For today’s post, we go back in time with the trippy sci-fi, action film Looper.
HA! I always knew that time itself was cyclical and not linear.
Well I mean at least this latest sci-fi offering from Writer and Director Rian Johnson (Brick and The Brothers Bloom) lays out the rules of time travel and those that use it. Looper is the third movie from Rian Johnson, a director who dabbles in straddling the creative line between brainy, think tank films and fun, creative twists on established genres. In Brick, he injected a dark, hard boiled noir thriller in the setting of a high school. The Brothers Bloom saw us following a playful and charming group of dapper looking grifters with a smart, sophisticated web of intrigue and cons. And now Looper dabbles with the temporal complexity of time traveling, paired with the slam bang action sequences that create this continuous loop of constant feedback and excitement.
Alright, hear me out first before we chastise me for this pick. Now I am certain you all watched the trailer and thought to yourself, “bike parkouring and uber-obnoxious fixed gear riding bikers,” and I am with you 100% on that thought. I went in wanting to just rip this movie apart and generally savage the entire premise cause, you know, bike parkouring. But, with low expectations, I was presently surprised that Premium Rush delivered a fun and enjoyable ride.
HA! I always knew that time itself was cyclical and not linear.
Well I mean at least this latest sci-fi offering from Writer and Director Rian Johnson (Brick and The Brothers Bloom) lays out the rules of time travel and those that use it. Looper is the third movie from Rian Johnson, a director who dabbles in straddling the creative line between brainy, think tank films and fun, creative twists on established genres. In Brick, he injected a dark, hard boiled noir thriller in the setting of a high school. The Brothers Bloom saw us following a playful and charming group of dapper looking grifters with a smart, sophisticated web of intrigue and cons. And now Looper dabbles with the temporal complexity of time traveling, paired with the slam bang action sequences that create this continuous loop of constant feedback and excitement.
If the thought of seeing a movie about fixed gear bike riding and bike parkouring is your cup of tea, then Premium is will be your Dark Knight Rises of the summer. If you were like me upon seeing the trailer for the first time, you had to think that eventually Joseph Gordon Levitt had to pay some dues for critical rise to fame in the acting world. I mean really, bike parkouring and fixie riding….groan. Then again, good things come in packages you least expect and Premium Rush ended up delivering a high octane bike messenger chase film that balanced out the routine plot and line delivery with kinetic bike chases that definitely feel refreshing in the closing of the summer months.
It has been exactly one year to the day that I have started this blog. I personally never thought that I would be able to post one item every day since the inception of this little adventure. I started out the blog with my ode to one of my favorite films of all time, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, a film that rests comfortably at the top of my favorite film list. But while it was the first film that kicked off this little adventure, there was one film that I first posted on my Facebook account that pretty much started my daily Movie of the Day post. Brick, a film that takes the time tested neo-noir, crime genre and give it a new coat of paint and a slick script to produce one of the most unique and memorable movies I have seen in a long time. Brick to me is a film that will always be one of the best. For some reason, when I first started posting a movie of the day on my facebook timeline, this was the first film to come to mind. It’s a film that encapsulates the era of the crime genre and spins it enough to make it something all its own. A world of intrigue and lies, built upon the grounds of a high school where the teens become the adults and the story takes on a life of its own.
There must be some sort of rule in Hollywood that states that if a movie is about cancer, it’s got to be utterly depressing and a sob fest. I understand that the subject matter they are dealing affects millions of people and can be a devastating time in one’s life, but is it all death and sadness? Is it about just giving up hope and wallowing in your depression? It’s a trivial thing for me to say this being that I don’t have cancer, but I can’t imagine life being over as soon as those words come out of the doctors mouth. I am certain I will catch flack for this so I am well prepared for any backlash. Movie are meant to be entertaining, that is the point of films, at least that is what I want them to be. You can make a compelling movie without having to resort to tears and sadness from the get go. You want me to feel sympathetic with a characters dilemma, then at least let me get to know the character.
50/50 was and still is one of the most underrated comedic drama’s that came out this year. Sure some people might have been turned off by the premise as Funny People sort of covered it the previous year with the terminally ill character trying to lead a life in comedy while fighting the illness. I personally found that to be both mature and effective in the themes that it was going for. 50/50 was a here and there film, meaning I got to see the movie in the 2 week time span that it was available at our multiple theaters and was absolutely stunned by how funny and touching a movie about having cancer can be. It does what a lot of movies that deal with this subject matter miss a lot and that is the character aspect of the films. Instead of following a character that is on the path to death right from the start and slowly watching that person wall himself up from society, 50/50 managed to make a compelling film that follows Levitt as a young person dealing with the in’s and out’s of coping with his new found odds on life. He doesn’t become a wreck or push everyone away, but rather goes on with life and the notion that he’s got a shot at beating this. He is young, optimistic, and has a full plan for his life.
God Lord there is just too much awkward cuteness and indie sweetness to be contained in one singular film. It’s unfair to the audience to not only watch the irresistible Zooey Deschanel being the indie darling that she is, but also watching the folksy, often befuddling Joseph Gordon-Levitt in a movie together is just almost too much to handle. Hell, having both of them together in a movie means that we have to like it. Long story short, I do adore this movie. I am a hopeless romantic in some ways, which is funny when people who know me say I am crass and irreverent at times. Hey, I can’t help it sometimes but movies like (500) Days of Summer are some of the best romantic comedies around. Way better than the crap that gets pushed out now that barely passes for believable romantic elements. So while I am going to where my heart on my sleeve this time around, (500) Days of Summer is nothing but irresistible.
