The Great Gatsby

http://thegreatgatsby.warnerbros.com/

There are some films that you know about ages before they come out. You read up on them, you might even look at set photos and eagerly anticipate their arrival. Others seemingly come out of nowhere and surprise you. Then there are films like this. Which you wonder how you didn't see coming but then when you've seen it you can kind of see why...

Having never read The Great Gatsby or having seen any of the previous adaptations, I didn't know what to expect, other than what I knew of the story; set in the 1920s and a somewhat tragic love story. And of course there was what I knew of the cast and director. The combination of all these things meant that I had what I don't believe were unrealistic expectations that this film had potential.

For those like me who don't know, the film is narrated by Nick (Tobey Maguire), who is recounting the time he spent with his cousin Daisy (Carey Mulligan) and her husband Tom (Joel Edgerton), on Long Island and in New York City in the summer of 1922. He moves into a modest home across the bay from Daisy, his house dwarfed by the massive estate next door owned by a man named Gatsby (Leonardo DiCaprio). A man who throws lavish parties every weekend but whom nobody has ever met. Nick gets invited to one of Gatsby's parties and eventually meets the ellusive man and gets to know him. Once Gatsby trusts Nick he lets him in on a secret; he is Daisy's long lost love, returned from the war with the intention of winning her back. Of course Daisy is now married, a fact Gatsby is well aware of, but his love for Daisy is so consuming he is willing to do anything to get her back. Consequently, a lot of people, some intentionally, and some caught in the cross-fire, get hurt. But will it all be worth it in the end?

The problem with the story, and I don't know if this is with the story in general or just this telling of it, is that you don't really care enough about any of the characters to feel invested in what happens to them. The film is also really long, which doesn't help the cause as you put all of this time in and don't really feel any reward for your efforts.

Tobey Maguire is a good actor but his character is boring. Making him the narrator just slows the proceedings down even more. And I don't really think the film would have lost a great deal by just letting events unfold without a narrator. His character is so dull, I had to look up his name as I genuinely couldn't remember it. That's how little an impact he had on me.

DiCaprio is charasmatic as Gatsby but he looks too young to be believable as a survivor of the war who then went on to have adventures at sea, make a fortune and get a reputation for himself as an extravagant millionaire. He only really gets to shine when cracks start to appear in Gatsby's facade. Mulligan and Edgerton are both good but are both woefully underused. Mulligan's contribution to the film being to look pretty in her 20s clothes and appear torn between two lovers, while Edgerton is merely supposed to look like the baddie of the hour (complete with moustache) so that the audience wants Daisy to end up with Gatsby. I for one always find that decision can be more heartbreaking when both men are decent and honorable, rather than having to choose between a cheat and a madman.

The film was too long for my liking and the characters not likable enough to warrant me sitting there for that length of time. A very dull and disappointing 5 out of 10.

Viewing Date - 29th May 2013

UK Release Date - 16th May 2013

Cast Overview:

Leonardo DiCaprio ~ Jay Gatsby

Tobey Maguire ~ Nick Carraway

Carey Mulligan ~ Daisy Buchanan

Joel Edgerton ~ Tom Buchanan

Isla Fisher ~ Myrtle Wilson

Jason Clarke ~ George Wilson

Adelaide Clemens ~ Catherine

Elizabeth Debicki ~ Jordan Baker

Director ~ Baz Luhrmann

Writer(s) ~ Baz Luhrmann (Screenplay), Craig Pearce (Screenplay) 

and F. Scott Fitzgerald (Novel)

The Odd Life Of Timothy Green

Mini Review

http://disney.go.com/the-odd-life-of-timothy-green/

The Odd Life Of Timothy Green has been sitting on the shelf since August last year. This is usually a bad sign for movies, but after Hansel and Gretel was a surprisingly enjoyable movie that had experienced set backs, I thought I'd give Timothy the chance to prove himself to me. It didn't hurt that the movie also features Jennifer Garner, who I'm a big fan of since I saw her TV show Alias.

The film tells the story of a married couple Cindy (Jennifer Garner) and Jim (Joel Edgerton), who are sadly unable to conceive a child of their own. One night they fill a box with their ideals of what their child would have been if they'd been able to have one. They cite him or her having Cindy's heart, being a rock star and scoring the winning goal amongst many other things. They lock these notes in a box and bury it in their garden. That night Cindy and Jim are awoken by a storm and discover a boy named Timothy in their house. He says he has come from the garden and is their son. It soon becomes apparent that Timothy is no ordinary boy as he possesses all of the traits that were desired by Cindy and Jim. Could he really be meant for them?

The Odd Life Of Timothy Green may be a live action Disney movie but it's not as sentimental as you would expect from being associated with the famous animators. The acting is pretty decent from a lot of recognisable faces and the story is more heartwarming than heartbreaking. It's not outstanding but it's a nice film that all the family can watch and get something out of. 6.5 out of 10.

Viewing Date - 7th April 2013

UK Release Date - 5th April 2013

Cast Overview:

Jennifer Garner ~ Cindy Green

Joel Edgerton ~ Jim Green

CJ Adams ~ Timothy Green

Odeya Rush ~ Joni Jerome

Shohreh Aghdashloo ~ Evette Onat

Rosemarie DeWitt ~ Brenda Best

David Morse ~ James Green Sr

M. Emmet Walsh ~ Uncle Bob

Lois Smith ~ Aunt Mel

Dianne Wiest ~ Bernice Crudstaff

Ron Livingston ~ Franklin Crudstaff

James Rebhorn ~ Joseph Crudstaff

Common ~ Coach Cal 

Director ~ Peter Hedges

Writer(s) ~ Peter Hedges (Screenplay) and Ahmet Zappa (Story)

The Thing

http://www.thethingmovie.net/

For background on what I think of the original 'The Thing' go here. I should point out that this review is for the prequel which is on general release at the moment and which is also called 'The Thing'. Note I said prequel and not remake. This is not a re-telling of the 1982 film but a film about what happened before that film. Gottit? Good. Let's move on.

For anyone who's not seen the 1982 film The Thing starring Kurt Russell, it's about a bunch of American researchers stationed in the Antarctic who witness a dog being shot at by Norwegians in a helicopter, who have come from their nearby base. The helicopter crash lands, killing both Norwegians on board, which leaves the Americans with no idea why they were trying to shoot an innocent animal. The Americans decide to head over to the Norwegian base to find out what's going on. Once there they discover what the Norwegians found under the ice, an alien ship and a creature that they estimate had been there for more than 100,000 years. This film, as I pointed out, is not a remake of that, but a prequel, showing what happened to the Norwegians who found the ship and the creature and what happened when it thawed out.

I don't feel the need to go any further into the synopsis as in spite of this not being a remake it does follow the very familiar pattern of the first 'Thing'. That's not to say that this is a bad move on behalf of the film makers. It would after all be kind of hard for them to change the pattern as what happens to the Norwegians in this film is almost identical to what happens to the Americans in the first film - the alien takes over the base, one person at a time.

There are differences however, a lot more time is spent on the alien ship for one. Fans of the original will be happy to see a scene involving a test to see who is 'Thing' and who is human has been given a new lease of life, but is still as nerve wracking to watch as the original scene was. 

There are a lot of jumps in this movie but not really anything new in terms of plot. Plus I kinda think that one of the things which makes the original so scary is not knowing what the creature looked like originally. You only ever saw it in it's copied state or mid-transformation. While you don't get to see it clearly in this film, you do get more of an idea of what it looked like before it changed. 

I also wasn't keen on the use of CGI as I'd heard they were going to make this the old fashioned way to mirror the first film. But in the end they went down the CGI route, I'm guessing because this is quicker and less costly than model making. But I did love the effects in the original, even if they seem laughable to audiences now. 

I did come away liking The Thing 2011 though and felt it did wrap things up nicely, providing you stay and watch the extra bits that appear throughout the end credits. It's not as good as it's predecessor but it's enjoyable none-the-less. 7.5 out of 10.

Viewing Date - 2nd December 2011

UK Release Date - 2nd December 2011

Cast Overview:

Mary Elizabeth Winstead ~ Kate Lloyd

Joel Edgerton ~ Carter

Ulrich Thomsen ~ Dr Sander Halvorson

Eric Christian Olsen ~ Adam Finch

Kim Bubbs ~ Juliette

Jørgan Langhelle ~ Lars

Jan Gunnar Røise ~ Olav

Stig Henrik Hoff ~ Peder

Director ~ Matthijs Van Heijningen Jr

Writer(s) ~ Eric Heisserer (Screenplay) and John W Campbell Jr (Short Story 'Who Goes There')