Ranking the Franchise - The Avengers

I’ve already rewatched and ranked the “Iron Man” and “Thor” series, so now it’s time for the assembly: The Avengers. And however I did rewatch them, again, it’s not a punishment because all the movies have so much to love. If I had to rank all the MCU movies, they would probably all make it to my top 10. But just between the four of them, here is my official ranking (and like with “The Lord of the Rings”, there really isn’t a bad one).

4. Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)
An entertaining sequel to “The Avengers”, in which heroes Iron Man, Hulk, Thor, Captain America, Black Widow and Hawkeye, supplemented with a bunch of sidekicks, have to save the world from evil again. This time it’s Ultron, voiced excellently by James Spader. He is a runaway supercomputer that manifests itself as a robot army. The formula hasn’t changed much, especially the relativizing humor remains fun. Maybe the more calm an personal moments feel a bit out of place and take the tempo out of it, which make it my least favorite of the bunch. But I still love this film.

3. Avengers: Endgame (2019)
The creators of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which started in 2008 with “Iron Man”, promised us to end the first decade with a resounding, emotional climax. And they kept their promise. The Marvel recipe of action, drama and humor is very well-balanced. After the grim cliffhanger of “Avengers: Infinity War”, the remaining heroes do everything they can do to undo the victory of super villain Thanos. Ingenious time leaps and references to previous films give the story a ‘greatest hits’ of characters. It’s long, but for the fans an extremely satisfying farewell to an era.

2. Avengers: Infinity War (2018)
“Avengers: infinity War” was an epic film, with a lot of ambition. It did the almost impossible. Dozens of Marvel characters come together in an epic battle that has been going on a long time. In this film the Avengers and the Guardians of the Galaxy compete against their greatest opponent to date: Thanos. He wants to use the Infinity Stones to wipe out half of all life in the universe. A mission in which he spares nothing and nobody and is willing to do anything. The build-up is great and I love seeing all these different heroes from all the franchises come together.

1. The Avengers (2012)
Can you even remember being excited about the fact that the Avengers assembled for the first time, when it was still just the six of them? We’ve been spoiled with all these epic assembly battles, but when it was just Captain America, Iron Man, Hulk, Thor, Black Widow and Hawkeye these battle were epic on a smaller scale. And that this is still satisfying after seeing all those bombastic battles in the later films, make it an unforgettable film and modern day classic. I simply cannot fault this movie. Where the other three are all close to perfect, “The Avengers” that started this superhero team-up is perfection. From them meeting, trying to figure out how to work, struggling to work together, colliding and eventually saving New York City. Still my favorite of the four.

Monthly 4: April 2015

Here are my highlights for the month of april.

 

 

1. I don’t have a lot of plants. Okay, I have one. And a couple on the balcony, but nature takes care of those. So my mom said I should get some cactuses, because they are low maintenance. So I got three and I actually love them!

2. My friend Natascha gave birth to her second daughter Saar this month. She and her husband Mark already had a girl, named Caro.

3. On King’s day it tradition there are lots of flea markets. I always go to them with my mom, but never buy anything. With the exception of this year. I found two awesome DVD’s for only 1 euro each. That’s a bargain!

4. Call me a nerd, but this was my highlight this month, seeing “Avengers: Age of Ultron”. It was freakin’ awesome!!!

Top 5 Thursday: Movies I Watched for My Challenge (April 2015)

April wasn’t good to me. I didn’t watch that many new movies this month and I also didn’t see a lot of really good films either. But I did manage to make a top 5. Here are my favorite movies I watched this month for my challenge.

5. Nightmares and Dreamscapes

This wasn’t just one movie, it was a series of eight short films based on stories by Stephen King. Especially the stories with William Hurt, William H. Macy and Tom Berenger were really good. A fun time!

 

 

4. Brooklyn’s Finest

The fact that it was the same director as “Training Day” made me watch this movie. I enjoyed it, I always like movies with multiple storylines. Richard Gere did a good job, he showed us a different side of himself.

 

 

3. Oculus

I thought it was going to be another one of those cheesy horror flicks with a haunted house. Well, it was better than that. The acting was great, especially Katee Sackhoff. The movie had some good jump scares and was pretty clever. It surprised me.

 

 

2. An American Werewolf in London

A horror cult classic. I can’t believe I hadn’t seen it before. That transformation scene really amazed me, it looks so good. Especially for that time. It’s a great horror movie with humor here and there.

 

 

1. Avengers: Age of Ultron

This was one of the movies I was really looking forward to this year. And it didn’t disappoint me at all. I prefer the first, but only a little bit. Wonderful action sequences, vibrant characters and great acting. I want to see it again, right now actually…

 

 

They Almost Made the Top 5: Divergent, The Expendables 3

100 Movie Challenge 2015 - # 53: Avengers: Age of Ultron

Director: Joss Whedon

Genre: Action/ Science Fiction/ Adventure

Runtime: 141 minutes

Year: 2015

Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans,Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Scarlett Johannson, Jeremy Renner, James SPader, Samuel L. Jackson, Coby Smulders, Don Cheadle, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Elizabeth Olsen, Paul Bettany, Anthony Mackie, Hayley Atwell, Stellan Skarsgard, Claudia Kim, Thomas Kretschmann, Andy Serkis, Linda Cardellini

Description: When Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) tries to jumpstart a dormant peacekeeping program, things go awry and it is up to the Avengers to stop the villainous Ultron from enacting his terrible plans.

Review: “The Avengers” was a huge success. A grand, funny, lively superhero movie with colorful characters. It was unique and exciting to see all those larger-than-life characters together in one film. And now they are back in “Avengers: Age of Ultron”, to save the world again. Will Joss Whedon succeed again? In two words: hell yeah!

We get the same ingredients: Tony Stark/ Iron Man makes sharp remarks, Steve Rogers/ Captain America tries to do everything by the book, Thor is the macho who as a God feels more majestic then the rest, Bruce Banner/ Hulk tries to control his anger and Natasha Romanoff/ Black Widow is the kick-ass chick of the group. A well-known formula with the perfect actors to play the roles. The action is out of control: fighting, flying, demolishing, lots of spectacular action scenes. The opening scene was so amazing, you are right in the middle of it all. And that action is combined very well with comedy.

The introduction of the villain, the titular Ultron voiced by James Spader, is fascinating. He is a pretty scary villain and powerful. Spader does a great job voicing the character.

Joss Whedon gave some of the characters, that don’t have standalone films yet, a bigger role then the first movie. We get to know Clint Barton/ Hawkeye a bit better and he also has some good one-liners. Black Widow doesn’t only get more physical scenes, but also gets more depth. Her connection with Bruce Banner also gets more depth. Do we need a love arch in this action packed movie? Why not, it’s only minor.

New characters Quicksilver and Scarlett Witch add, besides new cool superpowers, also an interesting dramatic and moral component to the story. They could have used a bit more depth.

With this many characters in one movie, it’s a challenge to not make it superficial or let one character overshadow another character. Whedon managed to give each character a development, more depth or a memorable moment.

“Avengers”Age of Ultron” is highly enjoyable movie. A perfect cast, a huge amount of action, fun humor. I could think of a lot of worse thing to do in 141 minutes.

Rating: 4,5/ 5

Top 5 Thursday: Movies to Look Forward to in 2015

The year 2014 is almost over and it has brought us some great movies. But 2015 is just around the corner and I’m already excited about some movies. Here are the five movies I’m most looking forward to.

 

5. In the Heart of the Sea

The trailer looks amazing and Chris Hemsworth is… well also amazing. Looking forward to seeing this cool film.

 

 

4. Avengers: Age of Ultron

“The Avengers” is one of the best Marvel movies ever made and I can’t wait to continue this wild adventure with the cool superheroes. The trailer is awesome and I’m super excited.

 

 

3. The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2

Off course this is on my list, I can’t wait to see how it ends. Well… I already know how it ends, but I want to see it on the big screen.

 

 

2. The Hateful Eight

Although we don’t know much about the movie yet, I’m also in the mood for a Quentin Tarantino movie. It’s about time that he releases a new film.

 

 

1. Jurassic World

Without a doubt this is my number one. I have watched the trailer over ten times already, that’s how excited I am. I hope I will not be disappointed, but Chris Pratt is enough to keep me happy. And that awesome dinosaur jumping out of the water!

 

 

They Almost Made the Top 5: Ant-Man, Terminator Genisys, The Walk, St. James Place (working title, official title still has to be released), Inside Out, Mad Max: Fury Road, Ted 2, Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Movie Trailer Sunday (161)

Here are this weeks trailers.

The Gambler

Description: Jim Bennett (Mark Wahlberg) is a risk taker. Both an English professor and a high-stakes gambler, Bennett bets it all when he borrows from a gangster (Michael Kenneth Williams) and offers his own life as collateral. Always one step ahead, Bennett pits his creditor against the operator of a gambling ring (Alvin Ing) and leaves his dysfunctional relationship with his wealthy mother (Jessica Lange) in his wake. He plays both sides, immersing himself in an illicit, underground world while garnering the attention of Frank (John Goodman), a loan shark with a paternal interest in Bennett's future. As his relationship with a student (Brie Larson) deepens, Bennett must take the ultimate risk for a second chance.

Director: Rupert Wyatt

Starring: Mark Wahlberg, John Goodman, Brie Larson, Michael Kenneth Williams, Jessica Lange

Trailer: Trailer "The Gambler"

Comment: Lots of fucks in this trailer.

Avengers: Age of Ultron

Description: When Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) tries to jumpstart a dormant peacekeeping program, things go awry and Earth's Mightiest Heroes, including Iron Man, Captain America (Chris Evans), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), The Incredible Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) and Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner), are put to the ultimate test as the fate of the planet hangs in the balance. As the villainous Ultron emerges, it is up to The Avengers to stop him from enacting his terrible plans, and soon uneasy alliances and unexpected action pave the way for an epic and unique global adventure.

Director: Joss Whedon

Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner, Samuel L. Jackson, Coby Smulders, Elizabeth Olsen, Aaron Taylor-Johnson

Trailer: Trailer "Avengers: Age of Ultron"

Comment: I'm so super excited right now!!!

The Better Angels

Description: The story of Abraham Lincoln's childhood in the harsh wilderness of Indiana and the hardships that shaped him, the tragedy that marked him for ever and the two women who guided him to immortality.

Director: A.J. Edwards

Starring:Jason Clarke, Diane Kruger, Brit Marling, Wes Betley, Braydon Denney

Trailer: Trailer "The Better Angels"

Comment: This looks stunning and Terrence Malick is the producer.

Insidious: Chapter 3

Description: A prequel set before the haunting of the Lambert family that reveals how gifted psychic Elise Rainier (Lin Shaye) reluctantly agrees to use her ability to contact the dead in order to help a teenage girl who has been targeted by a dangerous supernatural entity.

Director: Leigh Whannell

Starring: Dermot Mulroney, Lin Shaye, Stefanie Scott, Haley Kyoko, AShton Moio

Trailer: Trailer "Insidious: Chapter 3"

Comment: Not a movie I will watch alone.

Always Woodstock

Description: When Neurotic, struggling songwriter, Catherine Brown's life in New York City falls apart, she is forced to confront her past when she spends the summer at her childhood home in Woodstock, New York, learning that becoming successful means becoming your true self first.

Director: Rita Merson

Starring: Allison Miller, James Wolk, Rumer Willis, Katey Sagal, Jason Ritter, Brittany Snow

Trailer: Trailer "Always Woodstock"

Comment: Probably one of those guilty pleasures.