The Great Gatsby

If ever there was a topic of consensus hatred, the assigned reading in high school English classes takes the cake. But I wonder if that will be the case with “The Great Gatsby” now that students will be picturing Leonardo DiCaprio throwing Jay-Z infused hootenannies while they turn the pages. In the film, director Baz Luhrmann has reimagined the classic F. Scott Fitzgerald story with an over-the-top look and feel. DiCaprio plays the title character, a mysterious rich guy, who befriends his unassuming neighbor, Nick Carraway (Tobey Maguire) during the roaring-20s. Purists will pass out at the sight of this spectacle, but the film is incredibly successful at giving a fresh face to a classic (old) story.

Being a completely character driven film, it’s worth spending some time on the ensemble cast. The group is a mix between high profile actors and some great surprises. Joel Edgerton (Tom) does well, Jason Clarke (George) overachieves in his small but important role, and Isla Fisher (Myrtle) is middle of the road. Relative newcomer Elizabeth Debicki is a great fit for Jordan, a role that could have faded to the background without a memorable performance.

But in terms of the leads, all three live up to their character history. Maguire is long enough removed from his Spider-Man days to elicit an impartial view of him and he does surprisingly well as our sympathetic narrator/lead. Carey Mulligan, who plays Daisy, is the best casting choice. Even out of character the actress seems transplanted from a history book. Daisy is easy pickings for her. What about Leo, the actor who is always dating a different super model and on vacation in a different exotic place. Was the rich playboy a difficult stretch for him? Not at all. In fact, he does a great job layering the character with the different pockets of Gatsby’s complicated personality affecting the audience. So essentially these two paragraphs are saying that The Great Gatsby has one of the best casts of the year.

Not as successful is Luhrmann’s need to make every other scene an out of this world spectacle. Sure, the occasional scene is a true masterpiece on screen. Daisy’s introduction with windswept curtains filling the room is one that comes to mind. But I am unable to identify the need for unrelenting green screen usage. Large mansions on the water actually exist, so why not film one of those? But the number of visual successes outweighs the poor ones. I’d even say it could run a bit shorter without losing any of the story development. The film will always receive some criticism because it’s an example of turning art into spectacle. But I’m the one who has blockbusters next to the indies on my yearly top 10 lists, so I don’t care. Gatsby is a cool movie through and through. How fitting for the cool title character.

Each film earns either zero, a half or a full arrow in five categories. The categories are Acting, Writing/Directing, Emotion, Innovation and Overall Impression. The arrows are added up to equal the full score.

Fast and Furious 6

Where could I possibly begin with a movie like Fast and Furious 6 or is it Furious 6? But even if it’s known by a handful of different titles, the action definitely overshadows any labeling confusion. Vin Diesel and the gang are back as they come together again to bring down a group of international criminals well versed in “vehicular warfare.” So naturally the government turns to different wanted criminals (the F&F crew) to take them down. Before I break down the film, I should say that two knowledgeable movie fans I screened the feature with left the theater saying that it was the best movie of all-time. Was their NOS filled adrenaline still pumping after the credits wrapped? Yes, so that could have something to do with it, but this is a statement about how appealing this franchise has become and what American’s expect in a summer blockbuster.

With all of the important characters returning from the team-up action of the fifth film, the script for Fast 6 was forced to add some humanity to the massive plot. With (almost) all of the characters surviving 5, there was a real sense that this group was untouchable in terms of onscreen mortality. That’s not the case here. With children being born, commitments for the future and returning flames, the audience is given a look at these super-criminals beginning to settle into relatable human beings. Well guess what, everyone doesn’t make it home in the end. In terms of performances, it’s really what you would expect from all of the regulars. Paul Walker is marginalized a bit as Diesel is frequently labeled the undisputed leader. Also with Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson now on the same side as the other leads, he has less of an edge this time around. Ludacris and Tyrese change into a duo used almost exclusively for comic relief for some reason, but they excel in the role. I also have to mention Luke Evans, who does a great job as the lead villain.

Is anyone watching this franchise for their emotional connections to the characters? I’m thinking the fast cars are a more likely focal point. The cars are pretty awesome. From a souped-up Dodge Dart to a Maserati and the villainous weird formula 1 looking race car that flips your car when it hits you, there are plenty of cars all over the place in the movie. Some stunts defy physics and actually caused me to laugh in the theater. But others cheered and clapped at these moments. So I guess others better-appreciated the spectacle.

In a cinematic landscape that includes The Avengers, studios are hard at work trying to add an epic touch to their franchises. Sure enough Furious 6 achieves that with a scene that finally ties in the black sheep of the franchise, The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift from 2006. The franchise now has a cohesive timeline set off with a new villain emerging in a scene that plays during the credits. It’s a cool moment. I have to disagree and say Fast and Furious 6 is not the best movie of all-time. It’s not even the best movie released this month. But it is a massive blockbuster that uses a cast who, excluding Johnson, would have little pull as independent leads. The film is a sum of its parts, which happen to fit perfectly together. “Ride or die.”

Each film earns either zero, a half or a full arrow in five categories. The categories are Acting, Writing/Directing, Emotion, Innovation and Overall Impression. The arrows are added up to equal the full score.

Star Trek: Into Darkness

Since his first take on the Star Trek franchise came out in 2009, JJ Abrams has been busy continuing his rise to sci-fi royalty. But with the release of Star Trek: Into Darkness, the world has seen Captain Kirk and co. complete an improbable transformation into one of the coolest crews around. If you compare the audience for this latest film to those who frequented the franchise’s previous fare, you would realize what an accomplishment this is. Into Darkness has the crew of the USS Enterprise tracking a mysterious terrorist, John Harrison, played by Benedict Cumberbatch, after a Starfleet location is bombed.

With an intriguing villain, it was expected that some of the substantial crew would have to take a back seat in screen time. Surprisingly, that isn’t the case. Kirk, (Chris Pine) Spock, (Zachary Quinto) and the villain share lead duties and the rest of the crew each gets at least one moment in the spotlight. Bones (Karl Urban) and Scotty (Simon Pegg) stand out with their effective comic relief. In terms of performances, most of the characters are flat so we don’t get too much in terms of standout development. The leads however do very well. Pine and Quinto excel and show great comfort with their characters. Cumberbatch however, absolutely steals the show. His character is so hard to pin down as he changes from scene to scene. The delivery is epic without ever crossing the line into cheesy. The only thing better than how the character is written is how the actor presents him. It’s a Heath Ledger in The Dark Knight caliber performance.

The story for Star Trek: Into Darkness is an exciting one. There’s action at every turn that takes place in different expansive settings. It proves to be a very enjoyable summer movie. I, for one, am not a fan of the use of Leonard Nimoy as Spock Prime in the previous film to both separate and connect these films to the previous incarnation of Star Trek. Well the character turns up again and it’s unnecessary. That campy moment added up with the lengthy ordeal around a broken Enterprise that sees countless red-shirted crew members die brutally as everyone we know is strapped safely into their seats, causes some eye rolling. But at the end of the day if you can’t grin during a Star Trek movie then it doesn’t fit the bill.

Each film earns either zero, a half or a full arrow in five categories. The categories are Acting, Writing/Directing, Emotion, Innovation and Overall Impression. The arrows are added up to equal the full score.

Peeples

Craig Robinson has emerged as a potential leading man for both television and film after his breakout performance on “The Office.” His first lead role in film comes with Peeples, a Meet the Parents type comedy co-starring David Allen Grier and Kerry Washington. But it’s clear that he can play more than Daryl from the warehouse. The story has Robinson’s character following his girlfriend to her family’s weekend home to meet them. She doesn’t want that to happen though. Thus begins the awkward weekend at the Peeples house.

It’s worth mentioning that Peeples is the family’s last name not just a misspelling of peoples, which I initially thought. Robinson has no trouble in the leading role playing the confident, but realistic boyfriend. The script deals with a lot of tired clichés and recycled jokes from other films. This leads to many moments causing smiles instead of laughs in the audience. The cast works well together, but I would have liked Grier play a more pivotal part in the comedy since that is what he’s famous for. Instead he’s the stern jerk causing the problems. Washington, who has received much acclaim for recent roles, proves to be a weak link by turning her character into a bizarre airhead.

With a cast including Robinson, Grier and Washington, it comes as a surprise that Malcolm Barrett playing the brother of Robinson’s character ends up stealing the show with the funniest jokes and best delivery while never making the awkwardness too unbearable. Overall, Peeples is a predictable, but fun comedy that really has no place coming out in the month of May. I expect summer comedies to bring something to the table and if not, it will quickly fall into obscurity. Having Tyler Perry’s name above the title as a producer comes across as a marketing ploy, but I’m sure it got some people into the theater.

Each film earns either zero, a half or a full arrow in five categories. The categories are Acting, Writing/Directing, Emotion, Innovation and Overall Impression. The arrows are added up to equal the full score.

Iron Man 3

As a Spider-Man enthusiast I have never been on the same page as those who consider Iron Man to be Marvel’s lead character. Even Captain America has a better claim. But as we see with each of Robert Downey Jr.’s four turns as Tony Stark, the character’s stature is in large part due to the actor’s success with him. Iron Man 3 sees Stark pitted against a super-terrorist called the Mandarin (Ben Kingsley) who is causing chaos at every turn. But even with the most intriguing villain of the three films there are a number of changes that work against the movie.

The most important change was John Favreau exiting the director’s chair after leading the first two in the franchise. For this third one, Shane Black took over and the result is over the top. Plot holes run rampant. For example, Stark almost gets killed by a villain. He narrowly escapes only to be met by another villain. Stark takes him out at the last second with a hidden weapon. So why wouldn’t he use that weapon with the first one who almost killed him? (Slight spoiler coming if you haven’t seen the commercials.) Also, why didn’t Stark unleash his army of Iron Men when terrorists were blowing up his house and coming so close to killing him and Pepper. These are comic book nerd questions, but I want answers!

This is the first chapter in Marvel’s phase two that began after last summer’s The Avengers. Well apparently the events from that film impacted Stark because the script brings it up over and over. It’s a bit annoying to be honest. If you’re not going to give us any SHIELD cross-over moments, don’t throw things like that in our faces.

I do admit that Downey Jr. is the main reason for these films being successful, but it looks like he may need a bit of a break from Jarvis and the iron suits. He lacked the edge he had in The Avengers and the other Iron Man films. Kingsley gives a great performance, especially in the film’s first half. Comic book fans will be disappointed with the Mandarin, non-fans will love him.

Frankly Iron Man 3 is an example of Marvel collapsing on itself. They try to go too big in the film and the result is a final battle with an army of disposable Iron Man suits fighting an army of Extremis zombies, who for some reason don’t act like humans. A big fight is cool, but when you don’t care about the fighters on either side, it’s a bit pointless. IM3 is just a weird movie. It’s a fun movie, but weird.

Each film earns either zero, a half or a full arrow in five categories. The categories are Acting, Writing/Directing, Emotion, Innovation and Overall Impression. The arrows are added up to equal the full score.