BEETLE'S SUPERHERO FILMS OF 2011

Hey there beetleheads!!!!! As I'm sure you already know the summer of 2011 was host to quite a few films about our favorite tight wearing do-gooders. I, your humble reviewer, made it my quest to sit through every superhero film of the summer. Now, after the successful completion of said quest, I rank the superhero films of summer 2011.

Ranking in at # 4 is the abysmally bad Green Lantern.

Yup, I was looking forward to this one quite a bit. While the first trailer failed to impress me, the newer ones actually got me psyched, then the reviews came out. While it does boast a few impressive sequences the film ends up killing itself. Hal Jordan is quickly established as an asshole who only cares about himself, how are audiences supposed to root for someone like that, seriously??? The meek nerd Hector Hammond is way more sympathetic, but he ends up being one of the main villains, so we kinda can't root for him (although there are times where we are tempted). Carol Ferris is reduced to a stereotyped love interest for our 'hero", why, because every superhero film needs a love interest (groan). Not to mention, the 3-D was unimpressive and the graphics rarely amazed. While the film manages to set up the mythology of the Green Lantern Corps. quite nicely, the film is thrown together with extremely poor direction, editing, and a god-awful script (Just about the only standout parts are on Oa, the home of the Lanterns, and even that crucial location is reduced to less than a handful of scenes). The film is a big, sloppy mess that is pretty hard to sit through, and don't get me started on the post-credit scene. In the end, The Green Lantern Corps. deserved a movie better than this. Reboot please??? 2 stars

Ranking in at the # 3 spot is Thor.

Thor was the first super hero film of the summer, and it started things out with a bang. While there is little to no plot, the graphics are the real star here. All actors do a pretty bang up here and are pretty likeable (even the villain of the film, Loki, is pretty sympathetic and comes across as a real character. His motives are completely understandable, if not a little fucked up). Anthony Hopkins puts on his best performance in years as odin, and Chris Hemsworth is great as spoiled hot-headed prince Thor who is banished to Earth after he disobeys one of his father's orders and starts a war in the process. While the stuff on Earth is a little lead-footed and boring, and the romance between Thor and Jane Foster (a typically hot Natalie Portman) feels forced and fake (She falls in love with Thor for no apparent reason other than he looks good with his shirt off) fans will be sure to find something to like here, if not the cool Norse mythological aspects, or the interesting blend of science and magic, then maybe the amazing visuals. All-in-all Thor adds up to quite an epic adventure. 3 1/2 stars

Ranking in at the # 2 spot is Captain America

Joe Johnston directs Captain America, he also directed The Rocketeer and boy does it show: both are period pieces that have a campiness about them and a fun spirit of adventure. The films beginning is one of the strongest parts as we are introduced to Steve and are given his background and get to see why he really is already a true hero, even though those around him don't know it yet. In fact, I'd dare say the strongest thing about Captain America is how they set up and handle Steve's character. He is instantly likeable and relateable. He may be weak, but he's got one strong set of values and damn is it hard not to fall in love with him (no homo). He is a kid that just wants to serve his country, he doesn't want to kill anyone, and he respects his country so much that he gets into a fight with someone because they were mocking some news reels about the war. Another strong character is Steve's lady friend Peggy Carter (Played by Hayley Atwell), she is one of the higher ups in the military that immediately takes a liking to Steve. She is very witty and has a somewhat tough exterior but as the film continues forward we see that start to melt. Her standout scene is when she enters a restaurant in a red dress, I dare you not to look at her in that thing. Unfortunately, this film does have a weak point and that is the Nazi elements. Hydra (a special faction of the Nazi party) are neither much threatening or scary, Hugo Weaving isn't given much to do except to scowl and try and look menacing, and the films macguffin (The Cosmic Cube) isn't explained all that well and it's power is never fully defined, thus every time the story focuses on the Nazis I grew bored. Despite this though, Captain America is still one super film. It manages to please the comic nerds by throwing in neat little details from previous films and the comics (Bucky, Stark Con, Black Widow, etc.) while also serving as wish fulfillment for any nerdy weakling that has ever been picked on and put down. I'd say it's on par with Iron Man, it's nothing we haven't seen before but it's in the handling of the material that makes this film great! 4 stars

And the # 1 superhero film of the summer is X-Men First Class

I wasn't particularly looking forward to this film. To be honest, I'm not a huge fan of origin stories but I'll be damned if this isn't the best one I've seen....EVER. It manages to explain just about everything I wanted an answer to without feeling crammed. What really impressed me though, is that the explanations it gave actually made sense. First class takes place in the 60s and the look, feel, and language of the film is shaped by that era. It really is a neat period piece that incorporates elements from Inglourious Bastards, spy films, and superhero films. In other words, it's one groovy hybrid. Surprisingly, one of the easiest characters to root for was Magneto (Michael Fassbender) who is back in Inglourious Basterds mode here. He gets a neat backstory, and does most of the ass-kicking in the film. Another neat character is Charles Xavier (James McAvoy) who is pretty smart, but uses his wits and charm as a way to woo ladies and to raise mutant awareness. The leading lady (of sorts) in this film is the incredibly hot Mystique (Jenniffer Lawrence, who pretty much gets a full frontal nude scene in one scene where she is blue) she is kind of like Xavier's sister, but she wants to mean more to him than just that. There is also the feeling that there is real bond of friendship between Professor X and Magneto, this in itself makes the film that much stronger. Overall, X-Men First Class is a well-rounded, supremely well-done film and even though Kevin Bacons antagonist may be a little bit too cheesy for my tastes, that still does not take away from the fun and thrills to be had here. And please, no sequels....this ones good enough to be a stand alone film. 4.5 stars

Well there you have it, The superhero films of summer 2011, I hope my rankings have helped you decide which of these films will be worth you time. I hope you had as much fun reading this post as I had writing and living it. Till next time beetleheads....STAY GROOVY.

HORRIBLE BOSSES- COMEDY OF THE YEAR???

Is Horrible Bosses the comedy of the year??? I mean any film that starts out with the song 'The Underdog' by Spoon should be good, right, especially since the song fits perfectly into the film. Sure, the trailers looked hilarious, but thats barely a way to accurately judge how funny or good a comedy will be. Take Bad Teacher for example: the trailers for that film were hilarious, but the film itself ended up being disappointingly mediocre. I had high hopes for Horrible Bosses, but I always remembered that it could easily end up being a huge unfunny flop. You can imagine my trepidation as I took my seat. Will this really be funny, or should I chalk this up as another failed attempt at comedy to the films of 2011??? So, what's my final verdict???

Horrible Bosses ended up being more than I could ever hope for. It's a cathartic release of unbridled laughter and good feelings, after all, who hasn't ever dreamed about offing that annoying co-worker or ball busting boss they have to deal with every damned day. That's exactly what Horrible Bosses is essentially about. Three pals; Dale, Nick, and Kurt have 3 of the worst bosses on Earth. One day they decide enough is enough and formulate a plan to off each other's bosses.

The thing that makes the film work is the script and the actors in it.

Jennifer Anniston is fucking HOT in this film. I've never been attracted to her before, but I'll be damned if this film hasnt changed my mind about her. Not only is she hot, but she's got some of the funniest scenes in the film. It's a riot to see what she puts poor, timid Dale through on a daily basis. I don't know about you guys, but I don't think having Jennifer Anniston constantly hunting for my dick is something to complain about.

Kevin Spacey is suitably terrifying and tormenting in his role as crazed psycho-boss, however I didn't find his performance here anything to scream to the heavens about. He does what is required of him, and he does have some LOL moments but he's probably the only more-or-less serious character in the film. There's nothing wrong with that, but there is a point in the film where he begins to take precedence over the other bosses, and that detracted from the overall experience. All I could think as his role slowly became larger and larger was: Where did Jennifer Anniston go??

Colin Farrell is hilarious as the coke-addled moron who inherits the company that Kurt works for. He's mainly in the first half of the film, and his scenes are as gut-busting as Anniston's are. He never seemed like much of a threat to be honest, with the way he was acting it's only a matter of time before another disgruntled employee put a gun to this dude's head. Still, he makes for quite a memorable semi-villain in the film.

Jamie Foxx is perfect as the man with the golden name: Motherfucker Jones. That's right, you heard me correctly his name really is Motherfucker Jones. Do I need to say anything more???? He plays a bad-ass hitman of sorts that Dale, Kurt, and Nick go to for advice and help. I really enjoyed every scene he was in as he was equal parts dead serious and hilarious, finding the right mixture of each so his character came across as balanced and real.

As great as these characters are though, the ones that make the film so damn enjoyable are Dale, Kurt, and Nick. Our three protagonists who are sort of modern day heroes to the everyman. Yes, their idiots; yes, their in way over their heads, but they have the inititaive and the drive to see their plan through all the way to the end. They HATE their bosses, I mean REALLY HATE their bosses, and who can blame them??? Sudeikis, Bateman, and Day are perfectly cast and play off each other constantly. I'd dare say alot of their scenes were probably adlibbed. They come across as real friends that have been together for a long time, and I love that. There's real chemistry there and in the end, that's the biggest selling point of the film: their chemistry.

Jason Sudeikis is great as Kurt, who's new boss is Bobby (Collin Farrell). Kurt is the smooth ladies man of the group that always knows what to say to really turn her on. It's fun to see his frustration as he tries to communicate and talk sense into moronic Bobby, who only cares about making a quick buck and firing people that make him feel uncomfortable. As he tries to explain to Bobby that this is wrong, his expressions say it all: It's like trying to talk sense into a child. He's fucking hilarious.

Jason Bateman is Nick, the center of the group and the more-or-less rational one. He works for Dave Harken (Kevin Spacey) who terrorizes Nick, teases him, and humiliates him all for his own personal enjoyment. Nick is a man who has worked hard for many years and put up with all the shit Harken has put him through, and when Harken inevitably draws the line and Nick tries to stand up for himself for the first time, seeing Harken's ruthless attitude as he claims Nick as "His Bitch" and Nick's reaction to this is a very real moment in the film that puts us fully on Nick's side and makes us hate Harken all the more. Oh yeah, and Nick is VERY funny as well.

Charlie Day is Dale, the timid and shy underling to Jennifer Anniston's nympho dentist Julia Harris. Dale is engaged to a beautiful woman. This infuriates Julia to no end, since she thinks Dale is HERS. She continually comes at him with a sexual aggressiveness that, I'm not gonna lie, actually turned me on. Scary, I know. Seeing Dale's terrified reactions to her behavior is gut-wrenchingly, slap your knee till it's red hilarious. It does make you wonder though, what do dentists do when they put you out. They could dress us up in funny outfits and make us do humiliating poses and we would be none the wiser.

Behind every great film, there is a superb script that holds everything together, and Horrible Bosses is no different. While I do suspect that there was a good amount of adlibbing going on in the film, there is still no denying that there is a strong prescence of a script here. The script by Michael Markowitz, John Francis Daley, and Johnathan M. Goldstein, and the direction by Seth Gordon pile on the laughs, but keep the film moving at an even pace for the duration of its running time. That is what makes this film so goddamned good. Yes, it's HILARIOUS, but it never runs ahead of itself or loses steam. The film moves at a consistent rate, and thank god for that.

Now we move back to my question I proposed at the beginning of the review: Is Horrible Bosses the best comedy of 2011??? Well, I'm gonna go out on a ledge here and say yes...I think it is. It's evenly paced, got strong direction, has great actors and characters, and generates a lot of laughs. As I said before, It's downright cathartic, and I'm pretty sure I've never used that phrase when referring to a comedy before. Horrible Bosses will leave you with a "Feel Good" feeling, and will keep you laughing from beginning to end, and in this age where we have witnessed a depression, where our country is currently at war, and where our personal lives have been tainted by the economic crash...well, I think what we need now more than ever is to laugh and feel good, and that's exactly what Horrible Bosses offers us: A chance to sit back and laugh for a good hour + and forget our problems. It's medicine that's candy flavored. You MUST see Horrible Bosses.

5/5 Stars BETTER THAN SEX