Looper

A Strange Paradox

★ ★ ★ 1/2 out of 5 buckets | Matinee or DVD

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Rated: R Some sexuality and nudity, language, drug content and strong violence

Release Date: September 28, 2012

Runtime: 1 hour 59 minutes

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Director: Rian Johnson
Writers: Rian Johnson
Cast: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Bruce Willis, Emily Blunt, Paul Dano, Noah Segan, Piper Perabo, Jeff Daniels, Pierce Gagnon, Garret Dillahunt

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SYNOPSIS: In the near future, time travel is both possible and illegal, reserved for only the most influential crime organizations. In the closer future assassins called loopers kill and clean up the victims sent back in time for disposal. When Looper Joe is faced with 'closing the loop' on his own future self, he is forced to face the wrath of his employers and his future self bent on trying to save his own life.

REVIEW: Writer/director Rian Johnson, known for his first feature Brick and his follow-up The Brothers Bloom, reunites with his Brick star Joseph Gordon-Levitt for an attempt at a time traveling epic that turns the linear notion of history on its head.

In the near future, Joe (Joseph Gordon-Levitt, The Dark Knight Rises) works as a killer, a Looper, for a local crime syndicate. A Looper is given instructions to wait at a specific time and place outside of the city to kill people who are sent from the future for elimination and disposal. Time travel has been created thirty years farther in the future, and immediately outlawed - only used by the most influential organized criminals. Loopers are paid by Abe (Jeff Daniels, Good Night, and Good Luck), who is from the future himself and sent back in time to create the Looper program for his bosses in the future. When Joe's fellow Looper Seth (Paul Dano, Cowboys and Aliens) realizes that he is about to 'close the loop' on his own future self, he learns that a mysterious figure in the future named the Rainmaker is dismantling all of the Loopers, and has taken over all of the organized crime rackets. When Joe faces is own experience of 'closing the loop' on his own future self (Bruce Willis, Red), the younger Joe fails to eliminate his older version. By not carrying out the assignment, younger Joe suddenly finds himself the target of Abe and his Gats led by Kid Blue (Noah Segan, The Brothers Bloom), and by the older Joe. Realizing that the older Joe is desperate to regain his life and wife by hunting down and killing the child who may become the Rainmaker, the younger Joe tries to both protect said child Cid (Pierce Gagnon, The Crazies) and his mother Sara (Emily Blunt, The Five-Year Engagement) and eliminate his future self to 'close the loop'.

The genre that spawns stories of time travel has a very fickle audience. Successful entries into its folds includes Gregory Hoblit's Frequency, J.J Abrams' prequel/reboot/sequel Star Trek, and Robert Zemeckis' Back to the Future. But for every perfectly scripted film, there are numerous others that miss the mark completely, either due to poor story or even worse execution. We could debate and go round and round about the dizzying effects of time travel, time-continuum, reality paradoxes, the cause and effect on concurrent versions of self, and more, but at the end of the day, the strength of these types of films hinge of the 'reality' of the physics being used.

When Seth's older self gets away from him and his blunderbuss, Seth faces the the wrath of Abe and his Gats for failing to carry out his assignment. In order to rectify the situation, Seth is slowly amputated a finger at a time, causing his older self to instantly lose the same digit or appendage immediately as an old scarred over wound. Using this fundamental space-time wrinkle of physics, writer/director Johnson sets the scientific stage for everything that comes after. Adding in references to discrepant cars with piping coming out of the tailpipes and dusty solar panels mounted on the hoods and roofs, massive over-population resulting in vagrant wars and destitution, a slick hovering future that still is not in the hands of the everyman, and a rampant development of low-grade telekinetic ability, Johnson paints a future that is not utterly bleak, but still has not solved the world's problems.

Bruce Willis continues with his capable, but dogged tortured man from the future, reminiscent of his performance in 12 Monkeys. Rian Johnson's go-to actor, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, plays the barely blemished mirrored version of Joe, perfecting the tone and manners of his older version. In the diner scene where the older Joe tries to explain what is at stake for the both of them, Gordon-Levitt as the younger Joe responds with a familiar gravelly whisper that could have been spoken by a younger Willis himself. Emily Blunt plays the protective and hurt Sara, her only job to protect and raise the young Cid. Pierce Gagnon, who plays Cid, steals his scenes with an innocence nearly lost. Noah Segan as the bumbling, power-hungry, approval-mongering Kid Blue is a successful source of comic relief and simmering danger, while his time-traveling boss Abe, played by Jeff Daniels, speaks in an authoritative softness that betrays a glimpse of the future that he knows all too well.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt is the driving force in Looper. While he and Willis share the burden of screen-time, Gordon-Levitt's square jaw, piercing eyes, and practiced mannerisms are proof that he is no longer the little kid from 3rd Rock from the Sun. Even through the slow parts of the film, Gordon-Levitt is wonderful to watch. Only Pierce Gagnon's Cid gives Gordon-Levitt a run for his money.

Looper is a slick, intelligent film that should please the genre audience. Only one moment of space-time uncertainty at the end distracts from the continuity of the story (but only the over-thinking theater goer will jump to the wrong conclusion), but the tale-telling is smart and cool. Gordon-Levitt narrates the story like Harrison Ford from Blade Runner, making me wonder what future actually came first. 

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Premium Rush

No Brakes

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Rated: PG-13  Some violence, language and intense action sequences
Release Date: August 24, 2012
Runtime:  1 hour 31 minutes

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Director: David Koepp
Writers: David Koepp, John Kamps
Cast:  Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Dania Ramirez, Kym Perfetto, Anthony Chisholm, Michael Shannon

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SYNOPSIS:  In Manhattan, a bike messenger picks up an envelope. What he doesn't realize is that the package's content has gained the attention of a corrupt cop, putting the messenger into harm's way.

REVIEW: David Koepp, the writer of many films such as Spider-Man and Angels and Demons and director of Stir of Echoes, takes his talents to the streets of New York City as the director and co-writer of this new film. Joined by long-time writing collaborator John Kamps, Koepp tries to create a world of action and intrigue one gear and spoke at a time.

Bike messenger Wilee (Joseph Gordon-Levitt, The Dark Knight Rises) is one of the premier riders in Manhattan. A former graduated law student, Wilee can't see himself wearing a suit and sitting behind a desk. Out on the streets of Manhattan Island, he rides with no brakes and only one gear. Trying to get extra deliveries for extra cash, Wilee is given a 'premium  rush' by dispatcher Raj (Aasif Mandvi,The Dictator). He goes up to the Upper West Side to his Alta Mater to pick up an envelope from friend Nima (Jamie Chung,The Hangover Part II). No sooner then Nima signs the receipt for the delivery, Wilee is chased down by Detective Robert Monday (Michael Shannon,Jonah Hex) who wants the envelope turned over to him. While Wilee is trailed and chased through the rush hour traffic, Wilee has to deal with rival competitive bike messenger Manny (Wole Parks, Taking Chances), a persistent NYPD Bike Cop (Christopher Place, That's My Boy - Stunts) and a scorned girlfriend bike messenger Vanessa (Dania Ramirez, American Reunion). Unsure of what is inside the envelop, Wilee still makes it his mission to get the package to the destination in time.

The premise is simple. Get a package to the delivery address by the time specified. What is not simple is the added pressure of a corrupt cop who is desperate to intercept the aforementioned package from a skilled bike messenger. David Koepp and John Kamps create a story that couples the heart-pounding and adrenaline-inducing career of a Manhattan bike messenger with continual chases through one of the worst rush hour grid-locked traffic systems in the nation.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt's Wilee is a smart guy with what his messenger friends consider to be a death-wish. The only reason he is such a coyote out on the streets, some say, is that he has traded the safety and confines of an ordinary life with that of constant danger and possible injury. Wilee, though, does not see his life the same way. To him, racing his bike down Broadway at 50 miles an hour is exactly where he needs to be. The bike, he says, is meant to go fast. The aluminum piping, spokes, and thin rubber tires are more stable at high speeds. And if death happens to find him, he will probably never see it coming.

Koepp paces the film like a finely tuned 10-speed racer. Within the same 90 minutes, the director moves forward and back throughout the day, offering up other shreds of information and plot lines to flesh out the story as needed. We learn why Michael Shannon's Detective Monday is so hot to retrieve the contents of the envelope. Why did Nima ask for Wilee specifically to deliver such an important and precious package? What does the mysterious Mr. Leung (Henry O, Rush Hour 3) and his faithful companion who plays Sudoku (Kin Shing Wong) have to do with the envelope?

Joseph Gordon-Levitt is stellar as he always has been. Every role Gordon-Levitt has taken is a calculated and positive move. From Brick and The Lookout to Inception and The Dark Knight Rises, Gordon-Levitt chooses wisely - and proves he is a superior actor. As Wilee, he is a driven, intelligent thrill seeker not content to become a statistic in a suit. Michael Shannon as Wilee's antagonist crooked cop is a perfect choice as well. Shannon's quirky, desperate, and violent police detective is both funny and unpredictable. Also notable are Wilee's dispatcher boss Raj and Wilee's rival messenger Manny. Lastly, stunt man turned actor Christopher Place, at least for Premium Rush, adds just a little extra levity and reasons to add more bike chases.

Premium Rush is a fast-paced, intricate adventure flick with just a hint of intrigue. Bike chases abound throughout dealing with corrupt detectives, persistent NYPD bike cops, rival messengers, girl troubles, and debts to be paid. The cityscape is as much a character in the film as the headline actors and actresses. The film is solid and well-paced, the story running through the gears like a finely-tuned two-wheeled machine.

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WORTH:  Matinee or DVD

The Dark Knight Rises

Knightfall

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Rated: PG-13  Intense sequences of violence, language, some sensuality and intense sequences of action.
Release Date: July 20, 2012
Runtime:  2 hours 45 minutes

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Director: Christopher Nolan
Writers: Christopher Nolan, Jonathan Nolan, David S. Goyer, based on characters created by Bob Kane
Cast:  Christian Bale, Anne Hathaway, Tom Hardy, Liam Neesn, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Gary Oldman, Marion Cotillard, Morgan Freeman, Michael Caine, Matthew Modine

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SYNOPSIS: After the Batman is held responsible for District Attorney Harvey Dent's death, the caped crusader disappears from the streets of Gotham. Some years later, when terrorist leader Bane takes over the city, Bruce Wayne again dons his cowl as the Batman to protect the city that had forsaken him.

REVIEW: Christopher Nolan, the man who wrote, directed and breathed new life into the man behind the mask and the scourge of the streets of Gotham City with Batman Begins and The Dark Knight, returns for the last installment of his trilogy of films with The Dark Knight Rises (see the The Dark Knight Trilogy: The Road So Far for the full story of the first two films of the trilogy). With Jonathan Nolan (The Prestige, Memento) and David S. Goyer (Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance), Christopher Nolan scribes a fully realized dramatic actioner from the characters created by Bob Kane that takes the Batman to the next level - as well as setting the bar higher for all other superhero films.

After the Batman (Christian Bale, The Flowers of War) and the new Commissioner Gordon (Gary Oldman, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy) defeat the two-faced Harvey Dent, they take it upon themselves to cast the Batman as the villain and leaving the memory of Harvey Dent as the shining example of the righteousness of good in the city of Gotham. Pursued by the Gotham Police Department, the Batman abruptly disappears from the city streets. In addition, Bruce Wayne becomes a recluse, not even bothering to take part in the goings-on of Wayne Enterprises. Some years pass and the city of Gotham, with Commissioner Gordon at the head of the police department and the Dent Act in full effect for the criminals of the city, has become a town with low crime rates and no villainous underbelly. As Gotham City enjoys a period of tranquility and peace under The Dent Act, a new threat emerges in the guise of Bane (Tom Hardy, This Means War), a terrorist who shares the cleansing vision of his one-time mentor Ra's Al Ghul Ra's Al Ghul (Liam Neeson, Battleship) as the leader of the League of Assassins. When the mechanical masked Bane hatches a plot to cut off Gotham Island from the rest of the country by declaring marshal law under his rule, the Batman must come out of retirement to confront and attempt to defeat the skilled and vicious man. With only Commissioner Gordon, a new GPD detective named John Blake (Joseph Gordon-Levitt, 50/50), the devious alter ego of Selina Kyle as the leather-clad Catwoman (Ann Hathaway, Alice in Wonderland), Wayne Enterprises CEO Lucius Fox (Morgan Freeman, Dolphin Tale), perspective business partner Miranda Tate (Marion Cotillard, Contagion) and his trusty butler Alfred Pennyworth (Michael Caine, Journey 2: The Mysterious Island), the Batman fights an uphill battle that may break him physically and spiritually.

Christopher Nolan completes his vision of the Dark Knight with The Dark Knight Rises, the third in his trilogy of Batman films. Where Tim Burton's vision turned Gotham City into an abstract landscape filled with darkness and a little camp, and where Joel Schumacher lit up that darkness with iridescent color and a cartooned version of the Caped Crusader and his trusty side kick Robin, Nolan grounds his Bruce Wayne and cowled hero into a reality-based Shakespearean tragic drama centered around real architecture and deep symbolism. Throughout his films, Nolan denotes the Batman as a symbol to the city's denizens. In Batman Begins, when the Scarecrow rules the city with the symbol (and gases) of fear, the Batman became a darker, more dangerous symbol of real fear is. In The Dark Knight, the Joker hopes to mar the shining symbol of the city by corrupting Harvey Dent and his accomplishments as the city's district attorney. Instead of letting the Joker win, the Batman became the villain to shoulder the weight of the city's fury against his alleged murderous atrocities. In The Dark Knight Rises, Bruce Wayne and his alter ego must face difficult decisions and dire consequences to become a symbol for the city again. Can he rise up against the more skilled Bane to save the city he cherishes, and save himself in the process?

In The Dark Knight Rises: Prologue, the first six minutes of film was marred with the unintelligible rants of the mechanically respirator Bane. In the finished product, there are no more issues with his speech for the most part. With an elegant, raspy accent, Bane stands above his minions as a dangerous and driven man - bent on the destruction of Gotham City as per his one-time mentor Ra's A Ghul. Where Heath Ledger's Joker was a brilliantly psychotic maniac, Tom Hardy's Bane is a powerful and driven menace. Is Bane a better villain than the Joker? I am sure that many would find it blasphemy to speak ill of Ledger's last role. The brilliance of Nolan manages to set the characterizations of each rogue so far apart in scope and mission as to not warrant a comparison. In the comics, the Joker has been a mainstay menace to the Batman since the caped crusader's beginnings. Bane, although turned into a silly trench coated henchman in Joel Schumacher’s effort for Batman and Robin, was a critical component in a surprising and successful Knightfall story arc to the destruction and eventual resurrection of the man who would be Batman.

Many believe that Nolan may spread the story too thin by the introduction of too many characters. Before Batman Begins, the thought was that using minor rogues in the form of Ra's Al Ghul and the Scarecrow would undermine the success of the film, but its success spurred a sequel. With Bane, Cat Woman, and the possible return of Ra's Al Ghul, the same critics thought the same dilution of story might occur. Although long with a runtime coming in at 165 minutes, Nolan crafts a solid and dramatic tale that redeems Bane as a major pivotal villain in the canon of the Batman's rogue gallery and history, and cements all of Nolan's films of the Dark Knight into a carefully crafted, interwoven and tragic tale that borders more on fine drama than superhero fare. If you are looking for a super-powered follow-up to The Avengers, look elsewhere. If you are looking for too-human drama, The Dark Knight Rises is for you. Nolan's trilogy could be considered a saga in three acts. Act 1 in Batman Begins is Bruce's birth from man into the flawed, anti-hero and protector of the city. Act 2 in The Dark Knight takes the Batman from anti-hero to hero to villain. Act 3 in The Dark Knight Rises is Bruce returning as the reviled anti-hero to fight against odds he cannot overcome.

The Dark Knight Rises is a continuation of the foundation of what Nolan and his writers had already built in the first two films. Adding in elements from the Knightfall story arc and a dash of No Man's Land story arc, The Dark Knight Rises is both a telling of the physical breaking of the Batman and the spiritual breaking of the Gotham's citizenry. Equal parts Bane and Bruce, the Batman takes somewhat of a back seat to both. There is plenty of story and action, but the cowled avenger is relegated to the end of the first act and the sensational climax last act. For lovers of the dark detective, some story elements will be more obvious than for non-readers. This first-hand knowledge will not deter from the story, but will serve to foreshadow surprises later on.

The cast is stellar as always. Christian Bale gets a chance to just be Bruce for a majority of the film, but still managed to engage his gravelly deep voice of the Batman when needed. While Tom Hardy is barely recognizable behind Bane's mechanical mask, he does exude a fierce obsession of the destruction of Gotham that mirrors that of Ra's Al Ghul machinations from the first film. Ann Hathaway's Selina Kyle/Catwoman returns to the skin tight bodysuit and the razor's edge of doing for herself and doing for others. New character John Blake, played by Gordon-Levitt, steps out from the shadows of the GPD to become a detective in his own right. Oldman is still perfect as the ragged, war-weary, and determined Commissioner Gordon.

Similar to Sam Raimi's Spider-Man trilogy where I enjoyed Spider-Man 2 the most with its established hero and superior villain, the performance of Ledger's Joker and the story in total stands out as the best of the Dark Knight trilogy for me. The Dark Knight Rises is a dramatic story with a sensational ending, working perfectly into the Nolan hero narrative. We can discuss and debate the merits of each film all day, but in the end all I can say is - 'why so serious?'.

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WORTH: Matinee and BluRay

50/50

Best Odds

Director: Jonathan Levine

Writers: Will Reiser
Cast: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Seth Rogen, Anna Kendrick, Bryce Dallas Howard, Anjelica Huston, Serge Houde

SYNOPSIS: When 27-year-old Adam learns that he has cancer, he and his friend Kyle struggle to come to terms and to deal with Adam's disease.

REVIEW: Jonathan Levine, director of the Sundance Film Festival Audience Award winner and Grand Jury Prize nominee The Wackness, takes a script from relative newcomer writer Will Reiser of the real life story of a 27-year-old diagnosed with cancer and his journey his life takes after hearing the news.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt (Inception, 500 Days of Summer, The Lookout) takes on the role of Adam Lerner, a young man with his whole life ahead of him whose life is thrown into disarray after being diagnosed with cancer. Adam attempts to comes to grips with the disease and its effect on his future, enduring the aid of his best friend Kyle (Seth Rogen - Knocked Up, The Green Hornet) and a young therapist Katherine McKay (Anna Kendrick - Up in the Air, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World) who Adam believes knows less about life and his situation than he does. From Adam's father Richard (Serge Houde) battling Alzheimers, to Adam's mother Diane (Anjelica Huston) dealing with a spouse she cannot talk to and a son who does not want to talk to her, to Adam's artist girlfriend Rachael (Bryce Dallas Howard) suffering with a man she may not care for, everyone around Adam is affected by his affliction.

50/50 is a funny and dramatic look at a man's battles with his family and friends, and the betrayal of his body at such an early age. Rachael feels trapped with responsibility, Katherine finds herself inadequate with her novice advice, and Kyle sees Adam's cancer as an opportunity to pick up girls. The decision to shave his own head with Kyle's suspect hair clippers manages to capture both humor and humanity, while a marijuana sharing discussion with stage 4 cancer pal Mitch's (Matt Frewer) home leads to a tender moment between him and is wife. Alan (Philip Baker Hall) joins Mitch as fellow chemotherapy recliner rider.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt proves again that he's got the right stuff. Stoic and serious in Inception, quirky and smart in 500 Days of Summer, and venturing into action suspense territory in the upcoming bicycle messenger thriller Premium Rush, Gordon-Levitt has come a long way from NBCs Third Rock From The Sun. Seth Rogen brings his typical goofy, slacker charm to the role of Kyle, just dampening the performance down enough to fit the tone of the film. Anna Kendrick as therapist Katherine brings intimacy and care to her new patient with every calculated, learned touch, knowing that a pat on the arm should work according to her studies.

In 50/50, the dramatic pace builds slowly, even though the diagnosis is quickly learned. The laughter comes from the situations that Kyle managed to talk Adam into. As the situation becomes more serious and dire, the laughs come more easily, serving as a catharsis for the uncertainties Adam faces. In the case of this movie the odds are that you will find a good balance of fun and drama, probably 50/50.


WORTH: Matinee or DVD

Inception

Is It All In The Mind?

[Leonardo DiCaprio, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Ellen Page, Tom Hardy, Ken Watanabe, Cillian Murphy]

RANT: Today was both a annoying and endearing trip to the theater. My seat back was banged about several times during the film when people got to go to the bathroom, come back, go to the bathroom again, and come back again. Then the three of them left before the end of the movie anyway. Of course, another couple of people snuck in to those same seats, banging my seat on their way, then proceeded to blurt out some crazy nonsense, seemingly tackling the seat back on the way out and left. The worse part was that the most crucial line of dialogue in the film was missed because of the couple. On the flip side was the quality of the film and the line of geese that crossed in front of my car as I left the parking lot.

SYNOPSIS: In a world such as ours, the technology exists for people to invade dreamscapes. Once there, ideas can be extracted and, on the rare occasion, planted.

Christopher Nolan, the architect and visionary of "Memento", "Batman Begins", "The Prestige" and "The Dark Knight" comes back to the screen with the much anticipated Leonardo DiCaprio effort "Inception". And what a effort it is!

I could talk about the acting all day, but the real star of this film is the film. Every sequence is shot as beautifully as if it were a dream. The script adds such complexities with every layer and with every moment of celluloid running behind of the projector's lens. This film was written and directed more as craft than as a high budget movie. But for the audience, this film delivers on all levels, dreamscapes and reality alike.

It is hard to describe the film without giving much of the plot away. Leo DiCaprio plays Cobb, person with the special ability to enter a person's dreamscape to extract the secrets that the mind' subconscious locks away. Originally an 'architect' of the dreamscape, Cobb is forced to change his role due to a personal incident in his past. Offered an opportunity to return to his family by Ken Watanabe's Saito, Cobb assembles a team including a new 'architect', Ellen Page's Ariadne, Joseph Gordon-Levitt's Arthur, a 'forger' named Eames played by Tom Hardy, and Dileep Rao's Yusuf providing the compounds to keep them all down the rabbit hole..

The visuals that the architect Ariadne (and Nolan) create are stunning. It serves to propel the story, evolving and unraveling. The story has many slower sequences, but you never get tired of it. As the story's tapestry is woven longer and tighter, the audience starts to lose itself in it. Eventually, even we cannot decipher what is real and what is not. I wish I could lay it all out for you, but I know that being able to see the threads for yourself will be rewarding.

Worth: Friday Night & DVD

I am also trying out a new rating system shown below based on reader reaction to my somewhat complex monetary rating scale. I will give both ratings and see what kind of reaction I muster. A movie can receive up to 5 popcorn buckets. Why popcorn buckets? Because I am a slave to the thousand + calorie delight! Enjoy!