Tag Archives: bank

Now You See Me

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now you see me

Director: Louis Leterrier

Writer: Ed Solomon, Boaz Yakin, Edward Ricourt

Starring: Jesse Eisenberg, Mark Ruffalo, Woody Harrelson, Isla Fisher, Dave Franco, Morgan Freeman, Michael Caine, Mélanie Laurent

Tomatometer: 47/26/75 (all critics, top critics, audience)

Spoiler-free Summary: Jesse, Woody, Isla, and Dave are all middling street magicians.  A mysterious person in a Zuckerbergian hoodie recruits the four of them to perform as a team.  After a year of preparation, the Four Horsemen open their act in Las Vegas.  For their final trick of opening night, the group magically robs a bank, setting off an FBI-led manhunt and a slew of high-profile crimes.

Two Cents: Like many who saw its trailer, I could not wait for this movie.  Boasting a stellar cast and the combination of a classic film genre (bank robbery) with another that has long been under-appreciated (magic), this movie had “summer fun” written all over it.  Sadly, those words were written with one of these.

The first half of the movie is actually quite entertaining.  Some of the tricks are extremely cool (keep telling yourself they’re not just cheap cinematography tricks), and the story moves with the pace of a Formula-1 car.  However, the movie loses steam toward the end of Act II, as it turns into a game of “Who’s playing whom?”.

Let me be the first to diagnose director Leterrier with Shyamalonosis.  Now You See Me is doomed by Leterrier’s obsession with forcing a shocking twist at the expense of the rest of his film.  Like Shyamalan almost always does, Leterrier fails miserably in his quest, completely wasting a promising build-up and decent performances from Eisenberg, Harrelson, and Ruffalo.  A twist only works when it is supported by that which comes before it, and this movie’s not-so-big twist could be easily debunked by any of the scenes that precedes it.  That’s not a twist, it’s a lie.  (Out of respect for those who have yet to see Now You See Me, I’ll refrain from saying anything that might be considered a spoiler.)  M. Night would be proud of you, Louis, but he’s probably the only one.  Even your own mother thinks you stink.

It was great to see Dave Franco in another big release.  He had a respectable role in last year’s 21 Jump Street, but he has yet to reach the notoriety of his brother James.  He is a gifted comedic actor, and I’m sure we’ll be seeing much more if him in the future.  Isla Fisher must be an awesome person to count as a friend.  She’s married to Sacha Baron Cohen, and she seems to be a ton of fun.  However, even with the world’s greatest push-up bra, she’s completely wasted in this movie.  She’s not a great actress, but she can be entertaining and funny when given the opportunity.  Morgan Freeman and Michael Caine should have saved on airfare and sent cardboard cutouts of themselves to the set.  They could not have seemed more uninterested in this movie.  Mélanie Laurent (Shosanna from Inglourious Basterds) is pretty darn close to mesmerizing, but Leterrier did not get out of her what he could or should have.

Should I/Shouldn’t I: Don’t view the title of this movie as an obligation.  Now You See Me (or, maybe, you don’t) is a fun movie, but it doesn’t nearly reach its potential.  You won’t hate it, but you’ll most likely be disappointed.  With so many blockbusters coming out this summer, you’d be better off letting this one slip through the cracks and catching it on HBO next winter.  If you forget to DVR it, feel free to save two hours and just ask me what happens at the end.

Sundae Rating: One scoop

The Place Beyond the Pines

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Director: Derek Cianfrance

Writer: Derek Cianfrance, Ben Coccio, Darius Marder

Starring: Ryan Gosling, Bradley Cooper, Eva Mendez, Rose Byrne, Ray Liotta

Tomatometer: 73/63/83 (all critics, top critics, audience)

Spoiler-free Summary: Ryan Gosling is a stunt motorcyclist.  As it turns out, he’s got a son.  Hoping to get himself on a the straight and narrow, Ryan decides to start robbing banks.  Makes sense.  Unfortunately for Ryan, Bradley Cooper is a dedicated (and moral) cop with a bit of an ego.

Two Cents: It’s official.  Ryan Gosling and Bradley Cooper are the real deal.  For The Pines, they teamed up with Cianfrance, an up-and-coming director who previously worked with Gosling on Blue Valentine.  (As you may recall, Michelle Williams earned an Oscar nomination for her performance in Blue Valentine, but many were outraged over Gosling’s snub for his.)  It’s easy to see that Cianfrance has a knack for creating incredibly deep characters and making a simple story seem monumental.  I’m willing to bet an entire bag of Doritos that he’ll be nominated for a Best Director Oscar for one of his next two films.  Of course, a director is only as good as his actors allow him to be, and Derek lucked out with his cast.

Gosling may have walked directly off the set of Drive and into the role of Luke, a dark loner of a stuntman.  His blond hair doesn’t look natural, but everything else about his performance sure does.  He has the power to make the audience fall for Luke, despite the motorcyclist’s unsavory personality.  Too bad Gosling is planning to take a break from acting.

Bradley Cooper has further solidified his position at the top of my personal man-crush list.  His talent is undeniable, and he continues to make excellent career choices.  I’m sure the third installment of the Hangover trilogy will be a bit of a pothole, but it should allow Cooper to add another hot tub to his deck.  When I first heard Cooper was doing a movie called The Place Beyond the Pines, I thought it would be more like this, but I’ll get over it.

Eva Mendes is not awesome.  But, in The Pines, she ain’t half bad.  Kudos to you, Ryan’s girlfriend.  I’m still not sure why Wardrobe didn’t provide you with a brassiere, though.

Ray Liotta, one of my favorite a-hole actors, was a very wise choice for a character that was probably originally named Ray Liotta.

Rose Byrne was the weak link in the cast, but that’s not a jab at her.  She’s been cast here, at least, in part, for her face.  She’s just not on the same talent level as the other actors.

Two of the great supporting performances were turned in by Emory Cohen and Dane DeHaan.  I wasn’t previously familiar with Cohen, but DeHaan has been building a nice little résumé for himself, most notably as Andrew in last year’s Chronicle.  (Watch it.)

A couple of infants was cast in supporting roles, but I wasn’t very impressed with their work.  I don’t foresee much stardom for either baby.  One of them actually had a very off-putting arrogance about himself, as if he’s the best baby ever.  I beg to differ.  He was an average baby, at best.

Should I/Shouldn’t I: If you’ve been waiting for the first truly impressive movie of 2013, you haven’t seen Spring Breakers.  If you’re looking for a more conventional plot line, then The Place Beyond the Pines is the movie you’ve been waiting for.  No, I don’t see it getting any Oscar nominations, but, had it been released in December, I wouldn’t be surprised to hear it get some nice buzz.  It’s a simple story, but it’s got loads of heart.  You may not remember this movie two years from now, but, for a few months, you’ll be very glad you saw it.

Sundae Rating: Two scoops with whipped cream