Pill-powered brain no match for De Niro
Villian of the piece makes the dubious premise of limitless almost worth watching
BY CHRIS LACKNER, POSTMEDIA NEWS
March 14, 2011

A wise man once said, "You don't need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows," but these days, a guide through the seemingly endless flurry of pop culture is just what we need. With that in mind, here is what's on the radar screen in TV, music and film for the coming week.

MOVIES

BIG RELEASES: LIMITLESS (MARCH 18)

The big picture: In what can only be described as The Matrix meets Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde meets "a Hollywood screenwriter's sad, desperate fantasy," Bradley Cooper plays Eddie, a mangy-haired, struggling writer who is offered a pill that allows him to use 100 per cent of his brain (the average person only uses 20 per cent, we're told; Snooki from Jersey Shore sits at roughly 2.5 per cent). Suddenly, Eddie is charming, attractive, sleeping with Abbie Cornish, earning billions and buying mansions.

Forecast: I'm not sure what it says about our society when Eddie requires "brain Viagra" in order to a) learn a second language, b) understand math ("Math became useful" Eddie intones in a trailer voice-over) and c) appreciate a van Gogh painting at an art gallery. You likely don't need one of the aforementioned pills to watch this film, but Robert De Niro's turn as the film's de facto villain who tries to subvert Eddie's talents makes this one worth watching.

Another big one opening March 18: Paul. Seth Rogen voices a CGI alien who teams up with British geeks Nick Frost and Simon Pegg to avoid government thugs and, presumably, "phone home." It's like E.T. meets Monty Python meets Seth Rogen's "man-child" humour.

TV

BIG EVENT: ENDGAME (MONDAY, MARCH 14, SHOWCASE, 10 ET/PT )

The big picture: In the world of cop/detective shows, you truly need a gimmick to stand out. Already taken: Seeing dead people, psychic, lie detector, crime author, mind-reader, obsessive-compulsive disorder and sunglasses-wearing, red-haired buffoon. You know what wasn't taken? Agoraphobic, former world chess champion.

Newfoundland's Shawn Doyle (Big Love) stars as the former Russian chess champ Arkady Balagan, who suffers from deep-seated agoraphobia after witnessing the murder of his fiance. Balagan solves crimes while confined to his hotel room, using his vivid imagination and analytic mind, while relying on friends and hotel staff to do his investigatory legwork.

Forecast: With such an eclectic premise, this one could be a TV checkmate.

MUSIC

BIG RELEASES ON MARCH 15: MOTHER MOTHER (EUREKA)

The big picture: Vancouver's Mother Mother is simply one of Canada's finest acts at the moment. Building on momentum from their debut Touch Up and 2008's followup O My Heart, the five-piece band is back with more idiosyncratic lyrics, electro-rock pop, and complimentary vocals from frontman Ryan Guldemond and his sister Molly Guldemond (not to mention lots of horns).
With upbeat tempos often juxtaposed against darkly tinged lyrics, Mother Mother will pull you in different directions. But Guldemond's unique, fierce falsetto vocals will make you enjoy both journeys.

Forecast: Make this Tuesday Mother Mother's day. You won't regret it.

Other big releases March 15: A Hawk and a Hacksaw (Cervantine), Travis Barker (Give The Drummer Some), J. Mascis (Several Shades of Why), Noah and the Whale (Last Night on Earth), Nick Lowe (Labour Of Lust)