An Assembly of Epic Proportions: Our Review of "The Avengers" (2012)

Directed By: Joss Whedon 

Starring: Robert Downey, Jr.; Samuel L. Jackson, Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth

Rating: PG-13 for intense sequences of sci-fi violence and action throughout, and a mild drug reference

Synopsis: When Loki (Tom Hiddleston), the evil brother of demigod Thor (Hemsworth), arrives on Earth and steals a highly valuable and dangerous source of energy that threatens to destroy the world, Nick Fury of S.H.I.E.L.D. assembles a team of superheroes - Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, Black Widow, Hawkeye and The Hulk - to fight back.

REVIEW

Andrew: Hello readers! Tonight's review is a particularly special review for Two Tickets For... One of the perks of working for The Walt Disney Company is that every now and then we get to see a sneak preview of some movies. Tonight was one of those nights, as Sarah and I were lucky enough to see Marvel's The Avengers. One of the most anticipated films of not only this year but of that past few years, I think it's safe to say we were NOT disappointed were we, Sarah?

Sarah: Not at all! It was one of the best action films that I have seen in a long time! It was as if they took all the excitement of all the separate films (Iron Man 1&2, Thor, Captain America, and The Hulk) and smushed them all together for one epic movie.

A: I think that's a pretty good description of what this movie was. But let's talk about what those awesome parts are!

S: Well let’s start with the basic look. The special effects in this movie are some of the best that I have ever seen. The motion capture technology has really done a lot for movies since it allows the actors playing computer generated characters to still be on set interacting with the other actors. 

This really helped with The Hulk. This was the first time that we saw Mark Ruffalo as The Hulk, and he really did an amazing job. The transformation from Bruce Banner into The Hulk was seamless and worked really well against the other characters.

A: I love that point about the motion capture and how it worked with Ruffalo. Much like the motion capture they used on Avatar to make the Na'vi characters look like Zoe Saldana and Sam Worthington, you could SEE Mark Ruffalo's face in The Hulk's face. It was great, as were the bad guys that start blowing up Manhattan, as were the effects to create the flying aircraft carrier that served as home base for The Avengers, as were the effects that have been perfected for Iron Man flying around.

S: The alien army was actually one of my favorite parts of the movie. They just seemed to fit so well into the universe. Sometimes when a director throws in more bad guys toward the end of a movie it can seem a little garbled, but in this case it was great. It really set up the perfect transition into a potential second Avengers movie. 

Another favorite part of this movie was the humor! The audience was laughing many times, and it wasn't just comic relief! We got the usual Tony Stark humor, but no one warned us about how funny all the other Avengers and even some of the villains were going to be!

A: I don't think we needed to be warned, because I found not only Robert Downey, Jr.'s Tony Stark to be funny in all the films he's been in, but I also found Thor to be funny and Captain America had a sense of humor at the right times. But yes, director Joss Whedon (who also co-wrote the screenplay) infused his trademark sense of humor perfectly into the characters.

Stark was hilarious per usual, and other characters had their lines as well, but my personal favorite was the humor Whedon found with The Hulk. It could have easily been cheesy to do the things they did with Ruffalo's character, but in the context of everything going on in the film it was perfect.

(Btw, this truly is a standout piece of work by Whedon and all involved. Whedon's teetering on the verge of genius in my opinion, having seen this and The Cabin in the Woods the other week.)

S: Yes, it really was a great movie. There really isn't much that we could find to complain about. This movie really brought to light a lot of other characters and a lot of their backstory. They even did a great job at bringing the audience up to speed on what all the characters have been doing in the past few years since their single movies came out. We even got to find out a little more about Black Widow and get to meet Hawkeye who becomes a stronger character than the previews alluded to. This movie could have been pretty bad; there are A LOT of famous people in this movie. History has shown that egos can really start to get in the way, and there was no lack of egos in this film, but they all played off each other brilliantly.


A: You just mentioned Black Widow and that reminded me of maybe my two favorite scenes of the film, and they just happen to have her in them. (SPOILER ALERT: IF YOU DON'T WANT TO KNOW ABOUT SOME PARTICULAR SCENES AND WHAT HAPPENS IN THEM, SKIP DOWN TO THE NEXT PARENTHESES)

The first one is after The Avengers are able to capture Loki and they're trying to figure out what his grand plan is. Black Widow goes to the holding cell and tries interrogating him to no avail, but it's Tom Hiddleston's performance as Loki that I loved in the scene. Hiddleston absolutely BRINGS it to this role - he's fiery, he's angry and the way Joss Whedon sets up his shot is perfect.

The second one is the first time Ruffalo's Banner Hulks out for the first time and chases Black Widow. Whedon shoots it like a horror movie and it's the perfect way to introduce The Hulk. It's primal, it's scary, it's exciting and Johannson and Whedon make it work. It fits in perfectly with the tone of the film when it really could have been out of place. Just talking about these two scenes makes me want to see it again.

S: Actually, I really agree with those two scenes because they're two of the strongest scenes in the whole film. They also help bring to light more of what Black Widow is other than just being an assassin. But just how she and Loki play off of each other in the scene you mentioned is incredibly revealing on both their characters.

So even though the two characters are playing each other in the scene, they're actually able to hit some of the characters' underlying issues and it brings to light how insecure Loki is and how much pain he's in, like why he's doing what he's doing.

(END OF SPOILERISH SECTION)

Now, we did have one little complaint. If you were hoping to have the same amount of screen time for every character, you will "Thor"-ly disappointed. Yes, the demigod has his screentime, but for his brother being the bad-guy and all, we thought that he would have a little more of the main story.

A: Yeah, compared to all the other characters in the film that you'd truly care about and want to see in action, Chris Hemsworth's Thor definitely gets the short end of the stick. He comes in last, he has his fair share of fighting, but other than that all the other big players get more screentime. Even Hawkeye got more time, I feel. (Not that that's a bad thing, until this film all we got of Hawkeye was his cameo in Thor.)

I enjoyed how they went into more detail about what Johansson's Black Widow does and why, her relationship with Hawkeye, and that we got more of Samuel L. Jackson's Nick Fury! Sam's been popping up here and there in all the other movies but it was well worth it for him when this film finally came around.

Now here's something that I was wondering as we were leaving the theatre, and you kind of touched on it just now with Thor getting short shrift, but what were your thoughts on the amount of story that was given to Iron Man and to Captain America?

S: That's interesting that you mention that. I definitely liked that they held a majority of the story, but I also really liked how each of the characters had their own little stories with each other. Separately, they all seemed to bond really well together. What did you think about that?

A: I don't think anyone else could have done a better job of tying together all the different characters, their personalities and the threads of their stories than Joss Whedon. At no point in this film did I feel bored, at no point was there a slow moment, and I think Whedon did a PHENOMENAL job of interweaving between the different characters especially during the climatic battle.

You will NOT be bored with this film, and if you loved or even just enjoyed all the Marvel films that have led up to it, you will enjoy The Avengers. I think this is the movie fanboys were all hoping for. I know it exceeded my expectations.

S: It exceeded my expectations as well. Alright readers, you absolutely MUST see this one of the big screen! I for one cannot wait until this one comes out on DVD/BluRay. We will be owning this one.

A: And as one last suggestion, if you haven't seen all the other Marvel movies, you don't absolutely NEED to, but it would be VERY helpful if you have seen Iron Man, Thor and Captain America. So go see The Avengers and as always, thanks for reading!

(Out of Five Clapboards)

Our Preview of This Week's New Releases (for Friday, April 27th)

Andrew: Hello readers! Last week we were too busy with a house-guest to write up our weekly preview, so we apologize if you were looking forward to what we had to say on The Lucky One or Think Like a Man.

But we're back this week, and we have a couple of films that we're actually quite looking forward to! The first of the films coming out this week that we really want to see is the new Jason Segel/Emily Blunt wedding comedy The Five-Year Engagement, isn't that right, dear?

Sarah: Yes! This one looks SO cute and funny! Now, there has been a lot of guff over the previews for this movie because some people believe that they gave away all of the funny parts. I am really hoping this isn't the case but I still want to see this one on the big screen. I believe that Segel and Blunt will really play off of each others comedy beautifully.

A: I echo that worry about them giving away too much in the trailer. That said, it's an R-rated comedy so I'm hoping there will be plenty of adult humor that we couldn't see in the green-band trailer (which you can watch below).

We love Jason Segel and while I don't dislike Emily Blunt, I'm not a fan. Maybe she can charm me in this film.

Official Trailer for The Five-Year Engagement

S: Oh but she's so funny! Well maybe she will win you over this go around. We also have THE RAVEN coming out this weekend! This dark thriller/horror movie with John Cusak/Alice Eve looks to be quite good and full of suspense. While it is questionable whether I will go see this one in the movie theaters, I do think that it looks kinda cool. And for our Baltimore readers, it should be a fun movie.

A: We have Baltimore readers? AWESOME! ;)

I'm looking forward to The Raven (and no joke, as I'm writing this, a commercial for the film is playing on ESPN so clearly its ears were burning) because I like the premise. Edgar Allen Poe helping the police find a serial killer who's M.O. is to use Poe's stories as inspiration? I'm down with that.

John Cusack’s casting as Poe worries me a little bit, but I do like him so I'm hopeful it turns out well. Oh, and The Raven's director, James McTeigue, also directed V for Vendetta so I'm hoping he carries that awesomeness over to this new film.

Official Trailer for The Raven

S: The only thing I'm worried about is that it will have a little bit of Sherlock Holmes in it. I am also a little leery of Cusack in this role, but he looks the part so I hope that helps.

Ok, next we have THE PIRATES! BAND OF MISFITS. What do you think about this one?

A: I'll put it right out there - I like pirates and I liked the 2000 film Chicken Run, which was also directed by Pirates!'s co-director Peter Lord. Lord has long been in the business of claymation films with the Wallace & Gromit series, so I expect this to be of similar quality. (Fun fact: Hugh Grant voices the Pirate Captain!)

Official Trailer for The Pirates! Band of Misfits

S: Oh yes, and it looks cute, so I think it will be a fun one, but not necessarily one we will see on the big screen.

SAFE is also one that comes out this weekend. Now, Jason Stathmen is not one of my favotrites. I find his movies all the same. But I have been hearing great things about this one. So it might be one that we see on the big screen.

A: Safe is the kind of movie where you have to know what you're going in to from the get-go. And that's a Jason Statham movie, which means there's going to be a lot of hand-to-hand combat, gun fights, outrageousness and awesomeness. From most accounts I've read, Safe might be Statham's best movie. Which ain't saying much, I know, but it means that it should be a whole lotta fun.

Official Trailer for Safe

I definitely want to see this one in theatres. So with all of that said, our final rankings for which films we're most likely to see from this week goes a little like this:

1.) The Five-Year Engagement

2.) The Raven

3.) Safe

4.) The Pirates! Band of Misfits

So be on the lookout for some of those reviews in the coming week or so, but more importantly, be on the lookout for our review of The Avengers that we'll be posting later tonight! And as always, thanks for reading!

Stand For The Silent: Our Review of "Bully" (2011)

Directed By: Lee Hirsch

Rating: PG-13 for intense thematic material, disturbing content, and some strong language - all involving kids (edited for re-rating)

Synopsis (to better serve our readers, this synopsis comes directly from the director of the film via Bully's IMDb page): This year, over 13 million American kids will be bullied at school, online, on the bus, at home, through their cell phones and on the streets of their towns, making it the most common form of violence young people in this country experience. BULLY is the first feature documentary film to show how we've all been affected by bullying, whether we've been victims, perpetrators or stood silent witness. The world we inhabit as adults begins on the playground. BULLY opens on the first day of school. For the more than 13 million kids who'll be bullied this year in the United States, it's a day filled with more anxiety and foreboding than excitement. As the sun rises and school busses across the country overflow with backpacks, brass instruments and the rambunctious sounds of raging hormones, this is a ride into the unknown. For a lot of kids, the only thing that's certain is that this year...

REVIEW

Andrew: Hello readers! Sorry that we didn't post a weekly preview this week, as Sarah mentioned in a brief post yesterday, we have company visiting this weekend and we were unable to do the preview. HOWEVER, we WERE able to get to the theatres to catch a movie we have been meaning to see for a few weeks now - the much-talked-about documentary Bully.

The controversy surrounding the content and rating of the film have been talked about for a few months now and has been making splashes both in the entertainment industry as well as the national government. And from what we saw this weekend, it was for good reason, wasn't it Sarah?

Sarah: Yes. I would have to say, this movie really bothered me. It was so in your face and blunt about this problem that has really been a big problem for years. Now that it has been brought into the light, I think that it really will be addressed more readily. What did you think?

A: I completely agree with you. The trailer bugged me when we first saw it, but that was nothing compared to the movie in its entirety. The documentary follows the stories of 5 different families who are experiencing different facets of bullying: one family deals with their 12-year-old son being socially awkward and looking different because he was born 14 weeks premature, another with a lesbian daughter in an intolerant Oklahoma town, a young girl in Georgia facing criminal charges for bringing a gun on to a school bus because she wanted to scare her bullies, and two separate families who lost a child to suicide (one a 17-year-old teen and another a 11-year-old boy).

All of these together just have a cumulative effect that REALLY got to me. The different WAYS these kids were being bullied and WHY. The areas they come from, the parents and siblings they have who support them, the school systems that DON'T.....it's such an eye-opening film.

S: The fact that these school systems and faculty did NOTHING or said that these boys killed themselves because of something other than bullying and that one representative even alluded to the parents being the cause of the deaths. I think what made it so sad is that it has to get to this point before we take a stand. 

There is one scene that is so disturbing - it's at the 11-year-old’s funeral and his best friend, also 11, is one of the pallbearers. It literally broke my heart. This movie really isn't for the feint of heart. You will cry and it will make you reevaluate where you stand on a lot of issues.

A: The scene you just mentioned with the friend of the 11-year-old boy killed me, too. Even more specifically, after that where the same boy is showing the filmmakers where the two boys' "secret hideout" was and is reminiscing about hunting rabbits...then a rabbit shows up and you see the friend stand up, smile and say "Ty and I would've been all over that"...it just floored me.

Now, some critics might say this movie is manipulative in showing all these emotional things to get the impact and reactions they want out of the viewer, but that's entirely the point. And it's not like they're manipulating the people they're filming - these are genuine reactions and emotions and conversations. It's all just naturally sad because of the content it deals with.

S: Yea I would have to say that the whole movie was remarkably sad. But it really is a movie that EVERYONE needs to see. I believe this will be a movie that will be shown in schools for years to come because it really needs to be seen by children. In the end, it's true; kids are going to roll there eyes when they are told that they need to be nicer. But if they see that children are dying because of bullying I think that they will get the message. 

Kids go through so much in their adolescence, why do they need to worry about being bullied too? It really isn't fair. If everyone just takes a stand, it will really make a difference.

A: And we should mention that there WERE kids in the theatre when we saw this. I'm very happy that their parents brought them to see it. And I agree 100%, this film is one that needs to be shown in schools every year, especially somewhere near the 5th or 6th grade when kids are just starting middle school. Would it be tough for them to watch and could their interest wane? Maybe, but they're also more impressionable at that age and are about to enter the world where it's going to get even worse.

Honestly, Bully is sad, infuriating, educational and inspirational. The last part of the film when the family of one of the boys that committed suicide starts a campaign to end bullying was so great. And some of the families that the film followed ended up crossing paths through the nature of the subject! It was truly something to watch. I'm glad we saw it, and I will never forget the name of Kim Lockwood, an assistant principal at Sioux City East Middle School, because she was absolutely pathetic in her response the bullying. I hope she lost her job because of this. She should be ashamed of how she came off in this film.

S: There are several adults in this movie that should be ashamed of themselves. I hope that people watch this movie and realize that they can make a difference in this world, whether it be bad or good. We can only hope to make a difference for the better. 

If you haven't already seen this movie, you really need to. While it did really bother me, it should. Go into this one with tissues and an open mind.

(Out of Five clapboards)

Extra: Please check out the website for Stand For The Silent, a movement shown in the film to fight against bullying.

Big News!

This week, Two Tickets For... will be going to see The Avengers this Thursday! That's ONE WEEK before it hits the big screens! We will have an exclusive review this Thursday. You gotta love when the Mr. works for the company that owns Marvel which means pre-screening tickets! We will be a little quiet this weekend, due to some company visiting, but we will be back early in the week.

This Isn't Your Average Horror Movie: Andrew's Review of "The Cabin in the Woods" (2011)

Directed By: Drew Goddard

Starring: Chris Hemsworth, Richard Jenkins, Bradley Whitford

Rating: R for strong bloody horror violence and gore, language, drug use and some sexuality/nudity

Synopsis: Five college friends go to an isolated cabin for a fun weekend. You have your jock, your hot girl, your stoner, your sensitive guy and your virginal girl. It's a scenario we've all seen before; except there's more than meets the eye at this cabin. Slowly but surely we find out why horror movie characters do what they do.

REVIEW 

Sarah: Hello again readers! Tonight I had to work, so Andrew went and saw The Cabin in the Woods by himself. He would have seen it by himself anyway since it IS a horror movie. Yeah, not a fan. So, we are going to do the old-fashioned interview review. 

Well, Andrew? What did you think?

Andrew: The short but sweet answer is: The Cabin in the Woods must just be my all-time favorite movie now that I have seen it.

Editor's Note: Even if you've seen commercials, the trailer or photos from this movie, we won't be posting any pics in this review so as to try and not give too much away.

S: Yea, but why? You have seen so many horror movies. Heck, we OWN a lot of horror movies because of you! What made this one different?

A: This one was different because it was a deconstruction of the horror genre that we haven't seen since Wes Craven's Scream, but it did it in a different way that was completely enjoyable in it's own right. As a horror movie fan (it IS my favorite genre) this film had it all - your stereotypical characters, the setting (obviously), it's fair share of gore, humor, but more importantly it's an incredible homage to horror films that came before it.

S: I had heard it being compared to Scream. So that's good because it has seemed lately that the horror genre has been acking. So here is a question...this film was filmed three years ago right? So how does the acting compare to the actors' careers now?

A: Well I think that aspect may have been a little overblown simply because of all the main actors, Chris Hemsworth (Thor) is the only one who's shot into superstardom. I know Jesse Williams has his own thing going on with his role on Grey's Anatomy but Hemsworth is the big name to come from this one. They both do a fine job. You can clearly see hints of why Hemsworth was cast as Thor.

Overall the acting is actually quite good for a horror film. I know some might say otherwise, but those people need to remember that everything done in this movie is done for an exact purpose, and so if the characters SEEM too cliché it's because they're SUPPOSED to.

Richard Jenkins (Stepbrothers) and Bradley Whitford (The West Wing) are also quite important and do a fantastic job. They had me laughing quite a bit. I know you saw Jenkins when he was on Good Morning America to promote the movie, but I urge our readers to go into this film knowing as little as possible beforehand. It will maximize the enjoyment you'll get out of it.

S: Yes, I did get a little sneak preview about some of this movie's finer points, but I kind of need to do that with horror movies. get as much information as I can because if I know the scary points, then they won't freak me out as much. 

How were the "jumpy" parts? Was there enough boo parts?

A: See that's the thing - the more I think about it the more I realized that it's really not THAT scary. Sure, there are scenes that are pretty tense and there's some boo scares that work organically or because it's all a part of the grand scheme of things. Overall though, it maybe could have been scarier. It all still works for me and doesn't lessen any of how I feel about this movie. It's still fantastic.

I think I really got more enjoyment in the mystery of the whole thing, how parts of the mystery were dispensed and how it all came together. The mixture of that, the humor and the nods to the horror genre made it incredibly satisfying for me.

S: I am so glad that you liked it! Yea, I will admit that it looked pretty good, even for a scary movie. 

So, Andrew, what would you tell our readers about seeing this movie? Is it worth seeing on the big screen?

A: If you are a fan of the horror genre you absolutely positively have to see The Cabin in the Woods in theatres. I smiled from beginning to end, and when the third-act came around I had only one thought repeating in my head: "This is the greatest thing I've ever seen."

If you're not a fan of the horror genre then it still might behoove you to see this with a group of friends in the theatre. Or when it comes out on DVD/Blu-Ray you should gather with friends, grab some beers, turn off the lights and enjoy it that way.

Regardless, The Cabin in the Woods is an instant classic addition to the horror genre. We WILL be owning it.

(Out of Five)

It's "Die Hard" but in a SPACE PRISON: Our Review of "Lockout" (2012)

Directed By: James Mather & Stephen St. Leger


Starring: Guy Pearce, Maggie Grace, Peter Stormare


Rating: PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action, and language including some sexual references


Synopsis: Ex-CIA agent Snow (Pearce) is falsely accused of murder and sentenced to 30 years in MS One - a maximum penitentiary facility in space. It just so happens that the President's daughter, Emilie (Grace), is on a humanitarian mission to the prison around the same time when a prison break occurs and she's held hostage. As a compromise, Snow is sent to MS One to save the President's daughter while also holding his own reasons for wanting to go.


REVIEW


Andrew: Mark this day down, readers, because today is a first. Today is the day Sarah and I completely disagree on a movie and we get the opportunity to play "point-counterpoint" and I'm REALLY looking forward to this.

Last night we saw the new sci-fi action flick Lockout starring Guy Pearce (Memento) and Maggie Grace (Taken). From the first time I saw the trailer for this film and it made me laugh I have been looking forward to seeing this one, and I have to say: I THOROUGHLY enjoyed it.

Sarah, on the other hand...

Sarah: Was not impressed AT ALL. Everything from the storyline to the action screamed cheesy and ridiculous. From the very first action sequence I was like, "What the..." I was just not impressed. There is a chase scene in the first sequence that really was like something straight out of a video game with Pearce poorly overlaid on the computer animation.

Pearce plays ex-CIA agent Snow and is sent to MS One to save the President's daughter played by Grace

A: Of all the things I could possibly concede to you in this review, the special effects in that opening sequence are the one thing I will give you. They're terrible, look like they were made with a video game, and they shouldn't have been allowed in a film that isn't direct-to-DVD.

That said, the rest of the special effects in the movie are actually pretty damn good. It's pretty obvious that almost all the CGI budget went towards the outer-space scenes and not that first sequence, because the space scenes were on par with Star Wars or Star Trek most of the time.

S: And I will give you that - the rest were pretty sweet even if the action left some to be desired. The storyline also left a lot to be desired. There seemed to be three different storylines going at one time and they all seemed to compete. There is Snow (Pearce) and this secret mission that is somehow connected to the CIA and Secret Service. The there is Emilie (Grace) who is going to this space prison to check out and see if tests are being performed on the inmates for deep-space travel research, THEN there is the whole all the bad guys wake up and the ship falls out of the sky thing. And NONE of these lines seem to come together in any sort of discernible logic.

A: To that I'll say I felt the three storylines actually did thread well together when all was said and done. To say why would risk spoiling the end game of the movie, which I was impressed with because my expectations FOR the plot weren't very high.

It's pretty obvious this is a "guy movie" and unapolegetically so. It has explosions, it has gunfire, it has the damsel in distress, it's about a PRISON IN OUTER-SPACE, and it has Guy Pearce playing a guy who could be a future descendent of Bruce Willis' John McClane. It's pretty clear that's what they're going for - right down to both characters having a particular fear (McClane = flying/Snow = heights), smoking (they even make a point of it to say nobody smokes in the future except Snow), and the pithy one-liners (which cracked me up).

Snow lighting one up during the chaos reminded Andrew of John McClane in Die Hard

Andrew’s Note: Guy Pearce probably saved this movie with his comedic timing and delivery. He was perfectly cast for it and I’m glad to see him in something like this. The back-and-forth between him and Grace was maybe my favorite thing about the movie.

S: NO, see HERE'S where I draw the line. A "guy" movie? I think that is crap. You and I have seen many *quote, unquote* guy movie that I have actually really enjoyed. 21 JUMP STREET could have been considered a "guy" movie but no, I really liked it and so did many other women who I know that saw it. So to give the chauvinistic line "oh it's just a guy movie" to summarize why this movie is crap is just an excuse.

The one-liners and weak story were annoying. The THREE different times when the heroes are hiding and the bad guys walk right past them, then turn around and NO ONE is there was ridiculous. The fact that when the President sends in the air strike and NONE of the pilots are like "hey maybe we should take out the guns on the station instead of just trying to weave around them" is a joke. 

This movie could have been good, really good in fact if they had just stuck with ONE storyline. They leave a little at the end, I believe in the hopes that this first one would make enough to entice a sequel, and it just leaves you kinda going, "That's it?" 

A: I'm not saying that this is a great movie, by any stretch of the imagination. Is it possible that I'm letting those things you just pointed out slide a bit because it's a Luc Besson produced movie about a prison in space? Sure. But what I'm trying to say is that if some of our readers like a cheesy action flick that can essentially be boiled down to "it's Die Hard in space," then they'll like this movie like I did. If they don't, then this isn't the movie for them.

Joseph Gilgun plays Hydell, the crazed convict who starts the prisoner takeover of MS One

S: Correction, a SUPER cheesy movie in space. And while I know you didn't think this is a great movie, the fact that you enjoyed it is enough to make me gag a little. 

So, readers, I think that it's safe to say that this isn't a movie that you should drop what you're doing and head to the theatres to see. It's probably not one that you ever really need to see, but we have finally given you a review where we really did not see eye-to-eye on this one, and probably never will. So happy movie viewing because there are some fun ones coming out over the next couple of weeks that we are excited to see!

A: I WILL be seeing The Cabin in the Woods tomorrow while the wife works, so look out for that review soon!

(Out of Five)

Our Preview of This Week's New Releases (For Friday, April 13th)

Andrew: Hello readers! It's time for our weekly preview of this week's new theatrical releases, and honestly, this has been a weekend I've been looking forward to for some time.

Sarah, can you take a guess as to why that is?

Sarah: Well, could it be because there is a movie coming out that you have only been waiting some three years for it to be released?

A: Correct! It's been almost three years since this week's The Cabin in the Woods was finished filming, which means I've been waiting that long for this highly anticipated horror film by first time director Drew Goddard.

Co-written by Goddard and Joss Whedon (of Buffy the Vampire fame and director of this summer's The Avengers) and directed by Goddard (who also wrote Cloverfield), The Cabin in the Woods is a twist on the cliche...well...teenagers go to a you-know-what film. Describe by it's writers as a "loving hate letter," it's a film that looks to put the horror genre on its head the way Scream did back in 1997. It should also be fun to finally see Chris Hemsworth in a role he finished playing before he broke out as Thor.

Official Trailer for The Cabin in the Woods

S: Well that is another one that you will be going by yourself to see. I will have to interview you when you come back from that one. Yea, not so excited for this one to come out, because it means its just another movie that I won't go see on the big screen. 

Now, while it is a big one, The Cabin in the Woods is not the only movie coming out this weekend. We also have Lockout coming out. This futuristic movie looks pretty sweet! What do you think?

A: When I first heard about this movie it was called MS One: Maximum Security, which sounded like the stupidest thing I'd ever heard. Then I watched the trailer (as you should, too, readers) and I immediately pegged this film as one we needed to see.

Written from an original idea by Luc Besson, the French director/writer/producer most famous for Leon: The Professional and The Fifth Element, the idea of a John McCLane-type tough guy having to go into a space prison to save the President's daughter just SEEMS awesome. I've heard that some of the special effects are perfect, but all I'm really looking for from Lockout is action, explosions and one-liners from Guy Pearce.

Official Trailer for Lockout

S: Yea, I am excited for this one. I think the whole "prison in space" is pretty cool. Also a big fan of Guy Pearce, so can't wait to see this one!

Now...we have to have one of the bad movies...The Three Stooges. I really am at a loss as to why people thought that this movie needed to be made.

A: Now here's the thing about The Three Stooges, when this film was first announced there was a great deal of excitement surrounding it because of who was SUPPOSED to be playing the Three Stooges: Benicio del Toro as Moe, Sean Penn as Larry and Jim Carrey as Curly. That's a film I would have seen. 

Regrettably, all three ended up dropping out and we ended up with Will Sasso as Curly, Sean Hayes as Larry and someone named Chris Diamantopolous as Moe. It's still directed by the Farrelly Brothers, but it's no longer a film I wish to see. If, for some reason we do end up seeing this film, I'd be interested in seeing how it works with it being three separate "episodes" put together. My hopes are not high, though.

Official Trailer for The Three Stooges

S: Yeah and with all of the extras, this movie is starting to become Epic Movie-esque. Just doesn’t look good. I am going to go ahead and say that we will not be wasting our money by seeing this one in theatres. 

While we are starting to get into the blockbuster season, this is kind of a quiet week. As the weeks progress though, you can be sure that we will be seeing as many movies a week as possible.

A: It might be quiet for YOU, but I'm definitely seeing The Cabin in the Woods as soon as we get back from Baltimore this weekend!

Alright readers, so to wrap up, here's the most likely order we'll be seeing this week's new releases together:

1.) Lockout

2.) The Cabin in the Woods

3.) The Three Stooges

Fair warning, we probably won't be seeing any of these films this weekend because of our trip to Maryland, but when we return we'll try to get to Lockout and I'll try to get to The Cabin in the Woods as soon as possible! Thanks for reading!