Mad about moviesDavina Raisinghani (davina@khaleejtimes.com)
City Times takes to the multiplexes to find out whatÂ’s in store for movie buffs this week
IT’S ABOUT A pill that according to its tagline can make you both rich and powerful – done right, the premise could make Limitless a brilliant watch, but one wrong step equals disaster. Well, at least the cast looks promising.
From the desk of director Neil Burger (Interview with the Assassin, The Illusionist and The Lucky Ones), this action thriller stars Bradley Cooper, Abbie Cornish, Anna Friel, Johnny Whitworth and Robert De Niro in major roles.
Based on the 2001 novel The Dark Fields penned by Alan Glynn, Limitless follows New York writer Eddie Morra (Cooper) as he hits the ultimate creative-block and gets dumped by his girlfriend (Cornish). However, things take a turn for the better when he’s introduced to NTZ, a top-secret drug, which allows him to tap into 100 per cent of his brain capacity.
Popular film critic Roger Ebert writes in his review of the 105-minute feature for the Chicago-Sun Times, “not terrifically good, but the premise is intriguing” and labels it “passably entertaining” with “inventive visual effects”.
· Shia LaBeouf was cast as the lead of Limitless but had to drop out after he badly injured his arm in a car accident. He was replaced by Bradley Cooper.
· Physics professor James Kakalios said it was plausible that medical science could improve intelligence with a pill, but that neurochemistry was not advanced enough for it to be possible currently.
IF THEIR PREVIOUS outings Hot Fuzz and Shaun of the Dead are anything to go by, then Simon Pegg and Nick Frost’s latest science-fiction comedy Paul will be a treat for comic book enthusiasts as well as a guaranteed laugh fest all rolled into one neat package.
Helmed by director Greg Mottola (The Day Trippers, Superbad and Adventureland), the film stars Jason Bateman, Kristin Wiig and the voice of Seth Rogen alongside Pegg and Frost. The plot follows two comic book fans on their way to Comic Con when they run into an alien outside of Area 51.
Peter Bradshaw writes in his review of the 104-minute film for The Guardian, “Simon Pegg and Nick Frost are on disappointing form in a sci-fi comedy that never reaches the heights of Shaun of the Dead or Hot Fuzz”.
However, Ray Bennett of The Hollywood Reporter positively responds to Paul with, “With great gags, lots of clever little moments and a winning, almost-human story at the center to leaven the big action sequences, the film should please devoted fans of the genre with its savvy attention to detail. But also it should appeal to those who generally can take or the leave the genre.”
· Seth Rogen admitted in an interview that he had to consult with actor Andy Serkis for inspiration in order to understand how to use the motion capture suit for his CGI character Paul.
· In the scene where Paul talks to Steven Spielberg on the phone about E.T. it is actually Spielberg on the other end of the line.
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