Let's Begin X2
LOOPER:
PLOT
In the year 2044, Joe is a Looper, a hitman hired by the mob to kill people from the future. Let me explain, time travel is not possible is 2044, but in 30 years it will be, and it will be instantly outlawed. Obviously, the mob starts using it to kill problems, since forensics is so advanced it's impossible to get away with murder, unless you kill someone who technically doesn't exist. But, they also have a way of ending their "contract" called "Closing your loop". This is where the mob sends back your future self, you kill them, gain a TON of money and never work for the mob again, knowing full well that you'll be killed in 30 years. One day, Joe meets his future self, and allows Old Joe to escape. Now Joe is on the run from the mob and is chasing Old Joe, who is also hunted by the mob, to kill him and live a free life.
PROS
Joseph Gordon-Levitt is one of my favorite up and coming actors, and he does not disappointing here. He has to play a young Bruce Willis, and does a great job. He gets all of Willis's mannerisms down, even having slight adjustments to his face to look even more like Willis. He also acts his butt off.
Bruce Willis is a joy to watch, as he always is, this time showing emotions other than "grizzled".
Jeff Daniels plays the mob boss Abe, and is one of the best parts of the movie. He's the kind of villain you love to hate.
I love the film's portrayal of the near future, where it looks like modern day but with a few things that make it different. It seems realistic and grounded in reality.
The time travel aspect is very simple, and that actually works well for the film. Instead of spending an hour trying to explain to you high concepts, it just gives you the basics and rolls with it. They even have a joke where they explain that they don't even now how it works, and you should just not think about it, cause they aren't.
The film has a lot of cool and unique camera shots and ways of portraying the story. One great scene is when we first see Joe use a drug you insert into your eye like eye-drops, and the camera stays on Joe's head as he moves around, but is spinning around and makes it feel cool yet disorienting.
The movie, though advertised as a serious action film, is actually quite comedic and human. There are many funny scenes, and many more where people act like real people and have human moments.
The moral dilemmas the film brings up are very well integrated and help to keep the film in a moral grey area. No one is right or wrong, the film just shows you who these people are and what they do and has you decide.
CONS
There are a few unneeded characters that bog down the film with back stories and filler scenes.
CONCLUSION
You may think I've said too many good things, I think I've just barely scratched the surface. The reason I don't go into deeper detail is because the second and third halves of the film, the ones thankfully not shown in the trailer, is something I don't want to spoil. If I could, this review would go on even longer. I loved this film and think it's one of the best films of the year, certainly in the top 5. See this original, innovative, and awesome movie.
RATING
RUN TO!
HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA
PLOT
Dracula is a single dad with a daughter he loves very much, and always wants to protect her. He also wants a place where monsters can spend a vacation without fear of humans. So he compromises and creates Hotel Transylvania, a safe castle for his daughter, and for the monsters of the world. Dracula's daughter, Mavis, has just turned 118 (18 years old in human years) and all of Dracula's old pals and many, many, many other monsters are invited to the party. Mavis, Dracula's daughter, wants to see the world and meet people her age. Luckily, Dracula has started to convince her that humans are evil, but hilarity strikes when extreme white guy, Jonathan, stumbles upon the hotel and put's Dracula's business and trust in jeopardy. Worst of all, Mavis falls for him as well. Dracula then disguises Jon and hopes no one notices, and hilarity ensues.
PROS
Genndy Tartakovsky, creator of awesome cartoons Dexter's Laboratory and Samurai Jack, is the director of this film, and his influence is obvious. The animation is amazing, not only looking beautiful but also looking fluid and having something always going on the background.
The humor, thankfully, is not like most Sandler movies, since he's only involved in voice acting. The humor has the style and timing of an old Lonney Tunes cartoon, and is hilarious. While it does have some jokes fall flat and low-brow humor, it still works and some of the low-brow humor is actually funny. They have one fart joke in the whole film, and it's actually funny.
The cast of this movie is just Sandler and his friends, which usually leads to disaster. But since they aren't ad-libbing all their lines and are actually reading from a script, they do a good job. Mostly because they are close friends, they really convey that through their acting. The stand-out this time, surprisingly, is Sandler himself. He conveys a lot of emotion and seems heart-felt whenever talking to his daughter.
The plot is very simple, but that's a good thing. Tartakovsky basically came in a re-worked the script to make the story simpler, and it let's the film focus on the human side of things and focus on the hilarious comedy.
Creativity is pouring out of every frame of this movie. The character designs, the jokes, everything is creative and almost unique.
CONS
Like every kids movie these days, there's a dance number at the end. I will give it points for a using an original song, but it still annoyed me.
CONCLUSION
It's funny and horrifying to think how this film would have turned out if Tartaovsky did not have his hand in this, because he saves this film and makes it a great Halloween movie for kids, yet still enjoyable for adults. This is the remake of Franken and Bass's "Mad Monster Party", and I enjoyed every minute of it. Definitely the right movie to get you in the Halloween spirit.
RATING
WALK TO.
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