Safety Not Guaranteed (2012)

4/5

Safety Not Guaranteed begins with a glorious failure of an interview. Darius (Plaza) reveals way too much personal information to a manager at a fast food chain that is probably 5 years younger than her. Soon after she starts interning at Seattle Magazine and quickly gets acquisitioned by Jeff (Johnson) to investigate a classifieds ad. The curious ad asks for a partner with whom to go back in time. Darius does some sleuthing and discovers that the ad's author is Kenneth (Duplass), a grocery store clerk with wild theories and a wilder personality. Oh, and flippin' pinpoint calibrations.

The movie is an original but predictable quirky indie romantic comedy. It's original in the story it tells and the events that happen, but predictable in its characterization and overarching progression. Nothing about it is really all that novel or breakthrough, but the plot has an unexpected twist at the end that kind of takes you by surprise and leaves you in shock. The acting is spot-on, although I'm not sure how much of it is acting and how much of it is writing dialogue for people who already act that way in real life. The cinematography, editing, and others parts of the movie that most people don't care about are all unremarkable and far from technical achievements.

But the movie gets its power from the story it tells, and the way it tells it. The movie's thematics are textually rich and ripe for discussion. It examines the way love gets magnified, problems get forgotten, and history gets twisted by nostalgia. It takes a tender look at humanity's need for companionship, about what people are willing to do in order to have someone to be there with, someone to share an adventure with. It does this all without being overly obvious about it, just by telling a sweet story filled to the brim with true-to-life characters. They're all searching for the same thing and don't even know it.

IMDb link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1862079/

Immortals (2011)

4/5

Tarsem's Immortals took me by surprise. I was initially excited to see it, after enjoying Tarsem's previous film The Fall, but my desire waned after countless negative reviews piled up. I almost entirely gave up on it until I found it on Netflix the other day. I must have watched it at the last possible moment because the next day it was no longer available for streaming. And I'm glad I did.

The plot is straightforward and seems to be made entirely for people who want nothing more than an action movie: King Hyperion (Rourke) steals the Epirus Bow so that he can use it to release the Titans from their prison beneath Mount Tartarus. Theseus (Cavill), a peasant who witnesses his mother's death, is the only one courageous enough to fight back. Zeus (Evans) believes so much in the humans' ability to combat evil that he threatens all the other gods on Olympus with death if they attempt to come to the aid of the humans.

As I said: simple, uninspired. But something about it stirs up excitement and emotion, and I'm betting it's all that Greek mythology. Tarsem gives us a striking visual oasis, with eye-catching costumes, luscious landscapes, and seamless computer graphics. Add in some of the coolest fighting I've seen, and who cares about the story anymore? Tarsem defies the current trend in crappy modern action flicks of fast cuts and shaky camera movements. Instead he uses "bullet time" photography, and he uses it wonderfully, pausing on sweet moves before speeding up for some fast action. The editing is tight and keeps the film lean and tense.

As for the negatives, the acting is passable (although that is honestly better than what I was expecting) and the unnecessary voice-over doesn't detract too much from the film (but that's probably because there isn't much of it). For what it aims to be, it's pretty close to perfection. I highly recommend this movie for anyone who wants a cleanly-shot and strikingly beautiful mindless action film.

IMDb link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1600195/

Abduction (2011)

2/5

John Singleton's Abduction did little more than reaffirm my belief that Taylor Lautner is a terrible actor. The movie is just another excuse to try to put his shirtless body on as many screens as possible. What audiences actually saw was his lack of acting ability. The (terrible) story focuses on Nathan Price (Lautner), a high school student who finds out that his "parents" aren't his real parents on the same day that he witnesses their murder. And from that point on, he's running from multiple ne'er-do-well groups while trying to discover the truth behind his childhood.

Sounds like it could be good, right? Especially with John Singleton--who made the phenomenal Boyz N The Hood--helming the project. Unfortunately, he's working a pretty low standard this time. (By the way, did anybody else notice a nauseating amount of Apple product placement?) Singleton tries, and fails, at mixing emotion with action. He blasts loud rock music nearly nonstop in lieu of using intelligence and pacing to build suspense. The plotting is entirely preposterous, starting with a ludicrous pre-teen's fantasy of high school life and keeping up the laughs with unbearable dialogue. Not much of the movie makes sense when you think about it (so I suggest you don't), and the action scenes are surprisingly few and far between. All things considered, there's not much reason for me to recommend this film to anybody.

IMDb link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1600195/

Silver Linings Playbook (2012)

4/5

David O. Russell's Silver Linings Playbook is a delightful and surprising treasure. The story follows Pat (Cooper) on the day of his release from an 8-month stint at a psychiatric hospital. We discover that he has delusional bipolar disorder, that he hates taking his meds, and that he's trying to win his wife back (although she has a restraining order against him). He moves back in with his parents (De Niro, Weaver) while he continues his rehabilitation with a psychiatrist (Kher). On a dinner date with his best friend (Ortiz), he meets Tiffany (Lawrence) and they share an undeniable connection--while talking about the pros and cons of different psych meds. What happens next I'll leave for you to experience firsthand.

The writing and the acting are the film's strongest aspects. The story and dialogue are just the right amount of quirky and comedic to balance its darker tones of mental illness and dysfunctional families. Cooper and Lawrence both give knockout performances that are joys to watch: equal parts ferocity and vulnerability, strength and tenderness. Cooper's violent outbursts are matched by his emotional pain. Lawrence is mature and assured but also naive and scared. They are complex and real, and their chemistry is electric. There is an unexpectedly exhilarating dance number in the movie that has you stunned while watching it, on the edge of your seat and with a grin on your face, worried about the past but excited for the future. It was sensational. But the movie should have ended there, because after that it devolved into a contemporary romantic comedy happily ever after instead of giving us something novel and unique like before.

As a film, Silver Linings Playbook failed to impress me. The shots were mediocre and the editing was substandard. The camerawork was a bit too self-indulgent for me, with almost every shot pushing in or pulling back. And I just can't get rid of how disappointed that ending made me. But none of that invalidates what makes this movie so special. Everything about it just pulsates with life and vitality, enriching our own lives by watching it, and I cannot recommend it highly enough.

IMDb link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1045658

Les Misérables (2012)

4/5

Tom Hooper's Les Misérables is an utterly absorbing musical from beginning to end. I went into this movie knowing nothing of the story, having never heard a song outside of its trailer, and was entirely entranced and enchanted the entire time. If you know nothing about it, I recommend going in blind and letting it tell its own story instead of having me attempt to simplify it into 1-2 sentences here. Not that the plot itself is really all that special, there are just a few surprises pretty early on I was grateful to have discovered on my own.

The music is superb, with Anne Hathaway's heartbreaking rendition of I Dreamed a Dream utterly stealing the show. I honestly almost choked watching her sing; all I could do to breathe was let out shallow little gasps in between her bravura vocals. Hearing this performance is worth the price of admission alone. On My Own, performed by Samantha Barks, is a close second. Hugh Jackman and Russell Crowe give compelling performances as well, although I wasn't too impressed with their singing. This is apparently the first film to record music live on set on this large a scale, and I'm convinced that it's the way to go. It lets the actors emote a million times better than they could have in a sound booth 3 months before filming.

However, the movie has its flaws. It is paced like a musical rather than a film. Each song basically serves as a scene. Years pass in between songs and the audience is allowed a quick exposition of the intervening time before launching into yet another song. It's a little disorienting and unsettling. The camerawork is a little aggressive as well, almost taking on its own (unwanted) personality and characteristics. Still, I enjoyed the film greatly and felt it was a terrific introduction to the musical. Consider me a fan, because I plan on listening to the soundtrack multiple times before seeing it again in theaters in preparation for seeing it live on stage.

IMDb link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1707386/

Prometheus (2012)

3/5

Ridley Scott's Alien quasi-prequel Prometheus is one of the most frustrating films I've seen recently. It has a lot of big ideas, thought-provoking dialogue, and terrifying science fiction coupled with unanswered questions and endless let downs. It is undeniably awe-filled but also incredibly unsatisfying. The movie starts with what I assume is the dawn of man in an infuriatingly ambiguous but visually stunning introduction. And it continues in much the same manner; every positive that the film contains is perfectly balanced by a negative. Crisp cinematography coupled with poor pacing; inspiring dialogue matched to flat acting; and stimulating thematics married to simplistic answers. At the end of the movie, I was left grasping at straws, remembering scenes of horror and moments of wonder and always wishing they gave me more than what they did. This is obviously required viewing for any fan of Ridley Scott or the Alien series, but it's only going to irritate everybody else.

IMDb link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1446714/