Despicable Me 2

 

Despicable Me 2 (2013)
Starring: Steve Carell, Kristen Wiig, Russell Brand
Director: Pierre Coffin, Chris Renaud

 

I love Steve Carell. There is something about him that just makes me laugh. It took me a really long time to watch "The 40 Year old Virgin", but when I did, I giggled all the way through it.  Steve has the ability to morph into any number of characters, but most of them have that undeniable sweet innocence about them, and with "Despicable Me 2", Gru is about as cute and vulnerable as they come, despite his being an ex-villain.

Gru has settled into his role of being the guardian of 3 girls and we see him throwing a birthday party for Agnes, the youngest of the three. The lengths that Gru and the minions go to, to make it a memorable party for Agnes is very sweet. This guy is a better father than some people in real life!!

The minions get to be a bit more front and centre with this one, and we are introduced to a new character in Agent Lucy Wilde, who had some fabulous secret gadgets of her own. Lipstick Taser!!

Gru is recruited by the Anti Villain League to help them catch a new villain committing unspeakable crimes! He agrees and takes on a new partner in Lucy Wilde, but doesn't realise that being the father of three girls, and still holding a job isn't as easy as it seems.

The minions are adorable as per usual, and I found myself chuckling more than a bit every time they were on screen. Childish I know, but what are you gonna do?

And something a little extra which made me giggle a lot a few weeks ago.............for those who think Gru isn't real. *wink*


 

Iron Man 3

Iron Man 3 (2013)
Starring: Robert Downey Jnr, Gwyneth Paltrow, Don Cheadle, Guy Pearce, Ben Kingsley
Director: Shane Black

 

Is this the end of the Iron Man franchise? It's kind of hard to tell. What with the success of the first two movies and the Avengers spin off, I'm not sure the movie going public will let Iron Man rest.

Who would have thought that a young Mr Robert Downey Jnr, who did so many drugs 25 years ago that he was a walking pharmaceutical model, would grow up to be such a fantastic actor. Robert Downey Jnr was one of those actors that you kind of liked but never really told anyone. His performance in Less Than Zero was amazing, and it's only now that I'm older that I can fully appreciate what a great actor he was back then as well. The years had, at one stage, taken their toll on him, but he rose above it all and has firmly planted himself back on top of the pedestal of brilliance.

With Iron Man 3, we see a new villain in Guy Pearce, all be it a geeky, buck toothed nerd who idolises Tony Stark and wants to work with him, only to be passed by and played a cruel joke on. (this kind of reminded me of the terrible 1997 Batman and Robin where Uma Thurmans Poison Ivy is fobbed off by George Clooney and later becomes an arch enemy.)

Tony is working in his billion dollar lab, playing around with his many dress up costumes and hears about the terrible deeds of  "The Mandarin", played brilliantly by Ben Kingsley, a terrorist beyond anyones imagining. But what many don't realise, is that there is more to The Mandarin than meets the eye.

I won't give anything away as this really is a movie full of surprises and I really did love the action in it. It was nice to see Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow) get out of the serious secretary role and into some gym clothes and kick some arse.

The end of the movie has left me somewhat flat however, as too much happens that makes you question the future of this particular Avenger and whether the writers can pull it all back together. While I did really enjoy it, the ending seemed somewhat rushed and a bit too stitched together.

As this has taken me a couple of months to type up, I have just read that Robert Downey Jnr has just resigned for Avengers 2 and 3 so I hope they have some pretty good script writers on this.

See it for the kick arse action flick that it is, some fabulous CGI and great one liners from RDJ. The scenes with him and the kid are quite heart warming. Please remember to remove brain up pressing Play though..........it's not one you need to think about a lot.



The Great Gatsby

The Great Gatsby (2013)
Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Carey Mulligan, Tobey Maguire, Joel Edgerton, Isla Fisher
Director: Baz Luhrmann

Baz Luhrmann does nothing by halves. The flamboyant, over the top, director is known for his extravagant and often over budget lavish productions. This remake of the classic 1925 novel, written by F. Scott Fitzgerald, stands firmly among his previous efforts for it's opulence.

Set in the 1920's, in New York City, this is the story of a love affair that spans classes and survives a war.

Leonardo DiCaprio plays the mysterious Jay Gatsby, a millionaire who throws the loudest parties New York has ever seen, sparing no expense most weekends at his bayside mansion. Tobey Maguire plays the meek and gullible Nick Carraway, who happens to move into the tiny keepers cottage next door to the Gatsby mansion and thanks to his cousin, Daisy Buchanan, (Carey Mulligan), gets embroiled in a dramatic series of events that will change his life forever.

The story unfolds through Nicks eyes, told in flashback, as he comes to terms with the enormous U-turn his life takes when he moves in next door to the enigmatic Jay Gatsby.

Nick goes to visit Daisy and her well off husband, who live across the bay from the tiny little keepers cottage and is immediately introduced to the fabulously wealthy lifestyle that accompanies his cousin and all those who surround her.

When Nick finds a personal invitation from Mr Gatsby to join him at one of his parties, Nick accepts and finds himself in a world beyond his imagining. The party scenes are bright, vibrant, colourful, opulent, extreme, and every bit conjured up inside the head of Baz Luhrmann.

Before too long, we discover that Daisy and Jay were in love before the war, but Daisy believed she would never see the love of her life again, and so she marries Tom Buchanan (Joel Edgerton) instead. When she comes face to face with Jay after many years, she finds herself dreaming of a life that could have been and Jay begins to weave a web of magic around Daisy, hoping to win her back and force her to declare her love for him and divorce Tom.

Tom, however, isn't all that he seems and keeps the company of a married woman in his spare time, the wife of a poor mechanic who lives in the slums of the city. Tom takes Nick with him on one of his weekend sojourns and Nick discovers for himself the person his cousin has married, but swears to never tell Daisy of her husbands affairs.

Before long, we also discover that Mr Gatsby is also, not as he seems and the story of his wealth is told.

This film  has Bazs' signature all over it. The costumes are to die for, and the soundtrack is a twist of modern music set against a jazzy back track. Many scenes reminded me of Moulin Rouge, especially with the subtle green fog light that blinks on and off at the end of the Buchanan wharf every night, conjuring up images of Kylie Minogues green fairy flitting about.

What I loved is that the streets of Sydney, where this was filmed, are unrecognisable and easily pass for 1920's New York once the CGI team have waved their wands.

I don't understand why the critics hated this movie, I found it entertaining and the performances of the main cast were engaging.

If you don't like Baz Luhrmann movies, then don't watch them. I think most critics went in thinking they were going to hate it and came out loathing it because it was pure Baz.

See it for yourself, don't let critics ruin it for you.