Tom Cruise stars in an innovative, thought-provoking, and often brilliant science fiction thriller that stands as one of the genre’s most satisfying entries of the 21st century. The movie I speak of is 2002’s Minority Report. However, this is my review of Cruise’s new sci-fi thriller Oblivion.

This is Tron: Legacy director Joseph Kosinski’s second feature and he certainly succeeds at making Oblivion a visually pleasing experience. The film is set in 2077 with Cruise as Jack Harper, a drone repairman stationed on Earth fifty years after a cataclysmic event made the planet uninhabitable. When not repairing those pesky drones, he also must contend with the Scavs, aliens who invaded the planet. He is teamed with Victoria (Andrea Riseborough in a good performance) on his mission, who also serves as his love interest. They are in the final days of their assignment and are scheduled to go to Titan, a colony with survivors that was established after the terrible Earth events. Harper is plagued by dreams that he believes are from his past life (all Earthlings had their memories wiped clean) and he often visualizes the same mystery woman, played by Olga Kurylenko. You’ll likely remember this actress as the main Bond gal in Quantum of Solace.

These dreams lead Harper to some startling discoveries that lead him to question all the events which have occurred over the past fifty years. This includes meeting not only that mystery woman, but also a team of Earth dwellers led by Morgan Freeman.

It’s pretty much impossible to further describe the plot of Oblivion without revealing spoilers.  The screenplay is filled with twists and turns. And therein is where some problems lie with the movie. It took four writers, including director Kosinki, to come up with a script that is needlessly complicated. The way the story is structured, we as an audience are left constantly playing catch-up and trying to piece together what we’ve been told. At least it’s a positive that some of the plot points are explained in a monologue by the nation’s narrator-in-chief Morgan Freeman. Still, Oblivion‘s writers seem to think their script is much more clever than it really is. Truth be told, the movie is essentially a rehash of many other sci-fi pics. And while I mentioned its visually appealing look, even that look is derivative of countless other sci-fi entries from Minority Report to Mad Max. 

Cruise is solid as usual, though he has little chemistry with Kurylenko. His scenes with Riseborough fare better. Oscar winner Melissa Leo has a rather thankless role as a mission control operator. Freeman is, well, Freeman.

There’s plenty to like about Oblivion. Some of the sequences with Cruise at demolished landmarks like the Empire State Building work well. There are genuine moments of suspense with the Scavs and the drones, particularly in the first hour. Ultimately the screenplay hinders it from becoming a truly noteworthy genre title.

**1/2 (out of four)

2010’s True Grit is proof positive that with the right filmmakers and actors involved, you can bypass the notion that remakes cannot improve on the original.

Of course, there will always be those who maintain that the 1969 version starring John Wayne is the best. It certainly is a solid movie where the Duke won a Best Actor Oscar, the only of his storied career. For me, however, the slight edge goes to the remake.

The brilliant Coen Brothers decided to embark on this remake, their first Western, casting their Big Lebowski star Jeff Bridges as Rooster Cogburn, the role Wayne made famous. Cogburn is a surly, alcoholic U.S. Marshal enlisted by 14 year-old Mattie Ross (Hailee Steinfeld) to find the killer of her father. It’s a simple plot (based on the 1968 Charles Portis novel) told well. Very well.

That’s what happens when the Coens are involved. True Grit includes a sterling supporting cast that includes Matt Damon as a Texas Ranger and Josh Brolin as the hunted man. Bridges is first-rate, even though Wayne fans will likely always consider their guy better.

To me, though, the True Grit remake belongs to Steinfeld. She’s the center of the movie and her performance is remarkable. It’s one of the best child actor performances I’ve seen, on par with Haley Joel Osment in The Sixth Sense or Abigail Breslin in Little Miss Sunshine.

The other star of the film: Roger Deakins’ wonderful cinematography. True Grit is a beautiful picture to look at and makes the absolute most of its Western locales. The Coen Bros, known for their often quirky movies, play it mostly straight here. There is some well-placed humor (more than in the original), but this is a pretty straightforward classic Western tale. It’s just that most Westerns don’t have as much talent involved as True Grit does. It’s a very satisfying experience.

***1/2 (out of four)

Much like Steven Spielberg’s Lincoln isn’t a biopic and instead focuses on one particular chapter of the 16th President’s life, the same can be said for Sacha Gervasi’s Hitchcock and its depiction of the greatest film director of all time as he made 1960’s Psycho.

Considered by many to be Hitch’s masterpiece (it’s certainly in top five of an incredible filmography), it’s truly surprising now to witness the skepticism of studio heads as Mr. Hitchcock embarks on filming his now-classic. The director must put up his own money and mortgage his home to complete the project. This is right after he’s directed one of his biggest financial and critical triumphs, 1959’s North by Northwest.

Psycho is considered to be too bloody, too garish, and too tasteless for mass consumption. Hitchcock battles the studio and the censors to get it completed. He also battles his personal demons, which is what the film mostly focuses on. For film lovers who have studied the director’s career, it’s no secret that Hitch was a rather insecure man who was prone to rather unhealthy fixations on his leading ladies.

Hitchcock incorporates those elements of his personality, including his issues with his wife Alma, whom he suspects is having an affair with a writer. The Hitchcocks are played by Oscar winning actors Anthony Hopkins and Helen Mirren. Much like his portrayal of Richard Nixon in Oliver Stone’s 1995 picture, Hopkins concentrates more on embodying the personality of his subject than do a direct impersonation. He’s such a great actor that he pulls it off. Mirren is fantastic as Alma, who contributed more to her husband’s success than most know.

The actual filming of Psycho is not a major focal point. Scarlett Johannson plays Janet Leigh, Jessica Biel is Vera Miles, and James D’Arcy is Anthony Perkins. As a movie buff, I would have preferred to see more of Mr. Hitchcock’s mastery of his technique as he made this quintessential film.

Additionally, a common thread throughout the picture is Hitchcock communicating in fantasy sequences with Ed Gein (Michael Wincott), the real-life killer who inspired the character of Norman Bates. These scenes are meant to serve as an insight into Hitch’s mind, but never really connect as they should.

Still, the performances are first-rate and there’s enough Hollywood history and intrigue to make Hitchcock a worthwhile experience. When Psycho does finally premiere after a lot of heartache on the director’s part, we see Hitchcock watching the audience as they watch the film for the first time. As the shower scene plays (one of the most famous scenes in film history) and the audience freaks out, Hitchcock experiences a kind of unbridled joy that we haven’t seen him experience for the whole picture (he’s a rather sour fellow). That scene in Hitchcock is marvelous, showing the Master of Suspense revel in what he does best. It’s a scene that reminded me of why I consider him to greatest director to ever live. For that alone, Hitchcock was worth the time.

*** (out of four)

It’s probably safe to say that I am not the target audience for Magic Mike, 2012’s smash hit that shocked box office watchers last summer when it grossed nearly $40 million in its first weekend and over $100 million domestically by the end of its run.

In its opening weekend, 73% of its audience was female. Hence me not being the target audience. And while I know so many of you will be shocked by this, I have also never been involved in the world of male stripping.

Magic Mike contributed to an excellent 2012 for star Channing Tatum. Last year provided three blockbusters for him: this, The Vow, and 21 Jump Street. Tatum was the flavor of 2012, just as Ryan Gosling was the flavor of 2011. Mr. Tatum will try to replicate that success in 2013, with the G.I. Joe sequel and this summer’s White House Down with Jamie Foxx.

Steven Soderbergh is, frankly, the reason I chose to spend two hours with Magic Mike. The director is known for making unpredictable choices and working at a breakneck pace. In the last six years alone, he’s directed eight features: Che, The Girlfriend Experience, The Informant!, Contagion, Haywire, Side Effects, the upcoming HBO Liberace biopic Behind the Candelabra, and this. He’s directed two of my favorite pictures of the last twenty years: 1998’s Out of Sight and 2000’s Traffic. He’s also responsible for the Ocean’s Eleven trilogy that made boatloads of money and gave a nice excuse for megastars like Clooney, Pitt, and Damon to hang out.

I realize that watching Magic Mike because of Mr. Soderbergh is not the reason most audience members saw it. That honor belongs to Mr. Tatum. Over the past two years, it’s been Gosling and Tatum that have worked their way into the hearts of female movie fans. From my perspective, I’m happy to report the two share something in common: they are both very good actors.

Magic Mike is loosely based on Tatum’s real-life experiences as a male stripper. In the film, he plays the title character, an ambitious entrepreneur who makes most of his money working at Xquisite Strip Club in Tampa. We meet the quirky cast of coworkers from the club, including the owner Dallas, in a terrific performance from Matthew McConaughey. Mike also discovers a new star for the club Adam (Alex Pettyfer), who he mentors with mixed results. Mike also falls for Adam’s sister Brooke (Cody Horn).

The screenplay, from Reid Carolin, is often pretty standard stuff. The romance between Mike and Brooke feels a little underwritten and the business about Adam getting involved with drugs is something we’ve seen in dozens of movies. This doesn’t add anything new to that dynamic.

However, Magic Mike succeeds due to a fine performance from Tatum. I suspect Mr. Tatum will have a career similar to Matt Damon. Tatum is good at comedy (21 Jump Street), action, and drama, something that can be said for Damon as well. Tatum is also an excellent dancer… I’m not sure if Jason Bourne would look right busting a move to Ginuwine’s “Pony”, as Channing does here.

It also succeeds because Soderbergh is a great director who gets the most out of this material, even if the screenplay isn’t too original. The subject matter is pretty original though and credit goes to Tatum for using his life experiences and turning it into a blockbuster film.

On a final note, isn’t it wonderful to see McConaughey blossom into such a fantastic actor? He deserved the Oscar buzz he got for this performance, even if he didn’t end up nominated.

So while Magic Mike wasn’t made for me, I was pleasantly surprised by it.

Todd’s Rating: *** (out of four)