I Still Don't Know What The Signal Was About...

Back in January, a lot of buzz was coming out of Sundance about this weird sci-fi movie, The Signal. But then it never came to my theatre and I totally missed any chance of catching it. Well I was able to rectify that just this week... and I'm left wondering if it was worth the effort.

It's the story of three friends (Nic, Haley, and Jonah) following a hacker deep into the heart of Nevada. But when they finally stumble on the house they believe to be the source of his signal, everything goes wrong. Nic wakes up in a quarantined hospital bed with no control over his legs. And things only get worse from there.

The only problem is, the movie seems intent on asking a million questions simply to mislead you... or rather they never find a balance between giving enough info and making a movie that is compelling. The nonsensical nature of the film becomes a burden and when the final moments at long last play out... sort of giving answers... mind you, to questions that were never asked in the first place... I found it difficult to care one way or the other. Now for a film of this size, the effects were pretty cool. But clearly those were only budgeted for about three scenes out of the whole movie, and then awkward steps are taken to give the illusion that they are still there.

However, I don't have a problem with what William Eubank, the director, has done here. I think it's really cool that a camera guy can come forward with a completed feature film... and one that does look and seem pretty cool... if we just ignore the lack of a story, this is a pretty great movie. Unfortunately, I can't ignore that personally. But I do think, from a film school perspective, this could be a good teaching lesson for anyone who wants to prove their own abilities... kind of like Monsters. It's good enough to prove that this guy can make something bigger for a studio.

So while I say congrats to Eubank I really don't think this flick is for everyone... or rather, most people. It's not exactly something to watch for entertainment's sake... but it is a teachable lesson... if that makes sense.

Breaking Through The Edge Of Tomorrow

I had a lot of fun watching Edge of Tomorrow.

It brought back memories of Groundhog's Day but with a flare of very entertaining sci-fi. I was worried, after seeing Oblivion, that this would once again be a mishmash concept that didn't actually deliver on its solid premise. Fortunately I was wrong.

The first fifteen minutes went by in a haze until finally we got back to the first day again... and then again... and then again. There was a wonderful moment where I could hear the entire audience breath a sigh of relief because we all knew we were gonna have a good time. It's the kind of "Thank Jeebus" feeling you get when you avert a train wreck. Like suddenly the world looks newer... sharper. Not that I've ever almost been in a train wreck or anything, but still... Edge of Tomorrow is that kind of experience. And I'm so glad I was able to be entertained by an obscure sci-fi movie not directly based on or connected to any other movies in the year 2014.

That being said, apparently this was based on a book... albeit not a very well known one, and certainly not as popular as The Fault in Our Stars. But still, it is not completely original as I had earlier believed.

Anyway, back to the movie... Tom Cruise brings it like he always does. You can pretty much expect him to rock a performance like this no matter how bad the movie. But then there's Emily Blunt who just shouldn't exist on this world. But I'm so glad she does because she's awesome and very fun to watch... granted that scar was super weird. Bill Paxton got in on the fun here and really gave a great performance as well.

What probably worked the best about this film is, Doug Liman knew when to take the material seriously and when to just have fun with it. I was incredibly surprised at how many laugh out loud moments there were in what I assumed from the ads would be a very serious/gritty sci-fi thriller. Well I'd go so far as to say it's at least an eighth comedy... but that's a genre conversation and probably too convoluted for an entry here.

Honestly the best comparison I can think of is Groundhog's Day meets Starship Troopers. And would you believe it? That combo really works! So check it out if you've got some free time. It may be the most fun you'll have in a theatre all summer.