Now You See Me - 8 stars out of 10

Now You See Me - 8 stars out of 10

"Now You See Me" is a fresh take on the traditional heist film.  Every great heist requires secretive sleight of hand to fool a robbery victim but this time, the sleight of hand takes place on stage in front of thousands during a magic show.  The premise is interesting, committing these robberies in plain sight so that the accusation of "robbing a bank by using magic" will sound crazy and illogical.  The film does not take the magic-is-real route like "The Prestige"; instead, each robbery is rationalized within the movie by the magic-trick-busting Morgan Freeman.  The movie strategically uses its characters to explain the magic to us without it seeming out of place.  The real draw for this film is its talented ensemble cast.  It works because the writers created a diverse array of personalities amongst its characters, allowing each actor to develop a personality entirely unique from the others.  Even though four of the characters are magicians, no two characters interact in the same way amongst the quartet.  This unique blending of chemistry creates tension at first but then establishes a true team atmosphere.  Jesse Eisenberg delivers another great performance in a role that fits his personality, but I would argue that the best performance actually comes from Michael Caine.  His role is small but plays a huge part in creating empathy for the magicians.  One of the most interesting magic tricks in this film is the way that the writers continually transform the characters from heroes to villains and back again.  Woody Harrelson's character is rude and arrogant and he plays it perfectly.  Mark Ruffalo and Mélanie Laurent have great chemistry together, while Freeman plays the bad guy so well (though you hate to dislike him).  My only complaint is that this film is entirely believable with the exception of one sequence where the magicians are suddenly qualified to act in "The Bourne Identity" and "The Fast and the Furious," and then go back to being normal people ten minutes later.  And the worst part is that it is a pivotal moment in the plot.  But I can look past it for the great acting.  The story doesn't necessarily have any loose ends but it certainly under-explains several aspects of the plot (mainly where these characters end up once they disappear from the story).  It bothers me a slight bit but I cannot help but feel that it intentionally creates that mysterious feel of an unexplained trick.  I can't put this on the same level as "Ocean's Eleven" but it is definitely in the same ballpark when it comes to comedy, cleverness, and a really cool heist.  "Now You See Me" serves as a long magic trick, using misdirection to draw your eyes one place for the entire film while they pull a rabbit out of their hat at the end.

Mama - 6 stars out of 10

Mama - 6 stars out of 10

"Mama" is a thrilling fairy tale whose momentum leaves you breathless until its disappointing ending.  Since the only bad part of this film is its ending, I will save that for the end of this review.  This awesome ghost story delivers clean thrills that are easily approved for teenagers, much like "The Ring" in the early 2000's.  The plot is believable and does a good job of setting itself up for scary moments (little girls that crawl around like animals and appearing around the corner, unexplainable sounds and other phenomena).  Perhaps the most impressive part of the film is its artistry that is reminiscent of Hitchcock.  This approach is best exemplified in the early scene where the camera reveals the entire hallway and part of the children's bedroom.  A surprise is slowly revealed without the camera ever moving while your imagination is still responsible for filling in a few blanks.  The other great example comes straight from Hitchcock's own bag of tricks as the character uses a camera to light his way and these occasional flashes of light reveal the scene.  Again, the imagination is much more powerful than the image, which is where this film eventually falls short.  This script draws the ending out way too long, not only killing the film's momentum but also exposing the CGI villain for so long that she is no longer realistic.  This is a clear case of showing the monster too much, which is ironic as Hitchcock was the master of doing the opposite.  The ending has been heavily debated and I can be okay with the non-traditional resolution, just not the way that it was portrayed.  With Jessica Chastain being the only big-name actor in this film, the acting is surprisingly good.  I would see "Mama" again and recommend it to any fan of thrillers or horror films, but prepare yourself to be disappointed with the way that this film wraps up.  It is the "Woman In Black Syndrome" at its finest.

The Sessions - 7 stars out of 10

The Sessions - 7 stars out of 10

How can THIS movie be so heartwarming?  "The Sessions" is a sexuality-driven film about a man in an iron lung who wants to experience intercourse.  It doesn't exactly sound like a great date movie (and it's not), but there is something unexpectedly sweet about the journey of this character.  Although 80% of this movie is composed of dialogue involving sex, at its core, it is actually a story about falling in love for the first time.  The real kicker is that it is a true story based on an autobiographical article by polio-victim Mark O'Brien.  The storytelling comes straight from O'Brien's heart as the physical sex fades into the background and human connection between two people comes into the spotlight.  Helen Hunt delivers a convincing performance as she develops an attachment and has trouble staying professional.  Even more impressive is her ability to deliver incredibly sexual dialogue without making the film so awkward that you have to turn it off (but yeah, it's still pretty awkward).  John Hawkes is probably the most impressive actor as he cannot use any sort of body language.  Every emotion comes from his eyebrows and his mouth.  William H. Macy is always good and brings a much needed comedic element as the priest who must try to help the main character without being able to understand what he is experiencing.  I think that "The Sessions" was a good one-time watch and, although there is just waaaaayyyyyyy too much sexuality for me to enjoy the film, the acting is amazing and the ending will warm your heart.

This Means War - 3 stars out of 10

 This Means War - 3 stars out of 10

This is another one of "those" movies.  Blending action (for the guys) with romance (for the girls), this action-movie-meets-chick-flick was a great concept to lure the guys into planning a Valentines date for their gals.  Unfortunately, "This Means War" is predictable and tired.  The action sequences and occasional funny moment (like the paintball gun) warrant a few stars, but overall it's just another chick flick.  Perhaps the most entertaining part of this film is comparing Tom Hardy's character to a very different character that he would play a few months later: Bane in "The Dark Knight Rises."  The highlight for me was the opportunity to see Hardy's versatility as an actor.  Chris Pine... is better in the Star Trek series and Reese Witherspoon has just played this role too many times.  She has "real" acting chops and needs to kiss the chick flick genre goodbye to pursue more films like "Walk the Line" and "Water for Elephants."  There isn't anything bad about this movie - there is just nothing to set it apart from every other B-grade romantic comedy.