The Dark Knight Rises

What They Think
- IMDB - 9.1/10. Ranked #9
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1345836/
- RottenTomatoes - 86%
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_dark_knight_rises/

What I Think

• Pro's

- The movie pulls all stops. By far the best movie of the year so far. 
- It has the best ending out of all of the other Batman movies. It's so clever that it's not worth spoiling. However, there is the whole thing over whether Batman dies or not. Regardless of ending, the movie would've still worked for me.
- It's the most emotionally invested out of the three.
- It finishes a good trilogy and fulfills a proper character arc. Batman gets to finally be the symbol and idea of hope that he promised in the other movies.
- Bane is a pretty good villain. Reminds me a lot like Darth Vader, hence the respirator like thing, deep voice, his unpredictability, and choking.
- They used Selina Kyle's role in a proper way as an anti heroine. Her character is strong and interesting and her body isn't exploited.- Batman is not shown so much but when he does, it feels great. The audience waited four years for him to return, much like how Gotham had to wait eight years for Batman to return.
- The conflict in the movie heavily affects Batman both physically and emotionally. The conflict over Gotham City is on a grand scale. Almost war like.
- Batman's voice improves. Thus showing that Nolan listened to the audience.
- The movie was in 2D and was filmed with real IMAX. Plus, CGI was replaced with practical special effects.

• Con's

- The exposition was a bit long and it didn't feel like a Christopher Nolan movie. However, it starts to pick up.
- There are some plot-points that do sometimes detract you from the movie. Such as, how in one scene would change from day to night, and why Bruce Wayne is limping. This is all due to the fact that Nolan's film go at a really fast pace and they tend to not explain every plot-point.
- Alfred is absent in most of the movie. He is a very crucial character and I wanted to know what's going on with him during Bane's siege.
- Bane's voice is kind of hard to hear and it sounds unrealistic being that it sounds added.


VERDICT

The Amazing Spider-Man

What They Think
- IMDB - 7.7/10
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0948470/
- Rottentomatoes - 71%
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_amazing_spider_man/

What I Think

• Pro's

- An origin story that was told better than the first movie.
- Has a more emotional core than the other Spider-Man movies.
- It had a faster pace than the other Spider-Man movies.
- The visuals were unexpectedly new, especially when Spider-Man uses his web. I like the fact that we see him in first person, and we see where the web is actually shot. Fantastic swinging scenes that still retain the orientation of time and space.
- Uncle Ben's death is more of an impact than in the first movie.
- Great chemistry between Gwen Stacy and Peter Parker.
- No cliched damsel in distress scene.
- Andrew Garfield works really well in carrying out Peter Parker.
- James Horner's excellent music is more original than Danny Elfman's score.
- There is an excellent scene where Spider-Man rescues a kid from a car. It almost mirrors the train scene in Spider-Man 2.
- Surprisingly, The Lizard was a pretty good villain, playing off the Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde archetype.
- Possibly the second best Spider-Man movie. Spider-Man 2 is still the best one.

• Con's

- Aunt May wasn't as great as she was in the last three movies.
- The Lizard can look cartoonish at times during action sequences.
- No Jonah Jameson character (my favorite Spider-Man character).


VERDICT

Brave

What They Think
- IMDB - 7.8/10
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1217209/
- RottenTomatoes - 75%
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/brave_2012/

What I Think

• Pro's

- Interesting Postmodern princess tale.

- Great third act and how it tied everything together.

- Great scenic moments. It looked like someone grabbed an IMAX camera and shot Scotland on a helicopter.

- Great movie about importance on family. A first from Disney. An interesting movie about a mother daughter relationship.

• Con's

- Slow second act.

- Not much on the table. Very small scale for a Pixar movie.

- Can get preachy at times.

- Some dialogue is awkward.

- Some awkward moments that were from the trailers.

- They follow the concept of the smart main character and everyone else incompetent.

VERDICT

Prometheus

What They Think
- IMDB - 7.8/10 
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1446714/
- RottenTomatoes - 74%
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/prometheus_2012/

What I Think

• Pro's

- Wonderful cinematography, shot digitally and in 3D without destroying the integrity of the movie.

- Great performance from Michael Fassbender as David.

- Nice horror movie, gruesome, suspenseful, infection type horror, unpredictable horror. Also the combination of an epic science-fiction movie with the horror genre.

- Doesn't need the Alien franchise and can be a standalone movie. It's self-sufficient, unlike AvP.

- Fascinating mythology of the movie

- nice music

- We engaged in discussions after watching the movie.

• Con's

- There are some confusing moments and questionable moments. Was that intended. There is a difference between ambiguity of science-fiction (the room with the giant head) and the confusing moments that seem like plot holes (David's motives).

VERDICT

Moonrise Kingdom

What They Think
- IMDB - 8.2/10
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1748122/
- Rotten Tomatoes - 95%
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/moonrise_kingdom/

What I Think

•  Pro's

- Has everything that defines Wes Anderson
- The movie takes place in a quirky environment that's fun to enjoy.
- Humorous and dark at some point.
- 90 minutes. Straight to the point.
- Awesome framing, symmetrical shots, dolly shots, use of colors.
- Poignant story about kids and romance.
- Playful visuals that do not distract the storytelling.

• Con's

- None

VERDICT

The Cabin in the Woods

What they Think
- IMDB - 7.9/10
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1259521/
- Rotten Tomatoes - 90%
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_cabin_in_the_woods/

What I Think

• Pro's

- Meta horror movie that's self aware of itself. A very smart horror movie.
- Homage to other horror movies and their conventions, along with critiquing other horror movies.
- Very cool twist within a twist. Much farther than what's shown in the trailer.
- Answers why we watch horror movies. (hint - Has to do with human history)
- Cliched with a purpose.

• Con's

- We have to face the fact that it's still cliched at times.

VERDICT

The Avengers

What They Think
- IMDB - 8.8/10
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0848228/
- Rotten Tomatoes - 93%
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/marvels_the_avengers/

What I Think

• Pro's

- Improvement from Thor, Captain America, The Incredible Hulk, and Iron Man 2
- Equally shared screen time for each character. Not so emphasized on one individual.
- Great moments when they argue among each other, making them human and flawed.
- Very funny and very witty
- Great Post-credit scene

• Con's

- Bland fight scene at the end. At times, it felt like Transformers.
- Bad guys aren't so much of a threat, and not much information about them.
- Very long exposition

VERDICT