Bridesmaids of Frankenstein

Of all the movies released this summer, perhaps the one from which I knew the least of what to expect was Bridesmaids. Produced by Judd Apatow, Bridesmaids on the surface appears to differ from his usual brand of comedy. With a story focusing on women and marriage that would seem more at home in a traditional romantic setting, it's a huge leap from the usual guy-centered gross-out humor of Superbad and The 40-Year Old Virgin that we usually associate with the Apatow name. Director Paul Feig was another unknown, as his career to this point has been mostly in television, with episodes of The Office, Arrested Development and Nurse Jackie bearing his name. Tack on a cast of unproven talents, and Bridesmaids had every chance to be an underachieving Sex and the City knockoff, with less charm than the HBO show's best moments. Still, word of mouth and and humorous trailers paved the way for a my most anticipated May release, which reunited two former SNL cast-mates, current star Kristen Wiig and alumni Maya Rudolph as the maid of honor of her best friend, the bride.

Sketchy part of town? Perfect place for six white women

When her best friend is engaged to be married, Annie Walker (Wiig) is happy to accept the duties as maid of honor for her childhood friend Lillian (Rudolph). Having known each other since just about forever, Annie wants to be there for her best friend's big moment. However, Annie is going through a rough patch in her life; stuck in a dead-end job she hates, sharing an apartment with a weird British brother/sister combination, and in a loveless relationship with raging asshat Ted (Jon Hamm), the wedding (and all the celebratory events associated with it) is a scary change for someone who's near rock-bottom in their life, but one she's looking forward to. Things begin to spiral out of control, however, especially with the interference of bridesmaid Helen (Rose Byrne), who has it in her head that she's really Lillian's best friend and tries to take over the planning. Annie's low self-esteem due to all this threatens not only to ruin Lillian's wedding, but also their lifelong friendship in the process.

Shhhh... I'm trying to murder you with my heat vision...

The plot itself seems reliably mundane, which really lowers your guard to the laughs and amusement that accompany it. The gross humor you can expect in an Apatow production does make itself known, especially in a scene where the bridesmaids get food poisoning from a restaurant Annie chooses. But while that brand of scatalogical humor is expected in a film like this, it thankfully doesn't overpower the "other" funny bits that pop up throughout. Sure, the female anatomy jokes could be seen as a little uncomfortable and a lot of the dialogue can be vulgar, but the "vagina jokes" (as opposed to "dick jokes") feel authentic and foul language is also represented in a realistic fashion. It's all funny anyways, and you'll find something to laugh at no matter your gender, whether it be snickering at wry wit or howling at the raw physical humor..

Wiig re-negotiating her SNL contract

That level of funny is in part thanks to the stars and especially Wiig, who co-wrote the screenplay and provides many of the film's best-acted scenes. An every-woman, Annie has to show several sides, from the loving side around Lillian and general snarkiness to her wounded vulnerabilities and rock-bottom depression. Bridesmaids represents Wiig's best on-screen performance, and it does so partially because she doesn't try to play one of her usual eccentric-yet-entertaining personas. Annie's charm is in her likeness to the everyday single woman, and she comes off as honest and sympathetic to any viewers. Rudolph plays well off of Wiig's energies, and the two come off believably as best friends. Rudolph, who is a better actress than most people give credit, flows between the wedding jubilation and nervousness flawlessly. Byrne completes the Big Three with a great performance as the underhanded Helen, especially rewarding as the character doesn't play like a typical catty housewife. Despite being lauded as the film's "villain", Helen is no such thing, and the complexity of the character does so much to let the film go forward. Byrne has had a string of luck with roles this year, as she'll be aiming to be in her third major 2011 film when X-Men First Class comes out later this summer.

No, I didn't eat your Ring Pop; why do you ask?

It's a shame the secondary characters don't get quite as much love as the main trio of stars. Reno 911's Wendy McLendon-Covey and The Office's Ellie Kemper play other bridesmaids but despite getting some quality dialogue and depth, nothing is really done with them. I wouldn't think it was so bad if they hadn't started to go down some interesting roads with these two parts, only to fizzle out about halfway through. The guys of the film also don't get much attention, though that is done intentionally and in a positive way that focuses on the women's characters. Though the roles of Hamm as Annie's dickhead lover and Chris O'Dowd as her speculative beau are relatively small, both put on good shows with what they have. O'Dowd is an underrated performer who may garner more attention from this film, but I'm especially impressed with Hamm, who continually chooses varying roles to increase his range as an actor. Who knows how long Mad Men will remain on television, and it's obvious that he's getting ready to make it on his own. Jill Clayburgh is another underutilized actress, as I thought her role as Annie's mom also had potential but didn't do much overall. The best of the secondary characters however is played by Melissa McCarthy. McCarthy plays Megan, sister of the groom and the most hilarious of the bridesmaids, and brings with her the best and raunchiest dialogue and laughs. She also shows herself to be remarkably sensitive, and in this way her character doesn't overpower the film, as she is never overused to the point of boredom.

If not Fab Four... Significant Six? Doesn't quite feel the same...

I was a little annoyed that several scenes presented in the trailer never made their way into the movie's finished product, a sin every major film commits to some degree but one that in this case left me mercifully unprepared for the jokes when they hit. Bridesmaids manages to feel like it left a lot out while still coming in at over two hours, but for not one moment during the runtime was I bored or unamused while sitting in the theater. A truly wonderful film about friendship that takes a more blue-collar approach to the same ideas put forth by SatC, Bridesmaids places at #5 for 2011. I really, really, REALLY liked this film, and while some might be surprised that I'd even be interested in seeing it, I would recommend it to any choosing to abstain from the big-budget visual porn that comes to theaters this summer, but don't want the rampant stupidity of the Something Borrowed set.

Games You Should Try: Atom Zombie Smasher

Typically I talk about movies, but sometimes I need to get away from that medium and turn my attention to my OTHER favorite brand of entertainment. Everyone knows video games exist. Even if you've never picked up a controller or booted up a gaming program, you're fundamentally aware of them, even if it's the most popular titles that get all that attention. In South Korea, you aren't breathing if you don't know what Starcraft is. And here in the States, we constantly see ads for popular titles such as Madden NFL Football, Call of Duty, or worldwide phenomena World of Warcraft. All these games come from major game publishers and are so well recognized because of the media blitz these companies can afford to throw in your face. But where does that leave the smaller developers who aren't sponsored by a major publisher? Like indie films and self-published books, these games and their creators have an uphill battle for recognition, and many may never make back what was spent in time and dollars to make them. That's what makes the recent digital explosion so great for gamers; with sites dedicated to the online purchase and digital download of games - Steam and GOG.com are good examples - more and more indie developers can distribute their games to a worldwide audience with little fuss. Imagine what the guys at iD Software (creators of legendary games Doom and Quake) could have accomplished had they access to these spoils. Granted, not all these small-time games are worth your dollar, but when you find the gems that manage to creep their way to the surface, you can often be surprised by the depth that exists in simple gameplay. Such is the case with Atomic Zombie Smasher, the latest strategy title by Blendo Games and creator Brendan Chung.

Your mother lied: the zombies ARE coming to get you

Taking place in the fictional nation of Nuevos Aires and beginning in the year 1960, AZS takes the act of killing zombies and puts it in a new perspective. As the leader of the limited military forces at your disposal, your mission is to evacuate civilians from the cities as quickly as possible, before the zombie hordes run amok and turn your loving citizens into brainless, snarling beasts. To this end, you are given an aerial view of the cities you're trying to defend, as you direct rescue choppers, snipers, artillery strikes and other units to hold off the advancing menace long enough to get your people to safety. As you win battles and secure territory, you earn points and credits towards scientific research, units "rank up" and gain new abilities, and you eventually get to launch cool weapons like the Llama Bomb against your enemy. Lose these battles, however, and you can look forward to an ever-growing zombie apocalypse and the extermination of humans from the face of Nuevos Aires.

The abundance of purple on the board indicates that the zeds are in FULL control

Like most indie games, AZS doesn't feature overly-complicated graphics or realistic textures that you see nowadays on $50-$60 retail releases. Crysis it ain't, and the simple graphics and interface isn't going to win any marks for visual artistry. There is beauty in simplicity, however, and what does appear on your computer screen is very easy to follow with a minimum of practice. Select a unit, click on a square, and your selected piece will move to that spot or blast anything unfortunate to be in that area. The streets of a given city are winding and the movement of zombies and civilians alike are fluid and unpredictable. Meant as a game you can play quickly, it doesn't burden your computer with anything unnecessary to slow your access to the action. While you are treated to occasional vignettes featuring the game's random back-story, they are silly and cartoon-y and amusing but can be easily ignored. Since a single mission typically takes less than two minutes (if you're regularly going longer you're either very good or very lucky) the player can easily sit down for a quick game while waiting for water to boil.

Vignettes really don't do anything to explain why there are so many zombies afoot

Of course, sticking to one battle at a time is harder than it sounds. You get so into fighting off the undead invasion that once you've secured a city, you want to move onto the next immediately. The gameplay is extremely addictive, especially later on when you are given control of more advanced weaponry and your basic units have more destructive capabilities at their disposal. Of course, the zombies don't make it easy for you. Your enemy is constantly invading territories faster than you can repel them, and they also get stronger the longer a game progresses. In this way, the goal ends up being more about holding off the invasion than actually securing anything akin to "victory." That won't stop any casual gamers from enjoying what's on display here, however. We're talking about compelling gameplay that is different from most of what we see in general but is so simple you can pick it up and go.

Military units range from snipers and dynamite to guys who put up barricades, and each is useful

Though the game is insanely fun, it does have a few faults. The overview of Nuevos Aires is mostly useless, as different areas simply hold yet another city to defend and have only cosmetic differences between them. This makes the overview screen unnecessary, as it lacks details that even basic strategy games usually cover. You also cannot choose which military units you have available at any given time, as all but a few are designated on "away missions" that apparently have no bearing on the game itself. I don't mind being handicapped in this way since it pays to level up all the units and not just a select few, but I would have liked a better explanation from the game. These faults however are made up by the ability to restart any mission that has gone south (just press F9) and the ability in the beginning to custom-make your game to make it easier (or harder, if you prefer). Factor in that it's available for cheap ($10 on Steam) and a download time of about a minute over a cable modem, and you've never gotten into gaming so quickly and easily. A perfect example of indie games surpassing their limited standards, Atom Zombie Smasher is quick bite of gaming goodness to whet your appetite while waiting for the rest of the world to catch up.

Something Dreadful

Yes, I actually watched Something Borrowed.

Okay, okay, get it all out. Back with us? Good for you. I often catch flak for seeing movies that everyone just assumes are bad, and this title is no exception. Yes, I've seen real travesties like Sucker Punch and Red Riding Hood. The former is a good example of a film I had high hopes for, even with seemingly obvious warning signs that should have tipped me off to the war crimes that waited me. In the latter's case, I often know exactly what I'm getting into, and that must confound people to no end, because they won't stop talking about how I reviewed a bad film. The perceived quality is never really in consideration when I decide to see a specific film, however. What I want to discover by watching most movies is to gain an understanding of what the thought process is behind their beginnings. Every film you've seen - and a good many you haven't - was created with the simple idea that SOMEONE would want to sit down and watch it. In 2010 I saw the hokey and profoundly bad The Warrior's Way, which at one point was making less money than the limited-release Black Swan despite being shown in about fifty times as many theaters. Even bombs like that were initially meant to appeal to viewers, and some corporate exec in Hollywood greenlit the concept, never once thinking that he or she was eventually going to cost his production company millions of dollars on a bad deal. So when I pay to see a film (at half price matinees, mind you; I'm a fan of the arts, not STUPID) I am completely okay with the idea that it might be horrid because that means I can understand the thoughts and flaws of the people who make the movies we all make time to enjoy once in a while. I don't see films because they are good or bad; I see them because they ARE, and with my friend The Opinioness (who wrote her own review of the film) I sat through a bad movie and don't at all regret it.

Blonde or brunette? So difficult to choose...

In this latest adaptation of the bestselling novel of the same name, Something Borrowed introduces us to Rachel (Ginnifer Goodwin), a lawyer celebrating her thirtieth birthday with her best friend Darcy (Kate Hudson) and a room full of people who we don't know and never see again. After a night full of celebratory cocktails, Rachel has one last drink with Dex (Colin Egglesfield), Darcy's fiance and the man Rachel has had a crush on since meeting him in law school. One drunken confession leads to the two waking up next to one another in bed. Now Rachel must decide whether to pursue this romantic entanglement at the expense of her friendship with Darcy. Hilarity ensues.

Aaand... BAM! Now she looks 50.

If it wasn't for the fact that the story was based on a book generally considered mindless even by the standards of its fans, I would make sure Jenny Snyder never wrote another screenplay. As it stands, the woman who wrote for such female-centric shows as Gilmore Girls, Lipstick Jungle, and Hope & Faith was probably just in the wrong place at the wrong time. The real villain here is book author Emily Giffin, who for some reason tells a story of infidelity and betrayal and tries to get us the root for the bad guys. Okay, to be fair, there are really no "bad" people in this story. As much as you think you would hate Rachel for wanting to steal Dex away from Darcy, she at least makes a show of not WANTING to want to steal him away. That doesn't really make up for Giffin's idea that its okay to cheat and steal when Soul Mates are involved. You may have heard of this typical guy code: "Bros before hos." Crass, yes, but the idea of guys sticking to their friendships instead of screwing their buddies over and breaking promises for any woman is as honest an endeavor as I can imagine. You would imagine women to have a similar philosophy, but this film would have you believe that everything Sex and the City told you was a lie. Almost from the beginning, Rachel's meekness and questioning personality is pitted against Darcy's flamboyance and exuberance (yes, it really is that cliche), and neither really gets that revelation that perhaps their lifelong friendship is worth more than the affections of some guy.

Yes, John Krasinski is here. He is wonderful

If there was one place that had to succeed in order to make up for the magnitude of mire that sinks this film, it would be the acting and character interaction. Character depth is sadly lacking, as the two leads are one-dimensional and of course take up the majority of the film's screen time. Goodwin is cheery and just good enough to pull off the lead role, but you have to imagine any complexity to he part would have gone right over her head. There's simply not enough for her to do to showcase her talents, as Rachel mainly just repeats the word "Stop" to people (who promptly don't) and vacillates between happiness with Dex and guilt over what she's doing to Darcy. Speaking of Darcy, I can't decide if Kate Hudson is putting on a great performance or a terrible one. After breaking out in her award-winning Almost Famous, she basically does the same things (being loud, daring and foul-mouthed) that she does in every romantic comedy she's in, and acting drunk on screen doesn't seem to be too difficult to her. Darcy's apparent alcoholism is unexplored in the film (as is everything else about her), and Hudson doesn't do the character any favors by playing it safe.

Goodwin and Krasinski argue as to who will have the worse film career

In a film geared towards women, why are the most compelling characters the men? Egglesfield gets a nice, meaty role that more than makes up for getting kicked off the set of Melrose Place back in '99. Once known as the most successful abortion on daytime television's All My Children, Egglesfield actually gets some depth to his role as Dex, or at least much more than the two leads can combine. Dex actually has issues! Dex has a mother suffering from depression! Dex has huge expectations from his father that he struggles to meet! Frankly, Dex is almost as much the center of the film as he is to Rachel, and that is to Egglesfield's benefit more any anybody else. Really, he's a character you feel bad for one moment, and roundly hate the next, while liking him again not too far in the future. He still isn't explored enough as a character, but at least he gets the most of this bunch. If Egglesfield is the center, however, then that must make John Krasinski the heart, as he plays the friend of both ladies while mentoring Rachel about what she needs to do. Krasinski simply MAKES the movie, and it would be a sad place indeed if Something Borrowed were to exist without him. Every line is perfectly delivered, every joke expertly told, and every reason to want to like this film exist solely in Krasinski's portrayal of Ethan, Rachel's gay best friend who's not actually gay. As the film's main shot at redemption, Ethan as a character could probably headline his own film, and I'd hope anyone who missed his best theatrical release Away We Go would sit through that.

Not quite as much plastic as mom, but working on it!

Don't expect a Top 10 rating from this film; Something Borrowed simply doesn't have enough to make for even an interesting diversion. It does do a few things right, most notably the casting of Krasinski and at least a semblance of honest dilemma among the dramatics. There is also a very competitive badminton game that livens things up leading to the film's final act. Those items prevent the film from being completely unwatchable, but the shallow story and characters have no growth to them, and we never really learn why the hell Rachel and Darcy ever lasted as best friends for so long in the first place. Meant as a mindless vehicle for people who don't want to think so much, Something Borrowed is an insult to any woman whose life doesn't revolve around marriage and finding "Mr. Right." See it at your brain cells' detriment.

Oh Ye Olde Gods

Okay, enough of that; back to actually SEEING movies, and not just talking about them. Summer officially kicked off this past weekend with the arrival of expected cinema superstar Thor as it hit the big screen. Though the expectations were obviously high for the blockbuster leading off the year's hottest season, there were a few obstacles standing between Thor and automatic box office dominance. First of all, the obvious: a comic book movie is being directed by Kenneth Branagh. That's right, the film's helmsman is the guy best known for his film adaptations of Shakespeare plays Henry V and Hamlet. Say all you want about comic books being art (and I'd agree) but the difference between colored paper and the written word of the Bard is a big one, no matter what your feelings on the matter. Secondly, who in the hell heard of Chris Hemsworth before he was cast in the film's lead role? Sure, the Australian actor has the proper physique to portray the God of Thunder, but who knew anything about him before he played Jim Kirk's ill-fated father in J.J. Abrams's Star Trek reboot? Unknown actors don't carry the same weight as known quantities like Will Smith or Matt Damon. Finally, the character of Thor created by Stan Lee, Larry Lieber and Jack Kirby back in the 60's is not exactly a known quantity to fans outside of comics. Based on Norse stories and popular in Marvel Comics' heyday, Thor was a result of Stan's obsession with mythology, which resulted in several myth-based superheroes, including Thor, Hercules, and The Forgotten One/Gilgamesh. Unlike more grounded heroes like Spiderman or the X-Men, the character of Thor was never one meant to connect with the similarities of his audience. Instead he was supposed as an icon, an unreachable pedestal for other heroes to look up to. This hardly lays the groundwork for a film franchise, but Thor was one of the few untapped Marvel Comics properties, and introducing him to theater audiences was crucial if he was to star alongside Iron Man and Captain America in 2012's Avengers film. Being a mid-level comic fan myself, I still had high hopes despite these lingering concerns, which helped me to check out Thor in its opening weekend.

Apparently, Thor's working on the railroad... all the live-long day

After his hubris results in war between the noble city of Asgard and their ancient enemies the Frost Giants, Thor (Hemsworth) is exiled by his father Odin (Anthony Hopkins) to Earth and stripped of his godly powers as punishment, to learn humility. Once on our planet, Thor meets Jane Foster (Natalie Portman), a scientist theorizing of gateways and bridges connecting intergalactic destinations. Now she has her biggest piece of evidence, but before things can move forward her work is confiscated by the government agency S.H.I.E.L.D. and its operative Phil Coulson (Clark Gregg). Meanwhile, things are not all well in Asgard, as the ailing king Odin falls into a coma, leaving his wicked son and Thor's brother Loki (Tom Hiddleston) as the sole heir to the throne. Soon, Thor's allies are attempting to get him back to Asgard as Thor himself attempts to prove worthy of harnessing his godly powers while becoming smitten with Jane in the process.

Hey, it's "what's-his-name"!

I needn't have worried about Thor disappointing. In the same vein of similar recent Marvel adaptations, it manages to be a complex mix of action, drama, character and comedy, a delicate tightrope that is managed thanks to respect for the source material and assistance from comic creators like J. Michael Straczynski who have been a huge part of Thor's presence in pop culture. While Branagh might have been expected to play up the seriousness of the story, he does a masterful job of actually making the experience a lot of fun, especially involving a liberal dose of humor that catches the audience off guard while never feeling out of place. This should have been expected, since the original comics did much the same thing, but it manages to be a pleasant surprise, especially when the comic timing of film is impeccable. The interaction between characters never feels forced, with the perfect casting done to make these characters feel real whether they live on Earth or in a different dimension.

Twenty years later, the fallout of the father-son three-legged race still rages on

That cast is what really makes the film fall in place. Hemsworth proves himself as the next generation of action star with not only raw physicality and force of presence, but a lot of legitimate acting talent to boot. Stepping lightly between action hero, hilarious comic and romantic lead, Hemsworth is asked to wear a lot of hats in what might be his largest ever role, and he manages to juggle these different bits into a strong character that will hopefully translate into a real franchise and not a one-hit wonder. Portman seems to be everywhere this year, as Thor is her third film released so far in 2011. The actress may never again reach the critical acclaim that netted her an Oscar nomination for last year's Black Swan, but she's never less than amazing in any film she chooses to be seen in, and her role here shouldn't be construed as simple love interest. Jane Foster is a genius, a strong woman in her own right who keeps herself going despite lack of support or notoriety. Tom Hiddleston got the role of trickster Loki from having worked with Branagh in the past, and it's a good thing, too; I can't think of anybody who could match his delivery and look that perfectly captures Thor's enemy and yet loved brother. Probably the best role in the film, Hiddleston will most likely get a good, long look from major studios after this.

Hiddleston got the part by being seven years late for a Severus Snape audition

For the secondary characters, there is a lot of talent boasted between both Asgard and Midgard (that's Earth, for you mortals out there). Stellan Skarsgard plays Jane's scientific advisor and friend of her father's, bringing a sense of professionalism to the cast. His near-humorlessness is perfectly foiled by Kat Dennings, who plays Darcy, Jane's intern and gofer. Dennings has some of the funniest dialogue in the script, but her humor is not just confined to the spoken, as her actions often illicit the same amount of chuckles. Gregg is no star, but his character, introduced in Iron Man and something of a connecting piece between the films, is interesting enough to compensate for his lack of actually doing anything. As the leader of the evil Frost Giants, Colm Fiore adds to a list of compelling antagonists under his resume. Though not his best role, his convincing work does wonders for the film's tale as a whole. Perfectly cast are Thor's friends, Sif and the Warriors Three. Jaimie Alexander, Ray Stevenson, Tadanobu Asano and Joshua Dallas are all excellent and perfectly capture the essence of these characters from the comics, though I honestly wish more had been done with them, especially their backgrounds, which are largely absent. Alexander in particular demands interest, since in the comics Sif is romantically interested in Thor, though that is ignored here. Racists might have had issue with Idris Elba playing the Asgardian Heimdall, but I had no problem with such a talented actor taking the role. As the all-seeing guardian of the realm, Elba has an unexpectedly strong part, and it was nice to see the Wire veteran getting a meaty role in a successful film. The only real disappointments are Thor's parents as Hopkins overacts his way through a stunted role, and Rene Russo does nothing of interest as Frigga, Thor's mother.

Elba shows the Council of Conservative Citizens where to suck

Speaking of disappointments, beware how you watch Thor in theaters. I saw this film on an IMAX screen and in 3D, and I can't honestly recommend it for most viewers. While most scenes and special effects look great in these conditions, it is ironically the film's few action scenes that suffer from the 3D conversion. Fights are disjointed and blurry, with so much mashed together that you find yourself squinting to try and see what exactly is going on. I've heard that he 2D showings clean up nicely, and I'd have to suggest that you don't pay the extra dough to see it in 3D, since it's just not polished enough to be pretty. Most theaters should have that option open to you, so if you can, avoid the crowds and go low-tech.

Seriously, where did this guy come from???

Thor might not be everyone's cup of tea, but at #5 for 2011 I honestly can't understand why not. Like most of Marvel's recent comic book adaptations, Thor is easy for non-fans to appreciate and enjoy but truly rewards the comic fan, a trend that keeps geeks waiting for the inevitable Stan Lee cameo, secret scenes of famous characters and nods to the superhero universe around the film, making it feel like a part of a whole instead of a stand-alone clunker. I had a lot of fun at the theater, and I think if you give Thor a chance, you'll be happy with the results no matter your disposition to the genre.

But Where Has the Rum Gone: A Hello, Mr. Anderson Summer Movie Preview

And so it begins. As you are reading this, film producers are quivering in anticipation as the Summer film season officially begins. With the midnight releases of Thor and Something Borrowed, Hollywood hopes to kick-start an industry that has so far in 2011 failed at just about every turn. It doesn't help that in the first quarter of 2010, ticket sales were helped immensely by the releases of mega-draws Avatar and Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland; even by more mundane standards it has been a weak year for the cinema, with most films underwhelming in their opening weekends en route to unsatisfying theatrical runs. Expected juggernauts fell far short, as big-budget films The Green Hornet, Sucker Punch, and Battle: Los Angeles failed to find audiences. Even one of my favorite first quarter films, the Matt Damon/Emily Blunt vehicle The Adjustment Bureau, barely made a profit. Animated films were among the few success stories, as Rango, Hop and Rio have brought in big money, but with generally large budgets and inflated 3D ticket prices, even those numbers are somewhat deceptive. Basically, the only way you could make money from January through April was to have low enough expenses to counteract the disappointing opening weekend, best evidenced by the ability of low-budget Insidious to make a little bit go a long way. The tide seemed to turn last weekend with the explosion of theater patrons to see Fast Five, the latest in the Fast & Furious franchise. That change is a good sign for the upcoming Summer season, as many of the films due for release will need much more than I Am Number Four's piddly $54 million domestic dollars to break even. The foreign markets can cover a multitude of sins, but relying on audiences outside the United States just to break even can't be good for morale at the production studios. And so we look ahead to the coming months, with the surefire mix of hits, flops, and everywhere in between.

May

Okay, I realize that May technically begins almost two months prior to the actual Summer Solstice but hey, I don't make the decisions for the film companies. They want to say summer starts in May to create an artificial starting point for their moneymaking releases? Fine by me. May sees several big releases right off the bat, as some of my most awaited 2011 films come out this month. Thor of course continues the road towards 2012's Josh Whedon-directed Avengers movie, and you can practically hear Marvel Comics murmuring in anticipation as this film goes to release. It wasn't too long ago that comic book movies were automatic suck, and it was thanks to Marvel's recent crop of Spider-Man and Iron Man films that changed that trend. Does that guarantee Thor will do well, or be good? Of course not. The trailers look amazing, but Thor is hardly a universally-loved character, even by comic fans, and who knows how many people will actually go out to see this film? I'm hoping for the best, but that's probably since I'll be seeing it sometime this weekend and don't want to have to justify paying 3D ticked prices for admission to a lousy film.

Also on tap for May is the Judd Apatow comedy Bridesmaids, starring SNL stalwart Kristen Wiig along with former co-star Maya Rudolph. Wiig may not have many big-screen successes to her name (Paul disappointed at the box office and 2010's MacGruber was a legitimate flop), but she is funny as hell and will hopefully become a bigger SNL star than Mike Myers was in his heyday. Bridesmaids looks like the perfect vehicle to a post-SNL career, and I'm definitely looking forward to seeing it. Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides is the fourth addition to the Disney ride-inspired franchise, and from the previews I've seen will either be the best or worst in the series depending on how everything strings together. Johnny Depp of course looks amazing and hilarious, but it's how the story and new characters come together that will determine how the film ultimately turns out. I couldn't sit through The Hangover, but the sequel The Hangover Part II looks to take everything the first film did and turn it on its head, and the trailers look both hilarious and insane. Hesher and Hobo With a Shotgun are low-budget flicks featuring the last people you would expect (Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Rutger Hauer, respectively) as ass-kickers. Both look worth the time at any rate.

And that's more than can be said for some of the other films coming out. Something Borrowed comes out at the same time as Thor, but while I like the talents involved (including Ginnifer Goodwin, Colin Egglesfield and Massachusetts native John Krasinski), I can't get over the fact that it seems to be a film championing stealing your best friend's fiancee. That seems completely unnecessary, even if it is based on a bestselling novel. Of a similar nature is Jumping the Broom, which doesn't look too bad, but doesn't appeal to the 18-49 white male demographic, of which I am a proud card-carrying member. Priest is yet another 3D film that ought not to have been produced. It stars the underrated Paul Bettany and Karl Urban but is directed by Scott Stewart (he of the atrocious Legion) and is based on a graphic novel that nobody really knows about. It sure looks pretty, but I'm betting on empty seats come opening night. The Beaver might catch a lot of flak for the controversy surrounding star Mel Gibson, but otherwise the film could actually be pretty good. It does seem to take a good idea too far however, and I simply feel apathetic about spending my money on this when others are more deserving. Kung Fu Panda 2 will be yet another 3D animated film and will make a lot of money, but don't look for another Oscar nomination, as even the first one was barely interesting. The Tree of Life features the return of director Terrence Malick but the trailers just don't look all that interesting to me, with Sean Penn and Brad Pitt doing anything other than making sense of what is going on. Finally, Passion Play commits the cardinal sin of hiring Megan Fox as the love interest of yet another horribly deformed man (in this case Mickey Rourke) in a film that seems like a mix of Black Swan and an acid drop. 

June

Surprisingly, after a robust May comes a very modest June. Probably the biggest attraction for this month is the sci-fi drama by director J.J. Abrams and producer Steven Spielberg, Super 8. While I usually cringe at anything bearing Spielberg's name these days (for an extreme example, watch the last Indiana Jones flick), Super 8 seems to hearken back to one of his earlier extraterrestrial films, E.T., and while I feel that particular film is overrated it does have quite a bit of magic to it. Combined with Abrams's ability to weave science fiction to his will, Super 8 might just be one of the more memorable films at year's end. Whether that is a good or bad thing remains to be seen.

June is also host to two more superhero movies from both major comic book publishers, X-Men First Class and Green Lantern. X-Men, an attempt to reboot the franchise and featuring an all-star cast (James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence, January Jones and Kevin Bacon), looks like fun but may suffer from X-Men syndrome, which has seen each successive film suffer in quality. Sure Wolverine was a fun movie, but that was more of a spin-off than an actual sequel. And this new film won't feature Hugh Jackman in the slightest, so that's one more thing for X-Fans to discredit. Green Lantern does look better, starring Ryan Reynolds as fighter pilot Hal Jordan, who by chance becomes the Earth's newest superhero when he inherits the powers to become a member of an intergalactic police force known as the Green Lanterns. Good previews showcasing action and Reynolds's wry wit make the film look like a lot of fun, even if Hal Jordan isn't the most popular hero on DC's roster. As a side note, the most heartfelt trailer I've seen this year is for a film coming out in June, A Better Life. Focusing on an illegal immigrant working as a gardener in Los Angeles while keeping his son away from the street gangs, the film is considered an early contender for the 2011 award season. Check out the trailer and you'll see why.

This month also has one of the worst trailers I've seen this year, for Bad Teacher. Starring Cameron Diaz as an educator who only bothers with her students when it positively affects her, this film looks more like a traditional Apatow film than Bridesmaids, but doesn't seem to contain any of Apatow's inherent charm. This is especially a shame for co-stars Justin Timberlake, Eric Stonestreet and Jason Segel, who deserve better than this crap shoot. Cars 2 is another animated sequel banking on a successful franchise and 3D technology, but appealing to the NASCAR crowd will only get you so far. Besides, actively hiring Larry the Cable Guy is tantamount to having Sasha Grey perform Shakespeare. Jim Carrey returns to family-friendly fare with Mr. Popper's Penguins. Jim Carry, yeah. Okay, fine, I'll give him credit for a good job in I Love You Phillip Morris but that's all he's getting from me.

July

For as little June brings to the table, July carts it all back with action sequels, hilarious comedies, more superheroes, and animated films from the intellectual properties of yesteryear. There's little doubt that the biggest release this month will be Transformers: Dark of the Moon, the last in the Michael Bay trilogy based on the 1980's toy catalog. I've never seen the first two films, but the trailers for Bay's latest manage to make me salivate, and perhaps I'll go back and watch those films before taking this one in. Dark of the Moon thankfully ditches Megan Fox, though the woman they hired to replace her as Shia LeBeouf's love interest looks to be even less interesting. Still, there seems to be even more insane robot-on-robot action than in any film prior, and that will probably be more than enough to bring in the audiences in record numbers.

By this time, Hollywood is hoping the superhero films aren't entirely played out, as two more comic book films hit the screen. The first, Captain America: The First Avenger, takes place in World War II and features Chris Evans as a genetically-modified super soldier who eventually goes on to found the modern-day superhero team The Avengers. Also starring Hugo Weaving, Tommy Lee Jones and Stanley Tucci, this is easily my most anticipated film for the Summer, as I've always had a healthy respect for Captain America the character, despite his somewhat conservative leanings. You know Marvel Comics is hoping that this franchise does much better than films like Fantastic Four and Ghost Rider, titles that failed to make much of an impact outside of comic book fans. Cowboys and Aliens is also based on a comic series, this pairing of aliens and the Old West in a way that looks good in theory and has legitimate stars in Daniel Craig, Harrison Ford and Olivia Wilde. Directed by Jon Favreau, if it even comes close to the charm of the first Iron Man film, it will deserve to be a hit. The final Harry Potter novel couldn't be contained to one film, and so Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Pt 2 puts the finishing touches on a franchise that has touched millions of readers worldwide. The world of young adult reading will never be the same post-Harry, and the same is true for the films no matter their quality. Larry Crowne and Friends with Benefits are two completely different romantic comedies; the former is a more traditional charmer with Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts, the other a sex romp a la No Strings Attached with Justin Timberlake, Mila Kunis, and great supporting roles in Woody Harrelson and Patricia Clarkson. Both look good enough to try opening weekend. Crazy Stupid Love is an ensemble comedy with Steve Carrell, Ryan Gosling and Julianne Moore that looks like it has a lot of heart where similar films would feature coal. And Winnie the Pooh returns a favorite franchise to the big screen, with Disney's old-school animation and voice acting sure to appeal to viewers of all ages.

From an animated film everyone will love to one nobody will, Smurfs takes the old Hanna Barbera series and turns it into a live-action 3D-animated monstrosity, for whose benefit I'm not sure. Parents will probably be tired of paying extra ticket costs to see 3D films with their kids by this point, so at least it probably won't be as popular outside of circles of animation fan boys. For the love of all that is good, will someone please explain to me the appeal of Kevin James? The oft-delayed Zookeeper comes out in July, but with the exception of Rosario Dawson I can't imagine going out to see yet another talking animals film. And Monte Carlo is just another contrived adaptation of The Prince and the Pauper, with teen star Selena Gomez playing both roles in yet another fantasy built specifically for rich white tween girls.

 August

If I'm getting a little punchy at this point, it's because there's simply so much happening this Summer that it's getting difficult to keep everything straight. The month of August is perhaps the toughest month to figure out, as it looks like the two biggest releases are from two franchises that haven't had much in the way of interaction with film audiences in a long time. Rise of the Planet of the Apes came as a surprise in that the last addition to the series was the poor 2001 Tim Burton remake. To actually create an origin story for a beloved series is a risky move (and hiring James Franco to star as someone with many more brain cells than the real deal doesn't scream of strong casting), but the early looks are good enough and will probably result in yet another successful outing for the Apes. The other new film, Conan the Barbarian, stars Baywatch hottie Jason Momoa, and promises sword-and-sorcery action similar to the old-school Arnold Schwarzenegger films of the eighties. However, retconning a popular series after such a long period of time might backfire, and Momoa isn't exactly a proven commodity. Whether the film is successful will depend on how well critics respond to the new setting, and perhaps even an endorsement from the former "Governator" himself.

Among the rest of the month's releases, most notice will probably be held for The Help, the latest adaptation of a bestselling novel, in this case by author Kathryn Stockett about a Mississippi town's inherent racism when it comes to the hired help during the 1960's and a young white woman who dares to defy it. With a constantly-improving Emma Stone out in front, the film looks extremely promising, and while I cringe at an untried director (Stockett's childhood friend Tate Taylor) talking the helm, I can't help but feel optimistic. Forget The Hangover, the funniest comedy of 2011 might be 30 Minutes or Less, with Oscar nominee Jesse Eisenberg as a pizza delivery man kidnapped and forced to rob a bank with his friend (Parks and Recreations's Aziz Ansari) or the bomb on his chest will explode. The trailer I caught for this left me chuckling for hours afterwards, and if it comes close to its potential it will be amazing. Don't be Afraid of the Dark is a Guillermo del Toro remake of a 1972 horror film that might upset Insidious as the year's scariest film. Fright Night is another remake, this one starring Colin Farrell as a vampire tormenting Star Trek's Anton Yelchin. The talent is there; the question is whether that will be enough. On the final day of August comes The Debt, a suspense film that tells of a team spies who hunt down a war criminal in Cold War-era Soviet territory. With Helen Mirren, Tom Wilkinson and Sam Worthington, it's probably worth seeing on the strength of the acting alone.

I'm not sure if My Idiot Brother is supposed to be The Kids are All Right for hippies instead of lesbians, but at least it has a talented cast including Paul Rudd and Zoey Deschanel. It's hardly the most enticing film I'm expecting, but to be fair that's mainly because I know nothing about the actual plot involved. Final Destination 5 is almost certainly one too many, as a whole new generation of young actors will be killed off in gruesome ways for our amusement. Maybe this will finally be the one to put the last nail in the coffin. Spy Kids 4 hardly makes any sense when the kids from the first three are completely grown up, and probably have kids of their own... OOOOHHHH. The Whisteblower is a classic Rachel Weisz film; important, truthful, and will mainly appeal to The Opinioness. The Change-Up is like Freaky Friday for adults, with Jason Bateman and Ryan Reynolds playing a weathered family man and swinging bachelor respectively, who through a strange twist of fate switch bodies. It could be good, but R-rated comedies are so hit and miss, especially where sex is involved.And as much as a missing tape found of terrifying moon landing footage seems interesting, I'm reminded that when most franchises go into space it's more often than not a bad thing. Such is the case with the repeatedly-delayed Apollo 18, which takes the documentary-style horror film to the big rock orbiting our planet.

There it is! Summer 2011 in a nutshell. Agree? Disagree? Tell me what films you're looking forward to during this blockbuster season!

Alien Nation

Since I'm known as a movie guy in my circles (not THE movie guy, mind you; I'm still working on that), I often get asked my opinion as to what I think of certain films and genres. Some questions, for instance what I thought was the worst film EVER, are difficult. There are so many bad films released every year, you have to present the question to exclude the low-budget hack jobs that never should have been made in the first place. Even THAT doesn't necessarily pare down the list too much, as true scatological pieces like Waterworld and Red Riding Hood multiply in quantity each year. In short, some questions are so difficult that I may never have a true answer. Naming my favorite film is nowhere near as tricky. Long my movie of choice, Aliens has held a foremost place in my heart since just about forever. While I had been somewhat familiar with the series as a child, what really brought me into the franchise was the batch of Aliens toys that were released several years after that film's theatrical release, sometime in the early nineties. The toy series was loosely based on the characters and creatures from the film, and I had action figures of Ripley, Bishop, Apone and a few Aliens growing up. Later, my cousin showed me his VHS (no DVD back then) of Aliens, and it was love at first sight. It has ever since been my favorite title, and I will herald it as the greatest science fiction film of all time to any who will listen. With some free time on my hands and no compulsion to trudge out to the theater, I decided that I had gone long enough between viewings of My Precious, and enjoyed a perfect evening on the couch.

Campfires on LV-427 traditionally ended in bloodbaths

For those unfortunates not in the know, Aliens is the sequel to Ridley Scott's 1979 space horror film Alien. Directed by sci-fi prodigy James Cameron, Aliens was a vast departure from the film that preceded it. Unlike the horror archetype that dominated the story of the original, the new film introduced action and adventure to the mix, with the liberal addition of guns, soldiers and explosions. Fifty-seven years after surviving the events of Alien, Ellen Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) finally makes her way back to Earth frozen in a tiny escape capsule. After being thawed out, her warnings of an alien menace are ignored by "The Company", mostly because the planet where she and her crew dredged up the titular monster had become home to a colony in her absence, and none of them had encountered any problems. Not long after her warning, however, contact with the planet LV-246 is lost, and Ripley is asked/cajoled by her employers to return in the company of rough and tough Space Marines, assured that the mission is to go in and wipe the alien species out, once and for all.

"Got Milk?"

So what is it that makes Aliens so compelling? While the original is a classic, where it lacked was in the character development and plot aspects, two items that usually determine how much I appreciate a film. While Alien successfully introduced a brand new creature that still scares today, it did so in such a way that was somewhat derivative of similar horror fare, and the characters who died for our entertainment did so not as epic personalities, but big name actors (Tom Skerritt, Harry Dean Stanton, John Hurt, Ian Holm) playing shallow roles. Now, don't get me wrong; I LIKED Alien. I really did. But Cameron just did such a good job improving on the original that it feels like a whole other storyline, not the part of a whole that it is in reality. It helps that at the time Cameron was at the top of his game, having just finished Terminator and soon to be going on to make the spectacular sequel T2: Judgment Day. I know I may have my detractors, but I believe Aliens to be his best work, and it's a shame that these days the vision he once had seems to be rather limited in scope to what he can do with technology instead of story. After all, The Abyss was tons better than both Titanic and Avatar, two films for which he has received far too much dubious credit. Back in the eighties Cameron not only made great movie but managed to create two of the most memorable characters in film history, and both just happened to be women: Ripley, and Terminator's Sarah Connor.

Now you're his SPECIAL friend!

Strong character is a staple of any good film, and back in the day Cameron was among the best at building a wealth of personality into his films. And it's not just the leads that get a steady stream of development. Watch the first scenes of Aliens aboard the Marine starship Sulaco: those sequences where we are introduced to the diverse and dangerous marines practically weep character. After just a few moments of dialogue and interaction, we can map their entire biography and everything important needed to care about them as people, not just future cannon fodder. Sure, Ripley runs the show, and why not? Sigourney Weaver is an amazing performer (and as a side note has gotten so much more beautiful with age), able to convey her lines not only through practical dialogue, but subtle shifts in her facial expression and body language. It's easy to understand how she became the face of the franchise, and any film based on the Alien trademark that doesn't have her in a starring role just feels wrong, which of course is why the horrid Alien: Resurrection brought Ripley back from the dead (and of course she was the best part). Still, the strengths of the bit players makes the film feel just right. As I mentioned, it only takes a moment to understand the habits and motivations of the characters: from Sergeant Apone (Al Matthews)'s guttural growl and tendency to follow orders to the letter, to Drake (Mark Rolston) and Vasquez (Jenette Goldstein)'s tight friendship and bulldog attitudes, to the smart-mouthed nervousness of Private Hudson (Bill Paxton), Aliens was populated by smart roles that never felt stuck in first gear. When Bishop (Lance Henriksen) did the knife trick and Hicks (Michael Biehn) fell asleep in his dropship harness, those were moments when you really felt CONNECTED to the film and its occupants, and it's something you rarely get to feel when watching action movies nowadays.

My sister would approve Ripley's liberal use of duct tape to face the Alien horde

Another amazing aspect introduced by Cameron (and consequently ditched by the succeeding sequels) was the role of Ripley as a maternal figure. This was a motivation he sought also in his Terminator franchise with Sarah Connor and her son John, and the question of what a mother will do for her child makes itself known here with Ripley caring for the orphaned Newt (Carrie Henn). It escalates to to such a point that even the final showdown between Ripley and the Alien Queen is practically mom against intergalactic mom. While there is some inherent danger perhaps in overtly defining a woman by her maternal instincts, that aspect is done so well here that it takes the film to a whole other level. Scenes between Ripley and Newt are so compelling that they could easily be made part of a completely dissimilar film and still make perfect sense. Once again it's that attention to getting characters right that makes the film move forward, not the tension of waiting for monsters to strike - although that is still quite good, now that you mention it.

"Get away from her, you BITCH!" The best line in ANY movie

So why is it I love Aliens? Sure, the special effects are amazing for their time and Ellen Ripley is the most kick-ass character I can think of in film. Aliens spouts tons of memorable lines (including the near-famous "Game over, man!") and characters of such strength and motivation they would be leads in lesser titles. It also features one of the scariest movie monsters of all time, a creature that commits atrocities not out of malevolence but out of survival and procreation. The alien even enjoys its best day in the sun as Cameron's interpretation of the alien "hive" is one of the most enduring myths of the franchise. Finish off with a story that tells smoothly and with no wasted bits, and you could say that the ENTIRE FILM is in fact the best part. As complete a film as I have ever seen, and easily the first example you should point out to people who insist that science fiction brings nothing good to the table. My all-time favorite.

Faster than Light

Oh, happy day! With the week's selection of new releases woefully unappealing (no thank you, Prom and Hoodwinked Too), I was more than happy to make action film Fast Five my latest destination this past weekend. The fifth (if the title wasn't a dead giveaway) in the box office-smashing franchise, the film was prefaced by trailers featuring amazingly fast cars, superb chase sequences, and just about every important character from the series making a return. I don't have much experience with the Fast and the Furious series; with only the first movie under my belt (as i talked about last week), and so I'm certainly no expert on the films starring Vin Diesel and Paul Walker, both of whose filmographies I'm quite okay with not being familiar. So why was I so excited about seeing Fast Five? Well, now that I'm officially a "film guy" I do admit some excitement about catching this film on the big screen. The genre of popcorn action films has been surprisingly weak so far this year, with expected blockbusters I Am Number Four and Battle: Los Angeles limping at the box office. Still, the big-budget special effects of Fast Five looked like just the remedy to these unknown quantities, and begged to be seen on an IMAX screen. If nothing else, the chance to visit anew a series that has already made fans of millions seemed like a good way to spend the day. With this chance for excitement too good to pass up, I made my way to the theater for some big screen heroics and explosions.

Aw, Paul Walker finally became a grown man!

When a deal gone bad makes Brian O'Conner (Walker) and siblings Mia (Jordana Brewster) and Dom Toretto (Diesel) enemies of the most powerful man in Rio de Janeiro, the three find themselves in deep water, as criminal kingpin Herman Reyes (Joaquim de Almeida) hunts them down for the secrets in their possession. Now, with the dual threat of Reyes's goons and a team of DSS government agents led by Luke Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson) hot on their trails, Dom and Brian decide that they are tired of running. Using what they have found, they plan to rob Reyes blind, and to do so they assemble a crack team filled of former allies and co-patriots to take the stuffing out of the man who owns all the power in the "Marvelous City."

"Car Surfing" was one X-treme sport that never really caught on

One of the big differences between Five and previous additions to the series is the relative lack of street racing, which had helped the franchise identify itself in the first place. The early episodes in the series made their bones with extensive looks at the illegal street racing scene, endearing themselves especially to teenagers and race enthusiasts. There's a reason the films have won so many Teens Choice and MTV Awards and not any Oscars, and that appeal to young audiences is at least part of it. Anyway, in this latest film, the street racing  is nearly ignored completely. Excepting a couple of scenes taking place at a meet and one personal contest between some of the main characters, the racing angle is almost completely overlooked, resulting in something more of a generic heist movie a la The Italian Job. This would have been a problem if the subject matter couldn't adapt to those changes, but thankfully the cast and crew are more than up to pulling it off. While more could have been done with these original elements, in the end they're barely missed.

It's the "gather around the computer" scene, a classic of heist films

Besides the amazing chase sequences, the cast was a huge draw for audiences, and for obvious reasons. Besides the "Big Three" of Diesel, Walker and Brewster, just about every character you loved from previous films has returned, unless they up and were killed off in the other sequels (characters from the third film, Tokyo Drift don't count since chronologically it is last in the series). From 2 Fast 2 Furious come Tyrese Gibson and Chris 'Ludacris' Bridges, Gibson as a fast-talking Lothario and Ludacris as a tech genius.  Tego Calderon, Don Omar, and the beautiful Gal Gadot return from their roles in the fourth film Fast and Furious as well, though only Gadot is even remotely fleshed out. Yes, I do mean that literally. Sung Kang has appeared in more Furious films than everyone besides Vin and Paul, and reprises his ultra-cool racer here. Even Matt Schulze returns as Dom's childhood friend Vince in a role that hasn't been seen since the very original. For all these returning characters, the key is to make them appealing to everyone, not just the fans series as a whole. While I'm sure it HELPS to see the earlier titles to understand these characters better, I felt fairly attached to them from the get-go. Everyone from Brewster to Omar (who barely speaks any English at all) felt authentic to me, and while Diesel and Walker were often front and center, the rest are given enough to do to not make them seem worthless. The only real disappointment there would be Schulze, which is a shame since the character had such potential in his return. Unfortunately, the script doesn't seem to know what to do with Vince besides being a means to an end. He's kind of like Captain Kelly on Battlestar Galactica; you see him around, and he seems to belong, but the story doesn't seem to have any use for him, and he is eventually tossed aside.

Too late, Dom and Brian realize they're NOT driving the Mach 5

Fast Five's new characters manage to hold their own against the established stars, however, and help make the film better overall. Dwayne Johnson seems comfortable stepping back into his ass-kicking shoes. As the film's secondary antagonist, Johnson's DSS agent does whatever he can to catch the bad guys, and he's got our heroes dead in his sights. It's good to see a man who made a name for himself as a tough guy stop wasting time with family-friendly films like The Game Plan and The Tooth Fairy. He's born to be an action star and should get a legitimate chance to do so. Elsa Pataky also impresses as perhaps the only honest Rio cop, and her inclusion is done expertly well by the script. Only Joaquim de Almeida is uninteresting as a generic two-bit corrupt businessman. He at least manages to prove somewhat dangerous, with the deepness of his pockets and his multitude of faceless minions who die at his whim. There's just nothing to differentiate him from the many like villains that died at the hands of heroes in the past decade. Still, he's the odd man out in what is otherwise a compelling cast.

The People's Champ looks about ready to lay the smack down

The film does oversimplify things by disregarding the entire idea of "innocent bystander" in some of the more outlandish chase scenes, and we feel good in knowing that no innocents are EVER caught in the crossfire. It is this disregard for the real world that allows the film to just sit back, relax, and enjoy our popcorn. While it does absolutely nothing new (and is possibly the least innovative in the Fast and Furious series), Fast Five is honest enough of a film to be avoid being a derivative knockoff. Truly exciting and worth every penny of the ticket price, you should do yourself a favor and see it in the theaters if you're going to see it at all. At parts funny, engaging, sexy and never dull, Fast Five might be remembered as the top action film of 2011. That's saying a lot, with the comic book adaptations of Thor, Captain America and Green Lantern awaiting their turns this summer to shatter box office records. For now, I'm as surprised as anyone that Fast Five debuts as the #8 best film of 2011. Maybe it'll be the last in the series; maybe it won't. For now I'm just glad I took a chance and saw this when I did.