Premium Rush

Premium Rush - Dir. David Koepp (2012)

You can't refer to Joseph Gordon-Levitt as simply the kid from 3^rd Rock from the Sun. JGL has grown into one of the finest young actors working in Hollywood today. While he's displayed strong dramatic chops, he's recently become an unlikely action hero thanks to roles in Inception and The Dark Knight Rises. Gordon-Levitt doesn't have the imposing stature or the impressive physique of an Expendable, but his youthful looks and wiry frame serve him well in Premium Rush.

JGL is Wilee, like the coyote, as one character notes. However, he has more in common with the roadrunner as he zips around New York City on a fixed frame bicycle with no gears or brakes. His mottos in life are: "Brakes are death" and "Can't stop. Don’t want to…" Wilee is a former law school student who traded in his suit and tie to work as a bike messenger. He didn't do it for the money because he only makes eighty dollars on a good day. He's an adrenaline junkie and he loves the thrill of dodging the ever-perilous streets of NYC. Wilee's recklessness is part of the reason he was dumped by his beautiful co-worker Vanessa (Dania Ramirez).

Premium Rush opens in media res with Wilee flying through the air in slow motion before painfully crashing onto the asphalt. The narrative jumps back and forth chronologically as quickly as the bicyclists bob and weave through traffic. Wilee is hired by Vanessa's roommate, Nima (Jamie Chung), to deliver an envelope to Chinatown. That seems simple enough, except the envelope contains a marker worth $50,000. The money is supposed to buy safe passage for Nima's son and elderly mother from China to America. Instead, a crooked NYPD detective, Bobby Monday (Michael Shannon), wants the cash to pay off his sizable gambling debts. He has a weakness for Pai Gow, of all things. To gum up the works further, Wilee has to contend with a cocky rival named Manny (Wolé Parks) and a determined bike cop (Christopher Place), who resembles the cartoon coyote in terms of misfortune and haplessness.

Premium Rush comes to us from writer/director David Koepp, who co-wrote the screenplay with John Kamps (Zathura). Koepp is a veteran of summer blockbusters and had a hand in everything from Jurassic Park to Spider-Man. His directorial efforts have been less ambitious with his last movie being the rom-com Ghost Town. Premium Rush is a relatively low-budget action pic with a silly concept ripped right out of the 80's. Indeed, the film is a throwback to Quicksilver and BMX Bandits. The camaraderie shared by bike messengers is emphasized and builds to a climax where everyone rallies to Wilee's aid. The screenplay is light on substance and heavy on style. Koepp utilizes GPS maps to detail the route. He also uses something nicknamed, "Bike-O-Vision," which is Wilee's version of Spider-Sense. Time freezes at an intersection as Wilee lays out each possible scenario. Koepp shoots on location with CGI used only to enhance practical effects. JGL didn't emerge unscathed as evidenced by an outtake in which the actor required 30 stitches in his arm after crashing into the rear windshield of a cab.

The chase sequences themselves are exciting. There's a race through Central Park and a reference to The French Connection. Wilee also performs some wicked stunts during a daring escape from a police impound lot.

Gordon-Levitt anchors the movie and Dania Ramirez exudes a sweaty sexiness as she pumps her pedals across town. However, the best performance belongs to Michael Shannon in all his wide-eyed, menacing glory. It's the type of villainous turn you'd expect from Christopher Walken or Willem Dafoe. Film geeks will hear Shannon name drop Forrest J. Ackerman as an alias.

Premium Rush moves at a breakneck speed and doesn't aspire to be anything more than 90 minutes of pure fun.

Rating: *** (*****)

It's Kind of a Funny Story

It's Kind of a Funny Story - Dirs. Ryan Fleck & Anna Boden (2010)

A kid walks into a hospital and says he's thinking about killing himself. So the doctors have him committed. Okay, that joke wasn't exactly a laugh riot, but neither is It's Kind of a Funny Story. The film was produced by Focus Features, Universal's art house arm and like most pictures with an indie flavor, centers around emotionally damaged characters. With a score by Broken Social Scene, Funny Story is One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest tailored to the MySpace generation.

Craig (Keir Gilchrist) is a 16-year old, New York City kid who seems to have his life in order. He attends a prestigious high school, gets good grades, and comes from a loving family. Yet, he suffers from depression and stress-induced vomiting. He pines for Nia (Zoe Kravitz), the girlfriend of his best friend, Aaron (Thomas Mann). Consumed by thoughts of suicide, Craig checks into a hospital hoping for a quick fix. Instead, he's admitted into the psych ward for an observational period of five days.

Craig finds himself surrounded by an assortment of oddballs and eccentrics. From a schizophrenic who utters seemingly random things to a Hasidic Jew who consumed too much acid and has an aversion to loud noises. He shares a room with an Egyptian man named Muqtada (Bernard White) who is the movie's version of Kesey's silent Chief. He hardly ever gets out of bed and never steps foot outside his room. Craig befriends Noelle (Emma Roberts), committed for self-mutilation, and Bobby (Zach Galifianakis in a dramatic twist on his man-child persona), a big teddy bear with unkempt hair. Bobby swipes doctor's scrubs and takes Craig on wacky adventures around the hospital.

The asylum of Funny Story is hardly the foreboding, soul-crushing institution that served as the setting for Cuckoo's Nest. There's no Nurse Ratched ruling the ward with an iron fist. Here, you have the new age-y named Dr. Eden Minerva (Viola Davis) and Smitty (Jeremy Davies), a hipster volunteer with a pork pie hat.

It's Kind of a Funny Story was based on the semi-autobiographical novel by Ned Vizzini and adapted for the screen by the filmmaking duo of Ryan Fleck and Anna Boden. The pair were responsible for two amazing films in Half-Nelson and Sugar. So it comes as a slight disappointment that Funny Story never reaches those same heights. Half-Nelson featured Ryan Gosling in an incredible performance as an inner city high school teacher struggling with drug addiction. It managed to avoid the cloying sentimentalism of overrated schmaltz like Dead Poets Society. Sugar was about both baseball and the immigrant's experience and not at all what you'd expect from a sports movie. Unlike its predecessors, Funny Story is unable to escape the trappings of familiarity and predictability. Craig forges unlikely bonds with his fellow patients and they all learn valuable life lessons from each other.

Fleck and Boden further hamper the formulaic story with a series of voiceovers and fantasy sequences. On occasion, the action freezes so Craig can narrate his thoughts and feelings. He not only breaks the fourth wall, but breaks a primary screenwriting rule of show, not tell.

Rating: **

The Last Airbender

The Last Airbender - Dir. M. Night Shyamalan (2010)


I have defended M. Night Shyamalan in the past. The filmmaker put himself on the map with the slightly overrated The Sixth Sense, a supernatural thriller known more for its twist ending. Shyamalan followed that up with the underrated Unbreakable, an excellent take on the superhero in a real world setting. I liked Signs well enough, despite its silly contrivances. Then, along comes the pedantic The Village, the masturbatory ego trip Lady in the Water, and the downright idiotic The Happening. Though his writing left much to be desired, Shyamalan’s direction was more than competent in terms of composing dynamic shots and sequences. After watching The Last Airbender, I officially take back every nice thing I’ve ever said. Shyamalan is a hack.

The Last Airbender is based on the hit Nickelodeon animated series which ran for three seasons. Created by Michael DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko, the cartoon was heavily influenced by martial arts films and anime. Shyamalan decided on directing a live-action version because his kids were huge fans. Daddy owes them an apology.

The Last Airbender is set in a fantasy world where mankind is divided by elemental tribes. They are the Air Nomads, the Water Tribes, the Fire Nation, and the Earth Kingdom. In each tribe, there are individuals who have the abilities to control their native elements. In every generation, there is an Avatar, a powerful individual who is able to control all four elements. The latest Avatar is Aang (Noah Ringer), a young boy who runs away from his temple after learning of the heavy burden he must carry. He and his flying buffalo, Appa, are caught in a storm and frozen in ice for a hundred years. Aang is eventually found by Katara (Nicola Peltz) and her brother Sokka (Jackson Rathbone), members of a Water Tribe.

In the years since his disappearance, the Fire Nation has declared war on the other tribes and wiped out all the Air Nomads save for Aang. Our heroes must travel north where Aang can study under the tutelage of powerful waterbenders. Many in the Fire Nation wish to capture him. One is Prince Zuko (Dev Patel), the exiled son of the Fire Lord Ozai (Cliff Curtis) who must capture the Avatar to return home. If this point isn’t clear, Zuko makes sure to repeat it in every single one of his scenes. Nipping at Zuko’s heels is Commander Zhao, played by former Daily Show correspondent Aasif Mandvi who must be the least intimidating villain in a long while.

The main problem behind this adaptation is that it is based on the entire first season of the animated series, meaning they’ve crammed 20 episodes into an hour and forty three minute movie. There is just far too much going on. The film is reminiscent of the worst aspects of The Phantom Menace. Scenes occur in the most random manner without adherence to any sort of logical story progression. Character development is tossed to the wayside. The dialogue is delivered in the most wooden manner ever. Not that it matters, the majority of it is simply exposition. There is endless exposition as characters explain everything to each other and the audience. It is a neverending abyss in which there is no escape.

Shyamalan is clearly in over his head directing a big-budget blockbuster. If he ever knew how anything about mise-en-scène, he’s forgotten. He must have attended the George Lucas School of Directing. Shyamalan seems completely incapable of staging even the most rudimentary action sequence. The animated series featured a light tone with plenty of humor and a rich world inspired by the creations of Hayao Miyazaki. Think Princess Mononoke. The world of the Shyamalan’s movie has almost none of the humor or the vividness of the show. He’s created a drab and dark world. He can’t seem to coax any sort of decent performance from his actors. As the lead, Noah Ringer may be able to pull off the martial arts maneuvers, but he can’t convey any sort of emotion. He’s like a deer in the headlights with his bugged out eyes.

I’m not even going to mention the controversial whitewashing of the main characters for which the film has earned the derisive nickname, The Last Racebender. A lot of Asian actors are probably sighing in relief at not being cast in this abomination. Rumor has it Paramount has sunk nearly $300 million into the picture (including marketing), but Shyamalan’s turgid and unimaginative work assures this will truly be the last airbender.

Rating: DUD

Ghost Town

Ghost Town - Dir. David Koepp (2008)

Ricky Gervais sees dead people. All the time. They annoy him.

Gervais is an unlikely lead for a romantic comedy, but he’ll win you over through sheer force of will, with an impeccable sense of comic timing and a stammering charm. Koepp takes a break from writing mega blockbusters (Spider-Man, War of the Worlds) with this throwback to old school screwball comedies like Topper. Greg Kinnear does his best to step into Cary Grant’s shoes with his yuppie lounge lizard act while SNL’s Kristen Wiig makes a small, but hilarious, appearance.

Much like Run, Fatboy, Run (starring Gervais’ countryman, Simon Pegg), it is only the talented lead that is able to elevate a film that can’t quite escape its own cloying sentimentality. Would the movie have worked as well with anyone else in the lead? Doubtful.

Rating: ** 1/2