Oblivion

I took the afternoon off Friday, and in the mood for a film I went to the first afternoon showing of Oblivion, one of my most anticipated films of the year since I first saw the initial trailers a few months ago. People, this movie did NOT disappoint -- I absolutely LOVED it. LOVED IT!! Epic, twisty, romantic, and GORGEOUS, with a very human heart at the core of its bleak dystopian storyline, Oblivion is one of the best science fiction films I've seen in -- well, I don't know how long! :)

The year is 2077, sixty years after alien Scavengers (or "Scavs" as they're called throughout the film) destroyed the moon, unleashing a wave of devastating earthquakes and tsunamis that left the planet devastated. The survivors left alive fled to one of Saturn's moons (now called Titan) and Tet, a space outpost which oversees the activities of technicians like Jack Harper (Tom Cruise) and Victoria (Andrea Riseborough) stationed on Earth, tasked with overseeing the extraction of the planet's remaining resources for use on humanity's new Saturn-moon home. Jack and Victoria's main purpose is to protect the machines that extract the planet's seawater from Scav attacks, and to maintain the fleet of weaponized drones, programmed to eradicate any remaining hostile alien resistance.

Jack is a drone repairman, who leaves his station home, hundreds -- if not thousands -- of feet above the Earth's surface each day to repair Scav damage to the drones from the night before. Victoria, the team's communications officer (as well as Jack's lover), remains behind to monitor his work via and relay their progress to Sally (Melissa Leo), their contact on Tet with the creepily sugar-sweet southern accent. With only two weeks left in their assignment before the promised evacuation to Titan, Victoria is excited and eager that nothing go amiss, anxious to keep their superiors impressed with their effectiveness as a team. Jack, however, is strangely reluctant to leave the devastated planet, carrying within a secret that he's loathe to share even with Victoria -- he's haunted by dreams of Earth, of a pre-war New York City, and of the face of a woman he doesn't know yet finds himself inextricably drawn to imagine every time he closes his eyes.

One day, a routine drone repair mission goes horribly wrong. Following a drone signal into a sinkhole -- which turns out to be the remnants of a library -- Jack is cornered by a cleverly-executed Scavs trap and nearly captured. His close call with the Scavs causes Jack to start to question everything he's assumed about his enemy and their goals as regards his work. After the unthinkable happens and the Scavs succeed in destroying one of the water collection stations under Jack and Victoria's care, he discovers a Scav signal beacon using the spire of the Empire State Building to send a signal into space. He destroys their device, but not before it does its work, bringing an orbiting spaceship crashing to Earth -- a spaceship containing hibernation pods holding humans, one of whom is a woman with the face that's haunted Jack's dreams -- a woman who knows his name.

Jack is horrified when the drones attack the helpless pods, managing to save only one -- his mystery woman, who turns out to be an astronaut named Julia (Olga Kurylenko) who's been in stasis for sixty years. When he defies Victoria's wishes and takes Julia back to the crash site to retrieve the ship's black box recorder, they're captured by a group of Scavs -- and the enemy turns out to be the last thing Jack ever suspected. The Scavs he's been taught to hate are fellow humans, survivors of the war led by an old soldier named Beech (Morgan Freeman). Beech pushes Jack to look beyond the boundaries of the life he's been living -- the work, the off-limits, allegedly radiation-poisoned areas of Earth -- and see the truth about Sally and the Tet -- that there are no aliens, and that everything Jack thought he knew about the war was a lie.

I'm going to pause my recap of the film there, because for me part of the joy in this film experience was in watching the twists and turns of the plot unfold. But seeing as I have never been what one could call a spoiler-free blog, I'll save a few points that I can't resist addressing until the end of this post. :)

The world of this film, the look, is just amazingly rendered on-screen. The post-apocalyptic scenes of Earth, battered nearly beyond recognition, are made all the more eerie by the glimpses Jack encounters in his daily work of the life that existed before the invasion -- remnants of the Brooklyn Bridge, the crumbled stone facade of a library, etc. The most striking is perhaps the top portion of the remnants of the Empire State Building, at least eighty-percent of the structure buried under rubble, with only the battered remainder of the iconic observation deck and the spire still in view. The familiar, half-hidden by the rubble of a ravaged planet, is at once both frightening and eerily captivating.

The clean, sharp lines of Jack and Victoria's outpost home, all silver and glass and chrome (nicely reflected in Victoria's costuming choices -- where Jack gets dirty and worn in his work on-planet, Victoria remains freakishly perfect, smartly dressed and coiffed, almost eerily reminiscent of the Stepford Wives. As the film progresses there is an eerie sense of inevitability in all of Jack and Victoria's interactions -- every time he questions something about their life or work, she knows just the right word or action to take to refocus Jack's attention, dismissing his questions.

While Jack's station is all clean, sharp lines, the rubble of the portion of the planet they're tasked with overseeing stands in stark contrast to the clean lines of their base -- it's a harsh, inhuman environment, until Jack uncovers more and more of the fragmented rubble of a once-vibrant civilization, especially books. Books are, of course, not the only detritus of humanity that Jack covertly collects during his drone-repair missions, but as a bibliophile myself they are the most meaningful -- records of one of humanity's most precious gifts, imagination, free-thinking. Jack collects his treasures and brings them to his secret woodland hideaway, a pocket of Earth filled with forest and lakes. It is unclear if this is simply a corner of the world that missed the apocalyptic conflict that destroyed most of humanity, or if it is the Earth gradually being re-born -- but either way, the beauty of Jack's hideaway in contrast to the desolation overseen by the drones speaks to the wild vibrancy of pre-war life, a life that stands in stark contrast to Jack and Victoria's very scripted relationship and work.

I've seen some reviews of Oblivion arguing that it's too derivative, the elements that make up the story have all been done before -- or that it's sexist, focusing on Jack's transformation and heroic journey a the expense of the film's two female characters. To address the first point, if previously explored plot elements or sci-fi tropes are presented to me in a new, fresh, glossy package -- I love the twist. To address the second point -- I tend to accept the characters in this film at face value, and this is very simply Jack's story. I don't think he's heroic at the expense of the female characters -- if anything, Victoria is tragically a victim, through no fault of her own, while Julia exhibits a quiet strength that I find in no way diminishes her vis-a-vis Jack's more "flashy" heroics, and Jack's determined attempts to do right by both of the women in his life are arguably admirable. In sum, if I'm taking a simplistic view I'm willing to give the film many subsequent viewings to change my mind. :)

Here's where things are going to get a little spoiler-y. Prompted by Beech's veiled hints that there is more than meets the eye to Jack's work, he and Julia risk an excursion into one of the off-limits radiation zones -- only to discover that there is no radiation, and most shockingly, Jack has a double -- Tech 52, performing the identical drone-repair tasks. This is where things get really interesting in my view, as Jack #1, also known as Tech 49, not only has to process that his work is a lie and his memories of a pre-war life with Julia are real -- but that he is a clone, something that should not be. Everything the Scav survivors believe, everything within Tech 42's slowly reawakening humanity argue that a clone is more machine than human, a pale copy of its source DNA.

And this is what I loved about Oblivion -- it's suggestion that what makes humans human -- free choice, the ability to love, to think -- is a spark that the machine that resides in the Tet, that seeks to strip Earth of its resources, can never truly extinguish. Simplistic? Sure...but Jack is a likeable character here, and I thoroughly enjoyed the world of the film and the way in which Jack's awakening, his sacrifice, unfolds on-screen.

Here Cruise is very much in his element as the man versus the "system," if you will -- and like him or loathe him (and I used to count myself in the latter camp, for some reason I will never understand, as the Mission: Impossible movies are just plain awesome), I have to give him props for turning in a performance that felt both moving and authentic. And I loved seeing Kurylenko on-screen again -- her role here is admittedly a small one, but it's pivotal to the storyline, and I'd argue her character here is a step up from her appearance as Camille in Quantum of Solace (although Camille is admittedly one of the stronger heroines in the Bond series).

Also, since I don't watch Game of Thrones I've apparently been missing out on this incredibly gorgeous Danish guy named Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, playing Beech's second-in-command Sykes. I thought about posting a picture of Nikolaj actually in this film, but then I googled him and came up with this, so you're welcome:

This is only director Joseph Kosinski's second film, but seeing as Oblivion is based on his original, never-published graphic novel concept, if this guy ever directs anything besides Tron films in the future (sorry, I just have no interest in going THERE) I'm definitely interested -- I think he's got a fantastic imagination, and the world-building he oversees in this film is just superbly done. And the score, people, THE SCORE! The music is just GORGEOUS -- sweeping and romantic and tension-filled by turns, it's become a new favorite.

Oblivion happily lived up to all of my expectations and was a thoroughly entertaining, occasionally thought-provoking, GORGEOUS piece of cinematic science fiction. I can't wait to revisit it.

Mission: Impossible -- Ghost Protocol

I suppose whether or not one likes the Mission: Impossible films depends largely on how one feels about Tom Cruise. While not an avid fan of the actor per se, I love this series of films and to Cruise's credit his penchant for gazing with steely-eyed intensity at the camera works really well for the role of IMF agent extraordinaire Ethan Hunt. The Mission movies feed my desire to see slick spy capers on the big screen, and after giving it some thought it is possible that Ghost Protocol is the best film in the series to date.

It has been five years since we last saw Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) walk off into the sunset with his new wife Julia (Michelle Monaghan), leaving the future of the film franchise in some doubt -- now that the hero had seemingly achieved some measure of happiness in his personal life, would he return to work? The answer, thankfully, is HECK YES. The film opens with IMF agent Jane Carter (Paula Patton) and newly-promoted field agent Benji Dunn (Simon Pegg, a carryover from the third film) breaking Hunt and his source, Bogdan (Miraj Grbic), out of a Moscow prison. The IMF want Hunt to help save Carter's previous mission which had gone horribly wrong, when her fellow agent and lover Trevor Hanaway (LOST's Josh Hollaway) was killed by Sabine Moreau (Lea Seydoux), who stole the nuclear launch codes he'd intercepted and plans to sell them to "Cobalt" (Michael Nyqvist), a nutcase. Hunt is viewed as something of a loose cannon by this new "team," since he was in prison for essentially going rogue and killing the Serbian hit squad responsible for the death of his wife (*sadface*).

I was so happy to see Benji return to the series -- Pegg is HILARIOUS and plays the computer geek thrilled to "see some action" in the field to perfection. I loved Benji's non-stop banter, in-the-field jitters, and Hunt's palpable exasperation with him -- the two play off each other quite well. Patton's Jane Carter is perhaps the best-realized female agent in the film series to date -- my favorite at any rate. She's fiesty, capable, and determined, and more than the equal of her male counterparts. Female spies in franchises like this can all too easily fall into the trap of being just a pretty face, rather empty-headed, but Carter avoids that trap by possessing an impressive drive and determination to succeed, thanks to Trevor's murder.

But by far my favorite cast addition is intelligence analyst William Brandt (Jeremy Renner), who falls in with the team quite by accident after the IMF is disavowed and blamed for a bombing at the Kremlin, and must go on the run to prove themselves innocent and stop the aforementioned Cobalt nutcase from starting a nuclear war. I've loved Renner since his work on the short-lived TV show The Unusuals, and 2012 promises to be a banner year for him with appearances in The Avengers and The Bourne Legacy. All is not as it seems with Brandt, who carries a terrible secret that could shatter his tenuous relationship with Hunt. Renner was just MADE for this type of role -- he's got the looks and physicality and also the humor, the snarkiness to make a character like Brandt appealing and quite frankly sheer fun to watch. If there's a fifth Mission: Impossible film -- and it seems likely, given the success of this installment -- if most or all of the team of Pegg, Patton, and Renner sign on to support Cruise I'm all for the idea (more on that in a moment).

I think a great deal of the credit for revitilizing the franchise in this manner has to go to director Brad Bird, who prior to this was known for directing films like The Incredibles. There's a sense of energy and pacing to Ghost Protocol that reminds me of the Pixar superhero family, and a family of sorts is indeed what this movie creates between the IMF team members. They quarrel and argue and question each other, but when push comes to shove they are there for each other. To paraphrase a line I read in an article somewhere about the film, Ghost isn't Tom Cruise vs. the world, this is a genuine TEAM effort. And getting invested in that team, and their relationships with each other, and enjoying the on-screen dynamic -- that is a large part of what makes this movie work so extraordinarily well.

Of course there are spectacular action sequences and cool spy gadgets -- it just wouldn't be a Mission: Impossible movie without those "amazing" (read: ridiculously convenient) masks the team creates to impersonate people (though in a good-natured jab at the previous films, the masks don't work, leaving the team to rely on cool bravado to sell their con), as well as a host of new technology -- my favorite being the contact lens that serves as a camera, that sends copies to a wireless printer in a special briefcase. Seriously, I WANT ONE. I have no idea WHY, I just do. *wink* 

In addition to the spy "toys," this film is chock-full of arguably some of the most spectacular action sequences in the franchise. After the team's attempt to retrieve a file on the elusive Cobalt from the Kremlin goes south and the building explodes, I thought that could possibly be the film's high-water mark -- and was I ever wrong. The trailers give you a glimpse of Cruise's high-wire act climbing the Burj Khalifa -- the world's tallest skyscraper -- in Dubai in his best Spiderman impression. The visuals in that scene are just spectacular, and the tension is superbly handled. I love that the team never gives you a sense during this or any other moment in the film that they are cocky and overly confident -- this time around there's a renewed sense of fallibility among Cruise & company -- as the audience we "know" how things are supposed to work out, so full credit to the script, cast, and director for maintaining tension and excitement throughout. Each member of this core team knows they are riding a high-wire act, each has experienced or witnessed the horrible cost of a mission gone wrong -- the stakes are high and the film keeps viewers invested and interested in the outcome. And I didn't even talk about Hunt's pursuit of Cobalt in the middle of a sandstorm... :)

Couple of quick notes -- it was terrific to see Tom Wilkinson make a brief appearance as the ill-fated IMF Secretary. It was also WONDERFUL to see longtime Hunt cohort Luther Stickell (Ving Rhames) make a brief cameo at the film's conclusion -- if he can be persuaded to come back for a fifth film, that would pretty much make things perfect. Music-wise Michael Giacchino delivers perhaps an even better score than his first outing in the series for the third M:I film. Giacchino also has a history of working with director Bird on The Incredibles, and one wonders if this similar superhero/action-themed collaboration inspired the energy of his  newest offering.

In a way that's somewhat reminscent of the "realism" Daniel Craig brought to the character of James Bond in Casino Royale, Ghost Protocol reminds viewers that the IMF agents accomplishing these impossible feats are very human. I can't remember Ethan Hunt ever taking quite as much of a pounding as he does in this latest installment. And it isn't just the reminder that characters like Ethan aren't immune to physical harm -- this script adds layers of emotional resonance that in the end makes this particular grouping of IMF agents people you care about. This is perhaps best summed up at the movie's conclusion, when Hunt (SPOILER ALERT) admits to Brandt that his wife is, in fact, alive. There's two things at play here that made me love that moment -- one, Hunt recognizing himself in Brandt and realizing just how much it would mean to know the truth behind the failed mission in Croatia, and two, witnessing Hunt's faithfulness to his wife and seeing just how much he loves her. Yes, I know I am a total romantic sap but GAH!! -- that moment killed me it was so perfect.

For sheer escapist fun Ghost Protocol can't be beat. Kudos to the entire production team for refreshing a franchise that could've gotten stale if filmmakers had continued to insist on relying on Cruise's star power alone. This team works, and as the main thread that has run throughout the film franchise, Cruise plays off the newbies really well. :)

Knight and Day

When I first saw the trailer for the movie Knight and Day, it immediately went on my must-see list since it reminded me of several favorite movies and TV shows. The Knight and Day trailer recalls the globe-spanning adventure of a classic James Bond film, the humor and style of the Hepburn/Grant caper flick Charade, and the chemistry between Scarecrow and Mrs. King. Now, I've never been much of a Tom Cruise fan, but apparently I'm really mellowing on this issue here lately. It all started with Valkyrie, which I loved in spite of his horrid accent, and then I found out I didn't mind the three Mission: Impossible films at all, and then last week I watched The Last Samurai for the first time and I LOVED it. All this to say that apparently I'm living, breathing proof that people really can change. *wink*

Did I mention I've seen Knight and Day twice now? :)

This movie is sheer fun from start to finish, and as the leads I thought Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz were terrific in their respective roles. As you can probably surmise from my first paragraph, in many ways this is a throwback movie, mixing glitzy, globe-trotting adventure, a wildly non-sensical threat to world peace, and a healthy dose of romantic banter. Let me be clear here - the storyline of Knight is RIDICULOUS. That said, I loved every second of it. Knight and Day is best viewed if you will determine to leave the analytical side of your brain and home and simply commit to enjoy the ride. After all, to be really successful an action/comedy/romance hybrid like this really needs to be a little silly, no? :) This movie in many ways defines the idea of a popcorn flick for me. It's got a great tongue-in-cheek tone that can be seen in everything from the script, to the way a scene is shot, to the use of the score to complement the action on-screen. Loved it all.

I really loved how Tom Cruise almost seems to be parodying his past roles in order to bring spy Roy Miller to life. Roy is the most ridiculous, super-serious, amped-up version of a spy I think I've ever seen on-screen. Did I mention that he's also strangely enough the most considerate? Roy's "pep talks" (for lack of a better term) to June, Diaz's character, are some of my favorite moments in the film, and also the most hilarious. You don't expect a spy played by Tom Cruise to go all Dr. Phil on their companion in the middle of a firefight. It's funny and random and random, when done right, is one of my favorite things. :)

Cameron Diaz plays June, the all-American girl who gets caught up in Roy's insane spy world. She also happens to own a garage and loves rebuilding classic cars, and it's a testament to the world of the film that I bought that 100%, with no reservations. If any actress in Hollywood is going to sell being able to work on cars for a living, can you think of someone better than Cameron Diaz? Seriously, I think not. *wink* I really liked Diaz and Cruise's on-screen relationship - they seemed to be having a lot of fun play off each other, and I really enjoyed watching the development of their relationship. Thanks to the confidence Roy instills in her, June begins to develop her own set of spy skills, and shows a heckuvalot of moxie from start to finish.

Peter Sarsgaard gets plenty of screentime as Roy's nemesis Fitzgerald. This movie doesn't give Sarsgaard nearly the material to work with that we got to see in An Education, but that's not what's required, obviously. Sarsgaard fits the bill perfectly as the "company" man determined to bring Roy Miller to justice. Fitzgerald is no Blofeld, that's for sure, but Sarsgaard seems to be having fun playing the guy determined to acquire the movie's ridiculous Macguffin, a.k.a. a really hot battery. I kid you not. But I promise, just abandon yourself to the fun of watching Roy leave instructive post-it notes scattered around June's apartment, and you won't care that the movie racks up an insane body count over a battery.

I loved the look of this movie, and it's peppered with some great special effects action sequences. The trailer gives you a good view of the car chase scene, but it's a lot of fun watching it play out from start to finish. And I LOVED the craziness of having June stuck in this life-and-death race through Boston wearing a bridesmaid's dress and work boots. Grace and practicality rather defines June's character, I suppose! The motorcycle chase in the middle of the running of the bulls in Spain is also slickly produced and fun to watch. Oh, and while these scenes weren't action heavy, I loved how June turns the tables on Roy at the end of the movie, mirroring many of the lines and situations he'd played on her earlier. It was cute and really a nice way to cap off the movie.

I've also got to hand it to John Powell, as he created a fantastic score for Knight and Day. It's definitely not your typical loud action movie score. Sure, there are passages of music that fit that bill, but the best pieces of music are the unexpected ones, such as during the fight on the airplane at the beginning of the movie. The music during that action sequence is light, airy, and funny, and for lack of a better way to describe it since I'm getting tired, I'll say it sounds French. It's music you'd expect to hear in a bistro, or during a movie like Charade, or To Catch a Thief, or even An American in Paris. The unexpected juxtaposition of music and action is just part of this movie's charm.

Final verdict - Knight and Day equals great summer escapism. I can't wait for the DVD. :)

Upcoming movies...the summer edition, part one...

Well, sorry to spring another upcoming movies post on you so soon, but this is turning into quite a week. I'm in the middle of a few books (reviews to come of course!), I still haven't reviewed Iron Man 2 or Letters to Juliet (loved 'em both just in case you were wondering), and I finalized plans to move sometime within the next month. Let the packing frenzy commence!

Since May is already half over (can you believe it?!) the summer movie season is gong to be kicking into high gear. There's a handful of movies coming out in June that I'm interested in seeing...here you go:

You all know I'm a sucker for a good historical epic. :) Princess Ka'iulani has already opened in limited release, mostly on the west coast (I think). There's no telling if it will ever make it's way to Tennessee, but if it does I definitely want to see it. Starring Q'orianka Kilcher, who played Pocahontas in the gorgeous film The New World.



Killers opens 6/4, starring Katherine Heigl and Ashton Kutcher. Looks fun but it may end up being a rental:



The A-Team opens on 6/11, and people I can not WAIT for this one. I absolutely love the TV show. While no one can fully replace George Peppard as Hannibal, and no one can ever, EVER replace Dwight Schultz as Murdock (LOVE him!), this cast looks like it will do a decent job. :) Starring Liam Neeson as Hannibal, Bradley Cooper as Faceman, Sharlto Copley as Murdock, and Quinton "Rampage" Jackson as B.A.



Last but certainly not least, Knight and Day opens 6/25 starring Cameron Diaz and Tom Cruise. I am endlessly entertained by this trailer, which is really something if you know how long I've spent loathing Tom Cruise (I've mellowed on that somewhat...loved Valkyrie, bad accent & all). If it comes down to a choice between this movie & Killers, this one will win, no contest...