Movie Review: "The Great Gatsby"

Things aren’t looking good for American Literature fans who have awaited the arrival of Director Baz Luhrmann’s interpretation of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel, “The Great Gatsby.” The story is narrated through the personal accounts of Nick Carraway (Tobey Maguire, Spider Man) as he unravels the details of his experiences from living in New York amidst the glitz and glamour of a scandalous affair involving his cousin Daisy Buchanan (Carey Mulligan, Drive) and the mystery man himself, Jay Gatsby (Leonardo DiCaprio, Titanic, Inception).While the film is set in the early days of the Flapper Girl, it’s fairly easy to forget the actual timeline since the filmmakers have integrated a soundtrack much more conducive to a current Pop/R&B/Rap variety. Surely enough in the attempt to make the story relatable to today’s younger audience (the same mistake Luhrmann makes in his 1996 rendition of Romeo & Juliet [also starring DiCaprio]) remains a gigantic mistake that affords a huge disservice to the integrity of the film as it is supposed to take place in the 1920’s.

(c) 2013 | Warner Bros. Pictures and Bazmark Films

The movie’s cinematography is fairly stunning with respectable camera movement, stellar angles and sufficient lighting. But with only mediocre acting and poorly delivered New Yorker accents, the film will surely annoy anyone with the redundant use of the term “old sport” which is said every couple minutes throughout the entirety of the movie. As important as it is in every movie, the pace of The Great Gatsby drags along slowly like an attack of influenza. What was produced in over 2 hours could have fit the standard 90 minute movie mold. The only award deserving element would be to DiCaprio who flawlessly puts on the façade of living a lie. Too little too late however, the overall acting improves only in the final 30 minutes through to the indignant ending that is sure to leave anyone with sour taste in their mouth. The Great Gatsby could easily be identified as an end-product you’d receive when you mix the promiscuity and booze soaked deceptions of Mad Men with the ludicrous beaches and drama from Jersey Shore.

I rate this film 3 out of 5 stars for the basis that it can still be enjoyed only if you try extremely hard enough.

Movie Review: "Iron Man 3"

When the product of a successful icon such as Iron Man gears up to claim revenge on his newly acquired nemesis The Mandarin, moviegoers flock theaters with highly set expectations to relish in the badassary that is Tony Stark. Tony (Robert Downey Jr, The Avengers, Sherlock Holmes) is back again to save the world and particularly The United States from evil and destruction. That’s about as thick as the story really gets, however that’s all the audience really hopes for in a movie from the seemingly desperate for approval Marvel Comics empire in this “let’s make a quick dollar” sequel to the very solid original Iron Man. With stellar co-stars Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow, Shallow Hal) and Colonel Rhodes (Don Cheadle, Crash) a trio of fine artists helps maintain the film’s longstanding reputation with high regards and bring the movie to an affective yet endearing closure.

(c) 2013 | Marvel Studios and Paramount Pictures

An entirely too slow start to the movie finally takes wind 45 minutes in, leaving potentially disappointed viewers out in the freezing cold during what is supposed to be the most crucial part of any film in order to earn attention. With impressive cinematography intact, the film reels in the audience with its shiny new ‘marks’ [models] of Iron Man via a little too much overutilization of special effects which compromises the clarity of its ambitious intentions to the point of a “look Mom, watch what I can do”-esque fault. The stunning high-definition sound takes what could have been a bunch of loud explosions and crashing noises to new extremes, allowing me to appreciate the hard editing work that glued everything together with a thematic balance. Featuring the same witty screenwriting that Iron Man fans have grown to love, the movie keeps an action packed vision while dishing a humorous tone all throughout. Lastly but certainly not least, there’s the ending (which I’m not at total liberty to divulge) that will leave viewers blindsided with the only question of “Why?”

I give this Iron Man sequel 4 out of 5 stars. In total, the movie deserves to be enjoyed by anyone willing to stick it out through a slow first act because it does engage an audience through its thrilling second and third acts. Go see it and enjoy. Buy it if you wish support the cast and crew for all their hard work and devotion.

Movie Review: "Act Naturally"

Life seemed to be going well for Leah Collins (Katie L. Hall) a tightly wound Business Systems Analyst, before she receives a call one day from a sister she never knew existed. Charlie Tillerman (Liz Lytle), calls with tragic news of their father passing away and informs Leah that it is up to the two of them to go down to Arizona to collect his personal belongings and handle necessary arrangements. Putting a kink in Leah’s busy routine, she agrees to road trip with Charlie in the hopes of making their visit as short but respectful as possible. But we all know that life never pans out in the way we wish and Director JP Riley delivers a true-to-life film about just that—dealing with life’s unexpected pleasures or as for some visiting Bear Lake, living life with simplicity. Arriving at their destination with the address the attorney left them, Leah and Charlie quickly catch on to what the fuss is all about.

(c) 2011 | Letter Blue Productions

But in order to find out what hides behind door number two, they have to succumb to the rules of Bear Lake [a clothes free naturist resort] and strip down before they can get down to business. The sisters quickly learn that their father owned the resort and will inherit something beyond anything they ever would have imagined. In time they learn that they’ll have to broaden their minds and think outside the box in order to come to a mutual decision that affects the fate of not only Bear Lake Resort itself but also the individuals who run it.

(c) 2011 | Letter Blue Productions

This Comedy/Drama brings a new light to a different choice in lifestyle and Mr. Riley does so very tastefully by furnishing an obliging message to viewers that sometimes you have to get completely rid of everything in order to find your self-worth. This is proven through each of the supporting characters’ different backstories that stand testimonial in overcoming low self-esteem and breaking through the barriers of a covetous society. Unlike a standard independent film that does not attempt any sort of challenge, the crew responsible for this movie deserve high accolade for their ingenuity by contrasting their indie counterparts to a gig with a much higher budget. Act Naturally features a supporting cast including Susan May Pratt, Alan Cox, Josh McVaney, Courtney Abbott and Rob Roy Fitzgerald among the other praise worthy performances. It isn’t your average indie with subpar acting, each member of the cast eagerly pulls their own weight in order to establish a well directed production that stands to prove their prodigious skill. The movie contains frequent nudity only intended for a mature adult audience, but I’d also recommend anyone with a delicate ear to steer clear due to recurrent profanity (although commonly used with a humorous inflection) that could possibly make for an uncomfortable viewing experience for some. Its plotline doesn’t stray away from its objectives and affords anyone who watches it with some invaluable lessons on relationships and personal fulfillment.

You can buy or rent Act Naturally on the Apple iTunes store by clicking here. 

I rate this film 5 out of 5 stars for its sheer brilliance by dispensing a serious-yet- optimistic message in a highly comical demeanor. Perhaps if I weren’t autistic, I’d go visit a nudist resort in my region and learn to see the world in a different light. 

Movie Review: "The Big Wedding"

A multifaceted film sprinkled with an all-star cast should expect to thrill any audience with Academy Award winners across the board. However and sadly, Writer and Director Justin Zackham’s seemingly obvious and at most optimistic attempt of pulling off such virtuosity fails miserably and allows itself to be tossed in the Pacific waters as shark food. The clichéd plotline could be mistaken to be stolen straight out of a Judd Apatow romantic comedy (see: disappointment; #majorfail) as it centers a too often and overly portrayed heterosexual couple’s relationship just days before their over-the-top and perfect wedding day. Alejandro (Ben Barnes, The Chronicles of Narnia) and Missy (Amanda Seyfried, Mamma Mia!) are about to be wed meanwhile surrounded by their chaotic to a fault relatives and all their mishaps and dark skies that follow them—for which steers the film in many directions far away from the wedding itself. Alejandro, adopted at a young age to the then married lovers Ellie (Diane Keaton, Something’s Gotta Give) and Don (Robert De Niro, Meet the Parents) has to convince his [Alejandro's] biological mother and sister visiting from his home country that everything in his adopted family is hunky dory, all the while Ellie and Don having to pretend they’re still married under one roof while Don’s mistress Bebe (Susan Sarandon, Thelma & Louise) touts her role as solely the wedding caterer.

(c) 2013 | Two Ton Films and Millennium Films

Siblings are reunited from different career avenues featuring the sister Lyla, (Katherine Heigl, Grey’s Anatomy) a newly pregnant attorney facing the possibility of a failed marriage and brother Jared, (Topher Grace,That 70’s Show) a twenty-nine year old doctor who happens to still be a virgin. The cast also egregiously features Father Moinighan (Robin Williams, Mrs. Doubtfire), the Catholic priest who consecrates the young couple’s marriage.

(c) 2013 | Two Ton Films and Millennium Films

While fairly humorous, the film only mildly stands on its own two feet with a cast more than able to carry out the story in an entertaining fashion. I couldn’t help but to raise my eyebrow a handful of times while the screenwriting takes a very liberal stab at organized religion, often scoffing at Catholic moralities and indelicate gestures towards common world issues. I suggest waiting for this movie to come out to rent or be purchased just for shits and giggles— since it will probably just gather dust among the rest of your collection either digitally or on DVD, as it is a great one-timer movie that could be enjoyed once, maybe twice and that’s about it.

Efficacious acting and a few knee slappers allow this film a rating of 2 out of 5 stars—and because I love Chinese Pugs. Keep this film out of reach from children and the easily offended.

Movie Review: "The Call"

Life for an emergency dispatcher certainly doesn’t allow for a dull day and Jordan Turner (Halle Berry, X-Men, Perfect Stranger) knows this to be quite the truth. Screenwriter Richard D'Ovidio brings a real-life scenario to cinema and believably hits the nail on the head in this suspense/thriller. Jordan undergoes the stress and trauma of one particularly difficult call where a man breaks into a young woman’s residence and kills her while the phone is still connected to 911. It affects Jordan’s abilities in the months that pass by rather too quickly [though for the sake of keeping a film of this caliber on track it was necessary]. With a fresh approach at her job, Jordan is in the middle of training a group of new dispatchers while another critical call comes through and she is faced with the duties and challenges of her old position on the call floor. 

(c) 2013 | Troika Pictures and WWE Studios

Immediately engaged in the situation, she assists teenager Casey (Abigail Breslin, Little Miss Sunshine, My Sister’s Keeper) who has just been abducted from a mall parking garage and stuck in the trunk of his [the kidnapper] car. The problem? Casey’s call originates from a prepaid cellphone that does not have any sort of global tracking systems intact. Taking alternative approaches, minutes lead into hours

and with a majority of the city’s police force in search, Jordan and Casey utilize the resources they are limited to in order to escape from her abductor. Jordan and the police collaborate and uncover many leads, though the several hours having passed with multiple victims tragically involved, the suspense continues through the night as law enforcement come to no resolve after hitting many dead corners. The call comes to a disconnect after a brief conversation with the man responsible for Casey’s disappearance. He then reveals a disturbing clue that Jordan recognizes as the same man who killed the young lady several months prior which caused her so much mental anguish. Jordan decides that she’d piece together the clues and take justice in her own hands to save Casey and to see that her captor pays for all he’s done.

(c) 2013 | Troika Pictures and WWE Studios

The movie influences viewers to pay attention to every detail with their soda and snacks close by but I couldn’t help but trim the five nails on my left hand down to their flesh as I sat in anticipation of what would happen next—all the while questioning the validity of certain aspects of the film. I did find it inconsistent to a fault when a day-to-day emergency dispatcher [without any formal protection or useful skills] hit the street to hunt down a psychopath. Another facet I questioned was how a partially charged cell phone could keep a stable connection throughout most of the film [which spanned over several hours] and only then showed a low battery at the time it was manually disconnected by the crook. However, a well laid out film like this is still enjoyable and yet should stand up to a highly deserving accolade.

I give The Call 3 out of 5 stars for its delivery of an intense thought engaging plot that lacks just a couple minor uniformities with the reality driven scenarios in which it conveyed.

Movie Review: "Oz: The Great and Powerful"

Director Sam Raimi brings this fanatical adaptation of L. Frank Baum’s The Wizard Of Oz to screens everywhere in an eager attempt to win over movie lovers. Oscar Diggs (James Franco, Pineapple Express, 127 Hours) is just an ordinary traveling magician who aims to shock and amaze his audience with a sleeve full of plain and mediocre magic tricks. When he is whisked off in a hot-air balloon to The Land of Oz, Oscar’s worldviews change and he finds himself in a slew of predicaments, one being that the people of Oz foresaw his falling from the meek skies and believe that he is the great wizard they’ve long awaited. But there are three witches Theodora (Mila Kunis, Black Swan), Evanora (Rachel Weisz, Constantine) and Glinda (Michelle Williams, Dawson’s Creek) who all seem less persuaded that he is indeed the great and powerful icon they’ve been expecting. Troubling as this might be for Oscar who is never displeased with being the center of attention, he finds himself surrounded by gold and fortune—which is all but his until he completes one heavy task. Before he can claim his throne, he must seek which of the witches are good and which one is as truly wicked as he’s so heard about. Set out on a journey to find and destroy the Wicked Witch, Oscar is accompanied by his newfound pals the comical flying bell-hop monkey Finley (Voiced by Zach Braff, Scrubs) and the scanty china girl (Voiced by Joey King, Crazy Stupid Love) who both come to his aide along the way. It is for then that Oscar must utilize his craft for it is all he has to convince the people of Oz that he is right for the task and that he’s in fact the great and powerful wizard they see him as.

(c) 2013 | Walt Disney Pictures and Roth Films

It was a clever idea to provide such an in depth backstory of Oz himself, which is helpful to anyone willing to view the first original classic one more time. The film also admirably follows the same platform in which its predecessor had by starting the first portion in black and white then transitioning into the stunning color—all the while drawing in the wonder and excitement that the land of Oz brings with vibrant displays of pixel perfect clarity. With a variety of fresh elements, Oz: The Great and Powerful combines fantasy with steampunk, a basis in which the movie seems hopeful to provide will appeal to every audience. This film is intended for all ages, however some of the humor might go unnoticed by younger viewers. It has a steady plot and directs its audience right through to the very enthusiastic end.

I give this film 4 out of 5 stars for its incredible visual effects and auspicious screenwriting.

Movie Review: "Olympus Has Fallen"

When I first saw the movie trailer for this film, I immediately thought of all the other films it would try to imitate. I passed it off to be a cliché political/war shoot ‘em up movie with no real storyline worth watching. But within the first ten minutes of sitting in the theater, I was pleasantly surprised and quickly took heed of the movie’s dynamics. The film follows former Presidential Secret Service agent Mike Banning (Gerard Butler, Playing For Keeps, P.S. I Love You) in his efforts to rescue US President Benjamin Asher (Aaron Eckhart, No Reservations, Meet Bill) from a hostage situation in the White House bunker where staff and cabinet members are being held for ransom in exchange for clearance codes to the NORAD launch mainframes. Meanwhile, Speaker of the House Martin Trumbull (Morgan Freeman, The Bucket List, Million Dollar Baby) is sworn in as acting President and with his Pentagon officials, together they must place all their trust and hope in the hands of Banning who is all they’ve got on the inside of the White House to reign in justice. The terrorists demand Speaker Trumbull and the US to recall the Seventh fleet from Japan shores and give them just twelve hours to do as such or they’re going to let America go up in flames. And they waste no resources to eliminate anyone that steps in their way.

(c) 2013 | Millennium Films, Nu Image Films
and West Coast Film Partners

The suspense builds up in the audience as each minute progresses, during each twist and turn with the fear of what or who is just around the next corner, making the audience wonder if Banning will overcome each issue that’s thrown his way in time to save The United States and its leaders from destruction. Though a political thriller, the movie does not go without a load of laughs via Gerard Butler’s witty and snarky edge. This is a movie full of special effects and medal worthy stunts that are action packed and will keep you on the edge of your seat as the film reaches its climax, leaving your jaws dropped to the ground in absolute shock. Beyond the overt violent tone, Olympus Has Fallen will go down in the history of cinema as an emphatic thrill ride, with an adrenaline rush equivalent to that of drinking a Red Bull.

I give this film 5 out of 5 stars for the nonstop suspense, wonderful acting and its overall aesthetics.