Inception

While the movie going public waits for the sequel to The Dark Knight director Christopher Nolan decided that it was the right time to release Inception, which he directed, produced and wrote. The film is a concept where individuals can penetrate the minds of others during dreams to find out personal information, or in rare cases plant information. I try to see a lot of movies and Inception is one of only a few original concepts I can think of that was released this year. It’s no secret that studios are focusing on established franchises in order to make a sure buck so, the mid-July release date for Nolan’s Inception is a bit of a surprise, but a welcome one.

The film’s cast is the strongest I’ve seen in a few years with Leonardo DiCaprio receiving top billing followed by the likes of Ellen Page, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Tom Hardy, Ken Watanabe, Marion Cotillard and others. When Michael Caine is in a movie and doesn’t get mentioned in the first handful of names you know how many great actors are there. Plus, it says something when a large ensemble goes through a two and a half hour movie without missteps. There are no cheesy lines, or scenes that should have been re-shot, just strong performances all around. Nolan’s attention to detail is what makes his big budget films successful when so many others fail either critically or monetarily.

While the plot is not the easiest to follow, the conflicts are resolved in a clear enough way that I wouldn’t deem the film confusing. I imagine it’s not for everyone though. Thinking tends to be an optional aspect of film lately, but Inception basically says keep up or get out of the theater because we’ll go on without you. I look forward to seeing the film again now that I know the conclusion, because the layers of complexity makes Inception original enough to be viewed frequently like other classic motion pictures.

Nolan’s films have developed such a specific look and feel to them that outside influences get lost behind the scale and tone that is reminiscent of The Dark Knight, The Prestige and his other projects. There is no doubt that this film will be emulated for years to come and all the young filmmakers and writers that were impressed with his Batman films have now found their icon. In my humble opinion, Inception is the best film of the decade. (10 out of 10)

Cyrus

When you go to the movies do you ever say to yourself, I hope this movie is a less funny version of Step Brothers with an independent budget and academy award nominated actors playing static, uninteresting characters? Cyrus hopes you do. John C. Reilly plays a down on his luck divorcee who meets a fun loving woman, played by Marissa Tomei. They then have the beginnings of a relationship, as Reilly’s character must deal with the possessive and weird son of the woman, played by Jonah Hill.

Reilly finds a role that is a balance between some of the more serious jobs of his past and his current run with Judd Apatow projects. The character is not the funniest but Reilly does put an awkward twist on his performance that makes, the aptly named, John a sympathetic and likeable character. Tomei is obviously a good actress and there’s not much more to add. Hill proves to be the wild card however. Playing the title character (Cyrus), he uses the uncomfortable comedy that he has become famous for to make the audience cringe. Then when serious situations come about he fails at being believable. While he tends to be funnier than Reilly in this film, the serious moments separate the actor from the comedian.

Cyrus boasts some unconventional editing techniques to pump up the “artsy-ness” of some scenes. Mostly seen within conversations, jump cuts create some interesting visuals but toy with the viewer’s ability to completely submerge into the plot. It seemed that these occurrences are mostly intended to remind the viewer they are not watching a big budget comedy, but a more civilized indie effort. I wasn’t buying it.

The script skirts the issue of Tomei’s obsessive relationship with her son to the point that I expected their to be some sort of twist or shocking realization. I don’t think that would have been necessary but since there ends up being no twist everything comes off as very repetitive. Numerous funny moments carry the film but nothing comes close to hysterical and slight chuckles aren’t enough to make a movie. (7 out of 10)

The Karate Kid (2010)

When scrolling through my film reviews they tend to be in order by release date. However, sometimes I don’t get around to seeing one for a while. The Karate Kid is one of those instances. It’s not that the trailers didn’t look entertaining; it’s just something about a two and a half hour children’s movie that is a completely altered version of a cult classic. I guess since the first incarnation was not incredibly original the studio thought it acceptable to change things.

The 2010 version follows Dre Parker (Jaden Smith) and his mom Sherry (Taraji P. Henson) as they move from Detroit to Beijing after she gets transferred. Dre then encounters some overly vindictive children who continually beat him up. With the help of maintenance man, Mr. Han (Jackie Chan), he learns kung fu in order to gain the respect of his peers and fight in a tournament.

On the surface the plot is pretty straight forward, except for the fact that some aspects just don’t add up. First, take the bullies. They are twelve year olds who brutally abuse Dre because he is different. This might be my ignorant, middle class upbringing here but children do not beat the shit out of each other just for the hell of it. In reality, I could understand some pushing and shoving or name calling but kicks to the face hurt. Adults would notice. The next problem is the kung fu instructor of the bad kids. He tells them to show no mercy in life and condones the pre-pubescent violence. This guy would not have hundreds of students because their parents would notice that little Johnny has been kicking the cat across the room ever since he began these lessons.

The last problem I will mention is the constant flip flop between touching realism and over the top video game style. A children’s kung fu tournament would not have a jumbo-tron projecting professional promo photos of the competitors. This isn’t Major League Baseball. As tough of a transition as this may be, I will now try to comment on the positives. Jackie Chan gave a strong performance for the majority of the film highlighted by a compelling scene in which he confides a past tragedy with Dre. Plus, he probably looks better than he actually is next to Smith’s forced attempts at humor and whiny brat personality. It’s hard to feel bad for a kid who constantly acts like a jerk.

The overall adaption addressed some of the flaws in the 1984 release and using China as the backdrop produced some great looking scenes. Chan and Henson did well to carry the cast of mostly children. Plus, I think it would be tough to find someone who questions Jackie Chan’s ability as a martial artist. I was very impressed when he fought… a group of five middle school kids… well at least he didn’t try to act ghetto like in the Rush Hour trilogy. (6.6 out of 10)

The Sorcerer's Apprentice

The creative team behind the National Treasure films gives their take on fantasy in a film that seems to have fallen between the cracks of the summer’s biggest releases. Nicholas Cage plays Balthazar, a former apprentice of Merlin who must train a normal guy to become a powerful sorcerer and defeat two powerful villains. Jay Baruchel plays the normal/ geeky guy, Dave, who is forced to play a part in this centuries old struggle the world never knew existed.

With Baruchel and Cage as the two leads it’s hardly difficult to predict the types of performances these actors will give you. Baruchel has become a pro at the likeable geek persona and Cage is, well he’s Nicholas Cage. If you’re not familiar with his style see any one of his films and he’ll be acting similar. The addition of Alfred Molina as Horvath, Balthazar’s archenemy, brings the quality of performance up a bit. Now don’t get me wrong, Baruchel and Cage are good, but predictable.

The story is also a tad on the predictable side, but it is well done. The film is not as complex as a Harry Potter type fantasy but as it’s based on the Fantasia cartoon it doesn’t have any kind of commitment to an epic novel with boatloads of detail-obsessed fans. This allows the story to flow well and build as a fun film that could end with this venture or continue on in a sequel if Disney sees fit.

My main gripe comes with the stuffy dialogue between Dave and his love interest, Becky, played by Teresa Palmer. Being a recent college graduate, whenever a film portrays my age group as a stereotypical archetype it bothers me. Becky is a sort of artsy, music obsessed character who at one point claims that her college radio show is the only thing she enjoys in her life. Dave on the other hand gives a similar impression with science. It was just overly dramatic. Both characters have friends in the film. The audience sees them. So, they’re not as lonely as everyone is supposed to think.

Otherwise, the film is very easy to watch with lots of laughs and an exciting story. It’s your typical Disney movie. Though the most important question of course is, will it make your typical Disney movie money? (7.9 out of 10)

Despicable Me

For whatever reason I expected Despicable Me to be the best animated movie I’ve ever seen. It most likely had something to do with the colossal marketing campaign that begin last summer and the voice talents of three of the biggest comedic stars in the world right now, Steve Carell, Jason Segal, and Russell Brand. However, the result was a situation where I saw the majority of the film’s best jokes in the trailers. They were still funny in context but not as fresh.

The story follows a super-villain named Gru, voiced by Carell, as he attempts to steal the moon and win back the respect of his evil community. He has to battle a new villain in town and adopts three innocent children to unwillingly break through his enemy’s defenses with their charm.

Gru is, as one would expect from a children’s film, not that evil and in reality just misunderstood. Though what the audience does not usually get is an explanation that delves into abandonment issues from childhood and a fear of failure. Children (and probably a lot of adults) would overlook those details, as they are masked in humor, but they do provide some depth to the story.

The dozens of “minions” are probably the most memorable aspect of the film as they were used in advertising and feature prominently on screen. They provide quite a few laughs as well. The humor combined with the overall story structure and likability of the characters makes Despicable Me a hit, although I don’t think it was the best animated movie ever.

Another interesting characteristic is how the voice actors mask their voices with accents and different dialects. There is not the usual realization of who the voice belongs to when they come on screen that tends to happen in other animated pictures. This instance takes a bit longer. Brand plays an elderly scientist and Carell’s Gru has an Eastern European accent. I can’t remember either of them playing parts like that anywhere else so that should be enough to get you into the theater. Well that’s if the billions of commercials fail to do so. (7.6 out of 10)

Predators

There are tons of reboots coming out these days. One interesting idea was the decision to do a new Predator movie with Adrien Brody as the lead. The original used Arnold Schwarzenegger. That’s like 100 lbs difference in muscle. But even with that in mind, Brody was pretty jacked and believable in the position as the main bad ass.

The movie focuses on a group of elite killers who are dropped onto another planet as game for a group of brutal aliens to hunt. Yes, that description is The Most Dangerous Game with aliens. However, that story always seems to stay relevant with audiences because of how obscure a concept it is. Topher Grace, Laurence Fishburne, and a fairly unknown cast join Brody in Predators. I hope it doesn’t spoil anything when I say that the all get picked off one by one and the confusion and fear the characters feel is similar to the original.

This time the film has better special effects than the 1987 version and the aliens are superior looking to the original. But why there was no attempt to come up with a brand new concept for the franchise baffles me. It’s basically the predators hunt humans and this time they have home field advantage. Nonetheless, the film begins with a unique establishing scene that gets the viewers heart racing immediately. After things calm down, the intriguing (yet recycled) plotline often battles with awkward and campy dialogue that is a small step below laughable. Adrien Brody shows he can be an action star, but neglects some of his Oscar winning prowess as an actor.

The supporting cast presents itself as solid for portions of the film with each individual taking their turn with cheesy lines. The predator monsters are their usual bug faced, dreadlocked selves and even with their fairly ridiculous look it is one that has become Iconic in the sci-fi world. With the clicking sound they give off it made for some dramatic encounters… that tended to end with brutal murder. It is Predators after all. (7.0 out of 10)

The Last Airbender

The films released by Nickelodeon Movies have come a long way since Harriet the Spy and Good Burger in the 90s. Even with the lack of Kel Mitchell, the studio’s latest release, The Last Airbender, wound up getting panned by critics prior to its release. Based on a Nickelodeon cartoon, the story follows Aang (Noah Ringer) who must mature in order to fulfill his destiny of becoming the Avatar, who can control the elements in a world threatened by war.

The concept is an interesting one giving unique twists to standard fantasy plot elements and character archetypes. The large flaws come with the difficult task of adapting a season of television into a reasonable length movie. Characters are not given adequate time they need to develop. Along with Ringer, Nicola Peltz who plays Katara and Jackson Rathbone who plays Sokka make up a lead trio that lacks enough personality to gain attachment from an audience. Peltz and Ringer could also have benefited from some more acting experience before partaking in such a big budget project. Rathbone actually seems respectable next to the other two, but in reality that might just be because he is way better here than he is in the Twilight series (See below for Eclipse review).

The acting strength falls with the villain… or “anti- villain.” Dev Patel plays the outcast Prince Zuko, who winds up being one of the only characters who experiences change in the film. This can be attributed mainly to Patel’s performance, which rotates between vindictive and sympathetic.

Going into The Last Airbender, I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect. The trailers boast tremendous special effects presenting a neat concept. All of this proved true after screening the film. However, the biggest question was whether or not the acting could keep up. With the rare exceptions the answer is no. When seeing the movie, viewers need to be patient through a slow beginning and uncomfortable dialogue to get to the meat of the project. I hope the other two films in the series are made. Firstly, because I am intrigued to see what happens, and second because this is better than everything else M. Night Shyamalan has been making. (7.5 out of 10)

Twilight Saga: Eclipse

It’s hardly worth mentioning the ridiculous hype for this movie because it’s almost as if society accepts the Twilight films as something we just have to deal with. That is of course excluding the millions of fans who counted down the seconds until the midnight release. But this, the third in the series, has enough variety for die-hards, casual viewers, and those that were dragged to the theater kicking and screaming.

This time around Edward (Robert Pattinson), and Bella (Kristen Stewart) must deal with the threat of a newborn vampire army wreaking havoc nearby. As if that wasn’t enough, Bella wants to “do it” with Edward but Edward wants to get married first… it’s quite dramatic, well at least the vampire fighting part is. Professional vampire director David Slade (30 days of Night) takes the reigns this time and is successful in presenting quality action scenes that push the film in the direction of more traditional vampire lore. Some scenes would even fit in Slade’s 30 Days. I view this as a positive to the film, however I wouldn’t be surprised if some mothers of pre-teens weren’t pleased. But that should be the least of their worries.

In between the scenes of solid vampire violence there are drawn out and flat exchanges between Edward and Bella. I feel like everything these two insipid losers say is a repeated exchange from five minutes earlier or an earlier film. Then when the script channels the campy one-liners from the novel (yes I read it) I either laugh out loud or cringe in discomfort. So, what is the solution to this problem? I have no answer, but I know that throwing Taylor Lautner’s portrayal of Jacob in between the two just makes my laughter turn into hysterics. The whole thing is just so cheesy. A lack of acting ability sure doesn’t help either. Kristen Stewart actually has improved in that department but Pattinson straddles that line between tolerable and abysmal and Lautner has devolved to the terrible performance he had in the first Twilight film.

The increase in usage of the supporting characters didn’t strengthen the film as I expected. It merely brought into question the relevance of their being there at all. Billy Burke’s portrayal as Charlie Swan is one of the few exceptions to this. He provided some comic relief that was actually intentional, unlike the awkwardness of the three leads. Bryce Dallas Howard was also a nice improvement replacing Rachelle Lefevre as the villain, Victoria.

While keeping in mind the substantial flaws just mentioned, I must admit that there were lengthy segments that were very well done, and cinematically speaking the film looked very good. Improvements have been made since the first film in regard to special effects and how to translate certain moments to screen (i.e how the vampires die, their super speed). Now it’s just a matter of adapting the romance so that the teenage girls will still love it and everyone else won’t barf all over themselves. (7 out of 10)

Knight and Day

Knight and Day was a good movie. If only it were that easy. I, like others were anticipating this to be the return of Tom Cruise to the realm of international thrillers. This is a far cry from the Mission Impossible franchise though. Cruise plays Roy Miller who is a secret agent in the middle of dispute with his agency and finds himself defending a “normal” woman, June Havens played by Cameron Diaz, who is in the wrong place at the wrong time.

The film begins with quality action, and interesting plot twists. There was even a span of a few minutes where I could tolerate Cameron Diaz. Cruise’s performance has all of his normal traits including the charm, the wit and all that good stuff. I found him to still be convincing in the spy role, but making a movie less sophisticated and a step from his previous ventures made it seem a bit shallow. Plus, he has Diaz following him around almost getting them killed all the time. I kept wishing that Roy would leave June in a ditch somewhere because she was so damn annoying. Of course that didn’t happen because somehow Roy finds her “charming”. I wish Hollywood would realize that bumbling, and stupid does not always equal charming.

The plotline begins strong and fizzles out around half way when the audience learns the weak explanation of the film’s title and June somehow finds herself entitled to top secret information and thinks she is qualified for counter-espionage. Cruise’s strong performance is then pushed to the back burner and everything that was making the movie enjoyable is less prevalent.

So, now I will try and sum up this back and forth review of a movie I both loved and hated. Tom Cruise still has the acting ability to be a top billed lead in a film. Cameron Diaz does not and brings down Cruise with her unlikeable performance. The story is interesting but not able to maintain a level that would place it among classic action/romantic comedies. It always disappoints me when a movie is on the fence but can’t deliver in the final third to win over the audience. Unfortunately, this falls in that category. (6.6 out of 10)

Grown Ups

I guess it must be time for Adam Sandler’s now yearly attempt at more mature comedy. After last summer’s Funny People my interest in Adam Sandler films dipped a bit, but this time around he turned to his regular cast mates and friends instead of going with the Hollywood in-crowd actors like Seth Rogan and Jonah Hill. The result was a better chemistry and the movie was just better all around. The film focuses on a group of childhood friends, now grown up, who spend the weekend together after attending their old coach’s funeral. Kevin James, Chris Rock, David Spade and Rob Schneider join Sandler as the leads.

The result is a group of characters that have a surprising amount of development while rarely getting preachy. Sandler is able to present a quality comedic effort with Spade and Schneider filling in the immature potty jokes. James gives his usually brand of likeable awkwardness as Rock takes a rare step away from the type A personality the audience is used to. None of the actors overshadow the others making the variety broad and all around funny. Even someone like Spade, who plays his typical sleaze wasn’t so bad.

The majority of the story is centered on the five men but their families also play a role and add to the multiple dimensions one doesn’t usually expect from Adam Sandler. This group worked well together on screen and made some fairly inoffensive humor that is family friendly.

It wasn’t the funniest movie I’ve ever seen but its good to see these actors back on the screen in a successful effort. When pinpointing the weak points of the film none blatantly stick out. The actors don’t give award worthy performances but they are good enough. Grown Ups is the movie I’d expect in this stage of Adam Sandler’s career. Not that awkward snoozer of last year, Funny People. (7.9 out of 10)

Toy Story 3

In another summer blockbuster that seemed to spike everyone’s interest except mine, Toy Story 3 takes a humungous swipe at the box office fifteen years after the first film’s release. This time around the crew deals with their owner, Andy, leaving for college and they face the prospect of being donated or, even worse, thrown away. The plot then evolves into a take on The Great Escape as they attempt to break free from a daycare center lead by a maniacal teddy bear.

It baffles me as to how this film was able to maintain a G rating in the face of violence, bigotry, and a ton of scary moments. While the first two films play with these concepts the third installment tells the audience to never throw anything away because you may be sentencing that object to death by incinerator, or trash compactor. I’m sure this does wonders for the consciences of children who are entering their teenage years and no longer need their toys.

The movie is very well done. Disney Pixar has perfected how to appeal emotionally to an audience of varying ages, and bringing back their original Toy Story characters makes it just plain heartbreaking. The contributing voice talents of the veteran actors involved definitely helps too. Tom Hanks plays Woody and this time around the character acts as a true lead dominating the screen time more than in the original two films. The other main players, Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen), and Jessie (Joan Cusack), take a step back to join the deep cast of toys as support.

In addition to the sheer amount of fear experienced throughout, there are quite a few laugh-out-loud moments that almost all of the characters get a chance at producing. But, it was hard for the jokes to build on each other as they traded off with the sad incidents. It’s tough to let loose at the banter of Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head immediately after you find out that some of the less memorable toys from the other films were sold or thrown away. It seemed like doing stand-up comedy at a funeral. In the long run, Toy Story 3 might be considered the best of the trilogy but that doesn’t necessarily mean your toddler can handle it. Unless your toddler is a fan of Schindler’s List. Then they should be fine. (7.7 out of 10)