Tag: Looper

Geekscape Movie Reviews: Star Wars: The Last Jedi

by MCDave

Following the box office and critical powerhouse that was The Force Awakens, fans and enthusiasts were shocked to learn that director J.J. Abrams wouldn’t be returning to oversee the next chapter of the Star Wars saga. Instead, Disney put its full faith behind Looper and Brick helmer Rian Johnson. But where would Johnson’s vision take this delicate collection of old and new characters? Early indications and trailer footage suggested a darker tone would exist throughout The Last Jedi, and only time would tell if this was the correct path for the franchise. Well now, that time has finally arrived.

Rey (Daisy Ridley) has taken her newfound abilities to a desolate island to learn the ways of the Force from Jedi Master Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill). But as her understanding of the Force grows, so does Skywalker’s skepticism in her intentions as he becomes fearful of her uncontrollable strength. Meanwhile, Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) and the First Order look to put an end to the Resistance once and for all.

From start to finish, The Last Jedi becomes plagued by an artificial cheapness in both story structure and delivery. This isn’t to say that the film is a complete miss, because that’s by no means accurate, Rian Johnson’s effort is rather a misguided continuation of the re-branded universe that J.J. Abrams worked diligently to build. Where The Force Awakens goes overboard in its reliance on familiarity, both in terms of the story’s likeness to A New Hope and its return to key figures from the original trilogy, The Last Jedi desperately ventures in a polar-opposite direction by offering numerous thematic statements that this trilogy intends to have its own voice. Consequently, this branching-out approach from Rian Johnson comes with a wide range of successes and failures. Rey, Finn and Poe prove to be a strongly-developed trio of characters who are well-equipped to carry the saga into Episode IX. However, an absolute mishandling of Luke Skywalker’s character, which even drew public criticism from Mark Hamill leading up to the film’s release, is just the beginning of The Last Jedi‘s careless ideas. Everything from the revelation of Rey’s parents to shameful amounts of inorganic slapstick comedy sprinkled throughout, and lest we forget cinema’s most unimaginative and prolonged “chase sequence” ever, The Last Jedi‘s most shining qualities are sadly clouded by many blatant and unforgivable blunders from its writer and director. Therefore, we must turn our hopes back to J.J. Abrams for a stronger and more appropriate conclusion when he returns for Episode IX.

Grade: 3/5

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Geekscape Movie Reviews: Edge of Tomorrow

by MCDave

Make no mistake about it, the hype surrounding Edge of Tomorrow, from both critics and moviegoers alike, continues to grow throughout the film’s opening weekend. With an estimated $30 million in box-office revenue in the works and nearly 9 out of 10 critics voicing their approval, Tom Cruise proves he is still a major attraction. But is the megastar’s latest blockbuster collaboration with The Bourne Identity director, Doug Liman, worthy of all this adoration? Absolutely not!

Tom Cruise stars as Cage, a marketer-turned-Army Recruiter after an unexplained alien invasion threatens the survival of humankind. However, Cage has zero interest in actually setting foot on the battlefield. That is, until his commanding officer orders the under-qualified and cowardly soldier to attack the enemy with the first wave of fighters. Caught in the midst of war, Cage becomes trapped in a time-loop and uses the opportunity to team up with a Special Forces warrior named Rita (Emily Blunt) who transforms him into a killing machine determined to destroy the opposing forces.

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Allow me to precede my arguments with a declaration that the latest sci-fi blockbuster, Edge of Tommorow, is a well-crafted and highly rationalized idea. Yet, Doug Liman’s action adventure is over-pursued and misguided. The whole “time travel” or “time loop” idea is by no means uncharted territory. Somewhat recent comparables such as Duncan Jones’ Source Code or Rian Johnson’s Looper use this scientific anomaly as a far more impressive backdrop to their better executed stories. With Edge of Tomorrow, the audience is asked to buy into an often-used, but convincing, character arc surrounding Tom Cruise’s onscreen personae, Cage. But to the film’s detriment, an unjust finale sells that transformation short and tears down the flimsy foundation it spends nearly two hours building.

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Although Doug Liman’s Edge of Tomorrow contains a mediocre plot and a collection of performances that neither benefit nor detract from the final product, the blockbuster delivers an abundance of remarkably-shot scenes. The camera work and editing are superb enough to satisfy any action junkie imaginable, further demonstrating a need to applaud Liman’s effort for the movie’s sound technical achievements. However, at the end of the day, there’s no escaping a long list of basic fundamental blunders that ultimately confine Edge of Tomorrow to being a run-of-the-mill feature.

Sporting a balanced sheet of pros and cons, the latest sci-fi tale, Edge of Tomorrow, fails to stand out among a long list of similarly-molded films. Its “groundhog day” approach feels long-winded through a moderately engaging story. And although the special effects and captured shots are likely to be marveled at, there isn’t much else elevating Edge of Tomorrow to mainstream blockbuster glory.

GRADE: 3/5

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Rian Johnson Releases ‘Looper’ In-Theatre Commentary!

by Derek Kraneveldt

Rian Johnson announced yesterday the release of his in-theatre commentary for his film Looper. This is so freaking cool! It’s something that I have never heard of before, but Johnson noted in the release that he did the same for The Brothers Bloom. 

In any case, I know I’ll be seeing this one again now (this would be showing number three, but who’s counting). I can’t wait to listen, as I’m really interested in what Johnson has to say about the film. Johnson announced the commentary yesterday on the film’s Tumblr blog. It should be noted that this commentary is completely different from what will end up on the Blu-Ray release.

From the post:

I recorded a commentary track to be downloaded, put on an ipod and listened to in the theater as you’re watching Looper.  This is an odd thing I tried with Bloom, and have gotten a few requests for it again, so here it is.  It is totally different from the commentary track that will be on the Blu/DVD, a bit more technical and detailed.  Needless to say, this is NOT to be listened to on a first viewing, or before you’ve seen the film.  Also, please work it so that a glowing screening is never out of your pocket during the movie.

Listen to the introduction before heading to the theater, it has instructions.  And lemme know how it works.

If you’re interested, you can download the track here! What did you think of the film? Does this make you want to see it again?

Steady Your Aim! The Geekscapepod For September 30th, 2012!

by Jonathan

This GeekscapePod is a bit packed! I give an update on ‘Doc of the Dead’ and our friend Matt Mogk’s campaign to get George Romero his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame! Three really strong movies are out now that you should see: ‘Looper’, ‘Dredd 3D’ and ‘End of Watch’. I list why Rion Johnson should be at the top of the list for Doctor Strange directors! ‘Happy’ is almost more of the same from Grant Morrison! Our ‘Sinister’ screening kicked ass! ‘Marvel NOW’ can’t come soon enough and I take it upon myself to welcome Nintendo into the 21st Century!

Subscribe to the show on iTunes!

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 29:15 — 17.6MB)

Geekscape Movie Reviews: Looper

by Shawn Madden

I can honestly say that if I don’t see another movie this year after Looper, I would be fine with that. There have been few truly great movies that have done what Looper has done. Rather than giving us an adaptation of something we have already seen, writer/director Rian Johnson delivers us an original story and does it brilliantly. Trust me, when I say that you are going to be seeing Rian Johnson’s name around a lot more after this film.

Sure, time travel is nothing new in science fiction films, but Johnson brings us a fresh idea on the subject. And if you think you know what is going on in this movie based on the trailers, I am here to tell you that you don’t. This movie is definitely more cerebral and complex than you expect it to be and you’re hooked on the plot from the very beginning. This is not a date night movie by any means because Johnson intends to blow your mind here and accomplishes the feat.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s Joe lives in 2042. He’s a Looper, a hired assassin for the mob (but the mob of 2072). Loopers are given contracts that tell them to be at certain places at certain times in order to perform hits sent from the future. At the exact time stated in the contract, a tied up and hooded target pops into 2042 and in an instant are killed and their bodies destroyed.

Loopers make a good living off this. A mafia that exists in both times run things and Jeff Daniels plays Abe, who is from the future and coordinates the contracts in the past. A mad man is taking over the business in 2072 and for unknown reasons is terminating the contracts of the Loopers. At the time of your contract being terminated you are to kill yourself and cash in heavily, also known as a “loop”. That’s where Willis, who plays Joe from 2072, comes into play. Willis presence in the past is no mere coincidence, but rather the start of a much larger mission to alter the future.

Not only is this movie very smart but it is also quite funny and full of action packed sequences. The shots are beautiful and the visuals are amazing. The film is crisp and quite stylish and the cgi feels very natural and quite real. It also accomplishes the feat of creating a believable future without overdoing it.

Looper is a film that is less concerned with the sci-fi elements than it is with the development of its central characters. Sure, this isn’t done perfectly but it done very well. Now, while all of the performances are great, it’s really Joseph Gordon-Levitt that shines in this film. Levitt has prosthetic attached to his face so he would look more like younger Bruce Willis, and once you get past that you know it’s there, you really get lost in how much he looks and acts like Willis.

Levitt definitely gives this film his all and it clearly shows. Willis gives a very emotional performance as future Joe and Jeff Daniels and Emily Blunt are also great in this film. But child actor Pierce Gagnon gives the most unexpected and fantastic performance in the film. I can’t tell too much about his role without revealing anything about the plot but he’s definitely one of the highlights of the film. When this loop comes full circle you will definitely not expect it.

Looper, without a doubt, is definitely one of the best films to come out this year. The story is going to throw you through a “loop” that will having you walking out of the theater and instantly begin discussing the themes of the movie with the people you saw it with.  Time travel has not yet been invented but you do have the ability to relive these two hours over again and you are going to want to.

Rating: 5/5

Check Out A Cool Animated Trailer For ‘Looper’

by Derek Kraneveldt

Looper hits theatres this Friday, and I couldn’t be more excited. The movie looks fantastic, and ever since Brick was released in 2005 I’ve been wanting another collaboration between Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Rian Johnson. Today, a third official trailer for the film was released, in a very different style than past iterations. Check it out below!

Here’s a synopsis, right from Johnson himself:

“Looper is a time travel movie, set in a near future where time travel doesn’t exist but will be invented in a few decades. It’s pretty dark in tone, much different from Bloom, and involves a group of killers (called Loopers) who work for a crime syndicate in the future.

Their bosses send their targets hogtied and blindfolded back in time to the Loopers, and their job is to simply shoot them in the head and dispose of the body. So the target vanishes from the future and the Loopers dispose of a corpse that doesn’t technically exist, a very clean system.

Complications set in from there.”

It sounds extremely intriguing, it looks fantastic, and this close to release is still a very mysterious title. I know I’ll be lining up on Friday, how about you?

‘Looper’: The 16-Bit Trailer!

by Shawn Madden

Who doesn’t like seeing stuff that they love reinterpreted in 8-bit and 16-bit form? Well, how about something that we don’t love yet but I am pretty sure we are going to? Take a look at what Looper would look like if it was still the 90’s and we were getting movie adaptations for our Super Nintendo. This fan made trailer for the upcoming movie is pretty damn awesome and I would totally play the hell out of this game.

In the futuristic action thriller Looper, time travel will be invented – but it will be illegal and only available on the black market. When the mob wants to get rid of someone, they will send their target 30 years into the past, where a “looper” – a hired gun, like Joe (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) – is waiting to mop up. Joe is getting rich and life is good… until the day the mob decides to “close the loop,” sending back Joe’s future self (Bruce Willis) for assassination. The film is written and directed by Rian Johnson and also stars Emily Blunt, Paul Dano, and Jeff Daniels. Ram Bergman and James D. Stern produce.

Looper hits theaters September 28th!

Source: Slash Film

The ‘Looper’ Viral Campaign Has Begun!

by Shawn Madden

Sometime around March director Rian Johnson had announced that they were planning a viral campaign for the upcoming Looper. Well, it’s started guys and they’re inviting YOU to be a looper. All you have to do is head over to Looper Network and sign up but there’s a catch. There’s always a catch right?

There’s a stipulation in every Looper’s contract that he may someday be required to hunt down his future self, thus closing the contract, getting a huge pay-off and erasing any trace of the very illegal arrangement with his or her future employer.  This is called Closing Your Loop.  Cash out, get paid.  Live those 30 years like only a Looper can.

Well, this also reveals a little bit more about just what is happening in the movie. You guys better hurry up and sign up now because the first mission is scheduled to go down August 22nd! But you can pick up your gear now.

And a few of the propaganda images from the site:

Looper is in theaters September 28th.

Check Out The International Trailer For ‘Looper’!

by Shawn Madden

When I first saw the trailer for ‘Looper’ at WonderCon I was blown away. With an impressive cast and a great concept this is one of the movies I have been looking forward to most this year. We now have a second trailer that sheds a bit more light on the plot of the movie.

Face your past and fight your future on September 28th.

Willis! Gordon-Levitt! As The Same Guy!?! “Looper” Gets a Trailer!

by Scott Alminiana

I’ve been eagerly waiting this one for quite sometime. It’s finally here….the first teaser trailer for the new sci-fi/time-travel flick Looper! The movie is written/directed by Rian Johnson (Brick & The Brothers Bloom) and stars Bruce Willis, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Emily Blunt. I’d give a synopsis but I figure watching the trailer will be far more entertaining. It opens across time and in a theater near you on September 28.