When Capt. America Throws His Mighty Shield...

CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE FIRST AVENGER-2011-Marvel' s famous WW 2 hero is finally given the big budget Hollywood treatment.

Steve Rogers (Chris Evans from THE LOSERS) is a patriotic wimpy guy who tries several times to join the army but always comes up 4-F. His best friend Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan) makes it easily and goes off to war. Eventually a German doctor (Stanley Tucci) picks Rogers to be the US army's test subject in their "Super Soldier" experiment. Hugh Weaving is fine as Johan Schmidt aka The Red Skull who with his Nazi based group Hydra plans to destroy the world. He's assisted by Dr. Armin Zola (Toby Jones from HARRY POTTER AND THE DEADLY GALLOWS) looking a lot like Truman Capote.

Tommy Lee Jones is the skeptical Colonel Phillips and Hayley Atwill (the recent THE PRISONER remake) is the out of place English female officer Peggy Carter. Dominic Cooper is Howard Stark. Cap also gets help from the un-named Howlin' Commandos (Timothy McDonough as Dum Dum, Derek Luke as Gabe Jones, Kenneth Choi, JJ Feild and Bruno Ricci).

Of course it's a great action film and Evans is good in the lead role especially in his handling of the pre-super soldier Rogers. The weird twist ending features Samuel Jackson as Nick Fury. Co-executive producer Stan Lee has a cameo. Great closing credits!

Strange that this well done adaptation was made by director Joe Johnson (HONEY I SHRUNK THE KIDS, JUMANJI) after the overly gory THE WOLFMAN. Whoa! I can't wait for THE AVENGERS!

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Even A Man Who Is Pure In Heart (even in a remake!)

THE WOLFMAN-2010-This big budget gory over acted horror story is actually a kind of homage to the 1941 Universal original. (It gives credit to being "based" on the motion picture screenplay by Curt Siodmak!)

Lawrence Talbott (Benicio Del Toro with a Moe Howard haircut) returns to his native England (after living in America for many years) to investigate the disappearance of his brother at the request of said brother's fiancée (Emily Blunt). He's haunted by the memory of seeing mother's bloody corpse right after she committed suicide. His father Sir Henry (Anthony Hopkins) seems like a nice bloke but may harbor s secret. Meanwhile a werewolf terrorizes the countryside and during an attack on a gypsy camp Lawrence is bitten and "cursed". He wastes no time changing into a wolf and graphically kills lots of people. Hugh Weaving is a Scotland Yard police officer tracking him down. Rick Baker did the special make-up effects and is a victim. Also with Art Malik, Anthony Sher and Geraldine Chaplin. Del Toro was also one of the producers and the score is by Danny Elfman.

Director Joe Johnston previously made HONEY I SHRUNK THE KIDS, THE ROCKETEER, JUMANJI and JURASSIC PARK 3.

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