Film Review: The Great Gatsby

  With F. Scott Fritzgerald's novel The Great Gatsby being one  of the most acclaimed and popular books from the 20th Century there is no surprise why the film continues to have ma y adaptations for both film and television.  With Moulin Rougue director Baz Lurrman directing a new adaptation of the novel I was interested to see what his interpretation of it would be.  Does Lurrman manage to create an exciting, fresh and thrilling take on The Great Gatsby? Well, yes and no.

The film for the majority of the time is set as a flashback where Nick Carraway recounts his younger years with a man by the name of Jay Gatsby. As soon as the flashback sequence begins the film transforms into the Baz Lurrman style world that we are familiar with. Slick editing, outstanding cinematography,  larger than life characters and a catchy soundtrack to accompany it the film begins with an exciting and bizarre take on the novel. The actors themselves fit well with Lurrman's vision. Their performances are so energetic you feel as though they have overdosed on Red Bull before Lurrman shouted 'action!'. As an audience member you feel as though you are drinking champagne along with the characters and life is heady.

Leonardo Dicaprio is terrific as the charming and charismatic Gatsby. Over the years he has gone from being a heart throb to being one of cinema's finest actors and The Great Gatsby reminded me just how talented he is. When I heard his voice and saw his face for the first time in the film I didn't see Dicaprio but Gatsby himself, proving that he understood the role and could transform himself into the character well. Carey Mulligan once again gives a brilliant performance as the leading female Daisy, however I felt that there was little for her to do until the end of the film. It felt like a waste for such a talented actress.

The soundtrack to this film is definitely one of the highlights. From Jay Z to Lana Del Rey, Lurrman along with Jay Z as producer have collaborated on a modern musical score to fit with a 20th century setting to create a unique post-modernism mise en scene. Lurrman is a director who cares more about the songs fitting with the moods the film goes through more than it fitting with the time period. 

Though the film has a brilliant soundtrack to accompany it it does feel as though Lurman was focusing more on that as well as its cinematography. The film is shot beautifully, however for me there were too many sequences where the camera whizzes around Manhatten and other glamorous shots accompanied by 21st century music that I wished that they'd concentrate more on the story than the visual aspects of the film.

However, the heavy use of glamorous cinematography does come to an end during the second half but this didn't mean the film managed to pick itself up. I felt as though the energy had dropped and it had turned into a dull and less interesting film. It's a shame as the second half is when tragic events begin o happen and I found myself not caring for the characters as much anymore.

The Great Gatsby does have it's flaws and the second half doesn't live up to its first but I find this to be an interesting and unique take on the novel. It's an adaptation where a director wants to show the story with a completely different approach, making it appeal to the younger generation who'll be less familiar with the book. It has bold performances, beautiful but over used cinematography and a decent soundtrack but after a while you notice that not even these can make the film a classic.  If you are not familiar with The Great Gatsby and are a fan of Lurrman's work and you have nothing else to do then I'd recommend you watched this. Fans of the book may be interested to see how Lurrman put his vision of the novel on the big screen but whether they will enjoy it or not they will have to judge for themselves.

That's A Wrap! #3: The Wrap Is Back!

Hello and welcome to 'That's A Wrap!' The weekly post where I wrap up the film news for this week.

As much as I am excited for The Amazing Spider-Man  2  part of me feels that it is slightly worried about it.  With three villains already set to be involved (Electro, Rhino and Norman Osborn a.k.a. The Green Goblin) it has been rumoured that a fourth villain has been added. If you don't want any spoilers then I'd recommend that you skip this and move onto the next paragraph.  If rumours are true then it looks as though Colm Feore will be playing Adrian Toomes a.k.a. The Vulture.  The Vulture was originally rumoured to be in the once green lit Spider-Man 4  but with that obviously cancelled it looks as though we will finally see this villain on the big screen after all.  The reason I worry about this is because I really do not want another Spider-Man 3 .  I know the film having too many villains wasn't the only flaw but it was a big one.  Maybe director Marc Webb and his script writing crew have sussed out how to juggle all these villains at once.  We will just have to see.  However, this could lead up to the infamous Sinister Six which i would be very excited to see.

On the topic of superhero movies it looks like the Justice League  movie is back in progress after it was reported that director Zack Snyder believes other DC characters do exist in the universe that we has created for Superman.  Whether Znyder will be involved in the Justice League movie or not still has to be confirmed, however writer David S Goyer is writing a script for super hero team movie as well as the sequel to Man of Steel .  Warner Bros. are obviously seeing Marvel as their big rivals and whether a JL movie will work or not is still to be answered.  My opinion is that DC's characters besides Batman are far less interesting compared to Marvel's.  Marvel have also had an outstanding head start while DC seem to be failing with only Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight Trilogy   being a success with both critics and at the box office.  Whether Man of Steel   is a success we will have to see...

Another man of steel who will be returning soon is the Terminator.  It has been reported that Terminator 5 will start shooting next year with Arnie himself returning as the title role.  No director has been confirmed yet after Fast and Furious  director Justin Lin dropped out of the project.  I don't see a valid reason for there to be another Terminator movie but this could be a lot of fun.  I was one of the few you really enjoyed Terminator Salvation  and maybe if we had the amount of action from that film along with Arnie's presence we could have a fun popcorn movie heading our way.  Terminator   films will never be as classic as the first two so now I see these sequels being fun entertainment.

No doubt everyone by now has seen the trailer for The Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug  and have watched it multiple times and are excited for it the release but I want to talk about a different trailer that was released this week.  If you haven't already I would recommend watching the trailer for Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa .  I am not going to spoil anything for you but I found myself laughing out loud whilst viewing this bizzare but hilarious trailer.  Like the trailer for the upcoming The World's End  I found myself laughing more at the concept than the gags.  The gags are still very funny and quotable but I believe a comedy works best when it has a good story to accompany it.  maybe This will make us forget The Keith Lemon Film  and show that The Inbetweeners Movie  wasn't just a fluke.

More movie news coming next week!  Enjoy your weekend!

You Miss Me?

I must apologise  for being absent the past month.  Been a very busy bee and haven't had a chance to sit down and write a review or even do my weekly 'That's A Wrap!".  The latter will return this Saturday followed by a review of The Great Gatsby .  

The past month I haven't had chance to see many films but I have seen Star Trek Into Darkness  and Fast and Furious 6 .  Both I found to be highly entertaining, however I found Into Darkness  to be the best out of the two.  Bigger, funnier and better, JJ Abrams really knows how to make a fun and enjoyable ride for his audience.  I found it to be better than the last one, which even though I enjoyed I found the script to be slightly patchy in places and their villain to be under developed.  Both of these flaws are amended in this sequel with Benedict Cumberbatch giving a truly spine chilling performance as the antagonist.

It's good to be back!

Iron Man 3: The Spoilers

WARNING!! This blog contains huge spoilers! If you haven't see Iron Man 3 yet read no further...

Since you have watched Iron Man 3 you'll realise that this blog will focus on the film's big twist, which is the reveal that The Mandarin doesn't actually exist and was character created by Aldrich Killian to cover up the flaws from his Extremis, which causes tragic attacks.  So the man dressed as the Mandarin is actually a drunk method actor called Trevor Slattery.

When this was revealed in the film I had mixed feelings about it. On the one hand the build up and hype towards seeing Iron Man's biggest foe had now faded but on the other hand it was ingenious as we as an audience did not see it coming.  Once Killian explained why the Mandarin was a fictional character the more visible and clever the twist became and it actually added something to the film's story. The previous two Iron Man films had a simple and basic narrative and entertained more than shocked its audience whilst this does both.  I can honestly say this is possibly the greatest twist I have seen since M Night Shyamalon's The Sixth Sense. In a way I find this to be better than twists such as The Sixth Sense and Fight Club because those two films gave subtle hints of one approaching while Iron Man 3's didn't, nobody saw it coming.

I have been reading comments from Marvel purests on the Internet and many have been negative about this. A few have even stated that they have turned Iron Man's biggest enemy into a joke. I see where they are coming from but what they seem to be forgetting is that Ben Kingsley was never the Mandarin, Guy Pearce's Killian was.  Though we knew by his presence that Killian was going to be a villain it came across as though he'd be the sub-villian, he was The Mandarin's puppet but it was actually vice versa. The fact they focused more on the Mandarin more than Killian in the trailers was a clever technique in getting the audience side tracked, they were focusing more on Kinglsey's character rather than Pearce's.  When Pearce appeared in the film I had almost forgotten that he was in it in the first place.

This twist proves that the studio are attempting to make their Marvel films more and more clever and interesting.  The writers have definitely upped their game and I do hope more clever plot devices such as this will be coming in the next films in the 'Phase 2' series

Film Review: Iron Man 3

Director:  Shane Black

Starring:  Robert Downey Jr, Gwynith ​Paltrow, Guy Pearce and Ben Kingsley

This review will not contain any spoilers. I will express my thoughts on the spoilers in a different blog for people who have seen the film.

Let's look back at popular film trilogies. In the majority of them there is that weaker installment that stops them from becoming a perfect film trilogy. Terminator 3, Spider-Man 3 and X-Men: The Last Stand are just few examples where the third installment is seen as the trilogy's Achilles' heel. So, does Iron Man 3 fit in the category of mediocre third installments?

As you can tell from the trailer, director Shane Black wants to raise the stakes in the Iron Man film series. He doesn't want to out-do Avengers Assemble but rather the two previous Iron Man films. And does he succeed? Well, in my opinion I would say absolutely.

After the events of New York where the Avengers fought Loki and his army, we find Tony Stark suffering from panic attacks and lack of sleep as well as having relationship problems with Pepper Potts (Paltrow). Things get worse when a mysterious terrorist who goes by the name 'The Mandarin' (Kingsley) who is the mastermind behind recent terrorist attacks becomes a real threat to Tony as well as to the rest of the United States.

Though Iron Man 3 is an entertaining superhero flick Black has succeeded in making it feel fresh.  There are new technical features for the iron suit and the action sequences are not confined to the occasions when Stark is wearing it.  There is a significant section of the film where Stark has to fight without the suit and it feels as though we have jumped straight into a James Bond/Mission: Impossible film but Black still manages to make it still feel like an Iron Man film.

One of the reasons why I found this to be the best out of the trilogy is because of the development of Stark's character. The past two Iron Man movies had Stark as the smooth talking, cocky and self-obsessed millionaire but here we see the character actually suffering.  The panic attacks, lack of sleep and relationship problems with Potts allow us to see a different side to Stark and as a result we feel as though we are watching a new chapter in the Iron Man series. My only criticism of this is that it could have been developed further. It was touched upon mainly in the beginning but not really evident after the first act. 

If you have seen the trailer you will have noticed the darker approach to the story however comedy is still present and this is what I believe to be one of the key reasons why the Iron Man series is so popular.  I will not mention any of the gags because this would spoil your enjoyment of the film, suffice it to say that some jokes received a laugh out loud response from the audience.  The first two films had, apart from a few exceptions, Downey Jr stealing all the scenes and having the best lines but for this film Black and co-writer Drew Pearce share the best lines with other characters, including minor ones.  Adopting this approach in Avengers Assemble is possibly why it is seen as the funniest Marvel film and the same can be said about Iron Man 3 being the funniest in its trilogy.  The character Tony Stark is funny as is the film as a whole.

As well as laugh out loud moments there are also amazingly jaw dropping set pieces.  The two that stood out were the destruction of Tony Stark's apartment and the post-plane crash mid-air scene. Both have you at the edge of your seat whilst not being able to take your eyes off the screen. The set pieces are highly entertaining leaving you not knowing what's going to happen next. The final showdown is also a well choreographed and exciting action sequence, unlike Iron Man 2's short and disappointing final fight scene.

If you have been following the production process for this film you may have realised that this film has a bigger cast than the last two films. When I first saw how big the cast was my initial interpretation was that it was going to be another Spider-Man 3: too many characters used unconvincingly. However, like Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight Trilogy, Black manages to juggle all the characters at once and all have a specific purpose for being in the film. This film also gives Paltrow a chance to further explore the character of Pepper Potts as her character has a more centred role instead of just being used for witty dialogue with Stark.

But what about the villain? How is The Mandarin portrayed on screen? For obvious spoiler reasons I will not talk too much about Ben Kingsley's take on Iron Man's biggest foe but what I will say is for the first hour he stays in the shadows where he makes various broadcasts to the United States. When you watch these scenes you really do feel a different kind of Iron Man villain altogether has emerged, one that manages to send a shiver down your spine. With his chilling voice and sinister and uncomfortable presence I can honestly say that I have not seen a more threatening comic book villain performance since Heath Ledger's portrayal of the Joker in The Dark Knight.

Overall this is a very entertaining and funny superhero film with lots of twists and turns that has you unaware where the film is going to take you. If the rumours are true that this will be Downey Jr's final Iron Man film then I would say what a way to end a trilogy. Shane Black's take on the much loved superhero proves that superhero movies are just getting better and better and there is no sign of them slowing down. He also proves, again like Christopher Nolan, three isn't always the tragic number in a film trilogy.

That A Wrap! # 2: Trailers, Crows and Unnecessary Sequels

That's a Wrap #2

Hello and welcome to 'That's A Wrap!' The weekly post where I wrap up the film news for this week.

In last  week's blog I mentioned how I am not a huge fan of comedy sequels being made. So you can guess how I reacted when it was reported that Ben Stiller has hired a writer to write Dodgeball 2.  I found Dodgeball to be one of the best and most quotable comedies from the '00s era. It was predictable but when you have a hilarious script as well as well written and memorable characters you can forgive it's minor flaw. It was also a good underdog story, just like Rocky but with a more comical approach. I'm not convinced that they could make another film out of this and have it as funny and clever as the original. However, it has been reported that Peter La Fleur (Vince Vaughn) and White Goodman (Stiller) will unite in this second outing to tackle a bigger foe and I would actually like to see that as I can imagine it being a good comedy duo.  I still believe a sequel to this is not necessary but who knows it could be good!

Another sequel that has been talked about this week is Ghostbusters 3. For years script writer and co-star Dan Aykroyd has been trying to get the sequel up and running but it seems as though this will finally happen as it has been reported that they should start shooting next year. I'm personally getting tired of hearing about this film as it's something I don't think should be made. The original was such a hit both with critics and at the box office and is still today popularly viewed and is seen as an '80s classic.  Though the sequel was mediocre and wasn't anywhere near as good as it's predecessor it didn't damage my fond memories of watching the first one but I think this might. For me it feels as though these actors just want to relive their times in the '80s, back when Ghostbusters was that big film that everyone was raving about. Time has moved on, new comedy actors have arrived and are entertaining us. For me just seeing actors coming back to a film thirty years after the first one is uncomfortable to watch. It just seems desperate. It's not clear if Bill Murray will return for the third outing but if he doesn't I'd say good for him as he has moved on to other projects. Aykroyd states that they are introducing Ghostbusters to a new generation, well why don't we just make sure that when we have kids we'll show them the original? It's too early to judge whether the film will be good or not but for me it is that sequel that seems unnecessary.

There has also been a release of first trailers for upcoming films this year. The first is for Keanu Reeves' directorial debut Man of Tai-Chi. As you can imagine from a teaser trailer it doesn't reveal much about the plot but this does however confirm that there will be a huge amount of fighting involved. The majority of the trailer focuses on fight sequences and from what I have seen they look well choreographed and highly entertaining. This could be an impressive first picture from Reeves however after watching the trailer I still he needs to improve on his acting. 

Another teaser trailer that has been released this week is the Ratchet & Clank movie, which is obviously based on the popular game franchise. In the last decade not many video game based films have wowed critics or even their fans but this one I do believe has potential. One reason why I believe this is because instead of going for a typical live action route it will be done in 3D animation, so the well known characters will look exactly how they look in the games. Staying close to the source material artistically I believe plays an important role when you are adapting something, whether it be from a book, graphic novel or a video game. When I went to see The Adventures of Tintin though it wasn't exactly what I was hoping for I still found it staying true to Herge's world with Steven Spielberg choosing performance capture rather than having it shot in live action. You felt as though you were in the comic strip and that's how I feel Ratchet & Clank will be with it being done in 3D animation. For an early teaser trailer I was very pleased with the outcome. I especially loved the breaking the fourth wall gags and them realising they are being animated on a computer.  If you haven't watched it yet then I'd highly recommend it, it reminded me of a teaser trailer from Pixar, not revealing anything but manages to get you hooked.

Thor: The Dark World's trailer has now been released and if you haven't seen it yet you should really check it out. I was overall impressed with this first trailer for the God of Thunder's second solo outing. From what I can tell it's going to be bigger and darker, which I think are the two key elements when making a sequel to a big film e.g. Dark Knight, Terminator 2, Empire Strikes Back.

On the topic of Thor, actor Thomas Hiddleston who played Thor's arch nemesis Loki has been rumoured to play The Crow in the reboot, which is currently in development. I believe with Hiddleston's build he is a good choice to play the anti-hero. It was reported that Channing Tatum and Mark Wahlberg were also in talks to play the comic book character. As much as I like both actors I think they're too well built to play this character   . 

More movie news coming next week. Have a great weekend!

Remember, the thoughts I have expressed in this blog are only my own and I do not intend to influence others.

 

Film Review: To the Wonder

Director:  Terrence Mallick

Starring:  Ben Affleck, ​Olga Kurylenko, Javier Bardem & Rachel McAdams

In 2011  director Terrence Mallick came to my attention when I went to see his film The Tree of Life. It was one an unforgettable cinema experience. A film that was completely different to other films I would usually watch but it was one that I thought about for days. It made me think as well as feel something. When I heard Malick's new film entitled To the Wonder was coming to one of my local cinemas I couldn't wait to watch another unconventional film by him. Did it live up to my expectations? Yes!

To the Wonder is a beautiful and powerful film by Malick, whose main focus for this film is love and religion. The story follows the ups and downs of the relationship between Neil (Affleck) and Marina (Kurylenko). Neil is an American whilst Marina is a French single mother. They both decide to move to America, where their love for each other begins to fade. During these difficult times Marina comes across a priest (Bardem) who is struggling to have faith in his religion whilst Neil  encounters a childhood friend (McAdams) who he begins to reconnect with.

The script is, for the majority of the time, passionately written. There are a few lines where I found myself slightly confused to what they meant. The lines written along with the beautiful cinematography feels like a collaboration between a poet and a painter. Both different arts interwoven  in order to create this effective mise en scene. Though the film concentrates on visuals for the narrative more than dialogue it felt as though the use of physicality through the characters was the dialogue. Mallick seems to be one of those directors who believes actions speak louder than words and here he shows that. Though the film is beautifully shot I always felt as though the story wasn't overshadowed by the cinematography.

The acting was naturalistic and as a result made me believe in the characters and in times felt a slight connection. I did, however, find Affleck to be slightly uncomfortable in scenes where his character has no motives.  His character Neil wasn't as well presented compared to the others. Whilst other character's objectives were shown clearly, Neil's wasn't. However, as I carried on watching the film I started to believe maybe that was the whole point. As the story develops Marina realises how distant and mysterious Neil becomes and it feels as though that's how we as an audience should feel too, we should view Neil as a complete mystery that we want to solve but know we may never get to.  

Though I couldn't keep my eyes off the stunning imagery shown I still felt that I was somewhere familiar, somewhere that I felt I could connect to. Having it set in a modern period was possibly a reason I felt a closer connection to this story as well as the themes of love and questioning the existence of God. Different aspects of love are explored in this film and I felt as though anyone could find even a fragment of it that they could connect with.

The narrative is highly unconventional but this shouldn't come as a surprise if you have watched The Tree of Life. It was reported that Malick had edited out performances from actors including Michael Sheen, Jessica Chatstein and Rachel Weisz and it felt as though their absence caused holes in the narrative to occur. However, for me this did not create too much of a problem as I found the story to still continue even with missing parts. Malick doesn't want to make the narrative easy for his audience and I believe in this film he wanted them to keep up with the story even when months or years had passed without us being fully aware.

Watching To the Wonder is like observing a painting, what you see before you could be viewed as something completely different in the eyes of another. That is one of the reasons why I loved this film, it allows audiences to have their own interpretation of it,  play an active role whilst viewing. When I left the cinema, like I did with The Tree of Life it left me thinking as well as feeling something. It made me wonder at how love can release a variety of emotions within someone. It can make someone happy, angry, confused or even upset. I believe Malick achieved what he set out to do and though this has received harsh reviews from many critics and film goers I frankly believed it is one of the best films I have seen this year.

That's a Wrap!

​Hello and welcome to That's a Wrap!  The weekly post where I wrap up the film news for this week. 

There has been a huge amount of exciting news for film fans this week.  The one that personally stood out for me was the news that Disney are planning to release a new Star Wars film every year after 2015, which is the year JJ Abrams' ​​​Episode VII​ will be released.  It has been reported that in between the films for the new and third trilogy in the Star Wars ​ ​franchise there will be standalone films released.  These will include characters such as Han Solo and Boba Fett getting their own film.  Personally I'm especially excited for Boba Fett to have his own movie.  When I was young and I witnessed his insulting death for the first time I didn't take much notice of it until I was older when I realised how much of an interesting and bad-ass character Boba Fett was.   I do hope the film will be set after the events of Return of the Jedi ​where we will see how Boba Fett survived.

In other news involving Disney, director Joss Whedon has given some update on the sequel to last year's brilliant box office smash hit ​Avengers Assemble​. ​​​The director has stated that the film should start shooting in February 2014.  Until then we will just have to wait patiently and enjoy the upcoming Marvel films in the next couple of years, including Iron Man 3​ (April 25th), Thor: The Dark World​ (November 8th), Captain America: Winter Soldier​ (April 4th 2014) and Guardians of the Galaxy ​(August 1st 2014).  With Whedon over looking the whole of 'Phase 2' I am very confident that the future for Marvel films in the next few years will be exciting.

On the topic of sequels it has been confirmed that 21 Jump Street 2​ will hit cinemas in 2014.  I absolutely loved the first film with it's funny gags, clever script and most all the perfect chemistry between Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill.  I am not too sure how to react to the news that there will definitely be a sequel.  I have always felt with comedies that making a sequel could possibly ruin the smartness and originality that the original had.  Films such as Porkies​, The Hangover​, and American Pie​ have all had sequels and none have been able to match with their predecessors (though I did find the American Pie sequels to still be funny).  With Anchorman 2, ​Ted 2 and a possible Zoolander 2​ on the way it worries me that all of these may make their creators go from comical geniuses to cash cows*.  I could however be wrong about these upcoming comedy sequels, we will all have to wait and see.  I do hope like everybody that these will bring laughter to us just like their predecessors did.

Zombieland 2​ may not be hitting our cinema screens any time soon, however the new TV series has just begun showing with the pilot episode now available on Lovefilm and Amazon.com.  I  haven't had chance to sit down and watch it but I have had chance to view the trailer... When I first heard there would be TV series adaptation of the popular 2009 hit film I was expecting it to be set in the same universe with different characters and from what I have seen in the trailer I can state I was wrong.  Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, Emma Stone and Abigail Breslin have all been replaced by new actors.  This isn't the first time this has happened however when you have a memorable character such as Tallahassee (Harrelson) it is impossible to find an actor who could portray him to the same standard.  When I watched the trailer I didn't laugh at  the jokes, which I considered to be weak.  Let's hope that Zombieland 2​ arrives quickly!!

​On the topic of comedy it has been rumoured that Family Guy​ creator Seth MacFarlane has been approached to host the Academy Awards again next year. The reaction to MacFarlane's hosting at Oscars was divisive, however I was one who found him to be an entertaining host.  With him being the man behind Family Guy​, American Dad ​ and Ted​ it mustn't have come as a surprise that his jokes were going to be crude and offensive.  With MacFarlane stating he may not host ever again due to his heavy business schedule it seems very unlikely this will happen.

More film news coming next week.​

​*Remember, this is just my personal opinion.

Hey!

​Hello, fellow film fans.

My name is Chris Marland,  a good friend of Raichious ​Muffin creator Matt Hancox. 

Ever since I was young I have been passionate about cinema. Every time I went it was a special treat for me. Once the lights went down I was about to enter a new world where the impossible could happen and the words "That would never happen" were perminantely banned. The film could make me laugh, cry, have me think differently about myself as a person and life in general. When I look back on my life so far it doesn't surprise me that my times at the cinema have not been forgotten. The characters, the imaginative stories, the special effects, the scenes that created cinema magic have all stayed alive in my mind and will continue to.

I could talk about films for days and having the chance to have my own blog page where I can discuss cinema is something I have always wanted to do.​ Here I will be reviewing films, talking about upcoming films, discussing films that have been and gone, and anything else that involves cinema.

​I hope you enjoy reading them as much as I will enjoy writing them.

​Chris Marland.