First up for us on Saturday was Now You See Me. I had heard that it was being compared to Oceans 11, 12 & 13. While it was a lot of fun, I wouldn't say that it was as good as the Oceans movies. There are a couple of interesting twists and you are never sure who the good guys are, but it was fun. The grand magic tricks are good, but they give some of the magic secrets away. The actors are good - Jesse Eisenberg plays Danny Atlas, but all I could think of was Mark Zuckerberg when he was onscreen (the characters are similarly arrogant!). Isla Fisher, Dave Franco, Woody Harrelson, Morgan Freeman, Michael Caine and Mark Ruffalo are all fun to watch. I don't recommend this movie for kids because I think there is too much dialog and it will bore them - the magic tricks are good but few and far between and not enough to keep kids engaged in the movie. It's good light entertainment, but if you want to see it in the theater I'd go soon - I don't think it will be around too much longer because I don't think it can compete with the blockbusters coming out. It's ok for you to wait until it hits Netflix or DVD.
I haven't read The Great Gatsby since high school, but I did remember that it would end tragically. I think that's what drew Baz Luhrman to make this movie. He just loves a tragic love story. Truth be told, I was expecting something bigger and over the top from this movie - like Moulin Rouge or Romeo and Juliet. The party scenes were extravagant and beautiful, but a little subdued for Baz. I will say that Leonardo DiCaprio and Carey Mulligan were the most beautiful things on the screen - the camera loves them both! Their costumes were absolutely stunning - think of Leo in a pink suit! The onscreen chemistry between Gatsby and Daisy was sizzling. Very intense. I do recommend this film - but just be warned that it's not a "feel good" movie.
Finally, we took Viliamu to see After Earth yesterday. It stars Will Smith and his son, Jaden. The movie was directed by M. Night Shyamalan. It was very suspenseful and somewhat scary in parts - maybe a little too much for a 6 year old. The normally goofy Will Smith was so serious and stern - I don't think he cracked a smile through the entire movie. Jaden, on the other hand, showed a much wider range of facial expressions and emotions. I guess that the Smiths are well off enough to select movies as family projects - that's what this felt like - a family project with pretty impressive special effects. Viliamu loved it, but he did say he would never watch that movie again! It was probably a little more intense than the video games he is allowed to play at his dad's house. Anyway, I'm not sure that this will be in theaters very long. I have a feeling that it will replaced with the likes of Man of Steel and World War Z. If you want to see a good movie with Will and Jaden in it, watch The Pursuit of Happyness (2006). It's much better and based on a true story.
Whew! That was a lot of theater time - now it's time to buckle down during the week and get some things done.
1 comment:
I think I'd like to see Now You See Me, but After Earth has been getting lousy reviews. I can skip that one. Gatsby?
I dunno.
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