FINALLY I REVIEW SALT!

SALT.
Dir. Philip Noyce

Who is SALT?  The trailer has been aired to nauseum on every television channel and before every movie for a couple months now.  With the opening of the trailer my eyes automatically looked away from what should have been a train wreck.  Angelina Jolie, the Octo-mom of the Third World, in total TOMB RAIDER and MR. & MRS. SMITH mode hasn’t been in a decent role since CHANGELING, and for much longer before that.   From the guy who wrote the completely ridiculous LAW ABIDING CITIZEN as well.  Then my girlfriend asked to go see it, and I needed to write a review for something new this week.  I went.

One thing I refuse to do in this review is provide too much plot detail.  That would do you a disservice since that is one of the  movie’s redeeming qualities.  Basically, Angelina Jolie plays Evelyn (Ev) Salt, a CIA operative who is accused of being a Russian spy planted in the US.  The accuser is Vassily Orlov (played by Daniel Olbrychski so well), a Russian defector to the US who warns of Salt’s intentions to murder the Russian president during the funeral of the US Vice President’s funeral.  What ensues is a game of cat and mouse between Salt and fellow CIA operatives Ted Winter (Liev Schreiber) and Peabody (Chiwetel Ejiofor) with a major identity crisis.  Who is the Russian spy? 

All of the omens that were laid before me could not trump the two things that saved this movie.  Philip Noyce & acting.  Director Philip Noyce knows how to stage and direct a quality action movie.  With movies like CLEAR & PRESENT DANGER, PATRIOT GAMES, THE SAINT, and THE BONE COLLECTOR under his belt, Noyce is clearly an expert.  What else does this guy bring to the table?  Art.  Throughout SALT the action takes center stage, but there is a constant beauty that resonates throughout.  What I didn’t realize about Noyce was that he is the same director who directed THE QUIET AMERICAN and RABBIT-PROOF FENCE, both of which are wonderful films that prove his well-rounded nature as a director.  This guy does an incredible job at staging some the most fantastic fight and chase scenes this side of THE BOURNE IDENTITY. 

The next great asset to this movie is some of the actors involved.  Angelina does her thing that she does so well.  She looks hot, kicks ass, and acts well, but the cake goes to a few others.  First of all, where in the hell has Liev Schreiber been?  SALT made me realize how good this guy could be.  He’s so enjoyable to watch.  As Salt’s boss and friend, Liev gives a very solid and physically demanding performance.  Another strong building block is Chiwetel Ejiofor (American Gangster/2012) as fellow CIA operative dealing in Internal Affairs.  He is another solid performance that creates a solid backbone for all for all of the action surrounding.  I want to see this guy more.  He has a presence and a certain level of bad-assery that really grabs your attention.  The third piece of the puzzle is German actor August Diehl (Inglourious Basterds) as Salt’s husband and expert arachnologist.  His small amount of screen time is a shame because he does so well.  Each of these three actors all help the action flow and keep you guessing with their wonderful performances.  Without each of these performances SALT might not work as well.

This is not a perfect movie though.  A few loose ends and over-used plot devices plague what could be the best action movie of the summer.  Both issues are subject to a twisting screenplay that makes up for some of the shortcomings with a mind-bending plot that will literally leave you guessing until the last few seconds. 

Suspend all disbelief for an hour and a half and see SALT and enjoy it.  Fun, cool, Jolie, and bad-ass action.

p.s. Since every reviewer insisted on making a pun of the title in their review I made it a point not to do so.  You know…to keep my blood pressure down, darn salt.

The Week's Reviews Tied Up! Recommended Viewing ala INCEPTION!

INCEPTION, SLEEP DEALER, INK all tie up into a wonderful little existential, science fiction trilogy that would make a great mini-film festival. This got me thinking about this type of movies, and I realized a list evolving.

Great Science Fictin Films To Think By! (Recommendations for further viewing after watching these 3!)

The Fall dir. Tarsem Singh - Absolutely beautiful film of borderland fantasy and magic.
Tideland dir. Terry Gilliam - Thought provoking and controversial film told through the POV of a mistreated child. Not for everyone, but I love this one.
Mirror Mask dir. Dave McKean - Magical Alice-esque fantasy written by Neil Gaiman partnering with the Jim Henson Workshop! A Must-see!
The Fountain dir. Darren Aronofsky - Hugh Jackman stars in this three-tiered existential tale of love and loss. Existential in theme with breath-taking visuals. From the director of Requiem for a Dream, The Wrestler, and Pi.
City of Lost Children dir. Jean-Pierre Jeunet & Marc Caro - French steampunk about an evil man who kidnaps children to steal their dreams. One of my all-time favorites! Starring Ron Perlman!
Dark City dir. Alex Proyas (The Crow, Knowing, & I Robot) - Cult science fiction epic about an artificial reality. Precursor to The Matrix, Inception, and The Truman Show. Great movie!

ANOTHER FLICK YOU MIGHT HAVE MISSED: INK!

Tying up the week into a great existential, science fiction Trilogy. INCEPTION, SLEEP DEALER, & INK!


INK dir. Jamin Winans

The initial thought process behind the column A Flick You Might Have Missed was to recommend a movie that went along with a movie reviewed that week, but in just two weeks in evolved into this. Some obscure movies that I wish were a lot less obscure. When I was looking through my movie collection for a good movie to recommend for A Flick You Might Have Missed, one movie repeatedly caught my eye, INK. Choosing this fantasy/science fiction indie gem is me really diving deep into the depths of indie-dom.

The story behind the film is amazing with the filmmakers fighting for distribution and deciding on self-distribution, embracing piracy (in a very gutsy move), and finally achieving unprecedented exposure. Jamin Winans, the director, is one someone who I watch and pray will become a household name. The guy is incredible at what he does in terms of creativity and technical filmmaking. Along with his wife, Kiowa, they went above and beyond, including producing, directing, sound and film, editing and art direction, in order to create a film with beauty and depth while still having all of the fun people expect with a big time fantasy movie. With only two feature films (INK and 11:59) and several short films under his belt, the guy has proven that he is capable of big boy filmmaking. The short SPIN is one of my favorite short films I have seen recently and while 11:59 is solid, INK is amazing.

INK boils down to the basic story of good versus evil. The story of two groups of people, Story Tellers and Incubi, dueling forces that battle over the dreams (or nightmares) of people and exist in a dimension separate of our own. The Storytellers rein supreme giving wonderful dreams to people as they sleep and playing dream police over the Incubi. The Incubi are evil beings, with the faces of television screens, whose goal is to plant nightmares in peoples’ minds. The story takes off when a Drifter, Ink, kidnaps a young girl, Emma. After an unsuccessful battle with several Storytellers, Ink escapes, but he becomes trapped outside of his dimension when his leather-covered drum is damaged in the battle, thus preventing him from traveling through dimensions. Ink is chased by a group of Storytellers (Allel, Gabe, and Sarah) and a Pathfinder, Jacob, who follow them across a gritty and creative urban fantasy landscape to a save the girl Emma.

INK feels like Dark City by way of Neil Gaiman. Dealing with issues such as drug addiction and capitalist greed, INK holds a depth that rewards a viewer with multiple viewings. A great workman’s mentality helps INK achieve beauty with its make-up and in-camera effects. There are very few scenes with special effects and fewer with CGI, but the few scenes that exist elevate the film’s meaning and message instead of induce awes. This film will not win you over with story, which still is nothing to shrug off, but it will win you over with charm and originality in everything else.

The performances are solid from a cast of complete unknowns with a standout performance by Chris Kelly as Emma’s father. This guy impresses big time. Quinn Hunchar, Emma, does a wonderful job as a child actor in her first film. She does not come off as overly rehearsed, a common woe of child actors.

Watching INK is one of my favorite movie watching experiences. A film that feels so large, but stays so small, and is determined to make you think. INK is a movie lover’s movie that delivers on everything including originality, thrills, depth, tears, and technical achievement. It’s also a candy story for science fiction/fantasy fans.

See It!

Available on Amazon, Netflix &
FREE on HULU! (Though I recommend buying it because the Special Features are worth it!)

A FLICK YOU MIGHT HAVE MISSED: SLEEP DEALER

Keeping With The Weeks Science Fiction Theme.



2009 offered a few interesting science fiction films like DISTRICT 9, MOON, THE ROAD, AVATAR, and STAR TREK, but one film really went unnoticed. SLEEP DEALER premiered at Sundance in 2008, but in January 2009, Alex Rivera offered a limited worldwide release of his science fiction drama.

Set in a futuresque, police state Mexico, a young man named Memo, played expertly by young actor Luis Fernando Pena, dreams of life outside of his small town. He builds an antenna to pick up voices from the US. Memo finds trouble when he picks up a top-secret military channel leading the military to takes action on the small town killing Memo’s father. Memo is emotionally destroyed and runs to Tijuana, to find a job and assume the family's patriarchal position, where he meets freelance writer Luz, played by the beautiful Leonor Varela. Together they help Memo get nodes, implants that allow the wearer to work as labor abroad controlling robotics remotely. In SLEEP DEALER's world, immigration is outlawed and corporations use foreign-controlled robots for cheap labot. What develops is a love story set a impoverish cyberpunk Mexico

SLEEP DEALER is an nuanced movie that relies heavily of current events to drive its point home.   Cheap labor without immigration and globalization is a theme that runs throughout the film. Such a complex contemporary issue makes for a poignant commentary in this science fiction film. The Mexicans are able to work on American jobs without the inconvenience of having them live in the US. Thousands of workers traverse the streets of Mexico City toward warehouses where they will hook their nodes to a computer where they will control machinery in the US. The idea that Mexican immigrants are nothing more than laboring machines creates a sense of dread that informs our current situation in the US.

For cyberpunk-influenced science fiction film, Alex Rivera's style tends toward grit and realism.  Every character is layered under dirt and grime and nearly choking on the dust from the streets. The jobs in the city do not pay as well as the node jobs so their environment is dilapidated and crumbling.  The sparse use of CGI is largely due to budget restrictions, but the few scenes that do utilize CG are enhanced greatly. The CGI exists only to advance the story and not to wow. Rivera really knows how to direct, and the result is a gritty, intense, and realistic film that feels completely plausible and poignant. I would love to see what Rivera could do with a much bigger budget. His ability within this small film gives much promise to an amazing career.

I honestly feel that this is a solid film that any science fiction aficionado could enjoy. It is not your typical science fiction drama and feels more like the Latin American cousin of this years DISTRICT 9. Its tasteful, gritty, well plotted, and entertaining. A must-see.

http://www.amazon.com/Sleep-Dealer-Luis-Fernando-Pena/dp/B002FUI4CE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1279744705&sr=1-1-spell

IT'S SAID MOVIES ARE SHARED DREAMS: INCEPTION!

Tuesday night my friend Kevin and I went to Pittsburgh to see Inception, a movie that peeked my interest since the first trailer. I love Christopher Nolan. I love his cerebral style and his ability to write with such incredible depth. I also love Leonard DiCaprio. Kevin, on the drive home, mentioned that DiCaprio could be the next Paul Newman, a dedication I always reserved for the likes of George Clooney, but I gave it some thought. The guy can act, and he can act well. He has a charm that is almost unmatchable, but that charm can only be over shadowed by his sheer gravitas. I honestly feel that could be one of the greats. I want to start off by saying that Inception is no Memento, which in my opinion is Nolan’s finest work. Inception is its own beast. An exploration into the oft-misused science fiction mechanics with the blazing action and incredible shots that only Nolan can create. Call this the child of Memento and The Dark Knight, wonderful action with a deep and multi-layered plot. Now on to the review.

Aside from his forays into the superhero genre, Christopher Nolan has found his niche in cerebral thrillers with films like Memento, Insomnia, The Following, and The Prestige. Each taking on the themes of human perception and the mind as a flawed device, and they do so with beautiful and often thrilling mechanics. Nolan is a genius. His mind is a unique machine that sees the world from several angles at once, like looking through kaleidoscopic glasses. Dissecting, probing, analyzing, toying with reality and perception to create a projection of the subconscious mind. Inception is no exception.
This film will be reviewed to ad nauseum, as it is almost a shoe-in for countless Academy Award nominations, deservedly so. Di Caprio plays Dom Cobb, a man who invades dreams and rummages for whatever he likes. His life is set on a wicked track when Mr. Saito, played by the great Ken Watanabe, hires to place an idea in the mind of his business rival, played by the amazing Cillian Murphy, which will unravel his company. The crew for the job, Arthur (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), Eames (Tom Hardy), and Ariadne (the beautiful Ellen Paige).

Inception could have just be a mind-bending science fiction thriller ala Dark City, that is until we were introduced to Mal, played by the insatiable Marion Cottilard, a mysterious lady with whom Dom cannot seem to get out of his head, literally. This opens up the subplot of Cobb’s mental instability, which takes the movie to another level. How can a man who creates dreams do so with an instable mind?

The plot of Inception is too bombastically precious to ruin any further so I will try to restrain myself from including any spoilers in this review. Let’s just say its pretty damn fun.

What set this film apart from the canonical science fiction fair (ala Dark City and the Matrix) are its notable performances. DiCaprio, as I previously established, is incredible. He plays the brooding anti-hero so well. Dom Cobb is not too unlike DiCaprio’s character in Shutter Island or even Revolutionary Road. But why fix what is not broken right? There are two performances in this film that I was pretty excited about, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Tom Hardy. Gordon-Levitt, who I have been clamoring for to play Spider-man for years, needs a film like this to jump into the limelight. He delivers as the cold, sarcastic, and professional Arthur. Gordon-Levitt brings with him tons of talent that helps elevate Inception to another level. His screen time is not obtuse, but I would not be surprised if there is a Supporting Actor Academy Award nomination in this for him, or at least a Golden Globe.
The other performance that takes notice is Tom Hardy. Many have heard me praising the movie Bronson, which stared Tom Hardy as the infamous British prisoner. In Bronson, Hardy plays a sociopath who enjoys violence and punishment, and he does so with power and humor. He is such a joy to watch on screen, and the character of Eames offers the same joy. Eames is a forger. He can impersonate people in a dream to fool the dreamer into believing he is someone from their memory. He is the trickster, and he is so much fun. With a film as dark as this the smallest amount of comedic relief is welcome, and Hardy delivers with the acting chops to back it up too. I hope we see much more of him in the future.

Another aspect of the film that deserves mention is the score. Hans Zimmer has already made his case one of the best, and he can always be counted on to offer a big time score for big time movies, but his Inception score is art. The score is an avant-garde masterpiece of brass and winds that provide a more than adequate backdrop for the powerful action that lies over it. This is Oscar worthy.

Inception is a wonderful film that will hopefully make up for its $160 mil budget so we can see many more big-budget science fiction movies in the future. The spectacular performances, the plot, and the perfect direction and tactical slyness by Christopher Nolan make this the best film of the year. See it, love it, experience it, and think about it. You deserve it.

Here We Go. Time To Start The Fun!

I here by promise all of you that I will provide you with intelligent, fun, and cool (albeit pretentious even though I'll never truly admit it) movie and pop culture talk. I've been drowning myself in movies for about six years now, with another handful just moderately submerged. A couple days ago I sat and thought, "What in the hell can I offer in terms of pop culture talk that they cannot get from other people?" My answer was, "Eh...probably not much, but either does most of those other dudes." I feel that I have seen enough movies, read about movies, and studied enough movies to warrant publishing my opinion, at least through a blog. I absolutely love movies, and I hope that my blog here will show so. I am not a Hollywood hating, indie loving, art film geek. Nor am I a studio loving, Michael Bay apologist. I'm not just going to post reviews either. I'll try to spend a little time writing about television, music, books, and various pop geekery.

Since I am a lover of lists, I will indulge a little. Top 10's usually piss me off by the way, because favorites change. Here are a few list of favorite movies, to let you into my mind a little. You could tell a lot about a guy by his favorite things. They are seperated into Modern/Classic by the release of Easy Rider, a revolutionary film in terms of style and execution.

Favorite Modern Films (Post-East Rider)
Shawshank Redemption
Young Frankenstein
History of Violence
Mean Streets
Clerks
Reservoir Dogs
Clean, Shaven
American Beauty
Aladdin
Fargo
Dark City
Silence of the Lambs
Se7en
Days of Heaven
City of Lost Children
The Conversation
Boogie Nights
Requiem For a Dream
Fisher King
Amelie
Gangs of New York
Straight Story
Aliens
Brazil
Raiders of the Lost Ark

Favorite Classic Films (pre-Easy Rider)
Some Like It Hot
Day The Earth Stood Still
Freaks
Magnificent Seven
Seven Samurai
Breathless
Bande a part
400 Blows
Bride of Frankenstein
Frankenstein
Arsenic and Old Lace
Princess and the Pirate
Abbot and Costello Meet Frankenstein
North By Northwest
Rear Window
The Apartment
Sunset Boulevard
Lolita
Dr. Mabuse the Gambler
Man With a Thousand Faces
To Kill A Mockingbird
The Searchers
Double Indemnity
The Third Man
Wild Strawberries