Tuesday New Releases For Home Viewing. Including GETTING CLEAR.

This week I have a couple of films to note including The Avengers Age Of Ultron which actually came out last Friday.


AVENGERS AGE OF ULTRON
Screenplay and Direction by Joss Whedon
Starring : Many a Superhero



When Tony Stark tries to jumpstart a peacekeeping program, things go south quickly. With that mistake, Ultron emerges, and it is up to the Avengers to stop him from enacting his plans to destroy the Avengers and earth itself.

I like superhero movies. They are fun to watch. However I understand they are not made for me. They are made for comic-con fanatics and children. The producers make the film for that moviegoing category, then hope that group of people pull "outsiders" along by being swept up into the wave of excitement.
This is not a very good film, it is just okay. For the second film in a row I felt like I was watching  a video game for more than half the film while buildings get destroyed (with out mentioning in the real world people live and work in them and most likely died as the fight contuinues). It is a long 2 hours and 20 minutes with a waste of a short scene during the credits. Also throw in that this is marketed to children and some of the language is questionable. I am not a prude, and I understand they probably hear those words on the playground. Still I was surprised a bit knowing who they are marketing this film to.
Postives: I like the story line developing between Bruce Banner/Hulk (Ruffalo) and Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow (Johansson). I also like being able to see the life behind a superhero with Clint Barton/Hawkeye (Renner) (If you decide to watch this film, watch carefully during the dart game. It is a quick joke but I laughed). I thought James Spader was perfectly cast as Ultron, his voice almost drips with snarky evil. Elizabeth Olson as Wanda Maximoff/The Scarlett Witch is fun to watch and takes over the screen outshining all the Avengers. Well all these positives were only about 30 minutes of the film the rest is a video game.
2 out of 5 stars for the Avengers. A new director will take over for Whedon next time which may add a much needed spark.


ME AND EARL AND THE DYING GIRL

Directed by Alfonso Gomez -Rejon
Screenplay/Novel by Jesse Andrews
Starring: Thomas Mann; RJ Kyler; Olivia Cooke



High schooler Greg (Mann), who spends most of his time making parodies of classic movies with his co-worker Earl (Kyler), finds his outlook forever altered after befriending a classmate (Cooke) who has just been diagnosed with cancer.

This film will be compared naturally to The Fault In Our Stars which made my top ten last year, and you can understand why with, well, the dying girl. However, the big difference here is that the film is narrated by Greg, not the dying girl.
The film is based on a very popular book which I did not get a chance to read, so I am glad I went in without that much knowledge of what lies ahead.
The script is great. It has a real good feel on the groups in highschools and how there are Gregs who rather just melt into the walls and pop out say hello and go back in. Greg rather be just disconnected. The funny thing is he is not miserably disconnected, he seems happy with his life. He spends his days remaking films like, My Dinner With Andre The Giant (My Dinner With Andre) or Sockwork Orange (Clockwork Orange). He has one close friend Earl who he calls his "coworker", not a friend, again a little disconnected. In fact they rarely talk with each other they just watch films and work on films and eat strange foods that Gregs dad (Wonderful small performance by Nick Offerman) creates. Then comes the day his mother (Underused Connie Britton) makes him go visit Rachel who has Leukemia, and unknowingly he becomes connected and it freaks him out.
Cast is perfect. Thomas Mann is so spot on as Greg. But then there is Olivia Cooke as Rachel. She is incredable without over playing the part, she is so soft and quiet in this role. When her character smiles the screen lights up. My only fault with the film is she is not in the film as much as I hoped and I could have watched her and Greg stay in her room and just talk and watch movies. Their chemistry is that good.
For those who did not read the book I cannot go further, just bring tissues. I really liked this film 4 1/2 out of 5 stars.

GOING CLEAR: SCIENTOLOGY AND THE PRISON OF BEIEF
Directed by Alex Gibney



Based on the best-selling exposé by Lawrence Wright, this in-depth documentary about the Church of Scientology includes interviews with eight former members who recall the abuses they witnessed and suffered during their time as followers.

It is almost an intense thriller. Religion. Some  religions walk fine lines between religious belief and a cult. Shocking information about how they avoided millions or maybe billions of dollars owed in back taxes by harassing IRS officials to become a tax exempt. So many little stories like that, I will let you form your own opinion but it is a well put together documentary by Alex Gibney. It can almost scare you a small bit. What I will say is....so many people telling the same stories....there has to be something there. Where there is smoke.......

3 1/2 out of 5 stars for Going clear a little long but well worth a look.

Notice I avoided Magic Mike 2. You should also.

As always from the shadows thanks for your time.