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Inception

Inception is a rare gem… It’s intriguing, exciting, thought provoking, dramatic, complicated, and entertaining.

For the purpose of the film, the term “Inception” derives from the concept of “Extraction.” Extraction is the process of going into to a persons dreams via drugs and interconnection to pull information from an individuals subconscious. Unless the subject is aware or trained to defend against this intrusion, it will seem like any other dream. Inception is the process of PLANTING an idea… And is much more delicate and detailed. The idea has to be placed in such a manner that a seed takes root and grows, as opposed to a blatantly obvious, “DO THIS THING!”

The all star, and extremely capable cast (that delivered), includes Leonardo DiCaprio as Cobb, the troubled leader of the “Dream Team.” Arthur  (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) is Cobb’s partner and voice of reason. Ariadne (Ellen Page) is the new architect of the dream worlds. Earnes (Tom Hardy) is the efficiently deadly muscle. Saito (Ken  Watanabe) is the motivator for Inception, and Robert Fischer Jr (Cillian Murphy) is the target.

Cobb is on the run, or at the very least, avoiding the United States. He is wanted for the murder of his wife. After an unsuccessful attempt to have information extracted from his mind, Saito presents Cobb with an offer… Plant an idea in the mind of Robert Fischer Jr that will benefit him. If it is works, Cobb can go home.

Thus ensues a story that anyone can tell Christopher Nolan has spent a hell of a lot of time working out the kinks. He has created an altered reality, and applies rules, explains them, and is truthful to them. Inception flows, and covers its tracks. Meaning, there is a LOT going on, but it all goes somewhere with a purpose. In case you haven’t noticed, I am sooo trying to write a review without giving away important information, only enough to explain why you should go see this movie.

The only portion I feel was a bit excessive is the music. It was a good score, but played at times where I felt it was not needed to push the tension. The exposition was enough, and natural in its own right. Imagine you are disclosing important information to someone who has just come into your life and may be able to help you fix a massive misunderstanding. And the whole time you have dramatic music underscoring you… Distracting, isn’t it?

There are so many reasons to like this film, but 2 of the biggest are, 1) Unlike much of the fare that comes out of Hollywood, it does not treat its audience like  swarm of imbeciles that need to be spoon fed a hacked up script. If there are things you don’t understand, go see it again, I’m pretty sure it was explained along the way.  2) The ending. All I’m going to say is I liked it.

The Last Airbender

M. Night Shyamalan has done it again. He’s not living up to the hype. I suppose it was a blessing that The Sixth Sense was a ridiculously successful, but it is a curse that it is the standard by which he is being compared.

Had I not been aware of the TV series The Last Airbender was based on, I would actually be less underwhelmed. The premise of the story is this… There are 4 tribes on the planet-Air, Water, Earth and Fire. Each tribe has individuals that can “bend” (magically manipulate) their respective elements. “The Last Airbender,” Aang (played by an incredibly deadpan and almost emotionless Noah Ringer), is literally the last of his kind. A prophecy foretold the Avatar would come from the Air tribe. The rest of his people were killed off by the Fire Nation while Ang was frozen in ice for 100 years. When Ang was 12, he learned he was the latest Avatar, the one destined to keep peace on the planet. He did not want the responsibility and fled, only to come back a century later to the Fire Nation devastating the planet.

Within three minutes of the opening, Aang is found by Katara (Nicola Peltz) and her brother Sokka (Jackson Rathbone). I was ready to exclaim, “Wow! They are getting right to it!” Right about then I realized they had taken a few liberties with the plot. Fine, no problem. Then the story logic starts to fall apart. D’oh! Did I mention the exposition is sooo dry and forced, I felt I was watching someone reading a text book.

Cinematically speaking, *YAWN*… Did they lose me at the bad dialogue, the crappy characterization or the jumbled story line? It was all of the above and various combinations thereof. We were rushed through the interesting parts, and forced to endure unnecessary trivialities like, “Aang, we have to go.” You think? We are in the middle of a battle, they are coming to kill you because of something that was scrawled on an animal hide, and you have to be told we have to leave. Again.

There were some decent special effects, but nothing you haven’t seen in the trailer. Ahh, the trailer. More interesting than the whole movie! Oh yeah, I was “lucky” enough to see this is 3D. Didn’t add a thing. I actually found myself taking the glasses off multiple times to make sense of what was happening.

One of the biggest flaws was it seemed they were trying to cram 3 seasons of material in a less than 2 hour movie. Seconds before the credits roll, it is revealed they intend to have a sequel. If you are going to run a marathon, don’t sprint from the starting line!!!

There are plenty of things wrong with this film, but you get the idea. It was not as fun as Splice to rip apart, so I’ll wrap up. I’m not going to hold my breath that part 2 will get made, but if Twilight can spawn a couple…

Splice

If the scientists who recently manufactured the first artificially created DNA had been in this movie, there would be potential for fear and a semblance of even movie “realism.” Well, they weren’t.

Splice is… bad. I can’t come up with a cool way to say it. Clive (Adrien Brody) and his brother Gavin (Brandon McGibbon) look like they were alternates for the Ramones. Elsa (Sarah Polley) is the girl next door trying to be the alternative girl so she can hang with the band. “Yeah, right. THEY’RE scientists,” kept ringing in my mind. They are way too cool and way too young to have broken thorough the barrier of human cell manipulation. I have a hard time believing they graduated in the top 60% of their high school class.

The list of ridiculousness is long, but here are few… SPOILER ALERT!!! You can operate a lab overseen by corporate bureaucracy in which you can test clone hundreds of unsanctioned embryos (or 4, as seen in the montage), bring one to term, and raise it to young adulthood with almost no one noticing. When someone does notice, it is because he is nearly killed by said human hybrid that is running free around the lab. The genetic creation that can change human history is scolded like a pet that peed on the carpet for nearly killing a fellow scientist. Did I mention the door was unlocked?

There are so many plot holes, story manipulations and stupid ideas crammed into this movie, it’s laughable. Literally. Director Vincenzo Natali should have intentionally gone straight for the MST3K audience or decided to stay away from this project completely. (Oh, wait! He helped with the screenplay.) By the time it actually attempted to be a horror movie, it had 5 minutes left. I had tears of unintended laughter and a bad taste in my mouth from the last 100 minutes. I don’t think I’ve used the phrase, “…And you’ve lost me” so many times in the same movie. (Assuming that I was pulled back in, from the last time I was lost.)

Splice made Species look like a Shakespearian triumph. At least Species was enjoyable and followed a path of “believability.” Splice feels like it was conceptualized by Adrien’s mechanic cousin that has blackmail material. I could go on with the MANY problems of this film, like Elsa’s instability within her character, the way she is depicted as Eve taking fruit from the Tree, and how Dren “doesn’t eat meat…”  (The good part was the nudity towards the end. But wait… it was awkward, uncomfortable, alien nudity, so that goes back in the bad column.) I will just cut it short and say the closest this movie gets to horror is horrible.

Kick-Ass

KickAssUm, wow… That is pretty much what I have to say, but for those who want more, read on.

“Kick-Ass” actually surpassed my expectations. I do admit that I never read the graphic novel, so it’s existence never influenced my understanding of what this comic book movie was going to be. I’ll do my best not to give away any significant spoilers.

Read enough comics, watch enough adaptations and you think you can predict what is going to happen. Yeah, not so much with “Kick-Ass.” Maybe it is a narrow comment, or maybe you get used to [bad] bastardizations of pre existing material. I really liked some of the routes they chose to take.

Kick-Ass AKA Dave Lizewski (Aaron Johnson), who I believe does a better job of being the under appreciated, troubled secret hero than Tobey Maguire,  is our narrator and a “typical” high school comic geek who ponders the question, “Why has no one tried to be a superhero?” So he tries it, with some interesting results. He also finds that he is not the only one out there…

Big Daddy AKA Damon Macready (Nicholas Cage) is the literal dark avenging vigilante with a purpose. Hit-Girl AKA Mindy Macready (Chloe Moretz)is his daughter who is I vote as most likely to need therapy even though it probably won’t help. But that is a long way down the road, currently she revels in her life of weaponry, jumping rooftops and mayhem.

Hit Girl stole the show. She was absolutely awesome! I am impressed how a 12 yr old can come off as someone to actually be feared. AFTER you find out she is not your average pre-teen. As a thug in the movie states, “She’s just a kid.” Cue the chaos…

Katie Deauxma (Lyndsy Fonseca) is David’s lust interest that likes the alternate personality, but never notices the real person standing in front of her. (Lois Lane anyone?)

Frank D’Amico (Mark Strong) is our resident bad guy. They are required in almost every comic book story. Without a villain, what good is a hero? He is head of a criminal organization that finds its illicit activities interrupted by a rumored masked individual. The villain’s henchpeople seem to really enjoy reeking havoc, bringing criminalism into an artistic arena. More so, they are capable, this makes the triumph even more enthralling. Where’s the pleasure in defeating an idiot?

“Kick-Ass” pays tribute to much of the comic universe. Dave’s house looks eerily similar to Aunt May’s from Spider-Man. Big Daddy’s speech patterns remind me of Adam West’s campy Batman. “Wait til they get a load of me,” is quoted directly…

If you are a comic book fan, I think you will appreciate this film, minus a couple misguided instances in the final 5 minutes. It’s campy, fun, funny, violent and doesn’t take itself too seriously, but seriously enough.

How to Train Your Dragon

howtotrainyourdragon-poster“How to Train Your Dragon” makes me wish I had a dragon to train. Yes, I know they aren’t REAL, but if they were…

Hiccup (Jay Baruchel) is the hapless child of the bold, strong, courageous, fearless, blah blah blah Viking leader. Everything Hiccup is not. Stoick (Gerard Butler) makes no qualms about letting his disappointment for his son be known. Again and again. This part was a bit troubling for me. “How can you be my son?” type commentary. I believe we got it after the first two indications. It felt like the proverbial dead horse was still being beaten. Much like this paragraph. Understood?

The only other area of concern was how much death and destruction is referred to in such a flippant manner. Yes, they are Dreamworks Vikings, but carry over quite a bit of historical violence. (This is the responsible side of the reviewer letting the parents know what the movie contains). I think this is handled so casually because we never see any of the deaths, nor do any of the main characters mysteriously “disappear.” (We do see animated endangered sheep, though…)

All the social responsibility stuff aside, I REALLY wish I had a dragon! Toothless is not terribly big as dragons go, has a feline like personality, and is absolutely awesome! He (gender assumption) is the only Night Fury breed that we see, and appears to be one of the most powerful. I applaud the diversity that the dragons were given, not a singular, across the board limitation (per film) we have known previously. They come in different sizes and have varied powers. The Monstrous Nightmare can light itself on fire and attack whilst flaming. The Hideous Zippleback has 2 heads, one that spews gas and the other ignites it.

Along Hiccup’s trip to greatness, we are granted the pleasure of meeting the more pleasurable of his Viking cohorts.  Gobber (Craig Ferguson) is the village weapons master and fixit guy. Who incidentally is missing a hand and a leg… Astrid (America Ferrera) is the crush interest of Hiccup and his main competitor in the dragon training ground.  My favorite is Fishlegs (Christopher Mintz-Plasse), while in battle he breaks down the fight sequence as if it is a role playing game.

“Dragon” is a fun romp through the world of animation that has been exploding recently. But like many of those films, (Shrek, Avatar, etc) this may not be a pure child friendly show. Let’s just say it’s a good time to be an adult who enjoys films that one might assume were supposed to be made for kids.

The Crazies

The-Crazies-Poster“The Crazies” is what I would call a realistically based thriller. (I choose not to use the term “horror,” based on many of the films that disgrace that genre) There are no 7 foot, knife wielding ,invincible monsters running around. As it turns out, this is a remake of the 1973 George Romero flick by the same name. Not to mention, he executive produced the current incarnation, which infers there is a possibility of zombie like beings.

David Dutton (Timothy Olyphant) is the sheriff of a small corner of Iowa, with in striking distance of  Cedar Rapids. You can’t get anymore Mid-America than that.

This movie wastes no time getting to the point. In about 4 minutes, we are treated to our first victim. The set up is simple… Something is affecting the inhabitants, causing unusual, then lethal behavior. The infected show signs of disassociation and stoic, if not zombie like, behavior. (The George Romero influence)

The source of the infection is a downed plane which carried a military biological weapon that seeped into the water supply. We are told later the contagion was being shipped to Atlanta for destruction. It’s purpose was to destabilize the population. Yep, it certainly does that.

One of the great selling points for me is the characters feel real, and they do real things. No BS running through the woods in heels, tripping, and screaming. No having sex at the scariest lake on the planet where countless others have died. David is a Sheriff, his wife Judy (Radha Mitchell) is a doctor, albeit a pregnant doctor. They aren’t stupid. They investigate, process information, rationalize, and proceed accordingly. After examining the information before them, they deduce they are screwed and do what they must to survive. Survival involves not drinking the water, avoiding the infected where ever possible, and being practical. They try to get the hell out of a bad situation.

One thing that is potentially scary, is the military shows signs of intelligence. When the townspeople are being rounded up, the readily available vehicles are booted to avoid escape by anyone missed in the sweep. (I think burning them would be easier and cheaper.) There are more moments of potential wisdom, but I don’t want to give it all away!

Deputy Russell Clank (Joe Anderson) is subtle “comedy” relief. I use quotes because there is nothing truly humorous in this film. There are some moments of wit where they may snap at each other and make snide comments, but no one is trying to be stand-up comic funny. Joe gives a good performance as the troubled man on the edge trying to deal with an impossible situation.

“The Crazies” turned out to more gruesome than I expected, though I don’t think it ever crossed the line into splatterfest. I was left with some lasting visions of a near apocalypse, one of which is going through the automated car wash… The end moments dangle their metaphoric toes in the water of becoming Hollywoody, but never takes the full jump.

Simply put, I enjoyed “The Crazies.” I was startled a few times, enjoyed a twist or two, and held my breath. It is one of the better thrillers I’ve seen in some time.

From Paris with Love

From Paris with Love poster

From Paris with Love poster

John Travolta is back, (Did he REALLY ever go anywhere?), apparently with a vengeance against anyone and everyone…

At it’s core, “From Paris” (a Luc Besson film) is a pure action flick, with a little bit of cop buddy movie thrown in. The film starts out deceptively low key, with a bit of whimsy, that sets the mood for not taking itself too seriously, while almost slapping other spy moveis in the face with a lead lined glove. James Reece (Jonathan Rhys Meyers), the probie, is assigned to place a bug in the office of a high ranking official, and he attempts to stick it under the desk with a piece of gum. After a few amusing attempts, he uses a stapler to unglamourously secure it.

Charlie Wax (John Travolta) is the probie’s next assignment. He is tasked with escorting Wax around Paris. Upon meeting Wax for the first time, he is being held in customs, assaulting the security officials with f-bombs aplenty. We soon find out that this “persona” was used as a diversion to buy him time to be able to smuggle in his favorite gun…

Within the series of events that ultimately end up making a bit of sense, there are glimpses of deepness that I would have liked to have seen examined more. But if that were to happen, “Paris” would not be a typical action flick. It takes us down into a world of drugs, violence, more violence, assassination, conspiracy and terrorism. And it all takes place in a about 36 hours.

Mr Travolta is pretty convincing as a bad ass “covert” operative. There is not a whole lot of hand to hand combat, but the amount of bullets more than makes up for it. Even if that amount of bullets leaves us calling “BS!” that he receives nary a scratch from all the flying lead…  Unless he gets a little more pep in his step, they may want to consider not using him for the running chase scenes… (Not nearly as bas as Steven Segal, but he’s no Will Smith)

To sum up, “From Paris with Love” is a pretty capable, and not completely dumbed down action movie. Will I own it? Doubtful. Does it do as advertised and take you on a whirlwind ride? Yes.

Imaginarium of Dr Parnassus

TheImaginariumofDrParnassusTerry Gilliam. The brilliant mind which gave us Time Bandits, Brazil, Adventures of Baron Munchausen, and multiple Monty Python films. Barring the fact that I was not on a chemically induced high, (which the promos implied that I would need to be), this was not one of my favorite Gilliam productions.

Instead of me trying to explain what the synopsis is, here is a link to the official website. (Trust me, it’s easier this way)

Now that you have read that, here is my take… I got the impression that this was supposed to be a historical Good vs Evil story, but it was more “Eh” vs Evil… Tom Waits was a clearly defined Devil figure, Christopher Plummer was the so-called “good” guy. My compassion level for the Doctor did not even register. He was supposed to be an enlightened person, (this is an assumption as he is shown leading a group of monks in storytelling/chanting)  and yet somehow (unconvincingly) gets duped by the devil, and continues to make ridiculously BAD decisions. After he figures out that that Mr. Nick is a force of evil, does he think that jumping in bed with him again and again again (in the form of wagers) is going to be a good thing, or that there is any way he will ever “win”?!? (Yes, it would make for a possibly much shorter movie if he had thought that way, but come on… make me believe it).

No disrespect to the late Mr. Ledger, but I was not feeling the magic that Heath has exuded in some of his memorable roles. (Of which, I expected this to be one) I am not saying he phoned it in, it was just not special for me. Tony’s story started as an interesting curiosity, found hung and left for dead under a bridge, and ended as a shameful disappointment.

The stand out character is Anton (Andrew Garfield). The awkward performance while promoting the traveling show is almost painful. His unrequited love for the lovely daughter of Dr Parnassus, Valentina (Lily Cole) can almost be felt (unless you have never been in love with someone you could never have). She the only positive result of the Doctor’s relationship with Mr. Nick.

I may have missed it, but other than some not so funny and possibly self loathing “comic” relief, what is the purpose of Percy (Verne Troyer)? He may be the Guardian Angel character, but it is unclear to me. He is shown in the past as one of the many monks, but also in the present and throughout history. We know (from the movie) that Dr. Parnassus has been granted immortality, but why is Percy pulled through time with him? (Sometimes I just need to be spoon fed information… )

Rating: 6 out of 10 stars

Avatar

Avatar

Avatar is finally here.
The short of it is, for the most part, this movie is definitely worth the hype! The long of it is, Avatar is by no means an original story. It is an amalgamation of familiar stories, transported to an whole different arena, and executed VERY well. Avatar is a combination of every love story you have ever seen, meets The Matrix, meets Platoon, meets Aliens, meets human ignorance and arrogance.
The year is 2154, and humans are still obsessed with greed and, well, that’s pretty much it. Except now they have expanded that greed across the galaxy to Pandora. A rich deposit of ore that is key to solving the earth’s energy crisis  lies beneath “Hometree,” a giant tree one of clans of the indigenous population called the “Na’vi,” inhabit.
Jake (Sam Worthington) is a paraplegic Marine who is recruited to drive an Avatar after his twin brother dies on earth. An Avatar is a genetic Na’vi and human hybrid that allows its human driver to survive the toxic air of Pandora (they are DNA specific, hence the twin brother). His mission is to infiltrate the Na’vi, get them to trust him and do what he can to facilitate the relocation peacefully. On his first night out, Jake is separated from his science teammates, saved by Neytiri (Zoe Saldana) and is allowed to meet the tribe and learn their ways.
At this point, the familiarity ensues. Jake, the “baby,” learns their native language, to hunt, survive in the harsh yet lovely environment, literally bond with the creatures of the planet, and that it is wrong to wipe out another species for profit. The social references are not veiled as earth’s history replays in my head…
Dr Grace Augustine (Sigourney Weaver) scientifically proves that everything on Pandora is intertwined and EVERYTHING lives in harmony. Of course the business and military contingents of the mission do not want to hear any of it. For all they care, the Na’vi could be second cousins asking for a loan. Parker Selfridge (Giovanni Ribisi) is the corporate representative that is almost as eager as Colonel Miles Quatrich (Stephen Lang) to destroy the Na’vi. (Think Carter Burke from Aliens on steroids). When the clash takes place, it is what the battle for Endor should have been. No cute and furry Teddy Bears, but real Warriors defending their home and fighting for the right to exist.
The visual eye candy, “real” and animated, is redonkulous! You’re in space, you’re in the dirt, you’re in the trees! (literally) If Avatar does not win any awards other than the most expensive movie made to date, then we know the fix is in. The epic value may be a bit grandiose at times, but it is worth it to see the imagination and creativity that went into creating Pandora. Floating mountains, lush landscapes, towering waterfalls, and creatures I wish really do exist, are brought to life with millions of zeros and ones.
The performances from everyone are believable, even Marine Grunt #12 was giving it his all. Trudy Chacon (Michelle Rodriguez-a hottie in any movie!) is the Marine with a heart who “didn’t sign on for this shit.” Some of the other actors don’t have it as easy as she… I think it speaks volumes when the emotion transcends the boundary of being a digitally animated 9′ blue warrior on a fictional planet, and I actually “care.”
I actually found the 3D a little distracting at times. Yes, they shoot the arrows at the camera. Yes, leaves fall toward the lens. Yes, they fly headlong through huge CG trees at breakneck speeds and every other 3D trick we remember from the 80’s. If you can’t see it in 3D, don’t worry, it will not take away from the core experience.
Avatar is to animation, is what The Matrix was to special effects in 1999. It is undeniably ground breaking, definitely inspiring, and has me sitting on the edge of my seat waiting to see what the next step will be. And at a running time of 150, I am curious to see what could possibly be in the director’s cut…

James Cameron’s Avatar is finally here.

The short of it is, for the most part, this movie is definitely worth the hype! The long of it is, Avatar is by no means an original story. It is an amalgamation of familiar stories, transported to an whole different arena, and executed VERY well. Avatar is a combination of every love story you have ever seen, meets The Matrix, meets Platoon, meets Aliens, meets human ignorance and arrogance.

The year is 2154, surprisingly, humans are still obsessed with greed and, well, that’s pretty much it. Except now they have expanded that greed across the galaxy to Pandora. A rich deposit of ore that is key to solving the earth’s energy crisis  lies beneath “Hometree,” a giant tree one of clans of the indigenous population called the “Na’vi,” inhabit.

Jake (Sam Worthington) is a paraplegic Marine who is recruited to drive an Avatar after his twin brother dies on earth. An Avatar is a genetic Na’vi and human hybrid that allows its human driver to survive the toxic air of Pandora (they are DNA specific, hence the twin brother). His mission is to infiltrate the Na’vi, get them to trust him and do what he can to facilitate the relocation peacefully. On his first night out, Jake is separated from his science teammates, saved by Neytiri (Zoe Saldana) and is allowed to meet the tribe and learn their ways.

At this point, the familiarity ensues. Jake, the “baby,” learns their native language, to hunt, survive in the harsh yet lovely environment, literally bond with the creatures of the planet, and that it is wrong to wipe out another species for profit. The social references are not veiled as earth’s history replays in my head…

Dr Grace Augustine (Sigourney Weaver) scientifically proves that everything on Pandora is intertwined and EVERYTHING lives in harmony. Of course the business and military contingents of the mission do not want to hear any of it. For all they care, the Na’vi could be second cousins asking for a loan. Parker Selfridge (Giovanni Ribisi) is the corporate representative that is almost as eager as Colonel Miles Quatrich (Stephen Lang) to destroy the Na’vi. (Think a much more agressive Carter Burke from Aliens). When the inevitable clash takes place, it is what the battle for Endor should have been. No cute, furry Teddy Bears, but real Warriors defending their home and fighting for the right to exist.

The visual eye candy, “real” and animated, is redonkulous! You’re in space, you’re in the dirt, you’re in the trees! (literally) If Avatar does not win any awards other than the most expensive movie made to date, then we know the fix is in. The epic value may be a bit grandiose at times, but it is worth it to see the imagination and creativity that went into creating Pandora. Floating mountains, lush landscapes, towering waterfalls, and creatures I wish really do exist, are brought to life with millions of zeros and ones.

The performances from everyone are believable, even Marine Grunt #12 was giving it his all. Trudy Chacon (Michelle Rodriguez-a hottie in any movie!) is the Marine with a heart who “didn’t sign on for this shit.” Some of the other actors don’t have it as easy as she… I think it speaks volumes when the emotion transcends the boundary of being a digitally animated 9′ blue warrior on a fictional planet, and I actually “care.”

I actually found the 3D a little distracting at times. Yes, they shoot the arrows at the camera. Yes, leaves fall toward the lens. Yes, they fly headlong through huge CG trees at breakneck speeds and every other 3D trick we remember from the 80’s. If you can’t see it in 3D, don’t worry, it will not take away from the core experience.

Avatar is to animation, is what The Matrix was to special effects in 1999. It is undeniably ground breaking, definitely inspiring, and has me sitting on the edge of my seat waiting to see what the next step will be. And at a running time of 150, I am curious to see what could possibly be in the director’s cut…