Adventureland
Dir. Greg Mottola
Marketing was heavy on the fact that this is from the director of Superbad. Anybody going to see that kind of movie will be disappointed. This isn't much of a comedy, but a coming of age story sprinkled with amusing moments and a unexpected dark outlook on all things life. Jessie Eisenberg might be a poor man's Michael Cera, but he pulls off this role, as a graduated teen who takes work at the local theme park (Can you guess the name?) to fund his future, rather nicely. Modest and a little underwhelming, you can't help wondering if there was an opportunity wasted somewhere around here. Still, for the most part this works fine. Even if it is only set in 1987 so the director had an excuse to compile a worthy soundtrack. (***)
(500) Days of Summer
Dir. Marc Webb
A relentlessly watchable outing from new director Marc Webb, this is one of the best romantic comedies of the last decade. Joseph Gordon-Levitt is Tom. He falls in love with Zooey Deschanel (the title's Summer), but she doesn't feel quite so strongly. We're warned this isn't a traditional romantic comedy from the very beginning. Good. We've had enough of those. Tom's plight is one heck of an emotional journey that we can all relate to. We take a whirl through a number of the fated 500 days that Tom knew Summer, for good or for worse, each told with the help of some brilliantly employed narrative gems, including a hilarious musical number and dozens of well-placed pop cultural nods. The performances are wonderful. Men will fall in love with Summer. Girls will want to know where they can find their own Tom. But the point is that we're all human, and that nobody's perfect. Don't miss it. (****)
The Hurt Locker
Dir. Katherine Bigelow
Talk about tense. Katherine Bigelow returns with a movie set in Iraq about the bomb squads who balance on the bridge between life and death disarming the things. No politics here, just excellent performances and nail-biting tension told with style. It's the psychological aspect that Bigelow is most interested in, and we're thrust into the action from the go. Specifically, we join James, a rebel with Mel Gibson/Lethal Weapon syndrome who has no regard for his safety within the field. Guy Pearce and Rhys Fiennes turn up, too. Either to show us that just about everyone is disposable, or to draw in audiences looking for big names. I hope it's for the first reason. (****)
Funny People
Dir. Judd Apatow
This offbeat "comedy" from popular laugh-guru Judd Apatow (Knocked Up, The 40-Year-Old Virgin) might miss the mark for most. Not that it's by any means a bad movie, it's just not very funny. Adam Sandler plays a washed-up movie star with a string of bad movies behind him and worse news to come. He has a rare form of cancer, and not long to live. Seth Rogen, in his usual persona, is at Sandler's side, and the two struggle to find meaning in their lives as stand-up comedians. This is Judd Apatow with Woody Allen in mind. There's some good stuff here, but it might be half an hour too long. Did I mention it's not very funny? (***)
District 9
Dir. Neill Blomkamp
South African science-fiction that blows recent Hollywood blockbusters out of the water (Yes, Transformers 2, I mean you). Inspired by short film Alive in Joberg, Neill Blomkamp's alien refugee extravaganza is the best sci-fi film of the year. Heck, it's the best action-thriller of the year full-stop. Funny, exciting and awfully violent, this is the way blockbusters should be put together - with care and affection and affinity for the subject matter. First-time actor Sharlto Copley is phenomenal as alien welfare agent Wikus Van de Mewre, who finds himself caught up in an extraterritrial eviction that goes horribly wrong. Peter Jackson produces. (****)
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