We Hate Hollywood

Written and directed by Scott Frank
Starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Jeff Daniels, Matthew Goode, Isla Fisher, Carla Gugino, Bruce McGill
Rated R

“Once upon a time, I woke up. I took a shower with soap.” - Chris Pratt

The Lookout is a smart and thrilling movie.  It shouldn’t come as a surprise since the film is the directorial debut of screenwriter Scott Frank.  Frank penned Out of Sight, Get Shorty, and Minority Report.  It opened to huge critical acclaim and won the award for Best First Feature at the 2008 Independent Spirit Awards.

Yes, this is a heist movie but instead of being told from the viewpoint of the thieves, the film follows a damaged and innocent young man who gets caught up with the wrong crowd and doesn’t realize what’s going on until it’s too late.

The innocent man at the heart of the story is Chris Pratt (Joseph Gordon-Levitt).  As a thrill seeking teenager, he sped  down a Kansas highway one night with 3 friends and turned the headlights off.  An aftermath of that dangerous stunt was that two of his friends are killed.  Pratt and his girlfriend Kelly survived.  Both of them paid a dear price however.  Pratt suffered severe head trauma in the accident that has left him with short-term memory loss which is similar to anterograde amnesia which Guy Pearce’s character suffered from in Christopher Nolan’s Memento.  Pratt’s condition isn’t quite as severe but he has trouble sequencing memories.  As a result, he has to make To Do lists for things as simple as washing his hair in the shower.  He also has problems with rage.

Because of Pratt’s mental condition, he has to take a simple janitorial job at a small town bank.  He performs the same duties night after night,  aided by a list he makes.  His employers pity him.  One night, Pratt meets a man named Gary (Matthew Goode) in a bar.  Gary claims to have dated Pratt’s sister.  The two strike up a conversation which leads to a friendship.  Pratt likes Gary because he doesn’t look down on him in pity.  Gary also hooks up Pratt with an ex-stripper named Luvlee Lemons (Isla Fisher) whom he falls in love with.  What Pratt doesn’t realize is Gary and his friends are planning to rob the bank that Pratt works at.

The Lookout is a slow burn.  It takes the time to get to know its characters as it is more interested in them than the bank robbery.  Pratt is a sad, broken young man.  Once a hot hockey player with the world at his fingertips, he now lives with a daily reminder of the pain he has brought upon himself and others.  His blind friend Lewis (Jeff Daniels) is a fun loving guy with a big dream of owning a restaurant.  But Lewis is a very wise man, his perception of people seemingly heightened by his loss of sight.  In one memorable scene, he sits down with Luvlee and essentially tells her to tread carefully because he knows she’s up to no good with Pratt.  Because we get to know and like these characters so much, the payoff is significant at the end when the heist takes place.  This is a deliciously tense film.

You saw Joseph Gordon-Levitt this summer in Inception.  Now is the time to check out one of his early roles that really put him on the map.

Written and directed by Christopher Nolan
Starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Ken Watanabe, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Marion Cotillard, Ellen Page, Tom Hardy, Cillian Murphy, Tom Berenger, Michael Caine
Rated PG-13 for violence
Rating - Golden Gun

A truly great movie can sometimes feels like Haley’s Comet.  In the universe of film, you see it so rarely that you begin to think you never will.  When it arrives, you are awestruck with its power.  This is especially true with action films since they tend to burn brightly and fade into mediocrity quickly.

But is it fair to classify Inception as an action film?  It is so much more.  Christopher Nolan has crafted a film so bold, so daring, and so unique that it doesn’t just transcend but obliterates the boring genre of “summer blockbuster”.

The less you know about Inception going in, the better chance you have of a truly unique film experience.  With that in mind, I am going to reveal very little about the plot except to say that Leonardo DiCaprio and Joseph Gordon-Levitt play agents of corporate espionage whose job it is to extract ideas from people’s minds.  Literally.  In their world, it is scientifically possible to enter someone’s mind via dreams.  But now, their client (Ken Watanabe) hires them for a different job…he needs them to plant an idea in someone’s mind.  That’s your action movie.  And that’s as far as I’ll talk about the plot.

Before you science fiction haters begin to flee, you must know…this is not a typical sci-fi film.  In fact, “typical” is a useless adjective for discussing this film.  Like The Matrix, it takes philosophical ideas about the essence of the mind and infuses them with jaw-dropping action and visual effects.  In fact, it surpasses The Matrix in that marriage of intelligence and violence.

The cast is outstanding.  Nolan really knows how to bring the best out of his actors (and obviously has some favorites such as Cillian Murphy, Michael Caine, and Ken Watanabe).  Leonardo DiCaprio is at the top of his game as he always seem to be.  Together, he and Joseph Gordon-Levitt redefine cool.  Ellen Page was an odd choice for this film but even she works.  I also admire  how Nolan doesn’t use supporting characters for throwaway roles. In the “actors you may not know but by name but would probably recognize” department, Tom Hardy (Bronson; RocknRolla) and Dileep Rao (Drag Me to Hell; Avatar) play characters that you root for and sympathize with.  Hell, even Tom Berenger shows up in a small but pivotal role.  And finally, Marion Cotillard continues her US invasion with a heart-breaking performance that fuels the emotional core of the film.

Christopher Nolan is truly a spectacular director.  Not only does he have a firm command of the camera (and refuses to do 3D because it limits what you can do with the camera), but he understands action.  He is not an “action director”, but there may not be anyone working today who can direct action better.  Yes, I’m looking at you, Michael Bay.  The action scenes in this film are unlike most things you have seen.  At more than one point, I caught myself literally holding my breath and palms sweating.  This is reach-in-through-your-nose-and-squeeze-your-hips suspense.

A true mind-bender of a movie, Inception may take more than one viewing to completely grasp all of its elements, but it’s not so over the top that it completely loses its audience.  The parameters and rules of the universe the characters inhabit are fully and adequately explained.  As the plot gets deeper and deeper, I was amazed at how effectively it pulls the audience down into the rabbit hole.

In this age of banal, forgetful, and dreary filmmaking, Inception is an oasis in the desert.  It is the bastion of quality, the antithesis of formula, and the epitome of originality.

* Saw 7 title - The next Saw chapter will be titled Saw 3D with the tagline “The Traps Come Alive”.  Shame on all of you who keep paying to see this dim-witted, drooling, brainless, insipid horror series.  As far as titles go, this isn’t as laughable as 5nal Destination.
* Yikes, Weird Al Yankovic is working on a movie.  I remember thinking he was funny 20 years ago.
* Get your Bruce Willis cologne!  No thanks.  I’m waiting for an Ian McShane scent.
* Uh oh.  It looks like Ed Norton won’t be the Hulk in the Avengers movie.  Sources are reporting that… zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
* Netflix and Relativity Media strike deal to stream some first-run theatrical films on Netflix.  This could really be a game changer if it works.  It’s fascinating to see the film world changing in regards to the potential of the internet.  This is one deal where it looks like we will really benefit as viewers.

Directed by Danny Boyle
Written by Alex Garland
Starring Cillian Murphy, Rose Byrne, Michelle Yeoh, Chris Evans, Cliff Curtis, Hiroyuki Sanada, Benedict Wong, Troy Garity
Rated R

Our sun is dying. Mankind faces extinction. Seven years ago the Icarus project sent a mission to restart the sun but that mission was lost before it reached the star. Sixteen months ago, I, Robert Capa, and a crew of seven left earth frozen in a solar winter. Our payload a stellar bomb with a mass equivalent to Manhattan Island. Our purpose to create a star within a star. Eight astronauts strapped to the back of a bomb. My bomb. Welcome to the Icarus Two.

These are the first words we hear immediately at the beginning of Sunshine, the 2007 sci-fi film from director Danny Boyle (Trainspotting, 28 Days Later, Slumdog Millionaire).  Simple and to the point, this narration is spoken by Capa (Cilian Murphy), the physicist aboard Icarus Two who has designed the bomb on their ship that will reignite the sun.  Yes, this is one of those movies where a crew is sent to save humanity from a threat, but Sunshine treads into very unique territory.

First of all, what other movies can you think of whose entire central premise revolves around a mission to the sun?  Any?  I like that Boyle’s first foray into outer space is tackling probably the biggest problem that could affect Earth…the death of our sun.  Granted, in reality, the sun won’t die out for billions of years, but this is still a great premise if you will suspend reality a bit.  How can you possibly get that close to the sun?  What physical and psychological effects would it have on you?  Would it even be possible to get there and back with future technology?  The amazing thing about Sunshine is that it answers all of these questions and more with answers that may not be scientifically accurate but certainly seem plausible in the universe Boyle has created.  If you’re a physicist, I guess the film may frustrate you (tho an additional commentary track on the film is from Dr. Brian Cox who served as the scientific advisor).   But if you just accept the facts and enjoy the story, you’re in for a hell of a ride.

Sunshine is one of the most ambitious yet overlooked films of the past decade.  How did a science fiction film, complete with action and special effects, about a mission to restart the sun go almost unnoticed at the box office in July?  Domestically, the film grossed just over 3 million dollars.  Worldwide, it made much more (28 million) probably because of its largely international cast.  I don’t know what happened to the marketing of this film, but it was virtually non-existent.  I don’t even remember seeing a trailer on TV, any stars interviewed on late night shows, etc.  The movie opened up against The Simpson Movie plus Transformers was already in the theater, so maybe it never stood a chance?  Too bad since this film is infinitely better than Transformers.  Yes, I said it, nerds!

In the DVD commentary for the film, Boyle talks about how great sci-fi films are built around 3 things - the ship, the crew, and “the signal”.  As the Icarus Two is en-route, they receive a distress signal from the Icarus One which launched 7 years prior.  Once they decide to alter their course for it, they embark on a journey which has psychological elements of 2001 and Solaris as well as some pulse-pounding action and horror.  Notice how some characters are obsessed with the sun (as entire civilizations and religions have been).  Even the name of the ship is a nod towards the humility that man was shown in heliocentric ideals.

The special effects in the film are top-notch.  The ship modeling is flawless, the computers aboard the ship are believable, and most shockingly, the scenes of the sun - even up close - are realistic and terrifying.

Danny Boyle has a terrific directing style.  While this is his first foray into space (and probably last - he says that most directors only go to space once), I like how he masterfully creates a sense of location and perception at all times.  You are always aware of where a character is at inside or outside of the ship and the dangers that are inherent.  I like some of his personal touches such as when the crew of Icarus Two boards a desolate Icarus One, and we get split second glimpses of the crew that are so brief, they shouldn’t be able to be caught by the naked eye.  Yet, the backdrop they are against is so stark that you can see them in vivid detail.  It’s fun to hear Boyle talk about this scene on the commentary as well.

The casting is excellent.  Many people you will recognize but not necessarily know their name such as Rose Byrne (from FX’s “Damages”) and Cliff Curtis (primarily smaller roles in a very wide range of films including the gang member Smiley from Training Day).  One of the surprises for me was Chris Evans.  The only thing I’d seen him in prior was as the annoying Human Torch in the dreadful Fantastic Four, so I’d written him off.  But this guy can act and is seriously convincing as a man who is solely mission-focused and willing to sacrifice anyone or anything for the sake of that mission.

To round things off, I have to talk about the music of the film.  John Murphy’s score here is simply one of the best I’ve heard in a while.  It is beautiful and moving in how it communicates duty, sacrifice, struggle, and redemption. It creates a tone in the film that is mesmerizing, heroic, and haunting,

Sunshine is not a perfect film.  I can’t really get into what doesn’t quite work for me without giving spoilers.  But, I still see this as a Hidden Gem because I’m surprised at the number of people I talk to who have never heard of it.  This is a marvelous spectacle that you really need to see whether you are a sci-fi fan or not.  It’s a great story about man’s  ultimate struggle for survival.  It is also proof that a summer blockbuster can have a brain and still be thrilling.

P.S. - The music from the trailer is not the John Murphy score and is not even used in the film.  Below, I have the trailer for the film and below that, the main John Murphy score.

• Director John Moore (of the thought provoking Max Payne) wants to direct an Ice Road Truckers movie.  When I first read this, I had to keep re-reading the story to make sure I got it right and wasn’t insane.  Fox has actually picked up the rights for the film.  So…Hollywood is moving on to turning reality shows into movies.  Just when I thought we’d already reached the bottom of the barrel.
• James Cameron plans to convert Titanic into 3D in 2012.  I don’t mean to keep beating a dead horse, but this 3D mania is seriously out of control.  How soon until we get Schindler’s List in 3D?  “The list is life…in 3D!!”
• Producer Gore Verbinski discusses the Bioshock movie.  Hollywood’s obsession with video game movies is like a mad scientist performing genetic experiments.  No matter how many failures, he keeps producing hideous creation after hideous creation.
• It was announced that relatively unknown actor Andrew Garfield will be the new Spider-Man.  I haven’t weighed in on this yet.  Mostly because I don’t give a shit.  Rebooting Spider-Man this soon is idiotic.  Sam Raimi already directed two good movies with the web slinging hero.  I’m fine with forgiving the third film and calling the series closed.  Hollywood has other plans:   Drive it into the ground.
• I don’t think anyone is surprised, but M. Night’s Shyamalan’s career continues to nose dive.  The Last Airbender is turning out to be the worst reviewed film of the year so far.  He is currently shopping another supernatural script around Hollywood, and there are no takers as of yet.  Could this be a make or break deal for him?
• Could Monsters be the next low-budget phenomena in the vein of Paranormal Activity?  Newcomer Gareth Edwards (just a little TV work so far) has been wowing audiences at film festivals.  The film concerns a possible alien infection in Mexico following a discovery by NASA six year prior.  While the numbers haven’t been confirmed, there are estimates that the production only cost 15k.