januaryman-1

Lucy can be picked apart if you wanted to do it. If...then...really? Why would the character do that? Does increased brain power allow someone to do that? The movie is built around the false premise that humans only utilize 10% of their brains.

So, don't try to pick the movie apart. Just sit back and enjoy it. Lucy is quickly paced; you won't be bored. Scarlett Johansson is vulnerable at the beginning and engages the viewer as being almost pitiful. She turns into a complete bad-ass as the movie progressives. You end up not pitying her character, just glad that your not standing between her and her goal. Johansson reaches the status of Terminator in this movie.

Morgan Freeman's voice and subject matter has you convinced that you're watching "Through the Wormhole." Min-Sik Choi makes a good villain, though uncharacteristically inept at times. Amr Waked plays an Interpol(?) cop who is the closest thing to a love interest this movie has for Lucy.

There is a good mix of black comedy in with the action and violence. A couple of times, the director made heavy-handed assurances through awkward dialog that Lucy's violence didn't cross a line, pointing out that someone had been shot in the leg and that people were asleep instead of dead. There are more elegant, less obvious ways of pointing out things. If the director wants a violent movie (and Lucy can't be non-violent), then own it.

Turn your brain knob to seven and enjoy this summer action flick. Have fun!

The Metascore critics almost scared me away. Then I watched the trailer. It seemed funny, so my wife and I decided to give it a shot.

I'm glad we did. This movie caused some very genuine belly laughs. The ensemble cast didn't have lot of faces that I recognized, but nearly every one of the actors did a very good job. Sarah Drew, as Allyson, portrayed a harried mom with a natural, believable grace and humor. Patricia Heaton, Trace Adkins, and Sean Astin had some wonderful comedic moments too. The movie was just plain funny.

Don't leave when the closing credits start. There are several inserts of outtakes and wrap-ups of minor story lines.

I think the pissy reviews given by some are based on ideology and not the movie. Some people do take comfort in their religious beliefs and some women do think that raising their children is their career. The movie is not preachy as some reviews state. Four or so mentions of God in 98 minute isn't preachy. Progressive ideologues, viewpoints other than yours are allowed.

I saw this movie in two sessions. I watched the first third or so at a film festival but had to leave before it was over. I found it hard to leave the screening, and the movie stayed in my mind. I used IMDb to get the e-mail address of its production company and contacted the director/writer. I was able to buy a disk of Where We Started and was finally able to see the entire film. I'm glad of that.

Where We Started is essentially a two-person movie with minimal supporting cast. Matthew Brumlow plays Will and Cora Vander Broek plays Nora. They look like people you could run into on the street on any given day, a fact that adds much to the believability of WWS. The two had a remarkable ease of interaction in their roles as they carried out high quality dialogue written by Christopher Hansen and themselves. It was the dialogue and rapport between the actors that hooked me on my first shortened viewing and that's what made me seek out the DVD to finish my viewing. Will and Nora are nice, normal, likable people who aren't really happy with their humdrum, married lives. That likability carries the first two thirds of WWS but the two aren't without their flaws. WWS is decidedly not a romantic comedy, but it is rich with humor and lightness that thinly cover a more serious issue--marital infidelity. Will they or won't they? I'm not saying; Hansen tells the story far better than I ever could.

Keep in mind that this is a lower budget film made in Texas. I tell you to keep that in mind because that is a strength of this film. It is polished without being slick. WWS is not the typical Hollywood pablum. It is fresh, interesting, and theater ready. Too bad that distribution is such an issue for films that don't come in a Hollywood wrapper. The cherry on top of WWS is a infectious soundtrack performed by local talent. It will stick in your head.

With its limited cast and sets, WWS would be at home on the stage if Hansen ever decides to adapt the screenplay.

WWS is a job well done.