Captain America: The First Avenger

This was a fantastic movie! It had so much going for it and it leads in perfectly to the Avengers!
When we first got to the theater we were surprised to see that the showing we had chosen was in 3D. Don't get me wrong, 3D in certain movies (Avatar, Green Lantern) is very cool but I am getting a little annoyed that every movie is being transferred to 3D to milk the public for more money. I felt that Captain America could be just as good in 2D and was needlessly transferred to 3D. And I stand by my original conviction that this movie is great in 2D. But this was the first 3D movie which made me jump! There was a part when the shield richotes and comes straight at the screen. I jumped like a little girl! It was great!
As the 4th part in the Avengers lead up series, this film far surpasses Thor and Iron Man 2. While it was not better than the first Iron Man, its up there with the new Marvel greats.
The film is bookended with short prologues and epilogues in the present, but the real meat of this movie is in the middle set during World War II. The CGI on young Steve Rogers was incredible. To see such a huge guy like Chris Evans be a little scrawny kid was impressive. Chris Evans was backed up by a great supporting cast. Tommy Lee Jones was very funny and played his role well. Dr. Erskin played by Stanley Tucci did an excellent job as tutor and victim. Sebastian Stan was decent as Bucky. As a movie goer you will enjoy his role. As a comic book fan you may feel a little cheated as Bucky Barnes becomes such a huge character in the Captain America universe. Hugo Weaving was an incredible Red Skull. The make up was a massive improvement over the 1991 Captain America movie. It was even cool to see Dum Dum Doogan played by Neal McDonough. Dominic Cooper was like a young Tony Stark and it was neat to see that arrogance was a family trait!
The end was very impressive bringing in Nick Fury to recruit the future leader of the Avengers. Make sure you stay after the credits!!! While there is no additional scene leading into the Avengers, there is about a 1:30 teaser trailer that showcases next summer's huge blockbuster!!
I have to say this is a close 2nd to X-Men First Class for best Comic Book movie this year! The action was plentiful and throughout the whole movie. The comedy was light and not too much. Definitely go see this movie and get pumped up for next summer!

Horrible Bosses

Horrible Bosses adds to the great comedies of the summer (Bridesmaids and Hangover 2). After a disappointing watch of Bad Teacher I was all but ready to call Bridesmaids the hit of the summer and while Horrible Bosses does not top the all female Hangover-esque comedy, it comes pretty darn close. I would say it is neck and neck with the second installment of the Hangover. This may come as a shock to you- 3 B-level comedians funnier than Zach Galifinakis, Bradley Cooper, and Ed Helms? Its true, Jason Bateman, Jason Sudeikis, and Charlie Day were hysterical!! Jennifer Aniston, Colin Farrell, Jamie Foxx, and Kevin Spacey all had their moments but the real stars were the three main characters looking to off their horrible bosses.
Many people have been annoyed by Jason Sudeikis in the past especially on SNL, but after him stealing the show with better lines and timing than Owen Wilson in Hall Pass he has earned his right as a lead comedian. Charlie Day who hasn't been in much other than the cult classic It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, also performed very well alongside the other two B-level veterans.
The movie never really slowed down and had many laugh out loud parts. Unlike Bad Teacher that had some very funny parts but the laughter was far and few between large sections of bad story telling and plain boredom, Horrible Bosses is solid laughs from start to finish.
Also don't forget to stay during the credits for some great bloopers!! While Brett Ratner is a disgrace to comic book movies and pretty much every other genre, he is pretty decent as a producer/director of comedies (Rush Hour Series) and does a great job compiling bloopers for some after credit laughs.
I give this movie 4 1/2 out of 5 stars. This was absolutely hilarious and I highly recommend adding this to Bridesmaids for your top comedies this summer!


Movie poster from: http://www.studiobriefing.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/horrible-bosses-movie-poster-hi-res-01-405x600.jpg