Cowboys & Aliens - Misses the Mark But Still A Good Ride

Put Daniel Craig and Harrison Ford in a summer blockbuster directed by Iron Man's Jon Favreau and you'd expect a sensation, a film with warmth, humour, drama and tonnes of pulse pounding action; well Cowboys and Aliens delivers on the action- and not much else. 

Craig plays lone gunslinger Jake Lonergan, a dangerous, solitary man afflicted with amnesia and walking through New Mexico territory in the years following the Civil War with alien technology fastened to his wrist.  In a remote western town called Absolution, Lonergan comes into conflict with the law and Colonel Dolerhyde (Harrison Ford), an embittered cattle tycoon who's seen one war too many.  Once members of Absolution's population are kidnapped in a brutal raid by alien mauraders, Lonergan and Dolerhyde lead a rag tag posse on a quest to redeem their lost loved ones.  The film climaxes in a pitched battle between the cowboys, their native american allies and the dreaded alien scourge; while Craig, and his love interest Olivia Wilde (Ella Swenson), creep through the depths of the aliens ship trying to rescue the captured townsfolk.

Not even A-list talent can rescue this film from mediocrity.  The story flows from cliche to stereotype to cliche with only the luscious visuals and dramatic action sequences keeping the audience interested. The sci fi film lovers out there might find some of the effects interesting, but there's nothing here we haven't seen before.  Cowboys and Aliens takes an inspired concept and beyond the most basic promise of lots of guns, explosions and special effects fails to deliver to the audience a movie that is more than the sum of its parts - and it could have been

Captain America: The First Avenger hits a high note

This has been a roller coaster summer for Marvel Studios with X-men: First Class garnering rave reviews and Thor leaving audiences disappointed and puzzled. But with their third offering of the summer movie season, Captain America, Marvel definitely hits a high note.

Battling a host of ailments and more than his fair share of neighborhood bullies, 98 lbs weakling Steve Rodgers tries and fails to enlist five times before being selected for a top secret program to scientifically produce America's first super-soldier. The process works and Rodgers is transformed into the perfect physical specimen; but through the evil machinations of Cap's nemesis the Red Skull, the process is forever lost and Captain America becomes not the USA's first but its only super powered infantryman. With Agent Peggy Carter and technical genius Howard Stark lending support and a team of deadly Howling Commandos backing him up Captain America takes the fight to the Nazis and challenges the rising might of Hydra.

Director Joe Johnston brings to life a slightly idyllic vision of the WWII era and perfectly frames one of the most enduring and iconic hero journeys in American pop culture. Chris Evan makes a convincing Cap. He not only packs on the muscle to fill out the star spangled avenger's iconic costume, but he does a solid job of bringing out the humanity, humility, basic decency and bullheaded bravery that makes Rodgers such an unforgettable character. Hugo Weaving reminds us why he's everyone's favorite villain, playing the Red Skull with menace enough to command our attention whenever he appears on screen. Hayley Atwell (Agent Carter) merits special mention for her work in the film, playing a compelling character carries far more weight in the plot than simply Captain America's love interest.

Summer movie fans will find themselves satisfied with Captain America: The First Avenger. It offers the action, thrills, drama and uplifting message we have come to associate with good films from the folks at Marvel. This weekend is all about Cap, and that's a good thing.

Harry Potter Deathly Hallows part 2 - hits and hits big

"It all ends," and in dramatic fashion. Audiences for this must see film are chilled with the dark visuals, the ominous soundtrack, the violence and the deaths that bring to life J K Rowling's literary creation one last time - and it is a triumph. Director David Yates commits once more to an apocalyptic mood that infects the audience with a brooding trepidation throughout. No magically teleporting toilets or flying Ford Anglia in this final installment of the movie franchise. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows dives into the deep end and packs not just magic, but real violence into this last journey into Harry's fantastic world.

The threesome of Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint once again recapture the chemstry that captivated us when we first discovered the boy from the cupboard under the stairs on screen in 1997's Philosopher's Stone. What a journey we have shared, and now we see its end in a costly and climactic clash between Harry and his evil nemesis Voldemort. The movie once again follows the trio as they hunt and destroy the horcruxes that are the key to the Dark Lord's immortality. This leads to a spectacular clash of forces around, where else, the grounds of Hogwarts.

In Deathly Hallows part 2, the deaths that haunted audiences are explained, if not justified, the betrayals are examined, and forgiven; and the romances that were consummated now blossom in the heat of war. Harry's hero's quest and the trio's journey from adolescence into adulthood comes to fiery completion. Each film in this remarkable series has done great credit to the books that inspired them and this film is no exception. In a summer movie season that's been hit and miss, as far as block busters are concerned, Deathly Hallows part 2 hits and hits big.

A new milestone in Bahamian Theatre has been achieved. Like many of our sister Caribbean countries, the Bahamas has a lively and rich culture of stage productions and Porgy and Bess has raised the bar for the future.

Dr. Cleaveland Williams (Director/Producer Nassau City Opera) assembled an array of Bahamian stars and a 40 voice chorus to realize his vision of Gershwin's acclaimed production at the Rain Forest Theater throughout Independence Week. Backed by 13 string players from Canada and retired musicians from the Royal Bahamas Police Force the Bahamian cast held audiences riveted.

The music from Porgy & Bess has worked it's way into musical consciousness of the Americas with iconic songs like Summertime, It Ain't Necessarily So and I Gat Plenty A Nuttin. Gershwin's incredible score and outstanding performances from the cast drew standing ovations from audiences throughout the week.

If you missed Porgy & Bess staged by the Nassau City Opera last week you missed a very good thing.

Transformers 3 - Must See Summer Flick

Optimus, Megatron & Bumble Bee return along with Sam Witwicky (Shia Lebeouf) and quirky former agent Simmons for the third installment of Michael Bay's Transformers franchise. In Transformers: Dark of the Moon a legendary autobot leader, Sentinel Prime (voiced by Leonard Nimoy) is rescued from an ancient crash site on the moon along with apocalypic technology. The battle for this technology drives the plot in an awe inspiring series of action sequences.

Francis McDormand takes on the role of National Security Advisor spearheading the Government's management of their alien allies while Patrick Dempsey is introduced as brand new villain in the saga. Rosie Huntington-Whiteley replaces Megan Fox as Witwicky's love interest providing a forgettable sub-plot. Let's face it, Transformers movies are all about giant robot vs giant robot and all the destruction that entails. Dark of the Moon delivers. The clash of good versus evil is epic and that is as it should be.

Michael Bay's vision is not without its flaws, however. The romance between the human hero and his love interest falls flat and much of the humor that made the first Transformers movie such a delight is lost. But whatever weaknesses the film displays are vigorously offset by the vitality and power of the director's vision and the spectacular visual effects. You don't have to be a fan of transformers to be a fan of this movie. If you're in the mood for a summer block-buster that serves up wild chases in cool cars, explosions in major metropolitan centres, end of the world stakes and sexy men and women shooting lots and lots of guns then Transformers Dark of the Moon is definitely worth the price of admission.