Exit Through the Gift Shop rekalled...

EXIT THROUGH THE GIFT SHOP is, perhaps, a documentary about the modern street art scene and it's biggest stars and how a new one is formed. Brought to us by Banksy; a world famous street artist know for his thought provoking stencil work, with footage shot by Thierry Guetta; a street art fan turned street art star. The film follows Thierry and his film everything obsession which overlaps his obsession with street artists. He eventually meets to 2 biggest stars whom are Banksy and Shepard Fairey of OBEY GIANT fame and is inspired to become one himself. The film plays as a bit of a history lesson of the street art scene and shows the major players and how one can evolve from simple graffiti to respected and financially profitable artist. While the film comes off as a documentary I feel that the film's true intention is to explore how easy one can manufacture an image and blur the lines of what art and who decides what art is valuable. I really enjoyed the film and the art is inspiring, I also enjoy the ambiguity of what the film is, it just makes you think and question how art is popularized. Highly recommended.

INCEPTION rekalled...

INCEPTION, the newest Christopher Nolan film starring Leonardo DiCaprio, is a sci-fi heist film that is a thinker but if you pay attention it isn't difficult to follow. Now I have a mixed review for this film, I had extremely high expectations for this film and it didn't meet them yet the film was really good and I recommend seeing it. It was not life changing or a new fave but a really well done original film that was completely enjoyable.

While being an original film it constantly reminded me of other films and video games. Some sound cues reminded me of Blade Runner and Goldeneye the video game, some scenes reminded me of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare and once again Goldeneye. I had heard that Christopher Nolan is a fan of James Bond and this film could easily be an audition for directing a Bond film, great action and a spy-esque scenes show the understanding he has for the genre.

DiCaprio gives a fine performance, a couple of times I found him "acting" and taking me out of the emotion of the scene but otherwise solid. I was not impressed Joseph Gordon-Levitt's wooden performance, he seemed very rigid and maybe that is what he was going for but it did't resonate with me except for one scene when he tricks a very good Ellen Paige into doing something unexpected, nothing spectacular but subtle. For me the one stand out was Tom Hardy, every scene he is in he steals it and oozes a natural cool and I want to see more of this guy in more films, possibly the next Bond?

The story starts out with a bang and introduces you to a world without much explanation but then goes about establishing all the details you need to know about the world of dreams that Nolan is going to take you a ride on so you understand every step. The special effects are done in a realistic manner, no obvious CG moments for the sake of CG, everything just blends together really well. And to describe the films overlapping story telling would be more confusing that the way it plays out, Nolan keeps what could be a mess really organized and easy to follow. Nolan really steps up his use of action from his previous work and I was completely engrossed in the film throughout.

My only real problem with the film was the track history that Nolan had established with his previous works, I was expecting a prefect film. Memento was mind blowing when I first saw it, the Prestige is one of my favorite films and the Dark Knight is great for a worn out property, Inception was just a solid piece of film making and an enjoyable movie. I just was expecting his crowning achievement and one that would surpass his other films and it didn't for me. As long as you are not expecting your new favorite film I think any sci-fi or action film fan can enjoy Inception.

Predators rekalled...

PREDATORS, the Robert Rodriguez produced, Nimrod Antal directed film that harkens back the 80's actioniers ultimately fails in it's quest to recapture the magic of the original. The concept is great, go to another planet that acts as a game reserve for the Predators and throw a mix of dangerous people for them to hunt. While trying to catch the magic of the original Predator film this installment tries to mimic too many moments from the original and fails to create it's own memorable moments. It just seems to be another wasted chance in an interesting franchise that doesn't know when to pay homage and when to strike out on it's own. The cast of characters was interesting but there were few moments that made the originals cast of characters memorable. While not a terrible film but it just felt like a hollow re-imagining of the original.

The Sorcerer's Apprentice rekalled...

The Sorcerer's Apprentice is Disney's newest magic based attempt to capture the children and tween Harry Potter fan market and start a new franchise. I, for one, hope that this movie isn't allowed to graduate to master or grandmaster from apprentice. I am not interested in any more of this. An uneven film that doesn't seem to know what it really wants to be. Starring Nicolas Cage, who gives a decent performance, and Jay Baruchel who becomes increasingly annoying the more screen time he is given. A fine performance by Alfred Molina is wasted as well, he doesn't seem to give a bad performance. The film seems to straddle a buddy film and a youth struggling to realize his true place and not giving either enough time to develop into something enjoyable. Sometimes it feels like a Nicolas Cage film and his backstory may be interesting but then we have to put up with the whiny and predictable story of the sorcerer's apprentice. Jay Baruchel's should be regulated to sidekick duty because his style get's old real fast. Over all a film that could have been much more and failed to be the couple of things it attempted.