Glitz, glamour, director flourishes cloud ‘The Great Gatsby’s’ base story
By Steve Crum
Had it only been the use of rap music on the soundtrack of this tale set during the Roaring Twenties, an invasion enough on one’s sensibilities, The Great Gatsby would nearly have failed. But Baz Luhrmann, the director and co-screenwriter, went so much further in his overwrought presentation. Luhrmann, lauded by many for his flamboyant movies (Moulin Rouge, William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet), surely won’t disappoint his followers with Gatsby. It is all about style: ultra colorful, superb costuming, knock-out set design, and all in 3-D. That last ingredient pops the imagery past one’s eyes and deep into the brain cells. Way past my comfort zone.
Luhrmann’s Gatsby is a movie of and for our times. That is, it’s purely targeting the teen to 30-something watcher with glitz and glamor. The demographic raised to think the mediocre shouters on American Idol are instant superstars and the real superstars surround themselves with pyrotechnic special effects will surely savor and devour this lower-the-bar treatment of The Great Gatsby. All its smoke blocks a classic F. Scott Fitzgerald story.
So what is enjoyable about this tragic tale centered on the lush life of the 1920’s upstate New York rich? For one, there is a strong cast headed by Leonardo DiCaprio as title character Jay Gatsby. He is the mysterious, charismatic, wealthy bachelor who lives in the mansion across the sound from the Buchanans, Daisy and husband Tom (Carey Mulligan and Joel Edgerton). No one knows much about Gatsby, except the fact he throws parties, big parties, and throws them often. People know his abode much more than they know him. DiCaprio, ever an underrated actor, impresses in a role demanding because it is so repressed. Gatsby is a troubled, driven soul given to faint smiles, and hidden glances. He is so insecure, there are scenes with him literally hiding in the bushes on his estate. He has issues, yes.
The root of his psychological imbalance, as the millions who have read the novel already know, is the exasperating love and obsession of his life, Daisy. Mulligan has similar challenges in portraying Daisy, since she is virtually the female counterpart to Jay Gatsby. Again, it is her underplaying that is required. This means numerous sequences of darting eyes and reflective glances by both DiCaprio and Mulligan, when together or apart. Director Luhrmann, of course, embellishes these scenes, like he does everything throughout Gatsby, with extended slow motion takes. Egad, even when a character gets hit by a car and is shown airborne in slo-mo, Lurhrmann chooses to repeat the ghastly occurrence in a flashback. I was looking at my watch each time like it was an Olympic time trial.
Told from the viewpoint and narrated by bond broker/writer Nick Carraway (Tobey Maguire), The Great Gatsby lumbers along quite spectacularly. Again, the 3-D sets and costumes are pretty enticing…for about the first half hour. Unfortunately, the film clocks at 143 minutes.
Gatsby’s story is of unrequited love, friendship (Nick and Jay become fast friends due to unexplained reasons, except both are loners), and ultimate tragedy on several levels. These are the same reasons the novel has sustained and is still required reading in American high schools. Of course, the 1925 novel also has the style and distinctive voice of its author, F. Scott Fitzgerald. Part of its credence is the knowledge that Fitzgerald was himself a mix of Carraway and Gatsby, and suffered many demons in his life. This movie version, the latest in adaptations dating from black and white, silent movie days, seems more caricature than real in depicting the pretentiousness of the wealthy. Maybe the next version of Gatsby will connect better than this one.
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GRADE: On an A to F Scale: C-
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Glitter and glamour are evident in this trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OULhlaX6JY4
Featuring near nonstop action, this flick should be named ‘Iron Man 3 X 3’
By Steve Crum
Kudos and a solid “A” to the marketing machine for Iron Man 3. Co-star Ben Kinglsey, who plays the evil villain Mandarin, has been touting the movie and his part in it on various talk shows. What’s fun and intriguing about the film clip he shares is its clever deception. No, I will not spoil a key plot twist. Just prepare to be hoodwinked, thanks to screenwriters Drew Pearce and Shane Black. Black also directs this terrific Iron Man installment, which both exhilarates and exhausts. There’s a whole lot of good versus evil shakin’ goin’ on. Iron Man 3 rocks.
Although Jon Favreau does not direct this time, after helming the previous Iron Men, he reprises his Happy Hogan role. Hogan, if you recall, is the overprotective bodyguard of Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) aka Iron Man. Favreau is is also executive producer, which befits this talented multitasker. Also returning is Gwyneth Paltrow as Stark’s vivacious assistant/secretary/girlfriend/now CEO of Stark Industries, Pepper Potts. Along for the high flying is Don Cheadle’s Col. James “Rhodey” Rhodes. Rhodes is not only Stark’s buddy, he is also the Iron Patriot, our government’s red, white and blue Iron Man wannabe.
Then there is Guy Pearce, portraying the brilliantly warped villain, Aldrich Killian. It turns out that Killian and The Mandarin have much more in common than is first apparent, which relates to the previously mentioned plot twist. Pearce, a much under-used actor in his film history, grandstands spectacularly here. Possessing superhuman strength, regenerative healing powers, and heated hands, Killian is the iron guy’s ultra-foe.
The per se real time plot takes place in a present day America wherein frequent terrorist bombings have put our military and Commander-in Chief, President Ellis (William Sadler), on high alert. It would help if Iron Man were available, but he is pretty much retired. The government’s colorful Iron Man clone, Iron Patriot, is supposed to fill the void as he targets The Mandarin, a Fu Manchu-looking maniac who interrupts TV broadcasts to make threats, which he carries out, graphically live.
Tony Stark seems unmoved until he is directly affected. Soap operatics aside, it is the action sequences (the oil rig finale) and plot detours (the Air Force One attack, kidnapping, and mass rescue) that make IM3 so jaw dropping awesome. Sandwiched between all the pyrotechnics and flying scenes is a great sub-story involving Stark and a youngster, Harley (Ty Simpkins). Their teamwork should really delight the younger viewers in the audience.
By the way, moving Stark away from his self-centered, arrogant persona is a welcome character development. Unlike other Marvel heroes, Tony Stark has rarely been depicted as a sensitive guy. Then again, he obviously has issues, being subject to panic attacks.
If the grand, and I emphasize, grand finale, does not excite and soothe the savage Iron Man fan, what in the world will? It worked for me. Big time.
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GRADE on an A to F Scale: A
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This trailer sets the proverbial stage for one exciting movie: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2CzoSeClcw0
Summer movies I want to see, kind of want to see, and don’t want to see…Part 1/May 2013
By Steve Crum
As a film critic, I am supposed to view a film objectively. But I’m an opinionated, elderly human, filled with years of pent-up dislikes and preferences–explainable and unexplainable. Excuse me for baring my soul, exposing my prejudices, and parsing movies before viewing them.
That said, if I had to pay to see summer movies, instead of screening them for free, I would avoid these bitter-to-my-taste film factors: coming-of-age/teen romance-sex “comedies”; animation; martial arts; anything Seth Rogen; sequels, particular the 5th or more; slasher horror; and zombies. Yes, I usually swim upstream instead of mainstream.
Of 109 summer releases, my list happens to include 29 titles. Opening dates, in parenthesis, are subject to change. The May sampling:
To See
•STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS [May 17] Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto are back as Kirk and Spock, respectively, battling mass terrorism. (A terrorist is currently the villain of choice in the entertainment media, reflecting reality.) The real plus here is the return of director J. J. Abrams.
•NOW YOU SEE ME [May 31]
An FBI agent (Mark Ruffalo) chases magicians who are robbing banks. Tricky thieves, indeed. Jesse Eisenberg and Woody Harrelson are among the illusionists. This is a thriller, not a comedy.
So-So’s
•IRON MAN 3 [May 3]
At this writing, I have not seen it, but scuttlebutt says this take has more action derring-do and laughs than IM2. The iron guy battles Ben Kingsley’s Mandarin, a super terrorist.
•THE GREAT GATSBY [May 10]
I am a so-so fan of Fitzgerald’s novel, and disliked Robert Redford’s 1974 adaptation, so this Baz (Moulin Rouge) Luhrmann version has nominal appeal. Add Leonardo DiCaprio and Tobey Maguire as attractions. AND it’s in 3-D (?). My question: When is the 1949 version, reputedly superior to the ‘74 take, going to be released on DVD? It stars Alan Ladd.
No-No’s
•BLACK ROCK [May 17]
Three young ladies are sexually assaulted during a camping trip on a Maine island. So they unite as lethal revengers to attack, maim, and destroy. It sounds like The River Wild Meets Deliverance. Kate Bosworth is featured.
•BEFORE MIDNIGHT [May 24]
Since I dislike Before Sunrise (1995) and Before Sunset (2004), why should I clamor to see this episode in the life of two talky lovers, again played by Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy? Please, nothing after this Before!
•THE HANGOVER PART III [May 24]
Getting drunk, either in public or on a movie screen, is never funny for yours truly. This installment follows the hapless men-children on a knee-slapping, barf-filled journey that includes the accidental decapitation of a giraffe. Now, THAT’S entertainment.
•FAST & FURIOUS 6 [May 24]
•FAST & FURIOUS 6 [May 24]
I am neither a fan of cars nor Vin Diesel, so multiplying this dislike by six only accelerates the issue and fuels the fire. That’s the brakes.
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PART 2, covering selected June releases, coming soon…
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Until then, here is the sobering trailer to The Hangover, Part III: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=96TelFMZwHc
Tom Cruise fans might enjoy ‘Oblivion,’ all others beware
By Steve Crum
An infrequent discussion topic, when I was in the Army, concerned being stationed in a lonely, faraway place like the Arctic. “But the good thing is you’d get isolation pay,” someone would always comment. In the sci-fi thriller Oblivion, central character Commander Jack Harper (Tom Cruise) definitely qualifies for isolation pay. But there is no talk of any kind of payment, even though his job location isolates him. That includes his assistant and soul mate, Victoria Olsen, played by Andrea Riseborough. Jack and Victoria have not seen another human, face-to-face, for a long time.
Not to mention, but I will, the audience’s isolation. Viewers of Oblivion deserve a refund just for withstanding the movie’s 125 minutes of shattering blasts, explosions, and soundtrack music drum crashes. Oblivion is a visual treat, however, from futuristic flying machines to stark landscapes. It looks good, particularly on an IMAX screen, but the flick is ultimately style over substance. Involving it is not.
And that is too bad, particularly because the 50-year-old Tom Cruise, still a virile, dashing action-romantic star, will attract many unsuspecting patrons to this film. His laser gun-toting Earth protectorate, Jack Harper, is also a superb pilot who repairs large, globe-like drones. They are killing machines, lethal flying robots that patrol what is left of Earth. Oh yes, our good ol’ planet in 2077 has been decimated after a world war. Even the moon is a casualty with chunks missing.
And that is too bad, particularly because the 50-year-old Tom Cruise, still a virile, dashing action-romantic star, will attract many unsuspecting patrons to this film. His laser gun-toting Earth protectorate, Jack Harper, is also a superb pilot who repairs large, globe-like drones. They are killing machines, lethal flying robots that patrol what is left of Earth. Oh yes, our good ol’ planet in 2077 has been decimated after a world war. Even the moon is a casualty with chunks missing.
Jack, aka Tech 49, has spent a never divulged number of years patrolling his part of the planet, repairing drones, and obliterating any Scavs lurking about. Scavs, slang for scavengers, are enemy beings presumed to be threats to Earth’s struggling existence. They certainly look Goth-evil, sporting dark clothing and Predator heads. It is later revealed the Scavs have a humanity basis, which has to be referenced at spoiler risk, since Scav leader Malcolm Beech (Morgan Freeman) emerges. Oblivion’s trailer already reveals the very human looking Freeman character.
At plot core is the tenuous relationship between Jack and Victoria. Her lifestyle, besides sleeping with Jack and daily nude swims, is as a communications officer who checks in daily, via table-flat computer, with a rather sinister control central lady, Sally (Melissa Leo). Victoria also tracks all of Jack’s flights, lending help by spotting Scavs who tend to live in caves and underground. Jack and Victoria are short-timers, since their duty time is soon ending, and they will return “home.”
Their routine existence is disrupted when a spacecraft with humans aboard crashes, and Jack rescues Julie (Olga Kurylenko). Factor in resulting jealousy, deception, and revelation involving Scavs, drones, Jack and Julia, Jack and Victoria, and–awk–reproduction. Four writers, led by director Joseph Kosinski, had their hands on the screenplay, and it shows. The slowly paced script rambles on and on, and is rather bland, particularly the cliched conclusion. Overall, the movie plays like a fairly good Twilight Zone episode, but padded to fill two hours. Oblivion rests in the same cocoon as Tree or Life and last year’s Cloud Atlas: glitzy, high tech movies that amount to nothing more than pseudo-intellectual nonsense. Stirring in ingredients like cloning and a federal government literally controlling citizens’ lives pander to conspiracy theorists big time.
In actuality, Oblivion is much to do about…very little.
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GRADE on a scale of A to F: C-
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This trailer for Oblivion will give you an idea of what I mean: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XmIIgE7eSak
Give much more than slight-of-hand applause to ‘Burt Wonderstone’
By Steve Crum
There is a great deal more than magic and laughs to The Incredible Burt Wonderstone. It also says a hatful of bunnies about audiences and the pervasive, decadent state of entertainment in our society. The fact is many of us have regressed to a gullible, Honey Boo Boo leering bunch. Presto chango, and this Wonderstone comedy touches on that very bar-lowering through one of the wittiest, original, and downright hilarious scripts in years. Add a super cast, headed by Steve Carell.
TIBW is directed by Don Scardino, a name fresh to feature films but veteran to dozens of TV series, 30 Rock among them. He and screenwriters Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley have fashioned a story centering on trust and brotherly love between two Las Vegas magicians. The illusionists, Burt Wonderstone and Anton Marvelton, are deftly played by Steve Carell and Steve Buscemi. After 10 years as headliners at the same hotel, their act has grown repetitive and stale due to Burt’s sexist and demanding demeanor.
In the film’s opening scenes, Burt is shown to be a bullied loner in grade school. That changes when he receives a Rance Holloway Magic Kit as a present. Holloway (Alan Arkin) explains the magic tricks inside the box via a VHS tape, and Burt’s life immediately changes. He performs magic tricks at school and becomes a popular spectacle of sorts, acquiring fellow classmate Anton as both an admirer and magician’s assistant. Years pass, and things have gone very well for the two, who now share top billing in Vegas. Unfortunately, thanks to Burt’s demeaning comments and actions, their female assistant quits. Making magic matters worse is the street magician, Steve Gray (Jim Carrey), who performs on the sidewalk outside their hotel. Gray’s act is more “Jackass” sadism than magic illusion. (See opening paragraph regarding the dumbing-down of audiences.)
Hotel/casino owner Doug Munny (James Gandofini), aptly named, pressures his headliners to change the act, since receipts mirror a change in audience taste from sublime illusion to ridiculous bloodletting.
Enter Olivia Wilde’s Jane, a magician’s assistant who divides her loyalties between the two acts. Factor in the now retired Holloway, wiling away in a senior citizen home. Without divulging anymore, I have to applaud the ensemble cast for their extraordinary comedic acting. Jim Carrey’s work is his best in years; Steve Buscemi is both sympathetic and funny; and Alan Arkin’s curmudgeonly role fits perfectly. A friend recently said to me that this Wonderstone movie should indicate whether or not Carell made the right decision to leave The Office and pursue a film career. After this terrific performance as well as successes in films over the past two years, Carell is definitely big box office.
The Incredible Burt Wonderstone is mostly predictable, but the finale is unique–and hilarious–to the max. Admitting such, I have to include myself as enjoying sadistic humor, at least to a degree. Hey, I am still a Three Stooges fan.
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GRADE on a scale of A to F: A-
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The film’s trailer isn’t magical, but it covers basic territory: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5zLhkW-oKY8
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The film’s trailer isn’t magical, but it covers basic territory: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5zLhkW-oKY8