 Hoo-boy. Are you sitting down? Well, if you're at a computer, then odds are good the answer is yes. If during the reading of this page you suddenly find that your phone rings and a strange voice on the other end tells you to run out the door in 30 seconds, then I'll understand. The phone rules. That's what happens in EAGLE EYE. The phone rings and suddenly Shia LaBeouf and Michelle Monaghan are pushed forward into action.
Just look at how enslaved some folks are during their normal daily routines. Answering the beckoning of the almighty cell phone at a moment's notice: in the store, on the street, while riding transportation, even at the movies! For some people the need to be in constant communication is a bit of a disease. I refuse to answer my cell phone if I know there's no urgency to it. Any caller can leave a message and I'll take the next step to respond afterwards. Unfortunately, this is not an option available to the film's two leads.
They are thrown into the turmoil against their wills. She has been persuaded her son is in danger and he is being blackmailed with a room full of illegal and secretive paraphernalia. The plot is simple: follow the orders on the phone or suffer the consequences. When this happens it is assumed a character would take a moment to find an authority figure who will believe them. In Movieland we all know that's not going to happen, so the best thing is to just run with it.
And run they do. Once the chase is set into motion there is a bevy of patrol vehicles (and assumedly, officers inside) that pay the price. A ton of cars get flipped, squished, crunched, and battered in the first chase sequence alone. Still, who could be doing this and to what ends? To tell that would be giving away too much, but needless to say, it's not a simple kidnapper or terrorist on the other end and EAGLE EYE is a more interesting film than it's trailers first revealed because of it.
Shia LaBeouf is charismatic and can lead a movie. That much was proven with last year's entertaining DISTURBIA, also guided by EAGLE EYE's talented director D.J. Caruso. As a former child star now enduring constant media attention and being cast in blockbusters, Shia has alot of pressure to live up to, but I like his track record and find each film he's in to be very enjoyable. I discovered Michelle Monaghan in KISS KISS BANG BANG (you should too!) and she has also proven herself to be a capable screen presence. That holds true here. A terrific cast of support in Billy Bob Thornton, Rosario Dawson, Ethan Embry, and Michael Chiklis due their dilligence on the side of the law to get to the bottom of everything. Billy Bob leads the chase and does a solid job, but wouldn't it be fun if he played a version of Carl from SLING BLADE in a movie like this? "Mmm, I'm afraid they might keel sumbuddy...mmmf." I thought of that initially, but soon let it go as the pace of the movie picked up.
I was having such a better time during the film's second half as it really became a much wilder trip. There's a scene at an airport that feels like EAGLE EYE: THE RIDE. The effects are good throughout and this has to be the most fun spectacle out right now (especially coming so soon after a strong showing of summer blockbusters).
The city of Chicago makes an appearance again this year (but not as much as in THE DARK KNIGHT and WANTED). Still, a quibble that Chicago dwellers will notice: the train ride from the Quincy brown line stop on the loop heading north to the Wilson red line stop takes ALOT longer (not to mention a train switch). Downtown and the north side just aren't that close, but the magic of the movies fools me enough other times that it's no matter, just a fun FYI footnote.
There is plenty of Hitchcock to be felt here (as well some other strong influences). One moment that does not work is a scene in a field that has a character reach his end in a way that is almost laughable (the NORTH BY NORTHWEST bi-plane strafing would have been more believable). THE MAN WHO KNEW TOO MUCH is echoed in the film's climax. Shia's character has become the wrong man here, but his acting is great and the film is alot of fun with thrills abound. Upfront I tried to take EAGLE EYE too seriously, but by the second half was rewarded with a fun end to a roller coaster ride.
 A time capsule of events. NICK AND NORAH'S INFINITE PLAYLIST captures the essence of today's youth. The youth of the 2000's, when "fame" can be achieved through a simple YouTube video. Youth that has moved on from "mix tapes" into "mix cd's". Youth that lives for the ultimate pleasure of seeing their absolute favorite band in a highly secretive location in a last minute event. A pin-point of coolness. A moment in time.
Two of my favorite films involving the discovery of "unexpected love" are BEFORE SUNRISE and GARDEN STATE. Both have male protagonists faced with a certain timeframe. Suddenly there is a girl who shows up and wows him into a possible future. She is unmistakably wonderful and he, the protagonist, knows to not let her go but must now choose which new path to take. Both films end on a moment of hope for the respective couples.
In PLAYLIST, Michael Cera (Nick) is the centerpiece and it is his time to shine after bright supporting turns in "Arrested Development", SUPERBAD, and JUNO. His hottie girlfriend, his love, has broken up with him (on his birthday no less) and he is trying to cope with the near future of going on without her. He takes a "personal day", absent from school, but is coerced into going out to a gig with his band, The Jerk-Offs (though this name is under construction and may soon be changed).
His two bandmate buddies are both gay and their songs reflect that. This is a novelty in film. Really, when's the last time you had a straight male protagonist that only relied on his two gay buddies for support? There's not even one smart-ass pal to be found. This is supplemented by the fact that there is no friendly bashing of sexual preferences, each character is clearly accepted as is and there is no crude name calling (which is now, sadly, fairly commonplace among males and females in their comfort level with their friends). Once, Nick's ex-girlfriend even answers the phone, "hey bitch". This tossed-off greeting underscores a shade of her true personality (that Nick often times has not seen) and presents a lack of care towards her friend in need. Typically, I find such remarks toward close friends to be lazy. Classless banalities like these are artificial and blandly cover a true expression of feelings. Sadly, most friends do not reveal good, positive emotions to one another until prompted by specific events or crisis, but a friendly put-down can be dished out casually. Why down someone just because you can? You only hurt the ones you love? Maybe, but show some respect. There's my two cents and your free advice for the day.
Kat Dennings (Norah) finds herself at the gig where Nick and his band are playing. She is on the prowl for the night to see her favorite band (Where's Fluffy - a name that truly embodies the chase of the elusive "white rabbit", the mystery of which that further drives Alice into Wonderland). She is immediately faced down by a classmate (Nick's ex) and randomly chooses Nick as her "boyfriend" (oops?) so she can avoid the condemnation of being at the concert without someone (horrors). She is the daughter of a well-to-do business man and is clearly known around these NYC clubs as someone of wealth, though she herself tries to downplay it. Dennings has done nice supporting work recently in such films as THE HOUSE BUNNY and CHARLIE BARTLETT, while being best known as Catherine Keener's daughter in THE 40-YEAR-OLD VIRGIN. Like Cera, she comes into her own here.
While Nick and Norah's night in New York City keeps them on the hunt for the band, they simulaneously confront their exes and support a drunk friend (who definitely pushes the line on how long a piece of gum should be chewed, as is demonstrated in a surprising gross-out scene). They manage to find awkward love despite wild events pushing them from one destination to another. There is a sweetness to the reactions that Nick and Norah have toward one another, as can be the case with first true love. Surely their exes were never as tender as they can be towards one another. Cera is great at being the underdog that doesn't have to do much on-screen to be loved and he is well-served by his role here that will have young female fans dreaming over him (I heard the "ohh"s and "aww"s from gals in the theater all around me, so I know this to be true). Norah is the romantic aggressor (at one point she even pushes him away and begins to leave), but Dennings imbues her character with sweet shyness and has the audience yearning for her to reach out further to connect with the confused Nick. Come on ladies, if you just let us know how you really feel, we men won't be as dense. It's not so tough really.
The two kids both comment on the "straight-edge" lifestyle of the other. This is a fresh change of pace for two leads in a "hip" film. Most teen characters want to cross the line of rebellion to be "cool" and by Nick's own account he "doesn't subscribe to any labels". Good for him. With Norah's drunken girlfriend as an antithesis to their sobriety (as well as becoming a constant problem all night), the film does serve as a strong reminder of the trouble that drinking to excess can be when it falls upon the sober friends to prop up and care for their drunken compatriots. Without Norah's watch her friend would have been completely lost, time and again. Hopefully there will be some embarassment (or even slight reformation) to audience members who recognize their friends, or themselves, in the drunken girl's antics.
The soundtrack itself plays in the background throughout the film, but is only prominent in a few moments that do not concern Nick and Norah as a couple. Their bond over the music is supplementary to their bond together over the course of the night. There is no one song that brings them together. Even given a rare musical opportunity, Nick realizes his heart and true passion lead directly to Norah.
A chick flick that doesn't feel like it. A teen film that aspires for more. NICK AND NORAH'S INFINITE PLAYLIST does not go on infinitely. The running time is about an hour and a half, which feels just right. After all, there is a time limit on a mix cd, a maximum capcacity for an ipod, a dawn to end an evening. The timeframe is enough for Nick and Norah (themselves similarly named like William Powell and Myrna Loy's romantic sleuthing couple from the classic 1930's THIN MAN movie series) to have discovered each other. No magnifying glass necessary. At various moments there is a strong draw for each to return to their exes, but they both find the right reasons to be with their new match. We should all find such happiness in the span of one evening before sunrise.
 Do you enjoy films by the Coen Brothers? Director Joel and Producer Ethan will often share credit for both duties and when successful, all credit goes to both of them. They tackle numerous genres and find success with most. After last year's critical masterpiece, the Academy Award-winning Best Picture, NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN, they have bounced back in an entirely different direction and found a different sort of success here. Time for another dark comedy: BURN AFTER READING.
If you love yourself some John Malkovich then you'll find a heapin' helpin' of fun here with his performance as the befuddled Osborne Cox. The first 15 minutes are all his! Soon enough the other characters begin to appear and the Coens bring out some big guns by the names of George Clooney and Brad Pitt. Both actors are having a great time in the Coens' land (the third trip for Clooney, the first for Pitt). If you're a hater of Pitt for the simple reason that he's a famous pretty boy, then you'll find some definite enjoyment seeing him here as a complete goofus named Chad.
The wife of Osborne Cox (played icily by recent Oscar winner Tilda Swinton) is secretly formulating a divorce from her husband since she's been having an affair with Clooney's character, a government agent. Seeing the two of them together is a strange afterward to their pairing in last year's strong MICHAEL CLAYTON (a definite recommendation if you'd missed it). She downloads some of her husband's computer files for the banking records. This disc is harmless to anyone else, but when it is found at the Hardbodies gym and comes into Chad's possession, it becomes the "MacGuffin" of the movie. [A "MacGuffin" is Alfred Hitchcock's term for the thing in the movie that doesn't matter and the audience doesn't care about, but only serves to make the plot move and put characters together.]
Frances McDormand (Oscar-winning star of her husband Joel's classic FARGO) is a Hardbodies gym employee who feels she needs to remake her entire appearance from lipsuction to facelifts. This isn't cheap. By teaming up with Pitt, they decide to use the "secrets" on the disc to exploit the governement and make some cash. Truly nothing good can come from this, but then where would our movie be?
It's fairly ludicrous to describe anything else that goes on as it's truly just a fun ride taking the time with most of these characters and a surprise to see what happens next. Additional cast members also find time to shine: Richard Jenkins as the love-lorn Hardbodies manager and the scene-stealing J.K. Simmons as the FBI chief who knows nothing about what has gone on. In retrospect, it's fun to see Malkovich letting loose and still probably Pitt's dim-bulb Chad that shines the brightest.
BURN AFTER READING is just over an hour and a half in running time and the ending is a bit abrupt, surely irritating some audience members expecting more. Still, it's really just a peak into some crazy intersecting lives. Due to the effect they've seemed to have on one another, it's just safer to enjoy from a distance, backing out before we become caught up in their shenanigans too.
 Al Pacino and Robert De Niro team up in RIGHTEOUS KILL, an average cop thriller. It really is sad to write that. Their marquee names at the top make it worth seeing for them, but it's a B-grade picture. If it starred the other two cops who are paired up together in this film (John Leguizamo and Donnie Wahlberg) then you'd really know the level of B picture that it is. No offense to those guys, but we should expect better from Pacino and De Niro. The problem is over the years has been both men succumbing to pictures that are weaker than they are (THE RECRUIT, 15 MINUTES). The same is true here.
In HEAT, directed by the great Michael Mann, the greatest pair of actors of their generation finally are given a scene worthy of them. One is a crook, the other is the cop. RIGHTEOUS KILL has them on-screen constantly as partners but doesn't give either one much to say to the other that is worth noting. The plot is fairly straight forward. A bunch of cons have been allowed freedom despite their heinous crimes and someone has decided to exact vengeance upon them. The outset of the movie has De Niro admitting to the killings on camera, but the question throughout the film becomes whether or not he is telling the truth and why.
I admit to having an easy fondness for Carla Gugino, in both acting and looks. She does a fine job here in the little she is given. It must have been easy to sign on for the film when it stars such heavyweight actors. Her portrayal of Karen Sisco (the marshall formerly played by Jennifer Lopez in OUT OF SIGHT) in the ABC series of the same name from 5 years ago, is easily her best work. Shame on you for missing it! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z2141yvAwPo She holds her own with the two alpha males here, but again, there should have been a stronger movie built around the entire cast (which also includes Brian Dennehy and Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson).
RIGHTEOUS KILL provides an amusing cop thriller that you may or may not figure out before the ending. Pacino and De Niro have both done better separately. It's definitely a let down when you consider how many other great scripts could have been used to pair the two. Recently there's talk of them actually re-teaming to do a comedy, but time will tell if that will eventually happen. If you want to see two of the best living actors in top form you'll have to go back to their work in the 70's. To be satisfied with them on-screen together, you'll definitely have to stick with HEAT.
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