Takers

Starring: Paul Walker, Matt Dillon, Tip “T.I.” Harris
Directed by: John Luessenhop (“Lockdown”)
Written by: John Luessenhop (debut), Gabriel Casseus (debut), Avery Duff (debut), Peter Allen (“Klash”),

There are only so many things you can do with a screenplay as unoriginal as “Takers.” You can either compare it to better heist movies that have come before it or you can save your breath and take it for what it is: a generic, one-dimensional collection of cocky, GQ-fashionable stars running around with nothing meaningful to say or do.

In “Takers,” a group of professional thieves (Idris Elba, Paul Walker, Michael Ealy, Hayden Christensen, and Chris Brown) team up with Ghost (Tip “T.I.” Harris), a former member of their crew who was recently released from prison after being the only one to get arrested during the boys’ last run together six years prior.

Now out of prison, Ghost wants to steal $30 million from an armored truck and feel his old friends owe it to him to join up for another heist. Although some of the men don’t trust Ghost, their leader Gordon Jennings (Elba) accepts the proposal since Ghost never took a plea bargain and ratted any of them out when he was in the joint.

On the other side of the law are LAPD’s finest, officers Jack Welles (Matt Dillon) and Eddie Hatcher (Jay Hernandez) who are hot on the trail of the “takers,” but have problems of their own to deal with as well. Like the criminals they’re after, neither of the boys in blue have much personality aside from a typical law-enforcement temperament.

Besides a few well-shot action sequences (this doesn’t include a pretentious shoot-out scene played over symphony music), “Takers” is not engaging unless you’re entertained by big-budget pissing contests. The testosterone and fashion might be at an all time high, but when you’ve seen one slow-motion strut in an Armani suit you’ve basically seen them all.

Zoe Saldaña – The Losers

“For me, the perfect role is a one that was different from the last,” actress Zoe Saldaña, 31, told me during a phone conference to promote her latest action film “The Losers.” “I really wanted to explore what it would be like to play a badass chica.”

In the film, which is adapted from a Vertigo comic book of the same name, Saldaña plays Aisha, a sexy operative who joins a team of mercenaries on the hunt for a rogue CIA agent.

During our interview, Saldaña, who is of Dominican and Puerto Rican descent, talked about the physical nature of the role and why she never dressed like princess characters for Halloween when she was a little girl.

It is easier to give off a sexual vibe when you have a gun in your hand?

(Laughs) Well, it definitely makes you feel powerful in a way. (Laughs) Yeah, it does make it easier to be sexy.

Is the action drama something you are comfortable doing now?

It’s definitely difficult because you’re there doing something that you don’t do naturally. What helped me was my dance background. It’s a combination of different things like working with a really good stunt coordinator that you can trust with your life. It’s fun when you’re able to incorporate your body into your character.

What drew you to the character of Aisha?

I had never done a character like her before. I read the script three years ago when another director was attached. The character just blew my mind. The kind of physical behavior that was going to be required of whoever was going to play Aisha was going to be a challenge. I love pushing myself.

How did you go from being on such a high with a record-breaking movie like “Avatar” to another movie?

“Avatar” was an amazing journey and an amazing film. I feel very blessed that I am getting characters that are different and challenging myself. I’m an artist primarily and I like to try different things. Aisha was just another character I was going to play. It’s always good for an actor to be employed so it feels really good.

What was it like on the set being the only female character?

I loved it! It’s happened more than once where I am the only female in a sea of men. In “Star Trek” it was the same way. It can’t really tell the difference because we are all artists and we’re kind of genderless in a certain way. I’m really a tomboy. Maybe I unintentionally gravitate towards those characters. I was never Snow White or Cinderella for Halloween. I was always Sarah Connor or Ellen Ripley or a ninja. I’m like a little Terminator.

So, what would you say is the most girly thing about you?

I think it’s the way that I dress (laughs). As I keep working in this business, the one thing I have learned in my career is to dress feminine. I would normally be in a jacket, but that doesn’t sell. I am a girl, but it’s hard for me to go get a pedicure. I can’t sit down and allow my nails to dry. It drives me insane.

Do you feel you have more of a responsibility in the industry because you come from a multicultural background?

Yes. By knowing that there are people looking up to me – especially young women – it keeps me on track. I feel really blessed to have been raised the way that I was by my family. I was taught by my mom to love everything that I’m composed of. We were always allowed to be American because we were born here and we were always exposed to the culture that we come from.

You’re half Puerto Rican and a lot of this movie was shot in Puerto Rico. What was your experience shooting there?

It was great. I lived in the Dominican Republic for seven years, so going back to the Caribbean was like home. My mom was there for the first month and a half. We got to visit the whole family. There is a vibe in Puerto Rico. We immediately go into our Latino ways. We have a beer at four in the afternoon and then take a walk. Then you have your little cafécito with the neighbors and end up at la plazita.

What other types of roles do you hope to seek out?

I want to do everything. I would love to navigate in the world of comedy and thrillers. I would love to do more sci-fi because I’m such a geek. There is nothing cool about me.  I can’t limit myself. It’s the only way I can expand as an artist.

Avatar

Starring: Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Sigourney Weaver
Directed by: James Cameron (“Titanic”)
Written by: James Cameron (“Titanic”)

It has taken filmmaker James Cameron quite a while to get behind another camera for a feature film since proclaiming he was “king of the world” for delivering the sinking-ship-love-story that broke box-office records 12 years ago.

While “Titanic” went on to win the Oscar for Best Picture (over “L.A. Confidential” mind you) in 1997 and Céline Dion gave us enough firepower for a decade of “My Heart Will Go On” jokes, Cameron quietly slid out of the limelight and under the water to make a couple of documentaries on sunken ships and ocean ridges.

Now, Cameron, who is also behind groundbreaking films such as “Aliens” and “Terminator 2: Judgment Day,” has come out of the ocean for some air and found time to give us another of those visual spectacles he’s known for. With “Avatar,” not only is the sci-fi adventure a magnificent sight to behold, there’s a quite serviceable – if not all too familiar – story to go along with the breathtaking imagery.

In the film, Sam Worthington (“Terminator Salvation”) plays Jake Sulley, a paraplegic Marine who is called up by the U.S. government and their scientists to make contact with members of an indigenous tribe on an alien planet called Pandora. The creatures, known as the Na’vi, have blue skin and are 10 feet tall. Jake’s job is to befriend the species and get them relocate so the military can go in and collect a powerful mineral in the area the Na’vis inhabit. Yes, the parallels to the war in Iraq are aplenty.

Of course, Jake cannot simply go in on his wheelchair and expect the entire alien race to trust him and follow his orders to move out. Instead, the government scientists – led by Dr. Grace Augustine (Sigourney Weaver) – assign him to his own avatar, a surrogate alien that looks, walks, and talks like all the other Na’vis. Jake can control his avatar from the comfort of a laboratory pod.

Described by some critics as a sci-fi version of “Dances with Wolves,” Cameron captures the physical and emotional journey Jake takes as he becomes this alien being who must learn the ways of the tribe if he wants to earn his place among the clan. Zoe Saldana (“Star Trek”) plays Neytiri, a female Na’vi warrior who is delegated to teach Jake everything he must know to become part of her people. Their relationship is at the forefront of the storytelling and Cameron does not let it slip by the wayside. Beside the intriguing appearance of everything computer-generated that flashes on the screen, the connection Cameron makes between Neytiri and Jake is essential in having us believe his out-of-body experience is more than just a covert mission.

We are on a journey with Jake. From his first ride on the dragon-like banshee to his sprint through the jungle on his aliens legs, Cameron has us experience it all in vibrant detail and engaging action sequences.

While “Avatar” is not without its flaws (some of the dialogue is very laughable), there is entirely too many dazzling moments not to recommend it to anyone whose imagination craves a spectacular tour into a world never seen before.

Star Trek

Starring: Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Zoe Saldana
Directed by: J.J. Abrams (“Mission: Impossible 3″)
Written by: Roberto Orci (“Transformers”) and Alex Kurtzman (“Tranformers”)

Welcome me with open arms Trekkies worldwide.

While I may not know the difference between photon and polaron torpedoes and can’t speak a lick of Klingon, the new J.J. Abrams-helmed “Star Trek” has created a new fan – at least of the most recent film.

Commanding the Starship Enterprise is a young James T. Kirk (Chris Pine), the son of a former captain whose reign was short-lived after being attacked by a Romulan ship the night his wife gave birth to James. Leading the enemy ship throughout the film is Nero (an unrecognizable Eric Bana), a Romulan who wants nothing more than to make anyone he comes in contact with suffer, especially the Vulcan race.

The back stories to the most influential characters of the series, including Kirk, Spock, and “Bones” McCoy are extremely fascinating. Give credit to screenwriting team Robert Orci and Alex Kurtzman of the overblown “Transformers” movie for reenergizing this franchise. With so much material to work with in “Star Trek” folklore, Orci and Kurtzman do well in dabbling in both the old and the new aspects of what has made the franchise popular for so long.

As the new half human-half Vulcan Spock, actor Zachary Quinto is spot on, not only with his pointy-eared look but when what he brings to the character. The scenes he shares with the original Spock (Leonord Nimoy) are well-written and fit in nicely with the new story. The most important thing about this small cameo is that Nimoy doesn’t feel like he was thrown in as a gimmick. His contribution to the film is integral and Abrams uses the short time he has with him to expand the story by light years.

Once Kirk enlists in the Starfleet, “Star Trek” never lingers. It’s an extraordinary action film complete with impressive special effects and solid performances by the entire cast.