3 reviews for this month

For this months blog (a farming one next week, I promise), I experienced three movies.

They're okay.

That's the short version.  The long versions...

Divergent isn't as original when you think about it.  Some girl who doesn't fit in finds she's awesome at everything, uncovers villains' schemes, and saves the day, all laced with a romance fetish. The character is intentionally as blank slate that encompasses every girl who wants a wish-fulfillment story.  She's chunky, has CGed acne, an no motivation or goal that could alienate any little girl viewer other than someone already popular.  Added to that it has every tween-oriented trope you can think of an many that are so generic and that you won't realize they're in the movie at first.  If you've ever read a book for young teens where the hero is sudden the hero and expert at everything, you've seen this before many times.  That's not to say it's badly done, it's just that this is an okay 'been there done that' movie' wit nothing spectacular if this isn't your first movie of the sort.

Captain America: Winter Soldier is a very misleading title for the movie.  He teams up with Condor, who becomes a major character in act 3, and Black Widow, who is just as much the star as Captain America is.  The Winter Soldier barely appears, barely has a plot, and isn't resolved.  The movie is more or less a live action version of the Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego cartoon is the kids grew up, the computer was replaced by a black guy, and the humor was better...and Carment Sandiego is Armin Zola.  If you don't know the cameos, they're just people interrupting a well-done action movie.  If you do, it's only a bad movie if you have some fanrage about it (I did about the last two seconds of the ending credits; feel free to ask about that.

The Muppets: Most Wanted was obviously for younger kids than I expected.  I have a hard time reviewing this as I have been a Jim Henson and Muppets fangirl since before I can remember.  I can't bring myself to watch the original Muppets Movie as I'd cry.  I have seen Dark Crystal, Labyrinth, Half of Farscape (until the cast change where the annoying characters overwhelmed the good ones), and every episode of the Muppet movie I could manage.  I have forced myself to see the Christmas specials that are 90% cameos and guest stars. I've seen the crossover Christmas special (trying to find out how to see it again).  I have seen (and love) the Fraggles. I have seen the Fariytales and even the discontinued Emmet Otter movie. The only thin I missed was Walter's move as I never want muppet-human sex in my head ever.  The trailer does not warn you that this movie is nearly entirely a musical. While the songs are catchy, all but the first aren't that great. It's best to ignore the plot if you want to enjoy this.  At least half the angles are muppets in your face, the villains make no sense and have little point (and one randomly dresses up as a lemur or kitty or something for no reason), the plot has holes, but the background gags and the impostor Kermit are worth watching. The Disney short before it is way better.