Day 137: "I wasn't high, wasn't wired; just clear. I knew what I needed to do and how to do it."

I had been looking forward to Limitless since I missed it in theaters, and it did not let me down.  A well put together action/thriller, Limitless glosses over the morality of hyper-intelligence and how it is endowed, to deliver an almost Fight Club-esque look into the mind and motivations of the man who receives this gift.  A down-and-out writer, Eddie Morra, has a chance encounter with an acquaintance from his past who gives him a pill, telling him almost nothing of its effects, only that Eddie will thank him later.  Eddie takes the pill, and suddenly he has access to 100% of his brain's capabilities.  Returning to his "friend" Eddie discovers his stash and proceeds to "enhance" himself to extraordinary levels.  As is the Hollywood norm, someone is, of course, after him.  Limitless forgoes character development for the sake of the story, but I really didn't care, I jsut wanted to know what Eddie was going to do next with his new found brainpower.  The only time things slowed down, was when the film started to show us what the down side of the magic pills was.  Other than that, it was a fun ride.

Bradley Cooper played Eddie, and the more I watch this guy act, the more I like him.  I loved his work in The Hangover, but it was cool to see him in a more dramatic turn.  If he ever made a movie with Jeff Bridges, I'd see that one several times.  Robert De Niro plays financial tycoon/wizard Carl Van Loon, Eddie's mentor at one point in the film.  Not one of his top roles, but De Niro being De Niro, he was better than almost everyone else.  Abbie Cornish, of Sucker Punch is Eddie's on-again, off-again girlfriend.  She was the only one I really had trouble liking in this.  she could never get off the fence about whether or not they were or weren't a couple.

Not the most intellectually filling movie I've ever seen (irony!!), but fun nonetheless.  Don't let it slip under your radar, as it is a pretty good option for a summer evening.  Not a whole lot of offensive language, but some of the violence is a bit over the top, and if you have a weakness for on-screen vomiting, you are now warned.  Sit back and enjoy.  8.25/10

See you tomorrow, and GO WATCH A MOVIE!!