Hello everyone. Bryan Bachar here, founder and chief artist at one studios…now enough with the patting oneself on the back. Occasionally I like to chime in and today I’d like to give a review of 3 films the one studios crew and I recently had the pleasure of viewing. So, step aside OneMan. Let your boy handle this one. Oh, and many of you have likely seen these already. But if you haven’t, guess what? There all out on video! Yaaaay!!!
Looper
Okay, this film looked kind of cool from the previews. I mean, come on, Bruce Willis, time travel, gangsters. Oh, if he was to gimme a “yippee kai yay…” I’d be in action nerd heaven. The problem is I haven’t been too impressed with big Bruce’s films as of late. They haven’t been bad. But they haven’t been great. You know what I mean? And although Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s transformation into a young Bruce for this film looked to be pretty impressive, he still hasn’t convinced me as being an action type, even taking into consideration the over-choreographed fight scenes in Inception and his role in The Dark Knight Rises…after all, we’re yet to see him actually suit up as Robin.
But young Gordon-Levitt’s connection to the famous Bruces are getting him far in the film world. And I’m happy to say Looper was, indeed, pretty awesome. There are a lot of different story arches being mixed together, which actually benefits the film because there is just enough of one and just enough of another so that Looper doesn’t seem like the “same old time travel movie” we’ve seen a hundred times before. I won’t go into too much detail. But I will say there’s more to Looper than just time travel alone. You’ve got lots of different elements there. And it even seems to pay homage to a certain classic anime storyline….. Yes, all of the different story arches mixed together with the original scripting for Looper is successful in creating something unique that can stand on its own.
Bruce Willis plays his role well, with his branded humorous undertones occasionally coming out. And Joseph Gordon-Levitt takes one step further in winning me over as a leading man (still got some work to do though). Emily Blunt…what can I say…there’s just something about her. Her performance seems genuine and I can’t take my eyes off of the leading lady. The lead child actor, whom I can’t recall at this moment, also did a nice job. The kid goes from super cute to super creepy in a matter of a blink. Just you watch and see. Nightmares here you come!
Looper has it’s flaws. But what film really doesn’t, especially in the made up universe of science fiction? I’m sure many people out there just roll their eyes at the whole time travel thing and the, I’m sure, many holes the script has. Oh, how I wish I could get my buddies Pavel, Matt and Kenny in a room together to debate this……
Overall though, it’s a fun, well done sci-fi movie that even non-sci-fi fans can go see and be surprised that they actually might like it. There’s conflict on multiple scales, both internally and externally. There’s good interaction between the characters. The story’s believable without trying too hard to explain the sci-fi happenings (cue in Matt), which is a good thing because the latter can always be a huge backfire since less is more in many cases, leaving it instead to the viewer to ponder. Kudos to Looper for that. It focuses on the human tale rather than making the cool sci-fi elements the forefront. A great decision, and one many sci-fi flicks choose not to uphold…often being their downfall.
Finally, and most importantly to me, there’s depth to Looper. And I can and will always appreciate that. I recommend this one for sure. If you see it and think it’s crap, well, eh.
The Grey
What? A film about wolves that stalk and eat a bunch of strong men in the middle of the Alaskan nowhere???
I know, I’m a bit late with this one. But I just saw it! Anyway, I didn’t think it was all that bad. In fact, I enjoyed it, with its existentialism and daunting storyline. Plus, come on, let’s be real. Liam Neeson’s bad ass.
If you want to see a bunch of dudes perish for no real reason aside from feeding a bunch of hungry wolves, you’ll like it. If you want to see some bad assness and some beautiful snow, you’ll like it. If you want blood, well, there will be blood….it’s a pun if you know it. And, hey, if you’re a big PETA person….to the extreme…..this is your movie!
Enough said on this one.
Jiro Dreams of Sushi
I heard about this doc from an amigo of mind. Gotta say, I liked it a lot. Jiro’s passion far out weighs anything having to do with the sushi itself. If you’ve ever loved something to the point you can’t live without it, well, then you will connect to Jiro, and this film.
I’m not going to go into too many details on this one. The title pretty much fills you in on what it’s about. This guy has lived, breathed, made love to sushi (no, not literally….although…..) for nearly his entire life. He is a master at his craft. Even if you’re not a sushi lover. Even if you find the subject matter bor-ing. You have to respect the man’s drive, focus, discipline and, again, passion.
Jiro will leave you feeling optimistic about what your dreams might bring you. Meaning, happiness….there out there. But can you push yourself to bring them to fruition? Are your dreams aligned with your passion, with your natural talents? These questions and more arose for me.
Give Jiro a chance. I promise you’ll appreciate him, even if not the fish.
Okay. That’s all from me for now. It’s all yours again OneMan! Peaces everybody! Hasta luego.
– B
