COOP COOPER is an independently syndicated film critic with a split personality. His “Southern Side” prints mainstream reviews that appear in various print publications across the mid-south. His “Dark Side” from Los Angeles befouls the site with reviews of horror and grindhouse flicks. Welcome to the site where COOP’s two halves (and his contributors) review and debate the latest film/DVD releases…

by Coop Cooper

After 67 years, we finally have a “Captain America” film that not only does justice to the Marvel franchise that created it, but also a worthy bridge film that leads directly into the “Avengers” feature film which will premiere next year.
Taking place in 1942, Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) wants nothing more than to volunteer for the U.S. Army to serve his country on the front lines in Europe. His 4 ft, 90 lb frame and a long list of ailments result in rejection after rejection until Dr. Abraham Erskine (Stanley Tucci) witnesses Steve’s pure hearted determination. After a long battery of tests, he offers Steve a chance to become America’s first “Super Soldier.” Steve accepts and is transformed into the superhero Captain America. Cap must face off against Hitler’s own renegade super soldier, the Red Skull (Hugo Weaving) who plans to take over the world using a mystical energy source called the Cosmic Cube…

An intergalactic police force known as the Green Lantern Corps chooses a brash test pilot named Hal Jordan (Ryan Reynolds) to become its first human officer. Unfortunately for Hal, his Lantern predecessor was killed by a planet-devouring entity dubbed Parallax who sets its sights on devouring the Corps-protected planets starting with Earth. Hal must overcome his crippling fear in order to save the Earth and prove himself a worthy keeper of the peace. Green Lanterns have a very appealing and powerful weapon. A ring that harnesses the energy of pure willpower, then projects it into whatever form the wearer imagines. It’s like a portable hologram projector, except the holograms have a physical form. This weapon with unlimited possibilities is the reason we haven’t seen a “Green Lantern” movie until now. Portraying the power itself requires the most modern computer generated effects and a $100 million-plus budget. The power also provides the potential for unlimited silliness…

I had almost given up on the “X-Men” franchise after the misfire that was “X-Men 3: Last Stand” and the abysmal “Wolverine” spinoff. “Black Swan” director Darren Aronofsky recently teased comic book fans with a promise to make a higher-quality “Wolverine” film set in Japan (one of the most famous story lines in the character’s history) only to kill the project without adequate explanation. That news sunk my hopes even lower. At this point, a classic “X-Men” story taking place in the 1960’s didn’t make much sense to me. They had already modernized the original team members for the 2000’s and made them all youngsters. Thankfully with a bit of creative canon-bending, the gamble worked and audiences finally have another decent “X-Men” movie to enjoy…

I had many favorite superheroes as a kid but Thor ranked among the highest. He had the power of flight and strength of Superman, he commanded the elements, he wielded a magic weapon and he ruled an entire kingdom. I held out little hope anyone would adapt him into feature film without making him look as silly as Batman in the 1960s TV show. Finally, “Thor” has arrived and although some of the silliness persists, it holds up well enough to usher the God of Thunder into the “Avengers” superhero team movie next year…

by Coop Cooper

As educational institutions gear down for their summer sabbatical, Hollywood gears up to release their highest-budgeted films. This tradition seems to arrive earlier each year, but the first of these mega-budget projects usually arrive in May. The May blockbusters are strategically placed in this month, often under the assumption the studio heads feel the films are weak, risky or may not compete against the reliable mid-summer releases. Sometimes the reason is simply beating other films to the punch and audiences occasionally find some some pleasant May surprises. Here’s what’s coming next month: CLICK HERE TO READ THE ARTICLE AT THE CLARKSDALE PRESS REGISTER WEBSITE

The first “Iron Man” movie defied expectations to become one of the most critically acclaimed and popular superhero films of all time. “Iron Man 2” retains many of the qualities (special effects, performances, humor, etc.) that made the first one great, but overall the film suffers from a minor case of “sequel-itis”.

The story picks up where the last one ended… Billionaire genius Tony Stark impulsively reveals to the world he is the armored superhero known as Iron Man. Months later the world is largely at peace due to…

An obnoxious rip off of “The A-Team”. There, I said it.

It starts off promising enough. An elite 5-man military team lead by Col. Clay (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) get betrayed by their handlers in an appropriately shocking and tragic double-cross. Disgraced but fortunately presumed dead, the team goes underground in Bolivia to live below the radar. A sleazy and mysterious woman named Aisha (Zoe Saldana who is now so overexposed and overhyped I can no longer root for her) locates the team and offers them the chance to get revenge on the ultra-powerful mastermind named Max (Jason Patric) who…

We’ve all heard the urban legend about the kid who put on a red cape and jumped out of his bedroom window after watching “Superman” back in 1978. While that story may or may not be true – and I’m honestly afraid to look it up to find out – it presents us with a cautionary tale that we are all merely human. Trying to live out foolish fantasies of superheroism could easily shorten our already limited lifespan. This is also the basic premise of the Mark Millar/John Romita comic book “Kick-Ass”, criticized for its portrayal of youth engaged in graphic violence and it’s cavalier approach to the subject. The film adaptation shares…

It’s an origin story, yet test pilot Hal Jordan becomes Green Lantern by the 3 min 30 sec mark. Despite the hasty introduction, this animated, direct to DVD Green Lantern movie contains a lot of what fans have been waiting for. Massive outer space battles, grumpy Kilowog, a non-wimpy Sinestro, giant green flyswatters. Surely a live-action version couldn’t support the FX that First Flight boasts, and… What? Yes, I said giant green flyswatters. Yeah, that pisses me off too.

I don’t freakin’ believe it. I figured Whiplash was at the bottom of the list for villain in next “Iron Man” film but I was wrong. Dead wrong… and this here pic proves it:

Bradley Cooper (no relation) is rumored to be a serious contender for the coveted “Green Lantern” role in WB’s long-in-development superhero film. While I like Brad Cooper who’s shown himself quite capable of comedy in films like “The Wedding Crashers” and “The Hangover” which is coming soon, I find the news of his potential involvement a little disheartening. NOT because Cooper is a bad actor (he’s actually terrific) and NOT because I can’t see him in the role. No, his consideration leads me to believe the WB is…

I imagine a lot of people are going to get excited about this… A big new international trailer was just released on the nets showing G.I. Joe and Cobra in action. Looks ULTRA CORNY, but very comic book-like and kinetic. Big explosions, lots of impossible tech, Starship Troopers-like mech suits, green ooze that eats metal, black on white ninja action… It’s all here and it shows a LOT more than the previous teaser…

The fist big summer blockbuster of the season has already claimed the title of the most disappointing movie of the year so far. “X-Men Origins: Wolverine” suffered from problems long before reaching the silver screen as news of panicked reshoots signaled something was amiss. Rumors of inept filmmaking caused a wave of negativity throughout the media and X-Men fans. The trailers looked spectacular so I remained cautiously optimistic….

Simply put this movie is not a winner.
It was never a good idea. Writer/director Frank Miller should stick with his own ideas. In this case Mr. Miller, who is one of my favorite comic book writers, attempts to adapt Will Eisner’s classic superhero tale, “The Spirit”. He would be better off working with Robert [...]

If you haven’t heard of “Batman: Dead End,” you’ve missed out on something. A few years ago (before “Batman Begins”) this Sandy Collora guy got a camera and a few people together and made this…

Pretty damn impressive, no? The guy’s made a career of creating creatures, designing, storyboarding and whatnot. Looks like he’s got some [...]

Did this “complete my ‘Watchmen’ experience” like the commercial said it would?
No, it didn’t.
It’s told out of context, making it extremely difficult to find the relevancy to the feature “Watchmen” (my review here) film, even for the discerning fan. In fact, anyone not familiar with the graphic novel who picks this up simply won’t understand [...]

With the massive hype that surrounded this release, a lot of people wound up reading the graphic novel that this film is based upon. That in and of itself is the best thing that comes out of the release of the movie. Alan Moore’s superior book is given about the best treatment that I can [...]

Finally, some official word on this see-saw of a story. Best Actor Nominee Mickey Rourke has been jerked around for months by Marvel Studios who was low\balling him (money-wise) after offering a choice villain role in the next “Iron Man” movie. The hammer finally came down and Rourke, after cryptically quoting “You bet your ass!” [...]

It’s finally here.
The year is 1985, Richard Nixon gets reelected for a third term and the planet edges closer and closer to WWIII. Superheroes are forbidden to interfere due to the “Keene Act” which has outlawed masked vigilantes since 1977. The United States depends on Doctor Manhattan, the world’s only super-powered human, as the last [...]

The second video clip explains it all. The heroes of “Watchmen” aren’t your always your model citizens and Rorschach takes the cake. He’s investigating the death of another vile costumed hero named “The Comedian” who’s like Dennis Hopper’s character “Frank” from “Blue Velvet,” except on steroids with machine guns. If that means nothing to you, [...]