In this action-thriller set in Taiwan, a young woman forced to become a drug mule for the mob develops superhuman abilities when the narcotics she’s carrying in her stomach accidentally leak into her system.
Way back in 1968 a certain subset of our population would ingest some psychedelic substance and sit for hours watching the flashing colors in the film “2001: A Space Odyssey.” But now welcome to the 21st century where you could do the same participant-watching with the mostly visual film “Lucy.” And it might as well be called a digital-visual adventure because the plot and many impossible action sequences are straight out of vaudeville.
Whatever was Morgan Freeman thinking? Scarlett Johansson at least has a history of appearing in strange films. For example, she was the voice of a computer (Samantha) in “Her”. Also she was a predatory alien in “Under the Skin.” Let us hope these actors made a lot of money while diminishing their reputations.
So why did I bother finishing the film? There are two choices: a) I was bored out of my mind, or b) I hoped that eventually the film would make sense, alas!
You probably don’t have the time for this psychedelic wonder.
For ten years, inventor David Kressen has lived in seclusion with his inventions, including Adam, a robot with incredible lifelike human qualities. When reporter Joy Andrews is given access to their unconventional facility, she is alternately repelled and attracted to the scientist and his creation.
From NetFlix you can watch instantly or get a DVD for this film.
In this clever low-budget sci-fi yarn I did not recognize a single actor. Probably that is because the three main actors are very young. Do not assume this is just some ordinary AI humanoid android robot story. Despite much “talking heads”, there is a growing tension that leads to an incredible plot twist that I certainly never expected. Never mind the likelihood of the circumstances, the conclusion is clever.
Sex is involved in a dry scientific manner, which is part of the cleverness. There is some minimal violence.
Worked for me, while still leaving some intriguing unanswered questions.
When the Belfast police are stalled in their investigation of a spate of murders, Detective Superintendent Stella Gibson is drafted to investigate. Under her lead, the team uncovers an intricate web of lives entangled by the killings.
These days serial-killer dramas are standard fare and often very similar. Nonetheless some of these presentations are different enough to be of interest. So what makes this one season, 5 episode TV series which I streamed from Netflix worthwhile?
Both the police investigation and the ordinary home life of the married-with-kids serial killer develop at the same time. You constantly switch back and forth.
Instead of black and white, good and bad, the killer and the cops are humans with their own mixtures of good and bad.
Relations between different parties are intricately interwoven.
In the psychological makeup of the killer is an element of remorse and a desire for normalcy.
Gillian Anderson (of “X-Files” fame) is as good a stone-faced actor as she is beautiful
Jamei Dornan, the killer, deserves to be better known.
Be on the lookout for Archie Panjabi (Reed Smith in “The Fall”) who is the clever and mysterious woman Kalinda Sharma in “The Good Wife”.
Just as interesting as the main thread, are some secondary themes.
Tell me what you think of the ending. Since I was glued to the screen, I can only heartily recommend this TV series.
When humdrum academic Adam Bell spots his double in a rented movie, he launches a search that leads him to a small-time actor who seems uncannily like him in every way — except for his personality.
Ever since first seeing Jake Gyllenhaal in “Donny Darko”, I have always expected the unusual in his films. This semi-crazy film is no exception. Here he plays two parts: a nervous, hesitant history teacher and a womanizing actor. His first persona is so hesitant that the story moves at a very slow pace, including long-held shots where he just stares.
Hang in there, because after awhile the story gets interesting when the two look-alikes start to interact.
So far in my movie viewing life, this film has the most unexpected, crazy, and difficult-to-interpret ending I have ever seen. Please send me your reactions as comments. Just exactly what is going on in this story?
