The Descendants

Alexander Payne continues his “man in turmoil” series with this one. If you’re not familiar with Payne’s work, you need to catch up and watch Election, About Schmidt, and Sideways. The male protagonist in each film is at a major crossroads. The Descendants continues this trip.  This film will generate a ton of Oscar buzz — most deservedly to George Clooney in one of his strongest and most complicated roles to date. The film successfully walks the fine line of sadness along with genuine humor. The trailer really doesn’t capture the true essence of the film. Watch it with a grain of salt. This isn’t the film you’ll see.

Grade: B+

Hugo

After seeing this film, I now realize why word of mouth is so important. There is no way any type of marketing can give the film justice. The trailer is just OK (nauseating voiceover) and the artwork was average at best. But the film itself, was pure movie magic. Martin Scorsese takes his first true shot at a family film and hit it out of the park. Outside of Avatar, this was the best use of 3D I’ve ever seen. No joke. It’s not a kids movie. It’s not really even really a family film. The entire movie is simply Scorsese’s love letter to film as a whole. I’m not going to spoil anything, but the history of film and how we got to the point of 3D is lovingly explored. It’s sad, it’s thrilling, it’s perfect. I understand — the trailer doesn’t give you any hints to this. But if you have the chance, check this one out in glorious 3D.  If you are a cinephile like myself, you will be in pure movie heaven. If you simply love the art of film or the feeling you get watching something moving and inspiring projected on the screen…go see Hugo. It’s one of the best movies of the year.

Grade: A

Shame

This movie will ruin you. It hits you and it hits you hard. The first time I watched Leaving Las Vegas I remember telling myself, “Well, that’s never going to go away”, and it didn’t. I think about the raw power of that film more than I’d probably like. Shame feels the same way. It’s raw. It’s troubling. It’s powerful. It will stay with you for a long time. Director Steve McQueen (Hunger) and actor Michael Fassbender (X:Men First Class, Inglorious Basterds) are two people you should pay very close attention to. They will be the force of Hollywood in the very near future. Fassbender deserves an Oscar for this performance for his role as a sex addict. The main problem is that the film is NC-17. Would the conservative and cranky Academy actually reward a film this controversial? This performance is worth seeing. Regarding the rating, yes, this film truly deserves it. The media likes to discuss the full frontal male/female nudity in this. But there are a few sex scenes that truly move it past the typical R rating. As McQueen eloquently stated (and I’m paraphrasing), “who doesn’t know about nudity and sex?” As adults, we shouldn’t act like this is so shocking — especially if it’s done tastefully and within reason.

Grade: A-

The Muppets

Mahna, Mahna! Doo doo, da do do!

There isn’t much to say here. I was always going to love this movie. It had to be horrendous for me not to adore it. It lived up to expectations to the fullest. If you want to smile for 1 1/2 hours, watch The Muppets. If you need a break from the stress of daily life, watch The Muppets. If you want a kids movie that is aimed at adults, watch The Muppets. You’ll laugh (I did), you’ll cry (others did), you’ll cheer (of course I did). What a great movie to cherish.

Grade: You don’t grade Muppets, you just enjoy them.

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After seeing Drive this weekend, I’m not only thrilled to see a movie that caters to the inner movie geek in me (80′s gritty movie nostalgia throughout), but it’s a film that understands that film should be art — not something to steal money from your wallet.

Ryan Gosling stars as a Los Angeles wheelman for hire, stunt driving for movie productions by day and steering getaway vehicles for armed heists by night. Though a loner by nature, Driver can’t help falling in love with his beautiful neighbor Irene (Carey Mulligan), a vulnerable young mother dragged into a dangerous underworld by the return of her ex-convict husband Standard (Oscar Isaac).

Take that generic synopsis and throw it out the door. You will not be prepared for the gripping heist film pulsating with 80′s synth pop throughout. Ryan Gosling — who is quickly becoming one of my favorite modern day actors — plays it old school cool. Much like Clint Eastwood in “The Man With No Name” trilogy, not only does Gosling not have a name (he’s only called “Driver”), but he is a man with few words, little backstory, and everything to back up an icy stare. Gosling effectively plays the loner by hire in a manner that you root for him the entire movie, even if you’re not on-board with his decisions.

Nicolas Winding Refn will finally be a mainstream film director to be reckoned with after Drive.  After the Pusher series and the critically acclaimed Bronson, the film world has been waiting for the right project to finally move the spotlight on his brutal lens. And brutal is what we get. The violence is as brutal as an R-rated film can get. People are killed with blunt force in many abusurd, yet very real ways. But don’t let that stop you. The reality of it all is what holds this film together. The dark shadows of Los Angeles is the backdrop, with the reality of the beast forced to center stage.

The opening scene tells you everything you need to know. “Driver” knows how to maneuver every street of Los Angeles, can handle a car better than the police, and even finds a creative way to use the L.A. Clippers to his advantage (really). EVERY supporting character lights up the screen — especially Ron Perlman, Albert Brooks, Bryan Cranston and Carey Mulligan.

One final note — as someone who obsesses over the marketing artwork of the movie trailer, don’t watch it again. It gives a few great moments of the film away. Oh, and I think I’ve found my Halloween Costume. I’m thinking it’s gonna be “Driver” — jacket with scorpion embroidered on back, driving gloves, hammer in hand, and toothpick in mouth.

I loved this film. I loved the risks it took while avoiding heist action movie cliches. I loved the score that blasted throughout.  I love the little 80′s nods — like the lucky rabbit foot, the jelly bracklet, the sleazy crime lord who dallies in B-Movies, the jacket (oh, the jacket), and the Michael Mann tribute throughout. Want to actually see a movie that will make you FEEL? Do you want to see a movie that will make you THINK?

I can’t recommend this on enough. And I’m purposely avoiding giving too much away.

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It’s fitting that Conan the Barbarian rounds out the 2011 summer slate of Hollywood films. It’s a remake, the script is terrible, and a whole lot of nothing is going on. Right on par with the majority of summer movies this year. The biggest difference between this and most of its 2011 predecessors is that I actually kinda dug this one.

Last week I was fortunate to attend the red carpet premiere of Lionsgate’s remake of Conan The Barbarian. If you have never seen the original 1982 Schwarzenegger star making role, you must not be a male born in the 70′s or 80′s. You didn’t learn how to be a man from your father. You learned from Conan.  Check out the roid-fueled trailer HERE.

In the latest of the remake onslaughts, Conan is in 3D (of course). Let me save you few bucks upfront. Don’t see it in 3D. It’s pointless. Other than the opening and closing credits, I don’t recall anything  gouging my eyes with the third dimension. But I digress…

After a quick intro and polite applause for the cast, the lights went down and the testosterone level went sky high. What I witnessed while sitting 30 feet away from the newest Conan, Jason Momoa, was 2 hours of head smashing, sword slashing, and teeth gnashing. Dialogue was secondary and all but forgotten — but what else would one expect? It’s tough to even review a movie of this barbaric level. You’re either with Conan or against him.

One fear that many fans of the original have is in the casting. Outside of his recent turn in Game of Thrones, no one knew who Jason Momoa was. A quick glance at IMDB, you’ll find Baywatch and North Shore (the TV version) as his top credits.  The fears are warranted. Let me assure fans of Conan one thing: Jason Momoa owns this role. He’s charismatic, believable as a badass barbarian, and can deliver horrible lines with the right balance of comedy and realness.  But while Jason Momoa is the real deal, what about the rest? That’s where things get sticky.

The story is simple enough: Revenge.

The tale of Conan the Cimmerian and his adventures across the continent of Hyboria on a quest to avenge the murder of his father and the slaughter of his village.

The issue is the path to get there. The villains (the great Stephen Lang and Rose McGowen) are two dummies. Their journey and lust for ultimate power is textbook villainy: Spend decades on one absurd goal only to bumble the whole plan when it’s finally there (that was not a spoiler). They have a one track mind that never seems to deliver on the promise of an epic conclusion.  Conan also has a one track mind (revenge), which gives him no reason to grow as a character. He’s a badass as a boy, he’s a badass now. He doesn’t seem to need armor to wipe out entire human armies, sand armies, and 3-headed snakes himself. Why? Because he is a badass. He’s a superhero that doesn’t have any super hero powers. Just some Michael Jordan sword play skills.  Everything should be coming towards an epic clash, but sizzles out instead. Ron Perlman gives a standout performance (per usual) as Conan’s Dad. With the heavy beard and furs, he practically looked like an animal.  The rest of the cast was forgettable (including Rachel Nichols – the kinda love interest) — you couldn’t get a sense who anyone was since all they did was fight (literally). Not sure what else one should expect with “Barbarian” in the title.

I’m conflicted in my overall thoughts on the movie. Would I recommend it to everyone? Absolutely not. But fans of Conan the Barbarian will be happy with the modern version of this classic character.  If you want non-stop action, grunting, some chest beating, and a ton of blood splatter — buy yourself a ticket to Conan the Barbarian this weekend. It’s definitely barbaric – in every sense of the word. It’s a ton of dumb violent fun.

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…and was hooked again. Could the Bay Master have redeemed himself this quickly?

After watching the the third Transformers film in IMAX 3D last night, the answer is a resounding YES. But everyone won’t agree.  This movie should not be titled “Transformers: Dark of the Moon.” The proper title should have been “Transformers: Shit Gets Real.” The Autobots get real — real down and dirty.  The effects are top notch — Oscar worthy. The script is pretty much terrible. But what can you expect from a transforming robot film? Seriously.

The best thing about this film is it’s all about Optimus Prime. Very little dialogue from other robots. Little comic relief (one of many downfalls of the last film). But like I said, it’s not for everyone. If you can’t handle 45 minutes straight of robots destroying a city, don’t watch it. If you can’t put yourself back in the shoes of a ten-year-old boy or girl, don’t watch it. If you can’t handle 2 hours and 37 minutes of some Michael Bay lovemaking to your eyeballs, don’t watch it.

I refuse to spend more time on this review than the writers did on the script. I’ll simply take the eloquent live transcript from my brain as I processed the gloriousness displayed in front of me.

Begin transcript after the jump….

:10 min – I wish they weren’t on the moon. All I can think about is  Armageddon. Has any director in the history of cinema shot more slo-mo shots of American flags waving than Michael Bay?

:17 – Uh oh, there’s a very good chance shit could get real. Decepticons got plans. They’re nuttin’ nice.

:34 – *Crickets* Can’t process this attempt at story *More crickets* Ken Jeong just brought the Asian race down two notches with this borderline offensive performance.

:47 – Optimus Prime done did it now. Wait, they can’t leave Earth but they went to the Moon in 5 seconds? Confused. Stop thinking. Just watch. You’ll ruin it…

:58 – McDreamy sure is getting a lot of screen time. I wonder if Meredith Grey is going to make a squinty eyed cameo.

1:01 – Uh oh. Shit is getting real.

1:07 – Optimus Prime droppin’ knowledge like his name was KRS-One.

1:24 – Randomly, they are in Washington D.C…Michael Bay loves him some U.S. of A.

1:34 – For some reason, they are now in Chicago. Don’t…think…too…hard.

1:36 – WHOA. Shit JUST got real.

1:37-2:34 – *Jaw dropped* Wing suits, complete destruction of skyscrapers, executions of Autobots – my eyes are bleeding. This is too much to handle. 3D is too good. IMAX screen is too real. The sound is too perfect.

2:35 – Optimus Prime droppin’ MORE knowledge. I wish I was wise like O.P. But I’m not down with O.P.P.

2:37 – Credits. No one is leaving. I need to pee. Fat man who has been hogging my arm rest the entire movie, please move.

End Transcript.

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I’m sorry for a decades worth of Katherine Heigl, Jennifer Aniston, and Kate Hudson movies.

I’m sorry for making you think that every woman is only obsessed with her broken relationship or lack thereof.

I’m sorry that a comedy with female leads is assumed to be a romantic comedy.

After many years of our brains infused with Heigl-ness, it’s a breath of fresh air to see a female driven movie that’s funny because it’s funny. Simple as that.

Yes, I’m a guy. And yes, I really enjoyed Bridesmaids. The subject matter and title might scare off the manly men out there. You’ll learn in the first 15 minutes that this is a movie for all. Any thoughts of sappy goes out the door with a food poisoning gone wrong scene. Very wrong. Any thoughts of “been there, done that” is forgotten when the great Kristen Wiig pounds goes bottoms up with scotch on the plane.  And if you’re not sold on this film, just see it for Melissa McCarthy who steals EVERY scene that she’s in as the very confident plus sized bridesmaid.

The movie is not without its flaws. While there are tremendous laughs, there are some editable moments that makes one wonder if they could have been 15 minutes shorter. Some jokes go on a few beats too long (the Maid of Honor toast and the illegally driving scene come to mind). Warts and all -  this film should be seen. Support good comedies, they come far and few between.

FS Rating: B

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*Stands on pedestal…clears throat*

God almighty, what was that?

I asked for good, all I got was SPLAT!

The name is Thor, God of Thunder;

The director had the vision of Stevie Wonder.

In a surprising turn, Chris Hemsworth was great,

But these comic book films are becoming suckers bait.

“Come watch me! I’ll thrill you in 3D!”

If I had to do it again, I wouldn’t see it for free.

Movies can be made as popcorn fare,

just give me one reason to sit there and care.

*Steps down…drops mic*

Consider yourself saved.

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If you love sci-fi, you’ll be satisfied (although left with many head scratching questions). If you hate sci-fi, take the preposterous premise and throw it out the door. Once you get past the whole “source code” business, this is a satisfactory thriller with acting and directing that holds an OK script together. It’s thrilling, thought provoking, ridiculous at times – but always stays a half step in front of the audience. Starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Michelle Monaghan, Jeffrey Wright, and Vera Farmiga, this train ride is worth taking.

The idea of the film is simple: Groundhog Day meets Moon. A soldier gets to relive the same 8 minutes on a train over and over to find a bomb/bomber. But why? And how?

Official synopsis: An action thriller centered on a soldier who wakes up in the body of an unknown man and discovers he’s part of a mission to find the bomber of a Chicago commuter train.

To say much more about this story would ruin the fun of it all. So I’ll stop with the explaining here. Try not to read too much. The fun is the peeling of layers.

The 2011 film slate has been extremely disappointing so far. Films that looked great from trailers/marketing turned into giant duds.  Source Code was a breath of fresh air, simply for the fact that it didn’t fall flat on its face. The story has its problems, specifically in the final act.  The script just doesn’t allow wiggle room for too many questions from its audience. If you really start questioning the logic of the actions throughout the film or  you attempt to break down the realism and science of the source code program, you’ll be stuck just shaking your head. Duncan Jones’ directing on a shoestring budget and the main four actors save any flaws this film presents.

Have fun with this one. As the Quad City DJ’s put it “Come on ride the train- Hey! Ride it woo woo!”

No need to run to the theater to catch this, but it would be an excellent rental or way to pass some time on a rainy Saturday afternoon.

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Zombie Nazi WWII Soldiers. Check.

Dragons. Check.

An awful, boring, hollow, tedious, overstuffed film. Check.

Zack Snyder’s latest, Sucker Punch, was a sucker punch to audiences across the country. Those hoping the director of 300, Watchmen, and the upcoming Superman would have something phenomenal up his sleeve will be stunned in a visual barrage of nothingness. After two hours of watching a film attempt and fail to tell a supposed “female empowerment story” (Zack Snyder’s words, not mine), I was left in my seat with utter disappointment.

The official synopsis is simple enough: A young girl is institutionalized by her abusive stepfather. Retreating to an alternative reality as a coping strategy, she envisions a plan which will help her escape from the mental facility. The actual film, uh, not even an ounce of real story.

Here’s the real deal (slight spoilers from the opening 15 minutes).  Mother dies. Her WILL hands everything to her daughters. Evil father is pissed (and evil). We know this because he sneers a bunch, adjusts his tie often to imply potential rape (seriously), and sweats profusely throughout the entire 5 minute slo-mo opening (Zack Snyder loves him some slo-mo).  Older daughter tries to shoot evil stepdad (because he’s evil), misses, kills sister. Apparently, this gives the evil stepdad a free pass to send her to the insane asylum. Inside the asylum, girl copes with her situation and pending lobotomy by imagining an alternate reality where she is essentially the newest member of a burlesque-ish brothel slave factory (seriously). This setup is one of the biggest head scratchers. An implied abused girl escapes her reality by being trapped in a brothel. OK. Let’s say you went with that. The Snydster gets a free pass. But here’s the kicker. She wants to escape this brothel. She hatches a masterplan of stealing a map, lighter, knife, and key (in that exact order). How can she and her female ass kicking team do it? With her seductive dance for the men that literally leaves them in a salivating trance. Duh. Visually, Zack Snyder is one of the best directors out there. He knows how to frame and light any and every shot. He’s a brilliant visionary. But I was this close (thumb and pointer about an inch apart) to walking out on this one.  Showgirls had better acting than this.

Let’s talk about the rating of the film. I counted three attempted rapes, at least 4 violent murders, and the overall sexual overtones throughout. But this film got a PG-13 rating. Apparently, if you don’t show actual blood or drop the F-bomb, all is well. Let’s not forget – The King’s Speech was R. And there was nothing to that over hyped film. If I had a kid on the cusp of watching PG-13 films, and had to watch a 20 year old girl dressed like a 12 year old gyrating to the sweaty men, I’d be pissed. The studio and Zack Snyder shot an R-rated film, but then wanted to sell it to the masses (this idea failed). In doing this, they bleeped a few scenes with cursing and seemingly cut entire scenes out.  Jon Hamm had a major role in the film, but barely had any screen time. His role made no sense except to deliver an epic line at the end that is so obvious, so expository, and so dumb — I was embarrassed for ole Don Draper.

If you can’t tell by now, I absolutely hated this film more than anything I’ve seen in years. There is a good reason Rotten Tomatoes has this movie at 21% (10% amongst the Top Critics). Maybe I expect more from Zack Snyder. But why should I? I guess all the pretty pictures have been blinding me. Don’t waste your money on this disaster. No matter how great and exciting the visuals look, this film was dead on arrival. The tagline on all of the posters and billboards had the ambiguous line “You Will Be Unprepared.” At least they got something right. No one can be prepared for how horrible this is.

Consider yourself saved.

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I was able to see almost every film on my list over the past few weeks. Black Swan, Tron: Legacy, True Grit, Somewhere, and The King’s Speech. There are only two more 2010 films worthy to see: The Fighter and Blue Valentine – both of which I’ll see soon. Two of these films were great, two more gave me a pouty lip + head nod + shrug, another infuriated me.  Below are my thoughts & grades on the majority of the Oscar worthy Holiday Movies 2010.

Black Swan

Dir. Darren Aronofsky

Grade: A

Wow. One of my favorite movies of 2010. I can’t say enough about the brilliance of Darren Aronofsky. Natalie Portman was the perfect casting choice for the role — she will take home the Best Actress Oscar. Watch this movie without reading too much about it. It re-defines the term “bat-shit crazy.” Seriously – go see it.  If only the real ballet could be half as exciting as this movie.

Tron: Legacy

Dir. Joseph Kosinski

Grade: C+

Slowly you move up the roller coaster lift hill. Crack – crack – crack pounds in your head as the rickity coaster builds toward the top of the hill.  A slight pause, and then,  DOWN the ramp  you go…whee! whee! Wind goes blasting across your face as you laugh uncontrollably. Whee!  The speed picks up — you throw your hands in the air. Wheeee!

And then the ride stops. What’s for lunch?

That’s how I felt watching Tron: Legacy on IMAX 3D. It was a hell of a ride, but completely forgotten the second it ended. It was soulless. The plot had too many holes to even delve into here. The one-liners were extremely cheesy if they weren’t delivered by Jeff “The Dude” Bridges. Half the time I didn’t even bother trying to figure out what they were blabbing about. It was nonsense. But, hey — it looked cool. It was like a thrilling Six Flags roller coaster. Fun at the moment, forgotten right away. If you ever plan on watching this, don’t wait until it comes out on DVD. Watch it on IMAX 3D, or don’t watch it at all. It’s truly not worth all the fuss.

Oh, and the Daft Punk score is amazing. One of the best movie soundtracks of the year. Give it a whirl below.

Somewhere

Dir. Sofia Coppola

Grade: D

Somewhere. Something. ANYTHING. Pulling my hair out. This film was a whole lotta nothing. I’m really disappointed in Sofia Coppola’s latest. One of my most anticipated movies this year turned out to be a dud.

The beginning of the film opens with a stagnant shot which captures Stephen Dorff’s character driving  around a race track. Over and over and over. 5 minutes later, he stops and we get to the movie. This opening sequence should have been the warning shot in my head. Coppola has told this story 3 times now (Lost in Translation, Marie Antoinette, Somewhere). Wealthy. Seemingly has it all. Dead inside. Trapped in hotel/castle. Wants something more to life. I want to see her grow as a storyteller and move beyond this theme.  There is nothing to this film beyond pretty people just trying to be happy. Look, there he is playing Guitar Hero for 10 minutes. Gee, he’s laying out by the pool with his daughter — saying nothing – for 5 minutes. Oooh, she’s ice skating AND he’s watching.  I’m sorry I ever sat through this. You can argue the poetic value of all of her slow moving shots and dialogue-free scenes. But you will be wrong. At the end of the day, why should I care about this guy?

Everything you need for this movie is revealed in its entirety in the below trailer.  Don’t waste your time going to the theaters to see this one. Sofia Coppola didn’t put any effort into it, neither should you. Consider yourself saved.

The King’s Speech

Dir. Tom Hooper

Grade: B

Hook, line, and sinker. This has Oscar bait written all over it. “British”, “Historical drama”, “witty” — what more does the Academy need? This film is getting tremendous hype right now. It leads the Golden Globes pack with 7 nominations. It’s winning tons of awards overseas. It’s a fantastic script with really great acting. After watching it, I didn’t run outside, tear my clothes off, and howl at the moon. It ain’t that good. It is a pleasant film to watch. Will I ever watch it again? No. Would I recommend it to most people? Sure.  Colin Firth is really brilliant in this film as King George the VI with the stutter. He may very well win the Best Actor Academy Award this year — deservedly so. Just don’t fall for the critics hype on this one. It’s aight.

True Grit

Dir. The Coen Brothers

Grade: B+

Full disclosure. I was fully expecting this film to blow my socks off. Frostbite and possible amputation would be in the cards after the Coens were done with me. Fortunately and unfortunately, only my shoes were only blown off. This is a must see film simply to see the ease and wonderfulness of the acting between Jeff Bridges, Matt Damon, and the fantastic newcomer Hailee Steinfeld. Jeff Bridges is simply perfect in John Wayne’s role of Rooster. Matt Damon plays the perfect douchy Texas Ranger. And I can’t say enough about Steinfeld as Mattie Ross. She walks in with guns blazing, chewing up each scene as if she were one of the veterans alongside her in the scene. Cinematographer Roger Deakins continued his quiet brilliance in bringing the audience into the land of the wild. My only complaint in the film is the lack of true suspense. Never did I really fear for the girl throughout the film, she never seemed to be in any sort of danger. They spoke about the dangers around them (The Comanches, Men on the run, etc), but we rarely saw anything all that dangerous. Regardless, this is a film to see. It makes me want to go out and purchase a Bear Coat for the Winter season.

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After careful thought, I truly feel I have come to a logical and definitive thought on what really is going on throughout this amazing film. There are a million explanations and thoughts about this across the web, but this is one I truly believe (mostly because I thought of it myself, naturally).  Maybe the 2nd viewing will change my mind, but for now…

…it all seems to stem around Cobb’s wife, Mal (Marion Cotillard). The “inception” going on throughout the film is really Mal trying to break her husband free from his dream world. This is one of many reasons she always pops up throughout his subconscious. She delves deeper and deeper into his layers of dream levels in an attempt to convince him that he has yet to come back to reality . When she jumps from the ledge, she is in his dream — trying to get Cobb to follow along and wake himself up rather than continue digging deeper into limbo.

A few things to ponder:

Christopher Nolan spent over 10 years perfecting this script. You can be assured that every scene, every piece of dialogue, and every set piece is there for a specific reason.

• Why do you think Michael Caine had the same brown outfit on in both of his scenes (classroom in Paris and Los Angeles airport terminal)?
• Why didn’t the kids ever age when Cobb supposedly was globe trotting and spending 50 dream years (over 2 real years) with his wife?
• Remember the scene where Arthur (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) told Ariadne (Ellen Page) that the dreamer needs to have a totem to let them know when they are dreaming and when they are in reality (Cobb’s totem was a small spinning top that would spin eternally in the dream state, but topple in reality.)?  Arthur was very clear that she should be the only one to know everything about the totem. But Cobb’s small spinning top totem was originally his wife’s. Hmm…
• Do you ever truly see how Cobb gets to any specific scene (the Ocean, Paris, etc)? “You never remember the beginning of a dream…”

And how about this:

• Did you notice how quickly Page’s character picked up on the dream world manipulation techniques? I’m thinking that her character (and the rest of the cast) are working alongside Mal and her father (Michael Caine) to execute the inception on Cobb in an attempt to save his life. How else do you explain their willingness to go deeper and deeper into his madness without any real objections? Let’s take it a step further. What if the seemingly minor character by Michael Caine was actually the true ARCHITECT of Cobb’s dreams? Along with his daughter (Mal), he is working to bring Cobb back.

Mal gets more and more desperate to save Cobb with the ledge set-up being her final act of desperation. Cobb continues to push himself further and further into limbo as the film moves on.  I’m thinking THE ENTIRE FILM WAS COBB’S DREAM. How many levels of limbo dreamscape, we will never know. But he is dreaming (and lost) throughout. How does this explain one of the final scenes with Saito (as the old man)? Not really sure, to be honest. They were both in limbo, though.

There are so many ways you can debate this idea of MAL BEING THE ONE PERFORMING INCEPTION. That is the brilliance of this film. A great film should spark conversation, debate, and deep thought. Not only will Inception get better over time, it potentially will shake the dumb out of Hollywood for a short time. Scratch that. The dumb will continue to haunt us throughout many new releases, this was just an aberration. Sigh.

Either way, I’m just happy that I saw a film that still marinates in my head days later. Thank you Christopher Nolan.

If you have a better explanation of the film, I’d love to hear about it.  If you liked this post, please follow me on Twitter HERE or become a fan on Facebook HERE. You’ll get more film insider scoop than your brain can handle!  Thanks all.

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a) It’s based off an 80′s live TV show that was essentially a cartoon.

b) Never for one second does it attempt to be anything else but dumb summertime fun.

c) Mr. T and Rampage Jackson played B.A. Baracus…can you really review anything with these two as main actors?

“Fire everything!” exclaimed Hannibal aka Liam Neeson. And so they did. Wow. There is no simple way to explain what I saw on the screen. Besides lots of shaky cam and disregard to a plausible plotline, I’m almost embarrassed to say that I really enjoyed this movie due to the dumb fun it was. The number one culprit of the straight dumb summer fun were the ridiculous stunts (which of course made zero sense). Last week I showcased a snippet of THIS absurd scene from the film. After witnessing it in full context, it is even more batshit crazy. In what logical sense would a writer script the following scene:

An airplane flown by the A-Team gets blasted out of the sky. That airplane happened to have a tank in it. The entire A-Team just happens to get into the tank as the airplane gets shot (let me remind you, they were FLYING the plane). The infamous tank just happens to have just the right amount of parachutes on it to slow down the freefall, you know, in case it ever needed to fly. And then the one liners come flying. The “best” one comes from Bradley “Face” Cooper “Hey Boss, it’s a little stuffy. I’m gonna pop a window.” And so he does. And the cackler shoots planes out of the sky with the tank flying through the air.

Of course, this isn’t ridiculous enough.

To slow down their free fall, they strategically face the barrel of the tanks gun towards the ground. Each shot slows down their momentum. When they get closer…”Fire everything.”

If you can watch/read this and smiled, then The A-Team is for you.

There really is nothing more I need to say. I can explain to you how perfect Sharlto Copley (District 9) was as the mentally unstable Murdock. I can tell you how ready-made Bradley Cooper is for the role of the womanizing Face. I can beg you to understand how perfect Liam Neeson is in practically everything (except Star Wars). But there’s no reason. You’re either in or you’re out. Sure, there’s no plot. Pike…plates…revenge…wrongfully accused…whatever.

The A-Team. Asinine. Ambitious. Awesome. Ambiguous. Awestruck. Ample. Autrageous. Autterly Ridiculous.

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The more layers I peel off the Hollywood creaky wheel, the more cynical I become.  Art is an important aspect to the understanding of humans. You can go through world history and some form of art will give you a glimpse into the psyche of the world at that time. Whether it be cave sketches, oil paintings of baby Jesus, Picasso’s genius, or the modern art of Mark Ryden, the thoughts of the moment are frozen in time.

Film is art. Yet, over time, it has become overrun by businessmen trying to make a quick dollar. Art has become secondary if lucky. The focus is on brand. How can a studio sell opening weekend? How quickly can a profit be made?

Film is art.  And a few directors still get that. As I mentioned a few days ago, there are still true artists in the Hollywood scene. Paul Thomas Anderson. Quentin Tarantino. Spike Jonze. I’ve mentioned them all a thousand times on this site. And it’s because they keep things exciting. Their ideas are interesting. They are taking a medium and showing us something we’ve never seen before.

After a rough 7 year stint on Where the Wild Things Are, Spike Jonze wanted to create something simple. During the editing process of WTWTA, he secretly shot the 35 minute short film, I’m Here, just to keep the creative juices flowing.

I’m Here is set in a world where robots and humans co-exist, though the former is only used for menial jobs and nothing much else. However, that’s slowly changing — robots are actually evolving — and Jonze has set his film at a time where some robots are beginning to find a purpose; a reason for existence. This might not sound like you’re cup of tea, but stick with it, I’ll guarantee it will move you.

Sweet. Heartfelt. Painful. And it’s a robot love story. The imagination and openness Jonze allows should be applauded. The acting between the robots is more realistic and more empowering than many of those I see between human actors. You’ll have a hard time debating this. The film is a sober reminder that some people lose themselves in unhealthy relationships. People are in love with the idea of love. Because of this, they fall for people (or robots) that truly are disastrous.

If you have the means to watch this film online (i.e. – computer hooked up to TV or decent monitor/internet connection to steam), do yourself and watch it here: http://www.imheremovie.com

It’s powerful in all it’s simplicity.

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