Tag Archives: Chris Hemsworth

Review: Thor: The Dark World

The_The_Dark_World_Poster1“Thor: The Dark World” is simply Marvel’s most fun movie.

Way back when, Odin’s (Anthony Hopkins) father, Bor, supposedly annihilated a race called the Dark Elves, thwarting their attempt to shroud the universe in darkness using a weapon called the Aether. Trouble is, the leader of the Dark Elves, Malekith (Christopher Eccleston), and a few cohorts abandoned their race mid-fight and managed to escape so they could get another chance to see their plan through in the future. In present day, about two years after the events of “Thor,” Thor is reveling in the success of his efforts to bring peace to the Nine Realms. However, before the Asgardians can enjoy this universal accord, the Nine Realms align, portals open, and the Dark Elves return.

“Thor: The Dark World” is easily one of Marvel’s most entertaining films. It’s got action, adventure, heart and some of the best superhero movie comedy. There are some logic issues, but the film is such a joy and thrill that the pleasure of the illusion leaves no room for misgivings.

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Review: Rush

Rush_PosterThe will and courage to compete in Formula One racing is extremely unique, but thanks to Ron Howard, Chris Hemsworth, and Daniel Brühl’s work, you can feel the fear, desperation, and passion involved in “Rush.”

Based on the true stories of racing adversaries, Niki Lauda (Brühl) and James Hunt (Hemsworth), “Rush” tracks their rise from Formula Three to Formula One where the two go head-to-head in the highly controversial 1976 season during which they battle through an unprecedented rivalry filled with bold driving tactics and life changing decisions.

“Rush” turns the feel-good sports movie subgenre on its head. There are a number of familiar elements and sentiments within “Rush,” namely Hunt’s playboy verses Lauda’s hard worker and a slew of revelatory victories, but nothing in this film can be taken at face value. It delivers the necessary common beats, ensuring it’s an entertaining piece from beginning to end, but thanks to Ron Howard’s impeccable visuals, Brühl and Hemsworth’s noteworthy performances, Peter Morgan’s beautifully layered script, and the downright rousing sound design, “Rush” offers an exceptional range of emotion.

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Review: Red Dawn

The “Red Dawn” remake has had a cloud over its head ever since MGM’s financial difficulties, the last minute enemy nationality change and the long delayed release, however, as a proponent of the 1984 original and a true believer that the story had major remake potential, some hope prevailed. I’m allowed to be optimistically naïve every once in a while, right?

It’s a typical night in Spokane, Washington, Matt Eckert (Josh Peck) desperately trying to take down the opposing team in the final seconds of a high school football game. His tendency to take matters into his own hands and “cowboy” his way into the end zone doesn’t prove effective and the Wolverines lose the game, however, that’s the least of Matt’s worries. Later that night, the town goes black and early the next morning, Matt and his Marine brother, Jed (Chris Hemsworth), wake up to North Korean bombs, fighter planes and armed paratroopers. Matt and Jed take to the mountains and hunker down in their family cabin with a few other escapees, but soon come to realize that there’s no use in merely hiding out. They have to defend their friends, family and town.

The original “Red Dawn” certainly isn’t a masterpiece, but it packs enough of a punch to get you rooting for the Wolverines. The 2012 “Red Dawn” finds some similar success, but to a far lesser degree, as the material is far too manic and illogical to support any attempts at character development.

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Review: Snow White and the Huntsman

While I was determined to judge Snow White and the Huntsman and Mirror Mirror impartially, from day one, I always had an inkling of which of the two I’d prefer. However, it turns out, even with the advantage of a little bit of bias, Rupert Sanders still couldn’t trump Tarsem Singh.

In a darker twist on the beloved fairy tale, Snow White’s (Kristen Stewart) widowed father, King Magnus (Noah Huntley), marries the beautiful Ravenna (Charlize Theron) only to find out that she’s hell bent on gaining power, even if it means taking her new husband’s life. After Ravenna murders Magnus, Snow White is banished to the dungeon. Ravenna spends her years feeding off the young and innocent to maintain her youth, but when Snow White comes of age, the only way for Ravenna to remain the fairest of all if for Snow White to die.

However, just before Ravenna can end her life, Snow White escapes and is chased into the dark forest. Desperate to have her back alive, Ravenna strikes a deal with a huntsman (Chris Hemsworth) to track her down. Meanwhile, Snow White’s childhood friend William (Sam Claflin) is all grown up as well and upon hearing that she’s still alive, he vows to rescue her.

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Review: The Avengers

When we’re getting superhero movie after superhero movie, it’s understandable to have that, “Oh, another one?,” reaction. However, in the case of The Avengers, it was unprecedented right from the start. Yes, it’s more superhero material, but this isn’t just a film that features the biggest team of super-powered crime fighters yet; it’s one that links together a number of other features and franchises and, in turn, really creates a living, breathing Marvel universe.

The Avengers kicks off at S.H.I.E.L.D. where Dr. Selvig (Stellan Skarsgård) is hard at work at the tesseract, an energy source with the power to wipe out the planet. In addition, the tesseract can act as a door to the other end of space, and that’s where Loki (Tom Hiddleston) comes in. Loki uses the device to transport himself from the other side of the universe to right there in the middle of S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters where he devastates the compound and steals the tesseract.

Having witnessed the threat firsthand, S.H.I.E.L.D. director Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) is compelled to activate the Avengers Initiative. Fury sends Natasha Romanoff (Scarlett Johannson) to recruit Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo), not for his alter ego, but to use his knowledge of gamma radiation, something that could help S.H.I.E.L.D. track the tesseract. Meanwhile, Agent Coulson (Clark Gregg) is bringing Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) into the mix and Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) is suiting up again as Captain America. Together, they’re assigned to locate and take back the tesseract.

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Review: The Cabin in the Woods

If you’ve been paying much attention to the release of The Cabin in the Woods, you’ve undoubtedly heard about how easily you can spoil the experience. Had I not known a lick of information about the feature prior to catching it, sure, the twists and turns would have absolutely blown my mind, but at the same time, I probably wouldn’t have been as excited to see the film having no conception of what was to come. Plus, even after watching all the promotional material, the full feature far exceeded every preconception I made anyway. But still, don’t worry; I’m not about to go and spoil the movie for you. This will be a spoiler-free review save for the information revealed in the trailers.

Curt’s (Chris Hemsworth) cousin has a vacant vacation house out in the woods, so why not use it? Curt rounds up his buddies, the sweet and innocent Dana (Kristen Connolly), his newly blond girlfriend Jules (Anna Hutchinson), the pot-loving Marty (Fran Kranz) and the ultimate nice guy Holden (Jesse Williams) and they all pile into an RV and head out for what should be a getaway packed with sun, sex and booze. The trouble is, they’re not as in control of their vacation agenda as they think.

Richard Sitterson and Steve Hadley (Richard Jenkins and Bradley Whitford) are hard at work at the office planning an event that could finally make their US-based office more successful than the Japan location. What do they need to do to put themselves on top? Kill the residents of the cabin in the woods.

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Interview: Cabin in the Woods’ Jesse Williams

The Cabin in the Woods is a horror-lover’s dream. As a scary movie fantastic myself, you’d think I’d be beyond thrilled to have the opportunity to interview cast member Jesse Williams about the film, but as an easily spoilable piece, it wasn’t easy to both contain my excitement and keep Cabin’s most unique twists and turns under wraps.

Williams plays Holden, one of five college kids heading out into the woods for a weekend away in a secluded cabin. While Curt, Jules, Dana and Marty (Chris Hemsworth, Anna Hutchison, Kristen Connolly and Fran Kranz) are all close friends, Holden’s a bit of an outsider, brought in by Curt to cheer up the recently single Dana. Once at the cabin, it’s all fun, booze and budding romance until a certain something turns their vacation into a bloody nightmare.

After kicking our chat off with the basics, specifically Williams’ horror movie preferences, we jumped right into the gory Cabin details. If you’re one of those folks who wants to be entirely surprised by what the full feature’s got to offer, I’d advise holding off on reading this interview until after you’ve seen the film. However, for those looking for a Cabin preview, the film’s secrets are safety hidden behind white text. Highlight at your own risk.

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Review: Thor

As someone who isn’t up-to-date on her comic book reading, these films tend to be a bit of a blur. However, lately, that sensation fades after the films’ releases. Thanks to Marvel, over the years, I’ve gotten to know tons of endlessly fascinating characters like Iron Man, Spider-Man and more. Of course there were less memorable ones like Daredevil and the Punisher, but rest assured, Thor certainly earns his place in the latter group.

Meet Thor (Chris Hemsworth), the son of Odin (Anthony Hopkins), the king of Asgard. As the aging Odin approaches the end of his reign, he must select one of his two sons, the all-powerful Thor or the magical Loki (Tom Hiddleston), to assume the throne. While Thor’s seemingly the favorite, his decision to travel to the world of the Frost Giants to violently put an end to their long-term feud with the Asgardians, leaves his father no choice but to banish him for the threat his reckless behavior poses to their people.

Thor arrives on Earth via a charged tornado, the force setting off the radars of a local cosmologist, Jane (Natalie Portman). Jane rushes out to the scene of the action with Dr. Erik Selvig (Stellan Skarsgard) and their college intern, Darcy (Kat Dennings). That’s when she literally drives her truck straight into Thor. While Thor tries to figure out the oddities of this foreign realm, Jane and her team take him to be a guy who’s just out of his mind. However, as she starts to piece together the facts of his arrival and simply get to know Thor as a man, she’s compelled to believe.

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