A great double dose of sci-fi with PROMETHEUS and MIB3

Sci-fi is one of my favorite genres and I just watched two really good sci-fi movies. Prometheus last night and Men In Black 3 just a few hours ago. And I highly recommend both of them. Wanted to let everyone know what I thought of them. I shall begin with Prometheus.

The title ship..impessive ain't she?

Prometheus is director Ridley Scott's quasi prequel to his classic 1979 film Alien. Loaded with a top tier cast in Charlie Theron, Noomi Rapace, Michael Fassbender, Idris Elba, and Guy Pearce. About 80 years from now, some explorers from Earth head out in search of a race of beings they think may have created them. Noomi Rapace plays Elizabeth Shaw, the head scientist, who believes, this race left clues for humans to find them. Charlize Theron plays Meredith Vickers, the Weyland Company executive who comes along for the trip to make sure things go smoothly. Of course things don't go smoothly, as once the team lands on the distant planet, after some snooping around, all hell breaks loose. Let's just say several crew members get infected and then try to kill each other. 

Ummm...anyone?

The cast is superlative. Noomi is terrific as Elizabeth and is much tougher than you might expect. She has several horrific moments that she has to endure. In fact several scenes with her will cause some genuine moments of sheer terror. The other cast members are top notch too including Theron as Vickers; Elba as the captain; and Fassbender as the android Dave. He speaks with the most soft and sincere voice but is hiding a deadly secret that may cause harm to everyone else.

The inquisitive Dave

The visual effects are stunning. Some of the best I have ever scene. A great music score and top notch direction by Ridley Scott. I was quite pleased with Prometheus. Oh and there are several nods to the first Alien film including a new take on the chest bursting scene. Not for the squeamish!
B+

That's a wrap folks!

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Men In Black 3 is a cool and fresh entry in the series and it definitely improves on MIB 2.
Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones return as Agents J and K, this time they have to stop Boris the Animal (played by Jemaine Clement, who makes for a terrific new villain) from killing the younger K (played by Josh Brolin) in 1969. 

J and K are back

So J must travel back in time to help the young K stop Boris from killing him and thus averting an alien invasion of Earth. By setting this new film in the past, makes it all that much fresher. Will Smith still has game as he handles most of the jokes and gets terrific chemistry with both Jones and Brolin. 

The young K, all business

The special effects, which are a hallmark of the series, are the best yet. Some truly inventive stuff takes place on the screen and you will be just in awe. So is it better than the first Men In Black? I would say close, but not quite. But it's still entertaining as can be.
B

Boris the Animal..not a nice guy..well alien

CAPTAIN AMERICA is another winner from Marvel Studios

I keep waiting for Marvel Studios to drop the ball and release a stinker. Well they are three for three this year with Thor, X-Men:First Class, and now Captain America. The story is set in 1942 and centers on a young man named Steve Rogers (played by Chris Evans) who is repeatedly rejected for enlistment in the army due to his numerous health problems and physique. But when a scientist named Dr. Erskine (played by Stanley Tucci) recruits him for his super soldier project to turn him into the perfect weapon to defeat Hitler, he accepts. Rogers is not the first person whom Erskine has tried his experiment on. Years ago Johann Schmidt (played by Hugo Weaving) was subjected to the treatment but had a dangerous side effect as his skin was mutated into a horrible red and skinless shape. And now he is power mad to rule the world, even disobeying orders from his superior Hitler himself. He calls himself The Red Skull now. Flash forward a few years and now Rogers survives the process and gains superhuman strength, speed and endurance to become a super soldier. His initial training sequences while he is still the scrawny recruit under Colonel Chester Phillips (a scene stealing performance by Tommy Lee Jones) are priceless. Rogers also catches the eye of British agent Peggy Carter (played by Hayley Atwell who shines in a great role). Also on board is Howard Stark , yes Tony Stark's dead. He is played by Dominic Cooper and like father like son, has a weakness for the ladies and drink.

The first half of the movie is structured as the origin and more plot driven before it gives way to the action packed second half. Not to say the first half doesn't have action. There is an exciting chase sequence by Rogers after some enemy agents who have destroyed the location of the super soldier research building. Rogers is at first kind of worried and unsure that he can become the hero we all know he can be. So a lot of his early scenes are him learning on the go. Very comparable to Peter Parker/Spider-Man.

When he finally dons the uniform of Captain America, awesome and indestructible shield included, you can't help but swell up inside and say here we go. His fight scenes with Hydra agents and then finally The Red Skull himself are pretty intense. But this movie is more than just about the action. The budding and tender romance between Steve and Peggy is not normally seen in a comic book movie and it is very well done. You really care and hope that these two will hook up. The finale wraps up with a slam bang aerial showdown aboard Red Skull's huge aircraft as he intends to strike multiple targets all over the world with it's destructive power.

This was pure comic book bliss and the ending sets up the forth coming Avengers movie perfectly. As Cap will be joined by fellow heroes Thor, Iron Man, Hulk, Black Widow, Hawkeye under the guidance of Nick Fury (once again played by Samuel L. Jackson). AVENGERS ASSEMBLE! But we have to wait until next year for that. In the meantime we can enjoy Captain America till our hearts content.
B+

Action Movie For The Day - BLOWN AWAY (1994): Expect lots of fireworks...

A movie most appropriate for the July 4th weekend is 1994's Blown Away which centers on a mad Irish bomber named Ryan Gaerity (Tommy Lee Jones) who escapes prison and comes to America to wreak havoc on the city of Boston and in particularly a cop named Jimmy Dove (Jeff Bridges). It seems years ago that Jimmy and Ryan were partners but once Ryan started killing innocent civilians with his bombs, Jimmy had enough and fled Ireland to come to America, leaving Jimmy to rot in prison. Tommy Lee Jones plays the unhinged bomber to the tee and crafts some wicked bombs that Jimmy must use all his considerable knowledge to diffuse.  And let me tell you something, Ryan definitely puts Jimmy through his paces. Damn! Jimmy looks exhausted pretty much the whole movie. Blown Away came out a few weeks after Speed and was seen as a carbon copy. And while Speed is the better and more enjoyable film, Blown Away does deliver all the bang you could want in an action movie. Co-starring Forest Whitaker, Suzy Amis and Lloyd Bridges (Jeff's real life dad). Check out the explosive trailer below.