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Sunday, August 25, 2013

"JOBS"


One-of-a-kind visionary.  Calculating businessman.  Marvelous marketer.  Driven problem-solver.  Out-of-the box creative thinker.  By and large," JOBS" conveys all these about Steve Jobs (Ashton Kutcher), the legendary founder of Apple.  It also conveys the not-so-nice, personal side of Jobs as it relates to the way he treats his pregnant girlfriend and first-born child, and loyal employees in the early stage of his success. 

A temperamental perfectionist, Jobs has his own vision of the world and pushes the limit of the people around him to continuously create and innovate.  He has no qualm in tossing aside those who don't share his vision for the future.

Kutcher is earnest in his portrayal of Jobs.  He does mimic him in so many ways, although there are scenes that we don't forget it's Kutcher, the actor.  Josh Gad shares the spotlight in a sensitive, humble performance, as Steve Wozniak, co-founder of Apple.  He counterbalances Jobs' ambitious, idealistic persona. 

The opening, introducing the iPod, successfully grabs your attention, but the movie doesn't delve into how he gets up to that star moment in the podium.  No progress is shown from his early days of revolutionizing personal computer.  If you're an Apple fan, know that it also omits completely the story of how other live-changing devices, such as iPhone or iPad, came into existence. 

There are inspiring scenes, showcasing Job's rare talent to rally people around him and buy into his crazy idea that they can will people into buying something they haven't seen and don't know they need or want.  And making that something easy, practical and cool at the same time.  He challenges conventional belief and doesn't put a limit of he can do.  By thinking differently and limitlessly, he's able to achieve what he did and changed the world in the process. 

As a biopic, what it lacks is storytelling.  It labors too much on the technical minutiae and boardroom politics (CEO John Sculley and original funder Mike Markkula, played by Matthew Modine and Dermot Mulroney, respectively), but skims the surface of the character.  We don't get to see why Jobs becomes the way he is and how he evolves as an individual.  And when the story jumps into the future, it's not clear how he gets there. 

With the right script, one that makes "The Social Network" award-winning, "JOBS" could have been larger-than-life.  Here, it's just passable, which would not have passed Jobs' own standards.

DVD (blu-ray): http://tinyurl.com/ltx8347

Tuesday, August 20, 2013

Upcoming Movies: October 2013

[Originally posted on 10/03/13]

October 4
"Gravity" (http://gravitymovie.warnerbros.com/) - A medical engineer and an astronaut work together to survive after an accident leaves them adrift in space.

"Runner Runner" (http://www.runnerrunnermovie.com/index.html) - When a poor college student who cracks an online poker game goes bust, he arranges a face-to-face with the man he thinks cheated him, a sly offshore entrepreneur.

October 11
"The Fifth Estate" (http://www.dreamworksstudios.com/films/the-fifth-estate) - A dramatic thriller based on real events, the film reveals the quest to expose the deceptions and corruptions of power that turned an Internet upstart into the 21st century's most fiercely debated organization.

"Captain Phillips" (http://www.captainphillipsmovie.com/site/) - The true story of Captain Richard Phillips and the 2009 hijacking by Somali pirates of the US-flagged MV Maersk Alabama, the first American cargo ship to be hijacked in two hundred years.

October 18
"Escape Plan" - When a structural-security authority finds himself incarcerated in a prison he designed, he has to put his skills to escape and find out who framed him.

"12 Years of a Slave" (http://www.foxsearchlight.com/12yearsaslave/) - In the antebellum United States, Solomon Northup, a free black man from upstate New York, is abducted and sold into slavery.

October 25
"The Counselor" (http://www.thecounselormovie.com/us/#!/characters) - A lawyer finds himself in over his head when he gets involved in drug trafficking.

Sunday, August 18, 2013

"Elysium"



[Note: Out-of-town last week and just caught up with "Elysium"]

In 2154, the world's population occupy two very different places.  The poor live in a diseased, polluted and overpopulated earth.  The rich reside in a heavenly space station called Elysium, disease-free, exclusive and luxurious.

While mainly a sci-fi, the film is an allegory to our society, and depicts real issues, such as illegal immigration, fake citizenship, healthcare access, and politics, and how those in power choose to handle these issues. 

One of the opening scenes is a striking sequence where the robots, under the command of cold-hearted Elysium's Secretary of Defense Delacourt (Jodie Foster), target hordes of people coming in space shuttle, breaching into Elysium in hope for better lives, including a mother desperately trying to get her sick daughter to a healing body-scanning machine. 

Matt Damon ("The Adjustment Bureau") is Max, a reformed ex-con and droid assembler, living in the slum.  When he's exposed to a radiation blast in the factory and his days are numbered, he gets in touch with a former friend, Spider (Wagner Moura), a criminal who runs an underground high-tech network.  He makes a deal with Spider - he'd become a walking data storage and agree to download the contents of the brain of an Elysium industrialist overseeing his factory, John Carlyle (William Fichtner), in exchange for a ride into space and thus heal himself. 

Unbeknownst to Max and crew, John's brain contains classified data, including  a secretive agreement between John and Secretary Delacourt to stage a political coup and the key to Elysium's existence.  Embedded with exoskeleton, Max is hunted by a souped-up sleeper agent, Kruger (Sharlto Copley).  Tangled in the manhunt are Max's childhood friend, Frey (Alice Braga), and her dying daughter.

Director Neill Blompkamp creates a disturbingly realistic portrayal of the two worlds, a reality that might actually exist in a distant future.  The degraded earth appears believable.  The paradise in space is sleekly futuristic with a tropical touch.  Facial reconstruction, courtesy of special effect, looks very cool.

"Elysium" would have a better film by thoughtfully exploring the human themes and developing the characters, instead of focusing on merciless actions, excessively shot with shaky cams.  The brutality, with a gore factor, is a surprise.  At 109 minutes, this is one movie that could benefit from a longer running time.

"Elysium" is big and bombastic, but it doesn't live up to its potential. 



Sunday, August 4, 2013

"The Wolverine"


13 years after the premiere of "X-Men" and four years after "X-Men Origins: Wolverine," Hugh Jackman ("Les Miserables") is back in prime physical form as Logan/Wolverine. 

An explosive and effective opening sets the expectations high; thankfully, the movie continues to its momentum to the end.   Flashing back to World War II, Logan saved the life of a young soldier, Yashida (Hal Yamanouchi), during the nuclear bombing of Nagasaki, shielding him with his body while getting burned to a crisp.  The soldier witnessed first hand how Logan was miraculously self-healed.

In the present time, Logan lives as an isolated life in the Alaskan wilderness.  He's haunted by nightmares of his dearly departed love, Jean Grey (Dark Phoneix), whom he had to kill to save everyone when she turned dark.  Blessed with self-healing power, Wolverine may be physically supreme, but emotionally scarred.  Eternity has its price; one may lose his purpose in life, outlive everyone and run out of things to live for.  

Logan is tracked down by a nimble, flaming-haired fighter, Yukio (Rila Fukushima), who has the ability to see the future.  She brings a message from her employer, Yashida.  The former World War II soldier is now a business tycoon, and dying.  He has invited Logan to come to Japan so that he could say goodbye in person. 

When Logan arrives in Japan, Yashida, accompanied by his mutant physician, snake-tongue Viper (Svetlana Khodchenkova), entices him with a tempting proposal, an end to his eternity by transferring his self-healing power to Yashida.  This will allow Logan to live a normal life. 

Yashida tells Logan that he's not ready to die yet as he has to protect his business empire and granddaughter, Mariko (Tao Okamoto), from the Yakuza (Japanese mobs).  Logan knows something is off as he catches Mariko try to commit suicide.  He refuses Yashida's proposal, although it's clear that something must have happened since his self-healing power has diminished while he's fighting off mobs and ninjas during Yashida's funeral procession. 

Wounded and on the run with Mariko, Logan now has to adjust to his newfound vulnerability.  With help from Yukio, who unwittingly becomes his "bodyguard" in his human state of weakness, Logan and Mariko have to figure out how to survive, uncover unsavory family ties, regain Wolverine's power and sense of purpose as a warrior. 

The movie makes a full use of the Japanese locale.  It's a world of contrast between frenetic and vibrant modern Tokyo with beautiful and tranquil ancient Japan.  One outstanding action sequence is the ferocious fight atop the bullet train.  This sequence really shows a real sense of speed and danger.  Another standout is when the ninjas shoot hundreds of arrows in the snow and target Wolverine's back like a bullseye.  The closing combat with the robot samurai is fierce and reveals a twist.  

Directed by James Mangold, "The Wolverine" delivers the beloved sharp-clawed mutant story on an emotional and visual level.  Fast-paced, the movie is engrossing not only during its action-packed sequences, but also quieter moments.  The overall tone is serious, although there are sprinkles of humor.

If you're a fan of "X-Men," sit tight as the credit rolls.  The post-credit gives a glimpse of what's to come in the upcoming sequel of "X-Men: First Class," which is "X-Men: Days of Future Past."  Wolverine will be back for another adventure!

http://www.sdentertainer.com/uncategorized/the-wolverine/

DVD: http://tinyurl.com/k9f85sj
DVD (blu-ray): http://tinyurl.com/lffnawk



Thursday, August 1, 2013

Fall Movies 2013 Preview

[Originally posted on 9/15/13]

Summer movie season has come to a close, leaving us with the other exciting movie time of the year: fall!   Big, trophy-worthy dramas and a few smaller gems start to appear. There are also some hotly anticipated sci-fi flicks, plenty of laughs, family fare, and a potential animated classic or two. Start filling up your must-see movie calendar with Moviefone's 2013 Fall Movies Preview:

http://news.moviefone.com/2013/09/09/fall-movie-preview/