Review: "Hell and Back Again" is Not as Strong as It Should Be

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 33 (of 2012) by Leroy Douresseaux

Hell and Back Again (2011)
Running time: 88 minutes (1 hour, 28 minutes)
Not rated by the MPAA
CINEMATOGRAPHER/DIRECTOR: Danfung Dennis
PRODUCERS: Danfung Dennis, Martin Herring, and Mike Lerner
COMPOSER: J. Ralph
EDITOR: Fiona Otway
Academy Award nominee

DRAMA – War

Starring: Sgt. Nathan Harris and Ashley Harris with The Marines of Echo Company 2nd Battalion 8th Marine Regiment

The subject of this movie review is Hell and Back Again, a 2011 documentary from director Danfung Dennis. The film was nominated for a best Documentary Oscar in 2012.

Hell and Back Again focuses on U.S. Marine Sgt. Nathan Harris who was wounded by Taliban machine-gun fire and returns to civilian life where he must deal with a badly-wounded leg and the stress of painful rehabilitation. Over time, post-traumatic stress disorder begins to take a toll on both Nathan and his wife, Ashley Harris. The film also switches back and forth between scenes depicting Sgt. Harris’ time in Afghanistan and his life back in America.

Hell and Back Again deserves credit for offering an intimate look at a serviceman’s life both at war and at home. However, I did not find the film overall to be all that compelling, although it does have some gripping moments. Early in the movie, director Danfung Dennis records the men in Sgt. Harris’ platoon, as they attend to a wounded comrade, Lance Corporal Charles G. “Sharpie” Sharp. Later, in that same scene, a caption appears over a black background informing the viewer that the medics could not save Sharp. Then, the video returns to show several men carrying and accompanying a body bag that apparently contains the body of Sharp. This is a stunning moment that made my breath catch.

The rest of the film lacks that potency, although there are a number of moving moments. At times, Nathan Harris comes across sympathetic, but other times, he seems pathetic, even crazy. I think the director made a mistake not featuring more scenes in which the wife, Ashley, talks to the camera – by herself without Nathan.

There is a scene towards the end of the film in which this does happen. Ashley is in a Walgreens Pharmacy when she opens up about Nathan’s behavior and the state of their relationship. This moment in the film tells us more about Nathan’s state of mind at the time than the entire rest of the film.

Hell and Back Again also has many good scenes in Afghanistan that give a sense of the difficulties the Marines have in-country, and how strained their relationships are with the locals in some areas. Viewers will see that the Marines are the ones who try to make the best of a bad situation, even in the face of obstinate and (understandably) frustrated locals.

6 of 10
B

NOTES:
2012 Academy Awards: 1 nomination: “Best Documentary, Features” (Danfung Dennis and Mike Lerner)

Wednesday, May 02, 2012

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"Marvel's The Avengers" Sets Opening Weekend Box Office Record

“Marvel’s The Avengers” Scores Biggest Domestic Opening Weekend of All Time

With $207.4 Million Domestic Debut, “Marvel’s The Avengers” Grosses $654.8 Million Globally in 12 Days

BURBANK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Marvel’s The Avengers has posted the biggest domestic opening weekend of all time with $207.4 million for May 4-6, The Walt Disney Studios announced today. The Super Hero team-up crossed the $600 million threshold at the global box office in 12 days, and its cumulative worldwide box office gross is an estimated $654.8 million.

“Marvel’s The Avengers is something we’ve been carefully building toward since we began production on the first Iron Man film, and it is quite rewarding for all of us that The Avengers is appealing around the globe to both passionate fans and general audiences alike. It is a testament to all involved with this film that audiences across the board are embracing the film in this record-setting way,” said Marvel’s The Avengers producer Kevin Feige.

“Joss Whedon, Kevin Feige and the whole Marvel team have done something really incredible with The Avengers,” said Dave Hollis, Executive Vice President, Theatrical Exhibition Sales and Distribution, The Walt Disney Studios. “From the super-talented cast to the spectacular visual effects, it’s a grand slam, and we’re proud to be a part of this history-making film.”

In just three days, Marvel’s The Avengers is the fastest movie to reach $200 million domestically. The domestic debut kicked off Friday, May 4, and marks the second-highest single-day take of all time at $80.8 million, followed by record-breaking days on Saturday ($69.5 million) and Sunday ($57 million). Moviegoers gave Marvel’s The Avengers a rare and perfect A+ CinemaScore.

Marvel’s The Avengers began opening internationally April 25 and has set records as the biggest opening weekend of all time in Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, Ecuador, Central America, Peru, Bolivia, Hong Kong, Malaysia, New Zealand, Philippines, and United Arab Emirates. It opened in Russia May 3 with $17.9 million to make it the biggest Marvel opening weekend ever. It debuted in China on May 5 with $18 million over two days. Marvel’s The Avengers has now opened in all major markets except Israel (May 10), Poland (May 11), and Japan (August 17).

The film’s successful debut comes a month after Marvel and Disney announced that a sequel to 2011’s Captain America: The First Avenger will be released April 4, 2014. A sequel to last summer’s Thor is scheduled for release November 15, 2013, and the third installment of the hit Iron Man series, which has earned over $1.2 billion worldwide, will arrive in theaters May 3, 2013.

Marvel’s The Avengers is the first Marvel Studios film to be marketed and distributed by The Walt Disney Studios.


About Marvel’s The Avengers
Marvel Studios presents Marvel’s The Avengers — the team up of a lifetime, featuring iconic Marvel Super Heroes Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, Thor, Captain America, Hawkeye and Black Widow. When an unexpected enemy emerges that threatens global safety and security, Nick Fury, Director of the international peacekeeping agency known as S.H.I.E.L.D., finds himself in need of a team to pull the world back from the brink of disaster. Spanning the globe, a daring recruitment effort begins.

Starring Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner and Tom Hiddleston, with Stellan Skarsgård and Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury, and directed by Joss Whedon, Marvel’s The Avengers is based on the ever-popular Marvel comic book series The Avengers, first published in 1963 and a comics institution ever since.

Marvel’s The Avengers is presented by Marvel Studios in association with Paramount Pictures. The film was produced by Marvel Studios’ President Kevin Feige and executive produced by Alan Fine, Jon Favreau, Stan Lee, Louis D’Esposito, Patricia Whitcher, Victoria Alonso and Jeremy Latcham. The story was by Zak Penn and Joss Whedon and the screenplay was by Joss Whedon. The film is distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures.

Happy Birthday, Mom!

I don't think I can top Saturday, today, but I hope today is still cool.

Marvel's "The Avengers" is Marvelous

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 32 (of 2012) by Leroy Douresseaux

The Avengers (2012)
Running time: 142 minutes (2 hours, 22 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for intense sequences of sci-fi violence and action throughout, and a mild drug reference
DIRECTOR: Joss Whedon
WRITERS: Joss Whedon; from a story by Zak Penn and Joss Whedon (based upon the comic book created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby)
PRODUCER: Kevin Feige
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Seamus McGarvey
EDITORS: Jeffrey Ford and Lisa Lassek
COMPOSER: Alan Silvestri

SUPERHERO/SCI-FI/ACTION/FANTASY/DRAMA

Starring: Robert Downey, Jr., Samuel L. Jackson, Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner, Tom Hiddleston, Clark Gregg, Cobie Smulders, Stellan Skarsgard, Gwyneth Paltrow, Paul Bettany (voice), Alexis Denisof, Powers Boothe, Jenny Agutter, Harry Dean Stanton, and Stan Lee

The Avengers is a 2012 superhero movie from Marvel Studios. The film, which is based upon the comic book created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, stars Captain America, Iron Man, The Hulk, and Thor, all of whom have been featured in their own films. Other characters appearing include Nick Fury (who has appeared in several Marvel Studios films), Black Widow (appeared in Iron Man 2), and Hawkeye (who made a cameo appearance in Thor).

These superheroes come together to battle Loki (the villain in Thor) and his alien army that are bent on conquering Earth. The result is The Avengers, one of the best movies of the year, thus far, and a marvelous superhero spectacular that rivals the best action movies in recent memory. The Avengers more than lives up to the pre-release hype.

Exiled Norse god, Loki (Tom Hiddleston), attacks a remote research facility in order to steal the Tesseract, an energy source of unknown potential. In response, Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson), the director of the espionage agency, S.H.I.E.L.D., reactivates the Avengers Initiative, a program that will bring together individuals with extraordinary powers. There is Tony Stark/Iron Man (Robert Downey, Jr.), Steve Rogers/Captain America (Chris Evans), Dr. Bruce Banner/The Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), Thor the Norse God of Thunder (Chris Hemsworth), Agent Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), and Clint Barton/Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner).

There are problems and complications, however, the biggest being that these people don’t get along. Meanwhile, Loki has made a deal with the Other (Alexis Denisof), an alien conqueror that wants the Tesseract. In exchange, the Other gives Loki an alien army, the Chitauri, to help him conquer Earth. Can the heroes become the Avengers in time to save the world?

There is no point in waiting, so I’ll just come out an admit it. I loved this movie. I loved how the CGI Hulk has more personality in The Avengers than the character had in the two Hulk movies. I loved how when S.H.I.E.L.D.’s Helicarrier (a flying aircraft carrier) emerges from the sea, I felt overwhelmed and frightened, because it is such an enormous edifice and that moment in the movie is so gigantic. I love how truly frightening and menacing the Chitauri are.

The Avengers’ visual effects extravaganza and wall-to-wall action remind me of the second and third entries in the recent Transformers film franchise (Revenge of the Fallen and Dark of the Moon), but The Avengers’ mass of sound and CGI is more purposeful towards the story than what went on in the Transformers. Still, as is the case with the Transformers movies, The Avengers’ visuals can be overwhelming.

Of the five films produced by Marvel Studios, beginning with Iron Man back in 2008, The Avengers’ is most like the two Iron Man films directed by John Favreau (who is credited as an executive producer on The Avengers). That means high production values, quality storytelling, good villains, and excellent performances all around.

There are a lot of people that I can praise for making The Avengers a movie I want to experience through repeated viewings, but I will focus on writer/director Joss Whedon. Although he has been a screenwriter and script doctor for over two decades, Whedon’s best known work has been in television, most notably the long-running TV series, Buffy the Vampire Slayer. This movie could have been too big for him, but his enormous and fertile imagination crated a movie that is actually too big for a normal-sized movie screen.

Whedon, however, emphasizes the heroes’ humanity, and how the best of them can overcome individual pettiness, as must be the case with a true superhero. Whedon manages this behemoth because he is the one who built it, keeping the weight of the film buoyant through sparkling wit and humor. But Whedon never forgets the power, the spectacle, and the all-things-awesome that make superheroes marvelous entertainment. It is not perfect; for one thing, it is a little too long, but I give Whedon credit for making The Avengers such a smash-up sensation.

8 of 10
A

Saturday, May 05, 2012

Happy Birthday, Sarah

Have a great one, cuz!

"Ultimate Avengers 2" Keeps the Fun Going

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 184 (of 2006) by Leroy Douresseaux


Ultimate Avengers 2 (2006) – DVD release
Running time: 73 minutes (1 hour, 13 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for intense action violence
DIRECTORS: Will Meugnoit and Richard Seabast
WRITERS: Greg Johnson; from a screen story by Greg Johnson and Craig Kyle (based upon Marvel Comics’ The Ultimates created by Mark Millar and Bryan Hitch)
PRODUCER/SUPERVISING DIRECTOR: Bob Richardson
EDITOR: George P. Rizkallah

ANIMATION/SUPERHERO/ACTION/SCI-FI

Starring: (voices) Justin Gross, Grey DeLisle, Michael Massee, Marc Worden, Olivia d’Abo, Nan McNamara, Nolan North, Andre Ware, David Boat, Jeffrey D. Samb, David Fennoy, Fred Tatasciore, James K. Ward, Susan Dalian, and Kendre Berry

Ultimate Avengers 2 is a 2006 direct-to-DVD animated superhero film. Featuring Marvel Comics’ The Avengers, this film is a sequel to Ultimate Avengers, which was also released on DVD earlier the same year. The film is loosely based on The Ultimates, a comic book series writer Mark Millar (Kick-Ass, Wanted) and artist Bryan Hitch.

The alien invaders from Ultimate Avengers: The Movie, the Chitauri, are back, and this time they’re plaguing Wakanda, the mysterious jungle kingdom ruled by the Black Panther ( Jeffrey D. Samb). Unable to stop them, Black Panther reluctantly searches out the help of Captain America (Justin Gross), who is familiar with the Chitauri and their leader, Herr Kleiser (James K. Ward), who wears the guise of a Nazi officer.

However, the rest of the Avengers: the Wasp (Grey DeLisle), Iron Man (Marc Worden), the Black Widow (Olivia d’Abo), Giant Man (Nolan North), and Thor (David Boat) aren’t going to stand by while alien hordes threaten the earth. General Nick Fury (Andre Ware), Dr. Betty Ross (Nan McNamara), and Dr. Bruce Banner (Michael Massee) and his monstrous alter ego, the Hulk (Fred Tatasciore) are also in play as the Avengers fight an intergalactic menace in the remote domain of the Black Panther.

After the enjoyment of the original DVD (direct-to-video) animated feature, Ultimate Avengers: The Movie, earlier this year, I was anxious to see the sequel, Ultimate Avengers II, and, for the most part, I wasn’t let down. The follow up takes a bit of time to get going because of all the backstory about the Black Panther, his land of Wakanda, and his customs, as well as backstory about Captain America’s battles with Herr Kleiser. There’s also more character drama – lovers’ quarrels, teammate squabbles, and intra-tribal disputes.

Once it gets going, Ultimate Avengers II is a treat because it’s still fun to see beloved comic book characters transform from still images on the comics page into fully animated characters soaring and battling across the small screen. Except for not getting to see another massive Hulk battle, Ultimate Avengers II is a fun second serving.

7 of 10
B+

Sunday, August 20, 2006

Ultimate Avengers: The Movie is Quite Groovy

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 52 (of 2006) by Leroy Douresseaux


Ultimate Avengers: The Movie (2006) – video/animation
Running time: 71 minutes (1 hour, 11 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for action violence
DIRECTORS: Curt Geda and Steven E. Gordon
WRITERS: Greg Johnson; from a screen story by Greg Johnson, Boyd Kirkland, and Craig Kyle (based upon Marvel Comics’ The Ultimates created by Mark Millar and Bryan Hitch)
PRODUCER: Bob Richardson
EDITOR: George P. Rizkallah

ANIMATION/SUPERHERO/SCI-FI/ACTION with elements of drama

Starring: (voices) Justin Gross, Andre Ware, Olivia d’Abo, Michael Massee, Nan McNamara, Grey DeLisle, Nolan North, Marc Worden, David Boat, and Frank Tatasciore

Marvel Comics formed a partnership with Lions Gate Film to produce direct-to-video (DVD) animated films for the home entertainment market. The first, Ultimate Avengers: The Movie, was released to DVD in late February 2006. Although the movie is entitled Ultimate Avengers, it has its origins in the long-running Marvel comic book series, The Avengers, which debuted in 1963 and was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby.

This particular animated movie is based upon and takes its story, characters, and concepts from the comic book, The Ultimates, a popular updating, re-imagining, and reworking of The Avengers by writer Mark Millar and artist Bryan Hitch, which was first published in late 2000. It also features a character created in the 1940’s by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby, Captain America.

At the close of World War II, super soldier Captain America (Justin Gross) leads American soldiers behind enemy lines to destroy a Nazi atomic weapon aimed at the United States. The Captain’s heroics, however, cost him his life as he falls from the sky after destroying the missile and plunges into the ocean depths… or does it? The American secret agent organization, SHIELD, finds Captain America frozen beneath the oceans, and the agency’s scientists, led by Bruce Banner (Michael Massee) and Dr. Betty Ross (Nan McNamara), are able to revive him.

Nick Fury (Andre Ware), the head of SHIELD, then, recruits Captain America to lead a team of surly superhero recruits, including Iron Man (Marc Worden), Thor (David Boat), the Wasp (Grey DeLisle), her husband Giant Man (Nolan North) in an all-out war against sinister alien forces that have been threatening humanity for decades. Now, the monsters are making their big aggressive move against Earth. However, as the Captain’s new team struggles to defeat their enemy, The Hulk (Frank Tatasciore) is about to crash the party.

I liked Ultimate Avengers. It’s a rollicking, high-octane adventure that rivals big budget Hollywood live action adventure movies. The visual look of the film, especially in the character design will remind some viewers of the old “G.I. Joe” animated series from the 1980’s or the “X-Men Evolution” animated series that ran for four seasons on The WB television network. The character animation is occasionally clunky – especially during quiet dramatic moments. When the characters are moving quickly and fighting, they look good. When they walk, they move awkwardly. This isn’t feature animation on the level of Disney, DreamWorks, or any of the big Hollywood studios that still do hand drawn animated features, but who would expect that level of animation from a direct-to-video cartoon?

But the film still looks quite good; except for some moments, I thought the animation was just fine. In the end, the important thing is how good this is at being superhero entertainment, and Ultimate Avengers wildly succeeds; action, adventure, fights, explosions, superhero melodrama, and cool CGI flying craft: this is good stuff. When The Hulk makes his long-awaited appearance in the third act, Ultimate Avengers hits the ceiling. Just the Hulk tearing across the screen taking on everyone is an amazing spectacle. You have to see him take on his teammates to believe how awesome a great superhero slugfest can be when it’s given the movement of film and Guy Michelmore’s near-perfect comic book movie score.

People who read comics long ago will find much in this in which to delight, although some hardcore fans will not be pleased that the film strays from the comic books in some aspects. Still, Ultimate Avengers recalls that old feeling of what it was to kick back and enjoy reading a comic book.

7 of 10
A-

Saturday, March 11, 2006