It’s that time of week again, our work is almost done and it’s time to head and play for the weekend. And of course, you’ll probably want to see a film but you don’t know exactly which one. Well, I can’t decide which one to go see for you, but I can help you determine which films are the best candidates.
New This Weekend
The Great Gatsby - PG13
I really didn’t enjoy the 1974 version with Robert Redford very much at all, from a lack of good story telling, inept editing, poor morals, upholding bad people as heroes and more, that film was simply bad. On the one hand I’m happy to report after having seen Baz Luhrmann’s The Great Gatsby last night that it does not suffer from nearly as many problems as that previous film based on the same source material. In fact much of the story telling, style, editing and much more is top shelf. I immensely enjoyed the film on that level. And in fact while the previous version in 1974 suffered from very poor casting choices, this film was so perfectly cast that it’s hard to imagine anyone else in these roles. Leonardo DiCaprio plays Gatsby so much better than Redford it’s not even funny, and Carrie Mulligan’s Daisy Buchanan is far better. And while many will have a problem with Tobey Maquire because people just seem to have a problem with him, I thought he was perfect.
With all that though, I still find the story, and what it implicitly upholds troubling. If it would have cast a bit more judgement on the morality of what Gatsby was doing, I would have been far happier with this film. I am not arguing for a preachy film, but as the film currently stands, Gatsby seems like a hero, and he certainly is not — trying to take another man’s wife is not a hero, I don’t care what kind of relationship he had with her before she was married or how much she hurt him. So with that in mind I’ve only given the film 3 stars out of 5 despite how well it was made and despite what could have been a great film but for the ending narration of our protagonist.
So that turned in to a mini review, I didn’t mean to write that much. My official review will be coming in a few days. In the mean time, I will probably recommend seeing it because it is so well made, but disappointing all the same.
Nick Carraway, a Midwesterner now living on Long Island, finds himself fascinated by the mysterious past and lavish lifestyle of his neighbor, Jay Gatsby. He is drawn into Gatsby’s circle, becoming a witness to obsession and tragedy.
2 hr 22 min
PG-13 | some violent images, sexual content, smoking, partying and brief language
Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Tobey Maguire, Carey Mulligan, Isla Fisher, Joel Edgerton
Director: Baz Luhrmann
Genres: Drama, Romance
See or not: a weak see with the appropriate caveats taken into account
Apple Trailers Page »
‘The Great Gatsby’ UK Trailer »
‘The Great Gatsby’ 30 Second Spot »
Still In Theaters
Iron Man 3 - PG-13
This is a pretty great installment in the Marvel Universe. And I loved that it wasn’t just about the suits and another guy with suits more powerful than Iron Man’s suit, etc. etc. This movie had heart, and it was a story about the characters, not the metal that the characters wear. And there were some surprises to the plot that were unexpected, unlike Iron Man 2, which felt a little bit like a paint by numbers job. Definitely worth seeing this one! We talked about this film on Episode 43 of The MovieByte Podcast, and we warned about spoilers when we got to them, so check that out.
Marvel’s “Iron Man 3” pits brash-but-brilliant industrialist Tony Stark/Iron Man against an enemy whose reach knows no bounds. When Stark finds his personal world destroyed at his enemy’s hands, he embarks on a harrowing quest to find those responsible. This journey, at every turn, will test his mettle. With his back against the wall, Stark is left to survive by his own devices, relying on his ingenuity and instincts to protect those closest to him. As he fights his way back, Stark discovers the answer to the question that has secretly haunted him: does the man make the suit or does the suit make the man?
2 hr 20 min
PG-13 | Sequences of intense sci-fi action and violence throughout, and brief suggestive content
Cast: Robert Downey, Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, Don Cheadle, Guy Pearce, Rebecca Hall
Director: Shane Black
Genres: Action/Adventure
See or not: See
The MovieByte Podcast #43: She Was Totally Gangsta »
Iron Man 3 - Where’s my Super Suit? - Review »
Trailer for the Upcoming ‘Iron Man 3’ Trailer »
‘Iron Man 3’ Official Trailer is Here! »
‘Iron Man 3’ “Extended” Look »
Newest Trailer for ‘Iron Man 3’ »
‘Iron Man 3’ TV Spot »
‘Iron Man 3’ Clip - Tony Is Not Afraid »
‘Iron Man 3’ Featurette and TV Spots »
Tony Stark’s House Blowing Up Around Him »
Tony Stark Has Heart to Heart with Pepper »
Two More ‘Iron Man 3’ TV Spots »
Pain & Gain - R
Michael Bay has consistently (with one exception) turned out films that are anywhere from mediocre, to complete and utter trash. This film looks like it’s closer to the trash side of the gage to me. I admit to having bias against the guy because I hate the Transformers franchise so much, but seriously, I am not the least interested in this film.
Daniel Lugo (Mark Wahlberg) is a regular bodybuilder who works at the Sun Gym along with his friend Adrian Doorbal (Anthony Mackie). Sick of living the poor life, Lugo concocts a plan to kidnap Victor Kershaw (Tony Shalhoub), a regular at the gym and a rich, spoiled businessman, and extort money from him by means of torture. With the help of recently released criminal Paul Doyle (Dwayne Johnson), the “Sun Gym Gang” successfully gets Kershaw to sign over all his finances. But when Kershaw survives an attempted murder by the gang, he hires private investigator Ed Du Bois (Ed Harris) to catch the criminals after the Miami Police Department fails to do so.
2 hr 9 min
R | Crude Sexual Content, Bloody Violence, Drug Use, Language Throughout and Nudity
Cast: Mark Wahlberg, Dwayne Johnson, Anthony Mackie, Tony Shalhoub, Ed Harris, Rob Corddry
Director: Michael Bay
Genres: Action/Adventure, Comedy
See or not: Not
42 - PG-13
Jackie Robinson was the first black Major League Baseball player. It also means he was the focus of much scorn, criticism, and racism. If there’s one thing I can’t stand, it’s racism.
While I am not a big sports fan, I thought this film was FANTASTIC! and I highly recommend that you see this film right away! Joe reviewed the film, and we both gave it 4.5 of 5 stars on The MovieByte Podcast. Give that a listen for more details of this wonderful film.
“42” tells the story of two men—the great Jackie Robinson and legendary Brooklyn Dodgers GM Branch Rickey—whose brave stand against prejudice forever changed the world by changing the game of baseball. In 1946, Branch Rickey (Harrison Ford) put himself at the forefront of history when he signed Jackie Robinson (Chadwick Boseman) to the team, breaking Major League Baseball’s infamous color line. But the deal also put both Robinson and Rickey in the firing line of the public, the press and even other players. Facing unabashed racism from every side, Robinson was forced to demonstrate tremendous courage and restraint by not reacting in kind, knowing that any incident could destroy his and Rickey’s hopes.
PG-13 | Thematic elements, including language
Cast: Chadwick Boseman, Harrison Ford, Nicole Beharie, Christopher Meloni
Director: Brian Helgeland
Genres: Documentary
See or not: See
The MovieByte Podcast #40: Decking Wesley »
42 - Review »
‘42’ Trailer »
Oblivion - PG-13
Allow me to highly recommend this film! I saw it opening night, and let me tell you it was an awesome film and I highly recommend it. I rated it 4 of 5 stars in my review and we discussed the film on The MovieByte Podcast. Be sure to read the review and listen to the podcast, but be sure to see the film!
In the year 2077, Jack Harper (Tom Cruise) works as a security repairman on an Earth left empty and devastated after a war with aliens. Jack has two weeks left before his mission ends and he joins his fellow survivors on a faraway colony. However, Jack’s concept of reality comes crashing down after he rescues a beautiful stranger (Olga Kurylenko) from a downed spacecraft. The woman’s arrival triggers a chain of events that culminates in Jack’s nearly single-handed battle to save mankind.
2 hr 5 min
PG-13 | Nudity, Brief Strong Language, Sci-Fi Action Violence and Some Sensuality
Cast: Tom Cruise, Olga Kurylenko, Morgan Freeman, Andrea Riseborough, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Melissa Leo
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Genres: Action/Adventure, Sci-Fi/Fantasy
See or not: See
The MovieByte Podcast #41: Everybody is Taller Than He Is »
Oblivion - Review »
Another New ‘Oblivion’ Trailer »
New ‘Oblivion’ Trailer »
Joseph Kosinski Interviewed about ‘Oblivion’ »
Two ‘Oblivion’ Featurettes »
Stream Entire ‘Oblivion’ Score Right Here »
‘Oblivion’ - New Clips and IMAX Featurette »
‘Oblivion’ Featurette: Sky Tower »
Two TV Spots from ‘Oblivion’ »
Another ‘Oblivion’ Featurette »
Oblivion Featurette »
The Croods - PG
My first thought when I saw the trailer for this film was, “oh, please” but after another trailer or two I’m sort of warming up to it (my favorite scene in the latest trailer is where the girl screams bloody murder about shoes, then says, “I love them! Where are my feet?”). But I really have no good idea which way this film will go.
THE CROODS is a comedy adventure that follows the world’s first modern family through the journey of a lifetime. When the cave that has always been their home is destroyed – with the rest of their world not far behind it – The Croods are forced to set off on the first family road (or path) trip. Rocked by generational clashes and seismic shifts, The Croods discover an incredible new world filled with fantastic creatures, and a future beyond any they imagined.
PG | Some scary action
Cast: Nicolas Cage, Emma Stone, Ryan Reynolds, Catherine Keener, Cloris Leachman, Clark Duke
Director: Kirk De Micco, Chris Sanders
Genres: Action/Adventure, Animated, Family
See or not: Not willing to say yet
G.I. Joe: Retaliation - PG-13
This film was a terrible, awful mess and not worthy of your attention. Be sure to catch me and Joe talking about it on The MovieByte Podcast. I also wrote a short and scathing review.
In the continuing adventures of the G.I. Joe team, Duke (Channing Tatum), second-in-command Roadblock (Dwayne Johnson), and the rest of the Joes (D.J. Cotrona, Byung-hun Lee) face a two-fold threat. Not only is their mortal enemy COBRA rearing its ugly head again, but there is also a threat from within the U.S. government: There might be an impostor in the White House. Meanwhile, Snake Eyes (Ray Park) is on a search for inner peace but learns that his nemesis, Storm Shadow, is still alive.
PG-13 | Intense Seq of Combat Violence, Brief Sensuality, Language and Martial Arts Action
Cast: D.J. Cotrona, Lee Byung-hun, Adrianne Palicki, Ray Park, Jonathan Pryce, RZA, Ray Stevenson, Channing Tatum, Elodie Yung, Bruce Willis, Dwayne Johnson
Director: Jon M. Chu
Genres: Action/Adventure
See or Not: Not
G.I. Joe: Retaliation - Review »
The MovieByte Podcast #39: Dads Don’t Play With Toys »
Apple Trailers Page »
‘G.I. Joe: Retaliation’ Featurette »
‘G.I. Joe: Retaliation’ - Two New TV Spots »