The Great Gatsby

This is a reboot of a Robert Redford movie with the same title with Leonardo DiCaprio  as the star. The story is about a war veteran who finds himself drawn to the past and lifestyle of his millionaire neighbor.
Director Baz Luhrmann  who directed Moulin Rouge! creates eye candy on the screen and does a masterful job of mixing current music with sounds of the Prohibition Era.
That’s about it. It’s a long boring movie and I wouldn’t even recommend it for a Sunday afternoon. The characters are not developed enough for you to care about them (except for Tobey Maguire) and if you already saw the Redford version (it’s on Netflicks) then no need to see this one because the story has no new insights into Gatsby.

Verdict:

I had high hopes for this movie but Leo missed the boat on this one. Not one of his better roles. It’s time for a vacation.

Check out this great MSN video - Running to catch a train has never looked so cool

Check out this great MSN video - Running to catch a train has never looked so cool

Iron Man 3

Does anyone remember Iron Man2? No! Has Terrance Howard been in an A-List movie since he complained about the salary he was going to receive for IM2? No!


Is IM 3 good? Yes

There was no need to put Gwenth Paltrow on the cover of People Magazine and call her the most beautiful women so that chicks can see this flick. The movie can hold its own and it’s much better than IM2.
As the story goes, When Tony Stark's world is torn apart by a formidable terrorist called the Mandarin, he starts an odyssey of rebuilding and retribution.
The movie is directed by Shane Black who created Lethal Weapon 100 years ago. I liked this version of Iron Man but I don’t know if there is enough left for an Iron Man 4. It would be good to see Downey in the Avengers again but also to see him in non Superhero roles because he is a great actor.

Has Don Cheadle’s career taken off since he has taken over Terrance Howard’s role? Yes, he’s in a hit show called House of Lies on Showtime

Verdict:
The movie is good enough to kick off the summer movie season. Director Shane Black pays homage to Lethal Weapon in a scene. Can you identify what scene it is that was similar to Lethal Weapon 1?

Pain and Gain

Director Michael Bay, who is known for his action movies on Steroids, tries to take a true life murder by dummies and make it an action film.


It doesn’t work. The story is about a trio of bodybuilders in Florida who get caught up in an extortion ring and a kidnapping scheme that goes terribly wrong. The actual trio are so stupid that you would think Michael Bay added many additional scenes, but he didn’t. In fact in the 3rd act Bay puts a disclaimer on the screen to remind the audience that this is a true story.

Walberg and The Rock try their best to make the movie interesting but you have zero empathy for their plight. Bay pumps up the music and editing to try and make the movie interesting. What is needed is a deep dive into what made these characters commit to the things that they did. That would not be big box office which is what Bay is used to.

Verdict:

There was no reason to make this movie. Check out the real story on CBS 48 Hours.

Greatest Horror Movies of All Time

Oblivion

Tom Cruise “The Brand” keeps chugging along as an action star in his 50’s. Is it genes or a good doctor? Who cares as long as the movie is good? This one is not.


It’s the future Cruise plays a veteran who is assigned to extract Earth's remaining resources. He begins to question what he knows about his mission and himself.
As all the critics have said you can’t tell if it’s Planet of the Apes, The Matrix or a hodgepodge of every SC-FI flick we have already seen. Visually the movie is outstanding, which gives me hope that JJ Abrams upcoming Star Wars movie will be worth waiting for. Oscar winner Melissa Leo stars with Cruise and gives a solid performance as a computer and Morgan Freeman also stars but is wasted as one of the good guys.

Verdict:
It’s a beautiful movie but boring as all get out.

The Place Beyond the Pines

With an All-Star cast this movie could possibly fail but it succeeds where other dramas loaded with stars have failed.

Ryan Gosling plays a motorcycle stunt rider who turns to robbing banks as a way to provide for his lover, Eva Mendes, and their newborn child, a decision that puts him on a collision course with an ambitious rookie cop, Bradley Cooper, navigating a department ruled by a corrupt detective. The movie starts off very slow but if you don’t stick with it you will miss a key development that carries until the end of the movie.

Both Cooper & Gosling display in their performances why they are now A – List actors. Movie also stars Ray Liotta who has been playing the same chracter from Goodfellas for the last 100 yrs.

Verdict:
Good movie which is not predictable. It’s over 2 hours so see it on a Sunday afternoon.

Evil Dead

This is a great remake of Sam Rami’s horror flick from the 80’s.


The original Evil Dead was a breakthrough back in the day, but when you watch it today (it’s on Netflicks) it looks dated and silly. Rami now has enough clout in Hollywood from his success with the first 3 Spiderman movies that he can now go back and remake his breakthrough movie.

The story is about 5 friends who head to a remote cabin, where the discovery of a Book. It leads them to unwittingly summon up demons living in the nearby woods.

I had the pleasure of viewing this in a NYC movie theater and the audience loved it to the point where they started to recreate the scary sounds of the characters during the showing.

Watch it just so you can see Rami pay homage to all the great horror flicks via sound, special effects, and a chainsaw. There is a siren that goes off during graphic scenes that heightens the tension but you wonder why the hell is a siren going off? But it works.

Verdict:

You will not fall asleep!