In Time

In Time ~ This is one of those types of science fiction concept flicks that would have been right at home on a double bill with other 1970s era movies like Rollerball, The Omega Man, Logan's Run, and Planet of the Apes. The concept is the draw point. Here in In Time, the idea is a world where time is currency. Similar to the aforementioned Logan's Run, one has a limited lifespan, 25 in this case, but more time can be earned or stolen, and some people can live for centuries.

This is a lot more clever than it at first appears to be. Much fun is had in dialogue with time measurements in place of monetary amounts. Many of the characters are named after famous watchmakers. Fun.

Justin Timberlake deftly plays Will Salas, who loses his mother to time limit and also is given over a century by a stranger in the space of a day. The stranger also imparts over a century to him before expiring himself. On the run from perennial baddie Cillian Murphy as a Timekeeper (that's futurespeak for cop) for the stranger's murder, Will ends up on the run with Amanda Seyfried as a hostage. She's the daughter of a rich socialite, played by Vincent Kartheiser, Pete Campbell of "Mad Men." This is where In Time spins into current day thriller as opposed to retro-sci-fi.

In Time was written by producer and director Andrew Niccol who's had similar flicks under his belt like Gattaca, The Truman Show, and S1m0ne. It's as if he's got one foot in the day after tomorrow scifi vibe. He also wrote the story that The Terminal was based on and produced a handful as well. I'll be looking for his name in the future based on In Time. There's more to this flick than seems at first glance, worth a look.

Mamma Mia!

What a fun movie experience!

Mamma Mia! was a wonderful mouthwash after seeing The Dark Knight, reaffirming my love of film letting me know that everything on the big screen isn't complete dog feces.

Fun and wonderful are only two of the adjectives I have for this musical. As a virgin to the stage show I wasn't quite sure what to expect beyond ABBA music. I grew up in the 1970s so I was exposed to quite a bit of it, some I liked and actually owned. Yes, I'm a straight man who admits to liking ABBA. Deal with it.

Sophie, played by up and coming name to watch Amanda Seyfried, is getting married and has invited three men who she suspects could be her father to the wedding. From there, as they say, hilarity ensues, but with an ABBA musical flavor. I must say this was quite surprising with Meryl Streep (as Sophie's mother) and even Pierce Brosnan (one of the potential fathers) among others displaying heretofore unknown singing talents.



Above the rest, Christine Baranski and Julie Walters especially feature here as Streep's best friends and former back-ups in her old singing group, Donna and the Dynamos. Baranski in particular shines in her own number "Does Your Mother Know." The entire cast, many of which are Greek extras, jumps in on the fun of singing throughout the flick. It is however notable that it doesn't seem like any woman on this Greek island wears a bra. This is both for better and worse.



This is a fun movie, a terrific and more than welcome step back into the age of musicals - and highly recommended. And don't forget to stay through the credits for the cast doing a few more songs in full seventies ABBA-ish regalia.