Director: Brad Bird
Stars: Tom Cruise, Jeremy Renner, Simon Pegg, Paula Patton, Tom Wilkinson, Michael Nyqvist
Paramount

After John Woo nearly destroyed the Mission: Impossible franchise, it was in desperate need of a blood transfusion to take it off life support. In swooped J.J. Abrams bringing with him a grittier edge, wonderfully over-the-top villains and lens flares by the truckload. With Abrams taking a step back to the role of producer, Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol has a new director at the helm, Brad Bird, and fans can rest assured that he carries on in Abrams’ footsteps while leaving his own indelible mark on the series.

Known for animated features such as Ratatouille, The Incredibles and the superb The Iron Giant, Brad Bird might seem like an odd choice to take the reins of a Hollywood blockbuster, but his attention to detail, mature plot lines, keen eye for action and spot-on tension relieving humour are a perfect fit for the franchise.

After a mysterious explosion decimates The Kremlin, Ethan Hunt and the IMF find themselves scapegoats for the international incident with the entire agency disavowed. Out in the cold with no support on the trail of a madman with designs of a worldwide nuclear holocaust, Ethan and his crack crew are all that stands in the way of this imminent threat.

Tom Cruise as Ethan Hunt delivers yet another fine action-packed performance, though the focus this time around is more on the team as a whole, with each character struggling with their own issues and story arc. Jeremy Renner’s Agent Brandt provides a perfect counterpoint to Hunt, with an intertwined secretive history to boot. Paula Patton smoulders as the bloodthirsty Jane Carter, hunting down an assassin and seeking revenge for the death of her partner, while Simon Pegg provides the comic relief as Dunn as well his over-enthusiastic perspective as the green rookie now that his field status has been approved.

In another brilliant piece of casting, an unexpected nemesis enters the fold with Michael Nyqvist playing the maniacal Kurt Hendricks who is hell-bent on bringing about Armageddon to give humanity a fresh start. It’s great to see Nyqvist ham it up as the bad guy, with moviegoers more familiar with his stalwart role as all around hero Mikael Blomkvist in the Millennium film trilogy.

Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol is a wild ride and the perfect popcorn action flick. The pacing is spot on with a stronger focus on hand-to-hand combat in this instalment bringing with it a distinct Bourne Identity feel. Brad Bird has done one hell of a job for his first Hollywood jaunt. Sydneysiders are in for a bonus if they head down to the IMAX at Darling Harbour. Before the screening you’ll be treated to a six-minute sneak peek of The Dark Knight Rises with an excerpt introducing the Caped Crusader’s latest nemesis, Bane.

MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – GHOST PROTOCOL is in cinemas 14 December, 2011.

Review: Dave Kozicki

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
Director: Tomas Alfredson
Cast: Gary Oldman, Colin Firth, John Hurt, Mark Strong, Colin Firth, Tom Hardy, Benedict Cumberbatch, Ciarán Hinds
Universal

THE makers of the film adaptation of Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy had their work cut out for them from the outset. First off, the film is based on a renowned John le Carré novel from 1974 that was then faithfully adapted into a seven-part five-hour long BBC miniseries in 1979. Intimidating street cred aside, the concept of condensing the layered novel and five-hour faithful miniseries adaptation to two-hour flick would have been a challenge and a half.

And yet, for the most part, director Tomas Alfredson and writers Bridget O’Connor and Peter Straughan do an admirable job of capturing the essence of the core plot. Although, certain subplots and extended characterisation have had to be condensed, in some instances, to the point where particular important characters suffer from limited screen time.

Speaking of plot, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy tells the cerebral and juicy tale of a Cold War era MI6 (or “the Circus” as they call it due to its proximity to major London landmark, Piccadilly Circus) that has to deal with the harsh realities of uncovering a Soviet mole that is ranked high in the British spy agency. Unlike the original material, the Brits are actively seeking to open communication channels with American spy agencies, but are struggling to regain face after a series of unfortunate events.

Control (John Hurt) has dispatched undercover agent Jim Prideaux (Mark Strong) to gather information on the identity of the MI6 mole. But after this plan backfires, Control is forced out as head of the Circus along with his top lieutenant George Smiley (Gary Oldman). When information about the mole resurfaces, Smiley is brought out of retirement to conduct a secret investigation to plug the Soviet leak.

The cast is impressive. Oldman owns his portrayal of Smiley in an eerie channelling of Sir Alec Guinness that is so spot on that it is disconcerting. Strong continues to showcase his diversity, providing heart to the drama. Hurt dominates with his more aggressive take on Control, while the supporting cast of Firth, Hardy and Cumberbatch all hit the right notes.

Impressively, the filmmakers retained many of the subtleties and pacing that made the BBC original so strong, with only minor gripes about plot conveniences  that jar next to otherwise clever composition. Our biggest complaint is the fact that some of the compelling characterisation featured in the BBC series takes a back seat for the sake of  plot advancement.

The always-strong Ciarán Hinds (as Roy Bland) is criminally underused, and the key roles of Toby Esterhase (David Dencik) and Percy Alleline (Toby Jones) are reduced to infrequent appearances. Inexplicable homosexual overtones regarding some of the characters feel tacked-on and superfluous to characterisation rather than an organic aspect of the story.

Ultimately, however, these concerns are minor by comparison to the overall achievement of Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy. In a world where savvy thrillers are often watered down with mindless action, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy dares to defy convention and stay true to its roots where brains and smart storytelling triumph.

TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY is in cinemas January 19, 2012.

Review: Nathan Lawrence

Midnight in Paris

Director: Woody Allen
Cast: Owen Wilson, Rachel McAdams, Marion Cotillard, Michael Sheen
Hopscotch

NOSTALGIA and the persistent feeling that things used to be better in the “good old days” is something most people can relate to.

Whether you hanker for a time when lopping limbs off recalcitrant peasants from atop a mighty steed was considered socially acceptable, or pine for a few weeks ago—before an unfortunate conquest in a nightclub toilet left you with a dose of something itchy and sticky—it’s a universal theme.

Everything looks better in retrospect and Midnight in Paris, Woody Allen’s latest film, takes this idea and runs with it.

The plot revolves around Gil (Owen Wilson) the typical neurotic, navel-gazing, Woody Allen analogue. Gil is a successful, albeit creatively discontented, screenwriter who is engaged to Inez (Rachel McAdams). Inez and her parents take Gil with them on a business trip to Paris.

The city of lights reinvigorates something within Gil, a spark of artistic inspiration and he starts pontificating about his novel and unfulfilled ambition to create something with meaning. Gil’s specific obsession with Paris in the 1920′s soon alienates Inez and her achingly bourgeois parents, leading the frustrated word nerd to drink too much wine and go for a boozy wander.

Before you can say “magical realism” a vintage car pulls up in front of the bewildered Gil, the occupants encouraging him to join them for more revelling. Gil goes along for the ride and before too long realises he has ended up in some kind of space/time delay—a portal to the very era he so earnestly yearns for: Paris in the 1920s.

This is where Midnight in Paris really comes to life. The 20 or so minutes it takes to get there are, frankly, a little painful. Certainly they’re meant to give Gil the requisite motivation to want to escape but it’s hard to imagine what he ever saw in Inez—other than the fact she’s kind of hot.

Your enjoyment of the rest of the film really depends on how charming you find the idea of going back in time to meet one’s literary and artistic idols. Gil is soon chatting with the likes of Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Salvador Dali and T.S. Eliot, not to mention making time with Adriana (played by the toe-curlingly lovely Marion Cotillard).

What follows is an amiable enough little story that, while very predictable, is undeniably sweet and romantic. It’s certainly Woody Allen’s most accessible film in years, recalling The Purple Rose of Cairo in its sense of wit and whimsy.

Owen Wilson is never quite as convincing as he needs to be, coming off a bit too California surfer boy and not enough angsty artist but the rest of the cast are uniformly stellar. Corey Stoll, Tom Hiddleston and Alison Pill (as Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald and Zelda Fitzgerald respectively) are particularly solid and give the film a sense of authenticity even when things take a turn for the silly.

Midnight in Paris is a slight but enjoyable movie and though one could be nostalgic for a time when Woody Allen used to make great films (Annie Hall, Manhattan) as opposed to pretty good ones—it does seem a rather petulant position to take. Taken as a sweet little adventure with solid acting, memorable moments and bulk travelogue footage—Midnight in Paris is a success.

MIDNIGHT IN PARIS is in cinemas now.

Review: Anthony O’Connor

Source Code

Director: Duncan Jones
Stars: Jake Gyllenhaal, Michelle Monaghan, Vera Farmiga, Jeffrey Wright
Paramount Pictures

Arguably, the best forms of science fiction are those that complement science fact. When the term ‘sci-fi’ isn’t synonymous with spaceships, lightsabers and the distant future of humanity, the subject matter tends to add a layer of believability and accessibility that removes the ‘geeks only need apply’ tag from the film poster.

Source Code is director Duncan Jones’ first film after his extraordinary feature filmdebut, Moon (2009). While Moon slotted more into the aforementioned ‘distant future of humanity’ category of sci-fi, Source Code utilises pseudo-science to ground the film in the budget-friendly setting of the contemporary world.

US Army helicopter pilot, Colter Stevens (Gyllenhaal),  wakes up on a Chicago train, disoriented. Christina Warren (Monaghan), the pretty girl seated across from him, speaks to him as though they’re friends. Confused, Colter stumbles into a public toilet on the commuter train. When he looks into the mirror, he does not recognise the man reflected back.

Before Colter can find an answer, he is vaporised in an explosion. He comes to in a pod-like capsule, equally disoriented. A computer monitor set into the pod wall features a live-cam-feed with Colleen Goodwin’s (Farmiga). The military liaison attempts to orient and calm  Colter by issuing specific phrases to trigger subliminal response. As it turns out, Colter is part of a simulation that allows his consciousness to be transferred to another person. The catch: the consciousness exists for the final eight minutes of the surrogate’s life. The man behind the technology, Dr Rutledge (Wright), explains that Colter is not experiencing time travel but is, instead, travelling to an alternate dimension, or timeline.

As the dimensions are not so alternate that information can’t be gathered and made use of in the ‘real-world’, Colter is tasked to return to the simulation multiple times in order to discover which passenger is responsible for planting the bomb on the train. Naturally, the clock is ticking, and Colter needs to find the bomber to prevent another dirty bomb being set off somewhere in the city of Chicago. Sent back in multiple times, each time Colter gets a little closer to determining who the mystery bomber is.  To raise the stakes—or perhaps to appeal to the female demographic—Colter begins falling for Christina, despite the fact that Monaghan delivers a bland and mostly forgettable performance.

Gyllenhaal does a solid job of injecting necessary humanity into the highly stressed Colter Stevens, Wright is skin-crawlingly sinister as Dr Rutledge, and the always-interesting Farmiga delivers a believable and empathetic performance as Goodwin. The intrigue and action are solid and the pacing keeps interest high, but the star of the movie is the pseudo-science that drives the plot; if you think too hard  or try to understand the specifics of it, you’ll go cross-eyed. Accepting the tiny revelations that help shape the narrative allows for plenty of theorising about the possibilities behind a gobsmacking and satisfying ending.

Unfortunately, Source Code falls into a Return of the Kings trap where it presents too many endings—when the “satisfying ending” occurs the film persist for another 10 minutes to deliver somewhat confusing and ultimately unnecessary “wrap it up with sunshine” nonsense. Despite this hiccup, Source Code presents a fresh idea in an original concept, and will keep fans of Duncan Jones interested to see what the man will come up with next.

SOURCE CODE screens nationally from May 5.

Review: Nathan Lawrence

Family Guy presents: It’s a Trap!

Director: Peter Shin
Stars: Seth MacFarlane, Alex Borstein, Seth Green, Mila Kunis, Patrick Warburton, Patrick Stewart
20^th Century Fox

WHEN the crew behind cult animated series Family Guy released part one of the series’ homage/piss-take of George Lucas’ original Star Wars film, Blue Harvest, in 2008, the creators tapped into something special. Star Wars films have long been ripe for the parody-pickings, and after the success of stop-motion skit-fest Robot Chicken’s satire of George Lucas’ space-faring epic in 2007, it was just a matter of time before the stench of Lucas’s prequels was conquered in fans’ minds, and thus the healing began. They say laughter is the best medicine, and Family Guy succeeded in associating enjoyment with the beloved space franchise.

Since 2007,  each year has offered up another chapter of comedic misadventures of Luke, Han, Chewy and Leia, each following the original trilogy’s plot and, to an extent, the acceptance and enjoyment of a new audience, also. Blue Harvest set the scene and tone of the animated look at classic Star Wars, while second installment, Something Something Something Darkside (the strongest offering of the series) took a darker (yet consistently hilarious) tone (a la The Empire Strikes Back sans humour), whereas final episode, It’s a Trap! (doubling for Return of the Jedi), rehashes the formula somewhat, clearly lacking the tight-knit cohesion of the previous two films, as it’s piecemeal editing shows; however, the material only goes so far and the movie does provide a few gut-busting surprises.

It’s a Trap! boasts some knee-slapping moments but, when compared with the two previous films, its skit elements resemble a series of random Return of the Jedi-inspired skits as opposed to the expected retelling. While self deprecation by the writers–filling the rolling text opening sequence with disclaimers about how they had run out of characters–may grab a giggle from the audience, fans have come to expect more.

Cameos abound from Family Guy and its spin offs, with Roger the alien from American Dad as an Imperial Officer, Klaus the German-accented fish, also from American Dad, in a hilarious turn as Admiral Akbar, and several characters from The Cleveland Show getting a look-in. Wheelchair-bound Joe is on the money as Jabba the Hutt, and as almost every fan predicted, Meg was perfect as the Sarlacc.

Considering the epic scale of the Peter vs. the Chicken fights, the duo naturally lend themselves to playing Han Solo and Boba Fett respectively, but the fact the two don’t even throw down is disappointing.

Family Guy presents: It’s a Trap! is available on Blu-ray and DVD from December 22

Review: Dave Kozicki

Due Date

Director: Todd Phillips
Stars: Robert Downey Jr., Zack Galifianakis, Michelle Monaghan, Jamie Foxx, Juliette Lewis, Danny McBrideVillage
Roadshow

JUDGING whether a comedy is worth your hard-earned cash based on the merits of its trailer can be a difficult affair these days. Let’s face facts: almost every comedy, terrible or otherwise, has at least one or two laughs between opening and closing credits, so it’s very easy for trailer mages to put the best laughs into a two-minute teaser.

On paper Due Date looks like a strong comedy combination. Robert Downey Jr., has fantastic comedic timing, Zack Galifianakis put in a stellar over-the-top performance in the recently released Dinner for Schmucks and it has adult-comedy veteran Todd Phillips (The Hangover, Old School, Road Trip) at the reigns. Throw in some cameos from the likes of Juliette Lewis, Jamie Foxx and the ever-awesome Danny McBride, and the comedic potential is high.

The film centres around the ‘anti-bromance’ of Peter Highman (Downey Jr.) and Ethan Tremblay (Galifianakis) as they go through a Planes, Trains & Automobiles-style adventure of extreme misfortune and the bad luck that seemingly surrounds Ethan 24/7. Although often motivated by the best of intentions, Ethan is a colossal rubber for cringe-worthy events, with Peter being the unfortunate glue-covered receptacle of oodles of shit.

What starts off as a simple misunderstanding at the airport, ends with Peter and Ethan being added to the ‘no fly’ list. Peter needs to be in LA for the birth of his first child, while Ethan has high hopes of meeting with a Hollywood producer and showcasing his unique acting talents. Without a wallet or any form of identification, Peter is reliant on the unpredictable and ADD-addled Ethan to get home in time.

As would be expected, all sorts of highway hijinks ensue to test the already strained relationship between Peter and Ethan, creating some predictable tensions and some rather out there comedic moments.

When Due Date builds up to speed, it can be very entertaining, with its fair share of laughs across the board. It’s only when the film tries to balance typical Phillips-style oddball comedy with some intense dramatic moments that it gets lost. Having the audience cackling one moment and then suddenly switching the tone to some of the darker topics of life feels out of place in this type of comedy, and it destroys the comedic momentum that was building up, essentially having to start from scratch again each time it gets serious.

It’s understandable why Phillips hired Downey Jr., whose acting versatility allows him to swing between the comedic moments and dark seriousness with ease; but as these darker scenes don’t really fit with the overall tone of the film, it almost makes his casting feel out of place. Galifianakis, on the other hand, is heavily channelling his all-too-familiar character from The Hangover, Alan Garner. Ethan Tremblay is far from derivative, and this feels more like Galifianakis doing what Galifianakis does best—and, depending on how that phrase makes you react, will determine your level of appeal for his character.

Due Date has some genuinely big laughs, but is mostly grins and chuckles in this rollercoaster ride of a film that seems confused as to how seriously it should be taken. It’s not as corny or forced as The Other Guys, but for a by-the-numbers comedy, there aren’t as many genuine laughs as the recently released Dinner for Schmucks. If you’re familiar with the jokes in the various Due Date trailers, you’ve seen some of the bigger laughs of the film, too.

DUE DATE is in cinemas now

Review:  Nathan Lawrence

DEVIL

DIRECTOR: JOHN ERICK DOWDLE

STARS: CHRIS MESSINA, BOKEEM WOODBINE, BOJANA NOVAKOVIC

“FROM the mind of M. Night Shyamalan” boasts the poster, but although he came up with the plot, the wannabe Hitchcock left directing duties to Dowdle (Quarantine), with Brian Nelson (Hard Candy) penning the screenplay. And is Shyamalan’s name that much of a drawcard these days, anyway? After early successes with The Sixth Sense and Unbreakable, there was a critical backlash against his reliance on big twist endings that sometimes undermined what had come before. Thankfully, Devil is a movie that plays fair—it establishes a set of rules, then sticks to them. Which is not to say there aren’t unforeseen bends along the way…

Say what you like about M. Night, he can come up with a catchy premise. In this case, five strangers are stuck between floors in a malfunctioning lift. The chaos caused by a suicide elsewhere in the Philadelphia high-rise, an electrical storm outside and the resident maintenance man going AWOL mean it’ll be a while before they can be freed. Then the blackouts start and, under cover of darkness, those in the elevator begin to die. The guards and cops watching via security camera can’t believe what’s happening and the theory is put forward that one of the surviving passengers may literally be the devil in disguise.

There are no big-name stars in the flick, though many will recognise Messina (Julie & Julia), Woodbine (TV’s Saving Grace) and Serbian-Aussie beauty Novakovic (Edge of Darkness), who play the investigating detective and two of the unfortunates trapped in the lift, respectively. While not entirely original—it borrows key elements from an Agatha Christie novel—Devil is a satisfying B-grade thriller that doesn’t outstay its welcome or leave you groaning at the end. It’s also reportedly the first part in a trilogy called The Night Chronicles, each of which will be a standalone tale based around a supernatural situation. Get in on the ground floor now.

Devil opens in cinemas on December 2.

JACKASS 3D

Director: Jeff Tremaine
Stars: Johnny Knoxville, Bam Margera, Ryan Dunn, Steve-O, Chris Pontius, Wee Man, Preston Lacy, Ehren McGhehey, Dave England
Paramount

What is it about slapstick, or in this case, grievous bodily harm that is so damned intoxicating and mesmerising?

It’s what has kept Australia’s Funniest Home Videos on the air for years longer than it warranted, and turned a bunch of mates with a penchant for pranks and no concern for their own (or others’) wellbeing into a cultural phenomenon.

Formed through the conglomeration of CKY (Camp Kill Yourself, featuring Bam Margera and Ryan Dunn) and Johnny Knoxville and Jeff Tremaine, Jackass the series concentrated on ridiculous and often painful stunts performed by the cast. Regulars Steve-O, Chris Pontius and Wee Man had bit parts in earlier incarnations, and soon became essential components of the team. When producer/director Jeff Tremaine’s close buddy Spike Jonze jumped on board, they at last had the final piece of the puzzle.

Spawning several seasons and movies, as will as countless spin-off series, the crews’ stars seemed on the rise, with Hollywood beckoning Knoxville in particular, but the bubble burst several years ago. With the exception of pro skater Bam Margera, most of the team fell into obscurity… until now. It would be easy to scoff and discount Jackass 3D as a grab for lost glory, or a promotion for Margera’s new TV show, Bam’s World Domination, but that is hardly the case.

It has been many years since I’ve laughed, cried, winced, turned away in disgust or bellowed quite as vehemently and loudly. The crew’s trademark is showing all the failed stunt attempts before eventual success, building the tension and allowing the audience to heartily laugh at their misfortune.

Certain stunts are guaranteed to be painful, like the prison break skit, where a tyre obstacle course is set with hurdles and at least a dozen live swinging tasers and cattle prods. Watching the lads grimace and man up before launching into a world of hurt is its own reward and never gets old. Every other skit follows suit and can be broken down into the Good, the Bam and the Ugly.

The Good. From the opening with a giant hand descending on unsuspecting cast members “high fiving” them into unconsciousness, to the Wee Man led midget bar fight, complete with midget police and paramedics, there is some comedic gold to be mined. Dentistry is broached using a Lamborghini to remove a tooth tethered by floss, Pontius uses his manhood as a baseball bat, connects with a mini baseball and is almost caught by Bam, there’s a tetherball match with a twist, the ball is filled with bees and a teeball to the groin with fairly predictable results.

These are just teasers, though. The piece de resistance is Dunn re-enacting the Maxwell “Blown Away By His Speakers Guy” 1980 TV commercial, in the same pose, bracing himself behind a real live aeroplane engine at full tilt. Amazing!

The Bam. Ever the prankster, some of the best moments come at Bam’s hand, and expense. He super-glues his hands to both Preston and his Dad’s hairy chests and then proceeds to give them a more than painful waxing. The impromptu buzz cut from the first Jackass movie has been replaced with a slow-motion homage to Rocky.

Bam sneaks up on a unsuspecting individual, throws water in their face from the left, and as they flinch and turn to the right, delivers a boxing gloved heavy hit for the KO. The crew then turn the tables, setting Bam up and dropping him into a snake pit. Watching Bam wince, squeal and cry, yes cry, in absolute terror is almost worth the price of admission alone.

The Ugly. It’s not all peaches and cream, though. The vulgarity returns with a vengeance. Whether its Steve-O (and it usually is) drinking a cocktail made from Preston’s body sweat, a talented chap using his keyster to power a dart gun, Knoxville in old man make-up cavorting with his supposed “granddaughter” to abject disgust, or Preston feeding a pig an apple from his rectum, you’ll laugh and retch at the same time, but Steve-O’s finale really takes the cake. In a filled Port-a-potty attached to bungie cords, Steve-O takes a trip sky high in one of the most disgusting skits this reviewer has ever seen.

Mention must be made of the so-called “3D experience”, which is window dressing for the most part. There are some genuine 3D shot scenes, but it hardly warrants the glasses and is just another example of the failure of this overused and underutilised technology.

Jackass 3D is absolutely hilarious. Those with weak constitutions should stay far away, but if you’re after a laugh and a half at some puerile, sheer idiocy, you could do a lot worse than checking this one out. Hold on tight, grit your teeth and enjoy the ride.

Jackass 3D opens nationally November 4.

Review: Dave Kozicki

THE SOCIAL NETWORK

Director: David Fincher
Stars: Jesse Eisenberg, Andrew Garfield, Justin Timberlake, Armie Hammer
SONY

Review:  Suzan Ryan

The Social Network is a movie about the Facebook phenomenon—the men who created it, the men who invested in it, and those along for the ride. It’s a story as much about how money clarifies who your friends are as it is about a cultural and technological watermark. Sure it’s based on self-aware narcissistic university students who believe they can change the world (and some of them do), but there’s nothing childish about the world of big business.

Directed by David Fincher from a script by Aaron Sorkin and based on Ben Mezrich’s book The Accidental Billionaires, the movie pulls no punches by trying to soften the abrasive persona of Zuckerberg, and why should it? Many self-made millionaires are narcissistic and socially awkward, in some ways this antisocial and non-empathetic behaviour is what allows them to take advantage of situations that others might not, and therefore come out ahead. Who would be shocked to hear that someone as famous as, say, Madonna or 1980s junk bonds king Michael Milken might be unlikeable or even ruthless? So what? The interesting aspect of the story is how a socially inept loner created the world’s most communal and unique social network couched in the question of intellectual property theft.

Says Sorkin, before making the film: “I had heard of Facebook in the same way that I’ve heard of a carburettor. But if I opened the hood of my car I wouldn’t know where to find it.”  The Social Network presents Facebook as being almost as revolutionary culturally as that of the internet itself—it reveals rivalries, jealousy, partnerships, employment status, social life and even sexual activity in an interconnected social construct that brings the privacy of cliques into the public domain. It discusses the subjective idea of truth as perceived by various parties and as recorded from on-the-record statements from the law suits that involved Mark Zuckerberg.

Mark Zuckerberg (Jesse Eisenberg) is the Harvard tech prodigy who, after breaking up with his girlfriend, Erica Albright (Rooney Mara) returns to his dorm to create a program, Facemash, which uses an algorithm supplied by his best friend and financier, economics undergraduate Eduardo Saverin (Andrew Garfield) tocompare the college’s female graduates, allowing students to rate one girl over the other in a “hot or not” style selection.

The website crashes the Harvard servers and its content makes Zuckerberg an object of derision amongst his fellow students and draws the ire of the academic board. But the site also draws the attention of twin students Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss (Armie Hammer and Josh Pence) and their friend Divya Narendra (Max Minghella) who had been searching for a talented programmer to create their own social media website, unique to Harvard students.

Dazzled by the 6-feet 5-inches all American students and Olympic rowers, Zuckerberg agrees to the premise and then secretly begins to build his own version of the same site—albeit with major digressions—over the next 6 weeks, launching the site as The Facebook and walking the road to his first major lawsuit.

The journey to 500 million users is paved with emotional immaturity and a youthful obsession with the new. Old friends are discarded for the new and lies and truths become increasingly hard to define. As director David Fincher says “no person is only one thing”; we all have our good and bad character traits, and The Social Network resolutely shows both in an equally bright light, as it does also with the many and varied conflicting narratives put forward by the warring parties.

The Social Network is also about how a small idea can change the world. Designed to get him enough attention to be accepted in Harvard’s Final Club, Facebook instead captured the zeitgeist, going on to make Zuckerberg a billionaire at 26 and CEO of a company worth an estimated 11 billion dollars—not bad for an undergrad entrepreneur.

The Social Network is released October 28

RED

Director: Robert Schwentke
Stars: Bruce Willis, Mary Louise-Parker, Morgan Freeman, Hellen Mirren, John Malkovich, Karl Urban, Richard Defuses, Ernest Borgnine, Brian Cox

Icon

Director Robert Schwentke may seem like an odd choice to direct the comic book adaptation RED, considering his pedigree. His last feature was The Time Traveller’s Wife, and branching out into the action heavy genre is definitely a step in the right direction.

Gone are the days when a comic book movie would elicit a mass groan, as fans leave the cinema in droves scratching their heads in disbelief. Those moments are now reserved for The Last Airbender. More recently, a throng of directors have stepped up to the plate to deliver solid, extremely watchable films such as Kick Ass, The Losers, and Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, while remaining true to the source material, and RED is no exception.

The acronym RED stands for Retired Extremely Dangerous and relates directly to ex-operative Frank Moses (Bruce Willis, The Expendables). Formerly the best of the best in Black Ops, he’s now relegated to a mundane civilian existence where the highlight of his week is the phone call to his pension fund manager Sarah (Mary Louise-Parker, Weeds) complaining about his missing cheque (which he destroys on purpose, regularly).

The situation changes drastically when a faceless pencil-pusher green lights Moses “RED” and sends a clean-up crew to “retire” him. The results are fairly predictable—and spectacular—leaving Moses on the run with Sarah in tow for her own safety. On the run with The Agency on his trail Moses seeks out his former squad members to “put the band back together” and find out who’s on their trail and why.

Joe Matheson (Morgan Freeman, The Dark Knight) lives out his days at a retirement home, with the most action he sees being glance at a nurse’s firm chassis while tuning the TV. Years of government sanctioned LSD abuse has left RED team member Marvin Boggs a paranoid conspiracy nut, this train-wreck is played to perfection by John Malkovich (Burn After Reading) with great comedic timing.

The standout of the crew is the masterful casting of Helen Mirren (State of Play) as wet-works specialist, Victoria. Her poise and grace coupled with her knowledge of heavy calibre weaponry is a joy to behold, nicely balancing out the male cast.

Hot on their trail is the opportunistic and eager Agent Cooper (Karl Urban,  Star Trek), who realises he may have bitten off more than he can chew after a brief altercation with Moses.

Without giving away too much of the plot, RED is a standard “clear our names so justice can be served” flick, but the way it’s handled by Schwentke gives the viewer much more than a by the numbers shoot ’em up. The tone and score emulates Ocean’s Eleven with a snap in its step via the fantastic chemistry between the leads.

The action sequences are restrained, with more focus on memorable moments than mass explosions, whether its Moses stepping from a moving car to light up Agent Cooper’s SUV or Victoria manning a .50 calibre mini-gun (worth the price of admission alone!).

The cast is rounded out with a stellar performance by Brian Cox as a Russian adversary-turned-ally,  Julian McMahon as the whiney V.P. of the United States (who has a plastic surgery and botox problem), Richard Dreyfuss as a slimy weapons manufacturer, and the great Ernest Borgnine as the keeper of CIA records. His role is not a stretch in the least, but it’s always a treat to see the old fella on the big screen.

Fun, action-packed, with a dash of romance and great chemistry all around, RED is a return to action movies that don’t take themselves too seriously, but rather focus on snappy bantering and real acting rather than a massive budget to get it across the line.

Red opens nationally October 28

Review: Dave Kozicki