Now You See Me

Now You See Me (2013)
Starring: Mark Ruffalo, Michael Caine, Jesse Eisenberg, Isla Fisher, Woody Harrelson, Morgan Freeman, Dave Franco, Melanie Laurent.
Director: Louis Leterrier




Now You See Me is one of those movies that just is. By that I mean, it's not going to win any Oscars, it's not an epic 3 hour long masterpiece, it's just one of those movies that entertains you for an hour or two and releases the pressure of everyday life a little.

The trailers for this were quite impressive, a decent cast, a seemingly interesting and a mysterious plot that peaked your interest. Whether it was worth seeing it at the cinema or not I don't know. Myself, personally, I probably could have waited to see this on DVD, especially since we had two rows of daycare dropout teenagers trying to impress each other infront of us.

Four run of the mill magicians are each given a mysterious invitation and suddenly end up being one of the largest and most popular magical acts in the US. But their daring tricks turn to daylight robbery when they rob a bank in Paris as part of one of their live shows, grabbing the attention of not only the FBI, but a detective from France as well.

FBI Agent Dylan Rhodes, (Mark Ruffalo) is led on a wild goose chase all over the country trying to figure out their motives and how they did it and trying to pre-empt where they will strike next.

Decent performances from Morgan Freeman, Michael Caine and Mark Ruffalo, but the others fall a little flat and are rather unconvincing as Vegas class magicians.

While I enjoyed it, and certainly didn't predict the ending, I think this is one that you would watch at home as a second or third option.

Upside Down

Upside Down (2012)
Starring: Jim Sturgess, Kirsten Dunst, Timothy Spall
Director: Juan Solanas

Eversince he captured my heart as Jude in "Across the Universe", I have had a soft spot for Jim Sturgess. British born Sturgess came into acting at a later age than most, being more swayed towards a musical career when younger rather than an acting one, but Hollywood beckoned and he was soon on our screens both small and large and has grown in leaps and bounds.

Upside Down is set in an alternate universe to our own, two worlds that co-exist, one above the other, or one below the other, depending on how you see it. Of course, as is the norm, there is always a division of the classes and the Upworlders see the Downworlders as being of a lower class and to mix with them is forbidden. Of course, gravity plays a big part in all of this and makes spending time in the opposite world rather difficult.

Adam is of the lower class and like any boy his age, dreams of adventures and is fascinated by the worlds around him. On one of his adventures one day, he climbs the highest peak and meets a girl from the other world called Eden. They find ways for Eden to spend time in Adams world and embark on a friendship that blossoms into love as they enter their teens.

Sadly, because mixing with the other world is forbidden, their trysts are discovered and Eden is injured as she falls back to her own world. Adam is distraught thinking that she is dead and he is punished for spending time with an Upworlder.

Years pass before we see Adam working with two others to try and come up with an anti-aging cream to market to the Upworlders. While watching a television commercial, he spots Eden and comes up with a plan to get into the building that connects the two world together and market his face cream and look for Eden at the same time.

Adam meets Bob, (Timothy Spall), an Upworlder who takes a liking to him and helps him get into the upper level of the building, but when he comes face to face with Eden, she doesn't remember him.

 The CG matting on this is stunning, the colours are bright and bold in the Upworld and dark and gloomy in the Downworld and the two contrasting lifestyles are shown brilliantly.

The two lead actors have a fantastic chemistry and worked really well together. Jim Sturgess has a boyish charm that is infectious and you can't help but like the guy.

 This is a futuristic romance that I will gladly recommend to everyone. 

Man of Steel

Man of Steel (2013)

Starring: Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Russell Crowe, Michael Shannon, Laurence Fishburne, Christopher Meloni.
Director: Zack Snyder

 

For many years, the Superman franchise was in turmoil. From scripts that could have been written better by a five year old, to tantrum throwing and problematic lead actors, this was one superhero that seemed doomed to stay locked in limbo for a very long time.

As a kid, I grew up with the fabulous Christopher Reeve as the man in the red cape. I was never particularly keen on Margot Kidder as Louis Lane, but loved the whole concept of someone like Superman who could save the day, change history and bring mankind back from the brink. Fantastic villains like Gene Hackman as Lex Luthor and Terence Stamp as General Zod will stay in my mind for a very long time. In saying that, it was only the first movie that I really enjoyed, at a little of the second, but the subsequent follow ups were pretty abysmal.

These days, the re-working of the 1950's comic book heroes by DC and Marvel seem to aim towards showcasing current computer graphic technology and turning our heroes into hunks.

Henry Cavill is every girls dream. He is tall, chiselled, handsome and buff and donning the red cape has made him a household name, and my oh my, does he wear that cape well.

The casting for this is pretty spot on. I really loved Henry as Clark Kent/Kal-El/Superman. He has the whole superhero look down pat, and with some intense training from celebrity trainer Mark Twight, managed the man of steel muscles as well. There is one scene in particular where Clark emerges from the sea without a shirt on, and I think I audibly sighed at how perfect he was. The re-worked costume for Superman is great. Really modern and well done.

Amy Adams as the smart and determined Lois Lane is much better than Margot Kidder. Amy is, in my mind, a classic Hollywood beauty. She doesn't look fake, she isn 't drop dead gorgeous, she just has that classic look about her that in Hollywood, is timeless and she is fantastic with Henry.

Russell Crowe has long been someone that I loved to hate. I had heard too many stories of his 'blokey' persona and his 'I'm better than everyone' attitude. I really think he's matured as a person as well as an actor and comes to the front in his role as Kal-Els Dad, Jor-El. He looked great in the costume and did justice to Marlon Brando's performance from the 1978 movie.

Michael Shannon was an odd choice for General Zod, but he worked in such a way that you really felt how much he put into this role.

Kevin Costner and Diane Lane were incredibly well chosen as Kal-Els earth parents, Martha and Jonathan Kent and the scene where he loses his father and is unable to help, is an emotional one.



 

After sitting through three quarters of the movie in awe of how amazing everything looked, the one thing that really bugged me ended up being the over use of CG towards the end. I realise that you are talking major damage and destruction when two aliens with incredible strength are having a bit of an argument, but I just felt too many buildings were destroyed with little to no mention of the lives that most surely would have been lost due to this epic demolition crew.

So what will Zack pull out of the bag for the sequel? At the time of writing, San Diego Comic Con 2013 has just wrapped up and Zack has revealed that two of DC's biggest will be in the sequel, Superman and Batman. Henry has already signed on to play Superman, but no word on Batman yet, with Christian Bale saying he won't don the black cape again.

I guess it's a case of "WATCH THIS SPACE"

Dredd

Dredd (2012)
Starring: Karl Urban, Olivia Thirlby, Lena Headey
Director: Pete Travis

 

On the 22nd June 2013, I attended my very first Supanova Pop Culture Exhibition in Sydney. For those who don't know what Supanova is, I suggest you Google it. It is basically a weekend spent with like minded nerds, movie, tv and comic book fans and most people are not afraid to let their freak flags fly, dressing up as everything from SpongeBob Squarepants to the man himself, Judge Dredd.

I was lucky enough to actually meet Karl Urban on the Saturday and get my photo taken with him. It was brief, but he made an impression and I decided it was time I actually watched the movie that had people talking.

I had seen the 1995 version starring Sylvester Stallone, but remember very little about it apart from it being quite comical, and by comical, I don't mean in the style of the comic book, but quite corny and funny, everything Dredd shouldn't be!

Judge Dredd originated from the comic book called 2000AD and he's a pretty kick arse character who never smiles and never takes his helmet off, but takes his job as a law enforcement officer in a futurisitic world, pretty damn seriously.

This version of Dredd was really quite impressive. Karl Urban has been quoted as saying that in the tradition of 2000D, HIS version of Dredd will never be seen without his helmet. I kind of like that sort of commitment, even though it means we don't get to see Karls pretty head. *grin*

The big bad in this version is played by Lena Headey of Game of Thrones fame. Ma-Ma is the major pusher behind a new drug called 'slo-mo' which actually makes the user experience life in slow motion. The scenes where we see the drug users high on the drug are actually really well done and the effects quite stunning. Although I think I'd hate to be the ones that get injected with the drug, then thrown off a 100 story building as punishment, talk about a slow death!

Dredd and rookie Judge 'Anderson', are called to investigate the three rather flat bodies that are found at the base of one of the cities notorious building blocks and find themselves in a rather dangerous situation when the building gets locked down and the hunt begins to annihilate the two judges in the building.

The action is gruesome, lots of blood and guts, lots of explosions and complete destruction and chaos.

Very well done.

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.