Random Reviews: Movies, Teasers, Trailers, Musics

What up, readers? I got to thinking that I could make it look like I'm writing more if I separate any reviews (TV shows, movies, songs, teasers, trailers, albums, etc., etc.) from my Random Thoughts blogs into their own "column." So here we are, trying this out. I'll give you a warning now, before we jump into Random Reviews: I like pop-punk music. I like superhero, fantasy, sci-fi movies. Those things make me excited. Those are the things I'm going to write about. You won't see many reviews of Oscar-bait. If you don't like my taste in music or movies, recommend me something. Because I don't want to hear you bitch about how blink-182 isn't anything to write about (yes, yes it is—just look below), because then everyone has to hear ME bitch about you bitching about it. See where this is going? I'm always down to watch a new/old/classic movie or listen to a band I've never heard of. I may wind up falling in love.

And a brief warning before we dive into it, I will be discussing Captain America: The First Avenger, which means minor spoilers and major spoilers when it comes to the after credits scene. I'll warn you again when I get to it.

—After close to a decade, and two years since announcing they were back together, blink-182 released a single, Up All Night. For those who haven't read about my love affair with Mark, Tom, and Travis, let me redirect you here for a sec. For better or worse (probably worse), these three guys impacted the way I've understood music more than any other group. I've been elated since they got back together, and dying for any information about their new album (it's called Neighborhoods and should be out mid- to late-September), let alone new songs. So I was all over KROQ's website, waiting for them to play Up All Night. And here it is for you:



I've been listening to it a lot since it came out on Thursday, July 14. My first reaction was a simple, quiet, "Oh." It's definitely blink, but with a lot of Boxcar Racer (Tom and Travis's single-album side project) in the verse and a bit of Angels and Airwaves (Tom's band) in the chorus. I listened and listened and listened. The intro and main riff just didn't click with me. The intro still doesn't. Either does the ending. At all. The riff has slowly started growing on me, but we're still a ways away from saying I dig it. I accept it. It just seems so far removed from the rest of the song. Like the verse/pre-chorus/chorus are for one song, and they pulled in this guitar to fill some space. Because I like the pre-chorus and chorus. It has the energy of blink-182. Especially the pre-choruses where we hear Mark and Tom singing together. That, more than anything, got me excited about the song. It's just nice to hear them singing together. The lyrics aren't anything to be blown away by, but they never really were known for their lyrical prowess (or musical prowess. Whatever, I love them). It's taken the song a while to grow on me. I say that as a fan of their 2003 self-titled album, which was a huge departure from 2001's Take Off Your Pants and Jacket. It's a different blink, which makes sense: People change, writing styles change, tastes change, etc. It's not a great song, or a great blink-182 song, but it IS a good blink song, and I'm more than happy to take it.

—The trailer (teaser? It's 2 and a half minutes!) for The Amazing Spider-Man was leaked and has now premiered online and with Captain America. Watch it right this instant so we can have a conversation!



I've been excited about this particular reboot for a while now. I trust the people involved. Every time a new casting choice was made, it was a great get. And really, I was sold once they announced Marc Webb as the director. Now, you can definitely argue the merits of rebooting a series that is barely ten years old. I'm not interested in that conversation just yet, although I am getting tired of origin stories, but I'd argue it makes sense in this movie since they're sticking with the timeframe immediately after the bite, as opposed to jumping ahead months or years. ANYWAYS...I like what we see. I definitely appreciate that we're seeing Peter Parker's parents. That's something barely touched upon in the comics and has never graced the silver screen.

That last sequence, from Spidey's POV? Pretty rad. I don't care about the comparisons to the video game Mirror's Edge. I care about the fact that I'm seeing through Spider-Man's eyes. At the very least, if we don't see much action like that in the film (I don't expect us to, given all the talk about practical web-swinging by the stunt crew and Marc Webb), the video game developers now know which way to go with the game. Give me that POV and the wide-open playground that was Spider-Man 2: The Video Game and I'll buy it. 

I'm also a fan of Marc Webb's approach to Peter being an outcast in high school: In this interview, Webb rightly mentions that being a "nerd" is no longer such a vehemently looked down upon thing. Knowing things about computers isn't nerdy so much as useful. And that's what Peter Parker was when Spider-Man was first created; that's what set him apart as a nerd and outcast. Marc Webb never outright mentions what they've done to maintain that, but I like the little hints we get throughout the trailer: People staring as he passes through the hallway, head down, hood up, scribbling in the classroom. It's easy to be an outcast in high school, but as I've been out for six years, I'd love to see how they're approaching it.

—At last! I tried to get the bootleg up here last week but failed (and failed, and failed one more time, just to really drive it home), so believe me when I say I've been antsy about diving into this teaser since then. And now I get to treat all of you to a very dorky, in depth analysis of the teaser. Lucky you!



The first thing that stands out to me is the voice-over: We have Liam Neeson's Ra's al Ghul, (presumed) dead leader of the League of Shadows, who trained Bruce/Batman in Batman Begins. It's important, both its context and the simple fact that it's being used. Will we see the League of Shadows go after Gotham (third time's the charm!) now that Harvey Dent is dead and the Batman is hunted? I think it's certainly possible, especially if Marion Cotillard is playing Talia al Ghul, as originally rumored. Currently, she's billed as Miranda Tate, a Wayne Enterprises board member. Liam Neeson was also billed merely as Henri Ducard, so this wouldn't surprise me at all.

The bulk of the teaser takes place in a hospital room, with none other than Commissioner Gordon. He's not in good shape. This, I did not expect. And who's he talking to? Assuming the response audio isn't being cut from another scene, he's talking to Bruce. Not Batman. On top of that, it's Bruce's voice that we hear, not the ridiculous Batman-voice. But they're talking about bringing Batman back—it's like Gordon knows Bruce is Batman. Listen to the dialogue: "We were in this together. Then you were gone." (The bold is my emphasis.) Gordon is talking to Bruce about their crusade against evil in Gotham. I want you to let that sink in. There have been moments in the comics where Bats has toyed with the idea that Gordon knows who he is under the mask, but here, it sounds like Chris Nolan is going all the way.

And what about Bane? We get some creepy close-ups of him while Gordon talks to Bruce. The real take-away, besides Gordon being in baaaaaaad shape, is that final shot, which lasts all of 1.5 seconds, of Bats, soaking wet, breathing hard, backing away, and this hulking mass coming into frame. That's Bane and that makes me excited. One need only look at the body language of the two to see that Batman is getting his ass kicked, handily, too, I'd imagine.

And now, folks, be warned. Minor and major spoilers abound below!

—I got back into my old ways Thursday night, going to a midnight show of a superhero flick (in case you couldn't tell, it was Captain America: The First Avenger). To be blunt, I had a lot of fun watching Cap on the big screen. I've always had a bit of an aversion to the really GOOD superheroes: Superman, Cyclops, Captain America. Maybe I wish I was more of the dark and brooding type, like Batman or Wolverine, because them I love. But the true and blue good guys? Never had much of an appeal. But while the credits were rolling, I genuinely wanted to be a better person after watching the erstwhile Steve Rogers. What cemented him, really, was the time we spent with him pre-super soldier serum. In case you haven't seen the movie, or don't know about Cap, here's the skinny (get it?!): Steve Rogers was a weakling that wanted to join the war effort to help fight the Nazis, but was rejected left and right because he was too small. He gets selected for a special program and BOOM! Captain America!

But what makes Cap great in this movie is how well Chris Evans plays Steve Rogers throughout. You can tell, up and down, that the man throwing the vibranium shield is the same guy that volunteered time and again at the beginning of the movie. There's a consistency of character, moral character, that's honorable and downright inspiring. As such, there isn't much growth for Cap. Take Thor, for example, from earlier this summer. At the start of that movie, he's an arrogant d-bag. By the end, a humbled hero. Here, Steve Rogers is the exact same, albeit taller, stronger, and more muscular. I'm still not sure how good or bad that is. We don't see him struggle with his new-found size and power. We do see him struggle, briefly, with how he's used by the USA, but even that's resolved quickly.

But again, this movie was a lot of fun. I enjoyed the pseudo-campiness, how they managed to leave certain things open (did the Red Skull get taken to Asgard?), and the subtle inter-connectivity to other Marvel movies, namely Thor. I've been worried about Joe Johnston's directorial abilities since the unmentionable (but watch me mention it) Jurassic Park 3, but this harkens back to his work on The Rocketeer.

Now here are some real spoilery bits about the post-credits scene: It was much less a scene and much more a teaser trailer for 2012's The Avengers. In one word? Totalnerdboner. Seriously. Thor in in his Ultimate-universe costume, talking to Tony Stark, a quick shot of Cap's new costume, Hawkeye, Black Widow, Loki...Everyone's there, except the Hulk. Bruce Banner doesn't even make an appearance. My guess? Based on the post-credits scenes from The Incredible Hulk and Thor, Loki pulls the same shenanigans he did in The Avengers #1 and makes Hulk out to be the bad guy.

Wow, that was longer than expected (that's what she said). I'll save a few other reviews for next time, like Beautiful Small Machines Robots in Love EP and whatever movie I may have seen recently.

But wait—what about that tease from facebook, to the tune of a cool life update? Well, I haven't been updated about it yet, so it'll have to wait. I will tell you it has something to do with an item I've blogged about several times in the very recent past, and that it's something that means an enormous amount to me. I'll leave you with yet another hint, and then I'll be off: If you make yourself more than just a man...