Groundhog Code

Thank God, somebody made Source Code and Summit decides to distribute it. If it's not, then Indonesians wouldn have the chance to see it in cinemas. It's already renowned before it's released here that this is one of the best-reviewed film of the year so far. It'd be stupid to skip this. Duncan Jones of Moon directing with Jake Gyllenhaal starring and it's said to be a sci-fi Groundhog Day.

The story is about Captain Colter Stevens (Jake Gyllenhaal) who wakes up in a train as someone else just to find himself blown up by a bomb eight minutes later. And then he finds himself in a place with a monitor to communicate with some uniformed agent. He learns that his task is to find the bomber of the train to stop other terrorist actions. He's able to do Groundhog Day in other person's body using the program Source Code which enables him to do so but only for 8 minutes.

The premise is engaging and it doesnt bore you a bit. It was very thrilling as we dive into the source code and clueless just like Captain Stevens. Jake Gyllenhaal proved to be a good actor in his solo show. Jeffrey Wright is also game in this movie as the creator of the source code program. As everything unfolds slowly, we learn that it's not what it seems. It's truly Groundhog Day without its jokes and groundhog of course, but still maintain some humanity. Many criticized the ending, but personally liked it because it's kinda cool. If the ending stopped at that freeze frame shot, it'd be just mainstream, but to have something else, that's creative. But then now what? Captain Stevens is trapped in someone else's body and so forever Christina would love the wrong-looking guy with the right soul inside? And the source code is able to duplicate souls? would there be hundreds of Captain Stevens's souls? Anyways, Source Code: rated B+

Still Screaming

There aren't many choices of movies in Indonesian theaters due to the prolonged imported movie tax. It's been tragedy since February and there isn't any worthy updates about it. Well, thank God they still release Scream 4. It's the third sequel of the famous film back in the 90s, the story revolves around Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell) and friends Gale Weathers (Courteney Cox) and Dewey (David Arquette). It's new decade, new rules. No more Maureen Prescott and Billy Loomis.

The film begins with meta-jokes from the degrading Stab franchises (why would they continue it after Stab 3 anyway?), featuring Anna Paquin and Kristen Bell too! The real story begins when Sidney returns to Woodsboro in time for the anniversary of the Woodsboro murders (go to the original Scream). You know what's gonna happen, the killer returns too. Teaming up with the old pals but not exactly a whole as they did back in the trilogy, Sidney, Gale, and now Sheriff Dewey investigate the modern murders. The killer now targets high school students, among them there was Jill Prescott (Emma Roberts), Sidney's cousin.

The fresh story is a good thing. No more dark past from Sidney's mother or the revenge of Billy Loomis' relatives. Neve Campbell doesnt seem to age, does she? She's still perfect for the role of Sidney Prescott. David Arquette too. But Courteney Cox seems to have something wrong (maybe the botox) with her appearance but still manages to be the intrepid Gale Weathers. The teen cast are good too, especially Emma Roberts. Some killings are very clever although some seems to be doubted in logic (the first murder? talking in the closet and no one hears it? really?). The story's finale is a reminder from the original and the twist is just so unexpected and nice. But I think there's gotta be a better motive for killing 10 people. Anyway, it's just a great entertainment at cinema and it's way better than the predictable Scream 2 and the wtf Scream 3. Scream 4: rated B.

Sucker Punched

The hype for Sucker Punch was enormous, at least for me. The trailers and the casts looked so good, especially with Zack Snyder helming this. I mean, this gotta be the action movie of the year. With Indonesian cinema in peril, this is my first movie that I watched in cinema after the issue with the tax. I flew to Singapore and bought tickets as soon as I arrived at the city.

The story is about a girl named Babydoll (Emily Browning) who's institutionalized by her stepfather after accidentally killed her own sister in a brawl with her stepfather. In this institution/brothel owned by Blue (Oscar Isaac), she met others with similar fate. Within days, she would be lobotomized by High Roller (Jon Hamm) and for that, she must escape. She found that her ability for dancing brings her to an alternate reality where she must fulfills her quest along the other girls to escape the institution.

The power of Sucker Punch is the action scenes, which was crafted skillfully by Snyder. And to accompany that awesome scenes, the soundtrack is so electrifying. The first soundtrack was a cover for Eurythmics song, Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This), it fits the scene perfectly, making it almost like a cinematic music video. In every Babydoll's quest there must be an action scene. Well, those scenes don't actually have any coherence with the main storyline. It's actually just a dramatized version of a simple task (like taking a knife from a fat guy) which was generated from Babydoll's imagination. makes you think maybe she deserved to be in that crazy house. At one point, Zack Snyder abused his trademark slow-mo action sequence and it proved to be an overkill, both negatively and positively. Positively it looks incredible and negatively, it kinda bore you. Snyder may be good at action but not at story writing. All of the sudden, the quiet Babydoll became the leader of the pack although Sweet Pea (Abbie Cornish) is still around? The character is not developed clearly. It'd be better if those action arent for nought. They should somehow relate to the real reality. The ending is a bit of a downer too. Emily Browning is perfect for the role and those costumes she wears is just smokin. The other girls are also adequate for the roles. Just so you know, the film may look like telling about Babydoll, but it's not. Just like Watchmen, the soundtrack is so great which requires you to buy it after watching this. And just like 300, the action sequences are the best. Sadly, the story doesn't live up to the soundtrack and the action. Sucker Punch: rated C+

Joe, You're Cool!

The last big stop on summer, G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra. The trailer looked very cool and this is a must-see movie of August. The movie is based on Hasbro's action figures--similar stuff like Transformers. G.I. Joe is directed by Stephen Sommers, the director of The Mummy, one of my childhood movies. So, I saw the super cool poster and watched the movie.

The story is about a secret elite team who faced a major threat from the terrorist organization Cobra. Cobra was backed by an ambitious businessman James McCullen. McCullen made an advanced warhead with Nanomite--some kind of microscopic metal-consuming bugs. The secret team, G.I.Joe, needed to save the world if that Nanomite falls to the wrong hands. McCullen with his evil mind, worked on both sides-the good and the bad. He had an ambition to be the hero of the world and made his family name remembered.

The movie was so action-packed and cool. The action started right from the beginning until the end. The movie was so loud and intensely decorated with Alan Silvestri's score. The story itself was very interesting though it seemed to take elements from The Day The Earth Stood Still with that cannibal bug. The story lacks motive for Joseph Gordon-Levitt's Destro. Why did he become Destro? Why did he became obsessed with Nanomites? The casts were quite star studded from Dennis Quaid, Channing Tatum, and Sienna Miller. Miller was so different from her other characters in her other movies. In the first bit of the movie, Tatum was very bad. How come he became a soldier with the attitude of a lazy boy? But after he joined G.I. Joe, he got better. Unfortunately, the CGI effects in this movie were not good enough. The Eiffel Tower scene was quite good though. But most of them were still visible to the eyes as a computer effect unlike previous effects-filled summer movies such as Terminator Salvation, Star Trek, and Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. However one thing did catch my eye: Rachel Nichols. She was marvellous with her red hair. The way she drove her bike in Paris (although I think it was a CGI), was incredibly stunning. She definitely became one of my favourite. As the ending was very open, a sequel is a must. So, I'm waiting for the second installment with Rachel Nichols returning as Scarlett. G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra: rated B+.

Up and Away!

I would never miss a Pixar movie which I always find very interesting and sometimes heart breaking, except Ratatouille which I missed. Last year we had WALL-E, one of the best movies of last year. Pixar always comes up with a really great story and smart characters which makes the movie worthful to watch. This year we are going to South America with an old man and a five-year-old wilderness ranger in Up.

The story told us about young Carl Fredericksen, a boy with vast imagination who idolized an explorer named Charles Muntz. Muntz was convicted of fraud of bringing back a skeleton of a giant bird from Paradise Falls. But Fredericksen was still a die-hard fan of him. Then he met a girl who was also a fan of Muntz too. They eventually got married but they could not have a baby. So, they had a dream to live in Paradise Falls. But that never happened. On the present day, Fredericksen's house was surrounded by a mall construction. He would not sell his land to be a part of the mall. So, he embarked on a journey with his house by balloons, many balloons. Unpredictably, a talkative broken-home boy named Russell came along with him. In Paradise Falls they went through jungle, chased by talking dogs, met a giant colorful bird, and encountered the long lost explorer Charles Muntz.

Once again, Pixar made it mark. Up is so sweet and delightful. It is also funny and enchanting. The real magic here is the flying house. Fredericksen is a very strong 76-year-old man and Russell unexpectedly was a boy with many troubles. That made this movie so interesting. It was about dream and goals. Russell was so eager to have his last wilderness badge, he would do anything to get it. Fredericksen was an adventurous man, he wanted to fulfill his promise to his wife. Some things are out of logic here but what the hell? It made a perfect movie. Defintely Oscar material, one of the best movies of the year, no doubt this is the best animated feature this year. One more thing, watching this in 3D is really a waste of money. The usual presentation will do just fine. Looking forward to next year's Toy Story 3! Up: rated A