Category Archives: Review
…Come In Closer
“Now You See Me” beckons you to come closer, because, as several of the film’s magicians tell us, the more you think you see, the easier it’ll be to fool you.
Directed by Louis Letterier may come as a bit if surprise to summer film goers.
The film was seriously under advertised, but is an entertaining addition to this summer’s blockbuster lineup.
…Boldly Go
“Star Trek: Into Darkness” opens right in the middle of an Enterprise mission. As you would expect, the simple mission (save a primitive planet from total destruction) is not going according to plan. Spock (Zachary Quinto) is stuck in a volcano and Captain Kirk (Chris Pine) is stuck with the decision to leave his first officer or break protocol. You can guess which one he opts for.
It’s a fitting opening for this action-packed film.
In the second installment of the revamped series, the Enterprise crew is after the superhuman terrorist Khan (Benedict Cumberbatch), who, it turns out, is a rogue pawn in a much larger scheme.
…have a grand vision
It’s about halfway through (more or less) Baz Luhrmann’s latest incarnation of “The Great Gatsby” that our narrator, Nick (Tobey Maguire), remarks on Gatsby’s, “extraordinary gift for hope.”
Apart from being a line that many of us probably vaguely recall being highlighted by our high school literature teacher (and occurs much earlier in the book), it is also, to be concise, what makes this film soar.
It is hope, extraordinary in nature, that carries this film. Not only that of Gatsby (Leonard DiCaprio), but of the entire production.
While the likes of Daisy (Carey Mulligan), her philandering husband Tom (Joel Edgerton), and his colorful mistress Myrtle (Isla Fisher) are every bit as careless as Nick describes them, it is hope that draws them together. It is carelessness that destroys them.
Of course, Gatsby, the most careful and most hopeful of them all, is the one that must pay the ultimate price. (I’d say spoiler alert, but you really should have read the book first).
It’s a beautiful, simple story told beautifully, but not simply. The visual complexity of this film is at times overwhelming, but in the absolute best way possible, and in 3D (at its best). Read the rest of this entry
…Test Your Metal
“Iron Man 3″ (directed by Shane Black) is not a bad movie. That may sound like faint praise, but considering it’s got a three at the end if its name, “not bad” is pretty high praise.
Not only is it not bad, it’s actually entertaining. Thanks mostly to Robert Downey Jr., whose snark and witty dry humor continue to power the Iron Man franchise.
The storyline is surprisingly streamlined for a third installment to a comic book series.
…see you at the movies
Traditionally, critics don’t get much love, but since the passing of Roger Ebert yesterday afternoon, there’s been little else.
Ebert was a film criticism institution, and a social media master in recent years. If you haven’t seen his Twitter feed, I’d highly recommend it.
I didn’t always agree with him, but I always read his reviews…I still don’t get “The Tree of Life” sir.
Ebert’s writing was, and will continue to be, a major influence for me. He had a way of spinning opinion and storytelling in such a way that was just as, if not more (in some cases), entertaining than the films themselves. Read the rest of this entry
Zer
Stephanie
The2Women
