Weekly Review -- Doppelgänger fiesta

The Roommate (2011) -- Why, oh why do I rent movies such as this gem? I know what to expect and what I will get out of them (hint - not much), so I often wonder about subjecting myself to this kind of cinematic masochism. Hey, sometimes a girl simply needs a night of B-grade dialogue and carefree cheesiness, and The Roommate is everything you anticipated and less.

Peppy student Sara (Minka Kelly) has the world at her fingertips. Having been accepted to a top school to study fashion design, she quickly makes new friends and gets involved with an amateur musician (Cam Gigandet). When she meets her artsy roommate Rebecca (Leighton Meester), they become pals with many interests in common, but the bliss does not last. Already dealing with family issues and her new environment, Rebecca becomes dangerously obsessive, turning against everyone she sees as obstacles on her way to keeping Sara to herself. Will Sara survive and save the people she loves? Do we even care?

The movie is a blatant copy of Single White Female, a film that also belongs to the B-grade opus, but which at least boasts a great cast and a complex villain, played to perfection by Jennifer Jason Leigh. Indeed, the filmmakers had duplicated the 1992 film to such an extent that some situations and relationships in the two releases were identical, so I did not understand how the studio behind The Roommate was not sued. After doing some research, I found out that the studio, Screen Gems, is a direct offshoot of Columbia Pictures, the studio behind Single White Female, so any perceived coincidences might not be very coincidental.

On a different note, cliches abound in the tale, which offers up a good girl, a bad girl, clueless friends and boyfriends, sleazy so-called professors and even some girl-on-girl action for good measure, and why not? When titillating, do it to the max, even at the cost of cheapening the presence of the sole gay character. I am telling you, this thing is on fire. The movie is a cornucopia of faces from the CW network and obviously made to cash in on the success of "Gossip Girl", "The Vampire Diaries" and Twilight. Come to think of it, two actors from Titanic are in it, too. How the mighty have fallen...

The performances are mostly hashed out by the numbers. Kelly is sufficiently cheery as a sheltered student, while Gigandet is bland as the boyfriend who -- let's face it -- has nothing to do to begin with, and Billy Zane is simply not lascivious enough to be believable as a professor who likes his extracurricular activities just a tad too much. The only player that might come out unscathed is Meester, whose innocent-yet-unhinged facial expressions successfully convey a disturbed soul underneath a friendly loner's facade. If given the right screenplay, the actress could work wonders.

I am not capable of recommending The Roommate in good conscience. What I can say is that, if you are like me and have a playful appreciation for all things tacky, you will surely have a fun time watching it. You might want to throw a drinking game in there somewhere or even have a double bill, and you will not have to devote a lot of thought to choosing the other movie, because you know damn well which one it should be.

5/10

Summer Review #2 -- Thor

When it comes to summer heroes and villains, nobody does it better than Marvel Studios. The epic battles between good and evil, set in the context of grandiose set pieces and larger-than-life stakes, are always eye candy for film buffs and comic book fans alike, and this year's Thor is no exception.

In the godly realm of Asgard, a power game is brewing. King Odin (Anthony Hopkins) is about to hand over the reigns of the kingdom to his son Thor (Chris Hemsworth), but the ceremony is cut short by the attack of the Frost Giants, the ancient enemies of Asgard. Without consulting his father, the hotheaded Thor stages a revenge attack on the Frost Giants' realm, which almost ends catastrophically. As punishment, Odin strips Thor of his powers and banishes him to Earth. Ending up in New Mexico, Thor is found by physicist Jane Foster (Natalie Portman), her assistant Darcy (Kat Dennings) and boss, Dr. Erik Selvig (Stellan Skarsgård), and soon finds out that Earth is the new frontier he will need to protect...

The appeal of Thor lies in the filmmakers' ability to make the ancient tale work on numerous levels. As a superhero film, it effortlessly traces the principal character's journey from arrogance to selflessness, while bringing the other characters into the fold and linking them to the hero's odyssey. As an action film, it offers some spectacular sequences, not the least of which are Thor and his warriors' attack on the Frost Giants and his crash landing on Earth. As a science fiction film and comic book adaptation, it alternates between the regal and surreal ambiance of Asgard and the scientific eloquence of Earth, placing both spheres within the universe of the Avengers. Finally, as a romance, it makes use of the genuine and innocent chemistry between Hemsworth and Portman to depict two lone-wolf personalities that come together under the most extraordinary of circumstances. Director Kenneth Branagh blends these genres seamlessly, all the while drawing on his vast experience with classic literature to give the story the scope and mood of a Shakespearean saga.

The performances are vibrant and fun. Newcomer Hemsworth possesses that rare combo of brawn and charm, peppering his performance with humor and proving that he can carry a film with ease. Portman's character is not etched out that well, but she injects Jane with ingenuity that can only stem from childlike curiosity, making her instantly identifiable. I have liked Dennings ever since seeing her cynic-with-a-heart-of-gold performance in Nick and Nora's Infinite Playlist, and her Darcy spouts some fantastic lines. Skarsgård is a reliable and no-nonsense mentor, and Idris Elba is quietly commanding as Heimdall, the guardian of the Bifröst, the bridge between the cosmic worlds. Hopkins possesses an ever-present air of persuasive leadership -- a quality essential to Odin -- and Tom Hiddleston gives a breakthrough performance as Loki, Thor's brother attempting to come out of his sibling's shadow.

Thor is what a good time at the cinema is all about. It draws upon universal concepts of love and honor and combines them with cutting-edge visuals, in order to dramatize Marvel's innovative spin on the legend. On a related note, please make sure to see the film in 3D, if possible. The transfer is gorgeous, and the appearance of detail phenomenal. Intelligent and entertaining, Thor is a film that should be enjoyed on the big screen, in its full multidimensional glory.

10/10

Summer Review #1 -- Fast Five

As you would recognize that summer was here by the rising temperatures and sunny days, so you would also undoubtedly know that it had arrived by yet another installment of the wildly popular Fast & Furious franchise. Yes, the boys are back in town in what is probably their most boisterous, guns blazing, revved up adventure. And it is FUN.

After getting their guru Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel) out of custody, Brian O'Conner (Paul Walker) and his girlfriend, Dominic's sister Mia (Jordana Brewster), move to Rio, where they expect to pull off a final heist with a new team, in anticipation of retirement. Things do not go quite according to plan, though, what with a tenacious U.S. DSS agent (Dwayne Johnson) hot on their trail and a local police officer (Elsa Pataky) beginning to doubt the villainy of the supposed bad guys...

This franchise is a well-oiled machine, pun completely intended. Each of the films is fully aware of itself and its grease-fuelled machinations; each of the actors is in the picture to enjoy themselves in fabulous locales and possibly take part in, like, awesome stunts... but I digress. As always, the principal characters come glued to their tricked-out rides, and the race and chase scenes are truly spectacular, particularly a scene toward the end.

When it comes to performances in a film like this one, I find myself wanting to heap praise upon the stunt people, the visual effects magicians and, of course, the monster vehicles themselves, rather than the actors for their work. The human performances are inextricably linked to the gas-guzzlers, having become increasingly so over the course of the three earlier sequels. Diesel and Walker still have a bromance going on, and Johnson adds a dose of steroid-infused, dour authority to the proceedings. Brewster plays well off of a new dimension added to Mia, while Tyrese Gibson and Ludacris provide a healthy dose of comic relief.

One sees a film like Fast Five for one simple reason -- to get into the spirit of summer through pure adrenaline created by cinematic velocity. It is what it is, people, and it was never meant to be anything else. Watching the movie, we get a good sense that it was made for the audience's enjoyment, and that is exactly what it achieves. Do not be a backseat driver and do not question the destination. Just enjoy the journey.

6/10