Source Code

From director Duncan Jones (Moon) comes this mind-bendy action thriller.  Jake Gyllenhaal plays Capt. Colter Stevens, a decorated military helicopter pilot who finds himself on a strange mission: He must go back in time and inhabit the body of a stranger who happens to be on a train about to explode from a terrorist attack.  While in this man's body, Colter must figure out the killer's identity so that a possible second (and bigger) attack can be prevented.  But who is the train bomber?  Who are the cryptic military officials giving Colter orders and what exactly aren't they telling him?  How is this revolutionary neural technology able to send someone back in time to the last few minutes of another person's life?  And who is the beautiful girl named Christina (Michelle Monaghan) sitting across from Colter on the train who acts like she knows him and keeps calling him Sean??  All these are questions that Colter must answer, and he's only got 8 minutes to do it - aided by his brusque and unsympathetic handler (Vera Farmiga) - so he is forced to relive the same final moments over and over again, like a recurring nightmare he can't escape.  Jones is adept at the sci-fi, psychological thriller genre, and here delves further into the effects of isolation on the human mind (as he first explored with Sam Rockwell in Moon).  Colter may be completely surrounded by other people on a train, but he is the only one who knows what is going to happen, and in reality he's in a cramped chamber receiving instructions over a small computer screen... completely alone.  It's enough to mess with anyone's mind, and the audience is left to piece together the puzzle along with Colter in trying to decipher what is real.  Gyllenhaal is fantastic in this role, finally striking the right balance of action-star and thinking-man (after his Prince of Persia flop last year).  There was kind of a "huh?" moment at the end that wasn't really explained to my satisfaction, but in light of the already confusing and unbelievable "science" at work here, I guess it's forgivable.  I found the nuances in each replay of the past exciting and it was fun watching Colter react to things that he, along with all of us, knew was coming.  Like a dark, action-thriller version of Groundhog Day, Source Code is mind-blowing repetition that you won't tire of.

4 out of 5 stars

The Adjustment Bureau

In this sci-fi thriller, Matt Damon plays fresh-faced politician, David Norris, whose reckless past costs him the senate race in his home state.  On the night of his concession, David meets a beautiful stranger, Elise (Emily Blunt), who immediately steals his heart - and inspires him to give the best speech of his career - then vanishes without a trace.  David becomes obsessed with finding his mystery girl, until a clandestine organization intervenes to keep them apart.  Now, he is torn between his career and his love for someone he barely knows - all while being watched by men who want to ensure that David keeps to their predetermined plan.  The Adjustment Bureau is yet another film based on the seemingly endless collection of adaptable short stories by Philip K. Dick.  In this one, however, the romance between the two main characters takes center stage above the sci-fi aspect of the story.  Damon, completely believable in the role of an idealistic politician who truly believes he can make a difference, is perfectly cast as a reformed congressman with a bad-boy past.  And when he meets Elise for the first time, David is not just "in lust at first site" - it's much more than that.  Something about her sparks something in David and makes him feel truly alive for the first time... as if he's been waiting to meet Elise his whole life and finally realizes his true purpose.  Blunt, looking breathtakingly gorgeous as ever, gives Elise just the right blend of frankness and seductive charm, without being overtly sexy - it's no wonder David finds her completely irresistible and unforgettable.  There were some plot holes that I couldn't overlook (Why didn't Elise go looking for David when he couldn't find her?  Was she playing hard to get?), and the overall message of the story was hokey at best.  The film does raise some interesting philosophical questions, though, and that, paired with clever visuals and exciting chase scenes, were enough to keep me entertained.  If you try not to question the movie as much as David questions "the plan" and allow yourself to just enjoy the ride, then you'll probably be pretty entertained, too.

3 out of 5 stars

The Tourist

Angelina Jolie and Johnny Depp star in this twisty caper directed by Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck (Oscar-winning "The Lives of Others").  Set amongst the gorgeous backdrop of Venice, the story centers around the beautiful and enigmatic Elise - a woman whose every move is being monitored by Interpol in hopes of catching her thieving ex-lover.  To try to elude the authorities, Elise and her boyfriend hatch a scheme which involves lonely schoolteacher, Frank (Depp), passing himself off as the man everyone is looking for.  Soon Frank and Elise are running from not just the police, but the even more dangerous criminals they swindled in the first place... but will Elise's new feelings for Frank get in the way of the love she still harbors for her ex-lover?  The plot is cleverly laid out and unfolds in an entertaining manner, and the action scenes help make up for the lazily written characters.  Elise is all smoke and mirrors to the point that we never get a glimpse of what she's really about, which leaves the gifted Jolie little to do but stand there and look pretty (which she does very well, of course, but I'd rather see her acting chops put to better use).  Depp's Frank is similarly fuzzy, and half the time I got the impression that Frank was half-asleep... an unusual quality given the dangerous circumstances.  The locale cannot be beat: with its sun-kissed buildings and sparkling waters, the city of Venice almost seems like another character in the story (and is, at times, more captivating than the two leads).  But there's definitely plenty of thrills and some interesting twists that keep you guessing almost to the very end - with a very satisfying denouement wrapping everything up nicely into a tidy little package - which makes this enticing european excursion worth checking out.

3 out of 5 stars

The Resident

Hilary Swank stars as Juliet, a young NYC doctor in need of new residence after a rough break-up from her long-term boyfriend.  When she stumbles upon an ad for a huge, gorgeous apartment in a desirable Brooklyn neighborhood with a below-average rent, Juliet thinks she's hit the jackpot.  On top of that, the building owner, Max (Jeffrey Dean Morgan), is friendly, handsome, and available, and may be just the romantic rebound she needs.  But soon, Juliet starts noticing strange happenings in her apartment and starts to wonder if maybe she's not alone in her new home.  What starts off as a thriller with an interesting premise quickly disintegrates into a ridiculously unentertaining pile of garbage.  This straight-to-DVD movie reveals pretty early on why it never came to theaters despite its two high-profile leads.  Morgan is convincingly creepy as the landlord with an unhealthy obsession over his new tenant, but Swank is flat and boring, taking yet another misstep in her two-time Oscar-winning career.  The acting is substandard, the plot is weak, the directing is messy, and the thrills are nonexistent.  Don't waste your time with this one; it's an hour and a half of your life that you'll never get back.

A Gisella's Flick Picks first:
0 stars (SKIP IT)

The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest

The final installment of the Millennium trilogy picks up right where the last sequel left off with Lisbeth being flown to the hospital after a harrowing battle for her life.  After spending the last film on the lam and clearing her name of murders she did not commit, our sociopathic protagonist is now being charged with attempted murder of her own father - despite all the evidence to the contrary that Lisbeth was only acting in self-defense.  Now, it's up to her journalist pal, Mikael Blomkvist, to once again crusade for Lisbeth's innocence and endanger his own life to get to the truth.  While the last film delved deeper into Lisbeth's sordid past and revealed key events which explain why Lisbeth is who she is today, this film uncovers more detail as to the true identity of her father and his far-reaching political connections.  When Lisbeth is put on trial, we learn how her father was the one behind her being institutionalized as a child and see the abuses she suffered at the hands of the head psychiatric physician.  This film really explores the exploitation of young girls and the moral corruption of high-ranked government officials with secrets to hide.  Lisbeth is truly one of the most engrossing and enigmatic characters of the literary and film worlds because the more you find out about her, the more mysterious her thoughts and actions seem.  As for Mikael, he again comes off as the real hero of the story, as he works tirelessly behind the scenes (along with his very pregnant sister who graciously agrees to act as Lisbeth's defense attorney) and doesn't let attempts to his life get in the way of protecting Lisbeth.  It was never exactly clear to me what Mikael's intentions were - was his battle to free Lisbeth from jail a crazy overture of his romantic feelings for her that he hoped would win her heart?  did he do it purely out of kindness for an old friend?  or was he just doing his job as a journalist and got lost in the excitement of the quest for the truth? - but it never made him seem any less noble in my eyes.  "The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest" is an extremely satisfying culmination to a dark, thrilling tale of murder, depravation, revenge, and the pursuit of justice.


4 out of 5 stars

Frozen

Two best friends, Dan and Joe, and Dan's girlfriend, Parker, hit the slopes for a weekend of fun at a scenic New England ski resort.  Joe (Shawn Ashmore) is a bit sour at Dan (Kevin Zegers) for making Parker (Emma Bell) tag along on their boys' weekend, but the trio decide to make the best of it and enjoy the day skiing and snowboarding.  As nightfall approaches, they decide to get one last run in before closing - against the chair-lift operator's better judgement.  When the employee leaves for a break, Dan, Parker, and Joe are mistakenly left dangling in mid-air as the resort shuts down, with no one scheduled to return for days.  Will the three friends manage to survive the extreme cold long enough to find help?  This intense thriller, directed by Adam Green (who also directed the low-budget, mediocre slasher film, "Hatchet"), is about as taut and suspenseful as they come.  With elements of horror thrown in, the story unfolds with one terrifying predicament after another as Dan, Parker, and Joe struggle to stay alive and escape from their frozen deathtrap at any cost.  The actors are a bit stiff and generic in the opening scenes of the movie, but become more believable once the real action begins.  The plot is a little far-fetched, of course - how negligent are these resort employees, anyway?  Law suit, anyone? - but all that is quickly forgotten as you watch these unfortunate college kids stranded with no one to hear their cries for help, facing certain death, completely and utterly scared and alone.  "Frozen" delivers on the spine-tingling chills and thrills and will keep you petrified until the last scene.  Just be forewarned... you'll never want to go skiing again.


4 out of 5 stars

Salt

Angelina Jolie stars in this fast-paced action thriller directed by Phillip Noyce ("The Quiet American", "Rabbit-Proof Fence").  Jolie plays Evelyn Salt, a CIA operative who was held prisoner some years back while on a mission in North Korea.  While there, she meets and falls in love with her mark and subsequently ends up marrying him after her rescue.  Now, Salt is happily juggling married life and her job, despite her incredibly dangerous line of work.  But when a mysterious stranger breaks into the CIA and claims that Salt is a Russian sleeper agent, she must go on the run to prove her innocence and find her husband before the people trying to frame her get to him first.  Jolie is simply electrifying in this movie and plays Salt with equal parts calculated hardness and vulnerablity.  In a role that was originally written for a man (and briefly linked to Tom Cruise), it definitely lends itself well to a female lead, and Jolie proves that she can easily go toe-to-toe with any male in the action genre arena.  Noyce - who, up until this point, has mostly done quiet thrillers - also demonstrates his adeptness here at creating edge-of-your-seat chase sequences (my heart was in my throat during most of a scene involving Salt jumping from car-top to car-top on a double-decker highway).  All that would make for a fairly-satisfying, mindless spy flick, if there wasn't also a pretty intelligent script with plenty of twists and turns to keep you guessing.  Throw in a couple of seasoned actors as Salt's colleagues - the always amazing and reliably competent Liev Schreiber and Chiwetel Ejiofor - and you've got the perfect formula for a smart action thriller.  "Salt" is high-speed, nail-biting fun, with a charismatic heroine, and a cleverness that won't have you feeling devoid of a few brain cells afterwards.


4 out of 5 stars

Black Swan

In his follow-up to the Oscar-nominated film "The Wrestler", director Darren Aronofsky this time turns his focus on another athletic profession: ballet.  Natalie Portman plays an ambitious ballerina named Nina, who after years of toiling as a secondary dancer in her ballet company is ready for the spotlight.  When a famed director arrives to put on a show of his own dark, sexy version of "Swan Lake", Nina beats out the competition for the coveted lead role of the Swan Queen.  But between an unrelentingly critical director, an overbearingly parasitic mother, and her own fear of failure, Nina starts to unravel as she succumbs to dangerous delusions and extreme paranoia.  Aronofsky once again perfectly captures the extreme emotions and pressures associated with competitive sports.  In this case, his keen eye allows the audience to experience the masochistic world of ballet close up.  Nina's obsession to be the best dancer possible is portrayed with scary realism by Portman, who deserves an Oscar nod for this fearless performance.  The actress underwent months of training to pull off dancing like a real ballerina, and it shows.  But Portman goes further than that and succeeds in pulling off not just a complete physical transformation, but a mental one as well.  The ballet's director, Thomas (played with just the right blend of seductive cruelty by Vincent Cassel), rides Nina hard and belittles her technically perfect but cold performance every chance he gets.  And when Nina projects her insecurities on a rival dancer, Lily (a carefree and sexy Mila Kunis), she convinces herself that Lily is out to get her in order to steal her role - even after Thomas's insistence that the only one standing in the way of Nina's greatness is herself.  The result is a completely enthralling and exhilarating descent into Nina's madness that words cannot fully describe; it just has to be experienced.  "Black Swan" will get into your head and under your skin... and Nina's uncontrollable quest for perfection is at times both disturbing and liberating.  But if I had to sum up this thrilling masterpiece in one word, I guess I could borrow the last line Nina utters after delivering the best performance of her life: "Perfect.  Just perfect."


5 out of 5 stars

The Girl Who Played with Fire

The sequel to the Swedish hit, "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo", takes place over a year after where the last film left off.  Our anti-heroine Lisbeth Salander is putting the pieces of her life back together, while her sleuthing partner, Mikael Blomkvist, continues exposing the crimes of the European elite for Millenium magazine.  This time around, Mikael is working with a young reporter, Dag Svensson, on a sex trafficking scandal.  But when Dag and his journalist girlfriend are found dead in their apartment, the evidence links Lisbeth to the murders and she and Mikael must work together once again to solve the crime.  This installment - based on the second novel in the Millenium trilogy - is less intense and engrossing than the first film.  With our two protagonists separated by geography (Lisbeth must stay on the lam for most of the film while she tries to clear her name), much of the excitement of uncovering clues together is gone.  Unfortunately, the two working alone does not lend itself to the chemistry that Mikael and Lisbeth shared in the first story.  Nonetheless, we follow the couple as they investigate who is behind the conspiracy to put Lisbeth behind bars.  In doing so, the story dives even deeper into Lisbeth's dark past to uncover the grisly details of her childhood.  The film ends rather abruptly with no sense of closure, presumably leaving the story wide open to pick right back up in the next and final installment.  Again, don't expect the thrilling allure of the first movie.  But the mystery will still keep you intrigued, and Mikael and Lisbeth are such great characters that you'll definitely be coming back for more.


3 out of 5 stars

Splice

Elsa and Clive are superstar geneticists on the verge of a major breakthrough.  They have successfully spliced genes together from different animal species and are poised to share their research with the world - and make millions for the pharmaceutical company they work for.  The next logical step is to create a human/animal hybrid, but their employer puts a halt on further experiments until they can be sure the public is ready to accept such radical science.  When Elsa and Clive decide to test their theories in secret, they successfully produce a viable organism - nicknamed Dren - which has dire consequences for their career and their relationship.  Elsa and Clive are played by Sarah Polley and Adrien Brody; once you get past the fact that this couple is way too young and attractive to play such pioneers in their field, you realize that these are two great actors who can pull off almost any story.  Unfortunately, the film is less of the smart sci-fi/thriller type and veers more towards the monster horror flick route.  Instead of being a thought-provoking thriller that makes you ponder on the ethical and moral questions it poses, the film resorts to putting these two interesting characters in generic situations where they are being chased by their own creation.  The story hints at an interesting back story for Elsa, but never delves deep enough into her childhood history with her mother to see what makes her tick.  Maybe if it did, the decision Elsa makes at the end of the movie would make more sense; instead, we are left perplexed that someone so intelligent would take such a crazy and irrational turn.  For what it is, the film is entertaining enough, and the special effects for Dren were pretty impressive.  There's some fun fluff here, but I was really hoping for something with a bit more substance.


3 out of 5 stars

The Fourth Kind

"The Fourth Kind" is a horrible mess of a film that attempts to deliver what it thinks is an important message about alien encounters, but instead fails miserably on all counts.  Based on alleged actual events, the film stars Milla Jovovich as Dr. Abigail Tyler, a psychiatrist in a small, remote Alaskan town.  When her husband is brutally and inexplicably murdered in front of her very eyes, Abigail feels lost and confused because she can't recall any clear details about what happened or remember the killer's face.  Soon after several of her patients begin experiencing strange sleep patterns with mysterious visions that are too similar to be discounted as coincidence.  Could all these happenings point to alien abductions, or is all this just happening in Abigail's mind?  The filmmaker tries to lend credibility and pathos to the story, but the device he uses - a split screen between actual audio and video recordings of the events blended with dramatized scenes of the film - is distracting and serves no purpose other than to give the film an unnecessary edginess.  At best, this technique is gimmicky and at worst it is outrightly disjointed and unintelligible.  Also, we never see any actual scenes or images of the aliens, which the director probably thought was cleverly mysterious but instead comes off with an air of cheapness, almost as if the production was not allowed any budget for special effects.  It seems like the purpose of this movie is to prove the existence of aliens and extraterrestrial encounters, but if anything I believed less in them than before I watched this film.  By the end, you are so bored and confused that you'll be praying to be abducted.


1 out of 5 stars

Legion

Dennis Quaid, Tyrese Gibson and Kate Walsh star as a group of strangers stranded at a truck stop in the middle of the southwestern desert in this pointless supernatural thriller about the end of days.  Paul Bettany plays the archangel Michael, who is sent to earth to destroy an unborn human child believed to be the next messiah.  In the wake of this biblical apocalypse, Michael goes rogue and decides not to carry out God's orders because he believes in the goodness of humankind and thinks they can still be saved.  Michael is humanity's last chance for surviving this methodical extermination of all of Earth's sinners.  The story is derivative at best, and most of the action involves the trapped group of strangers fighting off Gumby-like creatures (humans who have been possessed by God's army of angels) who stretch their mouths and limbs and crawl around like Japanese horror movie rejects.  We watch wave after wave of attackers come after this random pregnant woman - how or why she was chosen to carry this important baby is never explained - and each of the holed-up survivors drops like flies one by one.  The only decent acting is from Bettany - which pretty much goes without saying since he is usually great in everything he does - who imbues the noble, self-sacrificing Michael with an elegance and grace.  Bettany's acting is not enough to save the movie, though, and all you're left with is an uninteresting film with sub-par special effects and a lame message not worth telling.


1 out of 5 stars

The Ghost Writer

In this taut political thriller from director Roman Polanski, Ewan McGregor plays a writer whose job is helping famous people pen their autobiographies.  McGregor's character (referred to throughout the movie only as The Ghost) is hired by ex-British prime minister Adam Lang (played with some bite by Pierce Brosnan) to spice up his memoirs after the previous ghost writer was killed in a drowning accident.  Soon after, Lang is accused of war crimes, and as The Ghost uncovers more details about his new boss's checkered past he begins to wonder if his predecessor's death was really an accident.  Polanski, a master of suspense, keeps you glued to your seat as he elegantly unspools the story's mystery at just the right pace.  As The Ghost discovers new clues, his anxiety and paranoia rises and we are right there with him.  McGregor is fantastic in this role.  While other actors would try to inject some toughness into their protagonists in these types of cat-and-mouse intrigues, McGregor plays it true-to-life by appearing soft and a bit cowardly - much as we would expect from an ordinary writer.  The supporting cast were also terrific; I was most pleasantly surprised by Kim Cattrall's understated performance as Lang's elegant and loyal personal assistant.  "The Ghost Writer" keeps you guessing, and with every twisty turn that leads The Ghost closer to the dangerous truth, you fear if this poor writer will become an actual ghost in the end.

4 out of 5 stars