Crisp Criticism - "Looper", "Taken 2", "Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted"

Looper (2012/US)   ***

In 2074, when the mob wants to get rid of someone, the target is sent 30 years into the past, where a hired gun awaits.

Violent, engrossing, highly impressive time-travel picture that finds ways to go in unexpected directions and surprises right up to the final scene. It is dynamically filmed.

wd – Rian Johnson

ph – Steve Yedlin

pd – Ed Verreaux

m – Nathan Johnson

ed – Bob Ducsay

cos – Sharen Davis

p – Ram Bergman, Jams D. Stern

Cast: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Bruce Willis, Emily Blunt, Jeff Daniels, Paul Dano, Noah Segan, Piper Perabo, Pierce Gagnon, Garret Dillahunt, Qing Xu

Taken 2 (2012/US)

In Istanbul, a retired CIA operative and his wife are taken hostage by the father of a kidnapper he killed while rescuing his daughter.

Putrid piece of action cinema aimed at the lowest common denominator. No denominator could be this low.

d – Olivier Megaton

w – Luc Besson, Robert Mark Kamen

ph – Romain Lacourbas

pd – Sébastien Inizan

m – Nathaniel Mechaly

ed – Camille Delamarre, Vincent Tabaillon

cos – Pamela Lee Incardona

p – Luc Besson

Cast: Liam Neeson, Maggie Grace, Famke Janssen, Leland Orser, Jon Gries, D.B. Sweeney, Luke Grimes, Rade Serbedzija

Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted (2012/US)  **

The four animals from the New York Zoo continue their journey trying to get back by disguising themselves as a travelling circus.

d – Eric Darnell, Tom McGrath, Conrad Vernon

w – Eric Darnell, Noah Baumbach

pd – Kendal Cronkhite

m – Hans Zimmer

ed – Nick Fletcher

p – Mireille Soria, Mark Swift

Cast: Ben Stiller, Chris Rock, David Schwimmer, Jada Pinkett Smith, Sacha Baron Cohen, Cedric the Entertainer, Andy Richter, Tom McGrath, Frances McDormand, Jessica Chastain, Bryan Cranston, Martin Short, Chris Miller