Director: Elliott Lester (Love is the Drug)
Starring: Jason Statham, Paddy Considine, Aidan Gillen
On Bluray + DVD: August 23, 2011
Well, I don't really have much to say about Blitz. Good or bad. It's really just a very bland, unoriginal, but still somewhat entertaining thriller. There's absolutely nothing new here. There's a cop killer (Gillen) who's taunting the police through phone calls. There's a Dirty Harry type (Statham), and the straight cop keeping him in line (Considine). There's the girl in distress. I've seriously seen this movie like 30 times before. Luckily for Blitz, it's a good story to overdo. I'll never tire of these Seven-esque stories, however generic they may be. It's not that anybody does a terrible job. Statham almost makes the film worth seeing by himself. While he's still playing an unstoppable badass on a rampage, he tones down his usual spiel significantly here. Not that he is a great actor or anything, I just enjoy him and it is interesting to see him playing a more reserved character. He's just about the only noteworthy thing in the entire movie, though. Not that Blitz is bad, or that any of the actors in it are bad. It's just not good.
Director: Kevin Macdonald (State of Play, The Last King of Scotland)
Starring: Channing Tatum, Jamie Bell, Donald Sutherland
On Bluray + DVD: June 21, 2011
The Eagle, on the other hand, suffers excruciatingly because of its lead actor. The movie itself is actually very interesting. It follows Marcus (Tatum), a Roman general, as he ventures into the wilderness of northern Britain to recover an aquila, a symbol of Rome's dynastic power. Because northern Britain had never been successfully conquered by Rome, Marcus is forced to bring his slave, Esca (Bell), as a guide. As the film progresses and Marcus is forced to rely on and trust Esca, the line between slave and master becomes blurred. I enjoyed The Eagle's story from beginning to end. However, Channing Tatum destroys the movie. He literally has no emotional connection to his character. I've seen more expression coming from inanimate objects. It's movies like The Eagle that make me appreciate similar films like Gladiator even more: without the guidance of great actors like Russell Crowe, it could have ended up just as cheesy as this.
Director: Neil Burger (The Illusionist, The Lucky Ones)
Starring: Bradley Cooper, Robert De Niro, Abbie Cornish
On Bluray + DVD: July 19, 2011
I've never seen a movie like Limitless before. And I mean that literally: I've never seen a movie like it. From the opening sequence to the credits, Limitless has a completely unique visual style. And I love it. Three or four times throughout the film, Burger does this impossible, extended zoom effect where the camera zooms in on something in the distance, and then it starts zooming in on something distant from that position, and so on. It is one of the coolest things I've seen in a movie this year. Oh, and the story is pretty interesting. Limitless is about a guy who stumbles upon a pill that basically puts his brain into overdrive, allowing him to learn faster and complete tasks more successfully. There's some intrigue into who is behind the drug and the side effects it causes, but the core concept is what really got to me. It sparked an interesting conversation between a couple of my friends and I about how this drug could be used if it actually existed. I prefer the idea that we could just give it to everyone, leveling the playing field while at the same time exponentially speeding up technological and scientific developments. They preferred the more realistic idea of the government controlling it and basically creating an intellectual elite that could control the normal people. Anywho. If you're in the mood for an intelligent thriller with awesome visuals and interesting ideas, Limitless is the movie for you.
I've never seen a movie like Limitless before. And I mean that literally: I've never seen a movie like it. From the opening sequence to the credits, Limitless has a completely unique visual style. And I love it. Three or four times throughout the film, Burger does this impossible, extended zoom effect where the camera zooms in on something in the distance, and then it starts zooming in on something distant from that position, and so on. It is one of the coolest things I've seen in a movie this year. Oh, and the story is pretty interesting. Limitless is about a guy who stumbles upon a pill that basically puts his brain into overdrive, allowing him to learn faster and complete tasks more successfully. There's some intrigue into who is behind the drug and the side effects it causes, but the core concept is what really got to me. It sparked an interesting conversation between a couple of my friends and I about how this drug could be used if it actually existed. I prefer the idea that we could just give it to everyone, leveling the playing field while at the same time exponentially speeding up technological and scientific developments. They preferred the more realistic idea of the government controlling it and basically creating an intellectual elite that could control the normal people. Anywho. If you're in the mood for an intelligent thriller with awesome visuals and interesting ideas, Limitless is the movie for you.
Starring: Koji Yakusho, Takayuki Yamada, Goro Inagaki
Language: Japanese
On Bluray + DVD: July 5, 2011
I'm not much of a fan of Japanese cinema outside of Kurosawa's stuff, so I was pleasantly surprised by how great 13 Assassins is. It actually reminded me of Kurosawa's Seven Samurai in a few ways: not only do the two films have similar plots, but they also have similar themes and a similar climax. Not to say that 13 Assassins is a copy. It's more of an homage, kind of like how Super 8 was an homage to those old nostalgic Spielberg movies of the 80s. What really sets the film apart from the many other Japanese samurai films is Miike's unique style and direction. The many shots of terror and bloodshed are simultaneously gory and tasteful, a tough combination to do right. Miike also attempts to infuse Assassins with humor throughout the film, and while I fear that most of it was lost in translation, I still found myself laughing during a few scenes. The acting all-around is extremely good, especially considering that two or three of these guys are apparently musicians in J-Pop bands (thanks Wikipedia). My only big problem with 13 Assassins is that it is too short. A film like this should be ridiculously expansive, just like Seven Samurai was. That film is almost 4 hours long and every single minute is integral to the film. 13 Assassins could have done the same, which would have given some much needed character development to some of the lesser assassins. Still, it's one of the better films I've seen this year and you should check it out.
I'm not much of a fan of Japanese cinema outside of Kurosawa's stuff, so I was pleasantly surprised by how great 13 Assassins is. It actually reminded me of Kurosawa's Seven Samurai in a few ways: not only do the two films have similar plots, but they also have similar themes and a similar climax. Not to say that 13 Assassins is a copy. It's more of an homage, kind of like how Super 8 was an homage to those old nostalgic Spielberg movies of the 80s. What really sets the film apart from the many other Japanese samurai films is Miike's unique style and direction. The many shots of terror and bloodshed are simultaneously gory and tasteful, a tough combination to do right. Miike also attempts to infuse Assassins with humor throughout the film, and while I fear that most of it was lost in translation, I still found myself laughing during a few scenes. The acting all-around is extremely good, especially considering that two or three of these guys are apparently musicians in J-Pop bands (thanks Wikipedia). My only big problem with 13 Assassins is that it is too short. A film like this should be ridiculously expansive, just like Seven Samurai was. That film is almost 4 hours long and every single minute is integral to the film. 13 Assassins could have done the same, which would have given some much needed character development to some of the lesser assassins. Still, it's one of the better films I've seen this year and you should check it out.
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