What to see: Weekend of May 17, 2013

May 17, 2013 at 10:05 AM CST by TJ Draper

Oh, let’s see, I don’t know but maybe YOU SHOULD SEE STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS THIS WEEKEND! But it’s not big deal if you don’t…

Oh who am I kidding, I will never speak to you again if you do not!

New This Weekend

Star Trek Into Darkness - PG-13
I greatly enjoyed this film and liked it a lot better than J.J.‘s first installment in the reboot of this franchise. I gave my preliminary report of the film over here, and we’ll be talking about it on The MovieByte Podcast this coming Wednesday at 6:30 PM Central Time, so you’ll want to see it this weekend to get up to date for that conversation. We’ll be joined by Anthony Pascale of TrekMovie.com for this episode and it’s sure to be epic with two Star Trek nerds, and Joe, who may enjoy the film but is not such a Trekie.

One caveat though, I would recommend seeing the film in standard 2D. the 3D does nothing for the film.

The crew of the Starship Enterprise returns home after an act of terrorism within its own organization destroys most of Starfleet and what it represents, leaving Earth in a state of crisis. With a personal score to settle, Capt. James T. Kirk (Chris Pine) leads his people (Zachary Quinto, Karl Urban, Zoë Saldana) on a mission to capture a one-man weapon of mass destruction, thereby propelling all of them into an epic game of life and death.

2 hr 12 min
PG-13 | Intense sequences of sci-fi action and violence.
Cast: Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Karl Urban
Director: J.J. Abrams
Genres: Action/Adventure, Sci-Fi/Fantasy

See or not: SEE SEE SEE!

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 »

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 say that Baz Luhrmann’s The Great Gatsby 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.

Be sure to check out my reivew, and The MovieByte Podcast Episode #44 for more on this film.

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

The Great Gatsby Does Not Repeat the Past - Review »
The MovieByte Podcast #44: Old Sport »
Apple Trailers Page »
‘The Great Gatsby’ UK Trailer »
‘The Great Gatsby’ 30 Second Spot »

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 »

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

Apple Trailers Page »

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

‘The Croods’ Trailer 2 »

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 »

Oz The Great and Powerful - PG

Oz is worth seeing, if not quite as good as I might have hoped. Still, it’s loads better than that other Oz film I can’t stand (oh Judy Garland…). Of course this is technically a prequel to that part of the story. And it gets just a tad cheesy from time to time, but it was always enjoyable. Joe and I also discussed this film on Episode 35 of The MovieByte Podcast.

When Oscar Diggs (James Franco), a small-time circus magician with dubious ethics, is hurled away from dusty Kansas to the vibrant Land of Oz, he thinks he’s hit the jackpot—fame and fortune are his for the taking—that is until he meets three witches, Theodora (Mila Kunis), Evanora (Rachel Weisz) and Glinda (Michelle Williams), who are not convinced he is the great wizard everyone’s been expecting. Reluctantly drawn into the epic problems facing the Land of Oz and its inhabitants, Oscar must find out who is good and who is evil before it is too late. Putting his magical arts to use through illusion, ingenuity—and even a bit of wizardry—Oscar transforms himself not only into the great wizard but into a better man as well.

PG | Sequences of action and scary images, and brief mild language
Cast: James Franco, Mila Kunis, Rachel Weisz, Michelle Williams, Zach Braff, Joey King
Director: Sam Raimi
Genres: Action/Adventure, Sci-Fi/Fantasy

See or not: See

The MovieByte Podcast #35 - Monochromatic »
‘Oz the Great and Powerful’ Trailer 2 »
‘Oz’ New Year TV Spots »
‘Oz’ Images Gallery - Linked »
‘Oz the Great and Powerful’ TV Spot »
‘Oz the Great and Powerful’ Bubbles and Fireballs (clips) »

Safe Haven - PG-13
Looks sappy and stupid to me. But you never know.

An affirming and suspenseful story about a young woman’s struggle to love again, Safe Haven is based on the novel from Nicholas Sparks, the best-selling author behind the hit films The Notebook and Dear John. When a mysterious young woman arrives in a small North Carolina town, her reluctance to join the tight knit community raises questions about her past. Slowly, she begins putting down roots, and gains the courage to start a relationship with Alex, a widowed store owner with two young children. But dark secrets intrude on her new life with such terror that she is forced to rediscover the meaning of sacrifice and rely on the power of love in this deeply moving romantic thriller.

Rated PG-13 for Thematic material involving threatening behavior, and for violence and sexuality
Cast: Josh Duhamel, Julianne Hough
Director: Lasse Hallström

See or not: Probably Not

Apple Trailers Page »