Unknown (2011)

Did you enjoy 2008's Taken with Liam Neeson? If so you probably thought Unknown would be of a similar caliber - slightly ludicrous but so full of action and badassery therefore unforgettably great. Liam Neeson is a total badass as usual, but the story had too many plot twists to make it enjoyable. Too much of a 'Hitchcock' flavor and no one can do Hitchcock but Hitchcock. I did immensely enjoy Bruno Ganz's character Jurgen however. I didn't realize until the film was finished that I had seen him in Wings of Desire a few months ago so seeing him again, older but still brilliant was so amazing. It reminded me of Edge of Darkness - it could have been really cool if not for the tiring absurdity, yet with the addition of certain memorable characters it wasn't a complete waste...

I Am (2011)

'I Am' is a documentary (well, more like personal non-fiction film) by Tom Shadyac, director of such screwball comedies as Ace Ventura, Liar Liar, and more recently Bruce/Evan Almighty. After he suffered a personal crisis, Shadyac asked two questions: 'What is wrong with the world? and What can we do to fix it?' Shadyac went on to sell his multi-million dollar homes and most of his belongings, realizing that money was not making him happy. He set up interviews with world leaders, scientists, philosophers and poets to discuss the human race and its tendencies and how basically love is the answer to healing the world. Or something like that. The message gets a bit muddled when interspersed with Shadyac's own story, which isn't AS compelling as the anecdotes presented. The film is cheesy and feel-good at times, but a nice perspective of one man's now-changed views and ideals. On a production note, it is very impressive that the feature was made with only four people, and some of the insight given was incredibly thought-provoking.

Cedar Rapids (2011)

Cedar Rapids is very much a 'love letter to midwestern insurance.' The story centers around Tim Lippe, played by Ed Helms, an insurance salesman from Wisconsin, who has never left his hometown, is 'pre-engaged' (his own words) to his former third grade teacher, and plays everything in his day-to-day life by the book. He is sent to 'metropolitan' Cedar Rapids, Iowa as a representative for his company at the annual Cedar Rapids Insurance Convention where he experiences life and perspective-changing adventures. He meets and befriends several other insurance agents played by Isaiah Whitlock Jr., John C. Reilly and Anne Heche, who all show him how to push his boundaries a little and enjoy life, and as he grows he begins to shed some of his naivete yet still act upon his principles.

Something I enjoyed about the film was that it didn't play to the cliches of Midwestern culture. The characters were very well delineated, and the actors portraying them were all fantastic as well. Director Miguel Arteta (Youth In Revolt, The Good Girl, Chuck & Buck, The Office), said he finds something beautiful in the instance of meeting someone who afterward will always be your friend, and emphasized his fascination with films of people who are extremely damaged and then somehow learn to confront their problems and make themselves better. The film is, as far as I know, honest, poignant and straightforward, but manages to be funny and enjoyable too on top of all that.

Sanctum (2011)

'Sanctum' is an independent Australian film that was funded by Americans, bought by Universal Pictures and of course, executively produced by (who else?) James Cameron. Based on a real-life underwater cave-diving incident experienced by writer/producer Andrew Wight, it's a fairly typical throwback to the high-stakes adventure drama, where inevitably a crew of cave divers, some highly experienced, others fledglings, get blocked in by the water flooding the caves from a freak storm, and so the only way out of the cave is to dive deeper, 'following the river' until it leads out to the ocean. With lots of melodrama and crappy dialogue the film is rather mundane, but it is a sight to see for the underwater camerawork. I am being a little unfair as I'm tired but determined to finish writing this out, so I'll attempt it again. For the first half of the film I couldn't stand the characters - the 17 year-old main character Josh (played by Rhys Wakefield) first appears having run away from the Esa Ala cave system to escape his cold, overbearing 'cave-manic' father Frank (Richard Roxburgh), to meet up with the financier of the expedition Carl (Ioan Gruffudd) who left the expedition partway to bring his girlfriend Victoria (Alice Parkinson) back from the States. The stereotype of the pompous, arrogant, self-entitled American businessman is deeply overplayed and was actually distracting. But anyway, I felt myself not caring about the any of the characters' predicament once they found themselves trapped in the cave. Only when Frank's nature as a caver (caver?) really began to show did the film begin to redeem itself a bit. Be warned, some of the scenes get claustrophobic (especially in 3D) there's some grisly deaths and some language. At one point I ripped off my 3D glasses, put my fingers in my ears and shut my eyes, but otherwise it wasn't too bad. The director, Alister Grierson came off as a really cool guy, and was self-admittedly a little nervous in front of our large class (cute!) and it was apparent he was very passionate and involved in the entire production. It's funny because, since I liked him, I hated the film a little bit less. Sanctum releases in Australia Feb. 3rd and in the U.S. Feb. 4th.