Author: Darren Goodhart

As our movie starts, the year is 2044. Time travel hasn’t been invented as of yet, but it soon will be. When it is invented, it’s taken control of by the criminal element of the future. When this mob of the future wants to get rid of someone, they dispatch them into the past where a hired gun, known as a Looper, awaits, ready to execute the target. Joe, one of the more reliable Loopers out there, is doing his job, collecting his money, getting high and living his life until one day, his future self is sent back for him to execute, closing the Loop, so to speak.

That’s the broad premise of Looper the latest movie from writer/director Rian Johnson who’s previously directed movies like Brick and episodes of one of the best shows on television, Breaking Bad and as far as I’m concerned, this is an instant science fiction classic deserving of multiple viewings. Johnson has given us something here that’s extremely meaty and very intelligent.

Now, I’ll certainly grant you that there’s plenty to question about the big picture premise, like how does the mob get ahold of time travel and addressing that isn’t really a concern of Johnson’s and that’s just fine. He’s basically giving you the premise and asking you to go with it, but there’s also enough meat built into this with one other character that it’s pretty easy to come to your own rationalization why such things happen. That’s not what’s important to this movie though; what’s really important here is what happens in the past and it’s implications for the future and how it shapes and molds individuals. The world can be explained, but it’s mostly through what you see happening with all of the various characters in the film.

Time travel films can almost always come with some sort of plot holes or paradoxes that will leave some sort of bewilderment. That’s not the case here and it certainly seems to me that Johnson has gone to considerable lengths to make sure that he’s got all of his bases covered. Everything works and yet Johnson has done such a wonderful job of crafting his characters that you never quite know what’s going to happen next. When the final resolution comes, we’re not expecting it and yet it all makes sense thanks to some very important character growth from the film’s main character, the Looper, Joe.

Joe is played by both Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Bruce Willis and the performances from both are just outstanding, I’d even go so far as to say Oscar-worthy, especially for Gordon-Levitt who I think is simply one of the best actors working today. Gordon-Levitt is wearing some pretty heavy make-up to make him look like a younger version of Willis, and he’s also studied Willis’ mannerisms quite well. Sometimes, the make-up might be a little distracting, but more often than not it does work. One scene in particular shows Gordon-Levitt in a wife-beater type of t-shirt and the first thing that came to mind to me when I saw that was Bruce Willis in Die Hard. The thing is, Gordon-Levitt is not just doing a Bruce Willis impersonation, but he’s building an entirely different character, especially after both versions of Joe have a conversation face-to-face.

At the same time, Willis is just doing some brilliant stuff here. The majority of the film deals with the younger Joe, but thanks to one terrific montage scene that accelerates time, we get to see the transformation that the younger version makes to the older version and a whole different form of growth taking place. Willis’ older Joe has become a new character shaped from different life experiences. When the older Joe comes back to the past, he comes in with a hard plan to change the future and it’s through a task that is extremely distasteful. It’s something that the younger Joe would’ve done in a heartbeat without any effects, but the older version now deals with it in a very hard manner.

Gordon-Levitt and Willis carry the movie, no doubt about it, but they’ve got quite a bit of capable support and it’s all quite strong. Emily Blunt plays a character named Sara who the younger Joe encounters after he’s met his future self. Sara is caring for her young son, Cid on a farm and has her own problems to deal with, which I just can’t talk about without revealing more about the film. Jeff Daniels plays Abe, a representative of the mob from the future who’s in the past corralling the Loopers and handing out their assignments. It’s nice to see Daniels and Gordon-Levitt back together on-screen as their previous movie that they worked on together, The Lookout is what really made me take huge notice of Gordon-Levitt. Most impressive for me though was young Pierce Gagnon who plays the little boy Cid. Again, I just cannot go into the details about this character without spoiling aspects of the film, but whenever this boy is on-screen he commands your attention, most particularly after one very brutal bit of violence.

Looper is just absolutely terrific entertainment. It’s a smart science fiction film that gets there due to great characters and dialogue more than it does by action, but yet it’s action sequences are also quite well done. Looper grabbed me right from the start and just didn’t let go. Don’t miss this one…

(I’m in the midst of taking a little break from regular movie reviews for awhile now- after doing this sort of thing for around ten years now, it was just starting to seem more like work than fun, so I thought a little break was in order. But still, I had it in the back of my head that if I something that truly inspired me to get back to the keyboard during the break, I’d do it. Well, here you go…)

It’s a rainy night in a trailer park in Texas and young Chris Smith is a desperate man. He’s been involved in a small-time drug deal gone south and now he’s seeking the help of his father Ansel, much to the chagrin of Ansel’s new wife Sharla- who answers the door in the most revealing of ways. Chris needs $6,000 to pay for his problem, and of course, he doesn’t have the money and neither does Ansel. Chris has a plan though; Chris’ mother and Ansel’s former wife, Adele has an insurance policy worth $50,000 and Chris believes that the sole beneficiary is his sister Dottie, who also lives with Ansel and Sharla, and now Chris is plotting to have his mother killed.

Chris’ plan involves enlisting the services of a police detective named Joe Cooper who also acts as an assassin in his off-hours, and is known in certain circles as Killer Joe. Reluctantly, Ansel gives in to the plan, and Dottie, a “special” girl in many ways, also gives in, though not reluctantly at all… and from there, hijinks ensue.

This is the premise to Killer Joe the latest collaboration between celebrated director William Friedkin (The Exorcist, The French Connection) and playwright Tracy Letts, adapting his own play of the same name. Previously, the two collaborated on Bug with Ashley Judd, Michael Shannon and Harry Connick, Jr. I absolutely loved Bug to death and just was amazed at the directions that movie took, so I was certainly eager to see this latest collaboration between the two.

They did not disappoint at all, and for me personally, Killer Joe is one of the best movies that I’ve seen all year. This redneck-noir black comedy is your literal ride from start to finish, and honestly I could not tell how this was going to go from one moment to the next, though it’s all absolutely fitting in this little microcosmos that Letts and Friedkin have fashioned. The resulting film, at least to me, is sort of what you might get if you took a bit of David Lynch, a bit of John Waters, a whole lot of the Coen Brothers, and a dash of Gaspar Noe’s Irreversible and mixed them all together.

This is economical filmmaking from Friedkin, though it goes a little beyond what he did with Letts prior in Bug which primarily takes place in one single location. The scope here is a little larger than that, but not by much. There’s not a wasted shot or moment in the entire film and I was literally on the edge of my seat to see what I was going to be hit with next.

The cast here is phenomenal. Emile Hirsch plays Chris, and he’s just wallowing in his own depravity- you just don’t like him from the start and want to see him get his comeuppance in the end, though Hirsch certainly does have that one thing that gives him some hope, and that’s his feelings for his sister Dottie, though that’s certainly questionable as well. Thomas Haden Church plays Ansel, and Ansel’s about as clueless as it gets and Church just eats that up in his portrayal, but when his eyes get opened later in the film, you can just feel the anger that’s going through him. Gina Gershon plays Sharla, a plotting and scheming bitch to the core and like Hirsch and Church, she’s just basking in it, and doing some particularly brave stuff on-screen near the film’s end. Juno Temple plays the virginal Dottie who has so much more going on with her than her family knows. There’s something extremely special about her, we know it and so does Killer Joe.

And speaking of Killer Joe, Matthew McConaughey is playing the part of his life with this one. It’s without a doubt one of the most intense performances he’s ever delivered and it literally shatters the image that’s been built up for McConaughey over the the course of all of the recent romantic comedies that he’s been a part of. Joe Cooper just oozes magnetism right from the start and at the same time, there’s extreme danger there as well. Kudos to McConaughey for taking this part and investing so much of himself into it. As far as I’m concerned, this is Oscar-worthy work, though I doubt he’ll get nominated.

Killer Joe is rated NC-17 and it earns that to the extreme. This is not for the faint of heart especially as the film builds to it’s cataclysmic ending. The vision here from Friedkin and Letts is totally uncompromised and it’s sure to spark conversation by it’s end. I’ve heard it said from Friedkin that you’re not supposed to “enjoy” this film in the traditional sense. I know where he’s coming from with that statement, but still, I enjoyed the hell out of this thing. I’m a big fan of the movie Glengarry Glen Ross another play adapted to film that at it’s core is about as dark and depressing a film as it gets, and yet I enjoy it to death and that common enjoyment is shared with Killer Joe. The enjoyment here is in watching this come to life, seeing these actors go to some places that you wouldn’t normally see them go in typical Hollywood productions and creating truly memorable moments that are indelible on the mind. Killer Joe is for me one of the very best movies I’ve seen this year, if not the best and for the truly adventurous out there when it comes to want you want to see on film, this, of course, is highly, highly recommended. Outstanding.

Taking place concurrently with the events of The Bourne Ultimatum, we discover in short order that the reach of the Treadstone project goes much further than originally thought with more Treadstone subjects still out there. Jason Bourne’s sheer existence and defiance to the project leads to what could be an even bigger public relations nightmare than what was suggested from the events of The Bourne Ultimatum. Now, a CIA division lead by Eric Byers, the man behind most of the major black ops missions, is out to erase any sort of trace of Treadstone that still exists, though one other Treadstone subject now stands in his way, a man by the name of Aaron Cross.

That’s a broad version of the premise to The Bourne Legacy a new movie designed to expand the Bourne franchise’s life further. What you have here is a movie that feels like the TV pilot for extending the series, and while I think for the most part it’s a pretty enjoyable ride, it’s still has a few problems.

The biggest problem that I see with the film is that it’s just too long and it feels it. The film could probably be tightened up by a good 20 minutes or so. But, there’s also an advantage to its length and that’s with what it does to build up the Aaron Cross character, which I think is actually quite well done. I just wish there had been a comfortable medium here, something that could’ve kept a quicker pace but still give us the Cross build-up.

Another problem that I see with this is that it’s ending is pretty abrupt literally with our central protagonists, Cross and Dr. Marta Shearing, sailing off into the sunset when there should be something more to it. There’s been rumor floating around that Matt Damon could possibly return for a fifth movie in the series and while there was probably no chance that this would happen, this could’ve been punched up considerably if there had been an actual appearance by Damon near the end. Or at the very least, some sort of suggestion that Jason Bourne now also knew of the existence of Aaron Cross.

Some might be disappointed with director Tony Gilroy’s new inclusion of genetic enhancements to the Treadstone subjects, but I thought it was pretty cool and reasonably explained by Shearing once she and Cross have made their way to Manila. It’s basically taking the ideas behind a character like Marvel’s Captain America and trying to make it as real as they can.

The biggest pluses come with the new cast additions. Jeremy Renner plays Aaron Cross and I’ve been a huge fan of Renner’s for quite awhile now. the thing that I really like about Renner’s character is that he’s not playing this part as a tortured pawn, but more embraces what he’s become. He’s done some horrible things in service to his country, but the trade-off , at least from what I see with him, has been worth it, especially as the movie reveals his true origin. Renner has terrific intensity and certainly can sell the action in just the right way. He is terrific here, though I have to say my preference for him is more with the character that he played in Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol.

Rachel Weisz plays Dr. Marta Shearing. Shearing is part of a program called The Outcome and she specifically monitors the Treadstone subjects after their genetic enhancements. Shearing becomes a major component here after a tragic shooting incident occurs at her workplace which of course wipes out anyone who would have any knowledge of what’s really going on. Shearing is the lone survivor and becomes Cross’ lone avenue of keeping himself alive. Weisz, does a pretty good job here and I was particularly impressed with the above-mentioned scene in which she explains to cross just how the subjects are enhanced.

Edward Norton plays Eric Byers and like Renner, certainly brings the right intensity to the part. I don’t necessarily think it’s one of his better parts, but he does command the room once he enters it and has a great flashback scene with Renner that tries to put Cross right with something horrible that he’s just done. Filling out the film and basically giving this continuity with the other Bourne movies, you have Scott Glenn, David Strathairn and Joan Allen all reprising their parts from the previous films in the series.

While I enjoyed The Bourne Legacy it’s still somewhat of a mixed bag, it’s long and it feels it and it’s ending is forced and just doesn’t feel right, but it does introduce a great new character with Aaron Cross, who certainly has potential with this series. I definitely wouldn’t mind seeing a fifth film in the series, but if such a thing does happen, I can only hope that they manage to bring back Matt Damon as Bourne and team him with Cross.

For two seasons, extreme sports superstar Travis Pastrana and his tightly-knit group of friends (all extreme sports stars in their own right) had an extremely entertaining show on MTV called Nitro Circus in which they would perform all sorts of truly amazing stunts. Essentially, the show sort of followed in the same style as MTV’s Jackass but with one major difference that’s perfectly outlined by Jackass star and creator Johnny Knoxville during the course of this movie. Knoxville says that at it’s core, the Jackass stunts are sort of designed to fail with the humor coming out of that, but with the Nitro Circus, those stunts are designed to succeed and true failure there just isn’t a funny thing. While precautions were certainly taken on both shows, it really was way more of a matter between life and death when it came to the Nitro Circus.

I really enjoyed the TV show; I was almost always guaranteed to see something really amazing on it and I’ve just been waiting to see if there was ever going to be a third season. Well, the third season obviously didn’t happen but what did was this movie; Nitro Circus: The Movie 3D and It’s a very entertaining ride.

While there’s no story per se here, it is set against a backdrop of telling an overall story about this group of people, why they do what they do and their dream to take what they do and make it a live show that they perform in Las Vegas. Some of the stunts performed in the movie have also been done on the TV show, but here they have a little bit more of a production budget and the added bonus of 3D. And here, 3D is really an added bonus and it’s right on display during the opening stunts of the film. This stunt is a massive recreation of one of the greatest stunts from the TV show, involving motocross cycles, trophy trucks and buggies (and I’m sure I’m missing something else) all jumping over each other in a criss-crossing pattern, with each of the bike riders all performing stunts as they take to the air. It’s a dazzling display of talent and the 3D just really makes it even more impressive, making you feel more like being there than anything else. Now none of the other stunts that follow in the film are as impressive as it’s opening, but they’re still fun to watch nonetheless. There is humor in the film as well, but don’t go expecting the same variety that you’ll see in a Jackass movie- most of the humor comes from the interview situations and narration through the film.

Travis Pastrana is certainly the most recognized name amongst the crew of the Nitro Circus, but this isn’t the Travis Pastrana show by any means. The main core of the Circus includes Jolene Van Vugt, Jeremy Rawle, Gregg Godfrey, “Streetbike” Tommy Passamante, Erik Roner, Jim DeChamp and Greg Powell. Everybody gets a chance to shine, though “Streetbike” Tommy gets just a little more play than the rest of the group, sort of acting as their comic relief- if there can be such a thing here. You can tell that this group of folks genuinely enjoy what they’re doing and genuinely enjoy doing it with each other.

If you were a fan of the show, then you’ll probably have a great time with Nitro Circus: The Movie 3D, I know I did and just sort of look at as a bit of a palette cleanser amongst the other movies out there right now. It packs quite a lot into it’s short 90 minutes run time and doesn’t wear out it’s welcome in the slightest, and as I said above, the 3D here is just incredible.

In the late 21st century, much of the planet has become uninhabitable due to global conflicts. Two main land masses remain that can support a population; the United Federation of Britain, and the land previously known as Australia, but now known as The Colony. Both land masses are connected by a mode of transportation that passes through the planet called The Fall, and as one would expect, due to the population, habitable land is at a premium.

Doug Quaid is a man who lives in The Colony but commutes daily to the UFB for his job, which is the manufacturing of a mechanized peacekeeping force. Doug is married, but lately he’s been having some troubling dreams which indicate a life different from the one he knows, a life that was filled with some harrowing adventure and intrigue and with a woman different from his wife. Doug’s a little frustrated and wants a little more than what he’s getting now and so he makes the attempt to go to a company called Rekall, that specializes in creating new virtual memories for people. Doug chooses the life of a secret agent, but thanks to a wrinkle in the way Rekall works, this backfires because in actually Doug was a secret agent in his life, even though he doesn’t still know the full details.

When this is awakened in Doug, it puts him in jeopardy and now Doug is on the run to find out the real truth, while in the background, conflict looms between the UFB and The Colony.

That’s the basic premise to Total Recall the latest film from the director of the first two Underworld movies, Len Wiseman. It’s also a re-make of a movie of the same name from director Paul Verhoeven starring Arnold Schwarzenegger and both are adaptations of the Philip K. Dick short story, “We Can Remember it for You Wholesale.” Now I really enjoyed the original film (even though it has it’s problems) and I’ve not really been a fan of Wiseman’s Underworld movies, so while I thought the trailer looked decent, I was keeping my expectations for this on the low side. For myself, I was pleasantly surprised and actually prefer the remake over the original, though don’t get me wrong, the original is still a fun movie.

Wiseman’s version looks fantastic and is obviously paying big homage to another film adaptation of the work of Philip K. Dick, Blade Runner. I know in the party of people that I saw this with, a few were a little disappointed about this aspect of the film’s look, but honestly, it just didn’t bother me in the slightest and more I thought it made total sense with the revised premise to the film. The film’s action sequences are quite well done, with some particular standouts being Quaid’s battles with his “wife” and a pretty thrilling chase sequence involving your literal flying cars. Wiseman keeps the whole thing moving at a fast clip, and while there are a few holes here and there, and a few stretches of credibility (the most glaring being a fight at the end between Cohaagen, the leader of the UFB, and Quaid), I still had a great time with this.

What really stood out to me though was Colin Farrell who plays the part of Doug Quaid, taking over the part originally performed by Schwarzenegger. Farrell brings an extremely solid likability to the character right from the start, and has much more of an everyman quality to him than Schwarzenegger does. It’s not a knock against Schwarzenegger’s performance in the original, that was all well and good for it’s time and fitted Schwarzenegger screen personality. When Quaid’s past is discovered at Rekall and he’s put in jeopardy, he reacts accordingly (in a really nice little action set piece) but at the end he displays that slight little bit of nuance at being shocked at what he just did and how he’s picking up all of this naturally. Further in the film, Quaid has a conversation with himself (from an interactive recording) that just takes things a step further and really allows you to see the differences that he’s put into both characters. It’s been awhile since Colin Farrell has headed up a film like this and it’s just really nice to see him back and doing some pretty darn good work.

Farrell’s backed up with an impressive group of support. Jessica Biel plays Melina, the girl who’s from Quaid’s dreams, but who in actuality is the lieutenant to Mathias (Bill Nighy) the leader of the resistance against Cohagen and the UFB. I’ve not been much of a fan of Biel’s work in the past, but here, I think she and Farrell have some pretty nice chemistry that has it’s own subtleties to it in the midst of all of the big action. The great Bryan Cranston (of Breaking Bad fame) plays the part of Cohaagen, and Cranston is obviously having a good time playing this villainous part, even getting to get his hands dirty in his own physical fight with Quaid near the film’s end (though as mentioned above, I think this fight does stretch things a little bit).

Really standing out for me in the support area though are Kate Beckinsale as Lori, Quaid’s “wife” who’s been tasked by Cohaagen to keep watch over Quaid, and Bokeem Woodbine as Harry, Quaid’s best friend on his job in his new manufactured life. Beckinsale is certainly no stranger to this type of action having played in the Underworld films (Len Wiseman is her husband). I’m not really a fan of those movies, so I wasn’t necessarily expecting much of her here, but I was quite surprised, she’s got a real venality that shows through and it certainly makes the fight sequences pretty convincing. Bokeem Woodbine really stands out in a sequence where Quaid is trying to be convinced that he’s not really out in the midst of all of this action, but still in the confines of Rekall. This was something that was done in the original film as well, but the way that Woodbine plays it, it has a lot more gravity here and it’s, at least for me, quite a tense bit of business.

Some will probably be dismayed by the fact that this version is rated PG-13 over the original’s R rating, lacking the original’s more bloody violence. Some might also be disappointed with the change in plot that takes out the whole aspect of going to Mars with Mars and it’s mutated society being the object of Cohaagen’s plans. But honestly, I thought that the changes that Len Wiseman and screenplay writers Kurt Wimmer (hopefully some will remember Wimmer’s terrific film Equilibrium) and Mark Bomback made sense and worked well carrying a lot of little “nods” to the original peppered throughout the film. While my expectations were low at the start, I was still expecting to have a pretty good time with this. Total Recall, though exceeded those expectations and I ended up having a great time instead and certainly look forward to seeing this again down the road. For me, this surpassed the original, but it doesn’t replace it by any means, I think there’s room enough for both versions to be out there.

Sean and Eddy are best friends who have formed a flash mob dance crew called The Mob. They live and work in Miami for a large hotel, but their main passion is their art. Their talented crew are trying to get themselves noticed and they do so with impressive effects. They’re trying to win a $100,000 prize through YouTube by getting over 10 million hits on their channel.

Emily Anderson is a talented young dancer who’s trying to go professional against her father’s wishes. Her father just happens to be the developer of the hotel that Sean and Eddy work for. One day, Sean and Emily cross paths and of course, they;re immediately attracted to each other. Sean invites Emily into his world which is a low rent area of Miami, but once she’s there, Emily sees the magic of the area that Sean’s been living in. Emily’s trying to be accepted into a prestigious dance academy and while she’s told she’s technically proficient, she’s also told that she needs something a little more. Sean invites Emily to see The Mob in action and once she does, she wants to join.

Then bad news hits; Emily’s father is making a bid to take over the are where Sean and his friends live and literally wipe it out for further development. Now, Emily wants to help Sean and The Mob save their homes by taking their art from purely exhibition to protest art.

That’s the premise to Step Up Revolution the latest film in the popular Step Up series. As I said back in my review for Step Up 3D, I used to make fun of these movies, but have since learned way better thanks to TV shows like So You Think You Can Dance and America’s Best Dance Crew. Step Up 3D was the first of these films that I saw in theatres and I just thought it was as fun as could be. Sure, you’re not exactly going to see the most engrossing stories here and you’re not exactly going to see Oscar calibre performances. I think if you got either of those, it would be pure gravy. What you go to these movies for are to see some very impressive dance performances and hear the hard-driving music. And now since these movies have made the move to 3D, you’re also seeing some of the very best 3D that’s out there to see. This was definitely the case with Step Up 3D and for the most part, it’s the same with Step Up Revolution.

One of the things that I most enjoyed about Step Up 3D was it’s atmosphere- it sought to take it’s contemporary dance style and mix it with the atmosphere of old Technicolor musicals. It didn’t take itself too seriously and just had an overwhelming joy about it celebrating it’s artform. Now don’t get me wrong, that same joy is in Step Up Revolution, but there is a little bit of a darker tone to the film and it’s paced just a little slower. There’s nothing wrong with that at all, it’s still quite entertaining, just not to the same ways that I thought Step Up 3D was.

Where Step Up Revolution really excels is in it’s extremely high-charged and downright thrilling dance numbers- right from the opening, you’re going to see some pretty amazing stuff. The Step Up producers are thoroughly embracing 3D and it absolutely shows. Yeah, I expect these would look just fine in 2D, but here’s an example where 3D really does enhance what you’re seeing on-screen, making each number even more thrilling.

Ryan Guzman plays Sean and Kathryn McCormick plays Emily. If you watch So You Think You Can Dance you should recognize McCormick as one of the past contestants and as one of their All-Stars as well. Guzman is, for this type of movie, quite impressive and certainly has a high likability factor. McCormick lacks a little in line delivery and emotion, but more than makes up for it in sheer physical presence and her skill. When she’s in a scene, you’re just drawn to her, even when she’s not dancing. One can certainly hope that she’ll further develop her acting chops, because if she can, she could go quite far. Misha Gabriel plays Eddy, and he brings a little bit of a darker side to the film, though he and Guzman do have an obvious chemistry together.

If you’re a regular watcher of So You Think You Can Dance then you’re bound to recognize some of the other players out there as well, and that’s always a treat. Stephen “tWitch” Boss returns from Step Up 3D playing the same character, but now transplanted to Miami and firmly part of The Mob. Philip Chbeeb has been seen in SYTYCD as well as in America’s Best Dance Crew as part of the winning crew of the sixth season of that show, and he’s just as much fun to watch here. Even choreographer and SYTYCD judge Mia Michaels is here, playing the head of the academy that Emily is trying to get into. Rounding the cast out, you’ve also got Adam Sevani returning as Moose, near the end of the film for a very impressive number, and veteran actor Peter Gallagher playing Emily’s father. Oh sure, you’ve certainly seen Gallagher do better work elsewhere, but his presence certainly does add a little gravity to the cast.

Step Up Revolution really is a lot of fun, and just goes right into overdrive whenever it shifts into any of it’s impressive dance numbers. It’s story and characters are formulaic, but for this sort of film, I just don’t think it’s a bad thing at all; it makes it feel comfortable and just let’s you really bask in the film’s set pieces. If you do choose to see this, and of course I am recommending it, then I’d certainly hope you will go see it in 3D. The 3D here is absolutely amazing and I’ll even go so far as to say it’s probably the best 3D I’ll see in a movie all year. I’m sure it’s just fine in 2D, but in 3D, it’s just thrilling and compelling. Can’t wait to see what they’ll do for the fifth film now…

It’s been eight years since The Joker’s crime spree in Gotham City. Thanks to The Joker’s machinations, former District Attorney Harvey Dent was killed, with Batman taking the fall for the death in order to preserve the law and order that Dent originally stood for. Gotham City has been mostly crime-free (with the exception of some notable crimes by a mysterious female cat burglar) with the extreme criminals now imprisoned. Batman has disappeared and Bruce Wayne has become a recluse. This leaves Gotham City open to an amazing assault from the criminal terrorist known as Bane.

That’s a very simple outline to The Dark Knight Rises, the concluding chapter of director Christopher Nolan’s take on the Batman mythos aided and abetted from writers Jonathan Nolan and David Goyer and lead Christian Bale as Batman/Bruce Wayne and it’s one hell of a conclusion.

While I don’t think the movie quite hits the same highs that The Dark Knight did, that’s not saying that it’s not satisfying at all, quite the contrary. The Dark Knight Rises is an extremely satisfying film- reaching back to points started in Batman Begins and The Dark Knight while also adding a few new twists and wrinkles building to quite a satisfying conclusion. Like I said, it doesn’t quite hit the same crescendo that The Dark Knight did, but… it does have a lot of very cool moments and a twist with one character that I have to admit I didn’t even see coming. For some, that twist might almost seem to come out of the blue, but for fans of the comics, it’s entirely fitting into the legend of Batman.

Nolan’s story, though I described it simply above, is actually quite layered and complex in it’s own way. It’s not hard to follow by ay means, but it’s hinged by assuming that the audience has seen the prior two movies- so for those that haven’t seen those first two movies (I’m sure there might be one or two of you out there) you might want to invest some time in seeing those before you see The Dark Knight Rises. For comic fans, this is a treasure trove, with many of it’s story points owing to previous stories from the comics, but handled in Nolan’s “keep it real” style. The film weighs in at nearly three hours long, but Nolan keeps a steady pace throughout that builds and builds to the film’s epic end.

Technically, as has been the case for all of Christopher Nolan’s movies, the film is first rate in it’s look and sound elements working totally in tandem with the performances and story points. This is just one nicely put-together production and I wouldn’t at all be surprised to see it be nominated for loads of technical awards come Oscar time.

Christian Bale returns as Batman. Also returning are Michael Caine as Alfred, Morgan Freeman as Lucius Fox and Gary Oldman as Police Commisioner James Gordon. It’s terrific work from all four men and I particularly enjoy seeing Bale’s interplay with all three. Bale shines throughout, but really excels in scenes right before the film’s third act as he’s trying to escape from the prison that Bane has placed him in. All four are certainly by now comfortable in their parts, but they’re not resting on any laurels- this is first-rate work, they know they’re part of something special and certainly treat it that way through their performances.

The same thing can be said with our new cast additions. Tom Hardy plays Bane, our central villain, Anne Hathaway plays Selina Kyle/Catwoman (though she’s never called that in the film), Marion Cotilliard as Miranda Tate, a rival of Wayne’s in the business world, and Joseph Gordon-Levitt as John Blake, a Gotham City cop who believes Batman wasn’t responsible for Harvey Dent’s death. There’s strong work here from all four. Hardy has the hardest job as his face is masked throughout the entire film, but he’s quite an imposing physical presence and his body language speaks volumes. I’m very curious to just how his voice was created for the film, as there’s parts in his delivery that almost sound Sean Connery-like to me. Hardy’s one of the best young actors out there right now and I can hardly wait to see what he does in George Miller’s next Mad Max film.

Anne Hathaway’s Selina Kyle/Catwoman is just an extremely fun character- she’s as sexy as it gets, yet just as committal to the physical action as any of the male characters. Her version of Selina Kyle picks up some aspects of the character as written by Frank Miller in the comic story Batman: Year One and yet there’s also just a slight hint of camp to her character as well- it’s not detrimental by any means and just adds another flavor to this already flavor-rich series. Marion Cotilliard, as Miranda Tate first seems to be simply “the girl” of the film, but man… there really is so much more here, and I’ll just leave it at that. She’s sexy and smart and a welcome addition to the series.

Like Tom Hardy, Joseph Gordon-Levitt is one of the best young actors out there today. He’s been impressing me since The Lookout and his work on this film just takes that further. Gordon-Levitt’s John Blake is the heart of the film- he’s important to getting Bruce Wayne/Batman back in action, acting as Gordon’s right-hand man and his drive to save Gotham is just as strong as Batman’s. Gordon-Levitt, Hardy and Cotilliard all previously worked with Nolan on his last film, Inception and I’d certainly hope to see them all work with the director again on other productions.

The Dark Knight Rises is absolutely terrific and a thoroughly satisfying conclusion to one of the very best series of comic book-based movies that’s ever been made. While it doesn’t quite carry the same impact for me as The Dark Knight, it doesn’t mean that it’s a weaker film, just one who’s focus is a little more broader and just a little more diluted, but not to a negative at all. This may be the end of Christopher Nolan’s run on the Batman franchise, but I don’t doubt for a moment that Batman will be back on the big screen in some new interpretation down the road. Batman is one of the few comic book characters who I think actually excels from different interpretations (and that can certainly be seen not just in the comics but also in the different animated series and movies that have been made). But in the meantime, The Dark Knight Rises (as well as Batman Begins and The Dark Knight) is a movie to be savored and enjoyed again and again… I can’t wait to see this one again…

Peter Parker is having a pretty rough life. As a young boy, his parents suddenly disappear from his life leaving him to be raised by his Uncle Ben and Aunt May. Peter’s always wondered what happened to them and has just never found out. As he gets older, he gets pushed around by the school bully, Flash Thompson and has an eye for the alluring Gwen Stacy.

While helping his Uncle Ben with a flooded basement, Peter discovers an old satchel with his father’s initials on it and within, Peter finds some clues that he hopes will help him discover what really happens to his parents. Those clues leads him to Dr. Curt Connors, a lead scientist for the Oscorp Corporation. As Peter starts to investigate at Oscorp, he discovers a room that’s designated by the same project name that his father was working on. Peter goes into the room to discover this amazing web construct made by hundreds of spiders. One of these spiders latches onto Peter and bites him and soon Peter starts to display some amazing abilities. All of which leads him to become Spider-Man and soon on the trail of a new menace, The Lizard, who is in fact a transformed Curt Connors.

That’s the premise to The Amazing Spider-Man, Columbia Pictures re-boot of the film franchise originally started by Sam Raimi and starring Tobey Maguire. This new version comes from director Marc Webb (who’s best known for the comedy (500) Days of Summer– which I haven’t seen) and lead Andrew Garfield, who now assumes the role of Peter Parker. Marvel’s The Avengers did damn near everything right for a comic book movie, and now we have this new version of Spider-Man that does everything completely wrong. This is a pretty godawful mess.

Oh, where to start? Well first off, the movie is just plain boring. Almost the entire first hour is spent with re-telling Spider-Man’s origin but this time with the added inclusion of the “mystery” about his parents, which is about as unnecessary as it gets. This mystery isn’t resolved at all and only gets furthered by an extra scene nestled within the film’s end credits. This of course is Columbia trying to emulate what Marvel has done so well in their own films but there’s nothing there to wow an audience into looking forward to the next film. This “mystery” is basically supposed to be the glue for the next two films to follow and it’s just not compelling at all and further it’s just not needed. Everything you need for who Spider-Man is and his reason to be is within the original story that Stan Lee and Steve Ditko told in Amazing Fantasy #15. Expansions on some of that stuff is fine, but additions like the untold story of Peter Parker’s parents just aren’t needed. Whenever this stuff has been done in the comics, it’s always felt to me like it’s more a writer’s attempt to make his lasting mark on the character as opposed to being something that’s really needed. Here it feels the same.

But that’s not all that makes it boring. Marc Webb just isn’t the guy to direct this film. His pacing is meandering with many scenes just having me say to myself “Will you just please get on with it!” His action scenes get interrupted with just totally unnecessary bits of business with a prime example being a bit at the end where Curt Connors in his Lizard form is about to enact a master plan. Spider-Man can’t get to the Lizard in time, but thanks to a group of construction workers who just happen to pull together at various points across the city, Spider-Man makes his way to Oscorp. The thing is, there’s so much time spent glorifying this scene, that it just sort of brings the momentum to what the Lizard was planning to a stop.

Then there’s the characters themselves. Peter Parker was always supposed to be this nebbish kid who was more nerdy than anything else at the start of his story, but that’s not here. This Peter Parker is a sort of an edgy genius who knows all of these amazing things but also happens to just love his skateboard. He gets pushed around by an extremely thuggish Flash Thompson, who seems like he should’ve been in some other film that concentrated more on violent school bullying. Gwen Stacy is all over the map, going from being school ingenue to the super-smart assistant to Curt Connors (well, of course) to just plain goofiness when she interacts with her father. And speaking of that, that just brings to mind one of the very worst scenes in the film- Spider-Man has just had the living crap beat out of him and the first thing he does is go to Gwen. Her father, a captain of the NYPD played by Denis Leary, is coming to her room to basically say they’re making cocoa, and what follows is just some of the most inane dialogue yet- here this dark scene with Spider-Man has just happened, and this bit of “comedy” gets inserted and just feels like it was written for another movie entirely. Of course what really takes the cake in the comedy department is a scene that’s entirely unintentional (at least to me) as comedy, and that’s the discovery of what the Lizard formula has done to a lab mouse. This is supposed to be horrific, but it just came off as hilarious, and again, entirely out of place.

Spider-Man is supposed to be a fun character and Marc Webb and the assorted writers of this piece have done everything they can to just suck the fun right out of the character. They try to give Spider-Man his funny lines during his action sequences, but as delivered by Garfield (who is a fine young actor, but just totally miscast for this film- as is the entire cast) they come off as obnoxious. Spider-Man is a character who operates during all times of the day, but here it’s mostly done at night, mostly done (I figure) to hide the “seams” in the effects, but also to add something that more dark in the atmosphere which just isn’t right. Spider-Man operates out of New York City, but there’s very little here that says this is New York City at all, it just feels generic, and if it was all more New York-centric, it would’ve added to the fun. And for all of the times that Spider-Man has his mask taken off in public here, you’d figure that some enterprising New Yorker would’ve at least caught it on video- well, I would’ve figured that. I’m really starting to get tired of this trend of the hero in a comic book movie having to reveal his face in climactic action scenes, it’s the one little complaint that I have with The Avengers, though due to that movie’s sheer drive, it’s not as bad. But in The Amazing Spider-Man Peter Parker has to show his face quite often when he’s in costume- it’s not necessary and it feels more like it’s a stipulation in Andrew Garfield’s contract more than it’s vital to the story. And most egregious, there’s no J. Jonah Jameson at all in this story. J. Jonah Jameson, as long time Spider-Man fans know, is the publisher of the Daily Bugle and pretty much begins his tirades against Spider-Man right from the start. He’s also one of the most fun characters that’s ever been in the series and as far as I’m concerned just as important to the series as Spider-Man himself. I’d figure that Jameson would probably be set to be included in sequels, but maybe not. Who knows? Maybe they saw him as too much of a clown to be included in this darker and grittier version of Spider-Man.

Everything is lackluster here, even a score by James Horner that you’d never know was a score by James Horner, except for being told so in the end credits. About the only positive thing I can say is that the 3D was pretty good in some of the action scenes, but they are few and far between.

Getting back to the casting, I suppose the idea of casting Rhys Ifans as Curt Connors was supposed to help give this a little more gravitas than anything else. Ifans is a good actor, but here he just seems overtly pretentious. And his transformation as The Lizard, well overall physically it’s quite imposing, but when you get to the Lizard’s face, it’s just doughy and stands out like the literal sore thumb.

Earlier this year, I thought I’d seen the worst movie I was going to see this year with The Hunger Games. I really thought a movie was going to have to work extra hard to be worse than that. The Amazing Spider-Man does it with ease. This movie is so ill-conceived on every level that it makes Raimi’s Spider-Man 3 look like a masterpiece. If you’re going to re-boot a film franchise that already was a proven winner, then maybe you should be looking at the things in that franchise that worked and still retain them. Here, it looks like Columbia, Webb and everyone involved were looking at what they could do to just make it different and not retain a thing that made it special. In the process, they made a movie that’s just not any fun at all and is more boring than anything else.

Abraham Lincoln, the 16th president of the United States and considered one of the greatest presidents of all time, has led a secret double life. As young boy, Lincoln witnesses the murder of his mother at the hands of a vampire, though at the time that was unknown to him. Young Abe has pledged his vengeance and one day he gets the chance when he’s approached by Henry Sturgess who explains all thing vampire to him. As time passes, Abe uses his newfound skills to dispatch vampires who threaten the land, while building himself up as a statesman and marrying Mary Todd. All the while, a plot is brewing as Adam, the leader of the vampires in America, Is aligning himself with the South to win the Civil War and take the United States of America for his kind.

That is the utterly absurd premise to Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter the latest movie from director Timur Bekmambetov who’s previously directed Wanted, Night Watch and Day Watch. It’s adapted from the popular novel by Seth Grahame-Smith who’s also written the screenplay for this film. Yes, I said “utterly absurd” above, but don’t take that as derogative in the slightest; Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter is really a lot of fun and certainly a very different kind of vampire movie than what we’re used to seeing in recent times.

I’ve not read the novel, though I’ve heard a lot about it. From what I understand, the approach taken in the novel is more satirical than anything else and that’s not the case with the movie. This movie takes it’s story and it’s characters very seriously, but thanks to Bekmambetov’s over-the-top style of action and filmmaking, that sort of takes the place of the satire and makes this more of something like a classic “tall tale” along the lines of Paul Bunyan and Johnny Appleseed. Even though it is serious, it’s not without it’s moments of humor. That and it’s extreme action sequences certainly brought a smile to my face throughout the film.

It’s not without it’s problems though. As the movie makes the jump from the younger Abe using his new skills to the older presidential version, there seems to be a slight shift in it’s pacing. Certain places of the film seem disjointed and some portions of the narrative seem to (at least to me) be out of place. It all still makes sense in the end, but the back third of the film just doesn’t seem to have the same vitality that’s displayed in the first two thirds.

But still, the movie looks fantastic and it uses it’s 3D very effectively with loads of moments that are in your face. Some will dislike Bekmambetov’s use of CGI and slow motion techniques, but personally, I thought it was all good and just further played into the whole “tall tale” aspect of this whole thing.

Benjamin Walker plays Abraham Lincoln and for the most part, this kid is unknown to me. If this movie is any indication though, Walker is a talent to be watched.. Physically, he reminds me of what you might get if you crossed Liam Neeson with Randy Quaid and that’s not meant in any sort of insulting way at all. His figure is very different from the sort of action hero you’d be used to seeing in this type of thing and watching him in the action scenes was really a lot of fun. But he’s got the acting chops as well and casts a genuine air of earnestness throughout the film. Walker does indeed carry this film.

Walker’s got a lot of great support with Dominic Cooper, Anthony Mackie and Jimmi Simpson playing his allies in war against the vampires. Cooper, who plays Henry Sturgess, in particular is a lot of fun and he’s attacking this part with great gusto. Mary Elizabeth Winstead plays Mary Todd and she and Walker, at least to me, have genuine chemistry, though it’s not in the same sense that you’d see in a contemporary relationship.

Rufus Sewell, Martin Csokas and Erin Wasson play the villains of this piece. Sewell plays Adam, the leader of the vampires, and he just brings the proper weight to the part. Martin Csokas plays Jack Barts, the vampire who starts young Abe on his quest, and he’s very much a vicious character who you’re genuinely glad to see get what’s coming to him after one of the film’s most absurd action scenes; a chase running across the backs of stampeding horses (really, you’ve got to see it). Erin Wasson plays Vadoma, Adam’s right-hand woman, and even though she doesn’t have a huge amount of lines, still makes up for it with presence; you notice her when she’s in a scene.

From what I’ve gathered from other reviews that I’ve read, there are huge portions of Grahame-Smith’s novel that aren’t in this film, with many of those same reviewers being heavily disappointed because they aren’t there. Considering that Grahame-Smith wrote the screenplay for the film, I’d like to think that he was OK with taking his novel and making it something quite a bit different for a summer action film, but that still may not stand to well with the purists. As I said above, I’ve not read the book myself, but after seeing the movie, I have to say I’m certainly interested in reading it, even though it’s not going to be the same thing that I saw on the big screen. Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter is absurd fun that just won me over in thanks to it’s over-the-top action and effects, it’s playfulness with history and a very earnest performance from Benjamin Walker in the title role. It may not sit well with some, but I had a terrific ride with this one, even with it’s above-mentioned problems.

In the year 2089, Doctors Elizabeth Shaw and Charlie Holloway make a remarkable discovery; clues that the origin of mankind did not develop on Earth but from “engineers” from far off space. They interpret these clues to be an open invitation from the “engineers” for their “children” to contact them abroad. Dying industrialist Peter Weyland believes in this idea and has chosen to fund a deep space mission with Shaw and Holloway taking the lead, but all under the watchful eye of Meredith Vickers, a high-ranking official within the Weyland Corporation and David, a synthetic being who represents the pinnacle in the creation of Artificial Intelligence. What they are about to discover is something that they could never have prepared for.

That’s a nutshell premise for Prometheus, the latest movie from visionary director Ridley Scott. It is also very much a prequel/reboot to Fox’s Alien franchise, which just also happens to be the series where Ridley Scott made a name for himself. This marks Scott’s third foray into the world of science fiction with his first two being the aforementioned Alien and Blade Runner, both very much considered (and rightfully so) iconic science fiction films. It also marks Scott (and writers Jon Spaihts and Damon Lindelof) somewhat mixing ideas from both of these movies together to go for a bigger statement (or more readily, to ask bigger questions).

I am a huge fan of the Alien movies (I enjoy them all, though the first two are my absolute favorites) and so I was very much looking forward to seeing Ridley Scott come back to this and see what he’d do with it. Personally, I enjoyed Prometheus a great deal, though I can also see why some will not.

Like I said, I’m a huge fan of the series and remember big articles on the first movie in magazines like Starlog and Fantastic Films from back in the day. I purchased all of the stuff that I could that came out on the movie after it’s released and one of the books that I enjoyed the most was The Book of Alien which showcased the impressive artwork of Chris Foss, Moebius, Ron Cobb and H. R. Giger for their designs created for the film. Now my memory certainly might be fuzzy on some of this, but I seem to recall from those old articles one huge area of fascination for Scott being the “Space Jockey” seen in the first film and that’s obviously gestated into one of the big ideas shown in Prometheus. In addition to that, there are design aspects around the structures discovered on this planet (designated LV-223- no this is not the same world seen in Alien and Aliens) and the original Xenomorph that have found their way back into this series, which I thought was quite cool to see.

Visually, Prometheus is absolutely astounding and I’d expect no less from Ridley Scott. The shooting style, the visual effects and the framing of shots is all on point. I chose to see this in 3D and I’m glad I did. Scott shot and/or planned for this for 3D and it really works especially with a key scene where the android David is looking into a dream of Elizabeth Shaw’s. I think this scene in particular would stand out as it is, but Scott’s new visual punch to it makes it even more memorable. Mark Strietenfeld’s score mixes both a sense of wonder along with a sense of dread and horror and in one key scene even uses Jerry Goldmsith’s music from the original Alien.

Where this will really make it or break it for most is in it’s actual story and it’s performances and so far a lot of what I’ve been seeing out there has been on the negative side, and again, I can understand that. I think there’s quite a bit open to interpretation here, moreso than most films, though I do wish one or two little things might’ve been explained. For instance, there’s quite a bit of behavior that’s being seen as stupid on the part of most of the characters, which basically could’ve had an explanation by the android David after the crew chooses to take off their helmets within the first structure that they enter. Once David tells everyone that their air is breathable within the structure it was to me fairly logical that they’d go ahead and take off their helmets considering they were told this by the pinnacle of Artificial Intelligence. But there’s more to David than being the “android” of this film, and so an explanation by him later that he withheld certain things about the effects of the atmosphere on the humans could’ve gone a long way (especially so with two characters who are lost in the structure who end up doing some pretty crazy things once they encounter a lifeform within).

Noomi Rapace (from the original Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and more recently the second Guy Ritchie Sherlock Holmes film) leads this cast as Elizabeth Shaw and is certainly the most developed out of most of the cast. She does a good job here though it is slow-going at the start. It picks up considerably for this character after she’s performed a bit of gut wrenching self-surgery. What’s shown of her dream to David near the start is a different sort of purity of discovery that’s foreign to the android and her later resourcefulness (with the same surgery scene) could be seen as further attraction and use for him. Rapace is backed up by Logan Marshall-Green as Holloway, Charlize Theron as Meredtih Vickers, and Idris Elba as Janek, the captain of the ship, Prometheus. These characters are the stand-outs of what is a pretty one-dimensional crew at best (though again, I have my own interpretation of that). They work for me, but I can see why they might be seen as laughable or ridiculous by others.

There are two points in the casting that I do want to address, one in a negative light and the other in the positive, let’s get the negative out of the way first. Guy Pearce is cast as Peter Weyland but you’ll be hard-pressed to recognize him under the very obvious old-age make-up that he’s under. Now even with that drawback, Pearce is just “OK” here where this character could’ve been much more memorable had it been cast differently. Personally, I would’ve cast either Ian Holm or Lance Henrikson in the part. Now obviously, they both have connections to the Alien series with Holm having played the android Ash in the first film and Henrikson having played the android Bishop in Aliens as well as having parts in Alien 3 and Aliens Vs. Predators (playing a Weyland no less). Holm really would’ve been my main choice- he’s of the right age so additional make-up wouldn’t have looked too obvious and it would’ve been a very darn good bit of fan service as well. As it is, Pearce as I said is just “OK,” bordering on being inappropriate thanks to the make-up.

My positive point though is Michael Fasbender being cast as David. Now if you’ve read any of my previous reviews, then you already know that I think Fassbender is one of the best actors out there today. I’ll stand with that and I certainly think this performance adds to his already impressive resume. As I said above, David is described as being the absolute peak in Artificial Intelligence and I tend to think that he’s playing that part to the hilt, so much so that he’s on the verge (if not already taking the step) to going beyond what he was originally built for. Much like the humans here are taking their steps to understand their origins, so to is David. As part of my own interpretation of the character, I’m figuring that Weyland let David choose the crew of this expedition beyond Shaw and Holloway, and David thus chose people who he could use in an experimental way. The entire opening introduction of this character pretty much paves the way for him especially with a telling moment in which David is watching the movie Lawrence of Arabia. This is strong and complex work from Fassbender and he certainly deserves to be recognized for it. As far as I’m concerned, MIchael Fassbender is the real lead in this film.

Prometheus isn’t as visceral an experience as the first two Alien movies and it won’t answer all of the questions that it sets up (and yes, I very much think it’s intentional that this isn’t the same planet that’s seen in the first two movies). I’ve read a few interviews with Damon Lindelof on this, and he’s basically said that the original film Alien would come after a third Prometheus film which makes sense here, though it may not be what an audience will want. When Alien first came out in 1979, it wasn’t with the intention of creating a franchise which is so much par for the course for most movies like this now. Because of that, Prometheus is very much open-ended and literally the start of something new which could or could not lead into the Alien movies as we know them. Because of that, I could certainly understand why some who see this might be underwhelmed or downright angry after they see it. If a second and third film do get made, then I’d expect that Prometheus will have greater resonance down the road, I just hope they get made and preferably with Scott, Lindelof, Spaihts and Fassbender all still connected to the series. Even with my own complaints, I had a ball with Prometheus and can’t wait to see it again (which I plan to do next weekend).