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: "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 Story of Luke"

This film is as true-to-life for an adult with Asperger’s syndrome as a movie can get, where Lou Taylor Pucci (The Answer Man, Brotherhood) stars as Luke, a 25 year old man with Autism. Luke used to live heavily supervised by his two grandparents since he was a young boy after his mother abandoned him and left him on their doorstep. When his grandmother falls ill and dies, he is left to be looked after by his Uncle Paul (Cary Elwes, The Princess Bride) and their family after the early on antagonistic Aunt Cindy (Kristin Bauer van Straten, True Blood) throws his grandfather in a nursing home. At the suggestion of his persistently testy grandfather, he is to “get his shit together like everyone else” so he can grow up and be a man with a paying job that will allow him to find a girl and screw—precisely in that direct order. But there’s a problem with Luke finding a job as he has no skills except his cooking where his grandmother taught him how to prepare twenty-three dinner entrée’s plus breakfasts and no desserts yet. This lands him as an unpaid trainee for a local technical company filing mail and pushing a coffee cart. There, he meets his witted and seemingly abusive supervisor Zack (Seth Green, Without a Paddle, Family Guy) who turns out to be the only one in the building to understand Luke on a non-neurotypical level throughout the movie. After it’s all been said and done, having Luke around in his new household only brings his relatives closer to one another including his used-to-be spiteful Aunt and he learns a thing or two about a normal human existence which is something anyone with Autism has issues grasping tightly to.

(c) 2012 | DViant Films, Fluid Film and Shadowbox/Mediaplex

Throughout the movie, one can expect to be wowed by excellent acting from the cast which no doubt was meticulously selected for each role. Prepare to learn a fair amount about Autism while watching the film, as it does touch very close to the life of an Autistic individual but peppers in some overt characteristics which at certain times throughout the movie were a bit overly-dramatic. The movie has a moving plot and writer Alonso Mayo implements a moving story line that can be followed only if you pay close attention to what is going on. It is a movie that does lack a fair amount of substance, but yet is eager to follow every viewer through to the very abrupt ending. Whilst The Story of Luke is relatable to individuals and families affected by Autism, it can certainly be easy for viewers not affected to still appreciate the film at surface value.

Overall I give this film a welcomed 3 out of 5 stars, and feel that everyone should watch it at least once.