This top ten list is mine and no one else's! It is unique and an extension of myself!

1. Drive

This is what would happen if Michael Mann, Jean-Pierre Melville and William Friedkin had a baby together. A film that is stripped to the bone. No subplots that bore us, no useless characters. Ryan Gosling brings a silent honor to his nameless role. A silence that hides a dark side that comes out when he feels the need to protect others. We're never told about his past and we don't need to know. He simply is and we're left to fill in the blanks ourselves. Albert Brooks is surprisingly menacing in the role of the villain. He comes off as a man who is just tired of having to clean up other people's messes but will not hesitate to do so. I did not expect to actually be afraid of him. Director Nicolas-Winding Refn proudly pays respect to his influences throughout the movie but also places his stamp on it. An opening scene scored to one song, a car chase that never leaves the inside of the car and the neon title sequence. All classic and able to keep me smiling throughout the entire running time. I cannot find a single thing to complain about in this movie and that is why it's my favorite film of 2011.

2. The Descendants

It took Alexander Payne seven years to make another movie but it was well worth the wait. A simple but incredibly emotional story that rests all its weight on George Clooney's more than capable shoulders. He gives a performance worthy of the Best Actor Oscar this year. Payne films Hawaii with a respect to it's beauty and yet is able to find a sadness in it. His films tend to be pretty dry but funny affairs. Wistful and elegiac. This one is all of that but also a dramatic roller coaster (I hate that comparison but its the best I've got at the moment) that really puts us through the ringer. Characters reveal depth with every line. People we thought were simply there for comic relief end up being people that other characters can lean on for help. The film is slow but never boring. Each scene taking exactly the right amount of time to play out. Payne knows the right moment to cut and displays that to amazing effect here. It's a gorgeous and heartbreaking movie that I hope more people discover and love as much as I do.

3. Hobo With A Shotgun

The purest form of fun in cinema form of 2011. It's a film that oozes exploitation in every single frame. It wears its influences on its sleeve and is able to be both an homage and a step forward in low budget B-movies. Rutger Hauer hits every grizzled note of his nameless hobo. Once he buys the titular shotgun, the movie, which already seems like an insane 80's fever dream, shifts into high gear. Flame-broiled kids on a school bus, pedophile Santas, perverted cops with fecal fetishes and baseball bats with razor blades. It has everything I every wanted in a movie. Even the score feels cheap and made on a Casio keyboard, which is entirely the point. It sent me on a nostalgic trip down memory lane to my childhood. A childhood filled with cheap Troma VHS rentals viewed at 2am in an old house. It's a film that made me giddy while watching it and that is a rarity.

4. I Saw The Devil

"Brutal" is a word that can't even begin to describe the tone and plot of this Korean film. A simple premise of a cop chasing a serial killer takes many unexpected twists and turns and delivers, not only a satisfying story, but also a visceral look into a incredibly disturbed mind and the man who is forced to become as evil as the man he's chasing. Director Jee-Woon Kim, is able to deftly balance the horror of the killer's acts with an elegance that doesn't make us mind that we're being forced to watch an animal stalk and cruelly kill its prey. Once the end hits, we have the ending we wished for but we're left to ask ourselves if it was worth it.

5. X-Men: First Class

Trying to make a new X-Men movie after the double whammy of disastrous crap that was X-Men: Last Stand and X-Men Origins: Wolverine, was no easy task but Matthew Vaughn and Jane Goldman were able to create a film that gives the series a fresh start while also paying respect to the first two films in the series. James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender anchor a story that blends both action and character in ways that I wasn't expecting. Supporting characters each get something to do with no one really being wasted. While Kevin Bacon brings a nice level of "evil prick" to his role. Villains these days try to be funny or charming. Bacon is not afraid of being just a total dick.

6. Mission: Impossible: Ghost Protocol

You'd think that after three films that this series would be on its last legs but you'd be wrong. After an incredible bounce back with Mission: Impossible 3, a film that I defend vigorously as a perfect example of popcorn filmmaking, Tom Cruise and company were able to bring in new blood while not losing the sense of fun that the previous film had. All credit to Brad Bird for that. Coming from animation, where every beat has to be perfect, Bird was able to pace this film to the millisecond. Nothing is wasted. Each scene tells the story while adding to the characters. That's a rarity these days where big budget films pad out their running time in order to justify their costs. Exposition is given on the move and action scenes are staged with a refreshing return to the lost art of spatial geography. Sure, the villain was weak but it doesn't lessen the impact of a film that never stops being entertaining.

7. Captain America: The First Avenger

When it comes to this movie, everything rested on the choice of both director and star. Captain America is unlike most modern superheroes in that he is pure. He has no ego and no desire to add a quip or sarcastic phrase at the right moment. Handing the reins to Joe Johnston was the first good decision. His ability to tell a comic story in a period setting was proven with The Rocketeer. Johnston's choice of casting Chris Evans was the second good decision. I was wary due to Evans previous work as a smart-ass in most of his roles but he was able to convey the essence of a pure character with ease. This film is simple fun, it doesn't change the world but it will put a smile on your face, and unexpectedly, punch you in the gut.

8. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2

Hitting the landing was not going to be an easy task for director David Yates and company, but they managed it and closed out an amazing series on a high note. As a film, in and of itself, this entry isn't as strong. It plays much more better when viewed back to back with Deathly Hallows Part 1. It's all third act stuff but that same stuff is so strong and beautifully told that I didn't mind it. The Battle of Hogwarts is as epic as I'd imagined and Alexander Desplat's score adds a weight to every scene. A sense of melancholy is evident from the first scene and the film is able to slow down to almost a crawl for the moments that matter. Some characters get the short shrift but that was to be expected. I'm glad that Harry and friends got the ending they deserved. I'm going to miss them.

9. The Guard

One of the best surprises of the year. Brendan Gleeson gave one of the best performances of the year in this small but charming film. His work as a racist, coke-snorting Irish cop was pitch-perfect. Today's emphasis on political correctness tells you that you shouldn't like him but it's impossible not to. Writer-director John Michael McDonagh's dialogue is deliciously vulgar and has bite to it. Not a surprise when you realize his brother wrote and directed the endlessly quotable In Bruges. The tone of this film is very different to that one but their similar in that neither pulls any punches. McDonagh populates this film with lots of colorful characters. My favorite being Mark Strong as muscle for hire who is basically bored with his surroundings and the lack of an actual challenge.

10. Sucker Punch

The guilty pleasure on this list. This one got way too much hatred when it came out and has mostly been forgotten. Yes, it's very shallow and, at times, kinda sexist. But it's such a beautifully shot movie, each frame feels like it can be mounted on the wall. The action scenes are each distinctive and the soundtrack is pretty awesome. It's not very original but the way Zack Snyder was able to bring his own touches to what could have been a repetitive bore, is to be admired. It never really tries to be more than what it is and I love it for that. It boils down to pure cinema. A visual and aural feast that should be consumed as is and its existence never questioned. Just enjoy it for what it is.

Serial Fun

When it comes to Marvel super-heroes, there aren't any purer than Captain America. Steve Rogers is a man who knows the value of his newfound power. A man with a pure heart and who's dedication and loyalty to his country and friends is almost a little too much. As a character, he is one of the toughest to adapt as well in today's culture of cynicism and sarcasm. That was the biggest challenge facing Marvel Studios and director Joe Johnston when they decided to tackle a film of the 70 year old comic book hero.

I'm more than happy to say that they succeeded. Chris Evans was a risky choice to play Rogers due to his countless previous roles where he displayed his patented cockiness, a trait that if given to Rogers would make him nothing like the selfless hero we all know and love. Johnston saw something in Evans that I couldn't see. That something is what gives the movie it's heart. Without it, the film would have just been another period super-hero movie that would be quickly forgotten like THE SHADOW and THE PHANTOM. Two films that are still pretty fun but have no real emotional heft to them. Evans brings a sincerity that is missing from most super-heroes today. He has no real tragic back-story. He isn't a victim of some accident with gamma rays. He's a man who chose to be who he becomes because he wants to serve his country in a way that he could never do in his natural state. He's all skin and bones but he doesn't let that keep him down. He'll face down a bully even if it means getting his ass handed to him. It's that central purity of heart that makes him stand out. And it's all thanks to Evans that that heart comes across in spades.

Joe Johnston has had practice with period comic book movies thanks to his incredible adaptation of THE ROCKETEER back in 1991. Given a good script, he is able to make very solid films. Handing him the reins of CAPTAIN AMERICA was another great choice by Marvel. Johnston is a man who is as passionate about period detail and quirks as those of us who flock to these movies. He is able to balance the spirit of the period while presenting us with modern action in a way that doesn't let either suffer. There is just the right amount of action in this film. Yes, I would have liked more with the Howling Commandos but there's a reason the movie isn't called CAPTAIN AMERICA AND HIS HOWLING COMMANDOS. Perhaps if their promise of a sequel comes true, they can find a way to give us another trip to 40's Europe with Cap and his team.

The supporting cast is quite strong considering the film's pulpy roots. Tommy Lee Jones does a great job as Colonel Phillips. Just the right balance of humor and respect. He isn't a fan of Cap but he does realize his value once he starts to prove himself. Stanley Tucci brings such a beautiful humility to his role as Professor Erskine. His experiment turns Steve Rogers from a scrawny weakling to a super soldier. Erskine is Rogers' moral compass. He reminds him that he's a good man and that no matter how strong he is, he should never forget who he was. Power corrupts and he is the reason that it doesn't happen to Rogers. Hayley Atwell brings a elegance and toughness to her role as Peggy Carter that makes it undeniable that she would be the girl Rogers falls for. It's a cute and chaste romance that never gets in the way of the proceedings. There are a couple of cliche dramatic moments in their relationship that emerge out of convenience of plot but it isn't distracting enough to hurt the film.

And I can't finish this review without mentioning Hugo Weaving's absolutely amazing performance as Johann Schmidt, a.k.a. The Red Skull. Weaving chews up the scenery with such glee that I'm shocked that he didn't steal the movie out from under Evans. A hero is only as good as his villain and this movie doesn't forget that. Too many comic book films these days either under-use their villain or have them be part of a third act reveal that doesn't bring any dramatic weight to it. IRON MAN, BATMAN BEGINS and THOR being recent examples. We know Weaving is the villain right from the start, we are done the favor of not seeing his origin story presented parallel to Rogers'. We get it in a short but quite visually interesting flashback sequence. Thanks to this, Red Skull hits the ground running as a credible threat to our characters and the world. His plot is typical world domination but I wouldn't expect any less from a movie like this. Weaving does a great German accent that is quiet yet has a hint of menace underneath it. Kinda sounds like Werner Herzog most of the time. He also doesn't forget to crack a few jokes. This is a comic book movie, remember?

All in all CAPTAIN AMERICA is exactly the movie I hoped for all summer. Just the right balance of character and action. It also doesn't make the mistake of IRON MAN 2 and THOR in it's setting up of next year's THE AVENGERS. It stands alone as a complete film. My complaints are few. A bit more of the Commandos and Red Skull and the end reveal needed more clarity. Besides that, it's a great super-hero movie that actually makes you care, so much so that the ending hits you right in the gut.

Good work, Johnston, Evans and company.

8.5/10

My favorite film noirs

I recently played and completed L.A. Noire. While the game isn't exactly "noir", it does include many cute references to actual film noirs of the era. Discovering these made me reminisce on all my favorite noirs and reminded me that I haven't written anything for this blog in almost a year. So, here's a list of my favorite film noirs in no particular order. I chose to only do classic noirs. No neo-noirs or western noirs. Just the ones that most encompass what makes a movie "noir". Now, back then the filmmakers weren't really making these movies with the knowledge that they were making noir. Noir wasn't really a concept until about the late 50's when the writers for France's top film magazine "Cashiers du Cinema" started noticing a thematic and visual style in the American movies they were just starting to get for the first time due to the war. It was as influx of these movies almost all at once that made them stand up and notice that America had been making these films with an almost unconscious style and cynicism.

THE MALTESE FALCON

Bogart, Peter Lorre and Sydney Greenstreet make this movie for me. It's a simple plot but one that really encompasses everything that defines noir. John Huston needs to be commended for making such a confident film on his first shot at directing. It's more noir-lite than the other ones on this list. It lacks the brutal cynicism that is prevalent in the others but I still love it as a film that contains the framework for all others to follow

OUT OF THE PAST

Robert Mitchum and Humphrey Bogart have to be my favorite noir actors. Mitchum's performance in this is simply superb. His narration is perfect and filled with the hard-boiled language that is always associated with noir. Kirk Douglas plays the slimy villain with the right amount of charm and disgusting attitude. The story is simple yet deeper than what you'd expect. It hinges on Mitchum's personal decision and not on a twist of fate. As a result, it's downward spiral get an added layer of emotion. Add some great direction and style from Jacques Tourner and you have one of my favorites.

DOUBLE INDEMNITY

Billy Wilder has to be the biggest cynic in classic Hollywood. His films always seemed bitter and angry but we're never turned off by it because they also had a delightful charm that Wilder possessed in person as well. The stories of his writing this film's screenplay with Raymond Chandler are legendary and having such a perfect film emerge from that clash of egos is something we must all be thankful for. Barbara Stanwyck plays the femme fatale role to the hilt. While I'm not physically attracted to her, I can see why poor Fred MacMurray lets himself be led to his doom by her. The story is very typical but the storytelling and Wilder's touch is not. Thanks to that, we're able to somewhat sympathize with some very unsympathetic characters.

ACE IN THE HOLE

Speaking of unsympathetic characters, we have Kirk Douglas in this film. One of cinema's all-time bastards. A reporter so desperate to get a big story that he prolongs a man's suffering simply to keep his own name in the paper's. It's no surprise that Billy Wilder also directed this and even less surprising that people outright hated it when it was released. It has a contempt for people and their delight in the suffering of others. The way that fellow humans rush to try to make a dime off a tragedy. Perhaps audiences didn't like having a mirror put up to them and be forced to deal with their inherent flaws? No matter, it took decades but this movie is finally getting the recognition it deserves.

DETOUR

My personal favorite in the "sad-sack noir" sub-genre. Tom Neal plays a drifter who's pretty down on his luck. He accepts a ride from a guy and thanks to a cruel twist of fate, ends up being fate's bitch for the rest of the film's 67 minute running time. The things that happen to this poor bastard are just terrible but we believe it because we know that any one of us could end up in a situation where simply nothing goes right for us. Ann Savage plays a woman who has to be one of the most evil and manipulative female characters in film history. She is the type of woman you wouldn't even want to spend two minutes with, let alone have to drag her along with you like Neal is forced to do. Director Edgar G. Ulmer keeps this movie short and fast-paced and his ability to make the most out of what is basically two sets is pretty amazing.

THE KILLING

My favorite Stanley Kubrick film. Only Dr. Strangelove comes close. It's less noir in it's visual style, it prefers a more documentary style but it's ending and central plot unraveling is what makes it noir. Sterling Hayden brings a nice gruffness to the main character, a career criminal trying to make that one last proverbial "big score". I don't have to tell you that it all doesn't work out as planned. Why? A woman. That's why. It's always a woman. This is a movie that oozes realism and all credit to Kubrick on that. It's one of his least measured films and has a momentum that most of the other films lack. And it's always good to see noir's go-to sad sack, Elisha Cook Jr, grow some balls for once.

GUN CRAZY

A great take on the Bonnie and Cylde style film. Two people who are hopelessly attracted to each other and are doomed because of it. Again, we get a woman pulling a man to a life of crime with her. The noir style isn't as strong in this either but the pessimism is thick. We know as an audience that these characters are doomed and we are kinda happy to see it. These are not nice people, they rob banks, kill innocent people. We have a shred of sympathy for the main character, Barton Tate, we see him making poor decision after poor decision but we know why he's making them. Peggy Cummings as the femme fatale makes it more believable that Tate would turn to a life of crime for her. Kudos to director Joseph H. Lewis for setting a entire bank robbery from the back seat of a getaway car. Given the limitations of the time, it's pretty incredible.

THE SET UP

Robert Wise made this tiny forgotten gem in 1949 and, in a way, set the stage for every movie about down-on-their-luck boxers that came after. It takes place almost in real time and the story is as bare as you can get. Robert Ryan brings such a defeated attitude and look to his role as a boxer who is determined to win a fight no one thinks he has a chance to win. What he doesn't know is that his manager took money for him to take a dive but never told him because he was so confident he would lose anyway. Ryan wins and from there things get bad. Wise pumps some effective atmosphere into the proceedings. The sets are oppressive and dirty, we feel everything closing in on us just as it's closing in on him. The boxing scenes are pretty realistic for the time. We get a sense of the blood and sweat. Unlike most noirs, the female lead in this is actually supportive and fleshes out Ryan and his reasons for not wanting to simply give up. Just a great little slice of noir that will stay with you much longer than it's very short running time.

RIFIFI

Jules Dassin made this film in France right after leaving the U.S. thanks to his refusal to name names during the McCarthy era. Dassin had already made a few great noirs beforehand. NIGHT AND THE CITY, THIEVES HIGHWAY, THE NAKED CITY and BRUTE FORCE. But this is his masterpiece. A tale of criminals being pulled together to commit a difficult jewelry store robbery. The highlight of the film is, without a doubt, the 30 minute heist scene. It's completely played out in silence. The only sounds are of the environments and the instruments they use to make a hole in the ceiling. It's one of the tensest scenes in film and it only comes in the middle of the film. It's a film where every character is a professional. They all follow a code of ethics. But it wouldn't be a noir if everything went right. They have a code, but people around them don't. Then things get bad.

THE THIRD MAN

I had doubts whether to put this one on the list due to it being more or a thriller than a noir but then I started to consider it's general cynicism and the ending. So here it is. One of my absolute favorite movies in general. It's a movie about friendship and where does the line get drawn when it comes to what you'll do for a friend. Joseph Cotten faces this when he goes to Vienna to bury his old friend, Harry Lime. When he starts to hear that the circumstances surrounding Harry's death are suspicious at best, he starts to investigate. He has to deal with the police and a growing attraction to Harry's girlfriend who he's been consoling and yet, wanting for himself. The morality in this movie is as murky as the sewers the film ends up in. Orson Welles plays Harry Lime as that charming bastard we can't help but like even though we know what he's doing is selfish and borderline murderous. Carol Reed films Vienna with an eye for the beauty in it's streets and dark alleys. Every corner calls to us and repels us. It's a movie that makes us want to watch closer, and for that, it's a masterpiece.

We Are Sex Bob-Omb!

Forgive the lateness of this review but there comes a time when you see a movie that is so completely different and which refuses to follow any type of convention that the simple writing of a review is a near-impossible task. You find that words can't do it justice. A film that you have to experience in order to actually get it. Scott Pilgrim vs. The World is such a film. Edgar Wright's adaptation of Bryan Lee O'Malley's independent comic book is a cinematic orgasm of all things geek.

Mr. Wright made a name for himself by directing Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz. Two films, that in this reviewer's not-so-humble opinion, are perfect films. He already had a very frantic style to his editing and his visuals so the decision to follow those two masterpieces with this comic adaptation seemed like a great fit. He's a comic fan, a music aficionado and already has shown an incredible talent for balancing both style with substance. His talent has made Scott Pilgrim vs. The World into one of the best movies of the year and one of the most endlessly entertaining in recent cinema history. I dare you to watch this film and not have a smile on your face for 95% of it.

At it's heart is a deceptively simple story. Scott Pilgrim (Michael Cera) meets Ramona Flowers (Mary Elizabeth Winstead). It's the epitome of a schoolboy crush. Ramona is the very definition of the cute "pixie" girl. Scott pursues her even though he's still in a kind-of relationship with a 17 year old schoolgirl named Knives Chau (Ellen Wong). Knives is a little obsessive with Scott and his pretty crappy band, Sex Bob-Omb. But she's not the only thing standing in Scott's way towards a relationship with Ramona. Her seven exes have formed a League of Evil Ex-Boyfriends. In order to be with her, Scott has to fight and defeat each one. But it isn't as easy as it sounds. The world Scott and the rest of these characters inhabit is a world where anything is possible. People shatter into coins when defeated. Pee status bars appear when relieving yourself. Where people have super strength and fighting styles straight out of Street Fighter. Vegans have telekinesis. Instruments produce gigantic id monsters that fight above concert audiences like the world's most insane light show. Instead of trying to ground the movie in reality, Wright fully embraces it unrealistic stylings and turns it into a living, breathing comic book.

Michael Cera brings a nice semi-grounded sense to Scott. He's a bit of a jerk and selfish but he doesn't do it out of malice. He just doesn't know how to go about things. Ramona, as played by Mary Elizabeth Winstead, is a beautiful cypher. The type of girl you so want to figure out but you're ok with knowing that you never will. As long as she's by your side, anything is possible. Ellen Wong is able to keep Knives Chau right on that precarious edge between being annoyingly clingy and adorable. Her character's arc is simply delightful. All of the actors portraying Scott's friends do great jobs. The standouts being Johnny Simmons as Young Neil. He's the quiet member of the group but one that is always vigilant. His aloofness is offset by his heart. Go see this movie and make an effort to just watch him during some scenes. You'll see that he's does so much with very little. Kieran Culkin does an amazing job as Scott's gay roommate, Wallace. Loyal but brutally honest when he has to be. He drags Scott back down to reality for his own good. Culkin has so many stand out scenes and has an unique ability to seduce straight men in record time.

Now we come to the ex-boyfriends. Each one is different from the other and each fight is it's own little set piece. It would have been boring if each one was a simple hand to hand fight. Matthew Patel is Ramona's first evil ex-boyfriend. His fight is more traditional but includes an uncomfortably hilarious Bollywood musical number. Chris Evans gives his evil ex-boyfriend/skater/actor character Lucas Lee just the right amount of douchebag-ness. The kind of typical fratboy dick that you love to hate. To make matters worse, he makes crappy movies. Except for "Action Doctor", I'd pay to see that. Brandon Routh's Todd Ingram is a total blank minded "him"bo. A vegan who doesn't even know the definition of the word. Then we have Roxy, Ramona's one evil ex-girlfriend. Just a tiny little ball of fury who just can't stomach the fact that Ramona went back to men. And she does not appreciate being punched in the boob. Kyle and Ken Katayanagi constitute Ramona's 5th and 6th evil ex-boyfriends. Their characters don't really do much but they're able to instill a hatred for them with a few simple cocky looks. And now we come to Gideon, Ramona's seventh and final evil ex-boyfriend. Jason Schwartzman has always been able to give us memorable smarmy rats in his films. Gideon may be the ultimate one. A petty and jealous man who decided to form the League simply out of his desire to keep Ramona for himself, he is the last and most difficult obstacle Scott has to face. Their fight is equally epic and emotional. The stakes are never higher when they finally face off. When they do, it's epic. Needless to say, Scott has his work cut out for him.

A good test for a film is to turn the sound off and still be able to follow the story and have an emotional investment in it. Scott Pilgrim passes that test. There is so much happening on screen at any one moment that every frame is like it's own self-contained comic book page. Literal representations of sounds, whip-pans, scene transitions without edits, multiple focus points within the frame that tell their own story, each one a tool used by Edgar Wright to pull you into story.

From the characters to the acting to the editing and the fights and the music, this is filmmaking at it's purest. There is not one bad moment in this film. It moves at a breathless pace and yet never forgets to keeps us interested in the characters. We want to see a happy ending for them cause we can see ourselves in them. The film speaks to us, a generation of young people and young adults raised on video games, comic books and anime. Not with random references made to elicit cheap laughs but with an actual respect for it's viewers and the material. General audiences are simply not getting it. But I can say with confidence that this movie will live on forever. It's a standout and while the box office isn't all that impressive, years from now we will still be talking about it and won't even be able to remember which movie beat it on it's opening weekend.

Scott Pilgrim vs. The World. It's a world that I hated to leave and that I wish actually existed. Cause having my own pee status bar would actually be incredibly helpful

10/10

Dreams not involving your mother. A review of Inception.

Christopher Nolan is a man who likes to keep you guessing. When he isn't reinventing Batman with two almost perfect movies, he's making his own movies where he can roam free of studio sensibilities. Following, Memento, The Prestige and now Inception. These are his puzzle movies, the stuff he loves to do. Nolan places you within the world of the movie or inside the fractured mind of his protagonists and gives you all the pieces you need in order to solve the puzzle. He's used fractured chronology with all his films and takes it a step further by adding the dream world in Inception. A film that will keep people guessing and arguing about, hopefully, for years to come. All the answers are there. The question is whether you're able to see them with a different perspective.

In this movie, which is at it's most basic, a heist movie, Nolan expertly weaves a story about dreams, manipulation, guilt and ultimately, forgiveness. Leonardo DiCaprio plays Cobb, an expert extractor. A man hired by faceless corporations to go into the dreams of their competitors to find out their secrets. We pick him up at the beginning of the film while he's in the middle of a job. His right hand man, Arthur, played by Joseph-Gordon Levitt, joins him as his researcher and point man. The job turns out to be a recruitment exercise done by a mysterious businessman named Saito, played by Ken Watanabe. Saito is impressed by Cobb's work and wants to hire him for a dangerous job. Saito wants him to not simply enter a man's dreams but to also implant an idea. It's an almost impossible task and Cobb initially refuses but is lured back by a promise to get him back to the U.S. Cobb wants to get back to his two kids and is willing to do the job under that condition. It's the framework of a heist film. Along with Arthur, Cobb makes the rounds looking for a team. The mark is a man named Fischer (Cillian Murphy). Fischer is about to inherit a major energy company following the death of his father. Saito doesn't want him to continue on with his father's business. That's the idea that he wants Cobb to implant. Cobb assembles his team and with them he is ready to do the job. He has college student Ariadne (Ellen Page) become his Architect. The person who creates the dream world. He hires Eames (Tom Hardy) as his Forger. His job is to impersonate people in the dream. Yusef (Dileep Rao) is hired as the Chemist. He has to develop the chemicals needed to put people to sleep. Cobb explains to them that the only way to implant an idea is to delve further into Fischer's mind than anyone has been able to. Not only making dreams within dreams but going two and three levels deeper. Each level becomes more and more treacherous as they go in. Five minutes in the real world is equal to one hour in the dream world. Each level they further go down, that time grows exponentially. Four or five levels in, that time grows to decades. You may be dreaming for an hour but your mind has experienced decades of time. Dying inside a dream isn't so dangerous in a regular dream. You simply wake up. Dying in a dream that's 4 or 5 levels deep means your mind enters a state of limbo. It doesn't know it's dreaming and will stay in that state until your mind is finally convinced that it is. The plan seems difficult enough already but it gets more so when you realize that Cobb has the memory of his dead wife Mal (Marion Cotillard) appearing in the dreams. She represents his subconscious and tries to sabotage his jobs. He has unresolved guilt about her death and it bleeds into whatever work he's doing. He refuses to let go and it's this refusal that places him and his team in danger. He knows that he should tell them this but is confident that he's able to keep Mal at bay. He's wrong.

What follows is what can only be described as a third act that is one single sustained scene. From the moment they enter Fischer's dream they are thrown into chaos. Fischer has been trained by an Extractor how to protect his mind against intruders. Shootouts and car chases punctuate this sequence. They are forced to improvise and delve further into Fischer's mind while on the move. Weightless fights, snowmobile chases, exploding buildings all add to this sequence. Nolan juggles these moments with an expert touch. His editing is balanced and we're able to follow a moment as it happens in one level of the dream and it's ripples are felt in all subsequent levels. Hans Zimmer provides an immense score that rarely lets up. It's pounding and propulsive like his Dark Knight score. It even has some cool subtle touches that you'll only realize afterwards. The cinematography in this film is breathtaking. The dream imagery is quite amazing and imaginative. It's a nice balance between practical effects and computer generated effects. Nolan is one of the only filmmakers left who actually prefers to do as many things in camera as possible. Levitt has a fight in a hallway that we've all seen in the trailers that is done without CG. It's all practical and taken from Stanley Kubrick's idea for rotating sets in 2001: A Space Odyssey. It's choreography is realistic and amazing. Nolan also prefers location shooting opposed to studio sets or green screen. It's refreshing to see this. The snow scenes feel like a nice homage to On Her Majesty's Secret Service.

The performances are all top notch. DiCaprio does admirable work. Levitt showcases a chemistry with all of the members of the team. I wish there was more of his interactions with them. Page is able to bring some heart into her role which is typically the entry point for the audience. I think Hardy is the standout here. He's suave and funny as Eames. He has a bit of a rivalry with Arthur which could have used a bit more. He's adept at the action and shows he has the chops to be a star. He's been cast as the new Mad Max. Here's hoping those films actually get made.

Much has been said about the secrets of the film and while I would love to dissect the multiple theories about the meanings of the dreams and the ending, I can't in this review. Possibly in a thread with people who haven't seen it yet? I will say this, Nolan is not the type of filmmaker who will lie to his audience. He likes to lay out all the puzzle pieces and have you do the work. Some will look at some points in this movie and say that it's a cheap trick but it's not. Close attention will reveal that you were shown certain details while you heard something different. Consider who is telling you these things and you'll being to unravel what the movie really is about. Here's a hint. Ignore the top.

Christopher Nolan has given us a shining beacon in this stale summer at the movies. He's proven that there's still an audience for smart stories that don't hold your hand throughout. Not everything has to be based on a comic, a video-game or a tv show. Original ideas can still flourish and open our minds to new experiences in film. The man is a genius and, in my opinion, the heir apparent to Stanley Kubrick. Kubrick made movies that. decades afterwards, still have us analyzing frame by frame and having discussions about their meanings. Nolan has achieved exactly that.

9.5/10

"I Love It When A Plan Comes Together"

I was never a big fan of the A-Team when I was growing up. I was more of a Magnum PI guy. That being said, I was looking forward to this "reimagining" of the show. Not cause I wanted to see how much they changed it but as a fan of the director and team-based action movies.

This movie had a long and troubled history. From 1996 till as recently as 2008, this movie had more aborted beginnings than a girl after prom night. John Singleton, director of Boyz In The Hood and 2 Fast 2 Furious, was the last guy to take a crack at it. I wasn't all to excited about it. His skills at action are dubious at best. Then the director of Narc and Smokin' Aces, Joe Carnahan stepped up and took a swing and actually managed to make the film. You may not be a fan of his previous movies like I am but his ability to stage action and keep momentum going is fairly obvious. I believe it's his skills at not being a cookie-cutter director that actually helped elevate what could have been another sad and tired remake into one of the most ridiculously fun movies so far this summer.

We all know the story by now, the A-Team is a group of Army Rangers who have been framed for a crime they didn't commit and sent to prison. They use their considerable skills to escape from prison and start on a mission to clear their names. It's within this framework that Joe Carnahan lets loose. All of the actors making up the A-Team are perfect for their roles. Liam Neeson brings a very paternal weight to Hannibal. Bradley Cooper shows considerable action chops as Face. Quinton "Rampage" Jackson quite ably steps into the role of B.A. Baracus and Sharlto Copley gives Murdock the perfect blend of insanity and actual talent. Jessica Biel does what she can as the obligatory role as the Army Lieutenant assigned to track them down. The role isn't really much. She's there to be eye candy and to be a constant threat to the guys. Patrick Wilson is quite smarmy and dickish as Lynch, the mysterious CIA operative who has old ties to the team. The real standout amongst the supporting cast is Brian Bloom as Pike, a mercenary and a quite capable one at that. Bloom also co-wrote the movie with Carnahan and almost certainly gave himself free reign to be both a badass but also a legitimate danger for our heroes. Pike has lots of great moments in the film, the standout being a scene in the backseat of a car which involves inept CIA agents. The man is unpredictable and proves as much when the final scenes come along.

Carnahan knows that this movie can't be taken seriously and uses that as an excuse to keep things light and fun throughout. This is not the type of movie you go into and start questioning the logic and physics behind it all. Murdock manages to fly a helicopter upside down and the team parachutes to safety in a tank. That right there shows that you just need to go along with it all. This is a guy movie, pure and simple. It's in those moments where Carnahan and company try to bring emotional weight to the proceedings that the movie stumbles a bit. It's a sudden tonal change that just feels out of place. The romantic history between Biel and Cooper also feels a little unnecessary but I can forgive them for it. She's the only real female in the movie and had to be there to get women to tag along with their boyfriends or husbands, "Look honey, it has the girl from 7th Heaven! Remember? The one who posed for Maxim and got fired." The movie starts strong and never really slows down. It's able to go from action piece to action piece with the greatest of ease. Even giving the characters moments to be funny within them. The third act feels a little rushed and out of place from the rest of the movie but you've had so much fun so far that it's tough to be mad about it.

There you have it, folks. One of the big surprises of the summer is that The A-Team is actually really, really good. It had a lot of problems getting to the screen and will be labeled as stupid and over the top but that's the point. It's summer popcorn entertainment at it's most fun.

8/10

Men in Suits!

Iron Man was an important film in the history of comic book movies. It elevated Robert Downey Jr. to the A-list where he belongs. It gave director Jon Favreau a chance to prove himself as a filmmaker that was able to direct more than kids movies, Elf and Zathura, and the "Swingers"-lite movie Made. At that moment comic book movies were becoming darker and darker, most to great success, but Iron Man required a lighter touch and it provided it in spades. Faverau was able to juggle both character and story without letting either overshadow the other. Downey as Tony Stark was a revelation, an amazing choice that I'm amazed no one had thought of earlier. The ideal combination of director and actor still encountered some stumbling blocks in the form of a poorly written villain and pretty flat action scenes. Jeff Bridges did an admirable job as the villain but the role just didn't have enough meat to it. The movie was obviously enough of a success that when the inevitable sequel came along it was a chance for Jon Favreau and team to fix all those small problems that, when added up, kept Iron Man from being a great movie. And I must say that with Iron Man 2, Faverau stepped up and fixed those problems, But what makes it suffer is a script that was rushed in order to make the release date.

Iron Man 2 picks up immediately after the first one. Tony Stark has just revealed to the world during a press conference that he is indeed Iron Man. Watching this press conference is Ivan Vanko (Mickey Rourke), a man with a personal vendetta towards Tony Stark and his family's legacy. Meanwhile, Stark is getting lots of flack from the government who want the Iron Man technology to be handed over to them so they can use it as a weapon. Stark refuses and states that his reasoning is that it's not a weapon but a deterrent and that so far it's been working. On the other side of the argument is fellow billionaire and arms manufactuer Justin Hammer (Sam Rockwell), who has been working on building his own version of the Iron Man armor but with disasterous yet funny results. Tony's friend Rhodes (Don Cheadle) is even brought in to reluctantly testify against him. None of this really bothers Tony because he knows he holds all the cards.

Stark is incredibly cocky like he always tends to be, but that cockiness hides a secret. He is slowly being killed by the same technology that is keeping him alive. The Arc reactor that powers his suit is slowly poisoning his blood and unless he can find a new power source then he'll die. It's a secret that he even keeps from his assistant/occasional girlfriend Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow). A woman he used to confide everything in but now he keeps secrets from. The story is an interesting tale of revenge and the difficulties of being a hero when everyone wants a piece of you and everyone knows you're a superhero. Stark seems happy on the outside but he is breaking under the pressure of both the government, Vanko's vendetta and his own health problems. The Tony Stark we see in this movie is a darker version of the one we saw in the first film. Robert Downey Jr. is able to portray him in a way where we see he's in a bad place but never does he fall too much into the "poor me" phase. But all is not doom and gloom for Tony. He meets and promptly hires as his new assistant, Natalie Rushman (Scarlett Johansson), who is secretly a SHIELD agent named Black Widow. And he is also brought into SHIELD by Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) and given the opportunity to perhaps save himself and Iron Man.

This is one of those rare superhero movies where they hired actual actors instead of stars. Everyone in the movie comes to their roles with lots of talent behind them. Paltrow gives another good performance as Pepper, one of the few roles that I actually like her in. Rourke gives Vanko a very dangerous and scary vibe and does an admirable job with the stuff given him but while Vanko is in the movie from beginning to end, he isn't really active in the middle part. Cheadle steps into the role that Terrence Howard originated in the first movie. Rhodes has to be both Stark's best friend but also the voice of reason. A voice that sometimes has to kick Tony's ass once in a while to get him to stop acting like a spoiled brat. Cheadle was able to establish an easy chemistry with Downey and at no point do we question why they're such good friends. Johansson shows off a natural talent for action when her character is required to kick some ass. But the person who steals the show this time out and almost steals the entire movie away from Downey is Sam Rockwell. His performance as Justin Hammer is both hilarious, pathetic yet also scary at the same time. He's a man who is desperate to be the new Tony Stark but lacks the vision and intelligence needed to do it. Hammer is the type of guy who attempts at every possible moment to be cool only to fail to miserably. What makes him a dangerous villain is that he those billions of dollars at his disposal and no moral compass. He is so desperate to dethrone Stark that he makes a deal with Vanko to help him develop his own armor suits. A quite none too subtle deal with the devil.

Jon Favreau approaches the action scenes this time with the gained knowledge of what made the action in the first one somewhat stiff and lifeless. In this one he is able to give us action scenes that are thrilling and well-choreographed. Action beats that also allow there to be room for character moments. The Monaco fight scene is a good balance of actual danger and some comedic moments. There is a friendly fight scene shortly after that between Rhodes in the silver Iron Man armor and Tony in his armor. A fight that is basically to knock some sense into Tony because he is drunk and acting like a douche. It's a fun scene that really pulls no punches. Walls are torn down. Floors are blown through and windows shattered. They basically destroy Tony's house. Then we are treated to an amazing final action scene for which the reasons for have me approaching spoiler territory so I'll stop. I'll just say that it's a lot of fun but the actual final battle is needlessly short.

Now, you may have noticed that I didn't mention any other action scenes. The reason for that is that there are no more. The entire middle of the movie is lacking in any action at all. It's all plot and character scenes. I didn't really mind it because the acting and the banter between characters is so good but we did really need at least one action scene in the middle. I understand why they went with that in the script. Tony needs to get to a moment of catharsis in order to save himself and Iron Man and Vanko and Hammer need to set everything in place for the final act but I can't see a reason they couldn't have thrown in a quick action beat. It follows the "Open big. End big" philosophy of some films but the real meat in the movie is in the middle. It's there that the audience starts to look at their watches.

That is pretty much the only complaint I have about Iron Man 2. It is a superior sequel to an already good film. Jon Favreau and company fixed all the problems that the first one had, they got better villains and ramped up the action all without sacrificing character and story. The movie keeps you entertained throughout and you're never really bored but it's one weakness is that in pursuit of character they forgot to beef up the middle. It's an Iron Man movie with just not enough Iron Man in it.

8.5/10