GREEN LANTERN can't block Mediocore's light

With Comic Book films aspiring to be something more than just men in tights, i.e. 2008's "The Dark Knight", there does come the occasional film that is there for the dumb summer blockbuster slot, i.e. 2009's "X-Men Origins: Wolverine", Green Lantern falls into the later category. While not aspiring to be a deep introspective comic film, It does turn into an ambitious and fun one at that.

The story revolves around Test Pilot,Hal Jordon (Ryan Reyonolds), being bequeathed a mystical ring that transforms him into an intergalactic police officer, a Green Lantern. While Jordon trains under the Lanterns, an unprecedented danger looms at home and across space that threatens the very existence of the Green Lantern Corps and the universe. The story is tired, but it's visually interesting to watch at the least. The Story seems a bit convoluted and overstuffed. Characters are given the rush job in terms of their arcs. Even Hal Jordon's motivating factor and the way he overcomes his character dilemma, if you can call it that, is very rushed and unclear. The story at best is serviceable, but forgettable.

The acting was all over the place. Reynold's Hal Jordon was a bit overstated as an "asshole", but Reynold's natural charm makes that hard believe as his character change in the first act is unbelievable to fully buy that. Peter Sarsgaard as Dr. Hammond is hallow as a villain. Just a bit generic and turns evil when the script calls for him to do so. Sarsgaard "Hams" it up so much that it becomes a comic book villain.

The film's effects were a lot better than expected, but still a bit hallow at points. The action scenes were good, but you'll forget them the moment you walk out the theater. The 3D post-conversion on the film was actually decent, but you won't miss out if you decide to see the film in traditional 2D. It seemed as if the story on Oa was were the Lantern movie was really at, they just didn't go into the story of what it was to be part of a galactic space police. All of the scenes on Earth all seemed to come a different film altogether.

With comic book films like "Thor" and the significantly better "X-Men: First Class" in theaters still, it's hard to recommend Green Lantern. It's not a bad film by any means. It's quite an ambitious film with a CGI world it only scratches the surface of. It's a Green Lantern movie for the summer, but it's not the comic book film we have come to expect. Comic fans will like the film, but it's likely we won't see a sequel. Marvel still owns the Comic Book film market. Green Lantern proves DC Comics still has some learning to do.

Buried REVIEW!

There comes a film that taps into a primal fear and puts you through an intense experience unlike anything you’ve ever experienced before. "Buried" is that rare film. What Director Rodrigo Cortés manages to put together, with the writing talent of Chris Sparling and the amazing acting talent of Ryan Reynolds, is a brilliant exercise in claustrophobic tension that grabs you from the beginning and doesn’t let you go till it’s pulse pounding finale.

The story of the film is gripping from the very first frame. The premise of the film is contract truck driver; Paul Conroy (Ryan Reynolds) wakes up in a coffin buried underground after a convoy ambush in Iraq. It’s a man-trapped-in-a-box story, but it’s told in a fresh way that re-invents the rules on this genre of high-tension thriller. The film takes place entirely in the coffin for the whole 90-minute run-time. The film never slows down or lets up and it’s just an intense experience and definitely not an easy one to sit through at points. What screenwriter Chris Sparling does so brilliantly with this screenplay is that he continually ups the ante and the stakes, especially for it being a film that takes place entirely in a coffin underground. With every plot twist that happens in the film, you feel that knife twist and turn as Sparling manages to turn a situation from bad to worse. It starts off with a real nail-biter premise that reaches on the Hitchcockian levels of tension that continually surprises and leaves you on edge. Then you reach the end of the first act…all bets are off.



It’s impossible to talk about this film without talking about the amazing performance by Ryan Reynolds. He’s pitch perfect for this role as Paul. This is the type of role that could have been played ugly or that could have outstayed its welcome very fast in the hands of another actor. It’d be tough to imagine anyone else bringing as much emotional integrity, believability, and humanity to this role of a man trapped in the worse of situations that is only getting worse by the minute. Reynolds shows a raw range and a depth to his performance that you just can’t take your eyes off of him or want to leave the coffin without him. The performance holds so much charisma and reliability so emotionally textured and draining that you feel for Paul as each second on the clock ticks as he becomes more unstable and unsure of the outcome of this situation. It’s a fantastic performance that is worthy of the praise as Reynolds successfully carries the whole film from six feet under and in total blackness.

Director Rodrigo Cortés does an outstanding job with the direction of the film. For this film taking as many risks as it does on the screenplay level, Cortés rises to the occasion as he takes more risks with the direction of the film. Most of the film is told in silence with little sound effects and Cortés allows the audience to drown in the lack of details on-screen and puts you through this tense, so that any new development that occurs or when any new item is found; it hard the audience as hard as a child getting an early Christmas present. This fear of the unknown and the sense of being trapped in darkness only helps to heighten the tension of the film as we invest more into Paul as a character. Cortés also reinvents this claustrophobic genre of thriller by using some truly amazing camera movements while in the coffined space of the coffin. For the film being entirely underground, there is certainly a lot of action that just doesn’t let up. Cortés doesn’t bend to the confines of the coffin; he reinvents it and delivers something that we truly haven’t seen before.

While I did thoroughly enjoy the experience with the film, I do have a small grip with it. Revealing this gripe without giving any spoilers would be impossible. All I will say is that it occurs in the final act of the picture, but it doesn’t detract or ruin the experience. It’s a small nitpick at best. I’d give this movie a FULL-PRICE!! Definitely go check this out in a theater because it is such a original and amazing experience going with this ride.

9 of 10