Dark Shadows

Plot: Local witch Angelique (Eva Green) is in love with Barnabas Collins (Johnny Depp), but he spurns her, so she turns him into a vampire, and traps him in a coffin until 1971, when he gets out. Angelique is immortal, so she is still around, and so are Barnabas' decedents, living in the same old house.  Barnabas quickly rebuilds the family fortune, but Angelique is still trying to win his heart -- or destroy him.  [imdb link]    [photos]

Review: Dark Shadows is a horror-themed comedy -- not a horror movie since it is not scary or suspenseful at all. It jokes about the horror genre and about waking up in the 1970's like Rip Van Winkle. 

The characters are comic personalities not real people, with the exception of 14-year old Carolyn (Chloe Grace Moretz) who channels the rolling-eyed reactions of the audience. We like Barnabas a lot, but we never felt sorry for him. He is just too weird. 

The music is mainly 1970's tracks -- some good, some not. Some of the camera shots are artistic.

The final scene has some outstanding special effects with animated objects, and a woman turning into glass. I liked the whole final sequence.

Bottom line is that Dark Shadows was fun-to-watch. So overlook the absent character development, and roll with it. 

Cast: Johnny Depp, Michelle Pfeiffer, Eva Green, Chloe Grace Moretz, 

Directed by: Tim Burton

Rating:   2.5 stars: very entertaining. 

More: Looks like a sequel is coming. 

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The Avengers

Plot: Seven superheroes defend the earth from a supernatural army from another dimension. Nick Fury (Samuel L Jackson) runs a pan-governmental defense force (Shield) that is developing a high energy weapon. A shadowy mastermind in another dimension sends Thor's brother Loki (Tom Hiddleston) with an army to stop Nick and to capture the weapon. Nick enlists one superhero at time, and brings them to his cool, invisible flying aircraft carrier. They quickly capture Loki, but Loki is too difficult to keep trapped. 

There are rivalries between egotistical Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr) and everyone else especially Captain America Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) and Thor (Chris Hemsworth.)  [imdb link]   [photos]

Review: Each character has a personality and a different motivation: that is the best part.  I liked the bickering and problem solving. It was good that bad guy Loki spent so much time talking directly to them. 

My favorite characters were Samuel L Jackson and Robert Downey Jr.  I loved seeing Kenosha native Mark Ruffalo in a summer action movie. He brought a good depth of feeling to Bruce Banner. His part was too small here. They hinted at a sequel when Tony Stark invited him to his lab. Hopefully he will get to be in another movie. Captain America is not my favorite hero, but Steve Rogers pays a pivotal role in keeping people motivated with his old-fashion ethics. I liked the interplay of 1940's patriotism with 21st century individualism. Natasha (Scarlett Johansson) does not have any superpower, but she had a lot of scenes, and kept the plot moving.

The action scenes were first rate. They showed action close-up which gives a sense of speed, but somewhat less spectacle. The best action scene was the big city fight scene where they are smashing the skyscrapers apart. I liked how the pieces of the buildings flaked away as they were whacked. Another great scene is the fight between Thor and Iron Man. The Hulk fight scene with Loki is so funny. 

Cast: Robert Downey Jr, Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Samuel L. Jackson

Directed by: Josh Whedon

Rating:   3.5 stars: A very good movie. Fun-to-watch. It is as good as last year's 3.5 movies like Harry Potter, Super 8, and Hugo. Not as good as Bridesmaids and My Week with Marilyn, or any of my 4.0 star movies. Most important is that I want to see it again.

More: Marvel says future movies with these characters will take place in the same so-called universe, so that characters can interact with each other.

Even More: When I go to a comic book movie, I know what I am getting. It is silly to say it is not realistic. You knew that before you came in. You want interesting, and fun-to-watch. This was that. 

Yet More: See it in 3D.


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