At an early screening of "50/50," I went into the theater with no idea of the film's plot other than the fact that Joseph Gordon-Levitt's character has cancer, and Seth Rogen is his best friend. This information seemed promising enough, but certainly did not serve as grounds for what to expect from such an unusual pair. What came across as an odd duo soon made a lot of sense when, prior to the opening credits, the writer and director addressed the audience, and the former introduced himself as Will Reiser, Seth Rogen's real-life best friend. He told the attendants about how he was diagnosed with a rare form of spinal cancer, and after a quick Internet search, Reiser discovered that he had a 50/50 chance of making it through this tragic experience. Obviously he survived the disease and wrote a movie about it, but knowing these details does not prevent the emotional roller coaster ride that comes with this remarkable film full of outrageous laughs and steady flowing tears.
JGL's character, Adam, almost immediately finds out about his spinal cancer, but even with this devastating news he manages to keep a sense of humor thanks to his bud Kyle, played by Seth Rogen. One may think that this was an easy role for Rogen since he is playing himself in a situation that he actually lived through, but Rogen brings depth to a character that at first appears as nothing more than an equivalent to his part in The 40-Year-Old Virgin. Gordon-Levitt further proves his ability to lead in a movie as he did in 500 Days of Summer by showcasing a wide range of emotions, from frequent sorrow and anger, to hysterical laughter after smoking weed with some elder cancer patients, and even a powerful panic attack that pains the audience.
With exceptional performances from the supporting cast, including a damaged and somewhat cruel Bryce Dallas Howard as Adam's girlfriend, a frantic and worked-up Anjelica Huston who plays Adam's mother also dealing with her husband's dementia, and a helpful Anna Kendrick as a new therapist, 50/50 is truly captivating. Jonathan Levine, the director of The Wackness, shows that he is on his way towards bigger things after his phenomenal sophomore film. Seth Rogen and his buddy Evan Goldberg also prove that they can produce films outside the realm of raunchy titles such as Knocked Up and Superbad.
To see their best acting to date, check out Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Seth Rogen in 50/50 in late September. You'll laugh, you'll cry, and you'll call your mother once you exit the theater.
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Monday, April 25, 2011
"Rio" Flies with Little Turbulence
Although studios such as DreamWorks Animation and Blue Sky Studios have desperately struggled to match the phenomenal audience response and critical praise of Pixar films, Blue Sky has come out with a movie proving that these studios can successfully compete with the incredibly persistent leader in the field. Rio tells the story of a highly domesticated Spix's Macaw named Blu, voiced by Jesse Eisenberg, who suffers from the fear and inability to fly. After the opening song and dance number, the viewers learn about Blu's flight trouble before he is captured by poachers in the jungle. Then we find Blu, along with the other captured birds, traveling in the back of a delivery truck, but he is soon freed when the truck skids at a stoplight in Minnesota, thus opening the latch and sending Blu's box out onto the street. He is immediately rescued from a little redhead girl who will soon become his best friend.
The relationship between Blu and his new owner, Linda, is like that between a man and a dog, only a bit stranger. Their morning routine involves Blu helping Linda get ready to seize the day, and we see pictures of them throughout the house and on Linda's computer, thereby showing that Linda only has her pet bird in her life. This will change though when a man named Tulio visits Linda's bookstore to inform her that Blu is the only male left in his species and he wishes to keep the rare breed alive.
This quick visit leads to the adventure that takes place in Rio de Janeiro where we meet Blu's soulmate, voiced by Anne Hathaway, along with various other crazy characters played by will.i.am., Jamie Foxx, George Lopez, Jemaine Clement, and Tracy Morgan. The second Blu meets Jewel, it's obvious that they will end up together, but no one expects anything out of the ordinary in a G-rated animated movie for kids. The supporting characters, such as will.i.am and Foxx's birds, incorporate today's popular music, which risks it becoming an ephemeral hit as opposed to a timeless classic like Toy Story or Up.
However, Rio has a lot of heart, most likely trying to match the capacity of love stories in Pixar films such as Wall-E and the latest installment, Toy Story 3, which did not have a boy-girl romance, but certainly a degree of affection that truly captivated the audience. With more than one newly developed relationship in Rio, it certainly makes an attempt to trigger the heartstrings, and it works, but not to the same extent. Nevertheless, Rio serves as one of the stepping stones amid previous films like Shrek for the admiration equal to that of Pixar films if these other studios stay on course.
The relationship between Blu and his new owner, Linda, is like that between a man and a dog, only a bit stranger. Their morning routine involves Blu helping Linda get ready to seize the day, and we see pictures of them throughout the house and on Linda's computer, thereby showing that Linda only has her pet bird in her life. This will change though when a man named Tulio visits Linda's bookstore to inform her that Blu is the only male left in his species and he wishes to keep the rare breed alive.
This quick visit leads to the adventure that takes place in Rio de Janeiro where we meet Blu's soulmate, voiced by Anne Hathaway, along with various other crazy characters played by will.i.am., Jamie Foxx, George Lopez, Jemaine Clement, and Tracy Morgan. The second Blu meets Jewel, it's obvious that they will end up together, but no one expects anything out of the ordinary in a G-rated animated movie for kids. The supporting characters, such as will.i.am and Foxx's birds, incorporate today's popular music, which risks it becoming an ephemeral hit as opposed to a timeless classic like Toy Story or Up.
However, Rio has a lot of heart, most likely trying to match the capacity of love stories in Pixar films such as Wall-E and the latest installment, Toy Story 3, which did not have a boy-girl romance, but certainly a degree of affection that truly captivated the audience. With more than one newly developed relationship in Rio, it certainly makes an attempt to trigger the heartstrings, and it works, but not to the same extent. Nevertheless, Rio serves as one of the stepping stones amid previous films like Shrek for the admiration equal to that of Pixar films if these other studios stay on course.
Friday, April 15, 2011
"Limitless" Provides Limited Buzz
What would you do if you could take a small, translucent pill that gave you access to the entirety of your brain? Maybe you would write a successful novel in less than a week. Perhaps you would take your chances in the stock market and make a killing, thus unveiling your unlimited knowledge to the entire city of New York and eventually the country. After seeing Limitless, you'll realize that the former, more subtle approach is probably your best bet considering what Bradley Cooper's character goes through in the plot of the movie...or maybe you won't. If you can handle getting roughed up a few times and being pushed to the brink of ending your own life then you might as well risk it to get the biscuit.
The overall message of Limitless is difficult to find, but in a movie about popping pills, making money, and avoiding bad guys, an overall meaning does not seem highly necessary. Bradley Cooper's character, Eddie Morra, starts off as a washed-up writer with a book deal, but no story. The make-up department probably deserves the most credit (even with Robert De Niro thrown into the mix) for making a Hollywood stud look like your Average Joe. When Eddie randomly runs into his ex-wife's brother, the star of the movie is revealed: NZT. The former brother-in-law, Vernon, presents the new drug, NZT, immediately after hearing that Eddie is experiencing writer's block. Thus, the chaos ensues.
The first half-hour of the film deals with excessive narrating from Bradley Cooper, similar to Jim Sturgess explaining his every move in 21 so the audience is not only entertained, but educated in the process of counting cards. Sturgess' narration was both unhelpful and tiring, while Cooper's is the same, but for something nonexistent in the real world. However, as Eddie becomes more addicted to the drug, the audience becomes more addicted to the film.
A handful of interesting fight scenes, along with the incredibly intriguing visuals, which include a fast paced, slingshot-like rush through New York City, certainly keep your eyes on the screen. The great De Niro will also attract a large turnout, as he should, but as of late he has not been selective enough in choosing his roles (e.g. Little Fockers). He plays an easily replaceable part, but I'm sure the audience would prefer him to some unknown actor.
Throughout the movie I kept thinking, if this pill makes Eddie so intelligent, why can't he just make more of it while under its influence? I guess it simply doesn't work that way, but it all ends to Eddie's advantage in a cheerful conclusion that is not well-deserved. However, if you're looking for some mindless entertainment, you will not need any NZT to enjoy Limitless. You'll get a bit of a high though.
The overall message of Limitless is difficult to find, but in a movie about popping pills, making money, and avoiding bad guys, an overall meaning does not seem highly necessary. Bradley Cooper's character, Eddie Morra, starts off as a washed-up writer with a book deal, but no story. The make-up department probably deserves the most credit (even with Robert De Niro thrown into the mix) for making a Hollywood stud look like your Average Joe. When Eddie randomly runs into his ex-wife's brother, the star of the movie is revealed: NZT. The former brother-in-law, Vernon, presents the new drug, NZT, immediately after hearing that Eddie is experiencing writer's block. Thus, the chaos ensues.
The first half-hour of the film deals with excessive narrating from Bradley Cooper, similar to Jim Sturgess explaining his every move in 21 so the audience is not only entertained, but educated in the process of counting cards. Sturgess' narration was both unhelpful and tiring, while Cooper's is the same, but for something nonexistent in the real world. However, as Eddie becomes more addicted to the drug, the audience becomes more addicted to the film.
A handful of interesting fight scenes, along with the incredibly intriguing visuals, which include a fast paced, slingshot-like rush through New York City, certainly keep your eyes on the screen. The great De Niro will also attract a large turnout, as he should, but as of late he has not been selective enough in choosing his roles (e.g. Little Fockers). He plays an easily replaceable part, but I'm sure the audience would prefer him to some unknown actor.
Throughout the movie I kept thinking, if this pill makes Eddie so intelligent, why can't he just make more of it while under its influence? I guess it simply doesn't work that way, but it all ends to Eddie's advantage in a cheerful conclusion that is not well-deserved. However, if you're looking for some mindless entertainment, you will not need any NZT to enjoy Limitless. You'll get a bit of a high though.
Friday, April 8, 2011
"Your Highness" Deserves No Bow or Curtsy
Your Highness is David Gordon Green's followup to Pineapple Express, with both films clearly being advertised as stoner comedies. Pineapple Express, released in 2008, proclaimed itself as a movie about pot and its side effects, which can get you into trouble, but mainly bring about hilarious results. Your Highness, on the other hand, tries to make the story seem just as funny with a few weed smoking scenes incorporated, but it falls short to its predecessor.
Danny McBride, an actor who can normally hold his own on the HBO series Eastbound & Down, as well as other supporting roles, does not have such an impact in the film that he co-wrote with Ben Best. The script is polluted with sex jokes, and the F bomb in general dropping every few seconds, gearing towards laughter from the pre-pubescent audience, but not the mature viewers who actually gained access to the theater.
James Franco and Natalie Portman also star, with the former following up from his Academy Award nominated role in 127 Hours, and the latter co-starring in her second film since her Oscar winning role in the phenomenal motion picture Black Swan. Franco has proven his talent in films such as the eight time Academy Award nominated movie Milk, all three Spider-Man films, and even director Green's previous film Pineapple Express, for which Franco earned a Golden Globe nomination. In Your Highness, however, Franco tries to be as unexpectedly funny, but tends to drop his Medieval-type accent, and only deliver hit and miss jokes from McBride's faulty script.
Portman, who has already suffered from the post-Oscar curse in No Strings Attached, pleases the audience with close-ups of her behind and her overall role as a craved-after sexual entity, providing a decent comedic performance. Her occasional jokes, however, are only to show the weakness of McBride's "heroic" character, although they eventually become a love interest that is obviously unlikely to anyone who can see the screen.
The film has its flaws, with many of its comedic attempts trying to poke fun at films such as Labyrinth, starring David Bowie, and Clash of the Titans, but it is not as successful as the numerous spoofs preceding it such as Simon Pegg's roles in both Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz. Unlike the overly ridiculous mocking style of the Scary Movie franchise, Your Highness has a more unique style to it, but unless you're as baked as Danny McBride's character, you probably won't find the appeal of this movie. Your Highness has its moments, but unless you toke up that's all this movie will be; a series of somewhat comical moments, and no sequence of laugh out loud scenes, no matter how much time you spend smoking the ganja and chasing after sheep.
Danny McBride, an actor who can normally hold his own on the HBO series Eastbound & Down, as well as other supporting roles, does not have such an impact in the film that he co-wrote with Ben Best. The script is polluted with sex jokes, and the F bomb in general dropping every few seconds, gearing towards laughter from the pre-pubescent audience, but not the mature viewers who actually gained access to the theater.
James Franco and Natalie Portman also star, with the former following up from his Academy Award nominated role in 127 Hours, and the latter co-starring in her second film since her Oscar winning role in the phenomenal motion picture Black Swan. Franco has proven his talent in films such as the eight time Academy Award nominated movie Milk, all three Spider-Man films, and even director Green's previous film Pineapple Express, for which Franco earned a Golden Globe nomination. In Your Highness, however, Franco tries to be as unexpectedly funny, but tends to drop his Medieval-type accent, and only deliver hit and miss jokes from McBride's faulty script.
Portman, who has already suffered from the post-Oscar curse in No Strings Attached, pleases the audience with close-ups of her behind and her overall role as a craved-after sexual entity, providing a decent comedic performance. Her occasional jokes, however, are only to show the weakness of McBride's "heroic" character, although they eventually become a love interest that is obviously unlikely to anyone who can see the screen.
The film has its flaws, with many of its comedic attempts trying to poke fun at films such as Labyrinth, starring David Bowie, and Clash of the Titans, but it is not as successful as the numerous spoofs preceding it such as Simon Pegg's roles in both Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz. Unlike the overly ridiculous mocking style of the Scary Movie franchise, Your Highness has a more unique style to it, but unless you're as baked as Danny McBride's character, you probably won't find the appeal of this movie. Your Highness has its moments, but unless you toke up that's all this movie will be; a series of somewhat comical moments, and no sequence of laugh out loud scenes, no matter how much time you spend smoking the ganja and chasing after sheep.
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