Oct 30: A Perfect Getaway

"Two pairs of lovers on a Hawaiian vacation discover that psychopaths are stalking and murdering tourists on the islands."

Directed by: David Twohy, Rated: R, 98 minutes

A Perfect Getaway is a severely underrated thriller. It's a perfect example of how far a great cast and great directing can take a decent script and that the most throw-away ideas can still be suspenseful and entertaining. It's also worth mentioning that even when a movie is sub-par, setting it in a tropical location at least makes the film look nice, and A Perfect Getaway really focuses on the natural elements and actually makes the scenery a part of the story, as opposed to just its backdrop. However, the movie still does suffer at the hands of predictability and the few twists can be seen coming from miles away.

And for the ladies, there's plenty of pre-Thor-but-still-muscular-Thor... if that's what you're into

Newlyweds Cliff (Steve Zahn) and Cydney (Mila Jovovich) are madly in love. For their honeymoon, they head to Hawaii, hoping to take in the romantic sceneary and get away from their rather boring lives. Far from adventurous, Cliff proves to be the "nerd in the wild" and tries his hardest to keep up with his wife. Then the two run into Nick (Timothy Olyphant) and Gina (Kiele Sanchez), two outdoor daredevils that would put Bear Grylls to shame. Also, enter Kale (Chris Hemsworth) and Cleo (Marley Shelton), two free-loving hippies that meet up with the group in the middle of the jungle. It's a rather unusual happenstance that these three different groups run into each other out in the middle of nowhere and it only makes matters worse that a duo of psychopaths are said to be island hopping themselves, murdering people left and right. The main conflict of the story is each couple questioning the other, wondering who is good and who is bad and if any or all of them are in danger.

As they all stare in the right corner, we're left wondering who/what/where is the killer!

A Perfect Getaway is a little tricky to explain without giving much away or at least hinting at the end result. I can't say that the plot is much more involved than the above paragraph but that matters little when you have such a great cast having fun with it all. Each couple feels like a genuinely reel couple you may know in real life or would run into on a vacation and the chemistry between the cast is just as real. It's surprising that such a scrawny, nerdy looking guy like Zahn could be believable as the counterpart to the gorgeous Jovovich, but it really works. Of course, Timothy Olyphant steals every single scene he is in commands the screen with his ridiculously charismatic presence. He has several scenes where it's just him telling a story (that may or may not be the truth) and these monologues prove to be one of the more memorable parts of the film. A Perfect Getaway is a another perfect example of that man's talent and is proof that he deserves to be one of the top leading men in Hollywood. 

Put The Phant in everything!

Along with the acting, director Twohy manages to capture the beauty and the danger of the tropic and the color he pulls out of the locations give A Perfect Getaway a heightened sense of energy. Even if you can predict the twist early on, the entire product is beautiful to look at and really lets you focus on the scenery. As most movies of this kind are more of a reason to get beautiful people to beautiful places to have fun on "vacation" and just filming the flick to make some money, A Perfect Getaway at least tries to be something more, and for that I highly recommend it. It's worth watching for the acting alone and it's great to see so many underrated and underused actors come together for a good looking flick.

The Good:

a great cast that saves the film from decency 

The Bad:

a very, very predictable story that you see coming well beforehand

The Ugly:

realizing that Olyphant and Zahn may never be the household names they deserve to be

7.1/10

Discussion Question:

What actor do you feel deserves more attention than he/she is receiving?

Trailer:

June 4: The Fifth Element

"In the colorful future, a cab driver unwittingly becomes the central figure in the search for a legendary cosmic weapon to keep Evil and Mr Zorg at bay."

The Fifth Element is a fun, over-the-top, colorful trip through a twisted and vibrant future with an equally entertaining cast of characters. The Fifth Element, written and directed by Luc Besson (The Professional), is a passion project for the man and his creative talent oozes throughout it. The movie is clearly meant to be something special, and while it may not be the most profound or meaningful film, it is extremely unique and original. If you can just sit back and enjoy the film, without taking it seriously, you will love it. If, however, you're looking for another Star Wars, you're out of luck. While there is a lot of what you'd expect in this space action/comedy (creatures, a pretty evil villain, good vs. evil) there is also quite a bit of sex and a lot absolutely ridiculous situations. It's all in fun and I don't believe it to be any attempt to establish a truly developed universe on its own. 

Although it has quite the potential as ugly creatures are always a good place to start

Every five thousand years, a being called The Fifth Element comes to Earth, protecting mankind from evil. This supreme being harnesses the powers of the other four elements (fire, wind, earth, water) and saves the world. When The Evil, an evil entity planet/space thing enlists the help of Jean-Baptiste Emanuel Zorg (Gary Oldman), a greedy inventor who only seeks wealth, to find the stones and prevent the Fifth Element from retrieving them and saving Earth. When the Element is destroyed in transit, scientists on earth revive it from its remains, creating Leeloo (Mila Jovovich), the perfect specimen. She escapes the facility and runs into Korben Dallas (Bruce Willis), a retired ex-military commando (pretty much Space John McClane). Dallas falls in love with Leeloo and after she becomes aware of her mission, he vows to help her retrieve the stones and protect her along the way. This was the best I could do explaining the story, as I found it rather confusing at first. There are other parties involved in the "race of the elements" and even an extremely flamboyant Ruby Rhod (Chris Tucker) getting caught up in the action and narrating it for his radio talk show. 

Shocking fact- in Chris Tucker's 12 year career, he has starred in only 10 films. Three of which are with Jackie Chan. Where the f**k are you, Chris!?

The Fifth Element is definitely worth watching. The film is a ride, simply put. It's fun, entertaining, easy to swallow, and insanely imaginative. Bruce Willis plays himself, in space, and whenever he does that (always), you know it's going to be good. Mila Jovovich is incredibly lovable as Leeloo, dancing the lines between cute, sexy, and badass all at once. Something she has now come to be known for. However, it's Chris Tucker who steals the show in a role he was born to play. He's hilarious, over-the-top (as is the entire movie), and his narrating of what's going on helps keep the comedic tone throughout. The Fifth Element is one of a kind. There is really no other movie like it and that's what makes it special. Colorful, extremely ludicrous, but oh, so creative, The Fifth Element is one of the best sci-fi movies ever made. 

The Good:

great special effects that help create a colorful, busy, crazy future

The Better:

an equally colorful cast of diverse characters that are all cast perfectly with noteworthy performances by Jovovich and Tucker

The Best:

the fact that the film was released 15 years ago and there has yet to be something as bizarre and lovable in the sci-fi genre...minus some dated technology, the film has really stood the test of time

Overall: 8.4/10

Trailer:

Discussion:

Is The Fifth Element a genuine classic or simply a cult-classic that will fade away to the realms of obscure movie references and trivia?