The Great Gatsby

My View:  The Great Gatsby  (2013)  PG-13  Nick (Tobey Maquire) is a New York stockbroker at the height of the Roaring Twenties. Along with his cousin, Daisy (Carey Mulligan), he gets pulled into the mesmerizing world of Jay Gatsby (Leonardo DiCaprio), whose wealth and fame for staging elaborate parties are legendary. But, all that glitters is not gold and the more Nick finds out about Gatsby, the more puzzling the millionaire becomes.  Gatsby says a line that looks like the director, Baz Luhrmann, takes to heart: “You can’t repeat the past? Why, of course you can!”  When I was watching this film, it was like I was watching Luhrmann’s early film, Moulin Rouge! without all the singing.  This film feels like one long music video, which is fine for awhile, but after 143 minutes, it gets very tiring.  I wish that Luhrmann would have let this fine cast act instead of being a part of a very loud, very gimmicky film that can’t figure out its overall tone.  I enjoyed DiCaprio’s performance, though I did get tired of his use of the phrase, “Old Sport."  I thought Tobey Mcguire was agreeable as the writer/narrator of the story, but putting hip-hop music to a 1920’s setting just didn’t work.  It was as if Luhrmann wanted to make a film to accompany a modern soundtrack.  In fact, I think this film would have worked so much better if it had been set in the modern world as the storyline of wealth and deception is timeless. And, by the way, it’s not necessary to see this film in 3-D, even though it is very evident that many of the shots were done for that format.    My Rating:  Bargain Matinee   The Great Gatsby Website

My View:  Peeples  (2013)  PG-13    Wade Walker (Craig Robinson) wants to marry Grace Peeples (Kerry Washington), but he knows that she is a “daddy’s girl” and must get permission from her father (David Allen Grier) to marry her. So, Wade decides to crash the Peeples family reunion to meet the parents, but Wade doesn’t get the warm reception he was expecting.  I liked Craig Robinson in the lead role, thought he should stay in the comedy world, his attempts to do some dramatic parts in this film didn't quite work.  Washington was very cute in her role and David Allen Grier was very funny as the stuck up father of the Peeples clan.  It's not a great film but it does have it's funny moments, mostly when Robinson is allowed to go off script.  My Rating:  Bargain Matinee   Peeples Website

Forgotten Film:  Europa Europa  (1990) R This remarkable film is about a young German Jew who escapes Nazi Germany, only to end up in a Polish orphanage that is taken over by the invading German army.  He convinces the Nazis that he is German and becomes a translator for them.  He does so well that they reward him by accepting him into the Hitler Youth Movement.  What is amazing about this film is that it is based on a true story, even though, at times, you question if what the young man experiences could ever really happen.  Marco Hofschneider is amazing as Solly, the boy who thinks at, any moment, the truth will be revealed.  The film explores in a way that is both gripping and inspirational what people will do to survive.    My Rating:  Full Price    Europa Europa Info

In Case You Missed It (A Film Just Released on DVD):  Safe Haven  (2013) PG-13 While I didn’t hate this Nicolas Sparks love story starring Julianne Hough and Josh Duhamel, I did find it very predictable, even the “so-called” plot twists throughout the film.  The film isn’t up to The Notebook standards, but it’s not as bad as some of the other Sparks films (I am pointing my finger at you Miley Cyrus).    My Rating:  Bargain Matinee    Safe Haven Website

In Memory of Ed Wood (A Movie I’ve Only Seen in Trailers But Just Looks Like a Bad Idea):  Erased  (2012)  R  This film about an ex-CIA agent (Aaron Eckhart) and his estranged daughter (Liana Liberato) are on the run, has been sitting on the shelf for more than a year (never a good sign).  Quickly now, quickly - where have we seen this plot before?   Erased Info

Weird Credits:  From the credits of The Great Gatsby:  Soft Furnishings

Coming Soon to a Theatre Near You:  Before Midnight (2013) R  Julie Delpy and Ethan Hawke reprise their roles as the star-crossed lovers from the earlier films Before Sunrise (1995) and Before Sunset (2004).  If director Richard Linklater wants to keep making these films, then I will gladly keep seeing them.   Before Midnight Info

Until Next Time!

A Good Day to Die Hard

My View:   A Good Day to Die Hard (2013) R   John McClane (Bruce Willis) travels to Russia to try get his son (Jai Courtney) back on track. What John doesn’t know is his son isn’t a kid bumming his way through Europe - he’s a CIA operative trying to stop the sale of nuclear weapons. Now John must team up with his son to keep the world safe. Yippee Ki yay bad! This is one of those films where the plot is so badly thought out that, at the end if the film, you have no idea how you got there. There are lots of daddy issue jokes/situations and unlike some of the other Die Hard films, this one just isn't fun. The film feels like it’s just one long explosion of a movie, and I have no idea who the villain of the film is, though it could possibly be the screenwriter.   My Rating: You Would Have to Pay Me to See it Again   A Good Day to Die Hard Website

My View:  Safe Haven (2013) PG-13    Katie (Julianne Hough) is running away from a dark secret, one that no one can ever find out about. She suddenly finds herself in a small North Carolina costal town, trying to make a new life. Her world starts looking up when she meets a young widower (Josh Duhamel) and his two children. But Katie’s past may catch up to her and hurt the people she has started to care about. This is the first Julianne Hough movie that I have seen that I didn't mind her performance, but that may be because she doesn't sing in this film. Dumel and Hough are a cute couple, but you never see any sparks between the two as Hough has better chemistry with the two kids. The storyline is very predictable, even the twists are easy to see coming (and hey, it's a Nicolas Sparks film, so you know there will be some). It's not up to the Notebook standards, but it’s no Miley-bad-acting weep-fest either.   My Rating: Bargain Matinee    Safe Haven Website

The 50 (A Movie from My Best/Worst Films of All Time)

#9 Best Film

The General (1926) Buster Keaton stars in this classic silent film about Johnnie, the train engineer. When the Civil War breaks out, much the disappointment of his girlfriend, Annabelle (Marion Mack), Johnnie is turned down to join the Southern army. When Union spies capture the locomotive named The General, Annabelle is aboard. Johnnie goes on a mad, wild ride to rescue his train and his beloved Annabelle. This is Buster Keaton’s finest film, one that is full of amazing sight gags, and Keaton is at his best with the incredible stunts he performs throughout the movie. The film also has a heart and with most Keaton films, his performance is full of great warmth and astounding comic timing. The ending has one of the greatest scenes ever, a stunt that has to be seen to be believed.   The General Info

Forgotten Film:  How to Steal A Million (1966) The beautiful Audrey Hepburn plays Nicole, the daughter of an art collector (Hugh Griffith). But, not only is Nicole’s dad an art collector, he is an art forger. Nicole learns that a statue that her father has loaned to a Paris museum is not an original but is a forgery. Now Nicole, with the help of the dashing burglar, Simon Dermott (Peter O’Toole), must break into the museum and steal the statue before the museum can perform validity tests. Hepburn and O’Toole fit perfectly together, making this funny film a delight to watch.   My Rating: Full Price   How to Steal a Million Info

In Case You Missed it (A Film Just Released on DVD):   Skyfall (2012) PG-13    Daniel Craig stars as 007 in not only one of the best James Bond films but in one of the best films of 2012. The fact that this film did not get a Best Picture nomination is a crime.   My Rating: I Would Pay to See it Again   Skyfall Website

In Memory of Ed Wood (A Movie I’ve Only Seen in Trailers but Just Looks Like a Bad Idea):   G.I. Joe: Retaliation (2013)     Channing Tatum, Dwayne Johnson and Bruce Willis as the original Joe, what could go wrong? How about a film that was shot in 2-D, then delayed for 6 months to turn it into a 3-D film. I have seen a couple of scenes from this film and all it did was give me a headache.    G.I. Joe: Retaliation Website

Weird Credits: From the credits of Safe Haven: Helicopter Ground Safety

Coming Soon to a Theatre Near You:   The Heat (2013) R    From the writer/director of Bridesmaids, Paul Feig, comes this comedy starring Sandra Bullock as a straight-laced FBI agent who is forced to work on a case with Melissa McCarthy’s character a Boston cop. Let’s hope director Feig lets McCarthy does what she did in Bridesmaids and steal every scene that she is in.    The Heat Info

Until Next Time!