Friday, July 30, 2010

The Minority Report - "Inception" (2010)


What's the most resilient parasite? An idea. A single idea from the human mind can build cities. An idea can transform the world and rewrite all the rules. Which is why I have to steal it.

This movie has been on my “to watch” list for the longest time. Ever since I saw the 1st commercial about a half year ago, I was hooked on finding out how the production of the movie was going and when it was going to be released. Considering the fact that in the US it was released a week before we got it, there was a lot of talk about it over Facebook, Twitter, the newspapers, and movie review websites. It was hard to avoid spoilers and keep up to date with all things Inception, but somehow, I managed to do it. The day it came out here, I was immediately there.

The basic premise of the movie is that a man by the name of Dominic Cobb (Leonardo DiCaprio) is a type of futuristic extractor of information. The process involves the extractor infiltrating the dreams of someone that possesses information that could not be obtained through normal methods. Because of his experiences with his family and what he now does, he cannot sleep well or dream and he also can’t return to the United States. The recurring appearances of his wife, Mal (Marion Cotillard), in his missions because of his subconscious have almost compromised a couple of missions, but when he is offered a chance to see his family again if he completes a mission, he can’t help but accept. The man that hires him, Saito (Ken Watanabe), is rich and powerful, and can make basically any wish come true. At his behest, Cobb searches and finds a new dream world architect called Adriadne (Ellen Page), a forger that can change personas and identities within dreams called Eames (Tom Hardy), and a chemist that makes a strong sedative not available on the market called Yusuf (Dileep Rao); all of these people will join him and his friend and colleague, Arthur (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), as they pull off the mental heist. The target is a man named Robert Fischer (Cillian Murphy), who is the son of Maurice Fischer (Pete Postlethwaite), a man who is terminally ill and also happens to be Saito’s business rival. The mission is meant to plant the seed of a thought in the mind of Robert Fischer through a process called “inception,” which will make him want to break apart his father’s company as soon as he passes away. What begins as a simple plan quickly turns into a major commitment with many troubles and many dream levels that winds you down and bends your mind almost as much as it bends the storyline.

After I walked out of the movie, I was in love. It was intricate in both plotline and visuals. The way that the scenes were set up made them perfect eye candy for people that enjoy sets and special effects—specifically the scenes involving changes in gravity. The plotline was all but genius, and the way that the story moved along was just right to successfully transmit the information that was going on in all the dream levels. The only thing that went without much of an explanation after being mentioned was the timescale of the dreams. It was brought up in an off-handed way, but not clearly visible in the actual movie. Apart from that, though, the movie was a wonder to behold. Christopher Nolan did an excellent job as director and producer, but specifically as the writer of such an exciting adventure. I recommend everyone to see it if you can. This movie is definitely not like watching paint dry within paint drying within paint drying within paint drying.

By Kulguy

Tuesday, July 27, 2010

The Minority Report - "The Last Airbender" (2010)


He will need you... and we all need him.

I’m going to go ahead and start off by saying that I am a big fan of the original series. The thing with movies that are based off of something is that they will not be an exact replica. Keeping that in mind, when I went to see it, I forgot all about the television series and began with a blank slate. I had also heard for about a week (because movies come out a week later where I am currently) that the movie was absolutely terrible from everyone and everywhere (from friends to rotten tomatoes). I still held some level of hope, though.

Like the series, the movie is about an alternate earth where there are 4 nations that represent the 4 elements (Earth, Fire, Wind, and Water). Each nation practices different martial arts styles that make some of the people able to control their respective element, which is called “bending”. Legend tells of the avatar, who has the unique ability to master all 4 elements and rotates through all nations in an infinite reincarnation loop. One hundred years ago, he was born to the Air nation; that was also the time when the Fire nation decided to launch an attack to take over the other nations. When the world needed him most, though, the avatar disappeared. Now, one hundred years later, he has reappeared out of an ice sheet. Aang (Noah Ringer), the new avatar, along with the people that found him—Katara (Nicola Peltz) and Sokka (Jackson Rathbone)—have set out to liberate the nations from the grip of Fire and learn all 4 elements.

So…here we go. The movie wasn’t terrible, but it was bad. That is because of 3 main reasons: the script, the acting, and the editing. I had no problem with the camera angles and shots, as they were modeled after many of the scenes from the series and were pretty artful. What was terrible was the way that the movie was put together. Scenes would come and go with barely any cohesion. Only near the end was the editing bearable. Also, the bad acting coupled with the terrible script that only allowed for one-dimensional characters made the movie somewhat hard to watch. The only part of the movie that was fun to watch was the fighting and “bending” scenes because of the fantastic special effects created by Industrial Light and Magic. This movie is definitely like watching paint dry on a wall filled with ancient martial arts drawings and weird hybrid animals.

By Kulguy

Sunday, July 25, 2010

The Minority Report - "Despicable Me" (2010)


"Despicable Me" is despicably cute. There is no way to escape this fact about the movie. It bathes itself in this fact. It knows it’s adorable and takes advantage of it like a little kitten in the pound looking to be adopted. If this movie really was a kitten in the pound waiting to be adopted and you suddenly met eyes with this adorable little fluff ball, you would fall in love instantly. This is the exact effect this movie had on me. I fell hard for the cute comedy and quirky attributes that drive this film. Even though it is a cute film, it also has its flaws. As with its humor, as some jokes may miss the intended audience. There are some moments that fall flat. Also, Steve Carell as the voice of the lead never truly feels like he is an evil genius. With these issues aside, this movie was the perfect kids (and, let’s face it, all ages) movie.

The story is about Gru (voiced by Steve Carell). Gru is a super, evil genius that is a tad past his prime. Well, Gru gets this great idea to steal the moon. To steal the moon, he needs the aid of the crazy gadgets that he uses as if nothing in everyday occurrences. He also has an army of crazy, little, yellow, jelly bean looking minions that help in boosting the comic relief, and help a crazy old inventor (voiced by Russel Brand). Things hit a snag in his plan fast, and Gru then acquires the possession of three little orphan girls by the names of Margo, Edith, and Agnes. This is a cute little movie that is all about Gru discovering his true self as a villain, son, and a dad.

This movie was entertaining, and it was impossible not to smile. Try as you might to not show off that you have an inner child, it will shine through in this movie. I even found myself fighting off tears (Hey guys, it’s okay to show off your sensitive side here and there. The chicks love it.). This movie is nowhere near profound or really endearing, yet it has tons of charm something a lot of movies this day and age lack. Also, its unique art style was highly appreciated and flowed well with its extremely polished animation. This movie is like watching a 5 year old paint an adorable (yet piss poor) painting of her family—it may not be the best, but you will still hang it on your fridge.

By V-Dawg

Friday, July 23, 2010

The Minority Report - "Toy Story 3" (2010)


"Quiet musical hog!"

Like the Facebook group says: “Move out of the way, kids! I’ve been waiting for this movie for 11 years!” It is true. Ever since Toy Story 2 came out, there had been rumors of a third installment. As soon as I heard that this movie was coming out, I instantly became excited beyond belief and readied myself for the awesomeness. For some reason, I knew that Pixar wouldn’t let me down. Considering the fact that the previous two movies were pretty much masterpieces, it would not be an easy task to compare, much less top what had already been created.

The basic premise of the movie is that Andy (John Morris), the kid who was a secret protagonist (he owns the toys) in all of the other movies, is leaving for college and has to decide what to do with his old toys, who have been sitting in a chest untouched for many years. Like a typical teenager, he doesn’t want to outwardly show that he still has fond memories of them and doesn’t want to give them away. As of right now, only the main cast of toys remain, as the others have been given away or sold over the years, so Andy decides to store them in the attic instead of throwing them away. His mom mistakes the bag he was carrying them in for trash, and takes it outside, but Woody (Tom Hanks), who was the only toy that Andy decided to take to college, tries to save them. They all manage to escape and think that Andy actually meant to throw them away, so they choose to leave to a daycare called Sunnyside instead, where they will be played with every day. What ensues is an adventure that Woody, Buzz (Tim Allen), Jessie (Joan Cusack), and the gang could not have predicted.

This movie is most definitely the last of the series. It is also most definitely another masterpiece of Pixar craftsmanship. Everything is covered: from depth of character to a plotline that can make the most hardened soul as soft as Lots-O (Ned Beatty) the strawberry-smelling, hugging bear. I had heard from multiple people that it was hard not to cry in the movie and I didn’t believe them. By the end of the movie, after much breathing deeply and attempts at containment, I was crying my eyes out. It is truly a touching story that both delights and saddens. The end gives you a strange sense of heartrending nostalgia, and yet contains an inherent happiness that just aids in the saddening feeling (you will see why). Filled with moments of hilarity and melancholy, this movie is a must-see for people of all ages—you definitely won’t regret it. This movie is not at all like watching paint in the shape of toys dry.

By Kulguy

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

The Minority Report - "The A-Team" (2010)


"I love it when a plan comes together."

As soon as this movie hit theaters, I was ready to see it. I have seen the original series and, considering the fact that it was an influence to the blockbuster series Ocean’s 11, 12, and 13 and the television series Leverage, I was excited to see a full-length feature adaptation. Besides that, it was going to be interesting seeing the casting that took place for B.A. Baracus (Quinton Jackson), a character originally played by Mr. T. So, for father’s day, because my mom and dad were big fans of the original series as well, we headed out to the nearest theater to enjoy.

The movie opens up with the story of how the members of The A-Team found each other. John “Hannibal” Smith (Liam Neeson) makes a plan to take down some criminals in Mexico and, in the process, gets his partner, Tempelton “Face” Peck (Bradley Cooper), caught. He escapes from a trap and heads out through the desert to rescue his friend, where he hijacks a GMC Vandura van (the famous A-Team series van) that is being driven by B.A. Baracus. They immediately bond because of their involvement in the American armed forces (B.A. is in the Rangers). They work together to rescue Face and then flee to pick up a pilot they hired, whom is literally insane. Stopping at a mental institution, they find H.M. “Howling Mad” Murdock (Sharlto Copley), feigning that he is a doctor and being dragged away by the medical professionals that are caring for him. They release him into the custody of Hannibal and they all head out in a medical helicopter. As they are taking off, they throw objects off of the helicopter and accidentally destroy the van to the dismay of B.A. Being chased by the criminals in the air now, they escape various missiles and traps by doing aerial acrobatics that leave B.A. terrified of flying, and end up in American airspace, where the Mexican criminals get blown out of the air. Now, they work together doing missions of utmost importance until they are tricked by a group of Black Ops marines and jailed for a crime they did not commit. They then promptly escape from jail and seek to clear their names.

The more I watched this movie, the more fond memories returned of the old series. Even though there is more action involved with the plans that Hannibal concocts, it still retains that spark from the old series. The whole point of the series was to offer up a group of people that acted in a MacGyver-like way to escape from any situation. The critics that you will see around give this movie mixed reviews because they dislike this type of crazy and almost plotless action that resolves itself in a crazy way. I like plotlines that are well set up and this one, surprisingly, is. It remains faithful to the series while adding some new flare that is instantly enjoyable. If you like wacky humor that is honestly funny or crazy antics that could only come from The A-Team, then this movie is for you. This movie is like watching paint dry if the paint runs missions in a covert fashion as it attempts to clear its name.

By Kulguy

Monday, July 19, 2010

The Minority Report - "Get Him to the Greek" (2010)


"Where are you? Why haven't you called? I'm calling you right now and I just got hit by a motherfucking car."

I watched this movie quite a while back. If anything, it must be the most hyped up comedy this summer. It was pretty much plastered on every wall and displayed every 5 seconds on the television. Being a somewhat indirect yet direct spin-off of "Forgetting Sarah Marshall", this movie centers around one of the secondary characters in that film, Aldous Snow (Russell Brand), and expands his universe so everyone gets to know who he is. I basically watched it because it was everywhere and, I must admit, it had me curious. I did not know what to expect, but I was ready.

The premise of the movie is simple…Aaron Green (Jonah Hill) has 72 hours to get Mr. Snow to The Greek for a show. He works for an agency called Pinnacle Records and is used to music and all that it encompasses. His girlfriend is Daphne (Elisabeth Moss), and they seem to have a one-sided (my opinion) relationship. He is a big fan of Aldous Snow, but not of his latest release, which has basically bombed in sales. Because of it, his career is in decline and his girlfriend, Jackie Q (Rose Byrne), has left him. At Aaron Green’s behest, Sergio Roma (Sean “Diddy” Combs) sends him to transport Snow to a show in The Greek to regain his spot as the greatest rock star of all time. What ensues is a wacky, insane, and painfully memorable trip that takes them pretty much everywhere.

All in all, the movie was very enjoyable. Undoubtedly, many people will be repeating lines from this movie for a while. The thing is, it is a good movie, but it is not memorable. It’s good to watch end enjoy, but you will not be recalling it when watching another comedy, saying “That’s like Get Him to the Greek.” It just won’t happen. Furthermore, it was a bit less funny than it was cracked up to be (notice I didn’t say it wasn’t funny, because it was). In the end, surprisingly, it has a little message to take home to your everyday life. Very enjoyable and quite funny, so go watch it and enjoy. This movie is like watching paint dry…if the paint is on a furry wall (you will get it if you see it).

By Kulguy