Quick Review: Thor

This is not a comic book I read, nor am I going to begin now. (For one thing, it's a Marvel character and you've probably figured out by now that I'm way more of a DC person.) But "Thor" was a lot more entertaining than I expected based on the trailer. The plot sort of made enough sense despite its sci-fi leanings. After nearly starting a war, Thor (Chris Hemsworth), god of thunder, is exiled from Asgard by his father (Anthony Hopkins) until he proves himself worthy again. The hammer that gives Thor his power is also sent to Earth, but separately, and with a spell that keeps it from being wielded by anyone unless they're worthy. (So of course Thor needs to redeem himself so he can lift that hammer.) Meanwhile, Thor's brother Loki (Tom Hiddleston) learns something interesting about his heritage and, as you'd expect from the god of mischief, gets to plotting. Back on Earth, a budding romance develops between Thor and a scientist (Natalie Portman) but it isn't all that interesting, and it doesn't actually take up much of the movie's time. It's reasonably well-acted, and moves along at a decent pace. My grade: B.

Quick Reviews: The Wolfman, The Crazies

I still need to get to the two Oscar Best Picture nominees I haven't seen yet. One, "The Hurt Locker" is at one of the Ritz theaters downtown. The other, "A Serious Man," isn't playing but I think I can watch it at home through On Demand. Only a week to go! Meanwhile...

"The Wolfman" is a remake of the 1941 film. It stars Benicio Del Toro and Anthony Hopkins. I didn't have high hopes, but, just like with "From Paris With Love," I was hoping for some fun. Instead, it was just dull. Not horrendously bad, but definitely a wait-for-the-DVD at best. The release date had been pushed back a number of times. I wouldn't have minded if they kept pushing. My grade: D-plus.

On the other hand, "The Crazies" -- also a remake, as it turns out -- was a lot of fun at times. People in a quiet little farming community in Iowa suddenly start acting, well, crazy. The town's sheriff (Timothy Olyphant) starts to investigate and finds a possible solution. Things get out of control when the military swoops in. It becomes an entirely different movie at that point -- not as much fun. Still, it's definitely worth checking out. My grade: B.