Prometheus

Prometheus has been shrouded in a cloak of mystery (is it a prequel to Alien??) and has been so hyped that it was almost impossible to not be disappointed. With one of the hottest casts in recent memory (like, seriously, you guys - HOT), a crazy smart script co-penned by Lost scribe Damon Lindelof, direction by the sci fi master himself, Ridley Scott, and expectations that were so high you can barely reach them - how is it possible that Prometheus can be anything but awesome.

Well, for starters, the whole plot is just a little fuzzy. We start out with a prologue that makes little to no sense at all. Then we move forward and meet a scientist couple (Noomi Rapace and Logan Marshall-Green) who make a discovery that seems so miniscule that it's hard to believe anyone would give them millions, no, billions of dollars to travel into space just to try to prove their thesis. But that's exactly what a recently deceased billionaire (played by Guy Pearce - and the fact that they hired a 40-something actor just to put him in tons of make up and make him look like an old man is beyond me... why not just hire an old man actor??) does. So, Elizabeth (Rapace) and Charlie (Marshall-Green) wake up on a space ship that also includes a slimy executive type (Charlize Theron), the ridiculously sexy captain of the ship (Idris Elba) and a droll, mysterious drone (Michael Fassbender). [Do you see what I mean about this being the hottest cast of all time???] They arrive on a mysterious planet and begin to explore a mysterous cave and lots of mysterious stuff starts to happen. Some of it is intense and scary and genuinely enjoyable and some of it is cliched and redundant.

Yes, it is scary and creepy and intense to watch two random crew members get lost inside said cavern only to be attacked by a creepy, crawler. But, later, when a supposedly dead crew member comes back to life, it's just a little too horror / sci fi movie cliche for me. And, without giving too much away, probably the best scene of all features Noomi Rapace's character and a self inflicted surgical procedure. If you aren't left squirming while thinking about how this is the most bad ass female character in a film since, well, Ripley, then I don't know if you should be allowed to see movies anymore.

Speaking of Rapace, she is phenomenal. If anyone should be unfairly critiqued against Sigourney Weaver's iconic performance as Ripley, then it's good that it's the original girl with the dragon tattoo. Rapace is a total and complete bad ass. She is utterly convincable and a force to be reckoned with. However, there are good performances all around, with the other notable stand outs being Theron (who is playing at least her third mean girl / bad character in a row) who is a total ice queen and looks like she is having the time of her life and Fassbender who is hilarious and somewhat menacing as android David. The performances from this stellar cast help make the movie better, of course. I'm not saying Prometheus isn't a good movie already, because it is. Sure, it probably doesn't live up to the super high expectations (but what does these days... maybe I should dial the expectations down for The Dark Knight Rises), but Prometheus is still smart and fun. It's an utter joy ride of thrills and intense action sequences. Scott proves that he's still got it, with the dark and foreboding direction. My main problem is the script. When it's good, then it's oh so good, but the problem with it is that it's probably too muddled. I know, that sounds crazy since it's coming from one of the guys that used to write for Lost. Still, I think the problem is that the script mistakes being smart and sophisticated for being confusing. That's not to say it isn't a smart movie, because it totally is. It's just that I don't think it's quite as smart as it thinks it is. So, while Prometheus isn't quite the amazing experience I was hoping for, it's still an experience that ends up being well acted and well directed, and a hell of a lot of fun. In the swell of the brainless summer movie season, who can really ask for more than that??

Grade: B

Top Ten List: Best Actress 2010

10. Carey Mulligan in The Greatest - In such an underground movie, one that not many people have seen or even heard of, it sure has some great acting by the entire cast. Best of all is Mulligan, an actress who is slowly making a name for herself thanks to last year's An Education. She's even better here as a young woman, pregnant, mourning the death of the man she loved but didn't really know all that well. She struggles to find out the most about him while dealing with his mourning family. She's simply excellent.

09. Rebecca Hall in The Town - Sure, Jeremy Renner is getting all the buzz (and rightfully so), but Hall is damn good as a bank manager dealing with being taken hostage and then falling in love (unknowingly) with one of the men who took her. The layers of her performance are so impressive, it's hard to believe she isn't a bigger more famous star at this point.

08. Olivia Williams in The Ghost Writer - Although I enjoyed The Ghost Writer, I had my problems with this film (sort of typical, right down to the male casting). However, Williams was a truly wonderful addition to the film. As the sexy and vulnerable wife of a prime minister, she steals every single scene from two men (Ewan McGregor and Pierce Brosnan) who are far more famous than she is.

07. Noomi Rapace in The Girl Who Played with Fire - It's no surprise that I have sort of latched onto Lisbeth Salander as a character that I admire. She's badass, tough, and lives life by her own rules. I was very concerned with who they would choose for the American remake. While I'm not positive I approve of Rooney Mara, it may just be because she will never ever live up to Noomi Rapace who is pure perfection. As you can imagine, more later...

06. Annette Bening in The Kids Are All Right - She may be the only person who could beat Natalie Portman at the Oscars, but she didn't even crack my top 5. Bening is good, sure. She's always good. And that's part of the problem. We've all seen her do this type-A personality role before. I don't want to take anything away from her wonderful performance but, honestly, there were better this year.

05. Julianne Moore in The Kids Are All Right - While Bening played the exact same character she always plays, Moore struck out and paved new territory as the slightly ditzy, underappreciated wife of Bening's. She's a free spirit always changing her mind about everything, including her profession. And, I mean, kudos for all those super sweaty sex scenes!

04. Emma Stone in Easy A - Since she broke out, we knew she could be the funny girl (Superbad, Zombieland). But in Easy A, she is the funny girl but also the smart girl and the sexy girl and the girl who you really want to be best friends with. She takes what could have been a cliche teen comedy character and turns her into a real person, someone you feel like you know personally. Plus, she's got perfect comedic timing, but that should be no surprise!

03. Jennifer Lawrence in Winter's Bone - So, I didn't like this movie. I mean, I didn't hate it either but like The Kids Are All Right, I don't get all the buzz. Also like The Kids Are All Right, one thing I can't complain about is the acting (her co-star John Hawkes just missed my Best Supporting Actor list yesterday). Lawrence is a revelation. It's the sort of breakthrough role that will most certainly send her into a whole new stratosphere, playing a tough teenger in the hardened mid-West, trying to take care of a sick mom and her younger siblings, all while searching for her father amidst some really creepy and crazy people. Lawrence truly shines.

02. Noomi Rapace in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo - Like I said, she's the perfect Lisbeth. Rapace manages to make the most of playing the badass computer hacker with the traumatic past by basing her performance in real emotion. She's got tattoos, an intimidating stare and an "i don't take shit" expression on her face at all times, but there is something so much more behind those eyes and Rapace manages to get that across to the audience which is why she is so brilliant here. Plus, there's the way she deals with a sexual predator that will truly make you want to stand up and applaud her badassery.

01. Natalie Portman in Black Swan - Portman, for me, has always been a little rigid on film. She sort of reminds me of Nicole Kidman in that neither actress really breaks out of their comfort zone too often. But when they do (Kidman in Moulin Rouge, Portman in Closer), it's a pure pleasure. This is Portman breaking out of her comfort zone BIG TIME. As Nina, a ballerina who wants nothing more than to be perfect, she walks the perfect line between sweet, naive, soft spoken little girl and, later, a woman full of passion and danger and sexuality. Her transformation is truly impressive and something that everyone is taking about (and for good reason). As a girl cracking under so much pressure, Portman hammers it out of the park and here's hoping Oscar rewards her.

Tomorrow - Best Actor!

Catching up!

I know I have been neglecting this blog but no more! Here are some mini reviews to catch up on all the movies I've seen but didn't review. As of now, I will update regularly with reviews and more (think top ten lists, actor profiles, useless fun trivia, etc.). But first, mini reviews (from best to worst):

The Ghost Writer - First off, this film is completely and utterly predictable. I knew who the killer was almost instantly. Still, it's a well done, damn good thriller. Directed by the notorious Roman Polanski and starring Ewan McGregor, Pierce Brosnon and Olivia Williams, The Ghost Writer is a political thriller with a whole lot of conspiracy theory thrown in. When the ghost writer of an ex-prime minister mysteriously ends up dead due to an "accident", McGregor reluctantly takes over his job and starts to unravel a whole lot of secrets. He also finds out that the death wasn't so much an accident as it was murder. The closer he gets to finding out the truth, the more someone wants to murder him as well. However predictable the story is, the acting and directing are so damn good that it hardly matters. Plus, that ending is perfect. (B)

Piranha 3D - Seriously, the most fun I have had at a movie theater in as long as I can remember!! Remember when 3D first came out and the previews for My Bloody Valentine 3D started showing and I thought to myself, "A 3D horror movie? That's the third greatest idea of all time (after the snuggie and the microwave, obviously)." Then I saw My Bloody Valentine 3D and it was a bloody awful mess. Well, Piranha 3D does every single thing right! It's so trashy and so over the top and so damn fun! Just try to not have a good time at this movie. I'm not even going to tell you plot. Okay, how about piranha's go crazy during Spring Break at an idyllic lake. That's all you need to know besides the fact that the cast is actually all kinds of impressive: Elisabeth Shue as chief of police, Ving Rhames as her badass deputy, Adam Scott as a scientist, Steven R. McQueen as Shue's impressionable son, Jerry O'Connell as a sleazy porn entrepeneur. Then there are the super fun cameos from Richard Dreyfuss and Christopher Lloyd. Plus, the movie was directed by Alexandre Aja who did High Tension and the super great remake of The Hills Have Eyes. I really want to give this a higher grade but I'm afraid all my credibility will be stripped away. (B)

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World - In a summer of typical, awful movies, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World was a ray of sunshine, completely original and completely creative. From Shaun of the Dead / Hot Fuzz director Edgar Wright, this adaptation of a highly revered comic book follows Scott Pilgrim (Michael Cera) and his quest to defeat the seven evil exes of his dream girl, Ramona Flowers (Mary Elizabeth Winstead). The supporting cast is perfection: Allison Pill, Johnny Simmmons, Mark Webber, Anna Kendrick, Jason Schwartzman, Chris Evans, Brandon Routh. Kieran Culkin as Scott's sarcastic gay roommate Wallace steals every single solitary scene he is in. (Also, I'm a dork and I totally did pick out the Tennessee Thomas cameo!). It all becomes a bit plotting. The fight scenes are all well done and different but there are SIX of them! Then there's that comic book / video game feel the game has which is super original and creative but it does get a little overwhelming at times. I'm not sure I was in love with all aspects of the ending but overall, I would recommend this super fun, super well done movie to anyone. (B)

The Girl Who Played with Fire - The second installment of the Millenium trilogy, this Swedish film follows the best female character in recent history, Lisbeth Salander (Noomi Rapace) as she is framed for the murder of two journalists. She and Mikael Blomquist, her ex-lover / journalist friend (Michael Nyqvist) become involved in a trafficking story that involves a lot of very high powered men. While not nearly as engaging as The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, the second installment is still a damn good movie. It does seem a little more rushed than the first, introducing characters on a whim and skipping past seemingly important story lines. Still, Noomi Rapace is a revelation. She is amazing as Lisbeth Salander, perfectly embodying the hacker punk heroine. Rooney Mara is going to have a hell of a lot to live up to. (B)

Winter's Bone - First off, Jennifer Lawrence is amaazing in the lead role. She is a real find. John Hawkes is also damn good in his supporting role as her uncle but then he has been a stellar supporting character actor for years now. The movie is basically about a 17 year old (Lawrence) whose dad has been in and out of jail. Her mom is mentally ill so she must raise her two younger siblings all by herself in some barren wasteland somewhere in the midewest. She finds out her dad has skipped bail and put their house up for collateral so she must find her dad within a week or the house will be taken from them. So, that's what she does. And it's all very plotting and boring. She just goes from one crazy relative to the next trying to find her dad. You're not sure if her relatives want to kill her or hug her and sometimes they do both in a matter of minutes. The performances are the only real saving factor here. (C+)

Machete - Look, I'm not going to tell you that Machete is some amazing, future Oscar winner or anything. It is very typically Robert Rodriguez. If you like his other films, then you will probably like this one. It is a lot of fun but there's nothing new here. He has a knack for writing interesting, far out characters (think Cherry in Planet Terror). Here we've got Machete (Danny Trejo), She (Michelle Rodriguez) and Lindsay Lohan who at one point wears a nun's habit while killing a bunch of bad guys. There's guns and fights and sex and blood. But it's a lot of fun. And, I mean, look, I was just there for Jeff Fahey. Also, dear Hollywood, next summer I would like a Machete vs. Piranha movie. You're welcome. (C)

Eat Pray Love - I have the same exact problem with the movie as I did with the book (although it didn't seem to annoy me quite as much with the book which I actually liked very much) - the main character, Elizabeth Gilbert, who also wrote the book, is a whiny little bitch! Watch as she whines about losing her husband while she's sleeping with a hotter version of him (Billy Crudup / James Franco, respectively). Watch as she whines about how lonely she is as she trapses around Italy, India and Bali. Watch as she talks about all the "poor little rich white girl" problems she has while she's interacting with people who have actual problems!! It seems like it's the Elizabeth Gilbert world with everything revolving around her. We just live in her world. It's all just a bit much. I didn't like Liz when I was reading the book although I did enjoy the travel aspect of the book. Julia Roberts, who has an immense likeability factor, can't even make me like this woman. Plus, this movie went on and on and on and on. It may have been two and a half hours long but it felt like five hours. (D)

Mini Reviews

Inception - By far, the best movie of the year so far. I haven't seen anything this radically original since probably Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. There aren't many fresh ideas out there these days so thank goodness Christopher Nolan has a few. The cast, the story, the effects - everything is just plain incredible. Leonardo DiCaprio gives his second amazing performance of the year (working out some crazy dead wife drama - AGAIN). Also, that epic hallway scene with Joseph Gordon-Levitt is a blissfully long way from 3rd Rock From the Sun.
Grade - A

The Other Guys - At times, laugh out loud funny. However, there are times when it's also extremely plodding. It's too long, for sure and the plot could be a lot tighter. However, it's still quite funny and Will Ferrell isn't nearly as annoying as he usually is. Michael Keaton is nothing short of a scene stealer. Worth a watch but not the funniest movie of the year.
Grade - C+

The Runaways - Parts of this movie are far better than they need to be. But then it becomes a typical cliche movie. The movie drags along forever at some points but then seemingly skips a lot of very important parts. In the end, it's kind of a wash out. Kristen Stewart, who looks a hell of a lot like Joan Jett, can't seem to shake that awkwardness that she's so famous for. Dakota Fanning is pretty impressive as Cherie Curry. However, the movie belongs to Michael Shannon as The Runaways diabolical and hilarious manager Kim Fowley. He steals the entire movie and is, at times, the only reason worth watching. I want a spin off about his character!
Grade - C-

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (Sweden) - I can see why they are having such a difficult time casting the role of Lisbeth Salander, the tough as nails, tattooed, bad ass computer hacker, for the U.S. remake. The part is not going to be a walk in the park but Noomi Rapace rocks the role so hard. She's a revelation in this complicated story about a disgraced journalist trying to solve a 40 year old murder. Beautiful filmmaking, a great script and solid performances make this a damn good movie.
Grade - B+

Step Up 3D - All my life, I've always wanted to know what it would be like to have someone break dance on my face. Thanks to Step Up 3D, now I know! Sure, it's not going to win any awards and it's not the most amazing film of all time or anything. But it is a hell of a lot of fun. As you are probably aware, urban dance movies are my guilty pleasure and some of the dance sequences are so enjoyable. It's such a fun movie!
Grade - C+

The Kids Are All Right - The indie sensation of the year is definitely worth the buzz. It's got a solid script and some very good filmmaking but it's the performances that make the movie worth it. Mark Ruffalo and Mia Wasikowska give amazing supporting roles as a man in his late 30s struggling to grow up and an 18 year old struggling to become an adult, respectively. But it's the all out war for acting supremacy between leads Julianne Moore and Annette Bening that is most engaging. It's a tough call as to who out acts whom. My vote goes for Moore and her delightfully hilarious ex-stoner who is actively making a mess out of her lovely life.
Grade - B+


Coming soon - reviews of Scott Pilgrim vs. the World and Eat Pray Love.