The Film

“Wars are fought with weapons, but they are won by men.” No statement is truer than in Captain America: The First Avenger. The fifth comic book adaptation from Marvel Studios tells the story of Steve Rogers, an unlikely hero from Brooklyn who, after being selected for the “Super Soldier” program, becomes the iconic “Captain America” and leads the fight against the “Red Skull” and HYDRA, a Nazi Research & Development organization, during World War II.

The film stars Chris Evans (Fantastic Four, The Losers), who delivers a shockingly magnificent performance as Steve Rogers. His portrayal of the character who starts out a small, feeble man with a heart of gold and transforms into an symbol of strength, courage, and perseverance shows that Evans has done his homework on the character and understands on a personal level who he is, and more importantly, who he inspires to be. The film also stars Hugo Weaving (The Matrix, V for Vendetta) as the villainous Johann Schmidt aka Red Skull. And though he does a good job in portraying such a formidable antagonist, his performance left a little more to be desired from an actor of his caliber and reputation. The all-star supporting cast includes Tommy Lee Jones as Col. Chester Philips, Hayley Atwell as Peggy Carter, Dominic Cooper as Howard Stark, Sebastian Stan as James “Bucky” Barnes, & Stanley Tucci as Dr. Abraham Erskine. All of whom, especially Tucci, deliver standout performances of their roles.

The film directed by Joe Johnston (October Sky, The Wolfman) is an excellent presentation of visual story telling and special effects. Everything from the creation of “Skinny Steve” and the Red Skull’s makeup, to the costumes, shield, and CGI are executed with such precision. The writing and dialogue are done equally well, thanks to the work of Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely. And the music by Alan Silvestri is the “icing on the cake.”

The Blu-Ray

3D: The 3D looked fantastic on my 3D TV and is well worth the extra money if you’ve get a 3D TV at home.

Audio/Video: Both the audio and video quality are phenomenal.

Special Features include:

Commentary: By Joe Johnston, Shelly Johnson, & Jeff Ford, offers insight into the creative process of the film.

Featurettes: The making of the film, divided into several sections. Includes special first look at “The Avengers.”

Deleted Scenes: Or lack there of.

Marvel One Shot: A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Thor’s Hammer: A HILARIOUS short film starring S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Coulson.

The Film Rating: Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

The Blu-Ray Rating: Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

The Film:

The Losers is caught in between a rock and a hard place. It really doesn’t know what to do, or precisely where to go. On one hand, there’s a great deal of fun with the tongue-in-cheek attitude it has, but on the other, it’s weakly plotted, something it tries hard to hide, yet with all of the “cool” slow-motion-and there’s a ton of it-we get some time to think, that this razzle-dazzle is a failed magician’s trick, in hiding its plot. You’ll juggle these back and forth, weighing the options. Does it hurt your liking of it, or will you enjoy it for what it is?

Despite feeling like a car in neutral, The Losers is B-level action entertainment at a matinee price. It’s never too early to enjoy some popcorn.

Its set-up is rudimentary. Some mercenaries go after their double-crosser after a failed attempt at killing them off. Insert plenty of bullets. Somehow, director Sylvain White takes that one sentence and spread it out for 96 minutes, through some slick editing and cinematography. It’s stylized, and while nothing new, it gives the film some edge-I hate that word, but it does-that makes the film glide, when the plot is meandering from point A to B. The film’s biggest boon, is the casting. While certainly not names (yet), the cast really keeps the film afloat. Jeffrey Dean Morgan (Watchmen) is good, Jason Patric is super slimy, but it’s Chris Evans (Fantastic Four) and Zoe Saldana (Avatar) that steal the film. Evans’ scenes are the best. He’s goofy, but yet not too-over-the-top for the film. Don’t stop believin’…Zoe is marvelous, yet again.

The Losers is based on a DC/Vertigo comic book series, which is DC’s grittier line of stories. Oddly, the film ducks away from violence, even though bullets fly by and into people. I doubt the R-rating would have added much. Even though I really enjoyed the banter between the characters, the tongue-in-cheek swagger, the editing, when you see the opening montage, then the limp sequel-ready ending, it’s an unneeded bad taste in our mouths. This reveals that the whole thing was a little stale from the beginning. A little bit more punch and The Losers would’ve been a winner.

But it does have a cool bazooka moment, so I can’t be that hard on it.

The Blu-ray:

Audio/Video:Warner issues a HD presentation that will leave you burnt by the picture and the audio, all in a good way. The picture is obviously stylized, but that doesn’t hurt the HD. Colors and brightness are purposely overdone, to give this hot, sweaty appearance to the film. Blacks are very deep and details are extremely sharp. The picture is as pristine as the definition of that word. The DTS track is really insane. I’ve experienced plenty of solid action films in HD, yet the DTS here is loud, bassy, and intense. Sounds typical for an action flick, huh? Well just make sure you take the pictures off of the walls, nobody’s home on youhttp://www.killerfilm.com/wp-admin/post.php?action=edit&post=40008r block, and a pair of ear plugs-just in case. It’s stellar.

Band of Buddies: Ops Training: In HD, the three mini-featurettes here explore the action, the stylized appearance of the said action, and the Puerto Rico shoot. Light and quick.

Zoe and the Losers: In HD, an EPK-type of interview with clips about the beautiful Zoe Saldana for 6 minutes.

Action-Style Storytelling: The creators of the comic, Andy Diggle and artist Jock talk about the book, the film, and their intentions with the stories. Great for comic fans.

A nice little Deleted Scene that should have been left in; First Look: Batman: Under the Red Hood clip; Trailer, a separate DVD and Digital Copy, and BD-Live round out the extras.

The Film: Rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars

The Blu-ray: Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

Cop Out

I certainly understand where Kevin Smith was going with this, yet he didn’t really write it, a sore point in my opinion, because he’s more of a writer than a director. Donny disagrees. To me, Jersey Girl is not his weakest film anymore. (Formats: Blu-ray/DVD)  Jon says: Avoid   Donny says: Buy

The Losers

It came and went back in April. It’s a quick, average action film. (Formats: Blu-ray/DVD)   Jon says: Rent    Donny says:Rent

The Runaways

I’m a sucker for rock-and-roll movies and this fits the bill. Great acting, great music, even if it’s a little formulaic. (Formats: Blu-ray/DVD)  Jon says: Buy   Donny says:Buy

Roger Corman’s Cult Classic: Galaxy of Terror and Forbidden World

Shout! Factory is starting to deliver more of these lesser seen Roger Corman films in thrilling special editions. Lots of love were put into these discs, whether you’ve seen them or not. (Formats: Blu-ray/DVD)  Jon says: Buy   Donny says:Buy

2001 Maniacs: Field of Screams

If this sequel from Tim Sullivan’s gorefest camp film is anything like the first film from a few years ago, then I’ll be happy. (Formats: DVD only)   Jon says: Rent   Donny says: Rent

New to Blu

Red Shoes: Criterion Collection

Cats & Dogs

Tin Man

Pretty nice week in my opinion, and as always, keep it here to Killer Film for reviews and news of these discs and more everyday!

“I’d like to make ‘Logan’s Run’ [in 3-D],” he said. “It’s a movie I’ve always been intrigued with, excited by. We’re writing a script now and that should be a big 3-D movie and it should be devised and shot in 3-D. I think if we can pull it together, then it would be.”

The remake, based off the 1976 science fiction film, recently wrangled up Carl Rinsch to direct. Rinsch has his hands full, because not only is he attached to Logan’s Run but is poised to take on Creature from the Black Lagoon and 47 Ronin. Still no word as to who will be writing up a script for this production.

Silver recently produced The Book of Eli and the comic book adapted film The Losers. He’s attached to several other films currently in production, including Unknown White Male, Project X and The Apparition.

Do you think that Logan’s Run could work in 3D? Or are you one of those who’s sick and tired of every other film getting the green light to go into the third dimension?

What many people fail to realize is that A Nightmare on Elm Street is not the only film that opened this weekend. The Brendan Fraser family comedy Furry Vengeance captured itself $6.5 Million, giving kids an option of what to see in theaters for now until the summer films start flooding in. Sylvain White’s comic book feature The Losers continues to flounder, taking in $6 Million this weekend and overall domestically wrangling together an estimated $18 Million despite it’s $25 Million dollar budget. Check out the rest of the weekend totals below from Box Office Mojo.:

Weekend Box Office (April 30th – May 2)

1. A Nightmare on Elm Street  ($32.2 M)
2. How to Train Your Dragon  ($10.8 M)
3. Date Night  ($7.6 M)
4. The Back-Up Plan  ($7.2 M)
5. Furry Vengeance  ($6.5 M)
6. The Losers  ($6 M)
7. Clash of the Titans  ($5.9 M)
8. Kick-Ass  ($4.4 M)
9. Death at a Funeral  ($4 M)
10. Oceans  ($2.6 M)

Spring is over in the theaters, so now it’s time to bring in the summer season. The biggest film that’s coming out this Friday is the highly anticipated Marvel Studios and Paramount Pictures film Iron Man 2. Also coming out that weekend is Babies with limited releases of Badmaash Company, Multiple Sarcasms, Mercy and Ocean of Pearls.

Apparently there were quite a few people aching to see Jennifer Lopez back on the big screen CBS Films’ The Back-up Plan ended it’s first weekend in the comfortable second place with $12.2 Million. Unfortunately not much can be said about the some-what underperforming comic book adapted feature The Losers, ending it’s first weekend with $9.6 Million in it’s pocket in fourth. Last but not least is the previously mentioned DisneyNature’s Oceans, wrangling in $6 Million for it’s first weekend. Continue reading on to check out the rest of the totals from Box Office Mojo.:

Weekend Box Office (April 23-25)

1. How to Train Your Dragon  ($15 M)
2. The Back-Up Plan  ($12.2 M)
3. Date Night  ($10.6 M)
4. The Losers  ($9.6 M)
5. Kick-Ass  ($9.5 M)
6. Clash of the Titans  ($9 M)
7. Death at a Funeral  ($8 M)
8. Oceans  ($6 M)
9. The Last Song  ($3.7 M)
10. Alice in Wonderland  ($2.2 M)

It’s the last week of April, and were inches away from the summer season. That means that the highly anticipated horror remake of A Nightmare on Elm Street is coming out this Friday in theaters everywhere along with the Brendan Fraser starring picture Furry Vengeance. Among those on the limited release track that weekend for release is Mercy, The Good Heart, Harry Brown and a NY release of The Human Centipede which opens in limited release on May 7th.

The Losers

Despite feeling like a car in neutral, The Losers is B-level action entertainment at a matinee price. It’s never too early to enjoy some popcorn.

Its set-up is rudimentary. Some mercenaries go after their double-crosser after a failed attempt at killing them off. Insert plenty of bullets. Somehow, director Sylvain White takes that one sentence and spread it out for 96 minutes, through some slick editing and cinematography. It’s stylized, and nothing new, but gives the film some edge-I hate that word, but it does-that makes the film glide, when the plot is meandering from point A to B. To the film’s biggest boon, is the casting. While certainly not names (yet), the cast really keeps the film afloat. Jeffrey Dean Morgan (Watchmen) is good, Jason Patric is super slimy, but it’s Chris Evans (Fantastic Four) and Zoe Saldana (Avatar) that steal the film. Evans’ scenes are the best. He’s goofy, but yet not too-over-the-top for the film. Don’t stop believin’…Zoe is marvelous, yet again.

The Losers is based on a DC/Vertigo comic book series, which is DC’s grittier line of stories. Oddly, the film ducks away from violence, even though bullets fly by and into people. I doubt the R-rating would have added much. Even though I really enjoyed the banter between the characters, the tongue-in-cheek swagger, the editing, when you see the opening montage, then the limp sequel-ready ending, it’s an unneeded bad taste in our mouths. This reveals that the whole thing was a little stale from the beginning. A little bit more punch and The Losers would’ve been a winner.

But it does have a cool bazooka moment, so I can’t be that hard on it.

Rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars

“I got nothing on ‘Lobo,’” said Morgan “I don’t know where that stands in the world of filmmaking at this point. I know they were talking about doing some tests early on, but I don’t know where it stands now.”

“I’ve never actually had an real discussions with Joel [Silver] or Warner Bros. about it,” he said.

So it seems we won’t be getting this film anytime soon. I’ve never been keen on the idea of a Lobo film myself. The character is just a parody of  Marvel’s Wolverine, and isn’t even well-know amongst the non-fanboy community.

Jefferey Dean Morgan can next be seen in The Losers opening on April 23rd.

I don’t love this poster, but I do want to see this flick.

One of the few awesome posters out this month.

Interesting.

Yum. I’m just saying.

I sort of dig this one. It’s not amazing, but it gets the job done.

Goofy fun, plus the chick has a nice ass. I’m just saying.

]]> http://www.killerfilm.com/spotlight/read/poster-roundup-6-29893/feed 4 http://www.killerfilm.com/features/read/april-movie-preview-27908 http://www.killerfilm.com/features/read/april-movie-preview-27908#comments Thu, 01 Apr 2010 13:27:11 +0000 Jon Peters http://www.killerfilm.com/?p=27908 April showers, bring May blockbusters. Well, in the past it was easy to dismiss most of April’s releases, but recently, one could consider the month of April as an unofficial Summer Month for Hollywood. With Spring in the air, a new beginning is around the corner, yet there’s plenty of neat films set to be released to keep us out of the rain and in the theater.

In Killer Film’s April Movie Preview Jon Peters and Donny Broussard will tell you what to go to this month with a quick chat about the film and a simple “See it” or “Skip it”. No April Fool’s Day joke on that, let’s get going…

(April 2nd)

Clash of the Titans

Jon: In my opinion, as much as I love Ray Harryhausen (and I met the man once, a while ago in person), 1981′s Clash of the Titans was an okay film, but far from his best work in Beast from 20,000 Fanthoms, Jason and the Argonauts, or The Valley of Gwangi. I’m not dissing it, I actually have a big soft spot for the film, but as in terms of a remake, yeah, I’m down with it. The potential cool factor of seeing the Madeusa in 3D sold my ticket. See it.

Donny: When I first saw the trailer I was excited, but then the longer trailer came out and it was more of the same action scenes cut to a metal soundtrack. So, now I’m sort of in limbo with this one. Part of me wants to check out the action and see how it measures up to the original, but part of me is so tired of remakes that I don’t want to contribute to the endless hoards of people that feed the remake machine. With that said, I’m gonna skip it.

The Last Song

Jon: Another Nicholas Sparks adaptation, another chance for my girlfriend to ask to go. I think most of Spark’s stuff is okay in film, but all are in the shadow of The Notebook. This looks to be strictly aimed at the tween crowd. Skip it

Donny: I can’t stand these movies. The ones that set out to make the entire audience cry for no less than half of the run time. Nicholas Sparks is the king of the cry flick, and I’m the king of Killer Film, so someone other than me is gonna see this one. Skip it

Furry Vengeance

Jon: Little marketing on this family film, another “wild” Brendan Fraser flick. I know your kids might want to see it, but just rent when it hits DVD in a few months. Skip it.

Donny: I’m sort of tired of animals gone awry flicks, but I do have children, so I’ll more than likely be checking this one out with them. I’d say skip it, but I’m gonna see it.

Why Did I Get Married, Too?

Jon: Hate on Tyler Perry all you want, but this features a great cast and an attempt at real drama, something most feel are lacking in his films. I would like to see Perry bust out of his shell in film making and writing terms. This won’t do that, but it looks pretty decent even though it’s more of the same. Rent. Skip it.

Donny: I don’t care about this enough to give a reason why I’m going to skip it. However there Perry has many, many fans that’ll make this one a success at the box-office.

(April 9th)

Date Night

Jon: On one hand, this film looks kind of funny, maybe an average man’s Get Smart, but something also tells me it might be a limp, one-note joke. Hmm. Skip it.

Donny: Tina Fey turns me on…I’m just saying. I’m gonna see it.

(April 16th)

Death at a Funeral

Jon: I really liked the black humor of the 2007 British film, and even though this film adds a minor spin to it and Zoe Saldana, eh, more of the same. Go see the original. Skip it.

Donny: Never seen the original, but this flick looks like it could be fun. I think I’m gonna see it.

Kick-Ass

Jon: So Donny saw this at SXSW and really liked it. The Green Band trailer really didn’t sell me, and I had not read the original comics. Again, Donny loved it, and after seeing the Red Band trailer and talking about it with Donny, I’m sold. This is going to be huge. See it.

Donny: This flick kicks-ass. See it.

(April 23rd)

The Losers

Jon: I don’t know what it is about the trailer, but I’m super excited for the latest from Stomp the Yard‘s director. Yes, you heard correct. I never read the comics, either. High-octane action with a decent cast, should be the ticket to get us ready for the Summer Movie Season. See it.

Donny: I’m with Jon on this one. I am super excited to see this flick. The trailer got me excited and the cast seems like a perfect fit. See it.

DisneyNature’s Oceans

Jon: After the super-success BBC/Discovery Channel’s Planet Earth, Disney formed a new nature documentary division and took new footage as well as previously seen footage from various Planet Earth episodes for Earth. That too was a success, and this looks more of the same-but in a good way. A tie-in with Earth Day on the 22nd, Oceans should entertain all nature fans as well as Planet Earth junkies. Can’t wait. See it.

Donny: What Jon said. See it.

The Back-Up Plan

Jon: Jennifer Lopez gets knocked up by a sperm bank, only to the chagrin of her new boyfriend. Uh…Donny your wife wants to see this, right? Right? Skip It.

Donny: I’m hoping my wife doesn’t see the trailer for this flick because if she does I’m gonna have to see it, even though I really want to skip it.

(April 30th)

A Nightmare on Elm Street

Jon: The horror film that will make the horror world stand still. We’re all curious, from the casting of Jackie Earle Haley as Freddy to the possibility of a new terrifying dream murders. What will a relatively newbie director bring to such an iconic villain. Some many little changes like the voice, the make-up, to the trailer that features some shot-by-shot scenes from the original, just wow. How will it be since Platinum Dunes is the Horror Remake King, and while they have had a few stinkers, I think Freddy’s ready for a new generation. See It.

Donny: I’m on the fence with this one. I grew up with the original and I don’t think this remake needed to be made, but on the other hand I dig the trailer. I’m gonna see it.

I Love You Phillip Morris

Jon: The gay Jim Carrey/Ewan McGregor film no studio wanted to touch. Opening in a limited run, I’m curious to see Carrey do non-Carrey stuff again. It’s odd, it’s controversial, it’s a must see. See It.

Donny: Then I must let Jon see it. I’m at all interested in this flick. I thought the trailer was goofy I’m gonna skip it.

On April 30th, many theaters and IMAX’s will be playing the hotly anticipated Iron Man 2, but we will save our thoughts for next month. Looks to be a light, but good month. Keep it here at Killer Film for reviews of all of these films and more, since more independent and limited released films will be spreading out all month long. What are your thoughts on this month’s worth of films?

The Losers is set to hit theaters on April 23, 2010.

He headlines a cast that includes Michael Biehn, Vinessa Shaw and Brett Cullen. Mark and Adam Kassen will be producing the independent picture under their Kassen Brothers Production along with Like Minded Pictures. Filming will take place in Houston with a yet-to-be-announced 2011 release date. Evans will appear on the big screen once more in the adaptation of the comic book The Losers on April 23rd.

A tale of double cross and revenge, centered upon the members of an elite U.S. Special Forces unit sent into the Bolivian jungle on a search and destroy mission. The team-Clay, Jensen, Roque, Pooch and Cougar -find themselves the target of a lethal betrayal instigated from inside by a powerful enemy known only as Max. Presumed dead, the group makes plans to even the score when they’re joined by the mysterious Aisha, a beautiful operative with her own agenda. Working together, they must remain deep undercover while tracking the heavily-guarded Max, a ruthless man bent on embroiling the world in a new high-tech global war.

The feature stars the talents of Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Zoe Saldana, Chris Evans, Idris Elba, Columbus Short and Jason Patric. The Losers comes out in theaters on April 23rd. Now check out the final poster from FSR.:

The Saturday Night Live based action comedy stars Will Forte as MacGruber, an Ex-special operative who is called back into action to take down his archenemy, Dieter Von Cunth (Val Kilmer), who’s in possession of a nuclear warhead and bent on destroying Washington, D.C. The Jorma Taccone directed film also stars Kristen Wiig, Ryan Phillippe and Maya Rudolph.

This is not the first film within the past couple of weeks that ended up being shuffled around, the one previously pushed off is the Louis Leterrier directed remake Clash of the Titans. It comes out on April 2nd despite the previous March 26th date due to fixing up the film for it’s recently announced 3D release.

The Losers stars Jeffrey Dean Morgan along with Zoe Saldana, Chris Evans, Columbus Short and Idris Elba. After being betrayed and left for dead, members of a CIA black ops team root out those who targeted them for assassination.