31: Thor (only I wish it had been called ‘Loki’)

Thor – May 6, 2011
Starring: Chris Hemsworth, Tom Hiddleston, Natalie Portman, Stellan Skarsgard, Kat Dennings, Anthony Hopkins, Idris Elba
Written by: Ashley Miller, Zack Stentz, Don Payne
Directed by: Kenneth Branagh

The plot: “The powerful but arrogant warrior Thor is cast out of the fantastic realm of Asgard and sent to live amongst humans on Earth, where he soon becomes one of their finest defenders.” – IMDB

My thoughts: I was afraid that this would be another Green Lantern (the same fear I had going into Captain America) and am eternally grateful that I was wrong. Thor was really enjoyable – all of the actors embodied their characters wonderfully and the plot was interesting. Plus, the fact that a majority of The Avengers are getting their own movies is just making every geek crazy for it to come out. There are tons of easter eggs and “inside jokes” that geeks around the world laugh quietly to themselves about when everyone else misses them.

Want. Want. Want. Want. Want. Want.

While he is absolutely gorgeous, Tom Hiddleston was brilliant as Loki, the black sheep of the family. He was perfectly crazy and I still remained sympathetic toward his character. I felt for him – in my heart and my nether regions (TMI? I don’t care.) I wasn’t especially enthralled by Natalie Portman’s character, Jane. It would have been tough to have more of a Mary Sue character than her – the scientist who believes in Thor and teaches him about selflessness and love. Ah, sigh. I’m glad she won’t be in The Avengers (unless she makes a surprise appearance and then I’ll be irritated.)

For the average person who maybe just wants to see the one movie and be entertained and then be done with it, it might be a bit more character building/background information. But for someone who enjoys the Universe that these comic book characters are in and craves all of the little extra stuff, it’s enjoyable. For me, it was a nice blend of plot and action; I thoroughly enjoyed the battle scene between the frost giants and the other Gods of Asgard.

All in all, it got me pumped for The Avengers (which is still so far away) and I left the theater entertained and with the strong desire to seek out any and all Tom Hiddleston pictures.

Stars: 4/5

David Fincher+Trent Reznor+top notch original=great (I hope!)

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo – December 21, 2011
Starring: Daniel Craig, Stellan Sarsgaard, Rooney Mara, Embeth Davidtz, Robin Wright, Christopher Plummer
Written by: Steven Zaillan (Schindler’s List, Gang’s of New York)
Directed by: David Fincher
Adapted from the novel by: Stieg Larsson
My thoughts: First of all, the original Swedish film was completely wonderful. As much faith as I have in David Fincher, I think it will be hard to top the first version as well as Noomi Rapace’s portrayal of Lisbeth Salander. However, based on this cam version of the red band trailer, everyone looks great. Daniel Craig looks like he’s bringin’ it, I love Stellan Sarsgaard, and Rooney Mara…well, I guess only time will tell. Plus, Fincher’s cinematography is always gorgeous (um, hello FIGHT CLUB.)

Extra thought: The film is scored by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross are scoring this. And the trailer features a remix/recreation of Zeppelin’s “Immigrant Song” featuring Karen O! It’s like the whole world wants me to self-combust!