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TheDarkKnight21
Reviews
Cowboys & Aliens (2011)
Bad Ass Action Movie
Now this is a summer movie with a unique premise that's not only out there, but works so well that it makes me say "That was BAD ASS." Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you the next heavyweight action film of the summer: Cowboys & Aliens.
Okay let's get the obvious out of the way: YES, cowboys and aliens in the same movie sounds like an absurd premise that would only exist in the mind of adolescent boy. And yet, this child-like premise is immediately forgotten when you watch surprisingly deep characters struggle through a dangerous situation with overwhelming odds against them. And this film can get DARK in both terms of the fights happening on screen as well as the gravity of the situation. Instead of some silly-mindless action, you get a film that will make you grow a beard sitting through its 2-hour run time (which flies by fast). And don't worry ladies, you get plenty of eye candy too.
The film stars Daniel Craig (flawlessly using his American accent) as Jake Lonergan, a cowboy stranded in the middle of the Wild West with only a strangle bracelet on his wrist and no recollection of who he is or how he got there. After a series of dodging mishaps in the nearby town of Absolution, he is corned by Elle (played by Olivia Wilde) and hard-as-nails rancher Han Solo, I mean Colonel Dolarhyde (played by Harrison Ford). An alien invasion then commences and lays waste to Absolution while abducting several of its citizens. Lonergan must then join forces with Dolarhyde and the strange woman to stop the alien threat and discover who he really is.
The first twenty minutes of the film play like any Westerner you've seen: Craig plays the gruff loner invoking the spirit of Eastwood, Harrison Ford plays the gruff boss-man of a bunch of thugs, and the usual Western archetypes are present throughout the cast. It's when the alien invasion begins that these archetypes are immediately thrown out the window and you find surprisingly deep characters. Lonergan is a wanted man with a brutal past but the allure of a lost love drives him to learn more about her fate. Harrison Ford is playing the best we've seen him in years (yes even better than Indiana Jones) as a former colonel who has seen the horrors of war and he uses his gruff demeanor to inspire confidence in lesser men. Both Craig and Ford bring their A game to this film as they pull of convincingly deep cowboys.
The rest of the cast turns in solid performances. The gorgeous Olivia Wilde plays a mysterious woman who knows more than she's telling, but you can't resist caring about her. Sam Worthington plays a meek bar tender out to find his abducted wife and Noah Ringer plays a scared boy searching for his grandfather. And yes, these two minor side characters develop their arcs as boys become men. Everyone else does a great job in this setting as well. Okay, so now I've praised the story and the deep characters, but is the action any good?
Oh. Hell. Yes. The fist fights between humans are brutal and visceral. Horseback chase scenes are made more awesome with alien ships hunting the heroes down. And the aliens? Looking damn fine. The computer generated images aren't glaringly obvious here with the aliens looking bulky, hideous, and monstrous. They are the perfect band of bad guys. And unlike other alien invasion films, you get to see humans get into vicious fights with the extraterrestrials. Limbs are blown off, Guns blow holes into alien bodies. Aliens eat humans right in front of their comrades. All of it is exceptionally well-done and reminds you that this is most definitely NOT a kids movie (PG-13 rating be damned).
The best part? The fights mean something. You care what happens to Lonerman, Dolarhyde, Elle, Doc, and Emmett. When characters die, the persons close to them EMOTE. The characters who die are characters YOU grow attached to. You WANT their deaths avenged. You are made known in none-uncertain-terms that the situation is dire. And that's what elevates Cowboys & Aliens from a merely good film to a GREAT film.
Unique action movies are hard to come by and big budget films with great characters are harder still to find. Cowboys & Aliens finds a way to merge the Western and Alien Invasion genres into something fun, entertaining, and meaningful. Characters don't get any deeper and action doesn't get any harder than you'll find here. A fantastic summer movie that I highly recommend everyone to check out in theaters.
Fast Five (2011)
Too Stupid, Too Fun
Some films can be so idiotic that an audience will become insulted by their ineptitude (see The Last Airbender or Sucker Punch). But some films can be so idiotic that an audience will start giggling at how ridiculous the whole thing can be. Thankfully, the fifth outing in the decade-old Fast and Furious franchise falls in the latter category as an enjoyable, popcorn-munching thrill ride.
The film begins with where the last one left off: Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel) is carted off to jail but is busted en route to prison by his sister Mia (Jordana Brewster) and her boyfriend / Dom's now friendly rival, Brian O'Connor (Paul Walker). After escaping the US, the trio find themselves in Brazil but end up pissing off the kingpin of the favelas in Rio, Hernan Reyes (Joaquin de Almeida). Even with a brutal DSS agent (The Rock) on their tail, the Torettos and O'Connor decide to get back at Reyes and pull off a heist with a cash winnings of $100 million. So they recruit nearly all their friends from the previous four movies (including Ludicrous, Tyrese Gibson, Don Omar, Sung Kang, Matt Schulze, Tego Calderon, Gal Gadot) to ban together and pull off an insane robbery plan.
From this little plot summary, you can already tell this is really not the most serious action film out there. And thankfully, the actors and director do not take it so seriously either, that they start to have so much fun with what they have. It does seem that the film tries a little too hard to make you like your main characters even though they are all thieves. For instance, Dom is frequently portrayed as a church-going, fiercely loyal friend despite being able to wreck anybody that gets in his way. But it's par for the course and it allows to confidently root for him and his team, even when their villain is so cartoonishly evil that he can't be taken seriously. But as I said, seriousness is not the order of the day. Fun is all there is on the menu, and the actors are able to support that fun just the same.
The dialogue is peppered with pretty silly lines for the three leads, but they each deliver them with such deadpan seriousness that you almost begin to wonder if they are intentionally trying to make you laugh. However, the dialogue does fall flat many times, and I was kind of hoping with such a ridiculous premise that dialogue could keep up with it. Sadly, that didn't happen. The middle of the film also drags on a bit with a notable lack of action, but this is made up with some funny exchanges between the characters who have some great chemistry.
Meanwhile Tyrese Gibson and Ludicrous have fun exchanges throughout the film, as do Don Omar and Tego Calderon. Gal Gadot and Matt Schulze don't add much to the mix, but they're fine with what they are given. I was really wishing to see more of Sung Kang as Han from Fast and Furious 3: Tokyo Drift (the ONLY good part about the movie), but even he delivers some fun lines as well. But no exchange was making my audience crack up more than watching The Rock and Vin Diesel trying to out-Man the other guy. Even more so when their big fist fight in the film disregards physics.
Speaking of which, I'm pretty sure the director, Justin Lin, must really enjoy flicking off pictures of Isaac Newton, because physics do not exist in this world. In this film, he has two guys drive off a steep cliff into a river and somehow survive the impact of the fall and bare men can break through the walls of favelas. The film then leads to a spectacular sequence involving two cars dragging a large safe through the streets of Rio while using it as a wrecking ball against their pursuers. It gets so ridiculous that it achieves the Bad Boys 2 effect: a film that is so aware that it's dumb, that it becomes a fun ride for all.
While Fast Five cannot be called a great film with hokey dialogue and some flat characters, it does manage to entertain its audiences with the cast having great chemistry and over-the-top stunts leading the way throughout the film. Give it a look if you have an afternoon free, and enjoy the ride.
Thor (2011)
Behold the Mighty Start of the Summer!
Thor was the Marvel property that, at first blush, I thought was a dumb idea to make into a movie. A Norse God becomes a superhero? To a novice comic follower like myself, it sounded ridiculous. But what do you know? Marvel Studios shut me up again like when they released the first Iron Man and The Incredible Hulk reboot. Behold the mighty Thor in all his glory!
Thor (Chris Hemsworth) is an arrogant warrior from beyond the stars trying to prove himself to his wise father, Odin (Anthony Hopkins) in their home realm of Asgard. Thor and his band of warriors assault a realm filled with ice giants (just go with it, it totally works) after a few giants infiltrated Asgard to steal a powerful weapon. For Thor's brazen foolishness, he is banished by Odin to the realm of Earth and stripped of his godlike powers. When Thor slams down to Earth, he is greeted by young astronomer, Jane Foster (Natalie Portman), who has questions of her own of the stars. But Thor's brother, Loki (Tom Hiddleston) has some dark plans now that Thor is exiled from Asgard.
The plot's a little complex, but it's easier to see on the big screen. The film is split between telling the epic and chaotic war on Asgard and the classic fish-out-of-water story on Earth. Some people (comic fanboys) were concerned that the whole film would be focused on the Earth side story, which is not at all the case. The goofy Earth stuff you see in the trailer is all there, but surprisingly, that's all there was to the goofiness. A good portion of the film is dedicated to Thor getting back his powers and learning humility while his time on Earth. Thanks in no small part to Natalie Portman, but if you were getting checked out by someone like her you'd be damn sure to reform any of your character flaws.
From this setup, Kenneth Branagh directs his actors to say Shakespearean-like dialogue with such gusto that it almost seems believable. When Thor is speaking in such a way in Asgard, you never laugh because his and others dialogue feels natural in this setting. It's when he arrives on Earth that Thor's mannerisms and speech become funny, but that's how it usually seemed to me in the shows I've seen with Thor. All the actors turn in solid performances with a great script that manages to balance humor and adventure into a nice package.
Then there's the action and wow does it work. Branagh, who's only versed in directing Shakespearean films, shows a little knack for making epic fight sequences between Thor and his various enemies. They feel immense and awe-inspiring, with the computer-generated images never bothering you for a second. Everything just feels right and amazing. You want to see a fun, summer adventure film? You'll find it right here.
My only complaints are small ones. The beginning dragged a bit for the first ten minutes, but when it picks up, it gets going to the very end. The other problem I had was with Loki. While Tom Hiddleston does a fine job with what he's given, Loki never feels like a great threat to Thor. While I'm happy to see they gave some dimension to his character by giving him valid reasons for his actions, he still comes across as a sniveling weasel. For setting up Thor's origin story, he works, but I'm left wanting more from the villain department.
So is Thor worth checking out? That's a resounding, thunderous yes. It's an epic adventure with the right amount of humor and pathos to make this an entertaining summer blockbuster. What's more, it paves the way for the larger-than-life Avengers film coming next summer and shows that no hero under Marvel's control is not good enough for the big screen. Watch it and enjoy the beginning the summer.
Hanna (2011)
A Techno Beat Odyssey Thriller
It makes me so happy to see films like this. A well-executed thriller with an awesome soundtrack and great performances leads to one of the pleasant surprises of the year.
Hanna (Saorise Roman) is a sixteen-year-old girl living out in the Finnish wilderness with her father, Erik (Eric Bana). Her father aggressively trains Hanna to be a lethal and stealthy killer armed with a comprehensive intelligence capable of speaking multiple languages. Hanna yearns to go explore the outside world and be sent on a mission her father has been training her for her whole life: to assassinate Marissa Viegler (Cate Blanchett). Reluctantly, Erik allows Hanna to activate a CIA beacon that will bring Viegler to her warning his daughter that Viegler will not stop until either one is dead. And thus begins an intense cat-and-mouse chase across Europe as all parties involved rack up a body count.
The film is expertly shot, and that's an important quality when you're making a espionage action thriller. Unlike that godawful Jason Bourne- shaky cam garbage, the film is shot in a way that shows you all the brutal kills, hard action, and great escapes. Even more impressive is when you see single shots that go for a good few minutes as the camera follows characters weaving in and out of the city streets and dockyards. Even more interesting is the use of soundtrack by techno band, The Chemical Brothers, which complements that fast and brutal fights with amazing beats. Director Joe Wright definitely knows how to film action sequences, but his biggest strength lies in getting great performances from his actor.
Saorise Roman had a tough job to do: she had to play a physically-adept teenage assassin but one that lacked empathy or ability to understand basic human interactions. And wow she nails this performance and shows off major acting chops here. Despite playing as someone who didn't understand emotion, it was interesting to see her react to her first brushes with it be it involving friends, family, or even a lover. There are many scenes that can make you uneasy seeing a sixteen-year-old girl in that situation, but Roman as Hanna shows that not only she has no fear of the situation she can easily outwit and physically outlast any opponent that faces her. Eric Bana and Cate Blanchett both turn in fine supporting performances, and they do a great job playing the morally- conflicted characters they were.
Hanna is the first quiet sleeper hit of the year. The great performances and amazing fight sequences are all complemented by one of the best techno soundtracks that puts Tron Legacy to shame. This is how you make a strong female character, one that can relate to both men and women, and make you root for them to survive an insane ordeal as she battles waves of opponents and cleverly escapes every time.
Arthur (2011)
Waste of Your Life
How can a comedy, a movie usually designed to make people laugh, bore me to tears? Throw in a thoroughly unlikable protagonist making unfunny "witty" jokes while acting like a man child and you've got yourself one of the best sleeping pills to ever hit a cinema near you.
Arthur (Russell Brand) is a spoiled, rich 30-something wasting money every 30 minutes to enjoy his life while being watched over by his disapproving nanny/surrogate mother, Hobson (Helen Mirren). When Arthur's mother, the owner of a multi-billion dollar corporation, has had enough of Arthur's immaturity, she threatens to cut him off unless she marries the responsible and completely-out-of-her-mind businesswoman, Susan (Jennifer Gardner). While Arthur begrudgingly plans to go through with the marriage to keep his fortune, he struggles with the prospect when he meets and connects with the part-time con artist Naomi (Greta Gerwig). "Wackiness" ensues. For two boring hours.
I was coming into this film ready to hate Russell Brand, who's very appearance makes we want to take a shower to wash away the filth. For his first lead role, he doesn't really bomb it completely but... he's just not a funny guy. The sad part is, you can see him try to be funny, when he starts acting out and behaving like a child. So he pretty much looked at Will Ferrell and decided to copy what he's been doing in his very, very worst movies. So it doesn't come across as funny, it's just sad. Brand never reaches the level of annoyance he stooped to in "Get Him to the Greek" and "Forgetting Sarah Marshall", but he's definitely not a leading man. He has no charm, no attraction, and no likability. And he does this for two unforgivable hours.
While you never care about Arthur, you oddly care more about the supporting cast. You really feel for Helen Mirren's Hobson and her exasperation with putting up with this rich, spoiled little brat. She's dry and sarcastic, and the film's best moments (which are few and far in between) all belong to her. Even Greta Gerwig is more charming than the lead, and you actually feel sorry her when she gets hurt in the movie. Jennifer Gardner has fun as a psycho for all 10 minutes she's in this film. That's right, she can only be here ten minutes of this two hour waste of time.
But a comedy needs funny situations, and this film is sorely lacking in that department. Even though Brand plays with the famous movie cars and rents out Grand Central Station, there's nothing to laugh here. I'll admit I giggled at a snarky remark here and there, but like I said, it never comes from Russell Brand. You see a couple of ridiculous things like the DeLorean or the Batmobile (the bad one), and you feel like you're ready to smile but the movie does nothing with them. While this film didn't anger me, it commits the cardinal sin of being boring. They have two montages of nothing interesting happening, and there came points while dialog was going on and I almost started snoozing. And did I mention this "comedy" is two unholy hours long?
At the end of the day, Arthur is an irritating movie with a thoroughly uncharming and unfunny protagonist. It's a waste of time and money that only has a few funny moments peppered in. Rent it to pass the time, but do not expect to laugh. Expect to catch some Zs.
También la lluvia (2010)
Wants to Say Much, Ends Up Saying Hardly Anything
Films like this break my heart. I could see the point, the end goal of the film. And yet, a series of mistakes screws the whole point up and what you're left with is a heavily flawed film with moments of potential. And so comes "También la lluvia" (Even the Rain), Spain's official entry for Best Foreign Film of the 2010 Academy Awards.
The film centers around a production of a movie about Christopher Columbus (like we really need another one) in Bolivia in the year 2000. Costa (Luis Tosar aka the bad guy from Miami Vice) is the penny-pinching producer of the flick, while Sebastian (Gael Garcia Bernal just for you ladies) is the artistic director determined to make the best film ever. They end up casting the hardworking "Indian" Daniel (Juan Carlos Aduviri) as the legendary Hatuey (native who first defied the Spanish conquerors). But as the two filmmakers learn, Daniel is one of the leaders of the disgruntled native population in Cochabamba, Bolivia who are beginning to make their moves to protest the multinational interference with the city's water supply. Thus, the film's production is put into conflict with the 2000 Cochabamba Water Wars.
First I'll get the positives out of the way: the film is wonderfully shot against the Bolivian countryside and the film does an excellent job of capturing the chaos and build up that led to a very violent and very real protest in Latin American history. Bernal, Tosar, and Aduviri all turn in great performances with what they are given. But they're not given much to work with, because the script has no idea what it's trying to do. A good portion of the film is dedicated to the rehearsals and stage setup of the Columbus film, while another portion is dedicated to the building up of tensions regarding the control of water in the city. As a result, you barely get time to know the three leads who time and time again change their motivations.
Sebastian wants to tell a Columbus story, even though he himself is hellbent on filming a particular scene involving Franciscan missionaries arguing about enslaving natives and another scene involving Hatuey's moment of infamy. In other words, the film's focus ends up changing completely. Costa is heavily concerned with the film's budget that he purposefully has the film shot in Bolivia to get cheap native labor and extras. However, he begins to grow a conscious when he offends Daniel that he is offering dirt money for all his hard work. Then he goes to right back to penny-pinching to make the film. Finally, Daniel looks like he is concerned over his daughter's welfare, but he ends up carelessly getting hurt during the protests that also end up deeply injuring his daughter.
I could see where the film ultimately wanted to go. It wanted to show how after 500 years, Latin American natives are still being brutally oppressed by foreigners and are being used for cheap labor to further the foreigners' own purposes. But the film never gets to that point. It's too busy showing the Columbus film's production and the conflicts among the actors. We are treated to many scenes involving the actors bickering among themselves and about the social-political situation. As a result, we have even less time to develop the other leads' stories. I say leads because not one actor, in my opinion, could honestly hold title to the protagonist since we keep following several character arcs that ultimately are never resolved. Also, some minor characters turn in some awful performances when their characters are needed to push some important plot points. Worst of all, the leads make some crucial decisions that have no set up to explain why they would behave in a certain way. As a result, the audience is left puzzling why they would act in that way. That being said, the film is thankfully short at 103 minutes and I can't say I was bored during its runtime.
Even the Rain desperately wants to make a connection between modern day exploitation of indigenous Latin Americans and the historical slavery of said indigenous cultures when the Spaniards came. The lead actors turn in great performances with what they are given and some great cinematography is used. It starts out meaning to say something, but like Bernal's young director, it doesn't know what to focus on, and ends up not being able to say anything at all.
Source Code (2011)
Science Fantasy Bests Science Fiction
Source Code is a fantastic movie, a smart thriller that gives you a satisfying and humane story and lead character. Weirdly, such a great film is being classified in the wrong genre. Nearly everyone is call it science fiction, leading the film's critics to call Source Code's science "stupid" and "nonsensical". But Source Code was not trying to describe the intricate mechanics of time travel the way films like "Primer" and "Donnie Darko" have explored. Rather, Duncan Jones was using time travel as a simple plot device to tell an emotionally-driven story.
Now, the explanation for how the Source Code works is quickly described by Dr. Rutledge and is overtly simple. He just says that they created a machine through "quantum physics and parabolic calculus" that can witness time rather than travel through time. That is pretty much the extent of the "science" you get in this so-called science fiction movie. When you start to think about it, it really doesn't make much sense. But, Duncan Jones wasn't trying to show explain how time travel works, which is to put it simply, a foolhardy effort. What makes this film great, is Colter Stevens' emotional journey aboard the Source Code.
The film is very well paced, especially for a film as short as 93 minutes. The dialog flows and makes sense, especially when Colter has relived the crisis a few times and is able to make dead-on predictions on what will happen. In light of the heaviness of the film's looming threat of death and destruction, there's enough comic relief to liven up the situation but not too much for you to be drawn out of the film. The film is also remarkably shot for a film that has a total of four settings. Then there is this spectacular shot of a character tumbling out of a vehicle and you see every thud and bump against the ground that looks very, very real. However, the film's script and direction are only icing to the delicious cake of character development you get in this film.
Colter is a sympathetic man who's caught in a shitty situation. The man was a soldier and has real-life issues to work out with his father. Now all of a sudden he's found himself in a "Groundhog Day" scenario of reliving the same horrible moment over and over again just to find clues of the terrorist's identity. You feel for Colter's plight, and Gyllenhaal injects the pathos needed for the audience to care about his character and the subplot involving his father. Mind you, this subplot could have been excised from the film and nothing would be lost to the story, but a whole chunk of Colter's character would have been lost as a result.
What could never be cut from the film would be Colter's relationship with Monaghan's Christina. Christina is the light at the end of this hellish tunnel for Colter. Never mind that Monaghan is drop dead beautiful, she also carries a sincere sense of sweetness and care for Colter, or rather the man Colter has become. And Monaghan shows her acting chops just as well as Gyllenhaal does, so pay attention to this rising star in the future. Farminga's Goodwin is the only person who aids Colter in making sense of this insanity and the veteran actress does her job just as well.
The film only had two minor problems. First was Wright's character, who was a little too much a caricature to be believable. Particularly because he shows zero empathy to Colter's plight makes us detached from him. Granted, it makes us side with Colter more, but Wright had a genuine goal that he could stand by proudly, but the actor does nothing with it. There's really no strong villain as you would expect from a terrorist plot, but I guess that time was cut in favor of developing the strong three leads.
But getting back to my initial discussion of Source Code's genre, the film's "science" is laughably stupid and simple. However, it is a "scientific" explanation nonetheless for how Colter is able to relive the same moment in time over and over again. And this is what makes this film fall under science fantasy, a genre where the scientific explanation for plot devices are absurdly simple. But what the genre loses in making sense to the scientific community, it makes up for in scores with audiences by telling a compelling story. I've spent a good few paragraphs gushing about how emotionally connecting the characters were and how well the film is paced. Obviously, I wasn't too hung up about the science in the film, because I had so much fun with everything else.
Source Code is a smart and fast-paced thriller that gives you characters you give a snap about, to-the-point dialog, great acting, and a surreal adventure in time loops and parallel universes. Don't be scared by the science, it's satisfying light, and doesn't get in the way of the tense plot of locating a bomber aboard a train. This film has everything that I love in a film, and take you on one hell of a time trotting adventure.
Limitless (2011)
First Great Movie of 2011
Now this is how you make a movie. I don't know if it was the fact that I saw perhaps one of the worst movies ever dumped on screen last week or if I had seen something that really took me by surprise. Let's go with the latter, because one way or another, Limitless will somehow end up on my top 10 of the year.
So for those who have been missing the previews, here's the basics. Bradley Cooper plays Eddie, a guy who seems to be on the top of the world (or rather a luxury skyscraper) and he's ready to end it all. After one of the slickest credits sequences ever put on film, we find that he was a guy who had hit rock bottom in his life after getting dumped by his girlfriend, failing to pay rent on time, and had consistently failed to type a single word for his novel. In other words, he was a loser...I mean artistic writer. By chance, he meets his ex-wife's brother-in-law who turns him on to a new drug called NZT. The drug might as well be called "Charlie Sheen" because this guy starts to win at basically life itself.
In 24 hours, he scores with the young wife of his landlord, cleans up his messy apartment and finishes the first part of his overdue novel (that is immediately embraced by his editor). So after a good trip like that Eddie needs more. More of this drug to help him focus to not only finish his book, but learn languages, play the piano, score more girls, play the stock market, and whatever else he wants. Thus, what follows is an insane adrenaline-fueled odyssey as Eddie rises to power with the help of Charlie Sheen's tiger blood, all the while dealing with some psychotically bad side effects. How bad are we talking here? Say 18-hour blackouts where he remembers snippets of fights, parties, clubs, and random sex. Actually, now that I wrote that, those might be not-so-bad side effects.
So what separates this film from other drug head films? Other films show how drugs make their users feel "high" or "good" for a while (which basically means doing jack), before the inevitable time where the user gets "clean" and goes through withdrawals. In essence, these films show how "drugs are bad" and how the road to recovery and redemption is a long and painful one. This is NOT one of those movies. This is a rise to power film.
After Eddie is given his powers, we see him adjust to his new life and makes crucial decisions on where he takes his life next. But the drug not only gives Eddie supreme intelligence, but focus for goals. While it's never explicitly stated, Eddie simply wants the "world and everything in it". And this is what makes Limitless so entertaining. We are taken on a ride as Eddie moves up in the world and shown how he deals with his love life and his relationship with business partners. You never see what's coming next or predict how each character will fare in the movie. It's simply one surprise after another.
Acting wise, Bradley Cooper shines in this film. You might as well call this his "breakthrough" role, cause he is the star of the show here. While his character never attains the infamy that other famous rise-to- power protagonists have (like Tyler Durden or Scarface), you are nonetheless drawn to his character and hope that he makes it through to see the next day. Abbie Cornish does a fine job and redeems herself in my eyes for Sucker Punch and proves to be both confident and competent as an actress. Pay attention to this one in the coming years. And thank God that Robert De Niro gets to have a role in a movie isn't worthless. He does his job as a Wall Street exec quite well and almost makes me want to see him in a broker movie.
What really takes you on a ride in the movie, besides the great acting and tight script, is the direction. I cannot think of a single plot hole in the movie, even though a lesser film could have easily made that mistake. But the true star here is the cinematography as the camera tricks in this movie are so much fun. The only way for me to describe it, is like speeding through a tunnel of your depth perception. Picture yourself on a street and peer as far as your eye can see. What the movie does is quickly travel the length of your perception and keeps going and going. It gives you that beautiful feeling of omniscience. Simply put, you can see and hear everything.
There are very few movies I walk out of a movie saying "wow". This movie was one of them. An adrenaline-fueled adventure that captivates you without a single explosion and leaves you completely satisfied. I won't give it a perfect rating since some characters were not fully memorable, but this film takes you on a ride you'll never forget. Run out and catch this movie anyway you can. It deserves it.
Sucker Punch (2011)
Could Have Been So Great, If Not For The End
So there are many things to look at in Zack Snyder's Sucker Punch. Aside from the spectacular visuals, the gorgeous actresses, this will be Snyder's first attempt at directing something wholly from his own mind. No comic book to adapt, no beloved monster movie to remake, this will be Snyder's first "original" effort. So does it succeed? Kind of, but I'm left wanting more.
While the story is very interesting, it's held down by a mediocre script. Actually, the first 20 minutes have no dialog, so the film becomes a music video for remixed 80s songs involving dreams as Emily Browning emptily sleepwalks through the asylum, occasionally showing some emotion towards the end of this boring prologue. Now I've seen introductions that are silent and carry a lot of emotional weight (see "Up"), but there's really nothing interesting going on here except Snyder's trademark slow-mo, speed-up shtick. The film's actors and actresses do a fine job with what they are given, but the script doesn't give them anything to do. As a matter of fact, Joe Hamm appears towards the end and he seems completed wasted for someone of his acting caliber. All in all, there's not a drop of good character development to be found here and it becomes painfully noticeable as the film goes on. Then again, people are not seeing this film for the plot but to seem some style, and the film can back that up. When Baby Doll's first crazy dream begins, the film does take flight and does not stop for a good while.
When the film goes into dream mode, it becomes something truly special. The first is a fight that involves a young girl armed with a samurai blade and pistol facing off three giant robot samurai. Words could not do justice as to how kick-ass the first sequence was; and it only improves with the film's three other dream sequences. The fight scenes are brutal and are hyper-violent, reminiscent of Snyder's own "300". As far as representing what 13-year-old boys probably dream about, the film succeeds in every regard (and I mean that in the nicest possible way). The audience is transported to WWI trenches overrun by German soldiers brought to life by clockworks and steam; then to a Helm's Deep-esque siege on a castle where a fire-breathing dragon hangs out; and off to a spectacular fight against androids aboard a hijacked train. But the fights become so ridiculously over-the-top that I wondered how the hell did this film wound up with a PG-13 rating and not R (like Snyder himself anticipated). Then I realized there is no blood in any of these dream sequences. Oddly blood is only present in the real world and it's never gratuitous. But bear in mind, that's not a criticism against the film, but it is something for parents to keep in mind if they decide to make a family outing of this. I beg you to not do so.
The reason I say this is because this is NOT a kid's movie. People die violent, unromantic deaths here, and the film gets dark as hell in Act III. But I think it get's TOO dark for an action-adventure movie like this. The whole time we are treated to an over-the-top style that begs for an air of fun, but the fun immediately switches to melodrama when the final dream sequence is complete. Then the not-at-all fun ending comes to put a damper on the whole room. I will give Snyder chops for having the balls to carry out such a bold ending, though I can see why Warner Brothers was grumbling about the film. Simply put, I have a feeling a lot of people will be turned off by the ending.
Which is a shame, because the previous two hours were so damn good. While the film's beginning is slow, when the action hits, it hits hard and keeps going, constantly one-upping itself in terms of what you will see next. Yes, Snyder employs the ol' speed up, slow-mo trick multiple times during the dream sequences, but they are not overdone and allow the audience to make sense of hyper-kinetic chaos going on. And mind you, with these dreams alone, I was ready to recommend anyone to see it. But then the third act hits, and I can't honestly bring myself to give that recommendation as the film's flaws become too apparent. Nonetheless, I was never bored in the film's 109 run time and the visuals are truly striking. It's a wonderful blend of CGI, grit, and dark color palette that gives the film a unique style on its own. At the end of the day, what we have here is a classic case of style over substance. If you love to see cool stuff go up on a big screen, I'll check this out as a matinée. For everyone else, this is a rental at best.