Thor (2013)- Short Movie Review

Plot Summary:

Marvel's "Thor: The Dark World" continues the big-screen adventures of Thor, the Mighty Avenger, as he battles to save Earth and all the Nine Realms from a shadowy enemy that predates the universe itself. In the aftermath of Marvel's "Thor" and "Marvel's The Avengers," Thor fights to restore order across the cosmos...but an ancient race led by the vengeful Malekith returns to plunge the universe back into darkness. Faced with an enemy that even Odin and Asgard cannot withstand, Thor must embark on his most perilous and personal journey yet, one that will reunite him with Jane Foster and force him to sacrifice everything to save us all. (c) Disney

Movie Specs:

Rating- PG-13

Sex and Nudity- 1/10 (just one gratuitous shot of Hemsworth’s ripped upper body)

Language- 1/10 (no swearing I remember)

Violence- 4/10 (Fight scenes with swords, blades, arrows and blood)

Drugs-0/10 (no drugs)

Length- 1hrs 52 mins

Review:

I try to hold back the comic fan girl in me when I watch the movie adaptations of my favorite heroes. While Thor was not on the top of my hero list, I still hoped the original plot wouldn’t be (too) massacred for the sake of Hollywood. I am glad to say that this movie had most of the things I expected in its predecessor.

The special effects were grandoise and artistic. No awkward CGI moments for me. While I commend scriptwriters’ attempts to put Thor in the forefront as the hero, his character remained blah and “jock”-ish to me. The feminist in me was disappointed that Jane Foster (Portman) was portrayed as the a weak damsel-in-distress for majority of the movie. However, I quite enjoyed Queen Friga and warrior woman Sif’s brief “superwoman” moments and hoped that their characters would be developed further…which didn’t happen. Loki (Hiddleston) was the star of this film. He is, in my opinion, the second most likable villain (behind Heath Ledger’s Joker) I have seen so far. His dry wit delivers the laughs, he provided a better demonstration of fighting skills, and his character has so many layers that you love him and hate him at the same time.

This is a movie wherein the whole is much better than its parts. While I think that it still rides the success of the Avengers franchise, this film has the elements that would delight the Marvel Movie fan base – otherworldly action scenes, awkwardly placed comedic moments, a Stan Lee cameo, a Marvel hero cameo, and special shorts at the end of the credits.

Fave Character:

Loki (So good at being bad)

Least Liked Character:

Jane Foster (I expected much more from a character played by Portman especially since she had some sort of super power in her)

Fave Quote: (NV)

Loki: Hitting does not solve everything

Fave Scene:

Queen Friga fight scene (such a whoa moment however brief)

Runner Runner (2013)

 Plot Summary:

Richie, a Princeton college student who pays for school with on-line gambling, bottoms out and travels to Costa Rica to confront the on-line mastermind, Ivan, whom he believes has swindled him. Ivan sees a kindred spirit in Richie and brings the younger man into his operation. When the stakes get incredibly high and dangerous, and Richie comes to fully understand the deviousness of his new boss, he tries to turn the tables on him.~RT

Movie Specs:

Rating- R

Sex and Nudity- 6/10 (4 sex scenes with one containing an orgy of naked women)

Language- 6/10 (peppered with profanity F***, S***, P****, etc.)

Violence- 4/10 (fist fights and not so graphic murder)

Drugs-3/10 (cigarette smoking and planting of drugs)

Length- 1hr 31 mins

Review:

Runner Runner puts Justin Timberlake up front as a smooth and intelligent Princeton graduate student who gets embroiled in the dangerous business of on-line gambling. It was supposed to be atleast a tolerable movie. However, Gemma Arterton and even Ben Affleck failed to save this flat story line. Their “poker” faces didn’t help much either

With a story line that has been used repeatedly (and more recently in the film Paranoia), you would have thought that they would go the extra mile with better twists and dialogue in this film. In an attempt to appear smart and complicated, they employed too much jargon that would fail to make the layman appreciate the verbal exchange and depend on context. After the first few blah-blah scenes, I felt that there had to be something more to Justin and Ben’s characters than the stereotypes. As the movie reached the end, I was surprised at the anticlimactic conclusion and the unidimensionality of the three main characters. I expected a more intelligent climax worthy of its espoinage theme. *sigh.

Fave Character:

Agent Shaves. His one liners delivered much needed refreshment in this bland movie.

Least Liked Character:

Richie. Single note. Justine, please stick to singing.

Fave Quote: (NV). I don’t really remember the exact words

Shavers: I’m not doing this because I want to uphold the law. I am doing this because I like messing with Princeton punks like you.

Fave Scene:

…. I can’t identify any notable scene.

Ode to the taxi driver

To you Kuya Pong. I praise you and your remaining kind. Isa kang huwarang taxi driver.

Instead of waiving me off when I told you I was going to UP (from Robinsons Manila), you smiled and told me to come in.

Instead of swerving and driving in erratic speeds, you maintained a comfortably smooth pace.

Instead of engaging in this dangerous race of beating the traffic light, you slowed down and stopped accordingly.

Instead of cursing, tsking, or complaining about the traffic, other drivers and the government, you remained calm and gave me the silence my jet-lagged senses needed.

Instead of asking for additional money because of the distance and traffic, you even attempted to give me the exact change.

When I thanked you profusely for your marvelous driving and for not charging me extra, you just said "pare-pareho po tayong nagtratrabaho at nagsusumikap."

I do not regret giving you double the meter bill. I especially appreciated how you took the money without counting it in front of me. I sincerely hope that you continue to be the way you are in this city wrought with  greed and disobedience.