Captain America: The First Avenger

Film: Captain America: The First Avenger
Genre: Action/War/Adventure
Director: Joe Johnson
Year: 2011
Starring: Chris Evans, Hugo Weaving, Tommy Lee Jones, & Hayley Atwell




Summer is a time for blockbusters, a time for action and adventure, and the lifting of one's spirit, making them feel alive again after a cold winter. Captain America: The First Avenger is one such blockbuster, and by golly it's a good one. The third of this year's Marvel movies, of which none have been a miss, or sub-par like Electra. The film's made by Marvel studios have all been very well made, films such as the Iron Man series, Thor, The Incredible Hulk, and now Captain America. Perhaps the studio knows that to make good products they need to put in as much passion into their films as they do their comics, as well they should.

Captain America has been around since 1944, making his debut as a comic book, and eventually moved to many other mediums, including film serials, cartoons, toys, and so on. Steve Rogers(Evans) is a skinny liberal arts student from Brooklyn, who has tried to enlist in the American armed forces several times, only to be rejected due to health reasons. But hope comes in the form of a defected German scientist who is working with the US government to develop a new "super-soldier" to help fight in the war in Europe. Rogers is given the treatment, allowing him to become the only super-soldier following an incident after the procedure. Eventually he goes to Europe to battle Hydra, a deep science division of the Nazis, that had made itself independent following the leadership of Johann Schmitt(Weaving). Schmitt also took the serum that made Rogers stronger, only before it was perfected, causing some side effects.

The majority of the film takes place in 1942, and boy does it pull it off with precision. The sets look like everything you would imagine things in World War II would appear like. I believe the only other semi-recent film that made me believe it was actually in the forties, was Saving Private Ryan, so there is a benchmark. Even the sets in the film that are of Schmitt's technological advancements still look like they are made with the state of art materials at the time. Technically the effects of the film look very good, especially Schmitt's Red Skull make up, he appears just as you would expect him to following years of comics.

The only problem I had with the film was some of the CGI, which at times is a bit noticeable. Before receiving the serum he is small and skinny, which Chris Evans is not. So, they used a body double, and inserting Evan's head in afterwards, though for most of the time it looks good, but at times it doesn't. In a few shots Evan's eyes are enlarged making him appear more like a bush-baby than a person, but the rest of the film makes up for any of these short comings.


Memorable Moments:

• Stan Lee's brief cameo, as an elderly military officer.

• The first meeting of Cap and Red Skull. The location, and tension are fantastical, it should go down as one of the best complete reveal of a villain in cinema history.

Fast Times at Ridgemont High

Film: Fast Times at Ridgemont High
Genre: Comedy/Teen Drama
Director: Amy Heckerling
Year: 1982
Starring: Sean Penn, Jennifer Jason Lee, & Judge Reinhold



Every generation has its own slew of high-school centric films and television shows. With todays being such trip as Beverly Hills: 90210, whatever Selena Gomez is on, and so forth. Today's media puts its focus on the more popular, and good looking of the teenagers, most likely in a marketing scheme. WELL BACK IN MY DAY, shows were normally about the regular kids, who weren't the center of attention, but were like many of the viewers: just regular kids.

Comedy classic Fast Times at Ridgemont High is one of the said tales of a generation of American teenagers, specifically for those who came of age in the late seventies, and early eighties. Many people hold this to be the quintessential high-school film, and sets the bar for any films that followed in that genre. It is my believe that it deserves such a distinction, and it still holds up today, perhaps even better than high school movies made more in recent years. The film has a grittier feel to it that today's polished, and happy-go lucky attitudes like in the High School Musical franchise, and films like Disney's Prom.

The film revolves around several different students who go to the titular Ridgemont high, and their lives though out the autumn semester. Instead focusing on one particular character, it jumps around between a group of students, following their actions across the season. Though there is no particular main character, there is a list of some whom the story rotates around more often. Brad Hamilton(Reinhold), and his sister Stacy(Lee), with the iconic surfer-stoner Spioli(Penn) appearing every now and again to lighten up the tone.

I enjoyed this film, for its subtle humor, and apparently gritty realism. Unlike films today were everything is polished and cleaned up as to not poison the mushy minds of today's youth, this film doesn't hold back. It shows teens as what they really are: people. Often media's portrayal of teens is that of a pimply faced socially awkward introvert, or as a super good looking idol who's standards are so high the general public can meet. Teenagers make mistakes, try and do the right thing, and even at times act like, dare I say it: humans. Brad and Stacy are especially synthetic characters, you can easily see yourself in their position, and deal with their personal issues, and there is just something more compelling about that, rather than having them singing and dancing about going to lunch.


Memorable Moments:

• Any of a young Nick Cage (credited as Nicolas Coppala) brief appearances.

• Whenever people mention this film the always mention Sean Penn as Spicoli, though I was surprised to find he was far from the main emphasis of the plot. But I guess he looks good on the posters.

• After years of watching Clerks: The Animated Series I understand this joke: