How to Train Your Dragon

Children will get it right away: A cartoon about Vikings fighting dragons? Take me. Take me. Adults, however, who may think that going to see an animated movie is strictly for kids may have a little trouble surrendering to the idea of going to see How to Train Your Dragon. Well, get over it, because everybody -- young, old and in between – will find something to enjoy in this thoroughly entertaining film about a young Viking who proves his worth to his clan by doing the unexpected and becoming friends with the Viking’s mortal enemies, the dragons. It’s not only filled with action and comedy, but the film has the kind of strong, well developed characters you just don’t find in many movies today. Of course, you wouldn’t expect less from directors Dean DeBlois and Chris Sanders, the creative team who made the classic Disney film, Lilo and Stitch. The two films actually have a lot in common: They share the same spirit of adventure, the same sense of humor and the same understanding that a film needs to be about something (in both cases, the need for family) to be truly worth watching.  How to Train Your Dragon just does it all with a lot more action.

The Warlords

Set in China during the Taiping Rebellion of the 1860s, The Warlords is filled with tons of huge action scenes, the kind that fill the screen from edge to edge with warriors on horseback charging into hordes of sword wielding soldiers while arrows darken the skies above them, all gorgeously photographed by cinematographer Arthur Wong. It’s violence raised to the level of art, and for fans of that sort of thing The Warlords is intensely satisfying. But even if you have to avert your eyes when the blood starts spattering onto the camera lens, there is a lot to love about The Warlords, thanks to a well written script and some truly strong performances from the cast. The screenwriters do a really good job of making sure that even as the action intensifies, the audience never loses sight of the fact that the people up on the screen aren’t just nameless and faceless cannon fodder. Sure, not everyone gets a full story, but enough of the supporting cast are included in the tale to keep it interesting, which also helps to support the main story about the three blood-oath brothers who lead the army into battle and the woman who is destined to change their lives more than any battle ever could.

Jonah Hex

It sounds strange to say it, given the generally bloated nature of the movies these days, but Jonah Hex needed to be longer. With a brisk running time of 81 minutes, the film never really slows down enough to give you a chance to truly understand or appreciate the characters and why they are doing what they are doing. The information is telegraphed in short burst of violent imagery and painfully inept exposition crammed between the gigantic action scenes. It’s as if the filmmakers were so anxious that people wouldn’t really appreciate the story – or the generally unlikable nature of the ‘hero’-- that they decided to deliver the highlights in cinematic shorthand and hope nobody noticed. And that’s a shame because even though he may not be as cool with mainstream audiences as other comic book characters, the facially disfigured Hex is one of the more interesting examples of the genre, from his back-story as a confederate soldier in the Civil War to his uncanny ‘gift’ of being able to communicate with the dead.

Winter's Bone

Starring Jennifer Lawrence, in a performance that’s as raw and real as any you will ever see, the film tells the story of a teenage girl named Ree (Lawrence) as she struggles to keep her family together under some truly harsh circumstances. When her absent dad gets arrested for cooking meth, he puts his house and land up as collateral on his bond without telling his family. Knowing he’s not likely to show up for his court date on his own, Ree sets out  to find him and make sure he does the right thing so she and her family don’t end up homeless. Like all great movies, Winter’s Bones is a multi-layered masterpiece. You could watch it just for the mystery of the missing father, or you could watch it just to see the phenomenal acting from the entire cast. You could view it as a searing commentary on the life of people who live on the other side of the poverty line whose only real means of survival is to make meth, or you could see it as an equally emotional story about real family values and the lengths a young girl will go to in order to preserve them. The important thing is that you see it.

Predators

The new Predators starts out with the adrenaline levels cranked up to 11 as the hero of the story, Royce (Adrien Brody) wakes up in free fall wearing a parachute that he can’t get to open until its almost too late. Other bodies – and other things – start dropping out of the sky and Royce soon finds himself the leader of a ragtag group of mercenaries ready to hunt down whoever dropped them from the sky in the first place. Fans who have been waiting almost a quarter century for a good Predator movie will be delighted with what director Nimród Antal and his cast have done with this rebooted version of the franchise; what’s even better, though, is that they’ve created a movie that will be just as exciting for a new generation of Predator fans as it was for those who were there back in 1987 when Dutch (Arnold Schwarzenegger) first declared, ‘If it bleeds, we can kill it.’

The Sorcerer's Apprentice

Based partially on a section of the 1940 Disney animated movie Fantasia (the one where Mickey steals the magicians hat and makes the brooms come to life), The Sorcerer’s Apprentice is a delightful adventure about a young nerd named Dave (Jay Burachel) whose life is turned upside down when the mysterious sorcerer Balthazar (Nicolas Cage) shows up one day to tell him he’s not only going to be an apprentice, but needs to learn magic very, very quickly if he wants to save the world from being destroyed. Directed by John Turteltaub (National Treasure), The Sorcerer’s Apprentice if filled with special-effects and action scenes, all of which look great. Of course, effects are nothing but eye candy if the story isn’t strong and the actors aren’t good enough to make it come to life on the screen, and The Sorcerer’s Apprentice doesn’t disappoint on either level. The script is well paced, with just enough snappy dialogue between the Sorcerer and his apprentice to give the movie a nice comic tone.

Superman/Shazam: The Return of Black Adam

While this DC DVD is certainly worth watching for the main story – a classic battle between the Man of Steel, Cpt. Marvel and a magical menace from the future – the real treat is in all the extras packed onto the disc. The episodes involving Jonah Hex, Green Arrow and The Spectre all appeared on Blu ray editions of past releases, but each stands on its own and it’s nice to have them collected on a single disc. Plus, there are plenty of episodes from past TV series to enhance the experience. It’s like finding a stack of cool comics and curling up with them on a rainy afternoon.