Movie Preview: Inception

Watch out, there is a new completely derivative movie coming out soon. Considering it will star the overrated Leonardo DiCaprio, you can guarantee a couple of things: It will get far too much hype, it will make a profit, women will be the main audience (mostly in their late teens and early 20's).

Those are about all the positives that I see from the movie trailer for his film Inception.



The film is described as "A contemporary science fiction action thriller set within the architecture of the mind."

What does that mean? A story made up of the plots and devices of a host of other films. The list of films that make up elements of this film are not limited to:

The Matrix
Dark City
The 13th Floor
Tron
The Lawnmower Man
Fantastic Voyage

It's the latest rehash of the concept that in someone's mind, connected to a computer and thus made into a virtual reality, you can do almost anything. And if you are a greedy CEO, that wants the top secret plans to some new widget that will make you millions, you go into the mind and steal it.

This is an idea that has been done in part and in total many times before. But it tries really hard to disguise the copied material with lots of neat photography tricks, and ample helpings of CGI. The end result is a trailer that is uninspiring, and likely a movie that will only work for fans of the looks (not acting ability) of DiCaprio.

The film stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Ellen Page, Ken Watanabe, Marion Cotillard, Joseph Gordon Levitt, Tom Hardy, Cillian Murphy and a small role for Michael Caine.

Now I like Caine and Watanabe. I'm glad that Hollywood continues to recall their talent and include them in major films. But this film appears to be a waste of time, and their excellent talents.

As for the rest, Joseph Gordon Levitt really needs help after the fiasco that was the GI Joe movie but this isn't it. Ellen Page wants another hit like Juno so she can claim to be an A-list star (with it's pay) but likely will not acheive that here. Marion Cotillard is relatively unknown and this film will help her stay that way. Much like the rest of the cast.

As an indication of what will be out for the 2010 blockbuster season (the film will be in theraters in July but after the holiday) I can only saw that it's a good thing you can always go and see Iron Man 2 again.

2010 movies to avoid like a plague

Given that the movies that seem to have the most hype also have been on the list of movies that I think will be good in 2010, there is also a fair chance they won't match the hype and be among the list of the worst movies of 2010. But that's a gamble and I've made my bet. As for the rest of the films in 2010...

Here is my list of films that I am ABSOLUTELY sure will be horrendous wastes of time and money. I could be proven wrong, but I doubt it.

Tooth Fairy - Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson needs a new agent. He is not a great actor, never was. He was decent in action films where he didn't need to say a lot and could use his muscles often. Kind of Arnold Schwartzennager. But unlike the now Governator, Johnson has yet to build up enough action films to allow him to make these awful kids movies he seems hell-bent on starring in. Just wait for the bargain bin DVD sale.

I Love You Phillip Morris - Jim Carrey is the opposite of The Rock. We love his comedic skills. The man is funny. But put him in a serious role and you are looking at a bomb of a movie. Make that film about a prison escapee, with a gay love story at its heart, and you are looking at a film that even DVD sales won't help. But France might like it.

Cop Out - I like Bruce Willis films. He is great as a cop and authority figure. He brings a great everyman quality to the films he is in. But none of that makes him capable of making a bad film good. Oh, and Tracy Morgan just isn't that funny.

Alice in Wonderland - Yes I will stand alone on this one. I know that Johnny Depp is in the film. I know Tim Burton directed it. But people forget that both men LOVE extreme cinema that is anything but mainstream. And the story of Alice in Wonderland is really nigh incomprehensible to the mainstream as is. It will be a good art film, but no where near a commercial success.

Clash of the Titans - Fans of the original movie will be disappointed. Fans of Transformers will likely be in love with this film. Everyone else will have moments of appreciation of the CGI, and depression at the plot in this revisioned movie.

The Back-up Plan - Jennifer Lopez is the star. Do you really need another reason to avoid this film? Ok, it's about artificial insemination as the key plot device.

Wall Street 2 - A thinly veiled political message packaged in a sequel that really is well past it's prime.

Robin Hood - Russell Crowe is no Erroll Flynn. It's another film trying to improve on a universally accepted perfection in movies. The only positive is that it should be better than Kevin Kosner's try at it.

Sex and the City 2 - Did anyone really want a sequel to this rehash of a truly mediocre television show brought to the big screen?

Marmaduke - Live action versions of comic strip characters never work. Didn't Garfield end this concept?

The A-Team - I really would like to be wrong about this. I liked the 80's television show. But revisioning of television shows to fit on the big screen just don't work. At least Ben Stiller is not in this fiasco waiting to happen.

Jonah Hex - Ever hear of the comic book? I didn't think so. This is a comic book to movie conversion of a 3rd rate comic book that no one cared about 38 years ago. Even comic book fans will avoid this. And if you think the plot might help, you haven't read what the plot is.

SAW VII - When a horror movie (slasher, whatever) goes to 3-D for a sequel you just know it's all over.

Red Dawn - Another revisioned remake of an 80's film. Sure to be filled with political messages straight from the far-left field of view. The only thought that might be of interestr is how Hollywood might resolve America-bashing with a movie that is supposed to be pro-America. I really hope I am wrong on this one, but the November launch date does not give me reassurance (it's a slot only slightly better than January).

Yogi Bear - I'll say it again, live action films don't work.

The Green Hornet - Reaching way back in television time, this is a revisioned retread of the 60's show. I just can't buy Seth Rogen as the Green Hornet. Likely the writing will target campy and hit on awful. I shudder at what it will be like.

Next up are the films that are too ugly to classify as good or bad.

2010 movies you will want to see

As 2009 is ending it's time to look forward to what movies will be coming in 2010. Like in many years recently past there will be a decent number of remakes and revisioned films, several conversion films, and more than a few major movies that have huge anticipation.

Instead of trying to list every film that will be in theaters in 2010 I will instead hit on some of the best, and worst, ideas that Hollywood has to offer us. I'm sure that I will be as right and wrong on these films as most movie reviewers always are.

The films you might want to see include:

Legion - Though it is a January film - normally an indication of a horrible film - this looks like it has potential. I think this might be a film that will appeal to those who enjoyed the original The Prophesy movie.

The Book of Eli - Denzel Washington is known for his ability to act and to pick quality films to appear in. Which surprises me as this film is slated (last I noticed) for the graveyard of January. I have high expectations for this film, I hope to not be disappointed.

The Wolfman - Benicio Del Toro is a great actor and should be perfect in this remake. The addition of Sir Anthony Hopkins adds to the potential of this being a quality film. The moderating thing is that the film is a remake, which in Hollywood these days is a 70/30 proposition against a quality film. But so far the movie trailers say it will beat the odds.

Death at a Funeral - A remake of a British film of the same name, subject and likely everything else except the color of the cast. That's a good thing as Hollywood writers seem to be the laziest and least creative in the movie making world these days. From the movie trailers I've seen this should be a hit for Chris Rock and Martin Lawrence. Thank you England.

Iron Man 2 - War Machine. That says it all.

Prince of Persia: Sands of Time - A risky bet, but the effects look great. If the Hollywood writers kept the storyline from the video game intact this should be a great video game to movie conversion. If not, which is likely, this will be a revisionist waste of time to capitalize on fans pocket money. But it should be worth finding out in theaters.

The Expendables - There is no lack of hype for this film filled with former 80's (action) stars. Sylvester Stallone, Mickey Rourke, and Dolph Lundgren get to flex their old muscles against relatively younger jet Li and Jason Statham. For action movie junkies this is a must see.

MegaMind - Yes this is an animated film. Yes it's meant for kids. Even so I think this will be The Incredibles of 2010. The concept seems great even though it will feature Will Ferrell and was created by Ben Stiller. If nothing else it will rake in cash.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 - It's a Harry Potter movie, how can you not see it. Honestly, Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, and Emma Watson have really grown into solid actors and this should be very entertaining. Hype aside, this should be the big hit (box office) of the year.

And that's the list of the good. Now comes the bad.

The latest Iron Man 2 movie trailer

Well it seems that I may be wrong on several aspects of the new Iron Man 2 movie due out in the summer of 2010. According to the latest movie trailer my thoughts about Whiplash are mostly incorrect.



Still my theory about the Black Widow seems to be on firm footing. Also my thoughts about War Machine seem to still be very plausible if not dead on the mark.

One of the best things about this new film seems to be what I have been hoping since the original film. That the War Machine character would be as kick ass as in the comic books all of this is based on. Between the first trailer and this one I imagine that War Machine will be stealing the limelight from Stark.

Given all of that, I still find the Whiplash character the weak link of the film (with no offense to Mickey Rourke - I mean the plot). This guy is so smart that he can make his own design of the "unique" energy coil Stark uses to keep himself alive? A technology that was beyond all of the scientists at Stark Internantional combined in the first film, and now this guy can make his own version in a relative garage?

That aside, it looks like this film might be worthwhile. It might just match all the hype and expectations. Which would be a great change of pace for movies these days. Now if they could just get something in there about Titanium Man.

Machete - the 2010 film you aren't expecting

So I have been a bit busy covering the Health Care Reform debate over at my political blog (VASS). But now its time to get back to more simple and pleasant things.

Though I’m not sure that Machete is simple, or pleasant. This is a film that you will likely be hearing a lot about as 2010 approaches. And there will be no lack of coverage by critics big and small. (and if you are wondering, the film has nothing to do with the character from the Spy Kid’s films.)

The reason is that the film is directed by Robert Rodriguez. The cast for this action film will include: Lindesy Lohan, Jessica Alba, Don Johnson, Steven Segal, Cheech Marin, Danny Trejo, Michelle Rodriguez (no relation), and Robert DeNiro (in roughly order of their acting ability). Talk about a wild mix.

The star of this film is also quite different from what most Americans would expect. It’s Trejo as a former Mexican Federales. The bad guy is pretty much everyone, but basically DeNiro as a corrupt elected official (as if there are non-corrupt ones). Everyone else is in and out of the film adding their own flair and crashes, bashes and explosions to the story.

The big question is if this can work. Can a film starring a Mexican, with an American bad guy, hold up? The fact that there will be some martial arts fighting, a couple of young starlets likely in tight nothing, and lots of gunfights will not hurt a bit.

I say that the film will work. Director Rodriguez has more than proven that films starring, and entirely comprised of Hispanic/Latino characters (other than the bad guys) can be huge hits. He has also proven his ability to do a decent film with a good helping of explosions and adult fare (think Sin City). The only place I would worry about this film would be the writing.

Simply put, if you see this film hit in January 2010, it will likely be a horrible flop. If it comes out in April, which I think it will, then that means it all came together great. A mid-summer release means they really nailed it.

Personally I hope it is a good film. Danny Trejo has put in his dues over the decades and having a leading role that works would be a nice feather in his cap. And if you are wondering who he is, well you have seen him. He was the original driver with DeNiro in Heat, he was the uncle in all 3 Spy Kid’s movies, he is Enrique on King of the Hill, he is a bartender on the Young and the Restless.

He has been in 69 movies and television show over the past 25 years. Many actors never even get to do that many films in a lifetime. Not to bad for a former drug addict, ex-con, and prison welterweight boxing champ. Like I said, he has paid his dues, worked hard, and earned the shot at a leading role. So I want to see him do well in this chance.