Sheep Movie Review: 'In Time' directed by Andrew Niccol

In Time, written and directed by Andrew Niccol, stars Justin Timberlake, Amanda Seyfried, Cillian Murphy, Vincent Kartheiser, Olivia Wilde and Alex Pettyfer. An interesting premise to this alternate reality film with a heavy helping of moral issues giving In Time a middle of the road rating from this reviewer.

Plot:

When scientists unlock the secret to immortality, time becomes the new currency and one desperate man comes under attack from a mysterious group known only as the "Time Keepers." In the not-too-distant future, scientists have discovered a way to turn off the aging gene. As the threat of overpopulation looms over society, money becomes a thing of the past. Now, assets are measured in time; those with the most time also possess the most power. Meanwhile, the lower classes are forced to barter with the new elite if they want to live forever. Suddenly a young commoner stumbles across a treasure chest of time. With the "Time Keepers" in hot pursuit, however, he may never get a chance to use it.

First off let me start by saying the film isn't a total waste of time, there's some really good points to the movie I'd like to touch on. The picture itself is beautifully shot with vivid blues and shades of grey throughout that give the film a very futuristic feel. Amanda looked stunning in her high class outfits with Justin and Alex holding it down strong for the men. Beef cakes fill the screen from scene to scene which is ALWAYS a plus in my book. The more shirts that fly off the better! Anyway, back to the story. The premise of the story was solid and the scenes that translated well came at you like a ton of bricks. But by the end of the film it felt like we were being force-fed the film's moral message. The audience gets it and we are with you, but the overuse of the moral message made the film start to feel redundant.

With a Bonnie and Clyde or Robin Hood type of theme, the story takes on the issue of time and what would you do if you had all the time in the world. Or on the other side of the coin what would you do with only a day on the clock? If everything you did was based on gaining and losing minutes of your life how would you survive and would you even want to live forever? It carries a class warfare message that many people can relate to in this economic environment. Some intense action and emotional scenes did reach out and grab me, helping the movie move things along. Unfortunately gaps in the dialog and overall plot of the film left me frustrated and disappointed with the movie as a whole.

Some strong performances from the cast were overshadowed by the lack of script. I felt that more time needed to be dedicated to the interaction of the actors and buildup towards the ending. Something I noticed, as a woman, it was pretty unrealistic for Amanda and Olivia's characters to be running around in 6 inch heels all the time. I mean take them off or something because I personally know there's no way you would be able to run that fast without breaking your neck! A lack of sexual chemistry also added to the unbelievability between our main characters. You could tell they both came to do a good job with the parts they had, but as a couple it felt a bit disjointed. They seemed more like good buddies then lovers.

Overall the movie was pretty okay, with a few majors parts missing in the script, overuse of moral plot issues and lack of chemistry In Time is generating an average rating from this reviewer. I'd check around to read what other folks are writing if you're still on the fence or pop in to catch the cheap showing. For the ladies that love some man candy you'll get a good dose with this one.

Getting 3 Timekeeper Sheep

KD

WonderCon 2011-Cowboys and Aliens Panel

WonderCon 2011 boasted many coming films and comics, among this group is the highly anticipated Cowboys and Aliens. Director Jon Favreau and Executive Producer Robert Orci were front and center answering questions. Cowboys and Aliens stars Harrison Ford, Daniel Craig, Olivia Wilde, Sam Rockwell, Clancy Brown and Adam Beach. Scheduled to hit theaters July 29th 2011, I for one am looking forward to this film.

Storyline:

The Old West.. where a lone cowboy leads an uprising against a terror from beyond our world. 1873. Arizona Territory. A stranger with no memory of his past stumbles into the hard desert town of Absolution. The only hint to his history is a mysterious shackle that encircles one wrist. What he discovers is that the people of Absolution don't welcome strangers, and nobody makes a move on its streets unless ordered to do so by the iron-fisted Colonel Dolarhyde (Ford). It's a town that lives in fear. But Absolution is about to experience fear it can scarcely comprehend as the desolate city is attacked by marauders from the sky. Screaming down with breathtaking velocity and blinding lights to abduct the helpless one by one, these monsters challenge everything the residents have ever known. Now, the stranger they rejected is their only hope for salvation. As this gunslinger slowly startsto remember who he is and where he's been...

Jon Favreau was asked a few questions about WonderCon it self, what it was like working with this amazing cast and if he prefers directing over acting. Here is a little bit on what he said.

Question: About attending WonderCon 2011.

Answer: "I was here in 2008 to promote Iron Man. It really was a wonderful moment, similar to this in that people didn't know what to expect. We were a bit of an underdog back then. ComicCon has turned into this huge thing and it's a lot of fun; but, WonderCon reminds me a lot of what ComicCon was like when I first started going to ComicCon. ComicCon has been so instrumental in so many movies really arriving that everybody focuses a lot of attention there; but, it's more like a big festival or big party. What's nice about WonderCon is it's a little bit more intimate and we can really have a dialogue here and talk about things. It's not like a big carnival. I think it also shows you guys who really cares about this group of people and I, for one, am very grateful for what you guys have all done for my career. So I want to make sure that this remains a priority. There's a much more limited slate of films that have prioritized this event so it allows for a better dialogue."

Question: What it was like to work with Daniel Craig and Harrison Ford.

Answer: "These guys were great. Daniel Craig is just an awesome, professional, great dude. I admired his work in Layer Cake and, of course, later in the Bond films where he was a sort of a vulnerable but really badass hero, where the wheels were always turning. He's really invested in the stakes of the moment. So you have that generation. And then, of course, Harrison was a late-breaking idea because we didn't think it was doable at all. We never thought he would want to come back to genre and--as most of the people in this room feel--we fell in love with the guy through films like Star Wars (crowd cheers like crazy) and Indiana Jones. To have him bring that pedigree was almost like when you would cast John Wayne in a western. He brings this entire history and so you have two generations of action stars who reluctantly have to work together--we start them very much at odds in a cruel environment--to rescue their people. It was just great. They both care deeply about the process, they were a lot of fun, we were all living out in Santa Fe for the summer, and it was a dream project."

Question: If he prefers directing over acting.

Answer: "I enjoy directing more to be honest with you because--now that this

[attending WonderCon] has become part of directing; now that we're trying to lock picture and finish off effects and get the music in and this is the moment when it tends to become the most trying and there's the most anxiety from the studios and you're trying to figure out your release and your marketing campaign--to be able to come here and show you this and to feel like we're throwing a party and have it be appreciated so much, it makes directing the most fun job there is in the world, for sure."

Favreau and Orci also talked with us about each character being a big part of the film, because every part matters in a western. There are no small parts. Director Favreau is also making use of social networking, speaking with blogs and using Twitter to get his movie out to the public. I speak for us all when I say COME TO THE SHEEP! We would love to have him talk Aliens with us any day of the week. :)

If you were lucky enough to have nabbed a seat in the viewing room you got a nine minute screening of the movie. A very tasty treat indeed. So what say you? Will you be going to see Cowboys and Aliens? Leave some comments below and let me know what YOU think.

KD

PS While I did get all this recored in my funky old mini tape recorder, my good friend Michael Guillen transcribed it on HIS blog first. You can check out the whole panel at The Evening Class. Thanks Michael! :)