Runner Runner

Story: A brilliant Princeton math student attempts to rescue his broke bank account by risking all in an online poker game. After he's cheated of his last cent, he flies to Costa Rica to sort things out with the owner of that gambling website.

Review: You've seen thrillers that are intricate, detailed and unfold at their own pace, allowing the viewer an immersive experience. Runner Runner isn't quite like that. It's a breezy film that runs breathlessly from start to finish, pretty much as the movie title suggests it does.

Richie (Timberlake) is a razor-sharp Poker hand who can't resist a good deal. He loses everything one night even as his pals watch disbelievingly. When he reaches gambling haven Costa Rica, he meets the uber-smooth, louche and nefarious gambling tycoon and villain Ivan (Affleck), who predictably enough, takes Richie under his wing, and throws wads of dollar bills his way every now and then as rewards.

One of those rewards is also a chance to sleep with his oomphy and curvaceous (even if somewhat vacuous) moll, Rebecca (Arterton), whom Richie begins to lustfully eye almost as soon as he becomes a part of Ivan's Clicquot-swilling clique.

So swayed is Richie that it takes a sudden intervention from FBI Agent Shavers (Mackie) to forcefully let Richie know about the rot in Ivan's Caribbean Empire of Sin. Soon, Richie gets to know what the old adage 'never trust a gambler' means.

Affleck is at ease in his role and has some good lines. It's pretty apparent that Timberlake channels more than a few stylistic touches and mannerisms from some of his recent roles. Early on in the movie, Furman shifts focus from Poker to something else. Arterton's Rebecca seems comfortable with being the eye-candy and is every part the bombshell, a much-needed counterpoint in this casino boogie of a movie, otherwise full of tumbling dice and dirty deals in broad daylight.

Elysium

Story: Set in 2154, the film gives us a grim view of the future, where the poor live on an over-populated, ruined earth, the rich on a luxurious space station. Can one man bring about a change?

Review: Mutants, superheroes, aliens, gadgets...while Hollywood fancies fiction that's more escapist, Neill Blomkamp, in his inimitable style, gives us a dark science fiction thriller that's relevant to present-day society and existing social and economic inequality.

Blomkamp's splendid vision merges facts and fiction to give us a grim view of the future (the year is 2154), when earth is over-populated and ruined. The gap between rich and poor couldn't be more evident. With crime and the disease rate on a high, the planet is no longer fit for human habitation. The rich relocate to a man-made space station 'Elysium', which exclusively offers them luxury and high-tech medical facilities.

In order to preserve their lifestyle, immortality and longevity, they ensure that the poor gain no access to Elysium. Max ( Matt Damon), an ordinary factory worker, gets exposed to a severe dose of radiation that can only be cured on Elysium. He has five days to live. Can he get there?

No matter how gripping, Elysium is no match for Blomkamp's hard-hitting 'District 9'. Scenes of the protagonist Max running around, trying to get help from the thugs featured here, become repetitive. The villains (Jodie Foster as Elysium's cold and conniving protector and Sharlto Copley as a sleeper agent) are one-dimensional.

However, what works in the film's favour is the director's satirical intent. There's a scene where a factory owner asks his employee to cover his mouth while talking. Fearing he might catch an infection, he orders, "Don't breathe on me." It's this acute portrayal of the mindset of the 'heartless rich' that grips you.

The premise is thought-provoking with the whole 'degradation of human life' theme deeply affecting your psyche. Aerial shots of over-populated earth might even remind you of Mumbai.

Elysium is like a warning of a disturbing future that we can all see coming.