garyvanhorn

Limitless is one of those movies I was really interested to see, until I read the synopsis. Wow a pill that allows you to use 100% of your brain.....LAME! It was with some hesitation that I rented the film but the next two hours I was entranced by a movie that is impeccable. Everything about the film sings, the characters, the acting, the plot all expertly crafted, guiding the audience through an incredible rags-to-riches story that is far more entertaining than the cliché might seem.

Eddie Mora ( Bradley Cooper) is a writer, well he wants to be one anyway. He has a book deal but just can't seem to get over his writer's block, or organize his apartment, or pay the rent, or keep his girlfriend, or do anything else constructive with his life. He's not a total failure but is one step away from becoming one. All of that changes when he bumps into his shady ex-brother-in-law (Johnny Whitworth) who happens to have the answer to all his creative problems. When Mora takes one little pill, everything changes. His thoughts become clearer, everything he ever half-read is remembered, cataloged, and ready for use in his now perfectly running mind. He becomes motivated, he knows what to do and how to do it, the possibilities for him become Limitless, especially after he joins forces with energy mogul Carl Van Loon (Robert De Niro).

I know, I know, it still sounds lame, but trust me, it isn't. Much like Zodiac (not The Zodiac which sucks big time) Limitless is a great film, mostly because it is made so well made, which elevates the subject matter to a whole other level. The drug isn't perfect, Eddie Mora's life becomes filled with intrigue, danger, mystery and murder and his newly found intelligence is both the cause and the cure. Check out Limitless, you won't regret it.

Rango is one of the best animated features I have ever seen. Johnny Depp is stellar as the naive and eccentric chameleon that is lost in the desert and trying to find himself. The animation is second to none, at times it seems completely real, an amazing feat considering the characters are all anthropomorphic animals. The characters, the voice acting, the story; everything falls together perfectly to create a wonderful film.

Rango (Johnny Depp) is starving artist chameleon, always performing for an audience of one (himself) in his safe, yet boring, fish tank. He has no real idea who he is or what his purpose in life should be. His life is turned upside down when an accident leaves him stranded in the middle of the desert where he meets a cast of crazy spaghetti western characters in the frontier town of Dirt. Dirt is a rough and tumble town that is facing a drought and a series of quirky misadventures leads to Rango becoming the new sheriff. Of course there are outlaws to be captured, corrupt officials to be stopped, and a woman to win, all staples of the romantic American western.

The creative energies that were obviously poured into the film really pay off, Rango is funny, polished, and vastly entertaining. There is enough silliness to keep children interested, yet there is always a serious overtone that keeps adults engaged and the plot moving along. Don't let the fact that Nickelodeon was involved, this isn't your average kid's movie, it's much, much more.

I must admit that I am an avid fan of the Captain America comic book series and as such I was eager to see the big budget cinematic adaptation of my favorite super hero. I must also admit that I was a tad let down by the movie, but only because I am so intimately familiar with the character and history of Captain America and was hoping for a few things that just weren't in the film. That being said, Captain America is still a very good movie and is well worth the price of admission.

Chris Evans isn't stellar as Captain America, but his is fantastic in his role as Steve Rogers, the scrawny kid that is all heart. The movie spends a great deal of time establishing and developing Steve Rogers but is a little lacking in the establishment of Captain America as a total bad-ass. That's just me nitpicking a bit, I really wanted to see Captain America wade through legions of German lackeys and take them out with impressive, Matrix-style martial arts moves. There is a bit of that but not to the degree I was hoping for. I also wanted to see Captain America in training, developing his fighting and tactical skills to superhuman levels, instead there was on-the-job training. It worked and the fact that Captain America is truly heroic is evident, I just wanted some Batman Begins training to hone and solidify that fact.

When it is all said and done Captain America is a fine movie with a good lead actor and a stellar supporting cast. Tommy Lee Jones is great as the gruff Army Colonel, Stanley Tucci is brilliant as the fatherly Dr. Abraham Erskine, and Dominic Cooper delights as Howard Stark, father of Tony Stark, a.k.a Iron Man. Captain America is funny when it needs to be, action packed where it can be, and grounded throughout. Oh, and stay through the end credits, The Avengers looks like it will totally rule!