Film: Looper

GENRE: Action/Sci-Fi/Drama

RATING: R for violence, language, nudity & drugs

RUNTIME: 1 hour and 58 minutes

STARRING: Bruce Willis (Die Hard, Pulp Fiction, Red)

Joseph Gordon-Levitt (Brick, Inception, Dark Knight Rises)

DIRECTOR: Rian Johnson (Brick, Breaking Bad eps)

WRITERS: Rian Johnson (Brick, Brothers Bloom)

PLOT: Using time travel, assassination targets are sent 30 years into the past where a hired gun is waiting. One of Joe’s targets is his future self.

FIVE OBSERVATIONS:

1 What a clever script! While Looper’s premise may seem confusing, everything is nicely explained, except the ending of course. I think I may need to give Brothers Bloom a chance since I have thoroughly enjoyed Johnson’s work on Brick and Looper.

2 Joseph Gordon-Levitt does an amazing job as Joe. While the prosthetics helped him look like Bruce Willis, he also added elements of Willis into his speech and smirks. He doesn’t go overboard like he’s doing an impersonation but he does so very subtly. He is a treat to watch. All the other acting in this film is also to notch, even the little kid.

3 While most directors would go all out for scenes taking place in 2072, Johnson smartly keeps it low-key with some elements here and there. Great job restraining yourself and focusing on the story and the characters, Rian.

4 I think the one thing missing from this film is more humour. There’s some great lines but I was hoping for some more lightness mixed with the pathos.

5 What I found most interesting about this film is I didn’t know who to root for. Everyone seemed to have good reasons to do what they do. Again, that’s a credit to Johnson’s amazing script and the acting chops of his cast. Kudos.

RECOMMENDATION: Watch it in theatres, it’s worth it

UPCOMING REVIEWS: Fall Movie Preview

Film: Men in Black III

GENRE: Action/Sci-Fi/Comedy
RATING: PG-13 for sci-fi action violence
RUNTIME: 1 hour and 46 minutes
STARRING: Will Smith (Hancock, , I Am Legend, I, Robot)
Josh Brolin (W., Milk), Tommy Lee Jones (The Fugitive)
DIRECTOR: Barry Sonnenfeld (MIB, Addams Family)
WRITER: Etan Cohen (Tropic Thunder, Madagascar 2)
PLOT: Agent J travels back in time to stop an alien from assassinating Agent K and bringing about the end of the world.

FIVE OBSERVATIONS:
1 I went into this film with pretty low expectations. I loved the first film but the sequel was lacking in many areas. This one was a pleasant surprise and far surpassed the second installment. They had fun references to past characters like Frank and the worm guys but they didn’t pander to the audience. This one had a much better storyline going for it.
2 Everyone’s been talking about it but I also gotta say that Josh Brolin plays a great Tommy Lee Jones. The look, the voice and attitude is pitch perfect. Brolin elevates every scene that he’s in, probably because he’s made the character three dimensional instead of a caricature. Kudos.
3 I liked how they showed the passage of time travel, it was simple yet interesting at the same time. Loved the concept.
4 While Smith and Jones bring it once again, the supporting characters do some fine work. Michael Stuhlbarg (Boardwalk Empire) is fun to watch as the future-telling Griffin as is Bill Hader (SNL) playing Andy Warhol. Jemaine Clement (Flight of the Conchords) is the gross villain but unfortunately doesn’t get to do much comedy.
5 I loved the reaction of the astronauts seeing bizarre things happen to the rocket pre-liftoff.

RECOMMENDATION: Not bad to watch in theatres.
UPCOMING REVIEWS: Moonrise Kingdom

Film: Super 8

GENRE: Sci-Fi/Thriller
RATING: PG-13 for violence & language
RUNTIME: 1 hour and 52 minutes
STARRING: Joel Courtney (newcomer)
Kyle Chandler (FNL) Elle Fanning (Benjamin Button)
DIRECTOR: JJ Abrams (Star Trek, Mission Impossible 3)
WRITER: JJ Abrams(Alias, Lost, Felicity, Armageddon)
PLOT: In the summer of 1979, a group of friends witness a train crash and its precious cargo escaping, all caught on their video camera.

FIVE OBSERVATIONS:
1 Mix E.T. with Stand By Me with Close Encounters of the Third Kind with Cloverfield with Goonies with War of the Worlds and you’ll get a sense of what Super 8 is all about. (Not some bad company to be associated with.) This film is simply amazing and gets almost everything right.
2 My only big issue with this film is the use of Abrams patented lens flare that was used so extensively in Star Trek. There are some scenes in Super 8 that look like they were filmed in 1979 with the perfect amount of graininess and tone but the lens flare makes it look too contemporary. It’s a minor point but one I thought was worth mentioning.
3 The kids are amazing in this film. Their camaraderie is infectious. They bring so much life to this film. Joel Courtney’s performance as Joe Lamb is heads and tails above Henry Thomas’ Elliot role in E.T. I’,m just sayin’. Wow!
4 I found the ending a little too convenient and neatly done but overall a wonderful story that keeps you engaged the whole time. Makes me want to take my video camera and do some shooting this summer.
5 This film is definitely anti-drugs. They state it outright in a very hilarious scene.

RECOMMENDATION: See this in theatres now!
UPCOMING REVIEWS: 2011 Emmy nominations

Film: Inception

GENRE: Drama/Sci-Fi/Thriller

RATING: PG-13 for violence

RUNTIME: 2 hour and 28 minutes

STARRING: Leonardo DiCaprio (The Departed)

Joseph Gordon-Levitt (500 Days of Summer)

DIRECTOR: Christopher Nolan (Dark Knight, Insomnia)

WRITER: Christopher Nolan (Memento, The Prestige)

PLOT: Extractors are hired to not only steal ideas while people are dreaming but also planting ideas in their minds.

FIVE OBSERVATIONS:

1 I think the word brilliant sums up the film nicely. It’s complex and makes you think. There is no way you can leave the theatre and not talk about what you just saw. It’s that engaging. Brilliant.

2 While DiCaprio plays his brooding, tortured character wonderfully, for me it’s Joseph Gordon-Levitt who steals the show. The impeccably dressed actor is so fun to watch as he works to fulfill his missions. Also Tom Hardy as Eames gets some very fun lines.

3 The scenes that take place in the hotel were so cool. They were Matrix-y but didn’t beat you over the head with their coolness. I’d go a third time just to see those scenes.

4 Seeing as there are dreams within dreams, following the plot would be difficult if it wasn’t so beautifully edited. Hats off to Lee Smith (Truman Show, Dark Knight) who expertly weaves all the scenes together. Fantastic editing.

5 Its two and half hours, but it sure won’t feel like it. The plot moves quickly, the music is intense, and the ending will have you frustrated and cheering at the same time.

RECOMMENDATION: See it now! See it twice!

UPCOMING REVIEWS: Salt (maybe)