21

21 is a caper flick with routine, style, and young talented stars. It’s the Ocean’s 11 for the young generation. Jim Sturgess is a young British star on the rise with performances in Across the Universe and The Other Boleyn Girl, and he’s very talented. But this cements his appeal, he gives the best performance in the film, even against Kevin Spacey.

Ben Campbell is a brilliant young MIT student who aspires to get into Harvard Medical School, but he simply doesn’t have the money. But when his professor teaches him card counting and adds him to the MIT blackjack team – they go to Vegas every weekend and make millions. Ben begins a romance with fellow card-counter Jill, and becomes consumed by the money he makes. But when he is betrayed and beaten, he loses everything and must make a huge comeback.

Can he?

Jim Sturgess is one of the best new actors out there, and with the exceptional cast everywhere else and the witty script it is the most entertaining movie so far this year. But it doesn’t come without flaws. The characters are made of cardboard generally, and many stereotypes are used. And with the giant double-cross at the end, it just never convinces at times.

Overall, great popcorn-flick with a good cast and script, just unrealistic. B+

Drillbit Taylor

Owen Wilson is a homeless bodyguard in the teen comedy Drillbit Taylor. Three high-school losers are consistently and relentlessly picked on by local bullies, so they decide to hire a low-pay bodyguard. His name is Drillbit Taylor and he’s actually a homeless man posing as a marine, and there’s your plot. The thought of bullies is kind of outdated, and many moral choices made here are just really stupid. It’s really kind of a disappointment, and Owen Wilson doesn’t ever seem like he enjoys the material.

Some moments though, show what it could have been, such as the end fight scene and a face-off with a bully and his future prey that brought down the house…Unfortunately, the plot and pacing were just too amateur and inconsistent to really get into it… C

Jumper

Hayden Christensen has the ability to teleport on a whim in the sci-fi thriller Jumper. The concept is interesting, and it is used quite well. Unfortunately, not much else is coherent or interesting, and it all feels like it’s the first chapter of a book…

David Rice has an ability to teleport anywhere in the world, where ever he wants, whenever he wants. He is called a Jumper because of this, and hides this ability from everyone. At age 21, he lives a life of luxury, but soon he is tracked down and ambushed by a group determined to extinguish all Jumpers…David realizes he is not the only Jumper, and must fight to save himself – and his high-school-crush.

Many scenes in this global-spanning film were actually filmed in my home-town, Ann Arbor, so it felt rather nostalgic, seeing many familiar places on film. And in all actuality, the best part is the explosions and special effects. Not the acting, although Samuel L. Jackson breathes life into a cardboard character. But, all in all, its cheap, action-packed entertainment.

Good for a rental, but don’t see it. C-

Step Up 2: The Streets

One character in this film sums up this series: "This ain't no High School Musical!" Yes, for the teens who have outgrown High School Musical, this series is perfect. It's much more edgy, the soundtrack is very hip-hop oriented, and the dance moves are excellent. But there's a problem, and this is also the failing of High School Musical. It's way too predictable.

Andie is a talented street dancer, part of a dance crew known for local vandalism. But when Andie takes it too far, she is sent to the Maryland School of the Arts. There she participates in a dance club, and there's some great dancers. Andie decides to form her own crew, but after a lackluster performance, can she overcome these odds?

I know, it sounds corny just typing that. But believe me when I say that these dance moves are simply mind-blowing, and I've used one or two at school dances recently. But the plot is paper-thin, the acting mediocre, and every twist anticipated. C

Cloverfield

I'll sum this up: Cloverfield is the defining monster movie of our generation. No "It's alive!". No "It came from Mars!". Just presented as a home video from someone's video camera, it details an attack on New York City, but from a fresh, new storytelling technique. And an unhappy ending. No walk into the sunset, just a realistic end.

The plot...Uh, well, there's this ticked-off monster, who comes out of the ocean, and a group must survive amid ALOT of destruction in NYC. Like the Statue of Liberty's severed head tossed at the streets, and almost to cement the public zeitgeist, people immediately start taking pictures with their cell-phones. It's one of many allusions to 9/11, subtle yet uncompromising.

It's a truly different experience, and with very jerky camerawork. But that's what makes Cloverfield tick. Because of it's realism, it's authenticity. This feels like a credible home video, amid some very cool special effects. And thus I close with what I opened. This is the defining monster movie of our generation. A