Quick review-Ip Man 2

If you haven't seen the first Ip Man, you should. It's one of the best martial arts films in years. Ip Man was a grandmaster that taught Bruce Lee as well as many others in the martial art of Wing Chun.  The second film is as good as the first one. The cinematography is great in the film and so is the choreography. The scene with Donnie Yen and Sammo Hung fighting on a balancing table is amazing! Go see it if you have the chance(after you watch the first one, of course). 

Review-The Smurfs

The Smurf is the live action movie based on the popular 80's cartoon. If you never seen the cartoon before, here's a brief summary. The Smurf are little blue people(no, it's not Avatar) that live in harmony in  a village filled with mushroom houses. Most of the them are named for their character traits. In the cartoon as well as the movie, their nemesis is Gargamel(Hank Azaria). He wants to capture them to harness their essence for magical purposes. Enter a portal that transports a handful of Smurfs and Gargamel to New York and you have the plot for the movie. It is a surprising cute movie that will appear to kids and the parents that loved the show when they were young. Even if you were not a fan of the show, there are moments that you will enjoy in the movie. The animation is good but it seems a little off at times. Neil Patrick Harris and Jayma Mays(from Glee) does a good job in the movie as the couple who protect the Smurfs while in New York. 

Review- Captain America

Captain America: The First Avenger is  part of the Marvel Entertainment's puzzle piece that started with Iron Man. Several movies has followed to connect the dots while being their own movie, most recently Thor a few months back. Captain America does a great job of being a good standalone movie with connection to others films. Most of the movie takes place during World War II. The story focuses on Steve Rogers(Chris Evans), a skinny man who gets pushed around a lot. His goal is to get into the military and fight for his country. Even though his medical conditions keeps getting him rejected, his will and heart keeps moving him forward to his dream. He is selected to be a part of the government project to make a person a Super Soldier. The serum was taken before by Johann Schmitt(Hugo Weaving), a Nazi officer whose power hungry obsession bubbled over after he took it. The movie does a great job on characterization. You feel for Rogers and the journey that he goes through, more than some films.There is a huge Captain America(U.S.A.) versus Schmitt/Red Skull(Nazi Germany) comparison throughout the movie. The director is Joe Johnston, which has a good grasp of the past in his movies(The Rocketeer, Hidalgo, The Wolfman,). If you like superhero movies or movies that was made during that era, you will love this movie. If you don't fall into that category, there are plenty things in there for you to like. PLEASE, remember to stay after the credits(it's awesome!).

Review- Horrible Bosses

Horrible Bosses is a movie about three friends and the bosses they despise. Nick (Jason Bateman) has worked overtime hours to get a promotion just to have his boss David Harken(Kevin Spacey,who is at his slimest here) give it to himself. Dale (Charlie Day,from It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia) has his boss Julie Harris(Jennifer Aniston) blackmails him and sexually harasses him at work for sex. Kurt (Jason Sudeikis) has a cokehead jerk named Bobby Pellitt (Colin Farrell, almost unrecognizable) who doesn't care about anyone. All three are stuck at their jobs for one reason or another. They decide the best way to find happiness in the workplace is to kill their bosses.Then, add Jamie Foxx to the mix as an ex-con with an usual name that the friends hire. The movie was funny and has some memorable moments to it. The cast of actors/actress playing the friends and villains have so much fun with their roles.  The movie did have to fight through the "showing too much/the best parts on the preview" syndrome. Overall, it was a good movie and I would definitely watch it again. Watch through the credits for extra stuff.

Review- X-Men: First Class

X-Men: First Class is the fifth film from the X-Men franchise and a prequel to the first film. It takes place in 1962 and the two different roads Charles Xavier and Erik Lehnsherr(aka Magneto) took before they had met. As like the first film, it opens up with what happens with Lehnsherr as a kid. It proceeds to expand on what you know. There is a moment that takes place after that with Sebastian Shaw(Kevin Bacon, in an great villainous performance) that will cause Lehnsherr(Micheal Fassbender) to hunt him across the Earth. Xavier(James McAvoy) works on his study on genetic mutation with childhood friend Raven aka Mystique(Jennifer Lawrence) by his side.  Their paths cross as they both try to stop Shaw: one for revenge and one for peace. The theme of which path do you choose is the strength on this movie. The action is good and it does a decent job making sense of what is happening. For the regular movie/non comic fan, this will be a great movie to see. If you are a fan of the original ongoing stories from the comic, some of it might not sit well. It is nowhere near as bad as the things that happened in the third film or X-Men Origins:Wolverine though. If you like the first two movies, you will like this one. Some scenes may be too intense for younger audiences.

Review-Green Lantern

Green Lantern is the newest movie based on characters from DC Comics,which brought you Batman and Superman. The movie centered around Hal Jordan(Ryan Reynolds), a test pilot who is courageous and reckless with himself in mind. When a member of the Green Lantern Corps (a group of beings in charge of policing the universe) crashes on Earth, he needs to find his replacement. The ring that he wears chose Hal as his suitable replacement. While this is happening, there is a being called Parallax that is killing off Corps members and getting stronger from it. It feeds on the fear of those it encounters. Corps members are suppose to be fearless so it has everyone very concerned. What drives the movie is the story of what makes one fearless and the fear that hides inside us. What also makes this movie go is the performances of Reynolds as Hal/Green Lantern and Peter Sarsgaard as Hector, a scientist who becomes Green Lantern's nemesis on Earth. The negatives about the movie come from the beginning of the movie. Two elements took me out of the moment the movie: the graphics and Blake Lively.  The graphics was like food you try for the first time. It doesn't look right to you at first but you give it a try. After the first few bites, you start to get use to it and appreciate it for what it is. Blake Lively is another story. Her character Carol Ferris in the opening scenes is someone who stands her ground. She loves and is upset at Hal, all at the same time. She does not pull this off at all. As the movie goes on, she settles in her character and is not that bad. Overall, I like the movie but I would have liked it more if it grabbed me from the beginning. Make sure you stay for the front part of the credits.

Review-Art of Getting By

The Art of Getting By is a new independent film about a boy, a girl and figuring things out before graduation. The movie centered around George(Freddie Highmore, best known from Charlie and Chocolate Factory), a high school senior that does not see the point of doing anything. He believes that since we are going to die, doing things like schoolwork does not matter. He has gone through the school year without doing any assignments. For some strange reason, his principle(Blair Underwood) keeps giving him chances to correct things. He lives with his stressed out mom(Rita Wilson) and stepfather(Sam Robards) he does not respect. He admits that he is scared to live. Then, he meets Sally(Emma Roberts),  a girl in his graduating class that he opens up to. They share a connection with their dysfunctional family as Sally's mom(Elizabeth Reaser) is recently divorced and is making up for lost time. Their friendship ends up affecting everything they know and see about themselves. The movie works well as a study of how one person can change your outlook on life. It hits a hull in the middle of the third act but corrects itself towards the end. Even though the movie Charlie Bartlett handles some of the same topics better, it is a good movie for those who like indie films.