Looper

In 2004, an unknown writer/director named Shane Carruth made a film about time travel named Primer. I was one of the, I can only imagine, few people who saw this film in the theater. I was thoroughly blown away. I have probably seen it, literally, a dozen times since, and it still never ceases to amaze me. I never thought anyone would release another time travel movie, at least not this soon, that would meet or surpass it, but Rian Johnson has done just that, with his new film Looper.

Looper tells the story of Joe (played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt), an assassin who kills targets that are sent back in time from the future. The logic is, in the future, everyone is so easily trackable, that it is impossible to kill someone without the police knowing it, and being able to easily identify the killer. Therefore, the mob sends the target back in time, where they can no longer be tracked, and has someone like Joe kill them in the past. When Joe's next target is his future self (played by Bruce Willis), though, things become much more complicated.

I don't want to say too much, as I feel like this film could be easily spoiled. I will say, though, that I loved it. Not surprising, though, as Johnson's previous films have all been fantastic. Johnson's dystopian "present", which is our future, feels like something that could genuinely happen thirty or so years from now. Gordon-Levitt and Willis's back and forth is great. They are, genuinely, cut from the same cloth as characters, and you can see the youthful impetuousness in Joe and the aged wisdom (and desperation) in Willis.

To be honest, the make up prosthetics that Gordon-Levitt wears always bugged me in the trailers, but, as I was watching the film, I definitely got used to it.

Your Sisters Sister

Lynn Shelton is one of the best filmmakers to come out of the last decade (no, I will not use the "M" word), and she returns to the big screen with her newest film Your Sisters Sister, starring Mark Duplass, Emily Blunt, and Rosemarie DeWitt. Duplass plays Jack, a man still reeling from the death of his brother, who is invited up to a family cabin for some "alone" time by best friend Iris (Emily Blunt). When he gets there, he finds Iris's half sister, Hannah (Rosemarie DeWitt), and, after blasting through a bottle of tequila together, inhibitions loosen (and, apparently orientations, as Hannah is a lesbian), and Jack and Hannah end up in a compromising situation, which they spend part of the film trying to hide from Iris.

Your Sisters Sister builds on the small group dynamics that Shelton seems to be working on in all of her films (most of them have no more than three main characters), and it feel like she has really come into her own on this one. It comes off as a well crafted, relatively subtle, portrayal of love (both familial and romantic), loss, and loneliness. She really could not have chosen three better actors to play the roles. This is, in my opinion, a must see.

The Adjustment Bureau

The Adjustment Bureau stars Matt Damon as a politician running for a state senate seat in New York. When he meets Elise, a ballet dancer played by Emily Blunt, he immediately falls in love, but strange (and very well dressed) men threaten him with his life, and hers, if he pursues her.

I really enjoyed this film. Damon has really grown into the respectable leading man, from his earlier "pretty boy" career, but the pretty boy in him helps a little bit in this role. He becomes totally believable as this, almost, Kennedy-esque political figure - Young, attractive, knowledgeable, and a power for the people. And Blunt? Well, it's Emily Blunt. She's pretty much going to be awesome in anything she does. The fact, though, that she does her own ballet dancing in the film is impressive, though Natalie Portman still wins, between the two, as her dancing in Black Swan was much more complex. Regardless, Emily Blunt. Awesome. And Anthony Mackie - Where has this guy been? I remember seeing him in some things here and there a while back, and really liking him, but I feel like I haven't seen him in a while. I like him as an actor, and hope his role in this film guarantees him a lot more work soon. John Slattery and Terence Stamp are great, as well, as these sort of fixer characters.

There aren't any game changing effects or crazy plot twists, but I think that's what I like about it. Some of the things that happen in it are supernatural enough without having to go into Shyamalan territory. The film feels like a well written Twilight Zone episode, just in a feature length format. And, yes, it does make you fall in love with New York all over again.