Limitless (2011)

"Limitless" was a surprisingly entertaining film. I was already interested in the film from the trailer, but I can say the premise was NOT EVEN close to what I was expecting.

From the trailers, I understood that Robert De Niro was a devil (like) character who offers Bradley Cooper a shot at the world--lifelong success--via a clear pill, but at a price. I thought Bradley Cooper sold his soul or made a deal and the devil came to collect once Cooper reaped the benefits of the pill.

Boy, was I wrong.

Eddie Morra (Bradley Cooper) is a down-on-his-luck writer who happens to run into his ex-brother-in-law (via his marriage with his ex-wife, played by Anna Friel of "Pushing Daisies" fame), who used to be a drug dealer.

Well, in a way, he still was... (this actually reminded me a bit of the indie flick "Twelve" starring Chace Crawford)

He tells Eddie about this clear pill called NZT that is unlike anything that exists. It clears your mind--i.e. all your memories become accessible to you--you utilize 100% of your brain. The general belief is that we only utilize 20% of our brain, which leaves 80% locked (this has since been found out to be untrue). In the movie, Eddie takes NZT and immediately calculates, plans, scenarios... all functions of the brain at full capacity. He is the most productive he's been in a LONG while. When his juice runs out, well... of course he wants more. He's at his best when he's on NZT.

And therein lies the rub.

De Niro plays a fat cat, ahead-of-his-game, head-of-empire Carl Van Loon. He is reminiscent of Michael Douglas in "Wall Street" (1987)--cold, calculated, impersonal, shrewd businessman. He has had a lot of experience and a lot of success throughout the years. He is cautious and makes sure that only experts are trusted when it comes to his investments and time. Eddie's boss (after Eddie starts working for a stock company--I think it may be a brokerage firm) pushes him in to a meeting with Van Loon and from there, this "newb" starts playing with the 'big boys.' Van Loon's right-hand man, Pierce (played by Robert John Burke, of 'Thinner' [movie based upon Stephen King's horror novel of the same name] fame and most recently as Bart Bass on 'Gossip Girl'), scoffs at Morra and doesn't trust him because of his newfound fame and success--he came too quickly on to the scene.

When Morra finishes his first dosage of NZT, he goes back to his ex-brother-in-law, and to make a long story short--he ends up dying, and the movie begins to unravel the truth behind NZT.

A subplot involves a Russian loan shark who is constantly on Morra.

The movie revolves around NZT (for obvious reasons), and I would recommend you watch this film.

Abbie Cornish (who's also in newly released "Sucker Punch", which I sadly wanted to see, along with "Battle: LA", but may not have the $$ to spend--or willing to spend) plays Morra's girlfriend (from the beginning of the film--hearing of his 'ex-brother-in-law' confused me at first).

"Limitless" is based upon a novel by Irish writer Alan Glynn, called The Dark Fields, now being re-released under the Mass Market Paperback movie tie-in edition, Limitless. Hearing the title The Dark Fields makes me think of 'A Scanner Darkly' (and its novel). Ssssh... Not that I'm ruining anything (o; [b/c I'm not]

Get thee to the theatre (or download SSSHH!) now!! Enjoy!

Overall Grade: B+/A-

(maybe more like a B++ lol if that exists)

Burlesque (2010)

You are all probably used to this phrase by now: "It did what it was supposed to do."

However, that doesn't excuse that Christina Aguilera, in trying to break into acting, couldn't steer clear of singing. I believe that there should be a separation between the two when you are trying to succeed with one. If you're going to be a singer, then SING. But if you're going to be in a movie, people will only take you seriously if you are there AS AN ACTOR (see: Justin Timberlake).

I personally hate crossovers like that (see: every Disney child actor star EVER).

The acting seemed amateur and the storyline was most definitely predictable.

Ok.

So WHAT exactly were we expecting to see?

Well, the "Burlesque"-ness of it all! I believe this is what the PCD are all about. Singing, dancing, seduction, all in cute (but seductive) outfits (those of which you could see at any Halloween party or Burning Man).

[Long live )'( ]

I always feel sad when I see such potential in actors to break out of their slump or "B" (even "C" *gasp*) zone (see: James Franco, who's FINALLY DONE IT w/"127 hours" [WATCH!]). Cam Gigandet can really break into mainstream without being taken as a joke; same with Stanley Tucci (which I hear he did in "The Lovely Bones" -- a movie I have yet to see). [I'm in class and apparently I've missed the review for this class. Good thing we have "group tests." I just gotta make sure I show up on time. Ok more on the movie! SORRY FOR THE ASIDE] Burlesque gets a solid C from me.

Predictable.
Amateur acting.
Amateur storyline.

The movie seems to be there to just push forward Ms. Aguilera's ability to sing--which we're already aware of.

Unfortunately this doesn't help her current situation (drunk in public, DUI, AND she's found a new man so soon already after her baby daddy!! tsk tsk).

O, Christina, we already KNEW you could sing. Show us that you're more than your Dirrrty self.

Movies to come...

(They're really building up now!)

"Due Date"

"Hamlet 2"

"Invictus"

"Marie Antoinette"

"Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps"

more TBA...

(can't quite recall now, and like an idiot, deleted them off my hard drive already... Harumph)

"DARK CITY" TBW/R (to be watched and reviewed)

"Amadeus" 1984

“Amadeus” is a fictionalized take on the life and times of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. It is completely in English, even though it takes place in Austria and the characters are Austrian. Salieri is an Italian-born composer, but upon further research¹, he is discovered to have grown up and composed in Austria, hence his place in the Emperor's Court. The movie does well bringing in elements of drama, comedy, and especially Mozart's music. The characters are fleshed out, and as undesirable as some characters may seem, they are all sympathetic characters. Mozart is the almost anti-hero of his own tragedy, with Salieri as the conniving villain. Through it all he is appreciative of Mozart's talent, but because of his jealousy and moral superiority, he cannot reach out a hand in friendship to Mozart and in the end, destroys him.

The movie did not feel its three hours (I watched the Director's Cut), and the depth of Salieri's deception is so deep that at times you hope he will pull out at the last second in remorse. But he is too far into his own game, and the ruse continues. He at once despises and admires Mozart from afar, and by the end of the movie, F. Murray Abraham's Oscar for Best Actor seems well-deserved. Watching “Amadeus” very much made me interested in classical music and the music of Mozart again. I once played Sonatas on piano and clarinet, and my parents had bought me a set of “Classical Music for Kids,” of which “The Magic Flute” was one story. Hearing Mozart's music made me miss all of this, and the movie was filled with Mozart's music.

Mozart reminded me a lot of Michael Jackson, actually, in his sad state of remaining child-like and emotionally, mentally stunted due to his early fame because of his genius. People took advantage of his naivete, ingenuous nature and need for friends, and exploited it to their fullest advantage. The one thing that struck me was the very unique laugh that Tom Hulce learned and utilized for his portrayal of Wolfgang “Wolfie” Mozart, and perhaps this was artistic license, but his laugh was supposed to ludicrous and severe enough to catch the raised brows of those advisors at court closest to the Emperor. Mozart believed in his art and that it would prevail, so much so, that he offered to help a friend for no promise of money. He literally worked himself to death, or so the story of the movie would tell us.

Historically, it seems that Mozart and Salieri had more of a healthy competition and were friends and peers. Antonio Salieri even tutored Mozart's son in music (Brown). “Amadeus” is based upon a stage play written in 1979 by Peter Shaffer², inspired by the short play Mozart and Salieri by Aleksandr Pushkin³. The relationship is fictionalized to include an antipathy between Mozart of Salieri, scorn for Mozart's character from Salieri, and scorn for Salieri's abilities from Mozart. Some critics felt appalled that Mozart was portrayed as a fool, and that he was classier than his character is portrayed in the story. Mozart had to “retain a degree of dignity when working at court and therefore could not have acted as he did in Amadeus”⁴. Also, Mozart was actually well-paid for his compositions, but most likely still did spend beyond his means, as portrayed in the movie. The cause of his death is unknown, but what is agreed upon is that his final illness “came upon him suddenly and included fever and rashes” (Feo). Historically, many of the nobility died through lack of attention to hygiene and knowing how to maintain proper health; the life expectancy was much shorter.

Overall, “Amadeus” was an enjoyable film, and I was actually interested in investigating the truth behind Salieri's seeming hatred for Mozart and his role in Mozart's downfall, because prior to the film, I had never heard of Antonio Salieri. And apparently, due to the popularity of “Amadeus” (the 1984 film), many people started to seek out Salieri's works and his opuses became sought out again. If I had to give “Amadeus” a grade, I would give it a B+/A-. The acting was not the best it could have been, but it is also a film from 1984. The costuming, however, seemed very intricate and delicate, and it looks like the filmmakers did their homework. There was a contrast in to how the nobility dressed, and who bought wigs, and the extravagance of the royal court. The difference between a performance set for peasants and one set for the court and its noble class were also nice to see.

1Brown, A. Peter. “Amadeus and Mozart: Setting the Record Straight”. The American Scholar 61.1 (1992). Print

2“Amadeus.” The Internet Movie Database. February 2011. Internet Movie Database ltd. 14 Feb 2011

3 "Mozart and Salieri." Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. Encyclopædia Britannica, 2011. Web. 14 Feb. 2011. <http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/395486/Mozart-and-Salieri>.

4Feo, Pamela. “Mozart Myths.” Boston Lyric Opera. 2006. Web. 14 Feb 2011.

Update!!

"Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen"

(FINALLY!)

*Newsflash!* Transformers 3 is starring all the same players, minus Megan Fox, add in Victoria's Secret model.

"Amadeus."

REVIEWS

TBD

(o; <<> dunh, DUNH!!]

The Crazies (2010)

I had a review planned out in my head last night after I watched this movie.

It was going to be short and sweet.

I've completely forgotten it now.

So, here goes...

"I Am Legend" (movie) / "28 Days Later" (movie)

"Persons Unknown" (TV)

Just a few elements of that goin' on...

It's not really a ZoMBiE movie, but more about government interference, and the callousness of testing on human lives.

Ok, there are some zombie-LIKE characters.

They're all coherent humans, but they just become murderous (à la "28 Days Later", i.e. the "rage" virus).

Timothy Olyphant and Radha Mitchell star.

It wasn't scary in the sense of its being scary, but there were tense moments.

Bumps and noises--and the music did the job building tension more than anything.

I like the underappreciated actors, and Timothy Olyphant (and to some extent, Radha Mitchell) is one of them.

I had wanted to see this when it came out, and I was not disappointed.

The ending of the movie sends the same message that the opening does, and I'm not gonna lie--realistic endings are my thing.

Whether or not it's happy is irrelevant.

With that cryptic outro, I'm OUT.

Enjoy!! (o;

Red (2010)

RED (2010) starring Bruce Willis, Morgan Freeman, Helen Mirren, and John Malkovich--also co-starring Julian McMahon and Brian Cox (and Richard Dreyfuss!) stands for "Retired, Extremely Deadly" and is a pretty funny movie.

John Malkovich's paranoid character reminds me SO MUCH of Walter Bishop of "Fringe" (on Fox, Friday nights--if you haven't started watching, GET THEE TO HULU or FOX.COM and WATCH IT!!).

Oh yeah, Mary-Louise Parker is also in it. Although I was slightly disappointed by her performance. She is so much Nancy Botwin from "Weeds"--which works for the show, but kinda annoying for the movie.

She's what we would call the "Kate" character of the movie--she gets the "Kate" (Austen, of "Lost") treatment--pretty, but useless in the sense of sympathy, empathy and point. (I personally liked Kate, but many other viewers of "Lost" found her annoying and pointless) <<>

RED is entertaining, action-packed, but long. There are moments where it is slightly slow.

With that said, the plot twists were believable, and the most important part was that every scene mattered. (i.e. when introducing a new plot element, or a particular scene, it is relevant, and you WILL remember it when they bring back reference to it)

This brings me to "Amadeus," which I had to watch for a Music Appreciation class, and I never actually completed the movie (I've started it a few times and seen middle sections). I'll review that later.

If you like old people kicking ass, and the youth who disrespect the elderly getting theirs, RED is for you.

The lines are pretty witty, and the characters all have their moments (except for Nancy Botwin--I mean, Sarah).

The premise of the story can be gotten from the trailer, found here.

The general gist of the story is that Bruce Willis, who plays Frank (Francis) Moses, a retired CIA Senior Analyst (as the story goes), who is suddenly under fire--someone wants to kill him. He goes to some old friends, does some digging, is courting/kidnaps Mary-Louise Parker (all this happens within the first 10-15 min., I promise!!), and the movie ensues.

Karl Urban is great as the upstanding, well-meaning, straight-laced, by-the-book young CIA man. (I forgot to mention he was in the film)

From the top of my head, I can grab that he is Eomer in "Lord of the Rings," the doctor in "Star Trek," and the main villain along w/Thandie Newton in "Chronicles of Riddick."

Overall, I'd give this movie a B. I know it seems I give middling grades--that's somewhat where all movies stand.

Oh yeah--it did what it was supposed to do. (o;

Enjoy!