Avengers: Infinity War - The Big One

"Today we don't fight for one life...we fight for ALL of them." - T'Challa.

Over the course of the weekend, I have taken in two showings of Avengers: Infinity War. Both times I saw it with my girlfriend, and close friends. And both times electrified my imagination and jump-started my inner being with excitement. A fair warning to all who see it. If you are someone who loves comics AND the Marvel Cinematic Universe, this film will elicit a wide range of emotions from you. Chief among them is sadness and anger, for reasons that will become extremely clear extremely fast.

Anthony and Joe Russo have outdone themselves this time. Already having made a name for themselves with Captain America: Winter Soldier and Captain America: Civil War, this blows everything out of the water. To undertake a project of this magnitude, with a cast this large, and a story that has everything within the MCU hinging on it, needs to be handled with skill and dedication. Together, these brothers have done all they clearly set out to do with the movie and more.

Infinity War is now one of the largest cast superhero movies of all time. Every single member of that cast managed to get a degree of screen time, big and small. In the grand scheme of things, that is what matters. Everyone who has a favorite hero or heroes within the franchise, gets to see characters they appreciate be together with their fellow heroes in one of the biggest fights in all cinematic herodom.

From Robert Downey Jr. to Cobie Smulders, all play their parts that have become synonymous with their names to a T. The whole movie is basically a giant smorgasboard/who's who in MCU. And while there are some notable absences (for reasons that are explained away in-dialogue), such gaps are filled with the overflow of heroes and yes even villains on camera.

Speaking of villains, Josh Brolin truly stood and delivered as Thanos. To play the Mad Titan, one of the most formidable threats in all of Marvel Comics, is to take up a role with a complex background behind it. Admittedly, his purpose for wielding the Infinity Stones it different in the movie as opposed to the source material, but the mission still has the same driven energy behind it. What is most surprising is how far he is willing to go to acquire all 6 of the Infinity Stones. The quest to possess one of the stones will yield a very unexpected cameo from a MCU character. In order to see who, those who are waiting until the fervor dies down, make a point to see the movie this week or weekend.

On the subject of special effects, this is an area where the MCU has always excelled. Going all the way to 2008 with Iron Man, to the present with Infinity War, each installment has yielded more and more gratifying on-camera wizardry. Over the course of a decade, fans and audiences have seen Norse gods fly and throw lightening, super-soldiers become legends, and living trees and talking racoons save the galaxy multiple times over. And all of that is thanks to the Industrial Light & Magic, Framestore, Method Studios, Weta Digital plus 7 other companies. The end result speaks for itself, a symphony in light, sound and color guaranteed to fill the imagination with bright noises and flashing wonders.

Music wise, there is one mind-numbing score composed by legend Alan Silvestri. There is even a throw-back piece of music for the Guardians of the Galaxy to jam out to. There will be no spoilers as to where it shows up, only what the song is. 1976 hit 'Rubberband Man' by The Spinners. Here's a little something to jam out to in case seeing the movie isn't on the immediate horizon.

Another benchmark for Marvel/Disney's latest spectacular, is how booming it is doing at the box office. In the short amount of time it has been out, the film has broken all records and zoomed to the top of the collective charts. According to the Los Angeles Times yesterday, domestically (not adjusted for inflation), it topped out for opening weekend at $250 million, out-performing 2015's Star Wars: The Force Awakens (which earned $247.9 million before inflation). Worldwide it has blown the door of the barn, with a whopping $630 million intake so far globally, not counting the Chinese market (that debut isn't until May 11).

10 years. This has been 10 years in the making. From the moment Thanos appeared at the end of 2012's The Avengers, Marvel fans and movie-lovers of all ages have known this was where things would end up. Earth's Mightiest Heroes, the Sorcerer Supreme, a Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, plus the Guardians of the Galaxy and the might of Wakanda, all banded together to take on the single most dangerous threat to all existence. Now, with tears fresh and hearts ripped asunder by the outcome, the wait begins for the next installment. 2019 seems so far away now. Thankfully, there are other new outings from Marvel (and studios like Fox and Sony) to help make the wait go by faster. And if there is a hankering for some 'classic' MCU, all the previous movies from before.

Avengers: Infinity War receives a well-deserved 5 out of 5 stars. Not just on casting and special effects and music alone, but for its story, and for serving up an amazing almost 3 hours of plot-intense, slam-bang style magic that Marvel has become well known for.

The Greatest Showman - Musical Circus Magic Come Alive

"The noblest art is that of making others happy." - P.T. Barnum. 

Yesterday was such a thrilling day. Alongside my girlfriend and a dear friend of ours, we took in Hugh Jackman's latest musical spectacular. It was glorious. Songs that are catchy and memorable and engaging, a story that can resonate with people everywhere and a cast that binds it all together. This is The Greatest Showman, and it's a wild ride that shouldn't be missed.

Directed by newcomer Michael Gracey, for his first foray into the world of big movies, its a giant step. Not only is he working with Hugh Jackman, Zac Effron, Michelle Williams, Zendaya, Keala Settle, but this project is big because it's a movie musical. However, Michael has done a great job with Hugh on this and it is making big at the box offices currently.

Hugh Jackman is truly a great performer. Both on camera and on stage, his range is astounding. Taking on the role of P.T. Barnum, the man who gave America and the world 'The Greatest Show On Earth' is a role worthy of a talent like Mr. Jackman. There is such an electricity, such a fire and passion when he opens his mouth to sing or moves his feet to dance. Truly, Hugh is the very embodiment of 'the greatest showman'.

Standing by his side are Michelle Williams (Charity Barnum), Austyn Johnson (Caroline Barnum) and Cameron Seely (Helen Barnum). These three are Barnum's great joy, the reason for going into show business. And it takes the love of his family to help pull him back down from the high clouds (along with other things) and remind him why he started the circus in the first place. 

Now for a musical of this scale and caliber, an all-star cast is called for. Audiences will be overjoyed to see such talented and famous faces on camera alongside Jackman. 

Zac Efron, talented, funny, good-looking. He is a quint-essential Hollywood triple threat. Cutting his teeth first on High School Musical before doing other work, having him back in a musical movie is such a joy. The songs he shares with Jackman and the rest of the cast are pulse-pounding, catchy and excellent. His character Philip Carlyle, like many others, is an original creation. In this case Philip is a composite, based in part on P.T. Barnum's co-founder James A. Bailey. 

Zendaya, she is a star that is going to keep on rising. As with Efron, her's is a character created for the story. As trapeze artist Anne Wheeler, joining up with Barnum's circus allows her and her brother W.D. (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) the chance to use their gifts and attempt to break away from all the racism and stigmatism of the times. Along the way, she and Philip (Efron) find themselves drawn towards one another. Under magic of the big top, they find joy and love in one another. 

Keala Settle takes center stage as the troupe's bearded lady Lettie Lutz. A star on the Broadway stage, there is such an easy transition for her onto the big screen. She gets to sing a big, show-stopping number in the middle of the movie, one that describes part of the message of the production and also delivers a real pulse-pounder to audiences. 

Rebecca Ferguson is European singing sensation Jenny Lind. Lind is one of the true historic figures of this movie, who was brought to America by Barnum as part of a national tour during his years as head of the circus. Like Keala, she too gets to sing her heart out with a moving song that adds its part to the story. 

Additional circus cast members include Sam Humphrey as Charles Stratton (General Tom Thumb), Yusaku Komori and Danial Son as conjoined twins Chang and Eng, Luciano Acuna Jr. as the Dog Boy,  Natasha Liu Bordizzo as knife expert Deng Yan, and a whole host of others. A final cast member of historic note is Paul Sparks as theater critic James Bennett, whose original reviews of Barnum's shows are reprinted for the movie. 

Two things that help make this such a standout movie musical are its songs and an interesting fact. The interesting fact is that this is Hugh Jackman's passion project and it took over 7 and 1/2 years of development. This is because studios were wary of bankrolling an original movie musical. So far it has surpassed expectations and has more then made back its budget at the box office. 

Song wise, this entire movie is chock full of upbeat and fantastic numbers. With lyrics written by the team of Pasek and Paul (La La Land), this means that musical lovers are in for lyrical treats. Two songs in particular are "This Is Me", which was awarded 2018's Golden Globe for 'Best Original Song' and "From Now On". 

This Is Me is something of the anthem of the entire movie. It is powerful and passionate. Sung by Keala Settle and the cast of the circus, its bold. Settle and her fellow performers are still shunned by the general public for being different, for looking strange. So what do they do? They sing about how they aren't going to be beaten down and how there is a place for them in the world. 

From Now On is equally as powerful because its an epiphany moment for Barnum's character. After almost losing everything, he remembers why he went into show business to begin with, for his family, both of them (wife/daughters and his circus family). He sings of getting back to the way things were, being with people who are important to him and love him for just being himself, not the gilded bird that society demanded. 

In many ways, while this sets out to tell a loose story of P.T. Barnum and the founding of the Barnum and Bailey Circus, it serves another purpose. It gives audiences a message of not being afraid to be yourself, of stepping out of the shadows and into the light. This is something that movie goers of all ages can latch onto amidst all the songs and fast-paced dancing. 

Movie musicals are a genre that is not what it once was in Hollywood. Gone are the days of Judy Garland, Gene Kelly, Fred Astaire. In its place are productions like this one. Big, loud, well-scripted, well-casted affairs that command just as much power as their forebears. The Greatest Showman set out to be the best it could be and to give people something magical, just like P.T. Barnum set out years ago when he first started his legendary circus. This cinematic musical wonderment receives a well-deserved 4 out of 4 stars. It is not something to be missed out on by people and almost certainly going to keep enshrining itself in the hearts and minds of generations of fans as they see it come alive.