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By Luciana Villalba, The Young Folks

9.5 out of 10

After much anticipation and more than half of the world has already seen it, the time has come for the summer blockbuster season to kick off in the United States with THE AVENGERS. Finally, after four years of waiting and setting up the background stories in each film for Thor, Captain America, Iron Man and Hulk, at last they have finally assembled, along with Hawkeye and Black Widow. While it might have been in everyone’s wildest dreams that a blockbuster of this calliber like The Avengers would actually manage to be good, think again, this movie is GREAT. Joss Whedon and the crew behind this film make sure that if you loved one of these superheroes before, you end up loving them more. This movie manages to set the bar for future blockbusters because not only is it paced right, it has the right amount of comedy and action as well as an actual story behind it that makes it stand out from other superhero films.

From the moment I watched the trailer, I thought this movie would be: either really good or really bad. I thought that by having an ensemble cast such as this one that the script would be weak, the effects too overdone or that the movie would drag in between. The Avengers is the biggest cinematic event in recent history, bigger than any other superhero film, throwing protagonists that each come from their own blockbuster franchise into one single film and having them work with each other. Thankfully, Joss Whedon pulled it off, and with the help of Iron Man, Iron Man 2, Captain America: The First Avenger and Thor, we get the character introduction we needed before watching them assemble. However, there is still some moments within the first minutes of the film where you see a brief summary of where the characters are before Nick Fury (Samuel L Jackson) and S.H.I.E.L.D ask for their help to save the planet.

This is what you need to know about the movie: There’s an immense energy source in a cube called the Tesseract, which is under the control of Nick Fury’s S.H.I.E.L.D. The Tesseract recently has been activated and it opens a portal through space. Thor’s half-brother, Loki (Tom Hiddleston), after being exiled from Asgard makes a deal with the Chitauri, an alien race whose main goal is to rule the universe, in which he would go through the portal to Earth, the Chitauri would send an army and once they took over the planet, make Loki our ruler. Once he steps on Earth, Loki, with the help of his mind control abilities takes two people from Nick Fury’s personnel: agent Clint Barton (Jeremy Renner) otherwise known as “Hawkeye”, and Dr Erik Selvig (Stellan Skarsgard) who knows how to open the portal.  In response to the attack, Fury brings back the Avengers Initiative, in which superheroes help defend humanity in the battles we cannot fight ourselves. The only people that can stop Loki and his army are Steve Rogers/”Captain America” (Chris Evans), Tony Stark/”Iron Man” (Robert Downey Jr.), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), Dr. Bruce Banner/”The Hulk” (Mark Ruffalo) and Natasha Romanoff/”Black Widow” (Scarlett Johansson).

Each character gets their own time to shine, and is brought to life again this time around from where their previous films left off. We see Captain America waking up sixty years later, and realize that this isn’t anymore about World War II, there are bigger threats out there. He is vulnerable with what his place in this new world is, but is as always the same kind-hearted, leader type of guy. Thor is the only one who truly knows Loki and would be able to talk him down and make him realize what he is doing. Hulk, portrayed at it’s best by Mark Ruffalo, shows him isolated from society and rather keeping himself calm through work as a doctor, never even mentioning “the other guy”. Iron Man, is still the same cocky guy from Stark Industries with amazing one-liners, that even at one point in time was rejected by S.H.I.E.L.D to be part of the Avengers Initiative.  The fun part of the film is when these characters are finally together and bickering at each other, it was a complete delight to see their personalities clash, while still trying to overcome their differences to find a solution to recuperate the Tesseract. The film isn’t completely perfect, minor details like previous set-up before some scenes might have some people wondering what is going on exactly. However, like I said they are minor and by the time the movie is over you’ll get to really appreciate the movie as a whole, and realize how much fun it was to see.

The Avengers balanced action, comedy and drama, without dragging the story too much and making every fanboy and fangirl out there dreams come true by watching all of these characters work with each other, and actually do it well.Visually intriguing, with a script that is actually good, The Avengers is an exhilirating fun ride and the best way to get ready for more superhero blockbusters coming our way.

PLEASE MAKE SURE YOU STAY AFTER THE CREDITS!  2 extra scenes!

The Young  Folks: We are a website in which we review music, movies, books, concerts. For young people by young people.

By Gabrielle Bondi, The Young Folks

Another year, another Nicholas Sparks film! Now, I will admit that while I tend to give Sparks a lot of flak, mostly because of this, I do give his movies a fair shot. Sometimes the combination of melodrama, cliché and eye candy can make a winning result. Without a doubt, moviegoers think so because they keep flocking to see his movies. His latest film is The Lucky One, starring the incredibly attractive Zac Efron.

Before the screening, Sparks was there to introduce the film to the audience. It was a pretty lengthy introduction. He told us about how he came up with the story for The Lucky One, how the film came to be and some it’s deviations from the novel. But what really caught my attention was when he spoke about how there is a fine line between cliché and familiar, melodrama and moving, and finally manipulative and sincerity. (Those weren’t his exact words, but it conveys the same point he was trying to make.) It came as a surprise to me that Sparks would say that, especially when his movies come out as cliché, melodramatic and a bit manipulative. Not to say that makes them not enjoyable because I will admit that I do like some of his movies. They may have all those elements, yet their winning quality is passion. But I can’t say that about The Lucky One. Yes, it’s melodramatic, cliché and manipulative. However, its biggest downfall is its lack of passion.

The Lucky One begins with a Marine whose life is saved when he stops and finds a picture of a woman while on duty. The lucky Marine is Logan (Zac Efron), and when he heads back home to Denver, he’s dealing with post-traumatic stress disorder. Many of his friends had died, and he’s unsure why he’s still alive. He had promised a friend that he would find the woman in the picture and thank her for inadvertently saving his life. After a quick internet search, he finds that she lives in Louisiana. So he decides to walk there… from Colorado. (What? The dude likes to walk.) He finally meets the woman, Beth (Taylor Schilling), and she mistakenly thinks he’s there to apply for a job at her dog shelter. Logan chickens out of telling her why he’s really there, and decides to take the job instead.

Off the bat, this is a very different role for Efron. He turns off the charm, and goes full-force with the brooding. In fact, I think he broods a little too much in this movie. I understand he’s playing a person with PTSD, but he played it a little too dry. This is a romantic movie, where’s the passion? The intensity between Efron and Schilling was scattered. They had some good moments, and Schilling is a fine actress, but it didn’t have that “can’t live without each other” thing which makes any Nicholas Sparks movie worth seeing.

As for the film itself, it was boring. I did expect predictability, yet this one still managed to drag on and on. You think you’re approaching the ending and then, no, it keeps on going. I feel like some parts could have been cut out of the middle to make it flow better. My favorite part of the film was when Beth revealed that her brother had also died in the war. For someone like me who has a close relationship with a sibling, I found that scene to be very moving. However, that was merely one gem found in this pretty dull movie.

The bad pacing and lack of passion in The Lucky One is enough for me to say that you should skip seeing this movie in the theaters.  If you’re a fan of the book, I heard that there are many changes made in this adaptation. I haven’t read the book, but thought I’d warn book fans just in case. Sparks did mention that he was happy with the changes the movie made though. Also, I think someone needs to give Sparks a reality check about his books and movies ASAP. Anyway, if you really want to see The Lucky One, please wait to rent it. It’s a much better option, and you can pause it to behold the beauty that is Zac Efron because looking at him makes it a little more bearable.

The Young  Folks: We are a website in which we review music, movies, books, concerts. For young people by young people.

By Gabrielle Adelle, The Young Folks

We’ve entered April! After a pretty good March for movies, now is the time when Hollywood dumps an assortment of movies on us. Most are films that they want to release before Summer Blockbuster season begins, others just because April seems like a good time for them. Here are my picks for your best bets at the theater this month.

Friday, April 6^th

• American Reunion – Read our review + watch the trailer here – All in all, we love that the American Pie gang is back!
• Titanic 3D – Read our review – I’m a huge fan of Titanic, so of course, seeing this movie on the big screen is a must. Plus, James Cameron did such a great job with the 3D! Totally worth it.
• Damsels in Distress – Watch the trailer – The trailer looks funny and quirky. Definitely a nice film to check out.
• Comic Con Episode IV: A Fan’s Hope – Watch the trailer – As you know, we LOVE Comic Con and can’t wait to go back this summer. Luckily, to help with the wait, Morgan Spurlock made a documentary on the Con.

Friday, April 13^th

• The Cabin in the Woods – I know I haven’t seen all of April’s movies yet, but I did see this movie and I can’t see any other film being more entertaining and brilliant than The Cabin in the Woods. GO SEE IT. I’ll have a review up in a few days. But in the meantime, avoid the trailers, commercials and some reviews for this movie (As you can see, I didn’t even link a trailer for this one). It’s best to go in fresh.
• Lockout – Watch the trailer – I love Guy Pearce, and this looks like an awesome futuristic action movie, so why not?

Friday, April 20^th

• Chimpanzee – Watch the trailer – I’ll be honest and say that the trailer for this movie almost made me cry. It looks like a great family film and wonderful compliment to Earth Day.
• The Lucky One – Watch the trailer – I’m seeing this movie next week, so I’ll give you guys the verdict soon. But truthfully, all I’m looking forward to is some Zefron eye-candy.

Friday, April 27^th

• The Five Year Engagement – Watch the trailer – I love Emily Blunt and Jason Segel, and this looks like one of the better rom coms! Let’s hope it delivers!
• Pirates! Band of Misfits – Watch the trailer – I first heard of this animated feature at Comic Con, and it seemed really funny. It’s definitely on my radar.
• The Raven – Watch the trailer – The trailer looks great! It’s a dark, cool mystery centered on Edgar Allan Poe, what’s not to love?
• Safe – Watch the trailer – I have never really watched a Jason Statham movie, but I’ve heard from so many people how awesome his action movies are. Well, here’s his latest one!
• Sound of My Voice – Watch the trailer – I first heard of this movie during a Q&A with Brit Marling. I really liked Another Earth and curious to see how this film is. I mean, that whole story premise is “wow.”

Some more April movie releases:

• Detention (4/6)
• The Three Stooges (4/13)
• Think Like A Man (4/20)
• Marley (4/20) – Is this date coincidental? I think not.

What are you looking forward the most to see in April?