Upside Down

Here we are again. The beauty and flaw in the science fiction genre. Anything can happen, anything that can be thought of or even imagined can come to life in the past, present, future, a tweaked present, anything. That's what's so cool about 2012's Upside Down, a sci-fi flick with a ton of potential that never really amounts to much to the point it's almost painful to watch.

A young man named Adam (Jim Sturgess) has grown up in a world with dual gravity, meaning two worlds exist next to each other, almost on top of each other. The world/planet is ruled by three scientific rules that help keep the worlds apart, Up being rich and well-to-do, Down struggling to survive in its own poverty. As a teenager growing up in Down, Adam meets Eden (Kirsten Dunst), a resident of Up. The worlds are strictly kept apart though, and the police break up one of their gravity-defying meetings. Some 10 years pass, and Adam is wallowing away working for an engineering company. One day on TV, Adam sees Eden as a representative/employee of Transworld, a corporation that rules everything. His long lost love is there in front of him after years of mystery. He decides that somehow he must defy gravity, Transworld and the law to get his love back.

A French-Canadian science fiction film from director Juan Solanas (who also wrote the script), 'Upside' received basically no theatrical release in the United States, making $28,000 on 11 screens one weekend. I only discovered it because it was advertised On-Demand on Reelz. It sounded pretty cool, and if nothing else, freakishly original. I'm a sucker for just about any science fiction -- especially when it's....well, actually good -- so I wanted to give it a chance. I did, and it wasted about 8 seconds in ruining that chance. More specifics later in that department, but it's just got too many flaws for its own good. The narration is inanely painful, the acting really bad to say the least, and a convoluted science background that had me questioning everything and anything that's going on. Long story short? I really didn't like this movie.

I'm going to start with Mr. Sturgess because he was the one that put me in a negative mindset almost immediately. Explaining all the background, all the science, all the rules, it's painful. An English actor, Sturgess really struggles with an American accent. More than that though, he elects to speak in this high, eternally happy voice that sounds like he's on A. happy gas or B. stoned out of his mind. It's loopy, goofy and painful. Anytime he goes back to the narration, I found myself frantically searching for the fast forward button. Beyond the painful voiceovers though, I'm still in the undecided camp on Sturgess. He doesn't bring a ton of personality to the part, his character really a series of shrugs, smirks and general confusion. It would have been nice to root for the Adam character, but it just wasn't there. A couple cool supporting parts are Albert (Blu Mankuma) and Pablo (Nicholas Rose), his boss and co-worker (both friends) down in Down.

Okay, so we've a basically unbearable male lead character. Come on, Kirsten Dunst, this one is on you! Save the movie! And..............oh, it doesn't happen. No fault of Dunst who at least commits to her part. The script does her no favors. Her Eden suffered amnesia 10 years earlier upon being separated from Adam, and now doesn't remember anything about their torn-apart love. Oh, wait! Yes, she does! And like a snap, she remembers everything. The chemistry just isn't there between Sturgess and Dunst in this really forced Romeo and Juliet-esque story. And because the story wasn't trying hard enough to be deep and existential, their names are Adam and Eden!!! No way, an Adam and Eve reference?!? It's too painfully contrived for its own good, like a high school English student trying to be profound.

If there's a positive, it is the visual. The abstract idea of two worlds with dual gravity is great. The visual execution works too even if there's too much reliance on CGI to bring it to life. The camera moves back and forth because the worlds are literally on top of each other. What Adam sees in the Up world is upside down to him and vice versa. As good as the idea is though, it just cannot overcome how bad the story is. The science seems to change at will as required for the sake of the story being moved along. Just not good. A brief positive is Timothy Spall as Bob, an Up co-employee and friend of Adam's who he meets at Transworld.

Upside Down (2012): */****

21

We all dream of at least a little bit, right? Getting on a filthy, unexplainable winning streak at gambling -- any gambling -- where the money just keeps rolling in. Okay, I've thought about it a little. I've only been to a casino once and was up a few bucks for about eight minutes before I busted out. Now, for individuals smarter than me, apparently there are ways to....increase your odds of winning? Based on a true story, we get 2008's 21.

For as long as he can remember, M.I.T. student Ben Caldwell (Jim Sturgess) has wanted nothing more than going to Harvard Medical School to study to become a doctor. There's a problem of course. He has absolutely no money, especially for the six-figure tuition, and his single mom can only offer so much help. Ben is a brilliant student, and he's caught the eye of one of his professors, Micky Rosa (Kevin Spacey), who has an offer that will change everything. Rosa has organized and runs a small five-person team of similarly skilled students. Their talent? They count cards and rake in the money. Ben is instantly skeptical, but with no other alternative he joins Rosa's team and immediately shows a skill for counting cards that produces winnings, lots of winnings. He's good, very good, but there is always the threat of being caught, and one experienced casino security guard, Cole Williams (Laurence Fishburne), is suspicious of Ben's impressive winning streak.

From director Robert Luketic, this 2008 thriller is based on a true story that produced the book Bringing Down the House. The book is a mix of fiction and non-fiction, but here's the gist; a handful of very smart people did some stupid stuff to get money by something that isn't technically illegal in counting cards. The movie itself is pretty decent. Wouldn't it be great to take a casino down a couple notches? Oh, and you get to net some generous amounts of money in the process? Yes, please. It's a very stylish movie with several montages used to show Ben learning the trade, putting them into play, and the necessary partying in Vegas montage with boozing, dancing, going to strip clubs, all that good stuff. Mix in a solid soundtrack with quite a variety of artists and songs, and we're off to a good start.

As a 30-year old playing an M.I.T. student in his early 20s, Sturgess represents himself well as Ben Caldwell, a pretty smart kid who makes some pretty dumb decisions. There's something sympathetic about the character even if it's telegraphed early on that at some point he will mess up, and he will mess up in a big way. Oh, spoiler alert? Eh, my bad. Joining Sturgess on Rosa's team are Jill (Kate Bosworth), the necessary unattainable girl who Ben can never have (or can he?), Choi (Aaron Yoo), the necessary kooky Asian student with the crazy hair, Kianna (Liza Lapira), the necessary quiet and worrying student, and Fisher (Jacob Pitts), the necessary spurned kid who resents how good Ben is at what he used to be the best at. Sturgess is the best of the bunch, but for the most part the group comes across more as a big caricature than actual characters.

The star power comes from two supporting parts that are nonetheless key to the story. Kevin Spacey does what he does best, playing a really nice guy who isn't really a nice guy. His Micky Rosa is friendly, charming and an all-around a-hole when things go poorly. You know just by his casting that at some point Ben and his fellow card-counters will eventually screw up because Spacey has to blow up and turn on them in dramatic fashion. See it coming miles away? Yes, but it's still fun to watch. The same for Fishburne as Cole Williams, veteran security official for the casinos. With partner Jack McGee, Cole is getting squeezed out by a facial recognition software that is replacing actual human security. It's a pretty one-note performance, but Fishburne handles it well. He's a good counter to Ben and the team, if not a bad guy because well.....because it's obvious Spacey will be the bad guy. Parts the duo could probably do in their sleep, but fun to watch.

While I liked the movie, I can admit I have no idea what any of the card counting meant or how it was done. I was instantly confused the second any of it is even remotely explained and/or discussed. With a movie that runs a little over two hours at 123 minutes, it's safe to say I liked the first hour significantly more than the second. When things go poorly, it gets a little too After School Special for me. Oh, no, Ben's friends (Sam Golzari and funny Josh Gad) are upset that he's not the same Ben they know? Oh, no, Jill might not like him as much as he likes her? There's a good twist in the last 15 minutes that I didn't see coming which does save some enjoyment from some of the monotony toward the end. Still, I liked it just enough to give it a mild recommendation.

21 (2008): ** 1/2 /****