I’m super excited about Mission: Impossible coming back. The first movie is in my list of top 10 movies and I’m a sucker for Tom Cruise as Ethan Hunt (and I often quote, “you’ve never seen me ‘very upset.’”). In an amazing feat the limited release of the movie in IMAX (starting Dec 16th) made it the 3rd most popular movie this weekend in the box office. Check out showtimes in your area and “Like” IMAX on Facebook for some behind the scenes featurettes about MI:Ghost Protocol and more info about great IMAX movies: http://www.facebook.com/IMAX.

The Killer Elite opens 9/23. Buy tickets now on Fandango.com.

Find out more about The Killer Elite at killerelite.com

I went to see “The Killer Elite” last week at a special press screening and I have to say I was blown away. I’m not normally one for assassin vs. assassin movies, but “The Killer Elite” is more than just your typical violence for the sake of violence film – it’s actually a real interesting story about trained assassins, government corruption and the role the West has played in the Middle East. Entirely relevant for the current culture and political times today.

Both myself and Lisa, who came along, walked out after seeing it surprised at how much we really enjoyed the film because, at the end of the day, it told a compelling, redemptive story. Added bonus? Yvonne Strahovski (Sarah Walker from Chuck) plays the romantic lead.

Synopsis:

“Based on a shocking true story, Killer Elite pits two of the world’s most elite operatives – Danny, an ex-special ops agent (Jason Statham) and Hunter, his longtime mentor (Robert De Niro) – against the cunning leader of a secret military society (Clive Owen).  Covering the globe from Australia to Paris, London and the Middle East, Danny and Hunter are plunged into a highly dangerous game of cat and mouse — where the predators become the prey.”

Non-Spoilery Verdict:

Come for the explosions, car chases, stellar cast and leave with a compelling story.

Jason Statham does what he does best in this role: he plays the hard on the outside, teddy bear on the inside lead. As Danny he gets to really play with the tortured soul who is pulled back into the assasian business because of his friend. Robert DeNiro gets to play an excellent role as a foil for Jason’s character adding to every scene he’s in without having to outshine the rest of the cast. Yvonne gets to play a good Australian country girl, and even though her role is smaller than the male leads, she really lights up the screen at every turn. I was pleasantly surprised that her character wasn’t as flat as I had anticipated she might be in this very male genre film.

Clive Owen is masterful and gripping in his role. Of the three male leads I really believed his character most of all.

At the beginning the movie did feel more like an independent film (long, non-actiony type shots), but the action picked up and left me interested through out. There were a couple unexpected turns that the movie made that I wasn’t expecting and the overall message was redemption is possible and who you were does not have to define who you become.

Downsides to the movie (for me) was it was rated R for language (brief nudity) and violence (though the violence wasn’t as bad as I thought it may be).

This is a really great movie based on a non-fiction book The Feather Men and I recommend you go see it for yourself.

A while back, Smart Pop Books announced a Dollhouse essay contest. This is my submission, which failed to make the minimum requirement of 3,000 words. The following is a half-joking comparison between Spy in the House of Love, and the 1992 crime film, Reservoir Dogs. Contains spoilers for both properties, of course.

Reservoir Dolls: An Analysis on Spy in the House of Love.
by John Pavlich

In the ninth episode from Dollhouse’s first season, a mole is suspected amidst the big boss’s codenamed crew. While said boss is away, the employees point fingers and accuse each other. Meanwhile, and undercover agent reveals their disguise to someone they care about, a character dies (sort of) and someone gets shot in the stomach. This story is told from the alternating perspectives of a few different characters, complete with title cards announcing their given names.

Sound familiar? It should. It’s more or less the synopsis behind Quentin Tarantino’s cult-classic debut film, Reservoir Dogs. In that independent crime-thriller from 1992, a group of color-titled men hideout in a warehouse after an attempted diamond heist goes awry. While awaiting the return of their employer, the surviving “Dogs” turn on each other in an effort to figure out the identity of the one that tripped them up, someone who they believe walks among them. The narrative back tracks to show us the lives of a few separate characters leading up to the event in question, each with their own namesake chapter heading.

What does one have to do with the other? Why compare Reservoir Dogs with Dollhouse? Why not the Wizard of Oz with Dollhouse? What’s that smell? Why am I still single? Some of these questions will be answered below, as we dig a little deeper into this Dollhouse episode, and take a look at just how far the similarities go, character to character.

Adelle DeWitt:
Essentially the Joe Cabot of the piece. Adelle calls the shots. She refers to the Dolls/Dogs by their pre-selected codenames and sends them out on different assignments, which can sometimes include an actual heist or two. She’s even known to have a number of Actives spread out over separate engagements, concurrently. Just like Joe, Adelle keeps Whiskey near by, ready to hand out to anyone in need. This is not only a reference to Amy Acker’s “Doctor” character, but to the actual alcohol she has in her office. Also, she can be on the mannish side at times, but I’m stretching at this point. We didn’t see Joe’s side-story during his absence in Reservoir Dogs, but unless he too was on a secret play date with a prostitute, the similarities end there. Adelle could also be seen as Mr. Orange, since she operates under her own secret agenda and gets a bullet in the abdomen, but I digress.

Mellie:
This character only mildly fits into this equation, in the Freddy Newandyke/Mr. Orange role, when he reluctantly informs his friend Mr. White that he is not who he claimed to be, upsetting him. Similarly, Mellie reveals herself to be a Doll, a product of the Dollhouse, which is the very institution Special Agent Paul Ballard is fighting against. This news does not go over well.

Paul Ballard:
Which brings us to Paul, naturally. He assumes the Larry Dimmick/Mr. White part. Paul has utter disdain for and fear of Dolls. So, when the woman he’s been caring for and confiding in all this time turns out to be one, he is mortified and upset, feeling the utmost betrayed and manipulated. In Quentin’s film, the fan base likes to hypothesize about potential homosexuality between Freddy and Larry. However, while we do know for a fact that Paul and Mellie have had sex, even after her revelation (albeit rough, angry hate sex), it’s probably safe to assume that the two friends in “Dogs” just shared a cigarette, at most.

Alpha:
Sadly, he’s not in this episode, but Alpha is clearly Mr. Blonde/Vic Vega. Actor, Alan Tudyk even has Blonde hair. Moving on.

Topher Brink:
For all intents and purposes, Topher is not much more here than “Nice Guy” Eddie Cabot. It could be simply argued that Adelle regards him within a similar, Parent-Child relationship but there’s more. In the vein of Nice Guy Eddie, Topher spends much of his time on the phone to his boss, trying to accommodate his associates and assess problems as they occur. Perhaps it would be more fitting (read: funny) to just say he’s the obnoxious, selfish weasel Mr. Pink and be done with it.

Claire Saunders:
In Reservoir Dogs, after Mr. White pleads for Mr. Orange to receive medical care, Nice Guy Eddie finally barks, “Alright, Mr. F***ing Compassion! I will call somebody!”. By the end of the film, he shows back up with a Doctor’s bag, presumably ready to perform any necessary surgery himself. In that rough, thin way, Claire Saunders is totally Nice Guy Eddie. All he needs is a lab coat. And facial scars. And breasts. And a Uterus.

Victor:
Nope. I got nothin’. Crap, and things were going well, too.

Boyd Langton:
See above. Although, Boyd could be seen as a combination of Mr. White and Mr. Orange. On the one hand, he has a friendship with Echo, and Topher (arguably). On the other hand, both he and Freddy have ties to the police force. On the other hand (yes, this freak has multiple appendages and I thank you for not making a thing of it! Okay?!), similar to Mr. White, Boyd also has a shady past that’s less than wholesome.

Sierra:
This Active is mostly regulated to a kind of side plot, what’s known as a “B Story”. However, she does provide valuable information and tools that help the Hero to better complete their task and save the day. In that sense, Sierra is Officer Holdaway from Reservoir Dogs. He coaches Freddy on how to be a more convincing mole (or “rat”, to coin the film), and even provides Freddy with a phony story about a drug deal gone bad. This allows the young cop to endear himself to his fellow criminals, earning their trust and respect.

Lawrence Dominic:
Though the character is a lot like Mr. Orange, in that he is essentially an Officer of the law who is revealed to be a spy, infiltrating the operation he’s in bed with, Dominic is also quite like Marvin Nash. That unfortunate soul was beaten up and killed. The same thing more or less happens to Adelle’s Head of Security here. He gets in a fight with Echo, is interrogated for information and is essentially “killed” by way of a trip to The Attic.

Echo:
Given the very nature of her character and her condition, Echo is harder to pin down in this little exercise. At any given moment, she is all of these characters, and none of them. I suppose she could also be seen as Mr. Orange, but that’s mostly from an obvious, surface-level Protagonist/Main Character standpoint, which doesn’t hold much weight, if any. Basically, this one doesn’t really fit. Skip to the end.

Outside of character-specific parallels, both properties share some of the same themes. The characters in Dollhouse are consistently assuming identities and roles that are not of their original selves. So does Reservoir Dogs. Though we spend roughly 90 minutes with these theiving criminals, we only get to know so much about them, most of it completely fabricated. At least in Dollhouse, we learn some of the Actives’ birth names. Only three of the “Dogs” provide us with such privledged information. Both titles also raise questions of trust and loyalty, some characters unsure of where their allegences may lay.

There are many contrasts to debunk this wild idea, of course. In Reservoir Dogs, save for a couple of extras and day players, the entire cast is comprised of men. While the Dolls do walk around in virtually the same outfits, Tarantino’s story would be hard to take seriously if his cast were all wearing pajamas, not suits and ties. Dollhouse is a television series dealing in mind wipes and brain-mapping. Reservoir Dogs? Not so much. It’s more concerned with vulgar language, Mexican Standoffs, tough guy machismo and paying tribute to Vincent Van Gogh. Not to mention, the film has a great soundtrack album, featuring several classic tracks from the 1970s’ and the great, monotone voice of Comedian, Steven Wright. The day an official soundtrack album is released for Dollhouse, I’ll eat… something edible and made of food.

It’s not a perfect metaphor, but there is enough here, especially within the aesthetics of the piece to suggest that Writer, Andrew Chambliss and Director, David Solomon knew what they were doing. Some of the similarities are too strong for this Dollhouse episode to be just a coincidence, written off as a passing resemblance to what is considered by Empire Magazine to be the “Greatest Independent Film of all Time”.*

I mean, come on! The song “Little Green Bag” is so obviously a reference to the tea packages from Adelle’s mysterious, “Green Tea Pot of Doom!” It practically writes itself, except that it didn’t. I wrote it. Unless it sucked. Maybe if Dollhouse had more Steven Wright and more cow bell, it might still be on the air today.

*http://www.filmsite.org/independentfilms3.html

In conjunction with G.I. Joe coming to theaters soon, 4 premium lenticular Slurpee® cups produced by IGH Solutions are coming to 7-Eleven®. The cup’s new lenticular printing technology allows it to capture a full-motion video clip on the cup’s label.

Each collectible Slurpee cup (available this month at 7-Eleven stores while supplies last) features one of four characters — heroes Duke and Snake Eyes and anti-heroes Storm Shadow and Baroness — with each character appearing fully animated as a result of a new lenticular printing technology patented by IGH Solutions.

Since its release more than 40 years ago, G.I. Joe has been one of the most sought-after collectible toys for generations of kids (and adults). For the first time, collectors can own a mini-scene of animated film footage captured on a cup. The full-motion video effect is capable of capturing up to 24 frames of animation.

“The entertainment industry loves this printing technology for its ability to mimic sophisticated film imagery on movie merchandise,” said Ed Dedman, product manager for drinkware at IGH Solutions. “Retailers love it because it drives collectors into their stores and generates buzz in the action film merchandise blogosphere. We believe these one-second action-scenes enhance the collectability of these G.I. Joe Slurpee cups.”

Source.

Want to catch up on Transformers before you go see the sequel? Buy Transformers on DVD or purchase the original cartoon as Transformers: The Complete First Season (25th Anniversary Edition) on Amazon.

I went and saw Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen yesterday. It wasn’t bad – all in all I’d give it… maybe… a three-star rating out of five. Maybe. By now, it’s made its money back. The last time I checked it was at 201M USD and climbing. Second biggest blockbuster opening in history – second only to Dark Knight. The movie itself is about what you’d expect if you’ve seen either, A) the first Transformers movie, or B) anything else by director Michael Bay. The story continues with Sam, the slightly goofy, every-teen hero, and his life after the first adventure – where he discovers an alien race, helps save the world, and gets the girl. And since the first movie was also a Michael Bay movie, the aliens are visual-complicated CG robots, saving the world involves a lot of stuff blowing up, and the girl is incredibly hot.

Fast forward to post-high school. Sam decides to leave home and head east. Leaving behind the robots, stuff blowing up, and Mikaela. For what? 40,000 a year in tuition, his dad would say. But really – he wants to distance himself from all the baggage of the past – while not making a break with his girlfriend, who – according to his mother, talking under the influence… well, we’ll say that Sam and Mikaela are on ‘good terms’. Which is odd. And selfish. This sets the tone for Sam in this movie.

But wait – there’s pathos! There is something of a story in between explosions. There is supposed to be (I think) character development for Sam involving sacrifice – I won’t get too spoilery if you’re one of the handful of people who haven’t forked over their money yet. And there’s even a tiny, incremental advancement of the Mikaela and Sam love story. But if you’re looking for a Story, this is not the movie for you. If you want special effects – well, Roll Up! Roll Up! The next show starts in just a few minutes! And don’t forget to stop by the concession stand for your corn and soda!

The good bits are okay. Enough to satisfy the thirteen year old (possibly a potential pyromaniac) boy in all of us. There are very nice CG effects; stuff blowing up right, left and center; and lots of very cool military equipment. The acting really isn’t bad either. John Turturro is always funny when its called for and in this he’s still over the top with the secret agent attitude.

The bad bits are numerous. They fall into two basic categories: the gaffs – everything from geography to continuity errors, to the really, really, unnecessary – hood-rat Chevys, supposedly intelligent robots humping things, John Turturro’s ass… yeah, still shuddering over that one. The gaffs are way too numerous to list here – go to IMDB for a full list (there are quite a few), but my favorites start with placing Petra near the Pyramids (they’re really about 260 miles and two countries apart and yes, I looked it up on Google Earth) and the fact that NEST – the new multi-national (US and UK, that is) can air drop combat teams anywhere in the world without prior permission and about a million miles of red tape.

The overdone has got to be the juvenile humor – enough already – fart jokes? Please. And if I want to watch Chihuahuas humping – wait, no, I don’t want to see any Chihuahua action. And stereotyping – really, hoodrat Autobots? Talking like Vince Vaughn in Be Cool… with gold teeth? Again, Please! And a geriatric Decepticon with a crutch? Why? And then, there’s the fight scenes. The CG is rendered so that you can’t tell who’s who in the close-ups and the violence is definitely gratuitous – they’re robots sure, but we’re supposed to be empathizing with the good robots, which means the robots are people-like, right? So how does that figure with Mikeala cheerfully offering to mutilate one of the minor bad guys to get information or the fact that one of them gets a gel covered “spine” ripped out? A little overkill, maybe.

The definitely underdone falls mainly in the story and dialog areas – one review that I read said that they could have replaced Megan Fox with a cardboard cutout and been just fine. I’d agree – unfortunately, she’s mostly there to look good. There are some good lines from just about everyone, but there just isn’t enough from anyone to really satisfy, beyond the want of one-liners.

All in all the reviews were mixed from the middling:

“With machines that are impressively more lifelike, and characters that are more and more like machines, “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen” takes the franchise to a vastly superior level of artificial intelligence. As for human intelligence, it’s primarily at the service of an enhanced arsenal of special effects, which helmer Michael Bay deploys like a general launching his very own shock-and-awe campaign on the senses.” (Jordan Mintzer, Variety)

to the extremely negative:

“I just saw the most expensive porn movie in the world, and my brain is still fiercely vomiting in my skull.” (iorxhscimtor, posting 6/23/09 in IMDB.com user comments for ROTF )

(By the way – if you really want some entertainment, go read the user comments on The Onion’s AV Club review).

All in all, if you have the eight bucks burning a hole in your pocket, go and see it. But don’t expect Becket. Otherwise wait until it hits your local Red Box or Netflix and rent it – you really aren’t missing much.