MEN IN BLACK 3

Directed by: Barry Sonnenfeld
Run time: 103 min

I'm not going to say that this is the best film of this year but it is fun, Rebecca Black's fun. Besides I am a fan of Will Smith since the day of Fresh Prince of Bel Air. I think he is a versatile actor, he can be funny but also deep. I like most of his movies, apart from Seven Pounds (2008) which I haven't seen until today and whoever says that he didn't deserve to be nominated as Best Actor as Muhammad Ali in Ali (2001) can just kiss Thor's flying mjolnir.

However I do not have too much expectation on the third outing of the Men in Black franchise. I mean what could a big movie sequel offer besides more explosion? But thank God this one doesn't rely on destroying New York City but a simple time travel story.

So Agent J (Will Smith) must be back in time (pun intended) to save the world and Agent K in 1969. Josh Brolin acted as the young Agent K, which is a relief since if it has to be Tommy Lee Jones in prosthetic it will be corny. It involves historical element of Apollo 11 launching and secret of Agent J's past.

Most of the charm comes from Will Smith, he saves so many flat scenes by his jokes. Most of the inside jokes from the earlier films are still intact. The ending is quite a surprise to me and explain why Agent K always having such a wooden expression towards Agent J. However the chemistry between the young Agent K and the, well, always youthful look, Agent J is still interesting to watch. The old formula of odd couple with different taste and background always work.

Will Smith hasn't lost his edge and I am still wondering how come after all this year, Will Smith doesn't age much? Is he an alien?

SHAME

Directed by: Steve McQueen
Run time: 101 min

This is a depressing anatomy of loneliness, pain and grief where even the sex scenes will make you flinch and sad. Michael Fassbender really strips down (literally and metaphorically) to show you that meaningless sex is indeed meaningless.

Brandon (Michael Fassbender) is a 30 something employee of a good company that gives him a nice apartment and lifestyle. There is no worries of food shortening or cannot pay daily bills. He lives alone all by himself and somehow the loneliness began to eat him from the inside. But no one can live alone and to kill it he has fall into the downward spiral of casual sex.

In other words he is addicted to sex and deep inside is suffering and no one can help him. Brandon lives as if he is the living corpse, no emotion with wooden expression but deep down inside he wanted a connection. He doesn't love anyone and fears need.
 
Even when his sister arrived at his loft, Sissy (Carey Mulligan) Brandon's life seem to change a bit. But it just makes Brandon more lonely. You cannot help to sympathize with Brandon's misery and somehow, through the camera angles that sometimes see Brandon from glass or reflection from other surface, the viewers got the idea that it is how Brandon see himself, distorted and unclear.
 
Shame is the second film from Steve McQueen after the acclaimed Hunger, and it has successfully show raw emotion and good story. Apart from Fassbender, Mulligan also gave a strong performance and in one scene that I think could sum up why does Brandon and Sissy are like that one quote seems to make the viewers think deeply; "We're not bad people. We just come from a bad place."

THE AVENGERS

Directed by: Joss Whedon
Run time: 142 min

Out of the ordinary I am reviewing a summer movie. Not that I rarely seen blockbuster movies but I think it is quite a strain to review it since I know, popcorn movies that can reduce your logical thinking 50% are usually not my cup of coffee. I did watch Transformers 3 which I think as a waste of time and money, Iron Man, Captain America and Incredible Hulk are fun but nothing more than that and Thor is enjoyable. So far, minus The Avengers, Thor is my favorite of the adaptation of Marvel superheroes on the screen.

So this is it, the wet dream of Marvel fan boy, where their superheroes assemble to fight the most bad ass and epic fighting that makes you think that the last 30 minutes of the film has only two page of words written but thousands of storyboard to depict the epic battle.

Make no mistake, the battle is breath taking and laden with enough explosions to make sugar rush Michael Bay excited and as Rebecca Black wisely said; fun fun fun fun and I get to chose which seat I should take! By this Whedon manages to give fan boy and non fan boy (which is me in this case) a sweet treat, or in my word a very nice escapist film.

There's no need for me to describe the story but I think it would be useful for viewers to at least watch Incredible Hulk, Iron Man, Iron Man 2, Captain America and Thor, to get the sense of the 'Marvel universe' before watching The Avengers. The jokes are fresh and well placed but the story is just so so. By assembling the superheroes, Whedon, instead of trying to make a story with an impact, tend to play safe.

Whedon could have let one superhero 'gone' and make the viewers wait for the sequel and the fate of the hero in agony. But he didn't do that, he just let the last 30 minutes felt like you just drink coffee with 10 spoon of sugar in it. There's nothing wrong in it, it is fun but after the credits rolled you feel as if it is just an escape with so so substance. The after credit scene is nice but for non Marvel fan boy (again I am pointing at myself) I have no idea who is being shown. I think google might help me.

It's not that I hope this one will have some moral message on humanity or so, but it is just slightly below my expectation. Especially since I cannot help myself putting any superhero movies with Nolan's Batman on the same table. As for me, special effects rarely daze me, but story does and I am always looking for a good story in any film of any genre.

Although it is predicted to gain some cash but the result is surprising, from the first weekend already smashes box office record by sucking US$200 million and it will increase in the coming week. The success stem from the build up to the hype of this film ever since Iron Man released and the lavish praise critics gave.

In short words; the number of epicness in this film is too damn high! And bitch please; Thor's hair (he's using Thor'eal hair products for Asgard's sake!) can beat Green Lantern's crappy ass.