ThatGirlOnTV

Salt nods to the bad-ass Angelina (think Lara Croft meets Mrs. Smith) we all know and love. In all honesty, moviegoers shouldn’t be expecting much else. Stunt work and action replace story and structure, and Salt falls short of anything other than entertainment.

Relatively quiet director Phillip Noyce (The Bone Collector, Catch A Fire) gives us an action packed story about a CIA agent accused of being a Russian spy. Filled with twists and turns- some surprising, others predictable- the film boasts a strong cast including Liev Schreiber (X-Men Origins: Wolverine, Repo Men) and Chiwetel Ejiofor (American Gangster, 2012) alongside Angelina, whose acting chops aren’t really tested much other than succinct exchanges in between the high-speed chases and explosions.

If there ever were a prime example of the importance of a star’s image, Salt is it.  It’s not like any old actor could have taken this role- Angelina’s presence IS the film (Coincidentally, another major franchise to have such a demanding star presence is the Mission Impossible series- and Salt was slated to go to Tom Cruise).

It’s a pretty simple formula, appropriate for the summer blockbuster: Angelina Jolie + action + explosions = box office win.

Rating: 3.5/5

Jonah Hill and John C. Reilly have always represented for the “average joe” camp when it comes to movie characters- both serving as the manifestos of someone we all know, and doing it very well. With Cyrus they take a very average joe real-life situation (a mom’s new boyfriend meets her kid), and make it more funny than it could ever be in real life.

John (John C. Reilly) is a guy saddened by the road his life has taken, finding himself alone after his ex-wife left him, and attempting to meet someone new to fill the void. When he meets Molly (Marisa Tomei) at a party, a woman also looking for a new love life, he finds that the scary part isn’t asking her out, instead scary is Cyrus (Jonah Hill)- her son.

True, it’s a concept that doesn’t leave much room for adventure, but as a quiet independent, adventure isn’t really expected- story is.

Indie commodities the Duplass Brothers (Baghead, The Puffy Chair) collaborate on Cyrus, in both directing and writing. The smart, witty comedy could have been formulaic and superficial, but it at least attempts to go beyond the funny. The Duplasses force us to really think about the situation, think about Cyrus, and think about how “fucked-up” a character like that must really be. It’s uncomfortable, but it’s honest…and sometimes, that’s just enough.

Rating: 3.9/5

For a film that jumps through layers of the subconscious, the dream world, and the psyche… audiences would expect to be pulled into the imagination just as deeply. And they are. In fact, Inception can be likened more to an outer-body experience, a soul-searching adventure, and- dare I say, a toe-curling satisfaction.

Well, that last part might sound like an exaggeration to some, or may be spot on to others, but that’s the beauty of cinema- if there ever were a perfect venue for the “to each his own” mantra, this is it.

Cobb (Leonardo DiCaprio) is a trained expert in the art of extraction. With the ability to explore the human dream state- a new form of espionage proven beneficial to the corporate world- and gather information while the person sleeps, Cobb has earned a reputation of the most dangerous kind: one that self-incriminates, and one that alienates him from his family. Now Cobb and his team of specialists, including his right-hand technician Arthur (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) and architect Ariadne (Ellen Page), have been given the assignment of traveling farther than they’ve ever gone into the mind of a corporate heir.

Christopher Nolan (Memento, The Dark Knight) is an oceanic mirage in the dry desert of cinema, who couldn’t have been more right in saying that Inception is what a blockbuster ought to be. A director that not only constructs realms and worlds with the perfect combinations of mise-en-scene, but one whose unconventional choices in editing add instead of detract from the main ideas. You’ll see in this one: his jump-cuts serve purpose, his discontinuity of time and place connect the dots, and his movement between spaces and scenes are quick but rhythmic.

And it isn’t in 3D… It’s almost unheard of.

I’ll credit much of the success of this film to the director’s ability to write a cohesive, compelling script- equalizing the dream world we have to explore, with the characters that travel through it. But a lot of credit should also be given to the characters themselves. Oscar worthy performances from Leonardo DiCaprio (The Departed, Shutter Island), and Ellen Page (Juno, Smart People), with additionally exceptional supporting performances from Marion Cotillard (Public Enemies, Nine)  and Joseph Gordon-Levitt (500 Days of Summer). It doesn’t stop there: from Ken Watanabe to Cillian Murphy, to Michael Caine and Tom Hardy… I don’t think a casting mistake was made anywhere.

Specifically, if anyone has been able to explore the mind as an actor and do so convincingly, it’s certainly Leonardo DiCaprio. It goes all the way back to What’s Eating Gilbert Grape, where DiCaprio portrayed mental illness with alarming accuracy. From there, his path to becoming one of the most prolific actors in the business has been laced with roles that require self-reflection, psyche analysis, confronting the truth, and being emotional. The latter being his most career-defining element.

Inception is going to be talked about for the stunt-work that literally defies gravity, for the mind-blowing story line that requires a bit more thought than some might like, for the comparison to The Dark Knight in ways that puts Nolan back on the “best director” map, and for the lack of 3D- which challenges the notion that everything new should be.

And as a reviewer who never cared much for the word “should”, Inception is a sigh of relief.

Rating: 4.7/5

(+) Entertaining, cohesive story with great acting, engaging and well packaged

(-) Might be confusing to some

Super-Villain Mastermind….or Father of Three. You simply can’t be both.

That’s what evil villain Gru (Steve Carrell) figures out when three cookie-selling orphan girls come into his life unexpectedly. Initially Gru thinks he can use their cookie saleswomen ways to steal a shrink-ray from his nemesis Vector (Jason Segel), but he later learns that his heart may not be as cold or cruel as he thinks.

In a world created by Pixar that resembles a Dexter’s Laboratory mixed with Looney Toons’ Acme town, we get a little bit of story, and a lot-a-bit of adventure. Totally expected funny- from a cast of voices like Steve Carrell, Jason Segel, Kristin Wiig, Will Arnett, Russell Brand, and even Julie Andrews, but not quite enough funny from the principal characters. Instead it’s the little green Minions that keep audiences entertained.

Despicable Me is a family-friendly flick that the kids will certainly love. It isn’t as heartfelt as some other Pixar masterpieces, but with some hip music (thanks to N.E.R.D.’s Pharell Williams) and those little green guys, the kid in you might like it too.

Rating: 4/5

There isn’t much to say about The Last Airbender that hasn’t already been screamed at us by critics, but there are a few things that you might want to consider before seeing it.  As always I do suggest you see it for yourselves, but- just know- you’ve been warned.

Two young members of the Water Nation, a water bender Katara (Nicola Peltz) and her brother Sokka (Jackson Rathbone), uncover a frozen sphere in a nearby ice sheet that houses a young boy, knocked unconscious and week. The boy turns out to be an Avatar- a legend fighter whose element bending powers deem him protector of all nations- Air, Earth, Water and Fire. But, the fire nation- ruled by a hardened king whose son Prince Zuko (Dev Patel) faces exile from their people, is full of power hungry men who seek to control the last Avatar and use him to rule over all other nations. Zuko, who had been shamed by his father, also knows that capturing the powerful bender would also mean his triumphant return.

It’s not the story that makes this film unbearable, it’s the dialogue. There’s a choppy, disconnected, almost robotic exchange going on between all of the characters. A character says something….and then does it 20 seconds later, over and over again. It’s almost like a soap opera.

Mostly I feel bad for the actors, Dev Patel (Slumdog Millionaire) and Jackson Rathbone (The Twilight Saga), whose performances in other notable films will unfortunately be mentioned in the same conversations as this one. I also feel bad for M. Night Shyamalan (The Sixth Sense, Signs), a decent director whose vision with usually good intentions was executed in yet another mistake of a movie.

It wasn’t the visuals either; there are a lot of things that are attractive about what we see on the screen. The mise-en-scene shapes aesthetically pleasing locations, and the special effects aren’t that bad…aside from one big mistake- the 3D. I’ve often said that 3D ruins potentially good films and this is another case and point. Where swift transitioning and cinematography could have been tight and sharp, instead we get holes that allow in 3D components. It slows the whole film down.

Fans of the Cartoon Network phenomena Avatar: The Last Airbender might be offended by this abysmal rendition of the franchise, but then again- little kids might love it. After all, it is a Nickelodeon film. I don’t think it’s the worst thing I’ve ever seen (that honor is reserved for All About Steve), but it isn’t any good, either.

Rating: 2/5