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Men In Black 3

It’s not a sequel that needed to be made, but thanks to the charm of its leads and a tone that harks back to the wit and humour of the original, it’s a pretty enjoyable trip.

Bel Ami

The excellent female support cast saves this patchy effort, which is let down by its leading man and a flat screenplay.

The Dictator

A disappointing, often repulsive and mean-spirited mess of a film with seemingly only one real criterion on its agenda: to shock and offend.

The Woman In Black

Packed with atmosphere, this old-fashioned but deftly told ghost story delivers ample chills and thrills.

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Limitless (Film)

by Matthew Pejkovic | March 15, 2011 10:18 | Edited March 15, 2011 10:19

While the ideas it raises are fascinating and Bradley Cooper delivers a terrific lead performance, this fails to resonate on an emotional level.

Limitless is a film filled with ideas, yet they are not properly utilised to their full effect, more often than not shooting itself in the foot thanks to its inability to create characters worth caring about, deflating any sense of tension and featuring numerous scenes that are an exercise in silliness.

 

Bradley Cooper stars as Eddie Morra, a down and out writer suffering from a severe case of writer's block and poor housekeeping. When a former acquaintance slips him a mind inducing drug called NZT, Eddie's brain is turned up to 11 and firing on all cylinders, using his new found powers to up his professional and social standing to the delight of his estranged girlfriend (Abbie Cornish).

 

It's when he makes a splash in the rich end of town that the sharks start swimming towards fresh blood, with Robert De Niro's feared energy industry magnate a great white with a hunger for Eddie's almost supernatural expertise.

 

Directed by Neil Burger (The Illusionist), the film's strength is found in its visuals, with Eddie's supersonic scope presented through varied and even innovative visual effects work, which effectively pulls us into the mind of a man working at light speed.

 

Yet Burger fails in creating the paranoia infused techno morality tale he so wanted to make, with themes such as the consequences of powers given and not earned, and the destructive nature of addiction, failing to relate on an emotional and even moral level.

 

What does work is the casting of Cooper, who espouses the charm, wit, and intelligence needed to sell his performance. Through his character, he presents an idea: what would you do if given the power to better yourself?