I Am Number Four

I'm not sure how to review this movie if I'm quite honest. I feel if I say like it you'll - all, you know, three of you - think I'm a tool, but if I say there's not much of a film here you'll say I'm a snob, so I feel at a loss. Therefore, I'm going to go with this: IF you enjoy Michael Bay (ie, action films heavy on special effects and light on reality) movies and also enjoy teen angst television and/or novels, you'll actually come out of this film feeling pretty damn content.

This is an adaptation, yes, but from what I've heard, the novel is actually a spoof of said formula and was always intended to be a film so I'm assuming that said novelist watched something like "Push" and then read something like "Jumper" and came up with this nonsense that attempts to blend science fiction with high school romance. I've been hearing many a reviewer say "this movie is what happens if Transformers and Twilight hooked up and had a baby" but that just isn't right. It's not as over the top in special effects and battles as Transformers and isn't as saggy under the weight of romance as Twilight.

Movies like this have a very easy formula. Hot alien who just happens to look humanoid, and not just humanoid, but a leading alien dude who's a borderline Adonis, but of course a nice guy, patient, compassionate, shy. Hot loner Earthling girl who just happens to be smart and pretty and can completely deal with the fact that her boy wonder is from outer space and has the power of awesome literally in his fingertips. Throw in a more advanced hot female alien who has to save hot alien's ass, hot alien adult caretaker who falls to some unfortunate end protecting hot alien, jerk-bag ex-boyfriend to hot loner Earthling, nerdy sidekick who befriends hot alien and of course a large and ugly group of baddies and BAM there's your cast. In the major leads we have relative newcomers Alex Pettyfer and Dianna Agron. As the veteran caretaker the absolutely wonderful Timothy Olyphant and in the other roles are a bunch of people whom I'm familiar with but everyone else probably isn't so it doesn't really matter.

Pettyfer has what I assume is instant star appeal. I've heard he's full of douchebaggery in real life, but on screen he's very dynamic and there's definitely some potential there. He's pretty, but rugged and very physical. One got the impression that he did a number of his own stunts in this flick. As much as I love her in Glee, Agron is...well boring in this film. What makes her interesting is the fact that Pettyfer's "John Smith" is interested in her at all. My biggest shout out for the film (beyond the utter joy I get any time Olyphant is on screen) goes to Teresa Palmer as "Number Six", a fellow alien of John's, and she is a leather-clad, motorcycle-riding, ninja-with-wicked-knives-guns-and-evaporating/fireproof powers badass chick. She suffers no bullshit and came across as a very valuable asset to John.

As far as plot is concerned, the whole thing is utterly predictable from start to finish, (and by predictable I mean you can follow the second-grade-linear-sequence-of-events, but you have no idea WHY any of it is happening, nor do you care all that much) but because of the quick pace of it and the well timed entrance of action sequences it doesn't ever feel like it's lagging at any point. Since this adaptation was in no uncertain terms leading to a second film/novel/whatever it certainly felt like the ending was a cop-out, but I feel like overall the movie did its job.

I'm a movie junkie, so I go to my fair share of utter CRAP movies; (See: Takers, Season of the Witch, In the Name of the King, etc.) and this is definitely not in that lower echelon of awful, but it is a run-of-the-mill 18-35 demographic movie. I do hope that Pettyfer one, settles down off set, and two, considers his next few roles very carefully since it would be rather easy for a fellow like him to be typecast in this kind of film.

All that said, I had fun. The trailer spells out the movie and if you enjoyed the trailer you'll enjoy the movie. I had a boring Tuesday at work and then went to this film and felt like I'd been slapped in the face with pure adrenalin, which is what I wanted, so it's definitely worth a look...at least at a matinée price ;)

The Roommate...yes, really.

Yes, of course I only went to see this because Matt Lanter was in it, let's just get that out of the way. I do like Leighton though and she was totally who I left the theatre thinking about, so not a total loss.

The general plot of this film is blatantly given away in the trailer, but it's basically an younger, slightly different take on Single White Female--which, I find insanely scary in a very visceral way--but, as one might assume, it doesn't *exactly* hit it out of the park. Gossip Girl's Leighton Meester plays Rebecca, an off-kilter college freshman and she rooms with Friday Night Lights' Minka Kelly as Sarah, a tragically over-canonized "unbelievable fashion talent from podunk-nowhere Iowa"...no, really. I know. Sigh. There are bit characters, Lanter as Sarah's ex Jason, Cam Gigandet as Sarah's new love, Aly Michalka as a quickly dealt with dorm mate who is stealing some of Sarah's attention away from Rebecca, etc. but to be honest, none of them really matter. At all. The film is about Rebecca and her rapid descent into crazy.

It does its job as a creepy movie, but fails utterly as a thriller since the plot is so devastatingly predictable. This is not the trailer's fault, but the script's. There are moments of shining brilliance within the film; for example, in a ploy to get Sarah to stay home with her, Rebecca goes through a gruesome self-inflicted wound moment where she beats herself up and even cuts herself with a box cutter to feign nearly being raped. The moment works because of Meester's uncanny dedication to the part, the emotion behind her eyes is nothing if not terrifying. She looks at her bruises with an appreciative love, knowing that it will get Sarah to stay with her.

The film relies heavily upon our rooting for Sarah, but Kelly is just SO unengaging and boring that I found myself pulling for Rebecca the whole time. I knew she was outside her head, but I didn't care; she was proactive, assertive...in short, bitch got shit DONE, and I loved her for it. Kelly somehow even fails to have chemistry with Cam Gigandet, her love interest. How the hell does that happen? Meester has more chemistry with a cell phone in a very racy, and disturbing as hell scene where she pretends to be Sarah while talking to Jason (Lanter).

*Note, I have been told by a very good friend of mine that Minka Kelly is capable of excellent acting as seen in Friday Night Lights, but rest assured, you won't see any of it in this film. You'll probably want Rebecca to kill her by the time it's over, just as I did.

Another interesting moment is when the roomies go "home" to Rebecca's house--er, giant fucking mansion--for Thanksgiving and it becomes obvious that Sarah is not the first girl Rebecca has done this freaky dance with. That girl happens to be Nina Dobrev, but don't hyperventilate, she only has one line.

However, with everything that happens it takes a hugely contrived scene that one could see coming from 40 minutes away. It's only then that Sarah finally wakes up out of her "I'm just a talented little bitch from Iowa with 12 year old voice" coma and realizes that Rebecca is batshit nutzo.

In the final act we see (naturally) an epic fallout between the once loving girls. Rebecca tries to earn her place back in Sarah's heart by bearing her soul and telling her all the evil she's done to "protect her" at which point a somewhat well filmed battle ensues and it isn't until Rebecca realizes Sarah intends to kill her that she really tries to end Sarah. Sarah's final line is incredibly forced, lacks any conviction whatsoever on behalf of Kelly and actually feels humorously misplaced. Not to mention that if the comment were true, it was partly Sarah's fault for not being honest with Rebecca in the firs place. (In particular, watch for a scene between the girls when they go to an art gallery. Sarah clearly does something that endears her to Rebecca even more, despite the fact that she doesn't feel that way at all.)

All in all, Meester hits an absolute home run with this role. The movie pales as a whole in comparison to her performance. There isn't a second that you don't sincerely believe she's insane. Her eyes, even the way she smiles...everything she does has a willful and frightening intent behind it, one that is subtle but visible and creepy. If you are a fan of Meester and her budding career, by all means go to this, but if you are thinking it's going to be a big break for Kelly, don't go. I implore you. She's horrendous. You don't have to go see this movie, by any stretch, but it certainly will keep you entertained for the better part of two hours. The only scenes that are palpably dragging are the ones Meester aren't in, which are thankfully few and far between. So, if you've got a spare $7 hanging round and want to get out of the house, you have my blessing to see this.

PS-I particularly enjoyed a scene between Meester and Billy Zane, who plays a toolish design professor fantastically well. If you're a dude, you will be sufficiently freaked out, as damn well you should be. ;p

True Grit

Ok, so this will probably be short and sweet, because the only people who will go to see this flick already know it's gonna be good just like every other Coen Bros movie.

The important thing to know going into this movie is that moreso than the actual plot, the film is about relationships and what knowing ONE person can do to change your life. The film on the whole is really about Mattie Ross, played by an amazing up-and-coming young actress named Hailee Steinfeld.

At the time of filming, the girl was only 13-years-old and she's absolutely the best part of the movie for me. This is not to belittle the contributions of Damon, Bridges, Barry Pepper and Josh Brolin, but just to emphasize how outstandingly brilliant she was. The way she talks, the way she holds herself, the direct way she deals with these big bad men is inspiring and she is nothing short of utterly authentic and root-for-able.

Mattie seeks out Bridges' Rooster Cogburn to help her find the man who killed her father (Brolin) and avenge his death. Cogburn becomes her reluctant partner in this quest, also aided by a too-hung-up-on-himself Texas Ranger (played by Damon) LaBeouf, who will NOT take no for an answer.

The action is concise and well-filmed in this movie, but it is by no means what the film relies upon. By way of being a character study of Mattie herself, we also get to see the souls of the two men who attempt to protect her. Mattie reminds LaBeouf that life is about more than just catching bad men. You have to catch them for the right reasons, which should not include notoriety and personal achievement. She reawakens Rooster's soul by giving him something to live for and reminding him that he used to be a man who stood for something. She dragged his reluctant ass out of the bottom of the bottle he was dying in and kicked him square in the balls...(theoretically).

Josh Brolin is harshly underused in this film and is really nothing more than a dumb gun for hire. The surprise for me was Barry Pepper as the uniquely intelligent and philosophical gang head honcho. Why he would need a man like Tom Chaney in his crew is beyond me. Tom is quite like a child, almost a bumbling Lennie Small kind of character, just without the good intentions.

You need to know that this movie is a very respectful homage to the original True Grit. Bridges especially plays directly off of the way John Wayne characterized Rooster. There are whole sections of the film that are nearly word for word and shot for shot the same as its predecessor, but it doesn't come across as hackneyed or that this was overtly TRYING to look like the OG.

The film is a remake in the truest sense of the word, and I definitely think having seen the original will allow you to appreciate this one in a grander sense, though, since it is SO close you can also get away with not seeing it and drawing all your conclusions based on this film. It is a western in the truest sense, in that not a LOT actually happens but what does is very measured and important. The film isn't slow by any means, but the gunfights are few and far between, as well they should be.

I think the ending may alienate some people, but it really just reinforces what (and who) the film was about from the beginning. Bridges and the Coen Brothers will get you in the door for this flick, but I guarantee Steinfeld is the one you'll be thinking about coming out of it. I really can't wait to see more from this young actress.

Tron Legacy

*Note, I saw this at a midnight screening in 2D after which point I had to go to work at five am. Go me. ;)

...For the sake of being honest and not leading any of my two readers astray-HARK I must add a viewer here, M, you can be my exalted THIRD reader, yay!-I must tell you that this review will be full of spoilers because frankly, I can't resist, and also, I'm not sure a "proper" review can really be written by me without their use. Therefore, if you'd rather not read this for that reason, feel free to stop here. You hath been warned!

Now. Let us get the plot straight first off:

1) The original Tron ended with Kevin Flynn (who shall heretofor be known as just Flynn and his son, just Sam) inheriting Encom from Dillinger (doth that name ring any bells from Tron Legacy? *cough* Cillian Murphy! *cough*) NOT, I repeat, NOT getting sucked into the server and disappearing. That happened in the PAST of this film, so, our story picks up twenty years beyond Flynn's disappearance. His company has been poorly managed (by his and his son's standards) by a bunch of lackeys concerned only with the pursuit of money, not knowledge or progress. Therefore, his son Sam decides to go digital Jedi and release a new version of Encom OS free to the people of the interwebs just seconds prior to it's global launch. Hardy har-har! Digital Anarchy: "Of the people, by the people, FOR the people!"

*Be warned, this movie comes very close to condoning this kind of behavior, which I thought was bold for a Disney film; so make sure to have a conversation with your kids about the consequences of such actions if you must.*

If you aren't aware, Flynn stood for FREEDOM of information in the OG Tron, and battled a Sauron-Vader-like digital overlord known as Master Control Program, who was aided by then CEO of Encom Edward Dillinger. There was a program who "fought for the users" known only as Tron (modeled after Flynn's close friend Alan Bradley) and Flynn himself created a digital reflection of himself to work in the grid known as C.L.U. or, Codified Likeness Utility. Clu fought alongside Tron to defeat MCP, and with it, Dillinger himself thereby ending the tyranny of MCP and putting Flynn in control of Encom. Granted, in the first film Flynn himself does get sucked into the grid and thrown into the games just as his son does in Legacy, but I was *attempting* to keep the synopsis simple.

So, Sam has just fucked the company in the ass and is feeling RATHER proud of himself at which point he goes home to find Alan in what appears to be yet another surrogate father moment.

Let me say that I completely thought Garrett Hedlund would be the weak link of this movie. I've seen all his movies, (seriously, ALL of them) and I just wasn't sure he had the chops for this, even being aided by Jeff Bridges himself. But, he completely surprised me. He was roguish, heroic, ballsy, a little humorous and a lot aggressive, which I appreciated seeing in the dude I was supposed to root for the whole time, because, it made it EASY to root for him.

Back to the movie, now: Alan has much more interesting news than a lecture on ruining the company's stock share, and, being his father's son, Sam is loathe to resist temptation. From here, he's thrown into the grid, into the games, mirroring his father's experience, but with the goal of finding his father and bringing him home.

Ok, enough with the bloody exposition. I am going to sound like a fangirl for the rest of this text, but whatever. If you're reading this I know you loved it too. From THE moment Sam arrives on the grid I was in fucking heaven. The Daft Punk score started immediately and the change in the visuals could be felt just as much as it could be seen.

Sam is scooped up by a completely revamped and wicked cool Recognizer and plopped into a group of malfunctioning programs who are at once giving you the impression that being picked up by one of these bitches is no bueno. When the sirens dress him in his suit and give him his identity disk you know it's ON. His first task, not dying in the ident-disk war. WHICH, might I add is one of the BEST ways to start this whole manic ride. The visuals and score during his two battles will literally have your jaw on the floor, but the real kick ass starts when Sam takes on a mysterious character known as Rinzler, who, as it were, has MAD, MAD skills. One of my favorite sequences in this film is when the horizon line/gravity changes during his battle with Rinzler and they are fighting (to the audience) upside down and by using disk-to-disk hand combat.

It's clear that despite our hero's A for effort he is clearly going to be schooled by Rinzler...until he is asked by an almighty character to identify himself. (Can I also mention that the hovering gladitorial feel of this sequence is completely absorbing and awesome? The idea that a bunch of binary codes all have human faces and gather round to watch fellow programs, friends even, be "derezzed" is so much the human condition it's scary.) Sam states his name and LACK of program-ness and is ordered to be brought before the almighty...CLU. Who, of course, Sam initially thinks is in fact his father. The moment quickly passes in an aggressively frightening manner when Clu tells Sam that he isn't his father, but that he is very happy to see him. Put yourself in that situation! I mean, Christ! There's this digital alter ego of your father, he looks like your dad, sounds like your dad. A dad you haven't seen in twenty years, a dad you desperately want to find and bring home...and this guy is him, but he's NOT. This guy is him, but he wants you DEAD. What a mind fuck. Anyway, moving on.

So, finally having a bargaining piece in hand to lure the real Flynn out of his off-grid hiding spot, Clu decides to challenge Sam to...a lightcycle battle! Now, I must say the reaction that Clu gets walking out onto that lightcycle game grid is kind of awe-inspiring. He's got slomo badass walk, there are ovations all around, programs are going crazy, there are fireworks going off. Clu. Rules. All. Aside from the incredibly dynamic visuals of this scene, of which there are MANY-I particularly love how the geometry of the grid seems to change from one level to the next, or how things move, light up or make a sound as they are touched by a cycle-one of the things I love most is that it shows you a lot about Sam as a person. It's clear after he loses his first teammate that his humanity is one of the defining things that separate him from Clu. This may seem natural, but Clu wants him dead, he could have used all those minions to his advantage to save his own skin, but he doesn't. He tells them they'll only survive working together, but he says it in such a way that you KNOW he wants them to survive as well, not just himself. There is a really awful moment when Sam goes back for a fallen comrade only to get there a beat too shy, and you can actually see the pain in his face. Naturally, there comes a point when he will no longer survive, at which moment an outside influence intervenes to save his ass in what I can only describe as a Tron version of the Batman Begins Tumbler. This is not to belittle the vehicle at all, it's just that it literally looks just as cool but Tron-ified.

This is where Olivia Wilde first makes her appearance and from the minute she took off that helmet and laughed I knew I was going to love Quorra. She's just as ballsy as he is, but a bit more naive and curious, however, Sam is about to have a lot of things to be curious about. As one can imagine, Quorra takes Sam home to see his dad, his REAL dad. The moment of reunion, for me, was as touching and beautiful as it was heartwrenching. Both Bridges (who appears like a zen apparition in a digital living room and with all the glory and power that the image provides) and Hedlund are pretty amazing in that moment. Hedlund turns into a little kid...almost scared to be touched by Bridges for fear his dad isn't really real, just another cruel joke in a soulless place, but when Flynn says "You're here...you're here." and hugs him with tears in his eyes the moment hits Sam full force and his body absorbs the knowledge that he isn't alone anymore, that he has his father again and that he has to get him home. I'd heard many people say they thought the moment was cold and heartless, and to them I say, "The fuck you say! Were we watching the same movie?" The only reason it became a bit awkward is because it had to. Flynn, I think even at that point, KNEW he couldn't go home again, but KNEW that Sam would die trying to save him, so for a while he has the idea to distance himself from Sam, to make what has to be done easier on both of them.

(At this point the rest of the story is this: Flynn explains to Sam that he lost himself in his digital paradise, because of some trick of technology a digital people manifested themselves and their DNA could hold the key to thousands of revolutions, the ISOS. At that point, Clu was then lost. He felt threatened, like maybe he wasn't needed anymore, or wasn't important anymore. Clu wanted to create the perfect world, it was his task that Flynn gave him and when the idea of that was threatened, Clu kidnapped him and even with Tron they were unable to defeat Clu, who had of course gathered a small army of followers already. He then destroyed all the Isos (all but ONE of course *wink wink*) and decided to make an army in preparation for getting into our world and eradicating us of our imperfections (kicker though, he needs Flynn's ident-disk to escape, he can't leave on his own). There is one final showdown at which point "the hard choice" has to be made and Flynn's real power is finally seen.)

Flynn tells Sam the plan is to do nothing, because doing nothing results in no one getting hurt and Clu not getting his way, but it also means no one goes home and everyone is a coward, and Sam won't suffer that shit. So, as a rebellious young man is wont to do, he rebels, steals his dad's bike and goes to find Zuse, a man who, allegedly, can smuggle them out of the city and to the portal that Sam and Flynn passed through.

Michael Sheen plays Zuse (also known as Castor) a wicked awesome night club owner who has turned to the dark side. He has a wonderfully bizarre part and I really loved him in this. (PS Watch out for Daft Punk as the night club Djs in their trademark helmets.) Enter the second twist of the film, Zuse is on Clu's payroll. A battle ensues at which the ever threatening Rinzler appears (whom any noble movie-goer at this time must realize is somehow not quite right). We think Sam is cooked for sure this time, but voila! Quorra appears yet again, and this time she broughts a friend.

The level of respect, power and all around AWESOME of Kevin Flynn is palpable when he steps into the club. The lights flicker, programs flee, he disables whatever the hell he wants to just by touching it or thinking it. In the battle, Quorra is injured and (oh snap!) Flynn's disc is taken. (During a subsequent meeting with Clu and Zuse he hands it over, thinking that naturally he will receive all the glory. And what happens, he gets blowed up. Clearly, no one ever told him to never trust the dark siders.) They hop a freaking amazing solar-sailor-Sunshine-lookin'-lazer-ship-train that is moving toward the portal. Sam feels guilty at being the reason for Quorra to be hurt and his father's disk to have been taken, but Flynn is able to literally PULL the injury code from her DNA and all is right with her once she reboots. Third (somewhat less shocking twist) she's the LAST ISO! Whaaaaaaaaaaa?! "She's the miracle."

Sam and Quorra have a nice exchange while Flynn tries to recover his zen until they realize they're docking somewhere odd. In fact, they're at ground zero for Clu's army of programs. Clu at once gives a rousing speech about their destiny being outside the walls of their digital lives (eerily similar and contradictory to Flynn's earlier flashback speech at an Encom summit). Sam and Flynn hatch a plan which Quorra smartly fucks up in order to be captured by Rinzler, and Sam goes and busts some serious heads in order to retrieve his father's ident-disk and stop his evil digital doppelganger from hatching his plan. They snag a wicked awesome x-wing lookin' plane and head off toward the portal, a chase ensues which I can only describe as digital-eyefucking-manta-rays-ribbon-candy-light-trails-what-Avatar-should-have-been AWESOMENESS. Quorra minds the controls in the front while Sam mans the bombardier guns in the back. One by one the baddies fall and crash and derezz but one is always on their tail until...he remembers who he is. Of course, we all knew this, or I hope YOU did, but when TRON yells out: "I FIGHT...FOR THE USERS!" I 'bout lost my shit. I think I cried a bit. All you haters out there who want to say it was cheesy can kiss my ass, it was great, and totally hearkened to the OG Tron which just really brought the whole film full-circle for me. Basically, Tron falls into the "ocean" and gradually as he sinks his red/orange lights turn to white/blue and you know he's Tron again.

The battle isn't over yet, however, because Clu still lives and even as they approach the portal it begins to close. Flynn sees the error in his ways, he apologizes to Clu, hoping to end their war by saying that he was wrong in tasking him with making "the perfect world" because since he is merely a representation of himself, that perfection will never really BE perfection, nor could anything BE perfection. Clu steps to him, and you think maybe he's had a change of heart, but instead he lashes out at him and separates himself and Flynn from Quorra and Sam. Sam screams for his father in a moment where you can feel his heart tearing apart, you can feel that Sam KNOWS how close he is to that idyllic life he wants and in the same moment KNOWS it can never be. His father...is simply out of reach. The portal closes ever more and a look of somber knowledge passes over Sam and Flynn's faces. Clu however, is not faint of pixels, and steals Flynn's ident-disk once again, only to find that this time, it isn't Flynn's it's Quorra's. Whoops, bitch. You lose. But still, Clu WILL not yield. Even as Quorra and Sam prepare to "beam" into our world he jumps for the portal and makes it across the ever widening gap, at which point, Flynn comes to life again and uses all the power left within him to prevent Clu from reaching the portal.

I can barely FIND the vocabulary to say how amazing that moment is. Like a digital Gandalf on the Bridge of Khazad-Dum he literally claps his hands together and pulls Clu away from them, and by default, he pulls him back into himself. Flynn is an old Jedi Master, but even he cannot withstand the power of absorbing his digital self, and like a nuclear bomb, he derezzes right before our eyes. Kevin Flynn, you are the creator, and we salute you.

...You need to THINK about that moment a lot before you can even begin to understand the psychological ramifications of it. I was so in awe of it, and I still AM.

Back in "the real world" Sam has paged Alan, and lets him know that yes, he will be taking his company back now, because he was right about everything. Alan looks perplexed but understanding in the same moment as a soft smile appears across his face. Outside, Quorra stands against a light fixture outside of Flynn's and we fade into the sunrise.

SIGH. This movie is just plain-out-knock-down-drag-out-FUN and wicked cool to boot. PLUS, if you aren't an asshole and can read between the lines of the linear narrative there is really a lot going on with this film in terms of relationships, social commentary, and the nature of humanity.

What-generally speaking-do we all want but to feel loved, to feel like we belong to something, to someone. We search for acceptance, achievement, self improvement. And when it comes down to it all Flynn was trying to do was make his world a better place. All Sam wanted was to find his dad and to know that he didn't leave HIM. All Quorra wanted was adventure in a new place (she loved Jules Verne remember?). So, in a way, they all got what they wanted, even if it wasn't in the way they wanted it.

Plus, there was the undercurrent of manifesto with regard to how Flynn stood on FREEDOM of information. His son obviously understood what his father stood for and sought to achieve that in whatever way he could while taking minimal responsibility. It's safe to say that Sam had to grow up, Flynn had to...adjust his expectations, and Quorra, she needed a purpose for being the last of her kind.

I just...I dunno. This movie, with it's amazing music, crazy awesome visuals and absorbing world, it just captured me, as I think it did every other nerdly friend of mine. Is it a perfect film? Of course not. Was there strategy behind certain things? Of course. Tron is not dead. Dillinger is going to be a new villain in the next film (which I would assume there would be). Some were annoyed that they buried a caliber actor like Cillian Murphy in an uncredited role purely to set-up a potential sequel, but what the hell? Murphy TOOK the role. If he was offended by it's responsibility in any way wouldn't he have, you know, NOT taken it? I just find it presumptuous for these people to so gratuitously HATE on this movie for no legit reason.

Oh, and on the note of hate, a lot have complained about dialogue, and I truly am flummoxed by that. Nearly ALL the characters in this film are ones and zeros. They're CODE. They're programs. Perhaps it is not their purpose to sound "human". Just a thought, you chuckleneads.

I would say "You have to go see Tron!" to just about anybody I thought would be open to the concept. It is not necessary to have seen the first film, though it does help knowing the backstory for the little things such as Dillinger and Flynn's overall attitude on his company and his life. However, I would also recommend this movie to anyone who is a Jeff Bridges fan. He really is remarkable. It's interesting to see him play off himself as a younger and decidedly more evil version of himself and it's also interesting to see the vibe he has with both Wilde and Hedlund. Since the film gives the impression that Sam is in love with Quorra, it's strange to think that Flynn had a fatherly relationship with Quorra and also WAS Sam's father. Somewhat awkward, but I can deal.

Look, bottom line: SEE THIS MOVIE. If you're a geek, a nerd, love action movies, love sci-fi movies, love 3-D movies OR just love Tron I really doubt you'll be disappointed. I rather think you will have an awesome time and want to talk about it over dinner or coffee or some kind of light blue beverage. ;) I can say without a doubt that I will see this movie a minimum of two more times (one of which WILL be in 3D. I will risk the migraine, I don't CARE. I just HAVE to see it.) and I will enjoy it just as much each time as I did the first time. I went with high expectations and I was not let down, and trust me, I would say it if I was. *See my Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince review for proof.

As far as 2010 goes, my top three are thus: 1) Inception 2)Tron Legacy 3) The Town. I haven't seen Black Swan, The Fighter or True Grit yet, but I can guarantee all of those will be top-10.

Fare-thee-well Tron-onites! I hope you see it, and I sincerely hope you love it.

The Tourist

I'm going to forgo the apologies and just say that since I discovered FF, made an excellent email friend and got my damn job back sadly writing the reviews has gone to the back burner. That said, I would like to try to get back into the game, so here we go.

So, The Tourist. It's a caper-spy-mistaken-identity film starring Johnny Depp and Angelina Jolie. Paul Bettany, Rufus Sewell and Timothy Dalton (!!!) have supporting roles. Jolie plays Elise, a woman who is more than meets the eye and appears to be under the watchful eye of Scotland Yard and Interpol because her estranged boyfriend stole upwards of two billion dollars from a British gangster and owes Her Majesty's government a tidy sum of back taxes. Bettany is the Scotland Yard agent on her case and Depp is merely (or so one thinks) a useful cog in a very mysterious wheel.

What I really enjoyed about this film was it's rather whimsical mix of comedy and suspense. Not to mention that I've truly never seen a Jolie movie where she looked so incredibly ethereal and drop-dead gorgeous in every. single. shot. She plays the estranged lover very well, and there is both an excitement and a sadness behind her eyes through most of the film. Depp plays the somewhat bumbling community college math teacher, Frank well too. He's amusing and rather useless and awkward until the closing third of the film, at which point a very interesting twist takes place.

Bettany works the over-aggressive-bordering-on-obsessed outstandingly, though you aren't really sure why he's so after this dude until the end; and I adored Timothy Dalton as the Police Chief who is sick of Bettany's waste of public funds. Needless to say, he does come to the rescue at the very end to give the order that Bettany is simply too close to to give himself.

The pace of this film is excellent, and even the somewhat dull moments don't feel dull at all simply because of the excellent dialogue and general loveliness you are able to look at on screen. The Venice locale is an amazing backdrop for the film and the action sequences, are well timed and impeccably shot. In particular, the boat chase down the canals. I can't imagine the logistics of that, but it was most impressive.

I think I figured the twist out ten minutes before it happened, but up until then I had an entirely different idea in my head of how it would turn out, so the ending is VERY satisfying. I wouldn't really call this a thriller, but it's definitely suspenseful and mysterious. Plus, the cast turns what could have been a sub-par film into something entirely worth the cost of admission and then some. I'd recommend it to anyone a fan of the actors or the genre, it's definitely one that will stick with you for a bit and is a very fun ride.

PS you might feel a bit for Bettany there at the end, because it's not exactly satisfying for everyone involved...However, Timothy Dalton FTW. He says something I'm sure many of us have said before in our lives, and it's just genuinely satisfying to see.