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“Limitless” delivers limited thrills

3/17/2011

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Limitless
With just a cursory glance at its tagline, you could easily surmise that Limitless isn’t going to be a “good” movie: “What if a pill could make you rich and powerful?” This sounds like the stuff of mediocre sci-fi fare, and it is.

Eddie (The Hangover pretty boy Bradley Cooper) is a writer who has secured a book deal but hasn’t written a word in months. His girlfriend (Abbie Cornish), tired of waiting for Ed to get himself together, dumps him after she lands a lucrative job as an editor at a big New York City magazine. (Two writers earning a living wage in New York City: Now that’s science fiction.) Eddie ends up in possession of a little pill that unlocks the user’s full mental potential, allowing him to crank out his novel in a matter of days and rapidly work his way up the ranks in Wall Street. Of course, the pill comes with some undesirable side effects and Eddie’s skyrocket to fame draws some unwanted attention from some bad dudes.

Limitless director Neil Burger (unfortunately of no relation to sweaty oddball comedian Neil Hamburger) also directed The Illusionist, but where Burger’s period piece was slow and soft, Limitless is brisk and punctuated with visual parlor tricks (e.g., nauseating infinite zooms down New York streets, numbers raining from the ceiling, upside down shots and colors that heat to a high-contrast when characters pop pills and slur back to a slummy gray as reality returns). 

Things get messy with some silly moments, awful and unnecessary narration and poorly fleshed out characters—we’re never shown why we should give a damn about Eddie, who uses the brain-enhancing drug for his own selfish gain and may actually be a murderer. But, despite the generic “techno thriller” plot and characters, Limitless doesn’t completely tank thanks to the impossible likability of Cooper, who I so desperately want to despise but cannot.

Limitless never feels dull, but it also never delivers any truly thrilling moments. In the end, it proves to be a cautionary tale that cautions nothing and offers little to warrant praise or outright condemnation.

--Eric Pulsifer


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SXSW Review: Senna

3/13/2011

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Senna
My exposure to the world of motor sports started with Pole Position—an arcade game I dumped quarters into at my local Griff’s Burgers as a kid. My understating of the sport hasn’t evolved much since. Despite, or perhaps because of, my extreme ignorance of Formula 1 racing, I was captivated by Senna. 

Senna is a documentary about legendary Brazilian racer Ayrton Senna, considered by many to be the greatest driver of all time. I went into Senna feeling skeptical, thinking a documentary about an icon from a sport I had little interest in or knowledge of seemed like a dull way to spend a sunny Saturday morning: I was wrong. 

Director Asif Kapadia says his background is in drama and it shows. A blazing fast film constructed entirely of archival footage—no talking heads or hand-holding narration to be found--Senna follows Senna from his beginnings in cart racing through a drama-filled series of world championships in Formula 1. A more likable hero is hard to find than the humble and charming Senna, and as we experience the highs and lows of his decade long career, it’s easy to see why he is still so admired in the racing world. Senna is an adrenaline-packed, edge-of-your seat race from start to finish filled with moments of ecstatic inspiration and crushing heartbreak. Kapadia captures the infuriating politics behind the sport and expertly crafts villains out of Senna’s opponents.

Senna, which may sadly never get a proper theatrical distribution in the U.S., will be shown again at the Paramount Theatre on Thursday, March 17 at 7:15 p.m.

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South By Southwest Films You Should See

3/11/2011

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SXSW Film
South By is here; South By is here! Can you feel it in the air, folks? That little film (and, okay, music) festival is upon us, and we haven’t forgotten about you. What films should you check out this upcoming week? We’ll tell you what we’re planning on checking out.

The Beaver
This is a no-brainer. Mel Gibson in his latest controversial role? Done and done. The film is about a man who can’t seem to get himself back on track…until a beaver hand puppet enters his life. Plus it’s directed by Jodie Foster!

Source Code
We looooooved Duncan Jones’ first film, Moon, so we cannot wait to see what David Bowie’s offspring brings us next. Starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Source Code is the story of a soldier who crosses over into another man’s identify for 8 minutes in order to find a bomber of a Chicago train.

Super
James Gunn takes a look at “self-reflexive” superheroes in this dark comedy that stars Rainn Wilson, Ellen Page, Live Tyler, and Kevin Bacon.

Beginners
Starring Ewan McGregor, Melanie Laurent, and Christopher Plummer, this film touches on new love, adult parents, and coming out of the closet at 75.

Girl Walks Into a Bar
This is being billed as a “sharp-witted comedy” that follows a group of strangers in interlocking stories through 10 different bars during one night in LA. Plus it’s got Danny DeVito!

A Bag of Hammers
Another “offbeat comedy,” this film follows two misfit best friends who refuse to grow up until they find an abandoned child.

Yelling to the Sky
This sounds like this year’s Precious, and it’s even got Gabourey Sidibe in it! Seventeen-year-old Sweetness is left to fend for herself in her neighborhood where survival is uncertain.

Fuck My Life
This Chilean film explores how love in the times of Facebook is worse than love in the times of cholera. (Oh so true!)

The Dish & The Spoon
Starring festival favorite Greta Gerwig, this film is the story of one wife’s unexpected bond with a teenager after discovering her husband’s affair.

blacktino
“Sad, fat, black, Latino, nerd. It doesn't get any worse than that.”

The Future
Miranda July’s follow-up film tells the story of a couple who, upon adopting a cat, change the course of their relationship.

Hesher
With his love of loud music, porn, and pyromania, Hesher shakes up the lives of a boy and his dad grieving from loss. Bonus: recent Oscar winner Natalie Portman costars.

Buck
This documentary tells the true story of horse whisperer cowboy. Again: a cowboy horse whisperer.  Yes.

The Greatest Movie Ever Sold
Morgan Spurlock explores the world of product placement, marketing, and advertising.

Terri
A film about a big kid in a small town with John C. Reilly that is being pegged at “moving and funny.”

There you go! That’s merely a smattering, a SMATTERING, of the incredible films screening at South By Southwest. We seriously have our work cut out for us.

Check out the entire SXSW Film schedule and lineup.

--Darcie Duttweiler

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