Saturday, June 29, 2013
Man of Steel
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| Artwork property of WB Pictures |
I will admit, prior to watching Man of Steel, I had mixed feelings. On one hand, the casting was amazing (Amy Adams as Lois Lane, that's positively brilliant), but I had been disappointed when comparing DC to Marvel; it felt like a case of gloom vs. fun.
If you have skepticism about spending the money to see Man of Steel, you shouldn't. It is one of the best made superhero films I have ever seen (and trust me, I've seen my fare share of the recent ones). As I like to describe him, Superman (Clark Kent/Kal-El), is the perfect combination of Thor and Captain America...an attractive guy from a far away planet with a first-class dad and a passion for doing the right thing without killing everyone (not to mention his color scheme being quite similar to CA).
This film was a great way to start re-telling the story of Superman. It provides a phenomenal back-story and evolution of his character that really allow any viewer to become fully involved in the hero's story.
As I mentioned earlier, the casting of this film was one of it's most memorable features. There could be no better actress to play momma Martha Kent than Diane Lane, while Russell Crowe shines in the role of Jor-El (biological father of our beloved superhero).
To rave a bit more about my new big-screen favorite, the action scenes do not disappoint. It is a fear of mine that action will get out of hand and detract from the value of the story of a film (looking at you Transformers 3). With this newest portrayal of the Superman story, there is a successful balance of heart-pumping action with real cause for building smashing.
[Try it, you'll like it.]
Thank you for reading!
Wednesday, June 12, 2013
Epic & The Hangover Part III
Epic
This film was animation gold! Featuring the voice acting of Colin Farrell, Josh Hutcherson, Beyoncé Knowles, Jason Sudeikis, Christoph Waltz, Amanda Seyfried, and so many more, the vision and message of this film was about as close to perfect is possible with a 102 minute runtime.
It was fun, thoughtful, stunningly beautiful, and captured a message that is pertinent in today's society: that it's essential to embrace and protect all of the natural wonders of the world while they still exist.
If you are looking to walk away from the theater feeling like you spent your money and your afternoon wisely, this would be great for you.
The Hangover Part III
Few actors can tackle drug-and-alcohol-related humor with the ease and entertaining qualities that Zach Galifianakis, Ed Helms, Bradley Cooper, and Ken Jeong bring to the table.
I will be blunt here: It was better than the second but disappointingly not as good as the first. As a third and final installment of the Hangover film trilogy, I was expecting more from the cast, stunts, and insane plot twists.
It was okay, but not great. For this one, I'd suggest saving your money and waiting until you can watch it on your couch.
As always, thank you for reading!
This film was animation gold! Featuring the voice acting of Colin Farrell, Josh Hutcherson, Beyoncé Knowles, Jason Sudeikis, Christoph Waltz, Amanda Seyfried, and so many more, the vision and message of this film was about as close to perfect is possible with a 102 minute runtime.
It was fun, thoughtful, stunningly beautiful, and captured a message that is pertinent in today's society: that it's essential to embrace and protect all of the natural wonders of the world while they still exist.
If you are looking to walk away from the theater feeling like you spent your money and your afternoon wisely, this would be great for you.
The Hangover Part III
Few actors can tackle drug-and-alcohol-related humor with the ease and entertaining qualities that Zach Galifianakis, Ed Helms, Bradley Cooper, and Ken Jeong bring to the table.
I will be blunt here: It was better than the second but disappointingly not as good as the first. As a third and final installment of the Hangover film trilogy, I was expecting more from the cast, stunts, and insane plot twists.
It was okay, but not great. For this one, I'd suggest saving your money and waiting until you can watch it on your couch.
As always, thank you for reading!
Sunday, May 19, 2013
The Ever-Anticipated Gatsby
The Great Gatsby (2013)
This is a hard one for me to review.
I'll be honest, I had all of my hopes pinned on it, especially after its delayed release (from Christmas 2012, circa Django and Les Misérables) and all of the previews that featured the Jay-Z-produced soundtrack.
Here is my upfront opinion: It was better than most movies I have seen, but it just was not as good as I thought it would be. It left me with an empty feeling, but then again, so did the book. In that sense, it did a phenomenal job of capturing the essence of F. Scott Fitzgerald's work. This film was really a work of art that should be appreciated, so I'll expand on my thoughts a bit more and tell you a bit of what made this film into the pop-culture powerhouse it seems to be at the moment.
Thank you for reading!
This is a hard one for me to review.
I'll be honest, I had all of my hopes pinned on it, especially after its delayed release (from Christmas 2012, circa Django and Les Misérables) and all of the previews that featured the Jay-Z-produced soundtrack.
Here is my upfront opinion: It was better than most movies I have seen, but it just was not as good as I thought it would be. It left me with an empty feeling, but then again, so did the book. In that sense, it did a phenomenal job of capturing the essence of F. Scott Fitzgerald's work. This film was really a work of art that should be appreciated, so I'll expand on my thoughts a bit more and tell you a bit of what made this film into the pop-culture powerhouse it seems to be at the moment.
- Music: Some viewers may be skeptical about modern music being inserted into a period piece, but I found that the choices made were all great ones. The upbeat music added to the flashy nature of the roaring 1920s while the slower songs really enhanced the dramatic scenes and emotional moments of love and tension.
- Cinematography, Setting, & Effects: The film started out being flashy, with swooping aerial shots between East and West Egg (Long Island). For some it may have seemed like a roller coaster ride, but to me it seemed like a flashy Prezi presentation. Once the plot moved on, the cinematography was truly gorgeous eye-candy, colors popped and the sets seemed so perfect. It really gave the words from the work something onto which to adhere. Speaking of words though, someone made the decision to have words in the font of an old typewriter appear on the screen during various parts of the film. In some parts it was tasteful, but more often than not...it looked like something that the producers will be embarrassed by in a few years (bad PowerPoint style).
- Casting & Acting: The film featured Leonardo DiCaprio (Gatsby), Tobey Maguire (Nick Carraway), Carey Mulligan (Daisy Buchanan), Elizabeth Debicki (Jordan Baker), Joel Edgerton (Tom Buchanan), Isla Fisher (mistress Myrtle), and many more fantastic actors. The ones listed above really portrayed their various characters in the most convincing and enchanting ways.
- Costumes: A period film is nothing without costumes, hair, and makeup. I felt that the costumes were the most constantly impressive visual element of this film. Much like the director's (Baz Luhrmann) famous work with Moulin Rouge!, the visuals truly created another world in which the audience can escape for a couple hours.
Thank you for reading!
The Big Wedding & Iron Man 3
The Big Wedding
I don't know if it is even possible to cram more full-fledged celebrities into a quality movie. This film features Robert De Niro, Diane Keaton, Susan Sarandon, Katherine Heigl, Amanda Seyfried, and Robin Williams.
Typically, a film with this many stars can easily become cliche and cheesy, but this one had a story that really used the capabilities of the cast without feeling forced. Di Niro and Keaton play a long-divorced couple coming together for their son's wedding. Tensions rise as secrets are exposed while family bonds are both questioned and strengthened.
If you enjoyed It's Complicated or Crazy, Stupid, Love., I would recommend this to you!
Iron Man 3
The latest installation of the Marvel movie series, Iron Man 3, proves that its universe of superheroes focuses on the brighter side of justice (when compared to DC).
In my opinion, this film was certainly better than Iron Man 2 and at least as good as the original Robert Downey Jr. release in 2008. Iron Man, as Downey portrays the character, is one of the more bold and witty superheros that the various justice universes have to offer.
This is a great movie for the start of summer, full of action, flashy special effects, humor, and suspense. If you haven't already seen it and you are a fan of Downey, this is a must-see!
Thank you for reading!
I don't know if it is even possible to cram more full-fledged celebrities into a quality movie. This film features Robert De Niro, Diane Keaton, Susan Sarandon, Katherine Heigl, Amanda Seyfried, and Robin Williams.
Typically, a film with this many stars can easily become cliche and cheesy, but this one had a story that really used the capabilities of the cast without feeling forced. Di Niro and Keaton play a long-divorced couple coming together for their son's wedding. Tensions rise as secrets are exposed while family bonds are both questioned and strengthened.
If you enjoyed It's Complicated or Crazy, Stupid, Love., I would recommend this to you!
Iron Man 3
The latest installation of the Marvel movie series, Iron Man 3, proves that its universe of superheroes focuses on the brighter side of justice (when compared to DC).
In my opinion, this film was certainly better than Iron Man 2 and at least as good as the original Robert Downey Jr. release in 2008. Iron Man, as Downey portrays the character, is one of the more bold and witty superheros that the various justice universes have to offer.
This is a great movie for the start of summer, full of action, flashy special effects, humor, and suspense. If you haven't already seen it and you are a fan of Downey, this is a must-see!
Thank you for reading!
Saturday, May 4, 2013
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