Unkown

"I didn't forget everything"

Unknown is certainly a classic thriller/mystery tale, but it does lack the pulse pounding drive of Neeson's previous hit Taken. One complaint you will likely hear in reference to Unknown is that it uses too many cliches from the suspense genre, including amnesia, conspiracy and mistaken identity. However I often point out cliches are cliches because they work. Unknown may be somewhat predictable, subscribing to certain genre tropes, but in doing so does not detract from the overall enjoyment of the movie. An opinion my fellow critics at RT seem to disagree on, with the consensus settling on the term 'derivative' and an average score of 57%.

The premise of the movie is that Dr Martin Harris (Liam Neeson) and his wife Elizabeth (January Jones) have just arrived in Berlin for a bio-tech conference. Unfortunately after arriving at the hotel Martin realizes he has left his briefcase at the airport. He quickly hails a cab to go back for it, and on the way is involved in a fairly major car accident, which leaves him in a coma for 4 days. Upon waking he discovers that someone else has assumed his identity and his wife appears to no longer know him.

Neeson, as is always the case, delivers a great performance throughout the movie, I like Neeson as a Bourne type character and I think he pulls it off very well. Diane Kruger was also perfectly cast as Gina, the young woman whom Martin enlists to aid him. The two actors have good chemistry together on screen, forming a kind of father, daughter dynamic. It adds a lot to the story when we really feel that Martin wants to protect Gina from the danger he has unwittingly put her in. Also of note is the appearance of Frank Langella in the movie. Langella has been taking smaller supporting roles in recent years, but even then he adds a level of class and depth to everything he does. Such is the case in Unknown. Of particular note is a scene between Langella's character Rodney Cole and Ernst Jurgen (played by the equally imposing Bruno Ganz). This scene, between these two great actors, is without doubt the strongest moment in the movie. I don't want to spoil the specifics of the scene, but you will definitely appreciate it when you see it. I have to give credit to Ganz, his performance in the movie is outstanding, everything from the way he carries himself to the subtle expressions on his face builds his character and is a real joy to watch.

Less convincing was January Jones. I have to admit that I don't watch, nor have I ever watched, Mad Men so I really have no basis for comparison, but based solely on Unknown I am not particularly enthralled with her acting ability. As a side note, now that I have seen her on screen I think she is far to old to be a convincing Emma Frost in the new X-Men movie. Anyway, she only plays a small part in this movie, but her character seems rather bland, I think perhaps the movie would have worked just as well without her. Elizabeth Harris just doesn't contribute all that much to the story. Perhaps I'm being too harsh on her because of her involvement with X-Men: First Class, which I have publicly denounced to anyone who will listen, but I just felt that she was... kinda wooden.

This movie is a much slower paced affair than either Bourne or Taken, which it is being compared to by the studio. This isn't a bad thing though, in the case of this movie a slower pace works much better. I just think that it might be a mistake of the studio to compare Unknown to more action packed and adrenaline fueled capers. If they had tried to film this one at the same breakneck pace of Taken, it would probably have been over in 40 minutes. The hook in Unknown is the mystery. It's easy to engage with the character of Martin Harris when the audience is learning things at the same time he is.

I thought it played out very well, the screenplay felt real, the on-location settings were terrific and the action sequences were suitably exciting without diving into the realm of popcorn-action. If I have one complaint it's that, not unlike Taken, the ending is a little too convenient (again I don't want to spoil it, I imagine you will understand if/when you see it), but that does seem to the trend set by Hollywood these days, so I suppose we just have to roll with it.

Final Verdict on Unknown:   

Tron Legacy

"In there, is a new world. In there, is our future. In there, is our destiny!"

Tron Legacy is a spectacular cinematic achievement, complete with fantastic visuals, an inspired soundtrack and a fun, exciting story. The reviews of the movie thus far have been extremely mixed, and I believe I understand why. I loved the movie, had a great time watching it, but I can accept that this movie probably doesn't have mass appeal. Additionally, if viewers have not previously seen Tron, the experience may not be quite as enthralling as it is for old Tron fans. None the less I feel that the movie should at least be in the 70%-80% range on RT as opposed to the rather meager 49% score that is has currently received.

Tron Legacy continues the story of Kevin Flynn, the hero of the original 80's classic. Twenty years after Flynn's mysterious disappearance, his son Sam Flynn (with the help of Kevin's old friend Alan Bradley) discovers what happened to his father all those years ago. Kevin was trapped in The Grid, a digital realm that Flynn was pioneering secretly in 1989 when he vanished. Sam inadvertently finds himself sucked into the same realm during his search for Kevin. What follows is Sam's desperate attempt to escape from The Grid and save his father in the process.

That is about as succinct as I can make my plot synopsis, hopefully it makes sense to those who have never heard of Tron and have no prior knowledge of how that particular universe works.

A critical part of what makes this movie work is the inclusion of original actors Jeff Bridges and Bruce Boxleitner as Flynn/CLU and Bradly/Tron. The presence of these guys on screen really ties everything together with the original movie. Bridges shoulders a tough job in this movie, playing both a hero and villian in the characters of Flynn and CLU. I'm happy to report he carries it off brilliantly, you will really believe that these are two different characters on screen. CLU, as you may know, is portrayed by Bridges but with the special digital de-aging to make him look like he did back in the cult 80's classic, more on that in a moment. Relative newcomer Garrett Hedlund was very convincing as Sam Flynn. The scenes he shares with Bridges were extremely well written and acted. The two actors really sold the father and son dynamic between Kevin and Sam. Olivia Wilde, best known for her role of Thirteen in House, also raised the bar for her acting ability in this movie. Her character, more than any other in the movie, has a real arc in the story, her character grows significantly from the time we meet her to the end credits. Certainly there is an 'eye-candy' aspect to her role, and there is no arguing she is nice to look at on screen, but I think she did a good job of portraying both a capable, deadly warrior and an innocent, somewhat naive child. I think the father role of Kevin Flynn applies just as much to Quorra as it does to Sam.

The visuals in this movie are spectacular, any one who has seen the trailers wont find that surprising. What is more important to me is that while the visuals are stunning, they are not overdone. I don't want to digress too much here, but one of my (many, many) complaints about Avatar is that there is too much on screen, too much color and spectacle. Tron Legacy wisely sticks to a constant aesthetic, black, white, blue and orange. Those are pretty much the only colors you see on screen - and I think the more reserved color palette improves the quality of the digital effects. The most visible effect in the movie is, naturally, the character of CLU. CLU is created by digitally de-aging Jeff Bridges to create the illusion that the character is the same age Bridges would have been in 89. About 99% of the time it works great, but there is always that feeling that it's not quite right... in the world of The Grid this is acceptable, but during a brief prologue in the real world at the movies opening it is a stark contrast to the real people he is interacting with. Overall though I think it works quite well, and combined with the other great visual effects, light cycles, light jets and even The Grid itself, Tron Legacy is without doubt a very impressive movie to watch.  

Finally I want to talk about the score. The music in the movie takes what would already be a good movie, and cranks it up to a great movie. Daft Punk penned and performed all the music for the movie, and even had a short cameo in a night club scene. The beat and tempo is controlled precisely to add to the content of the movie. The music becomes a great emotional boost to the scenes, ranging from hopeful to somber and exciting to mellow... Daft Punk clearly had a firm grasp of what each scene required, and boy did they deliver. Full disclosure: I did purchase the soundtrack the day after I saw the movie.. I liked it THAT MUCH!

So how will I sum up the movie? I admitted up front that a) I loved it and b) it's not for everyone. So let me try to expand on that. If I'm honest, and I do try to be, the story is probably the weakest part of the movie. Not to say that it's a bad story, but it does represent your typical Disney theme... which is the prince has to jump through hoops to rescue the princess. Cliche? You bet, but still when you couple that with the pulse pounding soundtrack and eye-popping special effects, it actually works quite well. Well... it does for me, but your mileage may vary. I think the thing that may put a lot of potential moviegoers off Tron Legacy is that they will misconceive it as a nerd/geek Sci-Fi movie. Let me assure it is not. This movie is a classic Disney fantasy tale wrapped up in the guise of a Sci-Fi flick.. so don't let that idea put you off from seeing it.

One more addendum before I close the book on Tron Legacy... if you are going to go see this one in theaters, see it in IMAX. I know I'm usually the one that says, IMAX isn't worth the money and 3D is just a fad, but if there is one movie that is well suited to the format... that movie is Tron Legacy - the visuals lend themselves well to the IMAX experience and the score/sound effects will never sound better than they do in an IMAX theater. Just my 2 cents - but as a guy who usually argues against such things, this is high praise indeed.

Final Verdict on Tron Legacy:

Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps

"It's about the game!"

Money Never Sleeps is not a movie that will please everyone, but then what movie does? The movie rather defies classification, in that it could be called a drama, a documentary, a thriller, or even a mystery. You could call it any of those things and you'd be correct. The fact that it doesn't really fit into any category stems from the idea that at different times in the movie it wears a different genre. This may cause some audience members to dismiss the movie, claiming it doesn't know what it wants to be or that it lacks identity. There is certainly an argument to be made in that regard, but I feel that it succeeds because of the mixed qualities, not in spite of them.

The movie is intended as a sequel to the 1984 movie Wall Street. It takes place 20 years after the end of the previous movie and tells the story of Gordon Gekko's (Michael Douglas) life after he is released from prison as he struggles to regain everything he lost. The backdrop to Gekko's story is the height of the economic troubles in the U.S as the Federal Government is called upon to bail out the banks and insurance companies that are "too big to fail" (yes that line makes it into the movie). Taking the place of Charlie Sheen's Bud Fox is Shia Labeouf as Jake Moore a fairly successful broker who is engaged to Gekko's daughter Winnie (Carrie Mulligan). Jake makes contact with Gordon in an effort to mend the relationship between Gekko and his estranged daughter, but quickly becomes an under-study to the once brilliant broker. From here the movie charts a year in the lives of these characters, how they relate to one another and how they all deal with the reality of an economic depression.

First of all, let me congratulate Michael Douglas for an outstanding performance, especially when you consider the fact that he had throat cancer during the shooting of this movie. He slips into the role of Gekko as if there was no gap between the shooting of the original movie and the sequel. This is without doubt his movie! I am also shocked to say that I actually quite liked Shia Lebeouf in this movie, I can't call myself a fan of the actor since he is a part of the Michael Bay Heresy, but this was the right role for him and he seems to have good chemistry with Douglas. Josh Brolin is also terrific as the sinister rival to our protagonists Bretton James who may or may not have a hand in the current economic mess. Special consideration for Eli Wallach as Jules Steinhardt, he doesn't have that many scenes in the movie, but every time he is on screen he demands you're attention, no small feat for a man in his 90's.

The one character I found somewhat extraneous to the plot is that of Winnie Gekko played by Carrie Mulligan. No offense to the actress, I just think the character didn't get to play a big enough part in the story to justify her presence. I know they had to have some link between Gekko and Jake, but I wonder if they could have found another way that didn't require them to squander the talents of Ms. Mulligan.

I think the thing that worked most about this movie was the commentary it made of the economic disaster which lead to a global recession in 2008. In fact I think this is the best way to watch the movie, as a faux documentary. There are some scenes that wouldn't feel out of place in a discovery channel special. Gekko really exemplifies how the system is broken, as even with all the damage being done around him he still manages to turn a profit. The developing relationship between Gekko and Jake is handled very well, from a Mentor and Apprentice dynamic to one that is a tad more volatile as Jake desperately tries to hold his life together.

Additionally, director Oliver Stone adds some great touches to the movie. My personal favorite being the use of the electronic stock ticker. He has several scenes in the movie where he superimposes the ticker onto the New York skyline, or around the shape of an office building, and it acts as an excellent transition while keeping the audience focused on the idea that this movie is about money, it's about what happens when you have a system built on credit and how one man with the right connections and instincts can make or break that system.

While there is certainly a cerebral aspect to the movie, it doesn't fail to entertain. I had a really good time watching the movie, I felt invested in characters, especially Gekko and Jake, while at the same time I can't honestly pinpoint how the hero or the villain really are. Almost every character in the movie has a certain shade of gray that casts some doubt onto whether we can really call them good or bad.

Final Verdict on Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps:

Scott Pilgrim Vs The World

"Time to break out the L word."

This movie was made for the likes of me, for the geeks. I'm certain there is something enjoyable here for the regular folks too, but as a geek, I was in my element watching Scott Pilgrim. The movie crams in so many references to geek culture and that classic temple of the 80's and 90's - the Arcade! Critics seemed quite receptive to it as well earning it an average of 81% on RT.

Michael Cera is Scott Pilgrim, a typical nerd/geek stumbling through life while living with his gay room mate Wallace Wells (Kieran Culkin). That is until he meets Ramona Flowers (the lovely Mary Elizabeth Winstead) and falls hopelessly in love with her. Turns out she's not oppposed to the idea of hooking up with Scott, but there is a slight complication in that, before they can live happily ever after, Scott must defeat Ramona's 7 evil ex's. Wow, compared with the amount of exposition I had to cover with The Expendables, that plot summary was a breeze by comparison. 

Loved pretty much every casting choice in the movie. Oddly I didn't get pissed off with Michael Cera this time - something which usually happens when I watch his characters (especially in Nick and Nora's Infinite Playlist, but I have my own reasons for being antagonistic towards that movie) Kieran Culkin stole every scene he was in, ranging from dry humor to flat out slap stick. I'm pretty much always happy to see Mary Elizabeth Winstead so it's no surprise that was somewhat captivated by her screen presence. Without doubt though there is one actor in this movie that shamelessly outshines everyone. I am of course talking about Thomas Jane, who has an all to brief, but none the less EPIC cameo as a member of the vegan police. Trust me it's good. The one casting choice I question is that of Anna Kendrick as Scott's sister. She just can't pull off 'teenager' I'm afraid. Sorry Anna, loved your part in Up in the Air, but this one just wasn't right for you.

If you've even glanced at a trailer you know that the kicker for this movie is the visuals. Let me tell you right now, that the best parts are in fact not in the trailer. Always a refreshing change when the studio holds some secrets back. There are some very impressive visuals on display in this movie, and they always integrate thoughtfully with the actors performance and the overall story being told in the scene. There's no Michael Bay "explosions for explosions sake" on display here, everything has a purpose. I was particularly impressed when I saw what a small budget the movie had to work with, this movie didn't have $100 million worth of CG at it's disposal and as such I think the overall achievement is even greater. In particular watch out for the battle of the bands sequence with the giant CG monster battle, very cool.

Overall I again had a great time at the movies. The story was fun without being sappy or disappointing, as romances can so very often be. Speaking of disappointing romances if Castle and Beckett dance around each other for as long as Booth and Bones have... there will be hell to pay I tell you. Anyway Scott Pilgrim is very entertaining movie more than worth the price of admission. Remember to catch it on DVD too.

Final verdict:

The Expendables

"Just got my ass kicked!"

The Expendables is an astounding success in that it transcends the boundaries of a mere action movie and to become what I can only describe as "a glorious ballet of death!" The cast is absolutely perfect for this one and the action is sufficiently hammy to pay homage to the greatest of the 80's action flicks. Sure it only has a 40% over on RT, but did you really think this was going to win an Oscar?

The plot involves a group of hired guns (The Expendables) led by the fearless Barney Ross (Stallone). We're introduced to the group mid mission as they attempt to rescue some innocents from what appears to be Somali pirates. We immediately realize these guys know their shit and that one of team named Gunner Jensen (Lundgren) has become a liability. Fast forward, back in the U.S. the team enjoys some down time, Lee Christmas (Jason Statham) goes to visit his girlfriend (Charisma Carpenter) who moved on while he was out the country and is now living with a comically villainous boyfriend. Meanwhile, Ross goes to set up another job which apparently means working for the CIA. Cue a meeting with Bruce Willis as the shady CIA contact and the old 80's rival Schwarzenegger who, unsurprisingly, portrays a rival mercenary. After taking the job, Ross and Christmas check out a fairly nondescript island where their job is to knock off the evil dictator and free up the island for the CIA to swoop in and take control. Needless to say it all goes pear-shaped and the team have to basically demolish the place before the credits roll. 

Boy, having written that it looks a lot more complicated than it actually is. This is an homage to the classic 80's action flick, light on plot, big on action and one liners.

Stallone was actually looking pretty good in this one, though apparently he actually suffered a broken neck during one of the stunts on set. Luckily, after some emergency surgery, he's fine and still walking around. Statham was pretty much just Statham, he does tend to play the same character over and over. Really though, does anybody care, at least he's always fun to watch, and the guy knows how to through a punch. Jet Li and Terry Crew added some nice comic banter to the team and Mickey Rourke was without doubt the 'heart'. It's not altogether unsurprising that one of the few tender moments in the movie was delivered by Rourke in a touching monologue. Hats off to Dolph Lundgren and Ray Park who were also on top form in the stunts department. There is a scene in this movie where Lundgren stomps on a guys face while driving a car in a high speed pursuit and avoiding incoming fire - that is the tone of this movie, lap it up folks. One final shout out to Eric Robers who once again is portrays the ultimate bastard, and does it with style - nice work Eric, nice work indeed.

Personally I had a blast watching this one. From start to finish the pacing was perfect, not once did I feel the need to glance at my watch. Granted the plot is pretty thin, but you really ought to know what you're getting into here. It doesn't claim to be a serious movie, and it delivers exactly what it set out to - that being a hell of a good time. If you're looking for something a little more cerebral, this aint it!

Overall I know I'll be getting this on DVD as soon as it's released, terrific action flick and if I'm brutally honest, probably better than both The A Team and The Losers combined.

Final verdict:

The Other Guys

"I am a peacock and you have to let me fly"

This is without doubt one the funniest movies of the year. Will Ferrel can be a little hit or miss in my eyes, but this one is definitely a hit! The jokes are funny without crossing that fine line into ridiculous and Mark Wahlberg was the perfect choice to play the straight man of the story. At the time of writing, Rotten Tomatoes rates the movie at 76%

The story revolves around the downtrodden average cops Allen Gamble (Ferrel) and Terry Hoitz (Wahlberg) who are constantly marginalized and outshined by the other detectives in the squad, specifically Highsmith and Danson (played by Samuel L. Jackson and Dwayne Johnson). Gamble is perfectly content to sit at his desk and file paperwork for the rest of his life, but Hoitz has dreams of something bigger, he wants to be out there on the street. The investigation of a simple violation involving construction permits gives Hoitz just the opportunity he's been waiting for, now all he has to do is convince Gamble to join him for the ride (easier said than done). This is where the movie really picks up and launches us into the main plot. Several car chases, gun fights and explosions later we arrive at a very satisfying conclusion.

Ferrel and Wahlberg work surprisingly well together. The comic timing is just as sharp as it was between Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones in Men in Black. Which is to say that, even though on paper it seems like it shouldn't work, in practice it all comes together nicely. Credit has to go to the supporting cast though, especially Michael Keaton, who portrays Captain Gene Mauch. Keaton steals pretty much every scene he's in, especially when it is revealed that he moonlights in a slightly more conventional profession, but I don't want to spoil that one here, just wait and see. Eva Mendes is clearly having fun in the role of Gambles wife, much to Hoitz amazement, they riff on that gag at least a half dozen times within a five minute segment. Finally I want to mention Steve Coogan who plays David Ershon, one of the primary suspects in the case. Between Ferrel and Coogan the slapstick comedy is firing on all cylinders.

As I said, I felt that the jokes in this movie managed to maintain the laughs without delving into absurdity. This is something that I feel a lot of comedy flicks get wrong. In the effort to get a laugh they will take a joke too far and cross that line. The Other Guys is one of those few comedies that gets it right. Ferrel and Wahlberg play off each other perfectly, the supporting cast add to the laughs nicely and the slap stick comedy works really well. The car chase scenes were probably my favorite part of the movie, there's something very unique and special about a car chase involving a red Prius. Certainly the movie won't be winning any awards, but with a consensus of 76% on RT it was surprisingly well received by the critics. Overall, the movie is a lot of fun, and it will keep you laughing even after you've left the theater.

Final Verdict on The Other Guys:

Salt

"Then you are a Russian spy."

It was certainly an exciting action flick, but overall I felt the plot ended up being far too fantastical to maintain my suspension of disbelief. It's not unusual for me to disagree with critics, but in this case I'm actually pretty satisfied with the current consensus on Rotten Tomatoes - that being 58%.

The plot begins with a pretty vanilla set up. As outlined in the trailer Evelyn Salt (Angelina Jolie) is accused of being a Russian spy and subsequently goes on the run to clear her name. Heading up the pursuit are Salts former partner Ted Winter (Liev Shreiber) and an internal affairs type Agent Peabody (Chiwetel Ejiofor). From this we spin into a typical Bourne style romp of chase scenes, gun fights, lightening fast hand to hand and of course several instances of betrayal and double crosses.

As you might guess, the high point of the movie lies with Jolie and Schreiber who both turn in terrific performances in their respective roles. In fact even the supporting cast add some great stuff to the movie, especially Chiwetel Ejiofor (you might remember him from a little Joss Whedon flick called Serenity) and Olek Krupa who has a brief stint as the Russian President (he's been in a ton of movies of the years, but you might have seen him recently in Burn After Reading). The only casting choice I really question is that of U.S. President Lewis, played by Hunt Block. I just don't think he conveyed a 'Presidential' presence on screen.

SPOILER ALERT - Much of what I am going to discuss from here on out will directly spoil the big plot twists and the ending of the movie, you have been warned!!

• The Russians are the villain. Haven't we outgrown this particular stereotype yet? Maybe if the movie had been made 20-30 years ago that would have gone unnoticed, but today it feels like a bit of a stretch to feature a Cold War era Russian plot.
• The villains plan was to take control of the U.S nuclear stockpile and use it to attack its (Americas) enemies thus kick starting a global war against the United States. This seems rather familiar, oh that's right its the plot of Terminator - apparently Skynet is Russian this time.
• The method by which they will accomplish their dastardly plan is by implanting sleeper agents into the country. By sleeper agents I really do mean sleeper agents, these folks have been in America for upwards of 30 years. These sleepers will infiltrate several levels of law enforcement and government agencies as part of their elaborately complicated plot. 
• Salt really is a Russian agent. This might have been clever if they had left it at that, but they had to go one step further and turn her into a triple agent. When you start interjecting this many levels of betrayal and mistrust, you start to get into the realm of Pirates of the Caribbean: At Worlds End - seriously I still can't figure out who was betraying who in that one. As if that wasn't enough, the reason she apparently decides to turn on her Russian masters is because they kidnapped and killed her husband, whom she really was in love with. Of course it was a little hard to get that vibe from the barely 10 minutes of screen time he gets. 
• Not only was Salt a sleeper, Winter was as well. On the plus side, Liev Shreiber is great at the whole sinister villain thing, but on the downside what are the odds that two agents (who are in fact partners) would both be sleepers. At this point my suspension of disbelief had flat-lined and I was struggling to finish the showing.

END SPOILER

So what were my overall feelings on this one? I was disappointed. I think perhaps it's another case of expecting one thing and getting something else. The trailer, as is so often the case these days, didn't do the movie any favors. It made Salt out to be a straight up Bourne movie with a female in the leading role. Instead it was a mish-mash of action scenes and 'wheels within wheels within wheels' levels of betrayal. As I said, it's all about the suspension of disbelief, and Salt fails to maintain it. From the Russian villains to the convoluted 'evil genius' style plot it was far too out of this world to keep me interested. I will say that the action scenes were great and the acting was on the whole very good, but neither of these things are enough to outweigh the poorly constructed story.

Final verdict: