Limitless

SEE THIS MOVIE! Okay, now that I have that out of my system I feel better. One of the more entertaining films I've seen this year is "Limitless" starring Bradley Cooper, Abbie Cornish, and Robert DeNiro. It's a movie directed with some serious joy. I used the word joy because there seemed to be nothing the director Neil Burger absolutely wouldn't try and when you watch this movie you could almost imagine Neil sitting in the directors chair laughing like a giddy school kid sometimes. Thankfully he and the rest of the cast was blessed with an incredible script. This story is as original as it's not. Confused? Read on and I'll explain.

"Limitless" was adapted for the screen by Leslie Dixon from the novel "The Dark Fields" written by Alan Glynn. The story follows lovable loser Eddie Morra as he stumbles through life and completely not living up to his true potential. Somehow he's acquired himself a book deal and couldn't write anything if his life depended upon it. His girlfriend hands him back her set of keys to his hovel and says goodbye to him and he doesn't blame her. In fact he completely understands why she leaves him. On his way home he bumps into Vernon, his ex-brother in law who hands him a pill that turns his life completely around. Suddenly everything is clear and Eddie goes from some uninspired slacker to maximum overachiever on this wonder drug which in turns him into an addict. In the interim though, there's nothing Eddie can't do.

Eddie gets involved in the world of high finance and aligns himself with DeNiro's character billionaire Carl Van Loon. Eddie realizes that being an author just isn't going to cut it and in two weeks he more than quadruples his money. This gets the notice of the financial world and Carl Van Loon soon comes knocking. He enlists Eddies help in putting together the deal of the century. He also gets himself in deep with some very shady and dangerous people and the screws are tightened from both ends and Eddie has to find his way out. During that time he also finds out that this magical pill has it's drawbacks, some serious drawbacks in fact. Drawbacks that are explained by his ex wife in such stark fashion that you begin to wonder yourself, "would I take the pill now knowing that?". Of course you would and I would too.

Neil Burger has created a visual playground and used New York City to play with. He uses subtle but effective little tricks like when the pill is swallowed and kicks in the movie goes from a dull color palette to a vibrant and sharp one. The cinematography by Jo Willems pedestrian but that's forgiven because you're so wrapped up in the story. The same goes for the score by Paul Leonard-Morgan. It's completely forgettable, a collection of electronic trippy tunes with no real direction or emotional impact on the movie. Thankfully the movie doesn't need any help.

I highly recommend "Limitless" because it has everything you could possibly want in a movie. Drama, comedy, action, and suspense (along with some inventive violence). It's definitely worth the price of admission. See you at the theater.

The Adjustment Bureau

One of the most compelling movies I’ve seen in a long time (since last years Inception) was “The Adjustment Bureau” starring Matt Damon and the vulnerable Emily Blunt. When I saw the trailer I was intrigued but it really sold the movie short and that may have been its undoing. This movie is a thinking person’s movie and the trailer did not give anyone the impression (at least it didn’t give me the impression) that the movie is as deep as it is and trust me, it’s a deep movie. Written and directed by first time director George Nolfi with a story adapted the short story “The Adjustment Team” by the master Phillip K. Dick, “The Adjustment Bureau” deals with the questions of fate and free will and how we on this planet THINK we have free will and how we THINK we are moved by fate. In reality however every step we take and every decision we make is already mapped out for us by someone known as “The Chairman”. That’s usually not subject matter that interests me or excites me but this movie had an excellent story and what was even more impressive was its execution in relaying that story to the screen.

The story follows Damon’s character David Norris as he runs for the senate seat of New York. He’s ahead in the polls but then a picture is run in a daily rag showing Norris in an embarrassing light and he loses the race in fantastic fashion. While in the men’s room crafting his concession speech he meets Blunts character “Elise” who is in the men’s room ducking from security for crashing a wedding. The two hit it off immediately and the chemistry is electric between them and it’s that chemistry that the movie spins off of. Time passes and David and Elise haven’t seen each other in almost over a year, that chance encounter in the men’s room amounted to nothing other than keeping each other on their minds. David has been trailed by an agent of the Bureau, Harry Mitchell played by Anthony Mackie for pretty much all of his life and Harold had an assignment to delay David from catching his morning bus. Harold fails and the wheels of his missed assignment causes huge ripples in their plans because just by chance Elise is on that bus and The Chairman wants them to be kept apart. Apart they can accomplish amazing things in the world, together they go nowhere.

The cast of this movie is impressive on its own. Outside of Damon, Blunt, and Mackie there’s “Mad Men” star John Slattery and an imposing and sometimes creepy Terence Stamp. The list of cameos is far too numerous to mention them all but there Michael Bloomberg (yes that Bloomberg), John Stewart, and James Carville just to name a few. The look of the movie is easy on the eyes and it was shot entirely on location in Manhattan and Brooklyn. There’s nothing like watching a movie and knowing where that spot is or that building is and speaking of buildings if the Met Life building interior was actually used and not some sets built in some sound stage then that is an amazingly beautiful building inside as well as out. Scored by Thomas Newman his music gives this movie more of an edge at times but not enough times. Newman strikes me as an artist that relies on what he knows works instead of stepping out and challenging himself because to me all of his scores sound the same. If you’ve heard “Road to Perdition” and "American Beauty" and "Revolutionary Road" then you’ve heard this score. There are a few standouts like the theme for Elise and when David is told man doesn’t really have free will, just the impression of it but overall to me the score was just average.

Overall though I thoroughly enjoyed “The Adjustment Bureau” and highly recommend it if you haven’t seen it yet. It’s worth the price of admission. See you at the theater.

Battle: LA

It’s been obvious that I haven’t been to the movies lately and most of you know why. A week in the hospital will put a sever crimp in ones social activities but upon my parole from patient prison and nurse hell I was able to drag myself to the theater. I braved these mean city streets (a five minute cab ride from my house to the multiplex down the block) to see “Battle: LA” and I have to admit that it as worth the cab ride. Directed by Jonathan Liebesman (a director whose previous works did NOT impress me) and starring Aaron Eckhart as Sergeant Michael Nance this movie takes you on a ride from one hair raising situation to another once the action starts and it doesn’t take long for that to happen.

Now admittedly I cringe when I see Ne-Yo cast in any movie and because I haven't really been fond of Liebesman's work I was sort of skeptical going in but I was chose to see it because I loved the premise and enjoyed the trailer. Plus I’m actually starting to respect Aaron Ekhart’s acting abilities. Good thing too because he’s in almost every shot of this alien invasion movie (can you say vanity project?). Normally I wouldn’t think Aaron would be the first choice for this kind of role which in fact makes him perfect to carry this movie. He represents the everyday guy, playing a Marine who while in Pakistan got his whole platoon killed and now wants out of the service. Unfortunately the moment his papers are signed those damn aliens show up and throw a wrench in the program.

It starts off pretty much like any other movie where the hero is dealing with a crisis of epic proportions. Nance is a loner now and when doing his morning run on the beach he gets past embarrassingly easy by the younger Marines he knows his “shelf life” as a Marine has pretty much expired. There’s no wife to go home to, no children waiting to see him, all Nance knows is the Corp. and he states that once his papers are signed. Meanwhile you get to meet the new platoon Nance will be a part of later down the line. It’s a cast of character actors, some familiar faces (Ne-Yo for instance), some new and none of them trust Nance since he’s the sole survivor of his time in Pakistan. Leading the platoon this time around is 2nd Lieutenant William Martinez played by Ramon Rodriguez (he was Sam Witwicky's roomate in Transformers 2, remember Kitten Calenders? Yeah, that guy). Fresh out of officers school and itching to lead his men he also knows of Nance’s reputation but he seemingly withholds judgement and Nance seems perfectly fine getting orders from some wet behind the ear officer who’s never seen combat of any kind. This dynamic is an interesting one and the two actors play extremely well off one another. The best part of the cast however happens to be the civilians played by the lovely Bridget Moynahan, the talented Michael Pena and relative newcomer Bryce Cass who plays Pena's son. They give this movie the emotional impact it needs (although there is one corny scene between Nance and Moynahan's character where they do an autopsy and all I could think of was "spare me"). Bryce Cass however impressed me to no end and for a thirteen year old to do that is saying something.

The platoon’s orders are to evacuate some civilians stuck in a police station behind enemy lines and get them back to the deployed operating base or the D.O.B. before the air force bombs the area with everything they have. Now my two biggest issues with this movie are that the aliens are nowhere near as scary and as frightening as you hope them to be. They could have come up with something more nightmare inducing than the bobble heads that land on our shores. My second beef is the camera work. Director of Photography usually works hand in hand with the director so I'm going to place all the blame for the annoying camera work on the director. It was "Saving Private Ryan" but without the skill of Spielberg. At least he knew when enough was enough. Here however the camera is always right there in the middle of the action and the lack of steady cam, herky jerky, quick pan movements would have been a good touch had it not been done for the entire movie. Shot entirely in Louisianna and put together with the help of at least eight digital effects company (at least that's how many I counted when the credits rolled) this movie really was put together well. I just wish the camera work was better.

Now I ripped this man a new one when I reviewed that horrible movie "The Expendables" and commented on his score. This time around Brian Tyler redeems himself. I really enjoyed the music and thought it was the perfect match for this film. It had moments where it sounded like the group "Explosions In The Sky" (thankfully I like their sound) and most other times it showered the images with great heroic themes. It was a job well done.

This movie helped me forget my issues and what I'm currently going through health wise and it really was just what the doctor ordered. I would recommend it if you want a good time at the movies and you need to get away for a bit. See you at the theater!

I Am Number Four

For those that know me well know I don't see movies for who stars in them, big deal. Those acting in the movie aren't nearly as important as those directing the movie as far as I am concerned. That being said I am a fan of directors more than a fan of actors and that's the primary reason why I wanted to really see "I Am Number Four". Directed by D.J. Caruso who I became a fan of thanks to his movie "Disturbia" is the man behind this sorry flick. "Disturbia" brought me to Caruso's next helmed film "Eagle Eye" and while it wasn't anywhere as good as Disturbia it was a somewhat decent film thanks greatly to it's cast. Sadly "Number Four" didn"t have a great cast to save it. What was so upsetting about this movie though was that this story shouldn't have needed a great cast to carry this film. The story idea and premise is great but the execution was sorely lacking. So basically Caruso's films have gotten worse everytime out and he's losing me as a fan.

Starring the pathetically wooden Alex Pettyfer who plays John Smith an alien from the planet Lorien. He was one f the nine Lorien children sent here to earth after his planet was invaded by the Mogadorian's and each of the nine is blessed with a special gift that they were supposed to use to liberate their people back on Lorien once the nine has matured and mastered their "legacies". However, the "Mogs" don't enslave, they "decimate" which meant there was nothing for the nine to go back to save but the Mogs weren't just happy with slaying all the Loriens on their planet, they also want to kill the nine Lorien's on this planet. That's not as easy as it seems because each of the nine is protected by a guardian, a fellow Lorien but a soldier meant to protect them until they mature enough to be able to control their "legacies". John's guardian is Henri played by a seemingly uninspired Timothy Olyphant from the TV show "Justified".

Also starring in this underwhelming movie is mealy mouthed Dianna Argon who is the love interest "Sarah". Dianna while very attractive isn't the most articulate actress so some of her lines are hard to figure out. There is also Number Six played by Teresa Palmer, Kevin Durand who plays the giddy Mogadorian leader which does bring a chuckle or two to this otherwise humorless and passionless movie, and Callan McAuliffe who plays Sam, John's loyal sidekick. It's a cast of basically no names and their portrayals show that. This movie comes across completely flat when it had so much promise. Unlike the last two Caruso's films which were executive produced by Steven Spielberg, this one was overseen by Michael Bay and honestly he should stick to directing.

The movie was scored by Trevor Rabin and the music while trying to add drama and emotion to the film, it fell equally as flat as the movie it was married too. There will be a sequel if this movie does halfway decent business at the box office because Four and Six have plans but I would wait for that DVD if number II will arrive as flat as Number Four.

See you at the theater.

The Mechanic

To say that Jason Statham movies are predictable is like saying water is wet. You might as well save your breath instead of pointing out the obvious. There hasn't been one movie he's been in or done that you didn't have some kind of idea as to what the outcome was going to be, an outcome you saw coming a mile down the road. That's pretty much excatly how you may feel halfway through his latest offering "The Mechanic". If you can't figure this movies plot out and see what's coming at you at breakneck speed then you really need to open your eyes. From his Transporter movies to his turn in his Crank, The Italian Job, The Bank Job and others Jason never ever surprises you. He plays that scowling loner type to perfection and that's on full display in "Mechanic".

Directed by Simon West who's done way more TV movies than feature films, The Mechanic is a stiff, leaden film with no humor and no light anywhere. It's shot with a murky look and that's a shame since the main character of the film, Statham's "Arthur Bishop" lives in New Orleans. None of what makes New Orleans special or beautiful is in this movie and it could have been a character in the movie alongside the incomparable Donald Sutherland, the talented Ben Forster, and the seedy Tony Goldwyn (and if someone can tell me what happened to that mans eyebrows I would appreciate it).

Bishop is a hit man, a mechanic and he's considered one of the elite in his craft and dedicated. His percision is supposed to be shown by how he takes care of his house and how he rebuilds an antique Jaguar automobile. He shows his talents when the movie opens by taking out the leader of some drug cartel who's death was blamed on an accidental drowning. His next assignment though is to take out a good friend and he has second thoughts and wants to speak the man behind the hit. When Bishop is assured that with or without him the hit will go through and once the assignment is complete Ben Forster shows up playing Steve Mckenna, the detatched son of Bishops mentor Harry McKenna played by Donald Sutherland.

Steve wants to learn how to become a mechanic and because Bishop feels he owes it to him he decides to mentor the son of his mentor. Now that's a good start to a story line but just when this movie could take off and become something it retreats into something so utterly predictable that if it weren't for the bullets flying and the CG blood it would put you to sleep.

Like I stated earlier the film is shot in a style so dark and murkily that even David Fincher would have a problem with it. It was scored by the talented Mark Isham of who I am a tremendous fan but this score was amazingly bad. There was nothing to it, no depth, no charm, no heart which was pretty much like the movie the music was married to. If I had to rate this film on the five bullet scale, sadly the clip would be empty.

True Grit

Okay, let me first say that I did not see the first incarnation of Charles Portis' novel basically because I am not a John Wayne fan. I say that to say I have nothing to compare Jeff Bridges portrayal of Federal Marshal Rooster Cogburn to but in my opinion he did a pretty good job. It would have been better though had he put more time between this role and his Oscar award winning performance in "Crazy Heart" as Bad Blake. Bad and Rooster are pretty much the same character, drunken bafoons initially but finding redemption in the end so there wasn't much of a stretch for Jeff. That being said, Rooster is bad ass and Jeff plays him with some serious subtle nuances. Like how Rooster can go from being a scruffy drunken idiot one minute to cold blooded killer the next and everything in him changes. His stance changes, his glare changes, and his demeanor changes. It's impressive to watch.

Whats even more impressive than Jeff's portrayal though is the debut of Hailee Steinfeld playing the precocious and frighteningly intelligent Mattie Ross. This your lady definitely has the ability to have a great career because she can really act and she makes this movie all hers. Mattie is determined to find the man that killed her father and that's a difficult task for anyone but how Mattie goes about doing it is just flat out impressive and for a first time actor, Hailee was exceptional. She goes to collect her fathers body to bring him home, settle up his accounts, and to find his killer. For a fourteen year old girl she is hardly taken serious by anyone and in fact everyone tells her to go back home and be a good girl. To say Mattie is underestimated is putting it lightly but she forges on, gets her fathers accounts settled, hires the one federal marshal that everyone is seemingly scared of and agrees to set out in indian territory to find her man. Matt Damon shows up as Texas Ranger LeBoeuf (pronounced LaBeef which I found oddly funny) and plays it by the book and with all the hero stardom being a Texas Ranger comes with. He brings the humor to a movie that could have easily avoided it but it was welcomed. LeBoeuf is also chasing the same man Mattie is after because he shot a Senator in Texas and that makes things kind of sticky as far as the arrangements and agreements go. The banter that goes back and forth between Cogburn, Mattie, and LeBoeuf is sharp. If you know the Coen brothers past works to say the writing is well done and witty is like saying water is wet, it's a given.

The one man they are all after is Tom Chaney played by Josh Brolin and to say I was let down by Tom Chaney and the way it was played is legitimate. Maybe I need to read the book but in this movie they build Tom Chaney up to be the biggest villian this side of Jesse James and a bigger badass than Rooster. Even Texas Ranger LeBoeuf stated that taking Chaney is at least a two man job so you're looking forward to these men going to war when they eventually meet. It's a let down when you realize that Tom Chaney is a complete idiot and isn't even the leader of his gang. That falls to Barry Pepper (remember Barry Pepper?) who plays coincidentally Lucky Ned Pepper. Now Pepper and Cogburns clash was impressive but that's not what you wanted and what happens to Chaney is anticlimactic at best.

To me the best part of the film was the end when Rooster does all he can to save Mattie's life. You come to realize that he actually loves this little girl and would do anything for her. Somewhere along the way he and you the viewer realizes that she's actually the one with true grit. While I enjoyed the movie I think it's missing something in the story. The acting was great, the direction was competent, and the cinematography by Roger Deakins was in my opinion Oscar worthy but overall the film felt like something was off. Maybe I need to see it again or maybe it will always seem this way, I don't know but what truly disappointed me was the score. Carter Burwell who has worked with the Coen brothers before brings you a completely forgettable score which is regrettable considering the wonderful opportunity this movie genre brings to create something really moving and stirring, just ask Ennio Morricone.

Would I recommend this movie? I don't know. Let me see it again and then I'll let you know for sure. See you at the theater!

The Tourist

While watching Angelina Jolie and Johnny Depp work their charming ways through the streets of Venice in "The Tourist" I couldn't help but be struck by the fact that this film was a nod to the past. This movie actually felt like it could have been a vehicle for Cary Grant and Grace Kelly because it had that look, that feel, and it even had that kind of story line. You could imagine Cary Grant sitting in the cell with the crazy prisoner and Grace Kelly piloting the getaway boat after rescuing Cary from impending doom. If director Florian Henckle von Donnersmarck did this on purpose then for a fledgling filmmaker directing just his second full length feature film, he is a very talented man.

The story centers around a man you never meet named Alexander Pearce who you come to realize has stolen an ungodly amount of money from a ruthless gangster. Remember Victor Maitland from "Beverly Hills Cop"? Yes, Steven Berkoff is still acting and is still as intimidating on screen as he ever was playing Reginald Shaw, the gangster that will stop at nothing to get his money back from his once personal banker Pearce. Shaw however isn't the only one after Pearce, Interpol's Financial Crimes Unit is also hot on his tail and heading up this motely crew is Inspector John Acheson played by Paul Bettany. He has his keystone cops trailing Elise Clifton-Ward played by the incomparably beautiful Angelina Jolie in the hopes that she will lead them to Alexender. The man she is hopelessly in love with. Sounds like Grace, right?

To throw everyone off the scent Elise connects with tourist Frank Tupelo played by Depp on a train to Venice. A math professor from Wisconsin who is in Europe to get over the loss of his deceased wife Depp at first appears to be miscast. He looks uncomfortable and seems like he's more at home playing Captain Jack Sparrow then he is playing the straight and narrow Frank. Sitting on the train, minding his own business and reading his spy novel he encounters Elise and that's when things start to really cook. Sounds like something Cary could have pulled off perfectly.

Elise, under the surveillance of both the good guys and the bad guys gets Frank who everyone now thinks is Pearce so far in over his head that she begins to actually feel sorry for doing this to him. Frank, much like any man begins to fall head over heels in love with Elise that he refuses to leave and go back to Wisconsin. All the while, one of my favorite actors, Rufus Sewell who can play both the nicest of nice guys and the baddest of bad guys keeps popping up and dropping off letters of instruction for Elise from Pearce. Now Elise and everyone else is in their element except Frank. Frank is the classic fish out of water character and doing his best to survive and his phone call to the concierge at the front desk of his hotel and subsequesnt rooftop run in his pajamas to escape the gangsters henchmen is hilarious.

Scored by the very talented James Newton Howard, the music is lush, moving, and very 1950's feeling at times which again is perfect for this movie. Angelina and Depp are dressed in clothes that could have come out of that time period easily so in my opinion this movie was a throwback. A nod to those movies that are rarely made anymore these days. It's funny, charming, and the perfect movie to see after see Tron :-) I recommend it and I'll see you at the theater.