Limitless (2011) – Review

Limitless is a fun, slightly cheesy thriller that tells the tale of a man using his full potential (nobly and less so). Overall, the film works because it is playful with its material – inserting humor and fantasy into what could have been a straight thriller, however this does result in a schlocky feel to some of the scenes. Director Neil Burger likes to make his films interact with the viewer on a sensory level, creating a more visceral experience. Here he color corrects to make everything brighter, uses different lenses and long piercing zooms to create an experience for the audience of being on the NTZ drug at the center of the narrative. These aesthetic choices engage the audience, but are also a bit much at times – especially the long zooms through the city which potentially could make some people queasy. Though, on the other hand, it is nice to see a director take an active approach to the material and visually tell the story and experiences instead of the throwaway expositional dialogue explaining what the drug is like that many films use instead (this is a visual medium after all). The playful approach to the story makes the film fun and arguably better than it would have been without it, but conversely it does take away from the thriller aspect of the film. The tone is not dark enough to suggest that the characters are actually in any real danger (even though at times they are) so the audience never feels strong tension and anxiety, which are the key ingredients to a good thriller. But this narrative needs the humor and light tone for the audience to connect with the lead character, Eddie Morra – so it is a little bit of a give and take. The nature of the fantasy – having a special gift allowing you to be better and get what you want – is fairly universal and something a lot of potential viewers can relate to and have probably imagined which also brings them into the story. The real issue with it is the film feeling one way, but the story playing out another (as there are genre conflictions in the tone and what is actually happening). However, Burger does a good job handling the story which has these conflictions built in. There is, though, one lingering question that I am not sure the film addressed – in a world where quite a few have access to this drug, what makes our protagonist special? It is does not really explain how he was able to persevere and evolve while others did not seem to, especially when this mystery drug is made by a pharmaceutical company and thus likely available in somewhat of a unlimited supply to those with connections and money, let alone the scientists who are developing it (or were Morra’s pills the last and they lost the recipe?). But that question aside, Limitless is an entertaining film with good action scenes, characters and a fun idea.

Technical and acting achievements: Neil Burger has now made four films (I think his best is The Illusionist). He seems to like to tackle difficult stories, but has shown that he consistently makes good films. His visual storytelling talent and style make him a director worth continuing to follow. I liked a number of the sets and locations used in the film, particularly production designer Patrizia von Brandenstein’s set for Morra’s fortress apartment. Jo Willems’s cinematography is cool as he takes advantage of Burger’s need to visually express the reaction of the drug to the characters’ senses. The score by Paul Leonard-Morgan and Nico Muhly works well with the tone of the film, hitting the action/thriller notes as well as feeling lighter and more fun. The story was very central to Eddie Morra, the main supporting characters not really having a lot of character development or dramatic work – but that being said, the cast was good. Anna Friel is great in her cameo (for a good looking woman, she sure pulled off the decrepit look well, a gimpy limp included), while Andrew Howard’s Russian loan shark thug was really funny. Abbie Cornish is quite good in the ‘girlfriend to the lead’ role, bringing enough emotion to standout, and Robert De Niro is also good as a powerful businessman, but he has had tons of better roles with more for him to do. Bradley Cooper is in pretty much every scene and has almost all the dramatic work to do, and does so well. He proves with this film that he is ready and capable to be a leading man in Hollywood.

Limitless is fun and entertaining, but not a great thriller. 7/10

Stars to Watch: Part 3 – Movies Spotlight – March 2011

Cinema constantly has new talent each and every year, making good films and opening audiences’ eyes to new characters, stories and worlds. March offers three more exciting performers to watch.

Mia Wasikowska

What She’s Been In:

Wasikowska, 21, landed her first acting gig in 2004 on the Australian soap All Saints, making her feature debut two years later in Suburban Mayhem for which she received a Young Actor’s AFI Award. She made her debut in the States in the HBO drama In Treatment. From there, Edward Zwick cast her in his WWII drama Defiance, a role that she is quite good in playing opposite Jamie Bell primarily. She also appears in Mira Nair’s poorly received Amelia Earhart biography (Amelia), again in a supporting role. It is not until 2010 that she would get her first leading role in Hollywood.

Breakthrough:

2010 proved to be a huge year for Wasikowska. She had a massive Hollywood hit with Alice in Wonderland and an indy hit with The Kids Are All Right, which was nominated for Best Picture at the 2011 Oscars. Winning the role of Alice in Tim Burton’s retelling was no easy task. She auditioned for the role for months, having to fly back and forth from her native Australia to England. Being a fan of Lewis Carroll’s books and the Jan Svankmajer stop motion film, Wasikowska was determined to get the role. While the film is aesthetically brilliant, the narrative is profoundly lacking leaving it feeling shallow and un-engaging. But, Wasikowska is good in her role as Alice bringing strength to the character. She is also very good in The Kids Are All Right, when she very easily could have been overshadowed by the more well know actors. Personally, I thought her performance, along with Josh Hutcherson, was the most real and meaningful of the film.

March Film:

Following up on the success she experienced in 2010, Wasikowska appears as the lead in this month’s Jane Eyre, directed by Cary Fukunaga and co-starring Michael Fassbender and Jamie Bell. Fukunaga’s adaptation is still set in the period of the novel but he describes it to feel more modern. He does not want it to feel as theatrical as past films have, which lead him to cast naturalist actors like Fassbender and Wasikowska. As a kid, he was a huge fan of the Orson Welles/Joan Fontaine film. Wasikowska was reading the novel, loved it and decided to search out a version in production to be a part of, and she was lucky enough to hook up with the BBC and be cast by Fukunaga. The advanced and festival screenings have generated a lot of positive buzz.

Upcoming:

Wasikowska has a very busy 2011 with two other releases and two to four in 2012. She stars in Gus Van Sant’s Restless about a terminally ill girl who falls in love with a boy who likes to attend funerals. Then, she is working again with In Treatment writer-director Rodrigo Garcia starring in his new film (written by Glenn Close) Albert Nobbs about life in 19^th century Ireland. It has a great cast with Aaron Johnson, Jonathan Rhys-Meyers, Brendan Gleeson, and Close. In 2012 she is set to star in the Judd Apatow scripted crime-drama Stainless Steel about an outlaw who is hired by the CIA to take down four corrupt members of the FBI. It will be her third time working with Jamie Bell. Finally, she is starring in John Hillcoat’s The Wettest Country in the World about Depression-era bootleggers in the American South. It has a phenomenal cast with Tom Hardy, Gary Oldman, Guy Pearce, and Jason Clarke (oh, and Shia LaBeouf). Wasikowska certainly has some great stuff coming up.

Career Highlights:

1.)    In Treatment: Season One (2008) – supporting – available on DVD/Rent

2.)    Defiance (2008)* –supporting – available on Blu-ray/DVD/Rent

3.)    The Kids Are All Right (2010) – supporting – available on Blu-ray/DVD/Rent

4.)    Alice in Wonderland (2010) – lead – available on Blu-ray/DVD/Rent

*Editor’s picks

Michael Fassbender

What He’s Been In:

Fassbender, 33, got his first part in the Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks WWII mini-series Band of Brothers (though, I have watched it all the way through ten times and I still am shocked every time I see that he is in it, I have never recognized him). He took roles in a number of British series and TV movies before garnering his second hit in the States, albeit again in a smaller role, as Stelios in 300. Then, he decided to take roles in edgier and very interesting indy films. He is fantastic as the lead character Bobby Sands in Steve McQueen’s very good Hunger. Next, he appears briefly in the good thriller Eden Lake, starring Kelly Reilly. Continuing his streak of great films, he next co-starred in Fish Tank, another excellent British indy. He has also starred in the ‘Romans in England’ film Centurion, which is a good action thriller and was the best part of the otherwise terrible (but mildly entertaining) Jonah Hex. He has become one of my favorite new actors in the last couple years.

Breakthrough:

Fassbender’s breakthrough for American audiences, however, came in Quentin Tarantino’s fabulous film Inglourious Basterds. He plays the role of Lt. Archie Hicox, the British officer tasked with going undercover with the Basterds to infiltrate the German film premier. The part allowed Fassbender to utilize his native German. Coupled with his performances in Hunger and Fish Tank, Inglourious Basterds has catapulted him to the near top of in-demand leading men (who are also good actors, as opposed to many leading men in Hollywood who merely look good, all else lacking).

March Film:

This month Fassbender stars with Mia Wasikowska in Jane Eyre, taking on the role of Mr. Rochester – the tortured master of Thornfield Hall who lives with a terrible secret and past mistake. The film will probably not do big business, and thus not promote his name and face in the minds of general movie goers, but festival buzz for his performance has been very good, which will only lead to even better (and probably bigger) future roles. 2011 will likely prove to be a huge year for him, primarily as he also stars in the blockbuster prequel X-Men: Fist Class, set during the Cold War and directed by auteur Matthew Vaughn, and the likely Oscar contender A Dangerous Method about Carl Jung and Sigmund Freud, directed by David Cronenberg (also a modern auteur director).

Upcoming:

In addition to X-Men: Fist Class and A Dangerous Method, Fassbender also has two more films slated for 2011 releases. The first, due in August, is Stephen Soderbergh’s Haywire about a black ops super soldier who seeks payback. The second is Shame, about Brandon a 30-something who engages in a myriad of sexual escapades only to have his lifestyle cramped when his younger sister moves in (played by Carey Mulligan). The film reunites him with director Steve McQueen (something I am quite excited about). With his five films in 2011, it is probably impossible to find an actor with a better slate. For 2012, he is set to star with Noomi Rapace in Ridley Scott’s new Horror film Prometheus, written by Lost co-showrunner Damon Lindelof.

Career Highlights:

1.)    Band of Brothers (2001)* – supporting – available on Blu-ray/DVD/Rent

2.)    300 (2006) – supporting – available on Blu-ray/DVD/Rent

3.)    Hunger (2008)* – lead – available on Blu-ray/DVD/Rent

4.)    Eden Lake (2008) – supporting – available on Blu-ray/DVD/Rent

5.)    Fish Tank (2009)* – supporting – available on Blu-ray/DVD/Rent

6.)    Inglourious Basterds (2009)* – lead – available on Blu-ray/DVD/Rent

7.)    Centurion (2009) – lead – available on Blu-ray/DVD/Rent

*Editor’s picks

Abbie Cornish

What She’s Been In:

Cornish, 28, got her start modeling at the age of thirteen. In 1997, she got her fist role on the TV series Wildside for which she won the Australian Film Institute’s Young Actor’s Award in 1999. She continued to take roles in TV and film in Australia before making a series of hits – 2004’s Somersault and 2006’s Candy, which she co-starred in with Heath Ledger and Geoffrey Rush. Both films were applauded for her fine performances, and Hollywood took notice. In 2006, she got her first Hollywood roles in Ridley Scott’s (not so great) A Good Year and Elizabeth: The Golden Age in 2007.  She then got her first big American role in Kimberly Pierce’s politically charged war drama Stop-Loss, starring opposite Ryan Phillippe. In 2010, she took a voice role in Zack Snyder’s Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole.

Breakthrough:

Cornish’s breakthrough role came in Jane Campion’s 2009 indy romance Bright Star. The Oscar nominated film is about the three-year romance between poet John Keats and Fanny Brawne. She stars as Brawne playing the role with compassion and strength. It is a beautiful film that received a ton of critical acclaim, Cornish receiving a number of best actress nods. While the film certainly did not serve as a breakthrough in terms of getting her name and face out there to the masses, her performance and the film’s acclaim put her on the radar of good directors and producers leading to her getting better projects, which can be seen with her upcoming slate.

March Film:

In March Cornish has two new films coming out: first, she has a supporting role in Neil Burger’s adaptation of The Dark Fields co-starring Bradley Cooper and Robert De Niro called Limitless. Burger is a very good, though under the radar, director (and thus I am interested to see how this turns out). The film is about a struggling writer who takes a pill that allows him to access the full potential of his brain, and therefore enables him to dominate the world of modern man. Cornish play his girlfriend Lindy. Later in the month she co-stars in Sucker Punch, again working with Zack Snyder. The film is about a young girl who is institutionalized. She retreats into her imagination to cope, dreaming of a grand action filled escape from her prison. The film looks to be a visual assault of huge action set pieces, perpetrated by attractive women fighting monsters, samurai and even Nazis. Cornish plays Sweet Pea, a fellow captive who is made to be a heroine in the fantasy world. Both films are very different, but highly anticipated and should be among the best of the month.

Upcoming:

Cornish has two additional films scheduled for 2011 releases. The first is Madonna’s second feature film W.E, a two-tiered romance about the affair between King Edward VIII and an American divorcee Wallis Simpson (also recently seen as a subplot in The King’s Speech) and a contemporary affair between a married woman and a Russian security guard. The second is writer-director David Riker’s new indy film The Girl about a young Texas mother (played by Cornish) who after losing her child to foster care begins smuggling Mexicans across the border. There is also speculation that she is in contention for roles in Ridley Scott’s horror film Prometheus and in another hot upcoming project: The Great Gatsby (but it seems as though she lost out on both roles, but until they are actually filming nothing is certain). Really, she is still in the beginning phase of her career, but just on the precipice of becoming a big star.

Career Highlights:

1.)    Candy (2006) – lead – available on DVD/Rent

2.)    Stop-Loss (2008) – supporting – available on DVD/Rent

3.)    Bright Star (2009) – lead – available on DVD/Rent

*Editor’s picks

At the Movies – March 2011 – Part 2: Hollywood Films

Romance and Rom-Coms:

Jane Eyre (Cary Fukunaga) – Romance – Mar 11

The film, based on the novel by Charlotte Bronte, is about Jane – a young girl who grows up being emotionally and physically abused by first her aunt and cousins and later her boarding-school’s headmaster (leading to the death of her best childhood friend). Overcoming her hardships, she becomes the governess at Thornfield Hall, where she warms the heart of and falls for its master Mr. Rochester. But she soon discovers that he has a terrible secret. Director Cary Fukunaga seems like a good fit for the project; coming off his 2009 indy hit Sin Nombre. He has an excellent crew on the film with wonderful composer Dario Marianelli, cinematographer Adriano Goldman (who shot his last film) and British TV series production designer Will Hughes-Jones. The cast is also excellent. Mia Wasikowska (one of 2010’s breakout actresses) stars as Jane and Michael Fassbender co-stars as Mr. Rochester. The supporting cast features Jamie Bell, Judi Dench, Sally Hawkins, and rising star Imogen Poots. The film looks to be a very good period drama (though the story of Jane Eyre has been done so many times, personally I like the 1943 film by Robert Stevenson starring Orson Welles and Joan Fontaine with cinematography by master craftsman George Barnes). I am interested to see how Fukunaga breathes new life into the story – and he certainly has the cast to make it very compelling as Fassbender is among the best working today and Wasikowska is very good in last year’s The Kids Are All Right (my favorite performance of the film). This has the potential to be the best film of the month. Check out the trailer.

Red Riding Hood (Catherine Hardwicke) – Horror – Mar 11

The film is about a young girl in a medieval village, who falls in love with an orphaned woodcutter, against her parent’s will. However, this is not just a love story as the village is ransacked by a werewolf who could be anyone in the village, even this girl’s love. After being (sort of unceremoniously) booted from the Twilight Series, director Catherine Hardwicke seems to have decided to make another Twilight film, only using the story of Little Red Riding Hood to do it. Hardwicke definitely has the right people to make an aesthetically interesting film with very good composer Brian Reitzell (with indy sensibilities), one of Australia’s best cinematographers Mandy Walker and excellent production designer Thomas E. Sanders. She also has a good cast with star Amanda Seyfried and supporting actors Gary Oldman (solely a good enough reason to at least rent this), Billy Burke, Lukas Haas, Virginia Madsen, Julie Christie, Shiloh Fernandez, and Max Irons. The trailer gives me mixed signals: on one hand it looks to be awesomely atmospheric, aesthetically well done (how could it not be with the crew involved) and featuring what could be Oldman in his typical amazing villainous form, and on the other hand it looks like a super sappy lame Twilight teen-romance want-to-be (not that anything should ever aspire to the sheer awfulness of the of the Twilight films – yeah I am looking particularly at you Eclipse, but at the same time I am probably not the target and intended audience for those or this film). In any case, it looks potentially ok but likely will be bad (but who am I kidding, I am renting this). Check out the trailer.

Serious Films:

Limitless (Neil Burger) – Thriller – Mar 18

The film is about Eddie Morra, a copywriter who is bestowed a top-secret drug which allows its taker to access the full potential of the human brain, enabling Morra to achieve unknown success, but at what cost? Director Neil Burger’s last two films were quite good, both flying a bit under the radar (The Illusionist was maybe the best film of 2006 that no one saw). Thus (for me at least) having a director of Burger’s caliper immediately strikes up a lot of interest in this film. He has a very good principal crew on the film with composers Paul Leonard-Morgan (who does good work on the British series Spooks) and Nico Muhly, Belgian indy cinematographer Jo Willems and excellent production designer Patrizia von Brandenstein (won an Oscar for Amadeus). The film stars Bradley Cooper, who is sort of on the cusp of becoming an A-list star or being relegated and passed over (it seems) and has a wonderful supporting cast with Abbie Cornish, Anna Friel (from Pushing Daisies) and Robert De Niro. Despite a lackluster trailer, the film looks very sleek and interesting. Burger is a very good director and so this should be a very good thriller and yet another candidate for potentially the best film of the month. Check out the trailer.

The Lincoln Lawyer (Brad Furman) – Drama – Mar 18

The film is about a lawyer Mickey Haller, who conducts meetings with his shady high profile clients from the back of his Lincoln town car in Beverly Hills. On Haller’s latest case, he gets in a little too deep when his client, who appeared to be innocent, turns out of be a no good conniving bad guy. Now, Haller must figure a way to do what is right while keeping his practice. Director Brad Furman’s first film was not well received, but this is his first big theatrical release and its success or failure will shape what kind of projects he will have the opportunity to do in the future (a lot of pressure for a drama banking on a strong Matthew McConaughey performance – though he has given a few good ones in the past). Furman has an ok crew with good crime-drama composer Cliff Martinez, cinematographer Lukas Ettlin (also shooting this month’s Battle: Los Angeles) and production designer Charisse Cardenas (who also did his first film). The film stars McConaughey as Haller, and features quite a good group of supporting actors with Josh Lucas, Marisa Tomei, Ryan Phillippe, John Leguizamo, William H. Macy, Bryan Cranston, and Michael Pena – really elevating the film in terms of anticipation and potential/perceived quality. It looks to be a good crime-thriller (I will probably wait to rent it via Netflix, with so much other stuff to see in theatres this month), which will greatly benefit from and live or die with strong performances from its cast (though, probably can say that about any movie). Check out the trailer.

Fun Movies:

Rango (Gore Verbinski) – Animation – Mar 4

The film is about a chameleon named Rango, who aspires to be a grand hero (like those in old swashbuckling films). He finds himself in a Western town tormented by bandits, giving him the chance to be the hero he imagined. Director Gore Verbinski, best known for directing the initial Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy, is at his best when making big fun hero driven films, and this looks to be right in his wheelhouse. Verbinski is again working with Pirates 2 and 3 composer Hans Zimmer and creature designer Mark ‘Crash’ McCreery is doing his first production design work. The cast has a wonderful group of actors to voice the characters – starring Johnny Depp, with Timothy Olyphant, Isla Fisher, Abigail Breslin, Bill Nighy, Alfred Molina, Ned Beatty, and Ray Winston highlighting the supporting voice-parts. The film looks to be a fun adventure film for kids that should also appeal to adults. The narrative appears to be completely centered on Depp’s performance (which is probably not a bad thing). Production company Nickelodeon Movies has had a number of hits to their name, but never a big-time franchise – this seems like a ploy to find that first big hit (especially releasing it without all the kid-movies and blockbusters of the summer). Check out the trailer.

Take Me Home Tonight (Michael Dowse) – Comedy – Mar 4

The film is about a sort of wandering college grad (not ready to face the ‘real’ world), who decides to go after his dream girl at a wild Labor Day weekend party (during the awesomely nostalgic 1980s – 1988 to be precise). He is backed up by his best friend and twin sister on his mission to finally get the girl, though each of them is affronted by the realities of adulthood causing them to question their current position in life. Comedy director Michael Dowse has indy cred with critical successes (that most people have never heard of, let alone seen) It’s All Gone Pete Tong and the series The Foundation. This film represents his first exposure as a director to the general movie-going population. Dowse has a very well suited crew on the film with songwriter (and prolific 80s producer) Trevor Horn scoring the film, indy D.P. Terry Stacey (shot the comedies Adventureland and American Splendor) and very good production designer William Arnold. The cast also seems very well suited with Topher Grace starring and the very funny Anna Farris and Dan Fogler co-starring. Michael Ian Black, Lucy Punch, Michelle Trachtenberg, Chris Pratt, Teresa Palmer, and Michael Biehn (John Conner’s dad from The Terminator) make up a good supporting cast. Some may think that we have had too many 80s-nostalgia comedies of late (like last year’s Hot Tub Time Machine), but it is such a great time period to look back at and poke fun that I am not ready to claim it as overdone. This has the right cast and director to make for a potentially really funny film. Check out the trailer.