Some might say that Angelina Jolie has only gotten better with age, both from a physical perspective and from an acting one; likewise could be said for Johnny Depp (remember his hair in 21 Jump Street?).  But, “The Tourist” opening this weekend, is not the best vehicle to continue that assumption of improvement.  The film is enjoyable but not for the reasons today’s moviegoer would expect from a film touting two icons of Hollywood and an action-thriller theme.  Where The Tourist succeeds is its breathtaking scenery, where it fails is its haphazard attempt to pull you through a plot that to put it mildly, strains credibility.

The Tourist follows Frank Tupelo (Depp), an American tourist traveling Europe (France & Italy specifically) to mend a broken heart from the loss of his wife.  Elise Ward (Jolie) is a mysterious (and extremely well dressed) woman he meets on a train that draws him into a personal plot designed to make him look like he’s her husband, Alexander in an attempt to throw off INTERPOL and the British police who are desperately hunting her husband who is wanted in 14 countries for various financial crimes.  Against the backdrops of Paris France, Treviso & Venice Italy, the two are chased by a reclusive gangster whom Jolie’s husband has robbed of millions as well as multiple law enforcement agencies that are seeking to bring him to tax justice.

I’m not going to pounce on Jolie (Beowulf) and Depp (Cry Baby) for this mediocre film effort.  The truth is they both do exactly what their characters are designed for.  When you watch the film, it may seem odd to watch a bumbling almost inept Depp play a subservient role to Jolie as she weaves the web of intrigue, but in actuality, his performance is nothing short of spectacular after you’ve seen the third act.  Jolie moves through the film like all of her action/spy roles.  She’s quick witted, resilient and oh yeah, smoking hot as you’d expect.  The world knows her as a ravenous (or did I mean ravishing?) beauty, but the costume designer weaves magic with her wardrobe, accessories, and make-up to make her even more stunning than the red carpet pictures we’re titillated with in the daily gossip rags.  Even characters within the film (that aren’t government operatives) turn their heads as she moves through every scene.  She really looks good – not distractingly good looking like Megan Fox in Transformers, just resplendent as you’d expect from a character that is the wife of a billionaire embezzler.

There’s a nice twist to the story in the third act but unlike the film ‘Inception’ you won’t be dying for the DVD so you can watch and re-watch to find the potential gaps in the storyline.  For this film, you’re much less likely to care if the filmmakers made a gaffe to sustain the storyline and just accept the twist as it’s presented.  See it for the scenery, see it for the Jolie eye candy, see it for Depp pulling off another quality performance – the plot is one destination you can, as a movie tourist, bypass.

3 Stars Out Of Five

The Tourist is rated PG-13 for violence and brief strong language.

Running Time: 103 minutes

If you’re expecting a taut thriller with a super sexy Angelina Jolie kicking butt, you can let that vision go.  What ‘Salt’ is – is Angelina at her kick ass best and leaving the concept of sexiness in the rear view mirror.  In fact, aside from the sexy split skirt she sports in the opening interrogation scene, there isn’t another single memorable portion of the film that highlights or even accessorizes with her looks.  Therein lies the genius of making a great suspense-thriller; put your best looking offering in the role (which was offered first to Tom Cruise), and let the story and action work for itself.

Angelina Jolie (Gia, Hackers) portrays Evelyn Salt, a sharp-as-a-tack CIA officer who at the end of her shift wants nothing more than to get home to her husband and celebrate their first anniversary when fate, in the form of a covert Russian spy, derails her life and brings her to grips with her true self, her true identity, and more importantly – her purpose for existing.  The Russian spy, Orlov (played very eerily and almost David Koresh cult-like by Daniel Olbrychski), plants the idea to Salt and her CIA colleagues that she is a Russian spy whose mission is to kill the Russian President.  The notion of Salt actually being an enemy of The State should be foreign to her CIA pals, but Orlov’s story echoes elements of truth and is intermixed with tales of a top secret Russian program to create ‘sleepers’ like Salt whose job is to infiltrate the highest ranks of US government and wait for a ‘calling to strike.’  And strike she does!  From her daring escape away from CIA custody (this is a 10 story federal building mind you), to an intricate execution of a bombing to ensnare a target, Salt plays no games and takes no prisoners.  Watching this film, I started to grow resentful of the condition of U.S. anti-terror and national security operations.  Our best and brightest fall like dominoes to a single Russian spy.  Salt manages to get into places and escape from situations that are next to impossible and our government efforts to stop her made us look like ‘monkeys f$cking a football.’  It’s okay to run amok while our operatives chase, but escaping custody and capture every single time..geez.

Salt’s ‘Whodini’ act aside, an impressive standout in this film is Liev Schreiber (Kate & Leopold, X-Men Origins-Wolverine), who portrays Salt’s boss Ted Winter.  Screenwriter Kurt Wimmer (Equilibrium) deserves most of the credit for the dialogue, but Liev’s style makes the sharp wit and commanding presence of the character really play well.  Hats off to one of my favorite spy-thriller Director’s, Phillip Noyce (Patriot Games, The Saint).  With Salt, he was given a wider range than just the crisp thriller – this time he got continuous action sequences and performed admirably.  The frame work of Salt’s escape from NYPD’s finest was a real rush.  While on the subject, why would the U.S. government allow the NYPD to cuff and transport one of the wiliest covert operatives?  It doesn’t take an early screening of the film for you to know how that perp ride is going to end.

Still, what makes Salt enjoyable is not just the film being an adrenaline ride; it’s the attention to detail present throughout the movie and even in the characters.  As each character is discovered by the audience, you start to become suspicious of everyone you see.  If the secret Russian program has spies planted in the U.S. from the ages of 3 and up – almost anyone could be a sleeper and not know it.  Every person you meet could be an ally or an adversary and I confess, I was guessing throughout the film and enjoying discovering who was and who wasn’t.  The detail doesn’t stop at characters – it extends to production design.  The scenes involving the White House were some of the most intricate and explorative views I’ve ever witnessed on screen.  At one point you’ll see 3 of the top side levels (with individual rooms) and a sub-level that you’ve only heard about in conspiracy theories.   I questioned how the filmmakers got that level of detail; private access to shoot in the White House (schaa…as if!), or most likely liberties taken from sketches allowed during public tours.

‘Salt’ won’t redefine Jolie’s career, and it won’t be known as one of her sexy thrillers, but it will keep her viable as an action star – and box office willing, will spawn Salt 2 which is clearly a hole left open at the films conclusion.  Go see it to watch a great escape artist and a cunning covert operative work and you’ll be pleasantly satisfied.   After you’ve exhaled from the finale and walk towards the theater exit – ask yourself, what happened to Evelyn’s dog?

Rating: ★★★☆☆ 

If you haven’t seen the previews for this all over the television or heard that this was written for Brad Pitt who turned it down and then rewritten fro Angelina, well get your head out of you know where.

Atomic Popcorn has the privilege of offering up to you all Columbia Picture’s latest action/thriller – Salt! We will be screening the film on Tuesday, July 20th in Baltimore and we have room for 100 people! That is 50 passes for two of you.

Synopsis:

Angelina Jolie stars in Salt, a contemporary action thriller from Columbia Pictures. As a CIA officer, Evelyn Salt (Jolie) swore an oath to duty, honor and country. Her loyalty will be tested when a defector accuses her of being a Russian spy. Salt goes on the run, using all her skills and years of experience as a covert operative to elude capture. Salt’s efforts to prove her innocence only serve to cast doubt on her motives, as the hunt to uncover the truth behind her identity continues and the question remains: “Who Is Salt?”

Trailer:

How to Enter:

1. Fill out a form below. The first 50 person to fill out the form will be taken. INCLUDE A WORKING EMAIL

The only rule is that we will not be allowing multiple signups from the same family for our screenings any longer. You have 1 admit-two pass per family.

THIS SCREENING IS NOW FULL

Make sure you check out our other free screenings in the Baltimore Area!

Alfonso Cuarón, director of the fantastic Children of Men, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, and Y tu mamá también, is gearing up for his next film, Gravity, a space thriller written by his son, Jonás.

A couple of weeks ago, it was reported that Angelina Jolie had passed on Wanted 2 in order to join the project. She was reportedly slated to play the sole survivor of a space mission, as well as her own daughter. Later that week, however, it looked as if she was looking at The Golden Suicides, penned by Bret Easton Ellis. In that project, she and James Franco would play the real-life couple Theresa Duncan and Jeremy Blake, who killed themselves after becoming paranoid regarding Scientologist persecution.

So where does that leave Gravity? Now the project has found its way to Warner Bros. as a 3D production and Robert Downey, Jr. is in negotiations to take the lead. This has also changed the plot slightly, as Downey, Jr. and a female colleague would be the only two survivors after a satellite explosion kills the rest of their team.

Now, there is still a possibility that Jolie will be the “female colleague” along with MDJ, but nothing has been confirmed. Also, although originally the studio had pulled the plug on Wanted 2, creator Mark Millar has said it will go on without Jolie.

This sounds like good news for both projects. Robert Downey, Jr. has the star-power to really give Gravity the extra push it needs to make it big. This shows that the studio has faith in the success of the film, which should prove to be an excellent thriller. Just think — Children of Men in space, in 3D.

The Tourist, which will tell the tale of an American tourist drawn into a plot of intrigue with a female Interpol agent, has had an increasingly hard time gearing up to launch into production this coming February. Avatar star Sam Worthington jumped ship a while back, along with director Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck, over “creative differences.”

Now, fan favorite Johnny Depp is in talks to be the titular tourist, and director Alfonso Cuaron (Children of Men) is considering taking the reins. If Depp is indeed attached to the project, he’ll be performing alongside Angelina Jolie, so we’re in for a vortex of sexiness the likes of which the world has never seen.

Julian Fellowes (Vanity Fair) wrote the original script for The Tourist, with rewrites by Christopher McQuarrie and Jeffrey Nachmanoff.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Ridley Scott is overextending himself, and with every new report of an upcoming project for the director/producer, I’m less inclined to believe it’ll get off the ground with his name attached to it.

The latest is that Scott has been in talks with Angelina Jolie to star in Gucci, a murder-drama about the lavish existence of the Gucci fashion family. The film, which will hopefully be pushed into production by Fox 2000 by 2010, would see Jolie starring as Patrizia Reggiano who was “sentenced to 29 years in jail for plotting the murder of her ex-husband, Maurizio Gucci.”

The studio is currently hiring for a rewrite on the script. A quick glance at the Gucci family reveals a lot of material for a film — there have been multiple betrayals, deceptions, and power struggles within the family, particularly in the 1970s and 80s.

Scott is reportedly looking at his pal Leonardo DiCaprio to play Maurizio Gucci.

If this does happen, it’ll likely be Scott’s film to immediately follow Robin Hood.

With February set to be the start of production on the upcoming Spyglass Entertainment thriller The Tourist, the studio is working on getting all the loose ends tied up.

Tom Cruise was originally considered to star in the film, but opted to go with Fox’s Knight and Day instead. In his place, Spyglass is planning on having Angelina Jolie play the film’s lead. Jolie, who has several other offers on the table, is ready to make The Tourist her next project, on the condition that the right director is found.

Spyglass has been looking, and director Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck is their top choice to take on the film. No official negotiations have been worked out yet, but if von Donnersmarck agrees to making The Tourist the film will remain on track to be released in 2011.

The Tourist, which follows an Interpol agent who “draws an unwitting American tourist into her attempt to locate a criminal who was once her lover,” would be the first project for von Donnersmarck since winning the Academy Award for best foreign-language film in 2006.

Gary Barber, Roger Birnbaum, and Jonathan Glickman are set to produce the film, which Spyglass is producing in partnership with StudioCanal.

A rabid photog on the set of Angelina Jolie’s upcoming spy thriller, Salt, snagged some pics of Jolie. I’m not going to lie to you. They’re not really exciting but even lame-ish pics of Ms. Jolie are better than having no pics of the Lipped One.

Salt features Jolie (Wanted, Changeling) as a spy who is desperate to clear her name in the face of double-agent allegations.

The film also stars Liev Schreiber and Chiwetel Ejiofor with Phillip Noyce directing.

Salt hits theaters July of 2010.