the things one forgets...

...when you haven't watched the 2009 Star Trek in awhile, and all of a sudden you're like "hey! there's Emma from Once Upon a Time!" Kirk really did have an illustrious lineage...Emma and Thor. Can't beat that combination. *wink* (And no, I haven't seen Into Darkness yet, that's happening tomorrow!)

First poster for Thor: The Dark World!

SO EXCITED. Apparently the first trailer will release next week!

Snow White & the Huntsman

Snow White is the current princess du jour, enjoying quite the resurgence in popularity with no less than three wildly varied incarnations within the last year -- as a central character in the television show Once Upon a Time and in the family-friendly flick Mirror Mirror, the latter released just a scant three months ago. Snow White & the Huntsman is the latest big-screen incarnation, and from the previews it promised to be a dark and twisty take on the familiar story, with an epic feel more akin to Lord of the Rings than the classic Disney animated film. It succeeds...to a point. To be clear, I really liked this film, but that does not mean I was immune to its many (MANY) issues. So let's discuss. :) This is apt to be LONG...

The film opens with the Huntsman (Chris Hemsworth) as storyteller, sharing Snow White's story and how her kingdom fell under the power of a charismatic evil queen. (I COULD LISTEN TO CHRIS HEMSWORTH ALL DAY.) The opening scene promises a tale surprisingly in-step with the story's Brothers Grimm roots -- a beautiful queen (Liberty Ross), longing for a child, comes upon a brilliant red rose blooming in defiance of winter's cold. Pricking her finger on a thorn, three drops of blood fall to the snow, a stark visual contrast that prompts her to wish for a child with skin as white as snow, lips red as blood, and hair as black as a raven's wing -- and this is key -- a spirit akin to the rose's defiance and strength in blooming in the dead of winter.

In time a daughter is born to the queen and her husband, King Magnus (Noah Huntley -- the older Peter in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe!), and christened Snow White (Raffey Cassidy), as physically she embodies the beauty her mother wished for prior to her birth. But more than outward beauty, Snow's mother never fails to remind her daughter that true beauty comes from within, and that is her greatest strength. But Snow's happy childhood is doomed to fail, no more playing weird games with apples with William (Xavier Atkins), her best friend and son of Duke Hammond (Vincent Regan -- Wallander, Miss Marple, Inspector Lewis, ShakespeaRe-Told), her father's closest advisor. Snow's mother dies and her father goes COMPLETELY off the rails. Conveniently the king's resulting death wish coincides with an invasion of dark knights who happen to be MADE OF GLASS, and let me tell you watching them shatter is absolutely mesmerizing. Following his disturbing easy victory, Magnus comes upon a prison wagon holding a beautiful woman named Ravenna (Charlize Theron) and is instantly smitten. Her golden hair and clothes are the complete opposite of the dark knights, so OF COURSE SHE'S A VICTIM, right?! (Let's not think about why she would be the only human in a sea of glass warriors, whatevs...) Magnus carries her off to the castle and makes plans to marry her THE NEXT DAY, because WHY WAIT, that would make sense. Silly man.

The wedding night does not go well for Magnus, as to be expected. Ravenna is no victim, she's the sorceress who used the dark knights to gain entry to the castle -- and does she ever have issues with men and power. This dichotomy between Snow and Ravenna is one of the film's most interesting points -- Snow, raised with the understanding that true beauty and strength comes from purity of heart, while Ravenna (as it is revealed later in flashback) bears the mark of her mother's conviction that beauty is her only power, a weapon to be used to avenge her mother's death and to crush her enemies. But such a curse is not without  a failsafe -- by Ravenna's fairest (innocent) blood the spell was cast, but by fairest blood it can be undone.

On that fateful wedding night, Ravenna siezes control of the kingdom and imprisons Snow, the girl's only allies -- William and his father -- barely escaping with their lives. Now I'm not entirely sure how much time is supposed to have passed (if it's mentioned in the film I can't recall) -- in the novelization it's ten years, but on the film's Wikipedia page it's fifteen -- but either way, Snow is now of age and is played by Kristen Stewart, who is wisely given very little dialogue. And here's where things start to get interesting...

Charlize Theron as Ravenna OWNS this film. Her evil queen is by far the scariest, most intense, mesmerizing incarnation of the legendary villain to every grace the screen (or my imagination for that matter). Her icy blonde beauty is the perfect foil for Snow's darker looks, and the intensity she brings to bear on this role is just incredible -- screaming, bodily thrashing around, she throws herself into this role heart and soul. That said, I wish -- oh, how I wish -- the film gave Ravenna's character more context. It isn't revealed until over halfway through the picture the source of Ravenna's power, and that is only in a hazy flashback sequence. I wanted to see what brought Ravenna to Snow's kingdom, what set her on the course to become a power-hungry queen. And perhaps most ofa ll -- who was responsible for the attack on her family that led to her mother's "gift" of the spell that would ultimately become her daughter's destruction? The idea, the set-up, of physical beauty as a weapon versus beauty and strength of spirit is nicely meted out throughout the film, but I was left wanting -- there's a lot of promise in the "twists" this incarnation of the familiar story brings to life, but all too often the development of potentially fascinating plot points are left under-developed.

So Ravenna's power is waning because Snow has finally "come of age." No longer content with consuming the youth of captured young women (I thought this was just a brilliant twist on the queen's desire to remain "the fairest one of all"), her mirror -- played by Christopher Obi (seriously, the molten mirror? AMAZING) -- advises her to consume the heart of Snow, her primary rival, and in doing so promises her immortality. Ravenna sends her brother Finn (Simon Spruell), a completely disgusting creep, to bring Snow's heart to her. (Was it just me, or did Ravenna and Finn's relationship have some disturbingly incestuous overtones? ICK.) When Finn enters her cell (and is COMPLETELY GROSS), Snow siezes her chance and slashes him with a nail, escaping her cell and barely escaping the castle with her life.

This is where Snow kind of goes off the rails a bit -- she shows little ill effects from her imprisonment. She has a surprising amount of stamina and apparently no negative psychological impact from being locked up by a psycho since she was a small child. Thanks to a conveniently available horse she makes it to the Dark Forest, a.k.a. the point of no return. Now the forest in the Disney film terrified me as a child, and I loved how the filmmakers took that concept and ran with it -- the menacing trees with their groping branches, the idea of hallucinogenic pollen increasing the terrifying visions, the concept of the forest feeding on one's fear -- all of that brilliantly played out on-screen. Indeed it is a mark of one of the film's greatest assests -- it's world-building and set design. This is a movie you can lose yourself in quite literally, and I was happy to do so for two hours. :)

With her prey loose in the forest, Ravenna requires a hunter with nothing to lose -- and enter the Huntsman, the other best part of this film when it comes to acting. I could write PAGES on Hemsworth's performance. It's riddled with angst (love me some angst!) and self-loathing -- the Huntsman is a man in need of redemption, in need of a cause, and as such he was responsible for the greatest part of my emotional investment in this film (really, this just should've been a movie about Ravenna and the Huntsman...who needs Snow? LOL). The Huntsman is all for delivering Snow to Ravenna until he meets Snow in the Dark Forest and is -- what? impressed by her desperation to live? Unaware of the value of his charge's identity, the Huntsman takes Snow to a nearby village, claiming all he wants is a monetary reward...but oh Chris, we know your type...you are not as far gone as you'd like everyone to think. *wink*

Now, prior to this film's release, thanks to the trailers and reading various summaries online, I fully expected a lot of screentime to be given to a teacher/student relationship between Snow and the Huntsman -- I was under the impression she would transform into a "warrior queen" under his tutelage. Well unless I missed something, the Huntsman teaches Snow one (1) defensive move, and by the end of the movie she is wearing armor and leading men into battle. *rollseyes* The script instead spends far too much time (especially once Snow meets the dwarves) developing this rather silly idea that she is some sort of healing, mystical savior -- there is NO context for this savior complex, it is just a given thanks to dwarf Muir's (Bob Hoskins) apparent power as a seer. I'm sorry but Kristen Stewart has the charisma of a two-by-four, I cannot buy her as a savior or warrior queen at all. She works fairly well as Snow White when she doesn't say anything, but even then that gets a bit nuts because she's mum when you expect dialogue (i.e. the concluding scene) and ridiculous when she talks (ie. the "rally the troops" speech).

So, let's try to wrap this up. INTERESTING CAST MEMBERS -- the dwarves are brought to life by a score of familiar faces. There's the aforementioned Hoskins, joined by Ian McShane (Beith), Ray Winstone (Gort), Eddie Marsan (Duir), and Toby Jones (Coll), to name a few. I confess that after a single viewing I was left rather lukewarm by the dwarves' appearance -- I enjoyed seeing the familiar faces, but was annoyed by their use as a vehicle for driving home the idea of Snow-as-savior. I wish they'd (like all the characters in this film) had been a bit better realized script-wise. I was thrilled to see Rachael Stirling as Anna, one of the women Snow and the Huntsman encounter in the village at the edge of the forest. Anna is the one who reveals Snow's true identity to the Huntsman, and she brings this tragic sort of gravitas to the role - it was espeically heart-breaking to listen to her explain how the women of her village voluntarily scar themselves in order to escape Ravenna's search for "consumable" beauty and youth. I've been impressed by Stirling's appearances in The Young Victoria, Inspector Lewis, and Miss Marple, and look forward to seeing more of her work in the future.

The adult William is played by Sam Clafin, of Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides fame, doing a lovely Robin Hood/Hawkeye impression with his bow & arrows (seriously, what IS it about archers on film lately? LOVE IT). I loved William's loyalty to Snow White, the way he goes undercover with Finn's men in order to find her, but oh how I wish he had a more charismatic leading lady to work with. OH WELL. *sigh* I was fascinated by the script's twist on the famous apple scene, and how it involved one of Snow's oldest friends -- seeing William offer Snow the apple, then realize Ravenna adopted his form, and watching her transform -- that was really well-done. Also of interest is the famous kiss, and that it is not William, whom we expect to wake Snow, that delivers it...

It is the Huntsman's kiss that wakes Snow White from the poison apple-induced slumber. From talking with a few friends I gather many viewers would prefer Snow to end up with William -- but the Huntsman's kiss certainly points in another direction (will be VERY interesting to see how these relationships play out in the sequel). Leaving aside the fact for the moment that I think both the Huntsman and William deserve other leading ladies -- working with what we're given I love the idea of Snow White and the Huntsman as a twist on the traditional princess ending up with a prince fairy tale trope. Hemsworth's delivery of the Huntsman's apology for not protecting Snow is just heart-rending, saturated in regret and "what-ifs." In principle, if not in execution, I loved the concept of Snow White making the Huntsman a better man, of two individuals from such disparate backgrounds complementing each other. I want my revised and refreshed fairy tales to have twists like this -- and having Hemsworth fill half of that equation, well that goes a long way in my book. :)

Lest you think I didn't like this film, rest assured that I did -- but there was so much unrealized potential that I couldn't help but over-analyze. *wink* (I'm actually thinking about seeing it in theaters again.) I'm not holding my breath, but if the planned sequel materializes, with more attention to story and character development, married with this film's stunning visuals and costume design (seriously, Colleen Atwood had BETTER get an Oscar nomination for her amazing work), there's a lot of potential here. I love the Huntsman character and the suggestion that he is perhaps the princess's best match -- and with the ambiguity of this film's ending, I'm VERY curious to see how this love triangle of sorts is further addressed in any sequel(s).

All things told, I'm pleased with Rupert Sanders' directorial debut. He's crafted a stunning world here, one that holds great promise for future projects. Composer James Newton Howard also delivers a score with some memorable cues -- it isn't my favorite work by the prolific composer, but it gets the job done. And if a stronger script is delivered for the sequel, I may be able to further overcome my antipathy towards Stewart as a leading lady. *wink* In any case, Hemsworth and Clafin win the day. :)

Let's end this with just ONE MORE Huntsman picture, because I really feel you can never have too many:

The Avengers

As if the freakishly hot weather wasn't a big enough clue, I guess summer is officially here with the first of the big summer blockbusters -- The Avengers. The Avengers has been one of my most anticipated films of the year, especially since Thor and Captain America gave the film such  great set-up last year. Now it's no secret I ADORE superhero flicks -- I've loved both Iron Man films, Thor, and Captain America, but with the addition of Hawkeye, Black Widow, and the Hulk, I wasn't sure how that much awesomeness could fit into one film. Taken singularly, anyone of the aforementioned denizens of the Marvel universe is more than big enough to carry their own movie, and given the action-heavy trailers for this group outing I was a bit concerned that character was going to be lost in the sea of explosions. Placing Joss Whedon at the helm of this movie was a masterstroke of genius. Whedon knows how to bring ensembles together and make you care about each of the players, and happily The Avengers is no exception. This movie is freaking AMAZING. Plenty of spoilers to follow... :)

So remember the Tesseract/Cosmic Cube thing? The Tesseract has been on lockdown in a S.H.I.E.L.D. facility under the supervision of Agent Maria Hill (Cobie Smulders), who reports to the always enigmatic Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson). Dr. Erik Selvig (Stellan Skarsgard) has been the lead scientist on the Cosmic Cube project, S.H.I.E.L.D.'s attempt (allegedly) to harness the object's limitless energy. What apparently no one realized was what, exactly, a live wire the Tesseract could be, serving as an energy portal between worlds. This is something that, of course, the exiled and angsty Loki (Tom Hiddleston) takes full advantage of, since he's the god of mischief and conniving and all.

Now I could sing Tom Hiddleston's praises from now until the end of time, I love him so much, I do  I do! :) He is such a delicious villain. I mean take his headgear -- it is ridiculous -- but Hiddleston owns it. Props to him for that. :) This time around, Loki is working on behalf of an alien race called t Chitauri. They (mustn't forget, they oddly reminded me of future predators from the TV show Primeval) want the Tesseract, and in exchange for the Cube they'll loan Loki an army so he can conquer Earth and show up his brother Thor. Yes, poor Loki really thinks that is going to work out. Bless his heart. :P Anyways, Loki is a lot of fun in this film -- all sturm and drang and stomping around (watch for the scene in Germany -- Hiddleston in a trenchcoat -- GAH I CAN'T TAKE IT). Loki destroys S.H.I.E.L.D.'s facility and in the process takes Selvig (WHY OH WHY COULDN'T HE KILL SELVIG?!) and Agent Barton, a.k.a. Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner).

Hawkeye was briefly introduced in Thor, and after seeing Renner at work in this film I have to say it is a crying shame that he and the Black Widow didn't get their own origin film (it's never too late for that, Marvel...just sayin'!). It's really quite wrenching seeing Hawkeye in thrall to Loki, however briefly...but that is more than made up for by Renner's intensity and charisma. He is absolutely delightful in this movie people, DELIGHTFUL. (What's not to like about a guy with a bow?) I love the act that the likes of Hawkeye help balance the superhero team with some sense of humanity, if you will. Hawkeye isn't a demigod, isn't a super soldier, isn't impervious to pain or harm -- he's just a badass with an extremely dangerous skill set.

Hawkeye's partner, for lack of a better term, is the Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), a.k.a. Natasha Romanoff, first introduced in Iron Man 2. I can really take or leave Johansson in most films, but I think she does an excellent job playing the icy assassin/spy. This film does a great job of adding some much-needed layers to the Black Widow's character by allowing us to see the cracks in her armor, like letting us see the impact of nearly losing Barton to Loki's machinations or almost getting squashed by the Hulk has on her psyche. I don't think it's too much of a stretch to say that Romanoff is an woman who looks on her work with S.H.I.E.L.D. as her best shot at redemption. I would love, love, LOVE a film dedicated to Hawkeye and Black Widow's pre-Avengers shenanigans. It's refreshing to see a strong female character in a film like this grappling with issues of identity and her past (as opposed to forcing a romantic hook-up, you know?).

Fury sends Natasha to bring in Dr. Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo), living in isolation, practicing medicine in India, trying to avoid turning into the Hulk at all costs. Now I've never really been all that into the Hulk, and given the fact that Hollywood has tried and tried to launch a film franchise with little success I wasn't initially very excited about the Hulk's inclusion in this film. I couldn't have been more wrong. Ruffalo is fantastic as the conflicted Banner/Hulk -- perhaps all the green guy needed was a group of other superhero types to play off of? Because the group dynamic between everyone else and the potentially loose cannon that is Banner is terrific and provides the film with some of its most entertaining, laugh-out-loud moments (of particular note is the beat-down he delivers to Loki). I do think there was a bit of a logic jump as far as the Hulk's powers go -- we go from blind rage Hulk to team player Hulk -- was that a result of Banner just applying himself during his transformations or what?

Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) is a fascinating character to throw onto a team like this -- because historically I don't think anyone is less of a team player than Iron Man, you know? I can't really complain, though, because Stark's ego and quick-witted comments (when he tells Thor he thought the demigod was playing Shakespeare in the park I could've died laughing) make my heart sing, I MEAN IT. Sarcasm of that type delivered with verve by RDJ -- it really doesn't get better than that for my snarkiness-loving-heart. *wink* It was nice to see how Stark's relationship with Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow) has mellowed him just a smidge (speaking of Potts, her cameo is just one example of what a fantastic job Marvel does ensuring continuity in their films -- I LOVE that). Also, I adored the way Stark befriends (if that's the right word) Banner -- their shared scientific background means they speak the same language -- and Stark, impossible though it may seem, actually has the insight to know how to push Banner to use his alter-ego. LOVE THAT.

Thor (Chris Hemsworth) is of course a major player seeing as it is his brother wreaking havoc on the planet where his lady love resides (sorry, I couldn't resist waxing poetic -- I love Thor's more formal, courtly manner of speaking -- it's a small thing perhaps but it helps set him apart from the rest of the Avengers). I'm so happy that this movie continued to explore the strained relationship between the Asgardian brothers...it would be so easy to just have the two fill distinct hero/villain roles, but knowing their history, seeing how Thor impossibly still seems to care for Loki (while of course wanting to throttle him) adds fantastic layers to their respective characters. Is it perhaps the fact that Thor can't seem to quite write his brother off that lends Loki the hope of some sort of redemption? Food for thought. :) Stark and Thor are definitely alpha characters on the "team," so this movie explores the struggle to find shared purpose and balance. The Iron Man/Thor introductory fight was a highly entertaining way of working out those intitial personality clashes. :)

Obviously I loved everything about this movie, but I have a special soft spot for how this movie handled the Steve Rogers/Captain America (Chris Evans) character. Seeing as how we last saw Steve waking up after a seventy year sleep to a very different world, he arguably had the biggest learning curve of the entire group. The thing that impressed me the most in his film last year was that Steve was very much an old-fashioned hero, just a nice guy with deeply held principles of honor and duty ingrained in his psyche. Whedon made the right call in choosing to tell most of the story from Rogers' perspective, as the outsider who has to come to terms with the 21st-century and his place within it. Rogers is very much a soldier's soldier, and his sacrifice at the end of last year's film cost him his brothers in arms, his family, so this film is in no small way about Rogers once again finding a sense of purpose and community. He is the very definition of selfless, so it's interesting to see how he clashes with the more self-absorbed Stark. But for all the angst the payoff during the climactic battle is a sweet one, when the rest of his Avengers cohorts cede to his battlefield expertise and look to him for command in the field.

Now, as much as it pains me I need to talk about Agent Coulson (Clark Gregg). I ADORE COULSON. He's been a constant presence throughout the Marvel films, always bringing the everyman touch to the fantastic goings-on, with snarkiness, sarcasm, and class, completely unflappable. He apparently had a thing for Captain America, and his trading card collection and unabashed fandom was a stroke of comic genius (as well as the whole horribly awkward "I watched you sleep" speech). Coulson was the very definition of team player, how much so revealed by his death. HIS. DEATH. At the hands of Tom-freaking-Hiddleston no less. This is a filmic tragedy of epic proportions in my world, people! Now I realize killing off a well-liked co-worker, basically, someone everyone on the team liked, was needed, the impetus to make this motely crew of loners a team. But that doesn't mean I have to be happy about it. *SOBS* WAY TO RIP OUT MY HEART AND STOMP ALL OVER IT, WHEDON!!! (And brings me back to the whole question of WHY COULDN'T SELVIG GET KILLED OFF INSTEAD?!)

I really enjoyed finally seeing Nick Fury in an entire film (as opposed to a teaser scene or two). One gets the impression he is extremely dedicated to his work, but not above using less than aboveboard methods to achieve his purposes (re: the trading card incident). I really hope this announced Nick Fury origin film is given the green light soon, as I'd love to know this guy's backstory, the council he is supposed to answer to (but ignores for most of this film), where he first got the idea for the Avengers Initiative. So many questions, so little time. :)

So, basically, EVERY LITTLE FLIPPING THING about this movie is just made of awesome from start to finish. Whedon did an excellent job weaving together the storylines and strengths of so many disparate, wildly dysfunctional characters into a family of sorts (Firefly, anyone? *wink*), replete with lots of humor and heart. The Avengers worked better than I ever could've dreamed -- a little slice of superhero film paradise. :) Keeping an action film character-centered is no small feat, and Whedon does an excellent job balancing the players with the action sequences. The latter are spectacular (I particularly liked the Chitauris' fishlike ships). And Alan Silvestri, who scored Captain America, provides a rousing score that given his recent history with Marvel films, provides a nice sense of continuity score-wise. With Thor 2 and Iron Man 3 scheduled for release next year, and the Nick Fury film in the pipeline, I can only hope their certain success will lead to a second Avengers film in 2014 or 2015. This formula worked so well, with the same team -- well a sequel just desperately needs to happen. Pretty please? :)

Snow White and the Huntsman - 1st trailer!

Any excuse to post this nice shiny new Chris Hemsworth poster for Snow White & the Huntsman is a good one, right? *wink*

The first trailer for the June 2012 release debuted on Apple today -- I can't find an embeddable version yet, so click through to watch the trailer on Apple.

Half Lord of the Rings, half Alice in Wonderland 2010, my first take is dark, edgy, but potentially pretty awesome. And Charlize Theron is ROCKING the Evil Queen thing! Needless to say, I'm now a tick more interested in this film than I was when I first posted about the two upcoming Snow White films last month.

Let's talk about Snow White...

Next year will see the release of two fresh takes on the Snow White fairy tale -- releasing in March, Snow White (not the final title) stars Lily Collins as Snow White and Julia Roberts as her nemesis the wicked queen, while June will see the release of Snow White and the Huntsman starring Kristen Stewart (gag...sorry, reflex) as Snow White, Charlize Theron as the queen, and Chris Hemsworth (THOR! YAY!) as her "mentor" the huntsman.

With the first film releasing in six months (I can't WAIT to see a trailer), there have been a plethora of promo images popping up around the internet, so I thought it would be fun to compare the two. :)

First let's look at Snow White and the Huntsman, beginning with the official film synopsis:

In the epic action-adventure Snow White and the Huntsman, Kristen Stewart (Twilight) plays the only person in the land fairer than the evil queen (Oscar winner Charlize Theron) who is out to destroy her. But what the wicked ruler never imagined is that the one young woman threatening her reign has been training in the art of war with a huntsman (Chris Hemsworth, Thor) who was dispatched to kill her. Sam Claflin (Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides) joins the cast as the prince long enchanted by Snow White’s beauty and power.

Sounds like a decidedly dark take on the familiar story, no? While I'm not all that thrilled with the prospect of Kristen Stewart in the lead role, perhaps she has the edge needed to make Snow White a warrior princess:

I absolutely LOVE the look of Charlize Theron as the Wicked Queen -- icy, menacing, I suspect she's relishing this role:

Now, the real reason I'm interested in this film are the two male leads (just being honest here). :) Chris Hemsworth wowed me in the the summer blockbuster Thor, and he looks to be exploring a grittier, more intense persona here that I can't wait to see on-screen:

Sam Claflin as "Prince Charmont" worries me just a bit. I thought he was adorable in Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, but with the look he's got in this promo photo he's nearly unrecognizable...can't wait to see how this works on-screen, though!

Snow White and the Huntsman also features appearances by Ian McShane, Ray Winstone, Toby Jones, Bob Hoskins, and Eddie Marsan in supporting roles.

Now, as much as I love Chris Hemsworth, at this point I'm a bit more excited about the untitled Snow White project coming in March. This just looks like FUN, people. :) Here's an excerpt from the official film synopsis:

In Relativity’s Untitled Snow White starring Oscar®-winner Julia Roberts and breakout star Lily Collins (The Blind Side), an evil Queen (Roberts) steals control of a kingdom, and an exiled princess (Collins) enlists the help of seven resourceful rebels to win back her birthright in a spirited adventure comedy filled with jealousy, romance, and betrayal that will capture the imagination of audiences the world over. The film also stars Armie Hammer (The Social Network) as the object of their affection, Prince Andrew Alcott, and Nathan Lane (The Birdcage) as the hapless and bungling servant to the Queen.

First let's look at Lily Collins as Snow White:

Now, I'm not familiar with Lily Collins, but I have to give her props because as far as I'm concerned, it takes real guts to wear a swan on your head and look happy about it. Here's another shot of Snow White with the dwarves:

Collins appears to have the looks, youth, and spunk to carry off the role quite well, I think! And I LOVE the colors, especially the way her dress pops in contrast to the dwarves' clothing. If nothing else this film promises to be a feast for the eyes.

In a departure from her leading lady/sweetheart-type roles, Julia Roberts is playing the wicked queen -- and I think she's going to be excellent. Love her gown, love the whole "look"!

While I'm unfamiliar with Armie Hammer (LOVE that name, makes me smile!), I am quite suitably impressed with his princely look:

NICE. I think we need a close-up, don't you? :) (Not trying to slight Chris Hemsworth, but sadly there just aren't that many promo photos of him in his hunstman garb around...yet.)

This Snow White also features Nathan Lane as the queen's lackey and Sean Bean as the king.

While I'm looking foward to both films -- my love of fairy tales knows no bounds, and I'll give just about any fresh take on a familiar classic a shot -- I have to say I'm a bit more excited about the color and sound of the March release than the more Lord of the Rings-style Huntsman project. My opinion is, of course, subject to change without notice. :) I'd love to hear your thoughts!

Thor

I have clearly underestimated the hold Kenneth Branagh has on my psyche. When the Thor trailer was released a few months ago, all I could do was laugh. Odin repossessing THE HAMMER cracks me up. But when I discovered that Tom Hiddleston played a major role in this movie, and Rachel kept reminding me of the Branagh Factor, and Kaye kept exclaiming CHRIS HEMSWORTH!!, I decided I had to go. After all, my dad is extremely proud of his Danish Viking heritage, so this movie is practically a cultural necessity in my life.

Growing up, movies like The Vikings, starring Tony Curtis and Kirk Douglas, were regularly viewed - after all, when you stop and think about it, there really aren't all that many movies out there that center on Viking types (TRAGIC OVERSIGHT, HOLLYWOOD!). So, given the fact that Odin in a major player in Thor got me to thinking about all of the times people scream for "ODIN!!!!" in The Vikings. Thankfully for you, some kind soul on YouTube uploaded this priceless montage:



You're welcome for that. :) So, now's the point I tell you that yes, there are times when Thor really is as cheesy as those clips. But I really liked it nonetheless. :)

So as a kid I was a big Justice League girl, and didn't really know anything about Marvel's The Avengers until the Iron Man movies came out, and I developed this thing for Tony Stark, and talk of any Avengers film began to take shape. Now, I have very little knowledge of Thor's comic-book background. In fact, even after seeing this movie I have got to say he still strikes me as an odd superhero to stand alongside the likes of more - mortal or self-made, I guess is the classification I'm looking for - superheroes like Iron Man and Captain America. If anything he's more of a Superman type.


"Do you like my hammer?"

Branagh's film is a sort of mash-up of Superman and Clash of the Titans (alternating between the original and the much cooler, more watchable remake). It's impossible not to think of Olympus when viewing this film's glossy, star-strewn recreation of Asgard, the headquarters of the Norse gods. There's lots of sturm und drang in the Asgard universe, as Odin's sworn enemies THE FROST GIANTS OF JOTUNHEIM (yes, really) conduct a successful raid on the Asgardian stronghold. This does not go over well with Thor (Chris Hemsworth), Odin's (Anthony Hopkins) heir-apparent, who wants to go and remind the Jotuns who's boss. Daddy Odin does not approve, as he wishes his firstborn would show a little more prudence and realize that kings should not simply go around knocking in the heads of anyone who looks at them cross-eyed. But since Thor thinks he knows best, he takes his crew - brother Loki (Tom Hiddleston), the "warriors three" (wait for it) - Fandral the Dashing (Josh Dallas), Hogun the Grim (Tadanobu Asano), and Volstagg the Volumunous (Ray Stevenson, who's playing Porthos in the upcoming The Three Musketeers) - and the warrior maiden Sif (Jaime Alexander) to "talk" to the Jotuns, and to make a long story short, things don't go well and Odin has to ride in to save the day.

Hoping to teach his arrogant, cocky, jolly Viking princeling some humility, Odin strips Thor of his godlike powers, which are all wrapped up in the gigantic hammer named MJOLNIR (yes really), and exiles him to Earth. There he runs into (literally) Jane Foster (Natalie Portman), a brilliant scientist type researching the idea of an Einstein-Rosen Bridge (which I know all about thanks to season four of Eureka), and finds Thor's abs a bit distracting. Her colleague, Dr. Erik Selvig (Stellan Skarsgard) finds Thor's delusions of Norse god grandeur a bit troubling, and knows an awful lot about S.H.I.E.L.D., the mysterious federal agency he's understably wary of butting heads with. There's also a plucky graduate student assistant sidekick, Darcy (Kat Dennings), who provides occasional moments of comic relief (in addition to the Vikingish shenanigans, mind). They must all band together as Thor seeks to recover his powers, care about others, and save mankind and the Nine Realms from his crazy brother Loki (who, SHOCKER!!, isn't really his brother). I LOVE FAMILY DRAMA IN SUPERHERO MOVIES!

Anthony Hopkins was awesome as Odin - if you want to lend a movie with a potentially ridiculous superhero gravitas, clearly it is necessary to cast someone like Hopkins in the mentor role. And I have to give a shout-out to Rene Russo as Thor's momma, Frigga, because that is a flipping awesome name. If you don't get to do much in Asgard, well the name more than makes up for it.

The only thing I've seen Chris Hemsworth in prior to Thor is his brief appearance as Kirk's father in the last Star Trek (and sadly for him, he didn't even merit a mention in my review). Physically he fits the role of Thor perfectly, but I have to admit that for the first hour or so I was a little worried he was only capable of brawn, and entirely lacking in brain cells. But as the film progresses and Thor is humbled and becomes willing to sacrifice himself for the sake of others, the character actually became a superhero I rather cared about. And really at the end of the day what's not to like about a guy who can pull of a dashing red cape with such aplomb? Anyways - as is the norm with Branagh's films, Thor is liberally sprinkled with light comic touches, and Hemsworth reveals a decent aptitude for comedy, especially playing the straight man in all of Thor's "fish out of water" scenes as he learns Earth ways (like how to order a second cup of coffee). Incidentally, Hemsworth is the brother of Liam, who made a good impression on me last year in The Last Song. Talented family. :)

I was a little worried Natalie Portman's Jane might prove annoying, but Portman seems to be having fun with the role and she's always struck me as being highly intelligent, so she fits her character's occupation rather well. She and Hemsworth have some decent on-screen chemistry (really I would worry about Portman if she didn't with Hemsworth! *wink*), and I really got a kick out of Jane's reaction to Thor's chivalrous language and rather "courtly" demeanor, especially when he kisses her hand (twice! what a lost art! *swoon*). And I loved the fact that Jane's the one who kisses him at the end of the movie - and the ending, oh the diehard romantic sap in me LOVED it. Separated by a broken wormhole, a desolate Thor is assured by the stoic gatekeeper Heimdall (Idris Elba) that his lady-love has not forgotten him and is working tirelessly to find a way to Asgard. *swoon again* I'm convinced only Branagh could've successfully directed such a gloriously over-the-top romantic lovers-across-time-and-space moment like it.

Tom Hiddleston proves to be a frankly inspired casting choice as Loki. He's lean to Hemsworth's brawn, and his angular features and lithe appearance fit the role of "god of mischief" PERFECTLY. Hiddleston should be a familiar face to Masterpiece fans (and blog readers), as I loved him in Return to Cranford and Wallander. Hiddleston to his everlasting credit is wholly believable right from the start of the film - he really seems to relish playing the conflicted, over-looked second son and bad guy, and isn't at all put off by the ridiculous headgear he gets to sport for the climatic fight with Thor. Speaking of the fight, please, for the love of all that's good and holy in comic book movieland, please work on Thor's flying skills for The Avengers. Because I did not like finally getting to a place where I could take Thor (relatively) seriously, only to be forcibly reminded of Superman circa-1978 when he started to glide...I mean fly. AWKWARD.

One of my favorite characters from the Iron Man movies is Agent Coulson (Clark Gregg) from S.H.I.E.L.D. Gregg is amazing, he brings whole new, delightful levels of snarkiness and sarcasm to the screen, like his exchange with a captured Thor after the god's failed attempt to retrieve his hammer - Coulson is equal parts disgusted by the ease with which Thor dispatched his agents and intrigued. I just love how Coulson is completely unflappable by pretty much anything (except perhaps Asgard's Destroyer, which is sort of like Iron Man without the man inside). I want to write the man an ode. Heck, I want a whole movie dedicated to Agent Coulson's background and how he came to be involved in S.H.I.E.L.D. During the S.H.I.E.L.D. scenes, look for a brief Jeremy Renner cameo - I'm so, SO happy Renner is going to be appearing in The Avengers as Hawkeye next year.

2nd gratuitous Agent Coulson pic!

The more I think about it, the more I realize it's glaringly apparent Branagh was the perfect choice to direct a film on the origins of a superhero from Norse mythology. No man-made superhero would do for Branagh - something about tapping into ancient Norse gods just screams for Branagh's flair for Shakespearean drama. He keeps the action moving at a brisk pace, and injects a healthy dose of humor into the film to keep things interesting. I was thrilled that once again he worked with longtime musical collaborator Patrick Doyle, who provides a gorgeous, epic score.

(Side note: I couldn't decide which poster I preferred. Thoughts?) Thor was an unexpectedly fun diversion, and I'm looking forward even more to Captain America's release in July. Little beats a good comic book movie for for a thoroughly entertaining summertime diversion. Thor delivers in spades with an old-fashioned adventure movie sensibility, lots of humor and heart, and an entertaining myth arc (and goodness knows I love a good myth arc and heroic journey rife with sacrifice and angst). If you've seen the film, I'd love to hear your thoughts! :)