“LOOPER” MOVIE REVIEW. What’s goes around comes around in karmic style.

 

“LOOPER” PRESS PREVIEW

Frankly I’ve never been a big fan of time travel flicks, but honestly, this one looks promising.

If you relish futuristic sci-fi yarns, then don’t miss it.

It is cleverly written and directed by RIAN JOHNSON.

But take your time to digest the plot closely, lest you get lost in translation.

It stars JOSEPH GORDON-LEVITT and BRUCE WILLIS and they both play the same character called Joe from different time zones, 30 years apart.

The genre here is labeled time travel, so kindly fine-tune your suspension of disbelief.

“LOOPER” actively transports you through the current future (2044) and further into 2074.

The year is 2044 and the globe is in a sorry state.

Hit men called Loopers exist at this time, and their tasks are to kill undesirable people sent from the future, 30 years ahead in time by a crime syndicate for elimination.

You don’t go round shooting people dead, therefore this time travel buzz is illegal.

The Loopers are well rewarded and live an envious life involving speedy cars, eye-dropping drugs and sexy women. Or so it seems.

JOSEPH GORDON-LEVITT is one stone-faced looper living in 2044 under the name of Joe.

His older alter-ego takes the form of BRUCE WILLIS who exists in the futuristic year of 2074.

Joe takes killing instructions from his crime syndicate bosses 30 years ahead of time.

At an appointed time, he will show up promptly at a deserted rural spot.

The victim “from the future” will be delivered to him hooded, with a bag over his head, arms tied behind him and silver bars strapped to the body.

Joe then blasts him dead and claims the silver bars as his payment.

Forward to 2074, where the opportunity to mess with somebody’s present becomes a robust business.

A mob boss called the Rainmaker usurps this “time travel” scheme to despatch unwanted people back to 2044 for execution.

Lucrative job it may be, but what goes around comes around.

And karma has it that the loopers will have to face their own executions in the near future.

So much for spoilers and the rest, you have to see for yourself.

This sci-fic feature film has a potent potpourri mix: time travel, organized crime, death, loss, hope and redemption.

A-listers JOSEPH GORDON-LEVITT and BRUCE WILLIS take center stage in this unusual story.

EMILY BLUNT appears in a supporting role to lend a feminine touch.

She plays Sara, a woman of mystery with child actor PIERCE CAGNON as her self-possessed 10-year-old son, Cid.

The premise is refreshing and is definitely worth a watch.

“PREMIUM RUSH” Movie Review. Are you GEARED for spectacular BICYCLE STUNTS?

“PREMIUM RUSH” PRESS PREVIEW

Honestly speaking …..

You can rarely come across a feature film such as “PREMIUM RUSH” that breezes you through the breathtaking insights of a cycle courier, battling his parkour on wheels (a grueling non-competitive sport focusing on physical discipline).

The headline “RIDE LIKE HELL” says it loud and clear, screaming for attention from the movie poster.

You are promised that the death-defying stunts are going to be authentically old-school.

There will not be any computer-generated enhancement imagery used to deceive your eyes, so the actions are for real.

And the bonus: this season’s hottest flavor JOSEPH GORDON-LEVITT will be playing the bicyle riding lead in this story.

He stars as WILEE, this devil-may-care bicycle messenger who speeds precariously on his “fixie”, a bike that is a super lightweight, single geared and brakeless.

WILEE is a die-hard bicycle messenger and his job is totally reliant on this “fixie” bike.

Far from being a piece of cake, his daily daunting tasks are spiced with spills and thrills, fraught with dangers in trying to avoid himself from being hit by speeding vehicles, human beings and reckless cab drivers along the street.

 Bike messengers are employed by courier companies because bicycle travel is less prone to unexpected holdups in city’s congested traffic jams  and is unlikely to be deterred by unpleasant parking limitations that can hinder prompt delivery.

Be prepared to be amazed by the stunning bike choreography.

“PREMIUM RUSH” is an eye-opener that implores you to share the hectic routines of the bicycle messengers and is fertile ground to set off a high octane actioner.

The film director DAVID KOEPP exemplifies a courageous tale of respect and resilience.

The plot:

WILEE, a dedicated New York bike messenger is entrusted with  an envelope by NIMA, a young Chinese woman played by JAMIE CHUNG at an uptown Manhattan college.  The instructions?  He has to deliver it to a shady address in Chinatown within 90 minutes.

No one would ever expect a corrupt police office to suddenly step in and demand the envelope on ambiguous grounds.

The shady motives are succintly revealed through a series of flashbacks as the cop (MICHAEL SHANNON) and the messenger furiously engage in a cat-and-mouse chase in a race against time.

 WILEE has to defend the urgency of the envelope’s mysterious contents.

A little on film director DAVID KOEPP here:

Granted, he may be one of Hollywood most prolific screenwriters with more than two decades of writing blockbusters.

But helming the movie is another story.

He has delivered the actions well.

Outside of the stunts, the treatment of  the tamer scenes in-between tends to fall substantially into light-hearted buffoonery.

MICHAEL SHANNON the predator is portrayed as a bumbling, inept idiot who’s been given a hard time by JOSEPH GORDON-LEVITT in the dodging game. Also, there’s a touch of comedic element meted to the rogues and the evil characters are far from being the menacing and slashing lot.

An air of sinister suspense can do wonders to ignite the sparks, and could fare better to keep the adrenalin flowing.

Whatever it takes, if you are an avid fan of JOSEPH GORDON-LEVITT, this one can’t possibly go wrong.

Enjoy!

“50/50″ MOVIE REVIEW. This BUDDY TALE is about a divine FRIENDSHIP.

“50/50″ PRESS PREVIEW

Once in a while you'd get a THEATRICAL GEM about FRIENDSHIP.

“50/50″ is one such feature. This is the inference I draw from the Film:

Friendship is succinctly heartwarming.  More so, it’s a divine blessing that enriches our soul.

A staunch buddy is one whom we can let our hair down and be ourselves – no pretensions. We can wail and wallow in our sorrows without being accused of being self-piteous.

True friends allow you to unload your emotional and spiritual baggage, to let these flow unashamedly, and you don’t need to hold anything back.

Friends form the nicest people, to share a laughter and a tear.

Friends will rally around – when your entire world is threatening to fall apart.

Friends make us feel loved, respected and that we are not alone in this chaotic globe.

Now, what’s “50/50 all about?

It is a movie inspired by a true story about friendship, love, surviving a crisis and finding humor in unlikely places.

JOSEPH GORDON-LEVITT and SETH ROGEN star as best friends whose lives are changed by a cancer diagnosis in this new comedy directed by JONATHAN LEVINE from a script by WILL REISER.

Writer WILL REISER had cancer before, it is a story largely based on his own experience with this deadly disease, reminding us that with friendship and love, no matter what bizarre turns we take, these are the greatest healers.

 ”50/50″ is everything  a smart, witty, entertaining crowd pleaser should be.

We are taken on a comedic journey to embrace the true meaning of life and friendship, and to uncover human and humorous touches in dire situations that we’ve often taken for granted.

It is a grim reminder that it’s great to be alive and that we should treasure the hours, the minutes and the person right in front of us. Right.

NO SPOILERS here, it’s a helluva great film.

In “50/50″, every actor does a beautiful job to color this dismal world.

GO WATCH IT for friendship sake.