“Looper” is one of those films that you’re not sure that you’re going to like, because of the film’s complex nature. Still, I decided to see it anyway considering that it has Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Bruce Willis in it.

The film is takes place in the future, where time travel has been invented and has also been outlawed. The only way that the mob can get rid of someone is to send them to the past, where the looper kills them. For Joe (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), he is getting rich by getting killing his targets from the future. Life has been going good for him, until the mob decides to close his loop. They send Joe’s future self (Bruce Willis) for assassination. But Joe’s future self has other plans, as he escapes from his past self to change his future. Now, Joe must find his future self before either he or the mob kills him first.

Film Review:

One of the reasons that the film works so well was Rian Johnson’s direction. He does a very good job keeping the tone of the film very dark and on edge. That’s what helped make the film entertaining. Johnson is able to do that, by directing the action sequences and making sure that the twists keep you guessing to see how the film ends. It really helped make this a very dark and entertaining sci-fi film. The acting here was very good. He focuses on getting his performances to fit with the film’s tone. It helped make the action interesting and keeps you interested.
Speaking of the performances in the film, I thought the performances made the film even better. Joseph Gordon-Levitt really does a very good job, as the film’s lead. I remember seeing his other most recent release “Premium Rush” before this film and thinking that I was going to have mixed feeling about his performance in “Looper”. My thoughts proved to be wrong, as he is much better in this film than in “Premium Rush”. He performs the character better and he also make the character more interesting and engaging. The supporting performances were also good, as I truly liked Bruce Willis and Emily Blunt here. Having them there also helped make the performance aspects work so well.

The screenplay written by Rian Johnson was also very good. He doesn’t make many things complicated, as this could’ve been a film where you could’ve gotten lost with all the time travel stuff. You don’t have that here, as everything feels simplified and you’re not wondering or feeling confused. The other thing that I also liked about the screenplay was the character development. Johnson did a very good job making his character very dark with his out of control lifestyle in the beginning of the film then completely change the character as the film goes on. It allows the main character to be more than a one-dimension character and makes the character interesting. If this was a one-dimensional character, then a lot of things would have went wrong with the story. Thankfully that didn’t happen, as I liked the main character here.

Blu-Ray Extras:

The extras start off with the film’s commentary track with writer/director Rian Johnson and two of the film’s stars Joseph Gordon-Levvit and Emily Blunt. I enjoyed this commentary track a lot. I liked, the way that they go into the film’s production. They provide very interesting stories from the set to how some of the film’s scenes were filmed. It’s worth a listen, if you’re a fan of this film.

After the commentary track, it’s the disc’s making of featurette “The Future from the Beginning”. Not a bad start to the featurettes. The cast and crew talk about the film, its characters and the film’s production.

The next featurette is “Scoring Looper”. This featurette is divided into three chapters; Field Recordings, Percussion and Melodic Instruments. It was an interesting featurette, where the film’s composer Nathan Johnson talked about the various things and instruments that he used when creating the film’s score. Overall, this was a very interesting featurette.

The featurettes wrap up with “The Science of Time Travel”. The featurette goes into the subject of time travel. It goes into some of the science and theories about it while talking about its use in the film.

The disc wraps up an animated trailer of the film and 22 deleted scenes with commentary.

Final Summary:

“Looper” is a very well executed sci-fi thriller that has a very good screenplay and very good performances from its main cast. This truly would’ve been on my best of 2012 list, if I saw it last year.

Film Review Rating: Five Stars
Blu-Ray Extras: Four Stars

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment has send us over a DVD copy of "Looper". The film is the latest film from director Rian Johnson(Brick) and stars Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Bruce Wills and Emily Blunt. "Looper is available in stores now, but we have a copy to giveaway.

To enter: send us an email to facontest@gmail.com with your name and address.

Please put "Looper" in the subject line of the email.

Contest Ends: January 17th, 2013 and is open to US residents only.

Plot Synopsis:

In the futuristic action thriller Looper, time travel will be invented - but it will be illegal and only available on the black market. When the mob wants to get rid of someone, they will send their target 30 years into the past where a 'looper' - a hired gun, like Joe (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) - is waiting to mop up. Joe is getting rich and life is good - until the day the mob decides to 'close the loop,' sending back Joe's future self (Bruce Willis) for assassination. The film is written and directed by Rian Johnson and also stars Emily Blunt, Paul Dano, and Jeff Daniels.

"Looper": Official Trailer

Rian Johnson’s “Looper” is an ingenious movie which combines the genres of noir, science-fiction and western into a mind twister of a film that will have you enthralled throughout. It reminds you of all those time travels movies you grew up watching, and yet it feels very original when compared to them. It also proves that Johnson is a creative filmmaking force to reckon with, and it gives each cast member an opportunity to give their best performance in any film they made in 2012.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt stars as Joe Simmons, an assassin in the year 2044 who works for the mafia and kills agents sent from the year 2072. In this future time travel is possible and also illegal, and the mob takes advantage of it to get rid of their garbage. The movie’s title refers to the kind of assassin Joe is, a foot soldier who is paid on the condition that their targets never escape. They end up getting a shotgun called a Blunderbuss which doesn’t have much of a range but is powerful enough to kill a person up close. When “Looper” starts, Joe looks to have been doing this for a while and has been living the good life as a result.

Things change drastically though when the mob decides to “close the loop” by sending back the Loopers’ future versions of themselves to eliminate. Joe ends up seeing an older version of himself (played by Bruce Willis) appear before him, and he ends up getting away. From there the young Joe is on the run as he has searches for the old Joe in order to get the mob off his back and live to see another day (so to speak).

To say more will give away some of “Looper’s” most inventive moments as it is full of surprises you don’t see coming. The story looks to have been very well thought out, and its focus is more on the characters than anything else. And like the more recent sci-fi movies such as “Children of Men,” it creates a future that looks futuristic but at the same time is not far removed from our own. Some movies can alienate you with their overreliance on special effects like the needless remake of “Total Recall,” but “Looper” isn’t out to blow you away visually. Instead, it finds its most potent moments involving the insane situations Levitt and Willis among others find themselves in.

“Looper” isn’t the first movie where two actors play different versions of the same character, but I have a hard time remembering the last one which had that happen (maybe it was one of the “Austin Powers” sequels). Seeing Levitt and Willis face off in a diner gives us one of the most riveting scenes in any movie you will see in any movie this year. Considering how brutal they are to each other throughout the movie, I couldn’t help but think: “talk about being hard on yourself!”

Time travel as a concept has been done to death in movies, and Johnson is fully aware of how familiar movie audiences are of the rules surrounding it. I loved how he used that to his advantage here as it makes “Looper” easier to follow than it might seem at first. Johnson also succeeds in juggling different storylines to great effect as it could have burned out creatively speaking before the end credits came up. You go into “Looper” thinking it’s about time travel, but then it becomes about something else entirely. Like “The Master” and “The Dark Knight Rises,” this is a film that demands to be seen multiple times to take in all its meanings.

Levitt has had a fantastic year so far in 2012 with terrific performances in “The Dark Knight Rises” and “Premium Rush” and, unless he does better in Steven Spielberg’s upcoming “Lincoln,” “Looper” is the icing on the cake for him. As the young Joe Simmons, he gets his meatiest role to date as an assassin who’s a drug addict (what’s in those eye drops anyway?) but also still has a bit of conscience left. While the prosthetics on his face, which were used to make him look more Willis, are a bit awkward to take in at first, Levitt gives the role his all and looks thrilled to able to transform himself into a character like this.

So much has been said over the years about Bruce Willis as his role as John McClane from the “Die Hard” movies will forever be burned into our consciousness, but seeing him as Old Joe in “Looper” reminds us of what a great actor he can be. His Joe is driven to correct the past so that he can save the future he built up for himself, but it also forces him to do things that leave him morally conflicted. Seeing the pain cross Willis’ face makes us still root for him somewhat in “Looper” even as his character goes seriously astray with his deadly actions.

Then there’s Emily Blunt who plays hard bitten single mom Sara, and she is incredibly powerful in “Looper” regardless of whether or not she is wielding a heavy duty shotgun. Blunt has been a continually wonderful presence in each movie she’s in, and here she gets to be both bad-ass and very vulnerable. Her scenes with Pierce Gagnon, the 5-year old actor who is amazing as her son Cid, are as emotionally powerful as they are deeply suspenseful.

There are also other terrific performances to be found in “Looper” from actors like Paul Dano who plays neurotic assassin Seth, and Noah Segan who channels Billy the Kid into his role of a six shooter carrying killer named Kid Blue. And there’s no forgetting the great Jeff Daniels who brings both danger and humor to his role of mob boss Abe. Some are surprised to see Daniels in this kind of role given that he is typically cast as nice guys in movies, but keep in mind this is the same guy who played the most embittered of writers in “The Squid and The Whale.”

It’s a treat for moviegoers that a film as endlessly inventive as “Looper” got produced in a time where creativity is at a cinematic low. Everyone involved in this picture clearly came to it with tremendous enthusiasm, and it shows every single second in unfolds before us. It is not only one of the best movies of 2012, but also one of the best time travel movies ever made.

* * * * out of * * * *

Two of the fall season's most anticipated genre films, sci-fi actioner Looper and supernatural horror Sinister, are coming to Fantastic Fest along with a wide array of mind-boggling/bending/warping films from around the world. The lineup also includes the world premieres of The American Scream, from the filmmaking team behind Best Worst Movie and Universal Soldier: Day of Reckoning introduced by stars Scott Adkins and Dolph Lundgren. Fantastic Fest will take place September 20-27 in Austin, Texas at the Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar.

See below for the second wave lineup of films at this year's festival.

THE ABCs OF DEATH (2012)
US Premiere with multiple directors in person

Director - Various, 110 min

Twenty-six directors. Twenty-six ways to die. Co-produced by Drafthouse Films, and finally ready to be unleashed-see what happens when you give more than two dozen of the most brilliant filmmakers from around the world free reign to indulge their creative impulses and black humor. From A to Z, it's got something for every genre fan and is like nothing you've ever seen before.

THE AMERICAN SCREAM (2012)

World Premiere with director Michael Paul Stephenson and stars Manny Souza and Victor Bariteauin person

Director - Michael Paul Stephenson, 81min

In a small Massachusetts community, three Halloween-obsessed households transform into neighbor-terrifying supernatural wonderlands in this surprisingly touching documentary from the director of BEST WORST MOVIE.

COLD BLOODED (2012)

Regional Premiere with director Jason LaPeyre in person
Director - Jason LaPeyre, 86min
Things quickly spiral out of control when a policewoman must protect her recently comatose suspect from a violent crime boss who has cornered them in an isolated hospital wing.

COLD STEEL (2011)

Texas Premiere
Director - David Wu, 107min
After 17 years spent directing television series in North America, director David Wu (a longtime collaborator of John Woo) returns to his native China to deliver the heart-pounding World War II epic COLD STEEL.

DOOMSDAY BOOK (2012)

Austin Premiere
Director - KIM Jee-woon and YIM Pil-sung, 113min

Innovative Korean genre directors Kim Ji-Woon (A TALE OF TWO SISTERS, A BITTERSWEET LIFE, THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE WEIRD, I SAW THE DEVIL) and Yim Pil-Sung (HANSEL & GRETEL) turn their imaginations to apocalyptic sci-fi with this three-part omnibus film which outlines three possible ways in which the world goes kaput.

GRACELAND (2012)

Texas Premiere with director Ron Morales and producers Theo Brooks and Joshua Sobel in person
Director - Ron Morales, 84min

When a driver for a powerful congressman picks up his and his boss's daughter from school, he's annoyed to find himself being pulled over. But this alleged cop, far from an officer of the law, sets in motion a downward spiral of kidnapping, murder, deceit and deep depravity.

HENGE + THE BIG GUN (2012)

US Premiere

Director - Hajime OHATA, 106min

A double shot from Japanese up-and-comer Hajime Ohata. Blending elements of Kiyoshi Kurosawa and Shinya Tsukamoto with just the right amount of kaiju monster battles, Ohata is quickly building a reputation as one of Japan's brightest new talents.

HERE COMES THE DEVIL (2012)

US Premiere with director Adrián García Bogliano in person

Director - Adrián García Bogliano, 97min

Fantastic Fest veteran Adrián García Bogliano (COLD SWEAT, PENUMBRA) returns with his latest supernatural horror. When two children who went missing while exploring a cave are found, it quickly becomes apparent something evil has come home with them.

HOLY MOTORS (2012)

North American Premiere
Director - Leos Carax, 116min
While following a day in the life of Mr. Oscar as he attends several appointments, things quickly unravel and spiral out of control, abandoning all sense of logic or sanity. Fans of Carax's 'Mierde' segment of Fantastic Fest 2008 hit TOKYO! will be right back at home.

LOOPER (2012)

Special Screening with director Rian Johnson and Joseph Gordon-Levitt in person

Director - Rian Johnson, 118 min

In the futuristic action thriller LOOPER, time travel will be invented - but it will be illegal and only available on the black market. When the mob wants to get rid of someone, they will send their target 30 years into the past, where a "looper" - a hired gun, like Joe - is waiting to mop up. Joe is getting rich and life is good... until the day the mob decides to "close the loop," sending back Joe's future self for assassination. The film, starring Bruce Willis, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and Emily Blunt, is written and directed by Rian Johnson and produced by Ram Bergman and James D. Stern.

MY AMITYVILLE HORROR (2012)
US Premiere
Director - Eric Walter, 88min

You've seen the movie, now hear the story of the Amityville haunting from someone who lived it. Regardless of the source, it's clear there was darkness in that Long Island house.

NEW KIDS NITRO (2012)
US Premiere with cast Huub Smit, Wesley van Gaalen, Steffen Haars and Flip Van der Kuil
Director - Steffen Haars & Flip van der Kuil, 78min

In 2011, NEW KIDS TURBOrocked Fantastic Fest audiences with its potent brand of Dutch gross-out humor. Now, Fantastic Fest is proud to present the highly anticipated-and very offensive-sequel: NEW KIDS NITRO.

NO REST FOR THE WICKED (2012)
Regional Premiere
Director - Enrique Urbizu, 104min

A dirty cop who tries to cover up a crime stumbles upon a massive criminal conspiracy. NO REST FOR THE WICKED swept the Spanish Goya awards this year with an electrifying performance by lead actor José Coronado.

OUTRAGE BEYOND (2012)
US Premiere
Director - Takeshi Kitano, 112min

As Japanese police launch a full-scale crackdown on organized crime, it ignites a national yakuza struggle between the Sanno of the East and Hanabishi of the West. What started as internal strife in director Takeshi Kitano's OUTRAGE, has now become a nationwide war in his latest film OUTRAGE BEYOND.

SINISTER (2012)

Special Screening with director Scott Derrickson, producer Jason Blum and writer C. Robert Cargill in person

Director - Scott Derrickson, 110 min

SINISTER is a frightening new thriller about a true crime novelist who discovers a box of mysterious, disturbing home movies that plunge his family into a nightmarish experience of supernatural horror.

UNIVERSAL SOLDIER: DAY OF RECKONING (2012)

World Premiere with Dolph Lundgren and Scott Adkins in person

Director - John Hyams, 93 min

Surviving Unisols Luc Deveraux and Andrew Scott battle anarchy to build a new order ruled by Unisols without government oversight. To accomplish this, they weed out the weak and constantly test their strongest warriors in brutal, life-and-death combat.

VANISHING WAVES (2012)

US Premiere
Director - Kristina Buozyte, 124min

A scientist with a neurological research team volunteers to experiment with a new technology which will allow him to access the thoughts of a coma victim.

WARPED FOREST, THE (2011)
US Premiere
Director - Shunichiro Miki, 81min

Shunichiro Miki delivers a shot of utter madness. Penis guns! Nipple monsters! A giant girl running a very small shop! This quasi-sequel to THE FUNKY FOREST more than lives up to the weird factor of its predecessor.

Look for more film & event programming announcements for Fantastic Fest in the weeks ahead.

For the latest developments, tickets and badges visit the Fantastic Fest official site www.fantasticfest.com and follow us on Facebook & Twitter.