Inception

2010, Rated PG-13, 148 minutes, Written and Directed by Christopher Nolan, Produced by Christopher Nolan and Emma Thomas, Cinematography by Wally Pfister, Original Music by Hans Zimmer

With: Leonardo DiCaprio (Cobb), Joseph Gordon-Levitt (Arthur), Ellen Page (Ariadne), Tom Hardy (Eames), Ken Watanabe (Saito), Dileep Rao (Yusuf), Cillian Murphy (Robert Fischer Jr.), Tom Berenger (Browning), Marion Cotillard (Mal)

My head was still reeling with excitement and wonderment as I exited the theater.  It had been a long time since I had so much tense energy built up  after a movie. I almost could not contain myself (I will say I was talking quiet loudly on the way out of the theater). Inception takes place in a world that we quite literally only dream of. Christopher Nolan finally got his chance to build a dream world onscreen and his tight direction and storytelling soared amidst the chaotic world of the dreaming human mind.

Splice

2010, Rated R, 104 minutes, Directed by Vincenzo Natali, Written by Vincenzon Natali, Antoinette Terry Bryand & Doug Taylor, Produced by Steven Hoban, Cinematography by Tetsuo Nagata, Original Music by Cyrille Aufort

With: Adrien Brody (Clive Nicoli), Sarah Polley (Elsa Kast), Delphine Chaneac (Dren), Brandon McGibbon (Gavin Nicoli), Simona Maicanescu (Joan Chorot), David Hewlett (William Barlow), Abigail Chu (Child Dren)

I believe that we are seeing a great resurgence of the science fiction genre. In 2009 we had many great sci-fi films: Star Trek, Moon, and District 9. The genre continues to be redefined by many of these movies. Splice is another wonderful addition to the genre and demonstrates continuing strength and originality. Splice manages to address issues of morality, science, family and commitment in a deep and intense way, and at the same time is an shockingly entertaining film.

Body of Lies

2008, Rated R, 128 minutes, Directed by Ridley Scott, Produced by Ridley Scott, Written by William Monahan, based on the novel by David Ignatius, Cinematography by Alexander Witt, Original Music by Marc Streinfeld

With: Leonardo DiCaprio (Roger Ferris), Russell Crowe (Ed Hoffman), Mark Strong (Hani) Golshifteh Farahani (Aisha), Oscar Isaac (Bassam)

Many, myself included, will always be interested in the inner workings of the CIA and its operatives. We have so many questions that can never be officially answered and so we are left to answer them with our imagination and of course Hollywood. Body of Lies dives deep into a post 9/11 world and explores the working relationship between an operative on the ground in the Middle East and his figurative and literal overseer glued to giant screens at home. Ridley Scott does an excellent job of creating a grand scale spy thriller with an intensity that keeps you glued up to the credits.

Sunshine

2007, Rated R, 107 minutes, Directed by Danny Boyle, Written by Alex Garland, Produced by Andrew Macdonald, Cinematography by Alwin Kuchler, Original Music by John Murphy

With: Cliff Curtis (Searle), Chip Chung (Icarus), Cillian Murphy (Capa), Michelle Yeoh (Corazon), Hiroyuki Sanada (Kaneda), Rose Byrne (Cassie), Benedict Wong (Trey), Chris Evans (Mace), Troy Garity (Harvey), Mark Strong (Pinbacker)

Sunshine most likely passed by your summer blockbuster radar in 2007 as it was a limited release (461 theaters at its peak) and only made $3.6 million domestically (boxofficmojo.com). I came across this film while I was watching trailers. The trailer for this film is one of my favorite trailers of all time and got me really excited about the film (you can check out the trailer yourself at apple.com/trailers) Danny Boyle is upfront about the nature of his 2007 film Sunshine: “There’s two branches. There’s fantasy, Star Wars and Star Trek, where you can do anything you want. This is the other branch, it’s based on realism, that man goes into space in a steel tube.” (comingsoon.net) Boyle creates a wonderfully done claustrophobic science fiction thriller that pays homage to the classic realistic science fiction films and also advances the genre forward. This is a film for the science fiction fan; those who dabble in the genre on the fantasy side may not enjoy the film as much as it is has psychological action and a claustrophobic theme. For those who enjoy the genre, it is an excellent film that stays true to realistic science fiction as it delves more on the psyche than the action, and addresses hard hitting issues like addiction, the existence of God, and the effect of isolation.

Broken Embraces

2009, Rated R, 127 minutes,  Directed & Written by Pedro Almodovar, Produced by Agustin Almodovar and Esther Garcia, Cinematography by Rodrigo Prieto, Original Music by Alberto Iglesias

With: Penelope Cruz (Lena), Lluis Homar (Mateo Blanco/Harry Caine), Blnaco Portillo (Judit Garcia), Jose Luis Gomez (Ernesto Martel), Tamar Novas (Diego), Ruben Ochandiano (Ray X)

Broken Embraces  is the fourth time Spanish director Pedro Almodovar and Penelope Cruz worked together, and it is this pairing of the two that creates a lush and enthralling noirish love story that will enrapture your senses. Broken Embraces is a beautifully created story about all kinds of love: obsessive love, passionate love, love of family, love of film and love of beauty. Almodovar constructs a beautiful world where Cruz is able to take her acting to places it has never been to breathe a beautiful depth to the film.

Iron Man 2

2010, Rated PG-13, 124 minutes, Directed by Jon Favreau, produced by Jon Favreau and many others, Screenplay by  Justin Theroux based on the Marvel comic book, Cinematograhpy by Matthew Ligatique, Original Music by John Debney

With: Robert Downey Jr. (Tony Stark), Don Cheadle (Lt. Col James “Rhodey” Rhodes/War Machine), Scarlett Johansson (Natalie Rushman/Black Widow), Gwyneth Paltrow (Pepper Potts), Sam Rockwell (Justin Hammer), Mickey Rourke (Ivan Vanko/Whiplash), Samuel L. Jackson (Nick Fury), Jon Favreau (Happy Hogan)

The original Iron Man was considered a breath of fresh air in the superhero action movie genre. It was a surprise hit with a light hearted feel, great action, and wonderful and witty dialogue. Iron Man 2 comes with much higher expectations than the first one: bring more of the same fresh air but do it in a new and exciting way that does not stray too far from the original. While Iron Man 2 is an action packed movie with great new characters, it does not break out ahead of the original and even creates a much darker tone that gives it a much less original feel.

Tron

 

1982, Rated PG, 96 minutes, Directed by Steven Lisberger, Written by Steven Lisberger & Bonnie MacBird, Produced by Donald Kushner & Ron Miller, Cinematography by Bruce Logan, Original Music by Wendy Carlos

With: Jeff Bridges (Kevin Flynn), Bruce Boxleitner (Alan Bradley), David Warner (Ed Dillinger), Cindy Morgan (Lora)

Tron takes you into the world of computer programs and video games...literally. It takes place in 1982 when video games were getting their start and computers were beginning to tackle more functions and responsibility. Tron dazzles the eye with bright colors and captures the imagination in its immersive virtual reality.

In 1982, video games were just beginning to enter the mass market from the exclusive entertainment world where they started. Tron gives a bigger picture of that world from the inside out. Tron gives life to the virtual world behind the screen by creating people who do the fighting and obey the commands of their outer world users. The movie uses a simple and engaging plot to address issues of technology, corporations, greed and power.

New Moon

2009, Rated PG-13, 130 minutes, Directed by Chris Weitz, written by Melissa Rosenberg, based on the book New Moon by Stephanie Meyer, Produced by Wyck Godfrey, Cinematography by Javier Aguirresarobe, Original Music by Alexandre Desplat

With: Kristen Stewart (Bella Swan), Taylor Lautner (Jacob Black), Robert Pattinson (Edward Cullen), Billy Burke (Charlie Swan), Ashley Greene (Alice Cullen), Anna Kendrick (Jessica)

I am not a die hard Twilight series fan. I let the young teenagers handle that department. I avoided seeing the movie in the theaters in order to avoid the rabid screaming fans that would have hindered the viewing experience. So the time finally came to watch New Moon  this weekend and overall, the movie is a marked improvement from the first installment but lacks certain cinematic essentials that make it a slightly below par flick.

Mulholland Dr

2001, Rated R, 147 minutes,  Directed and Written by david Lynch, Produced by Pierre Edelman, Cinematography by Peter Deming, Original Music by Angelo Badalamenti

With: Naomi Watts (Betty Elms/Diane Selwyn), Laura Harring (Rita), Ann Miller (Catherine ‘Coco’ Lenoix, Justin Theroux (Adam Kesher)

A limousine traverses down the winding and scenic Mulholland Dr. A beautiful woman (Laura Harring) waits to reach their destination only to find the car stopped and a gun pointed at her. Her time has come to an end until a car smashes head on into the limousine leaving everyone dead but the woman who only has a scratch. Dazed and confused she heads through the woods towards LA. 

And so you enter into the Lynch’s world where you will be scratching your head asking yourself constantly what just happened, who is that, where is this going? Many of these questions will remain unanswered but will be in your mind days after the final credits roll. The multiple stories in the movie will converge and diverge sometimes at the same time. Mulholland Dr will capture your imagination but at the same time leave you with a furrowed brow and a brain tied up in so many knots that even a seasoned sailor would have trouble getting them out.

Knife in the Water

1962, NR, 94 minutes, Directed by Roman Polanski, Written (in Polish with English subtitles) by Jakub Goldberg, Roman Polanski & Jery Skolimowski, Produced by Stanislaw Zylewicz, Cinematorgraphy by Jerzy Lipman, Music by Krzystztof Komeda 

With: Leon Niemczyk (Andrzej), Jolanta Umecka (Krystyna), Zygmunt Malanowicz (Young Boy)

It all started innocently enough. A older professor and his much younger wife decide to spend a day sailing on the lake. But that all changes when the professor decides to pick up a brash young hitchhiker and bring him along. With the addition of one man a day on the lake becomes a day of tension and competition, a male one upmanship. So is the story in Roman Polanski’s A Knife in the Water.

Green Zone

2010, Rated R, 115 minutes Directed by Paul Greengrass, Written by Brian Helgeland, based on the book Imperial Life in the Emerald City: Inside Iraq’s Green Zone by Rajiv Chandrasekaran, Produced by Lisa Chasin & Debra Hayward, Cinematography by Barry Akroyd, Original Music by John Powell

With: Yigal Naor (General Al Rawi), Matt Damon (Miller), Amy Ryan (Lawrie Dayne), Greg Kinnear (Clark Poundstone), Brendan Gleeson (Martin Brown), Jason Isaacs (Briggs)

In an attempt to distance the movie from the war in the Iraq box office curse, Universal decided to market Green Zone as a movie with that director from Bourne Supremacy and Ultimatum, and Jason Bourne in the US army; the only problem is the movie does not really compare with any of the Bourne series and so draws viewers in with false expectations...at least that is what happened to me.