Tron

One of the most celebrated geek films of all time is Tron. Uniting computer programmers with nerd of all sorts this tale of an epic struggle in a digital world discovered by a brilliant video game designer. Although the original story wasn't anything particularly new the application of technology in 1982 was groundbreaking. Although the image below may not seem to live up to the description I have just given for the time this was a seamless union of the available digital technology with the promises offered by the incredible advances occurring everyday.



So naturally expectations for the sequel Tron Legacy were incredibly high. Simply put this film delivers. It is visually stunning and for fans of the original blends classic Tron mythology with an engaging story. One of the most impressive aspects of Legacy is the creation of digitally rendered younger versions of the characters played by Jeff Bridges (CLU) and Bruce Boxleitner (Tron) from the original film. As computer programs they do not age and they are incredibly life like. I would highly recommend that everyone goes out to see Tron Legacy for no other reason than it is one of the slickest films I have ever seen. Also, Jeff Bridges continues his phoenix-like rise (which for the record started with Iron Man!) and is excellent once again as Kevin Flynn (although it does feel like he is channelling his character from the Big Lebowski at times). If nothing else Tron Legacy continues the tradition of pushing the boundaries of technology further and questioning how far can we go with technology.

Full Green Lantern Trailer

So the full Green Lantern trailer is definitely better than the sneak peak I posted earlier. My biggest concern though still hasn't been rectified. The costume still looks a little cheesy, especially the mask. Watch for yourself, hopefully they still have time to fix the effects.

WARNING: 1st Green Lantern Footage Highly Questionable

Entertainment Tonight just debuted the first look the the Green Lantern Trailer and I am extremely concerned. The costume looks lame, the projections of the ring are just ok, and the tone of the film seems immature at best. This could be one of the biggest disappointments for fans of the Lantern comics. I am holding out hope though.

Battle:Los Angeles

Top Five Most Anticipated Movies

I know I have already addressed the startling lack of quality summer movies, so I thought I would provide a silver lining by laying out the five movies I wish were coming out this week.

1. Battle: Los Angeles
Release Date: TBA 2011
Starring: Aaron Eckhart and Michelle Rodriguez

Why it will be great: While there are no shortage of alien invasion movies in the film lexicon, Battle: LA looks as if it just may provide the new take on this classic genre. Taking a semi-documentary style this film follows the modern day battle between a group of U.S. Marines (helmed by Eckhart) and an alien invasion force. What makes Battle: Los Angeles noteworthy however is that the director was aiming to channel the feel of soldiers fighting in Irag in Afghanistan as opposed to Independence Day. The hyper realism hinted by the films cast and crew indicates that the alien force has air superiority yet both sides are evenly matched on the ground. One of the few things moviegoers have yet to see effectively depicted is a functional alien military command structure. The largest challenge facing this movie the the successful integration of sci-fi and fantasy elements into a realistic military situation. Hurt Locker meets District 9, Battle: Los Angeles looks to be one of the most promising films debuting in 2011.

For more information check out the viral marketing sight for Battle: Los Angeles http://reportthreats.org/

2. Green Lantern
Release Date: June 17, 2011
Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Mark Strong, Peter Sarsgaard, Blake Lively


Why it will be great: So prior to this movie being announced I had little interest in delving into the mythology of the Green Lantern comic book character. I mean seriously the guy's power came from a magic ring and he is essentially a space cop. Doing some background research however has really turned around my opinion and I have begun to drink the Green Lantern Kool-Aid. Rather than being a liability I think the non-traditional nature of this particular superhero property will be a huge advantage going into a summer chock full of other heroes (Captain America etc.) Another reason to get excited for this movie is that the studio is supposedly already given the green light for the filming of two more Lantern movies back to back. By far the most compelling case to invest in a ticket to see Green Lantern is that thus far (with the exception of Superman Returns) DC Comics has carefully protected their characters from crappy movie adaptations. You only have to look at the Batman films to see the care in which DC chooses who will bring their characters to the big screen.

3. Monsters
Release Date: October 29th, 2010 (limited release)
Starring: Whitney Able, Scoot McNairy (yeah I don't know who they are either)

Why it will be great: Aside from blowing crowds away at the Cannes Film Festival this low budget sci-fi story seems to largely flown under the radar. Telling the story of a NASA probes that crashes in southern Mexico while returning with samples of the first recorded life on another plant, Monsters picks up with massive creatures being cordoned off in a quarantine zone inside of Mexico. The U.S. and Mexican military patrol their respective borders to keep the creatures inside the predetermined boundaries. Similar to District 9 in both the size of the budget and quality of the special effects produced, this film looks to be a sleeper hit.

For more information and the trailer check out Screen Rant's piece on Monsters

4. Sucker Punch
Release Date: March 25th, 2011
Starring: Emily Browning, Vanessa Hudgens, Jon Hamm

Why it will be great: The undisputed winner of Comic-Con 2010's much sought after buzz-worthy status Sucker Punch is now among the most anticipated films of 2011. From the mind if 300 Director Zac Synder Sucker Punch is the story of a girl who is detained in a mental institution by her step-father and uses alternative reality as a means of formulating an escape plan. While on the surface that sounds like a quiet drama more akin to Girl Interrupted than 300 the trailer tells another story all together. This alternative reality is a war zone that transcends time and space. The protagonist (Baby Doll) joined by several of the other girls from the facility much fight their way to freedom in a steam punk inspired dream world. This film offers massive gun battles, sword play, and a healthy dose of female empowerment. The most important aspect of this movie however is that it is an original concept. The box office is flooded with crappy buddy comedies, remakes, reboots, and rehashing of characters that audiences are frankly sick of. While I am sure this won't be on everyone short list I will certainly be buying a ticket.

For more information check out the Official Sucker Punch website

5. Cowboys and Aliens
Release Date: July 29th, 2011
Starring: Daniel Craig, Harrison Ford, Sam Rockwell

Why it will be great: So this movie is exactly what you think it is. Based on a graphic novel by the same name Cowboys and Aliens focuses on the battle between the local inhabitants of frontier New Mexico (Cowboys and Indians) and the aliens aboard a crazed spaceship. If this movie wasn't starring Harrison Ford, Dan Craig, Sam Rockwell, and directed by Jon Favreau (Iron Man) I would not even consider seeing it. But they are and I am interested. The clip shown at Comic-Con just two weeks after filming started had people really excited for this film. I think this movie will do well because people are looking for an updated western. This year's Jonah Hex utterly failed to strike a balance between the western source material and its sci-fi inspiration. I think Cowboys and Aliens will succeed where others have failed and I will definitely be seeing this movie.

Honorable Mentions

Let Me In
Release Date: October 1st, 2010
- Remake of an incredibly chilling Swedish Vampire movie starring Chloe Moretz.

Tron Legacy
Release Date: December 17th, 2010
- Follow up to the ground breaking Tron starring two versions of Jeff Bridges.

Devil
Release Date: September 17th 2010
- Story of five people trapped in an elevator one of whom is the Devil. Despite being from the mind of M. Night Shamaylan this movie shows real promise (especially because he isn't directing!)

Inception, The Silver Lining to a Summer of Crappy Movies

I am a huge fan of going to movies. Normally during the summer I go at least twice a month and usually more often. I rotate between the four cinemas in my area with stadium seating so that the employees don't think I am casing the joint. So how many trips have I made this summer, at almost the halfway point of the season? One, one disappointing trip to see the Iron Man franchise dumbed down to the point that I felt as if I had paid ten dollars to simply watch a long trailer for the Avenger's movie. So what gives this year. Well to start people are sick and tired of remakes, gratuitious sequels (excusing Toy Story 3 here because I heard it was great), and reboots of franchises. It seems as if Hollywood as run out of ideas and instead is simply replaying the highlight reel.

Now for those of you nodding your heads our there the main question may be what have we done to deserve this? Well, we went to a lot of shitty movies thats what. Each time we buy a ticket to a movie we are giving an implicit endorsement that we agree with the content, tone, and level of brain activity required by the production. Movies won't get any better until we demand a better class of films to take the place of the fluffy nonsense that currently dominates the box office.

Now to my main point. From early reviews as well as a gut instinct I think the notable exception of the summer is going to be Christopher Nolan's Inception starring Leonardo DiCaprio (Departed, duh), Joseph Gordon-Leavitt (500 Days of Summer), and Ellen Page (Juno). Basically about thieves who utilize dreams to extract information this film looks to be the smartest movie of the summer. Our jobs as movie goers is to make it a success. By rewarding films that require more thinking than an afternoon nap we can give studios an incentive to green-light similarly intelligent projects. Now I am not saying to get rid of every stupid movie, far from it. Those movies have a crucial role to play and they can quite a bit of fun. I am concerned that these films have become the industry standard instead of simply a part of a larger pool of viewing options.

Why In The Loop Is a Must See

So after weeks of prodding I reluctantly placed the 2009 British Comedy "In The Loop" on my netflix queue. Honestly my expectations for this film were almost non-existent, the only thing I was sure of was that I would be sending it back as soon as possible so that I could get the next movie on my list. Yet, the movie still sits in my DVD player, and it arrived in the mail over a week ago. Simply put I was blown away by this high quality, intelligent, and irrevently funny examination of the events leading up to a joint US - British invasion of an unnamed Middle Eastern Country (*hint *hint).

In the Loop follows the series of missteps that lead bumbling British Minister for International Development Simon Foster and his aide Toby to the foreground of the international debate on whether or not to invade Ira....I mean the country in question. Pawns in a much larger game between elements within the US State Department, the film provides a refreshing, if unsettling look, at how the decision to use military force is made.

As someone who has spent time working in the UK political system this movie provides a frightenly accurate picture of how underqualified government ministers often are as well as the realities of what being a constituency MP is all about. In one scene in particular Minister Foster is attending a town meeting and a constituents refusing to stop talking about a wall that is falling over into his property. The contrast between the debate on the war and the debate over what to do about this wall is hysterical. Further it is often largely true! More than once I had to calm constituents down who were enraged about seemingly simple things like tree branches extending into their gardens, people parking on the street near there home, and most memorably the woman who told me that she saw kids planting weeds in her garden. Unlike in the United States British Cabinet Ministers are also full time members of the House of Commons. This duality is expertly portrayed and creates the most inconic scenes of the film.

Another aspect of this movie I personally identified with was the role that interns and recent college graduates play in the realm of government. At one point a British govt. employee remarks that "its all kids in Washington" after she meets her American counterpart (who is a good ten years younger than her). The phenomenon she refers to however is not strictly limited to the US. During my time interning in the House of Commons I found that the vast majority of the people I interacted with were under the age of thirty, with the notable exception of most Member's Personal Assistants who were often older. A few poorly timed comments and being in the wrong place at the wrong time by Foster's aide shows just how quickly interns can leave their mark on an office (and not in a good way).

All in all I highly recommend "In The Loop" to any viewer who has ever interned, has an interest in politics, or those just willing to spend an hour and a half laughing.