Rian Johnson is the new Chris Nolan

Special guest writer: Christopher Clemente

I've been excited for Looper since that bad-ass image of Bruce Willis first appeared wielding a machine gun and an angry face.

My face is the opposite of happy

Actually, I've been waiting for this movie since it was announced that Looper was to be Rian Johnson's next feature film. Johnson, who's previous films include Brick (which is available on Netflix Instant and also stars Joe Go Lev) and The Brothers Bloom (a Wes Anderson-esque quirky-but-not-Zooey-Deschanel-quirky caper starring Mark Ruffalo and Adrien Brody) has finally arrived to the mainstream as a solid director who can tell an original story.

And Looper delivers. Plain and simple. The plot revolves around a not-too-distant future when time travel is possible and the mafia sends its victims back in time to be killed by hitmen known as Loopers.  Young Joe (played by Joe Go Lev) plays one of these Looping assassins, and things start to get sticky when the mob sends back Old Joe (Bruce Willis)-- an older Young Joe--and Young Joe can't pull the trigger to kill an older version of himself.

Confused? Who cares--I don't--and neither does Johnson. The film sets up a lofty and confusing sci-fi premise and then boldly dives into exploring major themes that don't concern time travel paradoxes. The movie ends up captivating you because of its deviations from the time-travel and action genre expectations, and throws you in a character-driven direction that you could never have guessed from all the marketing (trailers and posters alike).

Director Rian Johnson on the set of Looper

But then, this movie reminds me so much of Inception. I'm not even talking about the Joe Go Lev (3rd time I've said that) connection. I'm talking about the distilling of a complex sci-fi story grounded in practical action, and making it palatable--meaning it garnered acclaim from critics and audience members alike (I think palatable is what I mean? Trying to say it was a generally "likeable" film). 

Johnson achieved a feat similar to Christopher Nolan, and that's why I think he will become the next Nolan. He will become a brand. It will become an expectation that he will deliver "original" content in the trite swamp that is the current Hollywood system of remakes and yada yada you've heard it all before.

Side stuff:
-Johnson directed one of my favorite episodes of Breaking Bad--"Fly" in Season 3.

-It was rumored that Johnson rewrote the script to have some of it take place in China because that was the only way that a Chinese Investment company would back the film and give it money. It also was mistakenly reported as receiving more money in China on opening weekend than in the US, a mistake which was corrected when it found out that they didn't take into account the exchange rate for the Chinese Yuan (really?)

-If you wanna watch a time travel movie that deals exclusively with time traveling paradoxes, check out Shane Carruth's Primer. If you look closely in the end credits, Carruth is credited under "Special Thanks" in Looper.

Editors Note: The producer's name is Ram Bergman. Shotty that as my porn name if I were a man in the porn industry

Sleepwalk with Me

Mike Birbiglia has been a comic I've followed since first seeing him on a Comedy Central stand-up special. He's been my own little bird that has since flown out of the nest and is now a household name. His comedy has evolved from the basic joke formula of observation plus alternative perspective equalling crowd laughter. Instead, he takes the audience on a full adventure of his life in a story-telling sequence of real-life events. He's had multiple off-broadway shows (which I've seen), many cross-country tours (which I've also seen), albums (which I've bought) and even a book, titled the same as the movie (which I own).

His story telling ways seem to have begun when he started publishing "My Secret Public Journal." He use to email his subscribers (again, me) with a weekly entry of some silly things he's been dealing with while on tour or at home with hyperlinks to funny tangentially related videos and connecting it somehow to a past memory before circling it back around with a "and that's why..." send off. As that became popular in its own right, his stand up took a similar circular pace of starting off with a premise (Sleepwalk With Me, My Girlfriend's Boyfriend, etc.) and then comedically taking a round about way to get back to the main point.

When I went to see the movie I almost asked for one ticket to "Mike Birbiglia" since it's his baby. He stars in it as well as writes and directs. Working with NPR's Ira Glass (Birbigs is a frequent guest on Glass's This American Life series), the Sundance darling has done well in a grass-roots campaign to bring it to more and more theaters across the country over the past few weeks.

Mike stars as Matt Pandamigglio. It's a little unclear as to why they changed the name and I kind of understand why they did it but was equally thrown by having to hear such a similar name to the comedian. Aside from the name change, everything else is 100% true to life-- or as true to his life as his stand-up is. I had heard literally every single joke, premise, come-back, and twist dozens of times before from his shows, tours, books, and albums.

However, considering that I'm already that familiar with the material and still audibly laughed throughout the movie, it is enough to guarantee that fresh ears will be delighted. I cannot recommend jumping on the Birbiglia bandwagon fast enough and if that means starting with Sleepwalk With Me, then you are very lucky to be in for such a treat. Feel free to stop by my house to borrow any of the other mediums.

www.sleepwalkmovie.com

Monday movie suggestion-Arthur

This Monday movie suggestion is one that I often recommend when friends are looking through my own DVDs to watch on a relaxing night staying in. Arthur, starring Dudley Moore and Liza Minelli, recently remade with Russell Brand, is one of those old fashioned movies that don't fit into modern movie genres.

The premise is that a loveable, drunken, childish millionaire is forced to marry a woman he does not love in order to keep all his money. He meets a poor woman who lives with her father and they fall in love. Will the power of love trump the love of money? Tune in to find out!

This movie has some of the best one-liners ever delivered in a film. Dudley Moore is amazing in a role that defines his career. Liza is delightful as the street-smart love interest. The movie gracefully dances between whimsical and dramatic all the while staying true to itself. 

Definitely worth a watch whether you're home alone or want an entertaining movie to share with a friend. 

Hotel Transylvania AKA THE NUMBER ONE MOVIE WHAAT

Two summer floppers had big comebacks this weekend and both films were released by Sony. Taking the number two position was Looper, starring Premium Rush headliner Joseph Gordon-Levitt. It was awesome and will be reviewed later by guest writer, Chris Clemente!

And your champion of the weekend, setting September box office records, MISTERRRR ADAMMM SANDLERRRRRRR. That's right hot off the heals of That's My Boy, which had everyone freaking out that not only was Adam doomed but that he was taking Andy with him, the Jew du...o scored a win with Hotel Transylvania.

And honestly, the movie deserved the success. I defended That's My Boy, not so much in that it was a good movie, but that people were making too big a deal out of the implications being tied to it. Over a career, people, especially comics, will have ups and downs. Back on top are Sandler and Samberg. And Sony has no plans on letting go of Sandler, either. Head of Distribution, Rory Bruen, has said of maintaining a relationship with Sandler, "I have said that many times, and it still holds in a big way." Boom.

I really did enjoy this film. It's a kids movie which also eliminates Sandler's most annoying jokes about jacking off to old ladies and whatnot. There were some great one-liners and the animation was really used as a supplement to the jokes. Not in the sense that it had terrific effects or anything new, but that it was well done and added to the jokes instead of overshadowing them.

It was enjoyable for all ages, although there were definitely some parts that were more geared toward kids. One too many sing alongs made me wiggle in my seat. But those parts only helped to distract me from the likeness Selena Gomez's character had to Becca from Californication.

See here:

Becca/Maddy Martin-a real person

A fictional vampire voiced by Selena Gomez

I mean am I crazy or are they...




The answer is yes, yes they are.

Anyway, if you enjoy animated kids movies, I don't think you'll be disappointed by the vocal stylings of Sandler, Sanberg, Gomez, Buscemi, James, Spade, Green, and the rest. It's entertaining and a fun twist to an old tale with some good lessons cleverly mixed in. Check it out to get yourself in the Halloween mood!

Slightly delayed Monday suggestion...

I didn't want to admit this publicly, but I totally knew I'd forget to post a Monday post. I only realized it after I posted the previous post where I not so #humblebragged about Chris Messina.

Anyway, this week's suggestion is Rushmore. The second film from writer/director Wes Anderson, Rushmore is often overshadowed by Anderson's follow-up movie, The Royal Tenenbaums (definitely worth a re-watch if it's been a while. Or if you've just seen it. Actually go watch it right after Rushmore).

Co-written by Owen Wilson (as was Bottle Rockets, his first film, and the aforementioned 'baums), this film has the beginnings of the all-star cast that will become a staple of Anderson films.

Rushmore is a perfect film for people that consider themselves Andersonphilias because it simultaneously gives you a new and familiar feeling. You can see that stylisticly it will become the movies you've come to love, but it's still the early stages. Even the actors appear far younger than what you're used to. Schwartzman, the bitter lover in Darjeeling Limited is playing a love smitten school boy. And it's his scenes with Bill Murphy that really make it a joy to watch.

What an eye, what an eye

So the guy that I keep liking in all my indie flick picks from the summer is on the Mindy Project. Did I call this bro or what? Stick with me and you'll be ahead of the curve. I'm talking to you, my one follower...

Chris Messina. The brother in Ruby Sparks and the adorable love interest in Celeste and Jesse Forever. I think he's capitalizing on the Max Greenfield, funny, muscular jewish looking guy vibe that's happening right now. Next projection: episode crossover with Fox lead-in New Girl where he shows up as Max's brother.

You're welcome, Fox.

Monday's underrated movie

With the end of the summer comes the end of summer movies. Hence a slowdown in what there is to see.

To keep things fresh, I've decided to do a weekly entry focused on a movie I've already seen that I hope you'll try out on one of these cold, lonely, fall nights. 

I've already mentioned Hot Rod in a past post so this entry will be dedicated to Welcome to Collinwood.

Written by a writer for Community (and now the showrunner following Dan Harmon's exit), Collinwood is an ensemble movie about low level criminals trying to pull off a heist. The cast includes, Sam Rockwell, William H Macy, Patricia Clarkson (you may not recognize her by name but she's definitely been in things that she'll look familiar-Tammy One from Parks and Rec most recently and notably), Luis Guzman, young Jennifer Esposito and Gabrielle Union, and last but not least, George Motherfucking Clooney.

How awesome is Sam Rockwell, by the way? He's a scrawny, pasty, weird little dude but god damn am I attracted to him in every movie he's in. George is a gimme, so I just wanted to mention something about Sam. 

Anyway, give this Netflix Instant movie a chance when you have some free time.

Mmmm, yeah