Limitless

Limitless is an edge of your seat thriller. While we are always taught by our parents to not judge a book by its cover. It is even more important to not judge a film by its trailer/marketing campaign. From everything leading up to this film we are sold that Bradley Cooper gets a drug fix from Robert De Niro and then a game of cat and mouse ensues between the two. What Limitless truly ends up being is a movie where Eddie Morra (Bradley Cooper) is a struggling writer/slob who acquires a drug called NZT-48, a pill that allows him to recall everything from the briefest of encounters. In minutes he is transformed from a guy no one could believe has a book deal to a man no one can do without. Eddie's problem solving solutions end up fanning the flames of questions around him, and before long it seems that everyone in the city is after him. The intricate dynamics that weave this trail of lies is one of the best that I can remember in a movie in a long time.

Bradley Cooper shows how he is quickly becoming a force to be reckoned with in Hollywood. His performance is brilliant as he is able to go from panicked addict to conversationalist genius back and forth flawlessly without losing the support of the audience. What really made Limitless in many ways unique was that there was truly no other key character for Morra to confide in or take along in the journey, Cooper's strong performance became even more vital. The downside I found in this was that the supporting roles particularly those played by Robert De Niro and Abbie Cornish did not give them the range that they are both capable of as they are reduced to merely plot points.

There are not enough words to describe how amazingly brisk and sharp the production comes across. There truly is not a single scene in this film where artistic appeal is not put in throughout. One of the aspects that has become a new way to tell the story is that of giving us a starting point where the climax is already at hand, only to then move back days, weeks or months to tell the story back to that point and beyond. With this story telling style I love how it only helps at least on my end to put me even more on the edge of my seat from moment one. A lot of praise needs to be given to the visual effects and the use of a warm color palette to show the moments when the effects of NZT-48 are influencing Cooper's character. This distinct difference really contrasts life at the moments when only the small amount of our brain is used in comparison to those moments when the mind is fully opened up to all the possibilities.

Limitless is a film that is part of a new genre that has turned up recently and that is the self discovery genre. The primary goal of this genre is simply to delve into the metaphysical realm to find out what makes us tick. Limitless ends up asking the question to the audience of what is holding each of us back from being the perfect versions of ourselves. While there are those moments where the plot is full of holes, most movies have similar plot holes that in order for the movie to be fun and entertaining the audience just needs to go with it. First and foremost for me I am there to be entertained so I am more then willing to let the movies get away with some absurd stunts or even some moments that would not happen in real life. The action keeps the pace of this film moving that those that want to nit pick the holes and say it is not based enough on reality need to just sit back and enjoy because while they were nit picking they probably missed some key elements to the action and plot.

Limitless ends up being a fun movie that will not only have you wondering some things about yourself in the end, but one of the best concepts is at the end the director allows you the audience to draw your own conclusions on certain aspects of the film. I think by allowing the audience to make the decision really can show a person how they view the world themselves. Cooper does a great performance and is truly seamless between what becomes the two separate versions of himself in the movie. If you are in the mood for a edge of your seat thriller Limitless is a great choice. I am giving Limitless three buckets of popcorn out of five. This movie is well worth the price to rent.

-The Movie Man

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part Two

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part Two brings the long awaited end to the Harry Potter series and it has truly been a movie series where the audience has been able to see Harry Potter and his friends grow up right before all of our eyes. Harry, Ron and Hermione are continuing in their quest to destroy the remaining Horcruxes and as all sides continue on their paths it all leads to an epic and final confrontation between not only Voldemort and Harry, but the classic good vs. evil battle. This final movie is truly a summer blockbuster as it seems to go from moment to moment and the action is intense.

The British cast is once again stupendous and is exactly as strong and powerful as the audience has grown accustomed to as the movie franchise has progressed over the years. Ray Fiennes as Voldemort was in my opinion one of the smartest moves the studio made. He brings such a presence that for me he was exactly how I pictured Voldemort as I read the books. Not only does he bring a great presence but he truly exudes the polar opposite characteristics that Harry has. The supporting cast gives great performances from Alan Rickman to Jason Isaacs. Yet I think even though his role is very small Michael Gambon as Dumbledore has been one of the great supporting cast positions since he simply had to replace Richard Harris after he past away. While Gambon did not always portray Dumbledore in the way that I pictured him in the books he did command the screen and really gave some great moments especially in the interactions with Harry. The main three of Radcliffe, Watson and Grint are once again superb and it is truly amazing to see the changes and progression they have made since the first film.

Where the first movie showed the emotion and even desperation everyone was feeling part two takes the development in the story and characters that were laid down in part one made for the great action in this final installment. Having now seen part two I think that it would have been great had they taken the two movie approach with the movies starting with book four. With the two movies I think it allowed the movie to be the movie that followed the book the closest. Of course had they gone the two movie approach it would have taken the number of movies into the Land Before Time realm of how many different movies there are. The final installment had some of the best action sequences, especially when it came to the final set of battle sequences. With such an epic ending it can be really easy for all the secondary story lines to fall to the wayside as the focus goes onto the confrontation between the main antagonist and protagonist. Yet, the final installment allows all the secondary story lines to be tied up.

Yates reserves the most emotional moment in not only the film but the entire series for Severus Snape's (Alan Rickman) vindication, long thought to be the Judas Iscariot-equivalent in the Order and the one who pushed Dumbledore to his death. Yates delivers a truly poignant and deeply heartfelt revelation of Snape's true colours, and it is a farewell that even those who have read the book and can expect what is to come will be overwhelmed by its sheer emotional muscle. While Part Two was always meant to be an action-packed spectacle, it is to Yates' credit that there is still as much heart as before in the storytelling. Though brief, this revelation also works brilliantly as a catalyst that propels Harry to come to terms with the sacrifice he has to make. Harry's realization of this leads up perfectly to the ultimate duel between him and Voldemort, one that is fierce, ferocious and- thanks to Yates' imagination- more exhilarating than reading it off the page.

With this movie it is the only movie they did that was in 3D. We saw it in 3D and it only added to everything as it immersed you fully in this magical world that was in turmoil. I love the fact that most of the 3D movies now are a lot less about eye popping the 3D at you and instead more about immersion with the 3D abilities.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part Two does an amazing job at bringing the epic Harry Potter series to a close. The cast is amazing and does not disappoint even giving us some new emotions from secondary characters. Now there are those of you that may look at my review of part one and wonder how it is that Part Two received a lower rating than Part One. My reasoning for this is two reasons, first is that of the future scene. The future scene ended up being very corny, hokey and did not have the same feel that one felt while reading the closing to book seven. Second, is while the action was non-stop this ended up being the shortest of the films and I think there were a few moments where Yates rushes through moments when he did not need to. Even with that I am giving Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part Two three and three-fourth buckets of popcorn out of five. This is definitely a movie that is going to be well worth having not only as part of the Harry Potter series but a stand alone movie in and of itself.

-The Movie Man

Transformers: Dark of the Moon

Transformers: Dark of the Moon is definitely a rebound from the second installment in the Transformers franchise. Everywhere that Revenge of the Fallen fell short Dark of the Moon succeeded at in this go around. Michael Bay is simply himself in this third installment and does not disappoint. The focal point of Dark of the Moon rewrites in history the reasoning behind the United States involvement in the race to the moon. This time more importantly there is I believe is a much stronger plot and storyline to go along with the CGI and action that one comes to expect from Michael Bay. From the onset of this third installment everyone involved realized that the plot of the last film was paper thin, and because of that it truly made the movie suffer.

The acting throughout the movie is workable. I am sure everyone's first question on the acting with the movie dealt with replacing the eye candy of Megan Fox. Rosie Huntington-Whiteley filled the eye candy role admirably. Basically, they replaced one eye candy actress with an eye candy actress that had never acted before. Whiteley actually surpassed my expectations for the role and I actually believe she might be able to act her way out of a paper bag, which I am not so sure that Megan fox can do. Shia LaBeouf gives a strong enough performance for the lead but he really in a way is a subsidiary character in relation to the interaction between the autobots and the decepticons.

One of the biggest surprises for me was that of Leonard Nimoy providing the voice for Sentinel Prime, he gives the voice strength that we would definitely expect of the original leader and wisest autobot. One important thing to look out for is Nimoy has a great throwout to his old Star Trek days. Now the one casting that I think was definitely a real risk was that of Patrick Dempsey as Dylan, who is the human antagonist. Dempsey has almost always been the guy everyone loves and so the casting of him as the antagonist was very new and I think it really worked. Dempsey does all the great acts that greatly allows the audience to not only loathe him but hate him for everything he stands for.

Michael Bay's direction was a great rebound after his train wreck directing in the second Transformers. While the CGI and action are exactly what is expected of in a Michael Bay movie. Yet, this time around he gets back in line with a story that is almost as strong as the original Transformers movie. It is truly amazing to see the autobots and decepticons, blended so smoothly into the film that at times you truly believe that they are not actually CGI on the screen. The single best part of the whole movie for me took place in the buildup to the final confrontation, with the base jumpers flying through downtown Chicago. Also, it was great to see Linkin Park rebound in their third go around with the main song for Transformers. It was nice to see them come with a song that sounded different from the previous two.

Transformers: Dark of the Moon is a fun thrill ride movie with great action packed moments from start to finish. More importantly, this was a return back to the original by Bay in that he focused on both action and story. The acting was on par with a summer blockbuster and the new eye candy ended up being a new fresh face within the movie and in my opinion did just as well as Megan Fox would have done. For the return to the original Transformers and the fact that it was a fun popcorn eating summer blockbuster, I am giving Transformers: Dark of the Moon two and three fourth buckets of popcorn out of five. This is one I would recommend for anyone that loves the summer fun blockbuster seeing.

-The Movie Man