Theater Review: Now You See Me

I put up a small poll on my Facebook page to see what film I was seeing when I was able to get out of work early one night. The choices were Now You See Me and This is the End.

With an overwhelming, and somewhat surprising, difference in the outcome - Now You See Me won pretty easily.

So, off I went. And by the time I was seeing it, I was one of the few people in the theater - which I love.

Now You See Me is pretty much right up my alley, so I was happy to see it. I am a huge fan of films like Ocean's Eleven that have heists committed, and then give you how its done and the reason behind the heist itself. In this film, though, instead of costumes and disguises - magic is used and everyone know who is committing the crimes, but just can't seem to prove that they are.

The film stars an unlikely quartet as the Four Horsemen. Jesse Eisenberg plays J. Daniel Atlas, and is probably the most talented magician of the bunch - and he plays a little different than his usual quirky roles he has played in the past in say Social Network. He is actually sort of playing a stud - which was nice to see him play something different, and I came away liking him a little bit more.

Isla Fisher plays Henley Reeves, Atlas' former assistant who has now branched out on her own and is now more of an escape artist, ala Harry Houdini. She is also very talented, and I think we need more of her in films. Woody Harrelson plays Merritt McKinney, who is more of a mentalist than a magician. Harrelson has become one of my favorite actors over the years, he always seems to do an amazing job.

The surprise of the movie - Dave Franco. Franco plays Jack Wilder, a street magician who uses slight of hand to pretty much rob those around him. Franco sort of sticks out as not really belonging in this group of actors - sure maybe his brother James would fit in, but Dave? But, honestly, he was a standout to me. He was probably my favorite person in the movie.

So, the Four Horsemae are brought together by a bunch of Tarot cards and an unknown benefactor. They join forces to put on a handful of shows, which are sponsored by an insurance tycoon Arthur Tressler (Michael Caine).

Their show, though, doesn't just entertain the audience - it makes them wealthy. By robbing from a bank and showering the money out into the audience. But, how did they do it?

With more shows in the future, the authorities believe this will continue and FBI agent Dylan Rhodes (Mark Ruffalo) and Interpol agent Alma Dray (Melanie Laurent) are put on the case to figure out how it was done so they can pin it on the Four Horsemen.

They also bring in Thaddeus Bradley (Morgan Freeman), a former magician who now makes money revealing the secrets of other magicians' tricks. It's Bradley that Rhodes and Dray are hoping can figure out how the robberies are taking place.

I cam away really loving this movie. It had a lot of what I love, a great heist, great execution, action and a lot of comedy. Though, some forced love occurred as well - something that always seems to happen in these films. There was no real reason for it, but it didn't take away from anything.

The acting was top-notch, Caine, Freeman and Ruffalo are all outstanding actors. The lowest tiered actor was Franco, and as I said before, he stoodout to me in this film.

There are some twists and turns as well, some of which I figured out during, but it didn't take away from the overall movie. Looking forward to seeing it again.

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Theater Review: The Dark Knight Rises

I had heard a few times that Christopher Nolan was apprehensive about doing a third Batman film and I couldn't understand why. But, after seeing the film I can sort of see why he was - no matter what he put out it was always going to be compared to The Dark Knight.

The Dark Knight Rises also had another superhero film to contend with this summer that I am sure it was expecting to contend with when it was first announced - The Avengers. It's sort of odd to compare them as they are on two totally different spectrums - but you sort of have to.

Although I feel The Dark Knight Rises is the superior film, I would have to say I will probably watch The Avengers far more. It is just a more fun film - sort of like how Saving Private Ryan is a hell of a film, but I cannot watch it all of the time.

What The Dark Knight Rises was also up against was the amazing performance given by Heath Ledger as the Joker in The Dark Knight. No matter how great a villain that Nolan could cook up for the third film - no way was it going to live up to Ledger's performance.

Anyway, the final film picks up about eight years after Batman (Christian Bale) took the blame for killing Harvey 'Two-Face' Dent. All of the years as Batman has also taken a bit of a toll on Bruce Wayne - and as he stays hidden in his mansion he limps around from room-to-room.

As the guilt begins to tear at Commissioner Gordon (Gary Oldman), he is captured and brought to the new villain that has risen under the streets of Gotham, Bane (Tom Hardy). Gordon is shot, but manages to escape  despite losing a letter he had written with the truth about Dent.

Police officer John Blake (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) finds Gordon at the end of a tunnel and gets him to the hospital for treatment. Because of his detective work, Gordon promotes Blake and tells him to answer directly to him.

Blake was also once an orphan who looked up to Wayne because of all the donations the Wayne family gave to the orphanage - but he also somehow knows Wayne's true identity and tells him the city needs him to resurface.

Batman finds a local cat burglar, Selina Kyle (Anne Hathaway), to help lead him to Bane. Kyle uses the opportunity to get a program that can help erase her identity from all databases on the planet - and free her from her thieving ways.

Kyle, however, turns on Batman and turns him over to Bane in order stay alive - and Bane breaks Batman's back and leaves him in a prison in the middle of nowhere - the only way out is to climb out.

As Bane holds the city hostage with a nuclear weapon, he promises to finish what Ra's al Ghul started and destroy Gotham. With Batman out of commission, Gordon and Blake are all that is left to help save the city.

First off, my description above doesn't give the film justice. There was so much going on and all of it was so interesting and fit the story so well - just amazing story telling.

The film returns Bale, Michael Cane, Morgan Freeman, Oldman and another special guest that have been in all three movies and they continue to shine here. Newcomers Hardy, Hathaway and Gordon-Levitt were the main stars in this film and they were amazing.

Hardy was a great villain, and won't get the acclaims that Ledger did, but he held up this movie just fine as the villain. Sure, he wasn't the Joker, but Bane was ruthless and a great equal to Batman. Hathaway was simply amazing as Catwoman - I was a bit skeptical when I first heard she had signed on, but she played both sides of the fence to perfection - and wow did she look good. Finally, Gordon-Levitt - I can't really say much else about him, he has really become one of the best actors working today and here it was no different. So talented and he really shined in this film - even if he was just a cop.

Go see this movie - I am sure you already have. It is a great finale to Nolan's trilogy. I look forward to seeing it again.

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Theater Review: Cars 2

There are a ton of naysayers out there who say that the original Cars film is not worthy of the Pixar name. They say it is the worst of the Pixar films - which technically still isn't a bad thing.

I, on the other hand, have watched Cars about 20 times thanks to my 4-year old son. I have to admit, after the first viewing I was probably having the same thoughts as many of you, but on further views I have really learned to love Pixar's red-headed stepchild.

So, when Cars 2 was announced I was very eager to take my family to see the film. And, I wasn't disappointed.

The gang's all back, led by Lightning McQueen (Owen Wilson) and Tow Mater (Larry the Cable Guy). The lone missing character is Doc Hudson, who appears to have landed in that junk yard in the sky - which is a nice ode to Paul Newman, who passed away between the movies. Fillmore, however, does return - with a new voice after the death of George Carlin.

Anyway, the plot goes a little something like this. Sir Miles Axelrod (Eddie Izzard) has created a new green fuel Allinol, and plans to show just how great it is with a three races - Japan, Italy and England. Joining the races is Italy's hot racecar, Francesco Bernoulli (John Turturro), who manages to rope McQueen into joining the race.

McQueen brings along Mater, Fillmore, Sarge (Paul Dooley), Luigi (Tony Shalhoub) and Guido (Guido Quaroni) as his pit crew. Mater is a fish out of water - and embarrasses McQueen on a number of occasions - and accidentally gets mistaken for an American spy and joins Finn McMissile (Michael Caine) and Holley Shiftwell (Emily Mortimer) as they attempt to find a criminal mastermind.

The film feels like two separate stories being told at the same time, Mater's spy game and McQueen's race. However, both come together in a good way.

I enjoyed the action sequences in the film and it was amazing to look at. The racing scenes were beautifully created - seeing the three different race courses in the different countries.

Although a little Mater goes a long way, I didn't get too Matered out, like I thought I would. This was mostly his story - McQueen's story was told in the first film. And, it was enjoyable.

Again, it will be attacked - I know it will be. No, it is not the best Pixar film - but I don't feel anything can touch Toy Story. But, it is not a road bump either - it has a great, touching story about the meaning of friendship. And, enough action to appease the spy junkies.

Attack it if you must - but my son and I will watch it another 30 times, and enjoy it more with each watch.

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19/50: The Prestige

What do you think you would do to become the absolute best at your craft? Would you steal? Would you go to jail? Would you, possibly, kill?

That is just one of the many ethical questions being asked in Christopher Nolan's The Prestige. Which, despite being very good, may be my least favorite of Nolan's film that I have seen.

Alfred Borden (Christian Bale) and Robert Angier (Hugh Jackman) are each part of a magician's show - as they each try to become magicians themselves. Angier's wife, Julia (Piper Perabo), is the magician's assistant, who gets lowered into a bucket of water and releases herself.

Borden believes that the show could be better, and despite being told not to, ties Julia up in a different way - which ends up not allowing her to escape, and she is killed.

This is the start of the dismantling of Bordern's and Angier's friendship. Borden is quite possibly one of the best magicians, but his stage presence is lacking. Angier, however, has a ton of stage presence, but doesn't have the tricks that Borden is able to come up with.

Angier begins to obsess over becoming the best and beating Borden, especially have seeing one of the most amazing tricks he has ever seen - Borden's 'The Transported Man'. In order to figure out how he does it, Angier sends his stage assistant, Olivia (Scarlet Johansson), to become Borden's assistant and steal his secrets.

Like most of Nolan's films, you really have to pay attention. There is a lot going on in this film and just like Angier with Borden's diary, we have to try and figure out what is going on. Angier feels that being the best magician is the most important to him - even more important than the one's that love him.

Nolan really gets great performances out of his actors - Bale and Michael Caine continue to be his go-to guys and they perform great in this. Jackman also stands out, and you can see just how obsessed he has become to dethrown Bale's character.

Much like the Pixar films, Nolan has really begun to out do himself. It is hard to move The Prestige passed his newer films like Batman Begins, Dark Knight, Inception and even Memento. Although I would need to watch Memento again from what I remember I think it would still be ahead of this film.

That doesn't mean this is horrible, far from it, just that Nolan's lesser films still standout against most other films that are out there.

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25 Days: The Muppet Christmas Carol

Over the weekend, my family and I watched a load of Christmas movies in order to catch up on my 25 Days of Christmas.

Following along the lines of my Muppet Day from yesterday, comes the final installment - The Muppet Christmas Carol.

Much in the same vein as all other Christmas Carol-type movies, this one of course stars those lovable Muppets.

Kermit stars as Bob Cratchet with Miss Piggy as his wife Emily. Tiny Tim is portrayed by Robin.

This version still has a narrator, however, this narrator is seen. Gonzo tells the story as Charles Dickens with Rizzo along for the ride.

Like all Christmas Carol-type movies, we follow Ebenezer Scrooge (Michael Caine) as he is visited by his former partner(s) now deceased Jacob and Robert Marley (Statler and Waldorph).

The Marley's tell Scrooge he will be visited by three spirits (past, present and future) that should set Scrooge on a better way of life and avoid what they have to withstand in the after life.

The story is a classic, and the addition of the Muppets only makes it better. Caine was a brilliant Scrooge and in true Muppet fashion, the addition of musical numbers truly adds to the mistique.

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Children of Men, Meet the Robinsons

I was a bit out of commission on Tuesday as I was hit by the flu bug that seems to be going around up here.

Anyway, I was able to check out a pair of movies that I had not seen yet.

The first one I had heard really good things about and had been really wanting to check out.

Children of Men stars Clive Owen as Theo Faron. The movie is set in 2027, and human kind appears to be getting wiped out all over the world - with just a few areas still inhabited including London where much of this film is taking place.

There appears to be an issue with human reproduction in the future, as the world is mourning the loss of an 18 year old kid - the youngest person on the planet.

Theo, however, is pulled into a gang called the Fish to help transport a young refugee. Little does he know that she is pregnant, and could be the answer to all of the problems that are occurring in the world.

I really enjoyed the concept of this film - but it really left me in the dark with the ending. There was a ton of action, but a lot of it led to nothing really. I guess I had too high of expectations going in.

The movie also has Julianne Moore and Michael Caine as the two most recognizable faces after Owen, but their roles are very minor - and I was a bit surprised by that.

Anyway, it was a good watch - although not particular high on my rewatchable list.

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The second film I caught on one of the movie channels as I drifted in and out of sleep - but I did manage to watch most of the film.

Meet the Robinsons is Disney cartoon about an orphan named Lewis who is trying to win a science fair with his memory machine.

Little does he know, but this invention will morph his entire existence.

The evil bowler hat guy and his bowler hat, Doris, steal a time machine from the future to travel back to that time in history to stop Lewis from winning the science fair - and to take credit for the memory machine himself.

Lewis, however, receives a bit of help from another future-dweller name Wilbur. He promises to take Lewis to meet his real mother if he finishes his memory machine and wins the science fair.

This was a pretty good film, especially one that really didn't get publicized too much. At least not in my memory.

Like most animated films in this day and age, it has a few great voice talents in Tom Selleck, Anglea Bassett, Nicole Sullivan, Adam West and Laurie Metcalf.

It's a pretty good watch, especially being just 95 minutes long.

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The Dark Knight

I went into this movie expecting greatness. I had read the early reviews. I had read the reviews of some of my fellow bloggers who were lucky enough to see the movie right away. Each and every one of them had nothing but good things to say about this movie.

Well, I am here to tell you something.

They were absolutely right.

My lone negative of the film is I was left wondering, but those questions could be answered in the absolutely has to happen sequel, or in another one down the line.

I found myself looking at my watch, not because I was bored and the movie was too long - but because I was hoping the film would last longer.

Right from the start, the introduction of The Joker, I was immediately into the movie. Heath Ledger does have another film on his resume that will be released after The Dark Knight, but this is a movie that if you have to go out - you want to go out with a performance like this.

I didn't even know he had it in him. Sure, he was an amazing actor - but this shot him into the likes of Tom Hanks in my book. Amazing performance, he truly made The Joker his own - and it was spectacular.


I wasn't sure how they were going to handle the villain aspect of the movie - I had heard rumors about the inclusion of Harvey 'Two-Face' Dent, but was under the impression that it would be a quick cameo in order to setup the next film (sort of like the joker card at the end of Batman Begins). The older Batman films got a little out of hand with so many different villains on the scene at once, much like Spiderman 3 sort of got a little too jumbled.

*SPOILER* Director Christopher Nolan did a tremendous job including two villains in the same movie, without really going over the top. This movie, as it should be, was devoted mostly to The Joker, but the introduction of Two-Face was done very well, and it worked with the film's overall premise.*SPOILER OVER*

Before heading to the theater, I re-watched Batman Begins and I have to say the flack that Katie Holmes received for portraying Rachel Dawes was a little unjustified. I felt she gave a pretty good performance, but nevertheless, she wasn't totally missed in the sequel as Maggie Gyllenhaall did a marvelous job picking up where Holmes had left off.

Morgan Freeman's Lucius Fox wasn't a central piece in this film, but his performance was, as almost always, very top notch. Michael Caine's Alfred was very well done - and I enjoyed the little back-and-forth that his character shared with Christian Bale's Bruce Wayne.

Finally, I have always been a Michael Keaton as Batman guy. I was not too happy when he was replaced by Val Kilmer, then again by George Clooney. But, Bale has done a stellar job portraying the Dark Knight. As others have pointed out, I am not a huge fan of the deep, throat-like voice that he uses when in the Batman suit - but that is not that big of an issue for me.

This film was easily the best superhero movie I have ever seen. I do hope they continue to make Batman films, but I hope they continue at this current depth - the original films sort of lost their place after the second film, I would hate for history to repeat itself.

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