They say Chronicle is a rip off of Akira. I’ve never seen Akira, and chose not to, so I can come into this movie with a clean perspective and walk out with an idea of how Akira might be. After seeing this film, Akira must be f***ing awesome! Though, I doubt it had the deadliest filmmaker in the world. Read my review of Chronicle after the jump.

The story of Chronicle is simple: 3 teens get the power of telekinesis after finding a tunnel in the woods. Unfortunately, one of them turns dark and powerful, and only the other 2 friends can stop him.  I’d expect it to be just plain stupid since I dislike high school movies and teen drama in general, but you know what? This movie is not stupid. At all. In fact, it is one of the more intelligent movies that is intense with it’s action as well. A movie about teens that is logical has been proven.

Oh I forgot to tell you: This is a found-footage film. A found-footage film that isn’t just from one camera all the time. The movie realizes that people do put the camera down because shit just got real and wouldn’t waste their time holding a camera up (I’m talking to you, Cloverfield). I don’t think any movie could sell you that but Chronicle did by using telekinetic cameras, security camera, pedestrians/tourists, etc. Not once did I question a camera angle or motive to film. In fact I rather liked the main character, Andrew, played by Dane Dehaan, because he is the most powerful cameraman in the world.

That’s not the only thing I liked about Andrew. Sympathetic villains are the best villains and Andrew is one you kind of want to win. His life was disturbed by constant abuse before he got his superpowers. By the time he goes to far, you don’t get angry at him but feel sorry for him. What better villain is there? Matt, the hero of the story, played by Alex Russell, isn’t even focused on that much. It’s a story that follows the villain in it’s majority of screen time. Matt wasn’t given that much character development. You didn’t really like him in the beginning because he was a douchebag, but he wasn’t an asshole. His growth wasn’t nearly as interesting as Andrew and his turn to the dark side.

But this movie isn’t perfect. While it was logical in everything they did and how it all played out, the fault is mainly in the special effects, which isn’t saying much. When they showcase the powers it doesn’t look all that convincing. If the point of your scene is to show how cool a power is, then you better amaze me and while it did do that, it fell short sometimes.  It’s good enough but not great. However, these moments are few because the action scenes don’t give you time to declare “that looks so fake.” I’m sure if I look at it in slow motion it would look as mediocre as the other scenes but I just won’t give a damn. Steve, played by Micheal B. Jordan, was the middle man and I thought his character had a lot more potential than what they did with him. Also, the music was annoying, but I won’t put that in the mix because I just don’t like modern day music.

So in short: while the movie is brilliant, some flaws in special effects bring this movie down and weak characters here and there but really, that’s just nitpicking. It’s just not a perfect film, but it is the best Superhero movie ever made that does not originate from a comic book. Even if it did, it would give The Dark Knight a run for it’s money. The Avengers and TDKR, this is your competition. I’d give this a 4.9 our of 5 stars, but I’m forced to round it off and give it 5 out of 5 stars.

It also has the coolest movie poster ever.

Now knowing that the system is rigged, Salas goes to the wealthy part of town in order to clean their clocks (pun intended). He takes Sylvia Weis (Amanda Seyfried), daughter of bank owner Philippe Weis, hostage when the cops find him. She falls for Salas and understands the corruption going on around her, so the two become sort of a Robin Hood/Bonnie and Clyde hybrid in their attempts to steal time and give it away.

The concept of this film is pretty interesting. The idea that you spend time as money has a lot of fascinating side effects on culture, and the film touches on those effects pretty well. Unfortunately, there are some bigger themes that the film tries to thrust down our throats once in a while without really developing them. The logistics of how time is transferred looks good on screen, but it’s hard to imagine something as simple as holding a man’s arm a certain way could kill them and give you all their years. There has a to be a safer way to do this.

There are other plot holes in the film, and all together there is not a very good flow. I didn’t feel any driving force keeping the story moving forward, so it felt a bit haphazard. The characters are pretty decent, though it’s hard to believe a factory worker like Salas could pull off some of the badass action movies that Timberlake did. Timberlake in general isn’t a great action star, and I feel like he is better suited for comedy than anything serious.

The setting of the film has a visual style that is hard to pinpoint. Aside from the technology used for timekeeping and a few other tidbits, this film could take place in almost any decade. The cars are mostly from the 70s, and not a single person has a cell phone. I’m sure there’s an interesting backstory as to why its like this, but it’s never touched upon.

Overall, the premise of In Time is greater than the film itself. The fact that the film skims the surface of some great social status and class structure issues makes it a bit more frustrating. Lines like “For a few to be immortal, many must die” hint at a parity to current issues with Wall Street scandals and such, but that’s about it. Unfortunately, the DVD itself has a similar problem in that it could have dove into these issues, but instead we only get some deleted scenes.

Rating:

George Lucas nowadays has a talent; he takes something from your past, pets it, gives it a nice look, then makes it act stupid. It doesn’t really matter if he’s the executive producer or the key grip. This time he goes way back to World War II with the movie Red Tails, and it is inspired by The Tuskegee Airmen and their true stories. They were an all African-American US fighter group that was basically the embodiment of success when it came to aviation victories. I was actually excited when I heard about this movie 2 days ago because World War II air battles were an inspiration for the spectacular Star Wars air battles, and it really shows here. Does this movie honor the greatest World War II pilots we ever had? Find out after the jump.

Spoiler Alert: No. It doesn’t. I’m not sure if that was even the intention. In fact, the 1995 HBO film The Tuskegee Airmen did better than this film, and that was more than a decade ago. If you’re a military enthusiast (or have slight common sense), the very first scene will make you laugh. Apparently bombers lack any kind of communication and their gunners have the aiming capabilities of a blind stormtrooper. The opening credits starts to roll during the slaughter of flying fortresses, and I am not exaggerating when I say this: These are the worst opening credits I have ever seen in a film. They’re almost as lazy as the writing, because it looks like it came out of a cheap 70′s film. I can only assume it was artistic intent, which is still no excuse. But I digress, that’s just the first problem.

Probably the only Germans you'll see.

The first time we are introduced to our heroes is when they’re on a scouting mission and the have the worst dialogue ever said in the sky. It’s hard enough to act it out when you’re in a cockpit and can’t do much about the writing. Half of the movie is like that, whether they are fighting or not. I really have to give these actors credit for trying to make this atrocious dialouge sound decent. We follow….well, actually, I’m not sure. They’re all given the same amount of screen time and no character development. The only one that really stood out was David Oyelowo as Joe “Lightning” Little because he actually had a romance angle. Of course, the fact that he was the bravest and best pilot in the squadron helped that. When he Tuskegee Airmen did sink a Destroyer, he singlehandedly did it. Whether it’s historically accurate that they had explosive bullets back then is questionable. Everyone else is like they came out of a bad Tyler Perry sitcom. There were maybe one or two moments where you gave a damn, but in a 2 hour movie it’s just crumbs on a plate.

The only saving grace was the dog fighting and overall flight sequences. The action scenes were awesome and well done with fluent cinematography. It’s a real shame they all looked the same because I would have given this movie a higher rating if they mixed it up a little. Unfortunately, it got tiresome, which is the biggest crime an action movie can do. For a first time feature film director, Anthony Hemingway did a splendid job with that. I’d give him some blame, but he’s not in his home territory so I can understand his failures or mistakes. It actually makes sense because this movie would have been great if it was shown on TV many decades ago. The music was forgettable because I can’t even remember if they played any. The technique of making scenes intense by subtracting the music from the moment is horribly done multiple times. Battle: Los Angeles pales in comparison to the huge amount of cliche’ found in this film.

I really wanted to care more about these guys, but that was so hard to do.

This film took a diamond-plated shit on an important piece of history. I really hoped it would open modern eyes to The Tuskegee Airmen, but instead made them look like comical idiots. At the very least, the action scenes are awesome and happen every 10 minutes (thank god). It’s the only thing I can give the movie credit for, because everything else is just downright insulting. There are a few lines here that will make you laugh, but mostly you will either be bored or pissed off.

George Lucas, I’ve tolerated you long enough. Here’s half a star, because it’s the lowest rating I can give above no stars. And for the record, this review is coming from a guy who enjoys watching bad movies.

Red Tails is in theaters now.

Today’s featured app is “The Devil Inside” for the iPhone, iPod and iPad. So sit back and let’s get the party started. Hit the jump to see how this app performed and whether it’s worth the download.

I’ve actually never heard of this film, to be completely honest with you. I had to YouTube the trailer to get brought up to speed. For a film that’s being released on the 6th of January, there has been very little promotion. That must be why they release this app for the iPhone and it’s multiple sister products.

The film is a “Paranormal Activity”-esque possesion film, centered around a camera crew and their documentation of a woman who murdered her family after spirits inhabited her. The app itself doesn’t go too far of course from that idea, and is rather simple, displaying itself as quick test scanner to identify any demons that may live within you.

The app is free, and starts off, upon launch of the app, with a picture of the poster, a short, one sentence instruction, and then the option to start the actual test.

The app then proceeds to ask you a series of questions. I answered no to all of them because they involved possession, which has never been a problem with me.

Once you’ve answered all the questions, it has you line up two red crosses with your pupils.

I won’t spoil what it does from here, but I will say one thing: I was not impressed.

It’s a dated concept in a time where it takes a hell of a lot more to impress a viewer. The app was free, so I wasn’t too upset, but I would like to write the studio and get a refund on my time wasted. It’s very predictable, but hey, like I said, it was free, so if it seems like you might dig the movie, then get the app.

Just don’t expect much in return.

It’s amazing that one horse’s journey can connect the lives of so many people without them knowing it. Steven Spielberg’s latest World War I epic, War Horse, based on the 1982 children’s novel by Michael Morpurgo that was recently adapted into a Tony Award-winning stage play earlier this year, doesn’t need an in depth explanation, the title pretty much speaks for itself, yet it is so deceiving.

As aforementioned, we follow a horse named Joey from the day he was born to the raging fires of World War I. He is the horse that binds these stories together yet no one knows it. Throughout the movie Joey becomes more than just a War Horse, he becomes a sign of hope: for a family, a sick girl, and soldiers on both sides of the war.

I’ve always found adapting novels has one of the most difficult tasks for any screenwriter. Translating text to a movie is never easy, because readers and those familiar with the novel always look at the movie adaptation through a microscope. That being said Lee Hall and Richard Curtis were able to pen something magnificently and when combined with a score from John Williams, War Horse truly feels like the novel has come to life.

The cinematography is absolutely breathtaking. With every sweeping side shot of the countryside, you can’t help but image the sun in your face or the breeze passing by you. Then it all transitions to the darkness of war. The smoke, the mud, and the ominous cold haze creep through the screen like a thief in the night. But as life-like as the battle trenches were in War Horse, the countryside scenes were too good to be true.

The heart of War Horse is Joey’s ability to make human connections with every character in the story, he brings out the best qualities with everyone that acts has his care taker. It starts out with a boy named Albert, whose farm is about to be repossessed by a villainous landlord. Albert’s motivation and never-quit attitude is the key to his family’s survival, and it is because of that single element, he and Joey were able to save the farm. However to keep the movie going forward, there also needed to be elements where our protagonististic steed needed to be thrust into a situation out of his control.

For instance rain devastates the farm, and Albert’s father is forced to sell Joey to the military. Distraught Albert will do anything to be with him, even if that means signing up for the military three years before he is actually allowed to. Of course Captain Nicholls calms him down and assures him that if he can, he will return Joey to Albert. But before Joey can enter into battle, he needs to be broken down, and Nicholls is chanelleged by his commanding officer and his equally beautiful horse Tophorn. Days later they lead the charge into a German base camp where they are killed and two young German soldiers become the horses’ caretakers.

But our new weary caretakers escape with the horses and are discovered to be hiding out in a near by windmill, they are killed, and Joey & Tophorn are left behind. A young but sick girl and her overprotective grandfather discover them. But Joey and Tophorn are repossessed by the German army, and are forced to work by pulling massive tanks and other machinery. Joey continues to persist in hopes that he can be reunited with his beloved owner Albert.

The height of War Horse lies at the moment when Joey escapes from the trenches of war. Leaping over tanks, bursting through the blazes of war, and galloping through barb wire, Joey gets caught and is seemingly defeated. However, Joey is caught in between the British and German battle lines. And for one single moment the two sides are united to free a horse.

Amidst all the pain and travesty of war, War Horse is about Joey’s journey home and Albert’s love for his horse and the lengths he goes through to be reunited with him. Jeremy Irvine gives quite a performance in his first feature length film. Albeit it was a bit short of brilliance, it was a good one given that it was not only his first movie, it was his first Steven Spielberg movie. War is always a difficult subject for everyone, it tears societies apart, but if there was symbol of hope, unity, and peace, it would be the War Horse. Such a magnificent horse that pulls us together for a common good.

There is a now-clichéd Tom Cruise speech in Cameron Crowe’s 1996 megahit, Jerry Maguire, which begins: “We live in a cynical world.” While the merits of that film, and that line, are now debatable, there is one unquestionable truth in Cruise’s statement: it truly sums up Cameron Crowe’s directorial ethos. Crowe believes that cynicism abounds and it is up to good people to rail against it. The entirety of Crowe’s canon, from his debut Say Anything to his masterpiece Almost Famous (and even the tepid Elizabethtown), are films that challenge the very notion of snarky post-modern cynicism. Crowe’s latest film, We Bought a Zoo, continues that tradition of sweet positivity in a world dominated by bleak outlooks and low expectations.

We Bought a Zoo tells the story of recently widowed Benjamin Mee who, along with his children, sets upon the task of purchasing, repairing and running a dilapidated zoo. The film is based on the true story of a family who purchased a zoo in England – though Crowe’s film is set in California and apparently takes other dramatic liberties quite freely. The Mees are played by Matt Damon who is reliably likable, handsome and believable as Benjamin the patriarch-in-mourning, Colin Ford (as Dylan) who often looks uncannily similar to Damon and Maggie Elizabeth Jones as Rosie, Benjamin’s young daughter. The children are both good in their roles as kids dealing with an unimaginable loss. Damon’s Benjamin is a adventurous and driven man who is seen in the beginning of the film as a globetrotting, international journalist. Mee’s love for thrills and distaste for normalcy make him more of a fatherly icon as opposed to an involved and active dad. The loss of his wife causes Mee to reexamine his priorities and he decides to quit his job, relocate to the country and ultimately to purchase a zoo that was closed for lack of funding.  Young Rosie loves the idea of the fresh start amongst the menagerie but the older, teenage Dylan is incensed and spends his time making disturbing drawings of death and destruction. The film chronicles Benjamin’s struggles to reconnect with Dylan, win the favor of the zoo’s quirky staff, and learn his new caretaker trade – all while he blows through all of the family’s savings to bring the zoo up to code.

Overall We Bought a Zoo is a success. Audiences will like the Mees and the zoo’s bizarre staff. The animals, especially an old tiger, become real characters due to Crowe’s adept direction. There are also entertaining performances by Thomas Hayden Church as Benjamin’s nay-saying, oversexed, brother and John Michael Higgins as Walter Ferris – a man who takes his job as USDA zoo inspector too seriously. Where We Bought a Zoo fails though is in its love story. Scarlett Johansson, who plays the head zookeeper, is likable and ought to have been a great foil for Damon’s sad dad. However, she is not sexy in this role and portrays her character as oddly icy. Though her lips are eminently kissable, in every scene, Johansson’s sex appeal vanishes in We Bought a Zoo and, by the time she and Damon are supposedly in love, few viewers will be truly convinced of their bond. Also, for most viewers, the line: “all you need is 20 seconds of insane courage” will feel trite – no matter how often or passionately it is repeated. Romance and catch phrases aside, Crowe has learned from his past mistakes. The kids in We Bought a Zoo are fully fleshed-out characters and not merely cute robot parrots like Jonathan Lipnicki’s squinty one-liner machine in Jerry Maguire. Crowe also gives We Bought a Zoo a plot – something that his previous film, Elizabethtown, suffered for lack of.

The 2011 holiday movie season will bring viewers David Fincher’s take on the The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo – a film dealing with rape, unchecked misogyny and abuse, an adaptation of Jonathan Safran Foer’s highly overrated (read: exploitative) 9/11 novel Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close and War Horse – a Steven Spielberg film about a horse surviving the horrors of WWI. Amidst all that violence, destruction and sadness, We Bought a Zoo can be seen as a cinematic breath of fresh air. It is a film for those who like Cameron Crowe want a break from cynicism and seek something that aspires to our better angels. While We Bought a Zoo is an imperfect film it is definitely entertaining and a solid return-to-form for Crowe. At the very least We Bought a Zoo features arguably the best film soundtrack of 2011, playing over gorgeous shots of exotic animals which, for many, will be worth the price of admission alone.

Rating: 3/5 Stars. We Bought a Zoo opens December 23rd.

As soon as Mission: Impossible-Ghost Protocol begins, you are thrust into an IMAX sequence: something has gone wrong during Agent Trevor Hanaway’s mission as he’s being chased by two gunmen. From this point on, the action doesn’t seem to stop! A jailbreak to the Kremlin being bombed to scaling the Burj Khalifa in Dubai,  this has to be the most exciting film of the series and almost puts the “impossible” in Mission: Impossible!

As usual, Tom Cruise turns in an excellent performance as IMF team leader Ethan Hunt. A lot of the major stunts in the film were done by Ethan Hunt (Cruise or his stunt double) with the agility of a cat. Of course, this is the movies, but no matter how much training a person has had and no matter how strong they are, I don’t think one would be able to survive the things that Hunt survived. Whether it be falling from a window, landing on top of a moving truck only to then slip off and land head first on stone or intentionally driving a car off of a platform to plunge straight down with you in the driver’s seat.

The supporting cast is headed up by the beautiful Paula Patton who totally kicks ass as Agent Jane Carter. Simon Pegg plays newly promoted field agent Benji Dunn and provides comic relief. Jeremy Renner plays IMF analyst William Brandt, who has a few secrets. Renner’s character is very interesting in the sense that when you first meet him, he gives off these vibes that something just isn’t quite right and you question if he is really a good guy or not.

The villain of the film, Kurt Hendricks (played by Michael Nyqvist) is crazy, believing that nuclear war is good for the world because it will bring peace. But he is also very boring because he doesn’t do anything. You don’t feel threatened by him at all, in fact the briefcase he and Ethan Hunt fight over at one point feels more menacing than he does (perhaps it’s the fact that it holds the key to World War 3). Hendricks’ right hand man Wistrom is also boring and I had a hard time telling the two apart.

Brad Bird uses the IMAX format to his advantage, putting you closer to the action. With the larger screen, your entire field of view is filled with the picture and the massive speakers make everything much louder and deep sounds like explosions actually shake the seat. So by the time you come out of Mission: Impossible-Ghost Protocol, you’ll feel as though you’ve been in the movie. The best IMAX sequence in the film is, of course, the Burj Khalifa scene where Ethan Hunt has to climb up to a server room. The entire time I was on the edge of my seat, heart-racing because there are a few close calls. I also really liked the opening titles, (an IMAX sequence) which go back to the days of the television show main titles, showing what’s to come later on in the movie.

Overall, Mission: Impossible-Ghost Protocol is not a perfect movie. It’s filled with pulse-pounding action, but with a running time of two hours and twelve minutes, I got a bit bored during some of the non-action scenes. However, this is a fun movie and should definitely be seen in IMAX. It was Brad Bird’s vision to shoot with the IMAX cameras and features almost 30 minutes worth of breath-taking IMAX footage.

Rating: 4.5/5 stars

Without spoiling anything major, the film will pick up right where The Dark Knight left off with Gordon delivering the eulogy at Harvey Dent’s funeral. This portion is in 35mm, but we are immediately thrust into the IMAX sequence and Operation Early Bird. It’s a faced paced sequence that (in the context we saw it in) is only meant to give you a taste of what’s to come and introduce you to the villain, Bane.

I like the way Chris Nolan sets up Bane’s introduction, it’s very reminiscent of how he chose to introduce the Joker back in 2008. One of the major problems I had (and that everyone else had) is that you can’t really understand what Bane is saying. You make out bits and pieces of it, but you can’t comprehend anything. His voice is very interesting; it sounds like a normal voice mixed with a voice produced by an electrolayrnx.

The situation you are thrust into is one of the most exciting things I’ve ever experienced in a movie. I just know the stunt guys thought Nolan was absolutely crazy when they learned what he wanted them to do. And they make it look so easy! This is so hard not to talk about, but just think the tumbling hallway sequence in Inception…but 30,000 feet in the air. Yeah, mind blowing stuff.

Not only should the stunt work be commended, but the camera work as well. This entire sequence was shot with IMAX cameras. If you know anything about IMAX cameras, you know that they are huge, very heavy and quite loud. After seeing this, you would think that an IMAX camera must be the smallest thing in the world. Things were done with these cameras that have never been done before in a film like this.

I also really loved Hans Zimmer’s theme for Bane. I could make out the “The Fire Rises” chant in there. It was just too good for words and really thumps through the IMAX sound system.

By now, many of you have probably seen the bootlegs that are floating around (and swiftly being taken down by Warner Bros.), but I beg you, please do not ruin the experience by watching this prologue on your computer. The IMAX screens are so big that the cellphone cameras can’t capture the entire picture. This was put together for YOU, the fans, to experience a taste of this film months in advance. If your local IMAX is playing the prologue this weekend, go experience it there, on a 70 ft tall screen with a laser-aligned sound system. Your 17-inch computer screen with Beats Audio built-in will not do this justice, trust me.

We were also given these cool t-shirts:

Notice how Batman’s symbol sort of looks…broken? People were trying to figure out what they meant. Well, Batman is the “legend” and Bane (who is represented by those jagged lines, which look like his mask), brings the “end” of the legend of Batman. Which also explains the broken bat symbol.

You can see the opening sequence of The Dark Knight Rises starting this Friday, December 16th in front of Mission: Impossible-Ghost Protocol at select IMAX theaters!

The Dark Knight Rises in theaters and IMAX July 20th, 2012.

There are formidable problems with filming Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy: the novel is lengthy, intricately-plotted, beloved by fans of its author, John le Carré, and already had a celebrated 1979 BBC television adaptation starring none other than Alec Guinness a.k.a. Obi-Wan Kenobi. The former issues aside, Guinness’ performance alone was so spot-on that le Carré began depicting his master spy George Smiley, in subsequent novels, as resembling Alec Guinness. When it was announced that Gary Oldman would be taking-on the Smiley role, concerns about his bull-in-a-china-shop acting style were justifiably raised. Fortunately for fans of the novels, and BBC adaptation, Gary Oldman completely transforms himself for this role and the ever determined, always inscrutable, George Smiley returns to the screen in yet another remarkable production.

The Gary Oldman most readers are accustomed to is an over-the-top savage of a performer; chewing scenery, loudly shouting his lines and passionately burning through every moment of his screen time. His role in Leon: The Professional as an evil, amyl nitrate sniffing, cop-on-the-take is probably the prime example of his early work. Unfortunately, over time, many critics and audiences ceased to appreciate his unique presence and, over the course of several bombs, Oldman lost his leading-man status. Lesson learned, Oldman fought to tame his internal beasts and has revived his career playing subtler, recurring roles in franchises like Harry Potter and the Nolan brothers’ Batman reboot. With that in mind, no performance could be more subtle, or career-changing for Oldman, than George Smiley the protagonist of a series of le Carré novels about Cold War-era British Intelligence.

Viewers looking for Bond-like action or a simple plot may not appreciate Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy. Director Thomas Alfredson (Let the Right One In) respects his audience’s intelligence and eschews cheap thrills at every opportunity. The result is a character driven film peppered with moments of striking cinematic brilliance – including one scene with an owl that will resonate with viewers long after they leave the theater. The film’s plot remains mostly faithful to the original text: Control, the head of British Intelligence a.k.a. The Circus, suspects a highly placed mole is feeding vital information to the Soviets. He sends Jim Prideaux, a competent spy, on a mission to discover the identity of the traitor. Somehow Prideaux’s mission is compromised and he is shot and captured. Control is forced to resign in disgrace and in doing so his number two man, George Smiley, is forced to resign too. This forced retirement is brief for Smiley who is brought back into the spy game by Lacon, a civil servant, who suspects Control’s mole suspicions were indeed correct. Lacon requests Smiley privately investigate the leadership of The Circus and determine who the mole is.

Control is played by the always brilliant John Hurt who portrays the spy chief as a paranoid, angry man unwilling to compromise with those in his organization whom he deems to be intellectually lesser and careless. Control and Smiley clearly have a shared bond as natural, brilliant operatives whose innate talents shame those around them. The rest of the cast is made-up of the cream of the crop of current British male actors: Mark Strong, Colin Firth, Tom Hardy, Ciaran Hinds, Toby Jones and Benedict Cumberbatch. Emotion is considered weakness amongst this group of covert operatives and therefore these actors are given a limited palate of expression for their characters. Watching these talents work within those emotional restrictions is something to behold – creased brows, nervous ticks and compressed intensity. Only Tom Hardy’s Ricki Tarr is allowed to emote and he truly becomes the heart of the film. Tarr is a blunt instrument for The Circus – a low level spy used to dirty work with little reward. Unfortunately Tarr falls in love and as a result he is betrayed by his own agency and he cracks under the pressure. When he finally spills his tragic story to Smiley, Tarr shakes uncontrollably and looks like a man broken. Tom Hardy plays the lead villain, Bane, in the forthcoming The Dark Knight Rises and his performance in films like Bronson and here in Tinker Tailor… solidifies the sound judgment behind that casting. Few could, or would want to, follow Heath Ledger’s Joker but it seems Tom Hardy may be more than up to the task.

Ultimately Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy lives or dies by Gary Oldman’s performance. For many the pacing and intricacy of the plot will undermine a thorough examination of Oldman’s work. This is unfortunate because Oldman, who had been most often seen waving his arms and shouting at full volume, becomes a character whose entire emotional range exists at the corners of his mouth and in the way he grips a banister. This is a true transformation and worthy of the same praise heaped upon the likes of Robert De Niro, Cate Blanchett and Daniel Day-Lewis. Complaints about the film are minimal: Ciaran Hinds is tragically underused here and given far too little screen time to make his normal impression. Also, the condensed plot causes some of the novel’s more interesting twists to be lost. All things considered these are minor complaints though and the fact that Alfredson was able to pull off a film this seamless from such an overabundance of material is a testament to his talent. For anyone looking to see an interesting, challenging, brilliant film this weekend, it doesn’t get better than Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy.

Rating 4.5/5 stars

Generally movie audiences are cheering for the hero to save the day, the good guy to get the girl, the down on his luck athlete to make the winning jumper (had to use a basketball reference since the NBA is back), but none of that matters when you can make a compelling villain. But maybe a villain is too strong of a word. Young Adult is that movie that has you cheering for the antagonist and still feel good about it. Jason Reitman directs the dark comedy using a script penned by Diablo Cody. If that team up sounds familiar, it should, they worked together on Juno. So saying that Young Adult is Juno’s twisted sister would be an under statement.

From the moment the movie starts, Mavis Gray (Charlize Theron) is a pathetic mess. Then again, that is even too strong of a word. But whatever she is considered, her life isn’t in exactly in order. As the ghost writer of a dying young adult series, Mavis finds herself with writer’s block, but not because of her inability to create, instead its because she receives an e-mail from a high-school lover Buddy Slade (Patrick Wilson) saying that he is the father of a new born child Some how she takes this as a sign that she and Buddy are meant to be together. So she drives off to dreary town in Minneapolis to rekindle the flame. When she arrives, she feels as through time stands still and nothing has changed.

For the first few minutes of Young Adult, I understood that the movie wasn’t going to be anything like Juno in the slightest way. The way that Mavis carries herself from the moment she wakes up just tells me she looks at the glass half-empty. Her dark eyes, artificial smile, and smug look tells the audience that she s stuck in an arrested development. She always finds herself clinging to the past, unable to let go of the fact that she and Buddy were always meant to be together. She does however put her previous marriage, high-school classmates, and other things about the town of Mercury in the back of her mind. She literally has memories of Buddy pass through the filter.

But what makes Young Adult work so well is Jason Reitman’s ability to throw that unsuspecting emotional curve ball. While you are laughing throughout the movie, you get sucker punched by the emotional moments in the movie. The time where Matt (Patton Oswalt) described the low-point in his life isn’t a tearjerker, but it does tug at a few heart strings. Then Reitman is nasty and twists it with Mavis mocking Matt. And that is just the tip of it, there are more moments like that.

Throughout the entire movie, Mavis hears that she is the only one who has changed and that everyone else has stayed he same. She continuously goes through these fashion changes to point out that she truly is the only one who has changed. Ironically she hasn’t. Everyone gets older, but some people just don’t grow up. Shopping for clothes, frequent visits to the beauty salon, any beauty touch ups to get the attention of Buddy and signify that she has changed. In fact it is all just one big comedic downward spiral for Mavis. Her self-destruction is something you cannot take your eyes off of.

Our past makes us who we are, we can either learn from our mistakes or just embrace them and continue on to be the same person. Mavis is just that. Someone who hasn’t learned and Matt is enraptured by it. Matt is a very compelling character too. Misunderstood as a fat gay kid, who is actually straight fat typical nerd. Sometimes it felt as though you were watching Patton Oswalt and not Matt. Regardless of that small aspect, Matt is a wonderful character to watch who is the only person willing to confront Mavis on how everything she is doing is a mistake. Another part that makes Matt so wonderful is his love for Mavis. Its actually genuine, like any other stereotypical high-school kid who is shunned by the hot prom queen.

But he too hasn’t exactly changed. For one thing, he should hate her for being ignored for four years. Mavis doesn’t even remember him until she recognizes the limp and the label “The Hate Crime Guy. “He was beaten to within an inch of his life by some jocks who thought he was gay (even though he isn’t). Ironically Matt mocks Mavis’ desperate attempts to make Buddy fall in love with her.

As aforementioned, it is fun to watch Mavis on the road to self-destruction. Theron is able to balance the evil-side and the sad-side of Mavis throughout the entire movie. And all her failed attempts to rekindle anything will garner the audience’s sympathy.

Overall, the movie is just perfect, with the right amount of emotion and comedy balancing each other.

5/5 Stars