"Looper"

Where to even start? First: See the movie. Second: See it again. Be assured, this review will remain spoiler-free. Anything mentioned below has already been shown in previews.

Joe (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) starts the movie as an ace assassin looper for the organized crime syndicate in Kansas during the year 2044. His job is to kill any person beamed back from the year 2072 via illegal time travel. It is nearly impossible to kill and dispose of someone in the future. Only the mafia has access, well, because they are the mafia.

Joe sums it up as, "When my organization from the future wants someone to die, they zap them back to me and I eliminate the target from the future. The only rule is: never let your target escape... even if your target is you."

Therein lies the overriding plot: each person must end their own loop. This means that after their lucrative 30-year contract ends, they must eliminate themselves. This entails shooting a hooded version of themselves transported back. Confused? It all makes sense within the movie - but it is impossible to go into further detail without ruining the story. 

Things go awry when Joe is confronted with his older self who manages to escape. As both of their destinies become intertwined, the plot turns in many unexpected directions. I was surprised to draw parallels between "Back to the Future," "Terminator 2," "Grapes of Wrath," and "The Shining." Notice how difficult it is to pinpoint this movie to just one genre?


After the first ten minutes, you do not even question the difference between young and old Joe as far as appearances go. Both are seamless in their makeup and mannerisms. Apparently JGL spent weeks simply learning how to act and look like Bruce Willis. It paid off.

Bruce Willis almost feels like the bad guy in this story as he tries to re-gain the life that has been taken from him at any cost. Willis thrives in his role and hasn't seemed quite this motivated in a long time. It is easily my favorite performance of his since, "The Sixth Sense," or "Pulp Fiction."

Since the future is set only in 2044, it does not go overboard with spaceships and aliens. You only pick up slivers of future technology, as it is not overly important to the plot. There are still flying motorcyles and time travel that add depth, but it is a character-driven movie.

Both Willis and Levitt turn in predictably awesome performances. My favorite moments involved mob boss Abe (Jeff Daniels), fellow looper Jesse (Garret Dillahunt), and a mysterious child named Cid (Pierce Gagnon).

"Looper," is the type of movie that has garnered praise from everyone, deservedly so. The last science fiction movie that has honestly compared, was 2009's "District 9." Both movies depicted not-so-distant futuristic dystopias that were created on modest budgets. If you are tired of endless prequels, this movie should re instill your faith in fresh and new film making.

Rejoice, because this is turning into one hell of a movie season!

2/27

In Honor of the academy awards, in which James Franco reprised his 'Pineapple Express' role, here is a list of my top 10 favorite movies. These are not in any order, since they are constantly changing.

-The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
The perfect movie? It's got everything from fantastic performances, a twisting plot, and the most evil villain of all time (yes, it was voted on). And it was shot in Pittsburgh. This is the only clear number 1 on my list, the rest is just gravy.



-The Graduate (1967)
Also a good book, 'The Graduate,' would probably be considered creepy and stalker-ish these days, but Dustin Hoffman turns in a very relatable performance that always seemed to strike a chord with me. I really always enjoyed the fact that it was about a college graduate trying to find his way. I can't name one other movie off the top of my head that solely deals with that topic. Oh yeah, Simon & Garfunkel composed the soundtrack which remains a classic.



-Armageddon (1998)
Guilty pleasure pick. There are countless reasons why I should hate this movie. I've hated almost everything Michael Bay and co. touch, it's not even a remotely plausible situation, end-of-the-world mumbo jumbo, etc.

But...it never ceases to be awesome. It has a great ensemble cast. Ben Affleck was last likeable in this movie. The special effects still rock. It had an epic Aerosmith love-ballad. If you don't like this movie you have no soul.

-Friday Night Lights (2004)
Being a colossal sports fans, it surprises even myself that this is the only movie of that nature to grace this list. The reason? Every single other sports related movie glosses over the details and ugly nature of the game. Rudy was carried off the field as a sarcastic gesture (look it up), The real titans of T.C. Williams were nothing like the ones portrayed in the movie and the racism was much more extreme, and I could go on but I don't want to burst any more bubbles.

'Friday Night Lights,' is great because it is adapted pretty faithfully from the novel in which the team was followed intensely by a journalist throughout their season. The movie tackles real teen drinking (sorry skins), racism, and the extraordinary pressure bestowed upon the team by it's do-or-die locals. Lucas Black as Mike Winchell should have been nominated for an oscar. As is the common theme throughout this list, Explosions in the Sky composed the best soundtrack for a movie in the past ten years.



-The Lord of the Rings trilogy (2001-2003)

Harry Potter can't even compare to this trilogy. These movies set the standard for any fantasy that came before or that has been released since. None have even come close. Excited for 'The Hobbit,' to start shooting soon.

-Pulp Fiction (1994)

Too young to remember this movie in theaters or even what all the fuss was about. I just remember ordering it from netflix about eight years ago and wondering, 'why can't other movies do (insert word here: action, violence, dialogue, everything) as good as Pulp Fiction?'

The answer was because Pulp fiction is as close to a perfect movie as we'll ever get. It re-booted the careers of Bruce Willis and John Travolta and catapulted Samuel L. Jackson into a superstar.



The Dark Knight (2008)

Batman is hands down my favorite superhero. I like things rooted in reality--which is what Christopher Nolan did with his Batman franchise. All of his gadgets and cars could actually (and do actually) work in real life. Combine a spectacular ensemble cast, a great soundtrack, and Heath Ledger's joker, and what you have is one awesome movie.

Into the Wild (2007)

I'm of the opinion that all of Jon Krakauer's books would translate well to the big screen. They also wouldn't make a lot of money, which is probably why 'Into the Wild,' is the only one that made it. It follows a smart young man who, after graduating college, decides to journey off into the unknown.

This true story of Chris McCandless has split people into two camps. One -- he was a visionary who wasn't afraid to follow his dreams. Two -- he was an idiot who could have saved himself with a simple map or knowledge of the land.

I'm split between the two opinions, but respect the man and the movie for tackling the simple subject matter of fleeing from society. Eddie Vedder composed to soundtrack too!



Fight Club (1999)

Rules 1 & 2.

The Shawshank Redemption (1994)

Despite hardly anyone seeing it in theaters, this movie is tops on the IMDB top 250. Not an easy feat given teenage twilight and harry potter fans endlessly flooding their movies with votes.

One of many Stephen King adaptations to the big screen, 'Redemption,' hits all the right notes. King may be the greatest horror writer ever, but between this and 'The Green Mile,' its clear to see that he has heart as well.