Oblivion

SCI-FI, ACTION/ADVENTURE

The End of Earth

8.25 out of 10 | Movie or DVD

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Rated: PG-13 Sci-Fi action violence, brief strong language, some sensuality and nudity
Release Date: April 19, 2013
Runtime: 2 hours 5 minutes

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Director: Joseph Kosinski
Writers:  Joseph Kosinski, Karl Gajdusek, Michael Arndt, Aevid Nelson
Cast: Tom Cruise, Morgan Freeman, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Olga Kurylenko, Melissa Leo, Andrea Riseborough

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SYNOPSIS:  A veteran assigned to extract Earth's remaining resources begins to question what he knows about his mission and himself.

REVIEW: Director of the Tron: Legacy reboot sequel and the upcoming Legacy sequel, Joseph Kosinki writes and directs the new science fiction movie vehicle for Tom Cruise. Kosinki and Arvid Nelson wrote a comic book of the drone technician # 49 Jack Harper and his communications officer and partner Vika, turning that effort into a big screen post-apocalypse sci-fi adventure with help from Karl Gajdusek (ABC's Last Resort) and Michael Arndt (Brave and Toy Story 3).

The world as we know it has ended. An alien race, called the Scavengers or Scavs, invaded Earth. The invaders destroyed the moon causing earthquakes and tsunamis across the planet. Whoever did not die from those clataclysms were caught up the nuclear war that followed. The last bastions of humanity beat back the Scavs and won the war, but most succumbed to radiation or hunger. Sixty years later, most of the remaining people of Earth have traveled off planet to the moon of Titan. Remaining behind on Earth is Tech-49 Jack Harper (Tom Cruise, Jack Reacher) and his communications officer and romantic partner Vika (Andrea Riseborough, Welcome to the Punch). The last remaining technicians on the planet, Jack and Vika work in tandem as Jack repairs roving drones against the backdrop of pockets of Scav marauders, and guard fission reactor stations sucking up seawater for energy off the coast. When a derelict spacecraft named the Odyssey crashes in zone 17, Jack goes to investigate against orders from Vika and Sally (Melissa Leo, Olympus Has Fallen) from Command originating from an orbiting space station named the Tect. Saving one of the survivors named Julia (Olga Kurylenko, Seven Psychopaths) Jack has moments of déjà vu of seeing her before. As Jack questions strange new memories, he must contend with renegade drones and aliens who are not what they seem. Can Jack unravel the mysteries of his own mind before Command relinquishes him and Vika from duty?

Oblivion is right in Tom Cruise's wheelhouse for his string of sci-fi action adventure films. Like Minority Report and War of the Worlds, Cruise brings his an extablished sensibility and tone to the film. Like Ray Ferrier, Jack Harper has a love for the long-gone sporting pastimes of America. Ray had baseball to try and bridge the gap between him and his son. Jack Harper wears a New York Yankees ball cap and remiesces of the 2017 Super Bowl in an attempt to bridge the gap between the world that is to the world that was. Like in Philip K. Dick's story that became Spielberg's Minority Report, the technology has a Apple device asethetic crossed with a late sixties/early seventies color palette. Add in Jack Harper's perchance to collect nostalgic keepsakes from his daily drone maintenance, and Oblivion is a literal walk down memory lane.

As Jack Harper goes about his tedious and relentless routine of repairing drones that are shot down or are defective, he finds that he is drawn to artifacts of a bygone era of when the earth still lived. From books to vinyl albums to sunglasses, Harper collects trinkets and items that trigger memories of the Empire State Building observation terrace in NYC from a time much older than he is. In spite of a mandatory memory wipe from the technicians on the orbiting Tect Command station, Jack still finds fragments of a life not his own. The discovery of a man named Malcolm Beech (Morgan Freeman, The Dark Knight Rises) and his armed sniper Sykes (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Mama) forces Jack to further reevaluate what he knows the truth to be.

One thing you can rely on Tom Cruise for in his action films is... a lot of action! Although little slow In its story and character development, Oblivion does offer beautiful aerials with Cruise in his bubble-styled maintenance craft and well-placed moments of tension with an expose Jack Harper standing off against remnants of the remaining alien Scavengers. The cinematography is beautiful and the CGI effects are slick and expertly crafted, with a number of great action sequences - from Jack's first on-screen encounter with the Scavengers to an extended aerial dog fight against rogue drones.

From the onset the audience can tell that something just not right about the situation that Jack Harper is in. For a while you just can't put your finger on it but something seems amiss. And that nagging feeling at the base of your skull isn't unfounded, leading both Jack Harper and the audience through a journey of self-discovery and rediscovery.

Coming in at just over two hours Oblivion is a bit of a commitment for sci-fi fans. Although the movie and the characters are always moving, there seems to be many lulls between the more kinetic action scenes. Whether the director was relying on the slick CG effects and the interesting post apocalyptic landscapes to visually stimulate and occupy the audience during the slower moments I do not know. At any rate, Jack Harper keeps moving as he figure things out for himself and uncovers something that's much bigger than just his role as maintenance tech 49.

Oblivion entertains, though it could have entertained in a little bit quicker fashion. With a light April season Oblivion may be one of the few films this month that does not disintegrate and disappear after its opening weekend.

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Jack Reacher

Hard Corp

★ ★ ★ ★ out of 5 buckets | Matinee and DVD

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Rated: PG-13 - Violence, some drug material and language.

Release Date: December 21, 2012

Runtime: 2 hours 10 minutes

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Director: Christopher McQuarrie
Writers: Christopher McQuarrie, based on the novel 'One Shot' by Lee Child
Cast:  Tom Cruise, Rosamund Pike, Richard Jenkins, Werner Herzog, David Oyelowo, Jai Courtney, Robert Duvall, Michael Raymond-James, Alexia Fast

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SYNOPSIS: An ex-Army drifter who served as a military investigator in the service is drafted into service again as a civilian when a defense attorney asks him to look into the evidence against a sniper Reacher dealt with before.

REVIEW: Christopher McQuarrie, screenwriter of The Tourist and director of the 2000 The Way of the Gun, writes and directs the first Lee Child novel adaptation of his popular loner anti-hero Jack Reacher, based on the novel 'One Shot'.

A man sets up in a parking garage across the river from the major league ballpark. He selects several targets and fires. In the aftermath, all evidence points to an ex-Army sniper with a classified history of unstable violence. When James Barr (Joseph Sikora, Safe) is arrested, instead of a confession he writes 'Get Jack Reacher'. While the district attorney Alex Rodin (Richard Jenkins, Killing Them Softly) and the top Pittsburgh police detective Emerson (David Oyelowo, Lincoln) can not find the ghost named Reacher, Jack Reacher (Tom Cruise, Rock of Ages) appears in Pittsburgh after seeing Barr's face on the news. The daughter of the district attorney, Helen Rodin (Rosamund Pike, Wrath of the Titans), is set to get Barr a fair trial and enlists Reacher to be her lead investigator to prove why Barr was so eager to kill so many innocent people. But as Reacher digs deeper and finds the evidence too perfect, he is targeted by seen and unseen menaces with their own hidden agenda.

Lee Child has written several stories centered around his loner drifter anti-hero who wants to be left alone but seems to always find himself in trouble. In Jack Reacher, based on Lee Child's 'One Shot', the writer/director Christopher McQuarrie introduces Jack Reacher through quick narrative to get us caught up with the titular character. While Child's 'The Killing Floor' is Jack Reacher's first appearance, 'One Shot' does introduce Reacher well enough. Lovers of the books may be disappointed in the choice of story, but it serves as a well-suited suspense action and suspense tale.

Another issue that has come to light is the choice of Tom Cruise as Jack Reacher. While not the prototypical look and physique that the readers had expected, Child put enough faith in Cruise's star power, box-office draw, and talent to give him the go-ahead. And, in my opinion, Cruise delivers. His stoic, squared-jawed, ripped abs, driven performance should be enough to sway most fans of the books. Also, I think Cruise's more handsome, more diminutive stature allows him to seem the underdog in every situation instead of the obvious victor.

Joining Cruise are Richard Jenkins as the secretive and stern district attorney. Rosamund Pike served as the DA's daughter and opposing council who wants to provide Barr a fair trial while thinking that she cannot win. David Oyelowo joins as the lead Pittsburgh police detective, pulling off his best Sydney Poitier, sympathizing with Rodin and Reacher but keeping his eye in all of the evidence against Barr. Partially hidden in shadows, Reacher may not be capable enough to handle the digit-less man only known as The Zec (Werner Herzog, Invincible), his grim ruthless unnamed buzz-cut lieutenant (Jai Courtney, Spartacus: Vengeance), and some local Pittsburgh thuggery led by a man named Linsky (Michael Raymond-James, True Blood).

From the intense shooting gallery scene at the beginning of the film to the climatic showdown in a rainy quarry, Jack Reacher should appeal to the staunchest of action fans. Lovers of the intrigue genre will also be satisfied. there are familiar vignettes as reminders of Lethal Weapon, A Few Good Men, Bullitt, and even The Blues Brothers, letting you know there is action, suspense, and laughs. Yes, laughs! There is great stoic humor in the dialogue and physicality and situations. One particular bathroom brawl is so absurd that it should bring out a tear of laughter.

Jack Reacher would entertain with spills, thrills, intrigue, action and humor. The Lee Child book series fans should get enough from Cruise's characterization of the titular anti-hero to have them clamoring for more of the series to be adapted. "Remember, you wanted this!" 

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Rock of Ages

Come for the Story, Stay for the Music

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Rated: PG-13  Sexual content, language, some heavy drinking and suggestive dancing
Release Date: June 15, 2012
Runtime:  2 hours 3 minutes

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Director: Adam Shankman
Writers: Justin Theroux, Chris D'Arienzo, Allan Loeb
Cast:  Diego Boneta, Julianne Hough, Tom Cruise, Alec Baldwin, Russell Brand, Bryan Cranston, Catherine Zeta-Jones,  Paul Giamatti, Malin Akerman

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SYNOPSIS: A small town girl from Oklahoma comes to Hollywood to be a singing star, coming across a bar back boy with his own dreams of fame.

REVIEW: Adam Shankman, director of musical projects like Hairspray and Glee and choreographer on dozens of films, takes the popular New York Broadway and brings it to the screen with help from writers Justin Theroux (Iron Man, Tropic Thunder), Allan Loeb (Just Go With It), and Chris D'Arienzo from D'Arienzo's 2009 Tony Award nominated "Rock of Ages" for which he wrote the Book.

Small town girl Sherrie Christian (Julianne Hough, Burlesque) travels by bus from Oklahoma to the bright lights and big city of Hollywood, California to pursue her dreams of singing. She quickly comes across a bar back named Drew (Pretty Little Liars) who works at the legendary Strip establishment The Bourbon Room with his own dreams of singin' and rockin'. Both idolize the rock god Stacee Jaxx (Tom Cruise, Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocols) and his hits as the frontman for the band Arsenal. Planning for an Arsenal show at The Bourbon Room by Jaxx's manager Paul Gill (Paul Giamatti, The Hangover Part II), Paul contracts with Bourbon Room owner Dennis Dupree (Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock) and his trusty sidekick Lonny (Russell Brand, Arthur) for Jaxx's last show before he goes solo. Meanwhile, politics play their part as Mike Whitmore (Bryan Cranston, Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted) and his wife Patricia (Catherine Zeta-Jones, The Rebound) try to shut down the club and cleaning up the Strip by protesting the club and looking for any discrepancies in their books or practices. As the music and crowds heat up, passion ignites but runs on the rocks as fame gets complicated.

As a person who has not seen the New York Broadway show yet, I can only speak from conjecture and rumor about how the film was crafted in relationship to the Broadway show. From what I have heard, the role of Stacee Jaxx was moved from a minor subplot to a major main plot line for the film. I am sure there are others out there with more knowledge of the live show than me. That being said, let's delve into 1987 Hollywood as it appears on the silver screen.

Rock of Ages is at its beating heart a love story. Drew Boley and Sherrie Christian quickly find each other and their mutual hopes for a more glamorous and adventurous ascent into singing stardom. At first naive and hopeful, miscommunication and poor decisions force them apart in their own musical pursuits. In addition, Dennis Dupree and Lonny are in love with rock and roll, and the continued running of the Bourbon Room. Stacee Jaxx, typically drunk, full of himself, and able to alienate roadies and musicians as well as he inspires and entices the ladies, seems lost, lonely and looking for an elusive perfect song.

Rock of Ages is a fun, tune-filled journey down musical memory lane. Like its live show counterpart, the huge appeal are the songs from the decade of the 80s. Big hair, rubber brackets, and tight clothes are no match for the nostalgia of Def Leppard, Pat Benatar, Gun N' Roses, Poison, and more. Some of the best songs are the ones that are the product of a mash-up. Most notable are 'We Built This City' by Starship and 'We're Not Gonna Take It' by Twisted Sister. Mary J. Blige and Julianne Hough's duet of Quarter Flash's 'Harden My Heart' kicks as much butt as it tells a story. And that is the most important point of all. For good or bad, for seriousness or silliness, each song tells a story, fitting perfectly into the fabric of the film.

All in all, Rock of Ages is a toe-tapping delight with all of the music from my youthful formative years. The story is paced well, even for its 124 minutes length, mostly anchored down and hoisted up by the plethora of music - either sung by one or more of the cast or used as fill in the background. Conflict abounds throughout, starting with the union and breakup of Drew and Sherrie, and continuing with Dennis trying to combat both the lecherous Paul Gill and the vindictive Patricia Whitmore for the survival of the Bourbon Room.

Rock of Ages may or may not live up to the expectations that patrons of the live show may have. I liked the characters and story, and loved the musical selections and mash-ups. The film could have been balanced a little better with some more non-musical scenes, but for those who can appreciate the now classic music of their youth, this film is built on rock and roll! Don't stop believing!

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WORTH: Matinee or DVD

Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol: An IMAX Experience

Disavowed at its Best

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Rated: PG-13 Sequences of intense action and violence
Release Date: December 16, 2011
Runtime: 2 hrs 13 min

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Director: Brad Bird
Writers: Josh Appelbaum, Andre Nemec, based on the TV series "Mission: Impossible" by Bruce Geller
Cast: Tom Cruise, Jeremy Renner, Simon Pegg, Paula Patton, Michael Nyqvist, Samuli Edelmann

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SYNOPSIS: When the IMP is disavowed and shut down when it's implicated in the bombing of the Kremlin, Ethan Hunt and a small rogue team are all that's left to clear the organization's name.

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REVIEW: This movie, if you choose to accept it, may be the best of the series. Filled with exotic locations, action, and humor, Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol has all of the elements for a hard hitting, heart racing thrill ride. Brad Bird, now the fourth director in the movie franchise - following Brian De Palma, John Woo, and J.J. Abrams - brings his own take to the franchise. Director of the well-received animations The Iron Giant and The Incredibles, Brad Bird takes a story from "Happy Town", "Life on Mars", and "Alias" writers Josh Appelbaum and Andre Nemec and molds its into his own unique style, while keeping the core of what makes the franchise the success it is.

Ghost Protocol opens with an operative Hanaway (Josh Holloway, "Lost") with a satchel running from armed assailants. The outcome of that mission leads to another mission. Fresh field agent communications and computer specialist Benji (Simon Pegg, Shaun of the Dead) and vet field team leader Jane (Paula Patton, Jumping the Broom) lead an IMF extraction mission for Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise, Knight and Day) from an eastern block maximum security prison. Once released, Ethan and the extraction team are tasked with a new mission to break in the Kremlin's Archives room to retrieve data on a nuclear terrorist known as 'Cobalt'. When a man named Henricks (Michael Nyqvist, The Girl with the Dragoon Tattoo, 2009) retrieves the data first and sets off an explosion in the Kremlin, Ethan is captured. Both his team and the IMP organization is implicated in the terrorist act and is disavowed by the United States Government. Escaping from Russian custody and pursued by investigator Sidorov (Vladimir Mashkov, Behind Enemy Lines), Ethan reteams with Benji, Jane, and European chief analyst Brandt (Jeremy Renner, The Hurt Locker) to hunt down Hendricks and his henchman Wistrom (Samuli Edelmann) to clear the IMF's name and to advert nuclear disaster.

Ghost Protocol combines extreme action, international intrigue, high-tech gadgetry, and a sharp well-paced story to bring another impossible pulse-pounding, thrill ride of a mission to life. From Moscow to Dubai to Mumbai, the rogue IMF team has to manage without any outside support. With only themselves to count on, the stakes are higher, more personal, and more dire.

Cruise's continues to amaze with his stunt work and stamina. Like a coiled panther, his character Ethan is always ready to pounce into action with a calculated regard for his own life. Joining him, Paula Patton as Jane is a tortured, ass-kicking exotic beauty able to use her body and her brawn to get the job done. Simon Pegg, an action hero in his own right with Hot Fuzz, steps aside for Cruise to have a chance at the action spotlight and supplies the quirky laughs, mugs and double takes that has made this entry of the franchise the most funny and entertaining. Renner's Brandt is a wild card, supplying necessary intel to the team after their disconnect from the IMF databases. Renner also brings a checkered, tortured secret and some mixed martial arts fighting skills that do not match his occupation. 

With exotic locales and extreme stunts, Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol, brings it and leaves it all on the silver screen. For an actioner of this caliber, one would have expected Ghost Protocol to be more comfortable with a Summer release slot. All the better for Cruise, crew, and the franchise to avoid the action white noise of the hotter months.

From an insane window hugging, death-defying climb outside of the Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world, in Dubai, to a high-tech parking garage showdown in Mumbai, Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol has enough for any adrenaline junkie. Couple that with a fast-paced engrossing story, Ghost Protocol is a mission I will certainly accept!

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WORTH: Matinee and DVD

Knight and Day

More Like Tongue and Cheek

[Tom Cruise, Cameron Diaz, Peter Sarsgaard]

Today I ran into another great moment that can only happen at the movies. You may or may not have seats at your movie theatre that are designated specifically for the handicapped. At the theatre I go to, they have spaced seating in front of the crossway for this purpose. An older couple were sitting in the two seats centered in the theatre. Just then a man with a cane and his father with a walker came in. He proceeded to tell the man and his wife that they needed to move because these seats were for the handicapped. The older man shot back that he had the right to sit there. The man with the cane shot back '...that in legal terms, he was not considered handicapped... and needed to move.'. The man and his wife moved to the two handicapped seats that were situated to the left of the two seats they had vacated. I would typically applaud a person for sticking up for the reservation of seats for the elderly or handicapped, but I would never use it as a tool to evict a couple just because you wanted to see the movie front and center. That's just crazy!

SYNOPSIS: June Havens, trying to get home to Boston from Wichita, bumps into a handsome man, Roy Miller, at the airport. As events spin into motion and out of control, June quickly is told by Roy that he is a hunted rogue government operative because of the perpetual energy source he is carrying, its inventor that he has moved to a safe house and the agents he was framed for killing. To make matters worse, a notorious arms dealer also wants the energy source, and June still needs to make it to her little sister's wedding on Saturday!

Marquee master Tom Cruise rolls back into the Summer theater, with Cameron Diaz in tow, to dazzle us with another high energy thrill ride. Is it a thrill ride or a kiddie ride? I can definitely attest that the action sequences are kickin'! The flight fight is well choreographed and executed, especially when the flight crew is executed! The car chases and gun battles are frantic and fun. The real question with any action film is whether the moments between the action is worth while.

Remember how great Bruce Willis was in the original "Die Hard"? The entire film, action and non-action, was great to watch. As for "Knight and Day", while Cruise and Diaz kept me entertained, they fail to enthrall me emotionally. Is it Cameron? Is it Cruise? I know it isn't Cruise because I will admit to tearing up during "Jerry Maguire". And I know Diaz has it in her as well. Maybe it was in the trying to add comedy to the action that the emotion effort was underdone.

The early dialogue is a little forced in order to propel the story. We all find out on the flight that June has never been anywhere or done anything of note. In the next breath, Roy is inferring that he just wants to be able to live life, not just travel through it. I would rather have the storytelling conveyed in action, not just words. Cruise does bring back his 'conquer the world' "Jerry Maguire" without the uncertainty, though. Never was it more evident than when he was explaining to June that her degree of survival was 'up here' with him, 'down here' without him, 'up here' with, 'down here' without.

Even though I was not emotionally invested, I was entertained. As I said, the action was quick and well-done, although the CGI 'running of the bulls' sequence left me gored. A good popcorn movie, but certainly not the best that the marketing machine proclaims. If you liked what you saw on the commercials, I am sure that it's good enough!

Worth: Matinee & DVD