royal Tenenbaums, never has the director's acute and specific sensibilities been more perfectly suited to the subject matter and setting- this just may be the quintessential Wes Anderson film.

Set up by an impossibly precious framing device that sets up a "story within a story within a story," we get Tom Wilkinson as an old author relaying the details of the time that he, as a young writer (Jude Law) visited the hotel in question and came upon the owner (F. Murray Abraham), who in turn relayed the story of the hotel itself to him verbally. This takes us all the way back to 1932, when Abraham was a teenage refugee (newcomer Tony Revelori) who was employed by the hotel as a lobby boy known to the Grand Budapest's concierge, Monsieur Gustave (Ralph Fiennes) as Zero Moustafa. Gustave is the kind of hotel manager of a bygone age, the somewhat fanciful type who might nowadays be labeled a "metrosexual," and spends his time catering to the "needs" of the hotel's clientele (mostly octegenarian old ladies with lots of money lying around to spend on those who fulfill their latent sexual desires).

Gustave trains the boy as his assistant and the two get caught up in a mystery concerning the sudden death of one particular old lady (played in some astounding old woman makeup by Tilda Swinton) and the will she's bequeathed, which is sought after by some very malicious and jealous relatives. Set in a fictional European republic, the whole film is nostalgic for the bygone era Fiennes' Gustave represents, and takes pains to recreate it through Wes Anderson's usual artificial touches. The art direction is superb in this movie, every set seems lifted out of a storybook, and the period setting greatly enhances the busyness of the world onscreen, which is even more filled with delightful goodies around every corner than a typical Anderson movie (which is plentiful enough, as you know). All of the action taking place in the 1930's is filmed in a 1:37 aspect ratio, reminiscent of course of the Old Hollywood era and bringing to mind films like Grand Hotel and The Shop Around the Corner, the light comedy and grace of which is recalled here many times over. The fullscreen ratio also turns out to be entirely suitable for the meticulous framing shots of a director like Anderson, whose composition is so tightly controlled and calls attention to itself in every scene.

Ralph Fiennes is invaluable as the concierge, and he brings a comedic lightness and sly tongue in cheek quality to the role that befits the tone and makes him one of the most memorable characters in any Wes Anderson film to date. Sometimes actors in Anderson's films can be monotone and dry, seemingly at the director's behest, but here Fiennes is a bundle of sparkling charismatic energy, who seems to understand exactly what this character and film was calling for, and if there's any justice he'll be remembered at Oscar time for this performance (which is highly unlikely I know, seeing as it's only April). The rest of the cast fizzles too, with appearances by Adrien Brody and Willem Dafoe in villainous turns along with the usual stock company of Wes Anderson actors (Bill Murray,Jason Schwartzman, Edward Norton). Everyone seems to want to be part of the fun and it's not hard to see why- I myself wanted to dip into the screen and take part in this zany salute to Old Hollywood with a Wes Anderson spin, yet the film also holds a hint of danger and tragedy creeping in from the pre-war outside world, a world which most Anderson films seem entirely cut off from. Grand Budapest is entirely unique, yet fittingly nostalgic all at once- I can't wait to see it again.

* * * 1/2

BOX OFFICE 4/04-4/06: 'Captain America' Soars With Record Opening

Captain America: The Winter Soldier demolished the box office this weekend and set a new record for an April opening, pulling in $96 million over the three day frame. The movie was helped by good reviews and earned an "A" Cinemascore, so it should obviously do well going forward, especially now that studios are starting to take a chance on their tentpoles doing blockbuster business in the spring rather than summer. Looks like they're right to be confident, as Captain America should have little direct competition until the next Spider-Man comes out on May 2nd. The latest Marvel entry beat the the opening of the last Thor sequel ($86 million) and has already grossed $200 million worldwide- quite a success story for this comic book universe Marvel has created on screen.

In other news, that "C" Cinemascore took its toll on the second place Noah, which fell off a cliff this weekend, earning just $17 million for a $72 million total. It will cross $100 million easily but will need stronger overseas numbers to make its expensive budget back. In third was Divergent, which also suffered a big drop, but crossed $100 million this week for $114 million total- it's still a slight underperformer for the studio compared to other YA sensations like Hunger Games and Twilight, but it also cost less to produce. Incredibly, God's Not Dead took fourth place and now has the chance to be the top grossing indie of the year, despite little to no mainstream attention (it's barely been reviewed by the top critics), and The Grand Budapest Hotel rounded out the top five, continuing to do well, now having earned $32 million overall.

Top 5:

Captain America: The Winter Soldier- $96.2 million
Noah- $17 million
Divergent- $13 million
God's Not Dead- $7.7 million
The Grand Budapest Hotel- $6.2 million

In limited release, Scarlett Johansson's other film, Under the Skin, earned $140,000 from just four screens, allowing her to have two movies with the highest per screen average of the weekend. Coming up next week it's the Kevin Costner football comedy Draft Day and Rio 2 for the kids, which will probably be big. Until then!

In Theaters This Weekend 4/04: Good Ink for 'Captain America 2,' 'Under the Skin'

So this weekend there are two significant releases, and it looks like both are worth seeing if you're looking to head out to the multiplex. The latest entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe is their best reviewed film since the original Iron Man, surprisingly enough. Consensus seems to be that it's a timely, old-fashioned, more welcomingly low key conspiracy thriller, which I'm guessing is what makes it stand out from the effects heavy, CGI-ridden Marvel movies in recent years:

"Captain America: The Winter Soldier is the first superhero film since the terrorist-inflicted The Dark Knight that plugs you into what's happening right now." (EW)

"Chockful of the breathless cliffhangers dictated by the genre, but equally rich in the quiet, tender character moments that made the first film unique among recent Marvel fare..." (Variety)

"Takes the bold (for Marvel) step of reducing CGI spectacle to a relative minimum in favor of reviving the pleasures of hard-driving old-school action, surprising character development and intriguing suspense." (Hollywood Reporter)

Not that anyone who's going to see Captain America this weekend pays a lot of attention to reviews, but at least it looks like you'll be getting your money's worth. It's definitely a big ScarJo weekend, as another movie finally coming out is Jonathan Glazer's surrealist Under the Skin, a movie I've personally been looking forward to for a long time, and one that's proving to be very divisive among the critics (it's Rotten Tomatoes score is 84% but the top critics is just 59%), with some hating every minute of it while others are proclaiming it a masterpiece. I can't wait to see for myself:

"Johansson is phenomenal in every sense of the word. She joins Glazer in creating a brave experiment in cinema that richly rewards the demands it makes. The result is an amazement, a film of beauty and shocking gravity." (Rolling Stone)

"'Under the Skin' falls in love with its bleak monotony. It is a melodrama with all the thrills surgically excised." (Time)

"This stark and intensely controlled film is the work of a powerful visual stylist and storyteller, one who looks like he belongs on the short list of directors who have carried the narrative methods of the silent era deep into the modern cinema." (Salon)

"Very little in 'Under the Skin' is clear at all. Its secrets unspool in mysterious, supple ribbons, but that's part of its allure, and its great beauty." (Village Voice)

Here's the behind the scenes featurette on the making of the movie, with interviews with Scarlett and director Jonathan Glazer, whose only other feature films are Sexy Beast (2000) and Birth (2004):