OBLIVIONWARSTRIX ZONE by Pamela Powell

Tom Cruise seems to have the Midas Touch.  Although ROCK OF AGES was a bust in 2012, MISSION IMPOSSIBLE: GHOST PROTOCOL (2011) and JACK REACHER (2012) definitely helped him pay the bills.  OBLIVION, although not a great film as far as I'm concerned, will most definitely help that bank account build.  OBLIVION had quite a bit of hype in movie trailers, magazine articles, and I'm assuming television as well (I don't watch tv much so I'm reaching on that one.)  If you've seen the trailers and this was impossible not to do if you have gone to see any movie in the last six months, you know the premise of the movie.  Jack Harper lives in a post-apocolyptic world where he is responsible for repairing "drones."  His beautiful partner Victoria, played by Andrea Riseborough, has his back at all times.  Jack's memories and dreams, however, haunt him.  A beautiful woman is with him in his dreams and flashbacks and appear to be from a different time; a happy time before "the war."  As the question of reality is slowly answered, Jack finds himself in a position that jeopardizes his current status and role in life.

  As I said, you have probably seen the trailers which really means that you could show up 1 hour into the movie and not be lost.  The only piece of information you should probably know is that Jack and Victoria had their memories wiped clean 5 years ago.  No memory means no chance of sharing
information with the enemy.  But as we watch Jack's memories get jogged, we see that memories are what makes us who we are.

Jack Harper and Victoria were "a very effective team" repairing the protective drones.  Without the drones, human life on Titan (a moon of Venus) could not be possible.  Huge hydro-vacuums continually take water to supply life on Titan.  It was Victoria and Jack's dream to finish their tour of duty and go to Titan.  However, with Jack's flashbacks and exploration of Earth, Jack found refuge in a tranquil part of Earth with pristine lakes, rivers, trees, and some semblance of life as it used to be.

OBLIVION was an action-packed, intense movie from the first 5 minutes on.  You knew something was going to go wrong, you just didn't know when.  And then "it" happened, but only after lots of special effects, space chases galore, and a few scenes to see Cruise's still chiseled body at the age of 50.  Harper met Beech (Morgan Freeman) and life as Harper knew it was in dire question.

As you can guess by the title of my review, OBLIVION is a mix of at least 3 different sci-fi movies.  I'm sure you sci-fi fans out there could add a few more to my list.  I actually found myself rolling my eyes at one point as I was transported back in time to my childhood, watching the 'Twilight Zone.'  Don't get me wrong!  I LOVED 'Twilight Zone!'  It was just that I wanted an original concept in this movie.  I had already compared the space chase seens to "Star Wars" and another few aspects (I don't want to spoil anything here) to "The Matrix."  Then WHAM!  'Twilight Zone' hits me.  There were also many holes in the storyline.  Maybe there were answers to them, but it wasn't explained or even hinted at these answers such as how memories can be transferred from one person to another.  (Again, if I say more, you'll have a major spoiler.)  Then there was a question of safety.  Nuclear war had occurred, yet the mighty Jack Harper dared to do his work without a helmet and drink water from a stream.  That's not even safe to do now!

OBLIVION will be a huge success just because of the names involved with the film.  Cruise and Freeman will do the trick every time.  If you're going because you love Morgan (I do!), then you'll be disappointed.  He's not on the screen very much.  Cruise is Cruise.  There were tons of chase seens, cool stunts, and lots of action.  To me, this was a "Guy's Movie" although the underlying premise of the movie was all based on the love of a woman.  

If you're a STAR WARS fan, you will probably like it.  I was a bit bored in the middle, but did enjoy the end even though it left me with a few questions.  

TRANCE WILL MESMERIZE YOU by Pamela Powell

"Trance" is a psychological thriller starring James McAvoy, Vincent Cassel, and Rosario Dawson, directed by Danny Boyle.  For those of you unfamiliar with Mr. Boyle, he is responsible for several amazing films such as "Slumdog Millionaire," "Trainspotting," and "127 Hours."  "Trance" was immediately reminiscent of the movie "Memento" (another favorite of mine) starring Guy Pearce who questions what's real and what's not.  "Trance" has similar nuances as the question of memory is also in play.  McAvoy played Simon, a criminal who utilized his connections with an art auction to double cross a crime boss and steal a valuable painting.  Things go awry and Simon ends up with a head injury which blocks his memory of the location of the stolen painting.  Needless to say, the crime boss, Franck (Cassel) is none too happy and we watch the complicated story unfold from this point.  A hypnotherapist is hired to figure out where Simon has hidden the painting as the torture technique didn't work.  He truly can't recall where it is.

"Trance" was mind-blowing.  I was mesmerized from the moment I saw the opening scene.  This fast paced yet deliberate movie gave me only the necessary information to process what the director and writer wanted me to...no more and no less.  It was like fitting pieces of a puzzle together, bit by bit, finding a piece on the floor that you knew was missing, then squeezing it in where it belonged only to find another piece still in the box.  It truly wasn't until each and every piece of the jigsaw puzzle was in place, and you stood back, did you really know what happened in the end.  Wow!  This intense movie was captivating stylistically, cinematically,  as well as psychologically.  The characters were developed to the extent that you needed them to be only when the writer wanted you to know them.  The timeline was somewhat fractured, but not to a point of confusion.  This timeline overlap made it clearer and more interesting.  You did have to pay attention, though.  You did NOT have time to get up and go to the bathroom like the homeless woman who sat in front of me did on numerous occasions.  I felt sorry for her...not because she was homeless, but because she missed the entire gist of the movie!  Hopefully, she was movie hopping and could catch those pieces at a later showing.  (Please note here that I do NOT condone movie hopping!)

So the plot and story were spectacular and unexpected, but I bet you are wondering about the acting.  It equals every other aspect of this movie.  Rosario Dawson, Elizabeth, chosen for many reasons that will be clear at the end of the movie, was amazingly convincing as the hypnotherapist hired to help Simon recall where he might have placed the $25.7M (pounds) painting.  Simon (McAvoy) was the boy next door that had a problem making good decisions and just fell deeper and deeper into a hole that became a suffocating abyss.  Franck (Vincent Cassel) and his crew could have been a mob in an country, wreaking havoc on disappointing slackers.


"Trance" was a violent movie, but not over the top.  There were scenes that made me cringe, but this was all to add to the credibility of the movie.  I was glued to the screen.  I didn't want to miss a thing for fear of not being able to figure out what the puzzle would look like at the end.  This movie played with memories; the real and the imagined.  It played with how the brain worked.  It made you think.  "Trance" was a mind-boggling psychological thriller with drama, love, sex, and violence.  It was also smart.  What more can you ask for in a movie?

9 REELS!

42 WILL LIVE FOREVER IN BASEBALL AND OUR HEARTS by Pamela Powell

A few months ago, I had the pleasure of seeing a film about the role sports, specifically basketball, had to do with changing racial boundaries called "Game of Change." (Check it out on Amazon.com)  Today, with the release of "42,"  the Jackie Robinson story, we see similar ways in which a few people, strong and brave, stood up for what they thought was right, in order to bring people closer together; severing racial boundaries.  This all being done by playing a game.

"42" took place back in 1945, long before many of us can remember and long before that momentus game between Loyola Chicago and Mississippi State. Although "42" is based on true events, I am not completely confident that facts and situations occurred as demonstrated.  But this is a movie, not a documentary...it told a story and entertained the viewer.  That's what a movie is supposed to do.  Jackie Robinson, for those like me who are not baseball buffs (Yes, I know that Jackie Robinson is a name that I should know much like Joe DiMaggio, but more than knowing they played baseball, isn't in my knowledge base. ), was the first black man to play in the major leagues.  The owner of the Brooklyn Dodgers, Branch Rickey, set out to raise the bar of equality in the game of baseball.  Keep in mind that Jim Crow laws were still widely accepted both in the North and the South.  Although the story focused upon Robinson and the struggles he endured to make it in the League, it also focused on Branch Rickey's determination to make things better.  As we watched the team begin to implode from the racial tension, we also watched and rooted for the glue that could keep it from turning to rubble.  The movie tugged at heartstrings and made you question how people could be so judgemental and hurtful in a past that really isn't so distant. 

I enjoyed this movie.  It was uplifing and positive. However, I struggled with one aspect of this movie:  the acting.  It frequently felt stiff and contrived.  With some movies based on actual events like one of my favorites "NO," you felt as if you were watching the actual event take place.  With "42" you did not feel this way.  It felt like a movie all the way through.  Everything was just too picture perfect and concise.  There were rather hoaky scenes of kids and parents in the stands who had lines so manufactured and cliche that you could have easily predicted what the next utterance was going to be.  Even given the overall performances, I still enjoyed the message this film had to share.  Go see it and then tell me how it affected you.  

IT'S A DISASTER IS A TRIUMPH! by Pamela Powell

Writer and director Todd Berger brings us a wonderfully written and charming film called "It's a Disaster" about the end of the world.  How could this topic possibly be charming?  Mr. Berger's ability to look at four couples' relationships and how they deal with their impending and untimely demise is artfully and humorously depicted.  The end is near, yet somehow, by virtue of human nature, these couples deal with issues unrelated to "the end."  Who wants to hear bad news?  Who really wants to deal with it?  And when we do hear it and begin to deal with it, it's easier to other things first.  Right?

In "It's a Disaster," four couples gathered for their weekly "couples brunch."  Each couple had issues.  There was the couple that was always late, the Vegan, the not-married-yet (don't ask why) couple, and the new "friend" in the couple group.  We learned a bit about each person and his or her idiosyncrasies.  It was also apparent that a lot had happened in the past which makes you question some of their interactions.  All of your questions will be answered eventually.  As the couples sat down to dine, they were interrupted by their neighbor who shows up in a HAZMAT suit.  They had been gloriously oblivious to the end of the world until this time.  Everyone's true colors started to show and that was not always a pretty sight!  Their impending demise took them on a twisting, turning ride of truths and humor.  With a focus on amazingly unimportant details in life such as how to accurately pronounce "duct tape,"  (One of my pet peeves too!) it was evident that no one was truly prepared for survival or the opposite.

"It's a Disaster" starred Julia Stiles and David Cross and was truly a pleasure to watch.  The entire cast gave a natural performance so that I, the viewer, felt as if I was a fly on the wall watching the tale unfold.  Although this film is about a horrific concept, it was generally quite light and humorous.  Obviously, the writing and directing by Todd Berger was exceptional to elicit these performances.  "It's a Disaster" should be a run-away hit in the dark comedy genre this year.

8 REELS

CAMPUS LIFE: A DIFFERENT COLLEGE EXPERIENCE! by Pamela Powell

"Campus Life" comes to viewers in a unique format from any other movie I have watched.  Viewed for a nominal fee through www.jumpview.com, viewers can see a short portion of the movie.  This portion piques your interest to find out what happens next as well as what happened before.  In this viewer controlled film, you can do just that.  Pick and choose whose character's perspective you want to see short portions of before or after the main clip and gain insight as to what the final clip holds.  You are in control of how you want to see the movie and through whose eyes.  Each viewer will have a slightly different perspective on the movie until the final clip when all the pieces are put together for you.  I must say, it was quite an original way to view a film.  It was also a bit addictive.  The viewer chosen clips were only a couple of minutes in length and I had fun going along the provided time line to view it in my own organized fashion.  Someone else might choose to see the film based on only two or three character's perspective from start to finish.  I can definitely see this as a mode that is conducive to our hectic and always interrupted life-style.  You watch a couple of minutes here and there, like reading a few pages of a book.  Come back to it at any time and watch another portion.  Seeing a story unfold through different characters eyes is how we view life.  For example, my version of what happened in a story is going to be different than my friend's version who took part in that same story.  This is a very cool concept indeed!

Now, back to the movie itself, "Campus Life."  We have five main characters who are attending a typical college campus, however there are strange things occurring.  It becomes apparent that only these five are aware of the strange circumstances.  All of these students are very different from one another, but realize that these unusual events link them together.   Outside of the bizarre incidents, "Campus Life" magnifies the typical teen's life of female jealousy, male competition, and the need to fit in.  Ari and Elliot enjoy physical fighting as they seem to engage in this at every juncture.  Then we have poor, insecure Izzy who can't handle Greta even talking with her new beau, Arun.  There's also a "gang" who tries to get students to join by using bribery and other tactics deemed wicked or unsavory.  As the weird events escalate, the group tries to figure out why this is all happening and how can they make it stop.

"Campus Life" was a mystery thriller definitely geared toward the teen and young 20-somethings, although, being young at heart, I did enjoy it as well.  I was initially captivated by the two guest appearances by Ray Liotta (I love his eyes!) and Martin Scorsese (I've always wanted to see if I could drink more coffee than him!).  I was also immediately hooked by the novelty of how to view this film...well, after I watched the ENTIRE tutorial (I'm a little impatient), I could then see how to effectively navigate the film.  The script was quite creative; especially considering that scenes had to be re-shot from another actor's perspective.  Leaving each scene, I wanted to see more.  Again, I give the writers credit for being able to constantly leave me hanging after a 2 or 3 minute clip so that I clicked on yet another scene.  The stars of the film were aptly cast and weren't your typical Hollywood actors which was rather refreshing.  Given the end of the film, and I don't want to spoil anything, I truly enjoyed each character's performance!  Yes, both Ray Liotta and Martin Scorsese were great.  Their roles weren't huge, but they added so much to the credibility and humor to this film.

There are really two things that I am reviewing here:  "Campus Life" and the venue in which to see this film.  Both were uniquely creative and engaging.  I had an entertaining evening navigating my way through this film; feeling like I was engaged and somewhat in control of how I processed the movie.  I think this is a movie anyone in their teens and 20's will enjoy and I know that they will enjoy utilizing this new viewing technique.  Hats off to the writers, directors, actors and the distribution company for giving viewers this new technology for film.

THE PLACE BEYOND THE PINES IS A LONG AND WINDING ROAD by Pamela Powell

THE PLACE BEYOND THE PINES is a movie I have been keeping tabs on for quite some time.  Why wouldn't I?  With the cast of Ryan Gosling, Bradley Cooper, Eva Mendes, and Ray Liotta, it was a "must-see" for me.  Waiting for the release date, I was disappointed that it was a limited release.  Not living in NYC or LA, I had to wait a week when it was finally released in Chicago.   As I sat down in "my" seat at the theater, I began to look around at the other viewers who anxiously attended a 10 am screening.  All those in front of me seemed to pack a picnic lunch from home which included salami sandwiches, chips, and drinks.  The other crackling I heard throughout the movie was unidentifiable.  I'm curious as to how many people can't last through a 2 1/2 hour movie beginning at 10 am without having a full lunch?  Thank God the lights went down so my distractibility could be dissipated.

The basic premise of the movie was that a motorcycle stunt driver learned that his one night fling resulted in a baby who was now about a year old.  Given that the cyclist's skill set wasn't a lucrative one, he decided to rob banks and provide for his former lover and new son in that logical way.  This decision put him directly in the path of a lawyer turned police officer who attempts to catch the thief.  Gosling plays Luke, the caring, yet violent father of the little boy.  Mendes' character Romina, sought

comfort and stability with her current beau yet was torn between that and her love of Luke.  It wasn't until much later in the film that we were introduced to Cooper's character of Avery, the rookie cop who doesn't seem to understand how his corrupt precinct worked.  This film took on segments of each character's life in order to paint a complete picture.  We wanted to like Luke and to understand him, but we knew he just made one poor decision after another.  When Luke and Avery's life intersected in the early years, the results are significant.  The film picks up 15 years later when the son's of the two lead characters now intersect.  Justice, love, lies, protection, loyalty, and truly knowing right from wrong were all things each character dealt with on different levels.

There was a lot of action as well as stressful situations throughout this movie to keep you wanting to see what happened next.  The camera work was notable or maybe I should say noticeable, as it almost felt strobe-like during chase scenes and the motorcycle riding.  This aspect definitely added to the intensity and uncomfortable feeling, but in truth, it might be too visually stimulating for some.  There were comments of nausea due to this after the movie.  Each scene set the tone and explained each aspect of the upcoming scene so there really wasn't much thinking involved on the viewers' part.  Everything was really done for you.  The voids were easily explained away.  The scenery was beautiful as much of this film was completed on location in Schenectady, NY...not far from one of my many places I called home many years ago.  Although there appeared to be complete resolution at the end of the film, it left me feeling disappointed.  It felt like a large slice of someone's life laid out before me, but it was a story that didn't really have a true end and who was I really to care about in this film?  But maybe that's what the filmmakers wanted.  A slice of life.  A large slice of life.  They got it.

I'd wait for this 2 hour 10 minute movie to come out on DVD.  It was good, but not great.  I had expected more.

6 REELS

Sideshow Theatre Company's MARIA/STUART: DARK, TWISTED, AND ENTERTAINING by Pamela Powell

Secrets.  Deep, dark secrets.  Secrets that need to be buried.  How deeply can each member of this completely dysfunctional family bury their myriad number of secrets? Their happiness seems to be inversely correlated to how deeply they can bury their common as well as their individual secrets.  Let me tell you, there aren't too many happy members of this family!  This family has more skeletons in their closet than Jeffery Dahmer.  MARIA/STUART could be a psychology class study of repression, depression, delusion, guilt, denial, incest, and aggression.  I'm sure I'm missing a few other diagnoses,  but even with these aspects, this play was funny!  It was an amazing feat to pull off, but the writer and director deftly combined some pretty harsh topics like incest and balanced it with humor.  The farcical aspects were just what the play needed to give it levity.  Without that, MARIA/STUART would have been morose.

MARIA/STUART was a dark comedy (my favorite kind!) which revolved around Grandma, who resided in a nursing home.  She was visiting her daughter's home for her birthday.  It was clear from the beginning that Grandma was just tolerated for her birthday and that her ramblings about insignificant topics irritated her daughter and granddaughter to no end.  As we were introduced to her other daughters and grandson, we quickly learned about some strange events that each character had experienced, but were unwilling to talk about.  How each daughter dealt with one particular event, a "changling" appearing, affected all of their relationships.  

The characters in MARIA/STUART were the extreme of all the personality types.  The three daughters run the gammet from institutionally insane (with hook hands due to "an accident"), to a deeply irate control freak, but outwardly socially accepted, to superficially peachy-lets-put-on-a-smile-and-everything-will-be-fine personality.  Grandma apparently slipped in and out of dementia and/or selective hearing loss and the grandson seemed to have never really grown up.  But there are reasons beyond belief for all of their extreme personality disorders!  Entertainingly appalling reasons!  Even with the extreme aspects of each character, their interactions were typical of many families; this should probably scare me to admit this!  Sisters can be harsh.  Younger people frequently have little patience for the older generations.  And many of us are completely intolerant of those with a handicap.  For instance, imagine eating carrots and dip with hook hands.  It wasn't pretty and this family had no qualms about saying so...no regard for feelings whatsoever.

The bizarre family dynamics and the reasons behind them were slowly uncovered, shovel by shovel, until it was unbearable for some of the family members to see.  As food was tossed, and soda was spilled, so were the secrets of the family.  (Warning: sitting in the first row you may have a grape or two come your way!)  As secrets never really die, we all have coping mechanisms and this completely dysfunctional family utilized every coping mechanism possible.  But who was truly happy?  Sometimes you have to face and recognize the elephant in the room and even talk about it before you can be happy.  Will this family ever learn?

MARIA/STUART was a wonderful depiction of a dysfunction family to the extreme.  The cast was magnificent!  The writing was intense and poignant, but had it not been for the talent of the cast, the words and emotions would have been lost.  The humor utilized when addressing some of the delicate subjects frequently elicited unbelievable laughter.  The awkward moments were many and again, one could only laugh.  MARIA/STUART was a cleverly written play with skillful direction and acting.  I can't remember the last time I have seen such a standout cast!  You'll be appalled, you'll be entertained, and you'll find that your own

family isn't so dysfunctional after all!  And that, folks, is worth the price of admission.  (You haven't met MY family!)

MARIA/STUART is presented by the Sideshow Theatre Company.  Written by Jason Grote and directed by Marti Lyons, the stars of the show include Nate Wheldon, Scottie Caldwell, Mary Anne Bowman, Ann James, Susan Monts-Bologna, and Jennifer Joan Taylor.  Now playing at Theater Wit, 1229 W. Belmont Ave. in Chicago through Sunday, May 5.  For more information about tickets, go to www.sideshowtheatre.org or call Theater Wit's box office at 773-975-8150.  Tickets are only $20-$25 with student and senior discounts.  Dining with parking is available at Cooper's directly across the street.  Take a night out in Chicago without spending a lot of money and still be entertained!